Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Brown, play-by-play; Ben McDonald and Jim Palmer, color
The Orioles telecast team suffers from two concerns, one of which may be entirely remediable in time.
Kevin Brown, the lead play-by-play figure, is in only his third season behind the microphone, a duration of experience that simply puts him at a substantial disadvantage by comparison with his divisional peers.
The Orioles gig is Brown’s first stint at the upper levels of his profession. He’s also worked on high school sports at ESPN and in a Triple-A booth. He appears to have all the requisite skills needed to — over time – improve the booth’s profile within the division.
Palmer, of course, has extensive experience as a color commentator dating back to his days working a national booth in company with, among others, Howard Cosell. That experience doubtless prepared him for anything. But he is advancing into his 70s now and appears to be ceding responsibilities to the younger McDonald.
A sometimes celebrated starter for the Orioles and Brewers in the 1990s, McDonald was 78-70 with a career 3.91 ERA. That gives him a natural popularity with Orioles fans who presumably see him as something of a local hero.
What he lacks is a voice: it is scratchy, not smooth, and lacking the linguistic ease – a trait Palmer was famous for — that makes listening to Palmer — as opposed to McDonald — a pleasure.
That is not to disparage McDonald’s knowledge of MLB. But knowing the game and knowing how to communicate the game are two entirely different things.
Experience: 3
Likeability: 3
Knowledge: 4
Humor: 3
Rapport: 4
Oratory: 3
Total: 20
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