HR and Verducci are out at FOX, Smoltz is in.

soxhop411

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Fox Sports executives and baseball broadcasters huddled at the posh, isolated Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California this week in preparation for the upcoming season.
It was here that Fox quietly decided to unveil its new “A-Team” that will call the World Series this Fall: Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci will join Joe Buck in the booth, two sources tell The Big Lead. From 1996 to 2013, Buck had been paired with Tim McCarver.
When reached for comment this evening, a Fox spokesman had no comment.
Reynolds, sources say, was offered the role earlier this month, and accepted. His addition to the booth has been speculated for months, by Sports Illustrated and the Boston Globe, among others. Reynolds, 53, is a two-time All-Star and spent a decade at ESPN before his highly-publicized departure in 2006. Reynolds was accused of sexual harassment and terminated; he later sued ESPN for wrongful termination and the case was settled out of court.
Verducci, 52, has been covering baseball for Sports Illustrated since 1993. In previous postseasons, he has been a dugout reporter.
http://thebiglead.com/2014/02/27/harold-reynolds-and-tom-verducci-to-join-joe-buck-in-world-series-booth-at-fox-sources-say/#sthash.AuFE56ox.uxfs



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http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/12/22/report-harold-reynolds-tom-verducci-out-john-smoltz-in-as-fox-lead-announcers/

This is pretty big news for folks who watch baseball on TV. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that Fox is getting rid of Tom Verducci and Harold Reynolds and installing John Smoltz as the network’s lead color man. Smoltz will join Joe Buck in a two-man booth for World Series coverage. Reynolds and Verducci will continue to have some role in broadcasts, but not in the booth
 
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jsinger121

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Now I'd rather have McCarver back. Brutal choice if they hire that no talent asshole.
 

Empyreal

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I can only hope that they also bring in A.J. Pierzynski to make fun of Reynolds like he did all World Series.
 

Koufax

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Well he's nasty, so there's that.
 

the1andonly3003

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always thought Reynolds was good on Baseball Tonight when he was with the Mothership...it would be cool if Fox brought back the practice of using the participating teams' color guys
 

MoGator71

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I'm hoping he pinches the wrong ass between now and opening day and they move on to somebody else.
 

xjack

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To paraphrase McCarver, the key to finding a good replacement for him will be finding someone who people like.
 

LogansDad

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Holy fuckballs FOX.  Seriously?
 
Please convince McCarver to come back instead.  Pretty please with a cherry on top?
 

Sox and Rocks

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I seem to be easier on announcers than anyone else on this site.  I actually like Buck (although his attempt at creating memorable soundbites for big plays/hits is annoying), and I used to like McCarver.  I think he has a good voice and style, and he used to be pretty good, but he lost a lot off his fastball in the past few years and was really beginning to lose it, so I'm not sorry to see him go, now. 
 
But Harold Reynolds?  Holy shit is this bad.  Beyond bad, really...
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Are you guys kidding?  Harold Reynolds just might be the most cogent baseball analyst in the television landscape. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
edit:  wait...is cogent the same thing as tumescent?
 

Stu Nahan

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bosockboy said:
Seems like Leiter would have been a natural choice.
Very surprised it isn't him. The look on his face when HR was saying the Sox disrespected the Cardinals by not hitting for Lester in game 5 was priceless. Leiter would have been a good choice.
 

Al Zarilla

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All I can think  of is how much longer does Fox have the LCS's and the WS? I don't have to watch the Saturday games, but I do want to watch the post season, especially with the Sox in it so much. Would have to go to synching up EEI, that route, because Reynolds is so bad. Problem with that is can you get good Hifi like sound that way? What a ridiculous choice if Fox goes with him. He's the worst I've ever heard in over 50 years of listening to and watching baseball. 
 

soxtalon

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I really thought there was no way they could fuck this up unless they got Morgan out of retirement.
 
I think this might be the cost of us winning the series...I mean I'll take that every time but fuck...Is there NO one else out there?
 

baruch20

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Stu Nahan said:
Very surprised it isn't him. The look on his face when HR was saying the Sox disrespected the Cardinals by not hitting for Lester in game 5 was priceless. Leiter would have been a good choice.
Anyone have a link to a clip of this?  I did not get to see this.
 

SoxLegacy

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Ugh...I agree with Sox & Rocks...McCarver was at one time, pretty good, but his talent has eroded. Harold Reynolds has no talent. He had a couple of awful moments during this post-season and I am sure that there will be many more to come.
 

Fred in Lynn

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To paraphrase McCarver, the key to finding a good replacement for him will be finding someone who people like.

Tim would be an order of magnitude less insightful: The key to finding a good replacement is finding someone who is good.
 

CallYaz

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If it means he leaves mlb network forever I'm ok with this choice. I use my iPhone and DVR to sync up the hometown guys on games broadcast on FOX.
 

StuckOnYouk

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Leiter is a thousand times better. I'll bet HR picked against the Sox in all but 2 games in their pre-game predictions. He blatantly loathes the Sox.
 
On the other hand, while it is awful for Fox it is huge for MLB network. Now if they could get Mitch Williams knocked out of there.
 

JimD

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Shouldn't this be a plum job?  Shouldn't Fox have their pick of analysts to work with Buck?  To think that someone believes that Harold Reynolds is the ideal choice for this gig is stunning. 
 

ForKeeps

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JimD said:
Shouldn't this be a plum job?  Shouldn't Fox have their pick of analysts to work with Buck?  To think that someone believes that Harold Reynolds is the ideal choice for this gig is stunning. 
 
Really? How loing did McCarver have the job again, like 50 years? Truly stunning that they would pick another dope to replace him.
 

Spacemans Bong

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I find it mind boggling how, after 20 years, Fox still doesn't really "get" baseball. I feel like if you could put baseball on NBC tomorrow, they'd come out with an infinitely better broadcast. Bob Costas isn't everybody's cup of tea but there's no doubt he loves the game a hundred times as much as Joe Buck, and they would be more likely to pinch somebody like Orel Hershisher or Dennis Eckersley than the dumbest guy in the room. 
 

NortheasternPJ

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Your answer is Bob Costas? Actually he'd fit right in on pushing the morality of the BBWAA and pushing the purity of the game.
 
What's your problem with Joe Buck's "love of the game"? He grew up with his father in MLB broadcasting, came up through the ranks mostly doing baseball and has continued to do baseball over his NFL gig when there is a conflict. What evidence is there that Costas has a hundred times as much love for the game as Joe Buck? I can't tell if Costas has a love for anything but his own opinions.
 
I really am indifferent on Buck and generally indifferent on Costas. 
 

ifmanis5

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I'm always struck by how few truly excellent sports broadcasters there are. Isn't this a profession that a lot of people want to do? Then why are there so few good ones?
 

glennhoffmania

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ifmanis5 said:
I'm always struck by how few truly excellent sports broadcasters there are. Isn't this a profession that a lot of people want to do? Then why are there so few good ones?
 
Same here.  Not only that but they make a shitload of money to do this job.  So you've got a gig that a bunch of people would kill to have, yet the networks continue to shell out big bucks to idiots like Reynolds.  The whole thing is very confusing.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Spacemans Bong said:
I find it mind boggling how, after 20 years, Fox still doesn't really "get" baseball. I feel like if you could put baseball on NBC tomorrow, they'd come out with an infinitely better broadcast. Bob Costas isn't everybody's cup of tea but there's no doubt he loves the game a hundred times as much as Joe Buck, and they would be more likely to pinch somebody like Orel Hershisher or Dennis Eckersley than the dumbest guy in the room. 
 
I don't disagree with your assessment of Fox's inability to "get" baseball.  They treat their audience like they've never seen the game before and whatever they put on the air will be willingly lapped up.  It's insulting.
 
But I also have no trust at all that another network would give us anything better than Fox does.  IIRC, the last time NBC broadcasted major league baseball, Joe Morgan was prominently involved with their lead team.  I think broadcast networks in general will always gear their shows in a way that makes the uninformed audience feel more welcome (and us disgusted and insulted).  They honestly don't give a shit about appeasing baseball fans like us with their choices because they know we're going to be watching regardless of what they do.