MLB Network Releases WBC Talent And Schedule
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
There are a ton of games scheduled for the World Baseball Classic starting on March 5th, and because of that the MLB Network has worked with ESPN to pick a pretty capable set of announcers for the tournament. Unfortunately none of those people will be on the A-team that will call the Championship Game. Calling that game will be one of AA's most despised annoucers, in Gary Thorne, and the one and only Rick Sutcliffe.
Those two aside, the rest of the lineup is pretty impressive and includes ex-Yankee announcer Jim Kaat, and the great Charley Steiner! Here's you schedule....
ROUND ONE (March 5th - March 12th)
Pool A (Tokyo, Japan) - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea
Announcers: Jon Sciambi, Orestes Destrade
Pool B (Mexico City, Mexico)- Australia, Cuba, Mexico, South Africa
Announcers: Charley Steiner, Jose Mota
Pool C (Toronto, Canada)- Canada, Italy, United States, Mexico
Announcers: Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe, Victor Rojas, Joe Magrane
Pool D (San Juan, Puerto Rico)- Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico
Announcers: Rich Waltz, Jim Kaat
ROUND TWO (March 14th - March 19th)
Pool 1 (San Diego, California)- Pool A Winner, Pool B Winner, Pool A Runner-up, Pool B Runner-up
Announcers: Jon Sciambi, Buck Martinez
Pool 2 (Miami, Florida)- Pool C Winner, Pool D Winner, Pool C Runner-up, Pool D Runner-up
Announcers: Charley Steiner, Gary Thorne, Jose Mota
FINALS (March 21 - March 24)
Los Angeles, California- Pool 1 Winner, Pool 2 Winner, Pool 1 Runner-up, Pool 2 Runner-up
Announcers: Gary Thorne, Rick Sutcliffe
Update: This is the World feed announcers, ESPN and MLB Network will have a separate list coming tomorrow.
16 Comments:
one more
re: Pool B and Pool C
so Mexico is playing in TWO pools?
Is Jon Sciambi the guy with the red hair all over the place? Because that guy really sucks.
I think is for the MLB International world feed and not the MLB Network.
ESPN is carrying the finals and semifinals with Jon Miller, Joe Morgan and Steve Phillips
Sciambi.......so much......RED. He sucks at basketball and is boring.
I'm in the minority as far as liking Gary Thorne, but sometimes he irks me by saying incredibly stupid things. Then again, he's the reason I felt compelled to watch hockey on ESPN.
I wish Orestes Destrade would take his broadcasting career to Japan like he did as a player.
Note to him: Little Leaguers think anyone who ever played in the big leagues is cool...you don't have to try so hard.
Confirmed by MLB Network spokesman: This is not the MLB Network announcing lineup. This is the announcing lineup for MLB International seen in Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia.
@ SSR: I agree with you about Gary Thorne. When he's not saying stupid things, I actually think he's a half-decent announcer (then again, I guess that can be said with almost all announcers). Maybe it's just the voice that I like about him...
One of the big reasons I really want the NHL back on ESPN is to get Gary Thorne back on the games (Versus is absolutely atrocious; Doc Emrick is the only good thing them and NBC have going for them with hockey coverage)
One has to wonder if the world is ready for the Steiner "Francis Scott 'Off' Key" joke again whilst laughing his ass off with Jack Edwards after the imfamous Carl Lewis singing fiasco.
Include me in the list of people that like Gary Thorne. There are so many announcers that are much worse, and his stupidity is usually funny. Especially when his partner will call him out on it.
Aside from the Garys & Steves (Thorne, Miller, Stone & Phillips) ESPN Wednesday Afternoon Giggle Fests a couple of years ago, I've been a fan of Gary Thorne as well.
I think Gary THorne is a very good announcedr,however, I think at times when he is doing pbp, he forgets that he is on TV and starts doing pbp like he is on radio, and that can get annoying after a while.
announcer
Steve Physioc is the man. I love it when I can get Angels games on summer evenings in Utah.
I also like Gary Thorne.
Steve Physioc is a tool...the only good piece of the Angels broadcast team is Rory Markas...he's got a very steady voice that i enjoy listening to...just baseball as it's happening...none of this "the ____ will get this an tie the game", then the complete opposite happens
re: Pool B
poor Charley Steiner...he has to deal with a poor bastard who has a poor grasp on the English language...the rest of the country will now learn why the Angels broadcast team is second-rate (aside from Physioc and Gubizca)