Radio Announcers (what you want) - Latest: Josh Maurer added

[BuckyBrewer61]

Also, nothing is better than Ueck calling a homer and having it caught on the warning track. I love it. He gets so pumped and then deflated when he realizes he misjudged the hit.

 

This used to really bother me, like he got my hopes up and made a home run call on a stupid fly ball. But then I thought...if I was watching the game myself on TV or in person, I'd have the same reaction. Is it gone? Is it short? Get up! Crap. So now I agree, I kind of like it as I go through the same emotions as he does.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I'll forgive Ueck for a lot, and what he lacks in on-point description, he makes up for through sheer charm and longevity. He does have a knack for the big moment still, and when the Crew completes a dramatic victory, I often find myself wishing I'd heard the radio call, to the point that I'll go look it up later.

 

I'm glad he's paired with Levering, though. And the Levering/Grindl road combo is a really nice change of pace. Great detail, good rapport, and the 3-3-3 innings model is more enjoyable for me than the 2-2-2-1-2. I hope that's the next great Brewer radio team. It would be awesome to have a non-player featured broadcast pair. I guess that's a little more common in radio, but the two non-Milwaukee crews I hear most are the Cubs and the Twins. Ron Coomer is just awful. If you thought Ueck didn't describe the action, man. I've heard Cubs innings end when I wasn't aware an out was recorded, not to mention RISP hits where there's no information given about where the runner ended up. Dan Gladden isn't as bad, but he's definitely a typical ex-player. Provus and Hughes do a great job as the main guys for those pairs.

 

If you haven't seen the Fangraphs announcer rankings from a couple of years ago (essentially just a crowdsourced survey with some representative comments), they're here:

 

Radio: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2016-broadcaster-rankings-radio-10-1/

 

TV: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2016-broadcaster-rankings-tv-10-1/

 

It's a little dated, but still a fun read. I second Cleveland's broadcast team as a personal favorite. Worth the Gameday Audio subscription.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yeah, I feel like Levering and Grindl have grown on me, and I much prefer when they're in the booth together, as opposed to the rotational aspect that we're used to with Uecker and his sidekick du jour.

[NeedMoreFans]

I agree that Uecker has lost a step or two in the booth in recent years, but I'd still rather listen to a game he's calling than not.

 

I find that I can't tell the difference between Levering and Grindl...their voices are so similar. I really like Levering, much more than Joe Block, and hope he sticks around long enough to see Uecker retire for good because I think he'd do a pretty good job.

[yfinn6]

I don't have a good example, but I've heard a few (even from our stand-in announcers) that have left me thinking... wow, that was a terrible home run call. It was like they made a top 10 list in their hotel room and are trying them one-by-one to see what works. And they sound forced.

 

I'm pretty certain Uek's was spur of the moment and became iconic.

 

I remember a Brave's game, and I think it was ... Chip Carey? Chipper Jones hit a walk off homerun and Carey called it with absolutely a no-frills, monotone voice, it was so hilarious. "There's a fly ball to left. Left fielder going back. He's at the wall. It's gone, and that's the ballgame, Braves win." Super flat, no emotion at all.

 

I bet that was Skip Carey who's voice changed very little with whatever was happening on the field.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I don't have a good example, but I've heard a few (even from our stand-in announcers) that have left me thinking... wow, that was a terrible home run call. It was like they made a top 10 list in their hotel room and are trying them one-by-one to see what works. And they sound forced.

 

I'm pretty certain Uek's was spur of the moment and became iconic.

 

I remember a Brave's game, and I think it was ... Chip Carey? Chipper Jones hit a walk off homerun and Carey called it with absolutely a no-frills, monotone voice, it was so hilarious. "There's a fly ball to left. Left fielder going back. He's at the wall. It's gone, and that's the ballgame, Braves win." Super flat, no emotion at all.

 

I bet that was Skip Carey who's voice changed very little with whatever was happening on the field.

 

 

Skip, thanks!

[CheezWizHed]

I agree that Uecker has lost a step or two in the booth in recent years, but I'd still rather listen to a game he's calling than not.

 

I find that I can't tell the difference between Levering and Grindl...their voices are so similar. I really like Levering, much more than Joe Block, and hope he sticks around long enough to see Uecker retire for good because I think he'd do a pretty good job.

 

Yeah, I'm annoyed when I do listen to a game and then remember we are on the road and there is no Ueck... Or during the HOF stuff when we were at home and he was off inducting Selig.

 

Another thing that I've noticed in recent years is that for several innings there will only be one guy doing both color and play-by-play. The two playing off each other is what I've enjoyed. It feels like you are stuck with one guy talking to himself...

 

Was it Ueck and Joe Block pairing where Ueck would get into uber-story mode and Joe would be inserting game play-by-play during Uecker pauses while using a monotone, semi-whisper. "So, I hit a home run once.... .. and the pitcher never forgave himself." Maybe my sense of humor is off, but I always thought that was hilarious.

[reillymcshane]

I love Uecker. I don't listen to lots of games, but I'm always a bit sad when he's not there. I realize part of it is nostalgia, but I just think he's entertaining.

[Bob Skube Snacks]

I don't have Sirius anymore and I haven't purchased the MLB radio package, but it was interesting to survey other teams' crews when I did.

 

I'm surprised Cleveland's Tom Hamilton is getting love. He knows the game, and calls it well up until something big happens, then his calls are so insanely over-the-top it just grates on me. I don't need forced emotion.

 

I've always enjoyed the Reds broadcasts. They're the anti-homer form of broadcasting, especially Marty Brennaman. They BS and all of that too, but when a spade has to be called a spade, they get right on it.

 

Cubs games are fine so long as its Pat Hughes doing the talking. He's my favorite Uecker second banana by a wide margin.

 

Cardinals are OK, if homerish. John Rooney is a pro. Mike Shannon's voice grates and he's getting up there in years ... and he's the homer of the crew.

 

I've found, with some exceptions both ways, that the better radio crews are out west and the cruddier ones are out east. Mets' crew is a notable exception.

 

Then there's the TV crews. We have Reds, Cubs, Cardinals and White Sox broadcasts available to us. Just thank your lucky stars you don't have Cardinals TV. They're unbearable. (Though it was fun to watch them *****-and-moan their way through the game they blew in Boston last night.)

[Bombers]

I'm still struggling with the thread title...

 

why what you problem with?

This had me laughing out loud

+1

[rcc]

Uecker makes me laugh and I enjoy his game calling. He's not always perfect. The other day Hernan replaced Keon in centerfield and Ueck kept calling Broxton in center making the play. But, he is passionate about baseball and his Brewers and I like that.

[JimH5]

Bob Uecker is a treasure in every way.

 

We will miss him when he's gone, and I hope that's not for another 25 years.

[FVBrewerFan]

Uecker makes me laugh and I enjoy his game calling. He's not always perfect. The other day Hernan replaced Keon in centerfield and Ueck kept calling Broxton in center making the play. But, he is passionate about baseball and his Brewers and I like that.

 

I agree, and that's how I feel about Rock and Brian. They've been around so long, there's just that familiarity and I enjoy all the friendly banter going back and forth. Could Ueck mention the count more often? Sure. Should Brian know how to pronounce Pina's name? Sure. But that stuff is so minor to me compared to the overall entertainment value.

[patrickgpe]

I am hoping Tim Dillard slides in for Uecker when he finally hangs it up. i wouldn't mind bringing him in as the 3rd guy once he finally retires until then. The issue with Levering and Grindle is that they are both play by play guys and the broadcast is very boring when Uecker takes a roadtrip off.

[rcc]

I think both Levering and Grindle are both boring and agree they are really play-by-play guys. I will miss Ueck on this west coast trip.

[StearnsFTW]

I guess im in the minority, but I dont need a lot of details on the game if im listening on the radio. I really enjoy the way Ueck calls it, spending more time gabbing about how terrible he was as a player, or talking about sausages and ice cream than really specific details of the at bat. I get more frustrated watching on TV and seeing the ump call a ball/strike on a bad pitch than I do listening to the radio and not having that grid visualization to ruin it.

 

Also, nothing is better than Ueck calling a homer and having it caught on the warning track. I love it. He gets so pumped and then deflated when he realizes he misjudged the hit.

 

I really don't mind Ueck's ultra-laid back style, it's just frustrating when something's happening in a game, and you can hear people cheering, and you KNOW something's happening, and he's not telling you what happened. Yesterday was a great example of that.

 

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyep.

[patrickgpe]

I'm going to go on my soapbox, the brewers should focus on getting guys with roots in Milwaukee. When they do they stay. This applies to tv stations, radio stations, sports teams, etc. When the brewers have a big search and find the "best candidate" they leave as soon as a better situation arises. When you hire a guy born here or played here for a long time, they stay. Really the only exception is Ted Davis and I guess you could say Brian Anderson since he has been here for 10 years now. Guys like Rock, Johnny Mac, McCarren, Homer have been doing games for 20 years plus because they are from here or played here.

 

When Ueck does hang it up, the brewers would be smart to find someone like Dillard, Gorman, etc. Someone with a personality but has roots in the community.

[MNBrew]

I don't have a good example, but I've heard a few (even from our stand-in announcers) that have left me thinking... wow, that was a terrible home run call. It was like they made a top 10 list in their hotel room and are trying them one-by-one to see what works. And they sound forced.

 

I'm pretty certain Uek's was spur of the moment and became iconic.

I was listening to the game it first happened. Mid-'80s, maybe? It was back when it was mostly road games on TV (channel 18, I believe), which is why I would've been listening to the radio. I want to think it was against Cleveland (I remember Andy Allanson being in the game, probably when he first came up with Cleveland rather than during his MIL tenure). The details are fuzzy, but I definitely remember the moment:

 

- The Brewers were down early by a ton (maybe 10-2 after 2 innings?). I distinctly remember an 8-run deficit.

- They kept chipping away and...

- Finally completed the comeback victory with a homer (walk-off, I think, to LF), and Ueck's response to the ball's flight was, "Get up... Get up.... Get outta here! Gone!"

 

I can't place the year or who hit the HR, but I'm pretty sure it was a home game. . . . (Now that I say this, I'm going to have to figure out how to look it up. BBRef, here I come.)

 

A few years later is when it started becoming chic for announcers to have their own unique HR call, a fad that grew tired very quickly. I don't care what any announcer's HR call is as long as they're good at calling a game.

 

I loved the balance that Ueck & Pat Hughes had, and then I learned to love Jim Powell as much or more, which I realized after he left for Atlanta. In the '80s Ueck wasn't great at keeping you current on all the details, but his counterpart always made up for it. Even now (because on the radio is how I catch most any game live) I think Ueck's still one of the best there is, flaws of style and age notwithstanding. For about 15 years starting in 1987, I did plenty of long drives across the region and country, back when you could find all sorts of teams' games on AM radio - especially late at night. It was then I began to realize just how good Uecker and Hughes/Powell were and how really blah-to-bad most other teams' announcers were by comparison.... I also realized quickly how good Corey Provus was, and still when I hear him here in Twins Territory, I still occasionally get fooled into thinking I'm hearing a Brewers broadcast -- and I wish he were back in MIL!

[MNBrew]

I think this is it -- May 20, 1986.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL198605200.shtml

 

As I looked over the boxscore and play-by-play, much of it seemed familiar. Here's the short version.

 

- Down 8-0 after the top of the 1st. (Juan Nieves, NOT good.)

- Tied it in the bottom of the 4th (HRs by Sveum, Cooper, & Deer along the way, tied on an Oglivie SF).

- In the 7th, Earnest Riles singled for the lead. Paul Householder followed with a 3-run HR to open the lead to 12-8.

- Cleveland score 1 more on an Andy Allanson single.

 

I'm pretty sure the now-iconic Uecker HR call came on Householder's shot.

 

Fun side note: Dan Plesac was the winning pitcher.

 

Householder was a pretty highly thought-of prospect with the Reds who never fully lived up to his potential. He was then in St. Louis and we got him and 1B/OF Jim Adduci for peanuts from St. Louis and I was really excited about it. Adduci had a super-smooth swing. Householder did alright for his couple years in MIL, eventually becoming the starting LF. I remember sitting in the LF bleachers and watching him nail a runner from medium-deep LF on one of the most perfect throws to the plate (on the fly) I'd ever seen.

[superfly]

Corey Provus (back) is the obvious answer.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm quite sure Uecker's iconic HR call dates back well before 1986. More like 1975 or 76. I remember going to games in the 70's and making sure I got back to my car to hear the replays of the HR calls.

[djoctagone]

I really don't mind Ueck's ultra-laid back style, it's just frustrating when something's happening in a game, and you can hear people cheering, and you KNOW something's happening, and he's not telling you what happened.

problem solved?

[Thurston Fluff]

For me it's about how they convey the current flow of the game that matters. The way I follow baseball is listening to it while doing other things. I want them to convey the (for lack of a better term) urgency of any given moment. If they're laid back and joking I know that moment is in a bit of a lull so there is no need to pay strict attention. During those times I really don't need to hear about the count, number of outs or the score. If there is intensity in their voice I know something worth hearing is going on. That's really the only time I care about the mechanics of the game like score, number of outs, balls and strikes and such. In those moments where nothing is really going on I do enjoy them giving me background information about players and the team and such as well.

[djoctagone]

what you want from new wtmj hire matt maurer?

[patrickgpe]

https://www.rsrsports.com/josh-maurer.html

 

Former fill in on TV and radio for the Red Sox and voice of their triple A team.