Broadcast review: Don't watch the Twins

Jesse Spector

Broadcast review: Don't watch the Twins image

With 162 games in a season for each team, a fan watching an entire year’s worth of games on television will spend 19 days, 19 hours and 12 minutes in front of a rectangle showing baseball. This is a lot of time, and it is only natural – especially in today’s world – that there will be distractions.

So, how do broadcasters bring you into the game? This year, Sporting News is grading announcers on how they grab your attention. This time, it’s the Twins on Fox Sports North with Dick Bremer, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and Roy Smalley.

HOME RUN CALLS

The Twins do not have a ton of thunder in their lineup, but Miguel Sano is capable of putting on a show, which he did on Friday in Cleveland with a 464-foot home run that was the fourth-longest hit in the major leagues this season.

When there’s a home run hit this far, you know it immediately. It’s not just the way the ball flies. The monster home runs have a distinct sound. Everyone in the ballpark, and everyone watching at home, knows that it’s going to be gone and the only question is how far it will go.

Here’s Nolan Arenado crushing a 462-footer at Coors Field.

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Here’s Hanley Ramirez’s 468-footer at Fenway Park.

Here’s Sano in Cleveland.

“A high blast to left-center field,” Bremer says. “And that one iiiiiiis… gone. Two-thirds of the way into the bleachers in deep left-center field.”

“Well, there’s the point you made, right there, Dick,” Blyleven says. “If Mauer or Nunez was able to get on – it’s a solo home run here, that’s home run number five for Sano. All of them have been solo home runs. Twenty-three of the 29 home runs the Twins have hit have been solo home runs. Fastball in, saw the uppercut swing of Sano, and his power. My goodness, that ball traveled a long way.”

“That’s one of the longest home runs I’ve ever seen hit here,” Bremer says.

Then maybe put some life into the call? A guy hitting a ball 464 feet is not something that you see every day. Even if it’s not your style to lose your mind for a home run in the first inning of a game, you should at least be energized enough, even with word choice, so that when the inning ends, someone who’s been checking email doesn’t look up and say, “Wait, how did the Twins score?”

In the second inning of the same game, the Twins are up by two runs, and Cleveland has a runner on second with Yan Gomes at the plate. Ricky Nolasco delivers his first pitch to the Brazilian catcher, and he unloads.

“And he’s tied the game,” Bremer says right after the swing. “A hanging breaking ball that might not come down. Two apiece.”

So, Bremer is capable of recognizing a no-doubt home run. There’s also at least a little bit of attitude in this call, which, while barely featuring any voice modulation, does fit a not uncommon theme of broadcasters taking it hard when their team gives up a moonshot.

“Gomes hitting his fourth home run of the year,” Blyleven says. “And all three home runs have been no-doubters. Sano, Park and now Gomes. Waited back nicely, good extension, that uppercut swing. And it’s a 2-2 game. Sixth home run that Nolasco has given up.”

It’s pretty cookie-cutter stuff from Blyleven, which is too bad because he should be able to add more. 

Bremer does show the ability to electrify a home run call a bit later in the game, particularly on Byung-Ho Park’s second of the night, but it’s just not enough.

Grade: 3 out of 10

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GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAYS

In the seventh inning on April 29, the Twins trail the Tigers by two runs when Miguel Cabrera comes up with two outs and the bases empty. He hits a laser the opposite way off Casey Fien.

“To right field,” Bremer says, downplaying what a scorching line drive it is. “And Sano will make a DIVING CATCH IN THE CORNER! Miguel Sano with a great catch! Taking an extra-base hit away from Cabrera!”

The camera cuts to a smiling Cabrera, in disbelief as much as anything, and Morris says, “Look at Miggy even, having fun with it. Two Miguels.”

Nothing else is said as replays are shown before the cut to commercial between innings. There are more replays after the commercial break, with Morris again seemingly amazed by the fact that two major leaguers are named Miguel.

Bremer’s call is better at capturing the essence of the excitement in the moment, but it’s still fraught with trouble, namely the idea of it being a catch in the corner. Sano is really a pretty good distance from the actual corner when he makes his dive.

How far you’re willing to say the corner extends is up to you, but when you say “in the corner,” it really does create an implication that a wall is in play, which is not the case here at all.

Grade: 4 out of 10

EIGHTH INNING BLOWOUTS

With a run differential of minus-57 through 36 games, which includes 10 wins, the Twins have played more than their share of lopsided affairs. Most recent was last Wednesday’s 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Orioles, when Bremer was working alongside Smalley.

It was 7-2 in the eighth inning when Michael Tonkin, called on in the previous frame, started by giving up a single to Nolan Reimold. Bremer starts talking about the upcoming series in Cleveland, and Josh Tomlin being 5-0.

“There are so many different ways to illustrate the disappointment of the season for the Twins,” Bremer says. “One of them is, Roy, this is May 11 and Twins starters – all of them – have a total of three wins. Berrios has one. Nolasco has one. And Phil Hughes has one. Popped up, it’ll reach the seats. And it’s May 11.”

“Yeah,” Smalley says.

“Jordan Zimmermann has six,” Bremer continues. “Chris Sale has seven. Zimmermann has just five, I’m sorry. Fouled back.”

There’s a long silence, another foul ball, and then finally Smalley has something to add.

“Just gotta say, when a team’s 8-24, there’s going to be all kinds of ugly stats,” Smalley says. “I mean, there’s a reason why, right? There just is. They just haven’t played well, and we’re going to hope that at some point in time, guys start playing up to their potential and capabilities, and things change.”

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This is an eye-popping amount of homerism. The Twins were on their way to 8-25 with this loss, meaning it would take a 73-56 run the rest of the way to finish the season with a .500 record. Even if the Twins play well and guys start playing up to their potential and capabilities, nothing will change about this being a lost season.

There has to be a better response to the dismal numbers of the Twins’ rotation than to try to Pollyanna things away. Even the most optimistic Twins fan has to recognize that the rest of the 2016 season is about development and seeing what can be done to put a competitive team on the field in 2017.

Everything else in the inning – top and bottom – is excruciatingly boring. There’s even some talk about how many schoolkids are at the afternoon game, and they show some kids in the crowd, and the kids look like they would rather be in math class. There, they could learn how ludicrous it is to suggest that the Twins have any sort of chance to turn things around this year.

Grade: 3 out of 10

REPLAY REVIEWS

On May 3 in Houston, the Twins have a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Audra Martin is doing a report on what pitching prospect Alex Meyer, making his first start, needs to do to be successful. Martin talked to Paul Molitor, Kurt Suzuki and pitching coach Neil Allen – which is great, but the danger of these segments where you leave the booth is demonstrated on the first pitch.

Martin still is talking when Meyer’s first pitch, to Astros catcher Jason Castro, is sailing toward the left field wall. Bremer just jumps right into the play.

“Deep to left… annnnnnnd, off the wall,” Bremer says. “Oh, third base umpire Jerry Layne’s calling home run. And here comes Paul Molitor. It looked to me like a fan may have reached over. Castro, at least for now, will be given credit for a home run. And Paul Molitor is going to ask the umpires to review this.”

Credit to Bremer for knowing the rules, which are that a questionable home run gets an umpire review, not a replay challenge.

“I don’t think Paul even has to,” says Morris, possibly not paying attention to his partner. “Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt is already calling the guys in. And they’re gonna talk about it anyway, then maybe go take a look at the camera.”

On the first look, Morris proclaims that the ball hit below the yellow line, and that he does not think it will be a home run.

“We don’t know if this is a challenge or not,” Morris says, even though we do know. “I don’t think it is. I think he just talked them into having a review.”

“It’s an umpire review,” Bremer says.

“On all home runs,” Morris says.

The replays continue, and Bremer and Morris both agree that there is no way it’s a home run. As the review goes on, they make fun of Layne a bit over his strike zone from the night before.

“He immediately called a home run,” Morris says.

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“On the basis of what, I don’t know,” Bremer says. “So we’ll see whether the call gets overturned.”

The signal is made that it’s a home run.

“Now, how in the world does the ball get out of the ballpark?” Bremer wonders. 

“Unbelievable,” Morris mutters.

“Unless somehow, some way, they were able to determine that the ball hit a fan in the seats?” Bremer says.

Bremer’s confusion could have been avoided by watching the signal from the umpire after the review, which clearly indicated a fan had made contact, and a fan had made contact high enough over the wall, to make it a home run.

The Houston broadcast has a definitive look, with a super slow-motion camera that generally only is accessible to the home team’s ballpark. You can’t fault Bremer and Morris for that. You can fault them for being so incredibly sure of what the call was going to be, then not catching the explanation when signaled by the umpire.

On the plus side, there were no complaints about replay being part of the game.

Grade: 3 out of 10 

WALK-OFFS

On April 25, the Twins faced the Indians in Minneapolis, and it was a tie game when Oswaldo Arcia led off the bottom of the ninth inning against Zach McAllister, and swung at a 1-2 pitch.

“A drive TO RIGHT FIELD!” Bremer called. “GOING BACK annnnd GONE!”

Bremer shows here that he is watching the ball, not the outfielder, because while the ball is going back, Marlon Byrd is going forward, heading for the dugout because he knows full well the game is over before the ball hits the seats.

“How bout that?” Blyleven exclaims.

“OSWALDO ARCIA’S third of the year, and his second walk-off hit of the season,” Bremer says.

“Yeah, get rid of that helmet,” Blyleven says as Arcia tosses his lid aside. “Got a fastball, and did not miss it.”

It’s not atrocious, but it’s not particularly good, either. A day earlier, the Twins had played the Nationals in a 16-inning game in Washington, decided by a Chris Heisey home run.

What was funny on that one was that Blyleven was finishing a point as Heisey swung, then said “this game’s over,” as Bremer started a call that he attempted to inject some suspense into, for some reason.

“Left-center fiellllllllld, back and,” Bremer pauses, waiting for the ball to land in the seats that beyond the bullpen, and thus well beyond the wall, as Twins outfielders start to turn for the clubhouse. “Gone. And the Nationals sweep the Twins. And the Twins suffer their 14th loss of the year, and by far the most painful loss of the year.”

Perhaps, someday, there will be a 300 mph gust of wind that comes out of nowhere to knock back what appears to be a sure home run. On that day, Bremer’s odd practice of waiting for a home run to land before calling it as such – if he happens to be employing it, because he doesn’t always – will make him look like a genius. Until then, it undermines what he is doing.

Grade: 4 out of 10

FINAL GRADE: 17 out of 50

Jesse Spector