Last Friday night on the Giants TV broadcast, Jon Miller was plugging the next day's Giants' game and broadcast.
Well, sort of.
Miller did a major disservice to not only Giants fans but all fans alike. Unprofessional to the max.
It was a minor guffaw, my opinion (of course, it's my opinion!) but Miller made himself sound very, very small. He should know better too being a Hall of Fame announcer. In any event, it annoyed the hell out of me and I'm calling him out. You might think I'm fussing, whatever.
Miller, I'm paraphrasing, said that "the Giants would be playing at an unusual 4: 15 PM start"--he neither mentioned that the game on Saturday would be a regionally televised game nor that it was a "Fox Sports telecast"." Not a one.
Sinful.
Miller knew full well that the game was televised and that Fox's Saturday MLB package was the reason of the unusual start time of 4: 15. Again, he didn't mention anything of the sort. He merely stated it was unusual or something of that sort.
Let me state right away this is not me sticking up for Fox Sports. Miller not mentioning why the game was a 4: 15 start was both smarmy and small. Almost bordering on broadcast malpractice.
Miller didn't mention the TV reason because, I guess, the game was on radio, KNBR, and maybe, I'm thinking, Miller wanted to make sure KNBR was taken care of only that's complete BS and Miller knows it.
In today's Internet world, everyone knows the time and place. Every baseball fan in the world, San Francisco included, knew that because of the unusual start, TV was the reason and that, of course, Fox would be televising the game.
Most people I know both listen to the game and tune in KNBR (even with a delay) so they can listen to the local announcers, especially the Giants' broadcasters, who for the most part are decent announcers. But that's not the point here.
Miller simply did an injustice to fans. Not a major injustice but something that on the face of it is a broadcast sin. It was small-market juvenile and not worthy of a professional announcer like Miller is and I'm saddened that he could stoop to that level.
Bill King wouldn't have done it. Same with Lon Simmons and Vin Scully. Any broadcaster who has a major league pedigree wouldn't have either. It sounds so trivial but it isn't. Miller simply let down the fans and his audience.
Miller is a talented pro; a Hall-of-Famer, but in that moment, royally screwed up.
That old bastard thinks he's fucken Green Lantern with that ring. Grow Up, Wattenburg Jr.
ReplyDelete"Green Lantern ring"
DeleteGood observation.
He's going to make the same mistake again you watch
ReplyDeleteWhy is Rich Lieberman such a hater? So much bitterness is not becoming.
ReplyDeleteNot becoming, but you keep coming!
DeleteSorry to disappoint you Tammy J.
DeleteBut try reading this post at Sfgate or worse yet at the San Jose Monkey News.
The success of this website is based precisely on the fact that you hear an honest and candid approach to the media.
It's not a mistake. Totally intentional. Miller isn't that good. Everyone may disagree, but he doesn't talk to you. He talks at you. He's not that conversational. It's like having a conversation with a Harvard grad who thinks they know everything. Kuiper is the goofy homer. And so is Krukow. Give me Dave Flemming any time.
ReplyDeleteNot a Giants fan but totally agree. I preferred Lon Simmons and Hank Greenwald back in the day, but Bill King of the A's was the best IMO. The original A's PBP man, Monte Moore, was the ultimate homer. I do not like homers.
DeleteJon Miller can say whatever he wants, I like that. He´s read the same darn promo copy a million times, and figures many listeners are burned out on the repetition, too. As to mentioning the TV coverage, PD´s and contracts can be picky about that. So quit complaining, and enjoy Miller; he´s the Hank Greenwald of this era.
ReplyDeleteFlemming also talks down to the listener he's just more subtle.
ReplyDeleteDo you not watch many Giants games? They have been doing it for at least 20+ years. It has nothing to do with the announcers, it is all about the contract been the teams, the networks and MLB. Up to about 10 years ago, they did the same thing for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball if the Giants were on it, but that changed after ESPN signed a new contract.
ReplyDeleteMiller is a buffoon, the most overrated announcer in sports - when he talks it's like he's talking to a group of 10 yr olds...I always enjoy it when the Giants aren't on their regular broadcast so I don't have to listen to any of them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for confirming what I posted over the weekend. It was intentional, but I still want to know who told him to do it. I understand his loyalty to KNBR, but the game was on Channel 11 Friday night where this happened. I assume he gets paid by them also. The promo on the screen only displayed KNBR as the broadcaster for Saturday's game so this decision had to come from higher-ups.
ReplyDeleteI thought we were past the time when they didn't mention a show on "another network" because of fear of the competition. It's like NBC would never acknowledge the existence of ABC or CBS.
You're right, Rich, about the internet opening up everything, but this is beyond ridiculous.
.... I get my news from CNN because everything they report on must be true.
ReplyDeleteI love how they just fired 3 reporters this week for a fake story on Trump and the Russians. CNN then had to apologize. More liberal fake news. The majority of it is all fake. CNN going down the tubes, they're starting to realize no-one trusts them anymore.
DeletePretty good post at 9:05am
DeleteCNN fired 3 people for screwing up and running a false story, but what happens to anyone in Trump's administration when they lie? If they actually fired anyone for lying, who would be left? Certainly not Trump, the biggest liar of them all...
DeleteJeez Rich. So what? Once again with the 'Bill King's shit doesn't stink' bit too.
ReplyDeleteYour post reeks of Easy Bay pettiness once again.
"East Bay pettiness"?? WTF?
DeleteWhy did I even read this? Scraping the bottom of the barrel.
ReplyDeleteDear white house please yank CNN's credentials... Dear FCC please do what it is that you are being paid TO do. Dear CNN ...now you will have more time to create WWF story lines, something thats more your speed !!
DeleteWhy would you think a broadcaster should mention a competing channel? I doubt this was Miller's idea. Probably something from management.
ReplyDeleteYou see in the NFL telecasts that one network will mention that another network is carrying a game, and they'll even include the competing network's logo in their chyron for the game, but that's because the NFL controls the broadcast on all of the networks that carry NFL football. Mentioning a competitor is unusual.
And, as you say, in this day of the internet being omnipresent, everybody knows who is carrying the game, so what's the problem with Miller not mentioning it?
I think you're reaching.
And you probably won't post this either. Petty, petty!
Wow, Peter B with a rebuttal to Rich! Unfortunately, all Giants voices are under the spell of Lockstep Larry, he who includes among his Giants superstitions the inane Amy (U)G(H).
ReplyDeleteStill, they can't be any more boring than those who label all media as Fake News because the Serial Abuser-in-Chief Brainwasher Cult Leader told them to do so.