Yet another team goes to a single play-by-play announcer on radio. While that would be all right if it was Jon Miller or Vin Scully, if the single play-by-play man is annoying (e.g. John Sterling, Ed Farmer) or boring (e.g. Terry Smith, Scott Franzke), the broadcast is twice as annoying or boring than it would otherwise have to be.


(Of course, teams use boring announcers in order to avoid announcers who will be annoying to half of everybody--a silly solution, since I've never heard that anyone was annoyed by Harry Kalas or Ernie Harwell . . .)

Who's the Angels announcer whose regular speaking voice is a yell?

Rory Markas tends to be a yeller.

I appreciate what Vaux is saying, but there's no way to view this loss of Hudler as anything but good news for everyone (except Hudler).

Those 2 assclowns were the worst announcers in the league. They were perfect for Rev Halo.

Obviously, (just about) every announcer is a homer. But Hudler, Hudler, Hudler; it's not that he was biased against the other team (not nearly to the extent the CHW guys are), so much as insanely pro-Angels. He treated everything any Angel does, from running out a ground ball to scratching their junk, as another great example of Angels baseball. Lay down a bunt? Great Angles baseball. Hit a homerun? Great Angels baseball. Call time in the batters box? Angels baseball. Get picked off? Well, that didn't work out, but it's just another great example of the aggressive baserunning that's the backbone of Angels baseball.

Good ####### riddance.

Hudler is a turd burglar.

This is, of course, wonderful news for the Angels, and I am greatly distressed by the comments on the story that disagree with it.

I do wish that Hudler could be kept around in some capacity, and he is a good ambassador to the community and a good cheerleader. He is simply not a good announcer.

The best thing is getting rid of Physioc, who is easily the worst play-by-play announcer I have ever heard in the professional ranks. He commonly gets plays wrong, which is pretty hard to do in doing TV play-by-play for baseball. He overdramatizes. He repeats cliches. He is unfunny at all times, despite his "best" efforts. There is nothing that a good or even average announcer does that Physioc can manage to achieve. He can't even report score changes correctly, always emphasizing the score that has stayed the same (e.g., if the score is 6-3 and the team with 3 scores a run, he says, "And it's now six to four.").

Worst of all, Physioc does not understand the basic mathematical concept of "half". Say the score is 4-1. The team with 1 gets a run, and now it is 4-2. Every single time this happens, Physioc declares that "the lead has been cut in half." No sir. If it was 4-0 and the team with 0 hits a 2-run HR, that cuts the lead in half. If it's 10-4 and a team makes it 10-5, that is not half. Five is not half of six!

He may be the nicest of men, but he is an incurable moron when it comes to the performance of his job, and his firing makes this a successful Angel postseason even if John Lackey signs with the Yankees, Vladimir Guerrero with the Rangers, and Kendry Morales and Jered Weaver are traded for Miguel Olivo.

If Hudler's next project is a show in which Mark Langston just screams at him for a half hour, I would watch that show.

Vaux's first comment is confusing to me. Yes, Terry Smith will be the sole p-b-p guy on the radio, but he won't be doing the radiocast alone, as Jose Mota will be doing color.

And I don't really think of Rory Markas as much of a yeller, but ymmv.

The Angels can their guys and Dick Enberg is talking about coming back to baseball--but not with the Angels. Odd.

Markas and Smith are OK. Mota is not great. Physioc is very bad. I agree Hudler should have some sort of role.

Markas and Gubicza are very good together. They are funny, Gubicza has a decent number of good things to say by the standards of color guys, and they don't incessantly chatter when unnecessary. The fact that they are comfortable being silent for a pitch or two is such a welcome relief.

I didn't watch many Angels games, but this will get me to watch more.

Yes, Terry Smith will be the sole p-b-p guy on the radio, but he won't be doing the radiocast alone, as Jose Mota will be doing color.

It's the play-by-play guy who does most of the talking, and who is usually the more articulate (sorry . . .) of the pair. (Of course, it would be possible to construct a broadcast team made enjoyable solely by the color man; say if the color man was Mike Shannon--but then, he does play-by-play.) As for the present subjects, I had a hard time telling Markus and Smith apart anyway.

Glad Physioc is gone. Rex is a moron, but at least he's an entertaining moron.

The best thing is getting rid of Physioc, who is easily the worst play-by-play announcer I have ever heard in the professional ranks.

I couldn't agree more. I could never stand this guy since I was subjected to his stylings in San Francisco. He is the only announcer I have ever really disliked. Strongly disliked. OK hated.

Glad Physioc is gone. Rex is a moron, but at least he's an entertaining moron.

Agreed with this too. I kinda liked Rex's enthusiasm. But without Physioc his flaws might become more apparent.

I actually think Hudler is better without Physioc, as Physioc brings out his worst traits.

The best thing is getting rid of Physioc, who is easily the worst play-by-play announcer I have ever heard in the professional ranks. He commonly gets plays wrong, which is pretty hard to do in doing TV play-by-play for baseball. He overdramatizes. He repeats cliches. He is unfunny at all times, despite his "best" efforts. There is nothing that a good or even average announcer does that Physioc can manage to achieve. He can't even report score changes correctly, always emphasizing the score that has stayed the same (e.g., if the score is 6-3 and the team with 3 scores a run, he says, "And it's now six to four.").

Worst of all, Physioc does not understand the basic mathematical concept of "half". Say the score is 4-1. The team with 1 gets a run, and now it is 4-2. Every single time this happens, Physioc declares that "the lead has been cut in half." No sir. If it was 4-0 and the team with 0 hits a 2-run HR, that cuts the lead in half. If it's 10-4 and a team makes it 10-5, that is not half. Five is not half of six!

This is my kind of post.

Say the score is 4-1. The team with 1 gets a run, and now it is 4-2. Every single time this happens, Physioc declares that "the lead has been cut in half." No sir. If it was 4-0 and the team with 0 hits a 2-run HR, that cuts the lead in half.

What if the score was previously 4-0?

-Say the score is 4-1. The team with 1 gets a run, and now it is 4-2. Every single time this happens, Physioc declares that "the lead has been cut in half." No sir. If it was 4-0 and the team with 0 hits a 2-run HR, that cuts the lead in half.

What if the score was previously 4-0?

You mean, ever, in the course of the game? It depends on how you phrase it. We can discuss those nuances, but they are unknown to Physioc, who uses that construction regardless of circumstance.

You guys can snark all you want, but both of these guys are in the old boys club of baseball announcing and I, for one, was glad the Angels were taking one for the collective good. They will pop up somewhere. It could be for my team...it could be for YOURS!

I'm sure Physioc will still find work calling the play by play of various West Coast college games. Although I don't know if Fox Sports was using him for Pac-10 football this year. He works more basketball games.

He can't even report score changes correctly,

Alas...we still have Waldman.

Does it make me a bad person if I kind of liked Physioc and Hudler? I know they're bad but they're the guys I watched during my formative years of becoming an Angels fan.

I'm trying to think a food analogy but I'm coming up blank. Cotton candy? White Castle?

Physioc is bringing his own special brand of suck to the Fox College Sports Pacific channel. He brought much ineptitude to the broadcast of the UCLA-Wazzu game a couple of Saturdays ago. His partner, though, a young announcer named Yogi Roth, was impressive and showed a lot of promise.

I'm trying to think a food analogy but I'm coming up blank. Cotton candy? White Castle?

People used to dig up 2000 year old Egyptian mummies and eat them. So...even worse than that you perverted freak.

It's really amazing how frequently Physioc would get a play wrong. Stuff like saying a guy caught a ball when he didn't, that a guy was out when he was safe, etc. He would basically assume what was going to happen and then stop paying attention. Then, once the mistake was revealed to him, he'd scramble and spend time explaining why he got it wrong.

Even Hudler got snarky with him a couple times last year. After some force where Physioc assumed the out and the guy was safe, Hudler pointed out he was safe and said something like "Usually when the ump spreads his arms like that it means the guy is safe." When you're a play-by-play guy getting fact-checked by Rex Hudler, it may be time to get a real estate license.

I've never heard Physioc, but he sounds like the Sterling of the West. Is he anywhere as bombastic?

Does it make me a bad person if I kind of liked Physioc and Hudler?

WORSE THAN HITLER.

I trashed Physioc once on my blog and Mark Whicker came to his defense. Talk about an old boys network.

This is the best Angels offseason ever.

Hud teamed with Rory Markus would have been nice, but if Rex gone is the price to be paid for losing Physioc, it is a small price.

Look. When you're so specially awful that the ONLY point of reference is yourself, you're special.

Rex Hudler is *that* kind of special, just sayin'.

Does it make me a bad person if I kind of liked Physioc and Hudler?

WORSE THAN HITLER.

But not quite as bad as Garvey.

Does it make me a bad person if I kind of liked Physioc and Hudler? I know they're bad but they're the guys I watched during my formative years of becoming an Angels fan.

No, what makes you a bad person is that those formative years turned you into a monkey-####### Angels fan.

This gives us hope that some suit might actually realize that Rick Monday cannot speak English.

"You start to look at Jeff Weaver. 3.75 the ERA. 2-4 the record."

Theeeeeeeeeeere's a bright, golden haze on the meadow!
There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow!
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye,
And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the skyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Oh, what a beautiful moooooornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day!
I've got a beautiful feeeeeeeelin'
Everything's goin' my way!

Theeeeeeeeeeere's a bright, golden haze on the meadow!
There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow!
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye,
And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the skyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Oh, what a beautiful moooooornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day!
I've got a beautiful feeeeeeeelin'
Everything's goin' my way!

Now you know how I felt when I heard Thom Brennaman was leaving WGN.

Until I heard that Chip Caray was replacing him.

as Physioc brings out his worst traits.

Physioc brings out the worst traits in everyone. He'd turn Nobel Peace Prize winners into homicidal maniacs if they were in the booth with him. Rosa Parks would have got off the bus had he been around.

Fox never knew what they had in Hudler --- I've played golf with him a few times (way back in the day), and he is a great story teller. Fox turned him into a goofy cheerleader on the air.

Not good!..Rex and Phiz were great to listen to. This is like dumping Vince Scully from the Dodgers..bad move guys!

Posted by: Gman | November 24, 2009 at 03:46 PM

Another vote to reconsider the move and retain the combo.

Posted by: richard | November 24, 2009 at 03:47 PM

Rex and Steve were great. They will be missed. Rory has one of the worst voices in broadcasting. The fact they went with him on TV is a big mistake. Hud-man's voice may be bad too, but at least he had a youthful energy about him. Hopefully, these guys (Steve especially) will find some work. Though Paul Sunderland and Ross Porter were also great was smooth as silk and as far as I can tell are still looking for work.

Posted by: 806051 | November 24, 2009 at 03:48 PM

Ross Porter is better than anyone who works for or has just been fired by the Angels.

Who's the Angels announcer whose regular speaking voice is a yell?

SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!!

Annoying, obnoxious, and loud is he!

I hate to see them go. Just when Glen Kuiper and Ray Fosse would bring me to the point of hanging myself, I'd turn up the volume on the Angels game. After a few minutes of those two nit-wits, I'd realize things could be a lot worse and I'd toss the rope aside. I'll need a backup plan in 2010 or I'm finished.

Ross Porter? Come on. The thing with Ross Porter is you fear him giving the attendance figure, because you half expect him to start rattling off the name of each attendee.

I'll say this for Rex -- he did improve vastly from when he first started. He worked hard at his job and it paid off. I know that may sound crazy given that he wasn't very good at the announcing aspect of his job (which is tough when your job is to be an announcer), but I really think it's true.

He would basically assume what was going to happen and then stop paying attention. Then, once the mistake was revealed to him, he'd scramble and spend time explaining why he got it wrong.

On behalf of the 3.5 Nats fans here, I'll say that this sounds an awful lot like Bob Carpenter Syndrome.