Best/worst announcer ever

[BC227]

I have to pose a question about Hawk Harrelson and really, criteria for announcers in general. Many people complain about Hawk (and Ron Santo on the other side of town) for being big time “homers.” In fact, whenever an announcer seems to be more invested in one team than in the other, people complain that it is bad announcing.

Now I can see why you would want a national broadcast to have unbiased announcers, but why do people seem to have a problem with a team’s announcer being a fan of the team that they work for? Can’t you make the assumption that it is mostly that team’s fans watching the telecast anyway? If someone who is not a Sox fan is watching the White Sox telecast and wants unbiased coverage, well – they don’t have to watch then. And if they want to watch a White Sox game, they just have to understand that they have to put up with the White Sox announcers. But I don’t see how that makes Hawk a worse announcer. Do all the other teams have announcers that don’t invest any emotion into their specific team?

Now, I will admit that Hawk is probably out of his element as a play-by-play guy, and can be a little annoying at times – but I generally enjoy the emotion he emits from the broadcast booth (plus, the White Sox telecasts already have great analysis in the booth because of Steve Stone alone – I think he’s a great announcer). People I know are slamming him for the “worst moment call ever” with his “YES! x5” yesterday after the perfect game, but really what is he supposed to say. He was silent almost the whole at bat because he was so nervous, and then just went crazy with a loss for words. Basically his actions/emotions exactly mirrored mine (and probably most other Sox fans) because he is arguably the biggest Sox fan there is – and I think that is awesome.

In all honesty, I think the national broadcasts, while they can have good analysis by some good announcers, are missing something when there is no emotion attached to it (Joe Buck nonchalantly announcing “And [Insert Team Here] wins the World Series” every year for the past few years). I was just wondering if someone could shed some light on this for me. What is wrong with being a fan for the team you announce for and bringing emotion to a broadcast?

[wu-tang clan]

^Completetly agree with this post. I don't really like Hawk that much just because of his catchphrases ("he gone" after strikeouts, "you can put it on the board..... YES" after home runs) but I would much rather have an emotion-filled biased fan of the team that he's announcing for rather than Joe Buck.

I haven't heard that much from the announcers everyone else is mentioning so I don't really think I can say who the best is, or even the worst. I am very happy that the Twins have good broadcasting all around- John Gordon has a great radio voice and Dan Gladden is good as well. They both do very well at just reporting what's happening on the field. They aren't the most passionate or energetic but they are an excellent team.

The Twins' TV announcers, Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven, have excellent chemistry and also have good voices. Blyleven is a great color commentator who's very passionate about the game and very knowledgeable about it as well. This leads me to my least favorite tandem- Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, two of the worst announcers somehow have the #1 spot together on Fox. They have terrible chemistry- Buck doesn't even watch baseball if he's not announcing, contrasting with McCarver's overexplanations about minor things like how certain players can hit breaking balls easier if they're up in the zone and stuff like that. Buck has the EXACT same call whenever a team wins the World Series. Sucks that they're gonna be doing the ALCS and the World Series this year.

[Michael Green]

Really, the question of homerism is one of preference--if you like it, it's fine. But somehow, the tradition grew that East Coast announcers tended to play it pretty much down the middle while midwestern (Pittsburgh to the Mississippi River) announcers went all-out for their teams. Part of that may have been due to Red Barber in Brooklyn. He once said about broadcasting in New York--and his protege Vin Scully echoed it about southern California--that many of those listening to their games either had moved from elsewhere or happened to be visiting, so rooting for the home team might be offensive. Not that other cities don't get visitors, but those cities might have been smaller, maybe more provincial in certain ways. Even that can be debated: many felt that Mel Allen rooted for the Yankees and Russ Hodges for the Giants, but both said they were partisan but not prejudiced, and Allen even said once that he never said, "Let's get a run," or the other kinds of things you would hear out of Jack Brickhouse in Chicago or Bob Prince in Pittsburgh. All great announcers, all with different styles.

I grew up on Scully, so I'm used to the idea that the announcer doesn't say "we." But trying to be more objective doesn't mean a lack of interest or talent. In San Francisco, for example, the announcers have a history of being pro-Giants but also of ripping the team when necessary--Lon Simmons got in trouble with Horace Stoneham for being sarcastic, and when Al Michaels did the Giants, he would blast them. The fans liked them, and that's what counts.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that Joe Buck always sounds like he wants to be somewhere else or feels the need to get in a certain number of references to non-baseball subjects, and Tim McCarver feels the need to repeat himself 92 times to try to prove that he invented the game. Network announcers can play it down the middle and be great--ah, for the glory days of NBC with Vin Scully-Joe Garagiola and Bob Costas-Tony Kubek as the crews.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Really, the question of homerism is one of preference--if you like it, it's fine. But somehow, the tradition grew that East Coast announcers tended to play it pretty much down the middle while midwestern (Pittsburgh to the Mississippi River) announcers went all-out for their teams. Part of that may have been due to Red Barber in Brooklyn. He once said about broadcasting in New York--and his protege Vin Scully echoed it about southern California--that many of those listening to their games either had moved from elsewhere or happened to be visiting, so rooting for the home team might be offensive. Not that other cities don't get visitors, but those cities might have been smaller, maybe more provincial in certain ways. Even that can be debated: many felt that Mel Allen rooted for the Yankees and Russ Hodges for the Giants, but both said they were partisan but not prejudiced, and Allen even said once that he never said, "Let's get a run," or the other kinds of things you would hear out of Jack Brickhouse in Chicago or Bob Prince in Pittsburgh. All great announcers, all with different styles.

I grew up on Scully, so I'm used to the idea that the announcer doesn't say "we." But trying to be more objective doesn't mean a lack of interest or talent. In San Francisco, for example, the announcers have a history of being pro-Giants but also of ripping the team when necessary--Lon Simmons got in trouble with Horace Stoneham for being sarcastic, and when Al Michaels did the Giants, he would blast them. The fans liked them, and that's what counts.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that Joe Buck always sounds like he wants to be somewhere else or feels the need to get in a certain number of references to non-baseball subjects, and Tim McCarver feels the need to repeat himself 92 times to try to prove that he invented the game. Network announcers can play it down the middle and be great--ah, for the glory days of NBC with Vin Scully-Joe Garagiola and Bob Costas-Tony Kubek as the crews.

Do you suppose Ernie Harwell took that East Coast announcer mentality with him to Detroit? Definitely partisan but not prejudiced.

[Trickyhop]

Worst: Ron Fairly

Nice.

+1!

I'll throw in Dave Niehaus in with the best. Love his ability to illustrate what is going on in the field with his great story telling abilities. His voice is fantastic too.

[xholdourownx]

I grew up in Atlanta listening to Skip Caray. Joe Simpson is also one of my favorites. I have always enjoyed listening to the Braves announcers. I have never really been fond of too many announcers that I have heard on the radio. When I listen to out of town games I always find a greater appreciation for my hometown announcers. I know I am biased though. But this is not looking into more 'historically' famous announcers.

I know I hate watching games on FOX due to the lack of excitement and knowledge the announcers have. They seem to be almost scripted.

[Bobby_Ayala]

I grew up in Atlanta listening to Skip Caray. Joe Simpson is also one of my favorites. I have always enjoyed listening to the Braves announcers. I have never really been fond of too many announcers that I have heard on the radio. When I listen to out of town games I always find a greater appreciation for my hometown announcers. I know I am biased though. But this is not looking into more 'historically' famous announcers.

I know I hate watching games on FOX due to the lack of excitement and knowledge the announcers have. They seem to be almost scripted.

Joe Simpson, another former Mariner employee.

[9RoyHobbsRF]

I grew up in Atlanta listening to Skip Caray. Joe Simpson is also one of my favorites. I have always enjoyed listening to the Braves announcers. I have never really been fond of too many announcers that I have heard on the radio. When I listen to out of town games I always find a greater appreciation for my hometown announcers. I know I am biased though. But this is not looking into more 'historically' famous announcers.

I know I hate watching games on FOX due to the lack of excitement and knowledge the announcers have. They seem to be almost scripted.

true story

was watching TBS one year and the game was in the top of the 5th inning and the score was 1-0

Skip Caray said" let's try for some insurance runs"

huh?

the other team has 5 more AB

it is not even a legal game yet

and he said try for insurance runs

[9RoyHobbsRF]

nice.

+1!

I'll throw in dave niehaus in with the best. love his ability to illustrate what is going on in the field with his great story telling abilities. His voice is fantastic too.

and there is a drive to left field and reynolds scores on martinez double and my oh my the mariners now trail 9-2

[Stumanji]

and there is a drive to left field and reynolds scores on martinez double and my oh my the mariners now trail 9-2

Hey now... Hall of Famer Dave Neihaus does not throw his "My-oh-my!" phrase around all willy nilly.

In fact, in the years of listening to his broadcasts, I can't recall one time that Neihaus was excited over something that wasn't:
A) Special (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record),
B) Exciting for M's fans (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record), or
C) Exciting for the game (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record).

[I jest. Neihaus is a fan of the game, through and through. He gets excited over other teams' and other players' performances as well.]

In 98% of all instances where the M's are getting blown out, any offensive production by the M's usually results in a call like this: "Swing, and a line drive down into the left-field corner. Reynolds around third and he will score. Edgar on at second with his 24th double of the year with two out. RBI double for Edgar, but there's still a lot of work to do. The Mariners still trail by 7. We'll pause now for station identification on your Mariners broadcasting network."

[wu-tang clan]

I know I hate watching games on FOX due to the lack of excitement and knowledge the announcers have. They seem to be almost scripted.

Yeah, it's always kind of felt like Fox has covered the storylines of the players, like Josh Hamilton's addiction or how BJ and Justin Upton are brothers, rather than the game itself. Kind of feels like they almost want to familiarize the game with non-baseball watchers in the same way that they advertise for reality shows. Not to say that only Fox does this, but it's a growing trend.

[epaddon]

I grew up in NY listening to Red Barber, Ernie Harwell, Connie Desmond and Vin Scully. which is why it’s embarrassing to live in the largest media market in the country and have to put up with the man who must certainly be the worst announcer ever: John Sterling.

Sterling has obviously never listened to tapes of Barber or Scully, and so he has never learned the simple truth that the game is NOT about him.

His penchant for childish nicknames and silly stock phrases makes a mockery of the art of baseball announcing. (Is there any sound on the radio more annoying than "The Yankees win! Thuhhhhhh YANKEES WIN!?

I have to get this off my chest. I think the bashing John Sterling has taken for years, much of it fueled by the psychotic columns of Bob Raissman and Phil Mushnick, has gone way too far. Can Sterling often irritate because he blows a would-be HR call? Unquestionably. Is he the most technically proficient of announcers? Hardly. But that said, I enjoy listening to him and have enjoyed his work since he came on in 1989 when he replaced the biggest mistake the Yankees ever had in the radio booth, Hank Greenwald. I know Greenwald had a following in San Francisco, but in the Yankee booth, paired with the equally insufferable Tommy Hutton, he was an insomniac's delight. After 15 years of consistency with Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White, the last thing I wanted to hear were two National League outsiders who didn't know the first thing about the Yankees calling their games on a daily basis and revealing their ignorance of Yankee history at every possibility. By contrast, Sterling had a New York connection from his WMCA talk show days and was easier to connect with, and once he was paired with Michael Kay in 1992 the results were ten years of the most fun I ever had listening to Yankee games on the radio since Rizzuto-Messer-White, because like that earlier group, Sterling and Kay had outstanding on-air chemistry and could make any broadcast seem fun just because of the great byplay. Admittedly, Sterling has suffered ever since Kay left for TV because he didn't get along with Steiner and Suzyn Waldman is in too much of a subsidiary role to balance out the broadcast the way Kay could. But I wouldn't have traded those ten years from 92-01 to have any other voices calling Yankee games and painting the picture of the Torre dynasty. I can literally remember when Sterling's signature calls that he gets knocked for first developed naturally as part of the excitement of the 96 postseason (Bernie Williams walk-off HR in Game 1 of the ALCS is when I first heard a sustained "THHHHEEEE YANKEEEES WIN!" and it came off as naturally as any of the great radio calls of the distant past I've heard praised to high heaven) so for me when I hear them, they don't signify showboating, they just offer a warm reminder of some special years for me.

And as for listening to tapes of Barber and Scully, I'm sorry but there's only so far you can go drawing from them. I enjoy Scully's work on the network level, but I am not a fan of his old-hat solo voice approach to doing a local game because for me, I am a product of a time that *demands* hearing byplay and conversation between two voices in the booth, just as it was for me with Rizzuto-Messer-White in the 70s or with Sterling-Kay in the 90s.

I'll also note that I have listened to many tapes of Mel Allen's broadcasts from the 50s and early 60s, and if there'd been Phil Mushnicks and Bob Raissmans around in those days they would have had a field day nitpicking his broadcasts for such moments as Mel suddenly breaking into a sing-a-long with the Kansas City organ, or talking endlessly about something while the action on the field is uncommented on (both of which I have heard him do) and the broader picture of how Mel made Yankee broadcasts enjoyable in general would have gotten lost in the shuffle.

And as for Barber, I'd like to cite an example of how his approach didn't always work or give us a better call of a great moment. Most people have heard Phil Rizzuto's call of Roger Maris's 61st HR which is full of excitement. Most people have never heard Red Barber's call of the same moment which he did on WPIX while Rizzuto was doing radio. I have heard Barber's call and it is dreadful. He makes an idle comment about the fan catching the ball winning five thousand dollars which totally clashes with the scene of Maris rounding the bases and then nothing. Scully at least could give us an exciting call *before* going silent as he did with "HERE COMES KNIGHT AND THE METS WIN IT!!".

And I'll also add that having had to suffer with Hawk Harrelson and Tom Paciorek during a four year interlude in Chicago, that's yet another reason why all the shots I see Sterling get seem hollow since I doubt those who are so anxious to rip him ever had to spend a day listening to Harrelson-Paciorek let alone on a sustained basis.

There, that's all off my chest.

[ol' aches and pains]

And I'll also add that having had to suffer with Hawk Harrelson and Tom Paciorek during a four year interlude in Chicago, that's yet another reason why all the shots I see Sterling get seem hollow since I doubt those who are so anxious to rip him ever had to spend a day listening to Harrelson-Paciorek let alone on a sustained basis.

You're lucky you left Chicago when you did. When Paciorek left the Chisox' booth, they found a replacement, Darren Jackson, who was worse. Their first season together, Jackson and Hawk couldn't stand each other, and it was obvious from their broadcasts. I remember Jackson making fun of one of Hawk's stock cliches (I think it was "can of corn" for a high fly ball) during a game, and Hawk responding "Well when you have something to contribute, feel free". Talk about chemistry in the booth! So help me, I also heard Jackson say, during a game, "this game's not rocket surgery". I don't know if they were the worst ever, but they were the worst I ever heard. I would much rather listen to Vin Scully by himself than those two knuckleheads.

[epaddon]

The irony is that when I first heard Harrelson, it was during his exile from Chicago when he spent two years as a Yankee broadcaster on cable (1987-88), and I actually liked his work. He was professional and easy to listen to, and considering that his tenure coincided with the godawful work of Greenwald-Hutton on radio, I never had the sound off when watching his broadcasts. But when I saw him on White Sox broadcasts, that aura of professionalism was gone, and it was not the kind of homerism I can appreciate from a Rizzuto or a Jack Brickhouse where it all comes off naturally. Harrelson's was just forced completely and totally unprofessional when a description of a dramatic play that benefits the opposition is done in total morose silence (something that Sterling can NEVER be accused of doing; Sterling for instance does not reserve his HR call for Yankees only). But what really made me come to despise the work of Harrelson-Paciorek was the night that there was a controversy over a HR a Yankee player hit that the 3B umpire called a foul ball, but after consultation with other umps, they reversed it and called it a HR. Now even though the replays showed clearly this was the CORRECT call, what I was then greeted to was Harrelson and Paciorek bitching for five solid minutes on how the call should only be the third base umpire's call as if the fact that the other umps got the right call was somehow irrelevant! Nope, the fact that it went against the "Good Guys" was all that mattered. After that I avoided watching White Sox telecasts whenever I could.

[ol' aches and pains]

Hawk still whines about the umpires whenever a questionable call goes against the Sox. Darren Jackson is now on radio, and Hawk's partner is Steve Stone. It's almost sad to hear Stone, who is a superior and more enjoyable broadcaster in every way, playing second fiddle to Harrelson.

[Michael Green]

A few comments ....

First, I don't mind a "partisan" announcer. Scully once said that you can't travel with a team and see its members constantly without wanting them to do well, but that his job was to broadcast based on his eyes and not on his heart. Phil Rizzuto certainly was not the typically objective New York broadcaster, but he didn't ignore great plays by the other guys or bad plays by his own team. Harry Caray was known for blasting his team and praising the opposition. That's where I find Harrelson a living parody of bad broadcasting.

As for the lament about Stone, I understand it. Remember, though, he worked with Caray when he was all right, then after his health began to decline and Stone really had to do some of the lead announcer's work. What's sad is that Harrelson obviously is knowledgeable about baseball, but he is more interested in doing his shtick than in being anything approaching professional.

As for Sterling, I am no fan. Granting that Raissman and Mushnick pound him, he is too frequently more interested in what he has to say than in what is happening on the field. Interestingly, though, part of his early career was spent in talk radio, and that tends to breed that kind of approach. More importantly, I don't think he does a good job of telling me what is going on down on the field. But, given the growing number of former players and host types doing play-by-play, there has been a general decline in that ability anyway.

[epaddon]

Pound would be a gross understatement regarding what Raissman and Mushnick have been doing re: Sterling for more than a decade. For some reason both of these guys over the years have felt a need to devote column after column on Sterling harping on some trivial item from the course of a single three hour plus broadcast that I think its fair to say most fans listening to the game paid no actual heed of. If anything, I have found it far more disgraceful that there are guys like Raissman and Mushnick glomming money for writing such diatribes that anyone could easily write on a message board somewhere for free (and of course with Raissman, one thing you'll *never* see is a critical word of anything related to Mets broadcasts given how he draws a paycheck from SNY).

Sterling is accused of having some kind of massive ego etc. but again, I've seen far worse examples that usually got a free pass from media critics, and the worst I can remember was Harry Caray and his "Cub Fan, Bud Man" ads in the late 80s on WGN. *That* is my definition of egomania in a broadcaster (and it's also the reason why I am more inclined to believe Milo Hamilton's version of events surrounding his infamous feuds with Caray), compared to which, Sterling's perceived transgressions are trivial by comparison.

And as for announcers being more interested in what they are saying.....well again, that wouldn't be something Sterling started. What exactly was the meaning of Bob Prince doing one of his "Rosey rambles" that he took great pride in? Well, if I read the books right, not having heard Prince on a regular basis, it was all about him yapping about things unrelated to the game going on on the field since he decided the game was too bad to hold listeners attention. And Curt Smith, in celebrating the virtues of Mel Allen, recalls a time when Allen, working for Cleveland in 1968, totally ignored the game action so he could quote the Song of Hiawatha from memory.

[ol' aches and pains]

If I were Mel Allen, working for Cleveland in 1968, after about 25 years of the Yankees' glory days, I'd want to ignore the game action, too.

And as for Harry Caray, you're right about his ego. He was loved by the public on both sides of town in Chicago, but not by anybody who had to work with him, other than Steve Stone, and I hear he's no picnic to work with himself.

[Greg B.]

Allow me to offer a couple of names that have not been mentioned yet.

On the "worst" side of the ledger: I have heard a lot of bad baseball announcers over the years, but for the last few seasons, if you lived in Canada and watched a Blue Jays game on television, you usually had to cope with the horrid Jamie Campbell on PxP. Nothing can describe this guy's lack of feel for the game. Typical: a Blue Jay player hits a popup to the outfield, and Campbell's call is "...and there's a LONG fly ball DEEP to left..." before the opposing left fielder catches it about 50 feet behind shortstop. He was just terrible. But yesterday I heard the news that he is being replaced this season by Buck Martinez. Martinez isn't my favorite, but compared to Campbell he is the second coming of Vin Scully.

On the good side, Giant fans are very lucky to have Duane Kuiper on their TV PxP. He and Mike Krukow make for an excellent team and I really enjoy their broadcasts on Extra Innings, especially compared to some of the other local PxP teams you get to hear.

[ol' aches and pains]

Allow me to offer a couple of names that have not been mentioned yet.

On the "worst" side of the ledger: I have heard a lot of bad baseball announcers over the years, but for the last few seasons, if you lived in Canada and watched a Blue Jays game on television, you usually had to cope with the horrid Jamie Campbell on PxP. Nothing can describe this guy's lack of feel for the game. Typical: a Blue Jay player hits a popup to the outfield, and Campbell's call is "...and there's a LONG fly ball DEEP to left..." before the opposing left fielder catches it about 50 feet behind shortstop. He was just terrible. But yesterday I heard the news that he is being replaced this season by Buck Martinez. Martinez isn't my favorite, but compared to Campbell he is the second coming of Vin Scully.

On the good side, Giant fans are very lucky to have Duane Kuiper on their TV PxP. He and Mike Krukow make for an excellent team and I really enjoy their broadcasts on Extra Innings, especially compared to some of the other local PxP teams you get to hear.

I never heard Jamie Campbell, but if you're looking forward to Buck Martinez, Campbell must have been very bad indeed.

[epaddon]

Caray's narcissistic "Cub Fan, Bud Man" ads also coincided with the time he tried to put out his own line of soda, which I knew was going to flop because in light of his Bud ads saturating the Chicago airwaves, *no one* would ever buy the idea that he would actually be caught dead drinking any kind of soda, even a brand with his own name on it.

[Melottfan]

You might remember this. in the late 70's, to the early 80's, Jimmy Piersall and Harry Caray broadcasted the White Sox. In order to break up the dynamic duo, the powers to be with the pale hose brought in Lou Brock to work with Harry. Terrible idea! Brock was bad! He last one season.

One of the best was Dave Campbell. Enjoyed his delivery and his trivia. Another one was Lou Boudreau of the Cubs. Campbell, along with Boudreau would tell you what the pitcher and catcher were thinking when they met on the mound, as to how to face a batter. Enjoyed them.

[Squeeze Play]

If we’re discussing which announcers we like and don’t like, then I’ll agree that that is clearly a matter of personal opinion.

But if we’re discussing “the best” and “worst” (the actual title of this thread), then I don’t agree, because to allow one’s personal preference to determine who is “better” is to render the matter totally subjective – your opinion vs. mine - with no objective standards whatsoever.

And I think that way lies intellectual chaos.

For example: I think Dean Martin was a terrific entertainer. He had an engaging personality and a wonderful comic sense. And although he was pleasant to listen to, I would never claim that he was a “better” singer than his pal Frank Sinatra. Dean had a limited vocal range and no resonance. And while he was immensely popular, he was never thought to be a "great singer."

In contrast, Frank’s voice spanned two octaves, with power and clarity at the top and bottom of that range, and he is generally acknowledged to have been the BEST interpreter of American popular songs.

And that’s not simply a matter of personal preference. It’s an opinion shared by professional musicians and critics with a keen understanding of the objective standards that determine singing excellence: Quality of the tone produced; breath control, phrasing, diction, lyric interpretation.

And so it is when comparing Scully and Sterling.

Vin is the most literate and verbally nimble of announcers.

Again, from his call of the 9th inning of Koufax’s perfect game:
"A lot of people in the ballpark now are starting to see the pitches with their hearts."
"And there's twenty-nine thousand people in the ballpark and a million butterflies. "
"I would think that the mound at Dodger Stadium right now is the loneliest place in the world. "

That’s poetry and visual imagery that Sterling just isn’t capable of.

And when Kuenn struck out to end that game, Vin simply said (with appropriate excitement in his voice) “Swung on and missed…a perfect game!”

There was no “The Dodgers win…thuhhh DODGERS WIN!”

Unlike Sterling, Scully put the focus on the event – not on himself.

[Trickyhop]

Hey now... Hall of Famer Dave Neihaus does not throw his "My-oh-my!" phrase around all willy nilly.

In fact, in the years of listening to his broadcasts, I can't recall one time that Neihaus was excited over something that wasn't:
A) Special (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record),
B) Exciting for M's fans (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record), or
C) Exciting for the game (like Junior or Ichiro setting some record).

[I jest. Neihaus is a fan of the game, through and through. He gets excited over other teams' and other players' performances as well.]

In 98% of all instances where the M's are getting blown out, any offensive production by the M's usually results in a call like this: "Swing, and a line drive down into the left-field corner. Reynolds around third and he will score. Edgar on at second with his 24th double of the year with two out. RBI double for Edgar, but there's still a lot of work to do. The Mariners still trail by 7. We'll pause now for station identification on your Mariners broadcasting network."

I LOVED one of Neihaus' calls this past season in which Yuniesky Betancourt came up to bat in a late inning when we were down. We really needed Yuni to get on base, and he had already taken a walk earlier that game. This is a big deal, and here was why: Yuni had only walked 7 times in all of his PAs the season before. Also keep in mind, Yuni was given an ultimatum by Wak to change his approach to the plate, and was already benched the game before or so for not listening. Anyways, he came up to bat, and you'd have thought Neihaus was calling an important at bat for a big playoff game. Neihaus has a great ability to do things like that. And what happened, Yuni walked! Neihaus' call went something like this: "AND TRUMPETS BLARE AS YUNIESKY BETANCOURT WALKS FOR THE SECOND TIME...IN A GAME!!!"


My wife and I were CRACKING up in the car listening to all of this unfold.

[epaddon]

But if we’re discussing “the best” and “worst” (the actual title of this thread), then I don’t agree, because to allow one’s personal preference to determine who is “better” is to render the matter totally subjective

It seems to me though that "best" and "worst" in this category is also subjective. And to adopt a standard that says we must regard Sterling among the 'worst' on an "objective" level is a line of reasoning I reject completely, especially in light of how what Sterling gets bashed for it seems to me is the kind of thing that Bob Prince, Harry Caray (pre-stroke, pre-Cubs) got celebrated for. (and gee, is Caray assailed for "CUBS WIN!!!! CUBS WIN!!! CUBS ARE THE CHAMPIONS!"? I sure don't recall anyone making a to-do over that).

Sterling has called two perfect games in his time as well, I might add, and in NEITHER case did he make the calls about himself. His "Twenty-Seven men up! Twenty-seven men down!" summed up the excitement of the moment for both David Wells and David Cone perfectly. As a Yankee fan who enjoyed listening to those calls am I supposed to adopt the attitude of "gee, if only Scully had called those events?" in order to meet the criteria of being "objective"? Or is this just an attempt, as I see it, to force Yankee fans like myself who enjoy Sterling to have to concede to a supposed truism, "You have bad taste in announcing standards" that I think is off-base?

Scully is a great announcer, but he is not without his flaws IMO. I happen to think there is an aura of aloofness and arrogance in the man that dictates this insistence that he always work alone in the booth (persisting in a style that IMO is old-hat and behind the times) as if somehow he's saying, "I'm so perfect, I don't NEED something as mundane as an analyst unless I'm forced to in a network capacity". And hearing that he has made a point of NEVER listening to another announcer's work over the decades just because Red Barber told him not to, also over time comes off as arrogant. Barber, as I've noted, was a man not without his flaws as well as his horrible call of Maris's 61s HR on television indicates.