Earlier this week I watched the Giants vs the Rockies game on ESPN. I subscribe to Direct TV’s Regional Sports Channel so I can watch Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper ~ the Giants regular announcers and the best in the business, truly. But that day I was at the mercy of ESPN. These are the guys that mic up certain players in the field while they’re actually playing and chat about nothing really. I always worry someone’s gonna get beaned or worse!
When we’re not listening to the guys in the outfield chatting about nothing, we have to endure the two in the broadcast booth, who are also chatting about nothing, and a bit irritating as they’re doing that, especially when there’s action at the same time on the field.
We ended up winning that game which put us back in contention for the playoffs, sort of. ESPN’s headline promo for this game was: “Mic’d up: Nolan Jones joins ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Telecast for an In-Game Conversation During Tonight’s Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants Broadcast.”
It’s frustrating when your favorite player comes up to bat and the camera and sound is focused on the opposition in the field who’s chatting with someone in the booth about nothing, really. And then your favorite player gets a double and the mic’d up player huffs and puffs to get the ball, still mic’d up, and all the attention is focused on the fielder. That didn’t actually happen, but it could have.
So after the game, I turned to social media to see the reaction of Giants fans and I guess we’re all peas in a pod because they were expressing themselves exactly the same way I’d been feeling throughout the entire game. Here’s some examples: (actual quotes from the fans):
- CAN WE JUST WATCH THE GAME!!
- Terrible! Can we just watch what’s going on in a game?
- How do we contact ESPN to shut up? We’re trying to watch the game.
- Please! These announcers suck!
- Keep the cameras on the GAME! And shut up
- I don’t know which is worst. ESPN or FOX ugh!
- So Painful!!!!
- Too much talking
- How much do you pay for a channel? Asking for a friend.
- I have audio muted. Listening to KNBR
- Final score please?
- We are stuck with a bunch of old wannabees. Seriously. I shut if off and turned on the radio KNBR
- Totally agree. This is ridiculous
- These guys are just awful
- Remember when local sports were Free!
- Really! Is this the best you can do?
And these were just from one venue. There was a lot more, but you get the general idea. Save the interviews for after the game. And No. 15 was right! I DO remember when local sports were FREE, back in the good old days:))
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