Baseball on the Radio

Baseball on the radio, whether it be online or terrestrial, can be a joy to listen to. 

So many people want the pictures. TV or online video broadcast. 

All sports can be terrific on the radio, but, in my opinion, baseball is the best. 

I am not in my car driving all that often, so I don't listen to games truly on the radio as much as I might like. That being said, listening to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN (previously on WCBS), or Howie Rose and company on WOR (previously WFAN) is always enjoyable. 

I do listen to sports radio in the car. Often WFAN. I miss the days of Mike and the Mad Dog. This could be a whole different post. 

I listen to A LOT of online radio. Most notably, Rob Adams on Robcasting Radio or WGCH.com (the online site for 1490 WGCH out of Greenwich). 

There's something about listening to the broadcasters describe the action and painting the picture and as the listener, we get to paint our own picture in our heads as to what the play looks like. The play-by-play person gives the play and then the analyst, if there is one, describes it more in depth. If there isn't, the PBP person can also give some color as well. This is important so the broadcast isn't dry. 

A radio, or audio call of any kind needs more description of the play and everything going on than a TV call where the viewer can see what is happening. This does not mean for a radio call there needs to be talking all the time. There can still be pauses and the broadcaster "laying out" on a big play. There needs to be a middle-ground. 

You can do it with all sports, but it just seems like baseball is the best. Football or basketball, while I will listen on the radio, is more of a TV sport, at least for me. 

Baseball on the radio is also a great avenue for stories. Stories make the broadcasts interesting. As long as the action doesn't get lost, stories keep the broadcast interesting. Stories about the players, coaches, families or teams, or anything else that might come up.  

Sure, you can do this on TV, but it's a different type of attention as a viewer/listener on TV. 

I'm not trying to tell people things they don't know. I've just heard conversations from people, a lot who don't understand broadcasting, about how they want to watch a video broadcast and don't care/won't listen to audio only. 

To be clear, this is not everyone.