Does this type of broadcasting bother you

[Halldan1]

I always wondered how others felt with blatantly home team rooting announcers.

Hey, I understand that all these guys want the home team to win but as a huge Yankee rooter I was never a big fan of Phil Rizzutto and always strongly preferred listening to someone like Jim Katt.

Baseball’s biggest homer retiring from broadcast booth
By Associated Press







CHICAGO — White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, a colorful character known for his folksy sayings and unbridled enthusiasm for his longtime team, will retire after working 20 games next year in his 34th season in the booth.

The 75-year-old Harrelson, who also was an announcer for the Yankees, played in the majors for nine seasons with four teams and served as Chicago’s general manager for a short time. He will work primarily Sunday home dates in 2018. After he finishes his TV duties, he will serve as a team ambassador for the 2019 season.

“There’s not a better organization in baseball than the Chicago White Sox,” Harrelson said before Chicago’s 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. “It’s just that simple. You can tie us but you can’t beat us. To be in the situation I’ve been in, I’ve been blessed to have been in this situation for all these years. Do the math. Go figure.”

Harrelson began his broadcasting career with the Red Sox in 1975. He moved to Chicago in 1982, partnering with Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale. After stints as the White Sox GM and broadcast work with the Yankees and NBC, he returned to the White Sox booth in 1990.

During the 1987–1988 seasons, Harrelson was the play-by-play man for New York Yankees games on SportsChannel New York.

Harrelson’s long tenure with the White Sox has produced several beloved sayings on the South Side of Chicago. There is “You Can Put It On the Board, Yes!” for White Sox home runs, and “He Gone” after a White Sox pitcher gets a strikeout. “Mercy” also is used frequently.


The White Sox gave out a Hawk Harrelson alarm clock with some of his sayings for a home game this year, and it was one of their most popular promotions of the season.

“There will never be another personality in the booth quite like Hawk Harrelson,” White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a release.

 

[SHUSource]

I don't mind them, and even prefer having an old-time homer in the booth, but exclusively for baseball, and only on the local telecasts. And they have to provide that folksy, familiar, almost familial feel to the booth to balance out the more professional play-by-players.

Think about it: Baseball seasons last 162 games, and straight analysis on a hot day in August (particularly on the radio) doesn't always go down well. They need to have fun, familiar, friendly relationships with fans who watch and listen, so it works to have a Hawk Harrelson or Scooter or some other revered team elder there to keep it on that level.

Kaat is terrific, but to me, the best that booth ever was were the days of Scooter, Bill White, and Frank Messer.

 

[cernjSHU]

Could not agree with you more about Jim Kaat. He was a knowledgeable baseball guy who was a great listen. I don't mind the homers unless they are ridiculous and are not balanced out. For example, I cannot stand listening to John Sterling and Susan Waldman even though I am a Yankee fan.

However, I did enjoy Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer. Rizzuto was balanced with Bill White. That worked.

And although I am not a Mets fan, I loved listening to Bob Murphy.

 

[Shuathelete]

i watch a lot of hockey and hate sam rosen as an out of market fan. if i was a rangers fan it would be awesome but man

 

[Shuathelete]

JC's own Tommy Heinsohn is a homer i love to listen to because hes so absurd. especially when calling a game with lebron.

 

[anon_4htvdezyfe7k9]

As long as the announcer has some sort of credibility to me, I don't have a problem with it, and generally find it amusing and the broadcasts more entertaining because of it. It also helps that I only hear most of them in moderation, either through the free MLB package games that are available throughout the year, or through watching highlights of their games.

Cubs and White Sox games are on that WGN channel, or used to be, and Hawk used to annoy the crap out of me, but I watched the MLB Network documentary about him a few years ago and gained a whole new perspective and appreciation for him. He's got some pretty amazing stories from his playing days.

 

[SHUSource]

For example, I cannot stand listening to John Sterling and Susan Waldman even though I am a Yankee fan.

This is not because they're homers. It's because they're just both terrible at what they do.

 

[Halldan1]

The homer question comes up here because Harrelson was debated on YES yesterday and both sides were taken into account. Kaye didn't like it and noted that he is aware that Harrelson and the White Sox GM are so close they actually are seen before games playing cards and with that type of connection a disservice is being done to the fan because of the brutal bias they are going to hear from the TV and radio booth.

 

[cernjSHU]

This is not because they're homers. It's because they're just both terrible at what they do.

lol, that is true.

 

[SHUSource]

Kaye didn't like it and noted that he is aware that Harrelson and the White Sox GM are so close they actually are seen before games playing cards and with that type of connection a disservice is being done to the fan because of the brutal bias they are going to hear from the TV and radio booth.

That's ironic, since Kay is a broadcaster employed by a network owned by the team whose games he's calling, which is why his own commentary is slanted heavily in favor of the Yankees - especially on the business end. Does he ever say a word about their dwindling attendance and the fact that those plum seats behind home plate a regularly empty? He sure does when the Yanks are on the road. He's been forceably cast as a combo play-by-play man and PR shill for his employer. Next to that, Hawk Harrelson playing cards with the team's GM seems like small potatoes.

 

[lr591902]

I absolutely I loved listening to the Scooter growing up. I did not care that he was unabashed Yankee fan. He had a great insight into the game. I met Phil several years ago as we belonged to the same golf club at the time. It took all of my courage to go up to him and thank him for all of the enjoyment he gave me over the years. I have heard the Hawk several times and believe that I would enjoy any game he does also.

 

[Stevie_H]

JC's own Tommy Heinsohn is a homer i love to listen to because hes so absurd. especially when calling a game with lebron.

You get a Tommy point for that. Tommy is such a homer, a Celtic could rip an opponents arm off and begin to eat it on the court, and Tommy would complain that the Celtic barely touched him. Johnny Most was absurd as well. I prefer balance in my broadcasters. Give me the real scoop.

 

[SAYSOSIMON]

I always wondered how others felt with blatantly home team rooting announcers.

Hey, I understand that all these guys want the home team to win but as a huge Yankee rooter I was never a big fan of Phil Rizzutto and always strongly preferred listening to someone like Jim Katt.

Baseball’s biggest homer retiring from broadcast booth
By Associated Press







CHICAGO — White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, a colorful character known for his folksy sayings and unbridled enthusiasm for his longtime team, will retire after working 20 games next year in his 34th season in the booth.

The 75-year-old Harrelson, who also was an announcer for the Yankees, played in the majors for nine seasons with four teams and served as Chicago’s general manager for a short time. He will work primarily Sunday home dates in 2018. After he finishes his TV duties, he will serve as a team ambassador for the 2019 season.

“There’s not a better organization in baseball than the Chicago White Sox,” Harrelson said before Chicago’s 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. “It’s just that simple. You can tie us but you can’t beat us. To be in the situation I’ve been in, I’ve been blessed to have been in this situation for all these years. Do the math. Go figure.”

Harrelson began his broadcasting career with the Red Sox in 1975. He moved to Chicago in 1982, partnering with Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale. After stints as the White Sox GM and broadcast work with the Yankees and NBC, he returned to the White Sox booth in 1990.

During the 1987–1988 seasons, Harrelson was the play-by-play man for New York Yankees games on SportsChannel New York.

Harrelson’s long tenure with the White Sox has produced several beloved sayings on the South Side of Chicago. There is “You Can Put It On the Board, Yes!” for White Sox home runs, and “He Gone” after a White Sox pitcher gets a strikeout. “Mercy” also is used frequently.


The White Sox gave out a Hawk Harrelson alarm clock with some of his sayings for a home game this year, and it was one of their most popular promotions of the season.

“There will never be another personality in the booth quite like Hawk Harrelson,” White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a release.

 

[SAYSOSIMON]

Dan, you're a real "huckleberry".

 

[Halldan1]

LOL.

I once remember Rizzuto starting off a Yankee broadcast saying I am Bill White and my partner here is Phil Rizzuto or something like that.

Because most understood he was old and fading, as well as being a very nice person he was able to say things that others would be put to task for saying.

 

[SHUSource]

I once remember Rizzuto starting off a Yankee broadcast saying I am Bill White and my partner here is Phil Rizzuto or something like that.

That's a classic, and I'm pretty sure it can be found on YouTube. I feel like I just saw it recently. Those guys were great together. Both were terrific ballplayers, too, but whose personalities were so different. But it worked. I was a kid, and less critical, I'm sure, but I know I'm not the only who recalls that team so fondly.

 

[hbkmyr]

 

[hbkmyr]

i watch a lot of hockey and hate sam rosen as an out of market fan. if i was a rangers fan it would be awesome but man

I'm a Rangers fan and I'm not so big on it. If fact, the homerism that the entire broadcast has annoys me. But as noted above, Dolan pays their bills so they won't be highly critical of the team.

I don't mind the homerism in baseball. Half these announcers have deep connections to the teams they broadcast. I think the SNY guys to a pretty good job of balancing the homerism and criticism.

 

[Shuathelete]

I'm a Rangers fan and I'm not so big on it. If fact, the homerism that the entire broadcast has annoys me. But as noted above, Dolan pays their bills so they won't be highly critical of the team.

I don't mind the homerism in baseball. Half these announcers have deep connections to the teams they broadcast. I think the SNY guys to a pretty good job of balancing the homerism and criticism.

In baseball you def need guys who love the team at heart. I admire the announcers of teams like the phillies, a's, padres etc that go out for 162 games and call the most god awful baseball and somehow look for positives.

My favorite, as a philly fan of course, Harry Kalas. RIP. Guy had so much joy.

 

[QueRico]

This is not because they're homers. It's because they're just both terrible at what they do.

If you want a real treat, turn the TV volume off & listen to the radio. You wouldn't recognize them as being same game.

I like homers for my team, but not against them . Also OK with them for games of random teams over generic announcers. I like to hear more than what's on the official prep sheet, even if it's one-sided

 

[donnie_baseball]

Agree with Source, being of the same generation, and a former Yankee fan, I loved watching Rizzuto/Messer/White on TV, and then hearing them swap to the radio side for bedtime.
Hearing this news, I recalled that I liked Hawk in the short time he was with the Yankees (though he was no Frank Messer). I also remembered him being a bit of a kook. I read the same report today about him, but not the truncated version that the NY rags carried. Here was a quote from the Chicago Sun-Times, which also reported his coming retirement:

“Living in the Eastern zone and working in the Central zone, after the games are getting longer, that makes my trip with my temper — semi-truck drivers and my temper don’t mix,” Harrelson said Wednesday. “Not at 3:30 in the morning, especially when it’s raining, because I’ve got an axe-handle in the back of my car along with some mace. And I’ve literally chased some of those guys before. I’m just glad I haven’t caught anybody because one of us would’ve been knocked out.”

 

[Vegas pj]

Show me a home team announcer who is not biased in favor of his team, and I'll show you a soon to be unemployed announcer for that team.

 

[TheBluePirate]

As a native Bostonian trapped in NJ, I couldn't listen to the Sox, but I got my pick of the local announcers. I came to love White and Rizzuto - couldn't care for the team at all - but the kindly gently palaver, the friendship, the story-telling mainly were wonderful.

I could put them on the radio or TV in the background, do something else, and enjoy the afternoon or evening in the basement or garage, puttering along.

 

[Halldan1]

Rizzutto might be a bad example of a homer type announcer. He was so likable and had such great chemistry with White that his miscalls and mistakes and droning about his friends and relatives were easily dismissed.

At times some of his calls were hilarious. I can't tell you how many times he would go into his (only for the Yankees) home run call and the result would simply be a can of corn to the outfield.

 

[PiratePride]

Could not agree with you more about Jim Kaat. He was a knowledgeable baseball guy who was a great listen. I don't mind the homers unless they are ridiculous and are not balanced out. For example, I cannot stand listening to John Sterling and Susan Waldman even though I am a Yankee fan.

However, I did enjoy Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer. Rizzuto was balanced with Bill White. That worked.

And although I am not a Mets fan, I loved listening to Bob Murphy.

John Stirling is the sbsolute worst. I hated his calls way back when he did the Islsnder games. When he started with the Yanks my head exploded.

Rizutto White and Messer... best combo. I liked Bobby Murcer too.

 

[Halldan1]

Surprised Jim Katt isn't getting a lot of love here.

IMO the best by far knowledgeable Yankee announcer I can remember. Not a ton of flash and dash, just substance. And maybe that doesn't appeal as much to the more folksy Rizzuto/White combo.

Katt in his time reminds me of Hubie Brown now announcing in the NBA.

 

[SHUSource]

I think Kaat is terrific. He's an asset to whatever booth he's in. I think there's room for someone like him, as well as a homer, on one broadcast team.

 

[hbkmyr]

To even the scale...i always enjoyed Ralph Kiner as a Mets fan...particularly Kiner's Korner on WWOR.

 

[2timealum]

Kiners corner was great. Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsay Nelson is my all time favorite. John sterling is just awful. His unfunny, contrived home runs calls sound so forced its uncomfortabe to even listen to.