|
Costas Unplugged
NBC
Announcer Talks About TSN's Top 100
And Other Issues Surrounding Baseball
 Recently,
ArmchairQB.com talked baseball with NBC broadcaster Bob Costas,
who is scheduled to host the network's "The Sporting News 100
Greatest Baseball Players," Saturday, April 24, from 4:30-6
p.m. EDT.
Costas spoke about TSN book that inspired the special, as well as
issues surrounding the game. Click here
for AQB's review of the book.
What
was your first reaction when you saw the list?
I
think it's as interesting and valid as any list could be,
but any list is going to provoke argument. Not everyone has the
same opinion.
I agree with Ruth at No. 1 and Mays at No. 2, but you could make
a case for creating a list of the top 75 position players and top
25 pitchers instead of mixing them together.
 Some
people are going to comment that more recent players were slighted.
For example, even if McGwire (No. 91) and Griffey (No. 93) had
retired before last season, no way are there 90 players better than
they are. You could also make a case for some of the more recently
retired players deserving a higher spot.
There's also other things to consider. If Rogers Hornsby, who I
believe is No. 9 on the list and batted over .400 three times and
was a great fielding second baseman, played at the same time as
Tony Gwynn (No. 49) would [Hornsby] have been as impressive?
Twelve TSN editors worked on the book.
Did you have any input?
No...none.
When did you first learn there would be
a show?
I think in October or November. I was happy to hear it because
I'm glad to see NBC do more more baseball programming. The show
was going to be an hour but is now 90 minutes, and that's so much
better because we have lots of interviews with living players on
the list as well as with observers with valid opinions.
Obviously the show will help sell the book and provoke discussion
and argument, and that's good.
Though baseball comparisons are difficult, it's at least possible
to compare the merits of Joe DiMaggio and Ken Griffey, whereas no
one in their right mind would compare Red Grange with Barry Sanders.
What did you see on the list that shocked
you?
The placement of Griffey and McGwire in the low 90s, which I think
will prove to be a substantial underrate, even without the '98 season,
before the book is dusty on the shelf. Both are easily in the top
50, and Griffey could certainly be in the top dozen by career's
end.
What was it like to be in St. Louis during
Mark McGwire's 1998 season?
Well I grew up a baseball fan in St. Louis, and I think it's the
best baseball city in the country. There is passion for the game
with civility, not nastiness like there may be in other places.
What does the Rogers Clemens trade to the
Yankees say about the state of baseball?
At least it was a trade and the Blue Jays got some value, though
maybe not equal value. Contrast that with what Oakland got when
it traded McGwire (to St. Louis).
At least (in the Clemens deal) there was some exchange of player
value. I understand that the rich got richer, but the Blue Jays
held out and probably got the best possible deal.
How surprised would you be if the Yankees
didn't reach the series?
I'd be very surprised if the Yankees didn't win their division,
but I wouldn't be that surprised if they didn't make the World
Series. Not with the crapshoot playoff system they have today
where, if you lose the opener, you've got to win three of four just
to get out of the first round.
My money would be on the Yankees, but things are far less certain
than they used to be. It can't be properly handicapped because the
home-field advantage doesn't mean a lot. In football, it's important
because you get a first-round bye and there's just one game. In
baseball, you could be 25 games better, and you just get one extra
home game. And that advantage may never kick in.
Is Orlando Cepeda a Hall of Famer?
By the prevailing standards of today's voters, he is. He had a better
career than a lot of guys who are in there.
If you go by what I considered the Hall of Fame to be when I
was a kid, then he's a very, very good player but not a Hall of
Famer. I understood that the Hall of Fame was for the very best
of the very best - Mantle, Mays, Bob Gibson. It wasn't for guys
who were very, very good.
But, if you go by today's standards, Cepeda comfortably qualifies
with good numbers.
If
you could make a case for one player not in the Hall that should
be, who would that be?
Bill Mazeroski. Not only was he arguably one of the
best fielding second basemen of all time, but he was a good offensive
player for a middle infielder on a consistent basis when people
at his position weren't expected to do much. Guys from his era weren't
expected to be great offensive players. Throw in the fact that he
hit one of the most famous home runs of all time (to beat the Yankees
in the 1960 World Series).
(Tony) Perez is another. He should be in for the same reasons
that Cepeda should be in.
Unlike many other announcers, you often discuss issues surrounding
the game of baseball when you're behind the microphone. Do you feel
a responsibility to do this?
I think each person should follow their own feelings and style.
Talking about the issues is a good thing to do as long as you can
work it in around the game, not at the expense of the game.
If could listen to one person broadcast
a baseball game, on television or radio, who would it be?
Vin Scully...Because of his quality and longevity.
I know you're still a young man with a
lot of broadcasts left but when you retire what would you like your
legacy to be?
I
really think that's for other people to judge. I hope people will
say I brought some thought to (broadcasting) and that I had a
style instead of a schtick, that I brought a certain level of
preparation to the game.
Photo courtesy of MSNBC.com
Back
to the top
Back to the baseball page
Speak Out or e-mail
ArmchairQB.com
|
