Stupid, stupid announcers!
The most loathsome quality of Yankees announcers is their blatant inability to comprehend the depth of the game. For some reason, they can't fathom that the maturity and intelligence of statistical analysis can coexist with the fascination and child-like wonder of baseball. The truth is that most fans are dexterous enough to appreciate the magic of "anything can happen" while, at the same time, studying the mathematical aspects of the game.
The favorite phrase of Yankees announcers is "you just can't predict baseball." I am not being facetious - they actually say that all the time! Well, perhaps you can't predict baseball, in the same way that you can't predict the weather. I may not know the exact minute when lightning will strike, but if it's raining in Boston, and the wind is blowing south, chances are pretty decent that it will soon rain in New York. Similarly, if Mike Mussina's ERA is 2.67 and Josh Beckett's ERA is 5.27, I can say with some certainty that when the two pitchers meet almost half way into the season, Beckett will allow roughly 5.27/2.67=2 times as many earned runs as Mussina.
My frustration is based on a continuous pattern of absurdity and idiocy. It's far beyond one comment here, another comment there. This despicable attitude is characteristic of pretty much everyone who is paid to cover the Yankees for television and radio. And this ignorance goes far beyond "you can't predict baseball."
For example, a favorite comment during any Yankees-Red Sox series is, "who would have thought that Youkilis would be this good." Gosh. Well, there was that New York Times best selling book several years ago. I think one central premise was precisely that Youkilis will be very good. Equally annoying are their other "who would've thunk it" revelations. Wow, Cano and Thompson are really good? If only numerous bloggers didn't predict just that at the very beginning of the season.
Just like with current events and political commentary, with baseball coverage traditional media has failed once again. Thankfully, many quality bloggers are providing sophisticated and insightful coverage of the Yankees. The fans are reading. So how come the alleged experts can't be bothered?
4 Comments:
i am listening to the game now, and you are right. they are so annoying i can't stand it. you know what else bothers me - the fake excitement - on the track, at the wall - it's a routine pop fly, sit down and shut up! UGH!!!!!!
I came here from a link at Baseball Musings. Nice blog. I'm utterly disgusted with the majority of baseball announcers. They're just unwilling to accept new views for the most part. And Kaat seems completely disinterested in giving a guy like Craig Hansen his due, saying stuff like "The Yankees saw him at the end of the year a couple of years ago" [it was last year] and calling him "Michael Hansen".
And don't even get me started on the "good defense" of Terrence Long.
Is that Bone reference or just a coincidence?
I know that, as a Red Sox fan, my opinion is less than unbiased, but the Yankee announcers are right up there with the White Sox announcers in my "Most Likely To Make Me Want To Stick Sharp Objects In My Eyes" list. It's scary to think that this is the best a huge network like YES has to offer.
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