The Local Crews

[grimshaw]

We have a Jonny Gomes thread, but somehow not a local broadcaster thread. So now we do.

What do you all think about the quality of our guys? Mostly, I want to be entertained, have fairly balanced analysis and criticism, and a voice that knows when to shut up.

Red Sox - I won't rehash my DO annoyances here, since I've posted in the Orsillo thread about it, but overall I still think the current team ranks at least middle of the pack. Remy has good and bad years so the consistency isn't always there, but he is one of the better analysts when he is inspired.

Castig gets very little praise or criticism despite him being a relative institution here, and I think that speaks to his consistency and humility, rather than his wordsmithing. I find Neverett harmless, but a downgrade from when O'Brien moved out of the booth.

Bruins - Jack is someone only the locals can love. He's not quite Tommy Heinsohn (thank god), but you have to give him credit for the genuine passion even if his partner wants to strangle him from time to time. More often than not I am entertained, but if the hockey schedule were 162, I'm not sure I could take it. I love Goucher and Beers. Both are very easy to listen to, and Goucher is excellent at rising to the occasion when the Bruins have extended pressure. Beers is even handed with his criticism.

I'll stay away from the other two sports and let others weigh in, since I'm a casual Celtics fan, and never leave the house during Patriots games so don't catch the radio crew.

How do others feel?

 

[Kliq]

I don't think Gorman gets enough credit; I find him fantastic. I think he is a lot like Castiglione where he is very-much an old, classic kind of PBP man but still has his fastball. Grande is regarded as being one of the best radio guys in the NBA and his approach makes every situation sound important.

 

[west12]

I realize that basketball on the radio is not for everybody. But for me, Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell is as good as it gets. Grande is great. Acerbic wit, insightful about the game, and most importantly, he rarely loses control of his play-by-play in such a fast paced game. He always seems to say exactly what you need to know and keep you in the flow of the game. Cedric Maxwell is an excellent foil. He can ham it up too much at times. But he is often genuinely funny and he balances the shenanigans with great analysis too.

Also love Joe Castiglione. Grimshaw, I think you get it exactly right that he is an institution. I think it was at least ten years ago now that Bob Ryan wrote a column about Castig in the Sunday Globe, anointing him "the voice of the Red Sox." I have heard him go through four regular partners (Jerry Trupiano, Glenn Geffner, Dave O'Brien, and now Tim). He worked well with all of them, even the execrable Geffner. He had great chemistry with Dave. Joe is never flashy, but he is reliably good every night and he sounds like he really enjoys it. His voice is not as strong as it once was, and I worry that he may be going away sooner rather than later. Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon, but I'm dreading that change.

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

I don't think Gorman gets enough credit; I find him fantastic. I think he is a lot like Castiglione where he is very-much an old, classic kind of PBP man but still has his fastball. Grande is regarded as being one of the best radio guys in the NBA and his approach makes every situation sound important.

Not enough good things can be said about Gorman. We are so lucky to have him.

 

[Granite Sox]

I tend to have stronger emotions about the radio guys.

I confess to almost never listening to Celtics or Pats games on the radio; when I watch those teams it is exclusively TV.

With respect to the Sox, Castiglione brings the folksiness and history that makes a 162 game schedule enjoyable, but his pipes are awful (there... I said it). I can't think of a reasonable substitute, thus he has become comfortable and familiar. Neverett is fungible.

I love, love, LOVE the Bruins radio guys. Goucher is tremendous, imho. I grew up with Bob Wilson, who was without peer on the radio as far as I'm concerned and benefited from calling the Golden Age of Bruins hockey.

Goucher is fantastic with player pronunciations (harder than it seems in hockey), description of action, time and score-setting, and setting up his partner (Beers, underrated) for success. Jack is silly on TV, and Brick is solid but will sometimes get in a rut with clichés (defensive layers, turning defense to offense, etc.).

Socci has grown on me, and has had some terrific calls during the Super Bowl victories.

(Excluding Grande and Max cuz I never listen on the radio), I'd rate the TV/radio PBP guys as follows:

1. Gorman (total package)
2. Goucher (does a great job with hardest sport to call on radio)
3. Socci (very good in the big moments; good at handling goofy Zo)
4. DOB (can get to #3 if he'd only fucking relax a little)
5. Castig (comfortable shoe, weak pipes)
6. Edwards (a clown, but he's OUR clown)

I think if I listened to the Celts more, Grande would be #3 on my list.

 

[Marceline]

Grande and Maxwell are fantastic. During the playoffs, after we lost CSN I watched many of the games with the TV on mute and turned on the radio feed. It was a pain in the ass getting them to sync up, but well worth it.

 

[Light-Tower-Power]

I could listen to Mike Gorman read the phone book to me. Best PBP guy in the NBA? I don't usually get to listen to other local guys.

In the same vain, I also love Tommy. I know he's a homer but I've been listening to him since I was 8 when he was handing out Tommy Points and screaming "I Love Walter!". I also find Scal to be fantastic on road games. Perhaps it's a childhood bias, but I find the Celtics local broadcast to be absolutely fantastic.

 

[Kliq]

Grande's delivery is just so perfect for basketball on the radio, something that is extremely hard to do. I love in January turning on my car and suddenly it is like I'm in the middle of a huge playoff game.

"Thomas takes the ball up. Horford with the screen, Thomas takes it inside, spins and throws it off the glass and in right around Hassan Whiteside. Celtics lead the Heat 36-30, that is nine straight points for Thomas."

 

[E5 Yaz]

Steve Lyons' absence explained

Former baseball player Steve Lyons has been accused of domestic battery, according to police documents obtained by the Boston Globe.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20263049/former-mlb-player-steve-lyons-faces-domestic-battery-charge

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Steve Lyon's gain (freedom) is our loss

 

[gmogmo]

Steve Lyon's gain (freedom) is our loss

pray they don't bring him back

 

[edmunddantes]

edit - wrong thread

 

[runnels3]

I find Neverett harmless, but a downgrade from when O'Brien moved out of the booth.

This is how Joe Castig was viewed when he first joined the booth, in fact there was quite a bit of negative reception. I like Neverett and think he'll be fine. I predict someday he'll earn the respect and status that Joe now enjoys.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Lyons back on NESN from the Winter Meetings

 

[geoflin]

When I turned on today's game and the first voice I heard was Steve Lyons my initial thought was it might be a bad omen for this year. Unfortunately I had been looking forward to watching a baseball game today, now not so much.

 

[steveluck7]

I guess this is a good thread to voice my dislike for Judd Sirot on the Bruins radio broadcast. There;s something about his excitement level... it kind of outpaces his vocal range and his voice ends up cracking. Of course, following in Gaucher's footsteps is no enviable task

 

[Bergs]

When I turned on today's game and the first voice I heard was Steve Lyons my initial thought was it might be a bad omen for this year. Unfortunately I had been looking forward to watching a baseball game today, now not so much.

I was coming here to post a variation of this. Not good.

 

[richgedman'sghost]

Where is Jerry? Was he scheduled to arrive late in spring training? Hopefully he is ok and this is a planned absence.

 

[InsideTheParker]

Where is Jerry? Was he scheduled to arrive late in spring training? Hopefully he is ok and this is a planned absence.

O'Brien said that Remy is recovering well from his surgery and will be in FL soon.

 

[canderson]

Watched the Sox a bit today and Lyons was on and on my god I forgot how much I despise that guy. I’m sad NESN brought him back.

 

[IpswichSox]

I'll take the other side of the coin.

I really like Lyons, in the booth and on pre- or post-game, and I'm glad he's back. He's not afraid to call out a player for a bad play or lack of execution. His is a former player's perspective that isn't preachy, and I feel like I usually learn something or gain a perspective I hadn't considered.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

And as a "regular guy" ex player I am sure the current roster will respond well to his criticisms, like they wouldn't do for a Hall of Famer they couldn't relate to

 

[Leskanic's Thread]

Watching games with Steve Lyons as the color guy is like playing a fifth-rate baseball video game, where they only wrote empty phrases and cliches for the announcers and edited them together poorly. He's awful, and the Red Sox look like a Tampa Bay-level joke of a franchise having him in the booth.