World Series Game 4: Yankees 3, Padres 0
Fox,
Yanks Close Season In Style
Announcing,
Production Good As New York Sweeps San Diego
|
Fox Earns B For Game 3; Hurt By Fan Closeups |
By Randy
Williams
Like the World Series Champion New York Yankees, Fox's broadcasting
crew of Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly ended the 1998 season in
style.
Buck and Brenly were solid but McCarver was outstanding, showing
why his only peer as a baseball analyst is Joe Morgan. (Speaking of Lil'
Joe, he must've been rarin' to go after McCarver said the 1998 Yankees
are better than Morgan's 1975 Cincinnati Reds.)
McCarver did his best work late, particularly in the bottom of
the eighth inning. When Yankees manager Joe Torre removed reliever Jeff
Nelson with two balls and no strikes against Ken Caminiti, McCarver was
on top of the action. He reasoned that Caminiti could hit a 2-0 fastball
from Nelson but couldn't get around on Rivera's heater.
After Caminiti singled, McCarver quickly took Padres third-base coach
Tim Flannery to task for not sending Quilvio Veras home, noting that
Paul O'Neill, New York's rightfielder, had basically conceded the run.
Veras was stranded at third base.
The most interesting talk early in the contest revolved around
Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte's decision not to rely on his renowned cut
fastball. Buck did a nice job of moving things along and McCarver and
Brenly added nuggets of expertise.
Fox's production
was good but I've got to agree with Game 3 reviewer David Kozo - the
fan closeups are a bit much. Thankfully, such shots weren't quite
as plentiful as they were Tuesday. [Click to read reviews of Game
3, Game 2, Game
2's pregame show, Game 1
or Game 1's pregame show.]
If I want to look at a loser watching a sporting event, I'll get my
mirror when the Skins are on.
Still, there weren't many glitches and it was nice to see Fox end
the season on a high note, though maybe the Padres didn't see it that
way.
Good line: "He was looking for the local and got the
express." - McCarver, after Yankees starter Andy Pettitte crossed
up catcher Joe Girardi.
Best shots: 1) Yankees owner George Steinbrenner crying
in the clubhouse after the sweep. 2) Padres pitcher Kevin Brown's
reaction after Paul O'Neill was ruled safe in a close play at first base.
3) The Qualcomm Stadium crowd, cheering their heroes after the
game's conclusion.
Nice graphics: The 1909 Pirates and 1927 Yankees are the only teams,
before the 1998 Yankees, to have won the World Series after winning 110
games in the regular season.
Extra credit: Fox closed the telecast with a nice tribute to the
1998 season, set to music.
Glitch: An ill-timed second-inning interview of Mark McGwire by
Steve Lyons nearly caused viewers to miss an at-bat.
Shameless plug: Shot of "Beverly Hills 90210" actors
Luke Perry and Vanessa Marcil.
Best stat: McCarver noted that Padres catcher/first baseman Jim
Leyritz caught 39 games thrown by Andy Pettitte in 1995-96.
Grade:
B+ (A fitting way to end the season)
Return
to top
To read Randy's review of Game 4's pregame show, click
here
To read David's review of Game 3, click
here
To read George's review of Game 2's pregame show, click
here.
To read George's review of Game 1, click
here.
To read George's review of Game 1's pregame show, click
here.
Return to the baseball
playoffs page
Return to main baseball page
To post a comment on our review, go to the Speak
Out page.
To e-mail your opinion to Dave, click
here.
Today's Lineup | Sports
Pages | Features | Newsstand
| Sports Links
Speak Out | Mailing
List | Scouting Dept. | About
Us | Home
Contact us at Info@ArmchairQB.com
