Off Topic. The Blass is 3/4 empty.

[Saboteur]

Been on the road much over the last few weeks and listening to baseball on radio. Phil's, Pirates. Reds, Tribe, O's, Nats, Mets, Yanks, BoSox, ChiSox, Tigers.
By far the worst I've heard...ever...the O's.I can't describe just how awful it is.
But a close second is Blass. He's dull, boring, etc. He is so bad he is infecting Brown.
Pirates baseball is bad enough, but adding Blass to the mixture is cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

Sorry man but you are wrong! Easy to pick fights when winning is not present. Direct your concerns around the ownership and not who is announcing the game.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

What does the ownership have to do with the fact that Steve Blass is an awful announcer at this point in time? At one time he was decent, but he's getting worse and worse all the time. He should have retired completely when he wasn't interested enough in the job to make the road trips. If he'd have quit then he still would have hung on too long, but now? He's hung on way, way past too long.

 

[Cathedral Lawn Frisbee]

It is not worth the effort! Good bye and good luck as you age.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

good luck as you age.

I have a feeling that most of us will be retired long before we get to be 75 years old.

 

[Cap pitt]

I think Steve Blass, Bob Walk, Greg Brown are pretty good. John Wehner and Joe Block are horrible and boring with no personality. I'm all for home games with Blass

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Infecting Brown? Brown is a run of the mill yuck yuck announcer. He sucks.

 

[Saboteur]

Sorry man but you are wrong! Easy to pick fights when winning is not present. Direct your concerns around the ownership and not who is announcing the game.

Oh shut up. Half the teams on that list stink. Reds...Os, Phil's...
Who said I was a Pirate fan? Maybe if you ventured out of the ever shrinking 412 cocoon, you might experience the world outside.
Blass stinks. No insight, no stories, no voice.
Say hello to him at the family picnic today.

 

[Saboteur]

It is not worth the effort! Good bye and good luck as you age.

Whom among us is getting younger? Thanks for the insight Yogi.

 

[bobfree]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing to bitch about announcers constantly or people engage in this ridiculous topic nationwide?

Personally, I don't get all gassed up about announcers. I would say I really enjoy listening to Bob Walk and if anything ever happened to Hurdle I'd like to see him get a shot.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Walk is really good.

 

[Saboteur]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing to bitch about announcers constantly or people engage in this ridiculous topic nationwide?

Personally, I don't get all gassed up about announcers. I would say I really enjoy listening to Bob Walk and if anything ever happened to Hurdle I'd like to see him get a shot.

You engaged in it.
That aside, I don't know if people do or don't.
I suggest you leave Pittsburgh once every decade or so and discover for yourself.

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom2]

Oh shut up. Half the teams on that list stink. Reds...Os, Phil's...
Who said I was a Pirate fan? Maybe if you ventured out of the ever shrinking 412 cocoon, you might experience the world outside.
Blass stinks. No insight, no stories, no voice.
Say hello to him at the family picnic today.

412

 

[Saboteur]

412

Credit or SAT score?

 

[BFo8]

Kuiper and Krukow with the Giants are excellent IMO.

 

[pittmeister]

What some of you guys need to do, is get Sirius XM radio and listen to some of the Pirates road games. You get all the home feeds of the other team.

Once you do that, Blass won't sound as bad as you think. Listen to Mike Shannon of the Cardinals or the clowns that broadcast the Marlins games. Absolutely abysmal...

 

[Saboteur]

What some of you guys need to do, is get Sirius XM radio and listen to some of the Pirates road games. You get all the home feeds of the other team.

Once you do that, Blass won't sound as bad as you think. Listen to Mike Shannon of the Cardinals or the clowns that broadcast the Marlins games. Absolutely abysmal...

Shannon is bad. I used to get it, but stopped. The problem with radio is that you can't turn down the sound.

 

[bobfree]

You engaged in it.
That aside, I don't know if people do or don't.
I suggest you leave Pittsburgh once every decade or so and discover for yourself.

Lol. I'm out of Pittsburgh all the time. I guess I'm actually doing fun things or working and don't spend time worrying about what people say about baseball announcers.

 

[Swervin27]

Listened to thousands of broadcasts on radio and tv. All sports, all channels. Teams I love and teams I could care less about. Never once heard someone so bad that it bothered me to the point of ruining the experience.

Amazed at some people who have such strong reactions to such a trivial issue.

 

[bobfree]

Listened to thousands of broadcasts on radio and tv. All sports, all channels. Teams I love and teams I could care less about. Never once heard someone so bad that it bothered me to the point of ruining the experience.

Amazed at some people who have such strong reactions to such a trivial issue.

That's exactly how I feel. Only you said it better.

 

[President Stache]

Been on the road much over the last few weeks and listening to baseball on radio. Phil's, Pirates. Reds, Tribe, O's, Nats, Mets, Yanks, BoSox, ChiSox, Tigers.
By far the worst I've heard...ever...the O's.I can't describe just how awful it is.
But a close second is Blass. He's dull, boring, etc. He is so bad he is infecting Brown.
Pirates baseball is bad enough, but adding Blass to the mixture is cruel and unusual punishment.

Wow... I have listened to every Pirate game (sans a few) since I was 6 years old, and I generally like the Pirates announcers, but Blass, Brown, Walk and Block are just awesome. Block is more straight laced, straight guy type that may be considered boring, but Blass???? He speaks his mind, makes good points to back his stances, and include a ton of anecdotes of his days which I love to hear.

Walk is rather negative, but guess what? He isnt a Pittsburgher by birth, but that is SOOOOOO Pittsburgh. He fits in perfect with Brown, and Blass perfect with Block. Wehner is the only one I cringe at... pretty clear the guy isnt a mental wizard, but he makes the weirdest points at time. That being said, I dont mind a yinzer yinzing it up ala Steeler broadcast (which by the way, I cant stand listening to that group). Throw in Penguins and Pitt broadcast and Pittsburgh has the best group I ever heard, and I lived all over the country.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Been on the road much over the last few weeks and listening to baseball on radio. Phil's, Pirates. Reds, Tribe, O's, Nats, Mets, Yanks, BoSox, ChiSox, Tigers.
By far the worst I've heard...ever...the O's.I can't describe just how awful it is.
But a close second is Blass. He's dull, boring, etc. He is so bad he is infecting Brown.
Pirates baseball is bad enough, but adding Blass to the mixture is cruel and unusual punishment.

I agree, Blass is bad, but I might be okay with him sticking around if the alternative is more Wehner. Bob Walk is golden in my opinion. Good insight and I love his dry sense of humor.

 

[h2p_5150]

The pirates guys aren't great, but aren't terrible. They don't actively ruin the game, although sometimes Joe Block trying to defend guys like Antonio Bastardo makes me mute the volume for a bit.

 

[Cap pitt]

Shannon is bad. I used to get it, but stopped. The problem with radio is that you can't turn down the sound.

You sound very Pessimistic, you need a couch to lay on

 

[Panther Holla]

The announcers are bought and paid for by the Pirates. Five takes on vanilla -- Walk with a tad of irascibility and Brownie with two jolts of caffeine as the extremes. Seldom is heard a discouraging word. Even on the bleakest days they will make every attempt to drive sunshine through your radio or TV. Blass is the link to Clemente, Maz, et al and a long-lost era of victory. His commentary is upbeat and benign because that's what Nutting wants, and Blass knows an easy gig when he works it. I'll bet if you could pump truth serum into these guys you'd get a different take than what comes over the airwaves. Lanny was the same way for 30 years. As mediocre as the Pirates' team is, I'll take it over the clown act known as Steelers radio.

 

[pittdan77]

I cannot imagine anything more terrible than listening to baseball on the radio.

Except for wrestling.

 

[Swervin27]

I cannot imagine anything more terrible than listening to baseball on the radio.

Except for wrestling.

try listening to nascar on radio.. it's so painful, it's almost funny..

I think baseball out of the main 4, is probably the easiest to listen to on radio.. hockey and basketball are too "fast moving" to get any real sense of what's going on by listening. football is a sport that is visual as well. baseball is slow moving enough that listening to it on radio actually you don't miss much..

 

[Panther Holla]

Baseball was made for radio. With a master storyteller at the mike -- Jon Miller, Vin Scully, Lindsay Nelson, Ernie Harwell -- you can get lost in the word pictures. Here's a make=believe comparison between two eras of broadcasting.

Harwell: And here's Champ Summers stepping in with runners at first and third and one out. Champ's given name is john.... the big lefthanded batter hails from Bremerton, Washington..... pitch down low, Ball One..... we're in the bottom of the first at Tiger Stadium with no score between the Tigers and Indians... Eckersley delivers.... and Champ hits a long fly ball deep to right... Charbonneau looks up... the ball catches the upper deck for a three-run homer. The Tigers lead, 3-0.

Frattare: Now Champ Summers. Summers batting .280 on Tuesdays and .272 in his last 38 at bats dating to his daughter's First communion... pitch down and away for a ball.... This is the Domino's inning, and if Summers can deliver the Go Ball, Ann Boleyn from Ann Arbor wins a free Domino's pizza... the pitch... hit deep.... go ball outa here to right field... Ann Boleyn is our Domino's pizza winner! Summers with his 14th home run...The Tigers lead it, 3-0.

 

[Saboteur]

Wow... I have listened to every Pirate game (sans a few) since I was 6 years old, and I generally like the Pirates announcers, but Blass, Brown, Walk and Block are just awesome. Block is more straight laced, straight guy type that may be considered boring, but Blass???? He speaks his mind, makes good points to back his stances, and include a ton of anecdotes of his days which I love to hear.

Walk is rather negative, but guess what? He isnt a Pittsburgher by birth, but that is SOOOOOO Pittsburgh. He fits in perfect with Brown, and Blass perfect with Block. Wehner is the only one I cringe at... pretty clear the guy isnt a mental wizard, but he makes the weirdest points at time. That being said, I dont mind a yinzer yinzing it up ala Steeler broadcast (which by the way, I cant stand listening to that group). Throw in Penguins and Pitt broadcast and Pittsburgh has the best group I ever heard, and I lived all over the country.

How old are you now?

 

[Saboteur]

You sound very Pessimistic, you need a couch to lay on

On which to lie.
If you're going to rip me, have the decency to use proper grammar.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Wehner is the only one I cringe at... pretty clear the guy isnt a mental wizard, but he makes the weirdest points at time.

During the 9th inning of yesterday's game after throwing a couple of 99 mph fastballs Felipe Rivero throws an 89 mph change up (for those of you in the discussion from a couple of weeks ago about pitch speeds, yeah, an 89 mph change up) and the hitter is so far out in front of it he looks silly. Wehner says "I wonder if Rivero throws that change up and the slider to try to get hitters out, or if he does it just because he can?"

 

[Jtommyj]

Listened to thousands of broadcasts on radio and tv. All sports, all channels. Teams I love and teams I could care less about. Never once heard someone so bad that it bothered me to the point of ruining the experience.

Amazed at some people who have such strong reactions to such a trivial issue.

Lol, come on swervin27, you of all people shouldn't be surprised at strong reactions to trivial issues after spending time in the locker room lol.

 

[Jtommyj]

Baseball was made for radio. With a master storyteller at the mike -- Jon Miller, Vin Scully, Lindsay Nelson, Ernie Harwell -- you can get lost in the word pictures. Here's a make=believe comparison between two eras of broadcasting.

Harwell: And here's Champ Summers stepping in with runners at first and third and one out. Champ's given name is john.... the big lefthanded batter hails from Bremerton, Washington..... pitch down low, Ball One..... we're in the bottom of the first at Tiger Stadium with no score between the Tigers and Indians... Eckersley delivers.... and Champ hits a long fly ball deep to right... Charbonneau looks up... the ball catches the upper deck for a three-run homer. The Tigers lead, 3-0.

Frattare: Now Champ Summers. Summers batting .280 on Tuesdays and .272 in his last 38 at bats dating to his daughter's First communion... pitch down and away for a ball.... This is the Domino's inning, and if Summers can deliver the Go Ball, Ann Boleyn from Ann Arbor wins a free Domino's pizza... the pitch... hit deep.... go ball outa here to right field... Ann Boleyn is our Domino's pizza winner! Summers with his 14th home run...The Tigers lead it, 3-0.

Lol, this to me was very true and funny. I'm soon to be 56 so I vaguely remember Prince but, as with everything in life, commercializing is the way.

I especially like it when it's something like FedEx field at McDonald's stadium on Verizon hill or some other such nonsense.

I know it's just a sign of the age we live in but I find it ridiculous.

 

[Panther Holla]

Lol, this to me was very true and funny. I'm soon to be 56 so I vaguely remember Prince but, as with everything in life, commercializing is the way.

I especially like it when it's something like FedEx field at McDonald's stadium on Verizon hill or some other such nonsense.

I know it's just a sign of the age we live in but I find it ridiculous.

Used to be you'd ease into the commercials, even on TV. There was a true break in the action.

OLD: "No runs, one hit, one error and one man left. To the top of the 4th we go, Buccos 3, Cardinals 1."
NOW: "3-1 Pirates after 3."

I'm 58. I used to remember the Iron City commercials BY SEASON. Remember Al Lucchione, draft beer specialist? In one spot he fixed a broken tap at some resort full of women. He said in the ad, must have been a teachers' conference or something, but I fixed the problem for them."

Wo, did the brewery get mail from angry teachers!

 

[Swervin27]

Lol, come on swervin27, you of all people shouldn't be surprised at strong reactions to trivial issues after spending time in the locker room lol.

yeah I know but these announcer threads on this board, it basically is nothing more than "everyone sucks" every announcer sucks..

 

[vietvet1]

People use to complain about Prince all the time. However, once he was gone they realized he was a treasure to hold on to. There was even a public march downtown in protest of KDKA's firing.

 

[Panther Holla]

People use to complain about Prince all the time. However, once he was gone they realized he was a treasure to hold on to. There was even a public march downtown in protest of KDKA's firing.

Prince wouldn't tone down his act -- stick to the game a little more on radio. And he quarreled with his bosses about visitors in the booth. HIS guests were OK, but not gawking guests from Westinghouse or the brewery. He may have asked for it, but his firing was the single stupidest act by a team and a broadcaster in Pittsburgh sports history. Lots of people tuned out KDKA permanently after that. Typical Pirates -- get swept in the playoffs, fire the announcers. Milo Hamilton was doomed from Day One.

 

[Panther Holla]

yeah I know but these announcer threads on this board, it basically is nothing more than "everyone sucks" every announcer sucks..

Not all. I like the Red Sox team. Even Tim Neveritt.

 

[upj87]

o

Been on the road much over the last few weeks and listening to baseball on radio. Phil's, Pirates. Reds, Tribe, O's, Nats, Mets, Yanks, BoSox, ChiSox, Tigers.
By far the worst I've heard...ever...the O's.I can't describe just how awful it is.
But a close second is Blass. He's dull, boring, etc. He is so bad he is infecting Brown.
Pirates baseball is bad enough, but adding Blass to the mixture is cruel and unusual punishment.

Man, Pirate fans here are a whimpering whiny bunch...Steve Blass is fine and on par with most. Have Dave Cash bang your wife and see how well you do on the air....

 

[President Stache]

How old are you now?

Old, Im 40... never heard Prince, but Lanny, Rooker, Sanders, and most the others I enjoyed listening to.