The arrival of another Mid-Summer Classic brings with it the annual reminder that the worst sports broadcasting network is the one that carries most of the major national baseball telecasts. This is the same channel that features freakin’ robots shooting laserbeams at each other as a means of delivering the score to you during the NFL season, but I actually think they’re topping themselves tonight. I’m just going to laundry-list this one (in my best Jackie harvey impression) as I watch:
- There’s a ridiculously loud microphone right by home plate, such that every pitch makes a comically loud noise as it hits the catcher’s mitt or is struck by a bat. You’d think that this microphone’s placement and absurd amplification would backfire on them by picking up a very loud “Shit!” from at least one player after popping up a would-be base hit (as was the case at least once), but apparently Fox isn’t worried about that.
- When a player slides into a base, Fox actually adds a cartoonish sound effect. How this enhances the presentation I have no idea.
- The aforementioned faux reverence (mostly from Joe Buck) for God Bless America during the 7th-inning stretch.
- Tim McCarver.
- Every single thing that takes–whoosh–place with the–tweet-a-loo–on-screen graphics has an accompanying (and–swooooosh–annoying) sound effect to go along with it. These are at approximately the same volume level as the “home plate mic” and the “slide sound effect.”
- Joe Buck keeps making awkward pop culture references in what can only be assumed to be an attempt by one of the stiffest people on TV to try to come across as “hip.”
So here’s to dreading another post season performance from Fox. I can only hope that I’ll be interested in the post season enough this year for the distractions inherent in their broadcast to piss me off even more than usual (meaning maybe the Cubs will actually have a shot at the Wild Card–I still think the Brewers will win the NL Central). They’ve got the World Series at least until 2013, so I assume we can only look forward to the situation getting worse in the foreseeable future.
I hear you. They’ve had the last 4 Formula One races, too. Pathetic broadcasts DOMINATED by commercial breaks. They would show 2 laps and then go to a long break which would run for 3 laps, so you only saw 2 out of every 5 laps. With a race average of 60 laps, you got to see just 24 of them. To make it worse, they’d always go to break with 5 laps left so they could be back in time to show the last 2 laps. Trouble is, much of the excitement comes in the closing 5 laps as drivers make a last ditch attempt to gain positions.
They also have a really bad habit of trying to make Formula One a “hip” sporting event by showing long montages (again while not showing the actual race) mixed with grunge rock, demonstrating their complete misperception of Formula One fan demographics.
The only bright side is that they own Speed TV (who normally hosts Formula One races), so they kept the usual Speed TV broadcasting crew, who are, IMO, the runaway champs of sports broadcasting. The four person Speed TV team is perfectly balanced and entirely enjoyable to watch.
I’m almost positive the game was on a 7 to 10 second delay (I know for a fact WGN radio is on a 10 second delay). Basically the most exciting part of the game (Ichiro’s inside the parker) and they’re talking about a fucking dog!
As for the swooshes, I guess I’m so used to them I don’t notice them anymore. Tho I do miss the low-tech days when there wasn’t so much screen clutter and you actually had to pay attention to know the count or if there were runners on base.
Meh. The FOX broadcast team is pretty crummy, indeed, but I’d still take them anyday over the ESPN team. See: http://www.firejoemorgan.com
Unfortunately, because of ESPN’s affinity towards the Red Sox, it seems like a disproportionately high number of games are done by ESPN, and not by the local guys.
And the f**k are we pulling away from the Red Sox game to see if Barry Bozo hits a homer when he’s still 3 HRs away from the record? WGAF???
fellow White Sox fan, Mark J.?
They’ve been doing the whole Bonds whore watch all season long, as if people actually gave a shit (tho I am enjoying him making outs). The best thing is, once Bonds unfortunately breaks the record, we’ll all know Hank Aaron did it clean and we’ll never have to hear from Bonds ever again.
White Sox? Bite your tongue. I’m a RED Sox fan from way back.
I agree about Bonds, though. He’s a cheating POS and should be banned, not cheered.