| 18 August 2010
This is not a post about announcers and home run calls. That's coming in the future. This is something a little different (and maybe a bit rambly - sorry for that)...
On Tuesday night, Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox hit a home run off of Minnesota's Matt Capps in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at five. White Sox fans all over the Southland and throughout the country celebrated the blast by jumping out of their chairs and screaming "Yes! Hell yes!" As a passionate fan of your team, it's a pretty natural thing to do. One of those screaming White Sox fans was someone special, though: Chicago television broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. His scream of "Yes! Hell yes!" was broadcast over the air to WGN subscribers all over the world as part of his home run call [watch the video and listen to the call]. This wasn't a "talking under your breath and accidentally get picked up by the microphone" kind of moment; he intentionally meant to say those words on the air.
I've made comments before about how much I dislike Hawk. Thankfully, I don't have to watch him 160 games a year, but I have heard him call dozens of home runs so far this year. His "Stretch! Stretch! You can put it on the booooooooard! Yes! Yes!" home run call is easily the worst one that I have to listen to on a regular basis. My limited experience with Hawk has made one thing clear: I do not like Hawk Harrelson as a baseball announcer.
But I'm not the perfect guy to ask. I'm not a fan of the White Sox. When I hear these celebratory calls from Hawk, I am, at best, a disinterested observer trying to see my 30-seconds of video. At worst, I am actively rooting against the Sox, and any emotion from the tv booth (remember, there's no cheering in the press box) is an unwelcome nuisance. In either case, Hawk makes things tough.
(Click "Read More" to continue reading.)
If I were a fan of the team, though, I might feel very different. All of a sudden, that obnoxious homerism is working in my favor. I'm hearing my hometown tv broadcaster describe the emotions, either explicitly or through his voice/mannerisms, that I am going through myself. There's nothing corporate or vanilla about his emotions. That has to be refreshing, even if he is much more over the top than most people would ever be.
And that's why I'm not going to complain about Hawk's "Hell yes!" call or further insult him here (though I reserve every right to voice my frustration at his terrible, terrible home run call at any time after today). That emotion may not mean much to me, but it means a lot to his fanbase, who are all tuning in in hopes of seeing the exciting plays he's describing. If Bill Schroeder or Brian Anderson ever showed that kind of enthusiasm during a Brewers game, I wouldn't stop talking about it for a week. The fact is, that kind of enthusiasm and support is welcome to just about any fanbase, so long as it is directed at your favorite team.
The Marlins' broadcast team of Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton appears to be the same way. I haven't heard them say anything as egregious as "Hell yes!" yet (and, by the way, this wasn't the first time Hawk said that), but it's pretty obvious just how much they like the team. Every time Dan Uggla, for example, hits a home run, they scream in unison "His name is DAN UGGLA!!" [video].
It's not a particularly clever home run call, and I'm not exactly a fan of it, but I can't deny it's appeal to Marlins fans. A home run is a moment to celebrate and Waltz & Hutton give Marlins fans a reason to cheer every time a Marlins player goes yard. That is a good thing.
Have you ever been the only person in a movie theater while watching a comedy? Or have you ever tried watching a sitcom and removing the laughtrack? It's a different experience because these are things that are meant to be seen en masse. Excitement and joy are infectious emotions, and the movie- and tv-watching experiences try to enforce that. So why do baseball broadcasts (and sports broadcasts in general) go out of their way to stifle that enjoyment?
I, of course, don't have an answer to that. Baseball should be a fun, exciting sport enjoyed by friends. When every announcer calls the game in the same, dispassionate voice, the experience is weakened. And though I'm no Hawk Harrelson or Waltz & Hutton fan, I am absolutely certain that those kind of guys are important to the league.
So, Hawk, feel free to stick with the "Hell yes!" calls and don't forget your love of the White Sox. The rest of us may not get it exactly, but we know why you do it.
But, please, for the love of god, do something about that terrible home run call!
