Radio Days
By Karlsie
I never heard Red Barber call a game, except on tape, his commentaries on NPR were treasures I grew to love as well as the books he wrote. He was an advocate for when nothing was happening of saying nothing was happening rather than filling air with chatty nonsense. Color was one thing, blather was another.
Yesterday, I got to experience two different game styles on the radio that reminded me why I'm "old school" (as my son would say) for the final regular season New York/Boston match-up as I drove home from Amherst, MA. You see, you can pick up WEEI in the parking lot of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book art, but the second you exit the driveway you lose the station in a haze of static, leaving the "Voice of the Yankees" the only option for those of us who won't pony up for XM. From Amherst to Charlton, I listened to the game from a NY perspective and what a perspective it was!
It wasn't long before I was grateful for Boston radio because the three people in the New York booth never shut up.
In listening, I wondered how much of the rivalry is fed by broadcasters. Let me rephrase that, I know that we build our biases based on those around us. In his book "Walk in Spirit," Barber tells the story of how Branch Rickey knew that in order to bring Robinson to the Dodgers meant winning Barber over first. How Barber called the game would make the difference between fans accepting or rejecting Robinson. Years later, after he had retired, Robinson credited Barber as being a key for breaking down the race barrier. By calling the game as if Robinson were just another player, people saw him as just another player rather than a black player and that, in the end, is what made him just another player on the field.
With that said, I was shocked at the difference in styles - and I just don't mean that "fill the air with noise" thing either.
Last week, I was listening to the Red Sox game in the car when a controversial play went down. Troup and Castligone made a call from their perspective and one of them added, "We may be biased, but we'd like to think we're fair."
Until yesterday I would have questioned that belief - but they were right.
It started with the starting line ups. Because I could get that in the parking lot, I listened to the Boston boys describe players as "power hitters" and other adjectives the described the players from both teams. They talked about the four scenarios for the Wild Card spot and set the tone for the game. Pulling out of the lot and switching over to the NY station, I heard phrases describing players that weren't always positive. Then the criticism of the club began - first implying the Kevin Millar was (oh, let's be nice because I am biased) was clueless for not knowing the division was clinched on Saturday by the Yankees.
Then the comments started flying. When the Yankees outfield played in, they were playing shallow. When Manny Ramirez was playing in, he was playing "little league depth." This was justified because Sheffield "hits hard, so it would just bounce off the wall and Ramirez could just turn around and grab it." In other words Manny was lucky and incompetent and Sheffield was professional.
The barbs and digs continued. When shaky pitching allowed the Sox a run without the benefit of a hit, the announcers continued on about Kevin Millar. When Damon crossed the plate with the first run, the focus was on the sacrifice fly that got him there, not that the Sox were leading.
Let me put it this way; I was in shock when I heard one of the announcers give a back handed compliment to the Sox. In talking about how the Yankees - oh yeah, and the Sox - had a solid line up from top to bottom. The same announcer did make some other positive comments about the Sox, but for the most part it was this woman and someone else trashing the Sox as the Yankees fell apart on the field.
After I crossed the line back into WEEI territory, the difference struck me immediately. When it came to Yankees pitching, they talked about past successes and the history of who was on the mound. They talked about saving players like Jeter for the post season and what the Yankees have done that have caused problems for the Sox. By the time I got home and turned on NESN for the familiar sounds of the Remdawg and Announcer Boy and settled into my chair, I realized that Rickey was right all those years ago: how the announcer calls the game makes all the difference in the world.
In the end, we end the season tied with the Yankees winning the division because of the 10-9 record in the two teams match up. That in itself has defied the odds in many ways. The baseball preview in Sports Illustrated last spring had the Yankees dominating the league and the Sox, if they were lucky, finishing second without Derek Lowe or Pedro. A lot of "seasoned" sports professionals didn't see the Sox in the post season - of course they didn't see the Yankees struggling the way they did this year either.
As we head into the heart of the fall and the inevitable roller coaster ride of the post season, it is nice to know that anything is possible and, when that possible happens, I won't have to listen to it filled with the noise of obnoxious chatter… unless I'm watching the games on FOX.
