Where's Hammy?
OK, while I think Tom Hamilton is the best in the game of baseball, I didn't really expect him to make the American Sportscasters Association's Top 50 sportscasters of all time.
But I thought a FanShot could lead to some of the debate that a list like this is supposed to engender.
Hard to argue with the top five.
I hate Costas at #6 and Buck at #11.
When's the last time Berman (#35) covered any live event besides adding his repellent "commentary" to the HR Derby?
And let's just pretend we never saw that Walton selection. "Turr-ible!"
about 3 years ago
JulioBernazard
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I don’t mind Costas at all. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone hating Jack Buck? Do you just hate that he is only number 11, or do were thinking of his son, Joe (#31)?
I’d like these guys moved up: Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson, Jack Buck
And I’d like these guys moved down: Vin Scully (always seems dull to me), Chris Berman, Bill Walton (he’d head my list of worst sportscasters, not best).
Oh, sorry. I was thinking of JOE Buck. The son always seem uninspired by the athletic event, and jumps at every chance to be a smarmy A-hole.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 16, 2009 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
Has Vin Scully or Mel Allen ever done anything besides baseball? Guys like Jim McKay, Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson and Chris Schenkel should be moved up for versatility alone. Not having Jim McKay in the top 5 is ridiculous. At least Red Barber also called football games on occasion, IIRC.
I stand corrected on both Scully and Mel Allen. I still maintain that Jim McKay deserves to be rated much higher.
by woodsmeister on Jan 16, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
They have Marty Brennaman as the 37th greatest broadcaster? Really? Have they ever listened to the guy call a game? You have no idea what is going on in the game because he is too busy editorializing the whole time or reminiscing about Charlie Hustle.
I drink the Kool-Aid on Scully, I will frequently watch Dodgers games on MLB.tv just to listen to him.
Marty didn’t alway rant like a cranky conservative. Back in the day, he actually called the game. Back in the day = at least 10 years ago, maybe 15. It’s been a long time since Marty just called games.
by woodsmeister on Jan 16, 2009 12:08 PM EST up reply actions
Not ten or fifteen years ago. I grew having to listen to Marty if I wanted baseball and he was as dreadful then as he is now. A complete hack.
OK, longer ago than that then. I remember Marty being pretty good in the 80s.
by woodsmeister on Jan 16, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
I was never a Curt Gowdy fan. I know the ol’ Wyoming cowboy at one time did just about every big event – WS, Rose Bowl, Super Bowl, NCAA. But I always found him dull and cliche-ridden. Red Sox fan, too.
Jack Buck on the radio doing Cardinals’ games was absolutely one of the best. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an announcer who could wring the drama out of a game better. Buck had a great technique of asking a question (e.g., “What’s gonna happen now?”) at a tense moment in such a way that he put you on the edge of your seat. My only knock on Jack is his son.
For all around versatility, it’s tough to beat Al Michaels.
Michaels does it all. I dig listening to him do anything. It’s even worth enduring Madden to hear him.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 16, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
I think I’m too young to have heard him do a baseball game. Which sucks.
Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.
Monday Night Baseball on ABC, baby. Al was just excellent.
"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter
by Denver Tribe Fan on Jan 16, 2009 2:15 PM EST up reply actions
I think this list does a great job. Ernie Harwell is up there (He was so damn good). Marv Albert (who I think is under appreciated) is up there. Dick Enburg is top 10. Brent Musberger probably should be a bit higher.
I thought maybe Jim Lampley should have made it on the bottom. He’s been the voice of boxing for decades now.
Musberger is high on my list of most annoying announcers. I just can’t stand the guy. Just a personal thing, I guess.
I know many people don’t like but I’m not sure why. I love listening to him do a college football game; he builds it up and does a great job getting excited on big plays, which is what you want from an announcer. Him and Herbstreit together are the best announcing team in college football.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
Buckeye, I’m going out on a limb here to ask if you are an OSU fan. If so, how can you possibly stand listening to Musberger call an OSU game??? Every time he calls a game, all I hear is slant towards that team up north. Every big play by TTUN, he’s going nuts. Every time OSU has a big play, he goes all ho hum on it and downplays it like it’s no big deal. There are few announcers that I find I despise so much that their mere presence overshadows the game. And Musberger is at the top of that very short list. Even bad announcers can make a game fun simply by making stupid remarks, but Musberger makes me want to turn the volume off completely.
And how is this a Cleveland site without someone mentioning Joe Tait?? Tait rulz with a Z. He even called Len Barker’s perfect game.
I disagree with you on Musberger. If anything, he can have a pro-OSU slant. And yes, I am a buckeye football fan.
But I totally agree with Joe Tait. He is amazing; the best sportscaster Cleveland has ever had, I would argue.
Yes, Joe Tait is fantastic. I love listening to him call basketball games (alhough I don’t get a chance to hear him very much anymore). I once was driving home from college and listened to a few minutes of a Cleveland Rockers game just because he was announcing. That’s how great he was — I even listened to a WNBA game just to hear his voice. Of course, he’ll never make a list like this because he’s just a local announcer in Cleveland.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
That is a totally ignorant rant. I hate hearing fans complain that certain announcers are biased against their team. Do you realize that every team’s fan complains about that? Yeah, I’m sure Musberger hates every team. Fans think that just because an announcer says something bad about their team then they hate their team; maybe it’s just because your team did something bad. I’ve heard fans compain Musberger was pro-Michigan because he once wore a yellow tie when announcing an OSU-Michigan game. Are you kidding me? These are the types of fans that give Buckeye fans a bad name.
Musberger did the “Holy Buckeye” call when OSU beat Purdue in ‘02. Do you really think he hates Ohio State? I’ve heard him call many Buckeyes games and he’s always saying good things about the team (unless they’re playing poorly, of course). If you think he’s biased against OSU then you’re not being objective.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
Based on my time in living in the state of Michigan, I came to believe he was very pro-Ohio State. Especially with a former Ohio State QB as his color commentator.
In other words, he must be doing something right.
Herbie’s only been with Musberger one year I think (maybe two). And I think he does a very good job of being objective about OSU when doing their games or discussing them on GameDay. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Buckeyes fan, I’ve read many people who say that Herbie is the best commentator in college football.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
I think Musberger would marry A.J. Hawk if given the opportunity, Honestly.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 16, 2009 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
In an effort to not hijack this thread and make it an OSU/Michigan rant, I’ll just say that if it’s my opinion that Musberger has an anti-OSU slant every time I hear him call a Buckeye game, then that’s my opinion, not ignorance.
I DO think that Herbstreit (sp?) does an excellent job of staying non-biased even when he calls OSU games. In fact, I’d agree with some others that feel Herb is the best college announcer right now. Maybe we can get FOX to have him call big games instead of Joe Buck.
That’s all I’m gonna say.
I hate it when fans complain that every announcer has a bias against their team. If they hear the announcer say something bad about their team then it must be because they’re biased, not because their team did anything wrong. That type of thinking really annoys me, and it’s what gives OSU fans a bad name.
Why would Musberger hate Ohio State? And what about the examples that I, and others, posted above about Musberger saying good things about the Buckeyes?
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 9:38 PM EST up reply actions
And who cares if the announcers are biased? Their bias, real or perceived, has no bearing on the outcome of the game.
depending on your quantum physical persuasion…
Okay, no, you’re right.
by Logodaedalus on Jan 17, 2009 12:49 AM EST up reply actions
Also, Joe Buck doesn’t do college football, just baseball and the NFL.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 9:39 PM EST up reply actions
The thing about FOX’s college football announcers is that they don’t do any games during the regular season, so the announcers they use for the bowl games aren’t used to doing college football and probably aren’t that familiar with the teams. It’s a very odd arrangement. Next year is the last year FOX has the BCS bowl games, then it goes back to ABC where it belongs.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 2:10 PM EST up reply actions
I’m sure ABC/ESPN will come up with some catchy nickname for it. They’re never short of that in the marketing dept.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 8:12 PM EST up reply actions
I like Marv Albert a lot; he goes a great job with basketball and he’s done many other sports in his career. Many years ago I read his book “I’d love to, but I have a game” and it was pretty good.
I also agree that Dick Enberg should be up there. He’s done many sports, but I remember him most for calling Wimbledon. His “oh, my!” call is a classic.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 16, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
Marv is probably my favorite of all time. I thought he was great at basketball and then one day I heard him calling an NFL playoff game on the radio. Steve Smith on the Panthers just then broke a 60 something yard TD to beat the Rams in double OT. It was one of the best football calls I had ever heard
Joe Buck and Chris Berman should not be on this list — what a joke. How does Berman even classify as a “sportscaster”?
I think Brent Musburger should be much higher; he does a fantastic job calling college football, and he also does basketball and has done many other sports throughout his career. I will always remember his “Holy Buckeye” call from the Purdue game in ’02.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
Hard to argue with Vin Scully. I grew up in LA and listenned to many Dodger games in the sixties and seventies. Dick Enberg was very much second fiddle. Back then, the Dodgers had exciting, relevant teams so interest was always high. I’ve had XM radio (with MLB package) now for a few years and I get to listen to Hammy during home games. What a treat! He get’s so excited, it’s great that he’s calling the games for our side. Also, the W Sox announcers suck.
Berman is a hack, he likes to spend his time reminding you that he is friends with and/or once hung out with professional athletes. This is the second top 50 list (the other being the NBA’s 50 greatest players) that Bill Walton has no business being on. He’s unbelievably bad as an announcer, I’d cut him some slack if I knew for a fact that he was constantly high.
- Costas should be even higher. I could listen to him commentate a snowplowing contest.
- To have Berman anywhere on the list is a complete travesty. He’s awful, he’s actually well beyond awful. He has almost single-handedly driven the ESPNizing of sports commentary.
- Hamilton could have a legitimate claim to a spot on the list. He does basketball games in the off-season and does a very good job of that as well.
I don’t like Costas’s high-falutin’, sanctimonious tone whatsoever. He should be on the list, but just lower.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 16, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah I too have soured on Costas recently. Used to like the guy, but I find him too arrogant now.
by supermarioelia on Jan 16, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed, Costas now speaks as if he is a father patiently explaining things to a stupid child, it’s clear he sees himself as some preeminent figure
I agree.
He has a way of making it seem like he thinks every point he’s making is very profound, even when he’s actually saying something kind of stupid.
“Condescending” and “stupid” is one of the most unattractive combination of traits you’re ever likely to come across.
But not profoundly stupid, just stupid.
I agree about condescending and stupid being one of the worst combinations of traits. And unfortunately they seem to go together more often than you’d expect by chance, given how frequent each one is individually.
(The in-line spell checker seems to think “combinations” isn’t a word. Did I do something wrong? But hey, speaking of which… “combo”!)
by Logodaedalus on Jan 17, 2009 1:46 AM EST up reply actions
No, a combo is small round cracker with a cheese-flavored filling in the middle.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 9:26 AM EST up reply actions
I think the problem is that as Costas’s career progressed, he was “promoted” to doing less play by play, which I think he was very good at, to doing insipid human interest interviews like he was Barbara Walters or something.
"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter
by Denver Tribe Fan on Jan 16, 2009 2:17 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah I know he’s not a sportscaster.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jan 16, 2009 2:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
One of the interesting things about the list is that it’s primarily a “national” list — broadcasters who at one time or another did national work. There are a couple of exceptions (I don’t think Phil Rizzutto did national work — maybe I’m wrong), but there are quite a few guys there who had long, local careers and “graduated” to national media (like Marv Albert or Vin Scully), even if they still did local work. Most of these local guys, though, are NY/LA types, which helped them go national. A guy like Joe Tait, who I think is really good, even though I’m not a native Clevelander, doesn’t have a chance of making a list like this.
Am I the only one who was worried this was a “Press release announcing broadcast teams and Hamilton is missing” thing?
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
“Last seen on his snowmobile leaving the Hog Wrestler’s Bar in Crivitz, Wisconsin shortly after closing time…”
by odradek on Jan 16, 2009 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I’m not surprised that Joe Tait didn’t get any love here. I don’t like it, but I understand it. But Bud Collins? Bud Collins? Talk about one dimensional, and that dimension is just marginally a sport. I’d hafta throw Jimmy Dudley in there waaaaaaay ahead of Bud – Freakin’ – Collins.
And what about my boy Charles Barkley. He could do color for a hog callin’ contest and make it interesting. My favorite – among many – Charles Barkley moments is when he stepped into the Monday Night Football booth at half-time when the Bears were up by 24 points or so and said, "if the Bears keep playin like this they’re gonna lose" and sure enough, the Bears blew the lead and lost in the last minute or so. Swoon!
Basketball, relative to the other major sports, has an abundance of riches when it comes to broadcasting teams. I think both the TNT and ESPN basketball crew are better than anything any of the networks roll out for the NFL and MLB. There are just a lot of ex-NBAers who seem capable of coming in and giving very natural, occasionally insightful, and occasionally amusing commentary and analysis. I’d probably put college football 2nd. Baseball and the NFL seem almost incapable of producing good commentators.
I would agree, most of the basketball crews are great. I want announcers who say insightful things about the games and basketball announcers do that most of the time. That’s why I love Hubie Brown; he’s one of the best. He’ll break down the game as you’re watching it and he’s always telling me things I don’t know about the game. And even guys like Reggie Miller who just started doing games are pretty good.
The problem with the NFL broadcasters is that the sport is so big that the whole game has become a production and the focus is taken off the game. There are so many players in the game that the announcers don’t know many of the players (or enough about them to discuss them intelligently) so they just end up talking about the big name players all the time. Watch a Ravens game and all you’ll hear about it Ray Lewis even if he’s not in on the tackle. I’ve come to find that the low-level announcers who do the games nobody cares about (like the Browns games) are the best because they still talk about the game and haven’t been dumbed-down yet.
And about Barkley, he just works in the studio for TNT, he doesn’t call games, so I don’t think he’d be eligible. But I think everybody loves listening to Charles Barkley and if you made a list of best studio analysts he would definately be near the top of that list.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 9:41 AM EST up reply actions
This may be totally unrelated, but maybe not. I have found it interesting that the majority of NBA GMs are former players, and really good ones at that. There are a few ex-player GMs in the NFL and MLB, but it is far from the norm. So NBA players make good analysts and GMs (Elgin Baylor excepted), but not so much in other sports? Why would that be?
Interesting thought. One thing I was thinking about is that the business end of the NBA may not be as difficult as the NFL or MLB, because you would assume that former athlete wouldn’t know as much about that as about evaluating talent and scouting players. In the NFL, so much of building a team is about maneuvering under the salary cap so that would require a good business background. And in MLB, the influx of statistical analysis has led to an influx of business school GM’s without basball backgrounds. I wonder how the background of GM’s in baseball now compares to twenty years ago.
In the NBA, however, there are far fewer players on a roster so I would think that would make it easier to manage from the business end. From a pure basketball standpoint, I don’t know. Is there something about the sport that it’s easier for a former player to jump right in to coaching and/or front-office jobs? Look at what Danny Ferry has done with the Cavs; he’s made a couple great trades that made a very good team with one outstanding player in to the best team in the NBA. And he hasn’t been out of the league very long and only had a few years working in San Antonio’s front office before coming to Cleveland.
But that’s a very good question, and I’d like to hear other people’s thoughts on the subject.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
You ever heard of Al Rosen? He could play a little baseball and wasn’t a bad GM for, you know, those guys. Or how about Hank Greenberg? He could ball some and was GM for our beloved Indians. Hank’s in the Baseball HoF and Al should be. Both are in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Both outstanding baseball players, above average GMs and good friends of one another.
Right, but aren’t they the exceptions, as are Ozzie Newsome and, once upon a time, Dwight Clark in the NFL? Joe Cronin, Eddie Collins, too. But ex-players are the norm in the NBA.
Exactly, and those guys were working decades ago. You can always find a few examples of ex-players having success as GM’s in baseball but it’s rather rare, especially when compared to the NBA as you noted.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
Gonna be a long while before you hear the Round Mound of Rebound again.
I lost a lot of respect for the Chuckster last year when he said the Cavs “weren’t a playoff team.” Fool.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 17, 2009 6:07 PM EST up reply actions
Well to defend my namesake, you’ve shortened his criticism to the where you lose his point. If I remember the comment correctly, Barkley was saying that successful play-off teams play defense, and the Cavs, in ’07-’08 anyway, didn’t play defense. Course they couldn’t play much offense either, what with LeBubbidebetz holdin’ the ball at the three point line for most of the fourth quater and then hoistin’ up a jumper or chokin’ at the foul line. Charles was sayin’ that to win an NBA Championship ya gotta play D and pass the ball. The Cavs did little of this last season. This season’s different and we’re in danger of winnin’ our first championship in over 45 years with that cafone leadin’ the charge.
Actually chuck, you are remembering this incorrectly. During the playoff march when the Cavs lost to the Spurs in the Finals, Chuck was incredulous how we got to that point considering we were a good defensive team, but the offense was Lebron hold the ball for 15-20 seconds and then drive, shoot or pass. There was no offense in essence.
Then in the preseason the following year, Chuck not only proclimated the Cavs wouldn’t make it back to the Finals, but fail to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Now you may love Chuck all you want, but that statement was either totally irresponsible by Chuck, or he was just trying to generate some buzz going his way (you know like the LeBron 2010 sweepstakes, Barkley was so key on denigrating LeBron for).
Now after last season, where the Cavs took the Celtics to the limit, he actually completely reversed himself this preseason and picked the Cavs to win it all. Talk about some wishy washy loyalties.
Yer right. A quick Google turned up this. But ya gotta forgive me for this, since Charles says so many things, many of which are self-contradictory. Not that I can relate to that or anything.
BTW, ya gotta luv a guy who gets busted for DWI while on his way to a booty call. What, you expect him to walk? He’ll be back for the play-offs, even MADD doesn’t have that much pull.
Chuck, in all seriousness, I don’t think driving drunk is anything to joke about. Too many people have died or been seriously injured from accidents involving drunk drivers.
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
I know this hits home for you, but let’s not get too self-righteous here. Are you tryin’ to tell me that among all these self-proclaimed world-class beer drinkers on this site, none of ‘em – that would be zero, nil, oogatz – has ever driven home after 3 or 4 quarts of hand-crafted, boutique, fru-fru suds? I’m sceptical.
No, I’m not trying to say that at all. I’m sure there are posters here who have driven after having a few too many brews once in a while. In fact, I may have been guilty of that once or twice in my life (and I’m certainly not proud of it). So I’m not saying nobody here has never done that, but I am saying that I don’t think we should be saying “you gotta love a guy” who drives drunk. I know you were just joking around, but that’s a serious subject.
And you’re right that I’ve become more aware of the dangers that can occur from car accidents after everything that I’ve been through the past 14 months (of course the guy who hit me wasn’t drunk, just a bad driver). People can make mistakes, and I’m sure Charles will be the first to admit that was a major error in judgement, but I don’t think we should be praising him for it (even in jest).
The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay
by Buckeye Brad on Jan 17, 2009 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
To tie this into another debate we’ve had, another great thing about living in Brooklyn is that I never have to drive drunk… or pay for car insurance… or a car… or gas…
by JulioBernazard on Jan 18, 2009 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
But then you do hafta live in Brooklyn – thatta be fit punishment for an Al Quida terrorist I think.
Uh, when’s the last time you were here, dawg? The borough is outstanding.
by JulioBernazard on Jan 18, 2009 5:47 PM EST up reply actions
Nah – it ain’t warm enough to be a hellhole. And, oh yeah, it was the end of September 08, not October. My bad.
I was there in September ’08 as well. It was not only hot, but I also found it pretty enjoyable.
Burn on, big river, burn on...
by Turkmenbashi on Jan 19, 2009 1:59 PM EST up reply actions
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