[ThePundit]

See the article below written by Neil Best in today's Newsday. I love Tino. He's a class guy and was a heck of a Yankee but what could ESPN be thinking?

To begin with, Tino doesn't have the best voice. He sounds like his nose is always stuffed. And why hire someone who admits that they won't criticize a player? Makes no sense to me but I guess we'll find out.


Neil Best
SPORTS WATCH


February 21, 2006

If the Yankees had been interested, Tino Martinez said he "definitely would have gone back and done it one more time." But once they declined the $3-million option on him last fall, Martinez said yesterday, his 16-year major-league career essentially was over.

"To go to another team for one more season just to play it out?" said Martinez, who said three teams showed interest in the offseason. "I didn't have the fire to do that."

And so at age 38, Martinez, a fan favorite who won four World Series with the Yankees, officially will begin his new life today when ESPN announces his addition to its "Baseball Tonight" team.

TV? Tino?

As thoughtful a guy as he seems to be, he never has come across in front of the cameras as the kind of outspoken, outgoing character that makes for broadcast buzz. Martinez doesn't deny that, but he doesn't think his reserved personality will limit him as an analyst.

"I obviously know the game of baseball and can analyze games and the talent of players and stuff," he said. "But I'm not going to criticize players, because I know how tough it is ... Obviously, I'm not going to destroy a guy who's not playing well. I know what it's like."

Uh-oh. That is not quite what we like to hear from jocks who turn up on our TV sets. But let's give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he eases into life as a former player. And "eases" is the word.

Martinez is scheduled to work about 45 days, mostly on weekends, in the Bristol, Conn., studio. The rest of the time he will be home in Tampa with this family and taking classes at the University of Tampa, where he is 19 hours short of a degree in business management.

"I thought it would be a great transition from playing to retirement," he said of the TV gig.

Martinez has no hard feelings toward the Yankees. To the contrary.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to retire as a Yankee," he said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to go back last year. I just wish we could have won the World Series."

Martinez endorsed the Yankees' signing of Johnny Damon but said their success will be defined by their pitching. Would it be difficult for him to comment honestly about old teammates?

"I don't think it will be difficult at all," he said. "There are a bunch of great guys on the team who go out and play hard every single day ... You don't have a problem with guys who work hard every day."

As Martinez surely will learn quickly, fans expect more of their guys than working hard. Like winning, for example.[/font]

[Lefty Noob]

It suddenly occurs to me that I have never, ever, in my entire life heard Tino Martinez talk. Funny, that.

Anyway... as for whether or not Tino will be any good, well, you don't necessarily need to criticize players to critique them, and there's gotta be more to commentary than just bashing players, right? As long as his voice isn't *that* bad, he's probably got a shot of being at least halfway decent. Which is more than you can say for some athletes-turned-announcers.

Didn't ESPN also hire Orel Hershiser during the offseason? Thought I heard something about that...

[victory69]

the hard part in major leagues is establishing yourself. If someone is in the game for that long, he will not want to leave. Tino has a love for the game, and he wants to continue to be a part of it. His credibility and knowledge will bring deep insight to espn. He has seen more and done more than many of the current adn previous baseball palyers on TV today.

[rmjvol]

Hi victory69, welcome to GoTeamsGo.

I'm looking forward to Tino, mainly because of his background and the perspectice that he'll bring.

[ThePundit]

Welcome Victory 69. You're really starting with a bang!..One thing I wanted to clarify on Tino - I hate to personally criticize someone like I did in my other post about his voice. But when you're a broadcaster, the quality of your voice is a key aspect of how your judged.

As I said, I love Tino. He's a class. And I hope he succeeds. But I have my doubts.