Michael Kay: Love Him or Hate Him?

[Hitman23]

Hawk Harrelson used to broadcast Yankee games. I bet you're glad you missed out on that, huh?

Really? Must have been a while back I don't remember the name. Pre-85??

I need to know why announcers think they need a call to constantly repeat. It's developing into an obsession, this need to know. Everyone has either done this or has known a friend or co-worker that has done it. You get a word or phrase you like and you repeat it to the point of someone wanting to stab you in the heart. This is human nature, it eventually goes away. But these guys don't do that. They say it, over, and over, and over, and over. It's truly driving me insane. Kay's "C-Ya", Singleton's "This one is gone", Sterlings.... everything he does.

When you are a fan that watches or listens to a great many games every year, these words just grate on you like sandpaper. To make matters worse, on YES, in between innings the commercials show highlights and soundbites of these very same calls.

I can't take it anymore. Really. It seems so silly that this angers me so much but I can feel my face getting red when I hear these guys call a game.

[Bugg]

I have no problem with any Yankee announcer except Suzyn Waldman. Have had the misfortune of being in the car a few times this season and forgot how awful she is. Simply insufferable, whining, grating, droning. There's an angry, unhappy tone to her. She doesn't seem to enjoy this kind of work, so she should go do something else. Is there some reason we're stuck with her?

As to Kay his radio show is pretty good.

Sterling gets a lot of grief for being a homer, but he would be a very easy listen if they dumped his partner and brought in soemone who isn't a shrew.

[stazsanity]

Kenny is my favorite YES announcer. I just wished he was paired with someone other than John Flaherty this past week. Oh well.

My sentiments exactly. Kenny is also my favorite YES announcer, but he's much better in a color commentary role. I still don't completely understand the whole Flaherty experiment that's officially gone entirely too long. He wasn't a Yankee for that long, so it's not like he has a large following due to his heroics in pinstripes. I find him to frequently be over-critical and a bit of a know it all.

Having said that, I still appreciate the break from Michael Kay.

[Sixty one]

It is very difficult to find announcers that all listeners will like . We all have different tastes and therefore, I think that this is one topic that will never find one sollution. I personally think that Ken and John are doing a fine job and that given a chance they will grow on you as a Yankee listener.

[Hitman23]

It is very difficult to find announcers that all listeners will like . We all have different tastes and therefore, I think that this is one topic that will never find one sollution. I personally think that Ken and John are doing a fine job and that given a chance they will grow on you as a Yankee listener.

Actually I disagree. I bet if these announcers put as much effort into learning the opposing team's players and allowing the play to happen before trying to call it as they do coming up with a shtick to have them stand out, they'd be much better and acceptable to everyone. Calling the game correctly, cutting down on errors and not trying to predict what will happen as a play is happening is a good thing. For everyone.

To me announcers are like umpires. When they aren't trying to draw attention to themselves and just calling the game they are doing their job. It's not the WWF. It shouldn't be scripted. But it is, and painfully.

[JL25and3]

Sterling gets a lot of grief for being a homer, but he would be a very easy listen if they dumped his partner and brought in soemone who isn't a shrew.

I still don't get this. I can't stand Sterling, but he's not particularly a homer.

[stazsanity]

Actually I disagree. I bet if these announcers put as much effort into learning the opposing team's players and allowing the play to happen before trying to call it as they do coming up with a shtick to have them stand out, they'd be much better and acceptable to everyone. Calling the game correctly, cutting down on errors and not trying to predict what will happen as a play is happening is a good thing. For everyone.

To me announcers are like umpires. When they aren't trying to draw attention to themselves and just calling the game they are doing their job. It's not the WWF. It shouldn't be scripted. But it is, and painfully.

^^This.

Furthermore, I hate to simply just lay on the blame on Flaherty, but in MHO, the best Yankee announcing tandem in recent memory was Kaat and Singleton. They allowed the action to play out and never allowed the moment to be about them. They added their expertise where needed, but they never threw in your face the success they enjoyed during their careers (not the Flaherty is difficult of that, but again, just highlighting the way they approached their jobs).

For me, my single biggest criticism about Kay (and prepare yourself, there's a bunch of them coming up) is that he will forever have a pre-generated list of what he's going ot say for each seminole moment. When Jeter hits 3,000, when A-Rod hits 763, when Pettitte gets to 250, and so on, Michael Kay wil selfishly talk (and take) over the moment and try to create some sort of historical call that will live in infamy.

[GordonGecko]

Kenny is my favorite YES announcer. I just wished he was paired with someone other than John Flaherty this past week. Oh well.

Yeah Singleton is great, one of the most knowledgeable broadcasters out there

[tiscipa165]

Everytime I hear Kay's screeching "The Yankees win the game!" call from the Jeter dive into the stands game, I want to rip my ears out.

[ccsuwxman]

Everytime I hear Kay's screeching "The Yankees win the game!" call from the Jeter dive into the stands game, I want to rip my ears out.

"THAT HAS TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES YOU'LL EVER SEE!!!"

A truly over the top call.

[ccsuwxman]

For me, my single biggest criticism about Kay (and prepare yourself, there's a bunch of them coming up) is that he will forever have a pre-generated list of what he's going ot say for each seminole moment. When Jeter hits 3,000, when A-Rod hits 763, when Pettitte gets to 250, and so on, Michael Kay wil selfishly talk (and take) over the moment and try to create some sort of historical call that will live in infamy.

That would be a "seminal" moment. A "seminole" moment would involve a native American tribe from Florida, I would imagine. Or an overtime victory for the Florida State football team.

[fredgmuggs]

I like when Kay says the tension is palpable. Somehow I just can't picture the Scooter saying that.

[HelloNewman]

I still don't get this. I can't stand Sterling, but he's not particularly a homer.

Not in his play-by-play delivery, but in his "analysis." The day Javy Vazquez went 5.1 innings, 4 earned runs against the Angels, Sterling just couldn't stop talking about how well he pitched. He does that kind of thing all the time, exalting the mediocre as "fabulous."

[stazsanity]

That would be a "seminal" moment. A "seminole" moment would involve a native American tribe from Florida, I would imagine. Or an overtime victory for the Florida State football team.

I hole-heartedly apologize for my slip with homophone usage. Your correct to fix my grammar. I ashore you, it will not happen again. Sometimes, I forget to spell check my posts, and there spellings, and in the end, the overall affect they have on others may slip my mind. Its quite an abomination, really.

My bad. Did I just feed a troll? Couldn't help myself.

[Soriambi]

I've said before that I think Michael Kay is one of the better baseball play by play guys. He has his flaws, but if you listen to other announcers around the league, he's leaps and bounds better than most of them. I think we're fortunate to have him.

[yankeesjetsfan]

Kay's the lesser of two evils. Ill take him over Sterling anyday. Then again, we could always have Al Trautwig back. Lol.

Mike

[delv]

"THAT HAS TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES YOU'LL EVER SEE!!!"

A truly over the top call.

um, no. Do you remember that game? I watched a replay of it a few months ago. It was NUTS. JUST NUTS. Sheffield played 3rd base. A-Rod almost had a triple play. Jeter's dive. Tons of great defensive plays and crazy comebacks.

ETA: Flaherty's walkoff as a pinch-hitter. Nomar was the only position player still on the bench for either team---because he chose to sit out the game; it was disgusting. Giambi's pinchhit bid failing miserably because of his stomach virus. Incredible game.

[THEBOSS84]

um, no. Do you remember that game? I watched a replay of it a few months ago. It was NUTS. JUST NUTS. Sheffield played 3rd base. A-Rod almost had a triple play. Jeter's dive. Tons of great defensive plays and crazy comebacks.

ETA: Flaherty's walkoff as a pinch-hitter. Nomar was the only position player still on the bench for either team---because he chose to sit out the game; it was disgusting. Giambi's pinchhit bid failing miserably because of his stomach virus. Incredible game.

Sickkkkk game.

Also, it's "That's one of the greatest games you will ever see!!"

I remember A-rod looping a throw from 3b over the head of the runner heading home, just in time to nail him at the plate. From his knees.

[wexy]

Thanks goodness for that Kidde CO detector.

[Yankees Empire]

He would be a lot better if he called a baseball game instead of hosting a talk show with baseball in the background.

I know I'm pulling this from a ways back in this thread but I think this is spot on.

It's not just Kay that's guilty of this- it's a phenomenon prevalent throughout the game. Broadcasters feel the need to fill EVERY second of air time with prattle (I guess they're afraid people will change the channel if there's a nanosecond of silence). As a result, we are treated to inane anecdotes or stats which don't really have anything to do with anything ("Derek Jeter has set a record for most hits collected after the playing of Cotton Eye'd Joe!! What a moment!!!").

This is made more acute by the three man booth. Everybody feels the need to get their 2 cents in on everything so as a result, we are treated with wall-to-wall prattle.

EDIT: And to answer the original question, I find Michael Kay tolerable most of the time and grating the rest of the time.

[CoyoteYankee]

um, no. Do you remember that game? I watched a replay of it a few months ago. It was NUTS. JUST NUTS. Sheffield played 3rd base. A-Rod almost had a triple play. Jeter's dive. Tons of great defensive plays and crazy comebacks.

ETA: Flaherty's walkoff as a pinch-hitter. Nomar was the only position player still on the bench for either team---because he chose to sit out the game; it was disgusting. Giambi's pinchhit bid failing miserably because of his stomach virus. Incredible game.

It was a fantastic game. One of the best regular season games in recent memory. Some other moments...A-Rod's throw home. Manny hitting the HR in the top of the 13th to break the tie and Ortiz putting cups on his ears after that in a taunting manner to the crowd. Then the unlikely heroes of Miguel Cairo and John Flaherty who win the game with 2 outs. Just a crazy, awesome game.

[ccsuwxman]

It was a fantastic game. One of the best regular season games in recent memory. Some other moments...A-Rod's throw home. Manny hitting the HR in the top of the 13th to break the tie and Ortiz putting cups on his ears after that in a taunting manner to the crowd. Then the unlikely heroes of Miguel Cairo and John Flaherty who win the game with 2 outs. Just a crazy, awesome game.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, Flaherty seems to have been afflicted with diarrhea of the mouth. But that's a story for a whole other thread...

[delv]

It was a fantastic game. One of the best regular season games in recent memory. Some other moments...A-Rod's throw home. Manny hitting the HR in the top of the 13th to break the tie and Ortiz putting cups on his ears after that in a taunting manner to the crowd. Then the unlikely heroes of Miguel Cairo and John Flaherty who win the game with 2 outs. Just a crazy, awesome game.

Oh man, crazy triple. And didn't he have another XBH before that, only to end up stranded?

[DEADSOX]

I can't stand him, but that being said, I'm a little upset I'm forced to watch the MASN feed tonight. At least you get Yankees talk/stats/banter when you listen to YES.

[RYMASTER or Ryan_Yankees]

Oh man, crazy triple. And didn't he have another XBH before that, only to end up stranded?

Yeah, leadoff triple in extras, I believe. Kay was definitely not using hyperbole when he said it was "one of the greatest games that you will ever see."