Monday, August 07, 2006

Michael Kay Has To Go....

Just like Johnny Cakes...he's GOTTA GO....

I wanted to go to bed, but I just opened my email and saw that Metstradamus sent me this clip from Michael Kay's show.

Mike, if you ever want to want to wonder why you'll never, ever beat Russo and Francessa, that's why. However annoying and obtuse they can be at times, they at least keep it in the realm of sports. And they're for the most part entertaining.

I can't imagine either of them getting so annoyed at a caller because he questions them on why they're talking about a pithcer throwing a perfect game while the game is in progress....that they would bring up an analogy using two of the greatest tragedies in human history!

I agree that people who think broadcasters jinx games are silly. But they don't deserve to be berated in that way.

That is called taking yourself way too seriously. There is a million different ways he could have handled that caller. About 999,999 of them humorously. He decides to not only berate the caller, he decides to use slavery and the Holocaust as part of his point.

Congrat, Mikey...you not only made yourself look more stupid than the caller you needed to embarrass...you probably pissed enough potential listeners to guarantee Mike and Chris will rule that timeslot for the next 20 years.

You also made those of us who think of you as a dubious Yankee announcer at best...a pathetic Yankee shill at worst...as an even bigger joke than previously thought.

George, if you do nothing else in the off-season... fire Kay, Bobby Murcer, Paul O'Neill and David Justice. They add nothing to your broadcast and make the YES broadcast teams one of the jokes of baseball. Convince Kaat to stay on, and give Flaherty and Leiter more games. I liked Kaat and Flaherty in the booth during the Jays series last week. No frills baseball talk and analysis. Flaherty is very solid.
I think Singleton in that sort of enviroment can thrive, but he's never going to be a provocateur so he needs someone to play off. I had the sound off Sunday when I saw that it was Kenny and Paul.

Then hire a solid play-by-play guy. Maybe Gary Thorne or maybe you can pry Jon Miller away from the Giants provided you let him do the Sunday Night ESPN games. There are plenty of solid guys out there who can do solid job for you if you them.

Just get rid of Kay and Murcer please. I know Bobby is a favorite among the baby-boomer set and a nice enough man, but he's a horrible announcer. He's like Frank Gifford on Monday Night Football. Everyone loved him as a person and player so noone criticized him.

Well even though I'm old enough to remember him as a player, I still say he stinks. Give him and Kay front office gigs. But get him and Kay out of the booth. I know they'll never get rid of Radio Shill-extraordinaires Sterling and Walden. That's asking wayy too much of Georgie. He needs someone to kiss his ass. But, please, please, get some respectability back to the cable broadcasts.

My ears are bleeding...

5 Comments:

Blogger Karen said...

I agree with you on everything except Leiter. The man has a story from his playing days for all of life's instances. I expect him to be all "Oh yeah, that time I got my period and had to buy Tampons..." It's seriously grating and I hope he goes into politics sooner than later to spare us, or at least spare me.

That and keep Murcer around in some capacity. I'm no baby boomer, but I find him oddly comforting. That, and he's far enough removed from the game where you can tell he knows he can't play anymore, unlike Leiter and Justice who always speak with a tone of "if I could just get out there, I'd do it better." OY.

4:22 AM  
Blogger Ed in Westchester said...

I'm nearly speechless.
You are making sense.

6:13 AM  
Blogger Peter said...

I hate Kay. I always think he is talking down to us and doing us a favor by calling games and doing his radio show. The only sports radio guy in NY I like for baseball is Max Kellerman. He always strikes me as a real Yankee fan who would be at home sneaking booze into the bleachers and yelling obscenities at the opposing RF all day.

As for the other YES network guys. I love Paulie. He is funny and he always calls Kay on his bullshit. I always wondered why the Yankees don't have better announcers. With all of the resources they have you would think they could do better.

7:08 AM  
Blogger Darth Marc said...

Ed...thanks...and bite me.

Karen,

I love the way Leiter breaks down a game in a way that assumes the viewer is bringing something to the table. He's very bright and has a lot to say...sometimes too much...but he'll get better with time. And contemporary enough to know what's going through the modern player's head...but has enough mileage to know how the game has changed since the 1994 strike.

Murcer in spite of his years of experience brings nothing to the table except for these silly folksy stories that rarely add to the broadcasts. His penchant for stating the obvious is maddening. Occasionally when he's with a strong lead like Kaat he'll bring something to the table, but more times than not I'm muting the TV when he's on.

Peter,

I agree with you on Kay. He's always assuming that this is the first time the audience has ever listened to a ballgame so the broadcast never gets past a remedial level with him doing play-by-play. This baseball for dummies play by play approach drives me nuts. I loved O'Neill as a player, have no use for him as an announcer.

9:49 AM  
Blogger Darth Marc said...

O'Neill's flight got held up because of mechanical problems. That's why Singleton was solo.

7:56 AM  

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