Hawk Harrelson is Exciting. Darrin Jackson … Not so much
Posted by: Richie Rich in Announcers, White Sox
Yesterday, White Sox OF Nick Swisher almost hit a Home Run in his first game against his former team, the Oakland A’s. If it had enough distance … it would have been in contention for the HRoD.
Listen as White Sox TV play-by-play man Ken “Hawk” Harrelson almost busts a nut in the press box as the ball carries toward the fence, only to have the ball get caught at the warning track so Hawk can lament that it didn’t happen and drop some cornpone curse words since he didn’t get to say “You caaan put it on the boooarrdd .. YES!!”
I’m not a big fan of Harrelson, but his schtick is worth listening to just for moments like that. He might be the biggest homer in baseball broadcasting, but he’s emotional and fun.
But what exactly are the White Sox paying Darrin Jackson to do in the broadcast booth?
Sleep? Eat Hot Dogs? He broadcasts like Harold Baines coaches.
There’s six seconds of dead air between Hawk saying “No … No” and “Dadgummit” and another five seconds of dead air before Jackson decides to open his mouth.
And when he does, he doesn’t even say anything useful – DJ just tells us that Swisher was “trying to bring it to his old teammates” in the slowest, most monotone delivery I’ve ever heard.
Plus, there’s nothing DJ said that was even remotely close to analysis … Was the wind blowing in? Did Swisher get under it?
With Darrin Jackson … you’ll never know.
Entries (RSS)
April 16th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
The most exciting radio announcer in baseball in Cleveland’s Tom Hamilton.
Like Hawk, he is definitely a homer.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Damn it Richie. Now I have to respond with a post about the crappy Cubs announcers. Should I go with TV or Radio? Santo may be to easy a target….”OHHHH, NOOOO!!!!…NOOOOOO!” (Brant Brown’s Dropped Fly vs Milwaukee in 2003).
April 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
You can bash Santo all you want. He’s terrible.
Harry Caray’s corpse is more coherent than Santo.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Santo spelled backwards is OT-nas
April 16th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
YOu leave Ron Santo alone, or I’ll send Wally after you. Santo belongs in the Hall.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
[...] Home Run Derby: Hawk Harrelson is Exciting. Darrin Jackson…Not So Much [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Santo might belong in the HoF, but he’s killing his chances every time he opens his mouth.
And that’s from a Cub fan.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I do not get what these “analists” add to the broadcast anyway. I am spoiled because living in Los Angeles, we have he best in baseball, Vin Scully. He may be off a step or two, but he is 80 years old. And, I will take a dead Vin Scully over almost any baseball announcer/analyst today!
April 21st, 2008 at 11:43 am
I don’t like the White Sox crew much either, but I will say that DJ provides some sense of balance in the booth. Who else but a composed, serially calm dude could share cramped booth space with Hawk Harrelson? My biggest complaint is the way DJ chimes in with Hawk on the call on the “uhh-yess!” I find it uncomfortable literally every time I hear it.
Also, who says the guy should endlessly chatter away during a broadcast? What you call dead air, I call blessed silence. Endless, meaningless chatter is Joe Morgan/Tim McCarver territory.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Why do the umpires get away with all the bad calls against the white sox? Why do they not get in trouble from the league? I have been a fan of the sox for the past fourty years and it seems there calls have gotten worse since they won the world series?