Color Guy: Who did it better?

[harkness99]

Frank had energy- beckam was bad bad at first but he did get better.

 

And it also annoys me also how Bennetti tries to interview them and ask questions - I get what he is trying to accomplish - but I dont care for it.

[Green Line]

24 minutes ago, greg775 said:

 

He's 73 years old. The baseball season is a long grind. Apparently he has dogs in Arizona that he wants to visit from time to time. And somebody on here says the Sox announcers do not travel to road games (is this possible?) If that's true, it has to stink covering games off TV. No thanks. Just my takes.

I heard his dog died.  Thats why he's so cranky all the time.

[South Side Hit Men]

32 minutes ago, greg775 said:

 

He's 73 years old. The baseball season is a long grind. Apparently he has dogs in Arizona that he wants to visit from time to time. And somebody on here says the Sox announcers do not travel to road games (is this possible?) If that's true, it has to stink covering games off TV. No thanks. Just my takes.

Yes, Jerry Reinsdorf's NBCSN cannot afford to pay for the hotel room and meals for Stone and Jason to travel. ESPN 1000, which generates a small fraction of the revenue of television broadcasts, is able to pay for Len Kasper and Darrin Jackson's hotel and out of town meals.

Has Jerry's NBCSN refunded the fees for the non broadcasts (102 game player lock out in 2020) and or lowered the fees for his substandard broadcasts since these draconian coverage cuts occurred? Asking for a friend.

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by South Side Hit Men

[greg775]

2 hours ago, South Side Hit Men said:

Yes, Jerry Reinsdorf's NBCSN cannot afford to pay for the hotel room and meals for Stone and Jason to travel. ESPN 1000, which generates a small fraction of the revenue of television broadcasts, is able to pay for Len Kasper and Darrin Jackson's hotel and out of town meals.

Has Jerry's NBCSN refunded the fees for the non broadcasts (102 game player lock out in 2020) and or lowered the fees for his substandard broadcasts since these draconian coverage cuts occurred? Asking for a friend.

 

That's wild. It's mind boggling. Reinsdorf must never run into Stoney. It'd be awfully embarrassing to be a billionaire and not allow Stone and Benetti to actually call the road games in person. Stoney should say something to Jerry if he ever runs into him. He's got nothing to lose at age 73. It's so cheap of Reinsdorf. It is really stupid in 2021 to cover games off a TV feed. Wow.

Edited June 25, 2021 by greg775

[Heads22]

It used to be that Stone was guaranteed some games off every year (usually the west coast swing, which gave us Bill Walton). 

[hankchifan]

7 hours ago, Chisoxfn said:

I thought it was absolutely stellar.  

Was better than Beckham pairing,

[hankchifan]

1 hour ago, greg775 said:

That's wild. It's mind boggling. Reinsdorf must never run into Stoney. It'd be awfully embarrassing to be a billionaire and not allow Stone and Benetti to actually call the road games in person. Stoney should say something to Jerry if he ever runs into him. He's got nothing to lose at age 73. It's so cheap of Reinsdorf. It is really stupid in 2021 to cover games off a TV feed. Wow.

I thought that they were doing remote due to COVID.  Benetti misses too many calls on remote, specially homers.

[Chisoxfn]

19 minutes ago, hankchifan said:

Was better than Beckham pairing,

Yeah - That was a disaster.  

[caulfield12]

2 hours ago, greg775 said:

That's wild. It's mind boggling. Reinsdorf must never run into Stoney. It'd be awfully embarrassing to be a billionaire and not allow Stone and Benetti to actually call the road games in person. Stoney should say something to Jerry if he ever runs into him. He's got nothing to lose at age 73. It's so cheap of Reinsdorf. It is really stupid in 2021 to cover games off a TV feed. Wow.

Almost every MLB team is doing this...for example, the Dodgers broadcasters were at Chavez and they lost the crowd noise of 40000+ in SD just a couple hours down the road for about five minutes.   Very weird listen.  So not a case of JR saving money, it’s nearly industry-wide across numerous sports for away games.

[South Side Hit Men]

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

Almost every MLB team is doing this...for example, the Dodgers broadcasters were at Chavez and they lost the crowd noise of 40000+ in SD just a couple hours down the road for about five minutes.   Very weird listen.  So not a case of JR saving money, it’s nearly industry-wide across numerous sports for away games.

Yes and no. There are ZERO MLB restrictions for team broadcasters of teams which have crossed the 85% threshold. This  threshold, mind you is solely at the discretion of owners, the same owners who have no issue allowing maximum fans into the stands under local laws. For teams under the 85% threshold, there remain restrictions on travel including broadcast teams.

• Broadcast entities NOT owned by MLB owners, i.e. Radio Stations and Fox National, are paying for their broadcasts to travel.
• Disney, owner of ESPN, is broadcasting from their studios for I believe most sports, including their Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, but they ARE able to send their announcers if they wanted to.
• RSNs, by and large owned by MLB owners, are NOT sending their broadcasters on road trips, though they are permitted to do so if their teams are at the 85% threshold. The White Sox are not prohibited from sending Jason and Steve, since they are above the 85% threshold, but as of now Jerry's RSN has decided to continue having them broadcast from the NBC studios downtown.

The Score has been open about their process to do everything possible to send their radio broadcast team, who are vaccinated, with the Cubs, who are not currently above the 85% threshold. Since local broadcasters (radio / tv) ride team charters, being under the 85% threshold and restricting flights to essential personal seems reasonable, at least to start the season.

If all team broadcasters are able to travel after the ASB, and most / all choose to do so, than it would be a significant improvement. There would be no justification to continue this method of broadcasting indefinitely, with or without COVID, in a country with little to no current restrictions (public travel still remains through mid September, though there is significant pressure to end that as well).

[caulfield12]

3 hours ago, South Side Hit Men said:

Yes and no. There are ZERO MLB restrictions for team broadcasters of teams which have crossed the 85% threshold. This  threshold, mind you is solely at the discretion of owners, the same owners who have no issue allowing maximum fans into the stands under local laws. For teams under the 85% threshold, there remain restrictions on travel including broadcast teams.

• Broadcast entities NOT owned by MLB owners, i.e. Radio Stations and Fox National, are paying for their broadcasts to travel.
• Disney, owner of ESPN, is broadcasting from their studios for I believe most sports, including their Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, but they ARE able to send their announcers if they wanted to.
• RSNs, by and large owned by MLB owners, are NOT sending their broadcasters on road trips, though they are permitted to do so if their teams are at the 85% threshold. The White Sox are not prohibited from sending Jason and Steve, since they are above the 85% threshold, but as of now Jerry's RSN has decided to continue having them broadcast from the NBC studios downtown.

The Score has been open about their process to do everything possible to send their radio broadcast team, who are vaccinated, with the Cubs, who are not currently above the 85% threshold. Since local broadcasters (radio / tv) ride team charters, being under the 85% threshold and restricting flights to essential personal seems reasonable, at least to start the season.

If all team broadcasters are able to travel after the ASB, and most / all choose to do so, than it would be a significant improvement. There would be no justification to continue this method of broadcasting indefinitely, with or without COVID, in a country with little to no current restrictions (public travel still remains through mid September, though there is significant pressure to end that as well).

Nobody really knows anything right now, conclusively.

China just decided that 85% vaccinated is what they need for herd immunity, but nobody except their own scientists are sure whether their vaccines work or not, and with what efficacy rate.

Then you have those states (some with MLB teams) with much lower than 50% immunization levels...and the Delta/Indian variants starting to take hold all around the world, places like UK, Israel and a number of European countries already going backwards.

 

You can argue that hotel room rates, gas and rental cars are all more expensive this summer, but that’s a lousy excuse to diminish the broadcast experience so much. 

[poppysox]

14 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Frank's best days were went he was killing right and right center, and then ambushing an inner half fastball.

There is a lot of truth to that for Jose Abreu as well, and I can see it being true for Andrew Vaughn as well.  Vaughn I see as very Konerko-esque.  When Paulie would go into one of his mega-slumps, I knew it was about to end when he would pound a few solid singles to RF.

The opposite-field is where the hits are at.

[he gone.]

I kind of like mixing it up - you never know who you'll find. Plus, baseball, is weird. It's not like calling a basketball or football game with constant action. lots of down time, lots of conversation and lots of learning for newbies who haven't been in that situation of filling dead airtime. thought frank was funny at times, gordon wasn't half bad either. To be fair, a large % of us didn't like Jason in the beginning. We get used to the banter and comfortable with the call between the normal guys. It becomes that comfortable recliner in your basement, so when it's switched up it feels off we generally don't like it. 

I'd be all for rotating more and more guys in, especially if we're nearing the end of the road with Stoney. Gives the opportunity for the fan base to hear new candidates.  (though I'd have to think Kasper was promised a spot if he took a radio gig, but who knows)

[YourWhatHurts]

Frank did it way better than either.

Okay onto a more serious matter.  Every time I hear that dorky Benetti chuckle with the long time space between choke-like laughs (the "ugh-ugh-ugh" one) I am immediately reminded of George McFly laughing at Biff Tanner's bullying "jokes".  I cannot be the only one who has seen the "Back to the Future" movies so many times in the past that I immediately think of that.  I just wish his broadcast would slap him upside the head and call him McFly when he does that.  Every time I hear that laugh I always think, "Are you choking, you idiot?"

[caulfield12]

8 hours ago, YourWhatHurts said:

Frank did it way better than either.

Okay onto a more serious matter.  Every time I hear that dorky Benetti chuckle with the long time space between choke-like laughs (the "ugh-ugh-ugh" one) I am immediately reminded of George McFly laughing at Biff Tanner's bullying "jokes".  I cannot be the only one who has seen the "Back to the Future" movies so many times in the past that I immediately think of that.  I just wish his broadcast would slap him upside the head and call him McFly when he does that.  Every time I hear that laugh I always think, "Are you choking, you idiot?"

Are we still allowed to make light of bullying when someone has a disability...?

But yeah, he’s so bending over backwards trying to please, to be accepted as one of the guys...but that will never happen around a group of professional athletes who will at best tolerate, and, at worst, incessantly make fun of him behind his back.

Hawk at least had that gravitas.  It can be overrated, and be overused, but it also has its place when calling home run balls or going after umpires.

[The Kids Can Play]

On 6/24/2021 at 3:26 PM, kgrittenburg said:

The  Benetti- Thomas pairing was a train wreck

I think those two were great. In fact when Steve Stone can't do future games, Frank Thomas should be the only substitute color guy. He is so much better than Beckham or anyone else they have thrown in there. 

[The Kids Can Play]

On 6/21/2021 at 2:40 PM, Chisoxfn said:

So I always liked Beckham - but I thought it was such a dull listen to.  Benetti was pulling teeth trying to get him to tell some stories, etc, but just not natural at all.  No surprise with this being his first rodeo but really not a good showing, imo.  

Beckham was totally boring and talked too much. Frank Thomas was so upbeat and entertaining. Plus Frank didn't ramble on and one like Beckham. 

[YourWhatHurts]

I also loved seeing the old footage of Frank at the plate.  Mercy!

A lot like MJ, I truly believe that in watching Frank in his prime, I have seen the absolute best and greatest, and most intimidating Sox hitter I will ever see in my life, no matter how long I live.  I've seen the best, and everything that comes after will just be lesser.

Frank was the scariest human being I have ever seen stand in a batters box.  And LOL at young Frank, mercy!  What a specimen.  He's seriously like some shit out a video game that doesn't actually appear in real life.

Frank is welcome on my Sox broadcasts any time he wishes.

[YourWhatHurts]

13 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Are we still allowed to make light of bullying when someone has a disability...?

But yeah, he’s so bending over backwards trying to please, to be accepted as one of the guys...but that will never happen around a group of professional athletes who will at best tolerate, and, at worst, incessantly make fun of him behind his back.

Hawk at least had that gravitas.  It can be overrated, and be overused, but it also has its place when calling home run balls or going after umpires.

I think the only real "disability" holding Benetti back his is total inability to leave a potential pun sitting there alone, or to leave a potential 90's pop culture reference alone.  He must stay up all night watching MeTV/YouTV/whatever all those channels are.  Or maybe he has a photographic memory of the 90s.  Whatever.  I bet he has an entire notebook on Suzanne Somers / Three's Company jokes.  Probably an entire binder on that show.  I wonder if he was ever cool enough to watch The Fresh Prince.  Probably not.

Edited June 26, 2021 by YourWhatHurts

[caulfield12]

7 hours ago, YourWhatHurts said:

I think the only real "disability" holding Benetti back his is total inability to leave a potential pun sitting there alone, or to leave a potential 90's pop culture reference alone.  He must stay up all night watching MeTV/YouTV/whatever all those channels are.  Or maybe he has a photographic memory of the 90s.  Whatever.  I bet he has an entire notebook on Suzanne Somers / Three's Company jokes.  Probably an entire binder on that show.  I wonder if he was ever cool enough to watch The Fresh Prince.  Probably not.

Well, he definitely is more Carlton/Alphonso Ribeiro. Probably more of a Family Ties guy. 

I always look at it from the perspective of one of my students at age 16-18, and they would miss 85-90% of his pop culture references.  In that sense,  he'd undoubtedly be a pretty good Jeopardy host. 

With Harrelson, if you were paying attention, you'd inevitably develop more of an appreciation for 50's, 60's and 70's baseball history. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by caulfield12