Which on air sports analyst do you want to punch?

[sq764]

I have a 4 way tie..

Stuart Scott- Just annoying as a mother and I have no idea what he is saying most of the time

Tim mccarver - If he could have sex with himself he would. Arrogant, and won't shut up

Troy Aikman - see above.. I have to mute this guy and he ALWAYS seems to get the Eagles games

Joe Morgan - May be the biggest motormouth of them all. He ruins every Sunday night game cause he won't shut his trap. And he has no clue what he is talking about

[JustRalph]

Joe Morgan - May be the biggest motormouth of them all. He ruins every Sunday night game cause he won't shut his trap. And he has no clue what he is talking about

They all talk too much. But you are way off base on Morgan when you say "he has no clue what he is talking about"

[kenwoodallpromos]

Since Cosell is dead, My choice would be Tom Arnold.

[ghostyapper]

Russo and Francesa come to mind.

Michael Kay and the 3 goons from espn sunday night football as well

[chickenhead]

Off the top of my head McCarver would be the first....I actually would punch that guy.....and also one of the guys that does the Warriors TV broadcast here....I would like to punch him.

[46zilzal]

Joe Morgan - May be the biggest motormouth of them all. He ruins every Sunday night game cause he won't shut his trap. And he has no clue what he is talking about
fellow has a TAD more credibilty than any of us. When you play like he did for many years. you might understand the game as well has he does.

[JWBurnie]

John Madden - Football 101 every week.

[sq764]

fellow has a TAD more credibilty than any of us. When you play like he did for many years. you might understand the game as well has he does.
PLaying the game and knowing how to talk about how it should be played can be a whole different world...

If this were the case, every team would want former players as coaches and managers, right?

[JustRalph]

If this were the case, every team would want former players as coaches and managers, right?

I think if you look around you might discover that just about all major coaches are former players..............

[sq764]

I think if you look around you might discover that just about all major coaches are former players..............
Not true.. And of the former players that are managers, how many are good managers?

Morgan is a flat out idiot. We'll have to agree to disagree about that

[JustRalph]

Not true.. And of the former players that are managers, how many are good managers?

Morgan is a flat out idiot. We'll have to agree to disagree about that


How can you say that? and I mean both of your statements.

First of all.........there are tons of examples of former players who are great coaches. Including Joe Torre, Billy Martin etc.

On the Subject of Morgan........"the idiot" is on the board of the hall of fame and has won 2 emmys (including one a year or two back) and a cable ace award. I guess we will have to disagree...............

His player credentials are impeccable
Morgan, along with teammates Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Dave Concepción, led the Reds to consecutive championships in the World Series. He drove in the winning run in game 7 of the 1975 World Series. Morgan was also the National League MVP in 1975 and 1976.


1974 Topps baseball card #85As a hitter, Morgan was extremely capable. While his lifetime average was only .271, he hit between .288 and .327 during his peak years with the Reds, and drew a great many walks throughout his career, resulting in a superb .392 on base percentage. He also hit 268 home runs and 545 doubles and triples, excellent power for a middle infielder of his era, and was considered the finest base stealer of his generation (689 steals at greater than 80% success rate). Besides his prowess behind the plate and on the bases, Morgan was an exceptional infielder winning the Gold Glove Award from 1972 to 1976. In 1980, he returned to Houston to help the young Astros to win the NL West. They did, but lost to the Phillies in the National League Championship Series. Morgan went to the San Francisco Giants for the next two seasons. It was his home run that eliminated the Dodgers out of the division race. Then, he went to the Phillies where he rejoined ex-teammates Pete Rose, and Tony Perez. After losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, Morgan finished his career with the Oakland Athletics. In his Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James named Joe Morgan the best second baseman in baseball history.

[Murph]

NFL color man Randy Cross. Punch and drag.

Murph

[OTM Al]

No one even need ask me....Tim McCarver without a doubt. I am really starting to get annoyed with Michael Kay though and was very happy over the weekend when the Yanks games were done by Ken Singleton and Paul O'Neill. Ken is really getting a nice listenable style going. As far as Russo and Francesa go, I wouldn't mind seeing the entire on air cast of WFAN mowed down in a spate of senseless violence....but fortunately don't have to listen to them when watching a game

[Valuist]

McCarver is master of the obvious. Fortunately, Stuart Scott doesn't cover games. He reads off a teleprompter so I don't even count him. IF he did cover games I'd agree on him also. I have to put Joe Thiesmann on top and all three of the morons who covered the Sunday Night NFL games. Just about every player Theismann talks about is "the best" or "unbelievable". Those idiots oversell those games so badly its a joke. A 2-12 team getting pounded by a 12-2 team and Thiesmann is having orgasms over a 10 yard completion.

How bad is Theismann? I'll take a full day insurance seminar with McCarver, Stuart Scott and Mike Battaglia as the keynote speakers instead of listening to Theismann for 1 game.

I do think SOME players make good managers, like Torre and Martin who were mentioned earlier. Piniella also. Guillen is a great baseball mind with a big mouth. But generally, in most sports, former superstar players don't make good coaches/managers. Nowadays they don't even bother because they're too busy counting their money.

[chickenhead]

How bad is Theismann? I'll take a full day insurance seminar with McCarver, Stuart Scott and Mike Battaglia as the keynote speakers instead of listening to Theismann for 1 game.


Now THAT is pretty serious. Theisman is bad, but nowhere near as infuriating as McCarver for me. If I was trapped in an elevator with McCarver, knowing that I would have to listen to him for hours with no hope of escape...if would quickly become a steel cage death match. Hopefully the judge would understand.

[Wiley]

Agree with others on Theisman and McCarver and I would go so far to say none today are worth a hoot because they all go overboard.

Awhile back ESPN classic replayed the '68 World Series 7th game between the Cardinals and Tigers. Curt Gowdy was the play by play and maybe Kubek was the color. The beauty of their announcing was in something we don't hear very often watching today's over produced/overhyped games.....'silence'. There were actual long pauses where the only sound was the background noise of the game. These guys did not feel it necessary to talk every second they were on the air, they let the game do the talking.
When did the overblown announcer start? Harry Carey with the Cardinals in the 60's? or how about Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football? These guys started the trend of trying to be bigger than the games they covered.

[Valuist]

Agree with others on Theisman and McCarver and I would go so far to say none today are worth a hoot because they all go overboard.

Awhile back ESPN classic replayed the '68 World Series 7th game between the Cardinals and Tigers. Curt Gowdy was the play by play and maybe Kubek was the color. The beauty of their announcing was in something we don't hear very often watching today's over produced/overhyped games.....'silence'. There were actual long pauses where the only sound was the background noise of the game. These guys did not feel it necessary to talk every second they were on the air, they let the game do the talking.
When did the overblown announcer start? Harry Carey with the Cardinals in the 60's? or how about Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football? These guys started the trend of trying to be bigger than the games they covered.

I agree about the silence. The problem is the analysts feel the need to talk all the time. Theismann, Sutcliffe and most of the ESPN college analysts fall into this trap.

[sq764]

Now THAT is pretty serious. Theisman is bad, but nowhere near as infuriating as McCarver for me. If I was trapped in an elevator with McCarver, knowing that I would have to listen to him for hours with no hope of escape...if would quickly become a steel cage death match. Hopefully the judge would understand.
The only time I EVER had even a remote spec of respect for Deion Sanders was when he (cowardly) dumped the bucket of water on Mccarver's head.. Pu$$y move, but sometimes the ends justifies the means

[KingChas]

Micheal Irvin

So much for random drug testing for erratic behavior. :confused:

[yak merchant]

Mmm. Tough, I'm going with Michael Irving #1 with Joe Theisman a close second. Now if Steven A actually starts calling games. I will go up on the room and tear my dish down as I wont' be watching sports anymore.

[ghostyapper]

Now if Steven A actually starts calling games. I will go up on the room and tear my dish down as I wont' be watching sports anymore.

That would be something. Then he could tell us in the middle of a playoff game that a team should kick the FG on third down this way if they miss it, they can try it again on 4th down. LOL

[sq764]

That would be something. Then he could tell us in the middle of a playoff game that a team should kick the FG on third down this way if they miss it, they can try it again on 4th down. LOL
The other day I heard someone on 950AM denote Steven Smith as the 'black Dick Vitale'

Interesting comparison

[freeneasy]

angel announcer.
this guy describes, details and highlights every single play, move, pitch, swing, hit, run, catch, call, out, stratagies, counter stratagies and on and on and on and i mean you name it, this knuckle head just cant shut the f up about it. the man knows all there is to know. he knows everything about every single pitcher, player, and coach and batboy in the game and he does all this extending way beyond the point to where now it has become nothing more then completely mindless retorric. the man constantly never shuts that big trap of his for so much as even the length of time it takes to make an out.
listening to rex huddler is like someone driving a nail into your head for 2 1/2 hours. i mean the guys got it bad :D

[rastajenk]

Reds' TV guy and former ESPN notable George Grande is a painstakingly ramblin' man....that is to say, you take a lot of pain putting up with his performances. He fills the air with a lot of nothingness babbling, but when a moment comes and calls for some lucid announcing, he doesn't know what to say. When Griffey Jr hit his 500th home run, all he said was, "Heyyy..."; sounded like someone poked him in the ass with a broom or something. He bad.

[JustRalph]

Reds' TV guy and former ESPN notable George Grande is a painstakingly ramblin' man....that is to say, you take a lot of pain putting up with his performances. He fills the air with a lot of nothingness babbling, but when a moment comes and calls for some lucid announcing, he doesn't know what to say. When Griffey Jr hit his 500th home run, all he said was, "Heyyy..."; sounded like someone poked him in the ass with a broom or something. He bad.

I can't get the reds TV broadcast anymore.........but I used to turn down the sound and listen to Mary Brenneman......even when there was a 2 second delay. That George guy Sucks!

[StartedAt18]

Seriously........ I don't care that he is a Hall of Famer but BILL WALTON Sucks Bull Balls! I won't even watch a game if he's announcing. He says the dumbest sh** and the most annoying sh*&.

[melman]

I was wondering when someone was going to get to Walton. He is an automatic MUTE button for me. Yes he was a great player a great team player but his work on games is beyond bad.

[ghostyapper]

No one talks for the sake of talking like walton. He's to the point where he's comical, not annoying. He flips positions so much that I think he even doesn't take himself seriously.

[bettheoverlay]

Paul McGuire and Theisman in football

McCarver is the worst in baseball, beats his analysis into the ground, and then he beats it some more. He can't believe people can understand what he's trying to say the first time around.

Rick Sutcliffe annoys me the most. Spends most of his time dramatically puffing up players who meet his favor. Especially after they make a good play, three innings later he will still be singing their praises. And he religiously adheres to the Tony Kubek School of Analysis, crediting the coaching staff and all the work they do on this and that, for every player's marked improvement.

I love Joe Morgan.

[JustRalph]

I love Joe Morgan.

how can you not love a guy who had a .392 on base percentage? Pretty Good numbers for a flat out idiot..........

On-base %
1965-.373-10
1966-.410-2
1967-.378-8
1972-.417-1
1973-.406-4
1974-.427-1
1975-.466-1 This was the Big Red Machine 1975-76 Series champs
1976-.444-1
1977-.417-2
1980-.367-10
1982-.400-2
Career-.392-92

Slugging %
1973-.493-10
1974-.494-7
1975-.508-7
1976-.576-1

Gold Gloves
1973-NL--2B
1974-NL--2B
1975-NL--2B
1976-NL--2B
1977-NL--2B

Awards
1972-ML-AS MVP All Star MVP
1975-ML-Major League Player of the Year

MVP (YrLg-Rk-Shr)
1965-NL-31-0.00
1972-NL-4-0.59
1973-NL-4-0.30
1974-NL-8-0.21
1975-NL-1-0.96 Won MVP
1976-NL-1-0.93 Won MVP
1982-NL-16-0.05

Runs
1965-100-8
1970-102-10
1971-87-9
1972-122-1
1973-116-2
1974-107-4
1975-107-4
1976-113-2
1977-113-4
Car-1650-30

Stolen Bases
1965-20-8
1967-29-2
1969-49-2
1970-42-4
1971-40-2
1972-58-2
1973-67-2
1974-58-3
1975-67-2
1976-60-2
1977-49-5
Car-689-11

[sq764]

how can you not love a guy who had a .392 on base percentage? Pretty Good numbers for a flat out idiot..........

On-base %
1965-.373-10
1966-.410-2
1967-.378-8
1972-.417-1
1973-.406-4
1974-.427-1
1975-.466-1 This was the Big Red Machine 1975-76 Series champs
1976-.444-1
1977-.417-2
1980-.367-10
1982-.400-2
Career-.392-92

Slugging %
1973-.493-10
1974-.494-7
1975-.508-7
1976-.576-1

Gold Gloves
1973-NL--2B
1974-NL--2B
1975-NL--2B
1976-NL--2B
1977-NL--2B

Awards
1972-ML-AS MVP All Star MVP
1975-ML-Major League Player of the Year

MVP (YrLg-Rk-Shr)
1965-NL-31-0.00
1972-NL-4-0.59
1973-NL-4-0.30
1974-NL-8-0.21
1975-NL-1-0.96 Won MVP
1976-NL-1-0.93 Won MVP
1982-NL-16-0.05

Runs
1965-100-8
1970-102-10
1971-87-9
1972-122-1
1973-116-2
1974-107-4
1975-107-4
1976-113-2
1977-113-4
Car-1650-30

Stolen Bases
1965-20-8
1967-29-2
1969-49-2
1970-42-4
1971-40-2
1972-58-2
1973-67-2
1974-58-3
1975-67-2
1976-60-2
1977-49-5
Car-689-11
JR, what are your thoughts on Barry Bonds? Idiot or no?

[JustRalph]

JR, what are your thoughts on Barry Bonds? Idiot or no?

How about stupid for putting the crap in his veins. Only time will tell how stupid, ala Lyle Alzado............

[sq764]

How about stupid for putting the crap in his veins. Only time will tell how stupid, ala Lyle Alzado............
But will the numbers he puts up year after year and the probably HOF nomination qualify him as a 'non-idiot'?

[Bathless]

There's no denying Joe Morgan was a great player. But as an announcer, he displays none of the talent he had on the field. NONE.

During last night's game, he kind of mangled a quote he attributed to Yogi. Sandy Koufax was 25-5 one year and the quote is: "I can understand how he won 25 games; what I don't understand is how he lost the 5". Problem is Yogi never said it; Casey did.

I know, that's nitpicking. But after a couple of innings of listening to his verbal diarrhea, I was screaming back at the TV for him to shut up.

Why do all these guys feel the need to talk every second? And it's everybody.

Boy, do I miss Mel Allen and Vin Sculley.

[yak merchant]

angel announcer.
this guy describes, details and highlights every single play, move, pitch, swing, hit, run, catch, call, out, stratagies, counter stratagies and on and on and on and i mean you name it, this knuckle head just cant shut the f up about it. the man knows all there is to know. he knows everything about every single pitcher, player, and coach and batboy in the game and he does all this extending way beyond the point to where now it has become nothing more then completely mindless retorric. the man constantly never shuts that big trap of his for so much as even the length of time it takes to make an out.
listening to rex huddler is like someone driving a nail into your head for 2 1/2 hours. i mean the guys got it bad :D

Holy crap your right. Watched a game with him announcing the other day and I almost shot myself. He has narrowly beaten out Theisman and now resides in Spot number 2 behind the playmaker.

[sq764]

Holy crap your right. Watched a game with him announcing the other day and I almost shot myself. He has narrowly beaten out Theisman and now resides in Spot number 2 behind the playmaker.
Poor John Miller... I feel so bad for him on Sunday night baseball. He rarely gets to say a damn word..

Miller must feel like all of us husbands do when we try to explain coming home with lipstick on our collar..

[falconridge]

There's no denying Joe Morgan was a great player. But as an announcer, he displays none of the talent he had on the field. NONE.

During last night's game, he kind of mangled a quote he attributed to Yogi. Sandy Koufax was 25-5 one year and the quote is: "I can understand how he won 25 games; what I don't understand is how he lost the 5". Problem is Yogi never said it; Casey did.

I know, that's nitpicking. But after a couple of innings of listening to his verbal diarrhea, I was screaming back at the TV for him to shut up.

Why do all these guys feel the need to talk every second? And it's everybody.

Boy, do I miss Mel Allen and Vin Sculley.Great Unwashed One:

At last, someone who agrees--and publicly!--with me about Joe Morgan's color commentary. A master of the obvious, JM garners high marks (understandably) from those "fans" who follow the sport only from late September through mid-October. To them, Joe's ad nauseam explanations of why it's critical that a pitcher not go to three-and-two on a batter who's at the plate with runners on and two outs ("because, you see, the runners will get a jump by going on contact, and the runner at first can score easily on any ball hit into the gap" :sleeping: ) sound insightful and fresh. Fine--for those who know or care little about baseball, and want to affect some savvy during the next day's water-cooler colloquy; anathema for the rest of us.

Apropos of the mis-attribution to Yogi of Dutch Stengel's remark, another Yogi-ism: "I didn't say half the things I said." :confused: :D Another of my favorites is L. P. Berra's response to a reporter's question about why there were so many empty seats at the Yankee Stadium during a crucial, late-September series: "If the people don't want to come out to the games, nothin's gonna keep 'em away." :confused: :bang:

Indeed, Scully's silences often speak more dramatically, more eloquently, of what's occurred on the diamond than any verbal effusions possibly could. Remember how he covered Kirk Gibson's two-out, ninth-inning homer off Dennis Eckersley in Game One of the 1988 World Series? "High fly ball into right field ... she i-i-i-is... GONE!" For the next 67 seconds, an eternity in sports play-by-play, the Redhead remained mute. Then, only the briefest of epilogues: "In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened." (Dizzy Dean might have put it, "Folks, Pee Wee, you seen on your screen ...")

P.S. The Koufax reference (to his 1963 season) reminds me of what Jim Bouton, in Ball Four, had to say about a Yankee scouting report of the St. Louis Cardinals' line-up on the eve of the 1964 World Series: How to pitch to Tim McCarver--Koufax struck him out with letter-high fastballs. "Great," observed Bouton, "if you can throw letter-high fastballs like Koufax."

[falconridge]

I got so caught up in my last post, I forgot the title of this thread. Understand, I've never wanted to punch Joe Morgan, who, from all I've read and observed--and notwithstanding his penchant for giving viewers/listeners too much of a good thing by over-explaining every play and situation--is a model citizen, a gentleman, and an unusually intelligent, thoughtful, and personable fellow. I just want to mute him whenever he launches--for the nth time--into one of his way-too-discursive explanations of what any spectator ought to have seen and figured out for himself.

It's hard to imagine a more complete baseball player than Joe Morgan. Not only was he gifted in any number of ways--an adroit second-baseman, with great range and an accurate arm; a fast, canny baserunner; a power-hitting, high-contact batsman--JM never, in my memory, suffered a brain cramp on the diamond. All of which makes, for me, his performance at the mike that much more lamentable.

[falconridge]

Here are three ...

Jeff Brantley, whose smug, know-it-all glibness makes me wish someone would knock him out of the box.

That pair of oft-fired skippers, who, like bogus currency, keep turning up (as "expert analysts"): Messrs. Showalter and Martinez, who together aren't worth two bucks.

[Bathless]

Great Unwashed One:

P.S. The Koufax reference (to his 1963 season) reminds me of what Jim Bouton, in Ball Four, had to say about a Yankee scouting report of the St. Louis Cardinals' line-up on the eve of the 1964 World Series: How to pitch to Tim McCarver--Koufax struck him out with letter-high fastballs. "Great," observed Bouton, "if you can throw letter-high fastballs like Koufax."

I read Ball Four when it was first published, but totally forgot that quote. I'll have to read it again.

One of my favorites lines was from Warren Spahn, who pitched for Stengel with the Boston Braves and the Mets. Spahn said "I played for Casey both before and after he was a genius".

Stengel, BTW, was the only man to ever wear the uniforms of all 4 New York MLB teams (Yanks, Giants, Dodgers and Mets in the 20th century, if not ever.

Just read The Gospel According to Casey by Ira Berkow. In it, Casey lists the players he considered the all-time best (Casey died in 1975). His outfielders included Mays, Williams, Cobb and Joe D., but no Mantle. He loved Yogi and Bill Dickey. Among pitchers, he selected Koufax and Ed Lopat, but not Ford.

Getting way off topic here, but just this morning I visited:

[Bathless]

Great Unwashed One:

P.S. The Koufax reference (to his 1963 season) reminds me of what Jim Bouton, in Ball Four, had to say about a Yankee scouting report of the St. Louis Cardinals' line-up on the eve of the 1964 World Series: How to pitch to Tim McCarver--Koufax struck him out with letter-high fastballs. "Great," observed Bouton, "if you can throw letter-high fastballs like Koufax."

I read Ball Four when it was first published, but totally forgot that quote. I'll have to read it again.

One of my favorites lines was from Warren Spahn, who pitched for Stengel with the Boston Braves and the Mets. Spahn said "I played for Casey both before and after he was a genius".

Stengel, BTW, was the only man to ever wear the uniforms of all 4 New York MLB teams (Yanks, Giants, Dodgers and Mets) in the 20th century, if not ever.

Just read The Gospel According to Casey by Ira Berkow. In it, Casey lists the players he considered the all-time best (Casey died in 1975). His outfielders included Mays, Williams, Cobb and Joe D., but no Mantle. He loved Yogi and Bill Dickey. Among pitchers, he selected Koufax and Ed Lopat, but not Ford.

Getting way off topic here, but just this morning I visited:
http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mon/history/mon_history_timeline.jsp

It's Montreal Expos history, from a link at the Washington Nationals site. I'm into Expo history for a couple of reasons:

1)I once made $300 by knowing some Expo trivia. I walked into work one day (circa 1985 or so) and one of the guys asked me if I knew who hit the first ever ML grand slam outside the US. I thought for a minute and answered "Yes, I think so. Why?" He said it was a question on the radio and if you called in with the correct answer, you get $600. So we split the prize. I tried to negotiate up to $400, since I knew the answer and all he knew was the phone number, but we were running out of time. Anyway, DAL MAXVILL was worth $600 to us.

2)My brother was in the Expos organization in 1968 and 1969. Made it to 'AA' ball after a good career at Notre Dame. When he was a freshman (frosh didn't play varsity in those days), the pitching staff included Ron Reed (future Phillie and Detroit Piston) and Dan McGinn. McGinn's claim to fame was that he hit the first ever home run by an Expo, off Tom Seaver, of all people. He came in to pitch in relief in that game. Like Reed, McGinn was also a 2 sport star. He was a backup QB for the Irish and did their punting. Although he batted and threw lefty, he punted with his right foot. Kind of unique.

My brother had some funny stories about spring training with the Expos in West Palm Beach. Most of them had to do with catcher John Bateman, apparently a real doofus. Manager Gene Mauch once said of Bateman: "If they picked co-captains for the all-ugly team, Bateman would be both of them".

[JPinMaryland]

P.S. The Koufax reference (to his 1963 season) reminds me of what Jim Bouton, in Ball Four, had to say about a Yankee scouting report of the St. Louis Cardinals' line-up on the eve of the 1964 World Series: How to pitch to Tim McCarver--Koufax struck him out with letter-high fastballs. "Great," observed Bouton, "if you can throw letter-high fastballs like Koufax."

Actualy the quote is more along the lines of....

They were talking about how to pitch to someone (cant recall if it was Regge Jackson or Killebrew) and Sal Maglie, I think, says to throw on inside and then throw three straight fastballs on the low outside corner.

"Yeah great if you can throw three straight fastballs on the outside corner"

Then Bouton goes on to explain about how much control a pitcher really has and he said it's about being able to hit a 6" target fairly accurately.

Then there is the other quote about how to pitch to Killebrew or Jackson, IIRC. Maglie tells them the secret to getting Jackson out is: "Dont throw him any fastballs.."

So Jackson hits three HRs in the game and after reach HR, someone on the bench yells: "There's another one of those goddam fastballs."

It's funny Bouton spends much of the book putting down his coaches: Johnny OBrien, Sal Maglie and Frankie Crosetti...Thing is: all of those guys had some great stories to tell and two of them: Crosetti/Maglie had many moments of greatness.

Like in the '38 World series game 2 when the normally light hitting Crosetti hit a 2 run HR off of Dizzy Dean for a come from behind victory. It would have been great to hear Crosetti's version of that. Crosetti was really one of the great SS of his day..

[Valuist]

Ball Four was a great book. So was the Bronx Zoo, written by Sparky Lyle.

[falconridge]

Actualy the quote is more along the lines of....

It's funny Bouton spends much of the book putting down his coaches: Johnny OBrien, Sal Maglie and Frankie Crosetti...Ball Four journal entry for April 16, 1969: Bouton, recounting a Yankee scouting report, writes "The word on Tim McCarver of the Cards was that Sandy Koufax struck him out on letter-high fastballs. Which is great advice if you can throw letter-high fastballs like Koufax could."

I believe it was Johnny O'Brien's identical twin brother, Eddie, who served on the Seattle Pilots' coaching staff during their expansion year--their only season in the Emerald City, where they played in the old Sicks Stadium, hitherto home of the Pacific Coast League's Seattle Rainiers. Before the start of the 1970 campaign, the franchise moved to Milwaukee, where they played at County Stadium (the Braves' old home park) as the Brewers.

[Off-topic alert!] Johnny and Eddie O'Brien debuted in 1953 for the pathetic Pittsburgh Pirates (excuse the redundancy; excuse the redundancy). General Manager Branch Rickey had given them a $40,000 signing bonus (a package deal, no doubt) to form the Bucs' double-play combination. Neither hit much; both pitched a little. Johnny compiled a .250 batting average, with four home runs, over a 339-game career. Eddie clocked in at .236, with nary a round-tripper, in 231 games. As moundsmen, each was, by turns, okay and awful. Johnny logged more innings, while Eddie had the lower career ERA. The O'Briens, who had majored in business and been named All-Americans at Seattle University, both had successful careers after leaving baseball. Johnny served as a King County (Washington) commissioner, Eddie as an energy consultant in Alaska.

[JPinMaryland]

I had forgotten that one about McCarver then. THe ones I remembered were more memorably to me, I guess.

I didnt know that the OBrien's were drafted to be a double play combination. ONe of them played CF at least for a little while.

[edit] Eddie as shown as playing 56 games in CF in 1955 then, next season more infield.

[Valuist]

Theismann just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper into an abyss. He's so arrogant and full of himself, its comical. Here's some classic Theismann from last week at his arrogant best:

"You know those Super Bowl rings are always getting in the way, getting knicked and banged up.

Kornheiser: "Joe, are you trying to tell us you have a Super Bowl ring? Is that what you're saying."

Theismann: (in a way he thinks is poking fun at himself but just comes off as more bragging): "Well yeah but I'm also the only QB who lost a Super Bowl for Joe Gibbs.

Thank God for the Mute button.

[Dave Schwartz]

How about that guy doing the Cardinals-Padres right now with Orel Hershiser?

[dav4463]

Musberger...too dramatic.

[OTM Al]

I would call it too full of himself and something else as well.....