Here's the call: Style, subtlety will keep fans listening to baseball announcers

Boston Globe

14-06-2025

I do not want the play-by-play voices that I'm going to be spending dozens of hours with over the course of a summer to be hyperbolic and prone to superlatives.
I want that voice to be wry and understated.
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That's one of the most important ways a broadcaster can build trust and camaraderie with listeners. Don't hammer them over the head with a joke, a story line, or a recurring theme. There's so much time over a long baseball season that subtlety becomes a welcome companion. Let the listeners know that they're in on the joke with you, that you know they've picked up on the same detail you have.
This crossed my mind recently for a few reasons, including when I saw a clip of Tigers television broadcaster
Jason Benetti
— who is as good as there is at the job right now — acknowledging an umpire's generous strike zone with an amusingly dry call. 'Strike three called,'' said Benetti, pausing ever so briefly, then adding, 'in the vicinity of the outside corner.'
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"Strike three called... in the vicinity of the outside corner." - Jason Benetti on Doug Eddings's generous strike zone
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)
That's so much more enjoyable than harping on what a bad call it was or railing about how damaging it could be to the local team's chances. And it's a lot more appealing as the season progresses. Not every bad call over 162 games is life and death.
I wouldn't go so far as to say the understated approach is going the way of the complete-game shutout, but it absolutely was more prevalent a generation or two ago. With the Red Sox'
Joe Castiglione
— who could say everything he wanted to say with his tone of voice or a quick, offhand comment — retiring following last season and the Brewers'
Bob
('
Just
a bit outside')
Uecker
, the funniest broadcaster there has ever been, passing away in January, this baseball season overall does feel different. And it is the younger broadcasters that tend to be plagued with verbosity.
We didn't have NESN when I was growing up in Maine in the '80s, so I watched Braves games on TBS for my baseball fix. The quality of the team certainly didn't keep me watching. What kept me watching through what seemed like four
Rick Mahler
starts per week was the broadcast team, especially
Skip Carey
, the master of dry wit.
I mentioned this on Bluesky (its like X, minus the awful stuff) the other day, and a friend immediately replied with a couple of Careyisms from those '80s Braves/TBS years, back in whatever you call the opposite of a heyday:
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'We're in the bottom of the fifth and I wish I was too.'
Another: 'If you promise to patronize our sponsors, you have my permission to change the channel.'
Not everyone has such natural wit, but subtlety and understatement are achievable for any broadcaster with the discipline. Castiglione did not have a classic voice, but one of the reasons he is so beloved is that he spoke to listeners like they were genuine friends who understood baseball.
Related
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That understated approach will pay off in a couple of ways. It will give more weight to the moment — and to the broadcaster's call — when something truly great does happen.
And it will make listeners happy to hear your voice again, day after day, rather than leaving them wondering when you might decide to let a moment breathe, and whether you're getting paid by the adverb.
Some Roman numerals
A little more evidence on the 'Hey, the Sox finally recalled
Roman Anthony
!' bump that NESN received Monday when the No. 1 prospect in baseball made his big-league debut:
The game, a 10-8 loss to the Rays in 11 innings, earned a 4.22 household rating on NESN. Household viewership was 28 percent higher than the season average to date.
Related
:
Leaps in viewership stood out in two particular demographics: It was 39 percent above the season average among adults 25-54, and 45 percent with adults 18-34.
As previously reported, NESN 360 had its highest unique audience ever for a live event during Monday's game, 18 percent higher than the previous best.
Chad Finn can be reached at