Okay, so I've spent a lot of time over the last two days watching playoff baseball on TBS, and while there are plenty of things I'm not too thrilled about with their coverage, for the most part it hasn't been half bad. The studio show with Ernie Johnson, Dennis Eckersley, and Cal Ripken is a bit unwatchable at times, but they're still getting the feel for each other, so there's a chance for it to get better.A quick fix would be to replace Ripken with Charles Barkley, but I'm pretty sure that it would be impossible to get him away from whichever golf course/craps table he's frequenting at the moment. So I guess I'll just have to deal with Ripken and cross my fingers he gets better. The one thing I know I can't take much more of, though, is Mr. Dick Stockton.
How does this man continue to get work with networks? The man butchers names on a regular basis, and half the time I'm not even sure he knows where he is. Dick was working the Cubs and Dodgers game on Wednesday, and before the first pitch was even thrown he'd already made two mistakes.
When describing how historic a matchup it was to have the Dodgers and Cubs playing a postseason series, he said "to say this is a big series would be an understudy." I think he meant to say understatement, but with Dick Stockton, who knows for sure? Maybe he really meant that it would be a great series that TBS can move to the primetime slot when they don't have a Red Sox/Angels game to show.
A minute later he referred to Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster as Bryan Dempster. It's a tiny mistake, I know, but it's the kind of error Stockton makes on a regular basis. If TBS wants to make their baseball coverage better, the first move they should make is finding a replacment for Stockton.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-02-2008 @ 11:06AM
Jim said...
Good point. Ron Santo on Cubs radio broadcasts though is worse. Much worse. I can't tell you how many times he's called US Cellular Field "White Sox Stadium".
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10-02-2008 @ 12:58PM
Matt Snyder said...
Apples to oranges.
Ron Santo does radio broadcasts for a team. He's not a national, unbiased play-by-play announcer.
All Cubs fans love Santo, and that's why he has that job. His job isn't to analyze baseball or correctly pronounce names to a national audience that needs to be taught the game. He's a glorified cheerleader, a figure-head, and he does that job quite well. He's also balanced out by a man generally considered the best radio play-by-play in the biz ... Pat Hughes.
I'm guessing this comment came from a White Sox fan, which begs the question, why not focus on your own team instead of a Cubs' announcer? Seriously.
10-02-2008 @ 1:23PM
JayBandit said...
Part of the reason I'm sure is because he can't call it Comiskey anymore, and like a real Chicagoan, he doesn't want to call it Cellular One Field...
10-02-2008 @ 11:13AM
TJ said...
My friend and I kept emailing Stockton's screw-ups back and forth. Other highlights include: calling Derek Lowe "Derrek Lee," referring to Joe Torre deciding to bat Fukudome 2nd for the Cubs, referring to Lou Piniella's Mariners losing to Joe Torre's Dodgers in the 2001 playoffs, "Jim Toe-MAY," and "Sean Marshall has a chance to be a real good hitter."
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10-02-2008 @ 11:29AM
PHIL said...
although stockton is old i think he's still good at what he does. at least he sounds lively unlike some of these other guys. look at mike turico, he's boring as hell. mike patrick was a damn good announcer.
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10-02-2008 @ 11:56AM
Matt said...
This is Ripken's second rodeo with the studio show. He is awful and I don't expect him to get better.
Overrated as a player (though still HoF worthy) and terrible as a broadcaster. He needs to just stick with motivational speaking at $25k a pop or whatever he gets.
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10-02-2008 @ 11:56AM
Maggie H said...
Also, he doesn't pronounce the second 'R' in error. I find that rathuh irritating.
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10-02-2008 @ 12:31PM
Jim said...
There's no way Cal is worse that Eckersley. C'mon.
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10-02-2008 @ 7:21PM
Fireguts said...
Coming from a Cubs fan, I don't want ESPN broadcasters anywhere near a Cubs game. They're the most anti-Chicago sports network on earth. If it's not WGN or CSN, I'd take Fox or TBS over ESPN any day. Another thing, Eckersley hasn't changed his hairstyle or 'stache since he played for the Cubs. The 80's want their hair back, man.
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10-02-2008 @ 7:53PM
JtheDoc said...
I remember Dick Stockton as a local sports guy in Massachusetts, who decreed opinion pieces like he wanted to be the next Howard Cosell. Then he graduated, probably because he is the least likely of all microphone jockeys to leave dead air. Mr. Stockton, who used to broadcast sports news in Massachusetts, which is in New England, and he sounds like he was born there sometimes, but he probably never swam in the Charles River, which is the boundary between Boston and Cambridge, which is where Harvard is, talks too much. He's the prince of the dangling sentence. Oh, yes, MIT is in Cambridge also.
Come on, Dick, SHUT UP and SAY SOMETHING.
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10-02-2008 @ 7:53PM
hank hunsinger said...
No one used to critize Harry Caray for messing up names.....Or should i say butcher... Everyone thought it was Harry on BUD.and they laughed it off. Even Barkley gets laughs for messin up!!!!!
Stockton is not a baseball announcer, he should stick with football and /or hoops
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10-02-2008 @ 8:28PM
Mel said...
Why not focus your attention on the return of Harold Reynolds? Under what rock did TBS find him? This guy never shuts up. He's awful.
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10-03-2008 @ 12:12AM
MTR said...
Dick Stockton reminds me of the late Howard Cosell when he(Howard) was announcing on Monday Night Football and his hands were visibly shaking. Dick Stockton's hands were visibly shaking during the first MLB game he broadcasted on TBS this week. I wholeheartedly agree with Tom Fornelli about it being time for Stockton to go.
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10-03-2008 @ 2:28AM
Rob said...
On top of getting his facts mixed up, he repeatedly tells you the wrong count and the number of outs. During the error-filled 2nd inning, he said "still no outs" three times even when there was one out. I'm sure he screwed up more, I stopped watching after the Martin double and checked mlb.com's Gameday feature every 30 minutes or so since then. Don't question whether or not I'm a true fan...I'm just not a sadist.
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10-03-2008 @ 2:30AM
Rob said...
P.S., Hire Gary Thorne.
10-03-2008 @ 3:51AM
jimmyr said...
I can handle Dick Stockon....he's always done good on NFL football for CBS and Fox....HOWEVER....what's up with Tony Gwinn? Great player, all around nice guy....BUT one heck of voice that sounds like a 12 year old still waiting to go thru puberty! Very irritating!
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10-03-2008 @ 1:03PM
Jim said...
I can't stand Dick Stockton's play calling...he is so anti L.A. Goes back to the late 80's when he did the play by play for the NBA on CBS. I'm glad I can turned down the sound and listen to Vin Scully.
10-03-2008 @ 11:25AM
Tony said...
Hey lee give it up CUBS SUCKS
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10-03-2008 @ 1:16PM
ED said...
I agee Dick Stockton needs to be replaced . He got which inning and how many outs wrong numerous times. It is like he is at a different game or has early dementia
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10-03-2008 @ 1:21PM
Alison said...
I'd rather listen to Stockton than the two they have doing to Red Sox!!! - it was awful - the color guy never shut up! I'm turning off the sound tonight and putting on ESPN radio for the pay-by-play.
And our regular announcer is doing the Rays broadcasts!! Don Orcillo rocks!
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