I was ready to throw my remote at the TV when they kept going back and showing Judge's ****ed up cut-off of the ball hit into right center. He cut it off and fumbled it in the process. It was a good play in the sense that he got there, and kept us from scoring on that play. But he straight bungled it, and was lucky as hell to have the ball stay against him.
Judge totally ****ed up 2 routine plays in a row (the first one he totally misjudged, and only caught it because he's tall and could reach up as he recovered running back towards the wall), and then they treated the 2nd like he was Roberto Clemente.
They have biases. May not be rooting for one team or the other. Mostly, it is apathy, lack of knowledge. Smoltz, his big bias is how the game is played and as such will have a distaste for progressive front offices. Probably didn't know who to hate more. Though probably like Astros when a starter is on the mound. Not sure who Buck is for, but it isn't the Astros. Not saying he doesn't enjoy the game, but his calling the game seems fake. I'd probably prefer home announcers call game over national announcers unless it is a StatCast crew they do on ESPN2 sometimes. These guys are the opposite. They seem to enjoy games, and have a bias for teams that aren't stupid. If you like Smoltz, you will probably hate these guys.
A solid 30% of Judge's "amazing" plays are basically him misreading a ball, and then relying on the fact that he's a genetic freak to make up for his shitty fielding instincts.
I love this. Best parts are at 2:55 and 3:31, IMO. It's incredible how much this team has won over the people of Houston, around the country, and even around the world. And the genuine positivity behind current Astros fandom is unlike anything I've seen previously in any sport in my lifetime.
I think its clear you have biases.... against their presumed bias. They’re not Joe Morgan’ing it out there chastising analytics. In fact I don’t recall a single slight against the progressive metrics of spin rate/launch angle/eliminating 2-seamers/shifting...its clear they all realize what works/successful should not be lambasted. Their job is to call the game for a non-biased audience... which is increasingly not the case when the majority of the people still watching playoff baseball is predominantly the home markets. Inevitably, they should probably just have individualized feeds for those who can’t stand the neutral (“fake”) announcing... but for those who grew up with game of the week/watch the WS no matter what, the national broadcast does hold a certain nostalgia.
By no means do I think Smoltz is some madden-like gift to baseball (he is better than McCarver, who had the job for what seems like forever).... but he did flat-out call the Altuve situation... “Does Altuve have it in him to stay back and wait for the slider... do the Yankees really want to put themselves in the position for Altuve to beat them”. The Judge stuff was annoying and pandering... I agree. I was actually more amazed they caught it in real time. I did like the call on Brantley’s double play... “greatest double play in LCS history!” (Yankees fans were not too giddy about that).
Well you certainly don't, Nick, sure. At this point I do not care. Chapman is about to walk Springer.
yes... a lot of hypocrisy all around. Claiming the neutral announcers “have it out” for one market vs. another is as cliche as it gets, but always will get pointed out more in baseball.
I think he's still a STL fan deep inside, but he did seem happy when BOS beat them both times in the WS. He probably doesn't like like the Astros, but I'm sure he appreciates really great players, of which we have many. But of course, could very well be fake. I think he truly loves the game of baseball based on him growing up around it. Some people are just haters. I personally like him and Smoltz and have no problem, I guess I have high tolerance for announcers. ARod and Pierzynski can go f themselves, though.
He's on record in the past that he just doesn't really like baseball and would rather do anything else as a broadcaster. So there's that. eta: here's an oldie but still pertinent: http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/07/joe-buck-admits-he-rarely-watches.html
My mom, who grew up in St. Louis, just says "He's nowhere near as good as his father." Girardi in the ALDS was one of the worst things I've ever heard. When your own colleagues in the booth call you out at the end of Game 5 about your constant on-air salt about the Astros beating you in the 2017 ALCS, you know it's bad. Joe, you can spout off all you want about how the Astros beat you right out of your job, but, man, if that's how you are as a person, I'd say the Yankees benefited mightily from the Stros doing it. Yikes.
I really don't have anything aganst Buck, I think he's a perfectly adequate PBP guy. But the fact that he is unarguably the voice of a generation in baseball, and second only to Al Michaels in football is a little ridiculous
Somebody posted a video of the chubby guy repeating "oh my god" 273 times...i can't find it, too many pages to go through, but it was awesome !