Official Griping About Announcers Thread

[DemDog]

446964757263743437060 wrote: I watched the Reds broadcast of the first series before tuning in to Brown/Wehner for the Red Sox series. And Brown/Wehner have done a fine job thru these 2 games so far. No silliness, no puns, no jokes, no eating in the booth. Not even the usual Greg Brown addiction to catch-phrases. It makes me wonder if a producer edict was issued to clean up the broadcasts. It's too soon to know. But on Bae's HR, Greg Brown appeared to be creating a new hackneyed catch phrase, something like "What can you say........?" to rhyme with Bae. But then Brown caught himself and continued, "What can you say.....about that?"



Having not seen the initial series with Brown and Walk, who generally try to laugh their way thru every game, I can't say if the format has changed this year. Maybe those who watched those games on AT&T Sports can tell me. But I've enjoyed the Brown/Wehner broadcasts of the Boston series so far. 


I hear ya Bobster but I refuse to watch the game on tv because no matter who the announcers are I still have to put up with Robby and his meaningless questions to the players etc. I can even stand Block doing the game.

[Bobster21]

Going back to listen again to Brown's call on Bae's HR, it was obvious he caught himself in mid-schtick and aborted.





"What do you SAY... uh, about this guy." Yes, Greg. Sometimes less is more.

[WildwoodDave2]

Having the Major League package, I get to hear a lot of other broadcasters. There are no Robby's asking stupid questions!

[DemDog]

In the pre-game show on 93.7 The Fan, Walkie announced that he is taking a page for the Steve Blass book and plans on doing 2 road series this year.

[Bobster21]

I haven't yet seen a Brown/Walk combo in the booth since I saw the Reds broadcasts of the first series. But in the rest of the games, Brown seems much more focused on the game and isn't trying to be a comedian. I'll be interested to see if that continues when he's teamed with Walk, since that's when they try the hardest to be funny. And there seem to be fewer camera shots of the announcers, which seemed to be almost every inning last year.



KY continues to be a drab, monotone, sleep inducing voice. That's just not appropriate for a broadcasting career. And he's entered the analysts competition to see who can say "Brownie" the most. I've already had to turn off Joe Block. He still talks nonstop or otherwise fills the airwaves by having his analyst explain baseball to the audience. But at least so far Brown has been better than last year.

[MaineBucs]

Couple of Comments:



I don't like the Michael McKenry segments. Whenever they occur, they become the focus and not the game on the field.



I am not a fan of Rabelo as the 3rd base coach, and have frequently voiced my criticism on this Board. During yesterday's game when Rabelo (mistakenly) roamed far down the line to stop Castro from trying to score on Delay's single to center, both Brown and Walk raved about Rabelo's innate ability to know when to stop and send a runner. They were drifting into the territory of how he possesses mystical insights. I know that I will never possess the baseball acumen of Walk, but I know what I see when Cutch is thrown out at home by 20 ft, and players have tried to score when there is no business for them trying to move past 3rd.



I have appreciated the modicum of honesty that Brown has thrown out during the recent slide, and thought that Brown's and Capp's recent rally cap antics (in a game in which the Pirates actually scored) was entertaining, however, on the whole, the Pirate broadcast team remains mediocre at best.

[DemDog]

I agree on McKenry's segments. While he was just a cuppa coffee back up during MLB career he does not deserve "star"status when it comes to analytics on the game broadcast. I can put up with him on a pregame show but nothing else.

[Bobster21]

547870777C5B6C7A6A190 wrote: Couple of Comments:



I don't like the Michael McKenry segments.  Whenever they occur, they become the focus and not the game on the field.



I am not a fan of Rabelo as the 3rd base coach, and have frequently voiced my criticism on this Board.  During yesterday's game when Rabelo (mistakenly) roamed far down the line to stop Castro from trying to score on Delay's single to center, both Brown and Walk raved about Rabelo's innate ability to know when to stop and send a runner.   They were drifting into the territory of how he possesses mystical insights.  I know that I will never possess the baseball acumen of Walk, but I know what I see when Cutch is thrown out at home by 20 ft, and players have tried to score when there is no business for them trying to move past 3rd.         



I have appreciated the modicum of honesty that Brown has thrown out during the recent slide, and thought that Brown's and Capp's recent rally cap antics (in a game in which the Pirates actually scored) was entertaining, however, on the whole, the Pirate broadcast team remains mediocre at best.
I also find McKenry annoying. He was popular with fans as a backup catcher much like backup QBs are often popular. He was neither a good hitter nor a good defensive catcher. They want him on the broadcast because fans liked him as a player but he's not the expert they try make him out to be. And his segments seem less about the topics he talks about and more about just giving him screen time.



I heard the Brown/Walk praise heaped upon Rabelo. Rabelo has consistently been a disaster as the 3B coach. His judgments are alarmingly flawed. I'm sure Brown and Walk are aware that fans criticize him and I think they tried to build him up in the minds of the fans. It was ridiculous. They might as well have been extolling the virtues of Mario Mendoza's hitting. Brown and whoever his partner is still try to provide too much of the entertainment. But so far it's not as bad as last year.



EDIT: Another thought on McKenry: AT&T Sportsnet brings in former Pirates for name/face recognition. It's a ratings gimmick. In recent years they've added Capps, Young, Walker and McKenry. And Brown or Block generally ask them to talk about their own careers when the viewers want to know what's happening on the field. McKenry took his turn as a rotating analyst 2 years ago and was so bad he was shuttled off to the studio. They still think he will attract viewers but they don't know what to do with him.

[GreenWeenie]

Of course, Shelton has to have some kooky nickname for everyone, like "Rabs."@@@@



I can envision it; Shelty & Rabs sitting there with Cherington drawing up game plans like it's some NFL game. NWWL.

[Bobster21]

From what I saw of the Peacock broadcast (innings 6-9) it seemed like a very professional, well-done broadcast. Not at all like the Apple TV broadcasts I've seen which are essentially unwatchable unless you enjoy them calculating the odds of every possibility (displayed in the corner of the screen) and the announcers gabbing throughout the game as if they were taught by Joe Block.



The Peacock PBP guy was named Brendan Burke (I had never heard of him) and they had an analyst from both teams: Bob Walk and Albert Pujols. From what I saw, the 3 of them remained focused on the game (imagine that!) without strolling down memory lane to discuss their own careers, or doing comedy bits, or explaining aspects of baseball to the audience (as Joe block always asks his analyst to do), or obsessing on nicknames and catch phrases, or eating on camera. They also (thankfully) did not have a Robbie to chat with fans during the game and ask inane questions of the players after the game.



In other words, they respected their audience by giving them credit for understanding the game and tuning in to be entertained by the game and not by the antics of the announcers in the booth. The Pirates broadcasts seem geared toward casual fans who aren't too interested in the game (and therefore would not be watching anyway) and need to be entertained by the announcers as well as having the game explained to them (on Block's broadcasts).



Peacock is a new network with little experience broadcasting baseball. It's a shame the Pirates broadcasts are so lame in comparison.