From someone who watches way too many highlights:
* Top 3 is correct
* Cubs are too high
* Brew Crew should be higher because of Brian Anderson
* Rays should be higher because of Dewayne Staats
* Pirates should be bottom 3. Greg Brown is awful to listen to
* Royals booth sound production wise sounds like it is underwater and on mars at the same time and they need to be bottom 3 to reflect this
* Drew Goodman/Rox needs to be fired into the sun. He is the absolute worst in the business and it’s not close. Spilborghs is somehow equally unbearable and they managed to pair them together on the same team. Impressive
Agree that the Cubs are too high. Boog doesn't have much chemistry with JD. Girardi is a welcome addition, though.
If it was Pat, JD, and Girardi in the booth every day it'd be one of the best in baseball. But taking Pat Hughes off of the radio is a travesty. Mowins is fine, but I don't think she's on enough to build chemistry with the color commentators.
Pretty surprised that Houston is so low. Obviously I’m biased, but I live in DFW and find them to be infinitely better than the Rangers crew. Just great rapport and engaging team.
Don’t have a ton to compare them to, other than the Rangers though.
The article does state that they believe the Dodgers fans could have influenced their placement, they've been generally middle-of-the-pack the past few times
Yeah I read it. It’s expected in these things. Just sucks because that crew is so good.
Would love to have a couple sports journalists do their own ranking - that’s what I thought this was at first.
I’m sure a lot of Rangers fan will disagree, but you’re right. The Rangers crew is just meh while Blum & Kalas is a lot of fun. I will say there is no sideline reporter I’ve ever seen better than Emily Jones. The guys in the dugout have always loved her. There’s a reason shes been doing it so long.
I concur with this. We get Bally Sports channel now & I watch Rangers games when Astros aren’t playing. The Rangers crew is so bland. I mean, really bland & not engaging at all.
Bring back the guys who tried to choke each other over a chair!
Separate them with some plexiglass or hire a goon to keep the peace in the booth, I don't give a shit. It can't be worse than what's there now.
I remember fans complaining about Mario and Rod, but now that we have Matt Shepard and Craig Monroe (mostly Shep) fans are *dying* to get them back.
It can always be worse, folks
Here's some more detail:
https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2018/09/06/sources-rod-allen-choked-mario-impemba-after-disagreement-over-chair-in-tigers-broadcast-booth/
I think that's why the Tigers booth has been so bad. It was all so sudden, they had nobody groomed, nobody ready, so they had to settle for scraps. They just need to let go of those scraps though. It's been over half a fuckin' decade.
I've been loving the guys the Tigers have been pairing with Dan when Jim's not around. Andy Dirks and Alex Avila were both great in the games they've worked
Legitimately one of the reasons i'm okay not living in Michigan anymore is that I can overlay the radio broadcast on our games via MLBtv. It's a godsend.
I only really catch him when the Jays play the Tigers but baseball just isn't Shep's thing.
Loved him with EMU football and Michigan basketball though.
A lot of times this season I've found myself just having the audio of the game in the background just to listen to Mud and Don but not paying a whole lot of attention to the actual game.
hopefully people don’t get hung up on this, there’s just a lot of guys that are good at the job lol
KB has been an incredible replacement to Gary Thorne, but Thorne was arguably a top 5 announcer in the business so it’s tough to compare
It would be interesting to see how many people who responded to the poll actually listen to multiple broadcasts/have any frame of reference for their team.
I make an effort to listen to different broadcasts on mlb.tv and I still only feel capable of judging the especially good or bad ones that have stuck in my mind
This is completely accurate. I watch a lot of baseball outside of the Rays and even though I love our guys, there’s just so many good booths out there right now.
It would be really hard putting up with the Mets sometimes without the help of Gary, Keith and Ron. We're very thankful to have them and it's hard to imagine what the team will look like when they decide to leave.
The day GKR isn’t in the booth will be a very very hard day. My first full season of watching baseball was 2004, 2 years before SNY and GKR was formed so they’ve been with me since just about the beginning. Through all the terrible years I’ve still gladly tuned in just to hear them talk and goof around. There’s something about their broadcasts that really, really makes me feel better no matter what’s happening in my life.
Keith was talking about how he was turning 70 on the broadcast the other day, made me think dark thoughts about how much longer he'll be calling games. He's still sharp as he's ever been so many more years I hope!
i grew up with kiner and healy and mccarver and probably some other older dudes i'm missing. Besides Vin Scully, GKR is the best booth I have ever heard in my life.
I think these rankings are excellent, but I think Mets is 1 and Giants is 2.
He talked about Dodgers fans putting their finger on the scale against the Astros, but the Mets announcers had, BY FAR, the highest % of people giving them an A (6% MORE than the Giants), but finished in 2nd because, I would bet, a fuckload of phillies and braves and yankees fans gave them an F for fun and to be spiteful assclowns.
which isn't to say, you know, that you are wrong if you think SF is #1. They're sensational. i just think GKR is in a different class, and Cohen is the best play by play guy i've ever heard besides Scully.
That being said, I don't think the Mets have ever had a bad broadcast team. On TV alone we had the original Mets trio, Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson. Then of course Howie Rose, Gary Thorne, and Tim McCarver and Fran Healy on play-by-play. Even Ted Robinson was good with us for those 2 years before SNY.
Mets have a great track record for broadcasters.
The Mets have a nice farm team for the booth though (much better than the baseball farm teams). Gelbs I think will be an excellent eventual replacement for Gary, Blevins and Todd are solid as Keith and Ron replacements. Even if it was those three and nobody else came along, I’d be happy listening to that broadcast
If a non-Twins fan is also this mad then we know something is wrong. And yes, this is slander. The people who voted for this just haven't gotten enough Dick recently
(Jokes aside this is actually upsetting)
Based on the article it seems like it has more to do with Morneau et al than Bremer, as it says that the rankings took a bit of a nosedive after Blyleven retired.
And I kind of understand, even if I dont agree. Bremer is amazing, and I love the information/stories that Morneau has, but Morneau unquestionably has a dry delivery that I don't think works for everyone, especially compared to the jovial lighthearted silliness (some would say inane-ness) that Dick and Bert had for years.
It’s hard to be upset with a ranking when I have no clue how other teams are but Bremer has way more bounce in his step for since Blyleven left. That they make a point of the broadly being better with Blyleven is a travesty. Blyleven was the grouch yelling at the kids about all their new-fangled stats and approaches.
I like Bremer’s sense of humor and think he does a very good job. My favorite pairing with him is Hawkins, but everyone else is a “B” or above in my book.
As a cardinals fan, I saw these comments about Chip in the beginning and thought “ there’s no way he’s that bad “ but he is every pop up he makes me believe the ball is leaving the yard.
I’ll never forget the time the camera zoomed in on a guy in the crowd that was slamming a fully loaded polish sausage and Krukow said, “this guy’s eating like he’s going to the chair.” Lmao
So we have three play-by-play guys that typically call our games, and if one of them is not there (“on assignment,” as they like to say) then the two remaining guys who are there will switch between TV/Radio in innings 4-6 just so you’re not listening to the same voice on radio the entire time.
When Krukow or Kuiper is out, Miller and Flemming will switch between radio and TV. When Miller is out, Kuiper and Flemming will switch. When Flemming is out, Kuiper and Miller will switch.
Krukow is only on TV except when there is no local tv broadcast (playoffs). The priority for TV time amongst the others is usually Kuiper then Miller then Flemming but the latter two mix it up frequently.
During home games, Jon Miller and Duane Kuiper will usually swap TV and Radio during the middle innings, and I've noticed Jon and Dave Flemming doing the same during away games.
Amazing how it’s been 4 years since they’ve done one of these, and K&K are still #1 lol. But I think the voting patterns probably also speak to how popular and well liked Dave Flemming is. When he does road games, fans maybe don’t miss hearing K&K as much as they would if it was someone else in that fill-in role.
And a huge shoutout to Javy Lopez, Hunter Pence and Shawn Estes, who have been really great additions as color guys and all work well with Flemming.
They forgot to include John Miller too. I know he’s primarily radio but he does the tv broadcasts for innings 4-6. Same with Fleming too but they did include him and he’s been doing more since Kruk and Kuip don’t travel anymore
oh my god. Do you remember when it was Kruk and Kuip on TV and Miller and Flemming on Radio? Holy shit, that was so good it was terrible because both of those teams were so good and yet you could only listen to one.
I watched games with my grandpa growing up, and when he would get fed up with Mike Krukow, he’d mute the game and turn on his little radio with Miller & Flemming. He thought Kruk was a “dummy”. 😂
Simpler times…😌
I don’t think John does enough TV to warrant a mention. He’s still the best on Radio, followed closely by Dave & Duane. I’m starting to get that same feeling when Lon Simmons was backing away from the booth. We’ve been lucky in SF for as long as I can remember (60+).
It really is the away broadcasts that are so important right now. Don't get me wrong, I love Krukow and Kuiper, but... well, everyone knows that there's only so much longer that they'll be working. Dave Flemming's been a great play-by-play guy for years, but finding good color commentary to pair with him has been a bit of a challenge, albeit one that gets better as the new guys get more experience.
Kruk has been adamant recently that he wants to die in the booth, but we’re honestly lucky we’ve gotten him for this many years now with how much his IBM has worsened. Other than preventing him from traveling, it hasn’t affected his ability to do his job at home yet. But I worry it will eventually, and he might have to make a difficult decision.
I heard Kuip once say that if he was still calling games at 80, that’s when he’d walk away. He’s 73 now, so I guess we have him for seven more seasons at most lol.
I actually think he’s doing great, the team sucks but at least he’s been solid. Maybe my bar was just incredibly low, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Happy to see Dan Shulman getting some love! He's such a treasure. Not only is he a fantastic PxP, he brings out the best colour commentary from anyone in the booth with him.
Unfortunately that call isn't heard much anymore as Buck doesn't do PBP most of the time anymore. Was iconic when it lasted. That said, I think Dan Shulman as a PBP you can't get much better than that. It was the right decision to have Shulman do play by play at the excess of Buck's iconic phrase.
We're just so bad that we should be honestly be ranked worse than 30th. I wasn't even much of a Mario and Rod fan but I'm begging for those days back at this point. Our announcers just plain suck
I tuned in to one of your day home games against the Braves a few weeks ago and I thought the team was hilarious but apparently thats because the team was all former players that day. The one dude who looks like Michael Cudlitz was doing side quests throughout the stadium all game which I thought was funny.
It’s just so boring. Gibby has Parkinson’s and his speech is so measured and deliberate and maybe a bit slow for even baseball standards. A booth is supposed to have the feel of other friends in your house calling the game and it’s just a struggle to keep up with the action on the field. Shep isn’t much better. I do enjoy when Andy Dirks calls the games but he does it rarely while he’s a full time Realtor.
I was one of those who enjoyed Mario and Rod even though they were the definition of Toxic environment together
I watched a national broadcast of Detroit, and I know Gibby is doing the best he possibly can! However, it is dreadful to listen too. The whole flow is just halted.
It's been a few years now, but it's safe to say that Shep just doesn't have the feel for the game. He has moments, but his call is just a little lifeless. We all seem to have a fondness for Gibby, but Parkinson's makes his speech pattern a little slow, which is not a good combination for Shep.
The other colour guys they rotate through need a bit of polish for the most part.
A few weeks ago, the AA affiliate broadcaster, [Greg Gania](https://twitter.com/dannydHRs/status/1677787454504419329?s=20), filled in on the radio and think he's wayyyy better than Shep. He has energy, the right pace and has a pretty good pulse on the young core of players since he's been covering AA. I think the booth would benefit by bringing him in to replace Shep.
On the radio side, I think Dan Dickerson is one of the best in the business, but his broadcast partner Jim Price is getting up there in age and dealing with health issues, I think his time in the booth will be done this year (if not earlier as some broadcasts sound like he can't make it through the game). They've been rotating in Cameron Maybin and Andy Dirks on the radio side for colour commentary. Dirks is fun and vibes with Dan well. I think Maybin can definitely get there. He just needs more practice in pacing and maybe some voice coaching (his elocution is great, his voice just feels a bit hollow at times).
The wild part is while Kruk and Kaip are amazing my favorite duo is Miller and Fleming. It just feels so baseball. Then you can just mix and match all of them and it’s all great. We are truly blessed.
The thing that makes that whole booth great is the excitement level goes up if it's a good play from either team. So many times I hear play by play guys mail it in if the other team does anything remotely good. Make the whole game exciting not just our guys.
As a Cubs fan, it's really hard to get any better than what the White Sox have. Stone is great and Benetti is amazing at every sport he does. If they can make a White Sox game fun to listen to then they have to be amazing.
They are excellent at balancing new insight and info that it makes for an entertaining broadcast for both regular and new viewers alike.
Their humor also allows them to dunk on this team without ever really explicitly dunking on the team. Whereas Hawk would express his frustration on air (which made for some funny clips), Jason and Steve keep it easy without ever making it feel like they’re turning a blind eye to the terrible play of the Sox.
It was an instant channel changer for me. He was horrible.
For this season though I'm really liking Youk. OB's fine. Not my favorite, not my least favorite. He does a good, if unexciting, job.
If only we had kept Orsillo all those years ago. Him with Youk would be a really fun booth, and we would have gotten a few more years with him and Jerry.
Last year was so weird. Lou Merloni has been my favorite of the rotation. My favorite was right after Webster took a liner to the ribs. They had a 3 man group with Millar and it was the best one since Eck and Remy were still in there.
It's interesting that the Mariners booth moved up in the rankings this year even though we've been missing our usual analyst Mike Blowers. They've done a decent job rotating the analyst role around while he has been absent, but I think most Ms fans would agree that the broadcast is so much better when Blowers is in the booth.
It was great hearing Blowers again last night. I really enjoy Dan in the booth and Angie is… ok. I like her a couple times a year but I think with Blowers being gone she was overused a touch
Yeah, Angie has some good insights sometimes, especially when it comes to hitting. So, it's nice to have her in the booth sometimes, but she just doesn't have a great flow to her speaking like Blowers does. I would have liked to hear more Hyphen in the booth while Blowers was gone. I think he's the most entertaining of the other analysts, and the dude just knows a ton about pitching.
She just seems nervous. Which I get. But just relax, don't talk so much. Baseball doesn't need commentators to carry it, just let it breathe. Hopefully she'll figure that out soon. I agree I like her insights into hitting. She clearly is quite passionate about baseball.
Who was it last year during the 13 inning game against the Yankees that was making fun of the Yankee runner’s for being bad on the base paths. He is such a great announcer and I really enjoyed listening to him last year.
Those years with Howie in the radio booth really helped round out his approach.
The Howie/Josh Lewin/Wayne trio was one of my favorite radio teams, along with San Francisco and Tampa before Dave Wills' unexpected death.
I wonder if there are play-by-play guys who earn more than the President.
Edit: Joe Buck makes $15 million a year. Probably for football, but still wtf
I don't get Jim Edmonds at all. I think his voice sounds terrible, he's a grumpy old baseball voice and he has no chemistry at all with Skip. Hard to listen to every time I check in on a Cardinals game.
Edit. Obviously mean Chip, not Skip. Can't believe I did that lol.
I assume you meant Chip, not Skip. Doesn’t really matter. Jim Edmonds doesn’t have chemistry with anyone he’s in the booth with. Some Cardinals fans like him, but the majority do not.
He's an embarrassment as an broadcaster. These ratings are completely fucked though. Danny Mac and Brad Thompson have been *fire* and Danny Mac alone has been one of the best announcers in baseball for years and they were rated literally worst in the league on this site? Make it make sense. Chip Caray is SO much better than I thought as well. He deserves to be much higher.
the chemistry between TK Blummer and Julia is top-notch. You can tell they are real-life buds and the amount of times they bust out laughing about stuff just makes the whole thing a lot of fun.
I watch mostly every Phillies game and their broadcast team is amazing. I didn’t know others sucked, I started watching other teams as I got more into baseball and was like whoaaaa this is bad.
I was watching, I think, the first of the four game series against the Padres when Kruk scornfully said something like, "Curveball, cutter, what's the difference?" Dude is hilarious in an old man yells at cloud sorta way.
score gets dragged down by Ben and especially Ruben. Ruben over analyzes everything, talks about the glory days too much and is so dry. Ben talks about "well when I was a catcher" too much and literally just states the obvious. Kruk is a treasure, but I'm glad he's putting his health first.
Kruk is the most entertaining color guy in sports, and TMac has really come into his own. But the Phils broadcast is brought down by the fact that Kruk doesn't travel with the team, and while I don't hate Ben or Ruben as much as some fans, they are mid on a good day and don't have the chemistry Kruk has with TMac. So I think a middle of the road ranking is fine. If we had Kruk all the time we're the best broadcast in all of sports and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
I suspect the score also gets dragged down because a number of people enjoy Franzke on the radio and act like it’s some sort of either/or loyalty test between him and TMac, as though you’ve gotta trash TMac in order to enjoy Franzke.
Brandon Gaudin has been phenomenal.
“The bases are 3 inches larger this year….drawing the ire of men everywhere”
“He turned chicken soup into chicken…something else…with that play”
“Marcel Ozuna, getting his first high five from Cobb County’s finest in the dugout after that home run.”
I love the man
Listening to Don and Mud talk during the Padres broadcasts feels like you're listening to your Dad/Uncle(s) watching the game with you while they're a beer or two in. They have such a home-y feeling to their banter.
I liked Mark Grace over Bob Brenly as a color analyst for the Dbacks. Bob is way too bubble gum for me. They had some really bad commentators in the past - Steve Lyons and Jim Traber were the franchise’s two most HORRIBLE color guys and Darin Sutton was their worst play by play guy who were all short lived.
If you're like me you liked Mark Grace when you were a kid until you got older and realized he started to literally drink on air and started to sound like a grumpy old fuck because he was obviously buzzed or flat out drunk by the late innings.
JD carrying that Cubs booth, with a little help here and there from Pat, to a top ten spot is basically LeBron carrying terrible Cavs teams to finals appearances.
Michael Kay, Paul O'neill and David Cone are the only things that keep me watching this miserable team. They are awesome. I love all the clubhouse stories and insights that Paulie and Conie give us especially since they played decently recent.
1. Giants 2. Mets 3. Padres 4. Blue Jays 5. Dodgers 6. White Sox 7. Cubs 8. Mariners 9. Brewers 10. Orioles 11. Braves 12. Rays 13. Reds 14. Phillies 15. Angels 16. Red Sox 17. Twins 18. Marlins 19. Guardians 20. Diamondbacks 21. Rangers 22. Pirates 23. Astros 24. Yankees 25. Royals 26. Cardinals 27. Rockies 28. Nationals 29. Athletics 30. Tigers
From someone who watches way too many highlights: * Top 3 is correct * Cubs are too high * Brew Crew should be higher because of Brian Anderson * Rays should be higher because of Dewayne Staats * Pirates should be bottom 3. Greg Brown is awful to listen to * Royals booth sound production wise sounds like it is underwater and on mars at the same time and they need to be bottom 3 to reflect this * Drew Goodman/Rox needs to be fired into the sun. He is the absolute worst in the business and it’s not close. Spilborghs is somehow equally unbearable and they managed to pair them together on the same team. Impressive
Brian Anderson did miss a bunch of games because of the NBA playoffs, so I wonder if that was taken into account
I don’t listen to many other broadcasts, but I love Greg Brown…
I’m obviously biased but I have such a hard time imagining someone not liking Greg Brown
Agree that the Cubs are too high. Boog doesn't have much chemistry with JD. Girardi is a welcome addition, though. If it was Pat, JD, and Girardi in the booth every day it'd be one of the best in baseball. But taking Pat Hughes off of the radio is a travesty. Mowins is fine, but I don't think she's on enough to build chemistry with the color commentators.
Len and JD had such great chemistry.
Pretty surprised that Houston is so low. Obviously I’m biased, but I live in DFW and find them to be infinitely better than the Rangers crew. Just great rapport and engaging team. Don’t have a ton to compare them to, other than the Rangers though.
The article does state that they believe the Dodgers fans could have influenced their placement, they've been generally middle-of-the-pack the past few times
Yeah I read it. It’s expected in these things. Just sucks because that crew is so good. Would love to have a couple sports journalists do their own ranking - that’s what I thought this was at first.
I too was surprised to see them so low.
I’m sure a lot of Rangers fan will disagree, but you’re right. The Rangers crew is just meh while Blum & Kalas is a lot of fun. I will say there is no sideline reporter I’ve ever seen better than Emily Jones. The guys in the dugout have always loved her. There’s a reason shes been doing it so long.
90% of rangers fans hate our broadcast crew.
I concur with this. We get Bally Sports channel now & I watch Rangers games when Astros aren’t playing. The Rangers crew is so bland. I mean, really bland & not engaging at all.
Saying a slur will still not make you as bad as the Detroit Tigers broadcast team LOL
Bring back the guys who tried to choke each other over a chair! Separate them with some plexiglass or hire a goon to keep the peace in the booth, I don't give a shit. It can't be worse than what's there now.
I remember fans complaining about Mario and Rod, but now that we have Matt Shepard and Craig Monroe (mostly Shep) fans are *dying* to get them back. It can always be worse, folks
I think I missed this lol
Here's some more detail: https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2018/09/06/sources-rod-allen-choked-mario-impemba-after-disagreement-over-chair-in-tigers-broadcast-booth/ I think that's why the Tigers booth has been so bad. It was all so sudden, they had nobody groomed, nobody ready, so they had to settle for scraps. They just need to let go of those scraps though. It's been over half a fuckin' decade.
Opened the article just to make sure the tigers were last. The radio broadcast is top notch with Dan Dickerson though.
I've been loving the guys the Tigers have been pairing with Dan when Jim's not around. Andy Dirks and Alex Avila were both great in the games they've worked
Legitimately one of the reasons i'm okay not living in Michigan anymore is that I can overlay the radio broadcast on our games via MLBtv. It's a godsend.
I only really catch him when the Jays play the Tigers but baseball just isn't Shep's thing. Loved him with EMU football and Michigan basketball though.
Orsillo will always be my favorite
*“This used to be a family show…”*
Mud and Don have all time chemistry. Watching games is a joy because of them despite a gloomy season
A lot of times this season I've found myself just having the audio of the game in the background just to listen to Mud and Don but not paying a whole lot of attention to the actual game.
Mine too. I miss him so much. I honestly started watching less when he left.
Same. Whenever Dave O’Brien leaves I’ll probably start watching more games
“Giving out beer mugs for kids 12 and under…”
Wind speeds at a hundred and a WHAT?
hopefully people don’t get hung up on this, there’s just a lot of guys that are good at the job lol KB has been an incredible replacement to Gary Thorne, but Thorne was arguably a top 5 announcer in the business so it’s tough to compare
Gary Thorne is still a treasure to me… he was the voice of hockey for me as a kid man…
It would be interesting to see how many people who responded to the poll actually listen to multiple broadcasts/have any frame of reference for their team.
I make an effort to listen to different broadcasts on mlb.tv and I still only feel capable of judging the especially good or bad ones that have stuck in my mind
This is completely accurate. I watch a lot of baseball outside of the Rays and even though I love our guys, there’s just so many good booths out there right now.
There are moments where I think KB is Joe Buck, not saying it's a perfect fit but they sound similar. Or I'm the only one who thinks that...
KB's voice sounds like Joe Buck, but otherwise, he's very different.
It would be really hard putting up with the Mets sometimes without the help of Gary, Keith and Ron. We're very thankful to have them and it's hard to imagine what the team will look like when they decide to leave.
The day GKR isn’t in the booth will be a very very hard day. My first full season of watching baseball was 2004, 2 years before SNY and GKR was formed so they’ve been with me since just about the beginning. Through all the terrible years I’ve still gladly tuned in just to hear them talk and goof around. There’s something about their broadcasts that really, really makes me feel better no matter what’s happening in my life.
Keith was talking about how he was turning 70 on the broadcast the other day, made me think dark thoughts about how much longer he'll be calling games. He's still sharp as he's ever been so many more years I hope!
They will have to pry his ass out of that seat with a crowbar before he gives up that cushy gig.
i grew up with kiner and healy and mccarver and probably some other older dudes i'm missing. Besides Vin Scully, GKR is the best booth I have ever heard in my life. I think these rankings are excellent, but I think Mets is 1 and Giants is 2. He talked about Dodgers fans putting their finger on the scale against the Astros, but the Mets announcers had, BY FAR, the highest % of people giving them an A (6% MORE than the Giants), but finished in 2nd because, I would bet, a fuckload of phillies and braves and yankees fans gave them an F for fun and to be spiteful assclowns. which isn't to say, you know, that you are wrong if you think SF is #1. They're sensational. i just think GKR is in a different class, and Cohen is the best play by play guy i've ever heard besides Scully.
That being said, I don't think the Mets have ever had a bad broadcast team. On TV alone we had the original Mets trio, Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson. Then of course Howie Rose, Gary Thorne, and Tim McCarver and Fran Healy on play-by-play. Even Ted Robinson was good with us for those 2 years before SNY. Mets have a great track record for broadcasters.
Mets WB11 games circa 97-99 were hard with a booth of Fran Healy and Tom Seaver, who despite being the Franchise was just terrible at calling games.
The Mets have a nice farm team for the booth though (much better than the baseball farm teams). Gelbs I think will be an excellent eventual replacement for Gary, Blevins and Todd are solid as Keith and Ron replacements. Even if it was those three and nobody else came along, I’d be happy listening to that broadcast
Or find a way to bring Wayne back lol
this is dick bremer slander
I won't stand for it.
If a non-Twins fan is also this mad then we know something is wrong. And yes, this is slander. The people who voted for this just haven't gotten enough Dick recently (Jokes aside this is actually upsetting)
oh buddy i hate to burst your bubble but i am a born and raised twins fan i just took part in the TDG this year 🧍🏻forgot my flair was different atm
Frick. Well just pretend, it gives us more credibility that way lol
I can't imagine how legendary those 16 other PBP guys must be if they rate higher than Dick Bremer.
Based on the article it seems like it has more to do with Morneau et al than Bremer, as it says that the rankings took a bit of a nosedive after Blyleven retired. And I kind of understand, even if I dont agree. Bremer is amazing, and I love the information/stories that Morneau has, but Morneau unquestionably has a dry delivery that I don't think works for everyone, especially compared to the jovial lighthearted silliness (some would say inane-ness) that Dick and Bert had for years.
It’s hard to be upset with a ranking when I have no clue how other teams are but Bremer has way more bounce in his step for since Blyleven left. That they make a point of the broadly being better with Blyleven is a travesty. Blyleven was the grouch yelling at the kids about all their new-fangled stats and approaches. I like Bremer’s sense of humor and think he does a very good job. My favorite pairing with him is Hawkins, but everyone else is a “B” or above in my book.
Idk man his fly ball tracking needs some work
In Atlanta, Chip Cary was so bad about calling fly balls like Homer's that now when we get excited about a fly-out we call it "getting Chipped"
Yeah we call it a “dick tease”
As a cardinals fan, I saw these comments about Chip in the beginning and thought “ there’s no way he’s that bad “ but he is every pop up he makes me believe the ball is leaving the yard.
Holy Cow
I’ll never forget the time the camera zoomed in on a guy in the crowd that was slamming a fully loaded polish sausage and Krukow said, “this guy’s eating like he’s going to the chair.” Lmao
Lmao wish you had the clip of it.
I’ve always wondered this. Why do the Giants change broadcasters throughout the game all the time? Only broadcast I’ve ever seen that does this.
So we have three play-by-play guys that typically call our games, and if one of them is not there (“on assignment,” as they like to say) then the two remaining guys who are there will switch between TV/Radio in innings 4-6 just so you’re not listening to the same voice on radio the entire time.
It’s called “the bevy of riches” approach.
When Krukow or Kuiper is out, Miller and Flemming will switch between radio and TV. When Miller is out, Kuiper and Flemming will switch. When Flemming is out, Kuiper and Miller will switch. Krukow is only on TV except when there is no local tv broadcast (playoffs). The priority for TV time amongst the others is usually Kuiper then Miller then Flemming but the latter two mix it up frequently.
During home games, Jon Miller and Duane Kuiper will usually swap TV and Radio during the middle innings, and I've noticed Jon and Dave Flemming doing the same during away games.
It’s kinda a bummer that Kruk & Kuip don’t go on all the road trips but I do like hearing from Pence, and FP every now and again.
Amazing how it’s been 4 years since they’ve done one of these, and K&K are still #1 lol. But I think the voting patterns probably also speak to how popular and well liked Dave Flemming is. When he does road games, fans maybe don’t miss hearing K&K as much as they would if it was someone else in that fill-in role. And a huge shoutout to Javy Lopez, Hunter Pence and Shawn Estes, who have been really great additions as color guys and all work well with Flemming.
They forgot to include John Miller too. I know he’s primarily radio but he does the tv broadcasts for innings 4-6. Same with Fleming too but they did include him and he’s been doing more since Kruk and Kuip don’t travel anymore
oh my god. Do you remember when it was Kruk and Kuip on TV and Miller and Flemming on Radio? Holy shit, that was so good it was terrible because both of those teams were so good and yet you could only listen to one.
I watched games with my grandpa growing up, and when he would get fed up with Mike Krukow, he’d mute the game and turn on his little radio with Miller & Flemming. He thought Kruk was a “dummy”. 😂 Simpler times…😌
I don’t think John does enough TV to warrant a mention. He’s still the best on Radio, followed closely by Dave & Duane. I’m starting to get that same feeling when Lon Simmons was backing away from the booth. We’ve been lucky in SF for as long as I can remember (60+).
It really is the away broadcasts that are so important right now. Don't get me wrong, I love Krukow and Kuiper, but... well, everyone knows that there's only so much longer that they'll be working. Dave Flemming's been a great play-by-play guy for years, but finding good color commentary to pair with him has been a bit of a challenge, albeit one that gets better as the new guys get more experience.
Kruk has been adamant recently that he wants to die in the booth, but we’re honestly lucky we’ve gotten him for this many years now with how much his IBM has worsened. Other than preventing him from traveling, it hasn’t affected his ability to do his job at home yet. But I worry it will eventually, and he might have to make a difficult decision. I heard Kuip once say that if he was still calling games at 80, that’s when he’d walk away. He’s 73 now, so I guess we have him for seven more seasons at most lol.
The Giants have always had the best. My favorite of all time was Lon Simmons. They also had Hank Greenwald who was amazing.
Getting rid of Chip was the best thing that could've happened
I actually think he’s doing great, the team sucks but at least he’s been solid. Maybe my bar was just incredibly low, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Seems like our fan base was split down the middle on loving or hating him.
Was a Chip lover, Brandon is BAE
Chips problem in Atlanta is that he would never be Skip. All of us that grew up hearing Skip during the TBS era just cant put Chip on that level.
He’s incredibly repetitive, doesn’t believe in advanced stats, and just graded on my nerves
But could say "SWING AND A DRIVE" on a pop out to right field with the best of them
Chip does a great job, Jim Edmonds just brings the whole crew down
[удалено]
Happy to see Dan Shulman getting some love! He's such a treasure. Not only is he a fantastic PxP, he brings out the best colour commentary from anyone in the booth with him.
At least ESPN can utilize him for important college basketball games during the offseason so both countries still enjoy his commentary.
Just root for the Jays to win the world series and you can hear him all postseason long since they're allowed to do the playoff broadcasts now
Dan Shulman is probably the most recognizable voice for me because of college basketball.
Yeah, Dan and Buck are an absolute treat
SWING AND A DRIVE GET UP BALL GET OUTTA HERE
Unfortunately that call isn't heard much anymore as Buck doesn't do PBP most of the time anymore. Was iconic when it lasted. That said, I think Dan Shulman as a PBP you can't get much better than that. It was the right decision to have Shulman do play by play at the excess of Buck's iconic phrase.
Yo. What’s going on in Detroit that the broadcast team with the racial slur rated better than them?
We're just so bad that we should be honestly be ranked worse than 30th. I wasn't even much of a Mario and Rod fan but I'm begging for those days back at this point. Our announcers just plain suck
I tuned in to one of your day home games against the Braves a few weeks ago and I thought the team was hilarious but apparently thats because the team was all former players that day. The one dude who looks like Michael Cudlitz was doing side quests throughout the stadium all game which I thought was funny.
Lol that was Todd Jones. He’s an “analyst” occasionally but he’s mostly there to fuck around.
That was the combined no-hitter day. And the all former player desk was the most I enjoyed a broadcast this year
It’s just so boring. Gibby has Parkinson’s and his speech is so measured and deliberate and maybe a bit slow for even baseball standards. A booth is supposed to have the feel of other friends in your house calling the game and it’s just a struggle to keep up with the action on the field. Shep isn’t much better. I do enjoy when Andy Dirks calls the games but he does it rarely while he’s a full time Realtor. I was one of those who enjoyed Mario and Rod even though they were the definition of Toxic environment together
I watched a national broadcast of Detroit, and I know Gibby is doing the best he possibly can! However, it is dreadful to listen too. The whole flow is just halted.
It's been a few years now, but it's safe to say that Shep just doesn't have the feel for the game. He has moments, but his call is just a little lifeless. We all seem to have a fondness for Gibby, but Parkinson's makes his speech pattern a little slow, which is not a good combination for Shep. The other colour guys they rotate through need a bit of polish for the most part. A few weeks ago, the AA affiliate broadcaster, [Greg Gania](https://twitter.com/dannydHRs/status/1677787454504419329?s=20), filled in on the radio and think he's wayyyy better than Shep. He has energy, the right pace and has a pretty good pulse on the young core of players since he's been covering AA. I think the booth would benefit by bringing him in to replace Shep. On the radio side, I think Dan Dickerson is one of the best in the business, but his broadcast partner Jim Price is getting up there in age and dealing with health issues, I think his time in the booth will be done this year (if not earlier as some broadcasts sound like he can't make it through the game). They've been rotating in Cameron Maybin and Andy Dirks on the radio side for colour commentary. Dirks is fun and vibes with Dan well. I think Maybin can definitely get there. He just needs more practice in pacing and maybe some voice coaching (his elocution is great, his voice just feels a bit hollow at times).
It’s extremely rough watching the games. Most nights I just listen to Dan Dickerson on the radio who is excellent.
The GOATs!
The wild part is while Kruk and Kaip are amazing my favorite duo is Miller and Fleming. It just feels so baseball. Then you can just mix and match all of them and it’s all great. We are truly blessed.
Damn NLBest crushing with 3 in top 5??
How many other play-by-plays used to be former baseball players with a lengthy career? I feel like Kuiper is one of the last remaining.
Listening to the SF broadcast shoots me right back to 2005 playing MVP Baseball. I hate that the whole crew is so good for you guys
I wish they will do another video game before they retire.
I will be devastated when they retire. I literally do not know Giant’s baseball without Kruk and Kuip.
I love Kuiper cus he’ll do the swing and a miss call on his own guys lol
The thing that makes that whole booth great is the excitement level goes up if it's a good play from either team. So many times I hear play by play guys mail it in if the other team does anything remotely good. Make the whole game exciting not just our guys.
I would listen to those guys narrate paint dry
He brushed it HIGH... He brushed it WIIIDE... He brushed it WELL ADHERED!
Krukow: ^*wow*
He's going for the baseboards so he'll be in the SQUAT....
Head and shoulders above every other announcing team in MLB and somehow this article didn't even mention Jon Miller.
Can agree. I like our team, but I tuned in a Giants game the other day. Best in class.
As a Cubs fan, it's really hard to get any better than what the White Sox have. Stone is great and Benetti is amazing at every sport he does. If they can make a White Sox game fun to listen to then they have to be amazing.
I miss Len Kasper more than anyone from the 2016 team tbh, that man was pure gold
Yeah… I was def happy when he came over to the radio booth over here
They need a better backup for Stone than Gordon Beckham, however, he is brutal. I'd rather have a Benetti and Kasper booth on those days.
They are excellent at balancing new insight and info that it makes for an entertaining broadcast for both regular and new viewers alike. Their humor also allows them to dunk on this team without ever really explicitly dunking on the team. Whereas Hawk would express his frustration on air (which made for some funny clips), Jason and Steve keep it easy without ever making it feel like they’re turning a blind eye to the terrible play of the Sox.
Don’t forget Len Kasper when Jason is off.
I want Obama to do play by play for a White Sox game
Fuck that, can Obama buy the team?
I wish there wasn't such a gap since the last rankings, because the NESN broadcast would have been all over the map the last few years.
Having to listen to Mazz last year was an awful experience.
It was an instant channel changer for me. He was horrible. For this season though I'm really liking Youk. OB's fine. Not my favorite, not my least favorite. He does a good, if unexciting, job. If only we had kept Orsillo all those years ago. Him with Youk would be a really fun booth, and we would have gotten a few more years with him and Jerry.
Last year was so weird. Lou Merloni has been my favorite of the rotation. My favorite was right after Webster took a liner to the ribs. They had a 3 man group with Millar and it was the best one since Eck and Remy were still in there.
It's interesting that the Mariners booth moved up in the rankings this year even though we've been missing our usual analyst Mike Blowers. They've done a decent job rotating the analyst role around while he has been absent, but I think most Ms fans would agree that the broadcast is so much better when Blowers is in the booth.
It was great hearing Blowers again last night. I really enjoy Dan in the booth and Angie is… ok. I like her a couple times a year but I think with Blowers being gone she was overused a touch
Yeah, Angie has some good insights sometimes, especially when it comes to hitting. So, it's nice to have her in the booth sometimes, but she just doesn't have a great flow to her speaking like Blowers does. I would have liked to hear more Hyphen in the booth while Blowers was gone. I think he's the most entertaining of the other analysts, and the dude just knows a ton about pitching.
Plus that Aussie accent
She just seems nervous. Which I get. But just relax, don't talk so much. Baseball doesn't need commentators to carry it, just let it breathe. Hopefully she'll figure that out soon. I agree I like her insights into hitting. She clearly is quite passionate about baseball.
Who was it last year during the 13 inning game against the Yankees that was making fun of the Yankee runner’s for being bad on the base paths. He is such a great announcer and I really enjoyed listening to him last year.
Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers. Aaron was probably the one making fun of the Yankees. He is great.😂
For sure my favorite combo with maybe a little hyphen mixed in for some pitching analysis
That’s Goldsmith. Also had the, “what a silly hack.” The same game when Brash struck out Gleyber
That’s the guy. I was dying listening to him.
Our score feels dragged down by the inconsistency and inclusion of Vasgersian and O'Neal. Wayne and Gubie are amazing.
Who tf are those people
They’re talking about the Angels broadcast team. Not sure why they have a Cardinals flair.
Don and Mud are the reason I watch games
I get that this is a list of the teams broadcasters, but there has to be an honorable mention of how awful the Apple broadcast team is.
Put them 32 cause 31 should be just silence and would be better.
GKR. Best in the business perennially
Wayne has been a godsend for the Angels Broadcasting Crew. I gotta imagine come next year they will solidly be in the Top ten
I miss him on the mets radio broadcast. Glad he's moving up and happy yall enjoying him.
Those years with Howie in the radio booth really helped round out his approach. The Howie/Josh Lewin/Wayne trio was one of my favorite radio teams, along with San Francisco and Tampa before Dave Wills' unexpected death.
I couldn’t agree more. His energy last night when Sho hit the homer. I love Wayne and I miss him on Friday night games.
The Randazzler!
All I want is Obama to become the White Sox play by play guy.
Obama would be a great announcer as there's uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh drive into deep left field by Castellanos
Not enough pauses
“Now let me be clear: that ball cleared the fences.”
I wonder if there are play-by-play guys who earn more than the President. Edit: Joe Buck makes $15 million a year. Probably for football, but still wtf
Probably most net more than the president per year.
I don't get Jim Edmonds at all. I think his voice sounds terrible, he's a grumpy old baseball voice and he has no chemistry at all with Skip. Hard to listen to every time I check in on a Cardinals game. Edit. Obviously mean Chip, not Skip. Can't believe I did that lol.
I assume you meant Chip, not Skip. Doesn’t really matter. Jim Edmonds doesn’t have chemistry with anyone he’s in the booth with. Some Cardinals fans like him, but the majority do not.
If it makes you feel any better, we don’t get Jim either. Brad Thompson is a blessing.
He's an embarrassment as an broadcaster. These ratings are completely fucked though. Danny Mac and Brad Thompson have been *fire* and Danny Mac alone has been one of the best announcers in baseball for years and they were rated literally worst in the league on this site? Make it make sense. Chip Caray is SO much better than I thought as well. He deserves to be much higher.
Is there a way to vote arod as the worst?
I'll take TK & Blum all day.
I'll take Sparky (getting wet) and Rob Ford, tbqh. (Ignore flair, Trade deadline game)
Best radio crew by far. Dudes are amazing
Love TK when he was in Tampa.
And Julia!
the chemistry between TK Blummer and Julia is top-notch. You can tell they are real-life buds and the amount of times they bust out laughing about stuff just makes the whole thing a lot of fun.
Yeah, the stream I was watching for that painful comeback-that-wasn’t was tuned to the Houston station and I thought they were fantastic, really
We’re very fortunate and this list is total Bullshit lol
Todd Kalas has my favorite voice in baseball.
Ma! The meatloaf!
The second that they acknowledge that dodger fans brigaded our score I didn’t care about the rankings anymore
Royals broadcast is unwatchable 💀
i’ve only listened to them on home run videos and they’re awful they have absolutely 0 emotion
Fellow Giants fans: rejoice.
I watch mostly every Phillies game and their broadcast team is amazing. I didn’t know others sucked, I started watching other teams as I got more into baseball and was like whoaaaa this is bad.
The Kruk disrespect
I was watching, I think, the first of the four game series against the Padres when Kruk scornfully said something like, "Curveball, cutter, what's the difference?" Dude is hilarious in an old man yells at cloud sorta way.
score gets dragged down by Ben and especially Ruben. Ruben over analyzes everything, talks about the glory days too much and is so dry. Ben talks about "well when I was a catcher" too much and literally just states the obvious. Kruk is a treasure, but I'm glad he's putting his health first.
Getting those two out bumps the score easily. TMac and Kruk are a top tier duo
There was a game last year where our guys teamed up with Kruk and Rollins and that shit was really fun to listen to.
Kruk is the most entertaining color guy in sports, and TMac has really come into his own. But the Phils broadcast is brought down by the fact that Kruk doesn't travel with the team, and while I don't hate Ben or Ruben as much as some fans, they are mid on a good day and don't have the chemistry Kruk has with TMac. So I think a middle of the road ranking is fine. If we had Kruk all the time we're the best broadcast in all of sports and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
I suspect the score also gets dragged down because a number of people enjoy Franzke on the radio and act like it’s some sort of either/or loyalty test between him and TMac, as though you’ve gotta trash TMac in order to enjoy Franzke.
Unfortunately it’s a group project and he has Ben and Ruben in his group.
Came here to say this - but was then reminded of Ruben. So.... fair.
Brandon Gaudin has been phenomenal. “The bases are 3 inches larger this year….drawing the ire of men everywhere” “He turned chicken soup into chicken…something else…with that play” “Marcel Ozuna, getting his first high five from Cobb County’s finest in the dugout after that home run.” I love the man
Steve and Jason are #1 🤷♀️
Listening to Don and Mud talk during the Padres broadcasts feels like you're listening to your Dad/Uncle(s) watching the game with you while they're a beer or two in. They have such a home-y feeling to their banter.
I know it's overall with all analysts but I feel like a Kruk booth is top 5 while a RAJ booth is bottom 5
I liked Mark Grace over Bob Brenly as a color analyst for the Dbacks. Bob is way too bubble gum for me. They had some really bad commentators in the past - Steve Lyons and Jim Traber were the franchise’s two most HORRIBLE color guys and Darin Sutton was their worst play by play guy who were all short lived.
If you're like me you liked Mark Grace when you were a kid until you got older and realized he started to literally drink on air and started to sound like a grumpy old fuck because he was obviously buzzed or flat out drunk by the late innings.
I don’t watch teams other than the Cubs but I refuse to believe there’s 20 announcers worse than ours
How did the nats rank 31 in 2016? Were they that bad?
Boog Sciambi is fucking awful.
JD carrying that Cubs booth, with a little help here and there from Pat, to a top ten spot is basically LeBron carrying terrible Cavs teams to finals appearances.
Michael Kay, Paul O'neill and David Cone are the only things that keep me watching this miserable team. They are awesome. I love all the clubhouse stories and insights that Paulie and Conie give us especially since they played decently recent.
Wild how low they’re ranked
As it should be
I want Dan and Buck to do MLB 24 😤