Cub announcers

[gmoney70]

Can anyone tell me why Marquee Sports rotates so many different announcers for Cub games? I like the chemistry and banter between JD and Boog. Sutcliffe is my least favorite, but Joe Girardi is a close second...he doesn't seem to get the jokes or obscure references that JD is able to comprehend and comment on. I guess I like that the main guys do a great job AND don't take themselves too seriously.

Just my opinion, and I am sure some will disagree...no offense intended.

[Brock Beauchamp]

5 minutes ago, gmoney70 said:

Can anyone tell me why Marquee Sports rotates so many different announcers for Cub games? I like the chemistry and banter between JD and Boog. Sutcliffe is my least favorite, but Joe Girardi is a close second...he doesn't seem to get the jokes or obscure references that JD is able to comprehend and comment on. I guess I like that the main guys do a great job AND don't take themselves too seriously.

Just my opinion, and I am sure some will disagree...no offense intended.

Welcome to NSBB!

I think the multi-announcer approach is becoming more common across MLB. I know a few teams use it now, though I'm not sure why.

[gmoney70]

3 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Welcome to NSBB!

I think the multi-announcer approach is becoming more common across MLB. I know a few teams use it now, though I'm not sure why.

Thanks. I guess if it were someone doesn't do away games or no Sundays and was like that consistently, it would make more sense to me, but it seems to be random. 

I live near St Louis, so have to get a free trial of Fubo or find a way to listen to the radio broadcast to avoid to listening to Chip Carey and the Cards announcers.

AND...at least it is not A-Rod. He's horrible.

[UMFan83]

I’m not really sure why they do it either. I’m pretty sure Boog still has national commitments which is why he occasionally misses games. I always assumed JD asked for a reduced schedule when he re-signed. They clearly like him enough since they just signed him to an extension last offseason. 

[Y2J]

Given the choice, I’d prefer to hear Pat Hughes every game.

[Derwood]

It's the part-time nature of JD's contract that is the killer. Every time he's not there (and sometimes even when he is), we're stuck with Giradi or Sutcliffe.

I understand that networks think that all fans want is an ex-player as their color person, but if they're insistent on having some former Cubs, there are like 300 others to choose from

[Tim]

Len is still my favorite announcer, but Boog is pretty good when he's paired with a competent partner. JD is elite, IMO. But I'm disappointed by how little we get those two in the booth on their own. Sutcliffe & Girardi are both horrible and not getting any better.

If we can't have JD in the booth full-time, can we get Glanville to be the guy that subs in? I much prefer him over the other guys.

[Derwood]

9 minutes ago, Tim said:

Len is still my favorite announcer, but Boog is pretty good when he's paired with a competent partner. JD is elite, IMO. But I'm disappointed by how little we get those two in the booth on their own. Sutcliffe & Girardi are both horrible and not getting any better.

If we can't have JD in the booth full-time, can we get Glanville to be the guy that subs in? I much prefer him over the other guys.

Glanville is good for content but has zero charisma

[CubinNY]

We've all been spoiled by the high quality of the Cubs broadcasters during our lifetime. They're not always the best at calling a game or giving insight, but they've been mostly entertaining. I go back to Jack Brickhouse, Lou Boudreau, and Vince Lloyd. There have been some clunkers, Dwayne Staats and Milo Hameltion to name two. Boog is not good either, but he has a likable personality. But the rest of the league is mostly trash. It's even worse on the radio. 

The quality is the reason why Suttcliffe and Girardi are the fill-ins. The talent pool is thin. 

[Tim]

29 minutes ago, Derwood said:

Glanville is good for content but has zero charisma

So he's a good fit for me, then!

[Irrelevant Dude]

9 hours ago, Y2J said:

Given the choice, I’d prefer to hear Pat Hughes every game.

I love listening to Pat and hope he sticks around for a long time, but something I have noticed more often this season on the radio is he is missing pitches more frequently.  I saw an interview with him recently where he discussed filling in on the TV side and that one of the differences in doing TV is that you don't need to talk as much because the viewers can see the action.  I wonder if a part of that approach has inadvertendly made its way to his radio broadcasts.  There have been many occasions this year where I can tell that a pitch has been made based on the background sounds, but Pat either continues his conversation with Ron or doesn't say anything at all.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I will say that Girardi has grown on me a bit this year, for as much as I prefer the Boog & JD booth I think the 3 man booth has made him a little sharper and less likely to spout nonsense.  He's closer to the Brenly tier than the Sutcliffe tier at this point, which if we can't have JD 160 games a year is probably better than most.  Still would rather just have as many Boog & JD games as possible though.

[CubUgly]

2 hours ago, Tim said:

 Sutcliffe & Girardi are both horrible and not getting any better.

 

Boog and Girardi should never work together.  It's so obvious they don't like each other it's cringeworthy.

Sutt I can only take in small doses.  He tells the same grandson Gunner stories over and over and he overly praises all Cub players to the point that it strains his credibility in that regard. 

He is capable of good insight when he gets off that schtick.  I thought the comment Re: Hendricks command being his biggest issue since he came back - while it would seem fairly obvious watching him miss his spots by so much at times - none of the other analysts brought it up - Rick did. 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Didn't we all enjoy the half inning of that raffle winner yesterday?

[fromthestretch]

2 hours ago, Derwood said:

It's the part-time nature of JD's contract that is the killer. Every time he's not there (and sometimes even when he is), we're stuck with Giradi or Sutcliffe.

I understand that networks think that all fans want is an ex-player as their color person, but if they're insistent on having some former Cubs, there are like 300 others to choose from

Dempster isn't horrible when he fills in. Sutcliffe and Girardi are difficult to listen to, although Girardi has become a bit more tolerable as the season has progressed. I'm not a fan of the 3-man booth, but Girardi is much better in that environment than if it's just him and Boog.

[fromthestretch]

22 minutes ago, Ding Dong Johnson said:

Didn't we all enjoy the half inning of that raffle winner yesterday?

I actually turned the game on at the start of that half inning, and it took me a second to realize what was happening. That was...rough.

[Derwood]

My problem with Girardi is that he thinks he's the smartest guy in the booth.

My problem with Sutcliffe is that he's a goober

[Derwood]

Just now, grassbass said:

I actually turned the game on at the start of that half inning, and it took me a second to realize what was happening. That was...rough.

I thought she held her own

[fromthestretch]

20 minutes ago, Derwood said:

I thought she held her own

Her call of Witt's catch reminded me of this:

 

[PackLandVA]

Unfortunately, it seems like pretty much all (most) TV announcers and analysts talk waaaaaay too much. It’s like they feel the need to continuously fill in every moment of non-action/non-plays. Have an opinion, fine. But at least make it have some entertainment value. Otherwise, STFU! Analysts tend to be the worst, especially in football. Those guys feels they have to break down something on every single play.

[fromthestretch]

1 hour ago, PackLandVA said:

Unfortunately, it seems like pretty much all (most) TV announcers and analysts talk waaaaaay too much. It’s like they feel the need to continuously fill in every moment of non-action/non-plays. Have an opinion, fine. But at least make it have some entertainment value. Otherwise, STFU! Analysts tend to be the worst, especially in football. Those guys feels they have to break down something on every single play.

I think we notice it more because there are some really ****** analysts on TV. With the good ones, especially if they have a good rapport with the play-by-play guy, you really don't notice it as much.

For better or worse though, that's what they're getting paid to do. Producers don't want dead air. And out of the 4 main sports, football has the most downtime between plays, so there is this "need" to fill that time with something. Baseball is somewhat similar, although much less so, especially now that we have the pitch clock.

Basketball (and I assume hockey, although I've never called a hockey game) is easy because there is constant action to describe/talk about. 

[chibears55]

2 hours ago, PackLandVA said:

Unfortunately, it seems like pretty much all (most) TV announcers and analysts talk waaaaaay too much. It’s like they feel the need to continuously fill in every moment of non-action/non-plays. Have an opinion, fine. But at least make it have some entertainment value. Otherwise, STFU! Analysts tend to be the worst, especially in football. Those guys feels they have to break down something on every single play.

That and feeding us with all these statistics for every single pitch and AB, just call the game and make it fun to listen too.

[chibears55]

I like listening to Alex Cohen when they show the Iowa game on Marquee,  I actually wouldn't mind if they would hire him to do play by play.

I like JD with Len, but it seems like he bored with or just don't gel with boog and all his statistics talks and what ifs questions.

[muntjack]

For content, I like Boog just fine.  What I'm missing is in the moments when I feel tense, I want that reflected in the broadcast.  Len did that, Pat does it,  etc.    During the lead- up to the trade deadline,  when the season seemed to hinge on pivotal points in each game, Boog was just completely dispassionate.  Drives me nuts. 

[Tryptamine]

I'd like to see them train up Dexter if they insist on a former Cub.