Pages

▼

January 19, 2008

Geffner Leaves Sox Radio Booth

Glenn Geffner will be broadcasting baseball games for the Marlins this season.

I know many Red Sox fans will be rejoicing at this news. I listened to the radio broadcasts only a few times last year -- late September, when we were up in cottage country -- and didn't hear anything approaching the train wreck some people described.

His voice sounded like he was doing college radio, and he was a bit verbose, but I didn't mind it, since I was beyond thrilled to not have to subject my ears to Trupe.

***

Also, if you have not yet voted for Joy of Sox in Round 1 of the Canadian Blog Awards, click here. Round 1 ends Monday night.
at

13 comments:

  1. JereJanuary 19, 2008 at 2:04 PM

    If anyone had caught on to my theory that he sounded like the announcer in The Natural, and if anyone knew what he looked like, I'd be using my "goodbye, Mr. Balding" joke right about now. (Not to make fun of the guy's hair, but it fits perfectly into the joke.)

    He really did get criticized horribly--people acted like he was stealing their babies every time he called a game. There are plenty of announcers who are way worse. Good luck to GG.

    ReplyDelete
  2. laura kJanuary 19, 2008 at 4:54 PM

    I only heard Geffner a few times (Allan: we also heard him towards the end of our drive to Vermont), but I thought he was such a big improvement over Trupiano that I overlooked a few shortcomings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. lougorman'slunchJanuary 19, 2008 at 5:15 PM

    Geffner was not so great. The college radio description is just about right. He was also hurt by being so obviously a company man and he always seemed like a substitute teacher for when O'Brien was out. Tough situation.

    But I do not understand the lack of love for the Trooper.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PatrickJanuary 19, 2008 at 5:32 PM

    I was surprised when I heard people didn't like Glen. I liked him. One beef a friend had with him, is he never acted excited, changing his voice tone when describing plays. I liked that, except when it didn't accurately portray how close a fly ball was to being out (for instance). My Dad didn't like him because he was afraid of the rats at Tropicana field. That's not fair.

    Either way, I hope the next guy doesn't make us miss Glen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RobJanuary 19, 2008 at 7:01 PM

    Well, Dave O'Brien works with Joe Castiglione, but there will probably be a #3 man for the 20 or so games O'Brien wouldn't be around. Just as long as he is a little bit better, then that's great.

    No more needs to be said about Glenn Geffner. But I must say, this is the best news I've heard so far this winter. I'm absolutely floored. And honestly, I'm happy for him as well. He can still do what he wants to do, without me complaining about him, as I had done so often this year.

    Honestly, and I feel bad saying it, but it is a large weight being lifted from my shoulders.

    ReplyDelete
  6. allanJanuary 19, 2008 at 7:11 PM

    Two quick reasons why Trupe sucks:

    1. Would not shut up about college sports. And the stoopid jokes - ugh.

    2. Utterly unable -- despite 16+ years calling Red Sox games -- to judge the distance of a fly ball, pop-up or home run.

    16 years is about 2,600 games. So the guy has probably seen something like 4,000 baseball games in his life.

    And yet he called fly balls like a six-year-old at his first game.

    Jerry: WATCH THE OUTFIELDER(S)!!!

    I often followed Gameday in silence rather than listen to the radio via the web. Just teeth-grindingly bad.

    ReplyDelete
  7. RobJanuary 19, 2008 at 7:25 PM

    I liked Trup's pipes, and the way he talked. But I hadn't known anything else, and more importantly, I grew up listening to him and Joe. I was used to listening to him. It was comfortable. Maybe if I hadn't heard him before and listened to the radio one day, I wouldn't have liked it too much. But who knows.

    ReplyDelete
  8. allanJanuary 19, 2008 at 7:29 PM

    Could be.

    I got into the Sox with Ned Martin and Jim Woods on the radio and liked them a lot -- but I was 13-16 years old.

    So who knows? I'd love to hear some tapes of their games to see what I'd think now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. allanJanuary 19, 2008 at 9:10 PM

    I'm told Trupe did Sox games for 14 years (not 16). He still annoyed me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. laura kJanuary 20, 2008 at 5:24 AM

    I was used to listening to him. It was comfortable.

    I always wondered if this is why people didn't like Geffner.

    People wonder why NYY fans like Jon Sterling? The same reasons Red Sox fans defend Trupiano.

    ReplyDelete
  11. laura kJanuary 20, 2008 at 5:25 AM

    I'm told Trupe did Sox games for 14 years (not 16).

    Still enough time to learn whether a ball was a soft fly out to center or a home run.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2008 at 3:16 PM

    Trupe had character. Even though he wasn't great, he was interesting. Geffner made baseball sound like golf. Or a lecture on golf history. Or Ben Stein telling me about a lecture on golf history.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 9caseyJanuary 20, 2008 at 3:36 PM

    James said...
    Trupe had character. Even though he wasn't great, he was interesting. Geffner made baseball sound like golf. Or a lecture on golf history


    Thats a great point...James you have to remember alot of the people who come to this site and also moderate this site , I believe have stated in the past that they would rather just have crowd noise and no announcers......

    I like announcers good and bad ones, homers and such, but geffner would just put you to sleep, a lot of dead air when he did games....

    ReplyDelete