Why does ESPN hate baseball? I have no idea, but the depths of ESPN’s hatred suggests a deeply personal reason. Maybe baseball toyed with ESPN’s emotions. Or rebuffed a romantic advance. Or beat ESPN out for a big promotion.

Considering how many MLB games ESPN airs, you’d think they wouldn’t hate it so. But they must, if their broadcast crews are any indication.

The legendarily awful Sunday night crew of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan almost goes without saying. Although Joe doesn’t anger me quite the way he once did. Perhaps I’ve mellowed in my old age, but when Mr. Morgan sticks to generic comments on how to bat or field, he isn’t horrible. Jon Miller now gets most of my ire. He’s one of those announcers who never sounds comfortable unless he has an excuse to yell.

Then there’s the hair-helmeted Steve Phillips. Few former GMs are less qualified to provide color commentary, and most of them are dead. It doesn’t even matter who’s paired with him. His smarminess and total incompetence drown out whoever shares the booth.

But did you know there’s an even worse ESPN baseball announcing crew? Neither did I, until Wednesday night. It’s Rick Sutcliffe and Chris Berman. They called a Dodgers-Phillies game that fateful eve, and put together one of the absolute worst play-by-play jobs I’ve ever heard. And I’m including John Sterling and Fran Healey in this equation. It was that bad.

Continue reading Where Insight Goes to Die: Berman and Sutcliffe on ESPN →