The Los Angeles Times’ Diane Pucin has a great column on announcers’ role in a #nohitter.
When the Angels’ Jered Weaver was in the midst of his no-no, the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Victor Rojas and color analyst Mark Gubicza stuck to the unwritten baseball code that a mere mention of a no-hitter might jinx it, according to the L.A. Times piece.
“Some people say jinxes have no place in sports, but that’s just how I am,” Rojas told Pucin for the article. “I didn’t move from my position after the third inning, I didn’t move any paper. I put my pens back in the same spot. That’s just who I am.”
It must be working, because the son of former Mets base coach Cookie Rojas says it’s the third no-hitter he’s called without actually saying the words.
Me? I’m in the don’t-say-a-word camp (and so is Dick Enberg). Do I honestly believe a slip of the tongue or tweet from me makes a difference? Well no, not the logical side of my brain. But superstition and baseball are too good of a pairing to not embrace traditions.
Gary, Keith and Ron clearly have no qualms (or should I say Qualls) about mentioning an in-progress no-no.
They’re joined by Charley Steiner and Jon Miller (quoted in the L.A. Times piece) saying you’ve got to acknowledge what’s going on.
What are your views on this?
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