Thanks to the wonders of satellite technology, the Sports Couch Potato has seen and heard a lot of ball this summer. With the regular season in its final weeks, we're proud to announce the finalists in the Major League Baseball category for the first annual Spuddies, our awards for the best local television announcing teams.
To be considered for a Spuddie, a team must be informative, entertaining and consistently current with what's happening in both leagues. (While some observers get a kick out of broadcasters who overtly root for the home team, the Spud is not one of them and that is reflected in the nominations. For example, while I'll always appreciate a guy like Ken "Hawk" Harrelson for being one of baseball's all-time colorful characters, he and his Chicago White Sox partner Darrin Jackson have rah-rah'ed themselves out of Spuddie consideration.)
So without further adieu, the nominees for the inaugural Spuddies in the Major League Baseball category:
DON ORSILLO, JERRY REMY, Boston Red Sox: While there are many announcing teams that have good chemistry, these guys enjoy themselves as much as the game. They are knowledgeable, forthright and easy to listen to. Boston has a legacy of great announcers — Curt Gowdy, Ken Coleman, Ned Martin — and this team ranks right up there. What other announcing team can claim to have their own bobbleheads? A recording of their in-booth visit last year with Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke belongs in Cooperstown.
GARY COHEN, KEITH HERNANDEZ, RON DARLING, New York Mets: A great combination of baseball smarts and to-the-point analysis. SNY was wise to lure Cohen from the radio booth where he teamed for years with the late Bob Murphy. He is as astute a play-by-play guy as there is in the game. Much like his on-the-field demeanor, Hernandez is a no-bullshit commentator who tells it straight, warts and all. Meanwhile, Darling is a vastly improved color man. When alongside Mel Proctor during the Washington Nationals' maiden season in 2005, Darling was stiff and unsure of himself. Now back in familiar surroundings, he has blossomed into one of the most insightful analysts in the game. A perfectly matched trio.
BRIAN ANDERSON, BILL SCHROEDER, Milwaukee Brewers: A surprise finalist due in part to Rookie of the Year Anderson. A one-time Minor League announcer who joined the Brewers from the Golf Channel, Anderson has been steady throughout his first season in the bigs. It's easy to see he does his homework and his breezy style is much like that of the team's longtime radio tandem of Bob Uecker and Jim Powell. Schroeder, a former big-league backstop, sounds like Milwaukee. His blue-collar analysis and sense of humor is perfect for the town. With the Brewers in a pennant race for the first time in a while, these two have indeed risen to the occasion.
VIN SCULLY, CHARLEY STEINER, STEVE LYONS, Los Angeles Dodgers: Any team with Scully on it is an automatic nominee. A Lifetime Spuddie is inevitable. It's important to appreciate just how much Scully is the last link to the great Hall of Fame announcers of yesteryear. His conversational, anecdotal style is a lost art. No one else in the game could fly solo the way he does on all Dodger home telecasts and a good number of away games. The Scully people heard years ago with Joe Garagiola on NBC was great; the Scully on Dodger games is legend. Steiner, meanwhile, is a worthy heir apparent. Steiner first got the Spud's attention pre-ESPN as the energetic radio voice of the New York Jets. He's one of those announcers that improves with age. Now that Lyons seems to have recovered from his ridiculous exchange with Lou Piniella during last year's playoffs on Fox, he and Steiner have settled in to become a worthy complement to the great Scully.
DUANE KUIPER, MIKE KRUKOW, San Francisco Giants: How do you make a bad team appear interesting? Having Barry Bonds chase the all-time home run crown doesn't hurt, but Kuip and Kruk, as they are known to the Bay Area faithful, are so engaging as a team that they often help the viewer escape the reality that the Giants are a bad mix of aging veterans and raw youngsters. Kuiper is one of the best of the ex-jocks to transition into play-by-play, while Krukow brings many years as a big-league hurler to his solid commentary. Bonus points for a production team that often finds interesting sidelights in the always-colorful AT&T Park.
There you have this year's Spuddie nominees. Let the Spud know what you think.
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