Daron Sutton out as Diamondbacks play-caller, at least for now

[KeithE4]

He's been suspended indefinitely, for reasons not disclosed by the team. Greg Schulte moves from radio to TV, while Jeff Munn is now calling the games on radio full-time. Sutton has been off the air since last weekend's series against the Cubs.

As much as I have little use for Sutton, and think he's the worst TV play-caller in baseball not named Joe Buck or Hawk Harrelson, there is something not right about this. Rumors are flying that either he (1) refused to follow a dress-code order - the latest of a reputed long line of insubordinate behavior, or (2) is negotiating with the Dodgers to join their broadcast team next year, in violation of his contract with the Diamondbacks. Schulte is a much better play-caller, and he makes Mark Grace better as well, but there's still something rotten in Denmark, or at least at Chase Field.

Link: AZCentral.com

 

[Natheodan]

I never did like them as a duo after Thom Brenneman (sp?) left for Cincinnati. Thom and Grace had good chemistry where Daron and Grace sounded unprofessional doing a game. Hopefully Greg Schulte will make watching the game better.
But nobody can or ever will replace Vin Scully, and this is coming from a Giant fan.

 

[KeithE4]

I never did like them as a duo after Thom Brenneman (sp?) left for Cincinnati. Thom and Grace had good chemistry where Daron and Grace sounded unprofessional doing a game.

Brennaman and Grace still do occasional Fox Saturday games together - not always carried on Fox 10, though. My nickname for Sutton and Grace together was "Dumberer and Dumberest."

Hopefully Greg Schulte will make watching the game better.

He already has. Grace still has his sense of humor, but the childish buffoonery is gone. Grace knows the game and is a good analyst when he's not screwing around. Sutton can do a decent job as well - he was quite good doing ASU basketball on FSN. But together, it was like watching a couple of 8-year-olds.

But nobody can or ever will replace Vin Scully, and this is coming from a Giant fan.

Scully is the best that's ever been, and likely ever will be. Once he's gone, the Ford Frick Award, and the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame, should be renamed after him.

We've been fortunate enough in the last 50 years to have been able to watch or listen to most of the all-time great baseball broadcasters - Scully, Curt Gowdy, Ernie Harwell, Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray (pre-stroke), Jack Buck, Vince Lloyd, Bob Prince, Jon Miller, Bob Uecker, Herb Carneal, and Harry Kalas. All of those but Scully, Uecker, and Miller are gone now, and Uecker isn't what he used to be due to health issues. I don't see any up-and-coming play-callers right now that could take their place. Schulte and Brennaman are very good, as is the Cubs' Len Kasper - but not at their level.

 

[sgoddard]

I miss being able to listen to baseball on the radio. Growing up for me it was Harry Carey and Jack Buck, and even Len Morton calling for the Tulsa Oilers. But I can't stand the puker that has done play by play for the D'Backs since day one - and up to this week. Nothing personal, but I can not stand listening to that obnoxious fake voice. I grew out of the puking stage my first year and I hear many who come to his defense. I'm not one of them, and think the organization can do a better. A lot better.
Now back to Bang 545......

 

[KeithE4]

I miss being able to listen to baseball on the radio. Growing up for me it was Harry Carey and Jack Buck, and even Len Morton calling for the Tulsa Oilers.

Same here. I grew up in south-central Indiana, with no baseball on TV other than the Game of the Week and a couple dozen Reds games. So it was radio for me, especially Harry & Jack on KMOX.

But now, with the MLB At Bat app on my smartphone, I have the modern-technology equivalent of listening to games on my old 1960-vintage Commodore 7-transistor pocket radio (which I still have, BTW). All I need is to find one of those cheap off-white earphones to plug into it. ;D

But I can't stand the puker that has done play by play for the D'Backs since day one - and up to this week. Nothing personal, but I can not stand listening to that obnoxious fake voice. I grew out of the puking stage my first year and I hear many who come to his defense. I'm not one of them, and think the organization can do a better. A lot better.
Now back to Bang 545......

A lot of people say that, but I don't agree. I've always liked Schulte.

Who's out there that the D'backs could hire? I'd love for them to be able to get John Rooney away from St. Louis, but if that hadn't been his hometown, he never would have left Chicago.

Jeff Munn has become a decent play-caller, but he's not very exciting. He's similar to Ed Farmer of the White Sox - a little too low-key for a baseball broadcaster on radio. Although to be fair, Munn was a news anchor, while Farmer is an ex-player and was their analyst (paired with Rooney) for many years. Neither was a professional play-by-play guy, and both had to grow into this aspect of broadcasting. Maybe Munn should do TV and Schulte should go back to radio.

 

[buster2]

I'm biased because I know Jeff a little bit, but I think he's excellent as a radio PBP man. He has a warm, likeable presence on the radio and he knows the game well. I agree with Steve Goddard that Schulte is a bit of a puker and the home run call (which he seems to do little of anymore) was always contrived. That said, we could do a lot worse.

Jeff brings solid professionalism without gimmicks, and that is highly valuable today. Lots of announcers these days stoop to being a carny barker, and that's a drag.

And to echo everyone else, although I can't stand the Dodgers, Vin Scully is the platinum standard. All others suffer mightily by comparison.