Jim Hunter officially gone

[Pat Kelly]

8 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

I think Hunter was the rare combo of not being that great but also underrated by Os fans.

I personally didn’t like his homerism.  He was very over the top.
 

That being said, I think he’s a better PBP guy than Thorne.  He didn’t get players names wrong, was sober and didn’t have numerous other screw ups.  He was also a more excitable guy for homers and things like that.

Thorne is more reserved when it comes to that stuff.

Now, I also think Thorne was more honest about the team and where it was, so that I like a lot more.

100%

[Frobby]

I will not miss Hunter, and I think most of last year’s announcers were better.    But I do wish they’d been a little more gracious when showing him the door.    

[Moshagge3]

9 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

I think Hunter was the rare combo of not being that great but also underrated by Os fans.

I personally didn’t like his homerism.  He was very over the top.
 

That being said, I think he’s a better PBP guy than Thorne.  He didn’t get players names wrong, was sober and didn’t have numerous other screw ups.  He was also a more excitable guy for homers and things like that.

Thorne is more reserved when it comes to that stuff.

Now, I also think Thorne was more honest about the team and where it was, so that I like a lot more.

Huh? Is today opposite day? Listen to Hunter's call of the Orioles clinching the division in '14. It is about as underwhelming as it gets for the franchise's biggest moment in nearly 20 years. Compare that to Thorne's call of Andino's single in 2011. Thorne screwed up a bunch of facts in that call, as you point out he tended to do, but "reserved" it is not.

[accinfo]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I will not miss Hunter, and I think most of last year’s announcers were better.    But I do wish they’d been a little more gracious when showing him the door.    

He signed a two year contract and it ran out and they didn't wish to sign him to a new one.  Hunter is the one going out and telling people he didn't want to leave which is fine.  Hunter knew this was coming when they hired all the new people.  I have spent some time with Hunter and trust me he knows what he is doing.  The survey that came back from Oriole ticket holders finished his fate.  I have been fired and have fired a lot of people.  When you don't want to be fired but the people firing you want you gone there isn't a lot of gracious ways to do it.  

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, accinfo said:

He signed a two year contract and it ran out and they didn't wish to sign him to a new one.  Hunter is the one going out and telling people he didn't want to leave which is fine.  Hunter knew this was coming when they hired all the new people.  I have spent some time with Hunter and trust me he knows what he is doing.  The survey that came back from Oriole ticket holders finished his fate.  I have been fired and have fired a lot of people.  When you don't want to be fired but the people firing you want you gone there isn't a lot of gracious ways to do it.  

I would have preferred that they let him know last October/November, like they do with coaches and front office guys, rather than telling him 3-4 weeks before spring training was set to begin.    

[eddie83]

8 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Maybe they hadn't made a final decision and were waiting to see what the schedule looked like this year. There are so many factors with COVID potentially affected the schedule and travel that maybe they just didn't make a final decision?

 

All possible. 

[eddie83]

I also wonder about Dempsey. They were planning on cutting him back. Curious if he is back or not. 

[accinfo]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I would have preferred that they let him know last October/November, like they do with coaches and front office guys, rather than telling him 3-4 weeks before spring training was set to begin.    

Assuming they didn't I agree.  I am not so sure he didn't know or wasn't told.  He is saying he was made aware this week.  I am betting he collected his last checks and then felt he could speak out.  If he said something before then he would be at risk of them terminating him early.  

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, Moshagge3 said:

Huh? Is today opposite day? Listen to Hunter's call of the Orioles clinching the division in '14. It is about as underwhelming as it gets for the franchise's biggest moment in nearly 20 years. Compare that to Thorne's call of Andino's single in 2011. Thorne screwed up a bunch of facts in that call, as you point out he tended to do, but "reserved" it is not.

Citing one example for each doesn’t prove any point at all..and the 2014 team clinching was a foregone conclusion.

Hunter sold that stuff better.  
 

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, eddie83 said:

I also wonder about Dempsey. They were planning on cutting him back. Curious if he is back or not. 

Hope not 

[survivedc]

12 hours ago, Philip said:

No he’s not. 

Let us know when you’re right about something.

[Sports Guy]

11 hours ago, Frobby said:

I will not miss Hunter, and I think most of last year’s announcers were better.    But I do wish they’d been a little more gracious when showing him the door.    

Being gracious isn’t how the Os do things.

[StottyByNature]

13 hours ago, Frobby said:

I will not miss Hunter, and I think most of last year’s announcers were better.    But I do wish they’d been a little more gracious when showing him the door.    

I agree.  He was loyal to the team (to a fault) and I hope he gets a decent chance for a send-off.  However, he was repeatedly nails-on-the-chalkboard for me with his blind homerism and longevity with a job doesn't insulate you from being let go if you're not connecting with your audience.  

I see this as the club really trying to show its new direction as we are hopefully on the upswing towards competitiveness.  Hunter may be simply a casualty of being too associated with the down years and we want a fresh face to go with the rebuild.  Can't fault them for that.

[Philip]

10 hours ago, survivedc said:

Let us know when you’re right about something.

You are gone. Disagreement is great. Insult is not. Listen to the podcast I shared, and then listen to brown, who has none of the virtues demonstrated.

If you hear nothing, well, that says more about you.

[milbest77]

Never want to see anyone lose their job, but this was way overdue. Hunter was just too much of a cheerleader for my tastes. I always got a kick out of his postgame interviews with Buck after road games. Hunter would act like a hyper puppy dog and Buck would be clearly annoyed by it