John Sadak, Barry Larkin, AND Chris Welsh

[Old Reds Fan]

New network, same problem. BS Ohio continues the Cincinnati tradition of fading to commercial while the announcer is in the middle of a sentence. Are the guys who run these broadcasts unaware that this happens every single game multiple times per game? I know their production values are some of the lowest in professional sports but are there any other clubs that have this happen during their TV broadcasts?

I noticed last night when Jim Day was standing in the Moon Deck near where Naquine's homer went out they just showed a brief shot of him out there and didn't even focus on where the ball went out. And then later in the game when Sadak and Barry were talking about Moustakas and his stance at third base they never put the camera on him. The camera work has been less than desirable.

[*BaseClogger*]

Also, aren’t hall or fame baseball players by definition “elites”?

Kinda funny when you think about how the poster child for “analytics elites” is Bill James who was a security guard at a factory for most of his adult life.

It's so unfair when humble little upstart Alex Rodriguez gets interrupted by another of Buster Olney's long-winded elitist analytics rants!

(I tried to think of an example of a broadcaster enamored with analytics and honestly couldn't think of any)

[757690]

It's so unfair when humble little upstart Alex Rodriguez gets interrupted by another of Buster Olney's long-winded elitist analytics rants!

(I tried to think of an example of a broadcaster enamored with analytics and honestly couldn't think of any)

They are few and far between, but Welsh is one, Steve Stone, Tom Verducci, C. J. Nitkowski are others. He’s not an announcer, but Ken Rosenthal is well versed in analytics.

But that’s all I can think of, and none of them are “elites.” In fact, all of them are rather shy and polite about bringing analytics up.

[westofyou]

Maybe it’s just me, but there is nothing wrong with some dead air. Talking for the sake of talking about completely unrelated to baseball things is something that should be used like a spice. With a deft touch and as an accent. Not a main course.

I’m not talking Joe Nuxhall level, but let my mind breathe a little.

You need to pipe in some ambient noise though... otherwise one thinks their connection is buffering (that's so 21st century)

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It's only a matter of time before he drops a Simpsons reference, and I'll probably lose my sh##. And I'm guessing that Larkin didn't watch TV or play video games 8-12 hours a day like the rest of us did from age 13 to 23.

I didn't... but then again we had 6 channels and video games were Pong

[jhc2010]

I noticed last night when Jim Day was standing in the Moon Deck near where Naquine's homer went out they just showed a brief shot of him out there and didn't even focus on where the ball went out. And then later in the game when Sadak and Barry were talking about Moustakas and his stance at third base they never put the camera on him. The camera work has been less than desirable.

Agreed. I was watching when this occurred too and was irritated on what was shown on TV. The technical director (the guy choosing which shot gets shown) on the Reds broadcasts sucks and has sucked for MANY years. Watch a Cubs broadcast on Marquee or a Yankees YES telecast and the difference is very noticable.

I also think this is partially a product of COVID because it appears that MLB has continued the practice from last year where the visiting team has only one camera at their discretion and the rest of the cameras serve both teams. I've noticed that the lone visiting team camera is usually positioned on the 1st or 3rd base line opposite the visiting team's dugout. Sometimes when watching a visiting team broadcast (we will have this starting tomorrow), you'll see the camera shot switch and then rapidly switch again to focus on something the visiting team announcers are talking about. That is because the one visiting team camera has been triggered to override the dual feed.

[wally post]

Sadak and Larkin are better due to subtraction of the previous voice but Sadak just referenced "How Stella Got Her groove Back." They need to get outside of themselves and discuss the game, not themselves. I say make them watch and learn from Gary Cohen, Keith Henandez and Ron Darling doing Mets broadcasts.

[podgejeff_]

They are few and far between, but Welsh is one, Steve Stone, Tom Verducci, C. J. Nitkowski are others. He’s not an announcer, but Ken Rosenthal is well versed in analytics.

But that’s all I can think of, and none of them are “elites.” In fact, all of them are rather shy and polite about bringing analytics up.

While this doesn't necessarily apply to guys like Welsh and Stone, it's probably pretty hard for sabre nerds to tell former ballplayers "the math says you should do this" aggressively. Hall of Fame baseball players generally have the upper hand in those conversations, even when they're wrong.

[podgejeff_]

It's only a matter of time before he drops a Simpsons reference, and I'll probably lose my sh##. And I'm guessing that Larkin didn't watch TV or play video games 8-12 hours a day like the rest of us did from age 13 to 23.

If Ozzie Smith is ever brought up, and with Larkin it's probably only a matter of time, there is no way that Sadak doesn't discuss the Springfield Mystery Spot or the fact that Smith hasn't been seen since 1992.

[JFLegal]

loving the curb and seinfeld references from sadak. also loved that even though larkin had no clue what he was talking about ("hello newman" etc) he kept doing it. tells me that sadak is focused on the right things. he knows most of the audience gets it even if barry does not.

and hell, barry is a winner. as a player and apparently as an announcer. i will take barry being a mediocre-at-best TV color analyst if it means the reds win 5 out of every 6 home games.

sadak is very good overall.

[Stray]

I'm such a huge Larkin fan I can't bring myself to say anything bad about the guy. But I think Sadak and Welsh would be fun. I do think Larkin adds a lot of valuable player insight to the broadcasts tho. Maybe I'm just a Welsh homer.

[NeilHamburger]

To me Sadak is the perfect mix of showman and straight PBP announcer. The Reds tried the 100% PBP guy multiple times over the past 10 years (Steve Stewart, Jim Kelch, etc...) and although some on this board liked them I don't think they ever caught on with the every man. You need some of that showman style to connect. Reds seemed to have figured that out with both Sadak and Thrall. They've made a conscious effort to add people with more personality.

[REDREAD]

Here's the thing ..... While I'm trying to kick back and watch (enjoy) a ball game, I don't give a damn about politics, don't want to talk it, hear it, don't care what ANYONE'S opinion is. There's sound, good resaon why the Poltical Forum is separated from the Baseball Forum. Save it for USA Today or wherever. I just want to watch the game, and I find too many times, while something critical may be going on in the game, these announcers ignore it in favor of them bloviating about some non-baseball related issue. It's no about you.

Yep, I agree. I stopped watching basketball because it got too political.. If baseball turns out that way,I'm out.
Sports is supposed to be an escape from the "real world".. If an announcer wants to talk about that stuff, he can tweet it or start a blog.. don't do it over the air. And I don't care if I agree or disagree with their view, it's boring to me.

[Bob Sheed]

Yep, I agree. I stopped watching basketball because it got too political.. If baseball turns out that way,I'm out.
Sports is supposed to be an escape from the "real world".. If an announcer wants to talk about that stuff, he can tweet it or start a blog.. don't do it over the air. And I don't care if I agree or disagree with their view, it's boring to me.

Exactly. I think it was CK who had a joke about that in regard to the NFL and all the pink for breast cancer awareness. As in, it's not that I am against breast cancer awareness, but can I please just go 3 hours without being reminded of cancer?

[RollyInRaleigh]

Really amusing imagining a shadowy cabal of stats nerds meeting in secret to determine the fate of society. “Elites” lmao

...as they begin to appear before our eyes...


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[Ron Madden]

Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
Jesse Winker told new play-by-play announcer John Sadak during his pre-game Zoom that he's really enjoyed him on TV broadcasts. Winker watched Reds games from home when he was sick with the flu earlier this week.