MASN broadcast overhaul - Palmer, Thorne, others out

[allquixotic]

8 minutes ago, accinfo said:

Please no more Jim Hunter EVER.  Joe Angel is retired.  I expect Gary and Jim back next year.  I agree with Frobby and Tony.  I think the new crew has done very well under trying circumstances.  You are sitting in an empty stadium watching a TV calling play by play.  Ben McDonald is been great.  I hope Brian Roberts comes back next year.  I like Melanie Newman.  Like Tony says she knows baseball.  She can work on he excitement at times but these are all new people she is working with again under unusual conditions.  Scott is fine.  Maybe I am unobjective because I know he is such a good guy but I think that comes through during the broadcast much like it does with Gary Thorne.  

I don't have a problem with the baseball knowledge or game calling accuracy of anyone on the TV or radio crews this year. I fully understand the difficult circumstances and that they're beholden to what they see on TV. I don't think any of them are dunces about baseball. I'm sure all of them are very nice people, too.

The lack of excitement -- especially with Scott Garceau -- is the worst thing for me. Jim Hunter may not have known the sport, but at least he knew how to make a home run call. He was also an excellent setup man for Jim Palmer's often sarcastic retorts. Palmer was so great at underhandedly insulting Hunter for not even "getting it" after Palmer hinted at it and it was so funny. Their dynamic was far more entertaining than Garceau and McDonald.

[Chavez Ravine]

I am still adjusting to all the new people, in part because I watch over the MLB app and I frenetically switch between the TV, radio, home/away feeds so everyone kinda blurs together (particularly after a few beers).

I think Ben is awesome on color. I like Melanie the best so far on play by play. Her even, steady, slow, accurate calls are a classic style. I find her voice pleasing. Sure, she could work on the excitement a bit perhaps, but I think it is better to grow into excitement than to come to the door with it. She will find her signature call. She has the most upside of the lot I think.

[jtschrei]

Big Ben is insanely good. It’s amazing. “Finally,” he days after Sulser finally gets a call from the ump to end the game. Love it. Captured my feelings entirely.

 

[ChipTait]

2 hours ago, Chavez Ravine said:

I am still adjusting to all the new people, in part because I watch over the MLB app and I frenetically switch between the TV, radio, home/away feeds so everyone kinda blurs together (particularly after a few beers).

I think Ben is awesome on color. I like Melanie the best so far on play by play. Her even, steady, slow, accurate calls are a classic style. I find her voice pleasing. Sure, she could work on the excitement a bit perhaps, but I think it is better to grow into excitement than to come to the door with it. She will find her signature call. She has the most upside of the lot I think.

I missed Melanie Newman's first opportunity to call a home run, so I had to go back to it after the game to see if she had a "signature homerun call."  I was pleased to hear that she didn't seem to have one.  She simply described what happened.  No "that ball is gone!"  No "Goodbye, home run!"  No "Hasta la vista pelota!"  Which I am fine with.  I know having a signature homerun call is important in the minds of lots of great announcers, but sometimes it comes across as forced, or perhaps contrived.  Perhaps she will slip into one naturally as time goes by, but until it happens, just describing what happened is okay by me.