Dave Bush lost his no-hitter Thursday in Philadelphia -- but not because of the announcer.

By Drew Olson Senior Editor E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Drew Olson

Published April 25, 2009 at 6:25 a.m.

(page 2)

<< Back

3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by The_Doodle on April 26, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. (report)

Regarding The No Hitter Broadcast. Let me start by saying that Brian Anderson and anyone else who said THE PHRASE During the Game did not cause Dave Bush to give up that home run in the 8th. (Although the ball barely hit the foul side of the foul pole - Karma? you decide) However his call of the game walked all over a time honored tradition of our American pastime. In was imperative for Anderson and anyone else calling the game to call attention- rather - scream attention to what was going on, call attention to the fact that it is a major deal, and the fact that anyone within listening or viewing distance of the broadcast should stop what they were doing and alert everyone they know to tune in. Alert them to the fact that through X innings that the only 2 or so runners to reach were by a walk and a hit batter. Alert them to the fact Bush is doing something that hasn't been done by a Brewer pitcher in 22 years, or perhaps do just as I did by telling everyone I know to "Stop what you are Doing and Turn on the Brewers Game and witness something special." To everyone's point - he obviously has to talk about it. I just did and you know what - I did it without using THE PHRASE. It was his choice to use THE PHRASE. I believe it was a poor choice. And I do not believe that Fox Sports Wisconsin dictated to Brian Anderson to actually use THE PHRASE or any variant of it. And if they did - I would suggest to them they should spend more time getting every game on the Air in HD and less time censoring - or I suppose reverse censoring their broadcasters. The bottom line for me: there is a tradition, you don't "change" tradition you only either honor it or you don't. It is a relatively innocuous -tradition surrounding the game - the game that is our national past time, the game which was put into perspective by Darth Vader - er James Earl Jones in the Movie Field of Dreams - "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again....." It is a tradition that it woven into the fabric of the game, that tradition does not stop when you yourself stop playing the game. It's a tradition that doesn't impede progress, it doesn't hurt anyone, and has no cost. So you either honor that tradition or you don't. As far as the responsibility of the announcers to the audience - well you tell me - "At the MLB level Should the on Air Talent have the skills to communicate a No Hitter is in progress - without actually saying "No Hitter"? I would say the answer is a resounding Yes! Whether they choose to is a different question. The announcers who respect the tradition and have the ability to convey the meaning of a no-hitter without saying it earn the respect of the people who follow the tradition. The announcers who don't respect or are not aware of the tradition, or don't have the ability, or choose not to honor the tradition earn the ire of those same people Recently I have listened to 2 no hitters called on TV and Radio Clay Buchholz 2007 John Lester 2008 In neither of those did the Announcers use "The Phrase" Last week I listened to the 6 7 and 8th Innings on Radio of the Bush game and Bob Uecker, didn't use the "The Phrase" Judging by the response on local radio - excluding the idiots who actually think there is a cause and effect - I am glad to see that there are a still a few people who respect the tradition - even if Anderson doesn't Also with regard to Vin Scully's broadcast of 42 years ago - he didn't say "No Hitter" as it related to the game you mentioned. Also it is not fair to compare Anderson to Scully.

Posted by viewfromnyave on April 25, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. (report)

I buy the MLB radio package just so I can listen to the first three innings (Scully in the booth by himself) of the Dodgers West Coast games. He's getting up there in years, but he still has the best voice in the game. It's velvety smooth, with just a hint of his Bronx upbringing. With the passing of Harry Kalas recently, any baseball fan owes it to themselves to try and listen to this legend, at least one more time. So, sit on the porch with a beer this summer and listen to Vin call some baseball over the radio, you won't regret it.

Posted by sandstorm on April 25, 2009 at 6:43 a.m. (report)

what i love about the photo is how glum Weeks posture is. i like it that he seems to care as much as Bush. he's a good kid. and, yes. i know people shouldn't bother correcting spelling on the internet but i gotta make an exception for names. the Packers QB was Jerry Tagge, not Tagee. my grandmother, a teacher in Green Bay, actually taught the little guy how to read. what i didn't know is she also must have taught him how to throw.