Spain Plays Beautiful Soccer, Beats Germany

We've had a little coverage of the Euro 2008 Tournament, so it seems proper to add a few final thoughts.

I made it no secret that I was pulling for Spain throughout the contests, so I was delighted to watch them win yesterday. With all due apologies to Stanley C. and his German nationalism, there was no doubt who the better team was. Spain was head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, never losing and executing with a healthy combination of grit and finesse.

And how can you not be happy for the Spanish? They've endured disappointment after disappointment, heartbreaking losses and major choke jobs. Now they can call themselves champions, and do they ever deserve it!

If watching Spain was a treat, it was an even greater pleasure to hear the absolutely brilliant announcing of Adrian Healey and Andy Gray. Joe Buck should be taking notes.

Alfredo Amezaga's Amazing Play in the Mexican League

There was a lot of hype about Amazin' Amezaga's famous play in the Mexican League two years ago. The hype, of course, was perpetrated by staunch advocates Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton. I expected something underwhelming, disappointing even.

Then I saw it. Wow! For your enjoyment, here is the play (it's a little hard to see, but I think you can make it out):



Was that incredible or what?

Nats Broadcasters High on Marlins...& Nats

As promised, here's my rendition of the Nationals' broadcasting team. Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton are quite the Marlins enthusiasts, though I've yet to see more blatant homerism than here. Let me point out a few specifics:

1. The cardinal sin in broadcasting is to never refer to the team you broadcast as "we." The Nationals team made this error repeatedly, even as they continued to plug the Marlins as an impressive squad.

2. Their opinion of Hanley Ramirez is beyond what I ever could have expected. They twice referred to him as "the best hitter in the league," and they were inordinately impressed with his two laser shots over the center field wall. The thing is, they may actually be right. He's a phenomenal talent.

3. They also thought extremely highly of Josh Willingham. It's not that I don't agree, but I'm puzzled that they would choose him of all players. In their words, "anything over the plate and this guy will hit it anywhere he wants."

4. Mike Jacobs? Not as high. Maybe they read Contributor Mike's piece.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. I'm looking forward to hearing Rich and Tommy's familiar voices again tonight, even if they're homers too.

Rich and Tommy Under Review

The Marlins may have great TV ratings, but how much of it is due to stellar announcing from Tommy Hutton and Rich Waltz? We at The South Florida Fan don't have an official opinion, but unofficially?

Rich has certainly improved since his first year. He has a few expressions I could do without, such as every walk being "and Pitcher loses him" and every single veteran being "a wily veteran who leads by example...see Brian Moehler circa 2006 for evidence of that" even when the player sucks.

Tommy Hutton also has his share of, shall we say, less impressive moments. His jokes are usually on the lame side, and even more amusing is when Rich decides to go along with it. As soon as Len Kasper left the booth, Tommy Hutton embraced the role of senior announcer, and Rich does his bidding.

Their finer aspects? They may display too much homerism from time to time (that's an understatement), but they clearly love the team. I also like the Tuesday e-mail feature.

If you found the above interesting, then you MUST visit/subscribe to Stupid Things that Rich and Tommy Say, a new blog chronicling some of their mishaps. We'll be adding it to the link list as well, along with Fire Michael Kay (FMK), a beautifully written blog about Yankees' voice Michael Kay (I think you can tell by the title that they aren't the biggest fans).

Viewing the Marlins From Washington Eyes

One of the great luxuries of viewing the Marlins from another city is the objective perspective. Those with MLBTV often get the visiting broadcasts too (if you're out of blackout range). One of my favorites, for instance, is Gary Cohen with SNY (Mets). His objective analysis is excellent.

Well, today I find myself not far from our nation's capital. Much as I miss the friendly confines of South Florida, I'm looking forward to watching the Marlins-Nats on Nationals television (that's whatever I can manage to watch during/after a Passover seder).

If I see anything interesting, I'll be sure to report it. Most notably, I'll be keeping an eye out for their disappointment when the Marlins seal the game. Go Fish!