The Bucs are currently holding a 5-1 lead in the top of the 8th against the Astros, but I had to put a hold on viewing to jump on the computer and vent about the idiocy that has taken place in the broadcast booth all night. Greg Brown is a third rate announcer, but certainly a first class homer. All night long, he has relentlessly commented about the Bucs knocking around Wandy Rodriguez, whom he claims in one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Interestingly, Wandy Rodriguez was indeed 10th in the NL in ERA coming into the game. However, he has a career win loss record of 68-68, soon to be 68-69, and a career ERA of 4.09. Not exactly Koufax like numbers. When Brown wasn't commenting about the Bucs abusing Cy Young, it was Cy Young candidates he was talking about, claiming that the Bucs have had great success against top pitchers in the league this season.
There was also time for about 6 shameless plugs to sell Hanrahan All-Star jerseys, one of which actually caused them to completely ignore the game to more or less do a commercial in the booth. Of course, he also said that the Bucs FO deserves praise for replacing all of the inured players we've lost. Yeah, because Kdro's .208 AVG, 2 HR's and 10 RBI were so HARD to replace. It's not like we went out and traded for a replacement, we brought up some slap hitters with no power. We signed Brandon Wood and Xavier Paul off the scrap heap. Wood is hitting .207 with 4 HR's and 16 RBI. If that is a praiseworthy acquisition, then maybe I am underestimating the talent of MLB players these days.
Anyways, I decided to do some research and see just how the Bucs have fared against the top pitchers in baseball this year.These are pitchers in the top 10 in the NL in ERA this year and their lines against us:
1.)Jair Jurjjens- 7.2 IP, 6 hits, ZERO RUNS. 1 BB, 4K.
2.)Cole Hamels- 8.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run 3 BB, 4K
3.)Harry Leroy Halladay- 7.0 IP, 6 Hits, 2 runs. 1BB, 6K
4.) Tommy Hanson- HAVE NOT FACED
5.) Jeff Karstens- HAVE NOT FACED
6.) Cliff Lee- HAVE NOT FACED
7.)Hiroki Kuroda- 7.0 IP, 3 Hits, ZERO RUNS, 3BB, 8K
8.) Kyle Lohse- 7.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 1BB, 5K
10.) Wandy Rodriguez- 1st appearance- 7.0 IP 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BB, 4K
2nd appearance- 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 BB, 6 K
Outside of Rodriguez's 2nd battle with the Bucs, I would hardly consider any of these "knockings around".
To put it simply: Greg Brown is full of shit.
That is what you get when you put a blatant Pro-Nutter in the broadcast booth. If I watch a game, I mute the sound. Yes, they are all THAT terrible.
ReplyDeleteGreg Brown really, really grates on me, and I'm not one jump on the “bash the hometown” announcers brigade. I realize that these guys have close ties to the team and will tend to take their side of the story in many, if not all, cases. For Brown however, he might as well do the broadcasts in a skirt with pom-poms. And that is not meant as an anti-female, or even an anti-cheerleader statement. That is a directly Anti-Greg Brown sentiment which I hold.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think he has ever uttered one negative statement about the Pirates organization in the 15 odd years I’ve been listening to him, and in case you haven’t noticed, the team he holds up on a pedestal hasn’t exactly faired too well over that particular timeframe.
And Brown doesn’t just settle for spinning positive “truth” about the Pirates organization, he seems to take perverse pleasure in snarky and sarcastic digs at pretty much every other team in baseball. I guess being forced to watch and comment on 162 Pirates games every year can give a guy one hell of a Napoleon complex.
His “Browngasm” of a call when Delwyn Young connected for a home run against Strasburg in his debut game still reverberates as a prime example as one of many such infantile resentments.
As Burress and I were discussing last night during the broadcast, the self-proclaimed czar of all things Pittsburgh sports media related, Bob Smizik, gives Brown, and to a lesser extent the other Bucco announcers, a free pass under his “Professional Conduct” policy. That is the same media ‘watchdog’ who has never missed a chance to rip Chris Mack a new asshole at any given opportunity, even before Mack started working for the rival paper in town. Of course, the Smizblogs 1st Amendment hypocrisy is nothing new, as has been well documented here.
In conclusion: Greg Brown is why God invented the Mute Button.
The Pirates announcers are terrible. It's like one big infomercial with these guys. I usually turn the sound down, but last night I turned the game off once it was well in hand. I just couldn't take it anymore.
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