Baseball's Top Radio Broadcast Teams

[Moser316]

From USA Today's website:

The List

I figured my Brewers would be pretty high up on the list (with Bob Uecker and Jim Powell calling games, they're rated third out of 16 NL teams), but I can't help but feel that there's a West Coast bias here (the Dodgers' radio team is tops, followed by the Giants). Any comments or complaints about where your team fell?

[pcgd]

That list is awful. How can Skip Carey be anywhere on the top half of that list? Talent skips a generation in that family.

The White Sox announcers best in the AL?

Now, Vin Sculley is a legend so I'm ok with that.

Listening to Skip Carey makes me want to commit multiple homocide.

[kingssss]

The Dodgers easily have the best. They deserve to be first. No one's ever going to be better than Vinny.

The Orioles guys that they listed i really like and deserve to be where they are, but when you get jim palmer doing to color--he just blabs on and on and it gets really boring.

I sort of like Washington's radio guys. Washington's funny tho cuz theyre on FM radio on a pretty popular radio station in that area where i live. i think they deserve to be a little higher.

[cyandlux]

Its good to see the Dodgers on the top of the NL for something

[gashouser27]

No problem with the top of the NL list. Dodgers, Giants, Brewers and Reds are the best

I agree with the Skip Caray comments. He puts the Braves at the bottom.

Mike Shannon will put anyone to sleep but he is getting better.

Suzy Waldman is probably the worst analyst in history!

[Ez Street]

I am a big fan of my hometown guys Denny Matthews and Ryan Lefebvre. Denny is a classic. They failed to mention that Fred White fills in on the road sometimes for Denny. Also on sundays the TV team and Radio team switch sending in Bob Davis (Voice of the Jayhawks) and former Royals pitching great Paul Splittorff. I cannot say they are the best because they are all I listen to.

[BBTV]

No problem with the top of the NL list. Dodgers, Giants, Brewers and Reds are the best!

And you've heard them all?

I'm guessing this is radio only. If it was TV I'd think the phillies (with Harry Kalas and Larry Anderson) would have been a little higher. There radio broadcast is kind of "blah" when Harry is in the TV booth.

[yh]

Harry Kalas ranked 10th in the NL - wow. I'll bet he's ranked a hell of a lot higher than that in the NFL. That man has inherited John Facenda's mantle as the voice of autumn and winter.

[HatCityEnforcer]

Not gonna argue here about the tops in the NL...LA and SF have two of the best crews in the majors...

The Braves booth being higher than some ones with IMO better talent (noteably St. Louis, Chicago (only b/c Hughes and Santo are just unintentionally funny), Philly, San Diego, and the Mets among others) is an abject farce. Skip Carey, Don Sutton, and Joe Simpson are idiots...there's a reason why Turner Sports moved these three morons to the radio waves...mostly b/c they're HORRIBLE. Poor Pete Van Wieren having to suffer with those 3 buffoons in the booth.

AL wise, have to agree about the White Sox crew being tops...Rooney's probably one of the best in the biz. Liked the placement of the Oakland, Seattle, and Baltimore crews as well (although I think the O's radio booth took a hit when Jon Miller left...Hunter and Angel are pretty good though). A very underrated booth is the one in Minnesota as well...besides, Carneal learned from one of the masters of the biz (namely Ernie Harwell)..

As for the locals, my personal fave crew would be the Mets team of Gary Cohen, Howie Rose, and Eddie Coleman. It's not great, but compared with the other two teams (Sox and Yanks), they're wonderful by comparison. The Sox team of Castiglione and Trupiano are not that great, but at least they have this one thing going for them....at least they're better than the Yanks crew...

Somewhere, Mel Allen, Red Barber, and Frank Messer are spinning in their graves knowing that the hallowed seats they occupied in the broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium are in the hands of 2 of the worst sportscasters...ever.

Sterling's awful. Sheesh, he makes Skip Fluffing Carey look great by comparison. Waldman, however, is by far the worst one of them all...she was terrible as a beat reporter with the FAN, horrid on YES, and just compounds the agony of listening to a Yanks game on the radio by being teamed up with a plophead like Sterling.

[yankeeman161]

The Sox team of Castiglione and Trupiano are not that great, but at least they have this one thing going for them....at least they're better than the Yanks crew...

Somewhere, Mel Allen, Red Barber, and Frank Messer are spinning in their graves knowing that the hallowed seats they occupied in the broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium are in the hands of 2 of the worst sportscasters...ever.

Sterling's awful. Sheesh, he makes Skip Fluffing Carey look great by comparison. Waldman, however, is by far the worst one of them all...she was terrible as a beat reporter with the FAN, horrid on YES, and just compounds the agony of listening to a Yanks game on the radio by being teamed up with a plophead like Sterling.

Now HOW can anyone compare John Sterling, the greatest and smoothest radio voice in baseball to a couple of nasaly, uptitght commentators like WEEI's Castiglione and Trupiano. Sterling is the funniest and most creative broadcasters today. He reminds me of how the Scooter was in th TV booth.

How can u argue with a home run call like:

"It is high, it is far, it is GONE!" to "High and gone"

or an team winning saying like:

Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!" to "Strike three and the Sox Win!

I don't see any other broadcasters coming up with unique home run or player names, on the radio like:

"A thrilla by Godzilla!"

An A-bomb from A-Rod!" , "Alexander The Great conquers again"

"Burn, baby, Bern!" , Bernie goes boom!"

The Giambino strikes again!"

Back to back, and belly to belly!" (After back-to-back home runs)

THE BAMTINO!

The Sianara Kid

I know people think that hs sucks with Suzyn Waldman in the booth, but it's only their first year together and they will get better. They seem to always have some good chuckles in the booth.

Again, i don't see how anyone can compare the great Yankee broadcasting to nasal, stale broadcasting of other equally great teams.

[gashouser27]

No problem with the top of the NL list. Dodgers, Giants, Brewers and Reds are the best!

And you've heard them all?

I'm guessing this is radio only. If it was TV I'd think the phillies (with Harry Kalas and Larry Anderson) would have been a little higher. There radio broadcast is kind of "blah" when Harry is in the TV booth.

Yeah this is radio broadcasts..And you do hear a lot of them if you travel and drive..

Radio is definitely tougher ..The timing and flow is much more important and you need an analyst who adds value and doesn't ramble

I remember Harry Caray rambling through entire innings talking about Budweiser and good places to eat in cities (usually after the fifth inning when he was already drunk)... Jack Buck (the greatest) could cut in and in a few words bring you up to date on the action

Nowadays you have these "muzak" announcers, like Sterling and Waldman who add nothing. You are better off "watching" games on Game Channel

[VitaminD]

Harry Kalas ranked 10th in the NL - wow.  I'll bet he's ranked a hell of a lot higher than that in the NFL.  That man has inherited John Facenda's mantle as the voice of autumn and winter.

Harry Kalas narrated the soundtrack of my childhood. Growing up listening to him, he IS summer. But he is saddled with so much inferior talent, even he can't get the Phils' team beyond 10th place. The Phillies had a great duo with Harry the K and Whitey Ashburn. Since Ashburn died, no one has come close to filling the void.

[BBTV]

Harry Kalas ranked 10th in the NL - wow.  I'll bet he's ranked a hell of a lot higher than that in the NFL.  That man has inherited John Facenda's mantle as the voice of autumn and winter.

Harry Kalas narrated the soundtrack of my childhood. Growing up listening to him, he IS summer. But he is saddled with so much inferior talent, even he can't get the Phils' team beyond 10th place. The Phillies had a great duo with Harry the K and Whitey Ashburn. Since Ashburn died, no one has come close to filling the void.

I think L.A. has improved dramatically in the past couple seasons. By the end, Whitey was (just my opinion) tough to listen to.

The TV broadcasts would be OK if it was just Harry and LA the whole game. I really can't stand Wheels.

On the radio side, Scott Graham is a good PBP guy, but doesn't really exude any kind of personality. Same with McCarthy.

There broadcasts would be better if they had a TV crew and Radio crew, instead of mix-match. But Harry actually has it worked in his contract that he gets 3 radio innings per game, since he has stated that radio broadcasting is the true mark of the profession.

[friarcanuck]

After playing so much MVP Baseball, I simple loath Mike Krukow.

"Way to go meat!" What the hell does that mean.

[NJTank]

Yeah I hear ya, I hope he does not do that for real games

[patsox]

Now HOW can anyone compare John Sterling, the greatest and smoothest radio voice in baseball to a couple of nasaly, uptitght commentators like WEEI's Castiglione and Trupiano.

I completely disagree. From tonight's game

Jerry: I didn't recognize Boone tonight. He looks so much smaller.

Joe: Must be the new uniform.

Can you believe it?

[tp49]

Yeah I hear ya, I hope he does not do that for real games

Unfortunately he does do this during regular games. Of the Bay Area teams when John Miller is working there is no better and Dave Flemming is coming into his own. Then again I used to listen to Miller when he was doing Orioles games. I can't stand Krukow and Kuiper. The best thing to happen all year was on Opening Day when FSN Bay Area's feed was bad and they had to simulcast the Dodger feed with Vin Scully. It just made opening day feel so right, beautiful day, baseball on tv and Vin Scully calling the game. If it's Krukow and Kuiper I'm listening to the A's on KFRC.

I grew up and until 4 years ago lived in NY. John Sterling sucked 16 years ago when the Yankees brought him on board and he sucks now. At least when Michael Kay was his partner he could keep him in check a bit but Charley Steiner couldn't have sounded more disinterested and I liked Waldman on WFAN but don't like her as Sterling's color analyst. The best booth in NY was Bob Murphy and Gary Cohen hands down and over the years Cohen really has come into his own and is very good in his own right. I especially like him paired with Ed Coleman. The Mets TV booth on the other hand is a different story entirely especially when Fran Healy is working. The Yankees have the best TV analyst in NY with Jim Kaat.

Among other favorite broadcasters to listen to are Harry Kalas in Philly, Marty Brenneman in Cincinnati, Jerry Coleman in San Diego, Ernie Harwell in Detroit, and Jack Buck in St. Louis (yes I know the latter two are retired).

I do travel a lot and listen to MLB games in whatever market I get into so I have heard most of the teams. But to say that John Sterling is the smoothest voice in baseball says that some people need to get out and listen to some other teams games broadcast. Especially since Sterling isn't even the smoothest voice in NYC. This coming from a Yankees fan.

[DEAD!]

Ernie Harwell in Detroit, and Jack Buck in St. Louis (yes I know the latter two are retired).

not to mention one of them is dead.....

[VitaminD]

I think L.A. has improved dramatically in the past couple seasons. By the end, Whitey was (just my opinion) tough to listen to.

Thank God they stopped making LA do those asinine "Shallow Thoughts". Oh, they hurt after about the 2nd or 3rd game. And forcing Harry to ask him if he had any thoughts... it hurts my stomach just thinking about it.

The TV broadcasts would be OK if it was just Harry and LA the whole game. I really can't stand Wheels.

Frickin' Wheels. He was the other guest of honor at a dinner my Little League team got invited to after winning our league title in 1989. What you see and hear during the games is what you get in person. Bleuh!

On the radio side, Scott Graham is a good PBP guy, but doesn't really exude any kind of personality. Same with McCarthy.

I actually think they're both getting better, but Scott Graham is working too hard to be less bland. His attempts at a catch phrase - "put this one in the win column for the Fightin' Phils!" - sounds so contrived and unnatural, my joy at a win is tempered by hearing it. Style should be developed over time, and he's just forcing it so much it's backfiring IMO.

I don't care if Harry is on TV or radio; if he goes to radio, I turn the TV sound down and turn up 1210. Same with Eagles' games, so I can enjoy Merrill (and Mike Quick, since I have no choice but to endure him) on WYSP.

[kansascityjayhawk4]

The STL Cardinals should DEFINATELY be higher up there.

KC Jayhawk