With the slight hope that last week’s rebel yell for a Fan’s Union is still echoing in some remote regions of cyberspace (where the Rockies’ front-office and MLB business hierarchies were taken to task), this week’s companion piece digs in against the other controlling industry in big league baseball — major media — and its devotion to a single pitch repertoire, embodied in the idea of the Monoform.
And for Rockies fans who have now suffered through a decade of lousy TV broadcasts, there’s finally some statistical support to back up all our feverish critiques of the dudes in the booth. More on that later.
First, let’s wax philosophically for a bit. Ever heard of director Peter Watkins or his notion of the Monoform? If we think about how it applies to televised baseball, it captures rather well the experience of passively watching a ballgame on the boob tube:
“The MONOFORM is the internal language-form (editing, narrative structure, etc.) used by TV and the commercial cinema to present their messages. It is the densely packed and rapidly edited barrage of images and sounds, the ‘seamless’ yet fragmented modular structure which we all know so well…variations on the Monoform have certain common characteristics: they are repetitive, predictable, and closed vis-à-vis their relationship to the audience…And it is crucial to understand that these variations on the Monoform are all predicated on the traditional media belief that the audience is immature, that it needs predictable forms of presentation in order to become ‘engaged’ (i.e., manipulated).”
It’s not hard to see how this Monoform is manifested in televised baseball broadcasts, with its insatiable appetite for instant replay, its relentless attempt to normalize and clone each and every broadcast across the country, and all the predictable banalities of each production. As one baseball blogger observed,
“[A] televisual grammar and logic works the audience over, pounding us in the gut again and again with the same silly sequence of shots – strike three, zoom-in on pitcher who struts around the mound in confidence, cut to batter walking back to dugout with head down, then looking toward the field as if staring at the pitcher (“I’ll get you next time”), but is actually just watching the replay on the jumbo-tron; cut to establishing shot of stadium for an enthusiastic endorsement of some corporate product; cut back to center field camera for the next at-bat; repeat.”
Given this mechanistic and formulaic way in which baseball is currently presented on television, (almost) any sign of human personality and spontaneity is welcomed like a breath of fresh air. Therefore, if the TV broadcasting team can educate, entertain, and communicate a kind of charisma or personality to the proceedings, then we can usually cope with the visual manipulation. But when the broadcasters are complicit in perpetuating this imposed Monoform production from above, then the joy and pleasure of watching the ballgame disappears.
Enter: the Rockies broadcasting team
If you happen to remember the “statistical support” I promised you at the beginning of this diatribe, it’s time to get down to brass tacks…
After four months of waiting and wondering where the results of FanGraphs’ Broadcaster Rankings might place the Rockies TV trio of Drew Goodman, Jeff Huson, and George Frazier, I guess we can give a collective sigh of resignation that they earned 28th place out of 31. This reinforces the assumption most of us have had since they first finagled their way into the booth: these guys are pretty awful. Now, our suspicions are somewhat substantiated. I don’t know about you, but I take no comfort in that.
As one FanGraphs commenter observed about the Rockies broadcasters,
“It’s like watching a game with guys who used to play with you in high school; you feel like you should listen to what they say and care about what they are saying but they are so arrogant and often wrong that it is more hassle than it’s worth so you just stand up to go get a hot dog and watch the game from the concourse. You then proceed to write a run-on sentence describing the horrible experience.”
A television broadcast team seems to have a privileged opportunity and unlimited resources to entertain and educate their audience about the game of baseball in general, and about the home team in particular. A dream job, if you ask a lot of baseball nerds. When the broadcast team fails to educate their audience, we may bemoan the current state of television sports coverage, but we’ll probably keep watching. If, however, the broadcasters fail to entertain — or worse yet, become an irritation — then we’re obviously less forgiving (see case above).
With the myriad ways in which baseball-talk has grown and changed over the past couple decades, most fans rely on their hometown broadcasters to keep them well informed (historically, statistically, etc.) and up-to-date (organizational development, new baseball jargon, etc.). But with a distant and obscure baseball history not being part of the must-know Denver sports narrative, baseball fans in the Mile High city aren’t as well connected with their baseball roots as they are with, say, football. And neither are the announcers.
Yet, things haven’t always been so bad up in the booth at Coors Field. In fact, we’ve had some legendary broadcasters and under-appreciated Ramblers on the Rox, lest one forget:
Charlie Jones (1993-1995) and Duane Kuiper (1993)
Dave Armstrong (1996-2001) and Dave Campbell (1994-1997)
On radio, the inimitable Jeff Kingery (1993-2009) and Wayne Hagen (1993-2002).
Perhaps this can provide us with some hope. It’d be nice to think that after the Rockies TV contract with Root Sports runs out in 2014 they might change things up, perhaps give the local Altitude network a shot, hire some new voices, and even re-think the way they photograph the game. Or maybe fans will demand a channel fully dedicated to the Rockies! But, do we fans really have any say in anything significant anymore? Or do we even care?
As one BSB commenter wrote last week,
“I’m not too sure about the Rockies’ fanbase. The team attracts large numbers of fans when it’s playing well, and even sometimes when it’s not, but that’s kind of the problem. I’ve always had the feeling that the fans regard the Rockies as another summer activity — just another entry on the list of things to do, right below rafting and mountain biking. Their interest and education in the game of baseball, in other words, is lacking, even while they have the appetite to attend games.” -Riles
Finally, to add insult to injury, this year, Rockies fans will be without two very talented TV personalities and fan favorites: Alanna Rizzo and Tom Helmer. Although Colorado native Rizzo is moving up and into the big leagues, Helmer now finds himself down and out of a job. This made some diehard fans particularly upset. Seeing as how his replacement is former CU Buffs quarterback Joel Klatt, the Helmer firing does come off as a major head-scratcher.
These decisions, like all others that involve the front-office or major media corporations, do not involve the fans. In fact, we’re deliberately ignored and excluded from the conversation and decision-making process. Being part of the 99% (of baseball fans) so often feels politically disenfranchising. Brushed aside and forgotten in favor of another jump-cut in the Monoform production, bombarding our senses and deadening our sensibilities.
But if we’re forced to endure watching and hearing about another losing season, regardless if it’s at the ballpark or on the boob tube, don’t expect us all to just shrug our shoulders and keep on cheering like Dinger the Dinosaur with a goofy grin on our faces. The days of consumer somnambulism are coming to an end, even in the country of baseball.
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22 comments
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Logan Burdine
February 29, 2012 at 1:29 PM (UTC -6)
I’ve always felt like Root needs to better utilize their best assets. That used to be Alanna, Helmer, and Cowboy. Now it may just be Cowboy. The verdict is still out on the new additions, though I think Klatt has gotten better with experience. But, Ringolsby is a Hall of Fame baseball writer. I’d like to hear him on tv as much as possible.
CodenameDuchess
March 1, 2012 at 12:04 PM (UTC -6)
The Cowboy!!! I’ll give you that he knows the Rockies entire organization and follows the game but how can you like someone who thinks sabermetrics are garbage and tried to take Michael Lewis to task? Plus he reinforces a false stereotype that Colorado is full of hicks. I wish that shitkicker would ride his horse back to Wyoming.
Logan Burdine
March 1, 2012 at 12:14 PM (UTC -6)
Cowboy is an official friend of BSB. I often don’t agree with him, but I respect what he’s accomplished.
Besides, Moneyball certainly isn’t gospel. The great Keith Law isn’t a fan of that book either.
Here is a Fangraphs interview with him that’s worth a read:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/tracy-ringolsby-qa-part-2/
CodenameDuchess
March 1, 2012 at 1:43 PM (UTC -6)
Thanks Logan. That’s was a good read. I’ve certainly been a little too hard on the guy. However……
“I just think that makeup in the clubhouse is huge.”
Maybe he is the brains actually driving this bus? Also……………
“I’m a stats guy. I was in the 99th percentile in math on my college boards.”
One, if I went around my office or even on message boards touting my GMAT score I would be labeled a douchebag. And deservedly so. Two, being good at math doesn’t mean you are a stats guy. It may mean that you understand the stats but if you are still arguing intangibles over stats than you are not a stats guy.
Lastly, in regards to Moneyball and Michael Lewis I believe this comment from LarryM of the Fangraphs community expresses my feeling far better than I could…..
“It’s been a while since I read Moneyball, but my recollection is quite different that Ringolsby’s. Certainly people misread the book in a way that could be fairly characterized as “oversimplification of a complicated process,” but the book itself mostly got the story right. The story was “look for market inefficiencies, and use statistics as one tool, but not the only tool, to do so.” The “OBP rules/stats rule” oversimplification was not the book but reprsented poor readings by both critics and fans of the book.”
I believe this is a pretty fair statement. Certainly Michael Lewis tries to simplify concepts into general rules of thumb but his primary theme was about value investing and challenging conventional wisdom. Even Seth Klarman (A hedge fund legend) believes that Moneyball is the best book ever written about value investing that wasn’t specifically an investing book. Since Tracy has been hanging around both Bill James and Billy Beane maybe he is just jealous that he didn’t write it first?
Logan Burdine
March 1, 2012 at 1:53 PM (UTC -6)
For the record, I loved Moneyball. I think that comment hits the nail on the head. Those that think it’s about OBP and drafting fat ballplayers are just missing the point altogether.
The makeup in the clubhouse thing is something that Tracy and I staunchly disagree about. I’ve about had it with the culture talk coming out of Rockies camp. It’s March 1! Of course everyone is getting along!
Also, the Post article about Tulo being told by Helton to be a leader was pretty weird. Seems like that should have happened a long, long time ago.
Travis Lay
February 29, 2012 at 1:48 PM (UTC -6)
I hate the TV crew. Dead air during a ballgame is awful. It also seems like they bicker a lot, especially Goodman v Frazier. When watching numerous other teams one realizes how bad Rockies fans have it.
As for Rizzo they can find anyone to do that job.
Logan Burdine
February 29, 2012 at 2:01 PM (UTC -6)
Will you just take it easy, man?
Montana Steve
March 2, 2012 at 11:05 AM (UTC -6)
I kind of have a unique situation. Living in Montana, the only way I get to see the Rockies play on tv is either wait for a nationally televised game (yeah right) or pony up for a mlb.tv subscription. Last season was the first time I’ve made the choice to pay for that and the joy of watching any and every Rockies game completely canceled out any gripes I had with the booth crew. Now that being said, I’ve only had one season of seeing those guys so I don’t think I really can make an informed opinion. Goodman seemed adequate to me, and really the only problem I had with Frazier was with how frequently he’s start an anecdote with ‘When I used to play…’. I plan on re-upping my tv subscription for this season. Maybe I’ll have a clearer idea on what everyone is complaining about after this go-around.
Hoover
February 29, 2012 at 2:11 PM (UTC -6)
I have never been a big Frazier fan, he is too Yankee for me, his snub comments and typical better than you attitude has always rubbed me the wrong way. Drew for some reason his voice has always been a Colorado staple I don’t mind listening to him despite his lack of actually playing ball. Huson is a give and take I think they could find someone better with more knowledge of the game, one thing we are lacking is a commentator with ties to the Rockies, don’t know who that might be, maybe he hasn’t retired yet, don’t know. Allana’s on camera presence was great but more importantly she was approachable at the ball park and would sit in the stands and talk about baseball, loved that about her, not to mention her social media updates were always nice. Helmer was the fire cracker fan favorite that made hanging out in center field after a victory fun. I think Root made a huge mistake in letting him go and replacing him with the always negative glass is half empty Joel Klatt. Time will tell.
David Martin
February 29, 2012 at 2:28 PM (UTC -6)
I guess I am one of the few that actually really enjoy both Drew Goodman and George Frazier. Frazier knows the game, especially pitching, and doesn’t describe it in a way that sounds like he is coaching little league. He doesn’t take the home team’s side all the time, like a lot of broadcasters do. As far as Goodman goes, I think he brings great insight and does a very good job with the play-by-play.
The problem is Jeff Huson. He seems like an ultra-nice guy…but his nasally voice is beyond unbearable, and his description of the game is usually completely useless. He sounds like he runs a day care during the day with the terms that often come out of his mouth “fooey”, particularly bothers me.
Joel Klatt is brutal. He was terrible years ago when he was in the studio part time for FSN Rocky Mountain, and I doubt he has gotten any better. His morning radio show makes him seem extremely arrogant. I don’t get the feeling that he understands baseball, despite playing in the minors…this morning on the radio he said “PED use was rampant in baseball when I was there, and frankly, I don’t think it mattered…in fact, I think the game was better because of it.”
Besides the obvious ridiculousness of this statement, it shows me that he doesn’t understand the game. True baseball fans know that guy…the one who goes to the game to see 450 foot bombs and hates 2-1 games. Those guys don’t understand the beauty of baseball and never will.
Eric Garcia
February 29, 2012 at 11:44 PM (UTC -6)
I would most welcome more creative broadcast techniques and informational talking points. The ability to enjoy a game on TV would still be limited by the fact that every double, stolen base, walk, etc. is sponsored by a local business. I find this to be the most annoying thing about the broadcasts, and I think it would interrupt the flow of a more polished one, too. I think Drew Goodman is fine on the whole, and George Frazier gets more entertaining as a game goes on, mostly because I think he’s a little drunk by the end of every game.
Kevin, how do you imagine Rockies fans making their voices heard re: this issue and the one discussed in your last article? The idea is nice, but how would it actually work?
Kevin Kroh
March 1, 2012 at 3:58 AM (UTC -6)
Eric – great question, and one that’s not easy to answer. But I’ll give it a shot.
I’m guessing that like in most areas of our ostensibly democratic society, the more people who can become involved and organize into a coherent group with clear demands will theoretically have a more influential voice in demanding positions of decision-making power.
So, for starters, hooking up with the League of Fans and other established organizations with similar visions might link us up to an entire network of good ideas and shared goals (on that note, I wrote an email to the League just now). Meanwhile, just talking to people about these ideas at the ground/grassroots level not only gets fellow fans involved, but fan feedback gives us a feeling of whether or not it’s possible to build some momentum at the local level. Social media is a great tool for this too, should anybody feel like starting a Rockies Fan’s Union facebook page…
Although these baby steps may seem obvious and/or temporarily ineffectual, it seems like that’s where we’d need to begin. By building a strong enough presence with coherent demands, I imagine we could apply enough pressure to at least question whether both Rockies ownership and corporate media interests should concede the decision-making power to the community with the goal of establishing a non-profit public purpose. Not to mention, starting up our own non-profit Rockies channel with rights to broadcast the games for free would also be in the community’s best interest.
From here, there are lots of avenues to explore. I’m no legal expert, but seems like MLB’s bylaws indirectly prohibiting teams from being owned by the fans can’t possibly be held up. And let’s not forget, if our publicly-funded stadiums are solely for the benefit of a privately-owned corporation like the Rockies, who continue to receive this kind of corporate welfare which ownership and major media continues to profit by without being held accountable to the public (on how the money is never spent on the fans or re-invested in public projects, how corporate partnerships and sponsorship deals are made wothout fan consent, etc), within a monopoly (MLB) exempt from anti-trust laws, then that ain’t legal either.
Examining the economic/financial details of how other community-owned businesses in minor league baseball (and other sports) are structured and operated would help educate and prepare fans for the possibility of taking control. Hell, we could even try and get an internship with one of the three fan-owned Triple-A teams (Memphis, Rochester, Toledo), or the Green Bay Packers to see how it’s done.
Here’s a good look at some of these teams and their alternative ownership models:
http://www.newrules.org/governance/rules/communityowned-sports/community-owned-sports-teams-examples
Finally, I’m hoping Dr. Ken Reed – the sports policy director from the League of Fans – replies to my email and/or gets in on this discussion. He’s probably much more knowledgable about such things, and he’s also a Colorado man – went to DU, CSU, and UNC, writes for Mile High Sports magazine, etc. Check out this Sports Manifesto he wrote last year, which seems to deal with what we’re talking about (just stumbled upon it, so haven’t read it yet):
http://www.leagueoffans.org/pdf/Manifesto2.pdf
Thanks for reading.
Rockin;Johnny
March 1, 2012 at 10:49 AM (UTC -6)
I have always liked Drew Goodman and Jeff Huson. Drew provides clear play-by-play, some humor, and his baseball insight is better each year. Huson is smart and knows the game. You can leave Frazier at the hot dog stand. Tom Helmer’s antics were an embarrassment. Sad to see Alanna go; she brought class and style to a very difficult role in the broadcast.
On radio, I have tried to like Jerry Schimmel (sp? sorry), but I just can’t. He might know a bit about the game — from the perspective of a college coach — but he is not very good with the language. He may have had his problems, but Jeff Kingery was the best radio guy the Rox have ever had.
CodenameDuchess
March 1, 2012 at 12:20 PM (UTC -6)
I like Drew Gooden. He blows Helton far more than he deserves these days but for the most part he is professional and is never a distraction. You people can say what you want but if I had to listen to the loud mouth White Sox team or that asshole from the Yankees with his stupid homerun nicknames (Cano! Dontcha’ Know! Ugh) I’d join Team TV Mute & Radio On.
Not a big Frazier or Huson fan. Frazier seems more interested in Jenks, OK baseball than the Rockies and Huson just loves to regurgitate baseball cliches.
Being in LA I have to watch through MLB.tv so I’m often listening to the away team feed and don’t get as exposed to Helmer, Alanna, and the Cowboy as I used to. However, being in LA does have it’s advantages, chief being that every time the Rockies come to LA I get to listen to Vin Scully and that is how a game should be called.
Logan Burdine
March 1, 2012 at 12:29 PM (UTC -6)
Scully was number one on that Fangraphs article. Can’t disagree. He is and will always be the only announcer I’ve ever chased down for an autograph.
CodenameDuchess
March 1, 2012 at 1:50 PM (UTC -6)
It is such a different experience. After listening to a weekend series of Vin Scully it’s pretty easy to understand why LA, STL, and Philly hold their play by play legends in such high regard.
Kevin Kroh
March 1, 2012 at 4:08 PM (UTC -6)
Great thread. If there’s one thing we can say about the Rox TV team after reading the comments thus far, it’s that we don’t seem to agree on who we dislike most. Although Alanna Rizzo does appear to be the only member we can all agree will be missed (c’mon now, Travis).
For my few cents, MLB.tv broadcasts don’t get much better than those seen/heard from San Francisco: Kruk and Kuip, with Jon Miller. Then again, I don’t mind Hawk Harrelson. But make no mistake: Goerge Frazier drives me nuts.
Travis Lay
March 1, 2012 at 6:56 PM (UTC -6)
Seriously, other than looks what sort of valuable insight did she bring to the telecast? Stout does just as good of a job if not better (he seems to come up with some pretty cool trivia). No doubt the new lady will be just as good.
Tom
April 3, 2012 at 10:30 AM (UTC -6)
I would love to see the Rockie mine some of their former players like Walt Weiss as potential brodcasters, the team is now old enough that some of their former players have moved into the media. If it isn’t to much to ask can we make it one of the more intelligent ones?
Rockpile Ranter
April 3, 2012 at 7:47 PM (UTC -6)
I don’t mind the current group with Root Sports but they needed Helmer and should have stood up for him when he was canned. His enthusiasm was contagious that’s why he had such a following. Fans aren’t stupid, they realize “genuine” when they witness it. I will now longer watch Root Sports because they proved to me that “The Fan” is just a BS slogan they’ve adopted. Fans mean nothing to them and with that attitude they will fail. I really enjoyed this…Good Job…”D”
Kevin Kroh
April 4, 2012 at 8:31 AM (UTC -6)
Tom, I’ve been trying to think of former Rockies who might be able to speak with some intelligence on the t.v. broadcasts, but drawing a blank. Maybe we could get former outfielder Mike Kingery into the booth and convince ourselves that he’s in fact the great Jeff Kingery?
D, couldn’t agree with you more. Even if some found Helmer to be too boisterous or tired of his antics, his enthusiasm was contagious and his post-game puns were witty. If Root sports was genuine about their dedication to fans, they’d hold open auditions for the best and brightest to broadcast the games.
josh clubb
April 7, 2012 at 4:46 AM (UTC -6)
Joel klatt is nothing compared to tom helmer! Klatt shouldn’t even be on the root sports staff! Tom helmer shouldve got an extension and klatt shouldve been let go! Big mistake by root!
Touching Base with the Fans: Home Sweet Home - Blake Street Bulletin » Blake Street Bulletin
June 5, 2012 at 8:09 AM (UTC -6)
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