Baseball Tonight: Losing Credibility by the Pitch

Orel Hershiser is probably one of the more insightful minds on the entire show. He always has something interesting to say, and every time he talks, I feel I learn something about pitching that I didn't know before. He explains things very well and is the ultimate professional.

Steve Phillips is the exact opposite. His agenda is to pump up the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers, and be very obvious. He was a better General Manager than he is an analyst, which is saying something, because he wasn't that good of General Manager to begin with.

Buster Olney, Peter Gammons, and Tim Kurkijan

This is the group of reporters that occasionally sit in and provide insight. The sad part is that sometimes they are better than the actual analysts. Buster Olney is passable, but there is a reason he is a reporter and not an analyst.

Peter Gammons has forgotten more baseball than I will ever learn in my lifetime. Since his brain aneurysm, he hasn't been the same in terms of performance. It could be a reason, along with his Sunday night reporting duties, that he isn't on as much as he used to.

Tim Kurkijan is by far the best personality this show has. Once again, it's rather sad though because he is merely a writer. Kurkijan has the fun-loving enthusiasm a baseball fan can appreciate. But he is just that, a fan, even if he has the credibility and professionalism of a journalist.

Kurkijan has followed the game since he was young, copied every box score since he got into the business, and has the appreciation for the game not many reporters have.

Karl Ravech and Steve Berthiaume

If the host of Baseball Tonight is the point-guard position on the basketball court, Karl Ravech would be Jason Kidd or Steve Nash in their prime. He just makes everyone that much better. The way he runs the show is second to none. The problem is that ESPN has opted to make him cover the College World Series.

Only Karl Ravech could take the attack of a fly in stride, not only mentioning it, but continuing the discussion by getting Buster Olney involved.

Steve Berthiaume is the Smush Parker of point guards. Every night, he gets more and more annoying. With his cheesy catchphrases such as "Fill thy horn with oil, and go" and "Alex Rodriguez...Your thoughts?" The most aggravating part of him is when he claims that "That's Nasty" is the "hot, new segment sweeping the nation," when in fact, that segment is a year old now. Get with the times Steve.

If it's not Berthiaume or Ravech, "C-Teamers" Scott Reiss (passable) and Dari Nowkhah (barely able to stomach) take the reigns.

Former Analysts: Harold Reynolds and Jeff Brantley

If it weren't for a lawsuit, Harold Reynolds would still be delighting fans with his wide smile, spot on explanations, and original thoughts. Reynolds was the bread and butter of Baseball Tonight for the longest time, and the show took a huge hit when they lost their best baseball analyst.

Jeff Brantley was very much underrated. The big cowboy reliever was a tamer Rob Dibble. He could break down a pitcher better than most, and he had a rare personality the show did not have.

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