Brenly is better in the booth then Stone.

[NCCubFan]

I wish you could have heard Harry Caray doing Cardinals games with Jack Buck back in the fifties. You simply would not believe it was the same person. In the 50's, Harry Caray was the quintessential baseball announcer. The guy who came to the CUBS in '82 was a bad caricature of that announcer who then began to degenerate into buffoonery. While I was never a big fan of Harry's during his years with the CUBS, I have to give him credit where it's due. His enthusiasm for baseball in general and the CUBS in particular was genuine and unparalleled.

 

I don't believe the braintrust at WGN ever considered that hiring Harry Caray would be a good thing because of Caray's great broadcasting talent and knowledge of the game, but rather, because he could stir up the fans like few others ever have, and they could use that to sell their product. The same argument, to a lesser degree, can be made about Ron Santo. From that perspective, selling the CUBS, there was no greater success that Harry Caray. Ten years after his passing we still have a caricature of his likeness on display in the ballpark, there's a statue of him outside the ballpark, and we still have guest celebrities doing his 7th inning stretch bit. Best hire ever. Kudos to WGN.

You're full of it. HORRIBLE hire.

 

Sincerely,

Milo Hamilton

[Fred Hornkohl]

I wish you could have heard Harry Caray doing Cardinals games with Jack Buck back in the fifties. You simply would not believe it was the same person. In the 50's, Harry Caray was the quintessential baseball announcer. The guy who came to the CUBS in '82 was a bad caricature of that announcer who then began to degenerate into buffoonery. While I was never a big fan of Harry's during his years with the CUBS, I have to give him credit where it's due. His enthusiasm for baseball in general and the CUBS in particular was genuine and unparalleled.

 

I don't believe the braintrust at WGN ever considered that hiring Harry Caray would be a good thing because of Caray's great broadcasting talent and knowledge of the game, but rather, because he could stir up the fans like few others ever have, and they could use that to sell their product. The same argument, to a lesser degree, can be made about Ron Santo. From that perspective, selling the CUBS, there was no greater success that Harry Caray. Ten years after his passing we still have a caricature of his likeness on display in the ballpark, there's a statue of him outside the ballpark, and we still have guest celebrities doing his 7th inning stretch bit. Best hire ever. Kudos to WGN.

You're full of it. HORRIBLE hire.

 

Sincerely,

Milo Hamilton

 

I appreciate the humor here.... but I also remember Milo Hamilton as a promising up and coming announcer teamed up with Bob Elson doing White Sox games ! Oh, how times do change !

[evv98]

What's this? No love for Joe Carter?

[fromthestretch]

I'm listening to the White Sox radio broadcast right now on XM. Danks gets to 0-2 on a hitter, and Stone, as if on cue, just said, "A good slider low and away probably gets the job done here."

[fromthestretch]

Santo is awful on the radio, too.

 

From a broadcasting standpoint, I agree 100%. As a fan though, you have to appreciate his genuine enthusiasm and love for the Cubs.

I'm not looking for a great broadcaster in the color man. Harry was the same as Ron. He was a horrible announcer, but he was well loved because it was like one of us was in the booth. He got excited when something great happened and he got pissed when something terrible happened. I didn't like Santo when I first heard him call games on WGN, but he really grew on me. I think he wants this team to win more than all of us combined and I love that. Brenly is boring and unfunny, despite countless attempts at humor. Kaspar may be OK with a different partner, but I doubt it.

 

I didn't like Caray either. I heard some broadcasts of him way back when he first started with the Cubs and earlier, and I was shocked at how good he used to be. We got him at the end of his career when he was way past his prime.

 

I wish you could have heard Harry Caray doing Cardinals games with Jack Buck back in the fifties. You simply would not believe it was the same person. In the 50's, Harry Caray was the quintessential baseball announcer. The guy who came to the CUBS in '82 was a bad caricature of that announcer who then began to degenerate into buffoonery. While I was never a big fan of Harry's during his years with the CUBS, I have to give him credit where it's due. His enthusiasm for baseball in general and the CUBS in particular was genuine and unparalleled.

 

I don't believe the braintrust at WGN ever considered that hiring Harry Caray would be a good thing because of Caray's great broadcasting talent and knowledge of the game, but rather, because he could stir up the fans like few others ever have, and they could use that to sell their product. The same argument, to a lesser degree, can be made about Ron Santo. From that perspective, selling the CUBS, there was no greater success that Harry Caray. Ten years after his passing we still have a caricature of his likeness on display in the ballpark, there's a statue of him outside the ballpark, and we still have guest celebrities doing his 7th inning stretch bit. Best hire ever. Kudos to WGN.

 

Harry was still pretty sharp in his early years with the Cubs. He was never the same after that stroke in '87 though. But if you hear some of his broadcasts from the '84 season, he was still on his game.

[javy knows my name]

Santo is awful on the radio, too.

 

From a broadcasting standpoint, I agree 100%. As a fan though, you have to appreciate his genuine enthusiasm and love for the Cubs.

I'm not looking for a great broadcaster in the color man. Harry was the same as Ron. He was a horrible announcer, but he was well loved because it was like one of us was in the booth. He got excited when something great happened and he got pissed when something terrible happened. I didn't like Santo when I first heard him call games on WGN, but he really grew on me. I think he wants this team to win more than all of us combined and I love that. Brenly is boring and unfunny, despite countless attempts at humor. Kaspar may be OK with a different partner, but I doubt it.

 

I didn't like Caray either. I heard some broadcasts of him way back when he first started with the Cubs and earlier, and I was shocked at how good he used to be. We got him at the end of his career when he was way past his prime.

 

I wish you could have heard Harry Caray doing Cardinals games with Jack Buck back in the fifties. You simply would not believe it was the same person. In the 50's, Harry Caray was the quintessential baseball announcer. The guy who came to the CUBS in '82 was a bad caricature of that announcer who then began to degenerate into buffoonery. While I was never a big fan of Harry's during his years with the CUBS, I have to give him credit where it's due. His enthusiasm for baseball in general and the CUBS in particular was genuine and unparalleled.

 

I don't believe the braintrust at WGN ever considered that hiring Harry Caray would be a good thing because of Caray's great broadcasting talent and knowledge of the game, but rather, because he could stir up the fans like few others ever have, and they could use that to sell their product. The same argument, to a lesser degree, can be made about Ron Santo. From that perspective, selling the CUBS, there was no greater success that Harry Caray. Ten years after his passing we still have a caricature of his likeness on display in the ballpark, there's a statue of him outside the ballpark, and we still have guest celebrities doing his 7th inning stretch bit. Best hire ever. Kudos to WGN.

Fred, from now on, I'm referring to you as FRED.