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| Ted Robinson |
NOW THAT HE'S BEEN DISMISSED BY THE SF 49ERS in their broadcast team, Ted Robinson, has some time available in the fall. Time available to possibly become the new TV voice of the Golden State Warriors, according to highly reliable broadcast sources familiar with such a potential occurrence.
415 Media has learned the Warriors might be interested in bringing Robinson back. Remember, he (Robinson) has done plenty of NBA work including his time as a Warriors radio pbp broadcaster after Bill King left in 1981. And more recently he filled in for current announcer, Bob Fitzgerald, for some regular season games when Fitzgerald tended to his ailing wife a few years back. (Carol Fitzgerald since passed)
This much is certain. Warriors' front man, Joe Lacob, (and owner principal) has a fondness for Robinson. How much so?
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| Warriors' principal owner, Joe Lacob |
Robinson has known Lacob for over twenty years. They both live on the peninsula. Robinson hasn't ever been in Lacob's house and Lacob hasn't been in Robinson's house but Joe admires his work and has always wanted Teddy Ballgame on board.
This is only the very beginning. A bunch of hurdles that are not that huge would have to be worked out. And like the case involving Robinson and Greg Papa (and by extension, Bob Sargent) egos will be involved. Bridges will be burned. Friendships might be compromised. In situations like this where something dramatic would take place, the outlying issues always have a presence.
The Warriors move into their new glistening, waterfront arena in the fall. They inevitably will make changes not only on their basketball roster but off the court also. A Robinson hire would be one of those moves that are compelling enough and if you truly take a look, makes sense too.
No one on the inside would talk to me of course --and even those that did; the few people in the know only spoke off the record but the most important source (and for reasons I will get to down the road) said a Ted Robinson hire would not be such a crazy thing. In fact, just the opposite, highly logical.
Stay tuned.
Ted is a bright, talented, and versatile veteran announcer, who also happens to be a good guy. I wish him the very best!
ReplyDeleteI like Ted way more than Greg. Thet should've kept the Ted-meister
ReplyDeleteAnd Ratto out at NBCSportsBA
ReplyDeleteMaybe he can freelance more on radio. His appearances on TV were getting to be fewer.
Deletehasta la vista rudy
ReplyDeleteRobinson is a better fit personality-wise for Kerr, Curry, Thompson, and hopefully, Durant. Fitzgerald may be respected by the league, but not so much locally. He and Barnett have seen better days.
ReplyDeletecan someone find a way to replace Fitzgerald, immediately. He ruins games. His constant nervous giggling makes me turn the channel
ReplyDeleteI now have the TV sound off, as I can not handle listening to Bob Fitzgerald, he is just bad. Would love to have Ted do the play by play. That would be exciting news.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, this is an interesting point. It's hard to doubt Rich because he does have inside sources and he's been right before. He first mentioned that Brittany Shipp would leave KRON and she eventually did. He even got right the Greg Papa situation, even though in a way we kind of figured that he would probably eventually be the Niners radio play-by-play guy.
ReplyDeleteTed Robinson would probably be a good fit for the Warriors, but I'm sure Fitz would fight to keep his Warriors job. He represents the team well on KNBR and he never bad mouthed the team back when they were bad. If the Warriors really want to make a change at TV play-by-play, I would wait a couple of seasons until the Warriors are more established in SF. I would give Fitz the opportunity to open Chase Center with the Warriors. I think Fitz is owed that, and everyone who's been with this team for a long time and endured the losing back when they were bad, and are currently enjoying the good fortunes with this team. Let them enjoy the new arena for a year or two and then make changes... Fitz and Barnett do a great job with Warriors telecasts. You listen to these other teams TV announcers and they are terrible and/or boring. They really ruin the game you're watching. You at least learn something with Fitz and Barnett. It would be weird to imagine watching Warriors telecasts without Fitz, but Ted Robinson would be an interesting choice for an eventual replacement. Not sure about Barnett, even though I wonder if Dell Curry (Steph's Dad) will be Barnett's replacement at some point. Ted Robinson and Dell Curry wouldn't be a bad pairing, even though Dell Curry has a rapport with Fitz and Barnett though.
Back to Ted Robinson, I honestly think he's better doing baseball. I remember when he did Giants games back in the day. With his situation with the Niners, I wonder if Ted Robinson will look to do some Giants games during baseball season on days that Dave Flemming is "on assignment". You would have for a few games the old crew back together of the late 90's, early 2000's Giants broadcast team of Kruk and Kuip, Jon Miller, and Ted Robinson.
But yeah, it will be interesting to see what happens to Ted Robinson after the situation with the Niners. At least he still has Pac-12 Network and I think he still does tennis and the Olympics.
A couple of thoughts:
DeleteA. no one is "owed" anything in life. after the way rudy got the job by backstabbing Papa, he doesn't deserve anything.
B. you kind of sound like a rudy fanboy. rudy definitely ruins the broadcasts. he is unlistenable.
C. Ted would be excellent with the giants, but he would also do a fantastic job with the warriors. i hope that it happens. it would be a breath of fresh air.
Otis! My man! Good to see you are still around and kickin.
DeleteFootball: Greg Papa>Ted Robinson>Fitz
Baseball: Ted Robinson>Greg Papa>Fitz
Basketball: Greg Papa = Ted Robinson>Fitz
But yeah
Ted would be an interesting choice if Jon Miller retires.
Delete@Sunset Boy- Thanks man! I'm doing pretty well. Still in the city. How are you?
DeleteI agree with your assessments. Fitz is good, but Greg Papa and Ted Robinson might be better.
@old juan in delano- Regarding your points:
DeleteA. True, you're right about that. LOL. We aren't owed anything in life in the grand scheme of things.... I just feel that with everything Fitz went through a couple of years ago, and everything he's been through with the Warriors franchise as far as all of the years of them losing back when they were losing, he deserves to enjoy them at the new Chase Center at least for a couple of years, if the Warriors are seriously thinking about making changes to the broadcast next season when they move into Chase Center. We'll see.
Regarding your other point, that would be crazy if that happened to Fitz, but as I mentioned, I feel Fitz would fight it, even if Ted Robinson got his Warriors job.
B. LOL. I'm not a Fitz fanboy. I used to like the Fitz and Brooks show at one time, but that show really is not listenable anymore. Like others have said, Fitz talks down to callers, and it feels like this show has not changed in like 10-12 yrs. They've done the same jokes and same segments since like 2007, 2008. LOL. This was a better show back in the day when they were the only local sports talk radio option in the Noon-3 hours, but nowadays, there are much better sports talk radio show options at that timeslot such as Greg Papa and Bonta Hill for example. Damon Bruce was a better option back when he was on 1050 from Noon-3 on weekdays, and he was going up directly against Fitz and Brooks at the time.
With that being said, I think Fitz does do a good job on the Warriors telecasts. He sounds very prepared every telecast, and he rarely has a slip up. Yeah, I can understand how he can annoy people at times, but as I mentioned in my original post, a lot of these TV play-by-play guys for other NBA teams are much worse. Catch a game on NBATV with TV play-by-play broadcasters from other teams, and then you will see that Fitz is not really all that bad. LOL. Fitz knows his stuff. These other NBA TV play-by-play broadcasters really don't. They barely know their own team. LOL.
I like good basketball commentary when I'm watching a game, and I feel Fitz and Barnett provide that in Warriors telecasts. I wish they could do the Warriors nationally televised games if they could, like how the Sharks TV announcers most of the time do the Sharks nationally televised games when the Sharks have an appearance on NBC Sports Network.
C. Yeah, Ted Robinson would be something different for the Warriors. I wasn't born yet when he originally did Warrior games in 1984, but when I hear him do college basketball games on Pac-12 Network, he's not all that bad. I still feel baseball is his strongest sports though as far as play-by-play.
As far as the Giants, I think Ted Robinson would be best coming back to the Giants. The Giants can have him do games whenever Kruk, Kuip, or Dave Flemming are "on assignment" which was a lot last year, and it could be the same this year if they didn't get scolded by Larry Baer for missing so many games last year. LOL.
Instead of bringing in that out of town guy they brought in last year to do a couple of series on the road (I forgot his name. I think he works for MLB Network, he did Marlins games in the past), they can have Ted Robinson do games. Ted Robinson I think still knows the Giants, and he called games for them in the past, so he would be a natural fit to come back to the Giants in a part-time role.
Bill King left the Warriors in 1983 not in 1981. Nevertheless great article. The idea of him coming back to GSW after 34 years has crossed my mind too.
ReplyDeletei'd love to have him call the games again too. that would be a neat trick. I can hear it now..."good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is bill king in HEAVEN with you tonight for the game between the warriors and ..."
DeleteI like Greg way, way, way more than Ted. The 49ers are lucky the Raiders are a mess.
ReplyDeleteTed won't mind leaving the 49ers for the Warriors...not at all.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you are right and Ted does not go to the Warriors. His play by play is boring, regardless of the sport.
DeleteI don't know who was calling the Warriors radio broadcast vs Houston with Jim Barnett Thursday, but he was awful. I usually hear Tim Roye. This other guy was calling the basketball, the "rock", and acting like a hype man more than a play-by-play announcer.
ReplyDeletehis name is kevin danoff or something like that..he does the santa cruz warrior games i think on radio there..no worries, tim had the night off i heard
DeleteYeah, I agree, Kevin Danna is awful. He ruins Santa Cruz Warrior games for me whenever they're on NBC Sports Bay Area.
DeleteIf the Warriors do get a new TV play-by-play guy to replace Fitz, hopefully they don't go with this guy. Very cheesy. He's perfect for minor leagues. I'm sorry.
Robinson is as good as it gets; hope he replaces Fitzgerald.
ReplyDeleteThe ego maniacal Papa is overrated as an announcer and unlistenable as a radio host.
Ted would be GREAT going back to Los Gigantes. With Miller on his last legs, Robinson is the obvious replacement. "Paging Mr Baer!"
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so.
ReplyDeleteTed Robinson would superior than the fat guy on KNBR from 1:00-3:00.
here's a thought for the warriors: how about red rush, "the old redhead"? he did warriors radio for a day or two back in the early 80's
ReplyDeleteGood grief, I had forgotten that he broadcast for the Warriors at one time. No, he passed away in 2009. "Shooting from the charity stripe . . . "
Delete