Broadcaster Rankings (Radio): #10 – #1
At the beginning of March, we released the results of our television broadcaster rankings — itself the product of reader crowdsourcing that had started in late November. Since then, FanGraphs has asked readers to rate the radio broadcast teams (on a scale of 1-5 for charisma, analysis, and then overall) for all 30 major-league clubs — with the intention, ultimately, of determining which broadcasts might best reflect the sorts of inquiry and analysis performed here at the site.
Below are the 10th- through top-ranked radio broadcast teams, per the FanGraphs readership.
But first, three notes:
• Teams are ranked in ascending order of Overall rating. Overall ratings are not merely averages of Charisma and Analysis.
• I’ve attempted to choose reader comments that are either (a) illustrative of the team’s place in the rankings or (b) conspicuously amusing.
• A complete table of ratings and ballots cast will appear in these pages Friday.
10. Tampa Bay Rays
Broadcasters: Andy Freed and Dave Wills
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.1, 4.0, 4.2
Three Reader Comments
• Regarding a promotion on the White Sox feed for XM Radio: “[T]he flashback highlight would always be Mark Buehrle’s perfect game, thrown against the Tampa Bay Rays. However, the voice in the clip they play belongs to Dave Wills, not Ed Farmer (and the Rays were the visitors that day).”
• “They knew more about Twins players than the Twins broadcast team.”
• “Would like to hear these guys discretely split up calling the game while the other keeps quiet. They often sound so alike you can’t tell which is doing the talking.”
Notes
In the vein of that third note above, there are multiple comments to the effect that Freed and Wills have decidedly similar voices — to the point that even longtime listeners might have difficulty in distinguishing between them. Otherwise, most respondents regard the broadcast as technically competent and also personable.
9. St. Louis Cardinals
Broadcasters: Mike Shannon and John Rooney
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.6, 3.3, 4.3
Three Reader Comments
• “Listening to the KMOX feed [creates] sort of a Stockholm Syndrome for me. I know it’s terrible analysis and fully expect away audiences to pan them, but I like the reassurance that Mike doesn’t know the Padres’ names either. It’d almost feel empty listening to a game without calls like ‘swing and a miss as the ball is fouled back into the screen.’”
• “My favorite quote from Mike Shannon came after a newly rebranded Giancarlo Stanton dropped a fly ball in a spring-training game this March: ‘Mike Stanton would’ve caught that.’”
• “Popped up into foul territory and out of play… Oh, that ball landed right in that lady’s Busch.”
Notes
It’s likely that some listeners prefer a radio broadcast that privileges a clear narration of the events on the field, while others (i.e. other listeners) will prefer one that privileges entertainment value. If such a dichotomy exists, listeners in the second camp will be considerably more satisfied by Cardinals radio than those in the former. One’s feelings about the Cardinals radio team seem to depend largely on one’s feelings about Shannon, to whom no fewer than six respondents refer as a “drunk uncle.” The most bon of Shannon’s mots can be found here.
8. Atlanta Braves
Broadcasters: Jim Powell and Don Sutton
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.4, 4.1, 4.3
Three Reader Comments
• “A lot of good low-key humor in the Atlanta booth. My favorite 2012 moment so far [was] Jim Powell’s quick jab at the home plate umpire as the broadcast returned from commercials: ‘Top of the xxth inning in Atlanta, and the first pitch is right down the middle for ball one.’”
• “Frequent dispensary of homey wisdom. Just the other day Don Sutton referenced his grandfather’s moonshine still.”
• “I would listen to Jim Powell broadcast a wall being painted.”
Notes
A frequent sentiment among respondents is that Powell (who is younger and comfortable both with social media and sabermetric analysis) and Sutton (a good-natured former player) complement each other well, and that the former is adept — so far as FanGraphs readers, in particular, are concerned — is particularly adept at soliciting the best from the latter.
7. Philadelphia Phillies
Broadcasters: Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.5, 4.0, 4.4
Three Reader Comments
• “These guys have one of the most thankless tasks out there of trying to follow Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas. Amazingly, they’re succeeding.”
• “Scott Franzke is a solid play-by-play guy who does a great job of setting up Andersen. An example: By asking for his opinion on Bat Day at a visiting park a few years back, Franzke tees up L.A. for his retirement story, in which a hungover, minor league rehabbing Andersen circa 1994 is told by his manager to get loose for mop up duty. Apparently the fans had been banging their bats on the metal bleachers, leading an inebriated/irritated L.A. to respond to his manager, ‘Skip — I just retired,’ and walk back to the clubhouse. ‘So to get back to your question, Scott, I hate Bat Day.’”
• “Larry Andersen: ‘Do you believe in the superstition of jinxing a player by talking about something on the broadcast?’ Scott Franzke: ‘No, they do the playing on the field, I just sit here and eat hot dogs.’”
Notes
It appears as though at least some of the goodwill directed towards the current Phillies radio team — as noted in the first comment above, for example — is a result of the fact that Franzke and Andersen have actually served as passable replacements for Ashburn and Kalas, both beloved figures in Philadelphia broadcasting history. If something like a recurring criticism exists here, it’s Andersen’s treatment of umpires.
6. Washington Nationals
Broadcasters: Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.4, 4.3, 4.4
Three Reader Comments
• “They made 100-loss seasons bearable; I look forward to hearing them announce less embarrassing games.”
• “I would listen to their radio broadcasts and mute the television if I could, but unfortunately, we here in the DC market have this special ‘delay’ bestowed by Satan which makes that impossible.”
• “My favorite listening experience was the Nook Logan debacle (watch)… They also have a fan site with some of their funny interactions (link).”
Notes
Among respondents, there are fewer comments regarding Slowes or Jageler individually, but almost uniform praise for the rapport between Slowes and Jageler as a team. To their credit — and to the pleasure of the present author — Nats fans seem particularly enthusiastic about recording for posterity the best calls of their broadcast team. (Note: that Nook Logan call above is particularly amusing.)
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Broadcasters: Jerry Howarth and Alan Ashby
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.3, 4.2, 4.4
Three Reader Comments
• “Jerry is like the grandfather you always wished you had, but never had, because your real grandfather never loved you.”
• “‘Buns’ Ashby has got to be one of the more underrated radio analysts out there, and he is a master-level never-finisher of sentences with prepositions, a skill with which all announcers should familiarize themselves. With.”
• “Careful, Cistulli: the levees that hold back Jays’ nostalgia are shoddily built and hastily raised.”
Notes
Besides the mostly consensus approval of Howarth and Ashby, there’s also considerable praise among respondents for studio host Mike Wilner, who (according to those respondents) uses advanced statistics freely during his show JaysTalk. A number of commenters also make a point of remembering Tom Cheek, who called Jays games from 1977 (when the team became a thing) until 2004.
4. Cleveland Indians
Broadcasters: Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.5, 3.8, 4.5
Three Reader Comments
• “Listening to a Tom Hamilton home run call is like having a rainbow poured into your ear.”
• “From my Cardinals fan cousin: ‘Listening to Gameday Audio in bed. Only one announcer could get excited and loud enough over a caught stealing to wake [my wife] up: Tom Hamilton.’”
• “Listening to Tom Hamilton call a game reminds me of my childhood. It should be noted, however, that I didn’t enjoy my childhood.”
Notes
There’s a decided minority of comments regarding Hamilton that fail to note, at some level, his capacity for enthusiasm and/or the volume of his voice. More than most any other broadcaster, too, he receives praise for a specific broadcasting skill — namely, the quality of his home run calls. (Click here for video of a Hafner walk-off home run from last season. The 0:43 mark is where Hamilton begins yelling his gentlemanly parts off.)
3. Texas Rangers
Broadcasters: Eric Nadel and Steve Busby
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.4, 4.5, 4.6
Three Reader Comments
• “Eric Nadel describes the game in incredible detail — shadows, uniforms, positioning, stances, bounces. He’s better than television.”
• “[I appreciate what Nadel] does to improve his craft — he decided to learn Spanish so he can interview Latino players.”
• “The thing I like about Busby is he isn’t just a cheerleader for the team – he’ll point out things a Rangers player isn’t doing right from time to time. That is valuable insight from a home team announcer when you can’t see the game.”
Notes
The comments received here — along with what’s available on his Wikipedia page, for example — all suggest that Nadel is deeply concerned with the craft of radio broadcasting. Also, he went to Brown — which, despite being a lesser Ivy, is still clearly preferable to (gasp!) public school.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Broadcasters: Bob Uecker and Cory Provus
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.9, 3.9, 4.8
Three Reader Comments
• “When I first moved to Milwaukee I was expecting Uecker to be in full Harry Doyle mode, which turned out not to be the case at all. True, Uecker is hilarious at times, but he takes pride in calling an accurate and informed game.”
• “WTMJ (Milwaukee’s radio network) could pair a jelly bean with [Uecker] and this broadcast would still rate a 5/5.”
• “Provus was really good by himself and was perfect playing off of Bob. I’m really going to miss him, Minnesota is lucky.”
Notes
With the departure of Provus to Minnesota, Joe Block has assumed Uecker’s off-innings, although the broadcast is dominated (and positively so) by Uecker’s presence. A number of respondents take pains to note that, while Uecker is certainly capable of irreverent flights (ahem), they are not necessarily a priority for him.
1. San Francisco Giants
Broadcasters: Jon Miller and Dave Flemming
Ratings (Charisma/Analysis/Overall): 4.8, 4.7, 4.8
No Reader Comments
[See Below]
Notes
The Giants radio broadcast received 678 valid ballots, which (a) is over 300 more than the next most voted-on team (St. Louis at 355) and (b) means there are more comments than the present author is capable of reading without taking a long — and perhaps permanent — nap. In summary: Flemming is sharp and listening to Jon Miller is like pouring lotion all into your ears. Also, Giants fans are peculiarly enthusiatic and loyal. Q.E.D.
This is definitely a “most loved by hometown fans” list rather than a “best” list. Uecker is an all-time legend, but his best play-by-play days are behind him. He misses things constantly these days. Still beloved though.
Yup, definitely a most loved–but isn’t that kind of their goal–just look at Vin Scully, the few times I had the displeasure of having to listen to Scully when the Giants played the Dodgers he constantly called Barry Bonds, “Bobby” and Jason Schmidt “Mike”. His act may have been great when he started doing this in the 40′s but it’s tired now. Besides, he grew up a Giants fan which proves that he has no soul, unemployment is far more desirable than a job with the Fodgers.
Blasphemy.
actually, i could forgive blasphemy. criticizing vin scully is a moral crime far more heinous.
#1 spot is entirely deserved. I spent nearly all of the 2010 season without a TV and it was actually a good thing, because I listened to every game (including the playoffs) on the radio. Plus, Flemming and Miller will actually criticize the Giants when they deserve it, instead of making excuses. It rules.
When I first moved to Maryland in the ’80s, Jon Miller was the Orioles’ announcer. It was a sign of things to come when Angelos fired him for daring to criticize players and management. Giants fans are incredibly lucky; I just hope Jon’s still covering them when I get around to moving to SF.
I remember when that happened. It was stunning to say the least.
I think the Braves’ crew’s strength is that Powell and Sutton complement each other so well. Still, I almost wish they didn’t split play-by-play duties. Powell is definitely the superior play-by-play announcer, both in terms of craft and accuracy. (Sutton frequently makes small mistakes about the count, the outs, and player’s names.) And when Sutton is doing play-by-play, Powell is often silent for long stretches of time, whereas when Powell is doing play-by-play he’s very good at drawing Sutton out on this or that aspect of the game or the state of baseball in general.
All put together, their broadcasts are a real pleasure to listen to.
I agree with most of this. Although, if I recall from back in the Skip and Pete days, the reason that Jim may be silent (and Don may not be engaging him) when Don is doing play-by-play is because Jim is taking a break and either away from the booth/mic or resting his voice. Way back when, I remember Skip making a joke about Pete grabbing a hot dog and being stuck in line or something. Obviously, it was just a joke, but after that, I started to notice with Skip and Pete that one was not there for some innings because you wouldn’t hear a peep the missing guy (even if there was an exciting moment or play).
I didn’t want to like Jim Powell at first, since he was neither Skip Caray nor Pete Van Wieren, and hearing his voice over the radio was jarring for being different. He’s definitely won me over, though. He’s really good, and Don Sutton is solid and a good complement. The only time I can complain about the radio broadcast are when they have Mark Lemke fill in for one of the pair while they’re out.
Bronnt, did you happen to catch Lemke’s fill-in this past weekend, during the Cardinals series? I ask because I’ve really had negative reactions to Lemke in the past, but this past time he was actually quite good. The major thing was that they never had him do any play-by-play (he’s truly awful at that–completely flat, and also tends to get tongue-tied on unfolding plays). But he and Powell also had a bit of the Powell/Sutton dynamic going, where Jim was drawing Mark out on his playing experiences.
I still prefer Don and Jim, but this last Lemke stint made me think he could actually make a decent color guy if paired with a skillful play-by-play guy like Powell.
Jim Powell is just money on the radio.
How I miss Powell with Uecker.
Miller and Flemming make it easy to cancel your cable subscription.
A comment that is especially weighty considering how damn good Krukow and Kuiper are.
John Miller does a great Vin Scully.
Really the only drawback to canceling my cable is the times that Miller jumps ship to work the TV side for a few innings. I much prefer them to Kruk and Kuip, who are the very good – but tend to repeat a bit much (I mean it’s not like watching chris berman do the home run derby, but still). Miller deserved his HOF enshrinement.
Krukow may be as good on TV as he was on RBI Baseball…
Most Giants fans are nuts about Kruk and Kuip (whom I like as well), but they can get a little tired sometimes. Flemming and Miller are incredible to listen to and I’ve spent many an extra 15-20 minutes listening to a ballgame in the driveway rather than turning on the tv. Adios Pelota!!!!
This season especially, Krukow in particular has gotten a little bit annoying with the excuse-making and “Gamer Babe” meme.
and the “Gotta bring your glove,” “Most gloves of any ballpark…”
I’m a Mariners fan living in the Bay Area, but I’ve definitely done the driveway listening thing. As blasphemous as this sounds, I prefer Miller/Fleming to Niehaus/xxx.
One interesting note (that Carson may be planning to address in the roundup tomorrow) is that overall, the radio rankings skew quite a bit higher on the 5-point scale than the TV broadcasters. I wonder why that is? Couple theories:
1) TV production people care less about the announcers they hire, because they have a lot of other stuff that goes into the broadcast (camera angles, in-game interviews, the images themselves), such that the broadcaster is a relatively less important part of the total package.
2) TV gets first “dibs” on announcers, but the most famous announcers (former players? dudes who have been on television for some other reason?) are also worse at their jobs than their less famous radio counterparts.
3) TV announcers are being hired in part for their screen presence (handsomeness), which viewers care little about because almost all the screentime goes to the game itself.
Glad to see Nadel and company get some recognition. Nadel is fantastic and the recent addition of Busby has worked out much better than expected.
Jon Miller is simply the best in the game. And I’m hoping Jim Crane will try to hire
Alan Ashby to replace Milo here in Houston. He brings tremendous catcher insight to the game.
Wasn’t Crane the one who originally fired Ashby in Houston for being too critical on the players though? I don’t think he’d want to come back there.
I hope that Ashby stays right where he is. If anything he should move to TV and get rid of Tabler. Some of the best analysis you’d want to hear. He is not afraid to say flat out that something was a bad play or a bad effort.
Although interesting, I don’t really see how this approach can lead to any conclusion. You’re rating local radio broadcast teams through a national website, with the majority of the audience having little access to the local broadcasts.
You know MLB.com has Gameday Audio, where you can listen to either side’s radio feed during the game, right? And that satellite radio always gives the home team’s feed, so that if you listen to all your games on satellite you’ll hear half of the games with unfamiliar radio crews? And that many radio networks are regional over the air, not “local”?
This makes equal sense to doing regional TV broadcasts on a national website. Actually, it makes more sense, because there are no blackouts for radio broadcasts, meaning people in the obnoxious twilight of within a team’s blackout zone but not actually having access to the cable channels that carry the team can still listen to the radio feed online, but will see the TV crew rarely or never.
Also, if you have MLB Network, they often use the calls from either team. While it’s not the same as watching the entire game with a particular broadcast, it’s still enough to initiate yourself with other announcers. For example, MLB Network taught me how obnoxious Hawk Harrelson can be, even though I live in Minnesota.
voters have hit the LA/franzke dynamic on the head. good repartee plus slight dusting of homerism = quite listenable.
I wish the Nats would flip flop the TV and radio crews once a game, similar to what the Giants do sometimes with Kuiper and Miller. Mainly because I’d love to be able to listen to Charlie and Dave more often than when I’m stuck in the car during a Nats game. They really are hilarious, especially the bit about the pom-poms and Hu. Just awesome.
My favorite Charlie and Dave ever is the incident where Charlie called Dave “Bill” and Dave said “are you seeing other broadcasters?” Thanks to the enthusiasm Carson noted, I linked to the clip in my username.
I’m kind of internet famous now! But yes, I love Charlie and Dave.
We Giants fans are spoiled. I’ve tried to listen to other games when the giants are not playing and its so hard to listen. It’s amazing how many times I have heard other teams fans mention how good John and Dave are. I rarely watch it on TV anymore.
Listened to Uecker for many enjoyable years. Was particularly good teamed with Pat Hughes.
Used to love when the Brewers were being completely blown out. It tended to let Uecker fly free of the details & just wander where his stories would take him. Wonderful stuff!
PS: A separate point: You know, if you’ve listened a long time to any particular announcer, chances are you’ve heard that voice more than any other voice in your life.
Growing up, I listened to Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy (same team for TV & radio) for 3 hours at a time for 162 days a year. For many years.
Couldn’t stand to listen that much to people I know!
Jon Miller and Dave Flemming are incredible. They’re smart, they’re funny, and they describe the game so well, you never feel you’re missing out by not watching the game on TV. I particularly commend Flemming for playing straight man to Jon Miller. Can’t be the most gratifying position to be in, but he’s absolutely indispensible to the chemistry.
We don’t have cable, so my dad listens to over a 100 Nats games on the radio a year. It’s nice to see them this high, they really are great.
I assume it was mentioned in some of the comments for Miller and Fleming, but the best Miller call in the history of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuR6B2U3e2s
That still kills me.
I’d like to see a NotGraphs poll for which call is more amusing: this one, or the Nook Logan one linked to in the original post.
Just stumbled across these radio and TV rankings yesterday. I’m usually long winded, but I digress. Highly entertaining and now motivated to catch all these broadcasters as time allows.
This has been a fine series and I hope supplies some of the lower rated broadcasting teams (TV and radio) some food for thought. They are in a very privileged position and they should be worthy of it. Some broadcasters (Yeah….I mean you Milo) think they are more important than the game. They are not.It was nice to find out Alan Ashby is alive and doing well in Toronto. It is also nice to find out that Uecker is as good as he seems to be.Great work Carson.
This video was one of my favorite Uecker moments from last year. It was an April game, not even a walk off HR, but Uecker made it feel like playoff winning HR! Also, prior to Uecker’s call, you get a glimpse of the very good work that Brian Anderson does as many people who pay attention to TBS playoff broadcast already know.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13677967&c_id=mlb
The Indians ranking is all about Hamilton and what a great announcer he is. Rosenhaus is an absolute snooze and while Hegan (Hammy’s previous partner, now retired) wasn’t great, he was at least a good foil for Hamilton and provided a different perspective in the booth. Hopefully the Indians rectify this for next year.
Nadel is the best radio broadcaster period. Buzz makes too many mistakes though….above average but nothing special. So 3s probably about right.
You got this one right. There is nobody better than Jon Miller. It’s funny you played that clip, there is nothing that upsets J Miller more than bad baserunning. He nearly had a heart attack once when the O’s had 2 guys end up on 3rd base. But he is absolutely a must listen during a blowout. His stories and impressions never get old. All time favorite was the bomb scare in Minnesota where he gave a dead on impression of their crazy PA announcer who was famous for screaming Kirbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Puckett! “Ladies and Gentleman I don’t want to alarm you but . . . . . . THERE’S A BOMB!!!!!!!!!!”
No reader comments for the Giants?! I want my money back! No seriously, is it that hard to post a few?
I know, the listener comments have been fantastic. I’m sure there were a few gems in the Giants section. I bet they’re all not slobberers.
Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen should be on TV in Philadelphia, and every single person in that city knows it.
The TV broadcast is just atrocious. However, I figure the tv broadcast can afford to be terrible since at least you can see the game. Radio has to paint the picture, so it is just as well served with the better guys.
Agreed. I want Frantzke and LA to stay on the radio, so I can continue to listen to them when I’m in the car during games. When I’m home, I can watch with the volume off.
I can listen to any Tom Hamilton home run call and get goosebumps on the spot. Here’s my favorite (happened to be at the game right where the ball came down):
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=16741879
Unfortunately, the link gets you to Undepants (Matt Underwood of SportsTime Ohio — TV) making the call.
Jeez … Underpants.
Yeah, that’s Underwood’s call. Here’s Hamilton’s call of that same home run – probably the one you meant. It is an amazing one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6mirKvl1Ik&feature=related
EMD and Kyle, MLB’s “Must C” videos play the TV call first, then the radio call. So if you stuck around the video long enough you’d hear the magic.
Glad to see Tom Hamilton get some nice recognition with the Tribe scoring 3rd place. He makes the Indians sound exciting in a unique way. Eric Nadel just doesn’t get me going. Mark Holtz was a tough act to follow, and he’s very popular with the Ranger fans, but I just don’t connect. Glad to see the Phils score well. Franzke/LA chemistry carries on the Harry/Whitey tradition.
I suspect the Brewers ranking rests solely on Uecker’s shoulders. We have Provus now and I’m not pleased about the situation. He calls a good game, its just sterile and boring. I’d rather listen to Gladden and he’s totally awful.
When’s the last time you listened to a game, because Provus is gone.
Twins game, thought it’d be apparent because even if you didn’t know that is where he went, it says so in the post and my name is self evident.
Also, maybe I’m crazy but I’ve never really liked Jon MIller. What is with the over pronounciation of Spanish names?
I’m assuming you’ve mostly listened to Jon on ESPN with Joe Morgan. I’d strongly suggest giving a Giants radio broadcast a chance. I never thought Jon was at the top of his game on the ESPN broadcasts – his radio work is another animal entirely.
Glad, as always, to see Hamilton’s home run calls get their due.
When I think about joyous baseball moments, this HammyShot runs through my head before anything else does:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150223096462603
Jon Miller is brilliant..I listen to the Midnight replay just to hear him for a second time each day.
The work that that Jim Powell and Don Sutton do on the Braves broadcasts is highly enjoyable, and easily stands on its own, but having listened to Chip Caray call games day in and day out for long stretches of time gives me an extra special appreciation for the radio team. Not long after I first subscribed to MLB.tv, I discovered that I could switch to the radio broadcast while watching the television feed, and I haven’t looked back.
It syncs up perfectly?
Yes it does, and it’s a godsend for Braves fans outside the Braves’ TV blackout zone.
Tom Cheek deserves the Frick Award. How many times does he have to be the run-away leader in fan balloting before that happens?
Agreed. It’s a shocking oversight. His voice is literally the soundtrack to my childhood. The love shown to the bland and comically high-pitched voice of Jerry Howarth is just a carryover of our collective warm and fuzzies for TC.
Larry Andersen’s bashing of the umps should not be considered a criticism. He’s made an art of it.
No East Coast bias here. The fans got it right.
Best TV Broadcast: Scully and the Dodgers
Best Radio Broadcast: Miller and the Giants
Well Done.
To Nats fans who want to listen to the radio broadcast while watching the TV game, we had the same problem in Philly for years. The answer is simple if you have DVR – just pause the TV game until the radio broadcast catches up :)
Unfortunately, the last time I lived in Atlanta, the radio was actually 2 or 3 seconds ahead of the TV, making it impossible to get a sync right. If that works in other cities, it’s a good idea.
I’ve lived quite a number locations in the US and have also listened to broadcasts on MLB and can say hands down that the Giants radio team is really one of the best I’ve heard. Miller can be down right hilarious, while Fleming has one of the best radio voices around. One of the beat things to occur for Giants fans in the past few years (other than the WS in 2010) was when ESPN dropped Miller from its Sunday night broadcasts so he could spend more time with The Giants..
Never been a big fan of Jon Miller, guess I should try and re-evaluate that opinion.
He’s another animal on radio than on TV.
I don’t like him that much when he does the Giants NBC games once in a while, but on the radio he’s great along with Flemming.
Great duo and I have to say that more and more I prefer listening to the radio than watching the game.
Too bad the video and the radio are not in synch
Oh, then maybe it isn’t just me, because I’ve only watched him on TV.
One of Miller’s greatest assets is his peerless ability to draw a picture with his words; there’s not much occasion for that on TV. Besides that, it didn’t help him on Sunday Night Baseball that he was constantly dragged down by the presence of Joe Morgan.
I agree with your assesment that Tom Hamilton of the Indians ranks among the best. Unfortunately, his back-up, career minor leaguer Jim Rosenhaus is the worst I’ve ever heard. He would have a hard time sounding good doing games in Bucyrus, Ohio. His cliche-riddled patter and lack of clarity, descritipn and drama is horrid. Hamilton does not need a weak partner to sound better, he deserves a better side kick. I would kick Rosenhaus to the side.
Larry Anderson does get too critical of the umpires at times but other nights he is dead right in his harsh criticism especially this past week when he got upset at ‘Balkin Bob for making a spectacle of himself before tossing Manuel.
Don’t pay to come see clowns like Bob Davidson interject themselves into the game but just officiate it with a minimal presence.
It’s crazy how good Jon Miller is when listening to a Giants game and how ATROCIOUS he was on ESPN with Joe Morgan. I think it was mostly Joe Morgan’s fault.
I must be one of the only people that hates listening to Jon Miller. ESPN broadcasts were always horrible. Probably a good thing that I’m not a Giants fan.
Glad to see Powell/Sutton making the Top 10 though! Go Braves!
Pairings really matter. On the TV side for the Giants, Mike Krukow is fantastic when teamed with Duane Kuiper, but really drops off when paired with anyone else.
One huge factor in both of the Giants broadcasting teams rankings is how much they like each other. Krukow and Kuiper have been best friends for almost 30 years now and Flemming and Miller get along together with Fleming taking time off to attend Miller’s Frick award
The other thing is the postgame wrap where all four of them sit and talk and choose players of the game. It’s fantastic.
N doubt the Nats Charlie&Dave are the only pair who on occasion get thrown onto a 270-watt default flagship station. Sixth place ain’t bad considering how those guys have been abused by the team.
No doubt the Nats’ Charlie & Dave are the only pair who on occasion get thrown onto a 270-watt default flagship station. Sixth place ain’t bad considering how those guys have been abused by the team.
The Giants have a great set, and highly ranked, of radio and TV announcers. Their beat writers on the other hand…UGH.
Can’t stand Mike Shannon. His “get up baby, get up…yeah yeah YEAH!” home run call is an embarrassment.
I can honestly say that as a kid growing up in the Bay Area thirty years ago, I became a Giants fan instead of an A’s fan mainly because I liked listening to the Giants announcers more and thought the A’s were boring. The Giants have a tradition of great broadcasters going back over half a century to the days of Russ Hodges and with few exceptions here and there, they’ve managed to preserve it. Hank Greenwald was awesome in his day, and when he retired they replaced him with Miller who’s even better (and no, Joe Morgan did not do him justice with ESPN). Dave Fleming was the perfect addition, and between them and Kruk and Kuip, there is definitely no question that Giants fans enjoy by far the best group of announcers in the game.
I actually think Greenwald was even better than Miller – those of us who grew up in the Bay Area in the late 70′s- mid 80s were really spoiled for good announcers, between him, Bill King, and Greg Papa doing the Warriors (you can even give a shout for Joe Starkey’s hilarious call of The Play).
Greenwald deserves to be much better known. He never really got the national publicity other hometown announcers got, but his description and humor were effortless.
yeah me too. Hank Greenwald was best SFG announcer in the last 30 years at least.
and Bill King was the best football announcer i’ve ever heard. listening to the Raiders in the 70′s was an event every week.
Greenwald was awesome, yes. Pleasing voice, sly sense of humor, and an ability to paint a picture with his words (the perfect radio announcer). Kind of similar to Jon Miller, actually, but Greenwald was more funny/sarcastic, while Miller is warmer and smoother. It depends on what you prefer.
The Giants have had fantastic announcers for as long as they’ve been in San Francisco. They even had Al Michaels for a little while!
Honestly, people. This is an intelligent group of baseball fans. Can we really not all agree that Vin Scully is the best broadcaster in the history of the game? I understand the Giants resentment (especially because Vin used to broadcast for the Giants, back when they were in NYC and dinosaurs ruled the Earth), but come on. The guy is 84 years old, does the games solo, and STILL makes every game magical. LAD isn’t even my main team – I’m an ex-NYC guy who still loves the Yankees – but being in LA for so long and despising the Angels has given me a lot of time to really appreciate Scully as something totally and wonderfully unique in the sport.
He is knowledgable (not in a SABR-type way, but in an all-the-players-respect-him-and-tell-him-interesting-personal-anecdotes-type way), funny, respectful, professional, and just a joy to listen to every night. I will be immensely sad when he retires. When he simulcasts the TV and radio feeds, I’ll sometimes turn the TV off and just listen to him; his vivid descriptions of Chavez Ravine and the beauty of the California sunsets are magical. He paints a picture of the game in your head that reminds you – viscerally – of how you felt when you were five and went to a ballpark for the first time.
Stop hating on Vin, is all I’m saying. Guy’s a legend, and people that say he’s washed up obviously don’t listen to enough of his broadcasts. Everything that makes him amazing is still there. I hope he stays forever.
i don’t hate Vin, used to listen to him in the late 70′s but why is he doing these games solo? seems selfish/narcissistic to me. What happened to his old buddies Jerry Doggett and Ross Porter? are they both dead? Take whoever your favorite announcer is and would you really want to listen to them do the game 100% of the time or maybe just maybe have someone chime in with some thoughts? hmm?
Hamilton’s call of a brawl between the Royals and Indians is priceless
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I listen to the Brewers games on the radio pretty religiously and I thought Jim Powell and Cory Provious were excellent. I am still getting a feel for Joe Block and so far he seems pretty solid.
But I wonder how long he will last. Powell and (especially) Provious laughed at all of Uecker’s jokes pretty sheepishly even when they were not funny. I’ve noticed that Joe Block has not been laughing at Uecker’s jokes like Powell and Provious.
Overall, Brewers radio is pretty good but definitely not #2. But who really cares anyway.