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Wayne Hagin

Gwreck Aug 02 2010 02:11 PM

For all those (including myself) who aren't fond of Wayne: http://firewaynehagin.blogspot.com (written by Paul Lukas)

metirish Aug 02 2010 02:19 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

A bit weak no?

Ceetar Aug 02 2010 02:23 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

metirish wrote: A bit weak no? a bit.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 02 2010 02:24 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Yeah, Paul can really write and I agree with the general premise that Hagin drives you crazy but I think fans are outta control with the "Fire _______________" thing already. I wish it had a different name.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 02 2010 02:29 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

I'm a bit surprised by this. I mean, I know Wayne isn't popular, but I wasn't aware that he was so unpopular that a blog like this would be created. I have no opinion on him myself; it seems I'm rarely in the car anymore when the Mets are playing, and since I have the MLB Extra Innings package, I really don't ever have to listen to the games on WFAN while I'm at home. Is he really that bad, or is this blog over the top? I'm sure there are very few people who could speak extemporaneously for nine innings without saying something lame or awkward at least once.

Edgy DC Aug 02 2010 02:32 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

I think if the Mets were seven in front, nobody would be bothered by Wayne Hagin.

metirish Aug 02 2010 02:39 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm a bit surprised by this. I mean, I know Wayne isn't popular, but I wasn't aware that he was so unpopular that a blog like this would be created. I have no opinion on him myself; it seems I'm rarely in the car anymore when the Mets are playing, and since I have the MLB Extra Innings package, I really don't ever have to listen to the games on WFAN while I'm at home. Is he really that bad, or is this blog over the top? I'm sure there are very few people who could speak extemporaneously for nine innings without saying something lame or awkward at least once. That's part of why I think it's weak , he's not that bad IMO, a little annoying but his banter with Howie is OK, yesterday he gave a good talk on why Keith Hernandez should get more or any consideration for the HOF.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 02 2010 02:40 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

For me, it's not that Hagin is bad all the time, it's that he's really bad sometimes, good only other times. But he really hasn't improved much since arriving.

Ceetar Aug 02 2010 02:43 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: For me, it's not that Hagin is bad all the time, it's that he's really bad sometimes, good only other times. But he really hasn't improved much since arriving. He is a little clunky and indirect at times. I think if they cut down the innings he actually did play by play people wouldn't mind as much.

Frayed Knot Aug 02 2010 02:44 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

I rarely hear him on radio either for more than a few innings here and there so maybe he just hasn't had enough time to get on my nerves. What I do think is over the top is that a lot of the criticism I hear almost inevitably gets around to "he's not a Met", as if his lack of NYM pedigree and dearth of stories about romping around old Shea as a youth like Howie & Gary automatically disqualifies him from the booth.

sharpie Aug 02 2010 02:46 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

He's fine. Heard better, heard worse. Of course, this is a real person's livelihood we're talking about, and not a millionaire athlete. I don't know anything about his personal life but I would imagine it would be tough for him if management decided to just up and fire him. Those kind of blogs really get me. Yeah, he makes some mistakes and we could prolly get someone else we'd like better but get a life, guy. We were, however, both at the same Sonic Youth concert.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 02 2010 02:49 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Is he really that bad, or is this blog over the top? I'm sure there are very few people who could speak extemporaneously for nine innings without saying something lame or awkward at least once. You're right. But you'd expect most people in professional broadcasting to keep it to a minimum, or talk less. When the stumbles and weird circumlocutions continually keep me from knowing what's happening in a close game, that's when I reach for my revolver. "Fine?" He tops out at "not very good" for me, and it's been getting worse-- if only slightly-- over the last three years.

Edgy DC Aug 02 2010 02:53 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Frayed Knot wrote: I rarely hear him on radio either for more than a few innings here and there so maybe he just hasn't had enough time to get on my nerves. What I do think is over the top is that a lot of the criticism I hear almost inevitably gets around to "he's not a Met", as if his lack of NYM pedigree and dearth of stories about romping around old Shea as a youth like Howie & Gary automatically disqualifies him from the booth. I don't know if I hear any "he's not a Met" criticism, but I do think Howie is having a crap season also, and he doesn't get nitpicked for it.

Gwreck Aug 02 2010 03:02 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Personally, I don't know if I'm qualified to address Wayne's overall performance as I don't listen to WFAN enough (my Mets exposure is 35% in-person/55% SNY/10% WFAN) From my perspective, though, I think Wayne does a poor job addressing in-game action in a timely fashion. I hate that he is slow to tell the listener where the runners have advanced to during a play and the key details of what's happened. A good test of a radio announcer is whether you could keep an accurate scorecard while listening to them. Never had that problem with Gary/Bob, Gary/Ted, Gary/Howie or even Howie/Tom. But I think I would go nuts if I tried to do it with Wayne.

Gwreck Aug 02 2010 03:03 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Edgy DC wrote: I think if the Mets were seven in front, nobody would be bothered by Wayne Hagin. I wasn't a fan of Tom McCarthy in 2006, and as I recall, plenty of other people here weren't either.

Edgy DC Aug 02 2010 03:03 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

I'll admit that my main annoyance is that he gets disporportinately excited at (even modest) opponent come-from-behind rallies.

Ashie62 Aug 02 2010 03:06 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

He is better than Joe Morgan.

themetfairy Aug 02 2010 03:19 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Gwreck wrote: A good test of a radio announcer is whether you could keep an accurate scorecard while listening to them. Never had that problem with Gary/Bob, Gary/Ted, Gary/Howie or even Howie/Tom. But I think I would go nuts if I tried to do it with Wayne. That is a good test. I learned about baseball from my late grandfather. He was blind, and preferred the radio calls because the television announcers often didn't give him enough details to follow the action (figuring, accurately, that most of the viewers could actually view what was happening). Wayne's failure to provide a complete account of the action would have driven him bonkers.

themetfairy Aug 02 2010 03:19 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Ashie62 wrote: He is better than Joe Morgan. That's a huge grey area....

Frayed Knot Aug 02 2010 04:06 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

btw, how cool was the advice (demand?) Gary claimed Cashen gave him prior to hiring him for the NYM radio (later TV) job? - on radio, Cashen said, the ball should always be described at being hit to a position not a person, whereas on TV the direction is obvious so the announcer should use the player's name. Now I never thought about that before but it's a good point. A description of "Line-drive towards Pagan ..." might cause the radio listener to have to think back to who was sitting (Beltran, Francoeur, Bay) that particular night and therefore where Pagan was playing. "Liner to Left, Pagan coming in on it ..." on the other hand negates that problem. On TV, "Lined to Left" is obvious since you're watching and the announcer still has to tell you who's out there. But "Lined to Pagan" says the same thing in a shorter time.

Fman99 Aug 02 2010 07:27 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Wayne Hagin blows dead bears.

DocTee Aug 02 2010 08:05 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

I don't know Hagan's faults, but I find it deplorable that Paul Lucas would invest so much time to getting this guy axed. Stick to critiquing uniforms, nerd.

Edgy DC Aug 02 2010 08:21 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Yeah, it would be a better world if fans would root for redemption instead of blood, but here we are.

Frayed Knot Aug 02 2010 08:46 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

metirish wrote: A bit weak no? And more than a bit picky. (I just got around to reading the link - or part of it anyway) I mean if you're going to go nuts over the pronunciation of 'Roof' I think it's reached the point where you long ago made up your mind and are now in the mode of trying to hang the guy for every announcer equivalent of jay-walking you can find.

Number 6 Aug 02 2010 09:05 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Ashie62 wrote: He is better than Joe Morgan. I'm sure that broccoli is more tasty than feces, but I won't eat either. When listening, I'm frequently bothered by not getting a good (or quickly and concisely delivered) picture of the game's action. Just too many gaps to fill, or the information is provided in such a disorienting way that it takes me time to rearrange the pieces into something that makes sense. I also am annoyed by his bizarre overemphasis of mundane details, like saying "and now the count is two and two," delivered as if the 2-2 count is a bizarre statistical oddity that has him confused and fascinated. That said, he's not that bad, and the blog is already a dead horse. I probably would've applauded something similar back in the Fran days, though, so I'll cut the guy some slack.

G-Fafif Aug 02 2010 10:03 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Gwreck wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I think if the Mets were seven in front, nobody would be bothered by Wayne Hagin. I wasn't a fan of Tom McCarthy in 2006, and as I recall, plenty of other people here weren't either. Amen, brother.

G-Fafif Aug 02 2010 10:04 PM Re: Wayne Hagin

Hagin isn't great and I'd prefer he not be renewed when the time comes. Slap a dot-com on that and it makes for a pretty catchy URL I would think.

Edgy DC Aug 03 2010 05:40 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Hagin certainly beats Tom McCarthy, no?

bmfc1 Aug 03 2010 05:45 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Hagin's much better than McCarthy. I'll take the Mets #2 radio guy over the Phillies #1 TV guy.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Aug 03 2010 06:10 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Hagin is just awful. I'm with Paul Lukas on this.

Edgy DC Aug 03 2010 07:25 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

And yet, bmfc1's post suggests the hard reality of what's before us. If McCarthy didn't suit, and Robinson didn't, and Hagin doesn't, then what? A agenda calling for blood would be much more productive if it was transmuted into a HireBrianMcRae.com or HireJoeCook.com or HireCecilyFernandez.com.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 03 2010 10:19 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Hire Wally Backman?

Willets Point Aug 03 2010 10:31 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Edgy DC wrote: And yet, bmfc1's post suggests the hard reality of what's before us. If McCarthy didn't suit, and Robinson didn't, and Hagin doesn't, then what? Hire Edgy & Seawolf as your WFAN team with occasional appearances by Salamander Q to provide counterpoint.

bmfc1 Aug 03 2010 10:50 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Unless Kevin "Guys!" Burkhardt is going to take over, any replacement for Wayne would probably be another out-of-towner who we'd say doesn't get NY--which is what was said about McCarthy and the late Lorn Brown before it was said about Wayne. We're so spoiled by the greatness of Howie, and before that Gary and of course Bob Murphy, that everybody else pales when put by their side.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 10:58 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Yabbut, Bob Murphy was from Oklahoma, Mel Allen was from Alabama, etc. Out of towners have a long history of success as NYC sports anchors; it's that Hagin isn't one of them.

Edgy DC Aug 03 2010 10:59 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

I wonder if the Bob Murphy of 1962 arrived today, what would we think of him? Would we welcome him, or would it be like one of those Twilight Zone episodes where our petty xenophobia and paranoia and mistrust would flare up and we'd run him out of town violently for no crime greater than our own misunderstanding, until we gaze at our own refelctions and fall shocked and shamefully into bitter self-realization. Dear God! What have we done?

Edgy DC Aug 03 2010 11:02 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Yabbut, Bob Murphy was from Oklahoma, Mel Allen was from Alabama, etc. Out of towners have a long history of success as NYC sports anchors; it's that Hagin isn't one of them. Red Barber and the original Tim McCarver also. Vin Scully, ironically enough, is widely known for his mellifluous and genteel delivery, and he came from the Bronx.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 03 2010 11:05 AM Re: Wayne Hagin

Not living, breathing and knowing New York sports-- and our Metsies-- rankles a little. But that's petty shit, born of our being spoiled. The cardinal sin is calling a game in a way that jumbles, rather than clarifies, my picture of what's going on on the field (nevermind the ass-backwards analysis).