MLB Week in Review (September 16-22)
In any sport, there is a specials connection between fans and the people who deliver the games to the fans.
The announcers are a big aspect of sports fandom as they are the voices that help to deliver the nuances of the game.
They keep you interested and tell stories that help you understand the players and the teams you are watching.
They can provide context for anything that is happening on the field and can provide some background to aspects of the game.
They can fill you in on what is happening in the game and in the season all while keeping up on what is happening in the game.
Baseball has a special connection to these announcers as the sport lends itself to having someone who can guide fans through the sometimes boring game.
As great, a sport as baseball is there are times where the action is lacking and that is where a good announcer can make all of the difference.
A good announcer can keep fans interested throughout the slow times with interesting stories and tidbits of information that can make the game more interesting.
It is one of the key aspects of making the sport accessible via TV and having a great announcer can make such of a difference.
There is no set of fans that know this better than those in Los Angeles where Dodger fans have been treated to the greatest announcer in sports since 1950 when he joined the booth with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Scully has been through the many eras of baseball from the time where it was still just a smaller league and access was readily available.
That access led to some great stories from Scully over the years and he has shared most of them in his time announcing Dodgers games.
He followed the team to L.A. and ever since has been considered the greatest announcer in the game.
What makes him great is that he always seems to welcome everyone into the booth with him.
When watching a Dodgers game it feels as though Scully is only talking to
you and that nobody else is watching.
He fills the space in between the plays with stories or comments that make you smile.
Yet he still knows when to let the game speak for itself and not talk too much, a delicate balance where most announcers fail.
He never gets too excited but never seem bored and always is quick with anything that he thinks could be useful for the fans watching at home.
Scully is simply the best announcer in baseball and possibly in all sports but like any career, it must come to an end at some point.
That time has finally come for Scully who began reducing his games years ago when he stopped travelling with the team and stuck to home games.
This upcoming weekend will mark the last series that Scully will veer announce in baseball and for more than one generation it will be a sad weekend.
He may have just been an announcer but for so many people he was the voice that they grew up with.
He was the man who delivered Dodger games into their homes and for many next year will be strange when the Dodgers come on TV and “Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon/evening to you, wherever you may be” doesn’t open up the game.
It is the end of an era and that is a big loss for the baseball community as there may never be someone as good as Scully to step into the booth for any team.
Extra Innings
(More on this week in baseball)
Home of the WBC
The World Baseball Classic is set to return in 2017 and in preparation the MBL announced that San Diego, Miami, Los Angeles, and Guadalajara will be the North American hosts for the tournament
Calling out the Fans
The Baltimore Orioles are in the heart of the postseason race as they fight for a wild card spot but in Baltimore, it seems like nothing is happening as the fans are still not coming out which Adam Jones pointed out when he called out the Oriole fans
The Start of an Era?
The Tim Tebow era in baseball has officially begun as the former NFL quarterback officially took the field with the New York Mets as he attended a rookie training camp with some of the top prospects in the Mets’ system
Key Series:
St. Louis Cardinals 2-2 San Francisco Giants
– The Cards started the week sitting outside of the wild card while the Giants were holding on to their spot in the wild card and they both had a chance to get ahead but neither could take advantage splitting the four games
Cleveland Indians 2-1 Detroit Tigers
– The Tigers are in the mix for the AL wild card but they need to continue winning which they couldn’t do against one of the most surprising teams in the AL this year who took the win and moved closer to clinching the division
Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Seattle Mariners
– The Blue Jays had been sliding down the standings in the month of September and they needed to beat the Mariners to keep them at bay in the wild card race which they did with two big wins
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 San Francisco Giants
– The Dodgers have not clinched their division yet and the Giants are making sure of it as they tried to get closer to taking over first but could only take one game away from their division rivals
Upcoming Series:
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays [Sept. 23-25]
– The Jays are hoping that their slide is over and they will test it against the Yankees after struggling all year against their own division and they hope to take the game to fend off the Yankees in the wild card race
Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates [Sept. 23-25]
– The Nationals are looking to follow the Cubs and take their division as they hope to beat the Pirates and get closer to that goal while the Pirates hang on to a chance that they can get a wild card spot
New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins [Sept. 26-28]
– The NL wild card race is a great one as three teams continue to fight for two spots all tied for the two spots and one of those teams is the Mets who will take on Miami hoping to stay in the fight for a chance at the postseason
Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays [Sept. 26-29]
– The O’s and the Jays are both in the wild card right now but they are being challenged and they will look to take some type of advantage in this four-game series where a postseason spot and home advantage in the wild card game are all on the line
The Sport Addiction 