Is there any announcer in all of baseball worse than Ken “Hawk” Harrelson of the Chicago White Sox?
Handed what is every baseball announcer’s dream - the chance to call a walkoff home run (albiet for the other team), Harrelson was only able to barely muster up this putrid call…
I’d file this under quick laughs, except that it’s just so sad and pathetic.
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May 20, 2008 - 12:43 pm
“She uses an odd, side-armed delivery, and puts both speed and curve on the ball. Her greatest asset, however, is control. She can place the ball where she pleases, and her knack at guessing the weakness of a batter is uncanny.” - The Chattanooga News
It was a bit of serendipity. Yesterday, as our own [...]
April 27, 2008 - 8:33 am
It probably comes as a surprise to no one that the Washington Nationals have a pretty abominable team once again this season, and that they are tied with the Texas Rangers for the worst record in baseball at 8-17. That is exactly the sort of performance we have come to expect from the Expos/Nats after [...]
April 9, 2008 - 2:08 pm
Bill Buckner was the surprise mystery guest who threw out the first pitch yesterday at Fenway’s Home Opener. As I’ve previously admitted, I greeted the late-breaking announcement with cynicism. Can’t we just get on with the pennants and the rings and the parades and leave all that crap behind us?
But then, noshing on my reuben [...]
March 7, 2008 - 12:43 pm
The baseball uniform is something of a curiosity. I think we can all agree that baseball did the world a favor by bringing us the baseball cap. But in what other sport are players required to wear a thick belt, tapered white stretch pants, a glorified pajama top, and stirrups?!
Nonetheless, some baseball [...]
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Grumpy!
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April 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Smoltz is a lock for the Hall, in a way Blyleven isn’t (though I think Blyleven deserves it).
Like counting stats? 210 wins and 154 saves, in addition to those 3000 Ks. Smoltz is the only player with 200 W and 150 S.
Like all-inclusive measures? His HOF Monitor score is 170, well above the ~100 threshold for “likely” HOFer. Prefer Jay Jaffe’s JAWS? Smoltz is a 83.0 through his previous start, a mark above the average HOF SP’s of 80.
Consider that Smoltz has only put up ERAs above 4 in two seasons in his career: his 21 year old debut in 64 innings, and in the strike-shortened 1994 season.
He has more postseason wins (15) than any other pitcher.
Among Braves, he leads in career saves (154), saves in a season (55), wins in a season (24), and strikeouts (3006). And counting.
He is also an exceptional batter (he won a Silver Slugger award) and is a scratch golfer.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Nick, I\’m of the mind that Smoltz is/was/should be rememered as a better pitcher than Glavine. Smoltz has a much better K rate, a better walk rate, similar homerun rate, better ERA, better ratio of complete games per start, better WHIP, much better postseason record, so on and so forth. The only things that Glavine has Smoltz beat in are wins and innings pitched.
Still doesn’t make this article any less ridiculous, though.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I think Smoltz’s 3,000th K will actually help get Blyleven inducted. After all, you can’t argue in favor of Smoltz and base your argument on his high strikeout numbers, while continuing to ignore Blyleven’s K’s.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Also, as somebody who writes articles for a living, I can tell you that reporters seldom write their own headlines. Usually, that job falls to the copy desk. That actually makes this poor word choice less forgivable. I mean, if you only got to write the headline (in this case seven words), wouldn’t you make sure that every word meant something? And that it was all correct?
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April 23rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Yes, the headline was stupid, but I don’t like your tone. Smoltz is awesome! :P
Go Braves!
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April 23rd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Boo to you on the Smoltz hating. But for real, He got his 3000 strikeout in the 6th fewest innings ever. He really missed 4 seasons from the rotation, since he only started 5 games in 2001 (he also saved 10 games). Not saying that he averages 25 a year if he wasn’t in the ‘pen, but he’d be in striking distance of it right now. And hell, this guy is still pitching out of his mind at 41 years. And if there’s a pitcher I want on the mound in a big game, it’d probably be John Smoltz. Needless to say, he’d be lucky to be in the top 15 all-time pitchers though. The headline was REALLY retarded.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Agree the headline is a bad one, but kind of nitpicky, no? MLB.com produces a ton of copy, and a lot of quirky headlines make it through. Not excusing, just saying. Could be read as “latest player among the greatest players to hit 3,000 Ks.” That’s a stretch — again, I think you’re right that the headline is shaky — but it’s not worth getting undies in a bundle.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Maybe it’s just an anal UmpBumper thing, but I completely agree with Nick. Remember, these are professional writers—we should hold them to a high standard, and they shouldn’t mind when we do. I like Smoltz as much as the next gal, but that headline just doesn’t make any sense.
Just like this one.
As you can see, Nick and I are cut from the same cloth on this matter.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Finch,
So… where was the Smoltz hating here? The point being made in the post is about the inaccuracy of the headline writing, which you admit by referring to it as “retarded.”
I think Smoltz is a future hall of famer and a great pitcher, however the 4 seasons he missed from the rotation were due to injury. He was moved to the bullpen because it was believed that he would hold up better there after Tommy John surgery. You are acting as if he was somehow prevented from reaching 300 wins by something other than his own inability to make the starts. He is one of many great pitchers that didn’t reach 300 wins and it was because they were not durable enough to do so. That is why it is such a distinguishing accomplishment for a pitcher to reach the 300 mark.
Sarah,
May I request that you start tagging posts, “anal UmpBumper thing?” The possibilities seem endless. BTW, I agree with Nick and you about it being an inaccurate headline. It was sloppy and there really isn’t any excuse for it. The people that write these headlines are the same ones that complain about bloggers not being “professional” writers.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Melissa, see above. Your wish is my command!
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April 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Best tag evah! Thanks for giving the people what they want. This may lead to some very disappointed google searching pervs.
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May 31st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
hehe, what’d you expect?
“You can puuutt it on the boooarddd???!!!”
NO!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Did you expect him to jump out of his seat and utter out a completely random phrase like the Pittsburgh Penguins announcer?????
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
That’s pretty bad. WGN and Sunday Night on ESPN makes me realize how fortunate I am to be a listener/viewer of Braves broadcasts.
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