Based in Dublin, Ireland, I don't get as much exposure to Joe Buck as anyone based Stateside.

Sure, on the scale of annoyance he's not Hawk Harrelson, but saying that people think he's annoying just because he's on all the time is a little silly.

Annoying fans is NOT one of the primary descriptions of a broadcaster; not in the US, not in the UK, not in Ireland, not anywhere really. A sports broadcaster is there to describe events taking place without getting in the way of the action, adding entertainment to the mix by way of stories and/or banter with a colour/analysis man. To say that "to annoy fans" is part of a broadcaster's role description is, well, weird.

I would echo those who have mentioned his lack of research. Joe Buck doesn't demonstrate much knowledge about anything beyond whatever saccarine, sugary, syrupy, schmaltzy narrative is flavour-du-jour at FOX. If he does actually have a deep knowledge of the game, whether baseball or football, and is also blessed with an insightful, inquiring mind then he's remarkably good at hiding it. Le-Carré-esque, in fact.

It's odd that in the list of things Leitch mentions, not one of them is his voice itself. Not the tone, his actual voice. This might be unfair but it just doesn't have the same resonant quality as an Al Michaels or a Jon Miller. That's not Buck's *fault*, per se, but it's not something that can be ignored.

Fact is, Buck really is annoying.

Truly, monumentally annoying.

When it comes to broadcasters, people might not know *good*, but people definitely know annoying.

But we live in a world where the late, great Bill King still hasn't won the Frick award what the hell do I know anyway.

i did my summary of red barber a long time ago and don't feel the need to re-visit my disdain for that overrated hack of an announcer

joe buck on his best day with some of his hair back wishes he could be red barber

all this talk of understatement is somewhat baffling since i didn't think not having a pulse really qualifies as 'understated'. last i checked that equates to dead.

buck is so busy being curt gowdy he left any zest in the suitcase. he's an automaton. you might as well have your gps calling the game for cr8ssakes. at least there you could have some foreign woman's voice and that has some s8x appeal.

understated? he's under ground more like it

good gravy

Honestly, I think that for a lot of us, the problem isn't the announcing, it's that we don't find the post-season as riveting and exciting as we used to. There's more of it, teams on average make it more often, and we have a better understanding of how random the results are. That's a clear recipe for boredom and dissatisfaction.

There is something to this and the rise of snark, but I have honestly found all the postseason series this year to be riveting, and the TBS crew to be good at times. Joe Buck hasn't been god awful or anything, but he's certainly no better than average, and he's certainly not worthy of his overexposure.

you might as well have your gps calling the game for cr8ssakes

That's genius.

Vin Scully is nearing the end of his career, someone somewhere with say in these things absolutely should arrange it for him to call another World Series.

you might as well have your gps calling the game for cr8ssakes.

This might be my favorite thing ever.

I totally agree. The call in #30 is typical and awful. It's not "understated," it's "uninterested." He's monotone and has no inflection whatsoever. A walk-off homerun deserves a change in intonation. It's not "Gus Johnson or bust." Scully, Harwell, you name it, all give a play like that its due without trampling all over it or sounding like Albert Pujols just killed their dog.

"Fly ball. Over the fence. You have arrived at your destination."

There is something to this and the rise of snark, but I have honestly found all the postseason series this year to be riveting, and the TBS crew to be good at times. Joe Buck hasn't been god awful or anything, but he's certainly no better than average, and he's certainly not worthy of his overexposure.

It's interesting- recently the Division Series week has been my favorite week of the year. More tragedy and triumph. The LCS and WS can be hit or miss, but pretty much every LDS week delivers me some great stuff.

I assume that happened again this year, but I seem to not be able to remember any of the LDS because of some kind of trauma.

It's interesting- recently the Division Series week has been my favorite week of the year.

Five game series are made for drama. For lack of a better expression, both teams are in it until one of them isn't. I'm almost thinking of lobbying MLB to make the entire regular season be composed of five game series, winner takes all in the standings.

all this talk of understatement is somewhat baffling since i didn't think not having a pulse really qualifies as 'understated'. last i checked that equates to dead.

buck is so busy being curt gowdy he left any zest in the suitcase. he's an automaton. you might as well have your gps calling the game for cr8ssakes. at least there you could have some foreign woman's voice and that has some s8x appeal.

understated? he's under ground more like it

good gravy

Oh, for Christ's sake. No one (other than maybe Leitch) is claiming that Joe Buck is even good. But we're talking about what we like/dislike in announcers. Of course he's not Scully. Few are. The point is, to us, there are far worse things you can inflict on our ears than comatose.

Joe Buck is easy to ignore. Gus Johnson types are not. Hawk Harrelson types are not. He may not bring anything to the broadcast, but considering the number of PBP guys who actively detract from the experience, dead isn't the worst thing in the world. Sorry

i didn't compare buck to vin scully. that would be a ridiculous comparison.

and being pretty close to dead myself i take traits of being dead in others pretty seriously. (there's a joke inside there if you are paying attention)

my half 8ssed assessment of buck is that he is doing the job because he could get the job. but that's it. it's a job. he doesn't enjoy it. and it bleeds into his performance.

he's a tax attorney calling a sporting event.

i didn't compare buck to vin scully. that would be a ridiculous comparison.

I don't think it's ridiculous at all. Joe Buck calls the biggest event in baseball, but isn't the best announcer in baseball. Not even close.

He also calls the biggest event in football, while not being the best football announcer. Not even close.

He's mediocre on his best days, and yet he calls the two biggest sporting events in America. It's insane. He should be held to a very high standard. The highest of standards, in fact.

Honestly, I think that for a lot of us, the problem isn't the announcing, it's that we don't find the post-season as riveting and exciting as we used to. There's more of it, teams on average make it more often, and we have a better understanding of how random the results are. That's a clear recipe for boredom and dissatisfaction.

If you didn't find the 2003/2004 ALCS exciting then I don't see how you can call yourself a baseball fan and Buck sounded bored even during the most exciting moments in that Series.

asmitty

ridiculous in terms of ability.

you are using a different context which is completely valid and ergo, has a different output

He's mediocre on his best days, and yet he calls the two biggest sporting events in America. It's insane. He should be held to a very high standard. The highest of standards, in fact.

That's a consideration for his employer, but I don't see why it is for me. Joe Buck announces baseball games I watch. I judge his work against the other guys I hear announcing baseball games. The number of folks joining me in watching those baseball games doesn't fit into my assessment of his abilities.

For some, his lifelessness is the reason they loathe him. I get that.

For me, it's a trait that I find easy to ignore, which renders him mostly benign. Considering the number of guys in the booth who actively detract from the broadcast, benign isn't the worst thing in the world.

Do I wish Fox had a better crew for the World Series? Of course (though I'd give the heave ho to his partner first). But if they shitcan Buck, it's not at all difficult to imagine them replacing him with a downgrade.

Joe Buck's been announcing games since I was in middle school. I've literally grown up with him, and as a result, he's something of a ph7 in the broadcast booth to me. I'd much prefer Vin Scully or, to be a homer, Gary Cohen. However, I can live with Joe Buck most of the time. He's not outright irritating, the casual fans I know seem to appreciate him, and that's all I'm really asking for.

not my area of expertise but if i were a network trying to get the casual fan to transition to a more committed fan i would want someone who could convey the passion of the event in some manner versus calling out the next stop for the bus.

One of my favorite comments about Pete Rose is after game six of 1975 world series, in which his team lost, he was asked why he was smiling and he said he got to play in the best game ever, (he added we'll win tomorrow). That is the emotion you want from your sports announcers in the big games, They need to enjoy it. Angel Pagan has had a good game today in the playoffs, whether you are a Cardinal or Giants fan, you have to appreciate it, the fact that Joe doesn't seem to care much more than the immediate moment is his flaw.

You know, as douchy as Pete Rose is -- this is something I often forget about him, and I concur -- I like people, be they players, managers, broadcasters, or whatever involved in baseball who truly love baseball. It's contagious. Even when he lost all of his fastball, that was what really kept Harry Caray listenable (with ample Steve Stone crutches) -- he always loved baseball. However selfish and foolish Rose may have been for throwing that away, I do respect the fact that he was (and still is) a guy that really, really did and does love baseball.

It's the difference between a movie critic who really just doesn't seem to like movies and someone like, say, Roger Ebert who really does love movies.

Buck may not be the worst when it comes to the flipside of that -- but at minimum, there's just no sense that he loves baseball. If you look at the sportswriters that get bagged on most around here, I would say that's one thing most of them share -- they write as if they hate the players, hate the teams, and hate everything about the game.

If you're a fan, it's just a better experience if the person broadcasting has a way of getting across that he's a fan, too. Buck just doesn't do that. He does games in a boring, "it's just my job - and it beats filling out spreadsheets" fashion. That's the majesty of someone like Vin Scully - every game I've ever heard him do, I feel like he's as thrilled to be describing a baseball game as I am to be watching or having it described to me. It's just catchy.

Just who are these Gus Johnson-style, over-exuberant baseball announcers that contrast the understated, benign and boring Buck? The fact that a guy who doesn't even do baseball games is brought up numerous times as a counterpoint, leads me to believe they don't exist and are merely hypothetical.

you might as well have your gps calling the game for cr8ssakes.

THROW TO RIGHT. NOW!!!

I think part of Buck's problem is that he was originally hired to be the setup man for Scooter. His understated enthusiasm was a nice contrast to the energy that Scooter brought to the telecast. Buck never adjusted after Fox inexplicably removed Scooter from the broadcast team.

I really don't think it is Buck that is the problem. It is the absence of Scooter.

Joe Buck's biggest weakness is actually one external to him -- the need for networks to have "big event" announcers. FOX picked him as theirs. He's not qualified for the job, not even on his best day, but it's not his fault that the network chose him.

Part of the problem with sports broadcasting is that everyone's looking for that signature call. But, often, it's not the words but the delivery that makes all the difference. Compare what Vin Scully said on the ground ball in 1986 Game 6 with how he said it.

I remember these specifically because I'm a cards fan, but if the yankees and phillies and red sox and Giants in the interim were any better, I certainly can't remember anything about them.

My absolute favorite, which I only saw on replay because I was fortunate enough to be at the game, was Game Five of the 2004 ALCS. A win would bring the Sox to within 3-2 in the series and send the series back to the Bronx, Ortiz stepped up and...

"Ortiz fights it off into centerfield! Damon running for the plate and he can keep on running to New York!" It captured the moment really well and then he just shut up and let the pictures do the talking.

goosebumps to this day (more for the memory than the call of course).

For what it's worth he also used "we'll see you tomorrow night" for the second time in 22 hours after that hit.

If you're a fan, it's just a better experience if the person broadcasting has a way of getting across that he's a fan, too. Buck just doesn't do that. He does games in a boring, "it's just my job - and it beats filling out spreadsheets" fashion. That's the majesty of someone like Vin Scully - every game I've ever heard him do, I feel like he's as thrilled to be describing a baseball game as I am to be watching or having it described to me. It's just catchy.

A while back in one of the political threads someone repeated the meme that people hate Mitt Romney because he's wealthy. The correct counterpoint was made that Bush II was also wealthy and, like Romney, was born into a great deal of wealth. Despite this, nobody seems to hold Bush II's wealth against him.

The difference between the two is obviously one of temperment. Romney comes off very much like someone who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple, whereas Bush II comes off much more as "just happy to be here."

Buck was gifted the foremost jobs in American sportscasting because his father is famous, and not because of any talent at all on his own part. People might not begrudge him that fact if he acted in any way happy to be there, but his broadcasting style oozes smugness and humorlessness. Those are bad enough traits to have in the ABSENCE of obvious nepotism.

I don't blame Buck for cashing in on his father's fame, but I do blame him for being so miserable while doing it. Lighten up, your job is awesome.

Joe Buck may not be a real announcer, but he's one helluva stud.

Just who are these Gus Johnson-style, over-exuberant baseball announcers that contrast the understated, benign and boring Buck?

Ken Harrelson. That's why everyone here loves him.

Just who are these Gus Johnson-style, over-exuberant baseball announcers that contrast the understated, benign and boring Buck?

I don't know that there are any true Gus Johnson-types, thank goodness. But there are more animated types, such as Hawk, or blowhards, such as Marty or Berman (who was doing the radio with Sutcliffe, ick). I'd say both of those types constrast with the dull Buck. And I find it a hell of a lot easier to tune out dull than to tune out obnoxious.

I guess I just can't develop strong feelings against a guy who can't develop strong feelings.

this is the same author who was taken aback that a good many fans are not enthralled with the cardinals

methinks the lad doesn't get out much.........

Perhaps he just prefers to think the best of his fellow man.

Buck is far from humorless; dry and deadpan, but not humorless. He's perfectly capable of calling a decent, understated game and, as others have already noted, he knows enough to shut his trap occasionally and doesn't break the trust of the listener by being an overt homer or projecting a Thom voice. Of those working in tv today, I don't know that I'd go beyond Scully, Costas, Miller, Kuiper, Enberg, and Staats as a list of potential upgrades for national tv. Maybe Kasper. Get rid of the moralizing, oblivious, aww-shucks doofus sitting to his left, and most of the Buck hate would disappear overnight.

Get rid of the moralizing, oblivious, aww-shucks doofus sitting to his left, and most of the Buck hate would disappear overnight.

It's actually McCarver who improves without Buck.