Upon Further Review: Replacing Caray is a mistake
With major league baseball opening its season up Sunday, I really didn’t want to write about baseball.
I figured I had 160 games or so to get in a few columns on the game, and I’m sure — as in years past — somebody will shame the game or himself which will eat up two or three columns.
But after reading something the Atlanta Braves have done this year, I can’t hold off any longer.
I have been a Braves fan all of my life and have not only been to many games, but hardly ever missed one on TV, thanks to TBS and Ted Turner. The Braves have been fortunate to have some of the best broadcasters in the business. But not any more.
You see, TBS and the Braves have replaced Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren. Don Sutton and Joe Simpson will be doing the national telecasts this year.
Skip Caray, the son of the Hall of Fame announcer Harry Caray, has been with the Braves for 26 years. He first joined TBS in 1972 as the voice of the Atlanta Hawks and was added to the Braves’ broadcasting crew in 1976.
Pete Van Wieren has been doing play-by play for the Braves for 26 years. Like Caray, Wieren has done Atlanta Hawks basketball games, Falcons football and covered the Atlanta Flames. He joined TBS in 1975.
Not to say, Joe Simpson and Don Sutton won’t do a good job. But you can’t replace a voice like Skip Caray.
Skip is like his father Harry, it’s not how they do the play-by play but it’s all the little one-liners and straightforward telling it like it is that people enjoyed listening to.
I’m not sure why they decided to replace the duo, but watching the Braves on TV won’t be the same.
It’s just like when John Ward retired as the Volunteers announcer. If Tennessee was playing football on TV, I would always turn down the volume and turn up the radio just to hear him call the game.
Skip’s son, Chip, calls the Chicago Cubs games for WGN and I must say he has done a great job replacing his grandfather Harry. Maybe Skip could go to the Cubs and announce the games with his son. That was something Skip always wanted to do with his dad.
As for the Braves, Skip and Pete will do a few games this year but it just won’t be the same.
With the season under way, it will be a long road for some teams. The Braves could fall under this category. After letting half of their pitching staff slip away this winter things could turn ugly for the team of the ’90s.
The season just started and already Mike Hampton, the man who John Schuerholz signed because of his toughness, has been put on the disabled list after hurting his calf running on a treadmill.
The Braves will have a lot of soul searching to do this year. Chipper Jones will need to have a super year with the bat in order to keep fans in the seats.
To get rid of Glavine and Millwood is one thing, but to let Skip Caray go could be the downfall of the Braves.