Dan Bickley - Grading the Diamondbacks' Broadcasters

[KeithE4]

Link: AZCentral.com

Repulsive columnist/XTRA 910 morning mouth Bickley gives his 2 cents worth on what passes for TV baseball broadcasters in Phoenix. Frankly, I think he's being kind - Daron Sutton is arguably the worst play-by-play man in Major League Baseball today (radio or TV), and that's even when you compare him with the aging Skip Caray & Milo Hamilton or the horrid Joe Buck. I think Sutton was hired mainly because his voice is similar to Thom Brennaman's.

Mark Grace can be good, such as when he's paired up with Greg Schulte or when he's reunited with Brennaman on Saturday Fox telecasts. But he and Sutton are almost as bad as Joe Buck & Tim McCarver when together.

Since they love the sounds of their own voices so much, it might be a good idea to swap the radio & TV teams, putting Schulte & Tom Candiotti on TV and Sutton/Grace on radio.

Or, maybe they should put Joe Garagiola in the booth fulltime. Both Sutton and Grace cut the BS when he's there.

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

I still miss Thom Brennaman! But I'm surprised... I think Sutton and Grace are pretty good. I wouldn't really know what good and bad is in a sports broadcaster, but: good voice, interesting/relevant information, and entertaining is all good in my book. And that's what I always hear when I watch the Diamondbacks.

But I still wish I knew what the deal is with "car"... :-[

 

[KeithE4]

I still miss Thom Brennaman!

Brennaman has improved quite a bit since he went to Cincinnati, as well as on his Fox telecasts, both baseball and football. I don't know what happened his last couple of years here, but working with his dad seems to have rejuvinated him. He also seems to have corrected some of the flaws in his delivery that cropped up at the end of his D'backs tenure.

But I'm surprised... I think Sutton and Grace are pretty good. I wouldn't really know what good and bad is in a sports broadcaster, but: good voice, interesting/relevant information, and entertaining is all good in my book. And that's what I always hear when I watch the Diamondbacks.

Sutton's voice is OK, and he does a decent interview, but his play-calling is lacking. He and Grace seem to want to be more in-the-stands entertainers than broadcasters. Plus, the end-of-inning screaming ("Let's get some RUNS!!!!!!") is unprofessional and turns him into a cartoon, much like over-the-hill guys like Hawk Harrelson, Ron Santo, or Harry Caray at the end of his life. He's way too young for that.

If you want to see a guy who can still call a top-notch game, watch Vin Scully on Dodger games (you'd need MLB Extra Innings or find a sports bar). He's 145 years old but he's still the best. Other great ones (but they're radio) are Bob Uecker in Milwaukee, Harry Calas in Philly, and John Rooney in St. Louis. Daron Sutton isn't anywhere near their league.

But I still wish I knew what the deal is with "car"... :-[

Or, as they say at Fenway Pahk, "caaahhhhh." ;D

 

[Teddyo]

Sutton's voice is OK, and he does a decent interview, but his play-calling is lacking. He and Grace seem to want to be more in-the-stands entertainers than broadcasters. Plus, the end-of-inning screaming ("Let's get some RUNS!!!!!!") is unprofessional and turns him into a cartoon, much like over-the-hill guys like Hawk Harrelson, Ron Santo, or Harry Caray at the end of his life. He's way too young for that.

If you want to see a guy who can still call a top-notch game, watch Vin Scully on Dodger games (you'd need MLB Extra Innings or find a sports bar). He's 145 years old but he's still the best. Other great ones (but they're radio) are Bob Uecker in Milwaukee, Harry Calas in Philly, and John Rooney in St. Louis. Daron Sutton isn't anywhere near their league.

Pretty good assessment of the current state of baseball broadcasters. I'm a bit biased (grew up in L.A.) but I think Vin Scully is the Man. I can't say how he ranks with the Mel Allens and Red Barbers of yesterday, but in my opinion Vin's the benchmark for the past 40 years. I do think Uecker is good.

 

[KP]

I say bring back Jim Traber!!! ;D

 

[BobinPhoenix]

As I was driving back to Phoenix from San Diego today, I listened to the Diamondbacks-Padres game on the Padres network...first on am 1090 out of San Diego, then when I crossed over into the Imperial Valley...I picked it up on 1230 KXO out of El Centro. Jerry Coleman and Ted Lietner were the broadcasters. I know Coleman has been a Padres broadcaster for many years, but he made a lot of mistakes today. He kept calling the Diamondbacks "Colorado." He later said the Padres lost the first two games of the road trip, but a win today would give them a 5-1 trip. (Huh?)

Lietner wasn't much better. (My wife called him "different.") He called the rattle snake hissing sound made on the Chase Field P.A. system "about as annoying as the tomahawk chop is for the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta."

He also said that the arena next door used to be called America West Arena, but the name was changed when America West bought out US West (which is the phone company.) It's called US Airways Center.

I'd rather stick with the Diamondback broadcasters, both on radio and t.v.

 

[KeithE4]

As I was driving back to Phoenix from San Diego today, I listened to the Diamondbacks-Padres game on the Padres network...first on am 1090 out of San Diego, then when I crossed over into the Imperial Valley...I picked it up on 1230 KXO out of El Centro. Jerry Coleman and Ted Lietner were the broadcasters. I know Coleman has been a Padres broadcaster for many years, but he made a lot of mistakes today. He kept calling the Diamondbacks "Colorado." He later said the Padres lost the first two games of the road trip, but a win today would give them a 5-1 trip. (Huh?)

Lietner wasn't much better. (My wife called him "different.") He called the rattle snake hissing sound made on the Chase Field P.A. system "about as annoying as the tomahawk chop is for the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta."

He also said that the arena next door used to be called America West Arena, but the name was changed when America West bought out US West (which is the phone company.) It's called US Airways Center.

I'd rather stick with the Diamondback broadcasters, both on radio and t.v.

Coleman's malaprops are legendary. Even when he was younger (he'll be 84 in September), he was bad.