Hey Google: How do we wish Joe Buck and John Smoltz into the cornfield and bring on Dan Shulman?
Mute. Pursuit. Reconstitute.
There’s hardly any trouble-shoot trauma in leaving the Fox TV coverage during the World Series and finding the ESPN Radio feed. Even if you’re not privileged enough to have YouTube TV (we’ll get to that later).
Though the Dodgers’ KLAC-AM (570) hometown feed is 15 to 20 seconds ahead of the TV transmission, the ESPN Radio broadcast via KSPN-AM (710) is the opposite, making it simple to pause the video and synch it up with new, improved audio.
Shulman, the longtime ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” play-by-play man who walked away from that job after the 2017 season to concentrate on his Toronto Blue Jays assignments, comes back to do the network’s national radio coverage with the agile ex-big-leaguer Chris Singleton and equally adept reporter Buster Olney.
The trade-off: TV may be showing, as it did during Game 1, Jack White in the Fenway Park stands for some weird reason or going back to some taped audio clip from Red Sox first base coach Tom Goodwin.
But on ESPN Radio, you’ll get Singleton, a former teammate of Cody Bellinger’s father, Clay, going in depth explaining the techniques of how to play the Fenway Park outfield (he has six major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore, Oakland and Tampa Bay), and Olney reinforcing the well-researched stories Shulman is telling between pitches like a seasoned pro.
Now the issue: The Lakers need KSPN for games Wednesday and Saturday. The Angels’ KLAA-AM (830), also an ESPN affiliate, carries Ducks games these days. Check our apps, satellite radio or other streaming methods to keep this as your wicked-cool alternative in case you’ve jaded yourself into thinking the Buck-Smoltz team just wore you out during the NLCS.
In case you’re wondering: Shulman and Singleton are high atop the Fenway Park press box calling the game, but often refer to the Fox TV feed for replays, bullpen action and dugout shots. With two out in the top of the ninth, while talking about the beard comparison of the Dodgers’ Justin Turner and the Red Sox’s Craig Kimbrel, a few moments later, Fox put a split screen of the two up.
“I like how Fox TV is listening to us,” Singleton said.
It’s the ESPN Radio bump that Fox may have needed.
Virtual monstrosity
The YouTube TV cord-cutting service that apparently again has title sponsorship of this Fox-controlled World Series apparently will get its money’s worth with some high-optic virtual reality signage on the Fenway Park Green Monster left-field wall and the center-field batter’s eye area, turning them into virtual movie screens.
The mound visit lulls now apparently can be bought and sold to companies, resulting in the live-action screen shrinking incredibly small and the sponsor product going up very large for about five seconds at a time.
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Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood can’t look as Red Sox Eduardo Nunez celebrates after hitting a three-run home un in the 7th inning.
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Dodgers Alex Wood watches as Red Sox’s Eduardo Nunez homers in game one.
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Red Sox Eduardo Nunez celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the 7th inning.
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Red Sox Eduardo Nunez celebrates after hitting a three run home run as Dodgers Yasmandi Grandal waits in the 7th inning.
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Dodgers Joc Pederson and Justin Turner cannot catch a bloop double by Red Sox Andrew Benintendi in the 7th inning.
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Dodgers Cody Bellinger is frustrated after flying out in the 7th inning ending a rally.
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Dodgers Cody Bellinger is frustrated after flying out to end the 7th inning rally.
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Dodgers Max Muncy scores on a sacrifice fly as Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon bobbles the ball in the 7th inning.
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Dodgers Justin Turner singles in the 7th inning.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times / ) 10/42
Dodgers Joc Pederson and Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon watches the ball go foul in the 7th inning.
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Dodger manager Dave Roberts calls to the bullpen to replace Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 12/42
Dodgers Manny Machado wizzes a single past Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes in the 5th inning.
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Dodgers second baseman Brian Dozier throws to first as Red Sox Steve Pearce slides in the fifth inning.
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Red Sox’s Rafael Devers celebrates after driving in a run in the fifth inning.
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw gives up a hit in the 5th inning.
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Dodgers Clayton Kershaw shows frustration as the Red Sox rally in the fifth inning during Game 1 of the 2018 World Series.
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw is taken out in the 5th inning
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw can only watch as Mookie Betts singles in the first inning.
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Dodgers Yasiel Puig strikes out in the 4th inning.
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Justin Turner slashes a single in game one of the 2018 Word Series at Fenway Park.
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Red Sox centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. catches a line drive hit by Dodgers Austin Barnes in the 4th inning.
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Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes can only watch as Red Sox Steve Pearce scores in the 3rd inning.
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Red Sox Rafael Devers strikes out to end the inning as Dodgers Austin Barnes tries to hold onto the pitch in the 3rd inning.
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Dodgers second baseman Brian Dozier throws to first as Andrew Benintendi slides in the third inning Benintendi was out on the play.
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Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon can only watch as Dodgers Justin Turner scores the second run of the game in the third inning.
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Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw looks at Red Sox baserunner J.D. Martinez before delivering a pitch in the first inning.
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Dodgers Matt Kemp homers off Red Sox’s Chris Sale in the second inning.
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Dodgers Matt Kemp watches his solo homerun in the second inning of game one.
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Dodgers Matt Kemp homers off Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale in the second inning.
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Dodgers Matt Kemp circles the bases after hitting a homerun off Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale in the second inning.
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks to the dugout after completing the second inning against the Red Sox in game.
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Red Sox Mookie Betts scored the first run of the game as Dodger catcher Austin Barnes wait for the throw in the first inning of game one of the World Series at Fenway Park.
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As Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw watches, Red Sox’s Mookie Betts scores the first run in the first inning of game one.
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Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws in the first inning.
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Mookie Betts steals second as Dodgers shortsop Manny Machado cannot catch the ball in the first inning in game one of the 2018 Word Series at Fenway Park. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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With a Fenway Park scoreboard handler looking on, Dodgers Chris Taylor gets into position in the first inning.
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Boston Red Sox’s starting pitcher Chris Sale throws in the first inning of game one.
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Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski (R) with Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia (L) after throwing out the first pitch before the start of game one.
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(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Ground crew members pull a tarp off the field soon after a heavy rainstorm passed by hours before the LA Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox play game one of the 2018 Word Series at Fenway Park.
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Fenway Park grounds crew members pull a tarp off the field soon after a heavy rainstorm passed by hours before the LA Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox play game one of the 2018 Word Series at Fenway Park.
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A rainbow is seen at Fenway Park prior to Game One of the 2018 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times / ) A win-win situation
Vin Scully may not agree to join the Fox TV booth when the World Series returns to Los Angeles this weekend, but his voice-over work on the T-Mobile ads in which he narrates a family reunion (ads previously voiced by poet Maya Angelou) drew plenty of social media attention Tuesday night. The ads are soliciting hurricane relief donations.
Predictions
Smoltz’s ability to suggest that a home run is coming was tested a couple of times Tuesday. The first, as the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp came to the plate in the top of the second inning, was teed up by Buck, trying to get Smoltz on another rant about how the game played today is different from his time.
Smoltz talked about how there were spots in the Dodgers’ lineup where a pitcher could go to get quick outs because of their swing tendencies. As Kemp came up, he was used as an example by Smoltz of someone who was more a contact hitter with a swing that hasn’t changed over the years, “a perfect example” of someone who doesn’t over-stride.
Kemp then homered to bring the Dodgers back to within 2-1.
In the bottom of the seventh as the Red Sox’s Edwardo Nunez came up to face the Dodgers’ Alex Wood, Smoltz mentioned that Nunez was “a dangerous bad-ball hitter.” It looked Tony Romo-esque to then see Nunez do just that against Wood and give the Red Sox an 8-4 lead.
