This article is also featured on SpartyMSU

I am sure he will do the right thing. I believe he is working to put Michigan State football on a long term path for success. Lets go win in San Antonio..Sparty ON... This article is also featured on SpartyMSU. “The pitch- swung on and hit in the air to deep right-center field, that ball is high, it is far, it is GONE! It’s a GRAND SLAM! Ballgame over! Yankees win! THE YANKEES WIN!The unmistakable voice of the New York Yankees, John Sterling, is the source of this booming home run call. He made this call on May 17, 2002, when Jason Giambi hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 14th inning against the Minnesota Twins during a massive, hours-long downpour of rain.As the play unfolded on the television broadcast of the game, it was clear that it was one of the more dramatic home runs in recent memory. It's an art form, and any art form singing, dancing, writing, sculpting some people like it and some people don't."Hearing a home run call on the radio is far more dramatic than simply watching a ball touch down in the stands on television. The drama is increased because, as a listener, we really have no idea if the ball has a chance to clear the fence.On television, we can rely on our vision and experience of past home runs to determine fairly quickly if the ball has a chance or not. On the radio, it is up to the announcer to convey to the listener what the ball is doing.

There is a brief moment right after the ball hits the bat when the announcer must decide if he should break into his home run call, or simply describe the play as a long fly ball.For instance, if one is listening to a Yankee game and hears John Sterling start his “That ball is high, it is far…” call, odds are that the ball is leaving the playing field. But it is never a certainty; sometimes the call ends with “…and is CAUGHT at the wall.” And for those seconds that feel like hours in between the time he starts the call and ends it, the tension is immeasurable.As a listener, we wait with bated breath to hear if the ball cleared the wall or sailed safely into a waiting glove. Most of that drama is lost on television, because it’s much easier to judge for yourself if the ball is gone.Another great thing about listening to a game on the radio is the fact that the announcers are confined to broadcasting what is happening on the field of play, and nothing else. More often than not, the announcers will be telling a boring story or make some unfunny joke instead of analyzing the actions on the field.There is a lot down time on a television broadcast because they don’t need to describe every detail. On the radio, the announcing team must keep the listener informed about everything, leaving little time for incessant chatter. Most of the time on television, the broadcasters seem to be under the impression that we want them to talk about other games or focus on one player or story the entire time, which is the farthest thing from the truth.When I listen to a game on the radio, I don’t have to deal with any nonsense from the broadcasters; I get the count, a play-by-play of what transpires, and a brief but informative analysis of the play from the color commentator.Radio broadcasts are renowned for their simplicity and their directness. Announcers like Vin Scully, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Harry Kalas, and Ernie Harwell all made themselves legendary in their field for being concise while employing richly descriptive terms to describe the action on the field.

They didn’t need gimmicks and over the top home run calls like the television broadcasters of today. Their styles pioneered the baseball radio broadcast field and paved the way for announcers today.Why not appreciate what the fathers of baseball broadcast contributed and tune into the radio Next time you sit down for a game, put down the remote and pick up a transistor radio to tune into your teams station. Kick back, relax, and allow yourself to transport back to a time when the radio was the only way to listen.And as John Sterling breaks into his home run call, it will be impossible not to feel the drama “It is high, it is far, it is ...”. You know, for years I've respected Jim Hendry. Oh sure, i thought he was overmatched, and in over his head at times.

But he worked tirelessly to improve the team, supported his manager, turned Chicago into a preferred free agent destination again, and did get around eventually to vastly improving the Cubs farm system. While he certainly wasn't of the Schuerholz or Jocketty caliber, I felt like he was better than average, and improving.Somewhere along the line though, I feel like he lost his way, or perhaps I just came to conclude that he lacks the chops; you know, the ability to handle the fine details, required to take your team from competitive to contender.I think it was when he doled out relatively large deals to 1) Aaron Miles, 2) Joey Gathright, 3) Paul Bako, and 4) who can forget Milton Bradley, and came to regret them all. There's some additional pieces and parts involved, but that's the meat of it.On the face of it, it's a nice deal for just about everybody, although I'm left to wonder what Arizona knows about Scherzer that has them spooked enough to part with him this soon.For the Yankees though, it's practically a fleecing. That you turn a LOOGY in Phil Coke, the serviceable Ian Kennedy, and a prospect of much hype, and even more debated talent level (Jackson) into Granderson is quite a feat.