Brian Anderson's Job Stability

[brewerguy71]

Does anyone else think (or wish) that Brian Anderson gets replaced next year on the Brewer television broadcasts?

 

Last year I felt he did a very good job. But this year, he has gotten a lot like Daron Sutton (homer) and I feel has slipped in his play by play work on the tv broadcasts. Does anyone else think this? The reason I bring this up is because I am a firm believer in the old baseball standard "no cheering in the press box", and Anderson has definitely forgotten that mantra this year, in my opinion. He tends to get VERY excited over deep fly balls, good defensive plays, etc...things that a good play by play man shouldnt do.

[wallus]

As what has been said many times, BA and Rock are much much better than the average tv guy. I think we should be concerned with him leaving for another team if anything.

[Brian the Automator]

because I am a firm believer in the old baseball standard "no cheering in the press box", and Anderson has definitely forgotten that mantra this year, in my opinion. He tends to get VERY excited over deep fly balls, good defensive plays, etc...things that a good play by play man shouldnt do.

Honestly, is it any different from Ueck's or JP's PBP calling? I guess I would expect the PBP person for the home team to call the game differently for their team. I'm a believer in "no cheering in the press box" as well, but they're not in the press box with the AP people and the beat writers where it's much more noticable.

 

I can't remember an announcer in Brewers history that wasn't more excitable in play-calling for their own team.

[1992casey]

You can be a homer and still be objective. I think both the radio and TV teams are good that way.

 

I think the point is valid about Brian exaggerating things like what's "close" to a home run. I certainly wouldn't fire a guy over stuff like that, though. I'd encourage him to adjust how he calls those plays.

[BuckyBrewer61]

I have to disagree. I know there are a fair amount of people that don't care for Brian, or Bill, or both. I personally think they're great. I think Brian is a solid play-by-play guy and has really grown into a good partership with Bill. I think baseball announcers have one of the toughest jobs in sports media. If you listen to anyone for 3 hours, everyday, for 6 months, you're bound to find something to pick on about them. As others have said, listen to some other local broadcaster (for example, those for both teams directly to the south), and I think you'll realize we've got a pretty good duo, at least IMO.

 

On the subject of Brian being a bit of a fan in the pressbox, I think he's just about right. It's a local broadcast being followed by Brewer fans. If a big play is made, why shouldn't he be getting the audience excited? At least he's not like some announcers that just yell pointless exclamations like "YES!" like their watching the game from the couch. Besides, you know FSN brass has their finger on how they announce the game, when things are going good or bad. How many times does Yost make a bad decision, or a player fail to execute, and Brian and Bill make sly little comments like they want to call someone out but know they're not supposed to.

 

"Boy, Yost is showing a lot of confidence in Gagne here..."

 

"Hall fails to move the runner over to third and now there's one out."

 

I personally love those moments.

[Beast Light]

If anyone should be fearful of losing their job, it would be Davey Nelson. I really like the guy and want to see him do well but he is absolutely horrible on TV. He usually doesn't make any sense and in the few instances where he does, he merely states the obvious. It is also painful to listen to him stumble over his own words.

 

He just seems to be too nervous. I bet he would do better if he had a few beers before going on the air.

[ELCABALLO45]

Anderson has nothing to worry about, he is doing great.

 

He is leaps and bounds ahead of Len Kasper on the Cubs side as well.

[Robideaux]

There is no cheering in the press box, but the radio and tv guys don't work out of the press box. They've got their own little rooms down the hall where they can pontificate without bothering the herd of print guys feverishly trying to finish their game reports by the 7th inning (I kid...sorta). Homerism is not out of bounds for the broadcast media guys...in fact it goes back a long way.

 

For example, Russ Hodges, the Giants announcer, 'shot heard round the world' in 1951, perhaps the most famous call of all-time:

 

"Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe -- The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy! They're going crazy! Oh-ho!"

 

Not a whole lot of restraint there. No, it's only us print guys who are supposed to be emotionless automatons during the games.

[2008 world champs]

Ah yes, Len Kasper......I love impersonating him and his whiny voice ....cubsssss winnnnnnnn.. (those who have heard it obviously know exactly what i mean by that) he sounds like he is hitting puberty. it is pretty funny but then i remember oh crap the cubs just won and now they are gonna sing that awful song. quick, find the remote... anyways, brian, if by some chance you do read this. i like the job you are doing but you need to shut up during no hitters.

[pitchleague]

If you listen to anyone for 3 hours, everyday, for 6 months, you're bound to find something to pick on about them.

Yeah, just look at us on this board. We "see" each other every day and find things to "pick on" all the time. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

On topic, I've said it once, and I'll say it again: for those people that complain about our announcers, I defy you to watch an entire television (or listen to an entire radio) broadcast of the Pittsburgh Pirates and not turn the channel or do anything else but watch the game. Seriously. It is impossible unless you are a Bucco homer. The "highlights" that they played last Sunday morning on XM's recap of the Brewers victory last Saturday were "hilarious" in how bad they were.

 

This "challenge" also applies to the following teams: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, and several others, I'm sure.

 

Brian Anderson is a homer, to be sure. But he's not as much as Ron Santo, the White Sox knuckleheads (Hawk especially).

 

Another cool thing to try sometime is set up a karaoke machine by your television one night and--no drinking allowed--do the play-by-play and/or color commentary (even better if you do this with a buddie) with the television muted. Oh, and record it, too--either audio tape (some karaoke machines do this) or video tape. Then, take a listen/look at it a few days later. You'll be amazed at some of the dumb things you will say while trying this art out. Oh, and if you are a big Brewer fan (you're on this site, so I would assume that you are) you'll be doubly amazed at how many "homer-ish" things you say--especially in a particularly exciting point of the game.

 

It's not easy, folks.

 

Sincerely,

 

A former PBP guy

 

No, really.

[MadisonBrewerBlue]

i always find it interesting that people don't like people that they don't even know

[zzzmanwitz]

But this year, he has gotten a lot like Daron Sutton (homer) and I feel has slipped in his play by play work on the tv broadcasts.

 

I miss Darron Sutton a lot, but I would not replace BA with him. Rock needs to go though. I just really don't understand half the things he says. I'm not saying I can do a better job or that there aren't worse guys out there. I just want to listen to something different.

[PeaveyFury]

i always find it interesting that people don't like people that they don't even know

 

Not sure why that would factor into it at all. I'm sure no one dislikes Schroeder or Anderson (or Kasper or whomever) personally or in any way outside of as a baseball announcer. Since we know them as baseball announcers, I think people can not like them in that role without having to know them personally.

 

Now, if the question is whether you'd let Brian Anderson date your sister or something, then you'd be right on.

[Cracked Bat Collector]

He's no Vasgersian and is kind of dry in some ways but he does a good job in my opinion. If you want a good example of a bad announcer/commentator who definitely does the cheering that they don't want just listen to the scrubs pathetic announcer Ron Santos. He basically sounds like a drunk fan in the booth most of the time.

[Bring Back the Stein]

I'd put this in the "be careful what you wish for" category. With the MLB package, I hear much, much, much worse.

[Darnell Junior]

Brian Anderson has a very thin grasp on the game of baseball.

[SeriesFinale]

He's not good, but I don't think he's terrible as a standard-issue PBP guy.

 

I'd really rather see Rock get replaced, if I've gotta be honest. He's supposed to be the "personality" and if he (or at least his on-air demeanor) was sitting next to me at the bar I'd probably move a stool or two down.

 

My Favorites: the Mets and Rockies' guys; it's hard to beat the Giants and Dodgers' guys though

 

My least favorites: the Marlins' guys

 

Ours are somewhere in the bottom third.

[jeffy]

On the homerism issue, this is a local broadcast and my understanding has always been that the announcers are supposed to be fans of the team of a sort. This should only mean that they want the Brewers to win, not be biased in their play calling or be like listening to a fan in the stands (ala Santo). I'm no big fan of Brian and Bill, but they mostly do well in this regard.

 

The only other local announcing team I have seen often enough to form an opinion on would be the Cubs. Now they are homers all the way. A good example of the difference is the reaction to replays, Brian and Bill are honest about what they see. They will say things like: "the Brewers got a break there" when a wrong call favors the Brewers or "could have gone either way", when it is really to close to call or even when it looks like it probably was very close, but wrong call that went against the Brewers. On the Cub broadcasts it seems like the announcers never say things like that. Instead every close call should have gone the Cubs way and I don't think I have ever heard them admit that a call was wrong when it favored the Cubs. I think this sort of thing has been a tradition there for a long time, with Steve Stone having been an exception to the rule.

[igor67]

I haven't heard a White Sox broadcast, but I feel bad for Pat Hughes. He somehow manages to remain completely professional while sitting next to a raving drunk. Having XM I can certainly vouch for the idea that listening to most other teams radio guys is at best tolerable the Dodgers being one clear exception. Vin Scully is the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of broadcasting all in one package.

[Invader3K]

I think the announcers are fine. Maybe I don't pay close enough attention to them during games, but I don't seem to pick up on half the "mistakes" and miscues that others on this forum seem to. I mean, if you think Anderson is a homer, fine, but can anyone imagine what Daron Sutton would be like this year calling Brewers games? I kind of shudder at the thought.

 

As for Rock, he's not going anywhere...he's been doing Brewers TV for years, and is pretty solid compared to many others out there.

[Leinie Lodge]

As long as "Circle Me Rock" signs don't start popping up at The Keg, I'm just fine with our guys.

[dhoffman19]

I'd put this in the "be careful what you wish for" category. With the MLB package, I hear much, much, much worse.

Agree on this 100%. Anderson and Schroeder are just fine. There is much worse out there.

[RockCoCougars]

You guys must be too young to remember or are forgetting how bad Brewers TV announcers have been historically. I grew up with my dad muting Mike Hegan and turning Ueck on the radio. Vuckovich was absolutely horrible as well. Skipping ahead a few years, does any body remember the horribly atrocious combo of Rory Markus and Del Crandall? I think the current guys are pretty good, especially when you think about the announcers of the past. Of course, back in those days you were lucky if 40-50 games a year were televised.

[Never Outhustled]

I expect my home team announcer to be a homer, my only problem with Anderson is that he's extremely boring, and Rock is pretty dry as well, which makes them rather uninteresting.

 

I realize they are better than most, but just because other teams are too ignorant to replace there non-performers doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for excellence.

[Weirdos19]

I have more of a problem with Anderson than I do Schroeder.

 

Anderson seems to be more of a semi-uneducated fan than anything else. He does root for the Brewers, which is fine. But, sometimes he makes statements that 90 % of us BF.netters could easily correct.

 

Schroeder is excellent. He knows the game very well, doesn't toot his own horn, and seems to understand that Ned Yost isn't the brightest manager in the MLB. When he disagrees with Ned, you know it. He doesn't make it a point to shove that in our faces either.

 

I used to love Uecker. He was great. But these days you can go ten minutes and he won't give you a count or the score. He misses numerous pitches telling stories. Ueck is much better in a 10-0 game than a 3-2 game. Powell is definatly the better of the two these days.