Is there a Chance Orsillo Is (Very)Gone?

[Average Reds]

 
Eh, I can see a pretty good argument for not doing so.  Beyond the confidence of his colleague, without being sure about the validity of the rumors, posting them on the internet is a bit irresponsible.

 
As opposed to posting innuendo that hints at the problem with homophobic quips?
 
A poor effort all around.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Don is a very good announcer. As others have noted, he allows Remy and Eck to lead the way in terms of broadcast personality, but he's an excellent straight man. And frankly I think he's been even better on the TBS playoff broadcasts he's done, because he's working with an unfamiliar crew and not covering the Sox, and thus seems to take the lead a little bit more and be more of a director about the action on the field. He doesn't overtalk, thank God, and while he's obviously a homer he's nowhere near the insufferable acts we've seen other teams' broadcasters pull.
 
There's only one Vin Scully. Harry Kalas is dead. This talk about needing a top 5 announcer seems to ignore who the other guys around the league are. The Yankees use the horrible Michael Kay, and they're the best-known team in the universe.
 
Don is a good broadcaster and it would be a shame if we lost him due to a contract issue.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

 Removed

 

[FelixMantilla]

With what NESN appears to be willing to pay (not much), it's unlikely we'll get a play by play announcer as good as Orsillo. And if we do, he/she will surely be a short-timer.

 

[Average Reds]

 
Other posters did that, I didn't. Any "tongue-in-cheek" was unintentional. 

 
I'm not trying to kill you here, but post #17 would suggest that you did take part in it as well. 
 
I won't belabor the point except to say that if there are legitimate reasons that you cannot post something definitive from a source, those reasons probably extend to cover posting innuendo that lends itself to many interpretations.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

To be fair, you can find plenty of rumors surrounding McDonough's sexuality online pretty easily, and it seems that plenty of posters were already aware of these rumors. 
 
The "legitimate reasons" for not posting the rumors is that I wasn't directly there and can't lend validity to them. That's why I specifically stated that they were rumors. Unless I was personally involved in any of these situations (I wasn't) I'd never be able to "post something definitive", so I'll remove my posts.

 

[Paradigm]

I'm kind of between those who want Orsillo back and believe the Sox could do better. Don is def. not in the Curt Gowdy/Ken Coleman league of play-by-play guys the Sox have had – or Fred Cusick or Johnny Most if you want to compare to other sports (or even Mike Gorman). There's nothing irreplaceable or distinctive about him.

What Don is is flexible – it's precisely his lack of personality that allows the network to match him up with whatever kind of color personality they want, whether it's Remy, Eck, etc.

To the extent they should want him back, it's because he can work with any of them – and it gives them the ability to bring in whichever color guy they want.

 
This is all true, and it makes me long for a Mike Gorman-esque character in the Sox booth. Someone with better lines than "by way of the K" and "deep, far, and gone." When Gorman gets going and excited about a Celtics play (e.g. Pierce "buries it!") it's amazing.
 
To be fair, Orsillo doesn't get the chances because so many big Sox games are nationally televised playoff games. 

 

[Billy Jo Robidoux]

I like Orsillo, and would miss him if he left.

But a full season of Sean McDonough and Dennis Eckersley would be the best broadcast team in Sox history.

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

I like Orsillo, and would miss him if he left.

But a full season of Sean McDonough and Dennis Eckersley would be the best broadcast team in Sox history.

 
Sean McDonough was great.  I loved that he would layer sarcasm on really thickly in appropriate situations.  We wouldn't get Harrelson style homer histrionics, we'd get "Hall of Famer Einar Diaz" instead.
 
I like Orsillo, but he doesn't have any bite to him.  Give me some sarcasm.  Give me a good rip job when it's warranted.  That said, Orsillo isn't bad and McDonough isn't walking through that door.  I don't trust a station that has employed Jim Rice as an analyst for a decade to go get somebody better.
 
"Khao is soft white rice in lukewarm water. It has no taste. Befitted to small babies and very old people. It is nourishment that everyone can digest. The world needs khao, just as the world needs people like Don."

 

[mabrowndog]

I don't trust a station that has employed Jim Rice as an analyst for a decade to go get somebody better.

 
Frank Viola.
 
Nick Cafardo.
 
Sam Horn.
 
Jack Fucking Welch.
 
Compared to that pantheon, Rice might actually be in the upper tier.

 

[Corsi]

 
Frank Viola.
 
Nick Cafardo.
 
Sam Horn.
 
Jack Fucking Welch.
 
Compared to that pantheon, Rice might actually be in the upper tier.

 

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

I don't trust a station that has employed Jim Rice as an analyst for a decade to go get somebody better.

 
The "new ownership" inherited a situation in which the franchise had snubbed (or worse) African Americans (read Howard Bryant's book if you need details). They want Hall of Famer Jim Rice to have a lifetime gig with the team, and it's not because they think his baseball analysis is cutting edge 21st century stuff.
 
I don't have a problem with that. Better he should broadcast than be the hitting coach.

 

[ForKeeps]

I'm convinced a random person off the street could do better than Rice. At least they might be able to string together a coherent sentence.

 

[Rough Carrigan]

I'm convinced a random person off the street could do better than Rice. At least they might be able to string together a coherent sentence.

Yeah, I don't know if I've seen anyone on tv who so frequently will speak sentences where the subject, predicate and various clauses will all seem to be associated with completely different topics and have different verb tenses.  Tom Caron deserves credit for his ability to gracefully sidestep Jim Ed's verbal clunkers.

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Tom Caron deserves credit for his ability to gracefully sidestep Jim Ed's verbal clunkers.

 
This is true, too. (I have an advantage because I get the EI feed on DirecTV, which does not include the pre- or postgame.)

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

 
The "new ownership" inherited a situation in which the franchise had snubbed (or worse) African Americans (read Howard Bryant's book if you need details). They want Hall of Famer Jim Rice to have a lifetime gig with the team, and it's not because they think his baseball analysis is cutting edge 21st century stuff.
 
I don't have a problem with that. Better he should broadcast than be the hitting coach.

 
That's great, and they should make him a team ambassador or other such PR/ceremonial position.  I'd have no problem with that.  The guy just has no business speaking on television in an analytic role.  It's not that I think he's too "old school" like McCarver or Morgan, it's that I literally don't know what the hell he's talking about half the time.  He's beyond atrocious.

 

[gammoseditor]

I like Don and think a replacement would probably be worse.  That being said, Sean Grande was excellent filling in on the radio a few games last year.  He probably wouldn't even be on a list of potential replacements, but he's one guy that would make the broadcast significantly better.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

The people saying Don isn't in the upper echelons of MLB PBP guys should start listing PBP guys they think are better (with Scully as the obvious freebie).  I'd probably give you Duane Kuiper, because I'm not getting on the other side of a baseball argument from Joe Posnanski.
 
But besides them... who does a better job than Don?  Gary Cohen for the Mets?  Dave Sims for the Mariners?  Len Casper gets a few mentions, but he puts me to sleep.  I mean, this is a league that employs Gary Thorne and Hawk Harrelson... Vin Sculleys don't grow on trees.  Don't take announcer boy for granted, because the grass is definitely not always greener.

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

The people saying Don isn't in the upper echelons of MLB PBP guys should start listing PBP guys they think are better (with Scully as the obvious freebie).  I'd probably give you Duane Kuiper, because I'm not getting on the other side of a baseball argument from Joe Posnanski.
 
But besides them... who does a better job than Don?  Gary Cohen for the Mets?  Dave Sims for the Mariners?  Len Casper gets a few mentions, but he puts me to sleep.  I mean, this is a league that employs Gary Thorne and Hawk Harrelson... Vin Sculleys don't grow on trees.  Don't take announcer boy for granted, because the grass is definitely not always greener.

And since you mention the M's, those of you down on Remy need to spend a few hours listening to Jay Buhner and Mike Blowers doing color.

 

[jimv]

I like Don and think a replacement would probably be worse.  That being said, Sean Grande was excellent filling in on the radio a few games last year.  He probably wouldn't even be on a list of potential replacements, but he's one guy that would make the broadcast significantly better.

 
That's a great suggestion.
 
Question - assuming equal pay, do baseball broadcasters prefer the tv or radio gig? Certainly higher profile on tv, but the radio broadcasters get the playoffs/World Series and their call can become iconic. O'Brien's "David Ortiz! DAVID ORTIZ!! DAVID ORTIZ!!!" will be remembered for a long time. Can't say the same for anything Orsillo has called

 

[glennhoffmania]

The people saying Don isn't in the upper echelons of MLB PBP guys should start listing PBP guys they think are better (with Scully as the obvious freebie).  I'd probably give you Duane Kuiper, because I'm not getting on the other side of a baseball argument from Joe Posnanski.
 
But besides them... who does a better job than Don?  Gary Cohen for the Mets?  Dave Sims for the Mariners?  Len Casper gets a few mentions, but he puts me to sleep.  I mean, this is a league that employs Gary Thorne and Hawk Harrelson... Vin Sculleys don't grow on trees.  Don't take announcer boy for granted, because the grass is definitely not always greener.

 
This is definitely true, and it's a point that's been discussed in other contexts.  Why is the quality of sports announcers so bad when you'd think that they're highly coveted jobs that would attract talented people?  In a vacuum I think there's plenty of room for improvement over Don.  But when you consider the likely alternatives I'd rather stick with the devil I know.
 
Unless they can get Gary Cohen to leave SNY because I think he's really good.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 
That's a great suggestion.
 
Question - assuming equal pay, do baseball broadcasters prefer the tv or radio gig? Certainly higher profile on tv, but the radio broadcasters get the playoffs/World Series and their call can become iconic. O'Brien's "David Ortiz! DAVID ORTIZ!! DAVID ORTIZ!!!" will be remembered for a long time. Can't say the same for anything Orsillo has called

 
How dare you forget the iconic Orsillo call from July 31, 2005...
 
"Manny's back, and he's back big."