Chip Caray proved why we should never demand a broadcaster stick to sports, because it would negate the opportunity for deep discussions and debates about things like peanut butter and jelly.
With the St. Louis Cardinals trailing 9-2 and San Francisco Giants infielder Thairo Estrada at the plate, Caray relished the opportunity to mention the second baseman’s affinity for peanut butter and jelly. Apparently, Estrada only eats PB&J with grape jelly, and sticks exclusively to Uncrustables.
The note sparked a discussion about jelly preferences in the St. Louis Cardinals TV booth on Bally Sports Midwest. But in his first season behind the mic for the Cardinals, Caray took the discussion a step further, putting his relationship with broadcast partner Brad Thompson to the test.
“This might be the most critical question of our relationship. It’s June 13th, it’s 9-2…you ready for it? Crunchy peanut butter, smooth peanut butter?” Caray asked.
“Creamy, all day. All day, not even hesitating,” Thompson answered as Caray sighed with disgust. “You turned your back to me. This could be a fun season. So you’re a chunky guy, huh?”
“Look at me, of course!” Caray said with a chuckle. “And for the record it’s crunchy, not chunky!”
Thompson claimed to know and agree that it should be called “crunchy” peanut butter, but opted to say chunky out of spite. “You know what you are? You’re a vocal minority is what you are,” Thompson ranted. “You’re loud about it, loud and proud about your crunchy peanut butter, not chunky.”
I guess I’ll take the role of Sweden in this debate because I regularly keep jars of creamy and chunky on hand. I am however, a very loyal consumer of Skippy Natural peanut butter. Caray’s insistence that it’s called “crunchy” peanut butter is telling, because that means he probably uses Jif or Peter Pan, which would be a curious decision.
With the 27-41 Cardinals in the midst of an epically disappointing season, fans can probably expect more opportunities for debates and discussions like this to consume the broadcast booth.
