You would think that all would be groovy from the 3rd and King Street believers--after all, the Giants just won another World Series and the Orange and Black can do no wrong in the Bay Area with their passionate fan base.
Well, everything is indeed peachy and everyone's happy.
The fans have gone nuts. They love their team. They love their rock stars. Larry Baer might as well be Mick Jagger.
Then there's this deal about Renel Brooks, the PA announcer..."FOR YOUR SAN FRANCISCOOOOOOOO GIANTS!"
I'm about to open a can of worms but what the hell, that's what this place is all about, right? CorrectoMundo.
I'm not a big fan of Renel. As a PA announcer, that is. I'm not crazy about her on the radio either but the radio biz is another story and I don't really navigate FM broadcasting anymore except to remind myself how crappy it is.
Renel gets too excited for me and she being a PA announcer one could assume being happy is a PA announcer- prerequisite and while that's somewhat true, I don't like Renel's screeching --I was going to say that her style is more Anaheim than San Francisco and that's not a knock on Renel as a person--maybe the Giants are pleased as punch with the arrangement--I'd much prefer someone more sedate and civil. You can be excited and enthusiastic and still be civil; I don't get that aroma with Renel; maybe it's just me but every once and awhile I hear Giants fans gripe about Renel so maybe I'm not alone.
Before I get besieged with the usual-suspect how-could-you-criticize-our-Renel? verbal assault about to come aiming my way, let me state categorically this is criticism, hopefully constructive. I'm not asking that Renel be replaced with some barber from Mill Valley with great pipes, it's just that I'm not a fan.
Got it?
You can always argue with me on Twitter
Saw her at an A's game, wearing her Giants gear. Tacky. Not my favorite, either.
ReplyDeleteRich, your blog is becoming a drinking game. "Drink every time Rich writes something negative about the Giants"
ReplyDeleteYeah, I woke up this morning after making love to Joey Heatherton and said, "you know, it's time to rip the Giants!" Seriously, you must be Larry Baer's secretary.
DeleteRich, Joey Heatherton is old enough to be your mother. Oh, I guess that's the point.
Deleteif you were literally with Joey, that's elder abuse, Rich. :-)
Deletebored much?
ReplyDeleteNah, yourself? You're the one who came here, not me. Go have a vanilla milkshake and listen to Train.
DeleteRich still trying to build himself up by tearing other people down; How's that working for you Rich?
ReplyDeleteIt must be orgasmic for you since you like coming here so much--I didn't put a gun to your head, did I? Maybe you should refrain from reading me and go visit Ben Fong-Torres --he's more chirpy and happy.
DeleteNot sure how real Baseball purists can stomach Renel. In the old days, the PA announcer would actually announce defensive substitutions, changes in the line-up, hit or error scoring decisions. Those things now get announced on a somewhat random basis...eg. when she's not distracted. Yes, the screeching is not something San Franciscans care for....but since they're marketing to tourists, I suppose it's all part of the package to attract the non-fan.
ReplyDelete.
I'm just damned curious... Are you a happy person, Rich? Seriously. I'm not being glib, nor facetious, nor accusatory. I genuinely want to know if you're happy. Just... Curious.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was until I came upon your crap and you pretty much fucked my day up so I was ecstatic now I'm in the dumper, ok, bye-bye asshole --I'm just curious myself.
DeleteI totally agree with you, Rich. Between Renel and the circus they have going on at Warriors games, I haven't been happy with the b.s. "atmosphere" at either venue. It's always seemed insulting that the crowd is force fed her yelling, pizza guys running around at Warriors games, and ear splitting artificial noise during the middle of the game. Unfortunately, the Giants have no faith in their fans to get enthused by what happens on the field. It's become the norm in all sports, sadly.
ReplyDeleteOdd that you mention two sold out venues for every game. How the other guys doing?
DeleteExcellent point at 2:41pm. Many of us have painfully endured this torture for too long.
DeleteI once went to a baseball game at 3rd and King streets in the City and a discotheque broke out.
Why does it feel like the Giants World Series success annoys Lieberman and he's just looking to find things to complain about.
ReplyDeleteThink 2:32 may be on to something about Lieberman just being a negative person.
I'll give a call out to Dr. Oz and try to be more positive because if I get more negative you might just lose it and I hate pain, I really do, emotional pain is so negative and stressful.
DeleteGo Giants!
Soon Dick Lieberman will find a way to complain about and criticize the Giants' parking attendants, the workers at the dugout store and the annoying guy selling hot dogs in section 34 isle 3...
ReplyDeleteThanks, good point, good idea for a column.
DeleteRich, hates Larry Baer, hates KNBR, hates Cumulus, hates Comcast, hates the Giants. Everything about their success offends him.
ReplyDeleteLieberman's world is miserable and he wants everyone else to be miserable. The Giants win the World Series. Everyone is happy. That infuriates Lieberman. So he starts rumors about Dave Flemming and rips Renel.
You're obsessed with me and this website. Thanks, now would you care for some after-dinner mints?
DeleteI'm a Giants fan and I agree with you about Renel.
ReplyDeleteCan't argue with Lieberman. He does have a point.
ReplyDeleteRenel is out of place as a baseball PA announcer. She is fine as an FM DJ.
But at a Major League stadium, no thanks.
When I attend a baseball, football or basketball game the person who speaks over the PA system must possess authority in their voice and she unfortunately does not.
The Giants do have a male sub who fills in for Renel on occasion. Not sure of his name, but he has the authoritative voice of which you speak.
DeleteMy only Renel encounter (beside hearing here a few Giants games I've attended)..
ReplyDeleteWe were boarding a plane in Oakland bound for Spring Training. Lots of A's fans, lots of Giants fans, lots of Baseball fans, etc. A few of us noticed her... most didn't. Soon she made sure everyone noticed her. She got louder and louder as she made her way on the plane looking for a seat. Not too many seat available when you get there a bit late. She finally got a seat (about 6 rows away from us) and we could hear her the whole flight... complaining about the plane, the service, etc. She always rubbed me wrong after that.
The way she yells out names can be grating. I prefer the calming voice of the Oakland A's announcer. The Giants try to create a party atmosphere at games. That's fine for the casual fan, but for a long-time fan who takes the game seriously like myself, it can be alienating.
ReplyDeleteYou and the other 14,999 people who attend.
DeleteRich, other than the fact that she is female, she is no different than most other PA announcers in sports just as Amy G is no different from the shills that the other teams have on their telecasts. I personally don't care for either one of them but I don't think it is fair to single them out.
ReplyDeleteThis Renel IS really over the top. I suspect that the jacked up delivery is in part a factor of her personality and in part direction from management. By the way , my current state of mind is clinically depressed bordering on suicidal. Perhaps if I were properly medicated I would be able to appreciate the woman's act.
ReplyDelete5"01 PM...I don't know if you were serious or joking about being depressed. If you were serious, please ask for and accept help. I would think this qualifies as some kind of emergency, wouldn't you? I talked myself out of the same deep well years ago when I used to drink too much. I learned that a little alcohol is fine, but back then I was sampling the big hitters, like Ouzo and Everclear, several times a week. That alcohol had to effect of keeping me in a state of depression. I decided that I had family to be here for, and later, a job where I felt needed and valued. It really helped me walk out of the depression when I began doing things for other people. I don't mean non stop, or slavishly, but once in a while, do something to bring a little joy to somebody else. try it please. Sometimes the trite statement "all you need is Love" has some truth to it. Prayers for you. ..If you were joking, well, I guess I fell right into the trap, yes?
DeleteI've said this before on this blog, Renel is annoying to the point of distraction. The whole over-the-top cheer leading style of Renel's as an announcer is not only an insult to hard core fans who prefer a dignified, more professional approach, but it's annoying and appeals to the distracted and the mentally challenged, who have been so conditioned to accept artificial noise at baseball, basketball and hockey games these days, (they don't have to do this in the NFL because the fans are too drunk and are going to make a lot of their own noise as a result!) that they don't even notice. However, this is what Larry Baer wants; people that shill for his product. Unfortunately as long as Larry Baer remains in charge, we're stuck with Renel, and also Amy G who has gotten insufferable to watch.
ReplyDeleteSpot on. Couldn't agree with you more.
DeleteI too prefer the A's announcer over Renel. She should listen to the old Yankees announcer and learn how to announce with class and feeling. Yelling is just yelling.
ReplyDeleteRenel, doing a Bob Sheppard imitation?
Delete"Nooow batting.....numba 28..........Bustaa.....Posey...........numba 28."
Not bad at 8:13pm.
DeleteAt least Renel isn't Amy G (plus her community work is impressive, never dull, unlike the latter). BTW, I prefer my milkshakes to be chocolate (at Fenton's, of course) and I like Train (clearly Pat Monahan is doing something right with his band, although I admit that "Angel in Blue Jeans" - even in Levi's Country - is a little too overboard).
ReplyDeleteIs Renel by any chance related to that True Car woman? You know who I'm talking about.
ReplyDeleteIn 2012, the day after the parade, Renel was taking some heat from Gary Radnich because she had neglected to mention KNBR during her round of plugs to kick off the post parade festivities. On the air, Gary asked Renel to call in and she did. She told him she was just reading from her script. Gary asked her who was responsible for the script, and she immediately said, "Staci Slaughter." That told me all I needed to know about Renel. She could have said, "It was an oversight Gary. I probably missed it", OR, "As you know Gary, scripts are sometimes a group effort. I'm not sure who was responsible", OR, "C'mon Gary, EVERYONE knows that KNBR is THE sports leader. It goes without saying." Instead, she throws one of the hardest working Giant employees, Staci Slaughter, under the bus. Classless!!
ReplyDeleteYes. Couldn't agree more, regarding Renel. I prefer the more objective, detached PA Announcers of the past. Think Bob Sheppard, esteemed PA Announcer for the Yankees. If the Giants fans are indeed Giant fans, they shouldn't need a carnival barker to whip themselves into a frenzy. This is baseball, not the county fair. Have some dignity.
ReplyDeleteSo very well said. Thank you.
DeleteRenel is another example of someone who thinks her own farts don't smell. Her loud, abrasive, and almost braying style of doing the PA is totally inappropriate. Unfortunately, the 'Gamer Babes,' the Panda hat wearers, and the folks that love Any's G's cutesy little puff pieces on TV during the game (how nauseating!) are the ones standing up and yell "YOU GO GIRL!" when Renel blasts her voice over the PA.
ReplyDeleteThat's my biggest problem with a lot of these newbie Giants' fans who have jumped aboard the team's bandwagon over the last several years. I understand that when you're winning, you're going to attract more casual fans, and that's probably the fans Larry Baer is catering to. The hardcores will come whether the team wins or not, so you don't worry about them. But here's the thing: They actually know and love the game of baseball an don't like or appreciate or need all of the distractions; I.E. Renel among them.
But unfortunately, There are so many phonies, frauds, and fools now attending the games that it's really made it sometimes downright unpleasant to go to a Giants game if you're a true fan of baseball. You have have ear plugs to cut out the noise and nonsense!
Rebel has been at this job since
ReplyDelete2000 and for better or worse, she's consistent.
This isn't a personal slam about her as a person. Why do people confuse criticism with hate.I can't stand the yelling either, there have to be women out there with a " PA " voice that would be so much better. Any ideas Rich who has the female "voice" to pull this off.
ReplyDeleteBecause not all of us in the Bay Area are liberals.
DeleteThe Kaiser voice would be good.
Delete@8 a.m.
DeleteThe question preceding your comment asked Rich for female PA suggestions. While 8:20 clearly understood what was asked, you appear lost in the wilderness.
8:20 I'm sure the Giants should hunt down and hire Emmy award winning actress Allison Janney to do in-house announcing. That'll happen. Maybe they could get that gal that played in Pretty Woman. She got a nice voice too. Think she's available? smh
DeleteA buddy of mine briefly went out with her back in the day. Can we say cray cray.
ReplyDeletePlus you can clearly tell she grew up in the hood
Hey 7:59- It's great that you are such an on-point judge of who did and who didn't grow up "in the hood". Unfortunately, you got it wrong. Renel did not grow up in the hood, unless you consider a middle-class suburb on the Peninsula "the hood". Moron.
DeleteSorry to hear that your buddy was "cray cray". What "hood" did he grow up in?
Woodside/Redwood City is "hood" to you?
DeleteRedwood City is.
Delete"Redwood City is." Moron.
DeleteI've been through Redwood City on a Saturday night and indeed it qualifies as the "hood".
DeleteFirst, no one holds a candle to Roy Steele of the A's in any stadium.
ReplyDeleteSecond, she's officially an institution who was part of the fabric of a dynasty in that stadium.
Third. No one remembers Sherry Davis. 1993-2000 announcer at the Stick. Renel was an improvement.
Didn't Steele stop being the announcer 7-10 years ago?
DeleteSteele was just wonderful. And Dick Callahan was a good choice to replace "the voice of God!"
DeleteThank you 8:00am I've been waiting for someone to bring him up.
DeleteNobody but nobody could match his ability to call a game as the PA announcer. Simply the best.
Roy Steele is the name I think of when I hear a PA announcer.
And yes 11:48 Dick Callahan did fine work in an arena environment.
I find it very irritating when PA announcers are over-the-top cheerleaders...I also find it irritating when people only use one name - who does she think she is, Prince?
ReplyDeleteI for one appreciated Sherry Davis, who wanted to stay with the Giants in the new stadium, but was rudely cast aside for this loud-mouth game show-host-type announcer. At least Sherry didn't hype up the team like some super-caffeinated NBA PA announcer and yell out: "AND NOW THE STARTING LINEUP FOR YOUR SAN
ReplyDeleteFRAN- CIS- COOOOOOO GIIIIIAAAANTS!" Blech!
Sherry Davis was awful. Renel is a vast improvement.
DeleteI have no doubt that Sherry is a nice person, and a very loyal Giants fan. But her delivery and mispronunciations really were awful, and her work was not appreciated by many of the Candlestick regulars.
DeleteSherry Davis, by all accounts to be a "nice" person, was an abomination as the PA announcer. Her vocal stylings would have been better suited to reading children's stories e.g. "...And who would slay the dragon but...Kirt Wanwaring! and his good friend...Glenallen Hill!"
DeleteI hear you, Rich and it’s good to know there are at least a few REAL baseball fans that watch the Giants play at AT & T. All that forced, phony fun atmosphere is what they need to keep the baseball tourists that drive from Fresno or Eureka to see a game a year. If they were true baseball fans and true Giant fans they’d have season tickets. Real baseball fans are there to see a game, let the excitement come from the play on the field. Who needs oversized Coke bottles and mitts to distract from the action? Sure, kids love that stuff, but then if they’re just going to want to play nerf ball and use the slide, LEAVE THEM AT HOME! A ballpark is for baseball, pure and simple. Perhaps the Giants and A’s should swap stadiums, so true Giant fans can focus on the game and the A’s can finally have some people show up for their games at AT & T even if they’re not there to watch baseball. And Ranel, I agree, trying to create excitement where there is none. What’s so exciting about introducing number 8 hitter, Brandon Crawford? Come on, her voice should reflect how the true Giants baseball fan may feel if he’s in a 1 for 26 slump, maybe something like, “Now batting, Brandon Fucking Crawford, to TRY to get his bat on the ball!” And do it in an Iphone Siri voice. None of this phony hype that irritates us true fans. And Dave Flemming! I could detect the animosity he was feeling to his “partners”. Oh, it came through loud and clear anytime he had to address one of them directly. Sure, he laughed at Miller’s lame jokes, but I know it wasn’t sincere. I wonder if he owns any guns. There could be the time you least suspect it that he goes postal in the booth. Kruk would be the first to go because he can’t move too quickly. When are the Giants going to learn that giving the people what they want isn’t what true baseball fans want! That’s why this franchise is going downhill. You nailed it Rich! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete"That’s why this franchise is going downhill"
DeleteSay what?!
@10:14
DeleteWow!! You make Stan seem like the rational one.
That was pretty funny. "Brandon Fing Crawford".lol..I would pay to hear that..
DeleteThe Giants screwed previous Candlestick PA Sherry Davis when they moved to PacBell. The Giants should be ashamed of themselves. Sherry was a true baseball fan...one would have to be for the 50 bucks a game the Giants paid her. Sherry wasn't some shrill shill hired to whip up the thousands of band wagon newbies back in 2000 at the downtown venue like the current sound booth occupant. Sherry had a wonderful voice...and a delivery style that was perfect for a day or night of baseball at the ballpark. Renel sounds like a 19th century Barnum and Bailey sideshow barker in comparison. I've loved "my" Giants since 1958...but cringe every time I settle into my ATT seats and have to listen to her scream the lineup card at me. Booooo! I wish she was ..."Outta here!"
ReplyDeleteI can understand your frustration with Renel. PA announcers are NOT the attraction. The entertainment is on the court / field/ pitch / diamond, etc. If the PA announcer was in the booth and there was no game being played, the stadium would be empty. I cannot, however, agree with your assessment of Sherry Davis. She had no talent whatsoever. She was a marketing chip used by Larry Baer. I attended one of the first games she announced at Candlestick. The leadoff hitter reached base for the Padres. Sherry (correctly) introduced the next hitter. During the first pitch, the runner on first tried to steal second. He was thrown out. Sherry immediately introduced the next hitter -- even though the same batter was still at the plate. I ask you -- was that the work of a "true baseball fan?"
DeleteSheri was awesome. I recall she put up with a huge amount of hate and even threats, for being the first woman to have that "man's" job in baseball. Dick Callahan in Oakland makes constant mistakes and he's just "good old Dick" but Sheri mispronounced a couple names in her MLB career and is ripped by sports pundits to this day. Pathetic. BTW, she is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. She has never been honored by the little men who control the Giants. Shame on them.
DeleteIn the fraternity of MLB PA announcers, she is regrded as a lightweight and a"gimmick". The last Giants game I attended back in 2010, I hardly even noticed her and that's not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteHow could you not notice her? You deaf?
DeleteOf course they don't care for her: it's a FRATERNITY. The Boys Club.
DeleteYes, 4:42, everything always comes down to identity politics... jeez...
DeleteOr, 9:52, in some people's minds, gender, race and sexual identity NEVER come into play. You're apparently one of the people that constantly bemoan playing the [fill in the blank] card. Playing that card doesn't mean that it's not warranted.
DeleteJeez, back atcha.
Entitled to your opinion. I've never heard her on the radio, but I love her Giants PA voice and style. When I lived in Denver, the Rockies had a male version of her. Got everybody pumped. I once attended a game at Yankee Stadium and couldn't believe the PA announcer there. Sounded half asleep like some guy at a down and out minor league park, announcing the batters as though he was calling numbers at a sparsely attended bingo parlor.
ReplyDeleteGo Sanchy and Pandy and Morsey and Pagany and Posey-y!
DeleteGot no problems with Renel; I actually think she does a great job
ReplyDeleteThe thing I can't stand about her is that she tells the crowd to remove their caps and stand for the song "God Bless America". As a former member of the military, I know that you are only required to remove you caps and stand during our National Anthem. Look it up. She needs to. What an idiot.
ReplyDelete@4.01 Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the song "God Bless America" come from a play? MLB started playing it during the 7th inning stretch at least partially because Congress the afternoon of 9/11 started singing it. Agreed about removing your caps during the National Anthem.
ReplyDeleteThe tune was ripped off from a Jewish novelty song by its composer.
DeleteNot a fan at all. Totally agree, Rich. At least she's better than Sherry Davis - that chick was terrible.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer that Renel be replaced with some barber from Mill Valley with great pipes or anyone with great pipes.
ReplyDeletePlaying 'God Bless America' during the seventh inning stretch is an abomination and an insult to those of us who happen to think that God, (if there is indeed one) should bless everyone, not just America. That expression is arrogant, self-righteous and sanctimonious and doesn't reflect the America that I and many others in this country believe in. When it plays, I make it a habit of either going to the bathroom or sitting down, I refuse to stand and sing or honor that song. The National Anthem is a bad enough song about a battle no one remembers in an obscure war that very few Americans know anything about. Plus Francis Scott Key's words were married to an old English tune titled: "To Anacreon in Heaven," which glorified people of rank and stature. My question: Why do we have to have any anthems glorifying battles in wars, or God Blessing us? BTW, he way America has behaved in the last half plus century, do we really deserve to be blessed anyway?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like it, we're not East Germany from history. You ARE free to leave. Just don't come back with explosives strapped to your ungrateful ass.
DeleteOh, I see, so I don't agree with your star-spangled view of how 'Great' our country is. I think we could be much better, but you think because I'm being critical, that I should leave. It's people such as YOU who are NOT true American. Instead you more closely resemble the kind Fascists who worship pinheads such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, bigots who don't understand what a Democracy is all about. Eventually in Germany, (if you know your history, which you probably don't) they burned books of people that didn't agree with them, and then later burned the people who wrote them. That's the kind of crap you're giving me. Hope you starched your white sheets to wear, (you know the pointy-headed ones with two holes for the eyes) for your next meeting you twit!
ReplyDeleteYou really should seek help.
DeleteYou sounded extremely dissatisfied with our great country, so I suggested you utilize the freedoms you're given here and seek somewhere that is more to your standards. If you see that as fascistic, that is your misconception and problem. No one was sticking a gun in your back and forcing you to do anything. You are of course free to express your views here, but when you do so with such vitriol, it would seem you'd be happier elsewhere.
By the way, Napolean, the right to free speech extends to those who calmly suggest you find a more suitable environment for yourself. Get used to that.
8:49 some (like yourself) are more equal than others, eh?
DeleteIt's amazing how you feel someone who calmly suggests you find a more suitable place to live (Canada isn't far, and perhaps more to your liking?) is ignorant of history. Unwittingly, you have displayed your true ignorance. Not only do I (4:36 above) not listen to Limbaugh or Hannity, I was a history major (graduated with honors).
Your response is the one closer to the book burning attitude. I never told you you were not a true American, I suggested you find a more hospitable place, since you find it so evil here. No gun in your back, no dropping acid on your valuables to see if they're really gold, no removing of your assets before you go, just a calm suggestion. Your response shows the fairly typical unhinged attitude of those on the left who preach "coexist" but are more of the "four legs good, two legs bad" mindset when it comes to their actions.
These last few comments are reflective of how angry and divided this nation has become. One person simply says they don't believe in standing up for 'God Bless America,' and another person opines that they should move away if they don't like it. The first person then takes issue with what the first person says, and the fur begins to fly. Why don't both of you guys take a chill pill and do some heavy meditation? As a matter of fact, probably half this country could use a session of that considering how hyped up we are on caffeine and anger over political matters these days.
ReplyDeleteIt's so predictable when conservatives are called for what they are that they react in an insulting, attacking manner. When the guy (or woman), used the phrase: "Just don't come back with explosives strapped to your ungrateful ass," WTF did he expect the other person to say? Was he not supposed to respond, or perhaps he was supposed to get his dander up so a real argument would commence. And what would that solve? He was insulted and so he merely he answered in kind. You insult someone in that manner and you have to expect to get it back in spades.
ReplyDeleteHey 11:55, I didn't say that America was "an evil place," those are your words and your warped interpretation of my point of view. I just said that I don't think 'God Bless America' is an appropriate anthem to play at sports events, or any events for that matter, and that our National Anthem, the 'Star Spangled Banner,' also glorifies war. I love how you conservatives jump to conclusions about where people who are not of your ilk come from. FYI, I am NOT a liberal, but an independent thinker who had voted for both parties and consider myself a lot more mainstream than traditional libs or right wingers.
ReplyDeleteDude....Just like Renel, hardly anyone on this site likes you. Please, just go away.
DeleteI'll get bludgeoned here, but I want a male in that role. Sherry Davis and Renel just smack of PC-charged organization. Not saying women can't have a role in broadcasting. The Yankees radio analyst (name does not come to me immediately) is excellent. And, there are plenty of great female broacasters. But, when I walk into a stadium, it's a little disconcerting hearing a female voice coming out of the speakers. This isn't on Renel. I think she's great. I just want a male voice.
ReplyDelete