By now, loyal readers are familiar with my thoughts on the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays, but this afternoon, all that realism and skepticism took a well deserved day off.
On a day when I was reacquainted with broadcasting veteran (and Hockey Night in Canada heir apparent) Jim Hughson and booth rookie Jesse Barfield, there was much to talk about. Ironically, though, it was what wasn’t being mentioned that was the story. Toronto starter Dustin McGowan, coming off a rough outing against the Dodgers on Tuesday but having pitched five quality starts beforehand, flirted with history. The 25-year-old took a no-hitter into the top of the 9th inning, and CBC handled the event with tremendous tact, especially given the following factors:
While a no-no is in progress (ie. it’s at least the 6th inning and a pitcher has yet to allow a hit), it is a “no-no” to mention the no-hitter. You just don’t. It’s an unwritten baseball rule, like the tit-for-tat hit-by-pitch code. It’s been that way for over one hundred years, and those who violate it often suffer the consequences. The pitcher approaching the feat is always alone on the bench during his run at history, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. No one wants to be the one to jinx it for him, and he doesn’t want to ruin it for himself. These are baseball institutions, as storied as the seventh-inning stretch or chewing tobacco.
It’s harder than it seems to avoid mentioning something like this while it is in progress. As a broadcaster, it’s your duty to both describe the events unfolding in front of you and provide historical comparisons and insight to balance those events. You must not anger the baseball gods by mentioning it, but you feel it’s necessary as the central story of the game. For the three men entrusted with this difficult task, it must have been similar to how George Constanza felt when he had to keep the secret that Jon Lovitz’s character never had cancer. The one key difference?
The CBC did not once refer to what was taking place, with Hughson, Barfield and Rance Mulliniks fully aware but cautiously avoiding the ‘other’ n-word. No no-hitter-related images or statistics were shown. Nothing. We’ve all seen broadcasts in which the crew realizes what’s happening and brings up graphics putting it in context. These, of course, are now members of the oh-so-memorable One-Hitter Club.
But give the public broadcaster credit. Sunday’s contest was only its second baseball telecast since 2002 (and for Hughson, just his second baseball game in thirteen years). As the game progressed, I kept waiting for someone in the three-man broadcast team to say “no-hitter”, “history” or anything else that would have sealed their fate and ruined the afternoon. But it never came, and for that, they are to be commended.
I was wondering who would blow it first, and this actually became a great sub-plot. Barfield was the obvious choice, being the least experienced, having interrupted both Hughson and Mulliniks throughout the game and having shown unpredictable bursts of emotion (as Frank Thomas’ 499th home run was leaving the yard, Hughson was calling it when suddenly Barfield shouted “See ya!” over top of the play-by-play call). After all was said and done, though, the only times we heard the dreaded words came after McGowan gave up the hit to Jeff Baker to lead off the final frame.
Hughson showed no rust whatsoever and picked up right where he left off (the strike-shortened 1994 season, if you recall). It was a bit like Marv Albert calling a hockey game (yes, he has done Rangers broadcasts) or Al Michaels doing basketball. You know it’s not their forte, but they still do a fantastic job.
Mulliniks was his usual self. He is a very knowledgeable baseball man and articulates his thoughts well, but he tries to dominate a little too much and it sometimes shows. Twice during Sunday’s broadcast, he made predictions which turned out to be inaccurate and it hurt his credibility. In one instance, he suggested a batter would take a 3-1 pitch, but when the hitter grounded out instead of taking one, Mulliniks berated him for the next few minutes and defended his strategy. Look, Rance. Even the best broadcasters make mistakes. It’s dealing with them professionally that makes them the best.
Oh, and McGowan? Suffocating stuff on Sunday. Alliterations aside, his control was never in doubt. He mixed pitches well (credit Greg Zaun for managing the game well while facing a strong Colorado lineup) and dominated from start to finish. His only blemishes were the Baker hit and the walk he issued to Kaz Matsui in the fourth inning. Sure, it would have been just the second no-hitter in the history of the franchise and the first since Dave Stieb shut down Cleveland on September 2, 1990, but it was a terrific performance nonetheless.
As Mulliniks said this afternoon, “He finally gets it.” Six quality starts in his last seven outings? That’s nothing to stay quiet about.
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