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Brant
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
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Location: Hopewell Township
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 Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:47 pm Post subject: Baseball announcers |
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I'm watching a replay of Game 1 of the 1979 NLCS between the Buccos and the Cincinnati Reds, and I am reminded of how much I detested Tony Kubek. Being an "older person," I've listened to broacasters from the 1960s to the present, so I've heard some of the true legends (Ernie Harwell, Jack Buck) and some very bad announcers over the years. One of the most inexplicable experiences in my life was seeing the Pirates rehire Lanny Frattare time after time after time. The guy, in my mind, was one of the worst announcers (excepting former players-turned-broadcasters) in the history of any sport. To me, the gold standard in baseball now is Jon Miller, and Vin Scully, despite his advancing years, is still very good. Harry Kalas was in that group until his untimely death last year. The guy the Pirates hired to replace Lackluster Lanny, Tim Neverett, is very easy to listen to. Greg Brown is very competent, when he's avoiding the "Sweet Jebus, I just peed my pants" approach. The other members of the Pirates' broadcasting team, Steve Blass, Bob Walk and John Wehner, are very forgettable. To me, calling a baseball game is different than calling pretty much any other sport, because of the pace of the game, and baseball is my favorite sport, so that's why I'm sticking with baseball announcers. Who are your favorites and the ones you hate?
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pap
Understudy
Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Posts: 538
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:10 pm Post subject: Re: Baseball announcers |
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| Brant wrote: | | I'm watching a replay of Game 1 of the 1979 NLCS between the Buccos and the Cincinnati Reds, and I am reminded of how much I detested Tony Kubek. Being an "older person," I've listened to broacasters from the 1960s to the present, so I've heard some of the true legends (Ernie Harwell, Jack Buck) and some very bad announcers over the years. One of the most inexplicable experiences in my life was seeing the Pirates rehire Lanny Frattare time after time after time. The guy, in my mind, was one of the worst announcers (excepting former players-turned-broadcasters) in the history of any sport. To me, the gold standard in baseball now is Jon Miller, and Vin Scully, despite his advancing years, is still very good. Harry Kalas was in that group until his untimely death last year. The guy the Pirates hired to replace Lackluster Lanny, Tim Neverett, is very easy to listen to. Greg Brown is very competent, when he's avoiding the "Sweet Jebus, I just peed my pants" approach. The other members of the Pirates' broadcasting team, Steve Blass, Bob Walk and John Wehner, are very forgettable. To me, calling a baseball game is different than calling pretty much any other sport, because of the pace of the game, and baseball is my favorite sport, so that's why I'm sticking with baseball announcers. Who are your favorites and the ones you hate? |
I used to like Bob Prince. He was ahomer, kinda like a drunk Myron Cope. Also Mel Allen and Vin Sculley. |
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dick
Journeyman
Joined: 28 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Mike Lange is the first name that comes to mind. He called a good game, he lets you know when to get excited, and he consistently comes up with brilliant material. I do enjoy Paul Steigerwald who does the Pens boadcasts now. But I'm never upset if I'm stuck in the car and get to listen to Lange on the radio.
Marv Albert is another Lange style announcer. These guys make it fun. They get overly excited at the right times during the game. While I also really enjoy Jim Nantz. He's not the overly excited type, but he knows when to rise to the occasion. He never blows a call.
But announcing hockey and basketball are a little easier. Maybe "easier" isn't the right word, but these sports have their own rhythm. While football and baseball have long pauses between plays. So you need a Bob Prince, Joe Morgan, Myron Cope, John Madden (not that I'm a Madden fan) kind of guy to interject with a story. These guys need to develop some sort of chemistry with the play by play guy.
Sorry Brant, but I'm a huge Bob Walk fan. He cracks me up with his dry humor and has the most entertaining and informative perspective. He's my guy in baseball.
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dick
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:35 am Post subject: |
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My bad. I just checked back and realized that the topic is specifically "Baseball Anouncers".
I am too young to know Bob Prince, and have never been a big a fan of Lanny Frattare. The new guy, Tim Everett, is waaay too cheesy announcer guy for me. Vin Scully is definitely the man. I really enjoy the Sunday Night Baseball interaction between Scully and Joe Morgan.
If you go back and watch Sid Bream beat Barry Bonds' throw, a great broadcaster, Sean McDonough, makes a heart breaking call. I hate it, but its a great call. He's also one of my favorite college hoops announcers.
I LOVE Bob Walk!!!!!
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busdriver
Journeyman
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject: Re: Baseball announcers |
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| Brant wrote: | | I'm watching a replay of Game 1 of the 1979 NLCS between the Buccos and the Cincinnati Reds, and I am reminded of how much I detested Tony Kubek. Being an "older person," I've listened to broacasters from the 1960s to the present, so I've heard some of the true legends (Ernie Harwell, Jack Buck) and some very bad announcers over the years. One of the most inexplicable experiences in my life was seeing the Pirates rehire Lanny Frattare time after time after time. The guy, in my mind, was one of the worst announcers (excepting former players-turned-broadcasters) in the history of any sport. To me, the gold standard in baseball now is Jon Miller, and Vin Scully, despite his advancing years, is still very good. Harry Kalas was in that group until his untimely death last year. The guy the Pirates hired to replace Lackluster Lanny, Tim Neverett, is very easy to listen to. Greg Brown is very competent, when he's avoiding the "Sweet Jebus, I just peed my pants" approach. The other members of the Pirates' broadcasting team, Steve Blass, Bob Walk and John Wehner, are very forgettable. To me, calling a baseball game is different than calling pretty much any other sport, because of the pace of the game, and baseball is my favorite sport, so that's why I'm sticking with baseball announcers. Who are your favorites and the ones you hate? |
Brant, really too bad you didn't get a chance to listen to Buc's games in the late 40's and 50's. All were on radio and most (if not all) away games were transmitted by ticker tape.
Bob Prince was second banana to A.K. "Rosy" Roswell in those days. Rosy had sounds and sayings for just about every situation that transpired with the Buc's. Just about every car radio or that little plastic enclosed Motorla in western Pa. had the Pirates on.
Pirates were always in last place or close, but always drew over a million fans paid every year which was the most in the league or close into that little box called Forbes Field. Rosy had as much to do with drawing the fans as Kiner and Hank Greenberg did.
Like to post what some of those sounds/sayings were but too time consuming. |
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Brant
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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I'm familiar with Roswell, but never heard him. Maybe I can dig up some old audio.
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amom
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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Who would have been the radio announcer for the Bucs in the late 60's and early 70's? I remember many a summer Sunday sitting at a picnic table listening to the game. 
*sigh, summer, how I miss you.
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busdriver
Journeyman
Joined: 16 Mar 2009
Posts: 3497
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| amom wrote: | Who would have been the radio announcer for the Bucs in the late 60's and early 70's? I remember many a summer Sunday sitting at a picnic table listening to the game.
*sigh, summer, how I miss you. |
Bob Prince would be my guess.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are members of Major League Baseball (MLB), they have employed sportscasters to provide play-by-play and color commentary during games broadcast over the radio and on television. On August 5, 1921, Pittsburgh hosted the first baseball game broadcast over the radio. Harold Arlin, writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, announced the game over KDKA from a box seat next to the first base dugout at Forbes Field.[1][2] Throghout the 1920s and 1930s "occasional" games would be broadcast, until Rosie Roswell became the first "Voice of the Pirates" in 1936.[3] While most of Roswell's early broadcasts were solo, he was joined by Pirates' co-owner Bing Crosby and his sucessor Bob Prince for games.[3] Prince took over as lead broadcaster in 1955 and held the position over the next 20 seasons. Prince gained a reputation for giving players nicknames and inventing catch phrases to describe the game; he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in August 1986.[4] In 1976, Lanny Frattare became the Pirates' lead broadcaster. Frattare held the position for 33 years—the longest tenure of any Pirates' broadcaster.[5] Upon Frattare's retirement after the 2008 season, Tim Neverett was hired to fill the role as lead broadcaster.[6] Multiple people have held temporary positions as a broadcaster, including former players Don Hoak, Dave Giusti, Willie Stargell, and Pittsburgh Penguins' broadcaster Mike Lange.[7]
WWSW-FM broadcast Pirates' games on the radio during the 1940s and 1950s until KDKA became the franchise's flagship station in 1955.[8] In 2006, the Pirates switched to WPGB in an attempt to reach younger age brackets; under the current contract WPGB will carry Pirates' games though the 2011 season.[9] As of 2009, the Pirates Radio Network has stations located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland; WPGB is scheduled to broadcast all 162 games of the Pirates' 2009 season.[10] FSN Pittsburgh televised 125 games during the 2008 season,[11] and is scheduled to broadcast the same number in 2009.[12] |
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amom
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you, that's what I thought, but wasn't sure.
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Brant
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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And Prince's sidekick during most of those years was Nellie King. I can't begin to tell you how many games I heard those guys do on the radio.
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dick
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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I'm so jealous. I'm a huge baseball fan and really love the game. Unfortunately for everyone under 30, the Pirates are just this historical team. A team that builds statues instead of raising penants. I really wish that my generation could experience a World Series. Then again, maybe I'm being greedy. We are fresh off of a Stanley Cup and a couple Super Bowls. But to me, baseball is the greatest game. And I don't see the Pirates ever being good again. At least not under this ownership.
Oh, and announcers that I hate: The Joe Buck / Tim McCarver booth is unlistenable.
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ellipses
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Joined: 29 Sep 2008
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Location: WashPa!
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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I swear I am going to a game this year...
Just like I said last year, but this time I mean it.
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busdriver
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Joined: 16 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| dick wrote: | Mike Lange is the first name that comes to mind. He called a good game, he lets you know when to get excited, and he consistently comes up with brilliant material. I do enjoy Paul Steigerwald who does the Pens boadcasts now. But I'm never upset if I'm stuck in the car and get to listen to Lange on the radio.
Marv Albert is another Lange style announcer. These guys make it fun. They get overly excited at the right times during the game. While I also really enjoy Jim Nantz. He's not the overly excited type, but he knows when to rise to the occasion. He never blows a call.
But announcing hockey and basketball are a little easier. Maybe "easier" isn't the right word, but these sports have their own rhythm. While football and baseball have long pauses between plays. So you need a Bob Prince, Joe Morgan, Myron Cope, John Madden (not that I'm a Madden fan) kind of guy to interject with a story. These guys need to develop some sort of chemistry with the play by play guy.
Sorry Brant, but I'm a huge Bob Walk fan. He cracks me up with his dry humor and has the most entertaining and informative perspective. He's my guy in baseball. |
I always liked Bob Walk, both as a player and announcer. |
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pap
Understudy
Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Posts: 538
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Brant wrote: | | And Prince's sidekick during most of those years was Nellie King. I can't begin to tell you how many games I heard those guys do on the radio. |
His first side kick was Jim Woods (the possum), not Nellie King. |
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Brant
Admin
Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 5277
Location: Hopewell Township
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:47 am Post subject: |
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Pap, if you read back, you'll note that my comment about King was in response to Amom's question about Pirates announcers in the late '60s to early '70s, EXACTLY the time period when King was with Prince. And I also NEVER said that King was Prince's first partner in the booth. Reading is fundamental.
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