Dave O'Brien to be Play by Play?

[rockin500]

Ed Sherman of the tribune says that barring some total collapse, Dave O'Brien will be the Play by Play guy to replace Chip Caray and join Bob Brenly in the booth. The only obstacles in place now is ESPN and Mets organization having one year left on their deals with him.

He would still be able to do his ESPN basketball gig, just not the baseball. routinely, broadcasters are able to get out of their contracts if only one year remains on the deal.

So it looks good right now that Dave O'Brien will be our play by play guy. :)

[Timberwolf]

I hope O'Brien goes to Chicago. He was so awful covering the Mets. I did not think he had the passion of covering the Mets at all. He only did the games on the weekend and he is rarely around the team.

[Chisox73]

I've heard about O'Brien being mentioned as a leading candidate.

I also read last wek in the Sun-times that Florida's Len Kasper and San Diego's Matt Vasgersian were considered for the Cubs vacancy.

[rockin500]

yah, if things totally fall apart, they could still go with Kasper, but Vasgersian is going to be a lot harder to get out of his contract.

[Timberwolf]

Cubs should try hard and get that idiot Ken Harrelson.

[rockin500]

uh no

[rockin500]

:angry: ESPN wont allow O'Brien out of his contract. buncha bastards.

[PopTop]

I think this is a lucky break for y'all, Ray. O'Brien's delivery is too mechanical for my taste and and really comes off like he's faking his "broadcaster's voice." He was the pbp man for the Astros-Braves playoff series, so being teamed with Jeff "Some Town Is Being Deprived Of An Idiot" Brantley and David "Kiss-Ass Loverboy" Justice didn't help matters. But O'Brien rates pretty low on my list.

I could probably train Harrelson to be a good pbp man if I could get approval to use a shock collar on him. :D

[Timberwolf]

uh no


The only reason why I want Harrelson on the North Side is that I don't have to listen to that nut when I watch White Sox games on MLB.TV. Harrelson has gone senile in recent years.

[rockin500]

dont even joke about it. i want him out of chicago period.

in fact, his name is banned from this Forum. :)

[yagsy]

:evillol

I always hated that White Sox announcer when he did the "other" Sox games YEARS ago. O'Brien is BORING, doesn't seem to thrilled to be doing his job so there is no enthusiasm whatsoever. And who thought David Justice would be good at broadcasting? :barf:

[Timberwolf]

yagsy: This guy is such a fool when he does the White Sox games. He seems to be so bitter when he does baseball games. He is such a homer for the White Sox games and takes shots at anyone that rips the White Sox. His calls of "He Gone", "You can put it on the board YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", "Good guys/Bad guys", and that stupid Ducksnort is so old. He always starts off fights with the Chicago media. Now for his latest act, he gives his deadair garbage if the White Sox are getting their butts kicked or if the other team scores. The best part of the White Sox losing is that he says nothing. That's the best.

I just laugh at Hawk. I think he needs to retire.

I am so glad Kent Herbek put him in his place in 1991.

[Chisox73]

yagsy: This guy is such a fool when he does the White Sox games. He seems to be so bitter when he does baseball games. He is such a homer for the White Sox games and takes shots at anyone that rips the White Sox. His calls of "He Gone", "You can put it on the board YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", "Good guys/Bad guys", and that stupid Ducksnort is so old. He always starts off fights with the Chicago media. Now for his latest act, he gives his deadair garbage if the White Sox are getting their butts kicked or if the other team scores. The best part of the White Sox losing is that he says nothing. That's the best.

I just laugh at Hawk. I think he needs to retire.

I am so glad Kent Herbek put him in his place in 1991.

Back at SoxFest 2004,Hawk made it a point to call out the media if they made negative comments about the White Sox.I remember a 20 minute argument he had with Boers and Bernstien on WSCR this summer.This was because Darrin Jackson had said that most people watching don't really know the thought process that goes on during a game,and Hawk and DJ were called out on that.

I agree with you Timberwolf that some of the best TV has been Hawk when the Sox wewre getting thier annual September beatdown by Minnesota.He sounds like he takes losing very personally.

[Timberwolf]

Chisox73: In a way I can relate to Hawk in a way. I take the losses and games very hard. It seems Hawk wears his emotion too much on his sleeve. That could turn the players off who he has to cover on a daily basis.

I recall he went nuts on Jerry Manuel, the former White Sox manager, for not using Buherle in the final game at Yankee Stadium last year as he used Neal Cotts in that game. Yankees beat Cotts in that game as they avoided the sweep by the White Sox. White Sox never became the same since that game in New York.

Hawk also went really ballistic when Torii knocked Burke down. Hawk was talking about how it was bush league, how he fouled up, and how Torii deserved what was coming to him. Man he really lost it then.

[Chisox73]

He wasn't the only one who went nuts on Manuel that day,pretty much everyone who had some inkling of baseball knowledge felt the same way.

[Timberwolf]

The worse part is that the opponent for that weekend was the Tigers. Cotts could have started in that game against them.

[Chisox73]

That's right.He wanted to give Buehrle an extra day's rest.

[rockin500]

I dont mind some homerism (i love my man santo) but hawk makes ron sound tame. lol. but "he gone" is so lame. speak proper english!

that and he is obviously a shill for reinsdorf, and that is unforgivable.

[Chisox73]

I remember in 1993 when the Sox released Carlton Fisk,Hawk spewed his Reinsdorfian spin saying that it was the right move,but Tom Paciorek called out Hawk right there.That was some very uncomfortable viewing right there.They went back and forth on that one the whole night.That was 'Must See TV' that night in Cleveland.

[rockin500]

I kinda liked Paciorek.

Theres always been some uncomfortable viewing with Hawk and his partners. He never seems to have that camadarie with his partners that farmer and rooney have on the radio side. (i listen to about 15-20 games a year on the radio for the sox due to the fact i listen to ESPN radio at work (when cubs baseball isnt on))

[barzilla]

O'Brien? I have to agree with Willie on this one. The Braves/Astros series was one of the worst broadcasting performances I've ever seen. Let's see, how many times can I hear that Chipper Jones' dad is in the stadium or that the Astros "haven't won a playoff series." Personally, I'm not a big fan of homerism or outrageous enthusiasm. I'll take Bill Brown over Milo any day of the week.

I think the Cubs are getting what they deserve for running off Steve Stone and Chip Caray. I was never a big fan of either, but the reasoning behind their removal is sketchy at best and shameful at worst. Listen, if your announcern isn't allowed to state the obvious then you don't want anyone with half a brain. Brenly should be okay, but I have my doubts about play by play.

[Timberwolf]

Chisox: I believe it was a poster named GreenPeach that mentioned about Hawk running Paciorek out of Chicago. Paciorek and Hawk could not stand each other so Paciorek got fed up and left. That article is how I found this site.

Hawk had an incident with Darrin Jackson when Jackson got the job in his first year too.

Here's a good website protraying about how the Hawk must go

www.heavethehawk.com

[rockin500]

O'Brien? I have to agree with Willie on this one. The Braves/Astros series was one of the worst broadcasting performances I've ever seen. Let's see, how many times can I hear that Chipper Jones' dad is in the stadium or that the Astros "haven't won a playoff series." Personally, I'm not a big fan of homerism or outrageous enthusiasm. I'll take Bill Brown over Milo any day of the week.

I think the Cubs are getting what they deserve for running off Steve Stone and Chip Caray. I was never a big fan of either, but the reasoning behind their removal is sketchy at best and shameful at worst. Listen, if your announcern isn't allowed to state the obvious then you don't want anyone with half a brain. Brenly should be okay, but I have my doubts about play by play.
Actually, 'zilla, about chip. there was talk as early as 2003 that they wanted to go a different direction than Chip Caray. They never had any intention of bidding too much on Chip's services.

[PopTop]

This is exactly why I'm in favor of cloning. If I'm commissioner, I have Ernie Harwell cloned and he's my play-by-play man for every golderned team. Just be Ernie #1 through Ernie #30 in the booth, maybe a pregame guest and a postgame guest, and that's it. Just call the game with one voice in the booth on both TV and radio and be done with it.

Maybe have 30 Gene Elston's and 30 Vin Scully's and 30 Red Barbers mix and rotate with the 30 Harwell's. :smokin:

[Chisox73]

:rolling

[barzilla]

Pops,

I think you're onto something. What I do is clone four of them thirty times and then you have you're radio and TV teams around baseball. Maybe clone LD for a good color man. :)

[Timberwolf]

I tell ya what. Len Kasper has impressed me the hell out of me along with Bob Brenly. They are the best broadcasting tandem in baseball and that even includes Twins announcers, Kasper and Brenly eat, sleep, drink, and die Cubs baseball. They are not homers. They are so respectful to other teams unlike that other Chicago baseball announcing team and the Cardinals announcers. Kasper is so entertaining and funny.

Cubs hit a HR hiring Kasper and Brenly. I think when all is said and done, Kasper will be up there with Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray as the best Cubs announcers that Cubs fans heard.

Cubs fans are blessing having those two do the games.