I always seem to appreciate FOX (yes, the same network that has brought us "24," "Arrested Development," and "Family Guy"...twice) more than the person next to me with regards to baseball, but up until now I had never truly thought about why this was so. Obviously it had something to do with Joe Buck, the network's epicenter, the Ron Burgundy of his day, with an upbeat personality, a witty sense of humor, good looks, the quintessential color man in Tim McCarver, and a voice that could make both a lion and Zack from the Holiday Inn ads purr.
But there was so much more I was missing. How could I explain the sheer disappointment of discovering that Game 2 of the ALDS between my scathed, A-Rod-infested Yankees and underdog Tigers would air on ESPN...in the afternoon? Don't get me wrong here. ESPN is a fantastic station?number one; the Worldwide Leader in Sports?but to fully understand their differences, we must compare them to water and Gatorade, respectively. ESPN is the best, but during the postseason, FOX quite simply just has stuff that ESPN doesn't have.
For starters there are the broadcasters: FOX has Buck and McCarver; ESPN John Miller and Joe Morgan. Like an old married couple, Miller and Morgan feed off of each other well, are undoubtedly two veritable authorities on baseball, and appear to be the friendliest of men. Unfortunately, their delivery in the playoffs is slow and dull, severely lacking fervor with Miller's inability to keep up with the speed of the game, and Morgan's constant restating of the obvious, regrettably yet accurately earning him comparisons to NBC Sunday Night Football's John Madden. But we cannot place all the blame on Miller and Morgan here, because they are fine in the regular season on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, and there are surely countless other factors at play here.
ESPN lacks passion and creativity even in something as small as returning from commercial breaks, when they normally show a banal aerial shot of the current stadium from the Goodyear blimp while Miller struggles in reading off the sponsors. Buck, on the other hand, is enthused when reading sponsors: "...Like a good neighbor State Farm is there!" with the classic MLB on FOX theme song blaring, set against the background of some aesthetic location usually outside the city, like a waterfall or Siberian tiger at a nearby zoo. FOX also ingeniously introduced the super-slow-motion replay just a few years ago, which is always fun to watch, whether it is a home run or comedic happening like Mets hurler Oliver Perez leaping over the first base line on his way back to the dugout.
And never underestimate the power of the score box. ESPN's appears in the upper left-hand corner of the television, with your basic score, innings, and outs posted plainly on the screen. FOX wins this battle, too for redefining the score box; it isn't even a box. It's a horizontal bar across the top of the monitor, with the background of the team's abbreviation meticulously color-coordinated to match that team's colors, making it much easier to identify. But it doesn't end there! Don't forget about the robotic noise we hear each time a run crosses the plate, or the speed section of the bar which ignites a flame and fiery sound for all pitches over 96 MPH, guaranteeing non-stop heat past the seventh inning when Detroit's bullpen enters the game...oh, sorry Todd.
The most underrated part about playoff games on FOX, however, is the visual aspect: what they do with the camera. Regardless of whether or not you have an HD television, the angles that are put forth in front of us are spectacular. Before every pitch, the FOX cam zooms in to produce a whole facial shot of the pitcher, which is especially great for the late innings, blatantly revealing the anxiety and apprehension of pitchers at full keel. It then flashes to the batter for an instant, either a head shot or a side view, until finally returning to the standard view from behind the pitcher in the outfield just in time for the next play. Sometimes, when there is a crucial pitch on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded for example, the cameras will quickly show spectators' angst, often capturing fans eagerly awaiting the upcoming pitch with crossed fingers or clapping hands. All of this combined integrates those watching at home into the game, making us feel like we're actually there. But what makes all of this complete is Joe Buck's silence for the five or six seconds leading up to the pitch. He lets the players, fans, and the game take over until immediately after the bat is swung. Then he's all over it with one of his signature calls.
It is true that ESPN's pre-game show is better with familiar faces like Karl Ravech, John Kruk, and Tim Kurkjian; I mean, who doesn't love "Baseball Tonight"? But Jeanne Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy are right behind them. ESPN also has the edge in on-field reporting, for no matter how professional/intelligent FOX's Ken Rosenthal is, I prefer looking at Erin Andrews or former CBS heroine Bonnie Bernstein while they give me the inside scoop. And again, it is also true that ESPN is the better network...by far. But when playoff baseball arrives each October the choice is obvious. You can believe what you want to believe, and you can watch what you want to watch. But ultimately, FOX has created a broadcasting utopia; a perfect atmosphere thanks to the seemingly infinite factors functioning in unison that all surround the nucleus that is Joe Buck. Slamma-lamma-ding-dong!