If I'm Melanie Newman

[Etch]

So a different thread about the O's v Giants has gone off the rails and folks are venting about Melanie Newman's poor PBP performance. Here's a thread dedicated exclusively to your assessment of her abilities. Now, if I'm really bad at my job, and it's a public job. And lots and lots of folks including professional critics think I stink at my job. And I haven't shown a bit of improvement over several years at my job. I would hope to get the message and find another job to which I'm better suited and stop embarrassing myself. I'm looking at you Ms. Newman.

[NCRaven]

We, as a general rule, are a hypercritical group.  The general public might not mind Newman at all.

[Moose Milligan]

She’s ok. I sort of disagree that she hasn’t gotten better at her job. Or maybe I just don’t mind her as much. 
 

She’s also not our full time play by play announcer so the outrage of how bad she is at PBP is a bit silly.  If we have to listen to her call a few games a year because Kevin Brown is off somewhere researching more pop culture references and Geoff Arnold is on the radio, it’s not the worst thing in the world. 
 

This is a fanbase who had to suffer through the Michael Reghi years. And Jim “modest two game hitting streak” Hunter.  You would think there’d be some awareness and recollection as to how bad it’s actually been at times. 
 

It could be worse. Melanie isn’t great but she’s not the full time PBP announcer and that’s a good thing.  

[eddie83]

Who did radio last night? Melanie is not on TV. Hollander is. 
 

Odd. Usually same announcers for entire series. 

[Sports Guy]

She’s a complete nightmare at PBP. Can’t stand listening to her and the question after question after question.

She probably has some value as a studio host or something like that.

[Aristotelian]

24 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

She’s ok. I sort of disagree that she hasn’t gotten better at her job. Or maybe I just don’t mind her as much. 
 

She’s also not our full time play by play announcer so the outrage of how bad she is at PBP is a bit silly.  If we have to listen to her call a few games a year because Kevin Brown is off somewhere researching more pop culture references and Geoff Arnold is on the radio, it’s not the worst thing in the world. 
 

This is a fanbase who had to suffer through the Michael Reghi years. And Jim “modest two game hitting streak” Hunter.  You would think there’d be some awareness and recollection as to how bad it’s actually been at times. 
 

It could be worse. Melanie isn’t great but she’s not the full time PBP announcer and that’s a good thing.  

I'd rather have her PBP than Mike Bordick's commentary!

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Aristotelian said:

I'd rather have her PBP than Mike Bordick's commentary!

Agreed. I felt bad for Bordick because by all accounts he’s a good guy but listening to him was brutal. 

[Sports Guy]

9 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I'd rather have her PBP than Mike Bordick's commentary!

Not me. I think in all my time listening to games, no one has been worse at their job than Newman.

I can’t think of anything positive that she brings to the booth.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Sports Guy

[accinfo]

8 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Agreed. I felt bad for Bordick because by all accounts he’s a good guy but listening to him was brutal. 

He does seem like a good guy but he was painful to listen too.  I will take Melanie any day.

[eddie83]

So last night Melanie did TV play by play with Palmer. Hollander was on radio with Arnold. Tonight Melanie is on radio and Hollander is on TV. 
 

I did not stay up late last night. I wonder if they commented if they would be switching last night? 
 

Very odd they switched after one game. Not saying it wasn’t planned but I’m wondering if the flip wasn’t planned?

[ChuckS]

The sideline and pregame reporting stuff she does is fine. It’s almost as if she’s not a trained PBP person, and they just throw her in there because they don’t have a third stringer on the payroll for that position.

It’d be like playing Vavra at catcher if Adley and McCann went down. 

[forphase1]

She's terrible at pbp.  Keep her on the sidelines, pregame, post game,  whatever.   But keep her of of pbp, TV and radio. 

[ShoelesJoe]

Been watching MLB on TV since the mid '60s, and Newman is the worst play by play announcer I've ever heard. Not blaming her in particular as very few people can do the job well (I certainly couldn't). But whoever put her in that position needs to be launched into the sun. Her penchant for going totally silent while plays are happening is infuriating in the extreme, and should get her locked out of the broadcast booth for life. 

Edited June 4, 2023 by ShoelesJoe

[HandsomeQuack]

Jim Hunter and Mike Bordick as a combo... how we survived that I do not know. Say what you want about the broadcast teams currently, but Melanie is the only zilch on payroll. Brett, Geoff, and everyone else are all at least competent.

[Frobby]

49 minutes ago, HandsomeQuack said:

Jim Hunter and Mike Bordick as a combo... how we survived that I do not know. 

Hunter with Buck Martinez also was quite awful.  I never did understand how Martinez got a job doing Orioles broadcasts.