Can we tone it down a little?
The P.A. announcer at Nationals Park has a terrific voice. A solid broadcaster's voice. He does a terrific job announcing the upcoming promotions, and the visitor's lineup.
It's when he announces the Nationals that I have to resist the urge to find him and, to quote Fred Sanford, give him one across the lips.
Is it really necessary to announce the Washington shortstop as "Cristian Goooooooooooooooooooozmonnnnnnnnn." Or the right fielder as "Elijah Doooooooooooooooooooooooooks." What is this, professional wrestling?
It's not just me who finds this annoying. It's a frequent topic of conversation in and out of the pressbox, and I've yet to find anyone who likes it. That type of theatricality might be okay in the WWE, or maybe in the minor leagues somewhere, but this is neither of those.
Don't try and tell me it revs up the fans. Please. It clearly does not. Nor does adding any extra testosterone to the names Johnson, Zimmerman, etc. Give the fans some credit for knowing who they are.
Some older fans will recall years ago at the Capital Centre, P.A. announcer, the late, great Marv Brooks, would intone "Spoooooooon" whenever the late Nick Weatherspoon would score a basket for the Bullets. Not when he introduced Nick, but only when he scored a field goal. That was clever at the time, and you never knew when it would happen. This is entirely different.
I'm sure the gentleman at the microphone would not be doing it unless someone in the front office had encouraged him to. Perhaps that same person can get him to ratchet it down a few notches.
Hey, this is big league baseball, not the roller derby. How about a little decorum?
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Categories (click for archive)Phil Wood |
"That type of theatricality might be okay in the WWE, or maybe in the minor leagues somewhere, but this is neither of those."
The Nats aren't in the minor leagues?
What do you expect from the Nats, they basically play in an oversized minor league ballpark and employ Clint... anything not to notice the actual team...
Speaking of toning it down, how about lowering the music a few notches? More times than one, I've had to seek out quiet corners of the park in order to make a pregame call and connect with baseball buddies.
Who is more annoying fellow Nats fans...the P.A. announcer or Rob Dibble?
Upon reflection, I suppose that this qualifies me as a curmudgeon, or curmudgeonette in my case.
I like Dibble, so no contest for me.
Take the guy up to Philadelphia and let him hear a real pro, Dan Baker. He never screams, but always gives a nice spin to player pronunciations (just as Harry Kalas did, but in a slightly different way). My favorite "Baker-ism" was his "Wes (pause)...Chamberlain!"
Also, I can't stand it when any P.A. announcer uses the term "your (home team)." No home team should assume you're "mine" -- earn it. Do they actually think we're that stupid?
The gold standard of PA announcers is Bob Sheppard. The Nats could learn a few lessons from the master.
Yea. It works for the NBA, too, but this has no place in a baseball stadium.
I have no problem with the PA guy. He is much better than the original and I like the Goooooooooooooooooooozmonnnnnnnnn and "Elijah Doooooooooooooooooooooooooks. I also love, love the organ music. That has been a great addition. And Dibble is far superior to Sutton.
Phil,
Thank you so much for this post. You are right.
I got to a lot of Nats games. Often, I go with a friend who is a fan of the visiting team. This makes the pregame introductions, WWF-style, really embarrassing, because the announceer is trying to make the Nats sound so OMINOUS. My guests laugh when they hear the gutteral, threatening voice of the Nationals, when we are about to get destroyed again by the visiting team, and everyone else knows it too. To hear our players announced like some kind of pagan warriors, after the introduction of the (authentically powerful) World Champion Philadelphia Phillies makes me cringe.
The Washington Nationals of 2008 and 2009 are the fragile porcelain kittens of baseball. They almost always lose--even at home. It is really, really stupid to announce them as if they were the Bad Boy Oakland Raiders of the 70s and 80s.
Phil--you're part of the overall team structure I think. Can you do something to fix this, and post a note to tell us if you had any luck with it?
Knucklerman ============== I'm part of the MASN structure, K-man, but not much more than that. I've raised the issue with a few front office types, but not yet with Mark Lerner. I will the next time I see him.
Phil, surely you remember:
"Now batting .... Paul Cassanooooooooooooooooova"
Did you take offense at that too? ================== I was 15 years old then to start with, and secondly, he was the only player on the club who had that many syllables in his name. The PA guy then, Phil Hochberg, made no effort to punch it up with any extra testosterone, he just emphasized the "no" part of the name where the accent was. I really don't think it's quite the same thing.
He has already been announcing adam dunn diferently... he has gone from dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn to DUNN!!
The gameday experience there is just too "in your face." This guy needs to listen to some tapes of Rex Barney, a real pro. Speaking of Baltimore PA Announcers, Dave McGowen up in Baltimore has a done a good job since Rex's passing.