# Favorite MLB Broadcasting crew



## Dr_Jim (Oct 11, 2008)

Ordinarily I mute the volume and just watch the game, but there are a few exceptions.

Being a Red Sox fan, I llisten to Don Orsillo and Rem Dog. Since I usually find myself watching more of the late west coast games, I do enjoy the Angels, Mariners, and Giants team; and I especially like the Diamondback crew of Sutton and Gracie as they remind me a little of the old Barves announcer Skip Caray. Ironically growing up in Florida for many years all I had was the Braves games and I never liked (the father) Don Sutton. And even though I don't like Hawk Harrilson that much, now that he is teamed with Steve Stone, will listen to them.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Anyone besides Tim "Back-when-I-played" McCarver.


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## fluffybear (Jun 19, 2004)

My favorite crew comes from the 70's and 80's when NBC was doing baseball.

Joe Garagiola & Tony Kubek


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## txtommy (Dec 30, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Anyone besides Tim "Back-when-I-played" McCarver.


Add Jon Miller and Joe Morgan to the 'anybody besides' list.


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## bobukcat (Dec 20, 2005)

I've lived in Northern KY all my life so the Reds are my team (once a real blessing, lately not as much) and I'll take Marty Brennaman over anyone (he only does radio but I'll turn that on and turn down the TV). Nostalgia dictates that "The Old Left Hander" Joe Nuxhall is my favorite all-time partner of his but it's hard to complain about it when he and Thom are both on at the same time - even if it is rare.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

txtommy said:


> Add Jon Miller and Joe Morgan to the 'anybody besides' list.


Joe Morgan aka Dr. Obvious. I've actually heard him say, many times; 
"You have to score runs to win."
"The key to hitting is making contact."
"Stealing bases puts runners in position to score."


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## max1 (Aug 12, 2005)

txtommy said:


> Add Jon Miller and Joe Morgan to the 'anybody besides' list.


Add steve phillips as well what a waste why is that guy on there.it's clear that Joe doesn't like him. 3 annoucers is too many-yes add tim mcarver as well. I usually listen to our radio guys when my cubs are playing.


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## Jimmy 440 (Nov 17, 2007)

I love to listen to Vin Scully call games.


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## sum_random_dork (Aug 21, 2008)

I disagree on Miller, maybe not the best on ESPN but there's nobody better when he's calling Giants games. He can take a boring inning and make it interesting. Being a Giants fan in general I do enjoy Kruk and Kuip. Plus, you gotta give Kuiper credit, he went from being a ball player to doing play by play not many can pull that off smoothly.


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## redfiver (Nov 18, 2006)

sum_random_dork said:


> I disagree on Miller, maybe not the best on ESPN but there's nobody better when he's calling Giants games. He can take a boring inning and make it interesting. Being a Giants fan in general I do enjoy Kruk and Kuip. Plus, you gotta give Kuiper credit, he went from being a ball player to doing play by play not many can pull that off smoothly.


Kuip went from playing ball, to doing color with Hank Greenwald, to then finally doing play by play with Mike Krukow. Kruk and Kuip make a great team.

But, I also enjoy Jon Miller. I like him on ESPN, but can't stand Joe and Steve. I always like him on Giants broadcast, especially on the radio when it's just him. Great commentary.

But, as someone above said, Vin Scully is great. No matter how much I hate the Dodgers (and boy, being a Giants fan, do I hate the dodgers...), Vin Scully is a great broadcaster.


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## redfiver (Nov 18, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Anyone besides Tim "Back-when-I-played" McCarver.


Joe Buck is horrible as well. He's such a homer, even with national games. I truely hate this guy. He even said he thinks baseball is boring and he doesn't like calling baseball games. I rarely watch Fox Saturday baseball, mainly because of Joe Buck (McCarver doesn't help....). And, the post season sucks when these two yahoos get involved. I really really really dislike Buck and McCarver


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## max1 (Aug 12, 2005)

You can also add Len Casper and Bob Brenly for the Cubs. They wont even admit that the team is playing poorly it's always an excuse. They are about as boring and talk about nothing during the whole game. I listen to Pat Hughes and Ron Santo they are great during the games Ron really gets into it. I was wondering how your guys tv announcers compare or is it about the same.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

Michael Kay, Al Leiter, and Paul O'Neill on YES Network. Very entertaining and insightful, and they don't root for the Yankees, like other team's announcers do. The YES guys are very neutral. 

Some teams announcers talk badly about the opposing team and do actually root on the air for their team. I thought these announcer guys were supposed to be impartial on the air. Many of them aren't.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

n3ntj said:


> Michael Kay, Al Leiter, and Paul O'Neill on YES Network. Very entertaining and insightful, and they don't root for the Yankees, like other team's announcers do. The YES guys are very neutral.
> 
> Some teams announcers talk badly about the opposing team and do actually root on the air for their team. I thought these announcer guys were supposed to be impartial on the air. Many of them aren't.


WHOA!! The YES guys are very neutral?!!! :lol: I'm sorry but that's funny. Now if you take Kay out of the booth I MIGHT agree with you. My favorite YES team is Kenny Singleton, Paul O'Neill and/or Al Leiter. Kay has got to be the most irritating announcer around, yes even more so than the above mentioned doozies like Morgan, McCarver etc. Putting Michael Kay in the booth is like having Mike Francesa there. :lol:


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## max1 (Aug 12, 2005)

Dan,your home team annoucers should be partial to your team. If not then they are not true fans of the team and should not be announcing. I remember one time when the cubs playing the mets and cubs got out of a bases loaded jam and Chip Carray said to steve stone why cant these mets score with bases loaded and steve stone just looked at him dumbfounded it wasnt a good look.At least Harry was a Cubs fan. Like i say it's interesting to see what people think of there announcers-max.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy (of course ). Dennis Eckersley has done an admirable job in Jerry's absence.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

redsoxfan26 said:


> Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy (of course ). Dennis Eckersly has done an admirable job in Jerry's absence.


I have to say I miss RemDog. Any idea how much longer he'll be out?!


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

I really liked George Kell and Al Kaline when they used to do the Tiger games. Kaline was a bit of a dunce, but they worked very well together. Of course, I'd listen to Ernie Harwell and anybody.

Currently, I really like Josh Lewin. He announced for the Tigers about 10 years ago and now broadcasts for the Rangers. I don't listen to the Rangers very often, but he also does Fox National Games.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

DCSholtis said:


> I have to say I miss RemDog. Any idea how much longer he'll be out?!


Look for updates here: http://redsox.trufan.com/profile/53224


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## ajc68 (Jan 23, 2008)

My favorite announcer for baseball is Vin Scully. 

Btw, does anyone know if you can get all the Dodgers feeds (home and away) on MLB Extra Innings (in HD)?


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

ajc68 said:


> My favorite announcer for baseball is Vin Scully.
> 
> Btw, does anyone know if you can get all the Dodgers feeds (home and away) on MLB Extra Innings (in HD)?


You can get all FSN Prime Ticket Dodger/HD feeds yes but not their OTA feeds.


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

DCSholtis said:


> WHOA!! The YES guys are very neutral?!!! :lol: I'm sorry but that's funny.


Glad I'm not the only one that thought that was a hoot.

I will say as a general rule the YES announcers are quite good. Kay doesn't even bother me that much, but he's clearly the "homer" in that booth. Even as a Mets fan I find that YES does a pretty outstanding job. Having disclosed that fact, the SNY announcers are my favorites, Ron Darling in particular. SNY as a RSN though leaves a lot to be desired. They do a good job with the Mets broadcasts, but that's all they really offer. They focus on the Jets, though I'm not sure what they offer that you couldn't find on the Jets' web site. They offer no other Sporting events besides Mets games and some of their promos are embarrassing, like this one. Like the YouTube submitter intimates, 'nuff said.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

bidger said:


> Glad I'm not the only one that thought that was a hoot.
> 
> I will say as a general rule the YES announcers are quite good. Kay doesn't even bother me that much, but he's clearly the "homer" in that booth. Even as a Mets fan I find that YES does a pretty outstanding job. Having disclosed that fact, the SNY announcers are my favorites, Ron Darling in particular. SNY as a RSN though leaves a lot to be desired. They do a good job with the Mets broadcasts, but that's all they really offer. They focus on the Jets, though I'm not sure what they offer that you couldn't find on the Jets' web site. They offer no other Sporting events besides Mets games and some of their promos are embarrassing, like this one. Like the YouTube submitter intimates, 'nuff said.


SNY does have a good crew I agree, my favorite is Mex (Keith Hernandez). However one problem I have an issue with is why do they keep bringing out Ralph Kiner. I mean I know he is a legend and all but it just doesn't seem like he is "all there" at times if you know what I mean. It just seems like they are trotting him out to show fans he is still around, kinda demeaning if you ask me.


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## RichardMcCarty (Jul 14, 2007)

Hard to beat the SNY crew of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, and Kevin Burkhardt. They're obviously New York Mets fans but they do provide fairly unbiased coverage. Keith provides some priceless quotes, especially when the "Metsies" are playing poorly. And that's happening way too often once again this year.


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## Devo1237 (Apr 22, 2008)

My vote is for Kruk and Kuip as well. Kuiper's a great play by play man, and Kruk's the funniest all-around baseball fan outside of Bob Uecker.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

redsoxfan26 said:


> Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy (of course ). Dennis Eckersley has done an admirable job in Jerry's absence.


The Rem Dawg is back tonight!

Edit: oops. No he isn't. Seems I jumped the gun a little bit. He was interviewed on NESN before tonight's game. He will be returning soon.


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## redsoxfan26 (Dec 7, 2007)

It's reported today on NESN television that Jerry Remy will return on a part time basis this Friday.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

redsoxfan26 said:


> It's reported today on NESN television that Jerry Remy will return on a part time basis this Friday.


He's also said via Twitter that He'll be talking with the guys in the booth during the 4th inning.


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## Reaper (Jul 31, 2008)

I know it's not a real call but when I watch "For Love of the Game", Vin Scully gives me goosebumps:

_"...you get the feeling that Billy Chapel isn't pitching against left handers, he isn't pitching against pinch hitters, he isn't pitching against the Yankees. He's pitching against time. He's pitching against the future, against age, and even when you think about his career, against ending. And tonight I think he might be able to use that aching old arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us one more day of summer."_

Here in Seattle I love listening to hall of famer Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizz - in fact I'm listening to them as I type this. When I moved to Seattle in '93, these are the guys that made me fall in love with the Mariners.

Unfortunately I can't stand Dave Sims here. He's made a couple of the worst calls that I've ever heard. For example, this year he referred to a passed ball as not an error on the catcher: "I repeat, it's a passed ball - NOT an error on the catcher!" Apparently he thought that a passed ball was an error on the pitcher. [email protected]$$. And he simply has to run his trap ALL the time.

Nationally, I can't stand Joe Buck - another guy who yacks just to hear himself yack.

What some of these announcers need to learn is to simply call the game and stop injecting so much minutia into the broadcast. A little white space is okay.


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> I really liked George Kell and Al Kaline when they used to do the Tiger games. Kaline was a bit of a dunce, but they worked very well together. Of course, I'd listen to Ernie Harwell and anybody.


:righton:
Now this is a man that knows what he's talking about!


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## Boston_bill (Jul 23, 2009)

Have to say Hawk Harrelson is the worst. I like the SNY/Mets crew although Gary Cohen can be a homer also. I love Vin Scully on the Dodgers games.
Oh Mark Grace on the D'Backs telescasts is downright awful.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Scully for sure. For those who may have heard them, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White were laugh out loud funny doing the Yankee games years ago. They worked with other partners, like Fran Healy and Frank Messer. They needed a third guy, because Rizzuto often disappeared after the 7th, to beat the George Washingon Bridge traffic back to New Jersey.


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## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

Joe Garagiola and Vin Scully

Tim McCarver is the worst


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

max1 said:


> You can also add Len Casper and Bob Brenly for the Cubs. They wont even admit that the team is playing poorly it's always an excuse. They are about as boring and talk about nothing during the whole game. I listen to Pat Hughes and Ron Santo they are great during the games Ron really gets into it. I was wondering how your guys tv announcers compare or is it about the same.


I would turn the TV down and listen to the radio but the radio is several seconds ahead of the TV. Could someone invent a delay mechanism for radio like the DVR does for TV? I am not a Cubs fan but I love listening to Pat and Ron.


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## Ira Lacher (Apr 24, 2002)

Steve said:


> Scully for sure. For those who may have heard them, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White were laugh out loud funny doing the Yankee games years ago. They worked with other partners, like Fran Healy and Frank Messer. They needed a third guy, because Rizzuto often disappeared after the 7th, to beat the George Washingon Bridge traffic back to New Jersey.


The best teams are those who can fill the time between pitches with stories, anecdotes, insights, etc. They make you feel like you're all in the seats at the park together, yakking about the game. Both NY teams' radio crews do that very well (yes, even Sterling-Waldman), as do Pat Hughes-Ron Santo of the Cubs.

And my surprising up-and-comer these days is is Ted Leitner of the Padres. He has an old-fashioned rapid-fire delivery that reminds me a lot of Red Barber, without the corn-pone references, and would be right at home in New York. If you have XM radio or MLB on your iPhone, give him a listen sometimes.

And I hate to say it, because he will always be my favorite, but on the radio, Vin Scully is starting to rely too heavily on stats and less on the stories and florid descriptions. There are times I actually prefer listening to Charlie Steiner on the Dodgers' radio broadcasts. The slower pace of TV does seem to fit him better now.


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## Boston_bill (Jul 23, 2009)

jerry downing said:


> I would turn the TV down and listen to the radio but the radio is several seconds ahead of the TV. Could someone invent a delay mechanism for radio like the DVR does for TV? I am not a Cubs fan but I love listening to Pat and Ron.


God they're almost as bad as Harrelson. Diiferent strokes I guess

Let me add how much I cant stand Sterling and Waldman


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## Ira Lacher (Apr 24, 2002)

I can understand how Sterling and Waldman can grate on the serious listener who is not a Yankee fan. I am no fan of Sterling's Berman-esque catch phrases, mostly because they're preprogrammed and not spontaneous, the way many vintage broadcasters could invoke their trademarks naturally. When Red Barber called out "Oh, doctor!" and Harry Caray (before his final years) and Phil Rizzuto called out "Holy cow!" they were not invoking the manufactured phrase -- that's how they really talked. As far as Waldman is concerned, I suppose that if I can imagine my Bronx aunt in the broadcast booth, I can get used to Waldman.

Pat Hughes comes close to programmatization with his "It's got a chance -- gone!" HR call. But mostly he does a good job of describing the action and telling a good story. Ron Santo is Ron Santo. He will not give you a PhD. analyzing of the game. On the other hand, Hughes does a good job of evoking Santo's memories of the game and occasionally the insight that he does possess. After all, he had to be doing something right to be one of the best third basemen of all time! 

Steve Stone, whom I used to appreciate, does give a PhD analyzing of the game. There's no questioning his knowledge and insight, but his tone seems somewhat condescending these days. And you combine him with Harrelson, who is the biggest shill of all time, and the broadcast becomes thoroughly unlistenable, IMHO.

The few times I listen to the Red Sox games, I do enjoy listening to Joe Castiglione, but probably only because of his unabashed New England accent. I truly can't say there are any other baseball broadcasters I find original or distinctive. Too bad.


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## olla86 (Sep 8, 2009)

My favourite crew is Vin Scully


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## ohpuckhead (Dec 15, 2007)

I almost always prefer a radio call to TV. It's one of the reasons I love XM. 
My favorite of all time: Definitely Vin Scully. He may be starting to rely on statistics (I haven't noticed) but no one calls a game so marvelously. I remember him doing an all-star game on the radio sometime in the ....80's?.... and he said "Isn't this great?" Very naturally. One of the best things about the NLCS was listening to he and Charlie Steiner split the games 3-6-3. 

Speaking of the NLCS, how about a nod to the late Harry Kalas? The Phils broadcasts seem empty without him.

Other favorites for play-by-play: Ernie Harwell, Harry Caray (listen to him with the Cards or White Sox..he was a great radio play by play man.), Pat Hughes, John Sterling, Jon Miller on the radio, Jack Buck w/Mike Shannon on the radio...Jack RIP,John Rooney/Mike Shannon, Ted Leitner, Dan Dickerson,Bob Uecker on Brewers radio and, although I think he's overrated here in Cleveland...Tom Hamilton. He sounds in pain when the Tribe is playing horrible. And, Rick Manning is an excellent analyst. 

Least favorite: The Hawk and anyone in the booth with him, Josh Lewin, Ed Farmer--can be good but too often sounds like he's bored, Jack Corrigan, Marty Brennaman, Matt Underwood, Kasper and Brenly and many others who all sound alike!

Finally, I usually hate out and out rooting for the team (as opposed to bias, sounding happy when they do well) but somehow it works with Ronnie Santo. I think it has to do with his place in Cubs lore and people appreciating his determination through adversity.


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## TXD16 (Oct 30, 2008)

Vin Scully is the Chick Hearn of baseball. Or is Chick Hearn the Vin Scully of basketball? In any case, Vin Scully doing play-by-play with anyone else doing color (Jerry Doggett and Don Drysdale were my two favorites) is the stuff of which baseball announcing magic is made.


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