Announcers say the dumbest things

It happens practically every baseball game. Runners on base. A pitch in the dirt. The catcher blocks it. And the announcers say, "What a great play by (catcher's name) blocking that ball. That's the type of thing that doesn't show up in the box score, but what a play.''

Enough already. Isn't that the catcher's job? Look, the mailman delivers mail. The butcher cuts meat. Catchers block pitches in the dirt. Do they say that every time a shortstop fields a grounder or a leftfielder catches a fly ball? The catcher is supposed to block the ball, and heck, half the time it's a lucky bounce anyway. Here are five other stock phrases by announcer that drive me batty:

* When a basketball players dives for a loose ball: "Look at that hustle!'' Hey, if I'm paying 50 bucks to sit in the upper deck, a guy better be diving for balls. Isn't this, too, part of his job? In fact, if he doesn't dive for a loose ball, I'm ticked.

* Anytime white players in any sport are described as "scrappy,'' while black players who work just as hard are described as "gifted.''

* "These two teams really don't like one another.'' You mean there are teams out there that do like one another?

* When a hitter hits a blooper to the opposite field: "What a great piece of hitting!'' Why? Because he swung late or otherwise swung the bat like he was supposed to? Know what a "great piece of hitting'' is? Sitting on a fastball and hitting it into the third deck.

* "You won't meet a nicer young man.'' Listen, unless Gandhi comes back to life and joins the Red Sox as a closer or something, let's retire that phrase, shall we?

Comments

Wow Tom, you really don't know too much about baseball do ya?! First of all catching is probably one of the hardest positions on the field. Announcers say things like that because there are alot of people that don't notice the importance of a catcher and the things they do! And by the way you hit to opposite field by going with the pitch, letting it get deep and driving it the other way not by "swinging late"! ITS A WONDER HOW YOU ARE A SPORTS WRITER!!

[One question]

And how exactly is "letting it get deep" any different from swinging late, Mr. Dimaggio?

[Matt]

What an idiot!

It's different, when you're a sports genius like 2:20 is. I'd guess that since you don't see catchers going 1st overall too often, it's not as important of a position as the genius would make you think. In fact, other than a catcher's hitting skills, you don't tend to hear too much about them.

[Spencer]

Hitting to the opposite field is NOT hitting late so much because you are doing so accidentally, but because it is good baseball. It is done for a reason, not just as a fluke. The reason, for the sports writer who does not know, is because of the way the outfield is playing you. If you are good enough to get hits to the opposite field on a consistent basis, then that leaves the field more open for when you hit it to your natural (not the opposite) field. What good hitters try to do is hit for the gap, and if it is in the opposite field, they don't so much hit late as they swing the hands in front of the bat head, on purpose, so they can try for an opposite field hit. Not all hitters can do this. Pete Rose was great at it. David Ortiz is not. Look at how the outfield and infield plays Ortiz.