Holy Toledo!: Radio vs. TV
Written by Heegos, Friday April 24 2009
I have always appreciated the radio broadcast of a baseball game. It wasn't the way the play-by-play man would paint the picture of the game that I cared for. It was the fact that it was actually on the radio and I could still follow the game if I couldn’t be in front of the TV
This season, I have an even greater appreciation for the radio broadcast, and a greater distain for giant money-grubbing corporations.
Local Oakland A's games are now telecast on Comcast Sports Net California, a channel not offered with the most basic cable package. The team used to split time between CSN Bay Area (which also aired, and continues to air, San Francisco Giants games.) and local, over-the-air KICU 36. The change has left a bunch of broke/cheap people like myself left in the dark.
So instead of giving in to "The Man," and updating my package, or switching to DirecTV, I fell back on the good ol' standby: the radio.
Now, I see the game in a different light. Instead of having every moment filled with some sort of noise or graphic, I can just sit back and wait until Ken Korach's voice fades between pitches and enjoy the sounds of the park the microphones pick up. It gives more of an intimate feel to the game, almost putting the listener in the bleachers.
I find myself paying more attention to the game now that I rely solely on radio broadcasts. The game is usually just background noise on the TV, with my attention being jerked away from my laptop or newspaper usually after a big play, waiting for the ensuing highlight. With just audio, there is no replay, just the play as it happens.
Before the season started, I thought I'd be lost without a picture to see, action to watch. I find myself enthralled with the action more now than ever, even jumping to attention anytime Korach gets excited.
As exciting as it was to watch Travis Buck's game-winning, infield chopper against Boston in person, I couldn't wait to listen to the replay on the radio highlights the next morning. Situations like that are where true play-by-play men thrive, and Korach did not disappoint. When KNBR replayed his call the next morning, it took me back to my seat, feeling the joy I shared with my fellow fans, and the remembering the heartbreak I rubbed in the quick-exiting Red Sox fans' faces. The only drawback with the radio call is that Bill King's signature voice is no longer around for the late-inning calls.
Plus the radio commercials are way more entertaining than their video counterparts. It never gets old listening to Matt Holliday stumble through reading his voice over, or singing aloud with to the super catchy "Sippin' on an MGD" R&B joint.
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They need to get Cal games on CSN, make you listen to Starkey. See if your broke ass doesn't upgrade your TV then. Haha. bAbel.