A topic came up on our show last night -- who is your favorite sports announcer? It could be any sport. Who is the voice of your childhood? Let us know who your favorite is! Or, who is your least favorite? Whom can't you stand? Who makes you want to gouge your ears out?
7 comments:
The voices of my childhood are, admittedly, Philly-based. Harry Kalas for the Phillies and Merrill Reese for the Eagles. Their voices are quite similar, nice and gravelly. I often confuse the two. But whenever I hear them, I think of summer (esp. Kalas). They are so relaxing!
Another voice I love is Bob Sheppard, the stadium announcer for the NY Yankees and previously the NY Giants. Derek Jeter is so superstitious that he currently has a recording of Sheppard's voice announce him at the plate, rather than his temporary replacement!
As for announcers I can't stand, well, there's Joe Buck, who thinks he the god of sportscasters and who can't light a candle to his father, Jack, and the not-so-dynamic duo of Sterling & Waldman. Sterling is ok with a good color commentator, but Waldman has a face for radio and a voice for print. She's like nails on a chalkboard and offers nothing in the way of valuable commentary. This is not to say that women can't do sports broadcasting. There are plenty of women broadcasters who do an excellent job. But basic intelligence and a mellifluous voice are necessary. She has neither.
There are plenty of other announcers whom I respect and who annoy me, but those are my top faves and irritants.
The one sports announcer I've always enjoyed, but not often enough, is Charlie Steiner. I've heard him do baseball and hockey. He always brings insight and a sense of joy to whatever game he covers.
And I'm sorry to break thread, but who DIDN'T vote for Arod and Griffey on your HOF poll? I understand not voting for the other guys (even if I think it's generally misguided), but we are talking about the two greatest position players of our lifetimes (in the non-Bonds category).
I concur with Matt. Charlie Steiner is fantastic. He used to be paired up with John Sterling on CBS Radio for the NY Yankee games. It didn't last too long. It seems that two play-by-play guys don't play together very well. I think he's doing partial Dodger's game now, in conjunction with Vin Scully's radio broadcast (kind of an odd arrangement).
Steiner used to be on ESPN SportsCenter and was hilarious whenever he couldn't contain himself from laughing! He also did a brilliant Y2K commercial with ESPN: "Follow me to freedom!"
I grew up with Phil Rizzuto on WPIX, so he's certainly on the top of my list. What I loved about Rizzuto is that he had fun with it. Too many announcers today take the games they call too seriously. It's sports people - lighten up!
I do think Michael Kay does a nice job with YES and made for a nice pairing with Sterling on the radio back in the late '90s. Sterling with Waldman, however, is brutal, which is why it pains me even more to not have YES. I also really like when Paul O'Neill pairs with Kay in the booth.
Football-wise, I think Bob Papa does a nice job with the Giants games and Carl Banks provides great color commentary. The Madden-Summerall pairing left a void on TV. Buck and Aikman are way too stodgy and though I think Al Michaels is great, he's not a great fit with Madden. I do, however, like Phil Simms on CBS.
One more name to throw out who you don't get to hear very much - Gary Thorne. Whether it's baseball, hockey, or whatever, I always enjoy listening to him call a game.
I have always enjoyed Haray Kalas of the Phillies. His deep voice was always great. Miss the late Whitey Ashburn who was color analyst of the Phillies.
Merrill Reese of the Eagles is awesome. Can turn off the TV and listen to what Reese has to say.
Agree that I like Summerall and Madden also.
I also like listening to Tom Hamilton who calls Cleveland Indian games. He calls the game the way it is. John Rooney can call a good game too. Vin Scully was a favorite growing up calling the game of the week. Also the late Tom Cheek of the Toronto Blue Jays was good also... I have listened to a fair share of Radio announcers from Phillies, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Blue Jays, Reds, Cubs and Pirates. I like John Miller and Jim Hunter who have both called Baltimore over the years too. Miller is now with the Giants, I believe. Liked listening to Miller when Cal Ripken was playing and listened to the games on the radio during the days of the "Streak"
Announcers who I can't stand.... Tim McCarver, John Sterling and Susan Waldman. Tim either loves or hates the teams that he is calling. Sterling and Waldman hold their noses so high that I think they have rubbed their noses on some ceilings!.. it's not that they call the Yankees... but everything they say point that the Yankees are sooooo great. Such as we have Joba and Mo to pitch the 8th and 9th inning --- how great that is, but when the Yanks are currently losing that game-- who cares if Joba and Mo are in the bullpen. And look at this great rotation : Wang, Pettite, Hughes, Mussina and Kennedy and the runs that this lineup can score... Ummmm Let's see Sterling, Hughes got hurt, Kennedy is now in AAA and the lineup hasn't hit and scored most of the year Call the game!
I like it better when Charlie Steiner called the yankee games for a year.
Thanks for letting me vent about the Yankee announcers.
Hey, fire away at Sterling & Waldman. They are the bane of our Newport exile! W/o the YES Network, we have no choice but to listen to them on the radio 95% of the time. Sterling has become a yes-man and Waldman giggles like a 9-year-old. Sterling has to wind up his home run call so much that he ususally blows it completely! "It is high, it is far, it is ... caught at the wall...."
You would think that New York announcers would be much more even-keeled in their jobs. Not these two! The Yankees are always perfect & right in their eyes. I think if they got rid of Georgie-girl, Sterling might settle a bit. He was sooo much better with Michael Kay! We need more perspective and critical commentary.
My favorites are a little different.....
Charlie Jones - old school, his call of the 1987 Fiesta Bowl win for Penn State over Miami is music to my ears...he was a great voice for college football
Ian Eagle - love his energy, enthusiasm and accuracy in his play by play
Darren Pang - love his energy for hockey, it seems like he doesn't take a breath
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