I couldn't agree more about Leiter doing a fine job so far. It seems that all Michael Kay can do is criticize everyone on the field. Leiter's snap that, "they're human and they make mistakes somtimes" in reponse to Kay's nagging about Johnson missing his target was refreshing indeed! I'm waiting for the day they tag team Leiter with Paulie O against Kay in the booth. Fun.

That will be a bad one. Leiter is at least conscientious towards Kay. He doesn't want to bust his chops too badly. O'Neill makes it a sport. Although Kay tries to play it off with humor, it feels clear to me that O'Neill doesn't like Kay and loves nothing more than busting his balls.

For me, a booth of Kaat, Singleton and Leiter is the best we can get these days.

Right on, Alex! I was just telling my wife last night how much I love having Leiter in the booth. I think he will ultimately end up being a pitching coach somewhere though.

I'd love that trio of Kenny, Kitty and Al too!

I agree. Leiter's been great in the booth. I'm doubly pleased because I would much rather have him there than as my Senator or Governor!

What is funny is that I thought Leiter was commenting on everything in an earlier game this season. It seemed like he wouldn't/couldn't be quiet. I am by no means an expert on announcers, and often watch the game muted so I don't know if it changed.

I will add that I think he is a much better announcer than Paul O'Neill. I think Singleton, Kay, and Leiter may be the best grouping. I am a big Singleton fan.

I hate know-it-alls and homers, so Michael Kay just ruins any broadcast for me (John Sterling is right up there in the "pantheon of annoying announcers" too).

Murcer was my favorite player growing up (his 60th (!) birthday is coming up May 20, btw). His Oklahoma City drawl and his good-natured demeanor makes for an enjoyable listen.

Leiter COULD be a VERY good announcer. His guest analyst gigs on Fox during recent playoffs showed that he could explain the finer points of the game without losing the audience, and he shows that he is indeed a student of the game.

I was unsure about Leiter as a broadcaster until last night, when his frustration with Michael Kay's incessant yammering nearly boiled over. Michael Kay was, as usual, pretending he understood what it's like to be a major league ballplayer and talking about Randy Johnson's pitch selection and why he didn't throw a pitch at a certain point in the count and Al snapped, "He's not a robot!" And then there was silence in the booth while he recovered and explained what he meant.

There was a time when I loved the Sterling/Kay combo on the radio... but when Kay moved to the TV booth he started becoming insufferable. I've become very impressed with Al's comments - he's quiet, yes, but when he does open his mouth he's got something constructive and informative to say.

Give me the Kaat/Singleton/Leiter combo any day of the week.

Also, has anyone else noticed that Singleton's laugh is almost exactly like Dr. Hibbert on the Simpsons?

I really like Al Leiter too. I must be missing something though, because I actually think he sounds way to geeked up and it seems as though he can't stop talking.

What he says is always pertinent and interesting, and I love when he blurted out, "'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT ROBOTS" to Kaye, but he tends to repeat himself needlessly, and speaks in a bit too powerful tone.

I'm a fan of Jim Kaat. He's understated, reserved, and he lets the action unfold itself without forcing the game down the viewers' throats. I also like his old uncle Kitty storytelling about when he was a player. It's more colorful than most old timers.

Anyway, I wonder if I'm alone on Leiter. I look forward to his seasoning in the booth, and hopefully a few more digs at Kaye.

Al Leiter has to walk a fine line between being an ex-player and an apologist for a player's failings, and the ex-player in the booth who forgets what it is like to play the game. So far, so good.

Of course Randy is not a robot. I don't think anyone needed that pointed out. That's not the reason he's been pitching poorly as of late. Al might not know the answer, and Kay probably shouldn't keep harping on it, but snapping "he's not a robot" is not going to move the discussion forward. One bad pitch can be attributed to "he's not a robot", but consistently bad pitching is a different matter.

Anyway - I definitely enjoy Al in the book, and I'm in the minority and that I enjoy Michael Kay the "non jock" as well. The YES broadcast team is pretty darn good, if you compare it to other teams or, God forbid, the ESPN team w/ Joe Morgan.

BP

11 bp1, I agree that the YES booth is FAR superior to anything ESPN has to offer.

Joe Morgan is like expired milk.

You're entitled to like Michael Kay, of course, but I find a lot of the talking head "non-jocks" out there to be knuckleheads. It isn't like "the olden days" when the non-jock announcer added a sense of poise in the booth. The new generation likes to yuck it up more than anyone.

I missed the robot comment, but in general I think Leiter has been extraordinary. He has explained pitch selection, grip, etc. that most announcers either do not understand or think listeners do not care about. With some ex-players, you really wonder if they know any more about the game than the fans (David Justice, for example), but Leiter.s respect for the fans and obvious love of the game has been really refreshing.

I also find Flash Flaherty to be good on the pre-game interviews as well as in the studio. The Yankees have a good team for their telecasts, no doubt.

Now that I've had a chance to listen to Michael Kay rant and rave on his radio show, it adds a new twist to his on-air broadcasts. Granted he's not Curt Gowdy (who is?), but he's ok.

BP

Having listened to many other broadcast teams via Extra Innings, I have to say that the YES team is generally a lot better than most other offerings. The Minnesota booth literally roots for the Twins during the game, its so unprofessional as to be maddening. Other teams have pattered on about some "story" they are telling while someone hits a double or HR. Worst of all is watching ESPN, especially during a Sox game. They are so clearly rooting for the Sox its embarassing for them, annoying for me, and if I hear Joe Morgan mention "intangibles" one more time I might blow.

Not only the irritated "They're not robots." comment but Kay's protracted apology/explanation/justification that followed was priceless. Kay is overly judgmental and I predict this little combo will be fun to listen to. God save me from Kay's "See Ya!" Hope Al will have something dry and condescending to add at some time after suffering through a few more of those... I can only hope...

I love Leiter in the booth. I love Singleton. I can't stand Kaat. Kaat drives me nuts. Kaat + Kay = Jeteupthemiddle cutting off her ears and mailing them to YES.

I loved it when Leiter cut down Kay. Kay needs his ego in check and Leiter is the person that can do it.

I did hear a rumor that Kaat was retiring after this season....no road games and only a handful of home games this season...with Leiter taking over for him completely next year.

Following up on tommyl's comment, while I don't get Extra Innings I hear similar takes from friends of mine who do. Even during the occassional TBS broadcast, you can hear the "home team rooter" coming out of guys like Chip Carey. When Chipper went down w/ that injury a few weeks back, you could almost hear Chip's heart break. Don't get me wrong, an injury to that caliber of player is devestating to the team but to continually say "Oh no..." as the player initially goes down, then grimaces, then needs help getting up and off the field is a little pathetic.

As for the YES guys, Singleton has slowly morphed into a YES mouthpiece/homer since he began. I liked him better a few years ago. I'll take a team of Leiter-O'Neill-Kaat every day of the week. Girardi was good in the booth too. There's no need to pile on Kay. His greatest strength, given who he is now surrounded by, may just be to play the guy he actually is - someone who never excelled at sports in his life. Call the game straight, let the professionals do the explaining and ask a couple of questions here and there. Much like an umpire, if you don't notice Kay is there, it means he's doing an excellent job.

17 That Kaat scenario sounds very likely. I'll miss Kitty. When he and Singleton are left to their own devices (read: without Kay) the broadcast is a pure joy. I have a recently developed theory that Kitty's rants against radar guns, pitch counts and moneyball only happen when Kay's in the booth to provoke them. At any rate, Kaat offers style, warmth, insight and history. Leiter does a good job, and the succession is a natural one, but Kitty will be missed if that is indeed true (which is already reduced role leads me to believe it is).

17 I have to disagree with you. I think Kaat is great, for all the reasons Cliff says in 19. I like Jerry Remy, too. I hate the Hawk Harrelson from the White Sox - "he gone", "you can put it on the board". I find him repulsive. For the Mets, I like Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez - don't like Darling too much. I loved Ralph Kiner as a kid - still do btw - and Kiner's corner was where I felt I learned so much more about baseball. Vin Scully is still great, as is Charlie Steiner. I also like the Angels announcers, especially Rex Hudler. I like Leiter more after last night and hearing him go at it with Kay, but I still haven't warmed up to him too much.

As a kid I loved when the Yanks would come on in WPIX (Channel 11), then "The Honeymooners" followed afterwards. But what I still love and you only hear it on the radio (880) is the Yankee pregame music, followed by the usual: "this is New York Yankees baseball". I loved it on WPIX and I still love it today. Whenever I have a long drive, I make it a point to catch the Yankee pregame and hear that tune because it reminds me when I was young and it was OK to root for the Mets and still love the Yanks, it reminds me of Winfield, Henderson and Mattingly, and most of all it brings me back to the good ole days - FREE BASEBALL.

15
Well put Tommyl. For all of Kay's faults, he's still better than most teams' announcers -- which is a pretty sad indictment of the state of baseball announcers.

Yes, I think that every time too! 9

Dimelo, completely agree with you on Harrelson 20, he makes me cringe. Although, I detest the Angels guys too. The worst though, has to be Bert Blyleven, with his incessant circling. Put him in the Hall of Fame, and take the telestrater pen out of his hand.

My favorite team on YES would have to be Kitty, Singleton, Leiter. They are all great. It's painful when they have the other feed instead of the YES feed on Exra Innings...

That "robot" comment sounds great. The Dodgers are actually burdened with a heavy dose of player apologists in the booth: Rick Monday, Steve Lyons, Jerry Reuss - but equally nauseating can be the announcers who can't understand why good people can make mistakes, why the game is always a challenge.

19 Gotta agree that I enjoy the Kaat/Singleton combo the most.

I was actually glad that Leiter snapped at Michael Kay. I'm starting to tire of Kay's incessant questioning. It's almost as if every two seconds "why would he want to do this?" "why that," etc. If the questions were purely inquisitive in nature, I would be fine, but most of them are asked with the undertone of "why in the world would you do that!!"

I actually think the Kay/Leiter/Singleton combo is not ideal. I like Leiter and Singleton, but with the constant discussion between Kay and Leiter, it doesn't leave much room for a third announcer.

I have to say that Kay is getting really close to unlistenable. Leiter is quite refreshing. Actually at this point he's the only commentator I can stomach anymore. Kay is the worst... Singleton, is almost as bad (what's the deal with the haircut?), Kaat thinks pitchers can do no wrong... it's just boring if you ask me. I'd love to see just the new guys take a shot... if not maybe Kay can just be shot.

I ageee that Kay is awful. How many times is he going to bring up "Moneyball," only to demonstrate that he hasn't read it?

Living in SF, I haven't been able to watch any YES games. It's good to hear that Leiter's been so good though, gives me something to look forward to when I return.

Regarding Johnson's ability to adjust. Last year, he obviously lacked his dominant stuff, and still managed a very good season. Moreover, his 2nd half was markedly better than his first. I think Johnson doesn't get enough credit as a crafty pitcher because of his overpowering stuff, but if you look at his career, his success is based on learning to make adjustments. He wasn't a good pitcher when he began, and then in his early 30's he figured out how to pitch, how to harness his power and use it against major league hitters. He respected the craft, and did what others with great stuff couldn't do, he became a great pitcher. So, I'm optimistic that he's a smart enough pitcher to use what he now has to good effect. What I'm worried about is that his recent problems are a reflection of his back and knee problems acting up.

Interesting how opinions vary on these guys. :-)

Personally, I like Morgan. I would have Buck, McCarver, and Al Michaels all shot. (McCarver will be the first one up against the wall when the revolution comes!) I like Kaat...Singleton's OK...Murcer's a bit dim for my taste...Kay is too gabby.

Leiter shows potential to me, but I don't think he's all that good at the moment. While I found the "robot" comment amusing at Kay's expense, I also thought it was rather stupid. As someone pointed out earlier, it would have been OK if it were one poor start by RJ, or just one of a few poor pitch locations...but since it was just about every damn slider he threw, I would counter: "If he's not a robot, then how come he keeps throwing that frisbee slider belt-high in the middle of the plate every damn time. An occasional biting slider inside and ankle-high would be nice." ;-)

The YES booth is by far the most enjoyable or at least the least torturous to listen to of all the broadcast teams. I think, as usual, the Red Sox team, with Remy, is not that far behind.

Kaat is by far my favorite. He is knowledgeable and balanced while always demonstrating poise in the booth. Plus, he can be pretty funny.

While Kay might make himself a little too much of the show, I find him preferable to those announcers, a lot of them old timers, who seem to have nothing to say. You wind up hearing, "Peanuts, here." Maybe it's a generational thing.

To me, hell is where the yankess are on 24/7 but Steve Lyons and Joe Morgan call all the games. AAUUGGHH!

That said, I loved the Kay/Sterling combo on radio, where Kaye's ego was somewhat kept in check by his being the junior partner. Now that he's the main man on YES, his smarmy know-it-all act wears thin a bit too often. Still, his repertorial background is nice on those rare occasions when he climbs off his pedestal and asks an insightful question of one of his partners.

I also thought Leiter would be blabbing non-stop and had the same thought mentioned above in the middle of a recent game: where's Al? I thought he'd wandered off the the men's room.

I vote for the consensus TV line-up: Kaat, Singleton, Leiter (though I'd be glad to see Paul O'Neill stop by occasionally). If Kaye would drop that oh-so-dramatic intro speil he does at the start of each game he calls, his stock would go up a lot in my book.

Another version of hell: you turn down the TV to avoid Lyons and Morgan, but Charlie Steiner and Tom Seaver are calling the game on the radio. AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!

1920 No, Kaat just drives me nuts. Sure, the stories he told were good....the first 20 times he told them. He is living in the past and constantly has a "well back my day baseball was much better. Sure I had to walk up hill both ways to get to the mound...and we played in WINTER! without cleats!...but everything was still better!" kind of feel to him now.

I can't handle his pitch count/radar gun rants, though I will pay attention to see if he only does it with Kay in the booth, but I don't think so.

He is just a boring, stale old man. I can't wait for him to retire.

I don't mind Kay in the booth with Singleton and Leiter as well because they team up against Kay and leave him out of conversations. You can HEAR Kay's frustration. I am sick. I get joy out of that.

I have to defend Kaat on his players were better then. I think he does it in a subtle way, and he's always quick to praise the best players now. Also, when he praises old-timers, it's usually never himself. And he was pretty damn good.
I'm reminded of once, oh, maybe 10 years ago, when Ralph Kiner was on with Gary Cohen or someone, and the other guy said of the batter, "He hit 25 home runs last year, so he's got some power." Kiner came right back with, "25? That's power?" and you couldn't say much because, after all, the guy averaged 37 homers a year in his day. It was great delivery and made the point without insulting, and I think that's what Kaat generally does.

Also, Kaat was the only one to ever bring up the situation with Stick Michael on air last year, and Kay and Singleton were quick to change the subject.

28 "If he's not a robot, then how come he keeps throwing that frisbee slider belt-high in the middle of the plate every damn time."

Heh heh heh ..... exactly.

Al needs a few more months removed from the action to not take offense at Kay's constant nagging questions about why the players on the field are not perfect. I don't think Kay expects perfection (anyone who listens to his radio show will understand that), but he has a legit question when it comes to the Unit missing pitch after pitch. It's just that nobody has an answer.

What can I say. I think Kay is good. Cliff and Alex will probably cancel my Bronx Banter regristration now, ha ha ha. :-)

BP

Cliff, I hope you're right about Kaat - I found that last year he was turning into a "back when I was a player" curmudgeon.

Worst announcer ever = Rick Sutcliffe. Although Rex Hudler is a close second. Remember the year Hawk Harrelson did Yanks games? I always will, because for some reason that was the year I was old enough to learn what a hanging breaking ball was. I can't hear someone say "hanger" without thinking of the hawk.

I also find the Mets main play-by-play guy to be annoying (don't know his name). He's great at play-by-play, but he becomes a train wreck when he does analysis or offers his view on baseball in general. He's really anti-saber/Moneyball, and comes across as a guy who's never read anything about baseball that wasn't written by a beat writer. E.g., he had an anti-DePodesta tirade the other night that was really ill-informed.

26 Actually Kay and Singleton said that they read Moneyball. I think Kaat read it, too. Unlike Joe Morgan...

35 Well, Singleton is very quietly a pro-sabermetric guy, even if he doesn't know the advanced stats. He played for the ultimate sabermetric manager (Earl Weaver), actually seems to have liked him, and was a prototypical "Moneyball" player (walks and power, but little speed or defense).

32 Another excellent point on Kaat, he refuses to spout company talking points. He's objective to a fault. I'm just glad he hasn't gotten himself fired yet.

20 Dimelo, you can download a vocal version of the Yankee theme song here: http://tinyurl.com/4spxp.

I was surprised to find out that the song was written in 1967. I figured it had to be from the '50s at least.

Anyway, I share a lot of those pleasant WPIX memories (home day games at 2 p.m. and night games at 8. Abbott and Costello would usually be on after the afternoon tilts on the weekends, and of course, Ralph and Norton at night.

I'm afraid my earliest Yankee broadcast memories are more of the Horace Clark, Ruben Amaro, Tom Tresh and, of course, The Mick, days. First year I was a fan was 1966 (last place finish). Broadcasters then were Jerry Coleman, Joe Garagiola and the Scooter. Coleman is still going as the voice of the Padres.

For some reason i think Kay is ok on the radio, i dont listen everyday but i think guys that do call him are more aggerssive and he often finds himself defending players. After Game 5 of ALDS last year, he started a rant on radio abt ARod but when callers started punding ARod kay starting touting ARod's MVP worthiness and defended him.

On TV he proves he is a radio guy and thats where he belongs, u cannot ound negativity like crazy. Infact i think minus Kay, the Yankee booth is a bit too impartial, i say this coz i have MLB.TV and i have seen other feeds, the Orioles and Angels are the worst.

Listening to an Angel feed is like the worst punishment u can get in life, they can do nothing wrong, every single move by Scioscia is an act of genius, Garret ANderson is the best LF ever.. i mean on n on..

I think Leiter could have been a bit more softer on kay.. And Jim Kaat is pretty good.

I like what the other feeds do, they constantly have their GMs or coaches on air for 2 inings, our guys dont have them that long.. it would make it interesting..

37 Thanks for attaching the link to the theme song!

Just read this interview on deadspin with Jeff Pearlman, author of the "other" Bonds book Love Me, Hate Me. It was really good piece by Wil at Deadspin.

http://tinyurl.com/hmq72

38 I sure would like to hear more from the Cashman during games. Maybe not every game, but certainly every now and then. A visit from the mini boss would be good.

BP

Kaat is as guilty of psycho-babble as any announcer out there. It's uninformed garbage and he keeps spouting it like it's fact.
He constantly contradicts himself ("he should stop thinking so much and just rely on good, old-fashioned, country hard-ball" followed in a few pitches by "he needs to be more of a pitcher instead of just being a thrower out there.")
His constant harping about the uselessness of "moneyball types" and pitch counts is aggravating to anyone whose done even a little research. The "rub some dirt in it and get out there and pitch" era resulted in far more young careers down the drain (especially pitchers) than the current philosophies. And his loud and constant disdain for those using tools like video is enough to make me grate my teeth.

I dislike Joe Morgan as much as the next guy, but he is a little better when he talks about how the game is actually played by the players, as opposed to running down a phantom called "Moneyball."

As one of the LA contingent, Vin Scully is a revelation. He's a reason to watch/listen to the Dodgers. But you all knew that.

Hudler is terrible but sort of in an "okay, puppy, your boundless energy is cute but is starting to annoy me" way.

Rick Monday--boy, did a guy ever go farther with less? The were talking to him on 710 the other day about the flag thing AGAIN. You wonder if he didn't pay the guys to do it.

39 D -

Good excerpt from Love me, Hate me over at ESPN:

http://tinyurl.com/koy7m

Short story: Barry was a putz even in college - everyone on his team wanted him kicked off.

Sterling has now become a parody of himself. The best is when the Stadium speakers carry "Ddduuuuuuhhh Yaannkeeess Win!" recording onto the radio broadcast as he stumbles to get the same out of his mouth. He gets beat every time. Good stuff!

42 I like Joe Morgan and Jon Miller as a team. They have the most traditional baseball pacing - relaxed and fun. Too many modern announcers call baseball on TV like Jeff Probst calls tribal council. A little less psychology and a little more of who's warming up in the bullpen, please. I heard Tim McCarver say a grand slam was the worst thing thing that could happen in a particular situation FOR THE TEAM AT-BAT. He said it would break their offensive momentum - better to keep getting singles and doubles. He so valued psychology over reality that he actually said a grand slam was the "worst thing" that could happen for the offensive team.

This whole thread seems to agree with a general thought that no reasonable informed fan needs ANYONE to be constantly talking about the game or any game. There's only so much to say at any given point so the things like "They'd like to put up a few runs this inning to expand the lead before their closer comes in" are the result.

I think maybe the commenatators ought to take off a couple of innings.

Also, what is bad about regional play-by-play guys rooting for the home team? It's different when it's ESPN, but I imagine the vast majority of people watching a YES Broadcast would want the announcers to agree with them, no?

46 Hehe -- too true. I would love to just turn the crap off, but in HD the pop in the catcher's glove and the crack of the bat is just toooooo sweet. If I lose the announcers, I lose the sounds.

They need an SAP option for NO ANNOUNCERS -- IN ANY LANGUAGE -- just the game please. :-P

We can all agree that we are happy to see him in the booth and not on our mound :P sort of the same case with Flatherty too hehe.