If I'm Melanie Newman

[MDK02]

We went from the best in Gary to the worst in Melanie. I will say, hearing Melanie really makes me appreciate Kevin Brown. 

[Tony-OH]

9 hours ago, Frobby said:

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

The worse thing is he's now the PBP guy for the Blue Jays. Could you imagine having to listen to that voice for 9 innings doing PBP?

[Tony-OH]

8 hours ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

I think Melanie is more suited on MLB Network hosting one of those shows with a desk filled with MLB analysts than she is calling play by play. She does a good job as a host/anchor and she's a decent story teller and does good with research. But she is literally dreadful at calling games. That's triple stacked, because she fails to call the action correctly, too much dead air time, and I don't like her voice at all when she is talking. The same way I don't like the person doing the player At Bat introductions at Oriole Park's voice. They sound very similar to me. I'll leave it at that, because if I attempt to describe this aspect any farther, I'll end up seriously offending someone.

The Orioles game announcers speaks in a tone that I can't understand. It's very monotone and I don't know if its the sound system (which is very poor in Camden Yards) or what, but everything sounds garbled to me. I joke all the time when I hear her announce a player's name that it sounds like, "Haaaarrrrreer.... Momlesmuuuuuuuuur."

Maybe it's just me as I do have some hearing loss.

[Snutchy]

9 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The Orioles game announcers speaks in a tone that I can't understand. It's very monotone and I don't know if its the sound system (which is very poor in Camden Yards) or what, but everything sounds garbled to me. I joke all the time when I hear her announce a player's name that it sounds like, "Haaaarrrrreer.... Momlesmuuuuuuuuur."

Maybe it's just me as I do have some hearing loss.

I actually like Buck better as PBP than color. He does a very decent job with that. Him and Hunter were awful together.

[now]

This thread is fascinating since it shows such different opinions and perspectives. Seems like there are too points of contention: the voice and the PBP skills. The first (voice/personality) is clearly subjective, as opinions here range from "pleasant" to nails on chalkboard. (In fact due to that response personally I can't even get to the PBP evaluation). The PBP seems more objective in terms of what people expect and what they're getting, and I see more agreement on the negative critique.

Edited June 4, 2023 by now

[Moose Milligan]

53 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Rubbish

Get your own line. 

[slakattack]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

She's got a solid love for pancakes and her flirtatious giggling to everything Palmer says could be endearing to some I guess. Also, if you enjoy thinking through the play you just saw without an announcer telling you anything, listening to the color guy have to wrap up an inning, or like to use your imagination on anything pertinent on the field that the camera isn't focusing on, then I think you will enjoy her broadcasts.

Saying all that, she's pretty good as the studio host and if there is a job where incessant questions need to be asked to inform the most uninformed viewer, I think she would be great at that as well.

 

 

Southpaw compliments aplenty.

[btownoriole]

I had a long drive Wednesday afternoon and listened to Newman and Garceau.  It was the worst radio broadcast I’ve listened to in 45 years as a baseball fan.  They were both constantly behind the play (based on the sound of the bat and the crowd reaction).  On some plays I didn’t really know what happened until the play was over and they told me who was on base where and how many outs there were.

I agree with other posters - have Newman and Garceau focus on studio hosting.  If they need an occasional play-by-play person on the radio side bring up Adam Pohl or one of the other minor league announcers.

[Redgrape]

Man, I really like Melanie. I think she's an overall talent and I think MASN is lucky to have her. I haven't noticed that her play-by-play is bad, it seems fine to me.

[Frobby]

11 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

I know it's not exactly the same, but I never understood how Lee Mazzilli got hired as the Orioles manager.

I see the manager’s job differently than the color analyst.  For the latter, there’s good reason to have someone with strong past ties to the team.   For the former, past ties to the team are unnecessary and can even be a hindrance in some cases.  Now, Mazzili may have been a bad choice for other reasons, but I have no problem with the O’s choosing someone with no prior Orioles’ connection, just like with Showalter and Hyde.  But I much prefer my color guy to be very familiar with past Orioles tesms and players.   Martinez wasn’t, and he wasn’t particularly good at the job otherwise, either.  

Edited June 4, 2023 by Frobby

[Just Regular]

I am glad Jim Palmer has made it to the next good team.    Brooks and him have been a treasure in the color role over many of the years.     Ben I'm not quite sure if his heart is more in the SEC or with the O's.     I would love to someday hear Mussina in a part time role.

Palmer isn't Vin Scully but I hope we keep him for a good long time.

A friend of mine at the game last night said he heard Mike Devereaux could be getting some spot appearances sometime in the future.

I rarely get to spend the whole 2:45 with the broadcast, and tend to only watch live if it is late and close.

Some of why I appreciate the community and game threads here is it has the deeper dive content that MASN reasonably doesn't worry about producing for a mass audience.     Grading Newman on that scale, she probably doesn't seem as bad to casual fans as she does to many of us.

[Osornot]

39 minutes ago, btownoriole said:

I had a long drive Wednesday afternoon and listened to Newman and Garceau.  It was the worst radio broadcast I’ve listened to in 45 years as a baseball fan.  They were both constantly behind the play (based on the sound of the bat and the crowd reaction).  On some plays I didn’t really know what happened until the play was over and they told me who was on base where and how many outs there were.

I agree with other posters - have Newman and Garceau focus on studio hosting.  If they need an occasional play-by-play person on the radio side bring up Adam Pohl or one of the other minor league announcers.

This happened to me early in the year and, for the first time listening to games on the radio, I turned it off.  And I used to listen to the studio-called games with the same crack of the bat, crowd noise and cheers, etc.  I am not one for hyperbole but it was the most amateurish broadcast I had heard above some college and it was the team with Garceau. 

Saying that, I believe that Melanie has improved... but is just not ready for prime time, and is not being set up to succeed.  Whomever in the organization is in charge of this aspect is not very good. She sounds a little more comfortable/confident but then having to share a booth with Palmer, a larger-than-life personality, is cruel. 

I blame the organization.  Frankly, I like Kevin Brown but feel like I am compromising.  For example, in their own way, Thorne and Palmer were perfect - excellent broadcast with the extra bonus of thinking it is two guys sitting in their backyard watching a game, drinking a few beers and energized by the game they love and having a few laughs while being professional. Meh, my 2 cents

[Flash- bd]

13 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Palmer isn't Vin Scully but

He's better! 

[RZNJ]

All I can say is that she doesn’t bother me on tv.  They all suck up to Palmer.  I love Palmer but he gets on my nerves too.

He kept referring to the Giant as a speedster.  So Santander makes a great throw on Friday on a ball he he had go to his right to field, makes a perfect throw and they get the runner by an eyelash and after the play Mr. 20/20 hindsight says “I can’t believe they sent him”.  LOL

[survivedc]

I have softened on Melanie mostly because I think she is so obviously miscast and I think very good at non PBP roles. 
 

Geoff and Brett are the best tandem for my money.