Hey Ray,
Do you watch the games on TV that Thorne does? On every telecast, he makes at least 4 or 5 errors on people's names and the type of pitches thrown. If you think he is a pro's pro, you must be talking about hockey, because baseball is not his good point.

Gary Thorne ... He's one of the best play-by-play guys out there. I first heard him when he did hockey on ESPN. I'm glad he's part of the MASN family.

Gary Thorne is great. It is so much more enjoyable to listen to him than the other guys we have had lately. It is so good to hear a professional, not just a homer!

Terrible start to the offseason.

WOW, Danny is correct. There are times when i think Thorne is watching another game. Palmer has to bite his lip over and over.

I agree that while Thorne may be a good hockey announcer, he's terrible announcing O's games. Not only does he make multiple mistakes per game, but it always seems to me that he gets way too excited when the other team hits a home run. He's awful as an O's announcer. Just awful.

I think what bothers me most about Thorne is the same thing that bothered me about Michael Reghi. He doesn't listen to his other announcers.

Buck Martinez, when not ranting on something wild, can occasionally make some nice points. And then he throws it back to Thorne, who, as if he hadn't heard a word Buck said, will repeat verbatim what we just heard.

Buck: You know, Jimmy Johnson is the only O's pitcher to not give up a run tonight. He was solid, everyone else has struggled.
Gary: Lots of tough times for pitching tonight. Only Jim Johnson didn't give up a run for the Orioles.
-siggggh-

I have DirecTV's baseball package and Thorne and Palmer rank in the top 3-4 of all broadcasts. The Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs rank high. Most of the other teams have terrible announcers. However, I would say Mel Proctor and John Lowenstein were the best ever for the O's.

Gary Thorne is the worst baseball announcer the Orioles ever had. He knows nothing about the history of the team. He constantly gets names mixed up and can't even call a play. He seems to want to talk about the Red Sox and Yankees and pays very little attention to what he is supposed to be doing. I'd much rather listen to Jim Hunter or even bring Fred Manfra or Joe Angel from radio to call the game. I'd rather join Chuck Thompson and Bill O'Donnell in heaven. At least I can listen to two great announcers.

Poor Gary. I was waiting for him to hang himself after watching this train wreck for the last couple of years. How do you do it??

Where does Jim Hunter fit into the mix? The Orioles have way too many announcers, if you ask me.

Look, every one of us makes mistakes, so lighten up. I am really pleased that Thorne will be back.

Thorne and Palmer sound like an old married couple. That's because Thorne's dumbed-down play-by-play drives Palmer crazy.

Ray, stop giving Thorne so much man-love, it's weird.

Worst announcer in Orioles history. Maybe he can go to the Arizona Fall League to learn the game.

Are you kidding? The Orioles TV and radio broadcast teams, with the exception of Jim Palmer, have to be the absolute worst in the major leagues. Gary Thorne sounds like he's still learning the game of baseball, pro's pro or not. And the radio broadcasts?? Have you listened to one, seriously? I have never listened to a group of announcers less able to quickly and articulately convey the action on the field. Never. Oh, Jon Miller ... what did they do to you?

I can take Thorne, although his skills aren't what you hype them to be. What I can't take is another year of Hunter and Dempsey.

I agree with others that Thorne is not that good as a baseball announcer. Maybe he gets bored watching the same nightmare over and over every night (can you imagine having to announce THAT product every night?), but he makes way too many mistakes to call him a "pro's pro." Maybe the team has problems getting good free-agent announcers to come to the Orioles just like they do with players!

"o" is for Dear God, Ray Frager has no clue!

Thorne: "And there's a blooper... hit down the gap!!"

Please. I'd rather listen to Chris Berman all season.

Bring back Michael Reghi.

What I like about Gary Thorne is that he makes me laugh. He makes 5-10 stupid blunders a game, which makes me chuckle. He also seems to make Palmer laugh, which is the only way to shut him up. If I wanted perfection, I'd turn the sound off. Oh, wait a minute, I do turn the sound off.

Gary Thorne is not bad at all, and he can make a bad product entertaining. And, he is certainly better than the likes of Michael Reghi.

A pro's pro??!! So why isn't he working for ESPN in the postseason?
Gary gets names wrong, facts wrong.
I sometimes think that he's taking a swig of something before the games.
He does the Little League World Series -- what a pro's pro?
Why isn't he working for ESPN in the post like Buck Martinez and instead is taking time off at home in Florida?
If he starts paying more attention to his facts and what's going on in the game than fine... Otherwise, it's not a "move" -- it's just same old same old.
Your headline is a little deceptive, Pete. I expected better.
And that's what I think.

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Ray replies: Please don't blame Pete for this. And Martinez is doing the games on TBS.

Ray,

Gary Thorne's problem is he does too many other games for ESPN, etc. I have XM radio and every Monday morning when they do the highlights of the Sunday games I hear Gary Thorne's voice calling the game-winning hit for whatever game it was, and he sounds just like he does on O's games. Maybe I would like him more if I thought he really cared if the O's win, but I don't. He said when he got the job that he wasn't a "homer" announcer. He shows the same emotion calling a walkoff Red Sox home run on Sunday as he does an O's win (yeah, we did have a few this year). But he really lost me when he called the O's the Mets. I don't dislike him but he isn't anything special either.

As much as I liked him as a player, I hope they don't use Rick Dempsey more this year during games. He IS a homer and while he does have some good insight he also tend to look too much on the bright side and overlook things.

I don't want a "homer," but I also don't want somebody who makes me feel like I'm watching neutral ESPN telecast. The team of Thorne and Martinez particularly makes me feel that way. What about either of them says Orioles?

And what was wrong with Jim Hunter, anyway. Any night I got to hear him and Jim Palmer, the game was in pretty good hands, I thought.

Why in the world this guy is ever broadcasting baseball is beyond me. Pathetic choice. Not knowledgeable, doesn't know any of the "obscure" baseball rules which true baseball fans know, misses basic happenings on the field, and is obnoxious to listen to. Other than that, great choice.
Where is Mel Proctor? Tonight, let it be Lowenstein.

Old GT might be taking more than just a swig of something before and during the games. I cannot blame him, though.

Hunter and Palmer are the way to go.

Wow, Ray, drinking some MASN Kool-Aid there?!?!? Thorne is horrible at announcing the games, making all types of simple mistakes, calling this the Washington, D.C., area and at times just seems clueless about baseball. I have a feeling that my wife and I could do a better job at announcing the game, and we have no experience. He might be a pro's pro, but that doesn't mean he does a good job at it. He is fine with hockey, but I would rather have someone else do baseball.

I agree, please bring back Mel Proctor and John Lowenstein. They were excellent announcers and fun to listen to.

There are worse things than the inept O's, one being the worst damn announcer in sports -- Gary Thorne.

Don't watch that much Orioles baseball anymore. Sorry, they are just hard to watch over the last 10 seasons, but Id have to say Gary Thorne is not good at all. My Top Seven list of Orioles announcers in my lifetime, regardless of radio/TV or play by play or color:

1- Jon Miller
2- John Lowenstein
3-Chuck Thompson
4- Joe Angel
5- Mel Proctor
6- Bill O'Donnell
7- Jim Palmer
And I love Rick Dempsey, but terrible covering baseball

For those who want perfect pronunciations and up to the minute stats, we had Michael Reghi. I'll take 3 Drinks Gary any night. He's having fun, he's calling it like he sees it, and makes Jim Palmer loosen up. Gary can be a bit much at times, but he's the first since Jon Miller that I'd turn in to hear even when the O's are bad.

Andy McPhail had better announce the starting day roster this week. It will take Thorne until at least April to master the players' names. Poor Dennis Sarfate was "Safarte" until at least June this season!

You must be kidding me! Thorne is a woeful play-by-play guy for baseball. He consistently mixes up players and misses so many pitches that I often wonder if he's watching the same game I am. Without Palmer or Martinez, he'd be a total embarrassment. Baltimore fans have been spoiled by Chuck Thompson and Jon Miller. Bottom line: The Orioles already have one in the loss column for 2009.

He should be drug tested for still wanting to do Orioles games.

Oh, how exciting: a golden voice with a rusty brain. He once confused Brian Roberts with Ernie Tyler, then he realized Tyler was not in the lineup.

Frager, you've done it again. You couldn't be more wrong about Thorne. He's horrendous -- that's right, he actually scares me. OK, that's a bit much, but he is really bad. He fools the novice or casual baseball fan with his great voice, but, in reality, that nice voice gets tons of stuff wrong: "Deep fly ball to left .... and Castro hauls it in in front of Luke Scott." "There's a line drive down the third- base line and .... oh, the umpire calls it foul! Even though it landed on the foul side of the line, the replay clearly shows it was inside or over the third-base bag when it passed by. It should've been ruled fair." Worst of all, every time I'm in the other room and the opposite team hits a home run, Thorne's excitement makes me think it was an Orioles home run. Anyone who thinks Thorne is good knows very little about baseball and is not a good fan.

Aren't there enough journalism majors from Maryland or the Baltimore metro area that The Sun can hire to fill a staff? My alma mater, UMCP, has a great college of journalism. Most of the out-of-town writers that come through here have no clue how to connect with their audience because they don't know our teams or our teams' history. Thorne is flat out putrid at calling O's games. Hunter/Palmer 2009.

I like Gary Thorne, Jim Palmer and Buck Martinez. With Jim Palmer and Buck Martinez being former players add a segment to the game called color. To hear them talk about things from their playing days is very interesting to me. The same goes for John Lowenstein when he was a color anouncer. I wouldn't mind if the Orioles brought him back. As for bad anouncers, Michael Reghi and Bill O'Donnell were not all that good, even if Bill O'Donnell is in the broadcasters hall of fame. God rest his soul. Gary Thorne puts some excitement in his voice when a home run is hit or bang bang play is made on the field. Another anouncer I think is very good. is Chip Caray. While i think of it, the Orioles don't need to bring back Mel Proctor.

Glad Thorne is staying, but for goodness' sake... BRING JON MILLER BACK!! Jon Miller probably is the best baseball announcer ALL-TIME. Period. Letting him go was one of the worst move in this franchise's history!

Dempsey is good for 3-4 games a year as a fill-in. He's obviously not cut out for the regular gig, but I find him amusing (both laughing with him and at him) for a few games a year, especially when already mired in such an awful season.

If you think that the O's have "the absolute worst in the major leagues" then you clearly have never seen or heard a Nationals game.

So maybe 90 percent of the posts strongly disagree with you about Thorne being a good announcer. Not that it really matters what a columnist from The Sun thinks but it makes you wonder whether Frager actually watches the games on TV or if there is some sort of agenda here.

BRING JON MILLER BACK!!
You've got to be kidding . Miller was a good entertainer (voices, dialects, stories, impersonations) would have been good on the Ed Sullivan Show. He should stick to talking about the game.

It's apparently not a popular belief, but I find Thorne a particularly refreshing change of pace from the ultra-saccharine, predictable broadcasters baseball has been saddled with recently. I don't know about the majority of baseball fans, but I don't need some know-it-all ex-skipper breathing "baseball wisdom" down my throat during a baseball game, nor do I need some snot-nosed, personality-devoid tick giving an overly enthusiastic play-by-play of the game THAT I AM WATCHING ANYWAY. Maybe I'm old, but these broadcasting archetypes are stale and do absolutely nothing for me. Baseball broadcasters are unreasonably boring people indiscriminately throwing useless information for reasons nobody really knows. Pass.

In this light, Gary Thorne is my favorite active baseball television broadcaster. His mind wanders, he can't stay on-topic, and he seems to be perpetually giggly. That I probably know more about this ballclub that he does isn't much of a concern for me. Gary Thorne is a guy with a strong personality who doesn't take himself or his job too seriously, and honestly tries to have a good time with what he's doing. It's a pretty good antidote to the Orioles' woeful ways when you have a broadcaster with whom you can laugh with as the Orioles claw their way out of the basement.

I think the only reason that Gary Thorne was brought back was to make everyone forget how lousy Daniel Cabrera and Peter Angelos are..
Mr. Thorne, I hate to be negative, but I'd rather listen to "dead air" than your multiple mistakes and your perceived enthusiasm when a team other than the one you work for does something soecial.
Stay in Florida!

Chuck Thompson on his worse days (and I can't remember any) would be better than Gary Thorne. He is worst broadcaster I have ever heard.

Another sad day in Orioles baseball history. Can Thorne at least act like he's the O's announcer? I don't want a complete homer, but come on! I especially hate it when he refers to the O's as "Baltimore." It makes it sound as though he the announcer for the other team.

Thorne is Ted Knight incarnate from the old Mary Tyler Moore Show. He is an effort-laden pompous voice who errors repeatedly and brings nothing to enhance the game.

It is SUCH a relief when Jim Hunter calls the games. This is a comfortable play-by-play man who is an absolute pleasure to listen to...

THAT said ... .ALL of these guys should be getting combat pay for having to watch Orioles games.

It's bloody torture listening to Thorne on TV. Even though Angel can drive me bonkers at times, it's still better than listening to Thorne. Some days are so bad, I'll tune in to the away team's feed on XM when the O's are on the road. How bad is that, to choose to listen to the opposing teams' broadcast?!?

If anyone really thinks that Thorne is not a good, maybe excellent broadcaster, then they have not heard the two who do Rays games on TV here in South Florida. They are pitifull at best!

Why oh why would they do this? It's bad enough having to watch a terrible team, but Gary is absolutely dreadful to listen to (better at hockey). Buck's great, Palmer is OK, but no more Thorne!!!.

Everyone seems to want to blast Gary Thorne but have any of you detractors REALLY listened to some of the others around the league . He's not that bad .

Lighten up, people. Mr. Thorne is no Jon Miller, but he's a solid pro.
The only thing we need is a new sidekick for Mr. Angel on radio.
(Jim Hunter--please go back to radio! You are excellent there.)

My favorite announcers no matter radio or TV:
Chuck Thompson
Jon Miller
Bill O'Donnell
Mel Proctor
John Lowenstein
Joe Angel
Fred Manfra
Jim Palmer and Buck Martinez for commentary.

Since we can't have the best I'll settle for Gary Thorne. He does at least make it interesting.

Gary Thorne is a good anouncer. I have no problem with him. I hope he stays with the orginazation for a while.

Thorne and Palmer are the best combo that the Orioles have. While Thorne does make some mistakes during a game, Dempsey and Hunter make me want to slit my wrists, and I like my wrists just the way they are.

Peter Angelos doesn't want a good announcer. He greatly underestimates Baltimore's sense of humor.

As a Marlins fan, I can tell you how much we miss Joe Angel. He was outstanding in '97 through the first World Series. We got stuck with Dave Van Boring from the Expos as our PBP guy and his big moment -- in the '03 Series -- was nothing short of pathetic. A whole lifetime to figure out how to call a World Series win and he made it sound like a spring training win.

I can't stand Gary Thorne. The only argument you can make on his behalf is that we were SO spoiled listening to Chuck Thompson, Jon Miller and all the others is that we're too picky about announcers.
We need a local guy to do the Orioles games. Jim Hunter would be my first choice. If not there has to be someone on local TV or radio, that would be good.

I agree, Thorne seems to zone out at times. But he is head and shoulders above Hunter, who thinks he is the only one here who knows anything about baseball. Whenever Hunter does an interview, he asks the longest questions and he is always quick to point out that he knows something. He's horrible, arrogant and should move back to Jimmyville, remember that abject stupidity? And never let go of Cakes. He might talk too much, but I love his stories and knowledge of the game.

Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra have to go. Gary is OK, but let's have a "Return to the old days" and bring back Jon, Michael, Mel and John and Josh. Wouldn't it be great to hear those voices again? Do it once a month and call it "Turn back the voices." At least it would take our minds off of the game and allow us to dream.

I am a huge O's fan, that being said...

I love Gary Throne, he brings a playoff caliber announcing voice to a crappy team. We need something right?

And responding to someone's comment, he gets excited when it is a good game. Too bad if he gets excited for another team's home run. He's not a homer, he calls it right down the middle, which you gotta respect.

Best O's announcers...

1. Gary Thorne
2. Joe Angel
3. nobody else.....

Rick Dempey is horrible ... he cannot call a game. He looks so horrible on TV, you would think he would get more comfortable after a season or two! And find a new wardrobe.

Jim Hunter, you do realize this is a bad team, right? This team has not been to the playoffs in over a decade.

And let's be honest, Manfra is there because he has a great voice ... and that's it.

Palmer, does he know that this is not the '70s? Stop living in the past, man.

Why does everyone think Bill O'Donnell was so great. I can't remember why I thought he was a poor announcer --other than his unpleasant voice -- so I can't really argue against you. But my impression in memory is negative.

Thorne and Martinez are TERRIBLE!!! Bring back Mel Proctor and Brother Low!

Thorne and Martinez are a very good combo on TV. They work together well and while not "Orioles" in the true sense, offer a bit of legitimacy to the terrible baseball. Those who remember when Chuck and Brooks did TV back in the early '90s would be lying if they thought those two wouldn't mangle a name or blow a fair/foul call. They worked together well like Thorne and Martinez, so little errors could be overlooked. Palmer is not afraid to be negative, which is good in a hometown color commentator, but I am glad that Palmer doesn't do all 162!

Dempsey, I don't know, he grates on me. Bill Ripken, when he filled in for a weekend, was excellent. I would offer to say better than Cal has been on TBS this postseason. Could he do as well for a full season? Would love to find out.

The Orioles had some great announcers like Miller, who was driven away by Angelos, Thompson and O'donnell the consumate professionals, (I beg anyone"s pardon Bill O was great and never got his just due), Proctor and Brother Lo, and maybe Manfra,,,,,you can have the Canadian Hockey guy. You wouldn't think it would be that difficult for this loser franchise to find some good talent. (A Disgruntled Old Birds Fan)

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Ray replies: Gary Thorne grew up near Canada and has done plenty of hockey, but he's from Maine.