Blue Jays P Alek Manoah being mic’d up by Fox while on the mound during Tuesday's All-Star Game led to "plenty of good sound bites," according to Jon Helmkamp of the N.Y. POST. It was a "revealing and entertaining viewing experience to see the humorous and personality-filled" Manoah talking while on the hill, sometimes "even in the middle of a pitch." After asking the Fox Sports booth how fast he was pitching, Manoah quipped that he "thought the adrenaline would give him a couple more (MPH)." Manoah also asked Fox broadcaster John Smoltz "what to throw at one point." Smoltz suggested a "back foot -slider," which Manoah "pulled short," hitting the batter (N.Y. POST, 7/20).
MISSED PRESENCE: The SPUN.com's Andrew McCarty noted Fox's longtime MLB play-by-play announcer Joe Buck was "nowhere to be found" during the broadcast after he left to join ESPN in recent months. With Buck's absence last night -- he was replaced in the role by Fox's Joe Davis -- many fans on social media were "taking note." Overall, the game did not "seem the same" without Buck on the call (THESPUN.com, 7/19).
