TBS gets off to a slow start

Some of the highs and lows of watching Dodgers-Phillies Game 1:

Say hey

TBS play-by-play man Chip Caray began with, “As Yogi Berra would say, Deja vu all over again.” Because the Dodgers were playing the Phillies, same as last year. But, really, a cliche to begin?

Say what?

Not to pick on Caray, but here’s what he said when Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth’s throw in the bottom of the sixth was so far over second base that it about landed at third: “Throw to second is off target . . . in fact airmailed.” Off target is a step or two wide or long. Not a base or two.

Replay this

Maybe Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa was looking at a television because in the bottom of the fifth, Dodgers catcher Russell Martin thought about scoring from second on a Rafael Furcal single. Martin rounded third, stumbled and scurried back. The replay made it obvious Martin had not touched third.

Replay this II

Good camera catch of Dodgers Manager Joe Torre looking to put in Randy Wolf as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the sixth and Wolf having to scurry back into the clubhouse to get his spikes. Wolf, who will start Game 4, clearly was planning for a night off.

Sharp shot

After Manny Ramirez popped out in the bottom of the third, there was a slow-motion dissection of his swing. Analyst Buck Martinez said that Ramirez was “still trying to hit the fastball with his body.” Ron Darling noted that Ramirez’s front hand was “spinning out.”

Before & after

The TBS pregame show made no mention of the fast-developing story about the separation of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife and Dodgers Chief Executive Jamie McCourt. And no cameras focused on the no-longer couple during the game.

Not in the box score

As Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was disintegrating in the top of the fifth, both Martinez and Darling commented about Kershaw’s becoming suddenly frantic. “The tempo of Kershaw has sped up,” Darling said. There’s no clock in baseball. And faster isn’t always better.

And another thing

Martinez and Darling were mostly on target. Caray was almost aimless and sometimes his monotone voice couldn’t be heard over the crowd noise so the broadcast sounded like just another game of the regular season.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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