Last week’s “baseball scoreboards” article listed the top 4 broadcasters in MLB history, and in this week’s baseball scoreboards feature, I will take a look at the bottom 4 most annoying broadcasters ever. These are the broadcasters who should not ever have been handed a mic during a baseball game, and the ones who make is think, if they got that dream job, why can’t I?!
4 – Tim McCarver – one has to wonder how a 3-time Emmy Award winner for best sports event analyst ended up on this side of the list? The answer might lie in the fact that McCarver is not a specialist baseball commentator or announcer. Over the span of his broadcasting career, he has covered everything from being a color commentator for MLB to being the announcer for the freestyle skiing event at the Winter Olympics in 1988. He has had stints as a game caller for the Phillies, Mets, Yankees and Giants. His nature to grossly over analyze things during a game is the primary reason he is on this list. Norman Chad criticized McCarver best in a Sport Illustrated issue “when you ask him the time, he will tell you how a watch works.”
3 – Joe Morgan – a Hall of Famer in 1990, “lil joe” was considered as the best second baseman in MLB history. Fast forward a few years, and he is considered one of the most frustrating commentators and analysts to listen to. He started his career with the Cincinnati Reds, then became the announcer for the Giants and later, for the Oakland Athletics for one season. His opinions and analysis are often confusing and sometimes even biased. His analysis of the game sound dry, detached, dull, humorless and aloof, which is why the media and bloggers constantly bashed Joe Morgan and the ESPN for keeping him for 21 seasons.
2 – Hawk Harrelson – Harrelson began his broadcasting career with the Red Sox in 1975, but was fired in 1981 for making critical comments about the decisions made by the co-owner of the Red Sox. From 82-85 he was an announcer for the White Sox and later became the team’s manager. However, due to his unprofessional behavior and questionable decisions he was removed after a single season. Since 1990, he has been the main announcer for the White Sox. He is extremely biased towards the White Sox and comes off as over-enthusiastic, something which soon starts to grate on the ears.
1 – Jon Sterling – and the top “bottom” spot goes to Jon Sterling. He is the play by play radio announcer for the Yankees, and has announced every one of their games since 1989. He started his career by broadcasting for the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA. Fans see his broadcasting as “over the top” and dislike his homerun calls. Phil Mushnik criticizes Sterling for his inaccurate calls, whilst Jim Norton regularly mocks the nicknames Sterling has given to players.
For more information on MLB broadcasters, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_Major_League_Baseball_broadcasters