TV Blog

By Roger Hinchliffe

November 1, 2007 9:10 AM | Link to this

Thanks, Diane and everyone else.

I, too, found the Fox Series audio coverage to be simply awful. Joe Buck is a mediocre announcer at best, while Tim McCarver is perhaps the least skilled, most annoying sports reporter on the planet. I had to turn on ESPN's Joe Morgan and John Miller, time lag and all, to get through it all without getting physically sick - if not at McCarver's inane comments then at Fox's unending pulp fiction (dumb, violent and oversexed) trailers for coming trash shows.

And worst of all... Why can't kids have a chance to watch at least one World Series game, played during the day?

I know...money, money, money.

Fox is such a poor vehicle for important events of any kind, and they proved it in spades with Buck-McCarver's insensitive, inane and repetitive reporting. I urge Major League Baseball to take a close look at this and award the Series next year to an organization capable of interesting, respectful reporting.
FOX cannot handle it.

By Kevin

October 31, 2007 2:02 AM | Link to this

As a nearly lifelong Red Sox fan, gone from Massachusetts for 30 years, I’m happy the team has won 2 out of 4 Series. If only my long-suffering Sox-fan dad and so many other old-timers had lived long enough to see it happen.

Anyone care to comment on (in my opinion) Fox’s crappy post-game coverage, specifically, the lack of any feel for what was going on in the locker room afterwards?

Here’s the happy champagne-soaked winning team, but we’re not able to enjoy the celebration because Fox doles out glimpses of locker-room revelry like there’s a digital pixel drought. What’s up with that? In years past, the cameras stayed in the locker room for quite some time, lenses dripping with champagne, as players were seen hoisting the trophy, etc. This is what we tune in to see, and Fox denies us that pleasure. Maybe billionaire Fox owner Rupert Murdoch doesn’t want to have to spring for new camera equipment.

As a Sox fan, I feel cheated that we were teased about, but never got to see, the promised Jonathan Papelbon/Josh Beckett “Riverdance” spectacle. Talk about a let-down! ;-)

Here’s the only network covering the game, with a monopoly on images, and they act miserly with the glimpses into the behind-the-scenes post-game celebration.

Red Sox fans (any winning team's fans) want to see happy celebrating players, and we were given about 2 minutes total, if that. It’s as though all the old rules were tossed and replaced with a sterilized, antiseptic rushed-through ending.

There were easily 20-25 more minutes that could have been filled with extra little vignettes into the post-game world, but they packed up the cameras and said goodbye way too soon. Also, there were no cut-aways to the frenzied Fenway-area fans celebrating, either in bars or outside Fenway.

As my dad would say: Lousy coverage!

By Martin

October 29, 2007 6:48 PM | Link to this

Tim McCarver, Joe Buck and Fox have lacked class all season due to the never ending crap about the Yankees. So what's new? Nothing!!!

By Martin

October 29, 2007 6:44 PM | Link to this

A very poor Fox coverage due to Tim and Joe's lousy and inappropriate comments regarding Yankee stuff during the World Series makes me want to eliminate Fox from my cable service. I hope everyone else who tried in vain to enjoy the series feels the same way.

By Martin

October 29, 2007 6:40 PM | Link to this

If there was a way for all of us who were disgusted at the FOX network coverage of the World Series to get our money back from the Cable providers I will be first in line. Better yet, I for one will boycott the advertisers as they helped to pay the salaries of the idiots who put Yankee News ahead of the exciting plays for the Rookies and the Red Sox in the World Series. Hey Tim and Joe, why don't you suck the tailpipe of the nearest Chevy and put us all out of our feeling toward you.

By Martin

October 29, 2007 6:40 PM | Link to this

If there was a way for all of us who were disgusted at the FOX network coverage of the World Series to get our money back from the Cable providers I will be first in line. Better yet, I for one will boycott the advertisers as they helped to pay the salaries of the idiots who put Yankee News ahead of the exciting plays for the Rookies and the Red Sox in the World Series. Hey Tim and Joe, why don't you suck the tailpipe of the nearest Chevy and put us all out of our feeling toward you.

By portnoy jr.

October 29, 2007 4:05 PM | Link to this

I tried again last night, and found the game basically unwatchable due not just to the aforementioned problems with the announcers, but the overall production--especially the incessant crowd reaction shots--come on Fox, we KNOW that there are fans at the game, and they care passionately about the team--but I do not need to see 6 close-ups of a clasped hands over mouth fan between every pitch--same for extreme player/manager close ups--could you maybe show what is going on ON the field between pitches, at least occasionaly?

By Diane

October 29, 2007 3:52 PM | Link to this

The coverage was terrible, for so many of the reasons others have listed: loud; irrelevant; missed plays; extended and numerous commercials; lack of player knowledge; lack of focus, and more. I think they should grant the franchise to broadcast these post-season series only if the local team announcers do the coverage; that would be fair to both teams as they move from park to park. Let Fox have some sort of pre-game and/or post-game gig--those of us who want to watch the games don't have to watch that stuff. And sympathies especially to the Rockies' fans, who I think suffered from the lousy coverage more than did Boston.

By tom

October 29, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this

I have followed the Red Sox for 60 years I would rather watch replays of the" Buckner Event' for 100 hours straight (listen to the classic Vin Scully account) that one minute of the pinhead twns(Buck and McCarver) on Fox.
Tacos, ARod, stupid observations.

The only hightlight was when Steven King was interviewed--he said he couold read many more pages in a book because Fox had the game.

What we needed was to have Prime Time Dion cooling off pinhead McCarver.

By Mark Worthen

October 28, 2007 10:23 PM | Link to this

I was so frustrated watching Game 4 that I got online and searched for "fox coverage world series comment" so I could vent my spleen.

And your awesome post came up at the top of the Google search results page.

What really got me going tonight was, yet again, the Fox guys getting all excited talking about ... the Yankees!

Grrrrrrr, the friggin Yankees didn't even make it to the ALCS; we are in the middle of what could be the last game of the 2007 World Series; the Rockies are desperately trying to come back; and what are the dynamic duo talking about? A-Rod and the Yankees!

Yeah, yeah, I know it's news but so what?! Is it really more important than the actual game which they are talking over with their hot-and-bothered blather?

I hope another network will cover the Series in the future.

By Mike

October 28, 2007 9:42 PM | Link to this

My wife said that it was sad what the Red Sox were doing to Colorado. I told her that i hope they sweep and get it over with so we don't have to listen to any more games. Tim McCarver make me want to puke.....

By JL

October 28, 2007 9:38 PM | Link to this

Finally! Others who are tired of the stupid announcers on the Fox broadcasts of the World Series. It's like, "Hey, folks, look at me instead of the game you tuned in to watch". Why can't they broadcast the game as it's being shown. Oh for the days when the broadcasters had talent and a knowledge of the game without spending valuable air time rehashing who did what in a game played way back when. Let's start sticking the game at hand and talk only about what we are expecting to see and hear about today's game!

By Jim L.

October 28, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this

Finally! Someone who else is as fed up with the idiot broadcasters with their "self serving blather" about "who did what back when" while we are interested in the "what's happening now"!! All of their "look how smart I am" crap could be done away with especially when the action is on the screen and they want to hog all of the attention to themselves! Please, learn a lesson from the old radio folks who followed the game LIVE rather than last weeks news. Grow up! It's not about you!!

By horqua

October 28, 2007 9:08 PM | Link to this

Ms Holloway, we feel the same in Denver, thank you very much! I want to watch the game, not the managers or the president of Taco Bell or whatever other garbage they feel adds "color" to the game. The game is colorful enough. And can these yokels badmouth the Rockies any more? Their disrespect is aggravating. My wife and I have resorted to turning the sound off on the tube and listening to our local KOA radio announcers to find out what's really happening. But, the 6 second time delay is unnerving. Why can't Fox show the game in real time? The Sox are beating the Rocks fair and square but the FOX coverage sucks!

By Retiree

October 28, 2007 8:43 PM | Link to this

I turned on my MUTE button so that I could watch in peace.

By Deb

October 28, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this

BRAVO! I hope the Red Sox finish this up tonight so we can get on without Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. What is wrong with having the announcers from EACH winning playing team cover the games.. At least we'd all be happy to have someone in the booth that actually knew the players so we wouldn't have to listen to this horrible announcing. Put your radio's on and mute the TV it works.

By John Coskey

October 28, 2007 2:42 PM | Link to this

I agree the announcers, especially the pre-game team, are complete idiots. (Well, maybe Buck's OK). Also, I HATE the constant "flashing" when FOX does a replay, etc. It's very annoying, especially on a hi def TV.

By Scrumpy

October 28, 2007 11:20 AM | Link to this

Amen, woman! Man, what could be more tortuous than listening to the dronings of those two buffoons sandwiched between lousy beer ads? What has the great sport of baseball come to? In ten years will it simply be bottle of Bud-Lite running the bases in foamy Nikes sporting STP hats? This country has gone to the dogs when you can't even watch a baseball game without throwing your dinner at the idiot box in disgust.

By joe

October 28, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this

Also, the audio portion of Game 3 was atrocious. Whoever set that up should be fired. You couldn't hear anything above the crowd noise. I put it on mute.

By Frosty

October 26, 2007 5:58 PM | Link to this

I found this by accident attempting to try and find something on Dewey Evans announcing the Sox line-up(for my daughter)in Game 2. I must have bad mouthed these 2 morons(Buck, McCarver) 100 times, and low and behold I read this article which puts it in "context and allowable" (censor in mind) words for ALL to see (and I'm sure AGREE).

By Earl

October 26, 2007 5:32 PM | Link to this

Commercials??? Look at this page........

By Bombilla

October 26, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this

McCarver's an idiot. I like Joe Buck, but McCarver's a blithering idiot.

By Hank

October 26, 2007 1:45 PM | Link to this

I'll be interested in seeing what the ratings are. Fox's coverage has gotten worse with each year they get to broadcast big events.

I would usually watch the series regardless of who was playing, but this year, I haven't spent more than 5 minutes watching...

By Caroline

October 26, 2007 1:08 PM | Link to this

This is a beautiful post. Just, beautiful.

By Caroline

October 26, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this

This is a beautiful blog entry. Just, beautiful.

By Daniel

October 26, 2007 12:41 PM | Link to this

While you complaint remains the same, the object your wrath needs to change. And perhaps you should gain a little more understanding of the events you're reviewing. Your post is just ignorant.

Those interviews are done between innings and just aired when they come back from commercial (as anyone that has watched more than one or two games would know if they pay attention). So it is the fault of those in the truck, and not the announcers, for not cutting the interview off or moving it into a small box or making it audio only.

By Bill

October 26, 2007 12:32 PM | Link to this

What do you expect from Faux network? Murdochs aim is not to provide you with entertainment but to smother you with obnoxious commercials in between yammering pinhead conversations.

Used to be a network had a few commercials in order to deliver entertainment (show, movie, game). Now, a half-hour show is expanded to an hour with equal commercial billing. I'll pay for cable so I never have to watch network TV.

By Jeff

October 26, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this

The network is trying to do the impossible: speed up the game. It will not work. Baseball is a slow game. Sit back and let the game happen. The same thing happens with all sports when idiots get involved and money is an issue. Try to make it more exciting than it should be. Typical electronic media.

By Eyebeam

October 26, 2007 12:16 PM | Link to this

I'd be content if those knuckleheads could learn that it's people "who," not people "that."

By abel

October 26, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this

word!