I didn’t have much access to a television over the last couple of games, because I was doing a fair amount of driving. Although I love Pat Hughes as much as a man can love another man without some sort of lubricant, I prefer to watch the games on television when I get a chance. And while I might not have as much vitriol for Ron Santo as Mike D. does, I, too, have grown tired of Santo’s whining, “woe is me” attitude. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to following a good portion of the Nationals series with my ears instead of my eyes. Imagine my surprise when I tuned in to WGN radio this weekend to find Keith Moreland working with Pat to provide a pleasant, informative, refreshing, and completely coherent broadcast.
During the time I spent listening to Moreland, Keith was well-informed, funny, and actually informative. For example, I’m sure many of you know that there’s no actual check-swing “rule” in baseball. Whether a batter checks his swing or not is left to the discretion of each individual umpire. I suspect a lot of intelligent baseball fans (and certainly almost all of the dumb ones) assume that a swing occurs when a batter breaks the plane of the front of the plate. In fact, the “break the plane” rule is just a rule of thumb. During the game on Sunday, Moreland talked about the lack of a check-swing rule in baseball and about the significant leeway umpires have in defining a “swing.” It was more informative than anything Santo has said in years, and damned if Keith’s Southern drawl isn’t charming.
Moreland has experience, as he currently serves as the radio color commentator for the Texas Longhorns’ baseball and football teams. I don’t think it would take much to get him out of the college radio booth and back into Major League Baseball. Oh, and he has the second-most career hits in the College World Series behind Cubs folk hero, Sam Fuld. Hell, I don’t even care if Santo stays. Let Ron babble incoherently and sing the Seventh-Inning Stretch. Let him sit as the third man in the booth until (1) the team gives him a fatal heart attack, or (2) he gets into the Hall of Fame so he can shut up about it.
In case you haven’t listened to a Cubs radio broadcast with Moreland, do yourself a favor. Listen to one before the next homestand, when Santo is scheduled to return. If you’re the Cubs front office, do the rest of us a favor:
Hire Keith Moreland.
The only thing I don’t like about Moreland is the fact that he says ‘Era” instead of “Error.” I guess that’s a southernism we’d have to deal with.
Zonk has gotten better with each game.
Yesterday he answered a question about WHIP. He went on to say that any good pitcher won’t last if he’s giving up more than a hit an inning, and that “3 walks in 9 innings” is generally the standard for pitchers and then came to the conclusion that a good WHIP is therefore 1.3, so you want to be around 1.25 to 1.3. My first thought when he started talking about it was that 1.25 is the dividing line for a good WHIP and while I thought for a second Moreland was going off the deep end with his formula, he actually turned out to have the same conclusion. He’s smarter than I thought. Maybe I’m just ao unaccustomed to receiving any intelligent analysis from the radio color guy that my expectations have gone in the gutter.
It’s also nice to hear him–or rather not hear him–when the wheels came off last night. Santo would have been groaning the minute Ibanez hit the ball of Lilly in the first inning, and then silently sulked the rest of the game. Instead Moreland continued to do the job for which he’s paid by providing insight like the one I noted above and generally just keeping it all in perspective. That game sucked, but I kept it on as I was driving around doing errands because it was a good broadcast. Rest assured I would have turned it off if Santo was in the booth because I can’t stand listening to that guy sulk when the Cubs are losing.
But what does he know about acapulco taco pies?!?
i say hire anyone besides santo
@Greg – I also say “era”, and I’m a legend. Keith is fine by me.
Agreed, 100%. It’s possible that Santo has just lowered my expectations into the less than zero range (Steve Stone would make a clumsy Bret Easton Ellis joke here, but spell all three of his names wrong, Bert Easen Ellison or something), but it’s a pleasure to hear Moreland in the booth. He also autographed a card I sent him when I was 8 years old, and even included a short note when he mailed it back, so he was my sentimental favorite back in the mid 80s.
Does he still have the red beard? I don’t trust gingers, especially those with full red Billy Mays beards.
Yeah, it’s hard to tell if Zonk is an awesome broadcaster or if we’ve all just listened to Santo so long that anything remotely lucid is considered hall of fame worthy. Regardless, Hire Keith Moreland!
At this point I think it’s reasonable to just have Zonk do road games with Pat from now on. Let Santo stay in Chicago from now on. Then just slowly whittle down Ron’s time doing home games a few innings at a time until he shows up one day and realizes he doesn’t have to be on the air.
Zonkkkkk !
@Jake –
Or just have Santo sit in the booth with his mic off.
I support this sentiment. Keith Moreland has been good in this role. DAMN good.
Like others mentioned, one almost forget what it’s like to hear analysis coming from the Cubs radio booth.
I always like Pat, no matter the situation, but with Moreland, it helps Pat sound much better as a baseball commentator, instead of a babysitter.
Hire Keith Moreland.
Last night, before the game, Moreland was talking about the soggy condition of the field. He said he’d gotten to the park pretty early, and he noticed that the wettest area appeared to be between short and third. So: he took the time to notice something baseball-related that radio listeners (or even TV viewers) could not have known, and he told it to us professionally and coherently. I was awed and overjoyed at this, like Bob Cratchit on Christmas morning. I felt like a new person.
Then the game happened. But the good feelings toward Moreland linger. Bless you, sir!
I get the Cubs radio broadcasts on my iphone (and in my car) via MLB At Bat. Whenever I’m on the road during gametime, I love pumping in game audio so I can hear the game. However, I’d much prefer to listen to the TV announcers if I get lucky enough to have the Cubs game carried by the MLB At Bat TV feed. Ron’s JEEZing and GAHing is reallyl annoying to listen to, especially when you have the sultry sounds of Pat Hughes in sharp contrast.
I really enjoyed hearing Moreland during one of the TV broadcasts before the All-Star break, as well.
Hire Keith Moreland? What cutting-edge blog suggested so much (OK, well after the most obvious choice) 9 months ago?
I’ve been having this conversation with anyone who will listen, and, for god’s sake, I have a dog named Santo. Moreland has been a revelation this past week, and i will miss hearing him when the Cubs return home.
I will never bash Santo, however. Good ballplayer, and beyond that, a darn nice guy. 2001, Cubs at Dodgers, and we happen to be staying at the Marriott where the Cubs (including the newly-acquired Crime Dog … ugh) are staying and hanging out at the bar.
Long story short, Santo sees us in our Cubs hats, walks over, buys us a beer. He sat and talked baseball with me and several of my drunken buddies for two hours when he didn’t have to.
Now, flash forward to Spring Training 2002. Same group of buddies (give or take) and I are standing outside will call, waiting for our tickets. Santo approaches, does a double take, and walks over to us to ask us how we’re doing. “You’re the guys from LA last year!” he says.
Why would he bother making that connection, let alone taking the time to come over and talk to us?
He’s a nice guy.
But Keith Moreland is a good color commentator. Hire him.
I love me some Santo, and was reluctant to join in the fray a couple of weeks ago. But Moreland was indeed a revelation. It’s going to be hard to listen this next week. Hire Keith Moreland! And maybe we can have Jody Davis and Randy Hundley hang around, too, and then find someone who can interpret Southern for us.
He’s no Jody Davis!
This probably isn’t a big deal, and I’m not sure if anyone else noticed, but I shuddered when he compared Nyjer Morgan to Ty Cobb.
@Eddie – Which is funny since Cobb would’ve called Morgan a “Nyjer”
I am appalled that any of you bitches would dare to wish out a sweet, crippled old man who wants nothing more out of life at this point than a Cub victory. You were all probably happy when Harry died and you could get your “coherent color commentary” from that fake-ass legacy douchebag Flip, who was so lame that Harry didn’t even talk to him for 20 years. Here’s hoping you all catch a rare foirm of diabetes that causes you to lose your legs and hear nothing but Mike Shannon every time you watch a baseball game, ever.
@Denton – Well, that’s a totally rational response.