Harrelson surgery pushed back to Thurs, probably won't be back unt

[caulfield12]

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/65...aster-miss-time

 

 

back until next week.

 

 

"4-4 is not bad. I’m not backing off one bit from my prediction. We have a good ballclub and we’re going to be there at the end. The division is so tough and nobody is going to run off. Kansas City hasn’t hit a slump yet and they will. Every team does. And we’re going to be there in September. The only way we don’t win this thing is if we don’t catch the ball.”

Edited June 3, 2015 by caulfield12

[Jerksticks]

My man!

[maggsmaggs]

Between Swirsky and Hawk, I don't know who I like least.

[southsider2k5]

Between Swirsky and Hawk, I don't know who I like least.

 

While it worked for a game or two, the whole asking a bunch of questions thing has gotten very old, very quick. His eye for tracking the ball is also worse than Blind Hawk's is.

[maggsmaggs]

While it worked for a game or two, the whole asking a bunch of questions thing has gotten very old, very quick. His eye for tracking the ball is also worse than Blind Hawk's is.

Exactly, Swirsky just sounds clueless to baseball. I understand wanting to give Stone a lot of analytical time which is hard when Hawk is in the booth. But the incessant asking questions like Swirsky is an intern is annoying.

 

They need a guy like Jeff Joniak in my opinion. A smart, eloquent and knowledgeable broadcaster who knows when to let his analyst who played the game get his airtime.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Swirsky isn't great but the broadcast is much more enjoyable than the Hawk Harrelson Show. If you've noticed, the umpires haven't been out to get the Sox since Hawk left....

Edited June 3, 2015 by Y2JImmy0

[Brian]

Swirsky isn't great but the broadcast is much more enjoyable than the Hawk Harrelson Show. If you've noticed, the umpires haven't been out to get the Sox since Hawk left....

 

I agree with this. Chuck sticks to the game at hand at least. Not great but he could get better if he was there long term.

Just needs to realize it's TV and you don't have to call everything. We see the action. It's ok to breath.

[Jerksticks]

Hawk & Rowand was great. Steven Stone needs to bow out to Rowand's greatness.

[southsider2k5]

Swirsky isn't great but the broadcast is much more enjoyable than the Hawk Harrelson Show. If you've noticed, the umpires haven't been out to get the Sox since Hawk left....

 

The broadcast with Swirsky is just awful if you listen to it on a regular basis. It worked for a game or two, but the guy is literally just filling a chair. He can't follow a ball in flight. He can't tell you pitch type was thrown. He can't even tell you if a ball is hit hard or not. All he does is try to make Steve Stone talk. I even caught once last night after the game was a laugher where Stone said something to the effect of "This is where you start telling stories to fill time Chuck." Of course Swirsky laughed and asked Steve another question.

 

Honestly, I wish they would bring in one of the ex players, you know Wimpy, Rowand, McDowell, Huff.... someone. Let Stone do PBP, and let the other guy talk about the game and do color. The broadcast would be 10 X's better.

 

Don't get me wrong, Swirsky is a great basketball guy, he just has no baseball background at all, and it really really shows if you listen to it for any amount of time.

[Buehrlesque]

Swirsky isn't great but the broadcast is much more enjoyable than the Hawk Harrelson Show. If you've noticed, the umpires haven't been out to get the Sox since Hawk left....

Much more enjoyable. I knew I didn't care for Hawk anymore, but I didn't realize the extent of it until I saw the stark comparison. Swirsky and Stone (while not perfect) have been a breath of fresh air. It is sad how completely stale, irrelevant and uninteresting the broadcasts have become with Hawk.

[Eminor3rd]

I've enjoyed it because he's actually acting like the PBP guy. He obviously doesn't know a ton about baseball, but the cadence of the broadcast feels much more natural.

 

If nothing else, it's finally clicked with my why so many color guys have had trouble pairing with Hawk: because Hawk does both jobs himself, and the color guy has to figure out where to fit in awkwardly instead of being cued like the PBP normally does.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Eminor3rd

[winninguglyin83]

With Hawk, Stone, DJ, Farmio and Melton, the average age of that fivesome is 65.

 

65!!!

 

 

The Sox have needed to get younger and more in tune with current culture and baseball analytics in the booth for a long time.

 

Swirsky is not the answer. His goal of letting Stone analyze is admirable because Stone does know the game. Stone seems like a guy who has had the cuffs taken off his vocal chores and he is going to enjoy every minute of it.

 

But Swirsky seems like a guy who knows ZERO about the Sox, the American League, the farm system or anything.

 

At some point on the telecast, shouldn't there be discussions about what the Sox can do about their issues at catcher, second base and third base. How long do you keep waiting on Sanchez? When do you pull the plug on Flowers and look for another solution? Is it time to make the move to Davidson?

 

Swirsky is not a great story teller or particularly funny either.

 

Bottom Line is that the Sox should view this as a wakeup call to improve their TV product in the booth. That's unlikely to happen because Hawk will be able to stay as long as he chooses.

 

But in a competitive media market, the Sox need to do better than the arrangements of the last five or so years.

[Balta1701]

At some point on the telecast, shouldn't there be discussions about what the Sox can do about their issues at catcher, second base and third base. How long do you keep waiting on Sanchez? When do you pull the plug on Flowers and look for another solution? Is it time to make the move to Davidson?

I don't think you'd get this kind of talk from any broadcast team. You're not going to undermine the players you have to see every day that badly. The guys in the newspaper can do that if they want, but the official team broadcast?

[ChiSoxFanMike]

Hawk, get well soon! We love you!

[flavum]

Please retire and spend more time with your grandchildren like you wanted to.

[chitownsportsfan]

The broadcast with Swirsky is just awful if you listen to it on a regular basis. It worked for a game or two, but the guy is literally just filling a chair. He can't follow a ball in flight. He can't tell you pitch type was thrown. He can't even tell you if a ball is hit hard or not. All he does is try to make Steve Stone talk. I even caught once last night after the game was a laugher where Stone said something to the effect of "This is where you start telling stories to fill time Chuck." Of course Swirsky laughed and asked Steve another question.

 

Honestly, I wish they would bring in one of the ex players, you know Wimpy, Rowand, McDowell, Huff.... someone. Let Stone do PBP, and let the other guy talk about the game and do color. The broadcast would be 10 X's better.

 

Don't get me wrong, Swirsky is a great basketball guy, he just has no baseball background at all, and it really really shows if you listen to it for any amount of time.

 

Yea he's a pro but after a week of him he's almost like Gus Johnson on soccer, he's a great voice, knows exactly how to setup his partner, but just knows nothing about the sport he's calling and it affects the quality of the broadcast because he can't get basic things like pitch recognition or tracking the ball off the bat. When Gus was doing soccer he'd get excited at routine stuff but then a guy would send a 60 yard cross into a teller window on the wing and nary a word -- that's a world class pass and should be recognized as such.

 

When Sale throws a nasty slider I really want the play by play guy to at least know what it looks like. Swirsky just doesn't know enough baseball even tell a good slider from a bad one or knowing how hard a ball is hit.

Edited June 3, 2015 by chitownsportsfan

[Boopa1219]

I actually have been enjoying listening to Swirsky these past few games, I think that he is doing a solid job. I know that he is not the best baseball mind and may not be able to tell the difference between a good slider and a bad slider, but he has brought some new flavor to the broadcast and I like that he is REALLY leaning on Stone.

[Boopa1219]

Hawk & Rowand was great. Steven Stone needs to bow out to Rowand's greatness.

 

I didnt think that Rowand was that good, he just agreed with everything that Hawk said.

[chitownsportsfan]

I actually have been enjoying listening to Swirsky these past few games, I think that he is doing a solid job. I know that he is not the best baseball mind and may not be able to tell the difference between a good slider and a bad slider, but he has brought some new flavor to the broadcast and I like that he is REALLY leaning on Stone.

 

I think at this point the best thing Chuck has going for him is "he's not Hawk".

 

We've lived with Hawk so long, (here I will go ahead and insert my usual caveat that Hawk is a legend and I grew up his voice like many of you but his time has passed) that anyone competent is better.

 

I think they can do better than Chuck and Rowand. Rowand just gave off too much of a "bro" vibe IMO. That's really not the guy you want as the ambassador to your fans.

[harkness99]

Oh Hawk can be annoying for sure...

 

But no one for me is anything like Hawk... he is such a passionate homer and has skill and emotion.

 

Chuck is a nice guy but please.... snooze time.

 

Hawk and Wimpy were the best however.... I've always loved the smug radio guy also.. his name is escaping me atm and too lazy to look it up.

[The Ginger Kid]

they need chemistry in the booth. Hawk and Wimp had it. Rooney and Farmio had it. DJ and Ed's efforts to needle each other and be funny is so awkward at times it's hard to listen to.

 

Go get Dave Wills back and put him on the radio with Ed, then get Rooney back and put him on TV with Stone.

[InTheDriversSeat]

 

I also wish Hawk a full and speedy recovery. In the Sun-Times article, he said that "he can't get all of the TV broadcasts at his home in Indiana".

 

I know that Comcast SportsNet is available in the South Bend area on cable and both dishes. And all 55 of the WGN Sports telecasts are available locally on Channel 28-2 'H&I Heroes & Icons', a digital sub-channel of Fox affiliate, Channel 28 WSJV Elkhart / South Bend.

 

http://www.fox28.com/story/28282654/2015/0...white-sox-games

 

 

Sounds like Hawk needs to hook-up some rabbit ears to his television, so his family can watch all of the games.

 

http://www.bing.com/maps/?mapurl=https://t...%26state=IN.kml

[Jake]

Stoney wears on me more with Swirsky in the booth. Swirsky is extremely modest and wants to make a show of deferring to the expertise of Stoney and Steve likes this way too much. He shrugs off some of Chuck's questions and comments like they're beneath consideration. I've said this elsewhere (or earlier in this thread), but having two big egos helps to make it less clear that anyone is being a big shot.

[southsider2k5]

I also wish Hawk a full and speedy recovery. In the Sun-Times article, he said that "he can't get all of the TV broadcasts at his home in Indiana".

 

I know that Comcast SportsNet is available in the South Bend area on cable and both dishes. And all 55 of the WGN Sports telecasts are available locally on Channel 28-2 'H&I Heroes & Icons', a digital sub-channel of Fox affiliate, Channel 28 WSJV Elkhart / South Bend.

 

http://www.fox28.com/story/28282654/2015/0...white-sox-games

 

 

Sounds like Hawk needs to hook-up some rabbit ears to his television, so his family can watch all of the games.

 

http://www.bing.com/maps/?mapurl=https://t...%26state=IN.kml

 

He lives in a little town named Granger out in the middle of Amish country.

[Bob Sacamano]

Hawk & Rowand was great. Steven Stone needs to bow out to Rowand's greatness.

 

Lol just no