When we're not at the game, we're watching on TV, and broadcasters shape the way that we see baseball. This season, Sporting News will be reviewing the work done in booths across MLB, and first up is the Oakland A's on Comcast SportsNet California.
Glen Kuiper and Ray Fosse begin Thursday's broadcast as they should, by introducing both the most prominent new face on the Seattle Mariners’ roster, Robinson Cano, and the new face in the A’s rotation, Jesse Chavez. Rather than provide meaningless buzzwords, Fosse details why he thinks Chavez can be a successful starter — his pitch repertoire, which includes a fastball, curveball, cutter, and changeup, “four very good pitches.”
The A’s make two errors on the first play of the game, a routine ground ball by Abraham Almonte that gets through Alberto Callaspo’s legs at first base, followed by Nick Punto throwing behind the runner, and the throw getting away. The criticism that Punto never should have thrown the ball, because there was not really a play on Almonte at first, is spot on.
After a flyout and a groundout bring home Almonte, the talk turns to Lloyd McClendon, the Mariners’ new manager, and where he came from — hitting coach for the Tigers under Jim Leyland. In the bottom of the first, there is a full introduction for Mariners starter Roenis Elias, who defected from Cuba to Mexico in 2010. The announcers take care to get the pronunciation right on Elias’ name, noting even that it’s not pronounced the same way as the Elias Sports Bureau. This is worthwhile, because a lot of the time, it feels like broadcasters are just guessing at unfamiliar names. It shows an attention to detail that provides confidence in the expertise of the voices being heard.
With Josh Donaldson at the plate in the bottom of the first inning, Kuiper notes that the outfield is playing “straight away and shallow,” which is good information to have, and which is not usually available to viewers, because television cameras tend to focus on defensive alignments only when there is an extreme shift in play. The announcers are the viewers’ conduit to the game, and while there are things we can always see on the screen, like the score, we depend on the voices to talk about things that are off camera — something that already happened when a churro vendor was hit by a foul ball.
In an otherwise strong first inning, one thing that sticks out is Fosse rooting a bit, first for Coco Crisp to hit a home run, then for Cespedes to put one over the wall. It’s not particularly abrasive, but it’s a little jarring for a broadcast that doesn’t otherwise have a homerific tone.
Fosse makes an interesting point about rookie home plate umpire Sean Barber, beyond simply questioning the strike zone after a particularly questionable call in the second inning. The former All-Star catcher notes that Barber does not shift his position along with the catcher, which means that not only is his vision of a pitch different from many other umpires, but that he is exposed to greater danger from foul tips. This kind of insight gives the viewer something to pay attention to throughout the rest of the game, and Fosse noting it early is valuable, because of how much influence the home plate umpire can have on a game.
Sam Fuld’s fly ball in the bottom of the third inning creates an interesting moment, as Almonte runs from straightaway center field to catch what looked like it would be a routine fly ball to Logan Morrison in right. The play looks strange at first, because Almonte comes out of nowhere to make the play, but Kuiper and Fosse do a good job of breaking down multiple replays to show just how far Almonte ran, and explain why the play looked so strange on live television — a camera operator on a play like that zooms in on the right fielder, because it’s an obvious fly ball to right, but Almonte had other plans. Fosse notes how much Almonte’s range should benefit the Mariners playing in a big ballpark in Seattle.
Kuiper introduces a comparison between Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury that he admits is flawed because Cano’s contract is so much bigger than Ellsbury’s, but both he and Fosse agree that they would rather have Cano on a huge contract than Ellsbury on a huge contract. Part of the reasoning is that Ellsbury doesn’t hit home runs like Cano does, and part of the reasoning is that Ellsbury has a history of injuries. There’s also some talk about how Cano could eventually move to first base, but one thing that is not discussed is the extra years on Cano’s contract. The discussion winds up falling a little flat because the broadcasters agree on grounds that do not have a lot of depth.
The middle of the game features some somewhat bland conversation about bland topics including whether there will ever be another 300-game winner and Mike Scioscia’s future as manager of the Angels. Nobody takes much of a position on these subjects, and it’s good when the action picks back up with the Mariners scoring a run in the fifth inning, because Kuiper and Fosse clearly are at their best when they have action in front of them to discuss and analyze.
That fifth inning ends on a bizarre play, as with the Mariners having runners on second and third with one out, Brad Miller hits a ground ball to Punto, who looks Logan Morrison back to third base, then flips to first for the out. The A’s and the broadcasters realize at the same moment that Almonte has run to third on the play, and the Mariners have two runners occupying the same spot. Dustin Ackley gets caught between third and home for an unorthodox inning-ending double play. The replay has to wait until after the commercial break, and Fosse suggests that Almonte had to have thought that the play was to run on contact, but that it in fact was not, because Ackley, standing in front of the third base coach, never moved. An additional replay would be nice, but the point is delivered.
The strike zone does become an issue in the bottom of the fifth, as the Mariners start trotting off the field after an apparent third strike to Punto that is called a ball to the amazement of the announcers. Punto then breaks up Elias’ no-hit bid, and Fosse rightly credits Cano for his leadership in going to the mound to chat with the rookie pitcher and help him stay mentally engaged following the single. The chat does not prove entirely helpful, because Sam Fuld rips a line drive to center field that Almonte misses with a dive, allowing Fuld to race around the bases and try for an inside-the-park home run. Kuiper’s call is perfect, letting everyone know where Fuld is as he sprints and the camera shows the chase for the ball in the outfield. Fuld is called out at the plate, and the broadcast cuts to commercial without a replay, only to return quickly when the play goes under review – and Fuld is still out. On the replay, Fosse credits the umpire Barber for his positioning to make the right call, which stands in contrast to his positioning for balls and strikes.
Into the later innings, it becomes even clearer that the strength of this broadcast is covering the action as it unfolds, in a pretty no-frills operation. There are few tangents, which is good because the few departures from the game at hand earlier on were rather pedestrian, but it also leaves the booth vulnerable to some ennui in a game that, although the score is 2-1, is hardly rife with tension. It’s a strange kind of game in which the pitchers are not truly dominant, but there are few scoring opportunities. A discussion on Sam Fuld’s status once Craig Gentry returns from the disabled list proves to be a good way to maintain interest while the game somewhat plods along, especially in light of Fuld’s performance in the game, with a triple to drive in Oakland’s only run and a diving catch to save a run.
Another good thing about Kuiper and Fosse is that they don’t harp on things over the course of the game, or try to fit square pegs of analysis into round holes of facts. If you listen to them long enough, there probably will be things that get on your nerves, because that is the case just about universally, but there is nothing really off-putting about this broadcast. While there’s a tinge of pro-Oakland tone, it’s not overwhelming by any means, and bonus points to Fosse for talking about Fernando Abad having a “Bugs Bunny changeup.”
It may be rooting a bit, but as Coco Crisp and Josh Donaldson walk in the eighth inning to put the go-ahead run on base, Kuiper says, “it’s going to cost (the Mariners) at some point,” and the statement proves prescient when, following a double play, Yoenis Cespedes lines a triple to right-center field to make it a 2-2 game.
The game proceeds into extra innings, and as the strike zone remains an issue, the broadcasters are spot on in ripping a call on a seemingly obvious strike to Brandon Moss that is called a ball instead. There also are some fairly standard tropes about hitters swinging for the fences in extra innings and the visiting team’s decision not to use its closer until getting the lead. The latter discussion is more important, but both are issues that you can expect to be dealt with in a game like this, and the thing that has become very clear about this broadcast is that you’re going to pretty much get what you expect.
In the bottom of the 12th, the Mariners decide to use long man Hector Noesi, still eschewing closer Fernando Rodney. Coco Crisp hits a game-winning home run, and Kuiper’s call is very basic – “That one’s hit to right, Saunders back… annnnnd…. That baby’s gone, and we are headed home, thanks to Coco Crisp!” Both voices then stay silent while the A’s celebrate, letting the moment breathe with Kool and the Gang as the soundtrack, which is good, and Kuiper returns to the microphone to note that the Mariners have not left the field and the umpires are going to review the home run. It is immediately evident that the home run counts, and that’s the ballgame.
Overall, the A’s have a strong broadcast, particularly if you’re into a meat-and-potatoes account. Fosse uses his experience to make strong points about the action as it unfolds, and Kuiper’s play-by-play is subdued but not somnambulant. Their weakness is being a little bit too agreeable and not finding depth on side topics, which, if you’re going to have a weakness, is a good one to have. You’re still going to come away having learned something about the game, so the A’s crew has set a high bar for others to clear.
RANKINGS SO FAR
1. Oakland (Kuiper/Fosse, CSN-CA)