CN Approval Ratings: Mike Shannon

How can anyone give him anything less than this? So we might miss parts of the game sometimes when he gets distracted. The stories more than make up for that. The homerun calls? Best Ever! The Shannonisms ? I have kived most of my life listening to Shonnonisms, how can I not love em? The Outfield at Shannon’s? I love it too!

During yesterday’s broadcast I learned something new: it’s not Robinson kuh-NO, it’s Robinson CAN-oh. Bet you didn’t know that. :)

The man is brilliantly flawed. Perfectly imperfect. As a bonus, he’s the hometown boy made good.

Long live the Moonman!

What he lacks in preparation, he makes up for with being Shannon.

One of my favorite Shannon moments: I was listening to the very first Springfield Cards vs. StL Cards game on the radio. I came in at about the fourth inning and didn’t know the score. At the end of the inning Shannon says: “at the end of 4, the Cardinals lead 3-1”

I was like, “Well hell, that didn’t tell me much.” I figured Mike was already fairly inebriated at that point.

Only because I miss Jack…as my moniker and signature might give away.

There’s no way I couldn’t give him 100%. I met him once quite by accident. A friend of mine had an extra ticket to a playoff game because his wife couldn’t make it and he gave it to me. After the game we were hanging around Bush taking pictures until an usher asked us to leave as the ballpark had completely cleared out. Our friends headed down the concourse but we stopped to take a look at the press box when a little old gray haired lady came to the door and said Mr. Shannon would be out shortly. Our poor friends were long gone but we weren’t going anywhere. A few minutes latter out he came, obviously in a hurry to leave. But he stopped to say hello and have his picture taken with my buddy. I knew he was tall but in the picture of my friend looks like he’s bowing to Mike, which is actually very fitting.

To some I’m sure the love for Shannon seems a bit irrational but I’d like to share a line from an e-mail lboros sent me when I had my screen name changed.

I always adored Buck too. Now that he’s gone I have a greater appreciation for Shannon, just the nostalgia link I guess.

As always, Larry’s take on it is spot on.

Because you can’t sneak the sun past a rooster… AND THE ROOSTER JUST HIT A HOMERUN!!!
Because Shannon isn’t actually involved in team decision making, he can practically do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. He’s not there to make detailed analysis either, just tell us what’s going on with that trademark Shann-tastic ridiculosity. I hear he imbibes a Busch beer now and then, but who doesn’t enjoy the occasional brew while watching baseball?
The only reason he’s not 100% is because he has this weird irrational love of Bud Selig. I’ve heard him go on a couple times about how he’s clearly the best baseball commissioner of all time and yadda yadda. It’s kind of weird.

I find it difficult to give anyone a 100 unless it seems absolutely obvious that there can be no gripes with the person (like Pujols, who pretty much embodies everything we could ask for in a ballplayer), but I very much enjoy listening to games that Mike Shannon calls, so I have to go well above the half way mark.

Knocks against him are that he seems to have trouble working with some guys (like Hagin—not that I liked or hated him, but part of being a professional is being able to work with your coworkers without letting personal feelings get in the way) and perhaps lack of preparation, as he seems to be one of the older guys that just relies on his vast wealth of previous knowledge, which I’ll agree he seems to have, but this could just be a false perception.

But he gets excited at the right times, is calm at the right times, and I enjoy the Mike Shannon “heh heh heh” laugh that seems almost a little devious.

I don’t think I have anything negative to say about Shannon. I just can’t bring myself to give him 100. It could have something to do with the above Jack references (which is not a fair comparison), but probably more to do with the previously mentioned man-crush on Selig. For the way he does his job, he gets an A. I’d love to have a frosty cold Busch with the guy.

Shannon. But he has to be better than Al and Dan. So I will wait my chance to rib them, or maybe rip them.

85%

I like the announcers who are entertaining, but are not necessarily as articulate as Bob Costas is. That’s just fine in my book. I liked Harry Caray in his Cubs years and like Ron Santo on the radio. I know Caray was a lot more articulate in his Cardinals days. Sometimes, I think Shannon wishes balls over the fence with that “Get up, baby! Get up!” call. Who else says, “Stee-rike called”? Shannon is a treasure.

Only Jack and vintage Vin Scully get 100% from me. Shannon is tremendously entertaining, particularly when he’s drunk or gets fired up over something. I’ve been listening to him most of my life and still have no clue what he’s going to say at any given moment.

I also greatly approve of listening to Pat and Ron do Cubs games after the Cubs blow a lead. Mmmm….aww man Pat, we had ‘em….geeeez, it’s just not our year Pat, is it?!!!

He’s the best.

Not the greatest. But damnit if he isn’t one of the most entertaining. The guy gets that this is just a conversation over a long transmission to friends he doesn’t know or see.

That, and he’s Irish. That’s a good mark in my book.

Kicked him down 3 spots below 100 because of all the times I’d be in the family car, we’d be listening to the radio and have just turned it over to the game in progress, and Mike would ramble and rassle and whatever and Mom would belt out “WHAT’S THE FUCKING SCORE, MIKE?!” . . . True story. Not my words, so pardon my language.

He was a great sidekick for Jack, who I truly miss. I love the stories and the euphemisms and the restaurant, but Shannon just really annoys me sometimes when I come in during the middle of the game — I NEVER HEAR THE SCORE! Nothing pisses me off more than listening to 3 innings of work without hearing the score.

I love the Cardinals on the radio. Jack is/was my favorite of all-time, but Shannon’s voice just reminds me of Cardinal baseball. I’ll always love it. Same goes for Mike Kelly and the Missouri Tigers.

Every broadcast is a unique experience.

Mike Shannon is Cardinals baseball to me.

there is no voice that makes me happier.

How did he get the nickname “moonman” anyway?

10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000% he’s the best

so the Moon Man gets 98.6% approval rating from me. He’s no Jack Buck…or Vin Scully…but it reminds me of my younger days of listening to the Cardinals Radio Network on a transistor radio with a little white earpiece when I listen to games on XM these days.

According to Doug Feldmann, in his book “El Birdos: The 1967 and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals”, Mike Shannon got the nickname “Moon Man” because of a “floating” act he performed while avoiding a high-and-tight pitch in the minors, but also because of the unpredictability of the stories he told in the clubhouse.

95%. Tradition, character and uniqueness count more to me than perfect play description.

Only out of respect for JB.

Except, he worked WITH JB…

100% for the Moonman!!

Not 100%. I miss Jack Buck.

Card70—thanks for doing this. And why don’t you calculate mean and median. We can all see what effect ForesterShane’s 0 has on the outcome that way. It’s clear the median is going to be 95%. Not sure of the effect of a 0 on the average……

I’ll give’m 80%

I named my blog after the man’s favorite call for a reason. His mechanics are legendarily bad but for me evoking a baseball game in a medium like radio is about more than transmitting everything that’s going on, and that something more is what Shannon does perfectly.

Mike is the best there is today…Jack may have been better, Ernie may have been better, Harry may have been better but no one comes close today…imo

He is a St. Louis and Cardinal legend. I’d give a 100% to Jack Buck and a -100% to Al.

Funniest man ever…. one time I heard a kshhhh of a beer can opening when he was on the air! I cracked up laughing so hard! Mike is AWESOME

he has the right attitude for a baseball broadcaster and he just has the feel right.

id take him any day over one of the newer bland, vanilla, espn ish, corporate guys that are out there now.

He just isn’t as good without JB. I like Rooney but JB and him were amazing. He’s still great though

I LOVE Mike Shannon rules (a beer an inning). Fucking drunk, crazy guy…i wanna party with him.

A pillar of the Cardinals community. I do get frustrated when I don’t hear the score for 4 innings, but you can’t deny his personality, his love of baseball, and his devotion and love of the Cardinals.

There’s something about him that I just don’t like. Not sure what it is, but I’m not a big Mike fan.

in my opinion, the seniority thing is standing on ceremony and not being sensible. To wit, Shannon should NOT do the daily (even tho brief) 90-second spot with TLR, and should NOT do the scoreboard show after the game. And he should NOT do the majority of play-by-play innings.
Rooney is mechanical and too ‘professional’ in the negative sense, but he is what we have and he is better suited to the above tasks, of the two.
What Shannon SHOULD do is liberally comment all throughout the game, whenever he feels like it and about what ever he feels like saying (i.e. less responsibilty for play-by-play basics like pitch count, situation, SCORE of the game.)
What I would do is give Shannon the 3rd, 6th and 9th innings (as play-by-play man).
Essentially I would have him switch duties with Rooney.

Shannon was damn good when he had an anchor (Jack, or even the younger Buck). He’s too beautifully disorganized (and of late perhaps…dare I say it…OLD) to be the control person.

was absolutely terrible in his first years in the booth… without any broadcast experience, he had no idea what would work and what wouldn’t. I grew up listening to the Caray/Buck broadcasts (best combo ever!), and it was hard to listen to Mike learning on the job.

Having said that, Shannon improved faster and further than I would have thought possible. Yeah, he’s quirky, but in these days where so many broadcasters sound alike (can you tell the difference between ESPN’s Shulman and O’Brien? I can’t!), Mike remains a unique, recognizable voice.

A solid 85 for the Moonman!

Sure, you may miss parts of the game, but he always gets excited for the important party.

His stories make up for the quarter of the game that he wasn’t paying attention for.

Shannon makes me hungry sometimes when he does the “mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm”.
95% -5% for Selig mancrush = 90%
I’ve never had the privilege of hearing Jack senior, but I grew up listening to Vin Scully.

I’ve just been listening to him for too long and have lived in several different places during my career as a Cardinal fan. I listen to him in China now. To give him less than 100% would be like me saying that my most reliable and loyal friend is actually a complete a-hole.

Would he be any good if he wasn’t Mike Shannon- probably not. But, he is, and that’s enough for me.

“I tell ya what Jack…” good times

Shannon wound up with a 91.5% rating. Just at VEB, it was almost exactly the same (91.6)%. 89 total votes.