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Thread: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

  1. #1
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...376246198.html

    Prompted by Ken Harrelson's unabashed homerism, the Journal decided to watch one nine-inning game played by every major-league team to evaluate its local broadcasters for bias. To keep things simple, we only evaluated home games that the home teams won.

    By the rules of our study, anyone with a microphone who used a pronoun like "we," "us" or "our" to describe the home team was given a citation. Obscure pet names for players were also flagged: The Detroit Tigers announcers, for instance, referred to backup catcher Gerald Laird as "G-Money." Additional penalties were given for things like excessive moping after miscues or unrestrained glee after big moments. (A Miami Marlins broadcaster marked the end of a lengthy scoreless drought by screaming "Hallelujah!")

    It didn't take long for the study to confirm what many baseball observers have long expected. During the White Sox game—a 2-1 win against the Texas Rangers—Harrelson and Stone (but mostly Harrelson) made a whopping 104 biased statements.


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  3. #2
    Member medford's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Would this study have "crashed" had they examined a Reds tilt in St Louis with George Grande calling the play by play?

  4. #3
    Oy Vey! Red in Chicago's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Stretch! Stretch! May be the dumbest home run call I've ever heard.

  5. #4
    Member Tom Servo's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    The Mets and Yankees are interesting. I know from experience what homers their announcers often are, though with the Mets it's mostly coming from Hernandez as I think Thorne and Darling are great. I think it's just a case where it's more in attitude (ie: moping when their team is down, putting down the other team, etc) than in action (referring to 'us', 'we', etc).
    “I don’t care,” Votto said of passing his friend and former teammate. “He’s in the past. Bye-bye, Jay.”

  6. #5
    Knowledge Is Good Big Klu's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    The White Sox have more citations than the next seven offenders combined.
    Eric Stratton, Rush Chairman. Damn glad to meet ya.

  7. #6
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Quote Originally Posted by Big Klu View Post
    The White Sox have more citations than the next seven offenders combined.
    Ken Harrelson is announcing everything in my version of hell

  8. #7
    Member NJReds's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Even the Mets announcers don't want to be associated their team. The Yankees TV team is somewhat neutral, the radio team (John Sterling) is a big time homer.
    "The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson

  9. #8
    Member corkedbat's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Never understood this concept of an "objective" announcer for local networks. Its not like regular local news journalists or announcers for national broadcasts. Local network announcers are paid for by the Teams and you want to see someloca slant and some flair to them. You want them to build interest and enthusiam for the home team.

    You would hope they would have enough objectivity to tell it like it is, but being a homer? That's part of the job description.

  10. #9
    a Red in Yankeetown elfmanvt07's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    It's worth noting that almost all of Thom's homerism evaporates when he's called on to work a Reds game on national FOX.
    2014 Reds record: 1-2

    I look like a banker in this...

  11. #10
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Big markets filter toward the bottom. Maybe it's because SF, LA, NYC, etc... have a lot of transplants. Or maybe it's because big markets hire professionals.

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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    Quote Originally Posted by corkedbat View Post
    You would hope they would have enough objectivity to tell it like it is, but being a homer? That's part of the job description.
    Vin Scully called....

  13. #12
    KungFu Fighter AtomicDumpling's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    I want the Reds broadcasters to be excited when the Reds do something good and to be depressed when the Reds screw up. I want them to accurately describe the events and be fair. I want them to be Reds fans without sugar-coating the flaws. I don't want a robot with no emotion.
    Last edited by AtomicDumpling; 09-25-2012 at 07:28 PM.

  14. #13
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    I've seen loads of Mets games. I think their assessment here is not accurate. With that said, I actually really like Cohen/Darling. Hernandez, not so much.

    Some other thoughts...

    The Padres and Nationals are unbearable to listen to. It's a shame that the DBacks got rid of Daron Sutton. I didn't think he was overly biased and enjoyed him.

    The Brewers are super biased, especially Bill Schroeder. They should be much higher up.

  15. #14
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Padres have Dick Enberg, he's a joy

    Grant not so much

  16. #15
    Member blumj's Avatar
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    Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer?

    The Red Sox guys come off neutral because they're usually not paying attention to or talking about the game.
    "Reality tells us there are no guarantees. Except that some day Jon Lester will be on that list of 100-game winners." - Peter Gammons


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