Fox Sports Detroit will air tonight’s Nationals-Tigers game with no announcers in what they’re calling “Natural Sounds at Comerica Park.” The game will be offered as an alternative broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit Plus (901 for Comcast viewers).
“Natural Sounds at Comerica Park will feature extra microphones around the park so viewers can hear more of the sounds of baseball — the bat cracks, ball popping in the mitt, vendors chiming in from the stands and the crowd’s reaction to every play on the field,” said Greg Hammaren, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports Detroit.
As a child, I often listened to Tiger games on the radio. I was fortunate enough to hear broadcasting legend Ernie Harwell in his prime. Ernie’s style was unlike any other. At times he would allow tens of seconds to pass without saying a word. It was his way of letting the ballpark tell the story, his way of letting vendors be heard, his way of letting you attend the game without actually being there.
It was simple and it was beautiful.
I applaud Fox Sports for taking me back to my youth, if only for a few hours.
(Unrelated: The Kate Upton pic is in this post because I hate her and you hate her and every Tigers fan hates her for ruining Justin Verlander. That is all.)