Idiots Write About Sports

Last night’s Giants-A’s preseason tilt was broadcast live from XYZ Park by KICU (Slogan: “Action 36!” because “KTVU’s Sloppy Seconds” isn’t as catchy), Your Athletics Station. (I guess it cements the A’s second-class status in the Bay Area, that their games are broadcast on the weak sister of KTVU, which shows the Giants games and is a minority owner in the Giants. Why isn’t KRON, the station without any programming, Your Athletics Station? I’m stumped.)

Anyway, the Action 36 broadcast was really interesting and creepy, mostly because the play-by-play broadcaster was Hank Greenwald, longtime Giants announcer and, in fact, the voice of Baseball to me in my youth, growing up within the range of Giants flagship station KNBR. Greenwald retired from the Giants several years back, then wrote a book where he ripped members of the Giants management team and said he didn’t like Barry Bonds very much. Is it any wonder than Hank didn’t get offered any work when Lon Simmons retired?

But Hank’s still Hank, and the A’s decided to put him on the air. Which is great, but Hank is a storyteller and he’s doing TV instead of radio for the A’s. Doesn’t seem right, on two counts. He should be doing Giants radio, not A’s TV. Also, Hank didn’t really look great — he’s really getting up there. And those Coke-bottle prescription sunglasses are a bad look.

Then today we listened to the end of the Giants-A’s game on KNBR. And, of course, who’s doing the play-by-play but stalwart A’s announcer Greg Papa, now one of the half-dozen members of Your Giants Broadcast Team.

It got me thinking: it’s amazing how the voices of announcers are a pure representation of a team. When you’re a fan, you see the players play, but you hear only a couple of voices. And they stick with you all season long and, usually, for season after season. I’ve had a close personal relationship with Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper for years, first as players and then as broadcasters. I have more of an attachment to the two of them than to any individual Giant.

Which is why this crazy, Bay Area swippy-swap of announcers is so sick and wrong. Hank Greenwald needs to be broadcasting the Giants. Greg Papa represents the A’s. Greenwald’s a radio guy; Papa’s a TV guy. And yet things are all topsy-turvy.

I’m just saying, it’s like the Giants wearing green and the A’s wearing orange. It’s. Just. Not. Right.