Jon Miller ESPN: Ranking Sunday Night Baseball Possible Replacements
Jon Miller, ESPN: That was a nice marriage. Maybe Joe Morgan wasn't the most popular commentator in the history of the booth. But they don't have to completely do away with the entire team.
Maybe Miller can be brought back (paired with someone new, of course) to salvage the ESPN Sunday Night TV broadcast.
Maybe he can't.
Inside are 10 possible booth duos that might make for good baseball play-by-play, Or, if it's a trainwreck, at least good television.
No. 10: John Miller and Pete Rose
1 of 10
Maybe ESPN had it partially right: pair Jon Miller with a member of the Big Red Machine.
Perhaps they just had the wrong member. If Rose is now allowed back in baseball, maybe that means he should start off as a broadcaster.
No one knows more about playing the game of baseball than Rose: he didn't have the great physical gifts of Willie Mays or Andre Dawson. His insights into hitting and baserunning would be unique. He also played every position except short stop and catcher, so listening to him talk about the field would be great.
And he certainly wouldn't be boring. As long as he doesn't charge us to listen to him: ESPN already does that.
No. 9: Joe Buck and Ken Griffey Jr.
2 of 10
Both men had to overcome pretty large paternal shadows to get at the top of their profession, so the two should have a naturally chemistry there.
Griffey has always seemed like a very likable figure, from the television commercials and other appearances. Someone is going to want to hire him for commentary. And the booth might be a better place for him than the studio. He's been at the ballpark 150-some times a year, just about his entire life.
As for Buck, maybe he has had enough at Fox, where he has to do the NFL as well as MLB. (Some of us have had enough of his NFL commentary). The World Series will be up for TV sale in 2013, and maybe ABC will make a claim, which would mean Buck could do work for both networks, the way the NBA has it.
No. 8: Tom Hamilton and Orel Hershiser
3 of 10
According the New York Times' Richard Sandomir, ESPN is likely to tap Hershiser and Dan Shulman as a replacement for Sunday nights. If they don't like the chemistry between him and Dan Shulman, maybe they'll go out and get another play-by-play man, one who actually broadcast Hershiser games back in the mid-1990s.
Hamilton is the voice of the Cleveland Indians, and has been since the early 1990s. He is one of the best around and it's surprising that after 20 years he hasn't gone national yet. (Maybe he doesn't want to).
After he spent eight years in the booth beside the late Herb Score, it would be cool to see Hamilton paired with another iconic pitcher from the franchise he's been with for two decades.
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No. 7: Bob Uecker
4 of 10
Uecker has not been in great health lately so this move would probably be 20 years too late.
But since he'd be working just one night a week, maybe it would lighten his load.
If they absolutely had to partner him with someone, there are a number of good options. But "Monty" from Major League 1 and 2 is the best one.....he wouldn't say anything and Uecker could just rant on and on for hours.
Artie Lange and Norm MacDonald would be interesting booth mates as well. (Remember Lange's story on Joe Buck's show?)
No. 6: Barry Bonds and Chip Caray
5 of 10
Another pairing that makes sense in terms of family trees.
Bonds was the son of a great baseball man, who went on to be great himself, only to become controversial and essentially tossed from his job.
So was Chip Caray.
Bonds may have been flammable as a player, lashing out at reporters. But he could also be somewhat charming, thoughtful, and interesting to listen to.
While Bonds would be able to guess what a hitter is thinking, what a pitcher is thinking, Caray would add tremendous enthusiasm to the booth.
There could be a problem with availability however, depending on Bonds pending perjury charges.
No. 5: Orel Hershiser and Jon Miller
6 of 10
If Hershiser and Dan Shulman are set to be the replacement team for the outgoing Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. There are good fit.
But wouldn't Hershiser and Miller make for a neat duo as well?
The greatest Dodger pitcher since Sandy Koufax alongside the San Francisco born Miller who has broadcast Giants games since 1997.
Would their be palpable Giants-Dodger hate there? Probably not. But it would make for some humorous dialogue between the two.
No "east coast bias" with that team.
No. 4: Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo
7 of 10
For most of the previous decade, ESPN and Sunday Night Baseball did so many Red Sox games that it may as well have been a NESN broadcast. This way, there just being efficient.
Remy is a great play by play man and offers insight that is not usualy heard on the air. Orsillo is as refined a journalist as there is.
They make a great team, so why should Boston be the only town that gets to hear their broadcasts?
No. 3: Marty and Thom Brennaman
8 of 10
If ESPN was interested in a real "feel good" pairing, it might be putting the father-son combo together in the booth. The Reds have done it with the Brennamans.
It would be extremely corny, but ESPN would play up the father-son angle repeatedly and say how fathers and sons across the country should crowd together around the TV and have one big Hallmark moment.
The network wouldn't need the gimmick there though. Both are wonderful broadcasters. Marty is in the baseball Hall of Fame. Thom is very good too, although he's better suited to baseball than the NFL and bowl games: Tim Tebow doesn't play in the major leagues, does he?
No. 2: Harold Reynolds and Jon Miller
9 of 10
HR was great on Baseball Tonight, before the whole falling out of which we never heard the entire story.
Assuming ESPN and Reynolds can patch things up (he might have to return the huge settlement he got from the network for being fired), than he would be a good fit. He was very engaging and energetic while a analyst for Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, and still is for the MLB Network.
As far as Miller, it's not fair to cast him aside just because people didn't like Joe Morgan. Maybe pairing the soon-to-be 60-year-old Miller with the 67-year-old Morgan was the mistake. A younger partner might be more appealing to both Miller and the audience: Reynolds is 49.
No. 1: Charlie Steinner and John Kruk
10 of 10
Kruk is a great studio analyst and does a fantastic job breaking down the entire league. But he's a pretty interesting personality, and listening to him for an entire nine innings (instead of just a few segments on Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter) leaves you wanting more.
ESPN already knows what they have with Steiner. He was funny and authoritative on SporstCenter and has done a fine job out in Los Angeles broadcasting Dodger games.
It's time for Charlie to come back to his roots! He could still do Dodger games, if he wanted, just like Jon Miller.
And if Steiner were to return, he could resume his place as the greatest figure in the history of ESPN promos, the one he forged in many "This is SportsCenter commercials."
Can you imagine a John Kruk-Charlie Steiner Baseball Tonight promo? Potentially off-the-charts hilarious.
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