When the Atlanta Braves made the change away from Chip Caray and his "get off my lawn" broadcasts, it was long overdue. Very often (especially when Joe Simpson was in the booth with him), the broadcasts would devolve into complaining about how baseball is played nowadays and longing for the brand of baseball played in the 1980's for whatever reason. Given that broadcasters are, at their core, the sales people for the games, complaining constantly wasn't exactly bringing in a new crowd.
Still, few would have thought that the Braves would have struck as much gold as they did when they hired Brandon Gaudin as Caray's play-by-play replacement. Not only has he been tremendous from the technical side of the broadcasts as he is well-prepared and knowledgeable on the broadcasts, but he is also objectively hilarious. He made a sport of trying to get Jeff Francoeur to laugh on air and his suggestive jokes go right up to the line of what could get him in trouble, but they always seem to hit the mark just right.
Gaudin did not disappoint on the opening weekend of the 2024 season. The Philly faithful were in rare form all weekend as they booed everything that was happening on the field for 2.5 games. The broadcast made sure to note it with Gaudin remarking that Phillies fans would have booed Christ at the resurrection.
Brandon Gaudin takes hilarious shot at Phillies fans on Easter Sunday
First, this is a top notch joke for an Easter game and the "I don't know, I wasn't there that day" at the end was a very nice touch. It also has the added benefit of being completely true as fans in Philly are notoriously fickle and brutal to visitors as well as the home team if things aren't going well. Phillies fans seem to particularly hate Ronald Acuna Jr. which he obviously loves.
Too often, baseball broadcasts are extremely dry and the entertainment value is dictated solely by what happens on the field. The on-field product definitely matters the most by a wide margin, but it really helps when those calling the game understand what is happening, call the game accurately, and enjoy the game of baseball. Between hiring Gaudin and the Legends Booths, it seems like the Braves finally figured that out and the broadcasts have been better for it.