No…not Kyle Farnsworth. Andy Freed is back for three more seasons!
But if you are interested in Farnsworth, here is the story from the Times and Trib with the details and here are posts from Steve Slowinski and R.J. Anderson breaking down Farnsworth by the numbers. In the end, I think it is too early to evaluate whether or not this is a good move. If Farnsworth is part of the bridge, I say it is probably solid. But, I worry about him the closer he gets to the back end of our bullpen. So, I will withhold judgment on Farnsworth until we see the pieces he will be surrounded with.
Back to the big news that broke yesterday. I am a sucker for baseball on the radio anyway, but Andy and partner Dave Wills make the experience phenomenal. I listen to as many games as I watch just because I love the way Andy and Dave tell the story. Yesterday’s contract news ensures that there are at least three more summers of smoking cigars on the porch listening to the ballgame.
That really is great news. In my opinion, the television crew is pretty cut-rate…except Todd Kalas who I think is too cool for school….but anyway I find myself often just listening to the radio broadcast then if something monumental happens, turning the channel to see whatever play it was. Our radio crew is just sooooo good, if anyone hasn’t listened to them call a game you really are missing out.
I’ll say this for the TV guys, Dewayne and Todd are two of the nicest people in baseball. We will just chalk up their 2010 struggles to the Kevin Kennedy effect.
Where do you lump Brian Anderson in on them. I’m not huge on him, either. Like I said, Todd Kalas is my hero…but Staats and BA/Kennedy would get hung up on something and just not move on from it. Yeah, us avid and emotional fans are going to gripe and whine about bad/missed calls or dirty plays from the other team, but I expect that the broadcasting crew can drop it eventually, but they will ride it for 2-3 innings when a call is missed. Just seems unprofessional compared to other team’s crews.
I love BA. I think he is a great analyst and is really good at explaining complex aspects of pitching in a clear way.