Marlins and Fox Sports Florida Drop Tommy Hutton

[Madman81]

As dumb as it is, this is the most disappointed I've been in this franchise. Worse than the Cabrera trade. You could somewhat validly claim we didn't have the money. This shit is straight up bullshit. Why the fuck was this necessary?

[thatnewguy]

shit is straight up bullshit. Why the fuck was this necessary?

Preston Wilson's bowtie needed more airtime.

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Tommy Hutton has been calling Marlins games the entirety of my life. And just like that



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And the worst part about all of this really is that, I know they're kinda polarizing around here, but I think Waltz-Hutton is one of the best local broadcast teams in baseball. They're not super savvy when it comes to advance metrics and some of the analysis is just superficial, but I don't need that to enjoy watching a telecast. They have fun personalities that work well together but they don't dominate over the game. They had tremendous chemistry that's a product of an 11-year work relationship, and they just made it great to sit down and kill a couple of hours with a baseball game, even when the team stunk.

Fuck this move.

[emkayseven]

Probably figured putting PW on air is the easiest way to meet a minority quota

[emkayseven]

My actual, real, legitimate guesses as to why this could happen:

1) Hutton was vocally critical of the FO and team when something dumb happened. He never called Loria out by name or anything, but perhaps all his rants added up.
2) The organization actually WANTS to drive fans away. Fewer fans = lower TV numbers and ticket sales = easier to justify trades and cost-cutting measures.
3) The Marlins are supposedly in the process of working out a new TV deal. Maybe this was part of that. I can see how it's possible that FSN would want someone younger in there, or someone they knew would be there for the life of the TV contract, or someone who tested better with audiences. The timing is so strange that I can't help but think this has something to do with it.

[Party]

Kind of incredible that Rich Waltz has been here 11 years. Seems like just yesterday everyone flipped out that Len Kasper left. I'm truly disappointed that Tommy won't be on TV anymore. His rants became frequent and were not something I remembered 5-6 years ago, but he's probably as frustrated as many of us have been.

I don't see what cost cutting measures would do at this point. It only invites more intervention from the Commissioner's office. These jokers can't honestly say they have a plan in place, like Houston did, to justify huge margins while being on MLB welfare. At some point the other clubs would protest, which I'm sure they have. I think this has to do with his on-air persona more than anything else.

[Namaste]

Wow. I liked him even if he said a lot of stupid shit. He wasn't shy about criticizing the FO even though he had to do it in a very subtle way.

I feel very confident he's gone because he did it not so subtlety sometimes.


This is so Marlins.

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Worse than the Cabrera trade.

I LOL'd.

[Maddawg]

Why ? Because Tommy was too honest at times, and the emperor Loria & his clown prince Samson, can brook no denial. They cannot ever be criticized or you will be fired. It's a total joke of a franchise.

[Party]

Classic:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xx8wS8ZnIgM

[emkayseven]

classic private youtube video

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Why ? Because Tommy was too honest at times, and the emperor Loria & his clown prince Samson, can brook no denial. They cannot ever be criticized or you will be fired. It's a total joke of a franchise.

My gut (at the lack of explanation) tells me this is why, unless it has something to do with FSN's desires pre-contract.

[Party]

It works now!

[emkayseven]

For those who can't listen, I'll update our twitter with highlights from Tommy Hutton's interview with Dan Le Batard.

I'm subjecting myself to DLB willingly, so y'all better appreciate.

[Bobbob1313]

3) The Marlins are supposedly in the process of working out a new TV deal. Maybe this was part of that. I can see how it's possible that FSN would want someone younger in there, or someone they knew would be there for the life of the TV contract, or someone who tested better with audiences. The timing is so strange that I can't help but think this has something to do with it.

I have legitimate concerns about this.

The deal doesn't expire until 2020. If they're working on renegotiating that five years out, what are the chances they are willing to take a smaller payout on the new deal in order to inject those new revenue streams in sooner, even if it means putting them behind the industry in another 10-15 years. This feels like it could be a kind of penny-wise, pound-foolish proposition.

Or maybe all local TV deals are negotiated five years out?

[Party]

The league would have to approve it anyways. Frank McCourt tried the same shit with the Dodgers and MLB stepped in. Maybe that's what they should do to get the ball rolling on a forced sale.

[emkayseven]

They've said they're trying to get something in place by 2017.

You could make an argument that maybe by doing so they're leaving a little money on the table, but on the flip side, most sources think the money bubble for regional TV contracts is going to end soon.

[Party]

They may at the point where a buyout is likely considering how much money the Marlins leave on the table every year. Fox Sports is also doing it to preserve their contract. Marlins could threaten to buy out the rest of the contract and move to an existing network OR create their own network. Either move could start a domino effect with the other contracts FSN has.

As small as the fan base is, it exists in one of the largest metro areas and the third most populous state in the country. There is a possibility, although remote, that the Marlins could have the entire state to themselves in the next decade.