Seattle sports radio host Marc James went on a bizarre rant shaming the Mariners for having an analyst with an accent.
James hosts the midday show on 93.3 KJR in Seattle. During his Tuesday show, he read a text from a listener complaining about Mariners broadcaster Ryan Rowland-Smith.
“Why the Mariners chose marble mouth Rowland-Smith over Bill Krueger is beyond me. It kinda helps to be able to understand your Major League broadcasters!” the text read.
James emphatically co-signed the complaint after reading the text on-air. “I agree with that!” James said. “I agree with that, I really do. Thank you, I can’t understand what he says…you have this Aussie guy, I feel like I’m watching Australian rules football…it’s so out of place, I don’t get it.”
The Mariners added Rowland-Smith, who is from Australia, as a contributor to their TV and radio broadcasts before this season. Rowland-Smith, who previously pitched four seasons with the Mariners, also joined MLB Network as an analyst last year. Based on his credentials, the former player seems more than qualified to be an MLB analyst.
James, however, returned from a commercial break with a text from a second listener who disliked Rowland-Smith’s accent. “If I hear Rowland-Smith say ‘fastball’ one more time, I’m gonna puke!” the text read. James laughed out loud and proudly said it might be the text of the day, before playing a montage of Rowland-Smith saying “fastball.” And people complain sports radio creativity is dead.
“Dude, that’s not baseball. I’m just telling you,” James claimed. “Maybe I have to be the voice of the fans, each and every one of you. The voice of the voiceless, if you will. But fahstball is not what I want to hear on my broahdcast. Oh my god, give me a barf bag.”
The gall of someone on a Major League Baseball broadcast to utter the word “fastball.”
Luke Arkins, who writes a Mariners newsletter and joined James on his Tuesday show before the Rowland-Smith slander, shared the segment on social media, calling it “offensive, unprofessional, and unacceptable.”
Rowland-Smith saw Arkins post and didn’t appear to have any prior knowledge of James, the self-assumed voice of the fans.
“Who?” Rowland-Smith asked. “Honestly never heard of this dude until I did some research over at deadspin. You gotta do better than that MAAAAAAIIIITTTTE.”
The Deadspin reference likely refers to a text exchange with a woman who got James suspended from a previous job with NESN in 2017.
James has responded to being called out for mocking Rowland-Smith by accusing Arkins of being the worst guest he ever had and vowing to make sure he never appears on air again.