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Don Orsillo being laid off
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Post by boydhurstlovechild on Aug 26, 2015 0:29:53 GMT -5
Granted, I had the MLB pass or whatever almost a decade ago, but the only team I had to mute was the White Sox. Hawk Harrelson is probably the only commentator I've ever had to do this with. Joe Buck is pretty close and I agree that Rex Hudler is up there as well. I live in SoCal, so I only know him from his Angel time and he was awful. Vin Scully, on the other hand is so incredible, it makes me weep. I listen to him on the radio and don't even follow the Dodger games. He's 87 and been doing it for 60 years, but he's still, so, so, so good. Couple months back, I turned on a Doyer game while driving just to hear his voice. It was Memorial Day, which I don't even think I realized, which is horrible I know and he was just weaving stories about WW2 into the game in a way that made me pull my car over. It was just like masterpiece of radio. He'd tell some insane story I'd have to look up later, like about Mad Jack Churchill? killing people with bow and arrow and never lose track of the game. A god. Anyway, always thought Orsillo was solid. Good luck to him.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Aug 26, 2015 1:13:40 GMT -5
Have also enjoyed Vin Scully on local radio and TV here in soCal before LA signed the awful Time-Warner contract. Was fortunate to attend a Sox/Dodger spring training game at the old Dodger Town several years ago. Met the man the way Orsillo did, and remain a fan ... of Orsillo too.
The VP who orchestrated this apparent vendetta is likely also resonsible for the total sales environment and silly graphics within which we try to view our team. It is possible that the hatchet job on Don (and Jerry) will not end well for him. That is usually the way it works.
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Post by mredsox89 on Aug 26, 2015 1:33:08 GMT -5
Outside of a personal vendetta, what possible reason could there be for this happening now, as opposed to six weeks from now when the season is over?
The fact that it became public knowledge of who was supposedly the one behind this probably will be his downfall, barring other info coming out
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Aug 26, 2015 1:36:14 GMT -5
Hatchetmen seldom avoid the slippery slope
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Post by seanleary001 on Aug 26, 2015 8:05:10 GMT -5
People who complain about Don and Jerry do not realize how lucky we are. Their antics can be very entertaining during a game when a season is not going as planned. Most of the time, when there was a good game playing, Don was always professional. There are a lot of boring guys on ESPN that we only have to watch a few times a year, and we were lucky to have this duo for such a long time.
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Post by ray88h66 on Aug 26, 2015 8:09:31 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of the Don and Jerry side show stuff. Don does play by play fine though. Hope he gets a new gig soon.
I doubt ratings are the real reason, at least not the main reason. Doesn't take a marketing expert to know ratings will go down when the product on the field is so bad.
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Post by awall on Aug 26, 2015 8:12:05 GMT -5
UPDATE: Boston Globe is saying that sources report that Joseph Maar, NESN's VP of programming and production, was never a fan of Orsillo and might have pushed him out and would not pickup his 2015 option in his contract. Dave O'Brien will take over Then I eagerly await news of Maar's firing down the road.
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Post by templeusox on Aug 26, 2015 9:33:11 GMT -5
Dave O'Brien is one of the best in the business and a significant improvement.
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Post by elguapo on Aug 26, 2015 10:01:27 GMT -5
-- it's no harder than radio play-by-play -- which is hard. Radio play by play + TV on mute is still the best option, followed by radio play-by-play, then TV on mute. The problem with TV announcers is they rarely give play-by-play. They think, "You can see what's happening on the field; let's talk about something else." They are totally disconnected with what's happening on the field. For my money, even the off topic stuff from the radio guys is better than TV. I still chuckle about ridiculous things Jerry Trupiano would come out with -- like the "Mariah Carry" -- and the sound of Joe shaking his head silently.
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Post by brianthetaoist on Aug 26, 2015 11:03:51 GMT -5
Don Orsillo seems like a great guy, not just on the TV but from the reactions of those around him (Sean McDonough seemed pleasant when he was broadcasting but was a serious ***hole by all independent accounts). He was easy to listen to, seemed to be pretty adaptable in that he could be serious or do the goofy Don-and-Jerry Show stuff. But in the end, Dave O'Brien will be good. He's solid. It's really not going to make a major difference in my enjoyment of the game. Unless they upgrade significantly at analyst and focus on being a better baseball broadcast, it will always be background noise for me.
All of them pale in comparison with Joe Castiglione, though, for me. I was listening to Joe earlier this year the series before they played Houston, and he said something like, "I was talking to scouts about the Astros pitchers, and they said [something positive about one of the Astros pitchers that I can't recall]." I remember thinking, "when was the last time Jerry Remy sat down with a bunch of scouts to prepare for an upcoming series?"
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Post by benogliviesbrother on Aug 26, 2015 13:00:58 GMT -5
... But why on earth anyone thought it would be a good idea to make that decision and announce it right now is mind blowing ... Outside of a personal vendetta, what possible reason could there be for this happening now, as opposed to six weeks from now when the season is over? The fact that it became public knowledge of who was supposedly the one behind this probably will be his downfall, barring other info coming out Why are people assuming it was NESN that leaked this info? Who has benefitted from the leak? Certainly not NESN. But Don, and to a lesser degree, Jerry, sure have profited — if martyrdom can be considered profit, or, vilification of the network. Hmmm.
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Post by mredsox89 on Aug 26, 2015 13:46:02 GMT -5
... But why on earth anyone thought it would be a good idea to make that decision and announce it right now is mind blowing ... Outside of a personal vendetta, what possible reason could there be for this happening now, as opposed to six weeks from now when the season is over? The fact that it became public knowledge of who was supposedly the one behind this probably will be his downfall, barring other info coming out Why are people assuming it was NESN that leaked this info? Who has benefitted from the leak? Certainly not NESN. But Don, and to a lesser degree, Jerry, sure have profited — if martyrdom can be considered profit, or, vilification of the network. Hmmm. Well it came out, so be it leaked intentionally or just released, I don't think it matters. Then they put the official release out that he's gone, then that O'Brien is hired. Someone leaked that the firing/hiring was happening, then that the likely culprit was a specific person. It's a complete disaster not even attached to the actual personnel move
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Post by sammo420 on Aug 26, 2015 14:26:59 GMT -5
... But why on earth anyone thought it would be a good idea to make that decision and announce it right now is mind blowing ... Outside of a personal vendetta, what possible reason could there be for this happening now, as opposed to six weeks from now when the season is over? The fact that it became public knowledge of who was supposedly the one behind this probably will be his downfall, barring other info coming out Why are people assuming it was NESN that leaked this info? Who has benefitted from the leak? Certainly not NESN. But Don, and to a lesser degree, Jerry, sure have profited — if martyrdom can be considered profit, or, vilification of the network. Hmmm. I blame the NFL!!!
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Post by grandsalami on Aug 26, 2015 20:30:10 GMT -5
“@gordonedes: According to a source, Orsillo was told the decision to bounce him was unanimous.”
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Aug 26, 2015 20:41:50 GMT -5
C'mon Gordo. Who said this and who are these unanimous decision makers? In addition, how did this process evolve, wbo started it rolling and who drove it? Cui bono? Why now during tbis already depressing season? Dig in, dude. You are the reporter. ESPN is the news outlet. It is your job and you have access to the answers. We don't and we are clearly upset for lack of reliable information. C'mon Gordo.
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Post by jimed14 on Aug 26, 2015 20:54:14 GMT -5
“@gordonedes: According to a source, Orsillo was told the decision to bounce him was unanimous.” What is the point of telling him that? That just sounds mean.
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Post by nmacny on Aug 27, 2015 10:58:21 GMT -5
I've always been a big fan of Don and Jerry's antics, and Don will certainly be missed in my book. I realize they're not for everyone, but I enjoy their "laid-back" approach to calling a game. At the same time, I've also really enjoyed having someone a bit more informative like Speier in the booth lately. I'd much rather see Remy go and Don stay on board with a couple of different color commentators sharing the duty, but it is what it is.
That being said, if they do away with the Wally Wave, I may boycott the 2016 season. A man can only take so much.
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Post by burythehammer on Aug 27, 2015 11:35:24 GMT -5
“@gordonedes: According to a source, Orsillo was told the decision to bounce him was unanimous.” What is the point of telling him that? That just sounds mean. I'm guessing, you know, he asked. I don't think someone just walked into his office one day and said, "By the way, we all agreed that you should be fired, just thought you should know that."
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Aug 27, 2015 15:08:57 GMT -5
Lol
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Aug 27, 2015 16:21:02 GMT -5
What is the point of telling him that? That just sounds mean. I'm guessing, you know, he asked. I don't think someone just walked into his office one day and said, "By the way, we all agreed that you should be fired, just thought you should know that." And so what if he asked? He has that right. We don't know the curcumstances and maybe the source is just streamlining the response, but if they threw the unanimous in his face (i agree with JimEd) that is not needed.
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Post by jimed14 on Aug 27, 2015 16:27:51 GMT -5
Not to belabor the point, but if it were me I would have said "it was more than one person." Sounds better than "everyone wanted you fired". But we don't really know what exactly happened no matter what is leaked.
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Post by grandsalami on Aug 27, 2015 16:35:33 GMT -5
Chad Finn 5 mins · Asked WEEI boss Phil Zachary if Don Orsillo might be on the station's radar. His response: "We’re taking our time on this. I’m happy for Dave O’Brien and wish him nothing but the best. Meanwhile, we now have an exceptional opportunity to innovate around the heart and soul of our broadcasts, Joe Castiglione. If Don Orsillo wishes to remain in New England, I’d be delighted to speak with him. By all accounts Don’s a gentleman and a polished performer, and it’s quite clear he’s a fan favorite. At the same time, however, we do have some other ideas and want to keep all options open for the next month or two."
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Post by soxfan06 on Aug 27, 2015 16:38:28 GMT -5
Couple things, I'm not sure why people are freaking out about this so much. I liked Orsillo's play by play, but I love Dave O'Brien and know he is going to be an upgrade.
Also, I'm not sure why people keep saying he was fired because it's just not the case. You don't have to agree or disagree with the decision but the facts of the matter were that Don Orsillo's contract was up at the end of this year and NESN decided not to re-sign him. That is not firing someone. That is fulfilling your contract obligations and parting ways when the contract runs out. There is no obligation for NESN to automatically renew someone's contract. That's not to say, they shouldn't listen to their customers, but the whole "Red Sox/NESN Fire Orsillo" is purposely inflammatory for the people who disagree with this move.
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Post by jimed14 on Aug 27, 2015 17:03:19 GMT -5
Couple things, I'm not sure why people are freaking out about this so much. I liked Orsillo's play by play, but I love Dave O'Brien and know he is going to be an upgrade. Also, I'm not sure why people keep saying he was fired because it's just not the case. You don't have to agree or disagree with the decision but the facts of the matter were that Don Orsillo's contract was up at the end of this year and NESN decided not to re-sign him. That is not firing someone. That is fulfilling your contract obligations and parting ways when the contract runs out. There is no obligation for NESN to automatically renew someone's contract. That's not to say, they shouldn't listen to their customers, but the whole "Red Sox/NESN Fire Orsillo" is purposely inflammatory for the people who disagree with this move. Call it whatever you want but it's all the same thing.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Aug 27, 2015 18:07:22 GMT -5
Couple things, I'm not sure why people are freaking out about this so much. I liked Orsillo's play by play, but I love Dave O'Brien and know he is going to be an upgrade. Also, I'm not sure why people keep saying he was fired because it's just not the case. You don't have to agree or disagree with the decision but the facts of the matter were that Don Orsillo's contract was up at the end of this year and NESN decided not to re-sign him. That is not firing someone. That is fulfilling your contract obligations and parting ways when the contract runs out. There is no obligation for NESN to automatically renew someone's contract. That's not to say, they shouldn't listen to their customers, but the whole "Red Sox/NESN Fire Orsillo" is purposely inflammatory for the people who disagree with this move. Technically correct, functionally irrelevant.
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