Credit where it’s due to Melanie Newman

[Fiver6565]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

The Gunnar HR call was horrific.

She referred to McCann as Adley on a throw to second.

I don’t expect perfection. People make mistakes and misspeak. I get it.

But she’s not good imo. 

I actually went back on MLB TV to listen to the Nats announcers call that Gunnar HR because I was curious if Rosario confused them also; his actions were a bit odd but it seemed clear he had just lost the ball.  But their guy (who's name I don't even know) picked up on it instantly that Rosario had lost the ball, and called the HR correctly from the start.

It felt like Big Ben knew it was gone, but then got confused I think by Melanie's initial reaction, combined w/ Rosario's actions.

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Everybody missed that.   Ben too.   He read the body language of the outfielder and while the ball was in flight said something like, "wow, I really thought that was going out."   And then it did.   From my upper deck seats it was hard to follow the flight of the ball and I had the exact reaction Ben did.

As an aside, the Nats' broadcast booth is very high up and very far back.   I was sitting in the 5th row of the upper deck and the press box was way behind and higher than where I was sitting.   

I didn’t mean that part.  But when they realized it was a homer, her call of acting like it was shocking that Gunnar hit a homer was over the top.

[InsideCoroner]

To be fair I don’t have access to radio so my only experience with her is when she’s forced onto TV PBP, as was the case with a few Apple games, and she was borderline unbearable. So it’s been a while. Then again, I only knew Tommy Hunter from TV where I couldn’t stand him, but read on this board that he was decent on radio broadcasts. It’s two different skill sets, to be sure. 
 

 

[Fiver6565]

4 minutes ago, Gurgi said:

Honestly I dont know her history but she seems like she did not grow up a baseball nut but is trying this just to be an announcer.   If baseball really has to force women into all these jobs they should go to the women who played softball at a high level like college and international level.  Bring them in.  There are some amazing women softball players that would actually have real insight into the game.  

A quick Google search will show you that she's been calling softball and baseball games since college, including in the minor leagues.  Not knowing the game is not the issue w/ Melanie.  There's no reason to require a female PBP announcer to have played the game at any level.  Do you think Kevin Brown played at a high level?  By his own self-deprecating admission, he clearly did not.

She shouldn't be doing PBP because she's bad at it, not because she doesn't know how baseball works.

[Fiver6565]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Everybody missed that.   Ben too.   He read the body language of the outfielder and while the ball was in flight said something like, "wow, I really thought that was going out."   And then it did.   From my upper deck seats it was hard to follow the flight of the ball and I had the exact reaction Ben did.

As an aside, the Nats' broadcast booth is very high up and very far back.   I was sitting in the 5th row of the upper deck and the press box was way behind and higher than where I was sitting.   

The Nats guys didn't miss it at all, just saying.

[DocJJ]

I must admit, last night's game was the first I've watched with her calling PBP.  I thought she was pretty awful...  

 

I acknowledge that this may be just a matter of personal taste, kind of like with music...

[Hank Scorpio]

When I can see what's happening, she's fine. 

On the radio.... no can do.

[Spy Fox]

9 minutes ago, InsideCoroner said:

So it’s just me that saw a difference, then. Alright. 

I also thought she seemed a bit better the last two nights. 

[Aglets]

I thought it was pretty egregious in the 12th inning when we were going for the game....Webb was pitching.

Nats had a runner on 2nd.  I think 1 out.

Melanie inserted a comment like "What Webb really needs here is a double play ball."

ummmm.   what.

[Gurgi]

2 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

A quick Google search will show you that she's been calling softball and baseball games since college, including in the minor leagues.  Not knowing the game is not the issue w/ Melanie.  There's no reason to require a female PBP announcer to have played the game at any level.  Do you think Kevin Brown played at a high level?  By his own self-deprecating admission, he clearly did not.

She shouldn't be doing PBP because she's bad at it, not because she doesn't know how baseball works.

She did a national telecast last year of all women and MLB was really hyping it up.  It was cringe.  Halfway through the game she made a gaff where she did not know a basic rule of the game.  I forget what it was now but maybe you can research that.  She is not good at her job.  

 

[Frobby]

Just now, Otter said:

The thing that bothers me the most about her is sometimes her tone, inflection, and volume aren't appropriate for the moment.  Her voice gets excited during a routine pop-up, but she delivers a late, monotone, and confusing description of exciting run scoring plays.  If she was the PBP announcer for an A ball team, it would be ok.  But the fact that she's the backup PBP announcer for a MLB team is just embarrassing.

I will say this: several (not all) of Melanie's foibles were also problems for Fred Manfra, who is in the Orioles Hall of Fame and spent 25 years in the O's radio booth.   He had a terrible time describing any play that was at all unusual while it was occurring, and he was awful at distinguishing which fly balls would be homers/extra base hits and which were routine fly balls.   I can't count how many times I would curse him for raising his voice as though an Orioles homer had been launched and then say it was caught shy of the warning track, or act as though an opponent's ball was just an average fly ball and then say in a semi-sheepish tone that it had cleared the fence.  And, he had a way of sounding a bit too happy when things were going poorly.   So, Melanie isn't alone.

[dystopia]

Her efforts to pronounce Spanish names with an accent annoy me, but I find her tolerable otherwise despite her mistakes and Siri-like tone of voice. 

[RZNJ]

15 minutes ago, Sanfran327 said:

I made this joke in another thread, but it's more relevant to this one, so I'll do it again.

1,000% chance Melanie Newman says "gracias!" with a big, dopey smile after ordering her meal at a Mexican restaurant. 

Is that bad?

[Gurgi]

1 minute ago, Aglets said:

I thought it was pretty egregious in the 12th inning when we were going for the game....Webb was pitching.

Nats had a runner on 2nd.  I think 1 out.

Melanie inserted a comment like "What Webb really needs here is a double play ball."

ummmm.   what.

God I missed that one.  Holy crap.  

[Otter]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I will say this: several (not all) of Melanie's foibles were also problems for Fred Manfra, who is in the Orioles Hall of Fame and spent 25 years in the O's radio booth.   He had a terrible time describing any play that was at all unusual while it was occurring, and he was awful at distinguishing which fly balls would be homers/extra base hits and which were routine fly balls.   I can't count how many times I would curse him for raising his voice as though an Orioles homer had been launched and then say it was caught shy of the warning track, or act as though an opponent's ball was just an average fly ball and then say in a semi-sheepish tone that it had cleared the fence.  And, he had a way of sounding a bit too happy when things were going poorly.   So, Melanie isn't alone.

Yes, I do remember that about Manfra.  But Manfra was a good broadcaster with a good voice and delivery, but bad at describing the baseball action.  Melanie is terrible at both.