Fox
Crew Solid In NLCS Finale
Buck, Brenly, McCarver Good As Padres Win 5-0, Head To
World Series
By Randy
Williams
I don't advocate the three-man booth in any sport, but it's hard to
argue with the job Fox did as San Diego beat Atlanta 5-0 to capture
the National League Championship Series in six games.
Play-by-play man Joe Buck was his usual solid self. He did a very
good job of calling the action and getting out of the way so analysts
Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly could show their expertise.
Still,
Buck managed to reveal some interesting information. As Quilvio Veras
batted in the top of the third, he pointed out the second baseman was
the only Padre to drive in a run against Atlanta starting pitcher Tom
Glavine in the second game of the series.
While Buck got the show off to a good start, McCarver made the best
point of the game in the top of the sixth. With Padres pitcher Sterling
Hitchcock at the plate, McCarver said Atlanta leftfielder Danny Bautista
should move himself "three strides" closer to the infield. Hitchcock
then lifted a short fly that Bautista lunged for and watched bounce off
of his glove for a two-run error.
McCarver,
a big league catcher with the Phillies and Cardinals, was similarly on
his game for most of the telecast. Some examples:
-Early, he noted that most of Hitchcock's split-fingered fastballs
wind up out of the strike zone. This was evident as Hitchcock struck
out two Braves with the pitch in the first inning.
-In the fifth, McCarver said Glavine was successful because he
mixed location while Hitchcock's success was due to mixing pitches.
-In the bottom of the seventh, he astutely noted that Padres
manager Bruce Bochy didn't remove catcher Jim Leyritz for defensive help
in the top of the inning so he could make a double switch in the bottom
of the inning.
Brenly was also impressive, mentioning early that good off-speed
pitches, like those thrown by Hitchcock, are hard for hitters to pick
up in the twilight. Still, he seemed to fade into the background
in the eighth and ninth innings, perhaps intimidated by McCarver's presence.
This shouldn't happen to someone who is as insightufl as Brenly. A sampling
of the ex-Giants catcher's work:
-He noted early that the Braves outfield shifts more than
any in baseball, citing the pitching staff's control as the reason.
-After Gerald Williams stole second base in the fourth inning,
Brenly said San Diego catcher Jim Leyritz threw out just one of 11 men
who tried to steal against him in the regular season.
Buck is one of the best play-by-play men in sports and the analysts - McCarver and Brenly - are solid but the broadcast would flow more smoothly and be more effective with just two men in the booth. It's just too difficult for Buck (or anyone else) to build a great on-camera rapport with two analysts.
The game
production was pretty good but Fox should lose its "Sounds of
the Game" bits unless they can add some zip. As a baseball fan,
listening to a San Diego coach ask whether Tony Gwynn is wearing his sunglasses
does nothing for me. Give the viewers more!
Top stats: The
Braves scored 11 runs and batted .414 after the sixth inning in the fourth
and fifth games at San Diego.
Top tip: Buck revealed that San Diego manager Bochy told him before
the game that leftfielder Greg Vaughn's injured quadricep felt so good
that it may not be bandaged for the game.
Top graphic(s): One of the best things Fox does with baseball is
provide visual scouting reports of pitchers and hitters, giving viewers
an indication of tendencies. These pictures were abundant in game six.
Best picture: Close-up shot of Hitchcock releasing his split-fingered
fastball in the first inning.
Best line: "From one Rocker to another," Buck said, as
the camera shifted from a bullpen shot of Braves relief pitcher John Rocker
to Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who constantly "rocks"
back and forth in his seat on the bench.
Grade:
B, (Two-man booth! Two-man booth!)
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