D’oh! The biggest homers in Denver sports
“Again, we understand who signs the paychecks, but it’s this kind of blind allegiance to keeping up appearances that really rings hollow when we see the team is struggling. What’s wrong with a little criticism? Nothing. And when there isn’t any, it becomes very suspect. Not to mention what it does your credibility.“
One of the worst things a sports broadcast team can be accused of is being a bunch of “homers.” Play by play and color commentators pride themselves on giving you the information in what they consider to be a purely unbiased format. But sometimes it doesn’t always come out this way. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching a broadcast of a team from another city, you’d understand why we’re lucky to have some of the very good broadcasters handling our local teams. But still, some of them need take a long look in the mirror and realize when they’ve crossed that line between analyst and full-on homer.
Here is a list breaking down the TV and radio teams who cover our four major sports in Denver, from the least, to most homerish.
Number 4:
The Denver Broncos
Since the Broncos TV games are covered by the national networks, we are only offered a hometown insight by the local radio crew at KOA. Dave Logan has handled calling Bronco games for over 15 years with various broadcast partners and has always handled the job with measured class. He’s certainly a hometown guy, but he tells it like it is and will point out when the team isn’t playing well. Compared to the other folks on this list, he’s a stone cold sober judge in his impartiality.
Number 3:
The Denver Nuggets
Also doing a fantastic job covering the team, both the radio and television broadcasts cover the Nuggets with a hometown eye, but will often veer into criticism if the play on the court warrants it. Both Jason Kosmicki on the radio end and Scott Hastings of Altitude are huge critics of the shoddy performance of the referees, but will call it both ways, even when it DOES bounce in the Nuggets favor. Hastings has always been branded a homer, but he more than makes up for it when pointing out the shortfalls of Nuggets players when they demand to be noticed. I appreciate an allegiance to the home team from my local broadcasters and Hastings provides a good mix of homerism and realism.
Very tough decision on what group should have the top two spots. The remaining broadcast teams for the Colorado Rockies and the Colorado Avalanche certainly have their homerish aspects but only one can claim the top spot. Without further ado:
Number 2:
The Colorado Avalanche
Let me preface this by saying I think the Avs TV and radio coverage is probably the best of any of the four sports in Denver. Marc Moser is by far one of the best at what he does and that’s saying something compared to the talents of Logan and Kosmicki. The TV tandem of Mike Haynes and Peter McNabb are nothing but the solid gold standard for televised hockey. With that said, both broadcasts have had to “polish the turd” that has been the Colorado Avalanche for the last few seasons and their refusal to join in the rest of our frustrations has been maddening to say the least. We get that they’re being paid by the team and browbeating the obvious doesn’t make their employer happy, but we could have used a dose of reality from them over the last couple of seasons. If it weren’t for Mark Rycroft, who comments during period breaks and post game on Altitude, the Avs broadcasts would certainly claim the top spot. My guess is that Pierre Lacroix’s, Stalin-esque grip on the Avalanche was preventing folks like Moser and McNabb from giving it to you straight because they’re pretty honest dudes otherwise. Still the Avs collective broadcasts are probably the best in town and we look forward to tuning in during this eventful upcoming season.
Number One:
The Colorado Rockies
Good lord these guys are homers. If “Whistling Past the Graveyard” were a sport, the Root Sports and KOA broadcast teams would be Triple Crown Champs until the end of time. In what seems like a Disney-like dystopian nightmare, the Rockies have created an air tight, fantasy world for its ball club that is more than supported by its television and radio crews. The KOA radio broadcast, headed up by the very capable Jerry Schemmel and Jack Corrigan is still an ineffectual, pat on the back when things go bad every time they take the mic. Instead of roundly criticizing some of the rough play we’ve see on a regular basis, the KOA guys “aw shucks” it like when your kid misses an easy pop up. Schemmel and Corrigan are good, but little more teeth in the analysis would go a long for these two.
But it’s the Root Sports TV broadcast that really stumbles to an embarrassing, pants around the ankles, face plant with their undying allegiance to the Monforts and their Kim Jong-un view of themselves. Tracy Ringolsby somehow forgot he was a sports columnist for all those years and has taken the “if you can’t say anything nice…” approach to his coverage of the Rockies. Drew Goodman will go down with the ship defending any slight against the team on his radio show while mysteriously being very forthcoming in his criticism of any other sport and its players. He even went so far as to try and discredit a certain writer’s critical column of a player – on the TV broadcast. Again, we understand who signs the paychecks, but it’s this kind of blind allegiance to keeping up appearances that really rings hollow when we see the team is struggling. What’s wrong with a little criticism? Nothing. And when there isn’t any, it becomes very suspect. Not to mention what it does your credibility. Joel Klatt was certainly brainwashed to think this way, but after he was inked to join Fox Sports 1, he started to diverge from the Rockies Golden Path and be a little more critical. I guess if that’s what it takes, maybe Drew Goodman will tell it like it is if he gets a call up to the big leagues. He’s certainly good enough to do so, but we’ll never know how he really views things until he takes off those purple colored glasses.
