During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, teams were forced to change the way they covered games. And one of the major changes made Major League-wide was having radio commentators do remote broadcasts for road games to limit the size of travel parties.
When pandemic restrictions lifted on the league, 28 of the 30 teams returned to in-person radio broadcasts. The two that remained remote were the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels. Since 2020, Terry Smith and Mark Langston have been doing remote radio broadcasts when the Angels travel on the road.
And that practice is being criticized by radio commentators around the league, seeing it as an unnecessary step to take when the vast majority of MLB teams do things a certain way.
New York Yankees color commentator Suzyn Waldman and Minnesota Twins radio announcer Cory Provus both had criticism for the Angels and Blue Jays’ decision on this issue, according to Sarah Valenzuela of The L.A. Times:
“I just think it’s a mistake and there’s a reason that only two teams are doing it,” said Suzyn Waldman, the longtime New York Yankees radio color commentator. “It’s not the Pittsburgh Pirates, it’s not the Tampa Bay Rays, it’s not the Kansas City Royals. So someone is making a decision based on something that I don’t think is important and shouldn’t be part of it.”
“I feel so badly for Angel fans that they don’t get the real story from an incredible broadcast team that Terry Smith and Mark Langston are, that they don’t have that luxury to help share,” Minnesota Twins radio announcer Cory Provus said. “This amazing team that features two of the greatest players to ever play the game and only be able to tell, really, the real story for 81 games is a joke.”
The Angels have come under fire for many of their practices over the past couple years. This includes their broadcasting room being remote for road games on both TV and radio, their poor treatment of minor league players and have legal issues hanging over their heads regarding their stadium and the tragic death of Tyler Skaggs.
Sending radio broadcasters to road games is standard practice around the league, giving the Angels no excuse to not do the same.
Nolan Schanuel discusses call-up
On the field, the Angels recently welcomed 2023 first-round draft pick Nolan Schanuel into the fold by calling him up to the Majors, a historically fast ascent through the minor leagues (40 days).
He spoke about the whirlwind, saying that his family didn’t believe him at first and that he’s excited to show what he can bring to the Majors.
