Sunday, February 1, 2009

Two of Our Own Make 50 Worst Announcers List

Jay Busbee over at The Yahoo Sports Blog came out with their list of the top 50 worst sports announcers this week, both Michael Kay (49th) and John Sterling (17th) made the list.

Here's what they had to say about Sterling:
Catch-phrases flop to the ground like beached marlin; "Thaaaaaa Yankees win!" is the worst victory cry ever.
Some of ESPN's finest made the list; Joe Morgan ranked 3rd:
3. Joe Morgan: Stubbornly refuses to admit that there's anything to the game of baseball more important than "heart." Laughs off statistics as irrelevant. Still carries grudges from his playing days. Like Bill Walton and other ex-jocks, views every player in comparison to his era -- and strangely enough, nobody ever comes close. Inspired one of the great sports blogs of this decade, but has unfortunately outlasted it.
Steve Phillips was 33rd, and John Kruk ranked 46th.

Fox was two-for-two, and both were in the top ten, as Tim McCarver and Joe Buck ranked 8th and 9th:

8. Tim McCarver: This is an entry on a list about the worst announcers in sports. See, when you're making a list, you break it down into different categories and put spaces between the entries, so people can tell it's a list. Like this entry about Tim McCarver, Fox baseball analyst. McCarver analyzes baseball for Fox. And while he's analyzing baseball for the Fox network, he offers stunning behind-the-scenes insight, just like you're getting in this entry here. Which is part of a larger list.

9. Joe Buck: Alternating between dull and sanctimonious, Buck is a crotchety curmudgeon trapped in a younger man's body. When he's not draining the life out of the greatest moments in modern sports, he's lecturing us on the sad state of the NFL.
Other baseball announcers on the list include Thom Brennaman (18th), Kenny "Hawk" Harrelson (40th), and Chip Carey (42nd).

And I'm not sure he should be considered an announcer, but Mike Francesa ranked 32nd.

16 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I get why Sterling is on the list he is either a guy you like or hate. But I think Kay is a good announcer dont know why he is on that list.

jmas12 said...

Kay is a terrible announcer, and as an out of market fan he single handedly makes me regret purchasing the MLB package every year. You'd think watching as much baseball as he does every year that he might learn a thing or two. But he never does, yet still talks as though he's the baseball yoda. I'd rather have Monty from "Major League" call Yankee games than Michael Kay. "Hit... Caught" is alot better than "hit deep to left" and the ball is caught nowhere near the warning track.

jmas12 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I don't think that either John Sterling or Michale Kay should be on this list. They are very enjoyable to listen to. I'd like to know, however, why no Met's announcers are on this list. I mean come on. Pass me the ear plugs when the likes of Gary Cohen, Howie Rose, Ron Darling or Keith Hernandez are on. Ugh!!!

Anonymous said...

I am not a big fan of Kay as an announcer, but I like his radio show... That said, I do appreciate how much the job means to him... He's a New York kid, who has grown up to live his dream... Good for him.

As far as Sterling goes... I L-O-V-E, LOVE the guy!

I know that's not a popular opinion, but I can't get enough of the catch phrases...

The only time he bugs me is when he misjudges fly balls, but I've never seen the baseball play-by-play announcer who doesn't do that.

I've got "Joregeee Juiced One... THHHEEEEE YANKEES WIN!" for a ring tone on my phone.

Don't change a thing, Jon!

IRONPIGPEN said...

Yankees' Drew Henson in
'Super Bowl Quarterbacks, Part One'

Anonymous said...

Agree with Larry, I enjoy listening to Sterling.

I do think that Kay and the YES analyst team are the one of the least home team-biased announcers in MLB.

Compare the YES team to:

-Orsillo and Remy
-Staats and Magrane
-Physioc and Rex Hudler

Anonymous said...

To the first poster, and to the 3rd poster, you guys are crazy for thinking kay and Sterling should not be on the list. "It is highh, it is farr, ittttt isss...CAUGHT!!! Nuff said for that...As for Kay, the guy just does not "understabd" the game, and I don't mean how its played, he just does not "understand" if that makes any sense. Not to mention Kay focuses on what color bat or what color watch the players have. I can tolerate Sterling a little I guess, but Kay is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Kay still thinks he's on radio and no one sees what he's broadcasting. The guy also has a habit of beating a dead horse with his comments. SHUT UP ALREADY!!! Broadcast the game for Pete's sake. God forbid you catch a game when he and Al Leiter are teamed up. That's when I turn off the volume altogether. Oh how I miss Jim Kaat. Now there is a man with baseball knowledge.

Unknown said...

Kay is a good reporter, but a bad broadcaster. Sterling is awful, and now that his vision is failing, his broadcasts have become a farce. They were actually pretty good when they worked together. Waldman is worse than both, but I guess not sufficiently noticed to make the list.

I'm glad we have Singleton and Leiter on YES.

Anonymous said...

Anon, I was nodding my head in agreement with you until you mentioned Leiter. I love Leiter, I think he has the best knowledge on that staff along with Singleton. The YES staff would be great if it weren't for Kay.

Mike B. said...

Sterling is terrible. I hope the Yanks dump him soon.

Mike

Anonymous said...

I'm with Anom, Kay does over sell stuff way too much and beats a topic into the ground, also his split personalty between his critical self on the radio show and his homer self on yes, really pisses me off.

Anonymous said...

Michael Kay is a nice guy, but not a good play by play talent. Sterling is perfect for radio with all his corny stuff, something in spanish about bobby abreu, and when aaron guiel hit a home run years ago guiel ran the bases with a smile. Only sterling could pull that off.

James Miller said...

people spend too much time worrying about announcers. They are simply a side show. Everybody is so quick to become Phil Mushnick of the NY Post. Give it a rest. The lone fact that a top 50 poll was done on announcers automatically strips away any dignity toward the subject.

Anonymous said...

Kay asks too many questions and says the same stuff over and over. How many times will he ask Leiter about Kazmir when Kazmir turned off the radio years ago in the mets clubhouse.