Fox Baseball Coverage

[HDPM]

I really have lost a lot of interest in baseball for whatever reason. But since the Cubs are playing and I was raised to be a devout Cubs fan I tried to watch some of the game last night. And I did in fact succeed in watching some of the early part of the game and the last couple innings. I was happy that McCarver wasn't doing the game. But I was still treated to the worst Thom Brenaman performance I have seen and the most annoying sound effects, etc... I think McCarver has rubbed off on Brennaman, he just sounds a lot more pompous and overdramatic than when he was doing Cubs games, which is where I heard him the most. He made mistakes, tried to cover in weird little ways, and just wasn't quite right although he is much more tolerable than McCarver. When he said in the pompos overblown ridiculous McCarver voice "Wood is now erect on the mound..." I about ruined the carpet. Unbelievable.
Then the little NASCAR like sound effect fox uses before replays is awful. It drove me completely nuts in two innings. How can the whole post season be tolerated? I don't want to turn the sound off because I prefer to listen and beat pool balls into the rails and look over when something might happen. See, I have lost interest. But I am becoming more convinced that baseball must be viewed in person or listened to on the radio. TV doesn't do all that good a job on baseball. But again, my lack of interest may be to blame. I wish I could get a good radio broadcast of the game. Oh well. If the Cubs somehow make the Series I may shoot myself before it is over if someone makes me listen to McCarver and the Fox sound effects. I guess at that point I will have to turn off the sound and pay attention.

[Phat Mack]

Do you have access to radio coverage? Turn down the TV, turn on the radio. I can't believe the number of times I have to do this.

Sounds like you have your table installed; how's your game? Any rooms near by where you can get some competition now that you're getting the stroke limber ? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[HDPM]

No radio coverage.

The pool game is lousy as always. I am working at it though. Took a lesson last spring and have been working on my stroke. It is improving slowly. Nearest decent room with some competition is about 125 miles. I played a couple tourns there last spring. I might start heading up there again. They have a little weekly tournament sometimes and sometimes they have bigger tourns. Last spring they had a fun one, 9 ball on full size tables on fri. night and bar table 8 ball on sat. I played, won a couple matches. Lost when I hit players who ran out all the time. No money. Usual story bla bla. They also had some kind of regional event or something but I didn't play. I might play next year just to get my brains beat out and see what I can learn. Pool is such a small money endeavor you can play tourns w/ some pretty good players for no money really. That is the room with the 4.5X9 billiard table I posted about before BTW.

[BruceZ]

Maybe try a net broadcast if you have a cable modem or DSL. I think they have it at www.mlb.com (http://www.mlb.com). It may also be on some other net radio station. I'm sure some pay sports station should have it.

[Homer]

I noticed a number of mistakes as well. For example, after Wood hit his double, the next batter hit a bloop single to center. Wood scored easily on the play, as he took off on contact since there were two outs in the inning. Despite this, one of the announcers went on and on about how he is a great baserunner, what a great jump he had, how he read the ball off the bat, how other everyday players wouldn't have scored on that play, etc. His partner did not feel the need to correct him by stating that there were two outs (maybe he didn't notice either -- wouldn't surprise me).

-- Homer

[David Steele]

I use the MLB net broadcast for SF giants, but I am pretty
sure the delay would kill the joy of using it with the TV.

The SF game was on ESPN, coverage is ok, and NY had the great Jon Miller, was Cubs really on Fox? missed that one.

The Fox football coverage totally sucks with all those arcade graphics and audio.

D.

[BruceZ]

Cubs were on Fox.

use the MLB net broadcast for SF giants, but I am pretty
sure the delay would kill the joy of using it with the TV.

Doesn't mlb have video too? I guess you could tape the video, record the audio, and then play both back together in sync. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[BruceZ]

I see you can download the whole game on digital video after the fact for $3.95.

[David Steele]

You could do the video too, but if you have a nice system with
a big screen, you may not want to watch on your computer.

D.

[B-Man]

The scheduling of the first round games was atrocious. The Red Sox play their first game tonite at 10:00 p.m. eastern, followed by a 4:00 p.m. game tommorow. So, anyone living in Boston that wants to watch the games in their entirety has to stay up until 1:00 a.m. or so tonite, then leave work early tommorow! I realize this is more the fault of MLB than the networks, but I find it insulting. Yet another example of baseball not giving a hoot about its customers, and another reason baseball continues to decline in popularity. The NFL "gets it", Selig and MLB do not.

I'm also wondering why the postseason games are not being broadcast in HDTV--ESPN broadcasts many of its programs in HD, as does Fox. Hell, the Red Sox' regular season games on NESN were broadcast in HDTV the last few weeks of the season--now that they are in the postseason, we are back to just the old format? This makes no sense.

[HDPM]

Yeah, I am not going to jack around with internet broadcasts and such. I am sure some of them are really good and wotrth it etc... but I don't want to go that route. What I want is decent announcing on the regular TV. How about Jon Miller alone. That would be nice. Jon Miller has even rubbed off enough on Joe Morgan that Joe Morgan is bearable w/ Miller. And no damned stupid sound effects.

[Phat Mack]

Chicago has a clear channel AM station, WGN; 720 on the dial. Ron Santo and Pat Hughes do the games. It's a long shot, but you might try pulling it in. Anything has got to be better than Fox. Fox sucks in so many ways, there is no sense in trying to count them. They are almost like a Mad Magazine parody of a TV network.

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
since the Cubs are playing and I was raised to be a devout Cubs fan I tried to watch some of the game last night.

[/ QUOTE ]

this makes no sense to me. at least do not call yourself a devout Cubs fan who "tried" to watch "some" of the game. please refer to yourself as something else.

[HDPM]

I said I was raised to be a devout Cubs fan. Like someone who is raised in a certain religion and harbors irrational feelings for it but doesn't practice it all the time. So until you read my posts more accurately I'll call myself what I want thanks.


P.S.. Actually, regardless of what you say I'll refer to myself any way I choose. Die Hard Cubs Fan. Devout Cubs Fan. Loves the Cubs More Than Any Other Human Ever To Breathe Air On Earth. Lifelong Cubs Fan. Whatever. How are those? Offended? Live with it. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Ragnar]

The problem with Brennaman is that he worked all year with Steve Lyons on the Diamondback broadcasts. Living in the Phoenix market I have seen him a lot for the last few years. They had only worked together on Fox occasionally before. They bring out the worst in each other. Brennaman has a problem with being smarmy anyway and it has been magnified ten-fold by working with Lyons.

Brennaman was tolerable until this year and the partnership with Lyons. I don't think it has much to do with McCarver.

Ragnar

[daryn]

you cannot offend me.

in other news, since i was raised to be a vegetarian, i ate a steak last night.

[HDPM]

Your steak was better than the Fox coverage I am sure.

[Phat Mack]

I'm watching the Braves/Cubs game as I write this. Did you know that the vast majority of major league batters who strike out swinging, swing at balls out of the strike zone? Maybe even more than half. This is because major league baseball doesn't teach them how to swing at balls out of the strike zone.

OK