Grades for ESPN baseball analysts

[HoustonGM]

This guy graded the most common baseball analysts on ESPN.

Here's my grades for the guys he graded:

Eric Young - C - Decent analysis and knowledge, but his voice and excessive use of "Souvenir City" ruin him for me.

Buck Showalter - C+

Karl Ravech - A

John Kruk - D

Steve Berthiaume - C+

Peter Gammons - B+

Chris Berman - F - "Back back back back back" and his silly nicknames have gotten old.

Orestes Destrade - C

Orel Hershiser - C

Tim Kurkjian - B

Jon Miller - B-

Joe Morgan - F

Buster Olney - B-

Steve Phillips - F

Jayson Stark - B

Fernando Vina - C

Rick Sutcliffe - C

Eduardo Perez - C-

Chris Singleton - A+

[boomboom]

Here's my grades
Eric Young - B

Buck Showalter - C

Karl Ravech - A+

John Kruk - B+

Steve Berthiaume - C-

Peter Gammons - B-

Chris Berman - A (his old **** is still entertaining

Orestes Destrade - C

Orel Hershiser - C

Tim Kurkjian - A

Jon Miller - B

Joe Morgan - C

Buster Olney - D

Steve Phillips - F----

Jayson Stark - B+

Fernando Vina - C+

Rick Sutcliffe - F

Eduardo Perez - B

Chris Singleton - B+ [/QUOTE]

[etothep]

boomer annoys me, both in baseball & football

[metsguy234]

I'd give Jon Miller an A-. Although he doesn't add much insight (he's the play by play guy, he's not supposed to) he has shown that he knows quite a lot about baseball (Like pronouncing players' names correctly)

Of course, even Michael Jackson would seem like a good analyst while working alongside Joe Morgan.

No, I've got an idea here. The Joe Morgan and Tim McCarver Show. Each week, Tim and Joe interview influential people in the world today, but in the end only really tell long, boring anecdotes about playing baseball in the 1850s (no, that's not even hyperbole, they're just that old and senile that they forgot)

[jcbarr]

Morgan is entertaining, but he really says some dumb stuff, which is part of the entertainment factor in my mind.

[Swampdog]

I don't especially like Sutcliffe with his constant "Guess what?" Other than that, the only one listed that ever annoys me is....

Chris Berman. Years ago, I kinda liked his imaginative nicknames. But it seems to me now that he has just become a caricature of himself. Its like he CAN'T call a player by his real name, at any point. No, he has to use his own special nics to the point of extreme irritation. "We were expecting a big game from Jake daylight-come-and-you-got-to Delhomme. Smith catches this 22 yard touchdown pass from Jake daylight-come-and-you-got-to Delhomme." Then, just seconds later....."On fourth and goal, its all in the hands of Jake daylight-come-and-you-got-to Delhomme." Gawd, does he have to say that garbage EVERY time?

But the worst of Berman.....far, far worse than anything else he does.... is that constant schreeching "whoop...whoop" anytime a football player fumbles, or misses a tackle or something. Gawd, I literally have to turn off the sound.

The "back, back, back...." thing doesnt bother me, for some reason. I wonder how many sports fans know why he says that on any fly ball that has a chance to get out. Its his impersonation of a famous world series call, when Al Gionfriddo robbed Joe Dimaggio of a homer to help save (temporarily) the series for the Dodgers. Anyone who hasn't heard the call (Red Barbers) can do so at this link.......

http://www.thedeadballera.com/AudioPageGionfriddo.html

[HoustonGM]

The "back, back, back...." thing doesnt bother me, for some reason. I wonder how many sports fans know why he says that on any fly ball that has a chance to get out. Its his impersonation of a famous world series call, when Al Gionfriddo robbed Joe Dimaggio of a homer to help save (temporarily) the series for the Dodgers. Anyone who hasn't heard the call (Red Barbers) can do so at this link.......

http://www.thedeadballera.com/AudioPageGionfriddo.html

Yeah, but still, it really loses its luster when it is done repeatedly. On every home run. Every day.

[koolzach1]

All I know is:

Steve Phillips: F--------------------

[beerchaser]

Fernando Vina gets a big fat F from me for for that ugly *** combo moustache/goatee thing he has. That's F as in Ferretface, which is what I think every time I see him on TV.

[boomboom]

he reminds me of Bonds, he is soo big now.... He is a steriod ferretface

[michaelg123789]

Interesting.

[jcbarr]

Fernando Vina gets a big fat F from me for for that ugly *** combo moustache/goatee thing he has. That's F as in Ferretface, which is what I think every time I see him on TV.

But that thing is groomed so perfectly, how can you not like it.

Singelton isn't bad. I saw him on baseball tonight for the first time a few nights ago and actually thought he was decent.

[HoustonGM]

But that thing is groomed so perfectly, how can you not like it.

Singelton isn't bad. I saw him on baseball tonight for the first time a few nights ago and actually thought he was decent.

Yeah, he's really good. He gives you the perspective of a former big league player, without the bubbling nonsense of a guy like John Kruk. And he actually offers insight into how a certain play worked and what not. They need to use him more.

[KBLover]

Heh - Steve Phillips being an analyst is a funny paradox.

He couldn't evaluate players well as a GM - what makes ESPN think he can evaluate players well as an 'expert' analyst (which is part of being a GM is it not?)

I, too, give him an F.

Berman...I can't believe he's still around. But yeah, F for him too.

Kurkjian, Gammons, and Stark are about the only baseball guys ESPN has that I like, though I don't watch as much now with the internet with the information I can't get from a TV show (at least not one I've seen).

Kruk - he always sounds like he's mad. Like he's upset that they made him come to work that day.

[bethemooseman]

Kruk irritates the **** out of me. Gammons is probably still my favorite.