Thoughts on Kevin Brown?

[Frobby]

I listened to Steve Melewski doing PBP while I was driving the other day, and I was pleasantly surprised.    His voice isn’t the greatest, but he strikes a good balance of describing the game while dispensing other information and exchanging conversation with the color guy.   He’s objective in describing the game and yet leaves no doubt that he’s the Orioles’ announcer and he cares about them.   He knows a lot about the team and the organization.  A team of Melewski and McDonald is very good.    

Brown is a solid professional, good at describing what’s happening, but a little dispassionate for my taste.    You don’t get the feeling that he cares about the result or is having fun calling the game.   He’s a smooth announcer but maybe too smooth.    He does do a good job bringing the color men into the conversation.

McDonald is a great color guy, but BRob and Otter are also very solid. I prefer all of them to Bordick, though I do think Bordy is better on the radio than on TV (as is Hunter).

 

[Tony-OH]

I haven't listened to a ton of radio this year but I liked what I've heard from Brown overall. He's very knowledgeable about the analytics side and was the best guest the pre-game show had this year and that impressed me. As for his supposed - dispassionate appeal -  I'd argue that it's pretty hard to be passionate announcing for a team with this win-loss record. I'd rather here a more moderate tone then a Hunter approach that gets overly excited about situations. Nothing annoys me more than a home run call in a rout that acts like they just won the World Series. 

I felt Melewski did a very good job this spring and then the few times I listened to him this year. He does a good job of describing the action and bringing up information that actually matters and doesn't list win-loss records for minor league prospects to explain why they are good prospects.

Always enjoy McDonald and Olson can be pretty solid as well. Dave Johnson has also been pretty good and has the most realistic take of them all and is good pairing with Brown. Johnson is not afraid to call it as he see it on the air during the game or afterwards during the post game show. I appreciate that take, but it will be interesting if that gets him more games since the Hunter/Bordick orange-colored glasses routine have kept them employed for a long time announcing games for the Orioles. 

I liked Roberts more last year then this year as he said some absolutely mind-boggling things about some players on TV. I feel like he's trying to be Bordick-like (Lots of "absolutely's") and he also does not seem to be very knowledgeable on analytics or the right use of them to give information to back up evaluations.

Gary Thorne is Gary Thorne and I love listening to him. He even limited his wrong pitch calls this season. The thing about Gary is he finds a way to get the most out of his color guy and provides enough to make things interesting even during this season when it must be a grind. He's actually become a pretty good evaluator and obviously does his home work on the players and coaches and i really appreciate that.

Palmer is Palmer as well and I always appreciate his thoughts, but the one thing I wish he would limit is the need to give his take on every single play with a lot of the same repeated thoughts. He's a smart guy though, an Orioles legend, and I hope he will bounce back from his illness.

Hunter is Hunter. He's the cheery orange-colored glasses wearing Brick Tamland of announcers who describes everything he sees on his monitor including things like, "He got a ball, he's happy" or "She's certainly enjoying that cotton candy" or "There's a security guard. He must be enjoying his view". He also struggles with relevant stats and has said things like, "That's a two-game hitting streak" or "Lee had a 5-0 record at Bowie last year. That just tells what kind of prospect he is". His demographic must be for the casual fan and 75-year old ladies who need to have every aspect of baseball described to them and easily says things 5 or 6 times a game that annoys me. Now saying all of that, Hunter does do one thing that I do enjoy although he does it at the wrong times as well. No one has a more exciting home run call. "That ball is gone" is simple and to the point and no one gets more excited over them. If it really is a big home run in the game, it gets me excited as well. 

Bordick, man what can I say here. Bordick is actually a smart baseball guy, but it just doesn't come across very well on radio or TV very often. He's gotten better at using statcast information which I appreciate when I'm not at my computer but his reliance on agreeing with everything Hunter says and then adding very little has gotten tiresome. His use of 
head on a swivel" and "steaks" is not endearing at all, and his baseball lingo phrases include some that I'm pretty sure he just made up.

Back to Brown though, I do hope he returns and I think with time he will get better and better. I personally think he's got a chance to be a great classic announcer.

 

 

[Moose Milligan]

I liked Melewski from what I heard of him this year.  I agree with the above, doesn't have the best voice but he is solid.  Someone hit a soft liner that an infielder had to go back on to catch, he barely did and Melewski said "Another biscuit for breakfast and he'd have had a hit."   I really liked that line.

Brown is solid.  And I actually like Hunter on the radio, for some reason I think he's much better there than on TV.  Tony's summary of the announcers is accurate, IMO.