Kasey Keller Will Reportedly Take Color Commentator Job With Sounders
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 10:31 AM PST
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This really shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but the Seattle Sounders are close to hiring Kasey Keller to be their color commentator for the 2012 MLS season, according to Joshua Mayers. A color commentator spot seemed to be Keller's most likely role with the team ever since he retired and made it clear that he he hoped to remain with the Sounders in some capacity.
This should be a great move for both parties. The Sounders get the obvious bounce of having easily the most beloved soccer player in Puget Sound history on their payroll and spreading the word. With Arlo White leaving the booth to move to NBC Sports, it will also give Sounders fans a recognizable voice on the broadcast. From Keller's perspective, it allows him to get even more familiar with the league and provides a nice bridge to a possible move into scouting or some other front office position.
The only danger, if there is one, is that Keller could very well overshadow whoever is hired to be the play-by-play guy. Keller is a big personality who has no shortage of thoughts to share and after two years of a solo booth, it's probably going to sound a bit crowded on the broadcast. Hiring the color guy first also feels a bit like hiring your offensive coordinator before picking your head coach, to steal an analogy. Of course, it also looks like the Sounders have narrowed the field to just a few names, so maybe those formal announcements will come in unison.
On the other hand, hiring Keller maybe gives the new play-by-play guy some leeway. Since the focus is bound to be on Keller, at least early on, the new guy should have a little more time to get comfortable.
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While I'm interested to hear what Keller has to say
I am also a bit sad that the one-man booth is dead.
by ubelmann on Jan 6, 2012 10:41 AM PST reply actions 4 recs
What's so great about a one-man booth? Less talking?
I could see having a soccer-knowledgeable commentator alee the team to bring in an announcer with less soccer chops (though I don’t expect that).
I worry more that Keller will turn into Mike Blowers (boring) or Jay Buhner (buffoon), though, that too, I’m not expecting.
by yuniform on Jan 6, 2012 11:03 AM PST via Android app up reply actions
This its only a good thing if the talking is dumb.
by yuniform on Jan 6, 2012 11:27 AM PST via Android app up reply actions
it nearly always is
no matter the person. THere is just not enough interesting things to say in the course of a game. Arlos best strength was if he had nothing interesting to say he was quiet.
by lysander on Jan 6, 2012 11:32 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
It's more than just whether the talking is dumb
At some point, it’s just too much talking. I don’t need to be talked at for 90 minutes non-stop. Most of what gets said isn’t “dumb” but it’s not necessary. Let me watch the game for a minute if you don’t have something that really adds to the presentation. I manage to watch the games in person with 0 minutes of commentary, and while TV doesn’t capture everything, I think there’s a good balance between the 0 minutes of commentary you get in person and the 90 minutes of non-stop commentary you get with a two-man booth. Arlo did a great job at striking an appropriate balance.
I also believe that it is more difficult for two people to develop good chemistry in a two-man booth than it is for one person to do a good job describing the game action and providing some color to the action.
I'd also assume an overtalkative duo is something the team doesn't want, given that they dumped Calabro for Arlo.
by yuniform on Jan 6, 2012 12:25 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
And yet a quiet Arlo was bad for radio
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If they can hire two broadcasters for a simulcast...
…then they can hire two different one-man booths and get rid of the simulcast.
by ubelmann on Jan 6, 2012 12:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
One man booths are generally more poor for radio
I hope the split it and fill the positions as needed, which now seems to require four people rather than one, plus support staff…
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I haven't listened on the radio in a while
So I wouldn’t say I’m totally opposed to a 2-man radio crew, but one is more than enough for TV. Either way, I think it’s clear that the needs of a radio broadcast differ from the needs of a TV broadcast and I have the same hope that they hire one crew for each.
That would most likely be a luxury. Arlo said that Seattle is doing more..
…in the broadcast area as it is within the MLS. Some teams don’t send their broadcast crew to away matches. They stay at home and call the game watching it on monitors. — kinda like what FSC does with CCL matches. And really at least for me, it’s obvious and detracts.
I’d rather have a two man booth, that simulcasts than breaking it up into two separate teams. Trust me it’ll confuse the average fan.
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Baseball and football in Seattle get away with it just fine. Ditto Huskies.
I don’t remember how things were with the Sonics.
Sonics were almost always simulcast
It worked really well, but they had the best pbp voice in the sport. Also an extraordinary radio producer for a couple years…
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by Dave Clark on Jan 6, 2012 3:02 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The Sonics actually have had TWO fantastic PBP voices
of course Calabro was fantastic, but for those of us who’ve followed the Sonics from the beginning, Bob Blackburn was magical. I remember as a kid listening in a amazement because I could actually see the court in my head. He was brilliant. Seattle really has had tremendous PBP people — Pete Gross, Raible, Dave Neihaus (and even Rick Rizzs), Bob Blackburn, Calabro and Arlo.
Life's what happens while you're making other plans
Toward the end they had a different radio-only guy who went to OKC, I think.
by yuniform on Jan 9, 2012 10:49 AM PST via Android app up reply actions
David Locke is in Salt Lake
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The only thing I want to hear the play-by-play guy say
Is the name of the player with the ball, and any other interesting involved players like the guy tackling him (or not tackling him) or the guy drifting into space. Mention where on the pitch he is too. The rest is intonation.
The purpose of the color guy is to mention anything else going on from a strategic point of view, and occasionally injecting phrases like “end to end stuff here” or “a bit of argy-bargy”. The temptation to rattle off anecdotes is difficult to resist, but it’s a rare announcer who can make anecdotes interesting, especially since the good ones will all be used up in the first three games.
I’m just relieved it’s not John Harkes.
oh now hey there
I like Buhner and Blowers. Keller will do at least as well, I’m sure.
by luckystriker on Jan 6, 2012 11:37 AM PST up reply actions
I like the one man booth because
then the commentating tends to focus on the match. A two-man booth almost always results in mindless chatter about stuff that does not have anything to do with the match.
A color commentator just doesn't seem necessary for soccer.
Baseball, Football, and even Basketball all have significant downtime during timeouts, quarter/inning changes, setup time, etc. Because of this, a color commentator is a necessity to fill dead air.
The only downtime during soccer is during injuries, there is pretty much always something happening and there just isn’t the time for a color commentary.
Sounders 'til I die
by SounderJunkie on Jan 6, 2012 1:14 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
After goals, after fouls
At throw-ins
The idea that there isn’t downtime in soccer is wrong.
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by Dave Clark on Jan 6, 2012 1:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
It's not there is no downtime, it's that there is less
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 1:53 PM PST up reply actions
Studies vary greatly
but there’s plenty of opportunities for a color man to add color
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well sure
But let’s not turn this into a strawman argument, either. No one said there was no downtime.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 3:27 PM PST up reply actions
Here's the line to which I responded
The only downtime during soccer is during injuries, there is pretty much always something happening and there just isn’t the time for a color commentary.
Emphasis added.
It’s wrong. I raised no straw man.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
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Strawman or not you were not argueing
against the spirit of what he was saying. His point is there is not that much time to necessitate color commentary.
about 1/3 of the game
similar to basketball and hockey
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Generally, I agree
However in this case we have a former player and Sounder doing the color so I imagine he could add some insight that would be beneficial to the broadcast.
I mean, he’s no Mack Strong, but who is?
Go banana!
I too am skeptical of a 2 man booth.
But the play by play guy yet to be announced will make or break this.
Another thing that’s sad: pretty much all the Sounders nationally televised games are at home. (which is good because it showcases our crowds). But that means many of us wont be watching any games on TV with Arlo or ESPN. So this pairing becomes all the more important.
by RalfZakuani on Jan 6, 2012 10:49 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
DVR
Last year I recorded the games so I can re-watch them to see things I missed and to hear what Arlo had to say.
by Christopher David Maddux on Jan 6, 2012 11:01 AM PST up reply actions
Same
DVR will also give you better replay angles of crucial moments that might’ve been hard to grasp live because of distance or odd angles.
I look forward to the DVR’s of the home games almost as much as the home games themselves, especially wins.
I watch them
but fastforward to the parts i want to see and do not watch the whole game. What I always mean to do and forget is just keep a quick list of the minutes I want to go to to make it easier when I get home.
I do pretty much the same thing after games
I use the Seattle Times Blog gamethead post to make sure I don’t skip anything important.
by K61 on Jan 7, 2012 8:07 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
oh wow, that does suck
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 11:20 AM PST up reply actions
NBC and ESPN online
I think NBC will make the games available online as ESPN does now, so we can hear Arlo when we get home.
by jamesington on Jan 6, 2012 11:05 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I wonder
If hiring KK first might actually entice a PBP guy that might not have been fully on board with the idea.
From all the interviews I've seen
I think Taylor Graham would be better in a brodcast booth.
But I could be wrong. There’s a limit to how much you can ascertain from interviews.
by WendellGee on Jan 6, 2012 11:21 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Taylor
He seemed slyly confident a future role with the team in December. He is articulate and intelligent. I would like to seem him in a role on the broadcast, either doing pregame or sideline or the like.
by @Thomas513 on Jan 6, 2012 11:51 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
This is what I've been saying
He’s a really sharp, funny guy. Kasey seems awkward in interviews like he’s never sure what to say. Could be a whole different ballgame in the booth though, so who knows. But Graham would be awesome IMO.
by chrisperry1983 on Jan 6, 2012 2:01 PM PST up reply actions
I have never felt Keller is awkward
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Keller seems awkward in interviews?
That’s the first time I’ve heard that. He seems extremely composed to me.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 3:28 PM PST up reply actions
Public has too small a sample size
I think his introspection when deciding how to phrase an answer in a post game interview is what people are using to judge or mis-judge his “awkward” or hesitant manner. I think his style is a little filtered from years of experience with media. I think he actually is very good at giving thoughtful thorough answers rather than a Bull Durham quote.
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
Maybe not awkward
But not fluid, either. He is best when he keeps his comments brief.
by Ariaga2 on Jan 6, 2012 5:09 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
The two above posts are true
Especially the fluidity. I’ve heard a number of slightly lengthier interviews where there were a lot of ummms and uhhhhs and choppy talking. It really could be a small sample size too. You and Dave are around the guys much more than 99.9 percent of the fans, we only see what’s on tv.
by chrisperry1983 on Jan 6, 2012 10:00 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'll be honest
I never, not once worked a media session with Kasey. But I did listen to a lot of his radio interviews on KJR this year.
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You have to consider that they know they've got a lot of eyes on them.
They have to make sure they’re not saying anything that they’ll regret later when speaking with the media. I’ve got experience with this, being on an Improv team at a Catholic high school. It’ll be easier in the booth because he’ll be speaking spontaneously instead of answering questions.
I met a possum.
by s0merand0mdude on Jan 6, 2012 11:37 PM PST up reply actions
This just makes the PBP choice even more critical.
The PBP can make Keller sound great or if his timing is bad can make Keller’s job very hard.
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
My problem with a two man booth
Is that they usually fill it with guys who feel they need to fill th air time by spouting homer laden crap that distracts from the actual game. If there’s one thing we know about Kasey, its that he’s honest and rarely sugar coats anything. I dont need to hear about “how well the Sounders are doing” if it’s blatantly obivous. I have eyes, thanks.
I guess what I’m saying is that I want to avoid a pairing similar to John Strong/Robbie Earle. Overall, good move by the FO.
Go banana!
by Disco_Stew on Jan 6, 2012 11:53 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Homerism & Timbers announcers
I could not recommend your post more!
There's really only one logical match for Keller in the booth.
Gotta be Ricky Gervais.
by DaveValleDrinkNight on Jan 6, 2012 1:00 PM PST reply actions
I'm a big Gervais fan
but he’s not for everyone . I imagine Keller would have to knock his ass out within an hour.
Keller being a metal fan, I hope he isn’t afraid to bring some rawk to the booth. I’ll miss him yelling at the team, hopefully he won’t be overly composed.
Just kidding of course.
It would be nice to have some actual critical commentary in the booth. I think Keller will provide that.
by DaveValleDrinkNight on Jan 6, 2012 2:49 PM PST up reply actions
I liked the joke!
Yeah, I think Kasey will be critical enough. Maybe we’ll see a different side of his personality now that he is removed from the game.
my first thought was to be bummed a 1-man booth is dead
but then i realized that anytime a defender lets an opposing player get a look at goal, KK might slip up with a hot mic on and starting freaking out, screaming and spitting and waving his hands like he was still in the net.
Television gold, that would be.
by jman22 on Jan 6, 2012 1:56 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
My hopes for Kasey
I’m hoping Keller goes beyond the Sounders bias shown by Arlo and really puts in a one-sided presentation. I want dissapointment when opponents do well! Although, appreciation is ok.
Also hoping we can hear more about the tactical play and where/why breakdowns happen.
just trying to be clear
You wanted Arlo to be more biased?
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 6, 2012 3:29 PM PST up reply actions
I think his bias-level was pretty close to perfect, though I wouldn't have minded just a smidge more.
On a scale of 0-100 where 50 is neutral, he was a 59, and I wanted a 60.237
It's not bias per se
It’s maintaining a clear head, and not losing the ability to accurately analyze. The local annoucers for San Jose and the Galaxy are a prime example of being completely unable to analyze anything that does nt go their guys’s way.
Showing respect for good play is classy. Being too big a homer on a PBP is so Portland.
Appreciating good soccer no matter who is performing the “good play” is what any professional should and will do in sports commentary. Does the screaming go to a higher level when it’s the home team? Of course. But to create excitement when a team is really playing well should be commented on not just one sided. One-sided is boring and well one-dimensional.
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
by chrisso on Jan 6, 2012 4:58 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Amen to that..
…though I don’t mind John Strong, but Robbie Earle grates on my very last nerve. Not to mention, his habit of trying to insult the Sounders even when they’re not play each other. I was blown away by it really. Strong would just shrug it off, but man — Earle has no class what so ever.
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by Timm Higgins on Jan 6, 2012 11:25 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If they know who the pbp guy is
They have kept it very quiet, even internally.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 7, 2012 8:39 AM PST up reply actions
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