Best Radio Announcers

[Dave Borton]

As an audio listener only, I dial in about 3-4 games a day. Curious to hear from other radio listeners:

• Who are your favorite announcers?
• Why do they appeal to you?
• Why you are radio rather than video?

Faves and Appeal

• Len Kasper/Darrin Jackson/WSox - Kasper has good pipes, very descriptive and Jackson educates me about ball better than any broadcaster out there.
• Ben Wagner/Blue Jays - Now that Dan Shulman has moved to video exclusively, Jays pair Wagner with multiple color analysts. Wagner does his homework, knows the opponents and paints good visuals. Very consistent broadcaster of a team which is fun to listen to,
• Dan Dickerson/Tigers - understated, descriptive, just right amount of stats. Inviting voice.
• Cory Provus/Twins - vastly improved since coming to 10,000 Lakes. Understands his listener and tries to compensate for a less than stellar partner.
• Pat Hughes/Cubs - nostalgic voice and approach to the game
• Ken Korach/As - good understanding of the game, descriptive. Best pipes in MLB.
• Jeff Brantley/Reds - good baseball education from a Southern drawl. Simplifies for me the pitcher's approach to the game.

Growing on me:

• John Sterling/Suzyn Weldman/Yanks 

Why radio in such a visual era?

I gave up on the cable years ago. We watch only PBS news on local broadcast and then only on Fridays. Love my Netflix.

I shiver every time MLB teases me with a new video offering. It is not cost. Non-issue. I am concerned that I will become immersed in the TV and use less time for reading, family, cooking, etc. With radio, I can do something while listening to the radio; gardening, coffee roasting, cooking, etc. 

Finally,, I grew up in the '50s. Nostalgia. The radio pulls me back in memories of listening to the Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland club, and the Yanks. I went so far to get a Hallicrafter radio so I could pick up the Dodgers when they moved from Brooklyn to LA.

 

[RpR]

I assume by radio, you are not speaking of old school, no computer, radio.

Years back before Bush killed old school radio broadcasts, I could , at night listen to stations and games hundres of miles away on AM at night.

Bush killed all that and now , I am seventy miles from the WCCO station and I have a hard time getting it at night, horrible fade in and out, where 50 years ago I would listen to it all the way home from Road America in Wisc.

[Dave Borton]

11 minutes ago, RpR said:

I assume by radio, you are not speaking of old school, no computer, radio.

 I mean MLB's At Bat coverage, both radio broadcast booths from each game. As a Vet, I think I pay $20/yr for it. 

I would love to read Audacy's contract w/MLB.

[Hondo Mahatma]

Hello fellow radio fan!

After a lifetime as an NFL fan, at the ripe age of 60 years old I finally, thankfully, discovered the joy of baseball.

As a Wisconsin native, part of my newly found fandom is due largely to listening to the truly great Bob Uecker and his classic announcer work for the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Living legend" is a over-used term, but Uecker is a living link all the way back to the 1950s era of baseball (he signed with Milwaukee Braves in 1956).  With a 67 year career he played or crossed paths with most of the greats, and Uecker speaks with a unique knowledge and insight about the game.  

Furthermore, Uecker is a truly funny person with a quick, self-effacing wit who can entertainingly fill the slow parts of a game like no one else in MLB broadcasting.  To see his comedic talent in action, just take a look on YouTube to see Uecker put Johnny Carson in stitches!

Uecker is that rare gem who is still sharp and vital at 89 years old.  And as life goes, who knows how much longer he will be gracing the airwaves... so I treasure every single game Bob Uecker calls. 

Bob Uecker is one of the greats of sports broadcasting - and in the same strata as Vin Scully, Harry Carey, and Phil Rizzuto.

To answer your third question, "why radio?"... I am a big fan of the golden age of radio, from the late '30s through the '60s.  Listening to games each day from all over the country on the MLB radio app (despite not being perfect) provides that same special "theatre of the mind" as those classic radio broadcasts.  

And like you, the audio-only approach allows me to multi-task and be active rather than sitting passively in front of a tv.

In closing, listening to baseball on the radio (by blu-toothing the audio stream from my iPhone to a vintage transistor radio), is one of the great, simple joys of the summer.  What fun!

Hondo

 

PS  The attached photo is Uecker at a 1964 World Series game - shagging pre-game fly balls with a tuba borrowed from the band!

[Teflon]

Of the current MLB teams, I'd give the nod to the Giants for having both the best TV announcers (Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow) and radio broadcasters. (Jon Miller, Dave Fleming.) Kuiper and Krukow are definite homers and a bit irreverent but you really get a sense of them being buddies and enjoying being at the ballpark together. Miller is, IMO, the classic play-by-play caller with an elegant style, a great voice and a handy trove of facts. It's refreshing to watch/listen to a Giants game and to not be subjected to the usual ex-player stock phrases or regurgitation of the team's game notes. The Giants are also bringing in some interesting new faces on TV with Javy Lopez and Hunter Pence.

PS - I really miss Herb Carneal. His voice was as much a part of my memory of summers past as the sound of the lake or the crickets at night.

[Dave Borton]

38 minutes ago, Teflon said:

Miller is, IMO, the classic play-by-play caller with an elegant style, a great voice and a handy trove of facts

I don't listen to that many Nat'l League games. I put the Giants on my to-do list, thanks.

[Dave Borton]

1 hour ago, Hondo Mahatma said:

...(Radio) provides that same special "theatre of the mind" as those classic radio broadcasts.

What a great, descriptive capturing phrase.

[CRF]

My radio experience is mainly limited to the NY and Philly markets. This was back in the 60's and 70's. When I was a kid it was Lindsay Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner for the Mets...and I was a die hard Mets fan. The Yankees had Frank Messer, Bill White, and Phil Rizzuto...I hated the Yanks and still do. Philly had Harry Kalas, Rich Ashburn, and Andy Musser. At night on AM radio from the NY area, I used to be able to get games at times from Det, Chi, Cleve, and StL. Not all the time, but sometimes. Can't remember who all the announcers were...Det had Ernie Harwell, Cleve had Herb Score. Those two I remember. I fell asleep many a night listening to one game or another on my old AM radio. Didn't move to Mn until 82, and then I had the pleasure of listening to Herb Carneal. 

[IndianaTwin]

Good comments, throughout. Thanks for a good conversation. 

 

[IndianaTwin]

Random comments...

1. Agree on the cheap MLB app being a great deal. 
2. Also have chosen not to go with the TV app because of the temptation to spend too much time watching and doing nothing else.
3. I do try to multitask with the radio, but could do better. The entertainment of many Game Threads suck me in, but I can sometimes sorta triple-task with radio, TD GT and another item.
4. I don't listen to many of the others, but I definitely consider Hughes' recent honor at the HOF to be deserved. Because of my son, I listen to him with some regularly. Coomer is growing on me as an analyst, but they still don't have the magic for me that the Hughes/Santo team had. It's relatively easy for me to hear Hughes' mentorship of Provus when Provus describes the uniforms. 
5. The main time I listen to other broadcasters is during the 4th-6th inning of Twins games. 😃
6. I've really liked Kasper in the past, but I can't bring myself to listen to the Sox. 
7. Though I've only listened to him a few times, I've enjoyed hearing Wagner regularly being affirmed. He graduated from the next high school over and got his start doing high school games at the behest of a guy I know well. 

Edit to add: 

8. I've heard really good things about Jackson, but I'm finding it hard to give him a chance. I think his first gig was as Hawk Harrelson's color guy, and he was really bad. In retrospect, I'm not sure how much of that was his inexperience and how much was being stuck with Hawk. Hawk was not only bad himself, but he did not have the ability to bring the best out of his partner. Conversely, that's part of why I like their current TV guy, Jason Benetti, so much. I didn't care for Steve Stone when he was paired with Hawk, but Benetti sets him up so well to bring his insights to the game that it makes me now like Stone quite a bit. 

[Dave Borton]

3 hours ago, CRF said:

When I was a kid it was Lindsay Nelson...

In my mind, I visualize him in his plaid jacket.

"... Frank Messer, Bill White, and Phil Rizzuto...I hated the Yanks and still do..."

Rizzuto drove me crazy. Nails on a chalk board (not a white board). Liked Bill White a great deal.

I too hated the Yanks and still do. I was raised in upstate New York (Niagara Falls area, on Canadian border). Before we could go to communion on Sunday, an usher would ask us, "Do you hate the Yanks and renounce all the things they do on the diamond..." One answer to that one.

I remember Red Barber (I worked with his niece) and Mel Allen. If I am not mistaken, the TV broadcast was the audio we got on the radio. They didn't divvy up the broadcasts like they do today.

"...At night on AM radio from the NY area, I used to be able to get games at times from Det.....Det had Ernie Harwell,"

When we went out to my Uncle's farm in Michigan, still can see him sitting in his truck listening to the Tigers and Harwell, smoking his Winstons out of the sight of my Aunt and her nagging at his habit. 

"Cleve had Herb Score..." 

Herb Score came on the scene when I was in high school. Ken Coleman was the voice of Cleveland for 20 some years and the one I remember better. 

[Dave Borton]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

I've really liked Kasper in the past, but I can't bring myself to listen to the Sox. 

I miss Farm(er). I dropped Darrin Jackson a note of condolence and thanks for the broadcast when Farmer died. In his response, Jackson talked about calling games with Farmer but added how he missed Farm as a friend, from the years where they worked the booth together. 

[IndianaTwin]

4 minutes ago, davidborton said:

I miss Farm(er). I dropped Darrin Jackson a note of condolence and thanks for the broadcast when Farmer died. In his response, Jackson talked about calling games with Farmer but added how he missed Farm as a friend, from the years where they worked the booth together. 

I should have clarified that when I've liked Kasper in the past, it was when he was doing Cubs TV. I've not listened to him regularly on the radio side. 

[Dave Borton]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

I didn't care for Steve Stone

I loved Steve Stone, paired with Harry on the radio. Lived in Wisconsin at the time and picked up WGN.

[Jocko87]

I’ve loved baseball on the radio since sneaking Herb Carneal under the pillow after bedtime. Crazy what we thought we were getting away with as kids. I worked at the radio station in the evenings with John Gordon prior to streaming and grew up with 1.5 TV channels.  I discovered XM streaming with a TV feed when TBS started doing postseason.  Vin Scully radio while watching the TV feed is magical. Directv pause plus a 7.5 count was a perfect sync. 

Provus is very good, in the Carneal mold. I’m so glad the Twins have a good radio guy. I listened to the draft on radio while driving and they played radio calls for highlights. So many bad calls highlight how hard it is.  Even several pro guys are just hard to listen to. 

The Yankees announcers are very good as well.  It’s easy to gets a weird feel from the Sterling home run calls but they do a very good job if you listen to the broadcast instead of sound bites. When the Twins lit up Jhony Brito in April I was listening to them and watching on TV. It was very impressive how they were able to fill time because they had done their homework on the Twins. Talking to the wall is hard.

[Schmoeman5]

I feel fortunate to have lived in the midwest. On most nights I could pick up games from St. Louis who had both Jack Buck and Harry Caray. Detroit had a 50,000 watt station. They told you that every 5 minutes that featured Ernie Harwell and George Kell. Pirate games came in too. They had Bob Prince. I tried to catch every Clemente at bat. The other team that came through was Cleveland. If Tiant or Sam McDowell were pitching Bob Neal would describe Tiants quirky motion and McDowells fastball could knock down walls. Typical game by him would be 4 or 5 hits with 4 or 5 walks and double digit strikeouts that would result in a 2-1 loss. Or so it seemed. I know the Cubs played during the day but I don't remember getting Cubs or White Sox games. I didn't like them anyhow.  Since we only got 1 game a week on TV. Which was awesome. But radio was king. TV was black and white and fuzzier than you could imagine if you never saw it.

[Dave Borton]

5 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Since we only got 1 game a week on TV. Which was awesome. But radio was king. TV was black and white and fuzzier than you could imagine if you never saw it.

Saturday afternoon game on CBS in Western NY during the '50s. Ol' Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese. I remember him once saying "and the guy slud into 2nd." Also remember him singing a verse from "Wabash Cannonball." Try that Kris Atteberry.

 

[Dave Borton]

Good game to listen to 3 good announcers.

WSox vs Cleve, Kasper/Johnson vs Tom Hamilton

I forgot to mention Hamilton as a fave above. Old school voice and enthusiasm, shades of Mel Allen. Knows baseball. Homer but personality diminishes it and you know going in.

Fun game. On now, 11am. Now, I need to get lunch started for kids, son-in-law, grandson, and me bride.

[Nine of twelve]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:59 PM, Teflon said:

Of the current MLB teams, I'd give the nod to the Giants for having both the best TV announcers (Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow) and radio broadcasters. (Jon Miller, Dave Fleming.) Kuiper and Krukow are definite homers and a bit irreverent but you really get a sense of them being buddies and enjoying being at the ballpark together. Miller is, IMO, the classic play-by-play caller with an elegant style, a great voice and a handy trove of facts. It's refreshing to watch/listen to a Giants game and to not be subjected to the usual ex-player stock phrases or regurgitation of the team's game notes. The Giants are also bringing in some interesting new faces on TV with Javy Lopez and Hunter Pence.

PS - I really miss Herb Carneal. His voice was as much a part of my memory of summers past as the sound of the lake or the crickets at night.

Jon Miller correctly pronounces Hispanic names, so well that I wouldn't be surprised if he's fluent. Unfortunately, such is not the case with the Twins' radio analyst.

[RGilroy]

On 8/6/2023 at 12:59 AM, Hondo Mahatma said:

Hello fellow radio fan!

After a lifetime as an NFL fan, at the ripe age of 60 years old I finally, thankfully, discovered the joy of baseball.

As a Wisconsin native, part of my newly found fandom is due largely to listening to the truly great Bob Uecker and his classic announcer work for the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Living legend" is a over-used term, but Uecker is a living link all the way back to the 1950s era of baseball (he signed with Milwaukee Braves in 1956).  With a 67 year career he played or crossed paths with most of the greats, and Uecker speaks with a unique knowledge and insight about the game.  

Furthermore, Uecker is a truly funny person with a quick, self-effacing wit who can entertainingly fill the slow parts of a game like no one else in MLB broadcasting.  To see his comedic talent in action, just take a look on YouTube to see Uecker put Johnny Carson in stitches!

Uecker is that rare gem who is still sharp and vital at 89 years old.  And as life goes, who knows how much longer he will be gracing the airwaves... so I treasure every single game Bob Uecker calls. 

Bob Uecker is one of the greats of sports broadcasting - and in the same strata as Vin Scully, Harry Carey, and Phil Rizzuto ,about whom even students write their papers, that I found when reading this article https://knovhov.com/life-of-foreign-students-in-western-universities/ .

To answer your third question, "why radio?"... I am a big fan of the golden age of radio, from the late '30s through the '60s.  Listening to games each day from all over the country on the MLB radio app (despite not being perfect) provides that same special "theatre of the mind" as those classic radio broadcasts.  

And like you, the audio-only approach allows me to multi-task and be active rather than sitting passively in front of a tv.

In closing, listening to baseball on the radio (by blu-toothing the audio stream from my iPhone to a vintage transistor radio), is one of the great, simple joys of the summer.  What fun!

Hondo

 

PS  The attached photo is Uecker at a 1964 World Series game - shagging pre-game fly balls with a tuba borrowed from the band!

Audio really helps to stay active, totally agree.

[Dave Borton]

John Sterling, Yanks announcer, is retiring immediately due to health concerns.

He is 85 and is being honored on Saturday which suggests serious prognosis.

 

https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/sports/news/york-yankees-radio-play-play-214452914.html

[Dave Borton]

With the Reds rolling into town, suggest turning on WLW radio (Cinci) and listen to Jeff Brantley do color for them.

Gives a good education of baseball, very descriptive, offers you the insights of a former pitcher. and his Alabama voice takes me back to the 4 years I lived in the Cotton State.

 

[Dave Borton]

On 4/15/2024 at 8:04 PM, Dave Borton said:

John Sterling, Yanks announcer, is retiring immediately due to health concerns.

He is 85 and is being honored on Saturday which suggests serious prognosis.

 

https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/sports/news/york-yankees-radio-play-play-214452914.html

Well, I'll be. Sterling does an encore in October, coming back to announce Yanks post-season.

https://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/suzyn-waldman-john-sterling-postseason-return-yankees-broadcast-booth.html

I will admit to telling my sister in law that women in the booth were difficult for this dinosaur to listen to (Jessica Mendoza, an exception). But with time, SWeldman has grown on me. What I like is that she has an uncanny ability to get clubhouse info which we, in this market, never get on our own team. <Crickets>.

[Dave Borton]

John Sterling has come out of retirement to call the Yankees post-season game. Enjoyable.

Problem with Yankees radio is that it is jammed with ads. You can see how they generate so much revenue. It is excessive.

• This inning brought to you by Nissan. Visit your metro Nissan deal thruout the NYC metro area today.
• Commitment shown on the field is like the commitmnt of 1st Bank of Manhattan, where all your banking needs...
• That strike reminds me of the strike given to you by The International Longshoremen's Association at the Port...