Ashby Out

[Kevinc]

Sad to see Alan Ashby leaving the broadcast booth for the Astros. I know its a move that will be forgotten a few months from now, but its sad to see a good guy like Ashby get pushed aside. And for those of us in the radio biz, have we not all been through that exact same meeting? You get the call to come to the boss' office to talk about your contract... thinking you're getting a big raise or something good is about to happen, you're blindsided when they tell you that you're out because they're going in a "new direction."

Best wishes to Alan... I'm sure he'll land somewhere.

Kevinc

 

[purplejay]

> Sad to see Alan Ashby leaving the broadcast booth for the
> Astros. I know its a move that will be forgotten a few
> months from now, but its sad to see a good guy like Ashby
> get pushed aside. And for those of us in the radio biz,
> have we not all been through that exact same meeting? You
> get the call to come to the boss' office to talk about your
> contract... thinking you're getting a big raise or something
> good is about to happen, you're blindsided when they tell
> you that you're out because they're going in a "new
> direction."
>
> Best wishes to Alan... I'm sure he'll land somewhere.
>
> Kevinc
>

it is a shocker. at least keeping a former Astro in the booth would have been great.
and he is getting replaced with 2 "no name" guys from the minor leagues. huh?
these guys are better than the announcer that is available from St. Louis?<P ID="signature">______________
"we are the sons of no one
Bastards of Young!"</P>

 

[bobbybooey]

> it is a shocker. at least keeping a former Astro in the
> booth would have been great.
> and he is getting replaced with 2 "no name" guys from the
> minor leagues. huh?
> these guys are better than the announcer that is available
> from St. Louis?
>

What does the fact that they're "no name guys from the minors" have to do with their ability to call a game? Just like most other baseball (and radio) positions, people start in a smaller market and work their way to the bigs. I haven't heard these guys, but I have heard Ashby... he was ok, but certainly not a #1 play-by-play guy, which I believe is what he wanted to be. As far as the guy from St. Louis goes, maybe he wanted too much money or Milo didn't want to work with him... there could be a good reason the Cards dumped him.

 

[Billmcc]

They got rid of the wrong guy. Milo, while in his day, was an excellent play-by-play guy, but has rapidly gone downhill the last few years. I compare him to what happened to Harry Cary in his last years. Give these new guys a chance but Alan should have stayed and Milo gone.

 

[bhayes1016]

> it is a shocker. at least keeping a former Astro in the
> booth would have been great.
> and he is getting replaced with 2 "no name" guys from the
> minor leagues. huh?
> these guys are better than the announcer that is available
> from St. Louis?
>

Better? Probably not. Cheaper? Yes.

 

[Al_Bundy]

I agree for the most part. How many times in the last 2 seasons did Alan have to either correct Milo or make the call for him because he couldn't see where the ball was? I appreciate the history of Milo, but as for calling the games, it's time to move on. As for Alan, I never found him to be that compelling. I think it was good to have a former player in the booth, but he never really worked for me. Guess we'll have to wait until next season to see what gives.

> They got rid of the wrong guy. Milo, while in his day, was
> an excellent play-by-play guy, but has rapidly gone downhill
> the last few years. I compare him to what happened to Harry
> Cary in his last years. Give these new guys a chance but
> Alan should have stayed and Milo gone.
>

 

[stan]

> I agree for the most part. How many times in the last 2
> seasons did Alan have to either correct Milo or make the
> call for him because he couldn't see where the ball was? I
> appreciate the history of Milo, but as for calling the
> games, it's time to move on. As for Alan, I never found him
> to be that compelling. I think it was good to have a former
> player in the booth, but he never really worked for me.
> Guess we'll have to wait until next season to see what
> gives.
>

Milo was promoting Alan for the job, but Drayton "The Miser" McLane decided to go with two hapless minor leaguers. So much for the World Series enthusiasm carrying over to next year for the Astros. Every time something good happens to this team, leave it to the owner to screw it up.

 

[Mediafrog]

> Milo, while in his day, was
> an excellent play-by-play guy, but has rapidly gone downhill
> the last few years. I compare him to what happened to Harry
> Cary in his last years.

Compared to Harry Carey, and Jack Buck for that matter, Milo is still doing reasonably well. Carey and Buck were simply awful in their final years, especially when you compared them to their old airchecks from years before...I think they stayed on out of habit and nostalgia more than anything.

I am somewhat annoyed by Milo's "home games only" scheme. This should be a fulltime gig...if you can't run the full race, perhaps it's time to step aside. The new guys are getting screwed around to a certain extent.

 

[brian6980]

> > I agree for the most part. How many times in the last 2
> > seasons did Alan have to either correct Milo or make the
> > call for him because he couldn't see where the ball was? I
>
> > appreciate the history of Milo, but as for calling the
> > games, it's time to move on. As for Alan, I never found
> him
> > to be that compelling. I think it was good to have a
> former
> > player in the booth, but he never really worked for me.
> > Guess we'll have to wait until next season to see what
> > gives.
> >
>
> Milo was promoting Alan for the job, but Drayton "The Miser"
> McLane decided to go with two hapless minor leaguers. So
> much for the World Series enthusiasm carrying over to next
> year for the Astros. Every time something good happens to
> this team, leave it to the owner to screw it up.
>
I agree, Alan Ashby has ties to the Astros and did one hell of a job behind the mic and he and Milo were one of the many reasons that I muted the tv, esecially during national tv broadcasts, of it Tim McCarver is in the booth. The two that were brought in will have to bulild their enthusiasm for the team.

Alan, if you are out there, best wishes and good luck with your next adventure.

 

[JarodF]

I liked Alan in the booth, but not as the play by play guy. He gives GREAT insight as to what's going on in a batter's/catcher's/coach's/etc. mind. But I don't necessarily prefer his style when he would call the play by play. Maybe once they decide who is the actual heir apparent to Milo of these two new guys, they would ask Alan back to do color. It still seems like a weird way to do things. Although if they're thinking of moving Jim Deshaies to radio full time so Dierker can do TV full time, or vice versa, I'd be all for that!

> Milo was promoting Alan for the job, but Drayton "The Miser"
> McLane decided to go with two hapless minor leaguers. So
> much for the World Series enthusiasm carrying over to next
> year for the Astros. Every time something good happens to
> this team, leave it to the owner to screw it up.
>

 

[adguy]

> I liked Alan in the booth, but not as the play by play guy.
> He gives GREAT insight as to what's going on in a
> batter's/catcher's/coach's/etc. mind. But I don't
> necessarily prefer his style when he would call the play by
> play. Maybe once they decide who is the actual heir
> apparent to Milo of these two new guys, they would ask Alan
> back to do color. It still seems like a weird way to do
> things. Although if they're thinking of moving Jim Deshaies
> to radio full time so Dierker can do TV full time, or vice
> versa, I'd be all for that!
>
> > Milo was promoting Alan for the job, but Drayton "The
> Miser"
> > McLane decided to go with two hapless minor leaguers. So
> > much for the World Series enthusiasm carrying over to next
>
> > year for the Astros. Every time something good happens to
>
> > this team, leave it to the owner to screw it up.
> >
>
There's no screw-up here. Ashby, no matter how you feel about him never seemed comfortable in the play-by-play mode. Although that is the job he coveted, Drayton made the right call by not putting him there. As for not renewing his contract, I disagree with that. His color work has become outstanding over the past few years and I believe it is essential to have that "insider" insight in that position, especially when the insider is a lifelong Astro. I knew Alan when he did a brief stint as a sports anchor on Channel 39's TV News way back in 1990. I never met anyone so determined to get it right when he felt totally out of place in that environment. That newscast was eventually cancelled, and Alan then joined the Astros. It took him over 10 years, in my opinion, to finally feel comfortable with a mic in front of his face, but when that happened there's no question that it was in a color role. I noticed several posts suggesting Jim Deshaise be given more duties along with Dirker. I agree with those opinions too. Deshaise is a natural with a gift of humorous insight and ability to comunicate via radio or TV. Dirker is perhaps the best color analyst in all of baseball. The Astros and McClaine should realize this. If they do, then maybe they are searching for ways to get both more airtime, be it radio and/or TV. If that is the case then I can see where Ashby, in the long run, would be the odd man out. As for bringing in 2 "journalists" from the outside, I don't get it when you have all that talent (journalist or jock) inside.