Flaherty Is a Terrible Announcer

[Let's Go Yanks]

People actually thought they didn't like each other?
wow.

I always thought their banter back and forth shtick was pretty obvious, they're trying to be funny like two friends who joke on one another whether they are funny or not is I assume up to you guys.

Same thing with Paul O'Neil and all the free food stuff, it's banter that Kay throws out there that is all in good fun.

Some people obviously take what they say announcing a little too seriously.

Flaherty and Kay's little spats on the air sound legitimately tension-filled to me, unlike Kay's schtick with any of the other announcers. Maybe it's true they really like each other underneath it all, but there have been many times when I've felt vicariously embarrassed from the awkwardness between them. I know I've said this earlier in the thread, but it's hard for me to see how others don't notice that there's often a certain tension between them that seems to go beyond Kay's usual schtick.

I didn't know people cared what the announcers said until I started consuming sports blogs/forums a couple of years ago around when I was about 18.

The beef I usually noticed was fans was with the national broadcasters specifically FOX, ESPN etc and their presumed bias which each teams fans think they have a bias against their team...

I could really care less I simply watch the games, obviously a lot of you do which is strange to me though I'm not judging.

Re: ESPN and Fox, I think it's definitely amusing how fans of every team think their broadcasters are biased against them. But yes, for me, the announcers are a huge part of watching a game on TV. When I watch, it's not just to watch the action unfold but to also hear what people who know more than me think about what's happening on the field.

[snapple]

The White Sox and the Tigers are pretty bad.

You don't like Rod and Mario?

[JL25and3]

You don't like Rod and Mario?

Half an inning of Charlie Sheen on Fox yesterday made me want to jab a pencil in my ear.

[sjanowsky]

Half an inning of Charlie Sheen on Fox yesterday made me want to jab a pencil in my ear.

Unfortunately you would have still seen him on screen, as opposed to what was happening on the field.

As much as we complain about Kay et al., the Fox games are usually much worse.

[Hitman23]

I didn't know people cared what the announcers said until I started consuming sports blogs/forums a couple of years ago around when I was about 18.

Personally, I could really care less I simply watch the games, obviously a lot of you do which is strange to me though I'm not judging.

Though the complaints I usually notice is fan complaining about the national broadcasters specifically FOX, ESPN etc and their presumed bias which each teams fans think they have a bias against their team...

It's very difficult to ignore the voice on the tv unless you've muted it. And when you hear the level of crap that comes out you tend to notice it. You hear the same things over and over and over again night in and night out. So having a catch phrase just grates on your skin.

People complain the Yanks hit too many home runs and it's what they rely on. The only thing negative about a Yankee home run I see is either "see ya!" or one of Sterling's dandy little contributions. If I were a White Sox fan I'd have shot myself in the head by now.

[Panamaniac42]

Paul "I don't give a crap about my job" O'Neill actually just asked Kay to "explain the chicken thing". What has he been doing for the last 3 days?

[JL25and3]

On Esmil Rogers: "If you had told me his first name, I never would have guessed that his last name was Rogers."

[Sparky]

Re: ESPN and Fox, I think it's definitely amusing how fans of every team think their broadcasters are biased against them. But yes, for me, the announcers are a huge part of watching a game on TV. When I watch, it's not just to watch the action unfold but to also hear what people who know more than me think about what's happening on the field.

How often do baseball announcers mention something that would cause most of us here to say to ourselves, "wow, I didn't know or think of that"?

[JL25and3]

How often do baseball announcers mention something that would cause most of us here to say to ourselves, "wow, I didn't know or think of that"?

Cone and Leiter do it all the time.

[Eldee5]

Cone and Leiter do it all the time.

Agreed. I had posted this in the Cone thread a while back but there was one day at the stadium that it was windy and Cone went into the effect of the winds on the pitched ball. We always think about how the ball flies out of the park when the wind is blowing out or how the wind blowing in will inhibit HRs, but how many of us have ever really considered the effect of the wind on the ball getting to the plate and how pitchers have to make adjustments to compensate for it. For me, it was a "wow, I never thought of that" moment. (Maybe that's just me, but you get my point.) I definitely think that former pitchers are much better at giving this kind of info than the hitters are. Jim Kaat was good at this also.

[Hitman23]

Cone and Leiter do it all the time.

Which is why I like them. I like ex ballplayers from the current era talking during games. I could listen all day.

[Hitman23]

Paul "I don't give a crap about my job" O'Neill actually just asked Kay to "explain the chicken thing". What has he been doing for the last 3 days?

Whatever the hell he wants.

I wish this chicken thing would go away. It's so friggin ridiculous. It being named Jerry Seinfeld brought it back to life again. Go away!!!

[35Knucklecurve]

Whatever the hell he wants.

I wish this chicken thing would go away. It's so friggin ridiculous. It being named Jerry Seinfeld brought it back to life again. Go away!!!

So you want everybody to shut the cluck up, right?

[Hitman23]

So you want everybody to shut the cluck up, right?

[Sparky]

Which is why I like them. I like ex ballplayers from the current era talking during games. I could listen all day.

Could you listen to Flaherty all day?

[Hitman23]

Could you listen to Flaherty all day?

Well yeah of course. He caught some brilliant pitchers in his career. I would talk to pretty much any MLB player. I have no issue with Flaherty.

[Sparky]

Well yeah of course. He caught some brilliant pitchers in his career. I would talk to pretty much any MLB player. I have no issue with Flaherty.

Off the air? Absolutely. I think he's got some interesting opinions that he doesn't give on the air. On the air? I'll pass on Flash. But, you know that already.

Yeah, I meant on the air as an announcer, not at a bar

[b-ball-lunachick]

Off the air? Absolutely. I think he's got some interesting opinions that he doesn't give on the air. On the air? I'll pass on Flash. But, you know that already.

He's probably my least favorite but he's not so bad that I can't listen to him or anything...I think people here are kind of tough on our announcers - when I listen to most other broadcasts, other than Boston or the Mets, most I can't even listen to..


btw - since this thread seems to have turned into talk about all our announcers...I was laughing out loud at Piniella saying that Nelson made him look bad on OTD and that he was pissed about it for a few days. I love Lou...

[NoodleRay]

He's not actually terrible, but he plays the hard ass no non-sense guy, that is super critical against everyone as if every hitting situation that's talked about is the same in every aspect, in comparison to himself.. Yet we know it's not.

My opinion of him is that he is too critical and shows jealousy of players, and talks as if he were in the same class or comes across like his career is equal to Johnny Bench's. I understand that he tries to be honest, but he comes across as dull with no sense of hummer. He also seems to make his co-workers a little uncomfortable, with his tough talk. Depending apon who they are, maybe he is tough but show a little variety, make us like you that might work a bit better...

[Shadoux101]

YOu should listen to the away broadcast I sometimes am forced to watch. All terrible.

I live in Charlotte, NC. Apparently, the following teams have blackout rights here. Even in the Yanks are playing Baltimore in NY, I can't watch the game on MLB.tv.

Baltimore
Atlanta
Reds
Washington

[JL25and3]

This is about Kay, not Flaherty, but it's the closest I can find right now.

Kay just said that tonight's game is sold out. If tonight hadn't been sold out, he said, you could have said that last night was a Verlander effect, because it was such a huge crowd. "People sure do come out to watch him pitch."

But..but..Michael...oh, never mind.

[JDPNYY]

Flaherty is still terrible though.

[JL25and3]

But, at least for one night, he is demonstrably not the stupidest person in the booth.

[JDPNYY]

But, at least for one night, he is demonstrably not the stupidest person in the booth.

He's not stupid, he's just a terrible announcer.

[Principessa21]

I'm only mentioning this since this thread was bumped and it seems to be an appropriate place, but I decided to listen to the mlb network broadcast and Jim Kaat is AWFUL. I remember when he was with the Yankees and liked him. Maybe I was young and naive because he's been pretty bad.