How Biased Is Your Announcer? - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

westofyou · 09-25-2012, 05:49 PM

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

Quote:

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.

medford · 09-25-2012, 05:51 PM

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

Red in Chicago · 09-25-2012, 05:53 PM

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

Tom Servo · 09-25-2012, 05:55 PM

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).

Big Klu · 09-25-2012, 06:04 PM

The White Sox have more citations than the next seven offenders combined.

westofyou · 09-25-2012, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Klu

The White Sox have more citations than the next seven offenders combined.

Ken Harrelson is announcing everything in my version of hell

NJReds · 09-25-2012, 06:22 PM

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.

corkedbat · 09-25-2012, 06:23 PM

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.

elfmanvt07 · 09-25-2012, 06:31 PM

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.

Rojo · 09-25-2012, 07:08 PM

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.

Rojo · 09-25-2012, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corkedbat

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....

AtomicDumpling · 09-25-2012, 07:16 PM

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.

fearofpopvol1 · 09-25-2012, 07:22 PM

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.

westofyou · 09-25-2012, 07:29 PM

Padres have Dick Enberg, he's a joy

Grant not so much

blumj · 09-25-2012, 07:35 PM

The Red Sox guys come off neutral because they're usually not paying attention to or talking about the game.

09-25-2012, 05:51 PM	#2
medford Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2,035	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?

09-25-2012, 05:53 PM	#3
Red in Chicago Oy Vey! Join Date: May 2000 Location: Chicago Posts: 3,245	Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer? Stretch! Stretch! May be the dumbest home run call I've ever heard.

09-25-2012, 05:55 PM	#4
Tom Servo thirsty and miserable Join Date: May 2006 Location: NJ/NY Posts: 5,381	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). __________________ "Since I've been with the Reds in 1989, we've never had a farm system this loaded," Bowden said. "If we were the New York Yankees and had unlimited dollars, we could have traded for Colon, (Jeff) Weaver, Rolen, (Cliff) Floyd, (Kenny) Rogers and Finley and gotten them all -- and still held onto our top five prospects. That's an amazing statement."

09-25-2012, 06:04 PM	#5
Big Klu Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Cambridge, OH Posts: 16,270	Re: How Biased Is Your Announcer? The White Sox have more citations than the next seven offenders combined. __________________ Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser....Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed...the very idea of losing is hateful to an American. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.

09-25-2012, 06:22 PM	#7
NJReds Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 5,408	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

09-25-2012, 06:23 PM	#8
corkedbat Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Lexington Posts: 4,943	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.

09-25-2012, 06:31 PM	#9
elfmanvt07 a Red in Yankeetown Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 318	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. __________________ 2012 Reds record: 5-2 I look like a banker in this...

09-25-2012, 07:08 PM	#10
Rojo Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: The Bush Leagues Posts: 8,420	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. __________________ The widow is gathering nettles for her children's dinner; a perfumed seigneur, delicately lounging in the Oeil de Boeuf, hath an alchemy whereby he will extract the third nettle and call it rent. ~ Carlyle

09-25-2012, 07:16 PM	#12
AtomicDumpling KungFu Fighter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hamilton, OH Posts: 2,292	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.

09-25-2012, 07:22 PM	#13
fearofpopvol1 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 8,625	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.

09-25-2012, 07:29 PM	#14
westofyou breath Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: PDX Posts: 39,322	Padres have Dick Enberg, he's a joy Grant not so much

09-25-2012, 07:35 PM	#15
blumj Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4,326	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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