worst and favorite sports announcers

[Dan Gould]

It was like hanging out a bar watching a game with an ex-player, and in the very best sense.

That's how I feel about Joe Morgan! I don't understand why some here dislike him so.

Check out the link someone posted for aloc - http://www.firejoemorgan.com

and read the postings about Joe, particularly how he dissects Joe's 'chat sessions' on espn.com and the various stupid things he says on TV. It all boils down to one thing: Joe is the lead baseball analyst for ESPN but he's incapable of saying anything worthy of the title "analyst".

[Noj]

He's not only a good announcer, but Clyde The Glide is still in such good shape. I've mentioned it before, but I saw him on Pros Vs. Joes and he was mercilessly dunking all over these poor contestants.

[Tim McG]

My Favorites [current and noncurrent]:

Joe Starkey

Duane Kuiper

Mike Krukow

Lon Simmons

Jon Miller

Chick Hearn

Curt Gowdy

Vin Scully

Dick Enberg

Pat Summerall

Chris Berman

Keith Jackson

Frank Gifford

Bob Costas

Mel Allen

Harry Carey

Nick Faldo

Dottie Pepper

Sean McDonough

The Worst [current and noncurrent]:

Brent Mussberger

Joe Buck

Tim McCarver

Al Michaels

Marv Albert

Howard Cosell [except for boxing]

Gary McCord

Bud Collins

Dan Dierdorf

Dick Vitale

Johnny Miller

[Jazzmoose]

Lyndsey Nelson

Yeah, he was a hoot!

[Jazzmoose]

Any Bay Area resident remember that idiot who did the Giants games for a few years? If you were there, you know who I mean. I want to say it was Ron Fairly, but I'm not sure. The guy who made such classic calls as the one when the outfielder's head hit the fence and then rolled back into the infield...

[Noj]

[JSngry]

As far as the ragging on Bill Walton -- yes, he is generally awful from a content standpoint but anybody that makes so many classic unintentional one-liners can't be truly bad in my book.

Yep.

Walton is somebody I always look forward to hearing, precisely because he is such a "character".

If this sort of thing is a bother, then I suspect that most y'all must be too young to remember Dizzy Dean,,,

[alocispepraluger102]

As far as the ragging on Bill Walton -- yes, he is generally awful from a content standpoint but anybody that makes so many classic unintentional one-liners can't be truly bad in my book.

Yep.

Walton is somebody I always look forward to hearing, precisely because he is such a "character".

If this sort of thing is a bother, then I suspect that most y'all must be too young to remember Dizzy Dean,,,

wish you call hear a tape of the diz.

hope there's some sounds of diz dean floating around somewhere on the web.

slid was 'slud.'

[JSngry]

Despite being a fan of fellow hurler Satchel Paige, announcer Dean was not a true supporter of multi-cultural baseball. When the Cincinnati Reds loaded the bases with Ted Kluszewski on first, Bob Borkowski on second, and Fred Baczewski on third, Dean told listeners, "I was hopin' no one'd get a hit so I didn't have to pronounce them names." When the next Cincinnati batter sent a drive in the direction of left-center, Dean announced, "There's a long drive - and here's Gene Kirby to tell you all about it."

http://www.cardinalshistory.com/lore_dizzy_dean.htm

[alocispepraluger102]

Despite being a fan of fellow hurler Satchel Paige, announcer Dean was not a true supporter of multi-cultural baseball. When the Cincinnati Reds loaded the bases with Ted Kluszewski on first, Bob Borkowski on second, and Fred Baczewski on third, Dean told listeners, "I was hopin' no one'd get a hit so I didn't have to pronounce them names." When the next Cincinnati batter sent a drive in the direction of left-center, Dean announced, "There's a long drive - and here's Gene Kirby to tell you all about it."

http://www.cardinalshistory.com/lore_dizzy_dean.htm

beautiful baseball lore. thanks.

[Randy Twizzle]

Dick Vitale grew up in my home town East Paterson, NJ and later coached high school basketball in East Rutherford where he achieved sucess largely because of a player named Les Cason. During that period my brother once met Vitale at a pick up baseketball game in a local park and remembers him as a quiet unassuming guy. But that was long time ago.

[GARussell]

Now fans, you seed that ball!

[Van Basten II]

As a boxing fan Larry Merchant is one of my favourites, one of the last breed of tell it like it is sportscasters.

Still in boxing Col. Bob Sheridan especially when he is alone in a booth is supremely nnoying, does not stop talking one second. Making non sense comments, arguing with himself etc.

Most other sports i watch with the soud off so i really can't comment on them.

[PHILLYQ]

Dick Vitale- TURN THE SOUND OFF-he's quite irritating

Brent Musberger- Tries to make every game the 7th game of the World Series. He was broadcasting a college basketball game once, and after about two minutes there was no score. Someone made a shot and BM exclaimed"That basket was HUGE!!!". Duh, it's the first basket of the game- will anyone remember it at all?

Chris Berman- nails on a blackboard. Why can't he be like his brother Len? Len does local sports on the news shows and is low key and smooth as silk.

Walt'Clyde' Frazier- A man unafraid to drop some vocabulary when broadcasting. A player isn't just having a great game, he's 'omnipotent'. Great fun to listen to him extemporize loquaciously.

[PHILLYQ]

Lyndsey Nelson

Yeah, he was a hoot!

And those jackets!!!

[Randy Twizzle]

[Chris Berman- nails on a blackboard. Why can't he be like his brother Len? Len does local sports on the news shows and is low key and smooth as silk.

What's your source for saying that Chris and Len are brothers? I've never seen that mentioned anywhere else. I would have though that would have come up in any number of places in NY sports media criticism, where Len is pretty highly regarded while Chris is considered an annoying self-promoter.

[catesta]

Dick Vitale grew up in my home town East Paterson, NJ and later coached high school basketball in East Rutherford where he achieved sucess largely because of a player named Les Cason. During that period my brother once met Vitale at a pick up baseketball game in a local park and remembers him as a quiet unassuming guy. But that was long time ago.

Did he also mis-pronounce his name way back then?

[Chuck Nessa]

Len was a local when I lived in Boston in the mid '70s. Loved him then.

[alocispepraluger102]

Lyndsey Nelson

Yeah, he was a hoot!

And those jackets!!!

all those cotton bowls(25 or 30 of them), and those jackets! precious memories.

may he RIP.

[Van Basten II]

Pretty much any of the football (soccer) announcers on the Spanish networks.

Gotta say that the guys from Gol TV are awful, especially the Scottish guy who works as an analyst, reminds me in a bad way of Bud Collins.

Collins although i enjoyed his love of tennis always got on my nerves when he spoke when he was the top tennis men at NBC

[alocispepraluger102]

Dick Vitale grew up in my home town East Paterson, NJ and later coached high school basketball in East Rutherford where he achieved sucess largely because of a player named Les Cason. During that period my brother once met Vitale at a pick up baseketball game in a local park and remembers him as a quiet unassuming guy. But that was long time ago.

Did he also mis-pronounce his name way back then?

i remember vitale at u of detroit. his teams lost like 20+ games in a row. he had a big obnoxious mouth then, too.

[Free For All]

When I first moved to Chicago I lived in Wrigleyville, about two blocks from the ball park, right around the corner from Nuts On Clark- I could open my window and hear Harry singing during the seventh inning stretch. That really made it feel like Chicago.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Free For All

[Randy Twizzle]

Dick Vitale grew up in my home town East Paterson, NJ and later coached high school basketball in East Rutherford where he achieved sucess largely because of a player named Les Cason. During that period my brother once met Vitale at a pick up baseketball game in a local park and remembers him as a quiet unassuming guy. But that was long time ago.

Did he also mis-pronounce his name way back then?

i remember vitale at u of detroit. his teams lost like 20+ games in a row. he had a big obnoxious mouth then, too.

Your memory may be playing tricks. Vitale actually was quite successful at U of Detroit. It's one of the reasons he was later hired to coach the Pistons where he failed and gave up coaching to become the Vitale we all know.

From Wikipedia:

He was then hired by the University of Detroit in 1973 to become its head coach. There, he took the team to the NCAA tournament in 1977. Vitale had a 78-30 record during his tenure at Detroit, which included a 21-game winning streak during the 1977 season. During that streak, the Titans defeated Marquette University, who would go on to win the 1977 NCAA title, on the road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After the 1977 season, Vitale was named the university's athletic director.

[alocispepraluger102]

Dick Vitale grew up in my home town East Paterson, NJ and later coached high school basketball in East Rutherford where he achieved sucess largely because of a player named Les Cason. During that period my brother once met Vitale at a pick up baseketball game in a local park and remembers him as a quiet unassuming guy. But that was long time ago.

Did he also mis-pronounce his name way back then?

i remember vitale at u of detroit. his teams lost like 20+ games in a row. he had a big obnoxious mouth then, too.

Your memory may be playing tricks. Vitale actually was quite successful at U of Detroit. It's one of the reasons he was later hired to coach the Pistons where he failed and gave up coaching to become the Vitale we all know.

From Wikipedia:

He was then hired by the University of Detroit in 1973 to become its head coach. There, he took the team to the NCAA tournament in 1977. Vitale had a 78-30 record during his tenure at Detroit, which included a 21-game winning streak during the 1977 season. During that streak, the Titans defeated Marquette University, who would go on to win the 1977 NCAA title, on the road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After the 1977 season, Vitale was named the university's athletic director.

myapologies, and thanks.

it was with the pistonis that he fared very poorly. headline making stuff.

http://www.detroitfans.com/historyView.asp...DETP&y=1980

Edited November 13, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[alocispepraluger102]

we should remember these guys, before football became wall to wall.

dandy, frank, and howie.

Edited November 13, 2007 by alocispepraluger102