12 October 2006
I despise Joe Buck
There is no one in broadcasting who I despise more than Joe Buck. I truly hate this guy. For those not in the know, Joe Buck is one of Fox Sports' top play-by-play guys. This means he does football, baseball, and whatever else they want him to. His dad was Jack Buck, considered one of the all-time great broadcasters, who worked his entire career (to my knowledge) doing St. Louis Cardinals games. Joe has also, on a part-time basis, been a Cardinals broadcaster.
Joe Buck has a really annoying voice. It is clear that he has grown up around the broadcasting industry his whole life, because his tones sound so exact, so forced, so...inhuman. I've never enjoyed listening to him. However, Joe Buck really got onto my shitlist one day in early 2005, while he was calling a Green Bay Packers - Minnesota Vikings game. Randy Moss, the flamboyant and effective Vikings wide receiver, torched the Packers' secondary for a TD. Living up to both the great rivalry these teams have shared as well as his own internal flair for the slightly controversial, Randy Moss proceed to pull a FAKE mooning on the crowd in Green Bay. Packers fans - some of the heartiest Americans, perfect targets for such a tongue-in-cheek put down. While watching it live, I laughed. There was no arrogance in Moss' action, just a little spur of the moment move designed to provoke the hostile crowd. Only Joe Buck didn't see it that way. Choosing to ignore his job description, and bequeathing upon himself a new title of Arbiter of American Morality, Joe FREAKED out, stating, "That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss. And it's unfortunate that we have that on our air live. That is digusting by Randy Moss."
But it was really in his tone. A haughty, holier than though, how dare you tone. From the play-by-play guy! Not the color commentator, not your newspaper's op-ed page, but the goddamn play-by-play guy. Yes, in Joe's world, the play-by-play guy should decide what is moral and what is not, should actually have some sort of censorship power. I'll let this article from Dave Zirin take it from here:
So, why I am bringing this up now, almost two years later? Yes, indeed, Joe F-ing Buck is the lead play-by-play man on Fox's coverage of the Mets vs Cardinals National League Championship Series. Yeah you heard that right: Joe Buck, Cardinals Partisan, and Worst Announcer in All of Sports, is covering my favorite team's run in the playoffs. To make it worse: he will be joined in the booth by Tim McCarver, one of the worst color commentators in baseball history, and former St. Louis Cardinal! Two Cardinals in the booth! For the most important series the Mets have played in 6 years! And isn't that just what is right about America.
For more on this, check out this post at Metsblog.com. Clearly, I am not the only one who feels this way.
To Joe Buck I say, "You're disgusting. It is unfortunate we have to have you on the air live."
¶ 5:25 PM 
Joe Buck has a really annoying voice. It is clear that he has grown up around the broadcasting industry his whole life, because his tones sound so exact, so forced, so...inhuman. I've never enjoyed listening to him. However, Joe Buck really got onto my shitlist one day in early 2005, while he was calling a Green Bay Packers - Minnesota Vikings game. Randy Moss, the flamboyant and effective Vikings wide receiver, torched the Packers' secondary for a TD. Living up to both the great rivalry these teams have shared as well as his own internal flair for the slightly controversial, Randy Moss proceed to pull a FAKE mooning on the crowd in Green Bay. Packers fans - some of the heartiest Americans, perfect targets for such a tongue-in-cheek put down. While watching it live, I laughed. There was no arrogance in Moss' action, just a little spur of the moment move designed to provoke the hostile crowd. Only Joe Buck didn't see it that way. Choosing to ignore his job description, and bequeathing upon himself a new title of Arbiter of American Morality, Joe FREAKED out, stating, "That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss. And it's unfortunate that we have that on our air live. That is digusting by Randy Moss."
But it was really in his tone. A haughty, holier than though, how dare you tone. From the play-by-play guy! Not the color commentator, not your newspaper's op-ed page, but the goddamn play-by-play guy. Yes, in Joe's world, the play-by-play guy should decide what is moral and what is not, should actually have some sort of censorship power. I'll let this article from Dave Zirin take it from here:
It's worth noting that Cris Collinsworth, one of the best color commentators in any sport, saw it for what it was, a pretty funny act that, while not the model for proper Victorian behavior, was certainly no worse than the absolute crap Fox normally shows on its network. Oh, and one year later, Collinsworth found himself fired by Fox. And yeah, Joe Buck went on to do Budweiser ads.At first, color analyst Cris Collinsworth stifled a guffaw saying, "Moss is giving the fans a moon!" But then play-by-play analyst - and statue of rectitude - Joe Buck exploded in outrage, bleating, "That's a DISGUSTING act by Randy Moss, and it's unfortunate we had it on our air live!"
Joe Buck of course has never felt the need to apologize for appearing in the Budweiser "Leon" commercials that parody - with a lovely helping of racism and homophobia - a pretty, lazy, and egomaniacal wide receiver thinly disguised as Moss (although "Leon" would never have caught that pass on a gimpy ankle like Moss did). For Buck, capitalizing on Moss's outrageous personality for the purpose of selling beer is just business as usual.
So, why I am bringing this up now, almost two years later? Yes, indeed, Joe F-ing Buck is the lead play-by-play man on Fox's coverage of the Mets vs Cardinals National League Championship Series. Yeah you heard that right: Joe Buck, Cardinals Partisan, and Worst Announcer in All of Sports, is covering my favorite team's run in the playoffs. To make it worse: he will be joined in the booth by Tim McCarver, one of the worst color commentators in baseball history, and former St. Louis Cardinal! Two Cardinals in the booth! For the most important series the Mets have played in 6 years! And isn't that just what is right about America.
For more on this, check out this post at Metsblog.com. Clearly, I am not the only one who feels this way.
To Joe Buck I say, "You're disgusting. It is unfortunate we have to have you on the air live."
