Seattle Mariners game will have no play-by-play announcer tonight
Eschewing the traditional approach, the Seattle Mariners will have no play-by-play announcer in the booth for Friday night’s game.
The traditional setup in the broadcast booth for the Seattle Mariners, like most MLB games, is a play-by-play announcer and an announcer who provides color commentary. Some teams will have the play-by-play person with two color commentators. The play-by-play person does what it sounds like. He or she calls the plays as they happen, from the pitcher’s windup to the ball off the bat to what happens in the field and on the bases.
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The color commentator is traditionally a former player, often someone who played for the home team. He or she might critique a pitcher’s release point or batting stance or explain what happened on a specific play. Some announcers have good chemistry and play off each other well. Others . . . not so much.
Last July, The Guardian ranked the local telecasts of the 30 MLB teams. At the top of their list was the New York Mets, with Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. Hernandez and Darling are the color guys, one a hitter and one a pitcher, and both former Mets. They’re all back with the Mets this year. Hernandez, in particular, has enjoyed a recent increase in his online presence through his Twitter feed, which often features his cat Hadji, who is quickly becoming a cult hero in New York.
The Guardian rankings had the Mets at number 1, with the Astros and Orioles rounding out the top three. Down at the bottom of the list were the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and Tampa Bay Rays, featuring Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson. Somewhere close to the middle of the rankings sat the Seattle Mariners, at number 17.
The Seattle Mariners crew consisted of Dave Sims and Mike Blowers, with Sims handling the play-by-play and Blowers being the traditional former ballplayer who once played for the Mariners. Blowers is somewhat famous for once predicting the first home run of Matt Tuiasosopo’s career.
The Mariners broadcast duo was described by the Guardian like this: “They have good chemistry with a folksy approach: they’re on a first name basis with players on the home team. They’re not straight shooters, but they’re not circus clowns either.”
For Friday night’s game, the Mariners are trying something new. They won’t have a play-by-play announcer. Sims recently returned to the booth after missing nearly a month with a ruptured Achilles tendon, but he won’t be in the booth for tonight’s game. With Sims not doing the play-by-play, the Mariners will have three former players watching the game and discussing whatever seems interesting to them.
The three players will be Mike Blowers, Dan Wilson, and Ryan Rowland-Smith. Blowers, as mentioned above, is a part of the regular broadcast with Sims. Wilson shows up in the booth periodically during the season. Rowland-Smith is a baseball television analyst for Root Sports Northwest. He appears on the pre- and post-game shows for Mariners broadcasts. Now he and his Australian accent get a chance in the booth.
It will be interesting to see how different the broadcast sounds without the traditional play-by-play announcer. The three former Mariners in the booth should be able to bring different insights to the game. Blowers mostly played third base during his career. Wilson was a catcher. Rowland-Smith was a left-handed pitcher. Ideally, there will be good analysis from all three in their specific areas of expertise.