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Lavabe
11-22-2008, 12:42 PM
Now that Bobby Knight is receiving acclaim for his game commentary, who do you want calling play-by-play on the next Duke game?

Edouble
11-22-2008, 01:02 PM
I thought Shulman did a fine job with Knight. He asked him good follow up questions when Knight pointed something out. He seems to just go where the color guy takes him.

CameronCrazy'11
11-22-2008, 01:44 PM
After listening to the measured and insightful Knight on Thursday, Dickie V sounded like a drunk 5th grader during Friday's game. I vote for more Knight.

Lulu
11-22-2008, 01:54 PM
After listening to the measured and insightful Knight on Thursday, Dickie V sounded like a drunk 5th grader during Friday's game. I vote for more Knight.

That's no joke. I started counting consecutive possessions with no mention of the game at hand... I got to 5, forgot what I was doing, and lost count.

And that was in the first half.

jdj4duke
11-22-2008, 02:50 PM
I have for years generally enjoyed Dickie V. The past couple of seasons though have seen that enjoyment convert all the way through tolerance now to nearly total irritation. Even without comparison to the job Knight did Thursday, the call on Friday was just plain useless. Tired, disjointed from the game at hand, and relentlessly shrill.

The worst was his semi-diatribe in which he at least twice went off on the tangent of starting basketball season later so as not to compete with football. Maybe a good idea, but it would have been better had he not on both occasions then immediately and for extended periods prattled on with game previews of Ohio St- Michigan, Texas Tech- Oklahoma, and some other general poofery about the Gators.

No question Vitale has been good for Duke; but he is a nearly complete caricature of his own schtick now. I find it sad to say that I watched a lot of the game with the sound off rather than listening to what has become pointless blather. Come back Dickie V, or go all the way to the beach-

CameronCrazy'11
11-22-2008, 03:09 PM
There was also that part where he awkwardly hit on Mrs. Krzyzewski. Don't know what that was about, but it was weird...

wilson
11-22-2008, 03:16 PM
I've made no secret of my thorough annoyance with Vitale for at least the past half-decade, but his inadequacy is that much more glaring when juxtaposed with measured, insightful commentary from a guy like Knight.
I wonder if/when ESPN will see fit to show him the door. I sincerely hope he won't just blather on until he can't sit up straight anymore, but considering the amount of money he undoubtedly makes for his employers, I highly doubt if they're at all inclined to get rid of him, or even get him to tone it all down.

throatybeard
11-22-2008, 03:17 PM
Now that Bobby Knight is receiving acclaim for his game commentary, who do you want calling play-by-play on the next Duke game?

http://www.blazinbeauties.com/pages5/erin_andrews/images/erin-andrews-n567vxbfg_jpg.jpg

CameronCrazy'11
11-22-2008, 03:20 PM
http://http://mixmakers.net/wp-content/gallery/erin-andrews-playboy/erin-andrews-6.jpg

Bobby Knight, easily. And why not put Jason Williams in there with him, just for the heck of it.

wilson
11-22-2008, 03:20 PM
Ironic in this situation is that Dicky V, in person, is a really nice guy, whereas Bobby Knight...well, I presume we all know that story.

devildeac
11-22-2008, 03:41 PM
That's no joke. I started counting consecutive possessions with no mention of the game at hand... I got to 5, forgot what I was doing, and lost count.

And that was in the first half.

Be glad you weren't playing a drinking game:o.

Devilsfan
11-22-2008, 04:35 PM
Knight and Bilas are so much better than most of those clowns ESPN puts on the air.

Lavabe
11-22-2008, 04:48 PM
Remember that the question was about PLAY-BY-PLAY, not color commentary. Commentary might be great with Bilas and Knight. Commentary is dreadful with Vitale. But the question is PLAY-BY-PLAY.

Besides Bob Harris, whose play-by-play would you most want to hear?

Kimist
11-22-2008, 05:14 PM
I might want to place a write-in vote for G-man.

OK - I watched him play in Cameron Indoor, but he is knowledgeable and apparently a pretty nice guy.

OTOH, my television is in serious jeopardy if I have to endure any more Vitale blatherings. At least I wll get somewhat of a break when the ESPN games are blacked out in favor of (local) Raycom TV contracts.

k

DukeUsul
11-22-2008, 06:00 PM
Brad Daugherty. I miss that guy.

weezie
11-22-2008, 06:01 PM
I wish Jamal Mashburn did college games.

wilson
11-22-2008, 06:43 PM
Remember that the question was about PLAY-BY-PLAY, not color commentary. Commentary might be great with Bilas and Knight. Commentary is dreadful with Vitale. But the question is PLAY-BY-PLAY.

Besides Bob Harris, whose play-by-play would you most want to hear?

Oh, well that's easy. Steven A. Smith.

ugadevil
11-22-2008, 11:39 PM
Remember that the question was about PLAY-BY-PLAY, not color commentary. Commentary might be great with Bilas and Knight. Commentary is dreadful with Vitale. But the question is PLAY-BY-PLAY.

Besides Bob Harris, whose play-by-play would you most want to hear?

Even after this post, people still continue to nominate analysts! :rolleyes:

I always enjoy listening to Dan Shulman, Ron Franklin, & Brad Nessler as play-by-play announcers. Also, I don't think he does college basketball anymore but I'd love for Mike Tirico to work a Duke game.

Lavabe
11-23-2008, 10:50 AM
Even after this post, people still continue to nominate analysts! :rolleyes:

I always enjoy listening to Dan Shulman, Ron Franklin, & Brad Nessler as play-by-play announcers. Also, I don't think he does college basketball anymore but I'd love for Mike Tirico to work a Duke game.

A good guy, but one who mispronounces a key name or twelve... Dan Bonner.

Jim Nance?

Edouble
11-23-2008, 11:17 AM
Sorry Lavabe, I think people either don't know the difference between play-by-play and color, or else they just want to talk about Knight vs. Vitale, although there's already another thread going on that topic.

I think that the differences among different color guys tend to excite emotions more than the play-by-play guys.

Lord Ash
11-23-2008, 11:18 AM
Brad Daugherty. I miss that guy.

Agreed! He was OUT-standing!

Lavabe
11-23-2008, 11:28 AM
Agreed! He was OUT-standing!

Agreed that he's outstanding, but did he ever call play-by-play, or was he solely an analyst?

gw67
11-23-2008, 11:41 AM
Lavabe - My favorite basketball play-by-play man on TV is Dick Enberg. He is knowlegeable and easy to listen to. He doesn't get in the way of the game and is always value added. Unfortunately, he has cut back on his assignments as he has gotten older.

Among the current TV play-by-play, I like Jim Vance, Gus Johnson and Terry Gannon. Jim is much like Enberg while Gus and Terry are new school in that they offer thoughts on the game and players in addition to announcing the game. Nessler and Schulman are fine.

I know that you folks down in Durham love your team radio announcer and I listened to him a couple of times last year while on travel. He is fine and nice to listen to. For my money, the best radio announcer of all time for college basketball was Cawood Ledford for Kentucky. As a youngster, I could visualize Johnny Cox hitting a jumper off a double screen and Cotton Nash out jumping bigger players for the rebound and scoring.

gw67

Lavabe
11-23-2008, 11:53 AM
Lavabe - My favorite basketball play-by-play man on TV is Dick Enberg. He is knowlegeable and easy to listen to. He doesn't get in the way of the game and is always value added. Unfortunately, he has cut back on his assignments as he has gotten older.

Among the current TV play-by-play, I like Jim Vance, Gus Johnson and Terry Gannon. Jim is much like Enberg while Gus and Terry are new school in that they offer thoughts on the game and players in addition to announcing the game. Nessler and Schulman are fine.

I know that you folks down in Durham love your team radio announcer and I listened to him a couple of times last year while on travel. He is fine and nice to listen to. For my money, the best radio announcer of all time for college basketball was Cawood Ledford for Kentucky. As a youngster, I could visualize Johnny Cox hitting a jumper off a double screen and Cotton Nash out jumping bigger players for the rebound and scoring.

gw67

Oh MY! Dick Enberg!

Cawood's last game ended in our favor (:D), but I also remember K coming over and talking with him after the game. Truly one of K's best moments.

Schulman the other night was okay. How about the Jim Thacker part of Packer and Thacker?:eek:

gw67
11-23-2008, 12:12 PM
One of the reasons that I didn't mind Packer in later years was that I remembered the wonderful early days of ACC basketball on television with he and Thacker. Jim Thacker was a terrific announcer and was the face of the ACC on television for many years.

gw67

ugadevil
11-23-2008, 04:28 PM
Dick Enberg is always nice to listen to and I enjoy watching tennis when he's covering the match much more than Drysdale.

To me, Jim Nance seems like one of the classiest individuals in sports. I usually don't like the college basketball games he works, but that's because he is often paired with Billy Packer. Jim Nance has become part of what makes The Masters my favorite sporting event to watch. It's kind of like watching a great college football game with Keith Jackson doing the play-by-play, the two just go together.

I also like the team of Lundquist and Raftery. Those two always seem to make it an enjoyable couple hours of watching a game for me.

Lavabe
11-24-2008, 06:08 AM
Mike Hogewood.

Yea or nay?

DukeUsul
11-24-2008, 07:50 AM
Agreed that he's outstanding, but did he ever call play-by-play, or was he solely an analyst?

He was typically an analyst, but I really can't say if he ever did PBP. However I think he'd be excellent at it.

davekay1971
11-24-2008, 08:51 AM
Bob Harris. Of course.

Turk
11-24-2008, 06:15 PM
For TV play by play of college basketball, I like Lundquist or Gus Johnson. Enberg is fine with me too.

If you're willing to put up with my personal dislikes, they are:

Dan Patrick - Yes I know he loves the ACC and has been doing this for years but I don't like his voice (yes, it's silly but I can't help it - I just don't like his voice).
Nantz - tarred by his partnership with Packer - they're pairing him up with Clark "Orange" Kellogg, right? Let's see how that goes...
Shulman - meh

Did I forget to slander someone?

Ben63
11-24-2008, 07:46 PM
Play by Play, no question the answer is...

Vin Scully and Harry Kalas. I know I know theyr'e baseball guys but if I had either of their voices I woul sit around all day and talk to myself.

No but really, Dick Enberg. He calls so many different sports and is excellent at all of them.

Lavabe
11-24-2008, 07:53 PM
For TV play by play of college basketball, I like Lundquist or Gus Johnson. Enberg is fine with me too.

If you're willing to put up with my personal dislikes, they are:

Dan Patrick - Yes I know he loves the ACC and has been doing this for years but I don't like his voice (yes, it's silly but I can't help it - I just don't like his voice).
Nantz - tarred by his partnership with Packer - they're pairing him up with Clark "Orange" Kellogg, right? Let's see how that goes...
Shulman - meh

Did I forget to slander someone?

Are you referring to Dan Patrick (former ESPN sportscenter dude known for "the whiff") or Mike Patrick (ACC basketball play-by-play man)?:)

Sorry for the misspell of Jim Nantz earlier.:o

Turk
11-24-2008, 10:22 PM
Are you referring to Dan Patrick (former ESPN sportscenter dude known for "the whiff") or Mike Patrick (ACC basketball play-by-play man)?:)

Sorry for the misspell of Jim Nantz earlier.:o

oops. I meant Mike Patrick - the big punkinhead dude with the googly eyes. good catch - sorry for the brain fart...

I guess that means I don't like his looks either....

gw67
11-25-2008, 07:50 AM
Lavabe - I knew that Jim Thacker had passed away several years ago but I didn't know that a scholarship had been set up in his and his wife's name name for ACC student athletes (see link). Not only was Jim the voice of ACC basketball in the 60's, 70's and 80's but he did NCAAT games and was a regular announcer at the Masters.

http://www.theacc.com/genrel/021908aaa.html

When I recalled Cawood Ledford from my younger days, I forgot to mention Jack Fleming who was the play-by-play man for West Virginia. He was an old school "homer" and I enjoyed listening to the exploits of Rod Hundley and Jerry West in the 50's.

gw67

jv001
11-25-2008, 08:34 AM
Present....The "G Man".
Past...Ad Penfield(may not be spelled correctly).

ugadevil
11-25-2008, 09:47 AM
oops. I meant Mike Patrick - the big punkinhead dude with the googly eyes. good catch - sorry for the brain fart...

I guess that means I don't like his looks either....

That's alright. Mike Patrick probably refers to himself as Dan Patrick during games with his inability to correctly pronounce names.

Flyers52
11-25-2008, 11:46 AM
Gus Johnson, hands down. The man is so passionate, and has the best voice for the crucial moments in the tourney...OSU-Xavier from a few years ago, and Adam Morrison's final game, two of the best calls i've ever heard. Love it.

Cicero
11-25-2008, 11:49 AM
I don't mind Mike Patrick, but he does sometimes have a "Vitale" moment. See this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfs6LNk7Po) as evidence (note the score/game situation).

gw67
11-25-2008, 12:15 PM
A few years ago, I picked up a friend in Fairfax as we were on our way to a golfing weekend at the beach. We stopped at a grocery store to pick up some refreshments and got behind Mike Patrick in the checkout line. In person, he was just as he appears on TV. He was cordial and greeted us with a smile when recognized. He is not one of my favorites but he is enthusiastic. I also understand his difficulties with names. My wife and three boys are constantly after me because I rarely get the son and first name right. My youngest swears that I once referred to him by our dog's name but I'm sure he was mistaken.

gw67

AtlDuke72
11-25-2008, 01:24 PM
http://www.blazinbeauties.com/pages5/erin_andrews/images/erin-andrews-n567vxbfg_jpg.jpg

Hard to argue with Erin Andrews . . . but for play by play it would be hard to beat Wes Durham. He does the Ga. Tech games and may end up being the voice of the Tar Heels whenever his Dad steps down.

DevilDan
11-25-2008, 03:39 PM
OK, I've been reading instead of talking for the past 4-5 weeks. But I guess it's time to get back into the swing of things. My favorite all-time radio announcer was the great Mouth-of-the-South, BILL CURRIE, who helped create the Carolina Sports Network. In his early days, he was the color man riding shotgun to Ray Reeve, but then later, really came into his own by taking the lead on the broadcasts.

His call of the Dixie Classic, ACC games, and the Tournament (at that time at Reynolds Coliseum every year) was superb, night after night. He was a Carolina guy all the way, but on the nites that the Heels were sitting, he called the Duke / State / Wake games--with equal passion. Those were the days that 85-90% of all the games were on radio.

There's no clear favorite in my book right now, but I like Mike Patrick's passion, Dan Shulman's professionalism, and Gus Johnson's big calls. Dick Enberg got back on my favorites' list a couple of years ago -- but those days of Enberg/Packer/McGuire are my fondest TV memories.

Fun subject ! And it's so great to see the legendary Caywood Ledford mentioned here. He was one of the absolute greatest. I was recording the '92 Duke-Kentucky regional final, with the sound muted, listening to CL on the NCAA radio network. His call of Laettner's shot I will NEVER FORGET (keep in mind CL was the KENTUCKY announcer)...

"There's the lonnnnng pass to Laettner; he turns ... shoots ...GOOOOOOD ... THAT'S WHY THEY'RE NUMBER 1 ! ! ! ! "