Bullseye, Rory Sparrow!

John Sterling is worse than you think.

(For those too young to remember Sterling’s stints as a Braves announcer and voice of the Hawks, consider yourself lucky.)

Voices of the Braves screwed again by HOF

Guess who’s not among the 10 finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award, previously given to blowhards Milo Hamilton and Tim McCarver?

How Skip, Pete and Ernie — beloved locally and nationally — continue to be overlooked is baffling. Meanwhile, DeWayne Staats, employed by three teams before he became “the voice of the Rays,” made this year’s cut.

I’m beginning to think MLB takes pleasure in slighting the Braves.

Last chance to vote for Skip and Pete

If you don’t have a Facebook account sign up for one — it’s free, and it’s the least you can do for the voices of the Braves.

 

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Fan voting for the 2013 Ford C. Frick Award ballot ends at 5 p.m. ET on Friday. Cast your vote on Facebook for your favorite broadcaster!

 

Vote Skip, Pete and Ernie

Fan balloting starts today for the Ford C. Frick Award, which has been given to the likes of Milo Hamilton and Tim McCarver but not to one of the Bravos’ trio of legendary voices.

That needs to change. Vote often.

The female Chip

Encourage Chip Caray to keep tweeting stupid shit

Maybe he’ll get himself canned.

Chip Caray’s Twitter feed last night tweeted the following, which appears to be Caray snarking on a news headline regarding the Aurora shooting to make an anti-Obama point (i.e. the “brighter day” will come when Obama is voted-out in Novemeber):

As The Outside Corner blog details, Caray’s followers called him out as insensitive, after which Caray almost immediately said his Twitter account was hacked.  His feed then goes on in detail to explain that he was hacked, he didn’t say that thing about Obama and then asks for help in trying to change his password on his iPad.

But also, as The Outside Corner notes, if Caray was hacked, it’s kind of an odd hack as immediately before and after the tweet in question, Caray tweeted a bunch of things that would be typical for someone like Caray to tweet. Talking baseball, congratulating Ron Santo on his Hall of Fame induction, etc.

In a world in which everyone who says something dumb on Twitter immediately claims they were hacked … what do we make of this?

Off the field annoyances

The list is growing, thanks to the FSN Twitter chick. Perhaps she and Chip will be involved in an embarrassing, Bobby Petrino-esque incident that will get them both fired. Chip’s singsong narrative is driving me to drink (more).

I won’t even bother to wish for an end to Mark Owens’ obnoxious between innings patter or “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” in the 7th. But it sure would be nice.

 

 

The best of Skip

Perfect for a winter morning, though I’m angry every time I think of Tim McCarver getting inducted over Skip.

HOF robs Skip, inducts annoying gasbag

I knew it.

Tim McCarver, who has been a national analyst on television networks for three decades and simultaneously shined as part of broadcast teams with four big league clubs, was named on Wednesday the 2012 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hard to take any committee seriously (click the link above to find out who’s responsible for this absurdity) that inducts Milo Hamilton but has no room for Skip, Ernie and Pete.

Cross your fingers for Skip

The HOF will announce the winner of the Ford  C. Frick award tomorrow (not today as originally scheduled). Skip is among the finalists, along with a bunch of guys I’m not familiar with and one with whom we’re all too familiar.

If Tim McCarver gets in over Skip then I suggest we pool our resources to send Deion and a bucket of water to the home of each voter. I’m pessimistic, considering this is the same group responsible for inducting Joe Garagiola and Milo Hamilton.

A programming note and a shameless plug

Tonight at 9 EST on the MLB Network Bob Costas interviews Knucksie, who’s quite the storyteller.

Speaking of storytellers you might enjoy my article just posted on ajc.com about Larry Munson’s movie club.

No question Munson loved the ladies, but around his movie chums he was more like one of the girls. He could dish with the best of them, recalled Trevor Johns, who worked with Munson on WSB’s “Hometown Radio Show.”

“He was quite the fashion critic,” Johns said. “If he didn’t like what you were wearing he’d tell you: ‘My God, that outfit looks terrible.’ “

“Larry liked being with us because he could be himself,” she added. “And he liked that we took care of him.”

Munson the Brave

Before he became a Bulldog, Larry Munson was, briefly, a voice of the Braves. If only he had stayed and Milo Hamilton left.

Wouldn’t you have loved to hear Larry call Hank’s 715th?

Munson, who said baseball was his favorite sport, reminded me of Jack Buck, and I love Jack Buck. I can easily imagine Larry telling listeners to “go crazy, folks, go crazy” or say “I don’t believe what I just saw” and mean it.

Munson, Ernie, Skip and Pete would’ve been a helluva foursome. Now I’m being greedy.

The first year the Braves were in Atlanta, the television broadcasts were on WSB-TV. An occasional guest color commentator was former major leaguer Dizzy Dean. One memorable Friday night that first year during a rain delay, Dean warbled several verses of the Wabash Cannonball and purchased peanuts from a vendor in the stands, much to Munson’s on-air amusement.

Skip vs. McCarver

Skip’s a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award — finally. So is McCarver.

Vote Ernie!

Milo Hamilton is in the Hall of Fame. Ernie, Skip and Pete are not. That ain’t right.

You can vote ONCE A DAY at the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page through September, starting today. Spread the word, and vote daily. If every Braves fan votes 30 times, we can have an impact.

We don’t want to split the vote, so I suggest casting your ballot for Ernie, the senior member of our great triumvirate of broadcasters.

So much for the warm fuzzies

Very disappointing night at the Ted. It should’ve been all about the greatest team in Atlanta sports history and the city’s most beloved announcer but tributes to both seemed little more than afterthoughts. Between innings it was the usual noise, with the overly enthusiastic Down’s Syndrome guy cheering on the saw and the other usual distractions. Why show a highlight of the ’91 team when you can play “Way down yonder on the Chattahooch” for the millionth time. Would’ve liked to have heard Ernie’s voice more than once as well but instead we got John Denver. For the millionth time. Hell, even the trivia question wasn’t about the ’91 Braves.

Whoever rescues this franchise from the inanimate corporate rod that owns it should, as their first act, fire the promotional hacks who seem intent on turning the ballpark experience into one that could be had at any amusement park or suburban megachurch. You guys suck worse than Derek Lowe.

And Derek Lowe sucks.Time for him to become baseball’s best-paid mop-up reliever.

As for the 10,000 overbearing Little Bears fans … I could go on and on. But why waste time on those losers when I can post the greatest rant in sports history. By the way, Lee Elia now works for the Braves.

Ernie at his best

This may have been Ernie’s most memorable call: Game 13, 1982, in Claudell we trust. Starts at 2:40 mark.

Thanks, Ernie

When I started following the Braves in 1978 the team sucked. No matter — Ernie, Skip and the Professor made it easy to fall in love with the Bravos, forging a bond with fans rivaled by few announcers. As Clete Boyer Fan noted, Ernie died on what would’ve been Skip’s 72nd birthday.

Ernie was a Brave without peer, logging more than 50 years with the organization as a player and broadcaster. Though always self-deprecating about his skills on the mound, Ernie played a pivotal role in the team’s 1957 World Series victory, allowing only two hits, one walk and one run in seven innings against the Yankees.

I met Ernie briefly at Skip’s funeral two years ago. He looked frail though still seemed sharp and was, as always, a gentleman.

Ernie covered eight last-place Braves teams while in Atlanta and, if that wasn’t enough, worked some of those years alongside Milo Hamilton.

Despite it all, no one loved the Braves more than Ernie, and he passed that affection down to a generation of fans. When he retired in 1989 the Braves honored him with a special night which drew the largest crowd in two years.

Excerpted from Mark Bradley’s story that night, via the AJC archives:

Watching a mostly rotten team year upon year never jaded him. Sure, the precious few winning seasons were fun, but baseball is baseball, win or lose. “Anybody can broacast when you win, ” he says. “It’s when you’re losing that’s the test.” He pauses. “I like to think I passed it.” That’s as close to bravado as this kindly man gets, too close for his comfort. Typically, he steers the conversation back to the Braves. “Like this weekend, ” he says. “I keep thinking, ‘We’re playing the Cubs! They’re in a pennant race! We can be the spoiler!’ “

The games aren’t why Ernie Johnson decided this would be his last season. After 38 years of living half his summers on the road, he’d simply tired of the travel. He still wouldn’t mind doing a game or two if WTBS launches its proposed sports channel, but he wants to have time to spend with Lois, his wife of 41 years, on their spread in Crabapple. He already has a few fish in his little lake, and maybe Ernie will buy a horse and go riding. “I’m not gonna just sit, ” he says. Whatever he chooses to do, he won’t be lonely. He has three grown kids, assorted grandchildren and a million friends, the wages of a life lived well.

And, for all the gifts presented him in Saturday’s ceremonies – a spring-training condo in West Palm Beach, a satellite dish, a trip to Hawaii, even a car – nothing mattered to Ernie Johnson so much as the notion that so many people would come out to see him. The crowd of 42,020 was the Braves’ biggest in two years, lovely tribute to this sweetest of men. As the hour approached Ernie Johnson was getting nervous again. “I hope I can keep it together, ” he said. He did fine, his voice breaking only at the end. He spoke first of baseball, next of the Braves, of himself last. On his night of nights, ol’ Ernie was still being himself, which had, after all, worked so far.

Tonight’s theme: Stupidity

Tommy Hanson pitched like John Thomson crossed with Kyle Davies, and though his stats say stud he’s yet to pitch in the 8th inning this year. He’s improving, no doubt, but if I had to win a game tomorrow JJ gets the call. A healthy Huddy would be next. Hanson’s just not there yet.

As for Fredi  Haas (who was the first to coin that — speak now so proper credit can be given) …  is there any justification for pitching Kimbrel in the 9th? He’s coming off consecutive strong outings. Then Fredi brings him in to a situation in which closers routinely fail. It was Kimbrel’s third appearance in four days. There were other options. Yet 22 needless pitches were thrown.

At least Uggla finished with two promising AB’s. There’s still a decent chance he’ll emerge from his slump. What are the odds Fredi suddenly becomes smart?

A quick aside: Brian Jordan doesn’t hold back. He’s greatly improved behind the mic. More BJ, no Chip.

Braves association

Fox Sports South trades Smoltz for Jordan and Gant on ’11 Braves telecasts

Shades of the Texeira deal. Here’s the press release sent from Fox:

FOX Sports South and SportSouth today announced its 2011 Atlanta Braves broadcast team, which will call a combined 151 games on FOX Sports South, SportSouth and Peachtree TV.

Entering his ninth season calling Braves’ games, Chip Caray returns as the main play-by-play voice for all 105 games on FOX Sports South and SportSouth and select Peachtree TV telecasts.

Joe Simpson, in his twentieth season calling Braves’ games, will join Caray as the lead analyst for all FOX Sports South and SportSouth telecasts and will handle play-by-play duties for the majority of the 45 Peachtree TV telecasts.

Former Atlanta Braves pitching great and future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine again will be part of the networks’ Sunday Braves on FOX Sports South broadcast team and will partner with Simpson to offer analysis for select Peachtree TV telecasts.

Former Braves standouts Ron Gant and Brian Jordan will enter the broadcast booth throughout the season as game analysts for Peachtree TV telecasts and will continue to offer analysis on Braves LIVE, the only 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game show for game telecasts on FOX Sports South and SportSouth.   Host Fred Hickman and reporter Jerome Jurenovich round out the Braves LIVE team.