Courtesy New York Daily News

(October 23, 2009) Constructive criticism that comes from anywhere in Sports Media Nation can be as easy to locate as a pair of needle-nosed pliers buried at the bottom of the kitchen junk drawer. Even then, once uncovered, are the pliers used for their proper purpose - to fix something - or simply to pull some teeth for entertainment's sake?

For example, the painful needling that TBS' Chip Caray (left) has endured during the MLB playoffs, most recently on the Dodgers- Philadelphia Phillies' just concluded National League Championship Series, exceeds most baseball broadcaster's thresholds. On the other backhand, Fox's Joe Buck has been plucked from previous career wreckage as he verbalizes his way through the Angels-New York Yankees American League Championship Series.

"The Salvation of Joe Buck," says a headline on New York magazine's website, where writer Will Leitch, a long-time fan of Buck, seems to imply that a nation of baseball viewers should embrace the 40-year-old offspring of Hall of Famer Joe Buck, if only because he's not the 44-year-old offspring (third generation) of Hall of Famer Harry Caray.

Buck said he wasn't aware of that particular story when told about it during the ALCS off-day Wednesday.

"I won't go online today," he said. "I'm sure I'll find a line in someone's story that says, `As opposed to the past where he ....,' then I'll fixate on that."

Thin skin can't be part of a sportscaster's DNA, especially on a national media stage during a marquee event. But it doesn't mean they don't feel the twisting knot in their stomach when a wave of criticism turns into typhoon warnings, from either traditional newspaper sports media writers or Internet bloggers.
Buck has been there, endured that, enough to where he says he wants to pick up the phone, call Caray and lend some moral support.

"I mean, we're all fragile, and anyone who says criticism doesn't bother them is lying," Buck continued. "I saw it with my dad. No one is immune to it. I know this: As opposed to my dad's career, it's a different world with instant response and all that goes on. You can let that eat you up."

For immediate feedback, Buck says he checks first with longtime partner Tim McCarver. He on ventures into the pool of paragraphs in the media world if he's in the right mood.

"If I come across a complaint or criticism, it does sink in, and I have learned things over the years and bettered myself by listening to critics," said Buck, who was also most recently raked over the media coals for the first couple episodes of his new HBO sports-talk show.

"I don't know what's always fair. Really, some of it is in the category of opinion more than fact. But some things are said, whether it's, `Hey, back down the humor ...' Maybe I'm more reverent to what I'm doing now than earlier. Maybe I was trying to set myself apart by trying to be as entertaining as informative.

"Whoever it is, you read it and it bugs you, and it's no different than criticism from your mom or wife. At first you fight it, then you go, `OK, I can kinda see that.' I'll be a big boy and learn from it."

Criticism of Caray lately starts at the top with the New York Times and trickle down to everything from Deadspin.com spotting someone who has created a fake Chip Caray Twitter account just so that parody tweets can be posted of things Caray might say during a broadcast. Such as: "Interesting stuff from the game notes. Twins nickname comes from the fact Minneapolis-St. Pete often called Twin Cities!"

TBS executive producer Glenn Diamond hasn't changed his opinion about how the choice was made to install Caray in the top play-by-play seat for his network.

"All I can tell you is that he prepares hard, he prepares well, and when he puts his headset on, he works his butt off," Diamond said during a visit to Dodger Stadium last week. "A lot of criticism is subjective. We know we have a real pro working for us. No one wants to have things written poorly about them, but he deals with it."

If it helps buck a recent nasty trend, we'll refrain from getting carried away with a pair of otherwise sensible needle nosed pliers. The same kind of pliers, mind you, that our parents used when the knob of the TV fell off and we had to change the channel.

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