Mazz on NESN

absintheofmalaise

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There seems to be a number of complaints about Mazz and his incessant talking about almost anything but the actual game during NESN broadcasts in the game threads. I am one of those who can't stand listening to him. He's made a rough season almost intolerable.
I would imagine that if the folks in the game threads feel this way that there are also a number of other posters here who feel the same. And yes, I know there is a NESN thread. I think we need one just for this. I'm sure there are also a number of people who like listening to him. This thread is for you too.

My main complaints about him, in no particular order:
1. He won't shut up. Always talking over anyone who is in the booth with him.
2. He says something and then repeats what he said.
3. He misses things that are happening on the field in order to continue making whatever point he's trying to make or telling whatever anecdote he's telling.
4. He has access to the same information we do, and even has people to look up that information before and during games, but is often at a loss for stats he needs.
5. He makes comments seemingly designed to have people call in, but oops, this isn't a radio call-in show.
6. He has a voice made for writing.
7. He won't shut up.

I know there are more, but these are ones off the top of my head.
 

LogansDad

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I will take the Pro side:

1. I discovered MLB.tv's ability to sync to the radio feed this year, directly because of him. So I say he is doing some good in the world.
 

grimshaw

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The fact that he was hired for the position in the first place given his status as a lazy, unfunny troll on a rival network was enough of a reason for me not to even give him a chance. Tom Werner is the worst part of ownership and it isn't even close.
 

PayrodsFirstClutchHit

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This seems be a universal opinion of fans that watch the broadcast. I don’t understand the thinking of having him in the booth. Almost any random former player would be an improvement.

There is a reason that former players are normally the color guy. They add actual insight into the game and interesting stories of their playing days. Mazz adds none of that.
 

mikeford

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I realized very quickly into this season that I would not be watching any games with him in the booth and I have continued with this program.
 

E5 Yaz

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9. He tries to come off as an expert on pitching, hitting, etc ... even when there's a three-man booth and there's an actual expert on pitching (Eck) or hitting (Youk) sitting right there.
10. He makes the play by play guy worse. With DOB, Mazz brings out his tendencies his babbling tendencies. Monaco yesterday tried desperately to get the conversation steered back to the game at hand, winding up stating the obvious as Mazz went on and on.

I said in a recent game thread that I fear that NESN sees Mazz as a successor to Remy as a guy who "sounds like Boston." The difference is that Jerry had an engaging personality and a history with his listeners as a player. Mazz has neither, and adds to that the lack of an off-switch. Yesterday's attempt to humanize him -- the wedding ring fiasco -- came off as forced and planned -- as if it got noticed in the booth and some producer said during a commercial break that it would be a good "bit."

Contrast that with Here Comes the Pizza, which is classic because it came across organically, included the fans, and wasn't overwhelmed by a droning voice. Heck, contrast it with the deal for Casas's home run ball ... which Monaco and Youk handled really well.

Oh well, we all know the rest ... @absintheofmalaise detailed a lot of the complaints ... but if Mazz is the No. 1 analyst next year, NESN best brace itself for the reaction.
 
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Comfortably Lomb

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I guess I'm glad to see the intense dislike of this guy in the booth. I was worried I was on an island. He's awful. His shitty nails on chalkboard voice, the constant talking (shut. the. fuck. up. for 3 seconds, please, just stooop talking), the repetition like anything he's saying needs to be said 10x, the stories he heard from someone else who probably heard it from someone else, the constant weird position taking like he's doing a radio point-counterpoint bit. Oh, and he clearly doesn't know shit about the game beyond an average fan.

It fucking sucks Remy died, and now Eck is leaving, and the broadcast is left with this garbage... this sucks.
 

glennhoffmania

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His voice is the worst part to me. Even if he was saying smart things it would be tough to listen to. Other than that I agree with Abs' list. I don't understand how he got the gig. If they really wanted someone who doesn't shut up and knows very little about the game they could just let O'Brien do the games himself- he's great at that. We don't need two clueless babblers in the booth. Whenever I have the option of watching the opposition's broadcast instead I do so.

I was never a huge Orsillo fan. I thought he was fine, but too stiff. And his use of the word "rendered" instead of "surrendered" drove me nuts. But after being forced to listen to O'Brien and now Mazz I appreciate Orsillo a lot more.
 

nvalvo

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I don't listen to sports talk, so I didn't know his work previously, but... this guy sucks. He doesn't have a broadcaster's voice, which isn't his fault, but the idiotic things he says certainly are.

The non-Eck booth from this season that has been viable IMO has been Monaco-Youkilis. Youk could stand to chill out a bit, but he knows a ton about hitting and is extremely articulate about it — I learn things from him, which is what you want from a color commentator. Monaco is an unremarkable professional broadcaster, which is a low bar that NESN somehow routinely fails to meet.
 

Seels

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Mazz is one of my least favorite personalities in New England sports. He knows absolutely nothing about baseball despite being around it for 30 years.

I stopped watching games for the most part, but I don't think I could get through an entire game with him calling it. He's shown such udder disdain for the team for decades, why do I care what he has to say?
 

pedro1918

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He's shown such udder disdain for the team for decades, why do I care what he has to say?
His terrible voice, lack of knowledge and incessant babbling are all bad. But this is really the point. His troll jobbing for the past couple of decades makes it impossible for me to even give him a chance. And I haven't listened to his radio show in 10+ years.

And fuck him for ruining the last year of Eck.
 

BigEazy

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Echo thoughts already in here. It's even worse when he's in a 2 man booth as it's just incessant white noise. The constant "I was just about to say...", "I was thinking the same thing..." to any point anybody else makes is grinding.

I don't know what he brings. I would think it's to add flavour around a PBP, maybe talk about players stats, performances, who's doing well/badly etc but then it veers into him talking about what pitch should be thrown. The problem there is he doesn't actually know what he's on about. Unintentional comedy the other day when he tried disagreeing with Eck on what the pitcher should do. Eck just laughed and said "...ok".

It's incredibly sad that we've lost Jerry and we're going to have Eck retire. It's even worse when you see what might be the full time booth going forward. I like Youk and hope he gets more time. Think he could be really good given experience.
 

InsideTheParker

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I pretty much agree with all the complaints above. I guess we could try to get in touch with this guy,
New England Sports Network
Sean McGrail, President & CEO
But I expect he made the decision to hire Mazz. and might dig in. I have looked at this list ( https://www.mlb.com/redsox/team/front-office) without coming to conclusion of the best person to get in touch with. There is a phone # here that one might call looking for the right NESN person to write or speak to : (617)-963-0707 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Sunday. But that's the customer service # set up to deal with technical issues, not complaints about personnel. If anyone else comes up with a good person to complain to, please post it here in this thread.
 

Granite Sox

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Mazz is one of my least favorite personalities in New England sports. He knows absolutely nothing about baseball despite being around it for 30 years.

I stopped watching games for the most part, but I don't think I could get through an entire game with him calling it. He's shown such udder disdain for the team for decades, why do I care what he has to say?
This sums it up for me. It’s infuriating that he hosts a baseball-specific show on the radio and often brings in knowledgeable guests, yet doesn’t absorb and apply any of this knowledge to game broadcasts.

There have been a number of rookies and first-year players that have debuted this year and he knows practically nothing about these players when 15 minutes of prep work would yield a bonanza of helpful backgrpound. Couple that with his refusal to understand analytics, and there’s absolutely nothing he can offer a broadcast to make it better.
 

nattysez

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I feel like Will Flemming is constantly offering hot takes on the broadcast because he was told to do that, and Mazz was hired for the same reason. I suspect Werner thinks they can draw listeners/watchers by turning the broadcast into a pseudo-sports talk show. He's dead wrong.
 

E5 Yaz

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Unintentional comedy the other day when he tried disagreeing with Eck on what the pitcher should do. Eck just laughed and said "...ok".
My favorite moment of Mazz in the booth
 

InsideTheParker

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NESN seems to have what art historians call "horror vacui" or kenophobia. A fear of empty space. There is zero appreciation for moments of silence, which the greatest sportscasters incorporate. This is true of OB as much as of Mazz. So, I end up muting, and since I often have trouble getting EEI at my house, and reports here of Flemming make me wonder if I want to go out of my way to get that anyway, I end up missing plays, as I don't have any audio cues. It's really disappointing.
 

Rovin Romine

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I listen for a bit now and again, then promptly click over to the WEEI feed.

Mazz brings negative value for all the reasons touched on upthread. It's not really a solvable issue either - even if he somehow became a fan, learned to be focused on the game at hand, knowledgable about game-play and the Red Sox players, or developed a non-Eeyore personality, his voice is one of the most annoying things imaginable.

I'd rather have Fran Drescher in the booth. At least she has a sense of humor.
 

E5 Yaz

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It's really bad, radio included, especially when you consider the history of high-quality announcers over the years
 

Rovin Romine

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NESN seems to have what art historians call "horror vacui" or kenophobia. A fear of empty space. There is zero appreciation for moments of silence, which the greatest sportscasters incorporate. This is true of OB as much as of Mazz. So, I end up muting, and since I often have trouble getting EEI at my house, and reports here of Flemming make me wonder if I want to go out of my way to get that anyway, I end up missing plays, as I don't have any audio cues. It's really disappointing.
I find Flemming irritating for many of the same reasons, but it's very much a mole-hill to Mazz's Mountain. And mitigated by the fact that Flemming has a decent voice.
 

Rovin Romine

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I pretty much agree with all the complaints above. I guess we could try to get in touch with this guy,
New England Sports Network
Sean McGrail, President & CEO
But I expect he made the decision to hire Mazz. and might dig in. I have looked at this list ( https://www.mlb.com/redsox/team/front-office) without coming to conclusion of the best person to get in touch with. There is a phone # here that one might call looking for the right NESN person to write or speak to : (617)-963-0707 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Sunday. But that's the customer service # set up to deal with technical issues, not complaints about personnel. If anyone else comes up with a good person to complain to, please post it here in this thread.
I honestly don't want to have to listen to Mazz to the extent I'd be willing to write a letter.

I'm not sure I've ever gotten to that point with any broadcaster. Saying "knock it off?" - Sure. Saying that I hope they don't bring someone back here on the board? - Absolutely.

But a "this guy is so awful you should fire him" letter with my name on it?

I think he's the first.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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I feel like Will Flemming is constantly offering hot takes on the broadcast because he was told to do that, and Mazz was hired for the same reason. I suspect Werner thinks they can draw listeners/watchers by turning the broadcast into a pseudo-sports talk show. He's dead wrong.
I think there's a chance there's some truth to this. The problem is sports talk radio caters to a niche demographic and I sort of think it's repulsive to people who aren't into it. I'm not watching the game for takes, constant opinions about hot issues, or some sort of debate. Just, fuck off with that entirely.
 

LynnRice75

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Mazz's problem is he tends to repeat what has already been said.
Then he repeats himself... as he is saying it.
Then, often, he contradicts himself as he is speaking by saying the opposite.

He frustrates the viewer, ruins games, and makes you wonder how he got the job in the first place.

He is the "Red Sox middle-inning relief pitching" of announcers.
 

ColdSoxPack

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Echo thoughts already in here. It's even worse when he's in a 2 man booth as it's just incessant white noise. The constant "I was just about to say...", "I was thinking the same thing..." to any point anybody else makes is grinding.

I don't know what he brings. I would think it's to add flavour around a PBP, maybe talk about players stats, performances, who's doing well/badly etc but then it veers into him talking about what pitch should be thrown. The problem there is he doesn't actually know what he's on about. Unintentional comedy the other day when he tried disagreeing with Eck on what the pitcher should do. Eck just laughed and said "...ok".

It's incredibly sad that we've lost Jerry and we're going to have Eck retire. It's even worse when you see what might be the full time booth going forward. I like Youk and hope he gets more time. Think he could be really good given experience.
I would propose to Eck that he do the west coast games in person and the rest from home remotely. Why not? And fire Mazz.
 

Johnny Fashion

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A dense Masserotti named Tony
Goes on NESN to spout his baloney
Every broadcasting choice
Makes even the voice
Of Will Flemming sound Castiglione-y
 

snowmanny

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10. I think his trolling on the horrible Felger and Mazz show should have automatically disqualified him from this gig. His history on that show is to suck the fun out of anything positive related to most Boston teams, including the Red Sox. Admittedly, the last time I listened to them was in October 2013 - when they were attributing Papi's performance in the ongoing World Series to steroids - but I presume it's more of the same every day.

Even if he was actually good, and he's not, his presence in the booth would make my skin crawl.
 

yeahlunchbox

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I feel like Will Flemming is constantly offering hot takes on the broadcast because he was told to do that, and Mazz was hired for the same reason. I suspect Werner thinks they can draw listeners/watchers by turning the broadcast into a pseudo-sports talk show. He's dead wrong.
Wasn't that a rumor a few years ago, that NESN wanted to incorporate a sports talk style to the broadcast?
 

Ale Xander

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Mazz was the worst decision by someone in the Red Sox front office since Frazee sold Ruth

Worse than the Fisk contract signing procrastination
Worse than Panda signing
Worse than Valentine signing
Worse than Sale extension


He’s worse than nails on a chalkboard

FU Werner
 

Big Papa Smurph

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Wasn't that a rumor a few years ago, that NESN wanted to incorporate a sports talk style to the broadcast?

The rumor was about WEEI.
There were industry rumors about possible changes all season long. One, which multiple sources have said was a genuine consideration, had WEEI dropping the concept of a conventional radio baseball broadcast to make the call of the game sound more like a talk show.
I remember Lou Merloni going pretty hard at Chad Finn, during WEEI's denial about the potential changes.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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I feel like Will Flemming is constantly offering hot takes on the broadcast because he was told to do that, and Mazz was hired for the same reason. I suspect Werner thinks they can draw listeners/watchers by turning the broadcast into a pseudo-sports talk show. He's dead wrong.
To be fair, unfortunately a lot of producers around the media industry think they can "drive viewership" by turning live sports broadcasts into a version of First Take or a sports radio show. They don't realize that ratings are not going down because the old way of broadcasting was stale, it is due to baseball's general decrease in popularity and variety of streaming entertainment options we now have. The silent majority that have stuck around for the Sox broadcasts on TV and radio want the opposite of this edgy presentation.
 

Bigdogx

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The rumor was about WEEI.


I remember Lou Merloni going pretty hard at Chad Finn, during WEEI's denial about the potential changes.
Speaking of, why was Lou not considered to be in the booth, he would be light years better then Mazz imo or anyone else they have had n the booth so far this season.

Yeah he can be a mr negative but he calls it like he sees it, which maybe that's the reason why he is not in that spot, but Mazz imo is not much better in that regard.
 

Rovin Romine

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Speaking of, why was Lou not considered to be in the booth, he would be light years better then Mazz imo or anyone else they have had n the booth so far this season.
I'd give him a shot. Or Middlebrooks.

Millar and Youk are better than Mazz but probably not great as long-term solutions where they're doing most of the broadcasts.

Shoot, I'd even go with old friend Ellis Burks rather than Mazz.
 

joe dokes

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One of Mazzerotti's (many) problems is that his "other" job doesn't bring him any closer to the team than this one. Less so, in fact. So, he can't even offer a "reporter's insight" to the gig to marginally offset not being a player.
I know a lot of folks here hate Bradford. He's far from my favorite either, but, because he's around the team as a reporter, he can add *something* (even if it's only to talk about a conversation he had with someone) and speak in something other than abstract cliches. For that reason, in small doses, I dont mind Bradford.
 

shawnrbu

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Speaking of, why was Lou not considered to be in the booth, he would be light years better then Mazz imo or anyone else they have had n the booth so far this season.

Yeah he can be a mr negative but he calls it like he sees it, which maybe that's the reason why he is not in that spot, but Mazz imo is not much better in that regard.
Lou didn’t want to travel. He wanted to coach his son’s baseball team.
 

Leskanic's Thread

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I will take the Pro side:

1. I discovered MLB.tv's ability to sync to the radio feed this year, directly because of him. So I say he is doing some good in the world.
First reply is what I wanted to say.

I never thought anyone could make me pine for Steve Lyons. But...here we are.
 

geoduck no quahog

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I went a step further and chose the other team's feed on Extra Innings - just to keep from throwing a brick at the TV. This worked out pretty well against Baltimore where there were these well spaced and glorious moments of silence during nearly every at bat. Plus...a broadcast team that seemed to know what baseball was.

What kills me about Mazz is a guy who never played professionally attempting to provide "keen insight" into the nuances of the game - all the while coming off as a complete no nothing asshole who either states the obvious or the incorrect.

{edit: plus...my wife saying, "Who's the guy with that voice? And why doesn't he ever shut up? Is this a Red Sox broadcast?"}
 

Bigdogx

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Lou didn’t want to travel. He wanted to coach his son’s baseball team.
Ah, guess you can't fault a guy for wanting to spend time with his family as i would imagine the road during a baseball season must be a grind and a half.
 

reggiecleveland

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Ah, guess you can't fault a guy for wanting to spend time with his family as i would imagine the road during a baseball season must be a grind and a half.
I will say I Lou has really improved as an announcer every year he's around. You can tell he does his homework, and has a sense of when to be quiet.
 

InsideTheParker

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I will say I Lou has really improved as an announcer every year he's around. You can tell he does his homework, and has a sense of when to be quiet.
I have no idea if I'd like him in that role, but it seems to me they could hire him for home games only, Youks for W coast and central games, and someone else for the E coast and still be better off than we are now. I would love to see Todd Walker for the southern away games, but I know he has a job doing some other broadcasting, alas.
 

Hyde Park Factor

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Am I misremembering, or did Lenny Clarke get a chance in the booth at one time? My memory of this is very vague but I feel like he made me switch to the radio broadcast at least once

This is like that.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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yeah mazz is a hot take guy what about big papi or petey
they don’t need the money or want the travel
Am I misremembering, or did Lenny Clarke get a chance in the booth at one time? My memory of this is very vague but I feel like he made me switch to the radio broadcast at least once

This is like that.
Lenny guested in the booth once, he is no analyst.
 

InsideTheParker

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Am I misremembering, or did Lenny Clarke get a chance in the booth at one time? My memory of this is very vague but I feel like he made me switch to the radio broadcast at least once

This is like that.
Oh, Mazz is Bad, but not Lenny Clarke Bad. The latter was not calling the game or doing color. He was doing schtick.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Didn't Mazz rip something off from Schilling in the old members only forum here and then argue it was legit because it was public or something?

I think he is literally unlistenable as a color guy. I remember Jack Welch (from GE) being on a Sox broadcast---he sucked less than Mazz. I remember Morton Downey Jr being a guest in the booth---I'd rather he be there than Mazz. They had the Giant Glass guy in the booth---better than Mazz.

If I had to choose between Grady Little returning to manage the team and listening to 9 innings of Mazz commentatry it would be really, really, really close call...
 

Ale Xander

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Didn't Mazz rip something off from Schilling in the old members only forum here and then argue it was legit because it was public or something?

I think he is literally unlistenable as a color guy. I remember Jack Welch (from GE) being on a Sox broadcast---he sucked less than Mazz. I remember Morton Downey Jr being a guest in the booth---I'd rather he be there than Mazz. They had the Giant Glass guy in the booth---better than Mazz.

If I had to choose between Grady Little returning to manage the team and listening to 9 innings of Mazz commentatry it would be really, really, really close call...
I’d rather have Little than Mazz, but would rather have Mazz than Larussa or Valentine.