SATURDAY LATE --
back to Oakland...
That kitty-litter crew of radio broadcasters the Giants put out on Friday and Saturday was almost as sloppy as the games themselves.
FP Santangelo is a complete waste of time, a jock who throws out cliche after cliche; I hope he has better lines at the bars when he's in his MO as he hits on women relentlessly.
And Joe Ritzo sounds like the human sleep machine.
Yawn.
All of this is the result of
Jon Miller taking some time off barely two weeks into the season. I guess those first-class travel trips on the Giants' charter were too painful for Miller to endure.
Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper don't generally travel on the road.
FP said today after the game on the radio this was his "final" road trip ... he didn't specify whether he was talking about forever, or just this season.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Kitty Litter, every time Adam Copeland wakes up from a nap, the kitty litter sticks to his skin.
DeleteKuiper did the Yankee and White Sox series on the road to open the season. Krukow doesn't travel for health reasons. And Dave Fleming did last night's game while AppleTV had the TV broadcast rights.
ReplyDeleteI think Duane Kuiper said he was going to travel more with the team this year, even though you can't blame him if he skips some of these road trips. I wonder if he will be in Miami for the Giants-Marlins series this week.
DeleteAfter today's loss and meltdown, it has become painfully apparent that Father Time is kicking Brandon Crawford's ass. It's been a great career and the Gold Glove shortstop is looking tired. It will be another year of the San Francisco River Cats. Regardless who calls the games, you can't manufacture excitement where none exists. Time to get back out in the garden and do something productive.
ReplyDeleteand to top it off, you get keery crowley instead of someone like lurie.
ReplyDeleteCrowley's voice sounds like he's a Little Leaguer......
DeleteThe broadcast team, like the baseball team, is in disrepair.
ReplyDeleteRich ! Thank you for posting the photo of the Tower of Power album cover, and if anyone remembers, the sign that was put near the freeway leading to the Bay Bridge. At the time, both the A’s and TOP were in great form!
ReplyDeleteAt the current rate of winning, the SF Giants will lose 100+, and the Oakland A’s will lose about 120. At least we know A’s ownership is trying to tank so they can bail, but SF pretends like they are “just about to break out.” They will not. Another year of “who’s that guy? Where’d they get him?”
Thankfully Baseball is an optimists sport - we all hope “they’ll come around !” But when the bad teams are beating you, you have to look in the mirror.
The AAA team try outs will amount to fewer butts in the seats and declining revenue from the radio.
The SJ Sharks ended the season with the fewest wins of all NHL teams this year. Maybe SF and Oakland Ownership should ask how that worked out for Sharks attendance?
I want the A’s to stay !! I also want them to give their fans someone to root for.
Back to Oakland !!
Watching the A's is like watching the movie "Major League". Ownership, hellbent on blowing it up. I remember 72,73,74 and what a magical time it was. Oh, how far we have fallen.
DeleteCharley'O the Mule, mustaches, beer buckets and the mechanical rabbit. Good times!
MEOW
ReplyDeleteMeow meow
DeleteSo over having to search for games on Apple TV, YouTube TV, ESPN + or whatever streaming service they're tryna get you to buy this week. If it's not on Sports Net Bay Area or NBC I ain't watching. Can never remember the passwords to these streaming services year after year when I sign up just to watch one game. Not worth the hassle or the stress.
ReplyDeleteAnd...This team sucks so far. Cheap right wing billionaire Charles Johnson can't get a superstar to lead this team so yeah, all I see is River Cats 2.0. Faster games are nice though. They're gonna need to extend beer sales at Oracle Park too if they expect us to continue to attend and watch this current crap on a cracker.
Dave Fleming, Jon Miller, Kruk & Kuip, Shawn Estes, George Kontos, Laura Britt, Hunter Pence, and Javy Lopez are keepers. I even don't mind Carlos Ramirez. I know he's polarizing. At least he brings some energy and honesty to the chat. The rest...meh...need some work.
Carlos Ramirez chews on trite analytical socks that smell.
DeleteRandy Winn is good too
DeleteI missed Lon Simmons!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou didn't miss him. Lon died eight years ago.
DeleteGigantic Voices-
ReplyDeleteThey do a good job especially compared to what I have heard of about 20 or so MLB voices in other MLB locales. Ritso does a good professional job of describing the action. Lopez and Estes are excellent color commentators. Miller and Fleming are as good or better than any of their contemporaries. Kruk and Kuip are in a class by themselves. Both NBC Sports Bay Area does a great job pre and postgame
FP actually takes callers on his show and is entertaining.. The Giants are off to a poor start which doesn’t help matters. We’ll see how the team develops but their broadcasters are post season ready
I think it was a breath of fresh air to listen to Rizzo and FP. We've all heard enough of Bland Flemming. Let him move on.
ReplyDeleteRich, KTVU had a live shot GSW story from KCRA where the reporter focused on the Kings. The station did not bother to have one of their own reporters do the live. Freaking pathetic! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
ReplyDeleteThe pitch clock has improved the game on the field but ruined baseball on the radio --no time for stories.
ReplyDeleteThe great Vin Scully could do this. "On this date in 1965, we were all treated to one of the greatest pitching clinics in baseball history....pitch is outside, ball one...by none other than Sanford Koufax...that pitch caught the corner for a strike, 1-and-one...when the gangly kid from Brooklyn, by way of the University of Cincinnati...pitch is popped up to the right side...Muncy is under it....one away. That Jewish kid from Brooklyn, who was attending Cincinnati on a BASKETball scholarship...up now is Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford, who's batting .222 on the year. Anyways...Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game on this date 57-years ago today. First pitch to Crawford...down low, ball one.
DeleteMAN...Scully was the master at this.
FP is doing a great job of bringing sports talk back to the airwaves by actually taking calls, what a novel concept. He's refreshing although he needs to watch the sexist comments or he's going to find himself in hot water again. He's the only show on KNBR that I listen to these days, the rest are crap because they don't take calls and only want to hear themselves talk. I also think he's fine doing color and play by play, you learn more about the game from those who actually played.
ReplyDeleteYeah, kind of strange KNBR doesn't take calls for a lot of their main weekday shows. Not sure what opted them to go that route, but you need to have your audience engaged, so it's good to have that caller/listener interaction with the hosts
DeletePost of the day. FP is Bruce Magowan and Hank Greenwald rolled into one.
DeleteYeah Charles Johnson saying he's going to extend Farhan. Probably because Farhans a penny pincher like him! Besides Johnson likes giving his money to the Lauren Boeberts & Stephanie Marjorie Green wing nuts instead of a marquee player!
ReplyDeletelol
DeleteYOU'RE a nutcase if you think Charles Johnson is the sole decision maker on personnel and salaries. This was just a cheap shot at someone with whom you disagree politically.
DeleteA special feature of KPIX's 6PM Sunday evening news: Brian Hackney ripping a massive fart. Darren Peck commented that the camera should focus on Andrea Nakano, who was burying her face in her hands.
ReplyDeleteI heard and saw that. I'm still laughing. Brian Hackney tryna go viral with his flatulence. Or was that his laptop simulating that sound? Either way, totally hilarious. If Brian is off for the next couple weekends we'll all know why. Big brass probably didn't find it as funny. lol
DeleteRich, maybe worth a mention in your blog: Progressive Alameda County DA is in war of words w two media bigs: Dan Noyes and Dion Lim. Is DAs toughness - or lack - on crime against Asians at issue?: https://twitter.com/DionLimTV/status/1647774451172544512?cxt=HHwWgMDUgcKIid4tAAAA
ReplyDeleteI go back to the early to mid 70’s when Al Michaels broadcast Giants games. Great times.
ReplyDeleteSantangelo? What scap heap did they find him in? Probably in the same one as Rob Dibble is still in.
ReplyDeleteThe team needs to clear the decks and get a new broadcast team together that is there every game so a relationship between the broadcaster-fans-team can develop
Miller needs to go he sounds tired and lacks real passion
Flemming just needs to leave to go to Bristol and ESPN. If he needs extra work UCONN sports or going back to the Worcester Red Sox may work.
Krukow needs to bow out gracefully. After a decent career he turned into a pretty good broadcaster, but quite frankly, he's past his prime
Kuiper has been doing this for 36 years and he sounds tired
these guys lack the passion needed to keep fans interested in the team, especially during the down season (like Simmons, Greenwald)
time for a change
God Bless Ken Korach
I think Kruk & Kuip are aware their time behind the mic is coming to an end soon. Never stay too long at the dance. I say kudos to the Giants organization for seemingly allowing them bow out gracefully while at the same time passing the reins and sort of auditioning if you will the newer younger talent (Estes, Lopez, Pence...etc.) to follow.
DeleteDave Fleming is like a Jamaican. He's got nine jobs mon. He'll be ok no matter what transpires. He's also an excellent multi-sport broadcaster who is affable and knows what he's talking about. And still the young one of the bunch who makes Stanford proud. His time is not up.
And Jon Miller is Jon Miller. A hall of fame broadcaster. Enough said. And very adept at telling good stories about the game along with his stories of his travels to Mexico and around the world really. He's in the Kruk & Kuip area of not having to work so much now and passing the baton at the same time as well.
And as a side note we all love Renél in this household. Formerf KISS FM D.J. and perhaps the Giants greatest P.A. announcer who fills the stadium with her wonderful voice. And who really broke down barriers for the women who have followed around MLB. She can stay at the cookout as long as she wants too.
It was a great World Series run (2010, '12, '14) of which they were all a big part. So they are all like family or a close friend to many of us. I'm sure that's the way the Giants organization feels as well.
In the tradition of Lon Simmons, let them decide when to 'tell it goodbye'. Or 'wave it by by' if you're former Giants announcer Joe Angel who didn't last very long in SF. Ooop. Probably because many of us preferred 'adios pelota' and 'outta here'. Classic calls by great announcers. Which is why they're all still here.
Renel is far from being the best PA Announcer in Giants' history. Long time Giant fans remember Jeff Carter, who also
Deletesang the National Anthem from the booth before introducing
Mays, McCovey, Cepeda, Davenport, Pagan, Hiller, Haller,
Sanford, O'Dell, etc.
I call Bravo Sierra on that. These may have been great at one time (and I think Miller was hysterical and fantastic on WBAL when doing Oriole games). But you cannot keep people based on reputation or achievement. Remember for all that they have done for the team, Mays and McCovey were both traded when age was catching up to them. Boredom is boredom that that seems to be happening. So you can hang on to the past or look toward the future. Announcers don't just announce but they are salesmen for the team and product. They were great and getting Miller in 1996 was a huge coup, but I want passion and I just don't seem to hear. f you announce the team has to be priority.
DeleteIf need be limit Kruk and Kuip to home games, but I want a reason to listen or watch and it just not there.
Haven't heard Joe Ritzo announce a game. but I generally don't listen to baseball on the radio anymore. With all the advances in technology and YouTube TV I can basically watch and listen to a Giants game everywhere I go via cellphone. Ba da ba ba bah...I'm lovin' it. Now if only this were a season worth watching. Aaron Judge or Carlos Correa...where are you?? Sigh.
ReplyDeletePlease, when the change comes, get color guys who know the game and just do schtick. The current talent (Estes, Santangelo, et al) just needs to help analyze the game and not try to dominate broadcasts.
ReplyDeleteJoe Ratzo or Ruzzo or whoever he is needs to go back to the minor leagues where he probably came from. It’s embarrassing when they put a rank amateur on the air and then team him with the totally useless and vain FP Santangelo, who’s claim to fame is being one of Barry Bond’s buddies in the Giants’ ’ clubhouse.
ReplyDeleteMy bad I got them flipped. Joe Rizzo is gold
ReplyDelete