Six years ago I ranked my Top 10 NFL broadcasters. I thought it would be time to re-rank them since some have moved to other networks and my opinions have changed. First, I will pick my Top 5 for each commentator/play-by-play and analysts/color commentary. I don't think comparing the two is fair, so I'll rank them separately.
First, let's do analysts:
5. Trent Green, CBS
He's ok. He's only on this list because I dislike hearing the commentary of every other commentator out there (besides the 4 ahead of him). He's knowledgeable, and his voice is fairly pleasant.
4. Mark Schlereth, FOX
For an offensive lineman, Schlereth knows his stuff. He's also got a great voice for television.
3. Daryl Johnston, FOX
Daryl is an old-timer as I remember when I first got into watching NFL football, he was doing color commentary way back then. He's also got a great voice for television and knows his stuff.
2. Tony Romo, CBS
Tony is liked for his ability to predict things, his reaction to plays, and the noises he makes. But I like him for his knowledge when he points out things we normally wouldn't notice.
1. Cris Collinsworth, NBC
You either love him or hate him, and I gotta say, I love him. His voice was made for football. I will admit he can become a bit annoying, but so can any color commentator.
And now, play-by-play guys:
5. Kevin Burkhardt, FOX
Kevin has great inflection in his voice when calling exciting plays, so it makes for great TV. He's now the lead NFL guy for FOX after Buck's departure, and I'm all for it.
4. Ian Eagle, CBS
For some reason, we in Seattle get many of Ian's games. Anyway, he blends a smooth voice with a great knowledge of the game and its players. It's a great combination.
3. Mike Tirico, NBC
The reason I'm glad Al Michaels left NBC for Amazon is so we could hear Mike Tirico more. He's got such a great voice and made some great calls. "Hauled in by Jennings, the Packers win in overtime! Unbelievable!" And who could forget the Fail Mary? "Fought for by Tate with Jennings, who has it, who they give it to? TOUCHDOWN!!!" And, "... in one of the most bizarre finishes you'll EVER see!" Look forward to hearing him make more of those.
2. Kevin Harlan, CBS
He's still one of the best and the most underrated. He's the ultimate play-by-play guy. His voice was made for it. I wish CBS would put him with Tony Romo because that pairing would be *chef's kiss*. I challenge anyone to find a play-by-play guy with a better voice when calling huge/dramatic plays.
1. Al Michaels, Amazon
The one thing making Amazon's Thursday Night Football tolerable is Al Michaels. Kirk Herbstreit isn't bad, but Al Michaels carries it. Al is such a comforting presence and voice; he's like if everyone's grandpa decided to call games. All your anxieties and stresses fade away when listening to Al call a game. And I love it when Al makes snide remarks, like the Harvey Weinstein one or when the fans were chanting "bullshit," and he said, "That's the loudest manure chant I've ever heard." Classic Al.
Ok, now that that's done, I thought I'd rank my least favorite analysts and commentators (from ok to least favorite). If they're a part of the game, these guys will make me watch a different game (or not watch at all). These will be a mix of color commentary and play-by-play guys.
Dishonorable Mention: Beth Mowins, CBS
Her voice is just so unpleasant (and it has nothing to do with her being a woman). I recently told my girlfriend that it's like hearing Phil and Lil's mom from Rugrats calling a game. Literally, any female sideline reporter that CBS employs would be better. And she's only a dishonorable mention because she doesn't call NFL games that often (thank God).
5. Jonathan Vilma, FOX
Rarely do linebackers make good color commentators. Vilma is no exception. He's annoying and provides very little insightful content. His voice isn't awful, but it isn't the best.
4. Mark Sanchez, FOX
He just says the dumbest stuff. He's as bad at color commentary as he was as a QB. His voice is mediocre at best. Sometimes I just wish he'd shut the heck up.
3. Greg Gumbel, CBS
It's such a shame. Greg used to be one of my favorites. He messes up players' names on a routine basis now. He really should copy his former partner Dan Dierdorf and retire. But back in the late 90s/early 2000s, he and Dan were one of the best. But now the pairing of him and Adam Archuleta is just sad.
2. Charles Davis, CBS
First off, I hate the sound of his voice. CBS thinks it makes for great TV, but it's just annoying. I wish I could mute the broadcast whenever he speaks. Secondly, his voice only reminds me of how he is in the newer Madden video games and how trash those games are nowadays. His commentary is rarely insightful, and he says obvious things fairly often. Fortunately for him, he's paired with Ian Eagle. That broadcast sure is lopsided.
1. Chris Myers, FOX
I despise FOX whenever they assign him to call a Seahawks game. Just in the past month, he has covered 3 of the past 4 Seahawk games. So why don't I like him? His voice is way too guttural, and he says the corniest and stupidest things. I wouldn't be surprised if his normal talking voice was distinctly different (like Brian Baumgartner from The Office). He's a good sideline reporter, but in the booth, he is AWFUL. He is the only one of these that makes me mute a broadcast and listen to the radio instead. His worst call of all time has to be when Richard Sherman picked off a pass and was headed to the end zone, and Myers said, "He's got followers, and not just on Twitter!" So terribly awful and corny. I hate that my Seahawks are usually on the same network that employs Chris Myers. He cannot retire soon enough.
Final remarks: There were a lot of well-known broadcasters that didn't make my list that I'd like to comment on. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are okay; I can tolerate them to an extent. They'd be closer to the bottom than the top for me, though. Another that might be near the bottom for me (and would probably surprise you) is Jim Nantz. He has a great voice, but his commentary has gotten worse recently. He's reacted slowly to plays and doesn't have a great voice for exciting plays (probably why he does golf). He's a terrific narrator but doesn't handle exciting plays particularly well. Anyone else I haven't mentioned is basically middle-of-the-road for me; I can take them or leave them.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Re-ranking My Top 10 NFL Commentators and Analysts (And my least favorite!)
Monday, October 17, 2022
2022: A Successful Season for the Seattle Mariners
What's even more impressive is the wild card series the Mariners had. They took care of business in game 1, and then in game 2, they came back from a seven-run deficit to win 10-9 in one of the greatest postseason comebacks in baseball history. This was all done on the road in Toronto, a harsh environment to play in. That series showed that this team can never be counted out.
Because of the Mariners' Wild Card Series win, they were able to advance to the Divisional Series against the Houston Astros and play at least one home playoff game. Unfortunately, one home playoff game is all they would get as they got swept in three games. The Mariners lost the three-game series by a total of 4 runs. They just couldn't get luck back on their side.
I said a month ago I'd consider this a successful season if the Mariners got to the divisional round and got to play at least one home playoff game, and that they did. They were in each of the three games against the Astros. They held a lead in the first two, which they unfortunately could not hold. They went 18 innings against the Astros in game 3, only to lose on a fluke home run by the Astros. They were close to winning all three games, yet lost all three.
What seems so disappointing is that this team seemed to be on a run. In game 1, the Mariners held a 4-run lead and seemed to be on their way to their third straight playoff victory and a huge game 1 win. Instead, the bullpen folded, the Astros hit a walk-off homer, and the Mariners could never fully recover. The Mariners only scored 2 runs in the final 27 innings of the series.
The big obstacle in the Mariners' way is the Houston Astros. They have made it to six straight ALCS's, won 5 of 6 AL West division titles, and are always tough for the Mariners to beat. They are the Goliath to the Mariners' David, and the Mariners will either have to best them in the regular season or beat them in the playoffs if they want to do any better in future years.
Maybe the 2023 Mariners can win the AL West outright. That'd certainly seem to be the most straightforward plan. The Mariners are still in a 21-year division title drought. Every other AL West team has won the division since the Mariners last won it.
So let's hope the Mariners' front office makes the right moves this offseason to upgrade the team. Moves need to be made so that this team can finally get past the Astros. A couple bats, and a bullpen arm, and they might just be there. It is imperative that the Mariners make progress in 2023 and not take a step back.
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
2022 Seattle Mariners Regular Season Grades - Pitchers
The 2022 regular season is almost at a close, and now it's time for me to grade the Mariners pitchers for 2022. I've already done the hitters, and you can check my previous post to see that. But how did the pitchers do? Again, this does factor in expectations for each pitcher.
Starters
Robbie Ray: B-
I can't give Robbie higher than a B. Has he been good for the most part? Yes. But he's had stretches where he gives up a lot of home runs, namely at the beginning and end of the season. I don't think he's pitched quite well enough to earn his salary, but he has been better than the average #1/2 pitcher.
Luis Castillo: B+
Castillo was a much-needed addition for our playoff push. He has been mostly great, but he did show a few signs of struggle. No pitcher is perfect, but I'd have to say Castillo has been about as good as we could hope. He' just a few bad starts away from a grade in the A's.
Logan Gilbert: A-
Logan had an amazing start, winning pitcher of the month for April. He cooled off but never had any massive struggles. He picked it back up late in the season and earned a spot as one of the Top 3 in the rotation for the playoffs. Logan's first full season in the bigs went about as well as we could've hoped.
Marco Gonzalez: C+
Marco definitely had his ups and downs, which is just a kind way of saying he struggled too much for most people's liking. Shows how much our rotation has come when Marco, our former #1 starter, is now #5. I'll give Marco credit: he battled all season and never wavered or caved into pressure.
George Kirby: A
Kirby's first season went better than we could've even hoped. He showed impeccable control and went a long stretch without giving up a home run. George proved he can be a top of the line starter for us, and the future is incredibly bright with him.
Chris Flexen: B-
Flexen pitched as well as a #4 starter could be expected to. He had his ups and downs, just like Marco. He handled his "demotion" to the bullpen extremely well and did everything that was asked of him.
Relievers
Diego Castillo: B-
Castillo had an extremely rough start to his season but turned it around. He still had a hiccup or two after, as almost every reliever does. But that rough start cannot be ignored. Hopefully, if he's used in the playoffs, we won't see that side of him again.
Matt Brash: B+
Brash started as the starter instead of George Kirby, which was the wrong choice. Fortunately, Brash seems to have found his spot in the bullpen. Brash has some of the nastiest pitches I have ever seen. And his performance in the 13-inning game was amazing, especially that double play he helped induce.
Matt Festa: C+
Festa has been pretty good. We just never know which Festa we'll get daily. He's either been really good or awful, with no in-between. I wouldn't want him in a high leverage situation in the playoffs.
Paul Sewald: A-
Sewald has been as good as we could hope, although there have been a few games where he gave up some costly home runs. But he's still one of Scott's most trusted arms in the pen and rightfully so.
Andres Munoz: A
Munoz has become one of the best relievers in baseball, and that is no exaggeration. He routinely hits over 100 MPH and has a wicked slider. He could be an extremely dominant closer in our future. Munoz's struggles have been few and far between as well.
Penn Murfee: B
Is there a more aptly named reliever in baseball? Anyway, Murfee wasn't expected to be much this season but has been a very solid reliever. He has had struggles every now and then, but he's still exceeded expectations.
Erik Swanson: A-
Swanson, like Brash, is a converted starter that has thrived in the pen. Swanson's ERA for a large part of the year was UNDER 1.00. That's insane. He wasn't perfect and was a bit wild at times, but he did become one of Scott's more trusted relievers.
Ryan Borucki, Matthew Boyd, Drew Steckenrider, Anthony Misiewicz: Incomplete
Not enough from these guys, but Steckenrider and Misiewicz were moved on from due to their struggles. Boyd has been a solid lefty/long relief out of the pen and Borucki was fairly good out of the pen until his injury. Borucki's best was definitely pitching multiple innings of relief in an extra inning game against the Blue Jays that resulted in a win.
That's all I have for grades! I'll likely do one more post on the Mariners, recapping the season and talking about their performance in the playoffs. Hopefully it'll be longer than 2 or 3 games in the wild card round. Go Mariners!
Monday, October 3, 2022
2022 Seattle Mariner Regular Season Grades - Hitters
The 2022 MLB season is almost finished, and with that, I thought I'd hand out some grades to some Mariner players. They have clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 21 years. So for that, I will tend to grade a bit on the kinder side. However, I must take expectations into account, so if they played great last year but not this year (even if they were on another team), I will have to take that into account. Here we go:
Starters
Cal Raleigh: A-
Cal has been a godsend for manger Scott Servais. After his slow start, boy did he pick it up. Imagine after Raleigh's slow start that someone told you that he would set the record that very year for home runs by a Mariners catcher. I certainly wouldn't have believed it. He's also handled the pitching staff like a 10-year vet. His average still leaves a bit to be desired. So hopefully, that rises next season.
Ty France: B+
Ty had a slightly healthier season and earned his first All-Star nod. Unfortunately, he battled injuries shortly after the break and his average plummeted. His defense has been very good, even when he had to play a few games at third with Suarez's injury. Hopefully, he can stay healthy all of next season.
Adam Frazier: C-
I felt a D+ grade was too harsh, but would it be? Frazier's average has hovered around .230, .240 for the second half. He had one small hot spurt for a few weeks, but that's about it. Not that he was expected to have any power, but that certainly didn't show much. His defense has been average at best. Frazier did not do enough to secure 2nd base for the future, leaving the Mariners' front office to possibly look again for a 2nd baseman in the offseason.
JP Crawford: C+
JP's season was quite the mixed bag. He started out very hot, hitting .300 and even showing power. He then cooled off considerably, and his defense seems to have regressed. But I'll give JP this: He works counts and is one of the best "battlers" on the team. Meaning he fights and works counts as well as anyone on the team.
Eugenio Suarez: A
In the Winker/Suarez trade, Suarez was almost considered an afterthought, a salary dump. But boy, are Mariners fans glad we got him. He hasn't hit for the highest average and strikes out a TON, but his home runs have been the most clutch on the team, and he has provided gold glove defense at third base. The Mariners wouldn't be in the playoffs without him.
Jesse Winker: D
Jesse gets a D for Disappointing. He hit over .300 last season and was an All-Star. He's not even close this season (.220 or so). He avoids a failing grade for his clubhouse leadership and his ability to draw walks. That's it. I can't forget to mention his defense, which has been way below average and has definitely cost the Mariners runs.
Julio Rodriguez: A+
Based on what we expected (or didn't expect) at the start of this season, how can I not give Julio an A+? A 25-25 season, amazing defense, and likely will lead the team in batting average at the season's end. I wouldn't have believed it if I had said that to myself in April. Julio has been everything this team needed and more.
Carlos Santana: C+
His batting average has been less than ideal, to put it nicely. But Carlos has hit some extremely clutch home runs and played some surprisingly good defense at first base. We also cannot forget his clubhouse leadership and his being a role model to young players like Julio.
Mitch Haniger: D+
It may seem harsh, but I expected a lot from Mitch when he got back. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe ankle sprain after his first at-bat back and missed several months afterward. Mitch did hit well immediately after returning but has since cooled off. His defense has been solid for the most part. We needed hot Mitch for more of this season.
Bench Players/Role Players
Dylan Moore: B-
I can't give him higher than that, I'm afraid. Dylan somehow inexplicably leads the Mariners in on-base percentage. But his average around .210, .220 leaves a lot to be desired. He strikes out a lot for a speedy contact guy. However, he has played above-average defense at six positions and has gotten some clutch steals.
Sam Haggerty: B+
"Swags," or "Swaggerty," as he's called; it's hard to believe that he was a fringe AAA early in the season. He has played some amazing outfield and was hitting near .300 for a few months. He's been a player Servais could plug into either corner OF spot, centerfield, or even 2nd base if need be.
Abraham Toro: D-
Toro could just not get his average above .200. He did provide some clutch hits, but that's about the only thing keeping him from a failing grade. His place on the roster is in jeopardy for the future.
Jarred Kelenic: D+
Kelenic also couldn't get his average above .200. He had three separate stints up, and it wasn't until the 3rd time that he started hitting. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. But Kelenic has played some solid outfield and drawn his share of walks.
Luis Torrens: C-
He had some clutch hits, and I do believe his defense has improved. He could get a lot better at framing pitches, I will say. But for a guy who is supposedly a "hitting" catcher, he doesn't hit well enough. We'll see if he'll do enough to earn the job of Raleigh's backup next year.
Everyone else: INCOMPLETE
Guys like Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell, Curt Casali, and guys that are no longer in the organization like Jake Lamb, Justin Upton, Steven Souza, and Mike Ford just didn't have enough time for me to grade them.
That's all for the hitters, look out for grades on the pitchers soon!