Worst MLB Broadcast Duo (TV Edition)

Listening to Hawk during a White Sox loss - and there have been many so far this year - is golden. I only wish he did the no-hitter earlier this year.

 

With Stone Pony (sorry, I'm channeling Hawk-isms) switching with Darrin Jackson from radio to TV, TV got a whole lot better, and radio got worse, now that Ed Farmer's ego now has more room to run unrestrained. Though it is entertaining the nights when DJ decides he's going to be a dick, and argue with Farmio (sorry, another Hawkism) after everything he says. I've never heard an announcing team so dedicated to annoying the shit out of each other.

 

Between radio and TV, the Reds have something like 90 announcer-analyst combos. They're to announcers as the Pittsburgh Pirates were to uniforms in the late 70s.

Marty Brennaman is awesome on the radio. Chris Welsh is good on TV. George Grande is pleasant, if unspectacular.

The rest? Thom Brennaman is clearly in cruise control mode because he's "gone home" and is trying, and failing, to capture his dad's schtick. Everyone else is woodwork.

 

I know this is a threadjack of sorts, but it's not worth starting a new thread for. I saw Root sports watching a Rockies game during MLB's extra innings free preview. Didn;t think much about it other than it was different from what I grew accustomed to with Fox Sports. Then I watched a Pirates game, and saw they switched as well.

The one thing I noticed is that they spend waaaaaaay too much time showing the fans. It was to the point where it was uncomfortable. If I'm at a game, the last thing I want is some guy stuffing a camera into my face. There was even a moment where the camera guy started filming this couple before they noticed it, then the guy turned and saw, and didn't know what to do. Then you could see him looking at the camera guy and even asked him if he should keep looking forward. The camera guy must have said yes, because he turned and kept looking out of the corner of his eye to see if he was still filming. All the while, camera still running. Just awkward.

WGN has done this for years, and they seem to have an eye for the ladies, which is nice, but it never really seems forced. Root just looks unprofessional at times.

And yes, to end the jack and get back to the point at hand. . . as much as I like the rah-rah guy, Greg Brown has had some uncomfortably over the top moments, as has Steve Blass. Neverette isn't too bad.

 

Zaun has been so solid NESN asked him to do a few games with them. Peter King even gave him a shoutout.

If ESPN knew anything about earnest insight, he'd already be there.

 

I loved the little instructional things he did on Jays Connected. The one he did on staying over the rubber has been invaluable to my kid who is just learning about the balance needed to pitch.

 

Have listened to White Sox radio for quite a while, and yeah, once John Rooney left, Ed Farmer suddenly thought he could the world's best play-by-play man AND talent scout at the same time. He's neither, of course, not by a long shot.

I still say the best Chicago radio team in recent memory was when Steve Stone filled in for Ron Santo and did the 2003 NLCS with Pat Hughes. Those two have a great knowledge of the game between them, and they played off each other very well.

Of course, maybe I just liked their broadcasts because of how the series turned out ...

 

Pat Hughes is great, in part because he recognizes that people tune in to listen to what's happening with the Cubs, not the sound of his voice. He sets up his partners well, a skill honed, perhaps, by having so many of them in recent years, when Santo's health was beginning to fail. Hughes also knew when to shut up and let Santo be Santo.

 

Hughes is just outstanding as a radio guy. As you said, he knew how to let Santo be Santo but he is a master at storytelling during an inning without missing a pitch.

The guys on the old XM morning baseball show used to replay a clip of a discussion Hughes and Santo had about The Munsters during a half inning of a game a few years ago. It was absolutely hilarious because Hughes never missed a pitch and never lost his train of thought on the discussion at the same time.

His early work with Keith Moreland this season has been excellent as well. Having a true color guy in the booth has changed Hughes' approach as he doesn't have to work as much to draw analysis out of his partner but you can sense a chemistry already starting to develop.

 

It doesn't hurt that Moreland was one of the more frequent of the Replacement Santos.

 

Apparently it was the Rangers' John Rhadigan and Tom Greive, since Rhadigan was canned this morning after 50-something games on the job.

 

Please tell me he's not being replaced by Ric Renner.