Don't Insult Our Intelligence

Joe Buck: Welcome back to the 2004 World Series. Before I take a moment to plug Budweiser for the 45^th time (can you believe they’re paying me to be in their ads?), we’re going to bring on Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Terry, how do you think the team is doing so far?

Francona: Well Joe, I think we’re playing well.

Buck: Thanks Terry, we appreciate your time.

The above may not be an exact transcript of the in-game interviews that were featured during the World Series last week, but it’s close enough to the real thing. When Fox did these interviews during the All-Star Ggame, everyone thought it was a cute gimmick. When there’s something actually on the line, though, the last thing a manager or coach wants to do is talk to the broadcasters.

This is why sideline interviews with football coaches before halftime are completely worthless. There are only two possible responses from a coach in this interview: an empty cliché or an insult directed at the reporter (thank you, Lloyd Carr).

However, it’s not the coach’s fault for uttering sound bites week after week; it’s the television executives that are to blame for not canning these interviews altogether. If I’m a coach and my team is losing going into halftime, I’m thinking about what I’m going to say to the team in the locker room or what changes I’m going to make in the second half. I’m not spending one ounce of my time during the game coming up with a suitable answer to a sideline reporter’s question.

Here’s a wacky proposition: let the coaches coach during the game, and leave the analysis to the analysts.? However, the analysts don’t seem to be up to the task. Rather than doing research before a broadcast, they are content with telling viewers that the key for the (Insert any team here) to win the game is not turning the ball over and establishing the run.

This kind of worthless commentary is breeding a generation of ignorant sports fans. Look at that ESPN Radio commercial where the kids are talking about sports on the playground. What are they saying to each other? Are they discussing the pros and cons of the west cCoast oOffense? No, they’re exchanging clichés with each other such as “Shaq’s the man, but Yao’s really shown me something.”

What happened to the educated sports fan? We have only the sports broadcasters to blame. Instead of providing valuable insight during telecasts, today’s announcers are giving us such gems as “That’s as bad as a home run. A walk or a homer. Same thing.”

Tim McCarver uttered that nugget of wisdom during Game 6 of the ALCS after Keith Foulke surrendered a leadoff walk to Hideki Matsui in the bottom of the ninth. At face value, this comment doesn’t make much sense. Did McCarver back up his claim with evidence, such as the batting average for the next few hitters with runners in scoring position? No, he never referenced it again.

Because the announcers refuse to explain anything, we’re left with Scooter, the loveable animated baseball. Scooter is a very knowledgeable ball, and throughout the baseball postseason, viewers were treated to animations showing what a fastball looks like (It’s when the pitcher throws the ball as hard as he can!). It’s one thing to try to teach young fans about baseball, it’s another thing to insult the intelligence of all the adult viewers. Leave Scooter with the rest of the Saturday morning cartoons and take a more sophisticated approach to sports commentary.

Fox seemed to get this message, adding Al Leiter to the broadcast team for this year’s ALCS. He was able to provide a good compromise between Scooter and McCarver by explaining how to throw different pitches and the mentality of a postseason pitcher without dumbing down his analysis. However, once the World Series started, Fox went back to the two-man team of Buck and McCarver. What, did the viewers complain that Leiter’s insightful comments were distracting them from the game?

Back in the good ‘ole days, baseball announcers took the time to explain the elements and nuances of the game, instead of commenting on a play that happened three batters ago. It’s how my grandfather, who has never played baseball at any level, knows that a knuckleball is thrown with the fingertips, not the knuckles. Thankfully, Al Leiter was there to explain this to the young generation of viewers, but this type of commentary is sadly the exception.

At some point in time, the networks realized that people would continue to watch sports on television no matter what the analysts were saying. So they lowered all expectations for broadcasters, focusing instead of generating ad revenues and plugging new shows. The result is the new breed of American sports fan who spouts clichés and calls into sports radios shows to repeat those clichés.

Until the networks get their act together, it’s up to the fans to take their sports education into their own hands. The Internet can help in this regard, but I shouldn’t have to do outside research if there are perfectly capable people on the air right now that can explain things to me. It would be great if the next time I’m watching the World Series, I won’t have to mute the commentary.