Does Anyone Know Who Has the Best Announcers in Baseball?

posted by BH

I couldn't let the day end without telling everyone how happy I am that the San Francisco Giants have signed Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper to five-year extensions. Having been able to listen to other team's broadcasters over the years, as well as endless Saturdays and postseasons saturated with the narcissitic ramblings of Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, Steve Lyons and Thom Brenneman, I feel qualified to say Kruk and Kuip are clearly the best duo in the game. Whereas the aforementioned collection consistenely detracts from the broadcast, Krukow and Kuiper are actually beneficial and add to my enjoyment. While the big knock against Krukow used to be, and to some extent still is, that he's a bit of a homer, he is merely a resident living on the outskirts of a suburb of Homerton (the co-mayors of which are Michael Kay and Ron Santo). Krukow has a brilliant baseball mind, yet doesn't sound like some kind of elitist. He sounds like a guy in my living room just talking baseball. As for Kuiper, it is rare for a player to become such an accomplished announcer, yet he has become one of the best in the game. Teamed with Dave Fleming and Jon Miller, they make up the best, deepest team in baseball. Hell, Fleming could probably be the lead guy for 28 other broadcasts in the majors, yet he's fourth on the Giants depth-chart behind Kuiper, Miller, and Greg Papa.

Kruk and Kuip are locked up until the end of the 2010 season, a fact that makes me very happy.

Randy Winn was named to the U.S.'s 30-man WBC roster today. I'm glad that at least one Giant will be competing for the U.S., though whether Winn actually plays will be another story.

If Jose Viscaino starts more than eight games at first or third-base, the Giants are done.