Is Cal a former Oriole or Yankee?

[The Wedge]

I don't know enough about the effects on a ball on wet cross cut grass, do you? Sounds like Cal might though and he played a little bit on that type of environment so I just might take his analysis, regardless of what player made the error possibly because of it.

Most people didn't seem to have a problem with what he was saying, but that he was saying it while watching replays of the play, and not seeing much, if any, change in ball direction that screwed it up. It was probably a great observation, but the it started sounding like excuse making for plain ol' error. I mean, looked like a fairly straight line ball that didn't take any bizarre hops or twists at the end at all.

[sfosfan]

He's going too far out of his way not to sound like an O's homer.

Perhaps "CARL" Jr. is auditioning for a job at ESPN!

I didn't notice anything in paricular, but I'll pay more attention next game. I'm sure it's just a comradery thing- Cal played with those guys whereas the current O's are young enough to be Cal's kids. No matter, I'd still rather hear Cal than Rick Dempsey.

[ShaneDawg85]

I almost feel like there's a double standard going on. We rag on guys like Hunter and Dempsey for being blind, orange-colored glasses homers, yet we in turn rag on Cal for not doing the same thing? Which is it? If Cal goes on and on about the Orioles then he's going to be seen by people outside of Baltimore as pimping the team he played for, but if he doesn't talk enough about the Orioles then he's isolated, aloof, and not bleeding black and orange. I haven't been able to hear anything he's said the last two nights because I've been at the games, and the Brooks comment has been beaten to death so much I'm not even going to bother. All I know, as someone pointed out, this is the same man who when Nate McLouth made the game ending catch in Texas could be heard in the background saying, "Catch it. Catch it." The guy wants the O's to win, don't ever think that he doesn't. He's just doing what, I would hope, any legitimate reporter would do, and not be so obvious with it.

[24fps]

Last night's game did nothing to lessen my feeling that baseball broadcasting is a poor career choice for Cal if he intends to do it on a regular basis. He has the knowledge, he has the credibility and he has the name recognition. What he doesn't have IMO is the sort of personality that will ever become a comfortable fit over time even if he manages some longevity. Think Dan Rather.

That being said, I think it's way too early to draw any firm conclusions. He's learning his new craft in front of millions of people and that's not easy. I think it's also likely that because of all the preparation that goes into one of these broadcasts some bias will always be generated as a byproduct and newbie Cal may just be reflecting an environment not of his making, but that's conjecture on my part. I think TBS didn't do him any favors by assigning him to the Orioles/Yankees series and I strongly suspect that they haven't sufficiently defined his role given how new he is. There was a little discussion in the game thread about how Ernie was trying to draw him out and I thought so too.

It's almost certain that he has someone and maybe a couple of people continually assessing his performance and giving him feedback. It's no longer about his exploits on the field but his brand in a much larger and ongoing sense. I hope he's getting good advice.

[Ruzious]

That's pretty much it, right there. Heck, I think he might even be making stuff up. He said that switch hitters would turn around and face Andy Pettite as a LH hitter because of his cutter. I don't remember ever seeing that. I guess you can't check something like that, huh?

Are you seriously doubting Cal's integrity?

[sangar]

Hey, there is an Angel board that I occasionally visit and even they are wondering what is with Cal. They are making fun of him and the way he defended both Jeter and Tex when they made errors.

[bobmc]

Last night's game did nothing to lessen my feeling that baseball broadcasting is a poor career choice for Cal if he intends to do it on a regular basis. He has the knowledge, he has the credibility and he has the name recognition. What he doesn't have IMO is the sort of personality that will ever become a comfortable fit over time even if he manages some longevity. Think Dan Rather.

That being said, I think it's way too early to draw any firm conclusions. He's learning his new craft in front of millions of people and that's not easy. I think it's also likely that because of all the preparation that goes into one of these broadcasts some bias will always be generated as a byproduct and newbie Cal may just be reflecting an environment not of his making, but that's conjecture on my part. I think TBS didn't do him any favors by assigning him to the Orioles/Yankees series and I strongly suspect that they haven't sufficiently defined his role given how new he is. There was a little discussion in the game thread about how Ernie was trying to draw him out and I thought so too.

It's almost certain that he has someone and maybe a couple of people continually assessing his performance and giving him feedback. It's no longer about his exploits on the field but his brand in a much larger and ongoing sense. I hope he's getting good advice.

Good stuff - I agree - he's a newb at this game. His "brand" is very important to him and agree he's getting critiqued and may alter his delivery as time moves on. He's not a good fit for broadcasting and the nuances, as he said himself on MASN the night of his statue unveiling. I still like his take on things, whether or not he kisses the boots of Oriole Nation along the way, but I'm not a native Balmorean. As a player he was a big guy for preparation and trying to control as much as he could, which he may not be able to as much on tv. He's also a Virgo (born on my birthday), shy and uncomfortable in front of the mike.

[Mondo Trasho]

I almost feel like there's a double standard going on. We rag on guys like Hunter and Dempsey for being blind, orange-colored glasses homers, yet we in turn rag on Cal for not doing the same thing? Which is it? If Cal goes on and on about the Orioles then he's going to be seen by people outside of Baltimore as pimping the team he played for, but if he doesn't talk enough about the Orioles then he's isolated, aloof, and not bleeding black and orange. I haven't been able to hear anything he's said the last two nights because I've been at the games, and the Brooks comment has been beaten to death so much I'm not even going to bother. All I know, as someone pointed out, this is the same man who when Nate McLouth made the game ending catch in Texas could be heard in the background saying, "Catch it. Catch it." The guy wants the O's to win, don't ever think that he doesn't. He's just doing what, I would hope, any legitimate reporter would do, and not be so obvious with it.

I don't watch many national baseball telecasts so I'm no expert on it. But for football (and basketball) you hardly ever see any bias one way or the other. A good broadcast team does the play by play really well and adds inside tidbits of info or breakdown of plays that make things enjoyable. They'd add stuff about both teams.

I'm not ready to put blame on Cal though. I think this is more to do with this specific broadcast team (or maybe TBS itself) than with Cal.

[Moose Milligan]

I almost feel like there's a double standard going on. We rag on guys like Hunter and Dempsey for being blind, orange-colored glasses homers, yet we in turn rag on Cal for not doing the same thing? Which is it? If Cal goes on and on about the Orioles then he's going to be seen by people outside of Baltimore as pimping the team he played for, but if he doesn't talk enough about the Orioles then he's isolated, aloof, and not bleeding black and orange. I haven't been able to hear anything he's said the last two nights because I've been at the games, and the Brooks comment has been beaten to death so much I'm not even going to bother. All I know, as someone pointed out, this is the same man who when Nate McLouth made the game ending catch in Texas could be heard in the background saying, "Catch it. Catch it." The guy wants the O's to win, don't ever think that he doesn't. He's just doing what, I would hope, any legitimate reporter would do, and not be so obvious with it.

Good points.

The other thing is that we're playing the Yankees. If we were playing, say, the Tigers or the A's, any positive comment given towards a hard grounder handled by Fielder or a great defensive play by Cespedes wouldn't be met with nearly the same amount of criticism and venom that it would for a nice play made by Tex or Jeter. No one can give credit when credit is due without being bashed left and right and being accused for being biased towards the Yankees. It's a ridiculous double standard.

[nate22]

I wish Cal would loosen up a bit. I would love to hear some of his stories from his playing days, you know show some personality. For me, part of the appeal of having Cal Ripken in the booth is his experiences as a player. I don't think he's shared much of that at all.Maybe I'm spoiled listening to Palmer all these years. I think he's trying too hard to 1) be unbiased and 2) be an analyst. I remember Billy in the booth earlier this year and his personality made him just as enjoyable to listen too as his analysis.

[jimbones]

Unlike Kenny Singleton, i feel Cal is definitely rooting for the O's but does not want to come across as a homer. Having said that, pro ball players treat other players as part of a fraternity and are freindly with players from other organizations. Listen to Cal and Billy on their XM show and this is evident how they banter with players and coaches from all over MLB.

[Ruzious]

I'm doubting his memory. He spoke as if switch hitters routinelly, or at least on mulitple occasions, batting LH against Pettite. I question his memory and the accuracy of that statement.

You question it because you never saw it? Pettite's pitched in over 500 major league games - not including pre and post season. Have you watched all of them?

[SouthRider]

I'm really not getting the criticism on here for Ripken and TBS.

Our lineup includes names like Lew Ford, Nate McClouth, Robert Andino, etc, and several key contributors were spare parts on last year's Rangers' 40 man roster.

The NYY come into town with Cano, ARod, Jeter, Granderson, etc - guys with multiple AS games and HOFers who have been there and done that in the playoffs.

Not sure a national audience wants to hear EJ or Cal sing the praises of Lew Ford ... IMO, the announcers are good with the in-game analysis and seem to know plenty of the local stories that should keep fans happy.

I would think a national audience would want to find out who these Orioles are and how did they get here. Everyone knows the Yankees. Listening to Cal, Smoltz and Johnson early in the game you would think Chen was garbage incapable of throwing anything other than a fast ball. It was ridiculous.

Another poster last night posted a link to the ESPN radio broadcast. It was like night and day compared to the TBS crew. I listened to ESPN's radio guys as Machado came to bat. They talked about what a talent he is. What a boost he has given the Orioles down the stretch. How he is going to develop into a very special player. How good he is defensively. How the Yankees need to be careful with him. etc.., etc... How hard is it to just focus on the player at bat - in this case Machado? Not very hard. ESPN had it covered. What did the TBS crew talk about during the exact same at bat? Arod. How Manny wears #13 because his favorite player is Arod. How great Arod is. Pitiful.

and btw, when the Yankees were up, ESPN talked about them too. It was fair and balanced for both teams. That is all I am asking for... balance.

In any case I am done with TBS. It's ESPN radio for me.

[john316]

IMO Palmer is one of the best at letting you know he's pulling for the home team

but with enough constructive criticism to not sound like a homer.

[sangar]

I wish Cal would loosen up a bit. I would love to hear some of his stories from his playing days, you know show some personality. I think he's trying too hard to 1) be unbiased and 2) be an analyst. I remember Billy in the booth earlier this year and his personality made him just as enjoyable to listen too as his analysis.

Unlike Kenny Singleton, i feel Cal is definitely rooting for the O's but does not want to come across as a homer. Having said that, pro ball players treat other players as part of a fraternity and are freindly with players from other organizations. Listen to Cal and Billy on their XM show and this is evident how they banter with players and coaches from all over MLB.

I agree with both of these statements entirely and I don't think for a second Cal is a Yankee fan. I have no doubt that his heart is with the Orioles. However, when Tex miffs a routine ground ball and Cal makes excuses for him and compares a baseball hitting cross-cut grass to a super ball bouncing off of pavement he doesn't do himself any favors.