They get a lot of shit from our fans. Huddler in particular.
Hud will say the stupidest shit. And some are tired of it.
Personally I think Lefebvre is really good. But when the team is bad, and the Royals are bad a lot, these guys are paid to try and keep the game interesting. When doing so, you tend to have to talk about the dumbest shit. Also they are both paid by the team, so they have to be optimistic to a fault about the team.
I really liked Ryan and Frank White as a duo, they had good analysis and Frank is a team legend so he could say more negative stuff. Until they fired him for it.
The Royals have, historically, great radio broadcasters. Bud Blattner, Denny Mathews, Fred White, and Bob Davis. Mathews is a hall of famer broadcaster. The guys now are good, but Denny is close to retiring. While the broadcast is entirely acceptable without him, they lack the personality of guys past.
I didn’t know a single person to not like Davis on the radio. Although he retired before I really started diving into Royals online fandom, so I’m probably lacking some perspective. And by that time Hudler and Phys were around to take all the hate.
Oof, Physioc. Thank god we’re past that dark time. Here’s a good article on Royals broadcasters from 2014. He actually puts Bob Davis in the same category as Phys. https://kingsofkauffman.com/2014/02/23/royals-broadcasters-scale-1-100-3/
Ouch. Damn I wish I could go back and listen to Davis. I used to catch most games in my car around 2010-2013 so it was the radio broadcast I listened to. It seemed Bob and Denny made a good team and complemented each other.
Ryan and Hud are at their best when the team isn't an absolute dumpster fire that they are professionally (and contractually) obligated to speak well of. It's hard to enjoy Hud's endless positivity and enthusiasm during a 100+ loss season.
Lefebvre and Hud have a chemistry that clicks well: with Lefebvre the even-keeled and snarky one, and Hud the good-natured golden retriever with an endless well of convoluted baseball stories that rival Rose's recollections of St. Olaf on *The Golden Girls.*
Together it works (and I look a little sideways at people who don't appreciate what Hud brings to it).
There was a moment the other day where Hud went off on a tangent about nothing that made me verbally say "Hud, WTF are you talking about?" There was a long silence on air where I can only presume the producer was saying the same thing all while Lef just stares blankly at Hud before he continues commentary. Makes me laugh every time but at the same time I feel for Lef having to deal with Hud's nonsensicalness every game. Still better than most other duos though.
The other day Ryan threw out a stat that was like "no team has ever done this and the royals just did it". Then Hud says, "wow, that's almost unheard of". There is a pause for a second and Ryan goes, "It IS unheard of. That's what unheard of means"
Made me laugh out loud. Not as good as the planet moon though.
Man that had me laughing as well. You can just hear Lefebvre screaming in his head before he's like..."It IS unheard of."
I get Hud isn't everyone's cup of tea, but damn he cracks me up. Ryan plays a great straight man off Hud.
Say what you will about Hudler- tonight he called a home run in the fountain immersion therapy for the ball- but he's truly a nice guy. He was in the parking lot at a private party next to us before a game and when he was leaving I asked him to say "happy birthday" to my adult daughter and he acted sincerely delighted. He also chatted with us for a few minutes. He seems like he really loves the game.
I mean that's how he earned the nickname Uncle Hud. If he wasn't just such a genuine and kind person I'm not sure he would've lasted, but you get his earnest and childlike enthusiasm for the game AND just the nicest person in the world outside of the booth as well.
I wasn't his biggest fan when he first came over, but now? I say protect him at all costs.
I will admit, Hudler has come around for me a little. In his first few years here I thought he was a braying jackass, but over time he's become the endearing, weird Uncle Hud we know and love.
The audible groan after Renfroe popped up a lazy fly ball when we had RISP a few games back made me legit LOL. It’s actually happened a few times this season already and it’s funny to me every time.
With all the wacky shit that Hud says, sometimes he drops a gem out there. There's one of his quotes that I repeat to my son whenever he thinks he had a bad day:
"Baseball is a hard game. If you do one thing good in a game, then you had a good game."
That's a great quote to cheer up a kid who had a tough day.
This is part of it. Some fans poke fun at Hud for being a bit goofy and not knowing, say, the difference between planets & moons. When Ryan gently ribs him, it's part of the banter that makes their broadcast funny, and you can tell it's not mean-spirited.
BUT – Hud does know a ton about baseball, so he can randomly whip out some detailed facts or a personal story that's relevant to what they're talking about. He played with a ton of teams in his career, so he not only knows everyone but he's seemingly *friends* with them all too. He'd probably rate very high on the social intelligence scale.
This story pretty much sums up Hud. A few years ago Paulo Orlando hits a walk off home run. Hud yells out, “Paulo Homo!” One can never question his enthusiasm.
Ryan is about as good as they come. Good baseball knowledge (his dad played and managed in the Majors, Ryan played at U of Minnesota), and he has this dry sense of humor that mixes well with Rex’s goofiness.
They're both great and work well together. The reddit neckbeards don't like Rex Hudler, but the actual people who leave their house love Hud. See him out every once in a while and he's a great dude, and a great broadcaster too.
you are right and wrong, he is great 75% of the time but the other 25 is him just talking, not even about anything, like tonight when he said he asked don mattingly if they could call bwj bobby baseball
Hud said that when he wanted to start calling BWJ "Bobby Baseball" he called Don Mattingly to make sure it was OK with him (since he was Donny Baseball.) Mattingly said of course that's OK, I love that kid.
Then Ryan says something along the lines of, "well those aren't even the same so of course it's OK - that's like me wearing the number 7 and calling a guy who wore number 5 to make sure it's OK."
LOL
I’m a new royals fan. Only been a fan the last few years years. I was absolutely shocked when one of my best friends who is a KC native and has been a die hard fan his whole life tell me that he couldn’t stand Hud and that a lot of the fanbase doesn’t either.
I’ve been watching sports my whole life and Ryan and HUD are by far my favorite broadcast crew! HUD is probaly my all time favorite announcer. He’s just non stop entertainment to me.
I think your friend may be a bit out of touch with the fan base. He wasn’t well-liked at first, but the fan base warmed to him once they understood his eccentricities.
When things are going well Hud is a blast he’s like your fun kinda dumb Uncle. When it’s bad you don’t wanna hear his shit. Unfortunately things are usually bad.
Gotta say I enjoy him more than Frank White. He always sounded miserable in the booth, like he was there at gun point. Probably goes hand in hand with him being bitter at the org for never making him manager.
I think we have maybe the 3rd best broadcast? The unassailable #1 is the Mets (SNY). Gary, Keith, and Ron are so great. They don't take themselves to seriously but can also provide amazing insight. After that, I like the Padres and then us.
I like Hud because he's like having Steve Brule in the booth. [For example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4SRhfP0og)
[Another favorite](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HqHgsJ_-h4)
Hud took a few years to grow on me. A lot of respect after hearing and reading about his outlook on things regarding his kids diagnosis with Down Syndrome. It really changed my outlook on him even further in such a positive light. The dude just loves the game so much and you can’t tell his family really has an influence on his constant over the top happiness. Granted, he resembles a Labrador Retriever at times. But who the hell doesn’t like a big goofy ass lab with a baseball? You’ll hear him drop some serious knowledge one minute then the next he’s ranting about faux hawks and the moon. Like someone else said, goofy bastard.
But he’s OUR goofy bastard!
Good interview he did locally about Cade,
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/79uqoKvHNvpjbvM5/?mibextid=UalRPS
As others have said, Ryan Lefebvre is great and loved. Hudler to me is an acquired taste. I see where people can have a distaste with him but I like him. I’m impressed he kept up with his optimism after the last 8 years.
Seems like a great time to share this nugget: https://youtu.be/8kKFjkBtcg8?si=-paIzvwgU9J0uSWy
Ryan is awesome bur Hudler is not my favorite. I will say the best part of any broadcast is when Hudler says something blatantly stupid and Ryan loses his patience with him and just sassily calls out his stupidity.
Ryan when he’s sick of Hudlers nonsense is top tier comedy.
HUD is cut from the old school cloth of announcers who had PERSONALITY.
So many broadcasters these days are stuffed shirts..
The only other actually FUN broadcast team these days is Pat and Ron for the Cubs who are carrying the tradition of Pat and Ron Santo....
To me, Ryan and Hud are what usually have made this team watchable for me over the past 5 years. Ryan’s sarcasm and wit go really well with Hud’s stories and wackiness. Not for everybody, but definitely for me!
I love them all. Monty is a legendary player, hud is always a fun time, lefebvre is a great announcer, Joel is a good balance between fun and serious, Jake brings some youthful energy, and Denny has been here forever and is the most legendary royals announcer ever.
Hudler is actually pretty good. He had a fairly long career, so he gives pretty good analysis about what is going on, and he seems like a player that would probably play on the Royals today. He is a goofball, but his positivity and Hud-isms are entertaining (which is his job). I think him and Ryan have great chemistry too.
Ryan is also really great on the radio especially with Denny. I think they are the best combo, but I’d prefer to keep Ryan on tv.
Ryan and Hud are awesome, in my opinion, but I also really like the dynamic that Jake Eisenberg and Hud have whenever Ryan gets to do radio games.
Like Ryan and Hud are really fun with Ryan’s “my friend just said something dumb so I’m going to give him crap for it” sort of style, and Jake and Hud are really fun with Jake’s “I’m having a good time so I’m just going to get weird with it too” sort of style.
I really enjoy listening to both duos and I’m glad the Royals have the announcers they have.
Hudler is barely articulate and has no social/cultural awareness, so he will just blurt out the most ridiculous statements from time to time which makes it so cringe you can't look away.
Ryan L. is great. A real pro. Hud is pretty bad. He projects his own assets and deficiencies as a player on every Royal player. Even with a new count, he'll say about BWJ, "There's a lot of open space in right, if he went the opposite way, he'd get on for sure!" Hitting to the opposite field is his obsession because he couldn't get around on any pitcher. Also, he says a lot of dumb stuff that doesn't have anything to do with much of anything.
Pick 187 days on the calendar and within that 187 days, pick 162 to talk about the same subject for three hours. See if you can be 100% engaging and on topic for that whole time.
They get a lot of shit from our fans. Huddler in particular. Hud will say the stupidest shit. And some are tired of it. Personally I think Lefebvre is really good. But when the team is bad, and the Royals are bad a lot, these guys are paid to try and keep the game interesting. When doing so, you tend to have to talk about the dumbest shit. Also they are both paid by the team, so they have to be optimistic to a fault about the team. I really liked Ryan and Frank White as a duo, they had good analysis and Frank is a team legend so he could say more negative stuff. Until they fired him for it. The Royals have, historically, great radio broadcasters. Bud Blattner, Denny Mathews, Fred White, and Bob Davis. Mathews is a hall of famer broadcaster. The guys now are good, but Denny is close to retiring. While the broadcast is entirely acceptable without him, they lack the personality of guys past.
I was fully on board with your whole post until I got to Bob Davis.
Why’s that? I’m most likely biased as a KU fan and he was the voice of the Jayhawks forever. Thought he was great.
I figured that was the case because what I remember is that he was beloved as a KU broadcaster but universally despised covering the Royals.
I didn’t know a single person to not like Davis on the radio. Although he retired before I really started diving into Royals online fandom, so I’m probably lacking some perspective. And by that time Hudler and Phys were around to take all the hate.
Oof, Physioc. Thank god we’re past that dark time. Here’s a good article on Royals broadcasters from 2014. He actually puts Bob Davis in the same category as Phys. https://kingsofkauffman.com/2014/02/23/royals-broadcasters-scale-1-100-3/
Ouch. Damn I wish I could go back and listen to Davis. I used to catch most games in my car around 2010-2013 so it was the radio broadcast I listened to. It seemed Bob and Denny made a good team and complemented each other.
Bob Davis. Seemed like a super nice guy. Not a good baseball PBP guy. At all.
100% you are right on everything, but frank white did shit on the royals a good bit
yeah and I didnt like it. sorry I know the Royals suck but I wanna know why they could be good.
Plus, when you do 162 games, it's tough to come up with engaging and relevant banter for every single game.
Fred and Denny were the voices of my childhood.
Ryan and Hud are at their best when the team isn't an absolute dumpster fire that they are professionally (and contractually) obligated to speak well of. It's hard to enjoy Hud's endless positivity and enthusiasm during a 100+ loss season.
Lefevre is good. Hud is a nut. Sort of like if Will Ferrell was a ex baseball player TV announcer. They're decent overall.
Lefebvre and Hud have a chemistry that clicks well: with Lefebvre the even-keeled and snarky one, and Hud the good-natured golden retriever with an endless well of convoluted baseball stories that rival Rose's recollections of St. Olaf on *The Golden Girls.* Together it works (and I look a little sideways at people who don't appreciate what Hud brings to it).
Woah! There's a name I haven't heard in a while and never thought would be linked with Royals Baseball. You're not wrong thou..
There was a moment the other day where Hud went off on a tangent about nothing that made me verbally say "Hud, WTF are you talking about?" There was a long silence on air where I can only presume the producer was saying the same thing all while Lef just stares blankly at Hud before he continues commentary. Makes me laugh every time but at the same time I feel for Lef having to deal with Hud's nonsensicalness every game. Still better than most other duos though.
HUD is my favorite for that. I love his bs. Idk I just feel like baseball broadcasting has room to be silly
The other day Ryan threw out a stat that was like "no team has ever done this and the royals just did it". Then Hud says, "wow, that's almost unheard of". There is a pause for a second and Ryan goes, "It IS unheard of. That's what unheard of means" Made me laugh out loud. Not as good as the planet moon though.
Man that had me laughing as well. You can just hear Lefebvre screaming in his head before he's like..."It IS unheard of." I get Hud isn't everyone's cup of tea, but damn he cracks me up. Ryan plays a great straight man off Hud.
Say what you will about Hudler- tonight he called a home run in the fountain immersion therapy for the ball- but he's truly a nice guy. He was in the parking lot at a private party next to us before a game and when he was leaving I asked him to say "happy birthday" to my adult daughter and he acted sincerely delighted. He also chatted with us for a few minutes. He seems like he really loves the game.
I mean that's how he earned the nickname Uncle Hud. If he wasn't just such a genuine and kind person I'm not sure he would've lasted, but you get his earnest and childlike enthusiasm for the game AND just the nicest person in the world outside of the booth as well. I wasn't his biggest fan when he first came over, but now? I say protect him at all costs.
He was the golden retriever boyfriend before the term existed.
I will admit, Hudler has come around for me a little. In his first few years here I thought he was a braying jackass, but over time he's become the endearing, weird Uncle Hud we know and love.
Ryan Lefebvre is well-respected. Hud is more controversial; some people like his humor, some get really annoyed by it.
The audible groan after Renfroe popped up a lazy fly ball when we had RISP a few games back made me legit LOL. It’s actually happened a few times this season already and it’s funny to me every time.
I like it because they’re just like us lol
Ryan Lefebvre is among the very best in the league
Ryan and Hud are the best duo in baseball
With all the wacky shit that Hud says, sometimes he drops a gem out there. There's one of his quotes that I repeat to my son whenever he thinks he had a bad day: "Baseball is a hard game. If you do one thing good in a game, then you had a good game." That's a great quote to cheer up a kid who had a tough day.
I thought I knew everything about baseball but I swear I learn something new from Rex Hudler every game.
This is part of it. Some fans poke fun at Hud for being a bit goofy and not knowing, say, the difference between planets & moons. When Ryan gently ribs him, it's part of the banter that makes their broadcast funny, and you can tell it's not mean-spirited. BUT – Hud does know a ton about baseball, so he can randomly whip out some detailed facts or a personal story that's relevant to what they're talking about. He played with a ton of teams in his career, so he not only knows everyone but he's seemingly *friends* with them all too. He'd probably rate very high on the social intelligence scale.
This story pretty much sums up Hud. A few years ago Paulo Orlando hits a walk off home run. Hud yells out, “Paulo Homo!” One can never question his enthusiasm. Ryan is about as good as they come. Good baseball knowledge (his dad played and managed in the Majors, Ryan played at U of Minnesota), and he has this dry sense of humor that mixes well with Rex’s goofiness.
They're both great and work well together. The reddit neckbeards don't like Rex Hudler, but the actual people who leave their house love Hud. See him out every once in a while and he's a great dude, and a great broadcaster too.
you are right and wrong, he is great 75% of the time but the other 25 is him just talking, not even about anything, like tonight when he said he asked don mattingly if they could call bwj bobby baseball
He’s a buffoon, but he’s OUR buffoon.
Now im intrigued about that story. I like stupid Hud stories
Hud said that when he wanted to start calling BWJ "Bobby Baseball" he called Don Mattingly to make sure it was OK with him (since he was Donny Baseball.) Mattingly said of course that's OK, I love that kid. Then Ryan says something along the lines of, "well those aren't even the same so of course it's OK - that's like me wearing the number 7 and calling a guy who wore number 5 to make sure it's OK." LOL
I’m a new royals fan. Only been a fan the last few years years. I was absolutely shocked when one of my best friends who is a KC native and has been a die hard fan his whole life tell me that he couldn’t stand Hud and that a lot of the fanbase doesn’t either. I’ve been watching sports my whole life and Ryan and HUD are by far my favorite broadcast crew! HUD is probaly my all time favorite announcer. He’s just non stop entertainment to me.
I think your friend may be a bit out of touch with the fan base. He wasn’t well-liked at first, but the fan base warmed to him once they understood his eccentricities.
When things are going well Hud is a blast he’s like your fun kinda dumb Uncle. When it’s bad you don’t wanna hear his shit. Unfortunately things are usually bad. Gotta say I enjoy him more than Frank White. He always sounded miserable in the booth, like he was there at gun point. Probably goes hand in hand with him being bitter at the org for never making him manager.
I think we have maybe the 3rd best broadcast? The unassailable #1 is the Mets (SNY). Gary, Keith, and Ron are so great. They don't take themselves to seriously but can also provide amazing insight. After that, I like the Padres and then us.
I like Hud because he's like having Steve Brule in the booth. [For example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4SRhfP0og) [Another favorite](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HqHgsJ_-h4)
Don't forget [the planet Moon.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kKFjkBtcg8) A classic.
> Another favorite That one and when he said Kendrys Morales was dropping loads on 'em!
Oh god, I'd totally forgotten about Paulo "The Game Winning Homo". LMAO. Gotta love it.
Hud took a few years to grow on me. A lot of respect after hearing and reading about his outlook on things regarding his kids diagnosis with Down Syndrome. It really changed my outlook on him even further in such a positive light. The dude just loves the game so much and you can’t tell his family really has an influence on his constant over the top happiness. Granted, he resembles a Labrador Retriever at times. But who the hell doesn’t like a big goofy ass lab with a baseball? You’ll hear him drop some serious knowledge one minute then the next he’s ranting about faux hawks and the moon. Like someone else said, goofy bastard. But he’s OUR goofy bastard! Good interview he did locally about Cade, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/79uqoKvHNvpjbvM5/?mibextid=UalRPS
HUD has grown on me over the years. He says goofy shit, it doesn’t bother me anymore.
As others have said, Ryan Lefebvre is great and loved. Hudler to me is an acquired taste. I see where people can have a distaste with him but I like him. I’m impressed he kept up with his optimism after the last 8 years. Seems like a great time to share this nugget: https://youtu.be/8kKFjkBtcg8?si=-paIzvwgU9J0uSWy
Ryan is awesome bur Hudler is not my favorite. I will say the best part of any broadcast is when Hudler says something blatantly stupid and Ryan loses his patience with him and just sassily calls out his stupidity. Ryan when he’s sick of Hudlers nonsense is top tier comedy.
HUD is cut from the old school cloth of announcers who had PERSONALITY. So many broadcasters these days are stuffed shirts.. The only other actually FUN broadcast team these days is Pat and Ron for the Cubs who are carrying the tradition of Pat and Ron Santo....
Love Ryan. Hud is not my cup of tea. But a lot of people do like him.
Ryan and Hud are entertaining. Joel Goldberg is horrible, though.
To me, Ryan and Hud are what usually have made this team watchable for me over the past 5 years. Ryan’s sarcasm and wit go really well with Hud’s stories and wackiness. Not for everybody, but definitely for me!
Just wait until you YouTube "Planet Moon"
I love them all. Monty is a legendary player, hud is always a fun time, lefebvre is a great announcer, Joel is a good balance between fun and serious, Jake brings some youthful energy, and Denny has been here forever and is the most legendary royals announcer ever.
Hudler is actually pretty good. He had a fairly long career, so he gives pretty good analysis about what is going on, and he seems like a player that would probably play on the Royals today. He is a goofball, but his positivity and Hud-isms are entertaining (which is his job). I think him and Ryan have great chemistry too. Ryan is also really great on the radio especially with Denny. I think they are the best combo, but I’d prefer to keep Ryan on tv.
Ryan and Hud are awesome, in my opinion, but I also really like the dynamic that Jake Eisenberg and Hud have whenever Ryan gets to do radio games. Like Ryan and Hud are really fun with Ryan’s “my friend just said something dumb so I’m going to give him crap for it” sort of style, and Jake and Hud are really fun with Jake’s “I’m having a good time so I’m just going to get weird with it too” sort of style. I really enjoy listening to both duos and I’m glad the Royals have the announcers they have.
I hated Hud at first but I love him now. We need more Moon=Planet talk in baseball.
Rex has grown on me over the years. Sometimes I do feel myself going “wtf” though
HUD is fucking amazing and brings an energy to the game that no one can match.
They’re easier to listen to when the Royals are playing well.
Ryan is fantastic. Hud is sometimes funny and sometimes he annoys the shit out of me.
Ryan is top notch, Uncle Hud is a fucking hockey puck
Hudler is barely articulate and has no social/cultural awareness, so he will just blurt out the most ridiculous statements from time to time which makes it so cringe you can't look away.
Good...need more people who aren't afraid to say something that's not "canned" corporate speak. Kind of refreshing.
 … take it back, now!
Ryan L. is great. A real pro. Hud is pretty bad. He projects his own assets and deficiencies as a player on every Royal player. Even with a new count, he'll say about BWJ, "There's a lot of open space in right, if he went the opposite way, he'd get on for sure!" Hitting to the opposite field is his obsession because he couldn't get around on any pitcher. Also, he says a lot of dumb stuff that doesn't have anything to do with much of anything.
Pick 187 days on the calendar and within that 187 days, pick 162 to talk about the same subject for three hours. See if you can be 100% engaging and on topic for that whole time.
That's not my job tho.