It's A Beautiful Day For Baseball

Let's just come out and say it. Daron Sutton and Mark Grace are doing a marvelous job. Are they perfect? Of course not, but this April has seen some of the best Diamondbacks' TV work since the halcyon days of a young, enthusiastic Brennaman flanked by Bob Brenly.

Insights: A-

The two ex-players opened Sunday's pregame with exactly the right tone (except for Sutton's awful red polo shirt, a tone I could do without) emphasizing several "little things", when crowing about the walkoff hits would've been the obvious thing to do.

They also do a consistently excellent job of pointing out how interrelated the components (ie pitches, innings, at bats) of a game tie together to drive results. How a batter fouling off a hanging pitch, or laying off a borderline pitch, alters his opportunities later in an At Bat. Instead of belaboring and editorializing obvious results, they emphasize the underpinnings and, generally, let the results speak for themselves.

When Chris Young spiked Ray Durham sliding into second, they didnt wait for the slo mo replay to express an opinion. Sutton noticed real time that Young slid "late", awkwardly through the bag, and within two or three minutes they had correctly determined the uinintentional nature of Durham's getting kicked in the balls, much like they had earlier in the year when Brad Penny knocked down Orlando Hudson, without much ignorant histrionics about bad blood, dirty players, etc.   

Baseball Appropriate Demeanor: B-

I generally like how the booth has lightened up under Sutton - it's as if his arrival has lifted the shroud of gloom and self importance hovering over the press box since midway through Thom Brennaman's tenure. Daron goes overboard with it at times, as when mock shreiking " Let's get some runs!!!" after the half inning, a childish gimmick that detracts from his game work and is already becoming tiresome, but overall, the new energy is a welcome change.

Voice: C

Grace's voice cracks like dashboards in July (inside Phoenix joke), a baby step above Jeff Fassero's postgame yodeling. Daron doesnt have a classic voice either; too nasal and sing songey. Shulte has a better voice. Resonant. Welcoming yet reserved.

Homerism: A-

After the first couple telecasts, when they tried a little too hard to "sell" the home team, Sutton and Grace are doing a fantastic job of treating the D*Backs and their opponents on equitable footing in terms of commentary. Almost going out of their way, actually, to be even handed. Praising Matt Morris, Jake Peavy, Rafael Furcal, blistering Quentin's pitch selection. When you accurately assess the opposition, it means you're calling "the game" more than a particular angle or outcome, which helps educate your fan base rather than inciting them. They're obviously rootin' for AZ, which is fine, but nothing's worse than listening to a smirking homer try to win points with the home fans by degrading the competition. Sutton and Grace blast the umpires, but from what I can tell, it's equal opportunity criticism.

Rapport: A

They seem to get along well and rarely talk over each other. What I like best of all is how easily Sutton and Grace share the microphone, the insights, the punchlines. Reminds me a little of Thommy and Brenly way back. Sutton's dancing lead obviously, but you never get the feeling he's freezing Grace, Garagiola or anyone out, or that there are rigid, defined roles of when people are supposed to talk. Too often, post Brenly, Brennaman was a "middleman" between the audience and his alleged color "expert", whereas Grace and Sutton are just two knowledgeable guys bouncing off each other and we get to listen in.  So far, their overlapping skills and flexible roles serve as a model for keeping things fresh, perhaps an MLB broadcast team's most daunting challenge over the course of one, or indeed several, seasons.

(photos courtesy of woub.org, mlb.com and losblogueros.net & jimtrber.com)