Quote:
Originally Posted by The Professor
When the broadcaster is in the employ of the team and is the voice connecting the team to the fans, he should not be held to the standards of the press. He may choose to adhere to such standards (Barber, Scully) or he may not (Prince, Caray), but ultimately it comes down to the style preferred by the listeners and, secondarily, his employers.
I completely get that people don't like Hawk's homerism. Or didn't like Caray's. And other people may think Scully is boring. (WHAT!?!)
I want someone who makes the images spring to life, who makes the great moments explode, who entertains me when the game is out of hand one way or the other. They needn't be a raging homer, but I don't want Joe Buck either. Someone who is so dispassionate and disconnected that it makes the game drag.
People like Kobie prefer something more strait-laced and "professional." I respect that.
But I don't think baseball broadcasters, as a rule, should naturally be held to the standards of the press.
Variety is the spice of life - and baseball broadcasting.
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I agree that a certain level of homerism in broadcast is unavoidable. The vast majority of people watching a given, say, Yankees game are doing so rooting for the Yankees; thus, more focus is going to be given to the Yankees than, say, the A's or whoever the hell they're playing.
However, I just find Hawk's homerism to be over the top and to an absolutely insufferable level. No White Sox player has ever, apparently, taken an actual strike, it seems sometimes.