Nuxhall being FORCED out -- Channel 5 Reporting

[Shaggy Sanchez]

I myself can't stand listening to Joe anymore he drives me nuts getting things wrong and all of the dead air. There is nothing wrong with a little change, I know that all of us here have grown up listening to Marty and Joe and for a long time it was nice to listen to but you have got to notice that Joe just can't do it anymore. It would be interesting to se some of these people out in the real world where companies can let you go whenever they want, if Joe worked for P&G and didn't want to retire but wasn't doing his job up to par do you think they would say "well he has been here forever lets keep him and his mistakes around and pay him this nice fat salary" no way they would show him the door. This type of stuff happens everyday, it always amazes me when I hear things like this organization owes Joe something or they owe Barry Larkin this or that. These people got paid very well to do the job they have done it isn't like they did it for free so when the organization wants to move on why should they owe them anything else.

If we keep giving to all the people that have been loyal to the organization things will never change, Barry will be at SS in 3 years, Miley will be the manager for the next 10 years, Joe will be on air forever, etc... Some times people don't know when to hang it up and it takes someone forcing them out to take care of the situation, this is one of those situations.

[flyer85]

I really still don't mind Joe as a color guy. It's his play-by-play that is badl(3rd, 4th and 7th).

Why not have a 3 man booth at times. Stewart is a play-by-play not a color guy anyway, he can take the 3rd, 4th and 7th. I think they hired him as a LT replacement for Marty anyway. Have Joe do some games and let him do the color but relieve him of his play-by-play responsibilities. I think it is Joe's innings by himself and play-by-play that people don't like.

[traderumor]

The thing that makes no sense to me is why Carl Lindner would care? Has Joe been vocal in criticizing him? Just not sure what his motive would be for forcing Joe out, since that seems to be where the finger is pointing.

[Larkin411]

I love Joe's play by play. I guess it's personal preference as I've never had problems figuring out what was happening on the field. I suppose there might be a slight delay on some of the action but I've never found it bothersome(again that's just a preference, I can see how others want a different approach from announcers). Usually I only turn the radio down if Marty is getting all pissy and moaning about something or making snide comments. Actually come to think of it the only time I get annoyed or have a hard time knowing what's going on in the game is when they have a boring guest on. It seems like you have no idea what's going while they blah-blah-blah about stuff that's already been rehashed over and over and then maybe you'll get a one sentence summary about the inning at the end of it. I'll take Joe's silence over that any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[Cedric]

Joe is the greatest, I will miss him dearly when he is done for good. Some things in life are more important to me than just missing a score, it's not like it doesn't get fixed in seconds anyway. People that grew up with only Marty and Joe know what i'm talking about, if you haven't you wouldn't EVER understand.

I still feel there are a few certain people on this board that come across as robots. They claim they are sentimental but they are willing to throw someone to the curb just as soon as the guy falters a few scores. Baseball is more than just stats and the score to me, it's an atmosphere around the game. I personally think the ripping of Joe is vastly overrated, 95% of the time he does a great job and the other 5% isn't so bad you can't live. What's more important to you? A perfect play by play or someone that makes the whole baseball experience grand?

[BigRedSmokey]

"I'll take Joe's silence over that any day of the week and twice on Sundays"

Are we playing a doubleheader this Sunday???


I think this is just one of those situations where it's best to let Joe decide when to retire. I agree with many that his play by play leaves a lot to be desired, but it's not awful in my view. Therefore, the many years of service he has given to the Reds should stand for something. And I,for one, can certainly accept his mis-steps with the knowledge of how much he has meant to the Reds and my enjoyment of Reds baseball. In many years when the Reds have totally sucked, Joe and Marty have sometimes been the only entertainment I get from the games.

The disappointing thing in this is just how terrible the Reds organization is at letting things get to the point of embarrassment. Time after Time it seems this organization lets situations get out of hand and it just kills the perception of the whole organization.

[RANDY IN INDY]

"A perfect play by play or someone that makes the whole baseball experience grand?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Depends if you are a robot or a human being.

[westofyou]

Geez, I hope this doesn't bring down the wrath of RedsZone on me, but to compare Ernie Harwell to Joe Nuxhall, at any point in their respective careers, is beyond apples to oranges.

I was weaned by Ernie, he was one of the best, as is the Marty and Joe team.

But even the Beatles broke up, everything has an end.

How you except and process it is your own feelings, to define some as robotic because they don't feel as you do is somewhat ironic, since robots all possess the same reaction to an event.

[Cedric]

I just think sometimes we lose sight of what baseball is about, the negativity on this site is understandable because of how bad the team is. But even still i'm surprised by how serious people take every aspect of the game. This game is for entertainment, I think people must be EXTREMELY high strung if they lose the enjoyment of baseball because of a few bad play by play calls. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but geez can we relax a little bit.

[westofyou]

I think people must be EXTREMELY high strung if they lose the enjoyment of baseball because of a few bad play by play calls. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but geez can we relax a little bit.

Pre Game Yoga might work.

[Cedric]

Sounds like a plan.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Cedric

I just think sometimes we lose sight of what baseball is about, the negativity on this site is understandable because of how bad the team is. But even still i'm surprised by how serious people take every aspect of the game. This game is for entertainment, I think people must be EXTREMELY high strung if they lose the enjoyment of baseball because of a few bad play by play calls. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but geez can we relax a little bit.

I feel the same way when people rag on players who strike out or commit a few errors. I guess it's OK for Joe to get names wrong or not inform us of a run scoring or getting a player's name wrong but it's not OK for players to screw up.

[RedsFan75]

Good point by both Cedric and Chip... I grew up listening to Joe and Jim, then Joe and Al, then Marty took over.

The key was The Reds were good, and the radio teams always kept this energy and excitement alive. I thought Al and Joe were the best radio team to ever call a game... Then Marty came along and got to call memorable moments but who can forget Joe screaming at the ball in Pete's hit to tie the Hits record... That was exciting, and entertaining.

Now we get to listen to them talk about golf, or stuff that no one outside the booth understands... Listening to a game the other night... (Gabe White's impolsion) and I never heard who was the pitcher having the problem. Didn't find out until I got home and looked on the web... Sometimes I don't even hear the score for innings at a time.

I'm still an avid Reds fan, and have been since 1966. I listen to be entertained, but also to follow the game. I want Steve's facts, I want the score, I want the pitching matchup, but, I also want the passion, and emotion, and excitement that I heard as a kid when Joe's screaming to the ball "Get down ball" I want to hear Joe stumble to find words to explain a monster shot, like he did when Tony Perez hit a homer into the Red Seats...

I guess I want the best of both worlds... But if this is Joe's final season, I must say I won't miss where he is right now, as a broadcaster, but I'll miss him. I'll miss his passion and emotion over the baseball game as the game should be played... Rember how mad he got at Boone for calling a suicide on a 2-0 count..

If Steve can develop a tenth of that passion added in with the stats and information, I'll be happy to listen to the radio broadcasts.

[MikeS21]

TeamBoone posted the article where Nuxhall announced his plans to retire. When that article was written, Joe had been through both cancer treatments and a heart attack. It would seem to me that any "forcing" taking place probably originated within his own family.

This would be a non-story if Carl Lindner wasn't the target. "How can we smear Carl Lindner today?" It has taken on a life of its own and all is based on an assumption made by Tommy Helms. And everyone knows what the word "assume" means. Had Helms suggested anyone else, we would not have a thread with 2100 hits and over a 115 replies.

I know, someone may argue that where there's smoke there's fire. But sometimes it's not smoke at all -- its fog. And fog is nothing more than hot air coming in contact with cold air - and I emphasize "hot air.".

Despite all the inuendo and "reading between lines", the fact remains that there is no proof whatsoever that Carl Lindner is the one forcing out Joe Nuxhall. Marty Brenneman has a stronger motive to get rid of Nuxhall than does Carl Lindner.

[Billy_Bearcat]

Originally Posted by RANDY IN CHAR NC

His experience in baseball, particularly Reds baseball, brings qualities to the broadcasts that no one else will ever be able to bring or replace. If he botches a few names, makes a few mistakes, or allows a little "dead-air," it doesn't bother me in the least. The things that he brings to the booth each day, far outweigh the few mistakes that he makes, in my opinion. He is a Cincinnati treasure, plain and simple. His phrases, stories and presence on the radio is a welcome relief from the forced, bland, canned, talking head, bore me to death with endless statistics approach that so many bring to the airwaves these days. I enjoy hearing someone like Joe that can bring a smile to my face when I've had a bad day. He's like an old friend, and where I come from, you treat old friends like family. Maybe that is part of the problem. Maybe the Reds aren't like a family anymore.

Amen!