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Favorite announcers....

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by stix, May 25, 2012.

  1. stix

    stix Well-Known Member

    Light-hearted topic here, but after listening to weeks of endless hockey play-by-play gold from Doc Emrick, I was wondering who everyone regards as their favorite announcers.

    For me, national category, it's Doc Emrick. Local, Ted Davis, the Milwaukee Bucks' radio man. Literally the best thing that franchise has going for it.

    Maybe this thread has been done, but I dug back awhile and didn't find anything on the topic.
     
  2. I know this is coming from a homer but to me, Mike Lange will forever be the gold standard for local hockey announcers. I agree with your assessment of Doc, just a solid announcer.

    For baseball, just because he's a bit out there, I like the San Diego play by play guy. Don't know his name but I heard him on XM a few times and I just love listening to him because he's different.
     
  3. writingump

    writingump Member

    You're thinking of Ted Leitner, who's been in San Diego for about 30 years. He's an acquired taste and, from what I understand from reading a couple of features about him in the Union-Tribune, polarizing. His style isn't for everyone, but if he's made it this long, he clearly has something going for him.
    Emrick's the gold standard these days in announcing. I also like Mike Breen a whole lot. Pat Hughes (Cubs radio) has grown on me over the years. Brings great enthusiasm to every game, even with a bad team to watch every day.
     
  4. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I have said this before, but Mike Gorman, who does the Celtics broadcasts here, is as good a basketball play-by-play man as there is. He is by far the star local announcer here in Boston as far as I'm concerned.
     
  5. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    I would love to hear Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley call a game. Especially a college game on CBS.
     
  6. Writer33

    Writer33 Member

    Agree with Michael Gee on Gorman. He is simply great. I always thought Fred Cusick was as good as anybody. Emrick is a marvel. My favorite though is Martin Tyler. He is smooth as silk.
     
  7. Can't believe I forgot Hughes, even as a Pirates fan. As much as I hated listening to Santo, Hughes was so good he made it worth it for me when I needed a ballgame to listen to in the car.

    And yea, I totally get that Leitner was/is an acquired taste, but I just get tired of the same guys from one broadcast to another. Seriously, scrolling through games on XM, I would swear I was listening to the same announcer on every game.
     
  8. gravehunter

    gravehunter Member

    I grew up listening to Vin Scully and he'll always be my favorite baseball announcer.
    I think LA was also blessed to have had Chick Hearn doing the Lakers, and Bob Miller, who still does the LA Kings. I never really got to know Chick but Vin and Bob are two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.
     
  9. I was surprised to learn that Emrick studied under Bob Chase, who is a long-time (and I mean very long-time :) voice of the Fort Wayne Komets. While Chase is an icon around these parts, his play-by-play just isn't very good. Although I guess I shouldn't expect a whole lot out of a guy in his 70's or 80's. Maybe he was much better back in the days.
     
  10. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    LA also had Dick Enberg doing Angels, Rams and UCLA. He and Don Drysdale made a great team.

    It was growing up listening to all of the above that made me want to be a sports broadcaster, although I turned to print media instead.
     
  11. TheHacker

    TheHacker Member

    Ted Leitner is fantastic because he is irreverent. That's what I like about him. He doesn't just sing everyone's praises, and when he thinks something sucks, he says so. I was listening to a Padres-Brewers game a couple weeks ago where he flat-out called Ryan Braun a cheater.

    And proudpittsburgher and I agree on Mike Lange. Also the Calgary Flames' radio guy, whose name I can't remember, is very good.

    I also like to listen to Bob Uecker, just because every so often you get a Harry Doyle moment out of him. About a week ago, the Brewers were in New York and the crowd was sparse, and around the 7th inning he asked the other guy on the broadcast if they had announced the attendance. Upon being told they hadn't, his response was -- sounding very much like a Harry Doyle outtake -- "I don't blame 'em!"
     
  12. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    The late Larry Whiteside covered the Brewers for the J-S back in the early '70s, when the Brewers were REALLY bad. He told me once that they'd lose a game like 17-3, but when the players got off the team bus at the hotel they'd be laughing like they'd won the Series -- all because of Uecker's comments from his seat on the bus.
     
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