Brewers hire Joe Block as new radio play-by-play announcer (Latest: Jeff Levering joins radio broadcast team for 2015)

[1992casey]

Brian Anderson actually was a golf announcer in addition to having a baseball background.

[davego]

Agreed that giving Joe some time is prudent, but not like there are other options...

 

I live close enough to Minneapolis that I hear Corey quite a bit. I didn't know I liked him so much 'till he left...sob...

[DocBrewPack]

a bit off topic but do they still do radio highlights?

 

I cant find them on jsonline this year.

[MadScientist]

But it seems every new announcer hire is terrible for some reason -- 'he's a golf announcer' (BA actually played baseball in college & called MiLB games for years including at ESPN).

 

Since I brought that one up, I'll clarify. BA didn't sound like the classic golf announcer (soft voice leading up to the putt style) but in his first season he was constantly putting out golf references and idioms. Since I'm not a golfer I found those more irritating than endearing.

 

I think Joe Block's quiet, flat style would play well in golf.

[TooLiveBrew]

MadScientist, I was referring more to initial reactions when BA got hired, not your post in this thread. Just going at the idea that no matter who the hire is, the main thing people haven't liked about a new hire here is that they're not familiar yet. Once these guys have gotten settled in, most have been pretty happy with them. I'm guessing the same will be true with Block.

[brains and braun]

No real opinion on him yet, but Block's pronunciation of Starlin Castro's name (Costro) was really irritating me.

[hawing]

a bit off topic but do they still do radio highlights?

 

I cant find them on jsonline this year.

I was looking the other day myself and see no sign of any podcasts - to my mild dismay.

[greeg35]

I must be in the minority because I really like him. Never warmed up to provost

[TooLiveBrew]

No real opinion on him yet, but Block's pronunciation of Starlin Castro's name (Costro) was really irritating me.

He was prounouncing Beltran "Bel-TRAHHN" (as opposed to the more common-in-America "Bel-tran"... "-an" sounding like the English indefinite article "an"), which to the best of my limited knowledge is the correct pronunciation. I'm assuming (since I haven't listened to him since the opening series) that he's going for "Cahh-stro" as opposed to a more midwestern-y "Cyas-tro"... but I don't know what the proper pronunciation of Castro's surname should be.

 

(I tried with those phonetic spellings... hope they make sense)

[LS Brewer]

I got to listen to an inning this afternoon during lunch. He was pretty good describing the action. Joe was also talking about the fact that 100 years ago today, the Yankees (then known as the Highlanders) wore their pinstripes for the first time. I enjoyed hearing this most trivial of trivia.

[1992casey]

"CAH-stro" would be the correct native pronunciation. However, if he's saying "cos-tro" (as in "cost"), that would be strange.

 

In Carlos' case, the correct native pronunciation would be bel-TRAHN. When properly spelling his name, there's an accent over the "a" in the second syllable (Beltrán). BEL-trahn would get the vowels right, but it would misplace the stress.

 

The short "a" sound that you hear in "cat" doesn't exist in Spanish.

[TooLiveBrew]

"CAH-stro" would be the correct native pronunciation. However, if he's saying "cos-tro" (as in "cost"), that would be strange.

 

In Carlos' case, the correct native pronunciation would be bel-TRAHN. When properly spelling his name, there's an accent over the "a" in the second syllable (Beltrán). BEL-trahn would get the vowels right, but it would misplace the stress.

 

The short "a" sound that you hear in "cat" doesn't exist in Spanish.

Thank you for that, this is basically what I was assuming... but I'll admit the extent of my "knowledge" about Spanish is mostly from player names in baseball & soccer.

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

Thought he did fine with the call of Kottaras' homer. I like his delivery during the game, pretty smooth. He'll get better as time goes on.

[pitchleague]

He still needs some work on the post-game show. Seemed very discombobulated to me when he was reading the scores and doing the game highlights.

 

He definitely has potential. I'm pretty sure Ueck wouldn't have "okayed" him as the new guy if he wasn't up to snuff. He's probably still a bit nervous.

[TooLiveBrew]

I have to admit, selfishly I want to see him do well so he can develop a cult following called The Blockheads

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

I think he has a great radio voice. I also think that he would be better with a color man. He isn't the story teller that Cory was. Cory did a great job of painting a word picture. I think that as he becomes more comfortable with the format, Joe will be fine.

[1992casey]

I still haven't heard more than a wee bit of Block, but based on some of the comments, I was wondering if the Brewers' unusual radio format could possibly be coming into play.

 

Normally, you'd see two guys in the booth all the time, either two play by play guys or a play by play/color combination. The flip side is that you'd think that with all his experience, working alone would have been part of it. But I guess the difference would be that in this case, he'd be working alone a lot — along with working with a partner that isn't in the booth with him very much.

[Invader3K]

I think he's just "OK" so far. His voice is so different from Provus and Powell before him, that it's going to take me a while to get used to him. I bet he gets more comfortable as the season goes on.

[NievesNoNO]

I think Joe is doing fine. It is a change of pace from Provus. I like the way he calls the games although sometimes he sounds like he's reading a cue card or something. I think as he gets more comfortable with his surroundings and the team and builds a little identity with the team he'll be great. I like the fact that there's not somebody laughing at Ueck's comments every other line. His calls have already started to have more energy in them.

[brwrsfan]

He seems fine to me as far as calling the game goes, seems to know what he's talking about. I just think he's a bit too monotone and something about his voice seems to rub me the wrong way. Maybe I'll get used to it, I don't listen on the radio that often anyway, less than 100 innings all year I'd bet.

[Dragonbait]

I do think it's just a matter of getting used to his style. Powell and Provus both seemed to have a natural energy sound to their voice. Yesterday was the first time I had to listen to the game (at work). Joe does a really good job telling you whats happening and it doesn't take long to find out what you missed while you were working.

[1992casey]

I can't get too concerned about an announcer's voice as long as the information being delivered is useful and appropriate.

[CheezWizHed]

and it doesn't take long to find out what you missed while you were working.

 

You need to get your priorities re-aligned so you don't miss anything.

[Mass Haas]

a bit off topic but do they still do radio highlights?

 

I cant find them on jsonline this year.

I was looking the other day myself and see no sign of any podcasts - to my mild dismay.

 

New link for interviews, but not for game recap / highlights.

 

Nice not to have to worry about the JS pay wall on these....

[RobDeer 45]

I have to say that I'm officially on board with Block. I said before that there is something about his voice that is so calming. I was just listening to the end of tonight's game and was thinking that I really am enjoying this. Then we got the walk off and it just sealed it for me. He just sounds so professional and so smoothe. I know some of you aren't on board with how monotone he is but I am really digging it. He's got an old school feel to him.