What are your thoughts on the Monaco and DiNardo pairing on NESN?

[soxhop411]

As we all know NESN announced before the season started that they would be bringing in a collection of former players during this season to call some of the Sox games.
https://nesn.com/2021/03/nesn-announces-red-sox-talent-roster-for-2021-season/
of the non standard parings this season it seems that Monaco and DiNardo have the best chemistry when calling games together. See: today’s walk off call by Mike Monaco As well as Devers HR
View: https://twitter.com/redsox/status/1434297505194430469?s=21
View: https://twitter.com/redsox/status/1434283763668865025?s=21


Buckley had an article in the athletic last month on how he paid his dues and ended up getting to call games for the Sox.
Buckley: Mike Monaco has paid his dues, and now he’s getting his shot in the NESN booth
https://theathletic.com/2750821/2021/08/04/buckley-mike-monaco-has-paid-his-dues-and-now-hes-getting-his-shot-in-the-nesn-booth/?source=user_shared_article

 

[Harry Hooper]

Make mine Monaco

 

[RorschachsMask]

Monaco is in a different league than O’Brien. Brings actual joy to the booth, and is fun without it coming across awkwardly.

It legitimately shocked me when I learned he is only 28.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Monaco is really good without forcibly trying. He elevated DiNardo's game and knew to let Eck shine.

 

[greek_gawd_of_walks]

Monaco over DOB, and it's not really close. Wish he'd be the full-time guy. Now if we could only jettison Flemming from the 'EEI booth...

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Was impressed with both Monaco and Dinardo. Agree with the comments on a Monaco. And Dinardo was extremely informative without resorting to too much Inside Baseball

One of the things I really liked about Monaco was he seemed to pass on the crowd’s exitemant… even for routine plays

 

[Heating up in the bullpen]

Monaco over DOB, and it's not really close. Wish he'd be the full-time guy. Now if we could only jettison Flemming from the 'EEI booth...

There is so much hate for DOB here. I don’t get it. His “takes ball four” bit is annoying, but otherwise I’m ok with him.
I do agree on Flemming. He is not the heir to Joe Castig.

 

[staz]

As someone who has dabbled a bit, calling a baseball game - in either chair - is not nearly as easy as it may seem. And managing to have a broad appeal while doing so is that much more difficult. So it's not an insult to state that DOB just doesn't bring to a telecast what he brought to radio. These two guys aren't bad, but at this point, any change is refreshing. I know it's not this easy, but send DOB to EEI for McDonough, pair Sean with Eck and it would be magic.

 

[InsideTheParker]

I like these two guys together. They mesh well and combine enthusiasm, knowledge, analysis, all together. There is a level of enjoyment from Remy and Eck that they can't match, but they are so very unobjectionable that I would never feel disappointed to find it's their night.

 

[Ted Cox 4 president]

I didn’t like Tim Neverett, and I don’t like Will Flemming.

Hard to please, I admit.

There’s got to be somebody out there who’s knowledgeable, has a good speaking voice, and strikes the right note for a sophisticated audience. Fingers crossed.

 

[lurker42]

Dave O'Brien is a total pro, but he's more of a sports (in general) guy than a Red Sox guy, and I've found myself becoming annoyed the last few years about how much time he spends talking about other games and other sports rather than what's currently happening on the field. He's also incredibly prone to falling into nostalgic discussions...every single Eovaldi start he called with Remy meant the conversation went from Eovaldi, to Arlen, TX, to prompting Remy to talk about Nolan Ryan. And the O'Brien-Burks booth might as well be calling games from 1989 with how much time they spend talking about Boggs, Evans, Rice, etc.

Monaco is excellent and I hope he takes over on a full-time basis sooner rather than later.

DiNardo is already solid, and as far as I know he has essentially no experience in the booth. He's already miles better than a lot of the guys they tried to let "grow into the role" (Lyons, Gomes, Saltalamacchia, and now Burks)...I'd be ok with him getting a longer look, too.

 

[Spud]

I agree with the dislike of Flemming. He is condescending, very negative, and an all around know it all. I had to turn the radio off this past week and I've never done that with Joe C. or anyone else.

 

[ledsox]

I would move O’Brien back to radio. I liked him there. Keep Monaco , Lenny and Eck for nesn and move Fleming back to the minors. He needs seasoning or something. His brother is very good in San Fran but I also don’t like the know it all negativity Will brings.

 

[Rovin Romine]

Monaco is excellent - he's engaged. . .like with the actual game. The broadcast isn't about him.

At his best, DOB is workmanlike, but at his worst, he's a maundering suckup. I mean, I don't know what his personality is actually like, but that's how he comes across.

 

[The Gray Eagle]

O'Brien was good on the radio. His tendency to describe everything that is happening on the field is crucial on the radio but nearly pointless on TV. "Groundball to short, throws him out at first" is really useful information when you're listening to the radio, but tells us nothing we don't already see on the TV.

On the radio, it seemed like he was more focused on the game, since he had lot more responsibility to tell us what was happening.

 

[A Bad Man]

I’m in the minority here: love Flemming, find his more cerebral style very interesting (esp paired with JC), don’t like Monaco, find his cadence and tenor pretty vanilla.

 

[radsoxfan]

I like them both.

Eck is #1 for sure and the only one who truly increases my likelihood to watch and viewing experience.

I think O'brien is "good", though agree he feels more of a sports guy than a Red Sox guy. Letting Orsillo go never made much sense though I don't really agree with any O'Brien hate.

O'brien, Monaco, Eck, Dinardo, Remy.... I would never complain about any of those combos. They are all very capable and good.

 

[soup17]

I’m sorry to be the dissenting voice here, but I really don’t like DiNardo. His comments seem forced to me and his anecdotes are bland.

 

[ledsox]

Flemming has some positives. At least I think he knows about Fangraphs etc. But he doesn’t seem to realize some people watch the game matched with the radio call. He called a ball high off the wall when it was clearly not. The other day he called a pop up to left a foul ball because he got fooled by the monitor. He corrected to say it hugged the line when it was at least 15 feet fair. He literally describes things incorrectly because he thinks he can get away with it on radio. Drives me nuts.

I know it’s probably not easy to call games off a monitor and he used to complain about it but everybody has had to do it and he seems to have the worst issue with it.

 

[ledsox]

I’m sorry to be the dissenting voice here, but I really do t like DiNardo. His comments seem forced to me and his anecdotes are bland.

Lenny is not great yet but he could improve and as a reliever for Eck he seems to be the best we got.

 

[twibnotes]

I’m a pretty negative, pessimistic guy (I’m working on it, ok?), and I think Fleming is waaaaay too negative. He’s depressing.

I think it’s bc his delivery is so soft and calm yet he is relentlessly negative. If he was loud and passionately negative it would sort of be appealing. I can’t stand his style

 

[Harry Hooper]

O'Brien was good on the radio. His tendency to describe everything that is happening on the field is crucial on the radio but nearly pointless on TV. "Groundball to short, throws him out at first" is really useful information when you're listening to the radio, but tells us nothing we don't already see on the TV.

On the radio, it seemed like he was more focused on the game, since he had lot more responsibility to tell us what was happening.

Yes, O'B on the radio was fine, but his tv work doesn't wear well.

 

[JCizzle]

Monaco has been really good. He's no Orsillo, but I'm a fan. DOB is ok, but I'm never going to fully buy in after they shanked Orsillo for him.

Likewise, Lenny is good, but he's not Eck or Remy. He's the best backup by a decent amount.

To think we recently had the best trio in the business - Orsillo, Remy and Eck is a GOAT tier booth.

 

[Ale Xander]

Hate to say good things about a Notre Dame grad but he’s indeed good. Local guy from Cohasset and he was really good paired with Spanarkel doing college basketball games on Fox Sports a couple years ago.

 

[bankshot1]

I enjoyed today's NESN broadcast and am starting to get used to the new pairing. But they've also had a few good games to call. I'm still in SSS with those guys, but they were enjoyable today.
I sense I like DOB more than most, but I liked Orsillo more than DOB. Orsillo might have been too goofy at times, but you knew he enjoyed what he was doing. DOB sounds too damn serious. But that's where working with Eck works, Eck lightens him up.

I liked Castig a lot, he's good on the radio, and sounds like a radio game caller. I can not detect any chemistry with Flemming.

I really enjoyed listening to Castig and Sean McDonough, when I could not listen any longer to DOB and Ellis, and lost the NESN sound for 'EEI.

 

[Manramsclan]

Monaco was absolutely tremendous. I enjoyed his enthusiasm and also his ability to let the game breathe.
I was very impressed.

I didn't dislike DiNardo but would be fine going halfsies on a pizza or something with him.

 

[WheresDewey]

DOB is perfectly competent as an announcer but no better than that. If he had followed a poor announcer, I'd probably like him. Unfortunately, he is a pale shadow of Orsillo, who should have never been replaced. He has gotten better when paired with Eck. When paired with Burks, it's a snoozefest.

 

[MtPleasant Paul]

I like them all - Orsillo, DOB, Remy, Eckersley, Flemming and Joe C. Monaco and DiNardo were quite good today although DiNardo was pitching heavy in his analysis. Among the new guys Burks is truly terrible. Maybe he can improve. People who heard Remy in his early days said he was not good, but Burks has a pollyanna quality about him than may never change.

I wish that DOB and Monaco would talk less. There is no break in the ocean of sound, and it's a telecast after all. One wishes for a more relaxed pace a la Vince Scully. I wish too that they didn't root so unabashedly for the team. That's not the Red Sox tradition. Back in the day, I would turn the knob rightward across the radio dial from Curt Gowdy, Bob Murphy or Ned Martin on WEAN (Providence) to WINS and a professional Mel Allen, then to KDKA to be jarred by Bob Prince screaming "Let's go, Buccos" and on to KMOX where Harry Caray would be rooting for the Cardinals.

On final thought, why not bring Joe Castig, in the evening of his career, over to TV as a color guy. He has the institutional memory and would be a good replacement for Remy if Jerry were to reduce his role.

 

[rajendra82]

Mike Monaco is much better than DOB. There is actual joy in his voice, and he seems more knowledgeable too.

 

[BringBackMo]

O’Brien is very good when he’s just calling the game. I think he’s one of the best in the business in this regard. His call of the Papi slam in the ALCS still gives me chills every time I listen to it.

It’s when O’Brien feels the need to bring the fun that things go off the rails. His attempts at humor and levity are awkward, and he often steps on the actually entertaining moments from Eck and Remy by attempting to join in with some comment of his own that winds up functioning mostly as a verbal rimshot. I think he’s envious of the easy rapport Orsillo shared with Remy and so tries to replicate it, but it just comes off as phony. He’s just not a funny guy, but he refuses to let that stop him from “being funny.”

O’Brien is already a very good broadcaster. If he could just focus on calling the game, and get out of the way when Eck and Remy are rolling, the broadcasts themselves would be much better.

I like Monaco for what it’s worth. DiNardo to me is just another bland former ballplayer bringing bland takes to the booth. But he’s mostly inoffensive so, sure, let him fill in once in a while.

 

[BringBackMo]

I like them all - Orsillo, DOB, Remy, Eckersley, Flemming and Joe C. Monaco and DiNardo were quite good today although DiNardo was pitching heavy in his analysis. Among the new guys Burks is truly terrible. Maybe he can improve. People who heard Remy in his early days said he was not good, but Burks has a pollyanna quality about him than may never change.

I wish that DOB and Monaco would talk less. There is no break in the ocean of sound, and it's a telecast after all. One wishes for a more relaxed pace a la Vince Scully. I wish too that they didn't root so unabashedly for the team. That's not the Red Sox tradition. Back in the day, I would turn the knob rightward across the radio dial from Curt Gowdy, Bob Murphy or Ned Martin on WEAN (Providence) to WINS and a professional Mel Allen, then to KDKA to be jarred by Bob Prince screaming "Let's go, Buccos" and on to KMOX where Harry Caray would be rooting for the Cardinals.

On final thought, why not bring Joe Castig, in the evening of his career, over to TV as a color guy. He has the institutional memory and would be a good replacement for Remy if Jerry were to reduce his role.

Good post. I enjoyed reading your thoughts.

 

[cantor44]

There is so much hate for DOB here. I don’t get it. His “takes ball four” bit is annoying, but otherwise I’m ok with him.
I do agree on Flemming. He is not the heir to Joe Castig.

I totally agree. I'm actually perplexed by the all DOB hate, and have resigned myself to being the only person who doesn't hate on him (but maybe now there's two!). I'm going to go a bit further and say I think DOB is an excellent broadcaster. He has a great vocal timbre, he's on top of game facts, and he calls a really good game, with a flare for the dramatic. His call of the Ortiz grand slam in the 2013 ALDS is one of the best sports calls I've ever heard (gives me chills and tears me up for real):

WEEI call from 1:41-2:35, but surely interesting to compare to the two other broadcasts, DOB far and away the best:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClylGO9wE1c


DOB is willing to criticize some manager's choices and player habits and I appreciate that he's not a total homer. I think the guy is a absolute pro, and in the upper echelon, nationally, of broadcasters.

I liked Dinardo as the color man, is very articulate for a former athlete. Much much better than Ellis Burks (zzzzz). I prefer both Eck and Remy, though, as both are not only insightful, but funny, colorful, and unique people.

Monaco has promise, he was clean, but I felt like I was listening to a good college radio broadcast ...

 

[Earthbound64]

I know it's not this easy, but send DOB to EEI for McDonough, pair Sean with Eck and it would be magic.

This is the correct answer.

Eckersley + McDonough
Castigliano + O'Brien

If only...

 

[brandonchristensen]

I didn’t like Tim Neverett, and I don’t like Will Flemming.

Hard to please, I admit.

There’s got to be somebody out there who’s knowledgeable, has a good speaking voice, and strikes the right note for a sophisticated audience. Fingers crossed.

Not hard to please. I love listening to games and I hate both TN and WF.

 

[brandonchristensen]

I totally agree. I'm actually perplexed by the all DOB hate, and have resigned myself to being the only person who doesn't hate on him (but maybe now there's two!). I'm going to go a bit further and say I think DOB is an excellent broadcaster. He has a great vocal timbre, he's on top of game facts, and he calls a really good game, with a flare for the dramatic. His call of the Ortiz grand slam in the 2013 ALDS is one of the best sports calls I've ever heard (gives me chills and tears me up for real):

WEEI call from 1:41-2:35, but surely interesting to compare to the two other broadcasts, DOB far and away the best:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClylGO9wE1c


DOB is willing to criticize some manager's choices and player habits and I appreciate that he's not a total homer. I think the guy is a absolute pro, and in the upper echelon, nationally, of broadcasters.

I liked Dinardo as the color man, is very articulate for a former athlete. Much much better than Ellis Burks (zzzzz). I prefer both Eck and Remy, though, as both are not only insightful, but funny, colorful, and unique people.

Monaco has promise, he was clean, but I felt like I was listening to a good college radio broadcast ...

DOB was great on Radio, I agree. He was awesome for a long time there and I genuinely enjoyed him. But it didn't translate.

 

[wiffleballhero]

I know I'm pushing away from the center of the thread, but I've really liked McDonough on the radio this year. Eck is the only former player I've ever really liked. He's gold. And, FWIW, it has never been clear to me why McDonough was dumped now almost 20 years ago from the TV booth, especially because for quite a while I couldn't shake the sense that Orsillo was not so much calling the games but doing an impression of McDonough calling the games.

 

[Van Everyman]

I totally agree. I'm actually perplexed by the all DOB hate, and have resigned myself to being the only person who doesn't hate on him (but maybe now there's two!). I'm going to go a bit further and say I think DOB is an excellent broadcaster. He has a great vocal timbre, he's on top of game facts, and he calls a really good game, with a flare for the dramatic. His call of the Ortiz grand slam in the 2013 ALDS is one of the best sports calls I've ever heard (gives me chills and tears me up for real):

WEEI call from 1:41-2:35, but surely interesting to compare to the two other broadcasts, DOB far and away the best:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClylGO9wE1c


DOB is willing to criticize some manager's choices and player habits and I appreciate that he's not a total homer. I think the guy is a absolute pro, and in the upper echelon, nationally, of broadcasters.

I liked Dinardo as the color man, is very articulate for a former athlete. Much much better than Ellis Burks (zzzzz). I prefer both Eck and Remy, though, as both are not only insightful, but funny, colorful, and unique people.

Monaco has promise, he was clean, but I felt like I was listening to a good college radio broadcast ...

I can’t help feel like the constant DOB criticism is rooted in an overestimation of Orsillo, nostalgia over how good the team was during his run and the pretty cold way he was shown the door by NESN.

Don’t get me wrong: I thought Orsillo was fine for the most part. But he was largely a more affable Sean McDonough—their voices were almost identical—and I’m not sure he ever transcended it. And for a good chunk of his time with the Sox, Orsillo and Remy lapsed into giggling for endless innings.

I honestly think people have forgotten how tired the Don and Jerry Show got before Remy cleaned his act up a season or two before Orsillo left (my dad and I noted that he had returned to being much more analytical after coasting for a number of seasons).

None of which is to say that Orsillo was bad – he did a solid job for most of his time with the Sox and had a number of classic calls during his tenure (“Manny is back and he’s back big!” is one we still quote around here). And I’m still not entirely sure why he got ditched so unceremoniously – NESN had a right to move on and probably wanted to keep DOB from leaving for another gig but it made no sense to do it so abruptly snd coldheartedly.

All of which is to say, I think a lot of the criticism of DOB seems unwarranted, over the top and still rooted in this drama with how he got the job. He’s not perfect and probably was better on radio (so was Ned Martin). He doesn’t carry really green guys like Ellis Burks but not many would. But he’s otherwise a very solid announcer and often very good. The constant criticism is exhausting.

 

[YTF]

I like the pairing. Monaco, though young, is already fairly established. He does a nice job and will only get better. DiNardo, while just starting out, has been impressive. He seems well prepared, understands his role and doesn't step all over his partner. He does well at combining information and conversation. There's room for growth, but he already seems to have a good understanding of how to work a broadcast partnership. Though it's likely their futures would take separate paths, I think they work well together and given the opportunity I think they could grow into a very nice team. I'd like to see DiNardo stick around in his role as pre and post game host with TC and be available to expand his role as fill in CC. I want Remy around for a while longer, but there's going to come a time when he's no longer in the both. Eck is happy with the workload that he currently has. I'd love to see Lenny get into the both for a few three man broadcasts as this season winds down and for him to replace Burks in future one on one pairings. I would be interested in a Monaco, Eck and DiNardo broadcast.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

All of which is to say, I think a lot of the criticism of DOB seems unwarranted, over the top and still rooted in this drama with how he got the job. He’s not perfect and probably was better on radio (so was Ned Martin). He doesn’t carry really green guys like Ellis Burks but not many would. But he’s otherwise a very solid announcer and often very good. The constant criticism is exhausting.

Actually, some of us aren't quite that simple, and are totally capable of listening to someone night after night and developing an opinion.
O'Brien wants to be part of the show, pushing his catch phrases like "swifty" and "Hoover" and "all filled up," and they're forced and and annoying as hell.
He wants to be funny, but he isn't funny.
He wants to analyze, and tries to analyze. The great pbp guys do pbp and set up their analysts for the analysis. Joe Buck is terrific at this.
I don't find him to have any chemistry with any partner he's had.
I have nothing against the guy personally, but I think he's probably the worst pbp guy I can remember the Sox having in my 50ish years of watching. Sorry if that's exhausting, but it's my opinion based on observation.

I like Monaco quite a bit. DiNardo is fine. He fits somewhere in the vast cavern between Eck and Remy and most of the other guys they've brought in.

 

[Rovin Romine]

But he’s otherwise a very solid announcer and often very good. The constant criticism is exhausting.

His voice is good. He can call the plays. But in terms of listening to someone intelligently talk baseball? Not so much. DOB has a certain pandering quality about him. Not an introductory pandering, where he touches base with the game's essentials for a new audience, but a sort of "my life as an announcer" pandering. I honestly don't give a rat's ass about any of that, or his personal views on things, and it comes off as obnoxious.

Think about classic Castig for a moment. If you take away the play-by-plays his comments are sometimes terse and insightful, but they usually frame the color man. He's like the orchestrator. Sure, there are personal anecdotes in there as well, but I don't feel like I'm listening to "life in the booth."

DOB can do the TV play by play, but after that point he's less than mediocre. The fact that he can't focus Burks sort of speaks for itself.

 

[Rovin Romine]

The great pbp guys do pbp and set up their analysts for the analysis.

Veracity in cross-posting.

 

[benhogan]

Being a Cuse guy I hate to throw DOB under the bus, but I also felt Monaco is much better than Dave (& thought it was just me)

Monaco has a really nice even/pitch for TV, he and Eck would be outstanding.

It's kind of strange that the vast majority around here feel the same. We rarely agree like this on something as subjective as the PBP guy.

Does winning 4 straight games skew our opinions?

 

[YTF]

Actually, some of us aren't quite that simple, and are totally capable of listening to someone night after night and developing an opinion.
O'Brien wants to be part of the show, pushing his catch phrases like "swifty" and "Hoover" and "all filled up," and they're forced and and annoying as hell.
He wants to be funny, but he isn't funny.
He wants to analyze, and tries to analyze. The great pbp guys do pbp and set up their analysts for the analysis. Joe Buck is terrific at this.
I don't find him to have any chemistry with any partner he's had.
I have nothing against the guy personally, but I think he's probably the worst pbp guy I can remember the Sox having in my 50ish years of watching. Sorry if that's exhausting, but it's my opinion based on observation.

I like Monaco quite a bit. DiNardo is fine. He fits somewhere in the vast cavern between Eck and Remy and most of the other guys they've brought in.

I think part of the problem here is Eck. I was a little slow to come around to Eck when he debuted. He seemed a bit too much, too over the top, but once you get to understand that this is who Eck is and there is a shit ton of substance that goes along with cheese, iron, I gotta have it, pair of shoes, etc... you find him very endearing and genuine. That's not the case with OB. As you say, he pushes it, It's forced, not organic. IMO OB wants to adopt a bit of the Eck magic, but it doesn't wok. He's NOT that guy, nor should he be.

 

[Harry Hooper]

I can’t help feel like the constant DOB criticism is rooted in an overestimation of Orsillo, nostalgia over how good the team was during his run and the pretty cold way he was shown the door by NESN.

At least in my case, your feeling is off as I did not care for the work of the much-loved Orsillo. For me if you keep noticing what the PBP person is doing on the broadcast, he or she is doing it wrong. O'B nailed the postseason Ortiz HR call, but grates too often as a day-to-day broadcaster. People have different tastes, so whatever.

 

[InsideTheParker]

I can’t help feel like the constant DOB criticism is rooted in an overestimation of Orsillo, nostalgia over how good the team was during his run and the pretty cold way he was shown the door by NESN.

Don’t get me wrong: I thought Orsillo was fine for the most part. But he was largely a more affable Sean McDonough—their voices were almost identical—and I’m not sure he ever transcended it. And for a good chunk of his time with the Sox, Orsillo and Remy lapsed into giggling for endless innings.

I honestly think people have forgotten how tired the Don and Jerry Show got before Remy cleaned his act up a season or two before Orsillo left (my dad and I noted that he had returned to being much more analytical after coasting for a number of seasons).

None of which is to say that Orsillo was bad – he did a solid job for most of his time with the Sox and had a number of classic calls during his tenure (“Manny is back and he’s back big!” is one we still quote around here). And I’m still not entirely sure why he got ditched so unceremoniously – NESN had a right to move on and probably wanted to keep DOB from leaving for another gig but it made no sense to do it so abruptly snd coldheartedly.

All of which is to say, I think a lot of the criticism of DOB seems unwarranted, over the top and still rooted in this drama with how he got the job. He’s not perfect and probably was better on radio (so was Ned Martin). He doesn’t carry really green guys like Ellis Burks but not many would. But he’s otherwise a very solid announcer and often very good. The constant criticism is exhausting.

I agree with most of this, but I think DOB is worlds better on radio. I'd prefer someone else in the NESN booth.

 

[cantor44]

Actually, some of us aren't quite that simple, and are totally capable of listening to someone night after night and developing an opinion.
O'Brien wants to be part of the show, pushing his catch phrases like "swifty" and "Hoover" and "all filled up," and they're forced and and annoying as hell.
He wants to be funny, but he isn't funny.
He wants to analyze, and tries to analyze. The great pbp guys do pbp and set up their analysts for the analysis. Joe Buck is terrific at this.
I don't find him to have any chemistry with any partner he's had.
I have nothing against the guy personally, but I think he's probably the worst pbp guy I can remember the Sox having in my 50ish years of watching. Sorry if that's exhausting, but it's my opinion based on observation.

I like Monaco quite a bit. DiNardo is fine. He fits somewhere in the vast cavern between Eck and Remy and most of the other guys they've brought in.

I find the entire broadcast team has been influenced by Eckersly. "Party time," "Piece of cheese," "That's a beautiful thing." They are all incorporating his lingo to some degree, including DOB, and sometimes it does seem forced, yes. This might only be partially conscious - as we know the affective manner/style of the most colorful person in a group often permeates into the rest of the group (I still use a certain kind of tone of voice - 25 years later! - when joking around, totally appropriated through social osmosis from a hilarious guy I went to grad school with). Eck is the funniest, most unconventional of the group of broadcasters around him, and he's influencing the group's style. It feels authentic for Eck, but not so much for the others.

Yes, SoSH has a lotta folks who think for themselves and are smart cookies. But I think there may be some validity, more generally, about some bias against DOB give the circumstances of Orsillo's sacking (which really was shitty). I also agree that the Orsillo and Remy schtick got tiresome and often too tangential. And Orsillo made more mistakes that DOB makes. Though I liked him, too. And Sean McDonough. Sox have had excellent announcers.

I generally don't want announcers to talk too much about things that are not the game. Nothing more infuriating when the broadcast becomes two track: the game we're watching, and the conversation about so-and-so we're listening to. DOB maybe can be critiqued here, but I still think he's a fantastic broadcaster - a truly talented man.

 

[YTF]

I find the entire broadcast team has been influenced by Eckersly. "Party time," "Piece of cheese," "That's a beautiful thing." They are all incorporating his lingo to some degree, including DOB, and sometimes it does seem forced, yes. This might only be partially conscious - as we know the affective manner/style of the most colorful person in a group often permeates into the rest of the group (I still use a certain kind of tone of voice - 25 years later! - when joking around, totally appropriated through social osmosis from a hilarious guy I went to grad school with). Eck is the funniest, most unconventional of the group of broadcasters around him, and he's influencing the group's style. It feels authentic for Eck, but not so much for the others.

Yes, SoSH has a lotta folks who think for themselves and are smart cookies. But I think there may be some validity, more generally, about some bias against DOB give the circumstances of Orsillo's sacking (which really was shitty). I also agree that the Orsillo and Remy schtick got tiresome and often too tangential. And Orsillo made more mistakes that DOB makes. Though I liked him, too. And Sean McDonough. Sox have had excellent announcers.

I generally don't want announcers to talk too much about things that are not the game. Nothing more infuriating when the broadcast becomes two track: the game we're watching, and the conversation about so-and-so we're listening to. DOB maybe can be critiqued here, but I still think he's a fantastic broadcaster - a truly talented man.

I think post #46 has been influenced by post #43 Seriously I think there is something to some of the OB dislike coming from how Announcer Boy was dismissed. I also think some of it might come form seeing Orsillo's growth since being sacked. Padres games are often the late night feature on the MLB Network featuring Orsillo's PBP. We also get glimpses of him when the network cuts to "live look ins" and he's also been called upon to do other featured games for the network. Combine that with his post season work on TBS and we've been able to further appreciate the one that got away.

 

[cantor44]

I think post #46 has been influenced by post #43

Ha! Sure enough!

 

[phenweigh]

O'Brien wants to be part of the show, pushing his catch phrases like "swifty" and "Hoover" and "all filled up," and they're forced and and annoying as hell.

I would be fine with DOB, except for his use of swifty. For reasons I can't explain it really grates on me.

I'm enjoying listening to Monaco and Lenny.

 

[Bergs]

If I were to die tomorrow, I imagine the general SoSH recollection of me would be that I say "fuck" a lot and hate the work of Dave O'Brien. The following is a bit of both:

DOB is an AI chatbot. He picks up on "words to say" from other people: "off the green" “all filled up” “beats the rap” “lashes” (Castig); "lift and separate" "pair of shoes" "beautiful thing" etc (Eck), and regurgitates them devoid of enthusiasm, context, or personality.

I REALLY hate malapropisms, and DOB is the worst I’ve ever heard. “Dead away center” is not a thing. “Dead center” is, “straightaway center” is, and “Dead away center” fucking isn’t. No one else has ever called a count “all filled up”…that’s for bases, not balls and strikes. I genuinely dislike listening to him saying words aloud.

He blabbers out utterly meaningless stats/splits as if they are remotely relevant/predictive. “He’s hitting .666 in his last 17 home games where he took a really good well-tapered shit earlier that day and there’s a lefty starter who only masturbates on Wednesdays.”

He is a fucking jinx machine. Do I believe this has a real-world impact? I do! Not on the field, but in the fact it makes me want to smash shit in my house because every time he opens his fat fucking mouth about what is going well, bad shit happens. Harbingers suck even in the best of times, but especially when they take the form of middle-aged white guys who use too much Just for Men.

He constantly talks about how player X “loves” facing a team based on 3 games 7 years ago. Or how player Y is “due” or when player Z “loves facing this pitcher” based on 3 AB’s from the pitcher’s first career start 2 years ago.

Anyfuckingbody who calls a fucking fastball a fucking “swifty” needs to be working in a fucking Wendy’s drive-through, not telling me what’s going on in a fucking Boston Red Sox game.

He is awful at his job. Awful. Cataloging the last time he realized a ball was a HR off the bat is a “future tense” rather than “past tense” exercise. The 3-man booth was great not just because Eck and Remy are great together, but because they shut him the fuck up.

And yeah, all this is made worse because Don Orsillo is so fucking phenomenal at this job. Don is one of the best currently working, and he was brilliant with Remy. The one national Sox game he did this year was a joyful experience, and at the same time a sad one. Why in the everfucking fuck NESN let him go will always be a mystery to me. "Orsillo rounding third" probably ranks as a top-10 moment in regular-season Red Sox broadcast history.



edit: I also think people who have bad memories of some of the sillier Remy/Orsillo stuff forget that they usually seemed to happen in blowouts, often with the Sox being blown out. Bad times make for bad memories if you're not careful.