We're spoiled here in Southern California by being able to listen to Vin Scully call games (by himself) for decades. There are very few announcers on the national broadcasts that offer the requisite levels of knowledge and professionalism, much less the broadcasting skill and acumen of a great announcer. And then there's that special feeling for the game that so few multi-sport play-by-play guys have these days (Joe Buck?:rolleyes:). Jon Miller sails to the front of the mind as having it all, but his national broadcasts are muddied by the presence of the incessant Morgan. (At least Steve Phillips now tempers it, but even though it means less Morgan, it also means less Miller.) Listening to Miller as the Giants' announcer without Morgan is a real treat.

Respective to your reference to the national announcers' attempts at discussing umpiring: You are spot on. It is actually getting more laughable every year! And how could it? It's been atrocious. Don't any of these guys do even a scant bit of the kind of homework that we do? They can have access to any rule book or manual that we have access to. And I know for a fact that there are certain umpires who'll talk about umpiring in depth with anyone, including a national baseball announcer. So why is it that these guys continue to fall all over themselves when they talk about umpiring during a broadcast?

(For the record, some of the ex-pitcher-turned-broadcasters like Orel Hershiser and Ron Darling are somewhat okay when it comes to discussing umpires.)