The Five Worst Baseball Announcers of All Time
5. Glenn Geffner: Currently part of the Florida Marlins radio broadcast team, Geffner earned his spot on this list when he was with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Maybe he was a young player who was rushed to the big leagues, but he was over his head on the broadcasts. He talked too fast and said way too much, but did a horrible job of painting a picture for the audience. He took over for the popular Jerry Trupiano, a another announcer that I personally never cared for, and that sure didn't help his situation. He was thankfully gone after one season, though he left us with the phrase, "at least he is better the Glenn Geffner."
4. Suzyn Waldman: I really hate to pick on one of the few women in the baseball broadcasting field, but her spot on this list is richly deserved. Waldman has been a color analyst for the Yankees since 2005. Even if you set aside her ridiculous overreaction to Roger Clemens signing with the Yankees in 2007 or her crying on air later that season when the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs and Joe Torre appeared to have managed his last game in pinstripes, she is still just awful. Her voice to me is not pleasant to listen to in any way, but she isn't the worst announcer in her own booth, more on that later.
3. Harry Caray : I know this will be a blasphemous statement to some, but I will stick to my guns. I saw Caray later in his career, when he was doing Chicago Cubs broadcasts for WGN, and maybe he was better earlier in his career. What I saw a guy I wasn't sure was ever sober, slurring his words and mispronouncing names. Some people saw that as part of Caray's charm, it just didn't work for me. He did suffer a stroke in 1987 and maybe that was the cause of some of his behaviors, but maybe he stayed in the broadcast game too long and tarnished his reputation for some, including myself. To me it was kind of like watching Willie Mays play with the New York Mets, everyone seemed to know his time had passed but him.
2. Ken Harrelson: The Hawk, as he is known, just annoys me, plain and simple. He has been the Chicago White Sox main television announcer since 1990. His catchphrases of "he gone" and "you can put it on the board, yes!", are played out. His constant referring of the White Sox as the good guys, makes it a challenge for anyone other than a White Sox fan to enjoy a call of his. The only good thing I can say about Harrelson is that he is a better broadcaster than he was a General Manager for the White Sox. Just remember he was the man that fired Tony LaRussa
1. John Sterling: Let me get one thing out of the way about John Sterling, he was blessed with a great broadcasting voice. So it makes it even more egregious that he is such a bad broadcaster. He started with the Yankees back in 1989 and has never missed a game, which is admirable. The problem is he is such a complete homer that he loses all credibility. Then there is his home run calls that grate on the nerves, "an A-bomb from A-Rod," "he sends a Teix message," or " the Giambino." He also has a habit of beginning his home run call, and then realizing it is just a deep fly ball, so he looks just as clueless as many fans that get excited at a routine fly to center. With all this evidence, Sterling's worst offense is when New York picks up a victory he bellows, "Yankees win! Theeeee Yankees win!" That phrase alone is why many people hate Sterling as a broadcaster, but as I have shown there are so many more reasons he should just go away.
Sources:
Gordon Edes, O'Brien, Geffner added, boston.com
Broadcasters, newyork.yankees.mlb.com
Harry Caray page, baseball-refence.com
Ken Harrelson page, historicbaseball.com
Published by Darren Pare - Featured Contributor in Sports
I am an author from Orono, Maine currently working on writing my second book and promoting my first one, 33 Summers. I am married and have two children. I am a freelance writer who has a passion for sports... View profile
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13 Comments
Post a CommentSAy what you want, I think that the Hawk Harrelson is a great announcer, and I was a White Sox fan, but isn't that what we are listening for. Harry Carey may not have been a great announcer to the "critics" but once again, who cares, most of us listen to the games to root for our team. It aggravates me when my team's announcers aren't biased, because I am. Maybe you should give up on this sort of rankings, because as a critic of announcers, you are No. 1 on the "worst of"
Geffner worked in the Red Sox front office and was close to senior management types. He was
hideous, alongside the almost as hideous Joe Castiglione. Fortunately, Dave O'Brien (who also does ESPN work) is terrific and when he's in the booth, is getting at least equal the innings of
Castiglione. Wishful thinking: they're phasing out Castiglione.
No Joe Buck, Tim McCarver or Ron Santo. Sorry, but not a great list.
I grew up in St. Louis and you are way off base. Harry Caray was the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals for decades. He was a great announcer who let us feel like we were at the game even though we were hunched over, staring at the radio. Bob Costas has the best knowledge of the game of anyone in the last 30 years. Jack Buck was another terrific announcer who not only knew the game but also had a waywith his delivery that made the listener think that he was at the game with his big brother. Don't write anything like this again until you do some research.
Fuck off Darren Pare, nice photo of you in your trailers kitchen. Ken Harrelson is AMAZING.
Joe Buck is by far the worst- I want to reach through the tV , grab him by his neck and punch him in tyhe mouth everytime I hear his voice. The only person motre anoying in history was Cosell and Bob Costas
I think it's a tie.
Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.
It's better to watch a game with no sound than to listen to their dribble.
Harry Caray, really!!! I think you are annoying. Harry was the best if you watched every day.
Joe Buck Joe Buck Joe Buck - And not only when he does Baseball! Especially his interview with Chuck Knoblauch when the guy couldn't throw to 1st......whatta jerk!
Great list - I totally agree! Especially about the Yanks. (Although I do have fond memories of the Hawk as a Red Sox broadcaster, about 30 years ago. Haven't heard him since.)