I believe it has been pointed out that he's had a successful career at ESPN.geoduck no quahog said:
Things were good. The Red Sox had a first-rate team for TV and radio. Now this NESN guy wants to fuck it all up because he has a small penis. The executives should know that you can't bring someone from the upper midwest to a real market without courting disaster. I suspect this guy Maar came real cheap and has been trying to make a name since he got to Boston.
E5 Yaz said:One of the things that made Ned Martin great was that he didn't strive for "greatness." The question about memorable calls misses the point. Memorable calls aren't what make a great local baseball announcer. What does is a combination of knowledge (of the team and the game), companionship (do you like having the guy around) and, for lack of a better term, wearability. Ned simply didn't wear out his welcome. He never tried to inject more into the moment than what was in front of you, and that's a welcome trait over 162 games. Even Martin's signature moment -- the Rich Reese popup to Rico -- invited the listener in to share in the experience ".. and there's pandemonium on the field ... listen!" Nothing he could have said after that would have outshone the moment.
In general, I'm disappointed in the idea of getting local announcers who try to bring a national-game atmosphere to, say, a midweek midseason game against the Mariners. What made Orsillo and Remy work at their best was that they knew it was a long season and, sometimes, their silliness and exhaustion paid off.
E5 Yaz said:One of the things that made Ned Martin great was that he didn't strive for "greatness." The question about memorable calls misses the point. Memorable calls aren't what make a great local baseball announcer. What does is a combination of knowledge (of the team and the game), companionship (do you like having the guy around) and, for lack of a better term, wearability. Ned simply didn't wear out his welcome. He never tried to inject more into the moment than what was in front of you, and that's a welcome trait over 162 games. Even Martin's signature moment -- the Rich Reese popup to Rico -- invited the listener in to share in the experience ".. and there's pandemonium on the field ... listen!" Nothing he could have said after that would have outshone the moment.
In general, I'm disappointed in the idea of getting local announcers who try to bring a national-game atmosphere to, say, a midweek midseason game against the Mariners. What made Orsillo and Remy work at their best was that they knew it was a long season and, sometimes, their silliness and exhaustion paid off.
No, this isn't a huge crisis. I think if most people stepped back for a moment, they'd admit they're probably more upset at the timing and manner of the decision than the actual change itself.
kiljiggly said:The Petition to Keep Don Orsillo is now over 18,000 supporters. This article notes 2014 viewership was 114,000 per game and declining.
To a layperson, this seems a significant turnout. For those who'd know better - Is there a different way to interpret this data?
What volume, if any, catches the attention of the execs at NESN and/or FSG? I can't imagine they'll walk something like this back, but there has to be hand wringing at some point.
Lose Remerswaal said:
This has 0.00% chance of working.
bankshot1 said:Change for change sake is overrated.
Sounds like someone at NESN wanted to swing some dick.
Dick.
IMO DO was pretty good, called a good game and seemed like a real good guy. His chemistry with Remy (who i can imagine can be a PItA) was very good, they had a nice partnership that mostly worked. And the fall-out/next step will be an interesting development.
fwiw i was more upset when Ned got heave-hoed on radio.
kiljiggly said:
Oh I totally agree, didn't mean to insinuate otherwise.
Maybe to ask another way - has the response been greater than expected, and if so, does it put added pressure/risk on the folks who made this decision? Or is the sense that this type of response was anticipated and they just need to plow through it?
Very True.runnels3 said:
One of the darkest days in Boston sports. Unlike this situation, Ned Martin & Jim Woods were perceived as THE best pairing in radio at the time. Public outrage ensued. Bringing back Martin on TV with Hawk Harrelson didn't come close to replacing those five golden years that were 'Ned and Jim.'
MuzzyField said:Maar is 3-years into his tenure at NESN. What exactly has he done to improve the network other than continue to miss on attempts to fix what may be the worst non-game RSN schedule on the planet?
SocrManiac said:Because it was a Fox game?
Wasn't it "Down by way of the Pay...dro"?MyDaughterLovesTomGordon said:
Hey Zink, do you remember what Orsillo had to say when Pedro threw Zim to the ground?
I'm too young for Gowdy's Red Sox days, but as for Martin, well, actually, there is pandemonium here sometimes in these threads.RIFan said:Gowdy was an all time great from the golden era of announcers, no doubt about that. Martin did PBP for 31 years and McDonough for 16 years. Honest question, how many great calls do you recall from them?
I'm also assuming that you aren't on the DOB bandwagon, because he is just a slightly different flavor of vanilla.
must have been some "bonus baseball"Rheal With Cheese said:Wasn't it "Down by way of the Pay...dro"?
the1andonly3003 said:what are the chances NESN address this on the telecast tonight?
Red(s)HawksFan said:
They've done a press release formerly announcing the change. Unless Orsillo isn't going to finish the season, I'd wager we're done hearing anything from NESN about it until the last game of the year.
THIS GAME IS TIED THIS GAME IS TIEDThe Gray Eagle said:Orsillo gets a bad rap for being "too vanilla". He was vanilla, as he was supposed to be and was hired to be, but he was definitely sprinkled with some interesting.
Orsillo is a funny guy who wasn't afraid to look bad in order to be funny.
I'll miss stuff like this.
"Donny Kid" in the outfield, tries to make a diving catch.
Orsillo takes questions from kids.
Announcer Boy wrestles Tito.
Orsillo takes batting practice.
As for his memorable calls, what memorable calls has Dave O'Brien made on the radio? That Joe C. gets free food from Shaw's? Guess what, during the long season, most announcers talk a lot about non-game stuff. Sometimes it's awkward and weird. To me, O'Brien is more vanilla than Orsillo. He's pretty good, but he's not memorable or exciting, and not exactly Eckersley when it comes to calling guys out. That's fine, he doesn't have to be, and TV play-by-play guy is an outdated, kind of pointless role where you should not be calling a lot of attention to yourself.
O'Brien will be all right. Kind of bland, not many memorable calls, no hot takes (which is good.) Will joke around from time to time with the other guy. Kind of like Orsillo but with less humor, without the immediate chemistry with Remy, and who hasn't shown he can make it work with a bunch of random people next to him like Orsillo has.
This was a pointless move that didn't have to be made. It's not exactly the end of the world, but it wasn't needed, it's just some corporate douche showing off his "power." So Orsillo is down by way of the douche.
David Ortiz. DAVID ORTIZ! DAVID ORTIZ!!!!Laser Show said:THIS GAME IS TIED THIS GAME IS TIED
of course that's the exception that proves the rule. Orsillo doesn't get to do playoff games.
Great point, that was a great call, but like you said, Orsillo never got to call a Red Sox game that important.Laser Show said:THIS GAME IS TIED THIS GAME IS TIED
of course that's the exception that proves the rule. Orsillo doesn't get to do playoff games.
Yea, just felt the need to point it out because reading the bit about DOB not having any memorable calls was a bit jarring.The Gray Eagle said:Great point, that was a great call, but like you said, Orsillo never got to call a Red Sox game that important.
He gets hell from a lot of people for his corny catchphrases as well, but with his self-deprecating humor, I've heard him make fun of those same signature calls many times.The Gray Eagle said:Orsillo gets a bad rap for being "too vanilla". He was vanilla, as he was supposed to be and was hired to be, but he was definitely sprinkled with some interesting.
Orsillo is a funny guy who wasn't afraid to look bad in order to be funny.
soxhop411 said:“@GordonEdes: According to a source, Orsillo was told the decision to bounce him was unanimous.”
Harry Hooper said:
What was the purpose of making this comment to Orsillo? In case the dagger missed the artery the first time?
nothumb said:Before Don goes, can he throw out a "fakes to third, fakes to first, doesn't throw to either venue" just for old time's sake?
The Gray Eagle said:<snip>
... So Orsillo is down by way of the douche.
soxhop411 said:“@GordonEdes: According to a source, Orsillo was told the decision to bounce him was unanimous.”
Tiger fans did bring back Ernie Harwell in the early 90's
Taking the heat off Maar and stopping an effort to go above him before Orsillo could even get started.Harry Hooper said:
What was the purpose of making this comment to Orsillo? In case the dagger missed the artery the first time?
cornwalls@6 said:A harmless, mostly innocuous PBP guy had a good 15 year run, and now they decided to move on and try someone else. It will have zero impact on my interest in the club one way or another. I'm scratching my head over the reaction from so many on social media, who say he was a major reason they tuned in, and his firing may keep them from watching going forward. Huh??
Except he didn't, unless you have information to contradict Finn above.Average Reds said:Taking the heat off Maar and stopping an effort to go above him before Orsillo could even get started.
It does make me understand why Orsillo decided to leak the entire thing with a pre-emotive strike of his own.
Well, it will probably convince most of us who aren't already convinced that Tom Werner is an idiot all of whose pre-NESN show-biz successes were utter flukes and/or dumb luck.Harry Hooper said:
What was the purpose of making this comment to Orsillo? In case the dagger missed the artery the first time?