Hawk and Steve

[shingo10]

Did anyone actually listen to Rowand when filled in for the Yankees series last year? It was painful. Not saying he couldn't become good if he works at it. I'm not sure what he was saying at Soxfest but that is a different environment than the booth during an actual game.

Anyway back to Hawk and Stone...I wish someone would write a tell-all book about what has went on since they started broadcasting together because there have clearly been big issues between them. At this point Hawk isn't going to change nor should he. The silences and pouting will always be a part of his broadcast. But when him and Stone are actually interacting they have to find a way to make it come across better so it doesn't feel so uncomfortable to listen to.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Saying Hawk is too old to be expected to change, and comparing him to Michael Jordan? Let's not get carried away here; Even in his prime he wasn't on par with Vin Scully or Harry Caray in their primes.

He's the "best" Sox PBP announcer since the 2006 season only because the Sox have forfeited the PBP position; he's become the Kellen Davis of Sox PBP announcers.

[ChicagoG19]

Originally Posted by sullythered

Rowand surprised the hell out of me with how well he did as a fill-in last year. He was the most informative baseball announcer the Sox had all year, by a mile. I would not be upset to see him get a shot full time.

I hope Brooks Boyer as well as the rest of Jerry and crew take note of this thread. Rowand most definitely deserves a shot. Not only is he good in the booth, but he's a fan favorite.

[Nellie_Fox]

Originally Posted by ChicagoG19

I hope Brooks Boyer as well as the rest of Jerry and crew take note of this thread. Rowand most definitely deserves a shot. Not only is he good in the booth, but he's a fan favorite.

As far as I can determine, there's no opening for him to fill.

[Frater Perdurabo]

This is embarrassing. Rowand waxes poetic during a session at Soxfest, and suddenly Sox fans are swooning over the idea of putting him in the booth for 162 games.

Doesn't this team have a surplus of ex-players in the booth (four), and not enough professionally-trained announcers (zero)?

[spawn]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

This is embarrassing. Rowand waxes poetic during a session at Soxfest, and suddenly Sox fans are swooning over the idea of putting him in the booth for 162 games.

Doesn't this team have a surplus of ex-players in the booth (four), and not enough professionally-trained announcers (zero)?

It seems wanting him back roaming the outfield wasn't good enough, that now we want him to roam the broadcast booth...based on little to no knowledge of his ability to actually be competent there. You're right...it is embarrassing.

[Thome25]

Originally Posted by Martinigirl

I am not quite sure how anyone can be confident they fixed on-air chemistry because if all that was needed was a meeting, I would assume that would have been done before they had a "year and a half" of tension in the booth.

I think it might be time for Hawk to hang it up. Somehow, as his age increases his maturity level decreases. He spends far too much time acting like a petulant child.

I agree with this post 100%. It's time for the Hawkeroo to head off into the sunset.

If given the choice between the two, IMO I would want Stone to stay over Hawk.

[aryzner]

Originally Posted by spawn

It seems wanting him back roaming the outfield wasn't good enough, that now we want him to roam the broadcast booth...based on little to no knowledge of if his ability to actually be competent there. You're right...it is embarrassing.

The Legend of Aaron Rowand is growing.

[DrCrawdad]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

This is embarrassing. Rowand waxes poetic during a session at Soxfest, and suddenly Sox fans are swooning over the idea of putting him in the booth for 162 games.

Doesn't this team have a surplus of ex-players in the booth (four), and not enough professionally-trained announcers (zero)?

Originally Posted by spawn

It seems wanting him back roaming the outfield wasn't good enough, that now we want him to roam the broadcast booth...based on little to no knowledge of his ability to actually be competent there. You're right...it is embarrassing.

Originally Posted by aryzner

The Legend of Aaron Rowand is growing.

I agree with the above comments. In some regards this rush for Rowand reminds me of this proverbial comment:

"Marry in haste, repent at leisure."

[Golden Sox]

It seems like the only people who dislike Hawk are people who post on WSI. Whenever he walks into a seminar at Soxfest the White Sox fans always give him a standing ovation. He's become the face of the White Sox. To the best of my knowledge he signed a long term contract with the White Sox recently, so he's not going anywhere. I read somewhere that Stone has one more year left on his contract. I would think if Stone doesn't get along with the Hawk this 2013 season, this will be Stones last year with the White Sox. If I was Stone and I wanted to continue working for the White Sox, I would try to get along with Hawk. At Stones age the White Sox will be his last stop as an announcer. I doubt that any other team in MLB will hire Stone. They want younger people announcing. I don't see anything wrong with promoting fun at the park. The Cell is a great place to see a game. Promoting it as such is a great idea.

[Hitmen77]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

This is embarrassing. Rowand waxes poetic during a session at Soxfest, and suddenly Sox fans are swooning over the idea of putting him in the booth for 162 games.

Doesn't this team have a surplus of ex-players in the booth (four), and not enough professionally-trained announcers (zero)?

Originally Posted by spawn

It seems wanting him back roaming the outfield wasn't good enough, that now we want him to roam the broadcast booth...based on little to no knowledge of his ability to actually be competent there. You're right...it is embarrassing.

Forget the broadcasting booth, unless ownership changes I wouldn't be surprised to see Rowand as Sox manager by the end of the decade.

[thomas35forever]

I really do hope things improve between them. Anyone who couldn't see things were tense between them was either ignorant or didn't watch enough games. You gotta admire Stone for smiling at the top of every broadcast to try and look presentable. But it was obvious that was an awkward smile. Keep it genuine and keep the broadcast presentable.

[SoxandtheCityTee]

I heard the original broadcast of Hawk's comments on Talking Baseball, which the article accurately reports. What I noticed was that Bruce just asked the question as if it were the most natural thing in the world, not at all awkward, and Hawk responded in kind, acknowledging the problem and quickly going straight to the resolution. The fact that we all knew something was up does not mean that Hawk would necessarily admit it; I think he agreed to get this out there in the wake of Soxfest, and the big clear-the-air meeting with Stone and the brass.

Whether these broadcasters can focus on fun at the ol' park when (say) a team long in first place is collapsing in September, remains to be seen. Stone didn't do that even in his old park where it is a way of life, if not an article of religion. It may not be what dedicated fans want, but if the dedicated fans are not filling enough seats, that sort of direction is what you can expect from ownership.

[Lip Man 1]

From my interview with Bob Grim, done a few years before attendance became an issue:

ML: Bob you also deal with the White Sox announcers. I know when we interviewed Brooks Boyer he explained what his role is with them and what he tries to get across to them. Can you talk about what you do with them?

BG: “I have to listen to what they are saying, so I’ll go back and forth between the TV and the radio on every game. I have to know what’s being said so that if a fan e-mails me or Jerry (Reinsdorf) asks ‘did you hear this’ I can explain what went on.”

“I’ll interact with the announcers every day, even if it’s just sitting down to talk to them and it doesn’t have to be about baseball, we’ll talk about anything. To me, and I listen to other baseball broadcasters, I don’t think you’ll find a better group on any team than ours.”

“I hear a lot of tapes, I listen to satellite radio of other games and I know that some folks may not like “Hawk” Harrelson or some folks may not like Ed Farmer, but collectively who’s a better group? And I tell that to fans or anyone who contacts me.”

“The only thing I’ll tell guys like Hawk is that, say they mention Bill Freehan or Jake Gibbs during a broadcast, that they have to realize not everyone is from the age that knows who those guys were. I do, but there are people who don’t, so they have to take the time to explain who they played for, what position and when they played but that’s about the only area that I really try to let them know about.”

Lip

[Lip Man 1]

And here's from my interview with Brooks Boyer:

ML: I read where you have some specific points, specific areas that you feel must be covered during every White Sox broadcast regardless of medium. Can you go over those?

BB: “Every year we get all the broadcasters together and go over these points and we do it practically before every game as well. We want our broadcasters to paint the picture and obviously radio has to do this differently than television, educate our fans, teach our fans and sell the White Sox experience. Those are fundamental to a White Sox broadcast and like I said, we go over these things in practically every pre production meeting that we have.”

Lip