Diane Pucin’s live commentary of how Fox is handling the telecast of Angels-Yankees Game 1

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And don’t forget

Fox Sports West is on now doing its own Angels Live postgame show. Since Fox is off baseball for the night (Malcolm In The Middle rerun) you’re getting live interviews and analysis now on FS West. But could someone mention to Bill Macdonald that he really, really needs a haircut?

Fox (in pictures, words) says don’t give up on Angels

Right before the final out Fox put up a graphic pointing out that the Angels lost Game 1 to the Yankees in 2002 and 2005 and came back to beat New York in each series. And Mark Grace just said on the postgame show that he thinks the Angels will steal Game 2 from the Yankees behind pitcher Joe Saunders.

Pix-in-pix

Something Fox is doing that TBS isn’t on the NLCS is making good use of picture-in-picture. In a small window you’ll see the catcher giving signals while at the same time, in the bigger window, you’ll see the batter staring at the pitcher. It’s as if your couch is on the field, that’s how close to the action you feel.

We think we get itIn top of the fifth, with the struggling Chone Figgins at bat, play-by-play man Joe Buck said, ‘The Angels have to get Chone Figgins figured out. Figgins has to figure out what he’s doing with the bat.’ Buck was speaking about Figgins being 0-for-14 (soon was 0-for-15). The Angels don’t exactly have to get Figgins figured out. They have to figure out what the heck to do with his swing.

The Angels have to get Chone Figgins figured out. Figgins has to figure out what he’s doing with the bat? Fox promoting Sunday NFL football games

But what if weather forecasts are correct and Saturday’s baseball game is rained out? What will Fox do with the Angels and Yankees then?

Home run trot, then not

Vlad Guerrero couldn’t hide from the cameras in the top of the fourth when he smashed a ball and entered his home run trot for a moment. Until Vlad realized the ball was hitting the wall. Then he had to switch to his ‘oops, I’d better at least get a double’ jog.

McCarver, does he know it all? Or only think he does?

Fox analyst Tim McCarver is a smart baseball man and a veteran broadcaster but he’s sounding a little too much as if he thinks he’s the smartest man in baseball.

In the first inning when replay of the big bending curve ball that slow-signalling home plate umpire Tim McClelland finally called strike three even though Angel Bobby Abreu judged the pitch a ball (and Abreu has had a good eye this year). As Abreu spouted off a bit, we saw a replay that seemed to show the curve was not a strike. McCarver said it was clearly a strike. So does replay lie?

But then McCarver redeemed himself with a 3-2 comment about Derek Jeter when he told us with total confidence that what Jeter does so well is take a 3-2 pitch to right field. Barely a split-second later, Jeter did just that for a ground ball single.
But McCarver lost ground when he proclaimed the pop fly inexplicably allowed to drop by Erick Aybar as he stared at Chone Figgins allowing Johnny Damon to trot home with two outs is ‘a dropped ball’’ despite the fact that no Angel actually ‘dropped the ball’’ since they didn’t touch it.

Tim, imitate Aybar a bit and don’t say anything. Let the camera show us what’s happening in the game and don’t distract us just for the sake of saying something, anything.
And then McCarver said cold weather is affecting John Lackey’s curve ball. Maybe he’s right but McCarver sounded almost condescending. And, Tim, we already know it’s the coldest game played at the new Yankee Stadium. You’ve told us. And told us. We assume it’s not getting warmer tonight.

And some foreshadowing

During the Fox pregame show, Fox analyst Eric Karros noted that the Angels hadn’t played a game this year with the temperature under 55 degrees and that the cold weather might affect their play especially early. Good call.

It must be the hood

Are Erick Aybar’s ear muffs muffling his brain waves? Are Chone Figgins’ lips frozen shut? Fox analyst Tim McCarver can’t believe what he just saw. Two guys standing around watching a pop up drop between them. And Aybar and Figgins don’t even seem surprised. Or upset.

All bundled up and ready to go

We’re not in sunny Southern California any more (Chip Caray said sunny Southern California a lot over on TBS during the Dodger game). We’re in cold and rainy New York where Fox play-by-play man Joe Buck said the temperatures were in the ‘mid-40s.’ Really, you couldn’t get an exact temp? And it is raining. And players are wearing all manner of ear flaps and long sleeves and mufflers.

You can follow Mike Penner’s live game updates here. And the in-game box score here.