Joe Morgan: What’s All The Fuss?
Sorry to speak the unpopular opinion (prepares to duck), but as someone who is awfully critical of most broadcasters, I have to say I – once again – enjoyed listening to Joe Morgan on the post-season broadcasts.
Yes, a few years ago Morgan dug his heels in too far about criticizing a book he refused to read, and if you think he’s too high on “small ball,” well ok, but that’s his philosophical orientation. And as far as his “gaffes,” you can pick out mistakes from any broadcaster’s work and then trumpet them so that they look bad.
The reality (mine anyway) is:
• His rapport with Jon Miller is exceptional and natural, his delivery personable and pleasant to listen to.
• His observation about what a pitcher is doing well, is doing poorly, or needs to do differently, is often spot on, as are his comments in general. He’s a bright guy who knows the game and speaks articulately.
Knowing that Joe Morgan has his vocal detractors, I actually listened to him this post-season trying to hear him as incompetent, buffoonish, somehow awful. I couldn’t. Perhaps those who dislike him are heavily focused on a couple things he has said long ago, I don’t know. But I think the guy is a very solid commentator. So there.
1050-AM: Are You Kidding Me???
So as many of you may not be aware, on Sunday night the game went to the bottom of the 9th with the Rockies trailing 4-3, needing a run to stay alive in the World Series…and 1050-AM just ran commercial after commercial, literally for the entire bottom of the 9th – at which point, a stream of about 15 commercials finally ended…and a voice informed listeners that they were about to hear a re-broadcast of the 49ers game. In other words, after the top of the 9th inning, the baseball game was never heard from again, nor even referred to in any way. It simply ceased to exist.
Now I’m going to assume that perhaps 1050-AM lost the ESPN feed, as this is a best-case scenario (the other one being that the engineer forgot to go back to the broadcast, and then never remembered that he had ever been there to engineer a baseball game).
Regardless, if you can’t go back to the broadcast, then someone – an actual human being – needs to get on a microphone back in the studio, and tell listeners what’s going on. 1050-AM should be utterly embarrassed for the unacceptable way this was handled. C’mon, people – didn’t anyone there have a brain? Please.
Anyhoo, please don’t go away this off-season: I have many topics I’ve been saving up, just waiting for the World Series to end. Hot Stove season is upon us – see you on the front burner!
