Positive reviews of Fox' World Series coverage continue to roll in, as announcers Joe Buck and John Smoltz "meshed like a veteran team rather than one working together for the first time," according to Dan Caesar of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Smoltz was "spot-on with his analysis and commentary through the event, especially with his takes on the many wild and unorthodox pitching moves" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/4). On Long Island, Neil Best notes Smoltz "received almost universal praise for his analysis from fans and journalists," which was "deservedly so." Smoltz and Fox "did what a TV crew is supposed to do at an epic sports event -- enhance our understanding and enjoyment without getting in the way." Smoltz' "tour de force was another reminder of the odd decision Fox made two years earlier" to go with Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci over him for its featured booth, but it was "better late than never." His work was "reminiscent of Tim McCarver, the best national TV baseball analyst in history" (NEWSDAY, 11/4). In Boston, Chad Finn writes he is "not sure Smoltz ever had a better postseason performance than the one he delivered in a different role" during the World Series this year. Smoltz "makes his incisive observances seem almost casual, and so his opinions are never obtrusive." But his "greatest talent -- and perhaps this is related to his reservoir of personal experiences in the postseason -- is his ability to identify a pivotal moment before it becomes a pivotal moment" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/4).
CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes while Reynolds "always said too much," Smoltz "says much too little." Smoltz' analysis throughout the World Series was "disappointing." Too often he was "stuck on how the baseball 'spins' and what batters and pitchers 'are trying to do,'" while "not wishing to offend players." Smoltz "could be good with the kind of good in-house urging TV has shown it can’t provide, operated as another don’t-believe-your-lying-eyes panderer who ignored both the inexcusable and what we couldn’t possibly miss." Fox' "postseason winner" was studio host Kevin Burkhardt, who "asked good questions, did his best to keep it moving from a crowded set and did both without any Chris Berman-like it's-about-me gimmickry" (N.Y. POST, 11/4).
