Fist Be Gone: Chip Caray Done at TBS

The baseball playoffs will be a fist-free zone in 2010. TBS has decided to part ways with play-by-play man Chip Caray after a postseason which earned him the ire of many baseball fans because of his unwillingness to call plays based on what actually happened on the field of play and his incessant use of the word fisted.

The best/worst example of this habit came during the playoff game for the AL Central crown when he mistook a rather routine flyout to left field by Nick Punto of the Twins for a game-winning base hit and then tried to carry on with his call as if he hadn't blown it the second he opened his mouth. That was probably the moment when it became clear to TBS executives that they needed to make a change.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times has a copy of the memo TBS sent out internally about the change.

"Since the end of this year's MLB playoffs, we've had several discussions with Chip Caray regarding 2010 and beyond. Both sides have agreed that now is the right time for Turner Sports and Chip to move ahead on different paths"

Hopefully the path TBS decided on was one where their announcers don't come up with overwrought language (batsmen and 'pensmen instead of hitters and relievers), know the rules of baseball (Caray regularly referred to winning runs in innings other than the bottom of the ninth) and don't ignore facts when it's convenient to whatever point they're trying to make.

It will be interesting to see what route they go with their next announcer, but TBS will probably continue to ignore the best choice for any postseason baseball broadcaster. They should go with a booth that features local announcers from each of the teams with a skilled, low-profile play-by-play voice to give national viewers an inside slant on the two teams from announcers who know the most about the players involved.