Worst home-run call in MLB broadcasting
I can’t decide whose home-run call is worse: John Sterling’s (“IT is high, IT is far, IT iiiiiis…GAHN! Home run, [player name]!”) or Michael Kay’s (“Track; wall; see ya!”). Forced to choose, I would vote Kay, just because I don’t think this has always been his home-run call; I think he changed it from something else, and while the old one was probably irritating also, 1) this one is a clear effort to get a ™ for himself, 2) if the ball stays up a while, he just waaaaaaaits so he can maybe still do it (“Tra…aa…ack? Wall?”), and 3) then he often has to reverse himself (“Track; wall; s– Cabrera makes the routine play”).
(Infinitely worse, of course: “Yankees win! The-e-e-e-e-e-e Yankees win!”)
Who has the most annoying trademarky home-run call in broadcasting? (Who’s the “back, back, back, gone” guy — is that Joe Buck? Shut up, Joe Buck. Or whoever else it is.)
[NB: The game is on right now. Yes, it’s a dull one. You think I’m bored, you should have heard the “fascinating” discussion of the crappy round of golf O’Neill shot this afternoon, which was followed by a conversation about 17-year cicadas because it’s…Cicada Night at Comiskey?]
[Also NB: I know it’s not called “Comiskey” anymore but I hate those goddamn corporate ballpark names. The new stadiums in New York better not get lumped with some shit like “Kleenex Field.”]
@ K
“It’s NATIONAL. You fly into NATIONAL for the most beautiful view and occasionally a little scary approach over the river and it’s right on the Metro and it’s NATIONAL and how much do I hate those congressclones intent on naming EVERYTHING after Reagan?”
A-effing-men. I was on the Metro last week and these tourists flagged down an officer and said “How do we get to Reagan?” and he just gave them these three slow blinks and rumbled “You mean National?” and it was very yay, locals!
Addendum: Thanks, MB, for enlightening me. Hawk = dork. And I thank both you and Cathryn for not pointing out that Iguchi is a different person entirely from Shingo Takatsu. I’m brilliant this week.
Cindy — apparently Wheels (I love how they call him “Wheels”) wanted to get Richie Ashburn out of the booth, back in the day, and since Kalas and Ashburn were best friends, that’s why Harry Kalas asked (as part of his contract) not to work with Wheeler very much.
“Up on the North Side, we call that stupid block down there where the Sux play, “The Cell” or “US Commiskular.” I hate all those dumb names. And i know, Wrigley isn’t much better, but at least it’s not changing names all the time.”
I don’t want to start a cubs/sox war here, but come on. Stop it. “the Sux”? I don’t understand why you can’t just be a Cubs’ fan and leave the Sox out of the equation. With the exception of the red line series, we never play each other. The Sox are not a factor for your Cubs, so why don’t you worry about something that is?
I’m shocked at all the Hawk-hate. He’s a little cheesy, but … I like him. He’s been doing the “you can put it on the board… stretch! Yes!” stuff for years. It wasn’t until ’05 when he started getting noticed for it, now DJ does the “stretch! yes!” in unison, which I can’t stand.
Bristlesage, you’re a little off, it’s Sox fans who have a softspot for Hawk. Santo does announce for the Cubs though and, man, I can’t see how anyone can listen to that. I’m not a Cubs’ fan, so I don’t get the Santo appreciation, but is he really so well-loved that people want to listen to him mumble and … ew. He always sounds like he’s trying to hock a clam.
And Joe Buck. Man I hate Joe Buck. When he announced the 2005 world series, it sounded like someone just killed his dog when he said “and the white sox have won the world series.” I don’t think it’s possible to say that with less joy than Joe Buck did. I know they want their national guy to announce big games, but wouldn’t it be better to have a local guy who actually wants a team to win? I would have rather listened to Hawk and whoever the Astros home guy is than Buck. It should have been like in 1995 when the Braves finally won and Skip Caray (I think…) sounded like he might have a heart attack, screaming “Braves win! Braves win!” (I grew up in Atlanta).
Vin Scully still makes watching the Dodgers worthwhile. Agreement on the cloning idea.
And Amen on the corporate ballpark names comment. Nothing hurt worse than when Candlestick was changed to 3Com park. At that point, I just gave up. I don’t know anybody who ever stopped calling the park “the Stick.”
“Stennie – Dave Neihaus still announces, but only for half of the game on TV.”
Thanks, Carissa — I moved away from the Pacific Northwest a few years ago and miss Mariner baseball most of all. We used to hate the TV announcers so much (especially if it was being aired on ESPN or otherwise nationally-televised channel) that we would turn down the TV and listen to Neihaus on the radio.
Rita, sorry, my clauses weren’t clear. This part, “…and though Cubs fans have a soft spot for him, I really can’t stand to listen to Ron Santo,” was meant to stick together, not the other part.
I’m an A’s fan, so out from the middle of the Cubs/Sox thing. I dislike Hawk and Ron equally!
Gary Thorne’s and Chris Berman’s homerun calls are pretty horrid.
I actually used to like Joe Buck. (I know, it seems crazy now!) But about 5-10 years ago, he just called the game, was a stickler for accuracy in names and stats, and it was a decent experience.
Now, he thinks he’s Mr. Moral Authority 2007, and the bigger he’s gotten, the more his ego has gotten out of control. He skips the play-by-play at least half the time because he’s trying to do the color as well, and now he stinks at both.
From what I’ve heard Kay is worse than Sterling, but neother are very good. Frankly, most of the guys who have been doing it for 10+ years (but less than 30) right now kinda stink. They grew up on the greats like Vin Scully and Ernie Harwell, but missed the lesson that what made them great was how they described the game, not how much they talked about themselves or what they thought they knew.
I’m a Twins fan and we don’t exactly have it good, especially on tv. Bremer and Blyleven are very nice guys, and fairly inoffensive, but they don’t pay a lot of attention to the game. Radio is a bit better (John Gordon is ok, even if he consistantly forgets to mention the score), but the death of the great Herb Carneal is a reminder is what is missing.
I agree with the Hersheiser fans. he’s very good and should be doing more games. I’d love to see him replace Joe “I hate Billy Beane and anyone who uses statistics” Morgan; it might also shake Jon Miller up enough to start trying again.
All of this talk is truly making me long for Ernie Harwell. I haven’t heard too many that can hold a candle to his calls. For a called third strike (but only done once a game): “Called strike 3! Like the house by the side of the road, he watched that one go by. For a home run: “That one is LOOOONG Gone!!” For a foul ball into the stands: “Fouled that one off, and it’s caught by the fellow from [insert random Michigan town here].” Not to mention, the guy was in baseball broadcasting from the 30s to the early part of this century, so his knowledge of the game and its history was deeper than almost anyone on the air.
That White Sox guy grates me like fucking cheddar. I’ve never heard more bias in an announcer in my life, although to the fellow Detroit fan above, I’m sorry you went through what you went through with the Cleveland guys. That kinda surprised me.
I know, Cindy, I miss Scott Graham terribly. I heard a rumor Wheels was threatened by Scott and forced him out so he [Wheels] could be Harry’s heir apparent… and since Jennifer M. says he tried the same trick with Ashburn, maybe it’s true. It’s hard not to hate him for that. I’m certainly hold Wheeler personally responsible that Scott was replaced by snooze-fest Sarge. Good lord, that man is dull! He and Wheels together cannot summon enough excitement about the game to startle a fly, plus Sarge thinks his perspective as a player is the only perspective as a player (for example, on Rowand batting against the White Sox: “You always want to go out there and bat well against the team that traded you away.” Well, maybe…or maybe Rowand is just a hard-playing guy who wants to do well all the time? He doesn’t seem like the grudge-holding or show-off type, so stop projecting your motivations on everyone else. Not the perfect example, but argh, he does it all the time). Plus, he thinks every other play contains a “base running error.” It’s enough to make one run the radio alongside the muted TV broadcast. (Since Scott Franzke KICKS ASS, even though Larry is a bit…odd. Frankly, I think Franzke’s the one with the skills to be heir apparent, so suck it Wheeler.)
First, I have to apologize for the new guy who announces Cleveland Indians baseball with Rick Manning. They let go of John Sanders last year and he was awesome. This new guy is clearly trying to make a name for himself and I think he is even working Rick Manning’s last good one. So, on behalf of the Tribe…I’m sorry.
And I can’t hate on Joe Buck as long as he continues to be Not McCarver.
Michael Kay bugs, to be sure. But he will never be as bad as…
“You Can Put it on the BOOOOAAAARRRD – YES!!!!” Harrelson for the White Sox. Thanks for ruining a perfectly decent game, you hack.
You just have to love the Yankees radio guy…It’s an AAAA Bomb….for AAAA Rod.
Hawk Harrelson and Darrin Jackson are BY FAR the worst. Trust me, it’s painful listening to this duo.
Worst by far is Ken Harrelson of the White Sox “you can put it on the boooaaarrddsssss, yessss”
Let me say first, I LOVE this conversation. Such a fun thing to argue over.
For me, the worst is Mike Shannon of the Cardinals. His “Get up baby, get up” seems to transform him from observer to someone actually willing the ball over the wall. Any call that makes the announcer part of the story is a bad one in my book.
Also objectionable is Harrelson’s “put it on the board” (trying too hard) and Sterling’s “it is high, it is far…” (trying too hard to make a signature call, combined with typical Yankee arrogance).
But why the hate for Michael Kay’s “see ya”? I’m a Red Sox fan, so I shouldn’t like it, but I think it’s perfect: short, sweet, understated.
why the hate for Michael Kay’s “see ya”?
Because it’s Michael Kay’s.