Fox Playoff Coverage: It Ain't So, Joe

Perhaps it’s impolitic to rip Joe Buck after writing a profile about him, but I have to take issue with the Fox announcer’s assessment that Mets pitcher Oliver Perez put forth a “terrific” performance last night against the Cardinals. Perez’s line—5 2/3rds innings, nine hits, five earned runs—wasn’t exactly terrific. What Buck was implying—and he explained it after the commercial break for the pitching change–was that the Mets needed a serviceable performance from a dodgy pitcher who was 3-13 this year, and they got one. It helped that the Mets were up 12-5 when Perez got the hook; had they been down, say 5-1, I can’t imagine Buck would’ve called the pitcher’s performance “terrific.”

And is it me, or are the post-season commercial breaks longer than they’ve ever been before? I was at Shea Stadium the other night, and the break between innings was long enough for us to hear the entire version of “Sweet Caroline,” with a full-throated audience singalong. It was brutal.

By Michael Malone