Mike Krukow on dealing with a rare muscle disease, life with his partner Duane Kuiper and the general nonsense that follows them both. This is a really great article.
Outside The Lines: Mike Krukow
- Thread starter Lars The Wanderer
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If you've ever enjoyed listening to Kuip and Kruk, I strongly recommend you read this. Great (if sad) story.
Thanks for the link. Great story. I have had the pleasure of hearing them when I am in SF on business and they are really good together. Sadly our TV duo at one time was great too...but not so much anymore...IMHO.
Slightly off tangent..but I was listening to the highlights from the 18 inning game last night. I noticed that Krukow had the radio call of the Brandon Belt home run. I know that Dave Flemming was away for his ESPN college football gig, but is it normal for them to do some radio this post season? In general, I feel sorry for the baseball tv broadcasters who do a team's games all year long but then during the apex of the season, get shut out from calling the play off games. For example, as much as we might hate on Don Orsiillo, I would have rather heard him make the final out call last year than Joe Buck. I was too young to remember the 1970s when the networks would put one announcer from each team in the telecast along with Curt Gowdy etc..berniecarbo1 said:
richgedman'sghost said:
I believe the Giants do three- and four-man radio booths during the playoffs, depending on Flemming's availability. FWIW, they also switch around a fair bit during the regular season as well -- Miller and Kuiper will switch between TV and radio during the course of a game with some regularity.
Yeah, it's a real revolving door during the season - the only constant is Krukow is always on TV as long as the game is broadcast by the Giants (so not Fox or ESPN). This is basically because of Dave Flemming.
Before Flemming came around Kruk and Kuip always did TV, except for the games broadcasted on local TV which were done by Jon Miller. On Sundays when Miller was doing ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, they often had a fill-in on radio. But because Flemming is the best broadcaster under 40 going, they needed to throw him a bone or two lest he move to another team, so he will do a couple innings on TV and radio in many games. He even called the last out of the 2012 World Series.
In the playoffs everybody's there, except when Flemming has other commitments. They usually all call a few innings, and Krukow does a strictly color role.
That takes a fair bit of magnanimity from Miller and Kuiper to cede some of the spotlight. The Mets basically lost Kevin Burkhardt because they didn't have a spot for him on either the radio or the TV teams, and I wonder if it ever crossed their minds to do some musical chairs so Burkhardt got to call games.
Before Flemming came around Kruk and Kuip always did TV, except for the games broadcasted on local TV which were done by Jon Miller. On Sundays when Miller was doing ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, they often had a fill-in on radio. But because Flemming is the best broadcaster under 40 going, they needed to throw him a bone or two lest he move to another team, so he will do a couple innings on TV and radio in many games. He even called the last out of the 2012 World Series.
In the playoffs everybody's there, except when Flemming has other commitments. They usually all call a few innings, and Krukow does a strictly color role.
That takes a fair bit of magnanimity from Miller and Kuiper to cede some of the spotlight. The Mets basically lost Kevin Burkhardt because they didn't have a spot for him on either the radio or the TV teams, and I wonder if it ever crossed their minds to do some musical chairs so Burkhardt got to call games.
Mike Krukow announced yesterday that he will cut back the number of Giants games he will do starting in 2017. His advancing muscle disease is making it increasingly difficult for him to travel. One of either Jeremy Affeldt or Javier Lopez will fill in for Krukow when he isn't in the booth.
A huge blow for Giants fans and all of baseball, really. Kuiper and Krukow are one of the best broadcasting duos in the game.
A huge blow for Giants fans and all of baseball, really. Kuiper and Krukow are one of the best broadcasting duos in the game.