During Tuesday night’s game, Baltimore Orioles MASN announcers Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald engaged in some intriguing mental gymnastics, pondering how they might defeat legendary Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps in a race. While it may seem far-fetched—after all, no one could surpass Phelps in his prime, and he’d likely still lap anyone even now—their discussion was sparked by earlier remarks about Phelps being a noted fan of the Diamondbacks, having thrown the first pitch at one of their games.
While Brown and McDonald humorously debated their chances, they quickly acknowledged that they would need a significant head start, although their opinions on the required distance varied. “I’ve been doing some research during the breaks,” Brown noted. “I think we’d be expected to be about two minutes for 100 meters freestyle. …So if we each swim 50, we might cut a little time.” McDonald took a moment to digest this, jokingly asking, “What if something’s chasing you? Would you get there faster? Michael Phelps is going to be chasing you…”
Brown estimated Phelps’ time at about 50 seconds since the swimmer wasn’t going for Olympic gold. McDonald conceded that this seemed reasonable. The conversation continued, with Brown suggesting a possible head start of 50 meters. “Oh, come on!” McDonald responded, expressing doubt about such a suggestion, while Brown defended the idea, saying, “I don’t think it’s embarrassing; he’s the greatest swimmer of all time.”
Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald debate how much of a head start they would need to beat Michael Phelps, as you do. pic.twitter.com/n6UWvfjJde
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 8, 2025
Eventually conceding the point, Brown suggested that a 40-meter head start might make for a fair challenge. “You want to give him 40 meters?” Brown proposed, outlining an elaborate relay-style arrangement. Yet as their playful speculation continued, it felt increasingly unlikely, especially as Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman grounded out, signaling the end of the top of the ninth.
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McDonald wrapped up the amusing debate by suggesting they may want to consult Michael Phelps himself for his thoughts. Their fun hypothetical, however, led to an intriguing comparison; according to Google’s Gemini AI, an average swimmer would need a head start of about 20-25 meters to stand a chance against Phelps. This estimate sparked skepticism among swimming enthusiasts who understood that Phelps would swiftly overcome even a 20-meter advantage, defeating both competitive age-group swimmers and average swimmers with ease.
With such lively discourse, this could very well result in a charity event should the Orioles and Diamondbacks face off in a series again in the future.
