An appreciation of Charlie Steiner

Clipster Hipster discovers that Charlie just might be the guy to lead the Dodgers out of the tunnel.

3 months ago Phil Gurnee 27 comments 0 recs |

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so we should listen to him

and follow him. Follow him to freedom?

Steiner gets points for leaving the Yankees and saying the Dodgers gig is his dream job.

by ishXdavid on Nov 6, 2009 9:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I Very Much Agree with the Article

Steiner to Me is the No Brainer to replace Scully.

I just hope it happens. Guy is very entertaining to listen to. I almost agree he’s almost as good as Vin (maybe not Vin in his prime), but hey the guys is on. Way better than that Fox crap.

by Cool Dudes on Nov 6, 2009 11:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

No way

Mr. Excitable is not great :o

by kensai on Nov 7, 2009 5:34 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

saying he is close to vin

is to me ridiculous, but I do think he is by far the most talented english language broadcaster the dodgers have or are like to get besides mr scully.

by LA Taco on Nov 7, 2009 9:35 AM PST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

but he has distinguishable character in his voice. To me he has more of a classic sound to his voice, which is unique nowadays with all these Joe Buck wanna be’s out there, that are dull and dry when they comentate.

he may be excitable, but at least you know he loves what he’s doing, definitely my choice to replace Vin when the time comes.

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Nov 7, 2009 10:44 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Going from Vin Scully to Charlie Steiner is a discouraging thought

What Would Jack Bauer Do?

by Sordid on Nov 7, 2009 11:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I could live with Charlie Steiner

especially if they upgrade the color man – the solo guy in the booth will end with Vin Scully – to better complement Steiner, as neither Steve Lyons nor Rick Monday strike me as the guy for the job. Orel Hershiser back into the fold perhaps? After being “treated” the TBS and Fox broadcast teams for the post-season, I recognize Steiner’s strengths all the more (competent, understands the game, generally decent announcing style), and focus less on his weaknesses (fly ball judgment, loss of words when something happens quickly.)

The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.

by David Young on Nov 7, 2009 1:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Why....

….does the solo style have to end with Vin? Just because everybody else does it that way? Maybe we are not seeing one reason Vin has been able to hone his craft and connect so well with his audience.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 7, 2009 5:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Because...

following the greatest sportcaster ever is going to be hard enough. Trying to do it the same way would just make the differences all the more obvious. I think the only way that whoever follows Vin Scully is going to have to take a very different approach.

by prosellis on Nov 7, 2009 5:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"very different approach..."

EVERY other team takes the yuck yuck idiot buddy chatter approach. So going that route would NOT be different. In my mind it would only accentuate the loss of Vin.
Actually, the idea of a young broadcaster who is NOT a smarmy ESPN castoff to do the games the same way Vin does them would be great. Maybe their is a team in the old Dodger style of trading off innings.
The style itself is simply a better way to call the game from a fan perspective.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 8:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I wholeheartedly agree

that the best style is one guy delivering really smart analysis and insight. I just haven’t heard anyone other than Vin Scully who can pull that off. I don’t think replacing Vin with two guys would be an improvement, but I don’t think a lone successor to Vin would be able to live with the comparisons that would constantly be drawn.

by prosellis on Nov 8, 2009 1:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Why lower the bar?

Vin became great because he honed his craft and had an outlet that allowed what is clearly the best way to do that. (i.e. one man talkin at a time)
Why should we automatically settle for less just because it will be someone else? Give someone a shot….

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 5:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He also had a great mentor in Red Barber

He didn’t start out solo. He worked with a great broadcaster to develop that skills that made him a great broadcaster.

I’m not saying it can’t be done. Its going to be a daunting task for whoever takes the job and I just haven’t heard anyone that makes me believe they are capable of pulling it off.

by prosellis on Nov 8, 2009 11:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Charlie would be better solo too?

by 68elcamino427 on Nov 7, 2009 4:57 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps....

….I have had the thought, because even Rick is better alone.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 5:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Charlie Steiner is not a good baseball announcer.

He just isn’t. He doesn’t call the action well. He indulges in buddy chatter instead of keeping his listener involved. I have waited over ten mintues of broadcast time to find the score. His approach IS that smarmy ESPN guy, and I don’t know what the author of this article heard or saw to say otherwise. He routinely gets the action wrong. I know, so does Vin, but Charlie also often does not correct himself. He is still prone to the warning track homerun and the 10th row of the bleachers routine out. He cracks himself up. Worse, he cracks Rick up. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
He talks about other teams and games at great length and neglects the team and game he is paid to describe.
Nice man? Everyone says yes. But he is awful at this job, and it looks as if we may be stuck with him.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 7, 2009 5:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Well at least if he's on t.v.

we wont have to worry about him not telling us the score : )

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Nov 8, 2009 11:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

BUT...

…we still have to listen to him talk about the Yankees, the Red Sox, the lunch spread, the plane ride with Rick….Anything but bring the game in front of him to life.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 5:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm somewhat indifferent towards Steiner

but he is far better than most of the other teams’ broadcasters that I have heard. We could far worse than Steiner, but I don’t know that there are many better options out there.

by prosellis on Nov 7, 2009 5:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I posted the link because I thought it was well-written

and because we need to start preparing for live without Vinny.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Nov 7, 2009 7:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Preparing

I will agree with you there. It will smart no matter what, but transitioning to a guy who doesn’t even approach it close to the same way would be harsh.

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 8:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to be honest . . .

. . . many of you may be too proud to admit this, but I am going to sob like a little boy when Vinny leaves the booth. And that’s just without taking into account the inevitable.

I know there will never be another Vinny. Never. So why fool ourselves into attempting to find someone that will never reach the plateau that he has established?

I have no issues with Steiner. I am aware of his shortcomings as an announcer. But I would have no issues with him taking over the booth when it comes time. For me, he won’t be replacing Vinny. No one can replace Vinny.

I dunno . . . I’m getting emotional thinking about it. Nevermind.

by Dr. Geek on Nov 7, 2009 9:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Honestly

If Vin had been announcing for the Angels all these years then I’d be a bigger Angel fan than I am now.
Loved Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale.

by 68elcamino427 on Nov 7, 2009 9:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately, Drysdale was before my time.

by Dr. Geek on Nov 7, 2009 10:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I used to work at a bank in La Jolla. Dick Enberg lives there – his voice in person is truly something to behold. When he was just talking to me in a normal voice I swear the windows shook. The natural, raw POWER in his voice is truly something you can’t appreciate if you don’t hear it in person.

by Seanny Rotten on Nov 9, 2009 8:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You’re going to give me THAT interest rate? Oh, my!

(When I was a kid, Dick Enberg was the voice of the Los Angeles Rams. He was great; it was a pleasure just to hear say the names Roman Gabriel, Deacon Jones, Dick Bass, Merlin Olson.)

The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.

by David Young on Nov 9, 2009 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Great post...

Yup, me too. Sneaking the radio under the pillow to listen to those late home starts. (Remember when they started at 7:35?)
It is going to be a hard thing for us die-hards.
My only point is that there doesn’t have to be a break with the way the Dodgers have done things. Vin is Vin in large part because they let him win the argument about one man in the booth. Why not carry that on?

by dsheridan88 on Nov 8, 2009 8:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs