Saturday night's Giants-A's telecast on NBC Bay Area was downright awful from the very beginning to the end, and I'm being charitable. Does the word "dreadful" come to mind? Yes, and it has nothing to do with the fact that the telecast bent heavily toward the Giants perspective and favor, after all, yes, the outlet is the over-the-air Giants baseball flagship affiliate.
For starters, Eric Byrnes is god-awful. Why anybody and everybody is trying to build this guy up is beyond belief. I'd call it the "Byrnes fetish." Simply stated, whatever Byrnes says and tries to sounds contrived and forced. His myriad displays of overall goofiness is too numerous to count.
It's as if we're being force fed gobbled info from the proverbial ex-ballplayer we're led to believe is giving us a first-hand account, only most of the time Byrnes seems hellbent on saying nothing and relying on a gimmicky series of disingenuous chatter.
Nowhere was that most evident on Saturday evenings' telecast with play-by-play tonsil, Jon Miller, who told about a million irrelevant stories, tried feverishly to be a balanced announcer without any SF bias, and worked hard to try to help out doofus Byrnes. No go. Maybe ESPN made the right call dumping Miller, who sometimes thinks his stories supersede the game. Go figure.
Beyond the fact that the telecast was decidedly Giants-oriented, (perfectly logical,) all the real-time account and commentary was a mishmash of repeated anecdotes, (did we really need about a thousand mentions of Nate Shierholtz' newly-formed mustache?) Had to chuckle, too, when the Hayward-born Miller repeatedly refer to the Coliseum "on the eastern-shore of SF Bay." Gees, thanks Miller--I believe its the Oakland Coliseum. Remember, you had a gig there with the A's in the 70's.
Clearly, though, Byrnes was the star misfit. Again, I'm amazed, (but not surprised,) that the sports media minions try to build this guy up. Maybe its the hair, the "wackiness", yeah, he's so damn clever and says a lot. Hold me back.
*Follow me on Twitter
*ADVERTISE ON RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: The Bay Area's only DAILY 24/7 Media Blog; Reasonable Rates: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com
*Tips-E-Mail: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com
Yes, Byrnes is horrible. I saw a twitter post that called him the spicoli factor, sad but true. I can't stand NBC broadcasts... GIVE ME SMOOTH BACK! Yay Comcast.
ReplyDeleteThank you lord for Rich. Only here is reality found about local media. And that boob Brynes is the worst we have seen in the bay area in decades. He is so bad,Radnich stopped plugging Brynes as a talent-he's too flaky for Raddy.
ReplyDeleteHis soucal David Lee Roth and HS lingo pierces the ears. He's a walking stereotype of surfer dudes. And I sense he's stoked on something alright...
And yet-he's on KNBR and Comcast. Griggs wo seems hire with more diversity then the radio sports stations, now has that on his resume-"I allowed Brynes because he's Baers Boy. Talent?-har de har har"....
I had two choices. 1. Byrnes bullshit. 2. My grandson crying over a bottle. I went with number 2....
ReplyDeleteI watched the game, and it was a pitiful production. Byrnes is a complete joke. Mumbling a ball was off the plate to a Giants batter that was a called strike, rambling incoherently about nothing...he adds NOTHING to a telecast.
ReplyDeleteWhy this bozo has a job communicating to the public, he's equally awful on radio or tv, is a great mystery. Really insulting to the fans if they think this doofus is a talent. The game was almost unwatchable with his rambling blather in the background.
Painful to listen to. Unfortunately cannot listen to radio and see in real time tv.
ReplyDeleteTotally disagree. I find Byrnes entertaining and a great fill-in.
ReplyDeleteByrnes like others that comcast consecrates are an abomination to our sensibilities. There is an underground media culture that is run by the "in" crowd. Byrnes has been given the blessing; as well as Pauly "talent" Mac, Brian "picture pop up book" Murphy, "P- A Real Con" and anyone else KNBR and his bitch Comcast dream up....its enough to make you turn off the sports culture and turn up Jerseylicious...
ReplyDeleteByrnes entertaining?....uh Thanks Lee Hammer for your insights
ReplyDeleteRich Lieberman: Although you've pissed me off in the past and I've called you on it, this time you are right on. While watching the game I didn't know who the doofus was on the mike until I read your blog today. The most embarrassing part came when the A's scored in the 5th to go ahead and this idiot claimed the Giants were ahead instead. He corrected himself of course but even my non-sport loving girlfriend said: "who the hell is this idiot in the booth? Did you hear that!?!?"
ReplyDeleteMy 3 year old would make more sense on the booth than this loser. Yes, he's a loser, I don't give a shit how many millions he has in the bank. Money does not = class nor intelligence. Byrnes is the poster child for that....
Byrnes is terrible!
ReplyDeleteBut gratuitously bashing Miller is seriously misguided and yet another example of what an angry jealous guy Lieberman is. Miller is a fabulous talent. He's in the HOF where he belongs.
Where is Lieberman? In this cheesey blog ranting at the establishment that left him by the wayside.
Obviously you were mostly A's fans who chose to listen to the Giants telecast over the A's. Brynes was pretty good in my book and my families that also watched. For someone who never worked a game he did pretty good, he wasn't on par with Krukow but Krukow has 20 years and Byrnes now has 2 games. He was way better than Bip Roberts who was on the day before, Bip just didn't seem comfortable. In time I think Byrnes will be a good fill-in much like FP use to do before his full time job with the Nats.
ReplyDeleteByrnes was just as bad during his MLB Network gig. Guess the uncombed hair, the ill-fitting clothes, and the shouting, then mumbling, is supposed to make him a "personality"- however, his spastic interactions with the other panelists imply that he may be using more than coffee- just sayin'...
ReplyDelete2:27 post? He left out,"signed, Lee Hammer".
ReplyDeleteMonty on 95.7 jealousy of Dan Dibley is getting out of hand..its almost childish how the Monty fellow trys to rub anything he can find in Dibleys face.
ReplyDeleteIts like he trying to drive DD off the show. He is driving me to turn the show off with all the bickering over stupidly shallow topics..
Byrnes is just like Mr. Media. A wannabe
ReplyDeleteBut Byrnes is buddies with Zito! And he always knows to touch home plate.
ReplyDeleteBleech. This weekend was the worst.
ReplyDelete1) The Giants getting swept by the A's
2) Listening to Bip Roberts
3) Listening to Eric Byrnes
Kruk on his worst days is better than Bip & Eric.
All the jock sniffers love to feel like they are "one of the fellows" with guys like Byrnes, & even FP to a certain degree. A lot of the audience is around the same age group. It's that whole group of guys who develop "man crushes" for their favorite players. Same clowns that suit up when they stagger into a sports bar, with their Forty Whiner or Faider jerseys protruding over their fat guts. That's why jocks are in the booth.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the fire sale at KPIX. Are they trying to shed contract dollars ? Bastita/King in the evening has me tuned into KPIX every night at 6 for the first time since the hey day of Mac/Tokuda/Bartlett/Walker. As much as I like Somerville, I tune to PIX because 5 is little more lively that KTVU (that's not a shot a KTVU- the stoic, no no-sense news has made KTVU one of the best in the nation over the years- I watch 2 at 10 and in the morning. KPIX as it is now is certainly the best newscast since Wilson/Moore/Radnich/Raleigh in the evenings. If PIX is trying to save a buck, they may mess up a good thing and send everyone over to 2.
ReplyDelete"...Monty on 95.7 jealousy of Dan Dibley is getting out of hand..its almost childish how the Monty fellow trys to rub anything he can find in Dibleys face..."
ReplyDeleteMe waiting for Double D's to go off on him and not in that fake "radio handbook" way he did on KNBR
Okay, Lieberman followers! How many of you yearn for FP to return from the Nation's Capital? What, you mean Bip is the lesser of the three evils? Oh, and I agree with the 8:09. Keep bashing Byrnes, but bashing Miller - as evidenced by his track record and actual respect for the game and the work behind it - is way off-base.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Miller fan but he is respected... so I won't hate- but I won't listen.
ReplyDeleteJohn Miller is a complete self absorbed bore...sorry but there are hundreds of them in any HOF....ever since he took 60 minutes telling the same stale stories in a ten minute slot at the famed Olympic club I have had it with his slop....oh and you cannot be serious with that FP balls out crap....there is Poor Ray Woodsen....good guy and a talent that gets nothing but the back of Hammers hand,,,,FP? Byrnes? all in the same bed,,,
ReplyDeleteOh yeah if you want to take pot shots at Rich....start your own f'n blog...jock sniffing idiots....
ReplyDeletePerhaps Miller's IQ - about 30 points higher than Krukow's - is what bothers you. Sorry if you can't appreciate Miller's slightly more sophisticated perspective.
ReplyDelete<> That really doesn't make any sense.
Agreed - Krukow is tiresome and not that bright. Won't argue with the fact that most Giants fans like him but his endless cheer leading and exaggerated pro-Giant optimism is irritating.
ReplyDeleteHe's constantly talking about great "at bats" which end or reminding us the pitcher has a base to work with so the pitcher goes ahead and walks the batter and that base-runner ends up scoring.
Also pitchers never warm up in the bullpen - they're "getting greased up."
Also always telling us how Aubrey Huff, fill-in-the-name, is coming out of his slump when he's not.
Annoying, Pollyanna. Also his "Good book Giant" thing is like Field of Dreams schmaltz.