Let this ruminate in your brain: I HEARD a Giants PBP broadcaster, Dave Flemming, apologize to fans listening on KNBR, that, "folks, in full disclosure, {we} didn't anticipate this game going this long and I've got another assignment to do--I'm in my home studio in SF and frankly, I've gotta go." Flemming went further: "I'm not sure what the post-game show will sound like, but..."
STOP! --hysterical laughter combined with genuine "are you kidding me?" --my words. Truly, the concept of "on assignment" but into the entire SF Giants, KNBR and fraternal brotherhood. Only THIS MOMENT, this truly "uncharted territory" moment will always be remembered and NEVER be forgotten.
It's a good thing the Giants won the baseball game; the LONG, marathon that went almost five hours and not only broke into on-the-field baseball protocol, but off-field as well. As crazy and insane the game was down in Anaheim, the on-radio situation (and no-doubt off-field repercussions will be forever etched in stone) is a screamer for all the wrong reasons.
The idea that a lead announcer, the GIANTS' LEAD PBP broadcaster, had to announce to the world that "I HAVE TO GO, I HAVE TO LEAVE"--that's what Flemming literally said, is BEYOND MERE EMBARRASSMENT. It left a first place team and its best record in baseball status in total disarray. It forced a major-league franchise to basically tell its vast radio audience, KNBR, into broadcast smithereens. Yo, KNBR, this is what I think of you! Bye Bye. Flemming might as well said that --he didn't, I did.
Flemming did indeed LEAVE and SPLIT (not his fault, we'll get to that later); it resulted in the Giants/KNBR/network stations having to go to a SIMULCAST mode and in the bottom of the 13th inning game in Anaheim, KNBR listeners were treated to Jon Miller and JT Snow on NBC Soorts Bay Area. That wouldn't have been a big deal if Flemming hadn't had to announce, ON-AIR, that he had another gig to attend (Dodgers-Padres on ESPN) and that, sorry, see ya later. Think about that for a moment. YOU TOO, KNBR.
What took place last night was shocking and unfathomable. How so? I myself didn't hear the game live ( I heard it on Giants' replay)--I was littered with over ten emails. I heard from various Bay Area broadcast sports media people. One, a very powerful and influential person, could not believe what had transpired. The individual had told me just a few week back that something as ludicrous and preposterous would inevitably take place and subsuquently "bite the Giants in the ass"--his words, no mine. I agree. But it's more than my opinion.
It's called being prepared. It's called making sure your're prepared for the unthinkable. It's preparing for the unforseen and unexpeced. Especially when one of the MAIN cogs of your broadcast crew (on radio especially), Duane Kuiper, who is dealing with a serious medical condition that requires chemotherapy, is out and not in the mix. YOU PREPARE, you make sure that a Wednesday night FIASCO didn't happen. But it did. It damn INEXPLICABLY did happen. ON THE AIR.
It's a BIG DEAL. It didn't have to happen. It is incredible in its breath of totality of what it meant now and in the future involving loads of Giants' owner brass, Larry Baer among the top; KNBR and Cumulus, the rights-holders who pay the big bucks and essentially cancel everything else in Summer to cater to their MLB and locally-beloved MLB partner and do so for a reason: because they're the FUCKIN' SF GIANTS! Three-Time World Series champs Giants! --right, KNBR?
It's not Flemming's faul to fill in for Kuipert but ultimately it's Flemming's reputation and stature that will take the hit. And I'm 100% certain that Flemming is not very comfortable with all this; embarrassed to the max. He should be but it's all on the Giants. It's Larry Baer FRONT and CENTER who could have --SHOULD HAVE--prepared and planned. To have to spend a few extra bucks to HIRE a temporary play-by-play guy to fill in for Kuiper. It's not some overly sappy, un-patriotic, un-sympathetic thing to do, it's called SIMPLE BUSINESS. It's the thing you do and PREPARE for in the major leagues, on and off the field.
I KNOW THIS; I'm 100 percent certain that this matter will be front and center in the Giants and Cumulus conference rooms. I'm 100 percent certain that the "Flemming fiasco" will not be spinned and passed off as some momenatry glitch and embarrassment, trust me, it won't.
IT'S ALREADY the source of a Thursday/weekend nightmare for Giants/KNBR/sponsors, the latter the least of its worries and that's not even considering money; money is the least issue here, it's more a GARGANTUAN embarrassment. An unforced error, or in baseball talk, the un0assisted triple play that kills your rally and is cause for your defeat.
The Giants won the game on Wednesday. They have the best record in major league baseball. They are the talk of the baseball world only why is and why will Larry Baer almost certainly be FUMING today? I'd love to know. I'd love for the KNBR morning guys to ASK Larry himslf; that won't happen; I'd love for Papa and Lund at 10 AM to ask Larry what he thinks; that will not happen; I'd LOVE to hear "TKB" (Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks at 2 PM) "yo, Larry, I understand 'Dave Flemming had to leave the booth and cover the Dodgers-Padres on ESPN, huh?"--that too will not happen.
It should.
It won't.
Should be quite a day at 24 Willie Mays Plaza and Broadway and Battery.
Wow, a whole of bluster this morning for nothing, Rich. I'm sure Dave Flemming's reputation will be just fine after this.
ReplyDeleteGo get some blow and relax Rich man, this will all be okay.
The Giants call up minor league baseball players routinely. Could they not have called up broadcaster Doug Greenwald whom they've had doing play-by-play on some internet broadcasts of Spring Training games? You could hear the embarrassment in Mr. Flemming's voice with his "full disclosure" announcement about having to leave...
ReplyDeleteDoug works for Fresno Grizzlies now owned by Houston.
DeleteNo one thought the game would go 13 innings--the new T-ball extra inning rules were supposed to take care of that sort of thing. It was one of those perfect storms that just sometimes happen. Baseball's a funny game . . .
ReplyDeleteI had the NBCSBA broadcast on, and Miller and Snow were quite professional about it ("We're going to go into radio mode for a bit").
"It left a first place team and its best record in baseball status in total disarray."
ReplyDeleteGeez Rich, your manufactured outrage is epic today.
This is beyond silly. Sure, a perfect storm of events happened and the broadcast had to go into simulcast for a little bit. I'm quite sure everyone involved understood the minimal risks of something like this happening. Do you think it impacted the size of the audience on either TV or radio? Of course not. So what would they all be so up in arms about. People understand sometimes sh*t happens. If this were a regular event, sure, that would be unprofessional. This was a bizarre combination of factors coming together that you can't predict. As for Tony Salvadore not letting this happen, I believe the Giants own the broadcasts, not KNBR, so I'm not sure what KNBR would do about it on the odd chance they even cared about such a small one-time situation as this.
ReplyDeleteI would think that Bill King and Lon Simmons would be rolling over in their graves on this. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteAgain Rich - you feign outrage at The Giant Broadcast Team - and for what? No one really gives 2 shits about who is or isn't announcing the game. More power to Flemming to be able to snag a national broadcast gig. I think THAT'S what pisses you off.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember when Vin Scully left Dodger broadcasts in the middle of a homestand or roadtrip to - God Forbid - broadcast The Game Of The Week.....or NFL Football.
That's why the Dodgers were prepared and hired Ross Porter as the third man in the booth.
DeleteOn TV, Miller (and Snow) took it all in stride. No big deal. Only difference was you could not watch replays on the radio. Surprised?
ReplyDeleteIn the early days of TV, games were similcast often.
thing is, no one really cares. About the Giants or the radio team. They are the 49ers and Warriors now. They are first place and crickets. Baer must hate that.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how Baer could ever be angry with KNBR. In a time that national radio totally ignores baseball, KNBR is wall to wall with the grand old snoozefest. He should be elated.
ReplyDeleteLarry Baer is too busy plotting with scotty ostler, annie killion, and the rest of the gang at the Chronicle to plant as many negative anti oakland/stadium stories as possible to finally force the A's out out of the market once and for all something most of the SF electronic/print media has dreamed of since 1968..baer probably obsesses over that more then how much he can jack up the prices of his overrated concessions at pac bell/att/Oracle park
ReplyDeleteGood input Mr. Kaval.
DeleteIt was only a half inning and they had a seven run lead, you're making it a bigger deal then it actually was. I'm sure it won't happen again and I think they handled it just fine. Jeez...
ReplyDeleteI am okay with Amy G taking over.
ReplyDeleteAmy G is best suited to take over the Romper Room gig.
DeleteThat's why you only need to have 3 PBP announcers who are committed to the team, that's why the A's broadcasts are much better. Those guys make the A's a priority.
ReplyDeleteAs for Fleming, time's up. He either goes national or commits to the team. There was a time when Al Michaels (Giants) and Dick Enberg (Angels) were great local broadcasters, but when the national networks wanted them they had to make a choice and both went national.
Baseball on the radio is built on stability. If you don't have that you have nothing. Just ask all those Dodger fans who brought radios to games just to hear Vin Scully.
Yep, agreeing to do only 140 regular season Giants' games per year is certainly a lack of commitment-sheesh.
DeleteIt doesn't matter if it is 10, 50, or 100 games you set priorities. Plus the way Flemming did it was very bush league. He should have left at the end of the inning switch to the simulcast and announce why he was leaving. It would have honest and people would understand. Instead, it makes Flemming look like he doesn't want to be here, and that is only broadcasting for the team as a way to fill in time between national assignments.
DeleteIt's not hard. Ask Ted Robinson or Dick Stockton how they did it. Or even someone who worked with Bill King who did Athletics games while commuting to Los Angeles to do Raider games for 13 years.
This column was written to provoke angry and spike traffic. Simple as that.
ReplyDeleteI'd buy stock in the company that makes Lieberman's blood pressure medicine, since he must be taking triple doses to cope with all this excitement -- but he's liable to expire from exasperation any minute now and then my investment would collapse too.
DeleteI think the fans in general like Dave and his approach to the game. I for one are more than willing to give him a pass this time. That being said, I can see where your coming from Rich, he is being paid to do a job and extra innings is apart of the game.
ReplyDeleteI think many of you are missing the point. The fact that so many people responding to Rich's remarks by telling him to lighten up is part of the problem- I guess some of you are ok with Mediocrity, or at least this sort of unprofessionalism. I'm not. It was appalling and should not have happened. Yet it did happen. And Rich is right- this unprofessional crap never would have happened if someone like Tony Salvadore were in charge. They should have had a solid back-up plan in place and ready to go but they didn't. Hopefully next time they will.
ReplyDeleteWhat a side show. This makes one yearn to hear Joe Angel say, "The Giants have won five in a row, consecutively."
ReplyDelete