Criticisms of Fox Sports Ohio Broadcasts

[Blitz Dorsey]

[Sean Casey enters stage left]

SEAN CASEY: I tell ya what there Kelchy, back when I was playing I didn't have to worry about what I ate -- HAHAHAHA -- so I use to crush some BW3 wings and Skyline cheese coneys. Even if I went 0-for-4 that night, I was CRUSHIN something baby!

JIM KELCH: You liked to eat, did you? Here's the 2-1 pitch to Phillips.

SEAN CASEY: HAHAHAHA, oh you know I did Kelchy, you know I did. Would just absolutely crush some wings, coneys, a 3-way, whatever. Me and Dunner and Kearns used to stop and get BW3 wings to-go all the time after games and would just crush about 50 of 'em. Nice double there from BP. I feel like I'm barely talking about the action on the field.

JIM KELCH: Jason Grilli warming up in the bullpen for the Pirates.

SEAN CASEY: Great to see Grilled Cheese get a chance to be a closer. Great guy. His nickname is Grilled Cheese. I played with him here in Pittsburgh. Grilled Cheese is what we called him. What a nickname. Grilled Cheese. Reminds me of some Skyline, brother. I used to just crush some Skyline. HAHAHAHA.

[redsfan30]

I absolutely love Thom (and all the Reds broadcasters, save for Kelch) but I do have one problem inparticular with him. If a batter takes a first pitch fastball right down the pipe for a strike he is almost offended. If that same batter swings at said first pitch fastball and pops it up, however....he gets his annoyed tone and wonders why they are swinging at the first pitch.

[westofyou]

I absolutely love Thom (and all the Reds broadcasters, save for Kelch) but I do have one problem inparticular with him. If a batter takes a first pitch fastball right down the pipe for a strike he is almost offended. If that same batter swings at said first pitch fastball and pops it up, however....he gets his annoyed tone and wonders why they are swinging at the first pitch.

Because Thom believes that he can set the mood for the game, hence his dismay and continued reference to said dismay throughout the contest.

It's not just the first pitch either, it's the sacrifice, working the count, errors, bone headed plays, the choice from the bullpen etc...... every move is swished around his mouth like a wine in a tasting room and every few minutes he uses the listener as the spittoon to drench with his heavy handed delivery of his opinion.

Drives me crazy

[Unassisted]

I would actually like some kind of Smart TV option where you can mute the announcers entirely and just listen to the game sounds.

MLB.TV has this... sometimes. I used it a few times last season. It requires more attention, or IOW it's not a great choice if you're using a second screen while watching the game.

It also has the option to overlay the radio broadcast audio over the TV broadcast video... sometimes. If you've ever wondered what "right down Broadway" looks like, this is the way to find out.

[PickOff]

Because Thom believes that he can set the mood for the game, hence his dismay and continued reference to said dismay throughout the contest.

It's not just the first pitch either, it's the sacrifice, working the count, errors, bone headed plays, the choice from the bullpen etc...... every move is swished around his mouth like a wine in a tasting room and every few minutes he uses the listener as the spittoon to drench with his heavy handed delivery of his opinion.

Drives me crazy

I can barely listen to him anymore. I prefer to listen to Marty with the radio overlay on MLB TV than Thom. Chris is fine, but he can't save the broadcast from Thom.

As opinionated as Marty is, and annoyingly so, he actually calls more of the action than Thom does, if you can believe it. The fact that Marty is on radio has something to do with it, I'm sure, but Thom just can't help himself. I wish he would leave more of the commentary to Chris. I probably agree with Thom about 5% of the time. What a blowhard.

[RichRed]

Because Thom believes that he can set the mood for the game, hence his dismay and continued reference to said dismay throughout the contest.

It's not just the first pitch either, it's the sacrifice, working the count, errors, bone headed plays, the choice from the bullpen etc...... every move is swished around his mouth like a wine in a tasting room and every few minutes he uses the listener as the spittoon to drench with his heavy handed delivery of his opinion.

Drives me crazy

Well stated. It's why I think Thom is actually better on a national broadcast; he seems to check most of his disdain and dopey opinions at the door because he knows he has to be impartial. Listening to him call a Reds game almost physically hurts.

[Norm Chortleton]

I'm a lifelong Reds fans (49 years) who can't stand Marty. I stopped listening to the radio broadcasts when Joe passed away. I use to love Marty back before he became completely full of himself. That changed a long time ago though. And, unfortunately, Thom is seemingly taking the same path as his old man. If you honestly believe you have to like Marty to like the Reds, well, that's silly. I'm also a lifelong UK fan who hated Ralph Hacker, so you can hold that against me too.

Funny that you bring that up. Do you remember in the late 80s/early 90s when Marty did a year of UK TV telecasts and was considered the possible frontrunner to replace Cawood when he stepped down on radio? Somehow Hacker was able to use his influence to void the deal.

The result was one of my favorite Marty quotes of all-time: "On his best day and my worst day, I'm a better announcer than Ralph Hacker."

Marty = HOFer. Ralph = tongue-tied incompetent who could neither keep up with the action nor pronounce players' names.

[RollyInRaleigh]

I absolutely love Thom (and all the Reds broadcasters, save for Kelch) but I do have one problem inparticular with him. If a batter takes a first pitch fastball right down the pipe for a strike he is almost offended. If that same batter swings at said first pitch fastball and pops it up, however....he gets his annoyed tone and wonders why they are swinging at the first pitch.

I like Thom, but his "He takes one right down the can," comment is getting repetitive and annoying, much like "the howl." But i guess it is "his right" to use that phrase whenever he wants to, regardless of how much it annoys people, so what's the big deal. I guess the fact that I let it annoy me is my problem.

[cumberlandreds]

MLB.TV has this... sometimes. I used it a few times last season. It requires more attention, or IOW it's not a great choice if you're using a second screen while watching the game.

It also has the option to overlay the radio broadcast audio over the TV broadcast video... sometimes. If you've ever wondered what "right down Broadway" looks like, this is the way to find out.

I've used the overlay. Brantley's PBP actually goes with the TV real well. It's just that's his broadcast is for the radio. One thing about the overlay for me is that it cuts out most of the time and I have to reboot completely to get it back. I normally just go with the TV at that point. I'll have to try the ballpark only sounds sometime. That might be a refreshing change.

[cumberlandreds]

Funny that you bring that up. Do you remember in the late 80s/early 90s when Marty did a year of UK TV telecasts and was considered the possible frontrunner to replace Cawood when he stepped down on radio? Somehow Hacker was able to use his influence to void the deal.

The result was one of my favorite Marty quotes of all-time: "On his best day and my worst day, I'm a better announcer than Ralph Hacker."

Marty = HOFer. Ralph = tongue-tied incompetent who could neither keep up with the action nor pronounce players' names.

Marty was way too opionated to have ever been the UK broadcaster. It would have never flown with UK. I liked him doing the UK games but it would have never lasted.

[coachpipe]

[Sean Casey enters stage left]

SEAN CASEY: I tell ya what there Kelchy, back when I was playing I didn't have to worry about what I ate -- HAHAHAHA -- so I use to crush some BW3 wings and Skyline cheese coneys. Even if I went 0-for-4 that night, I was CRUSHIN something baby!

JIM KELCH: You liked to eat, did you? Here's the 2-1 pitch to Phillips.

SEAN CASEY: HAHAHAHA, oh you know I did Kelchy, you know I did. Would just absolutely crush some wings, coneys, a 3-way, whatever. Me and Dunner and Kearns used to stop and get BW3 wings to-go all the time after games and would just crush about 50 of 'em. Nice double there from BP. I feel like I'm barely talking about the action on the field.

JIM KELCH: Jason Grilli warming up in the bullpen for the Pirates.

SEAN CASEY: Great to see Grilled Cheese get a chance to be a closer. Great guy. His nickname is Grilled Cheese. I played with him here in Pittsburgh. Grilled Cheese is what we called him. What a nickname. Grilled Cheese. Reminds me of some Skyline, brother. I used to just crush some Skyline. HAHAHAHA.

word for word haha great

[Blitz Dorsey]

I absolutely love Thom (and all the Reds broadcasters, save for Kelch) but I do have one problem inparticular with him. If a batter takes a first pitch fastball right down the pipe for a strike he is almost offended. If that same batter swings at said first pitch fastball and pops it up, however....he gets his annoyed tone and wonders why they are swinging at the first pitch.

I've noticed the same thing. And you and I are in the vast minority of Reds fans (at least RedsZone posters) who actually like Thom overall. But he definitely does what you just described. He gets upset when players go up there hacking at the first pitch. Then the very next inning he'll complain that a batter just let a first pitch go right down the middle.

I think one thing the Thom haters need to keep in mind is that he's probably more emotionally-invested in the Reds than any of the other broadcasters. He's a Reds fan and it shows. I know it rubs some of you wrong at times, but to me it's just like watching the game with a buddy who loves the Reds, but has a bad habit of complaining a bit too much. George Grande was MUCH more annoying to me because George couldn't care less if the Reds won, would actually get excited at times when the opposition did well and would tell boring stories about players on the other team ad nauseum.

Thom is solid overall -- there's a reason he does national broadcasts too and isn't just some local guy. I think he gets a bad rap on this board because he complains too much while he's calling a game and that's not really the job of a PBP man. I get that. I completely understand why some of you don't like him, I just hope you keep in mind he's the biggest Reds fan of the bunch (among our announcers). He grew up as a kid as a diehard Reds fan just like (most of) the rest of us here. Let's not eat one of our own if you know what I mean.

OK, there is one other thing that is annoying about Thom (other than the "h" in his first name): He always goes out of his way to over-pronounce Hispanic names. There was an old SNL skit making fun of reporters who do this and Thom reminds me of said skit every time I hear him say something like "Up next for the Reds will be Wilson VHAAAAALLLLL-dez." Or, "warming up in the 'pen is Jose ARR-EH-DOHN-DOH."

We get it Thom. You like to pronounce Hispanic names. Now can you tone it down about a notch or 3?

[OesterPoster]

I don't like my announcers yelling at me, and that's what it seems like with Thom. His over-emphasizing portions of words, complete words, or repeating a point just annoys me to no end.

That's NOT just a GOOD play. THAT'S a GREAT play. Just a GREAT play. Chris, have you ever seen such a GREAT PLAY?

[Bob Sheed]

MLB.TV has this... sometimes. I used it a few times last season. It requires more attention, or IOW it's not a great choice if you're using a second screen while watching the game.

It also has the option to overlay the radio broadcast audio over the TV broadcast video... sometimes. If you've ever wondered what "right down Broadway" looks like, this is the way to find out.

This sounds really neat. Being in Cincinnati, I can't see the Reds on MLB. Only FSO.

But maybe if MLB ever updates their blackout restrictions from the middle ages...

[Blitz Dorsey]

I don't like my announcers yelling at me, and that's what it seems like with Thom. His over-emphasizing portions of words, complete words, or repeating a point just annoys me to no end.

That's NOT just a GOOD play. THAT'S a GREAT play. Just a GREAT play. Chris, have you ever seen such a GREAT PLAY?

Ha, that's a pretty damn accurate depiction of Thom there. But again, that's because he's a huge Reds fan at heart and can't help himself at times. I like it, but I can see how it rubs a lot of you the wrong way. And I also get the argument that it's his job to be professional and not act like a fan while in the booth. But that's unrealistic for most local announcers. There are a few out there that are completely removed and don't care who wins or loses (like George Grande -- who thankfully only does a handful of games any longer) but you'll find most local announcers are homers. Thom is our homer and he's also good enough to do national broadcasts. I think a lot of people here focus on the negatives of Thom and don't appreciate the positives he brings to the table. He's actually pretty self-deprecating most of the time, which I find charming. He makes fun of himself a lot. He and Welsh make fun of each other all the time, but aren't mean-spirited about it. They have good chemistry.

I'll also agree with the masses that Welsh is solid. I used to be lukewarm about him. He was a weird mix of cheesy/dorky while still seemingly trying to go out of his way to be dapper. Now, I just appreciate the baseball knowledge that he brings to the table and I like that he's adjusted his thinking to incorporate the "new stats" such as OPS, BABIP, etc that he's always referencing during games. He also does a good job of explaining the differences between umpires (who's pitcher-friendly, who's batter-friendly, etc).