DMENS wrote:

blingboy wrote: I think the thing with Joe is he has an irrational fear people will think he's a Cards homer, and he's trying too hard to be like the east coasters in the industry.

This is it exactly. I'm not normally one to hate on announcers. For the most part I think they do a fine job. But Buck in particular rubs me the wrong way for this very reason.

I think some people forget the possibility that Joe may have marching orders from his bosses to broadcast in a certain way.  I'm sure bias toward a team is frowned upon.  I would also bet he has been instructed to talk up certain players and events to boost ratings.   Ratings and $ are what matters to the networks, not the bruised feelings of fans.  After all, the network has the fans by the short hairs because of the lack of other alternatives (other than radio).

I don't like to listen to McCarver at all.

dls357 wrote: I don't like to listen to McCarver at all.

Tim is having a rough day. Missed the 1B coach's first name, then flubbed Matt Carpenter's first post-season AB (should have been CS). He also said this:

"I wonder if Cain took the bunt sign as a sign to bunt the ball."

Tim seems to slowly be turning into another Joe Morgan.  I really don't care for his announcing anymore. 

Joe on the other hand, I'll have to agree with a few other posters in that it seems he tries to hard to praise the other team, in order to not sound like the Cardinals fan that I'm sure he is.

Domeboys wrote:

dls357 wrote: I don't like to listen to McCarver at all.

Tim is having a rough day. Missed the 1B coach's first name, then flubbed Matt Carpenter's first post-season AB (should have been CS). He also said this:

"I wonder if Cain took the bunt sign as a sign to bunt the ball."

Early signs of dementia?

Domeboys wrote: Tim is having a rough day. Missed the 1B coach's first name, then flubbed Matt Carpenter's first post-season AB (should have been CS). He also said this:

"I wonder if Cain took the bunt sign as a sign to bunt the ball."

Did his David Cone comment catch your attention? Said Cone told him that Cone's strategy as a pitcher was to throw strikes that looked like balls, and balls that looked like strikes. Tim acted like that was the most brilliant insight ever. I thought that was common knowledge.

With Joe, it's not his anti-Cardinal pitch, but his smug, crass announcing style and those freaky eyebrows. Sorry, can't stand him.

I don't mind Buck or McCarver. I realize they have to be unbiased as possible. Buck might be a little smug but he's the #1 announcer on Fox. So i'm not shocked he's got a tone whenever he degrades a team, play or player. McCarver is just old and he's rubbed some people wrong over the years.

I think we should be proud a couple of guys from our old days are allowed to be in a position to call our games. It's a pretty good sign fellas.

I dont want to name drop, but i know buck personally. Hes not exactly my cup of tea but he is without a doubt a huge cardinals fan....

that being said he is a professional who is judged on a national stage, im sure he tries his hardest to be objective and impartial, probably overcompensating...

blingboy wrote: I think the thing with Joe is he has an irrational fear people will think he's a Cards homer, and he's trying too hard to be like the east coasters in the industry.

Exactly. Great point.

I like Buck fine.

The problem, in large part, is that FOX (and CBS before them) considers McCarver the star of the show.  Jack Buck talked about that a bit in his autobiography; how the networks expect the PBP guy to set McCarver up for his commentary.

Does anybody remember how McCarver started doing network postseason commentary?  It was in 1985, and ABC was scheduled to broadcast the World Series.  I was looking forward to it, because I wanted to hear what Cosell would have to say about the Cardinals.  Unfortunately, his third book ("I Never Played The Game") came out and he was relieved of his on-air duties for the most part, and they had McCarver take over the analyst role in the World Series.  The rest, as they say, is history, as McCarver moved over to CBS when they got the package in 1990 and then over to FOX when *they* got the package.

"Top 10 Tim McCarver Mispronunciations of 'Descalso'"

(In all fairness, some of those should be attributed to Dick Stockton from TBS!

I guess I'll be the weird one and say that I think both Buck and McCarver are solid baseball announcers and I thoroughly enjoy each and every time I hear them. 

I need to understand that bashing on broadcasters is a pastime in and of itself. 

Honestly the only broadcasters I just truly can't stand work for the White Sox - Hawk on TV and Farmer on their radio broadcasts.

619illinibooyah wrote:I think we should be proud a couple of guys from our old days are allowed to be in a position to call our games. It's a pretty good sign fellas.

I'm pretty much of this same view point. I've always liked ex-Cardinals a little more than guys that never were involved with the club.

As players, I've always followed former Cardinals to see how they were doing. And when the Cardinals fired Harry Caray, I always enjoyed catching a sound bite, or maybe even a broadcast he was doing as it took me back to his hey day as the Cardinals lead announcer.

Buck and McCarver fall in to category. I know Tim is not as sharp as he once was, but he's still a storied member of our history. I remember going to some games in 1973 - I was a teenager. My buddy and I would go hang out outside the clubhouse entrance after games and watch the players come out and interact with the fans.

McCarver was on his second tour with the Cardinals that season, playing a lot of first base as Ted Simmons was catching almost every day back then. After one game McCarver came out, and spent a good half hour or more just chatting with people about most anything, including the characteristics of different players and how fans should act towards them to get the best response and potential autograph if they wanted one. He was great - very cordial and down to earth.

The year before that we did the same thing, and saw the Pirates in an August series. Nelson Briles, a former Cardinal of course, was the same way. He chatted with the fans for a long time and was genuinely interested in what they had to say.

I think Joe does a fine job. Tim appears to be slipping. He has made quite a few mistakes this year.

I was at my son's house last night and they can't get Fox, so we had to listen to Mike Shannon on the computer. Now THAT is agony. No way you can follow the game.

Sawatski wrote: I think Joe does a fine job. Tim appears to be slipping. He has made quite a few mistakes this year.

I was at my son's house last night and they can't get Fox, so we had to listen to Mike Shannon on the computer. Now THAT is agony. No way you can follow the game.

I've never been a real big fan of Mike as the lead play-by-play guy. I thought he was fine, even very good, when he was in more of the color analyst role while teamed with Jack Buck.

But as a lead guy, he drifts in to story telling and rambling too often and it's more like a guy at the bar who's chatting with you, while keeping one eye on the game that's playing on the television up in the corner.

He's definitely a St. Louis institution, and his legacy is secure. But I do not consider him an "all time great" as a broadcaster. He's just been doing it a long time.

Joe Buck is a really good pbp guy. McCarver seems lost most of the time and his voice grates on me like a cheese grater across a knee cap. Dude is just awful. And I agree about the White Sox, Farmer and Hawk are even worse than McCarver

 

Domeboys wrote:
"I wonder if Cain took the bunt sign as a sign to bunt the ball."

That is Tim McCarver described in one sentence. Spot-on analysis as always, Tim.

bicyclemike wrote:

Sawatski wrote: I think Joe does a fine job. Tim appears to be slipping. He has made quite a few mistakes this year.

I was at my son's house last night and they can't get Fox, so we had to listen to Mike Shannon on the computer. Now THAT is agony. No way you can follow the game.

I've never been a real big fan of Mike as the lead play-by-play guy. I thought he was fine, even very good, when he was in more of the color analyst role while teamed with Jack Buck.

But as a lead guy, he drifts in to story telling and rambling too often and it's more like a guy at the bar who's chatting with you, while keeping one eye on the game that's playing on the television up in the corner.

He's definitely a St. Louis institution, and his legacy is secure. But I do not consider him an "all time great" as a broadcaster. He's just been doing it a long time.

Chatting with you in a dull, droning monotone 95% of the time.

bicyclemike wrote:

Sawatski wrote: I think Joe does a fine job. Tim appears to be slipping. He has made quite a few mistakes this year.

I was at my son's house last night and they can't get Fox, so we had to listen to Mike Shannon on the computer. Now THAT is agony. No way you can follow the game.

I've never been a real big fan of Mike as the lead play-by-play guy. I thought he was fine, even very good, when he was in more of the color analyst role while teamed with Jack Buck.

But as a lead guy, he drifts in to story telling and rambling too often and it's more like a guy at the bar who's chatting with you, while keeping one eye on the game that's playing on the television up in the corner.

He's definitely a St. Louis institution, and his legacy is secure. But I do not consider him an "all time great" as a broadcaster. He's just been doing it a long time.

Couldn't agree more.  I don't like when he refuses to clear his throat and he'll gargle his way through the rest of his sentence... mucus, ah yuk.