May 3, 200521 yr Criticize Rich Waltz all you want for mispronouncing Islamorada or getting too excited about fly balls that are not home runs. Here's one endorsement for FSN Florida's hiring choice, a month into Waltz's tenure as the fifth TV play-by-play voice in Florida Marlins history. Waltz sounds better and better as he grows more familiar with the team and gets more comfortable with veteran analyst Tommy Hutton. Dave O'Brien, now with ESPN, set a high standard for Marlins broadcasters. Len Kaspar, now with the Cubs, worked with Hutton like an efficient double-play combination. Despite the tough acts to follow, Waltz is a good call. His pace has improved in the past 10 games. Familiarity with the club, and learning how to hand off more smoothly to Hutton, are only helping. He even shows a little spark that Kaspar ? now particularly super-cautious under a microsope with the Cubs ? sometimes kept in check too much in Florida. Take Waltz on a pinch-hit single from pitcher Dontrelle Willis during Sunday's game at Philadelphia. "You do it, Dontrelle," Waltz said. "It is his world and we're just living in it right now." The remark had a spontaneous feel, and broke the routine patter of balls-and-strikes description. It captured the moment with a little zest. It let the hair fall out of place for a second. It cast Waltz in the role of the friend on the couch who gets a shared kick out of the quirks of the team, like a streaky pitcher who also pinch-hits like a madman. "Homer" criticism often misses the point with team broadcasters, as opposed to national network jobs. You want professionalism, but you want some passion, too. It is OK, even desirable, for the announcer's voice to reflect the surprise, delight or disappointment the team's fans feel at any given moment. Waltz is showing signs of getting the balance right. As Willis rounded first, Waltz 's voice carried a note of get-a-load-of-this enjoyment of the numbers: Willis is 1-for-2 as a pinch-hitter this year, and he rapped three hits in eight similar appearances last season. Waltz, 42, won't blow anybody out of the building with deep-pipe, booming home-run calls. But he makes good use of what he does have, including humor, intelligence and smooth transitions from the Bob Costas school. That's what put Waltz, a longtime Mariners fill-in who also has worked ESPN games, into a close runner-up position to Kaspar the last time the job was open, FSN Florida executives said. "He's a thinking man's broadcaster," said Jeff Genthner, FSN Florida's senior vice president and general manager. "He studies the game extremely hard." Sometimes he's too quick. During an Alex Gonzalez at-bat Sunday, Waltz made it sound like a controversy whether Gonzalez had gone around on a pitch, and wondered whether the Phillies were appealing it. They weren't. It wasn't really that close. But other gambits worked out. For example, look at the setup on another at-bat for Gonzalez, who was the No. 8 hitter. "There are two schools of thought in the 8 spot, Tommy," Waltz said. "You either want a guy who is selective . . . or you want a free swinger." Hutton said he liked Plan B for Gonzalez. In seconds, he hit one deep. "It is . . . gone!" Waltz said. "Plan B works out." A big test of Waltz's credibility in coming months will be his willingness to bring up team faults. If Mike Lowell is struggling at the plate, you want an announcer who doesn't sound like he is taking pains to avoid the subject. Grade here still pending. Waltz has worked on cutting back descriptions of plays viewers can see plainly. Early games also featured too many rat-a-tat bursts of statistics and facts. Early in the season, Waltz took his share of rips on Internet message boards. "Sounds like he has a badger in his nose," one poster wrote. "Sounds too happy when the other team succeeds," another said. But Waltz has picked up defenders along the way, starting with his call of the Juan Encarnacion grand slam in the opener, as recounted by this fan on the Internet: "The 1-0. . . . fly ball . . . well hit . . . left field . . . it is . . . gone! Grand slam!" Hutton: "Wooow!" Waltz: "What a way to start 2005!" A little badgering is part of the reception for any team announcer, who arrives like a new neighbor. But Waltz is a welcome choice for the Marlins. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/conten...lmore_0503.html
May 3, 200521 yr Early in the season, Waltz took his share of rips on Internet message boards. "Sounds like he has a badger in his nose," one poster wrote. "Sounds too happy when the other team succeeds," another said. 761402[/snapback] I wonder which board hes referring to :whistle (even though it was a quote from a Mariners board, orignally) (comments continued) Besides, whenever he talks, he sounds like he has a dead badger stuffed up his nose. 682039[/snapback]
May 3, 200521 yr "Sounds too happy when the other team succeeds," another said. Ive read this before...I wonder where
May 3, 200521 yr I like Waltz...Ive been saying he has been getting better and better. At first I really disliked Kasper but I ended up loving his style and his persona. Next year Waltz will be liked much much more. Plus, if the Marlins win the announcer always sounds better.
May 3, 200521 yr "Sounds too happy when the other team succeeds," another said. Ive read this before...I wonder where 761409[/snapback] Charles reads our site, he is the one who did an article and mentioned the site a few months back...' Btw, here's Accord's post with the Waltz PBP quoted in the article
May 3, 200521 yr i like this charles fellow, though he should know that the guy's name is len kasper, not kaspar (as mentioned four times).
May 3, 200521 yr Im starting to like Watlz ALOT. He gets good excitement on the big hits which is what Len used to do. I started to like him since the second broadcast of spring training.
May 3, 200521 yr I can't join in the love-fest for Waltz just yet. It only took me about 5 games to get used to Len, but this guy just isn't working out for me. I still think he should be doing golf or a more subdued sport. The only bad thing is that I am forced to listen to DVH who throughout the course of a game, neglects to mention what the pitch that was just thrown was at least 10 times. He is so busy talking about other subjects that you hear the ball hit the mitt, and you have no clue what the pitch was - he is still blabbering. It always amazes me that Boog last year and Roxie this year don't give him a signal of some sort that he just left an entire pitch out of the game...people who have radio only are depending on those calls. We took a hit in the announcing department over the years, that's for sure. Radio AND TV.
May 3, 200521 yr "You do it, Dontrelle," Waltz said. "It is his world and we're just living in it right now." Personally it's exactly that kind of remark that I can't stand. It makes him sound like Katie Couric!! Rich's voice and Tommy's are sound almost alike too. Waltz' comes across as an arrogant ("I know it all! Who's Tommy Hutton?")jackass.
May 3, 200521 yr Nice read. Yes, I have definitely seen the improvement in Rich since his first week. For all the naysayers, give him some time, he will only get better.
May 3, 200521 yr I am starting to like Waltz. I don't think he'll ever replace Hutton but he is doing a pretty astounding job right now. Hopefully he keeps it up.
May 3, 200521 yr Author "Sounds too happy when the other team succeeds," another said. Ive read this before...I wonder where 761409[/snapback] Charles reads our site, he is the one who did an article and mentioned the site a few months back...' Btw, here's Accord's post with the Waltz PBP quoted in the article 761416[/snapback] hahaha holy crap, I read the article and didn't even realize that they took those quotes from my posts, LMAO. I'm always at both extremes, one night i'll think Waltz is the worst announcer on earth and the next night i'll think he's greater than Len Kasper. (Charles, you can use that quote in your next article^^^^^^^^ )
May 3, 200521 yr Author I am starting to like Waltz. I don't think he'll ever replace Hutton but he is doing a pretty astounding job right now. Hopefully he keeps it up. 761438[/snapback] He'll never replace Hutton because he is the play by play guy and T-Hut is the analyst... I know you meant to say Len though :thumbup .
May 3, 200521 yr I am starting to like Waltz. I don't think he'll ever replace Hutton but he is doing a pretty astounding job right now. Hopefully he keeps it up. 761438[/snapback] He'll never replace Hutton because he is the play by play guy and T-Hut is the analyst... I know you meant to say Len though :thumbup . 761522[/snapback] haha, damn accord u beat me to it
May 3, 200521 yr I'll admit it I hated Waltzy at the beginning. I guess I was the biggest Len Kasper homer on the board. But I will admit now, I like Waltzy's voice 10 times more than I do Kasper's. I'm already used to Waltzy's and everytime I hear a Len Kasper's voice the nasally voice makes me cringe. His voice is not like what I remember. I've liked what Rich has become in the last month. If I could, I would be the first one in line to apologize to him. I am excited to listen to a Marlins telecast, again. Rich and Tommy are coming along great.
May 3, 200521 yr Author I guess I was the biggest Len Kasper homer on the board. 761569[/snapback] I hold that title!
May 3, 200521 yr I guess I was the biggest Len Kasper homer on the board. 761569[/snapback] I hold that title! 761577[/snapback] Did you become incredibly depressed and even shed a tear? :plain
May 4, 200521 yr Author I guess I was the biggest Len Kasper homer on the board. 761569[/snapback] I hold that title! 761577[/snapback] Did you become incredibly depressed and even shed a tear? :plain 761583[/snapback] Yes :mischief .
May 4, 200521 yr I guess I was the biggest Len Kasper homer on the board. 761569[/snapback] I hold that title! 761577[/snapback] Did you become incredibly depressed and even shed a tear? :plain 761583[/snapback] Yes :mischief . 762498[/snapback] No you didn't. :mischief
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