Do Jon Miller and/or Gary Thorne belong in the Orioles Hall of Fame?

[interloper]

43 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The main argument would be tenure.  Manfra announced here almost twice as long as the other two.  Of course, by that logic Jim Hunter (1997-2020) should be in ahead of Miller or Thorne.  You’ll notice I didn’t ask about him.  

I mean that is an interesting point though. Nobody really liked Hunter, but he was a good Oriole soldier for forever. Manfra wasn't an incredible PBP guy by any means, but people liked his demeanor and his voice. 

Kind of interesting to compare both guys. Ultimately, is Manfra just in there because of his voice? Seems a bit unfair to Hunter. The Orioles sure liked him enough to employ him for over a decade. Why not put him in. And that's coming from someone who really, really did not like Hunter. 

Edited Tuesday at 13:03 by interloper

[RZNJ]

Mantra was not good.  I guess if he's in tough not to let anyone in with 10 years or more.  Thorne is also overrated because of the voice.

[Frobby]

21 minutes ago, interloper said:

I mean that is an interesting point though. Nobody really liked Hunter, but he was a good Oriole soldier for forever. Manfra wasn't an incredible PBP guy by any means, but people liked his demeanor and his voice. 

Kind of interesting to compare both guys. Ultimately, is Manfra just in there because of his voice? Seems a bit unfair to Hunter. The Orioles sure liked him enough to employ him for over a decade. Why not put him in. And that's coming from someone who really, really did not like Hunter. 

More than two decades.   Truth is, on radio he was way better at play by play than Manfra.  But Manfra was a humble guy and Hunter was kind of full of himself.  On TV, he loved to ask these leading questions to the color man, the subtext of which was “I know so much about baseball, don’t you agree?” Drove me nuts, except I’d enjoy it when Palmer would answer in a way that had a subtext of “you have no idea what you’re talking about, you pompous moron.”

Edited Tuesday at 13:24 by Frobby

[interloper]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

More than two decades.   Truth is, on radio he was way better at play by play than Manfra.  But Manfra was a humble guy and Hunter was kind of full of himself.  On TV, he loved to ask these leading questions to the color man, the subtext of which was “I know so much about baseball, don’t you agree?” Drove me nuts, except I’d enjoy it when Palmer would answer in a way that had a subtext of “you have no idea what you’re talking about, you pompous moron.”

Math was never my strong suit, lol. 

And yes! I love when Palmer does that, and he would get Hunter with that all the time. Like, no I'm not just going to agree with you, I'm going to slightly subvert your expectation and come up with a smarter thought about the topic, and make you sound kind of dumb in the process. I used to love that. 

Edited Tuesday at 13:34 by interloper

[Otter]

My thinking is very few broadcasters should be in the O's HOF, and only reserved for great broadcasters with long tenures and who were loved by the fans.  Using that criteria, I'd only have Chuck Thompson and Jon Miller in the O's HOF.  I think it cheapens the award to have Manfra and Angel in it.  If those two guys made it, then why not Mel Proctor??  IMO, he was a much better baseball broadcaster than either of them, even though he had a relatively short tenure.

As for Thorne, he's a very good broadcaster in general but he made way too many obvious mistakes and didn't know baseball well at all.

[24fps]

3 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yes. And as a gift for Thorne, they should give him his job back.

I’d raise a glass to that. 

[Frobby]

16 minutes ago, Otter said:

  If those two guys made it, then why not Mel Proctor??  IMO, he was a much better baseball broadcaster than either of them, even though he had a relatively short tenure.

Not as short as I thought.  According to this chart, he was here from 1984-1996.  I definitely didn’t realize he was here that long.   Funny, I barely remember what he was like.  I mainly remember him being a good foil for John Lowenstein.  

[Philip]

Haven’t even read the comments before saying yes. Compared to the embarrassing mess that is the current entire broadcast system, I cannot imagine anything other than regretful tears that Thorne and Miller are gone. 
Has anyone equaled the “He’s not gonna throw it at all!” Call? And not just that one. “CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? REIMOLD….and CLEVENGER.” Not fancy wordplay, but an infectious excitement, and a perfect Bass baritone voice with just a hint of gravel in it. 
Again, it’s not just the word choice, but the way they are delivered, and the voice that delivers them.

 

[Philip]

I’m reading the other comments now, and it’s wonderful how many comments have referenced the “don’t throw it at all” call. Now, to illustrate the difference between Thorne and the modern bunch, try and imagine Newman(shudder) or Brown calling that same play. 

[Jim'sKid26]

Should @Roy Firestone be in the Orioles HoF?

[dystopia]

37 minutes ago, Philip said:

I’m reading the other comments now, and it’s wonderful how many comments have referenced the “don’t throw it at all” call. Now, to illustrate the difference between Thorne and the modern bunch, try and imagine Newman(shudder) or Brown calling that same play. 

I could see Brown doing it well. 

[Br10n]

Löwenstein was the best. I loved when Mel Proctor would say I have no idea what he (Löwenstein) is saying, your on your own for this one folks. 

[Philip]

28 minutes ago, Br10n said:

Löwenstein was the best. I loved when Mel Proctor would say I have no idea what he (Löwenstein) is saying, your on your own for this one folks. 

I only heard Mel Proctor when he was working the Rangers games, and I really liked him. I don’t remember whether he worked with Dick Risenhoover or Mark Holtz, but I think he worked with Mark Holtz, although he was on his own for a little while, but I really liked him.

[Otter]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

Not as short as I thought.  According to this chart, he was here from 1984-1996.  I definitely didn’t realize he was here that long.   Funny, I barely remember what he was like.  I mainly remember him being a good foil for John Lowenstein.  

Exactly.  I don't know if it's just nostalgia from my younger days, but they are my favorite O's announcing team.  I loved how they could make horrible seasons and games entertaining.

[oriolediehard]

Jon Miller and Joe Angel belong in the O's Hall Of Fame.  I guess Gary Thorne deserves to be in, I'm sorry I didn't care for him!  He got excited if either team had a key hit or play, and he was big on statistics.  He may be better than what we have today!