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Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 5:58 pm
by radioandtventhusiast
Who do you think are the best and worst sports announcers of all time?

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 5:59 pm
by Rate This
radioandtventhusiast wrote:
Thu Apr 09, 2020 5:58 pm
Who do you think are the best and worst sports announcers of all time?
Worst? Joe Buck.
Runner up? Beth Mowins. I don’t ever want to see ESPN let her near the NFL again.

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:36 pm
by Lester The Nightfly
Best: Vin Scully
Worst: Dick Vitale

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 2:59 am
by matt1
Best Game Show announcer: (tie) Johnny Gilbert or the late Johnny Olson Worst Game Show announcer: the late Rod Roddy

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 3:01 am
by matt1
You can't go wrong with the late John Facenda (NFL Films) who died in October of 1984!! He was the best!!

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 3:04 am
by matt1
From December of 1970, highlights of both Detroit Lions & Dallas Cowboys season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhEPJqvXFDU&t=1s

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:18 pm
by Deleted User 4520
Rod and Mario were the WORST broadcasters ever! When I had an MLB TV subscription, I would watch the away feed so I didn't have to listen to those bozos.

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 7:47 am
by Willie108
Best: Ernie Harwell
Worst: (Tie) Joe Buck and Gus Johnson

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 12:46 am
by DAC
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson beats all of the others listed as "worst" so far. Plus, what kind of man in his 70s sill insists on being called "Hawk?" He's been like a 12 year old his entire career.

Listing "Hawk" as worst was pretty easy. Declaring best is difficult. I loved Kell/Kaline on TV and Harwell/Carey on the radio for decades, but I'd bet that few out of this area (and other sports fans who don't follow baseball) would never agree with my picks.

Runner-up for worst -- Jim Northrup on PASS back in the 80s.

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 2:19 am
by matt1
The late great announcer John Harlyn who did the late Bob Hope NBC specials in the 70's, 80's & early 90's. Also did "Face The Music" (with former TV "Tarzan" host Ron Ely) during the second & final season (September 1980 till April 1981) & "The $1,000,000 Name That Tune" (with the late "Dating Game" host Jim Lange) during the complete run (January 1984 till May 1985). Both game shows were A Sandy Frank Production!! Both game shows were rerun repeats on the USA Network in 1990 - 1991!!

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:25 pm
by MWmetalhead
Getting back to sports, there was a play-by-play man for CBS who passed away a few years ago. Cannot find his name for the life of me. Sounded like he was always talking through his nose. Always seemed to get the Lions games in the early 90's before NFC broadcasts moved to FOX. Also called NBA games on CBS on occasion. Man, did he SUCK!!! Anyone know the guy's name?

Other horrible play-by-play men include:
Bryant Gumbel (what the hell was the NFL Network thinking?!?!)
Mike Goldberg
John Sterling (NY Yankees radio announcer)
Will Tieman
Jim Brandstatter
Bob Costas (only because he is an extremely arrogant asshole)

For worst color commentators:
Rick Mahorn
Tim McCarver
Bill Walton
Paul Woods
Phil Simms
Johnny "Red" Kerr (former WGN TV Bulls color analyst)
Dr. Jack Ramsey

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:24 pm
by radioandtventhusiast
When it comes to worst announcers, I remember watching NBC Sports announcer Tom Hammond doing track at the 2016 Rio Olympics. What a boring announcer with almost no enthusiasm. His horse racing work is decent, but Hammond just seemed like he didn't know too much about the sports and athletes and constantly mispronounced player's names. His older track work, from what I've heard is decent, but it seems in the last few years he's phoned it in.

Joe buck is better than he used to be, but still not legendary status.

I always thought Bob Costas was overrated. Besides just being a know-it-all, I found him to be boring personality-wise too. I've watched Jim Mckay's old announcing. He could sound passionate about any sport he called. He is very missed.

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:05 pm
by Deleted User 24
Here's a vote for the greatness of Dick Button, the Olympic figure skating champion who announced the sport for decades.

Almost everyone can skate a little (though I can't) but few can do it at the Olympic level. Button could explain the subtleties and intricacies of the sport so that all of us could understand them.

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 12:41 am
by DAC
MWmetalhead wrote:
Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Getting back to sports, there was a play-by-play man for CBS who passed away a few years ago. Cannot find his name for the life of me. Sounded like he was always talking through his nose. Always seemed to get the Lions games in the early 90's before NFC broadcasts moved to FOX. Also called NBA games on CBS on occasion. Man, did he SUCK!!! Anyone know the guy's name?

Other horrible play-by-play men include:
Bryant Gumbel (what the hell was the NFL Network thinking?!?!)
Mike Goldberg
John Sterling (NY Yankees radio announcer)
Will Tieman
Jim Brandstatter
Bob Costas (only because he is an extremely arrogant asshole)

For worst color commentators:
Rick Mahorn
Tim McCarver
Bill Walton
Paul Woods
Phil Simms
Johnny "Red" Kerr (former WGN TV Bulls color analyst)
Dr. Jack Ramsey
Pat O'brien?

Re: Best/worst announcers of all time.

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:53 pm
by MWmetalhead
I know Pat O'Brien's voice and I know what he looks like. I remember his sportscasting days fairly well. He was mostly a roaming reporter / studio host.

The CBS play-by-play man whose name escaped me was Tim Ryan. Absolutely hated his work on NBA basketball and NFL football. He was a rock solid sports journalist, but his voice and style just seemed out of place when it came to those two sports. I thought he was deceased, but wikipedia makes no mention of a passing.