Howie Rose Goes National 9/13

[bmfc1]

Good for Howie (too bad that he has to work with an terrible announcer):

MLB on FOX 9/13
Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
Howie Rose & Mark Grace 49%
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Birmingham, Buffalo, Charlotte, Denver, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Milwaukee Brewers vs Philadelphia Phillies
Tom McCarthy, Eric Karros & Ken Rosenthal 26%
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Houston, Louisville, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, St. Louis, Tulsa

Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox
Chris Rose & Rob Dibble 24%
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Portland, Providence, Seattle

[Benjamin Grimm]

I have to hope that Phillies-Brewers gets rained out (or delayed) on Saturday. Otherwise I won't be able to watch the game. (With Pedro pitching, that might actually be a blessing.)

[DocTee]

Chris Rose and Rob Dibble? Ugh.

[metirish]

Mark grace sure can break down a guys swing when he's liqueured up.

[G-Fafif]

Yay on Howie! He'll be overly fair to the Braves and Grace will lack what his name implies where the Mets are concerned.

[Guest AG/DC]

Thing about Grace is that through much of his career, his game had a Keith Hernandez-type refinement, and it's still shocking to see that behind the game isn't a Keith-type mind, but a big galoot.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

Good for Howie but did FOX just lose an announcer and need to pick someone up to fill out their sked?

I mean I know Joe Buck has bailed now that it's football season (apparently announcing a football game takes 4 or 5 days of preperation even though they won't let you talk to the players and the coaches never tell you anything) but he's only been there occasionally since April anyway.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I remember Mark Grace working a Met game earlier this season where he said that Endy Chavez has a terrible throwing arm. How much more off the mark can a person be?

[Guest AG/DC]

Uh, none more.

I'm recalling that too. Probably an assumption that speedy player with little power = weak arm.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Guest

[batmagadanleadoff]

AG/DC wrote: Thing about Grace is that through much of his career, his game had a Keith Hernandez-type refinement, and it's still shocking to see that behind the game isn't a Keith-type mind, but a big galoot.

Fran Healy taught me that being an ex baseball player does not guarantee excellence in the broadcasting booth. Or even competence.

[soupcan]

I miss Fran.


NOT.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Fran. Gawd.

No jock ever brought less insight & intelligence & entertainment value to the booth.

And in real life Fran was interesting I am told. He was apparently Reggie's best buddy. He was a former catcher who had to have known a lot about hitting and pitching.

[Centerfield]

AG/DC wrote: Thing about Grace is that through much of his career, his game had a Keith Hernandez-type refinement, and it's still shocking to see that behind the game isn't a Keith-type mind, but a big galoot.

Exactly. I was shocked to discover how dumb he was. I just assumed he was smart while he was playing.

On a somewhat related note, I'm also surprised how dumb Lee Mazzilli is now that I hear him speak on a nightly basis.

[Guest themetfairy]

Compared to Gary, Keith and Ron, Fran isn't great.

But compared to many of the broadcasters around the country, Fran is a friggin' genius.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think Maz is just doing everything he can not to beat the living shit out of Matt Yallof.

[G-Fafif]

Given time, Tom McCarthy could have become as beloved a Mets announcer as Fran Healy.

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Fran. Gawd. No jock ever brought less insight & intelligence & entertainment value to the booth.

Well said. Years ago, a survey was held to determine the best and worst Met and Yankee announcers of all time.


Healy made the worst list for both teams. (And Rizzutto made the Yankees best and worst lists).

[batmagadanleadoff]

themetfairy wrote: Compared to Gary, Keith and Ron, Fran isn't great. But compared to many of the broadcasters around the country, Fran is a friggin' genius.

Well then baseball announcing must be in a very sad state.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It just doesn't seem right that Fran Healy spent more years in the Mets booth than Lindsey Nelson did.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Centerfield wrote: ="AG/DC"]Thing about Grace is that through much of his career, his game had a Keith Hernandez-type refinement, and it's still shocking to see that behind the game isn't a Keith-type mind, but a big galoot. Exactly. I was shocked to discover how dumb he was. I just assumed he was smart while he was playing.

I knew. I once saw Grace being interviewed before a Game of the Week during the prime of his career. I came away believing I had just witnessed perhaps the dumbest player in MLB.

[Guest themetfairy]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ="themetfairy"]Compared to Gary, Keith and Ron, Fran isn't great. But compared to many of the broadcasters around the country, Fran is a friggin' genius. Well then baseball announcing must be in a very sad state.

You have no idea.

The Seattle TV crew is a bunch of total homers. So are both Chicago teams' broadcasters, although they're somewhat more entertaining.

We were driving home from DC in April and caught a WGN broadcast of a Cubs game in Colorado that was in extra innings (gotta love the range of AM radio at night). The broadcast team was drunk, slurring their words, and heavily into the we/they, good guys/bad guys mode. Embarrassing stuff.

When we were in Chicago in August and late to the Boston game at New Comiskey, we were listening to the broadcast in the car. The announcers would say that The Sox were up or The Sox were down. You'd think they could at least differentiate The Sox from Boston in some audible way.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thankfully DirecTV now allows us to choose which team's feed we want to watch, so I only have to watch the other team's feed when the Mets are on Channel 11. But through last year, I was frequently listening to alien broadcasts. The worst, to me, was the Padres crew. The best, other than Vin Scully, was Cincinnati's.

[Guest F X Healy]

Can't you just feel the love in this room?

[Guest themetfairy]

I love listening to Scully. I also enjoy Harry Kalas.

[Vic Sage]

There once was an announcer named Healy
Who used words that were mushy and mealy.
He kept nary a thought
In that place where he ought,
But it never quite bothered him, really.

[Benjamin Grimm]

themetfairy wrote: I love listening to Scully. I also enjoy Harry Kalas.

Harry never did it for me. He has a resonant voice, but I never heard him say anything worth hearing.

[metirish]

[Guest themetfairy]

OMG - great find Irish!

[Fman99]

Centerfield wrote: ="AG/DC"]Thing about Grace is that through much of his career, his game had a Keith Hernandez-type refinement, and it's still shocking to see that behind the game isn't a Keith-type mind, but a big galoot. Exactly. I was shocked to discover how dumb he was. I just assumed he was smart while he was playing. On a somewhat related note, I'm also surprised how dumb Lee Mazzilli is now that I hear him speak on a nightly basis.

Maz stinks. But give him a break -- he's got hot sauce in his hair.

[bmfc1]

Frayed Knot wrote: Good for Howie but did FOX just lose an announcer and need to pick someone up to fill out their sked?

I think that their usual baseball announcers (Joe "I Don't Like Watching Baseball" Buck, Kenny Albert, Matt "XFL" Vasgersian, Dick Stockton) are working football the next day so, given that baseball is a lower priority, FOX went in-house (Chris Rose, from "Best Damn Sports Show") and to the local teams for fill-in help.