OT - Favorite/Least Favorite Broadcaster
Ok, I saw this topic on another thread, and thought I would bring it here.
Even though it may appear to be negative/mean in some respects, there are also many good aspects.
I can appreciate that everyone sees/hears events in a different light.
If you can, try to list one broadcaster per sport, however, some broadcasters may do multiple sports.
Here is my list:
Favorite broadcaster (Sorry for being a homer.)
Dick Enberg
George Kell/Al Kaline
Frank Beckman
Bruce Martyn/Ken Kal
Least favorite broadcaster
Bob Costass,
Jim Nance
Joe Buck
Gus Johnson
Favorite
Vin Scully
Keith Jackson
Mike Emrick
Pat Summerall
Least Favorite
Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
I upped this for hating Musberger but then took it away for Emrick. He sucks. Bob Cole is the right answer for hockey.
WOW!!!!
+1 for Bob Cole....I forgot about him!!!!!!!!!
April 26th, 2023 at 11:16 PM ^
Dave Strader was also very good with the Red Wings.
Dave Strader, Mickey Redmond, George Kell, Al Kaline, and Ernie Harwell are the voices of my youth.
Gary Thorne for hockey. The voice. The enthusiasm. Hockey isn’t the same without him.
I don't know whether I'd heard many of Gary Thorne's hockey broadcasts before the NCAA championship game in 2009, but for me this one remains one of the most memorable hockey broadcasts after the 1980 USA-USSR game.
Came here just to make sure Bob Cole was mentioned.
Only man I'd thank for pronouncing it De-troy-it.
Yeah, the way he says it is great - my grandmother was born in Canada and pronounced it that way, too, so it hits me differently.
gordon lightfoot, wreck of the edmund fitzgerald, he gets you a, 'de-troy-it'
in a musty old hall in de-troy-it they prayed
in the maritime sailors' cathedral
Doc Emrick was my all-time favorite. His excitement was so contagious, and the games and key moments just felt bigger when he was calling them. Nothing more iconic than him rattling through where each player played college or junior hockey for multiple shifts in a row the second each player touched the puck.
Love Bob Cole and HNIC. Currently, I always try to find the games with Chris Cuthbert.
April 27th, 2023 at 10:29 AM ^
Cuthbert’s great.
I treasure the memories of his calls of the 2002 Wings-Canucks series. He was a bit of a Canadian-team-partisan, not unfairly but it was there, and so there was a bit of tragedy in his calls when the Wings finally got it together, but mixed with healthy admiration for Steve Yzerman in particular. What a great listen that was.
April 26th, 2023 at 10:31 PM ^
Nothing bothers me more than hearing a UM game video start with “You’re looking live…” by Cheeseburger.
April 27th, 2023 at 11:49 AM ^
I too hated Brent Musberger for football. But he was very good at basketball, which few may remember.
Count me in the anti-Gus camp. He’s the polar opposite of Keith Jackson.
Obligatory coco video
Al "Do you believe in miracles" Michaels is the best NFL. Frank "Shoelaces flapping in the wind" Beckman is best Michigan announcer. Keith "Hello Heisman" Jackson (did he die?) and Verne "In your LIFE have you ever seen anything like that" Lundquist were all great announcers. Bill "Onions!"Raftery I like for basketball. Brent "You're looking live" "A diving catch for a touchdown! Holy cow!" Musberger was okay, but sucked later on. Bob Costas is insufferable and no one comes close. Joe Buck blows. I can't tell if I hate Gus "WOWWWWW!!!! O-jab-O!!" Johnson or like him. Probably hate, but I don't know.
April 26th, 2023 at 10:55 PM ^
IMO Michaels lost it a while ago and is just mailing it in. He sucks now. Used to be great.
He’s smug and condescending. The games are played so he can call them, and he is offended if they are not good games.
He was at his absolute worst this past year during the Thursday Amazon Prime game. Part of it was the brutal slate of games he had to call, but he just sounded like a grumpy old man who was miserable doing his job. He used to be great, but you're correct, he sucks now.
Verne is one of the under appreciated greats. Jack on 17 in 86 "yes sir!!!!". Tiger on 16 in 05. Not bad that when you "retire" CBS agrees to let you do the Masters every year. Great on SEC games.
He and Raftery remain my all-time favorite March Madness pair.
And one of the things that connects all the announcers I love is that they genuinely love the sport(s) they're covering whereas someone like Nantz or especially Billy Packer is indifferent or hates it. And they make the game worse.
I’ll never understand the Gus Johnson slander…
Wow!
Totally agree. It might just be because he called the last 2 OSU games, but I associate his voice with such strong good memories that he's all good in my book.
O-JA-BO
April 26th, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^
Gotta wiiiiiiide open receiver!!
...75 yards! They said the kid couldn't throw the deep ball!
Chills, every time.
I actually like Gus. People don’t understand his famous OSU quote which is respectful. He’s a Michigan homer.
The best:
Bob Ufer of course!
Keith Jackson too!
Many others.
The worst:
Bryant Gumbel by a mile. Winey voice, huge narcissist, stupid comments, bad off camera behavior, other controversies, and still friends with sex assault perp Matt Lauer
Controversial opinion:
Also, I never liked Brandstatter’s announcing for some reason. But Jim is an alum and a guy with character so in no way should he be compared to other terrible sports casters.
Brandstatter was a great guy, but terrible play by play. Fine for color though.
April 27th, 2023 at 12:08 AM ^
Correct answer.
When you talk about M broadcasters, you need to include Tom Hemmingway, who was WUOM’s answer to Ufer. He broadcast football games with Don Lund (I believe) in the 70’s and 80’s with a NPR voice and a very dry sense of humor.
I’m surprised no one has brought up Dick Vitale, by all accounts a decent human being, but whom I loathe as an announcer.
Gus is great when the game is going your way.
Agree, and the same way I feel about Musburger.
April 27th, 2023 at 10:22 AM ^
He's much better on football IMO. He is on some of the NBA playoff games and his style just doesn't seem to work. Play is too continuous in basketball to get Gus Johnson level excitement in your face on a dunk or long three compared to the sprinkling that you get on a long touchdown or a sack - it's just too much, too often.
April 27th, 2023 at 10:59 AM ^
Kind of an odd take seeing as Gus rose to national prominence due to his work for CBS and NCAA Basketball.
April 27th, 2023 at 10:22 AM ^
Loved him at first, got sick of him repeating his signature lines over and over, have always felt I sense a guy just a little too invested and needy. But heard him doing an NBA game the other night and felt there was real skill there, knowledge of the game, a growing confidence. Knowing when to shut up and let the game be the star while not being a total nonentity (a lot of these guys run together for me). . . maybe that takes time.
Ernie Harwell and I’ll fight you like those goofballs in the golf course if you say otherwise
EDIT: other favorites include Bruce Martin, Ray Lane, Kurt Gowdy, Beckman, and Vin Scully.
dislike, or think are overrated would be Jim price for tigers baseball, Jim Brandstetter (yes I love him but he was terrible), and Terry Mills
I LOVED Bruce Martyn! So much so that I had to log in and post the correct spelling of his last name out of respect.
April 27th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey were the absolute best combo for radio baseball. NOBODY sounded better than Ernie's electric Georgia drawl coming through the transistor radio, and Paul's "voice of God" in the middle three innings was the perfect contrast.
April 27th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
Driving up north on a warm summer night, picking up those on and some UP version of WJR. Heaven.
” A man from Ypsilanti caught that foul ball… “
Favorites:
Dick Enberg / Steve Stone / Bill Raftery / Martin Tyler
Least Favorite:
I'll second OP's list.
April 27th, 2023 at 12:16 AM ^
Martin Tyler’s call of the Aguero championship winner is the best play-by-play call of this century and I don’t really think there’s even anything close. A remarkable moment in itself elevated by the call.
All the greater because Tyler is *not* a go-crazy guy at all. He’ll go entire games without raising his voice (and the call is still magnetic, it’s just the flow of the game). But at that moment, he hit every note right.
Very few calls are that great. Michaels calling the Miracle is probably the best. The Giants winning the pennant. Joe Starkey calling Cal vs the band. Ufer calling Wangler to Carter. And Tyler.
It was a miracle that he raised his voice for any team besides Man United.
April 27th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
This is peak "Twitter take" right here. All sportscasters are fans of teams. Literally every single one of them grew up a fan rooting for "their" teams. Then they become professionals and stop rooting.
Steve Sone is definitely right at the top for baseball. Joe Morgan and Jon Miller is probably my favorite duo.
Favorite: Dan Dickerson, Chris Spielman, Ernie Harwell,
Least: George Blaha, Bill Walton, Bill Raftery
Current Best: Hummel, Buck/Aikman.
I don't really dislike anyone except a guy whose name I'm blanking on in college basketball. Sounds like a Dakich knock-off.
Buck is a terrible amnouncer. Kyle Olsen is already way better than Aikman.
It’s Greg.
April 27th, 2023 at 10:37 AM ^
Greg or Kyle, does it matter. Not a fan. Talks WAY toooooo much!! Cut back on the caffeine before a telecast.