Annual Announcer Kvetch Thread, 2022-23

[arnie]

With the tournament completed, I thought I would follow up on this.

Awful Announcing: The 2023 NCAA Tournament broadcaster rankings

By popular vote, each team was given a letter grade for their job during the first weekend of the tournament. (You can see the sites and games they worked in the quoted post above.) Just like in school, the letter grades are then converted to numbers on a 0 to 4 point scale and then averaged, so think of each number below as a grade point average.

I'm just going to list the rankings; click over to see a further breakdown (most commonly assigned letter grade by vote percentage, past performances, and commentary).

8. Lisa Byington, Avery Johnson, and Steve Smith – 1.93
7. Spero Dedes and Deb Antonelli – 2.25
6. Brad Nessler and Brendan Haywood – 2.75
5. Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas – 3.00
4. Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson – 3.10
3. Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, and Bill Raftery – 3.36
2. Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, and Stan Van Gundy – 3.64
1. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel – 3.73

You can also check previous years. 2021 is noteworthy because it was the year that Jim Spanarkel missed the first weekend due to COVID protocols and Grant Hill filled in. The Eagle/Hill pairing was a revelation and the #1 ranked team that year:

"Broken out of the trio he was in with Nantz and Raftery, Hill was able to shine in the first two rounds before being moved back into his long-time booth this week. Eagle’s NCAA Tournament broadcast teams prior to his partnership with Spanarkel show that he doesn’t have that kind of chemistry with everyone, but in Hill, he may have found a partner that is a more than adequate stand-in."

This bodes well for the future. We know that Ian Eagle is taking over for the retired Jim Nantz. While nothing more has been publicly decided, I doubt CBS will make further changes to the A-Team: it will probably be Eagle/Raftery/Hill next year. As for the trickle down, CBS will probably do the bare minimum here. After their call on the FDU-Purdue upset, Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas became overnight successes, years in the making. I expect both to team up with Spanarkel to be the new fourth team, one that gets to keep announcing in the second weekend. Then CBS has to put together a new eighth team, but they can just promote from within, given all the studio, radio, and website people on their payroll.

These ratings seem to align well with my thoughts and those on this Board. Curious where a team of Corey A., Jay B and a random straightjacket from ESPN would fit if CBS needed another team.

[ClemmonsDevil]

These ratings seem to align well with my thoughts and those on this Board. Curious where a team of Corey A., Jay B and a random straightjacket from ESPN would fit if CBS needed another team.

Jay would have a 4.25 in my book!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Jay would have a 4.25 in my book!

Someone's poking bears this afternoon.

[brevity]

These ratings seem to align well with my thoughts and those on this Board. Curious where a team of Corey A., Jay B and a random straightjacket from ESPN would fit if CBS needed another team.

On the surface there's nothing wrong with hearing the voices of Cory Alexander or Jay Bilas in an NCAA Tournament broadcast, but the problem arises if they maintain the nonstop pontificating that ESPN clearly encourages and CBS clearly avoids. To them, it wouldn't work because they wouldn't be allowed to be themselves.

I am loath to pick sides, but I've always felt that ESPN college basketball and CBS/Turner/Warner Bros/Discovery college basketball were two separate cultures. An audience of casual bracket-guessers may not notice, but to the die hard college hoops fans, it's an awkward arrangement. ESPN brings the day-to-day grind of a full regular season, like a custodial parent, while CBS breezes in on weekends and then takes over in the glitzy last month, like a fun parent.

Even their approach to personnel is different. Despite its rough proximity to New York City and its obsession with their pro sports teams, ESPN has almost always promoted voices that have a national rather than regional appeal. It's Midwestern, it's Johnny Carson. The decades-long "yous guys" standard of New York sports radio (or its equivalents in Boston or Philadelphia) is a deliberate omission in Bristol.

CBS seems less concerned about uniformity and just casts a wide net of people who may have regional or national appeal. Some of us felt that Steve Lappas came across as abrasive in his announcing, and I think it's because our ears are calibrated, for better or worse, to the ESPN experience.

While there is some free agency in sportscasting employment -- Andy Katz left ESPN to write for NCAA.com and does sideline reporting for CBS -- there's not much crossover here. I read that in the past CBS had asked ESPN to "borrow" Dick Vitale for the NCAA Tournament, and ESPN said no. In recent years ESPN has softened their stance, but Vitale has said he's loyal to ESPN and happy to keep calling the NCAA Tournament for ESPN's international radio broadcasts.

As I hinted above, CBS Sports and their cable sports network offer more than enough backup talent to form an eighth broadcast team for the 2024 tournament. You could almost pick names out of a hat: Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Renee Montgomery (analyst), Chris Walker (analyst), Jenny Chiu (reporter). That was easy.

[ChillinDuke]

<snip>

ESPN brings the day-to-day grind of a full regular season, like a custodial parent, while CBS breezes in on weekends and then takes over in the glitzy last month, like a fun parent.

<snip>

I lol'd at this line, mainly because it's absolutely spot-on.

- Chillin

[Southgate0809]

I lol'd at this line, mainly because it's absolutely spot-on.

- Chillin

I love that CBS takes over just for the tournament. You get the CBS sports jingle. It just adds to that special feeling you get every year in March. It's better than Christmas.

[ClemmonsDevil]

Someone's poking bears this afternoon.

What do you mean?!?!

[House P]

Van Gundy was fantastic IMHO.

I agree. Spanarkel is also very good in my opinion, but I wonder how much of a "bump" he gets from me subconsciously because I know he is a Duke guy. Even with this bump I would still put Van Gundy at 1 and Spanarkel at 2, so I am mildly surprised that the consensus (presumably including a bunch of non-Dukies) is reversed.

Maybe people also like Ian Eagle a lot. Who knows, I tend not to notice play-by-play announcers as much as color commentators.

[kako]

I agree. Spanarkel is also very good in my opinion, but I wonder how much of a "bump" he gets from me subconsciously because I know he is a Duke guy. Even with this bump I would still put Van Gundy at 1 and Spanarkel at 2, so I am mildly surprised that the consensus (presumably including a bunch of non-Dukies) is reversed.

Maybe people also like Ian Eagle a lot. Who knows, I tend not to notice play-by-play announcers as much as color commentators.

IMO the Eagle+Sparnakel combo always gave the right combination of play-by-play, analysis and energy that made watching a game very smooth. No Gus Johnson/Dick Vitale over-the-top stuff, but they made a game interesting to watch. And certainly no Corey Alexander meanderings. Many non-Duke/non-ACC folks I watched games with also said their games were done well. I think Eagle will do well in the big chair. I hope Sparnarkel gets a good partner for the 2nd weekend games.

I liked Van Gundy, he did great in his first tourney. That group seemed to work well. But who knows if Van Gundy will go back to coaching.

Also, many folks don't even know Sparnakel is even a Duke guy, since he was pre-K.

9F

[weezie]

Chris Powell and Arlo White are dynamite together. Outstanding.

[OldPhiKap]

Chris Powell and Arlo White are dynamite together. Outstanding.

Especially at the Dog Track.

[brevity]

The Sports Emmy nominations were announced today, and there are a few Duke nominees.

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO ANALYST

Charles Barkley (TNT)
Jay Bilas (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)
Nate Burleson (CBS | CBS Sports Network | Nickelodeon | NFL Network)
Ryan Clark (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)
Shaquille O’Neal (TNT)
Kenny Smith (TNT)
Tom Verducci (MLB Network)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/EMERGING ON-AIR TALENT

Andraya Carter (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC | SEC Network)
Robert Griffin III (ESPN)
Eli Manning (ESPN2 | ESPN+)
Greg Olsen (FOX)
JJ Redick (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)

OUTSTANDING EDITING – LONG FORM

38 at the Garden (HBO Max)
McEnroe (Showtime)
2022 NCAA March Madness: Coach K Final Four Tribute (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
The Redeem Team (Netflix)
SHAQ (HBO Max)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO OR PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

2022 FIFA World Cup: Doha Set (FOX | FS1)
2022 NCAA March Madness: Coach K Final Four Tribute (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
2022 NCAA March Madness: NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
NFL Slimetime (Nickelodeon)
The Nonstop NBA (NBA Social)
Playoffs on NBA Lane (NBA Social)

[OldPhiKap]

Bilas picks us pre-season #1.

https://twitter.com/jaybilas/status/...NfCY4eQSVGFT_g

[ClemmonsDevil]

Bilas picks us pre-season #1.

https://twitter.com/jaybilas/status/...NfCY4eQSVGFT_g

What a homer.

[gep]

No unc????

[MarkD83]

What a homer.

I need to call IT again and ask for a new keyboard...this one just got ruined with coffee...

[roywhite]

The Sports Emmy nominations were announced today, and there are a few Duke nominees.

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO ANALYST

Charles Barkley (TNT)
Jay Bilas (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)
Nate Burleson (CBS | CBS Sports Network | Nickelodeon | NFL Network)
Ryan Clark (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)
Shaquille O’Neal (TNT)
Kenny Smith (TNT)
Tom Verducci (MLB Network)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/EMERGING ON-AIR TALENT

Andraya Carter (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC | SEC Network)
Robert Griffin III (ESPN)
Eli Manning (ESPN2 | ESPN+)
Greg Olsen (FOX)
JJ Redick (ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC)

OUTSTANDING EDITING – LONG FORM

38 at the Garden (HBO Max)
McEnroe (Showtime)
2022 NCAA March Madness: Coach K Final Four Tribute (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
The Redeem Team (Netflix)
SHAQ (HBO Max)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO OR PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

2022 FIFA World Cup: Doha Set (FOX | FS1)
2022 NCAA March Madness: Coach K Final Four Tribute (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
2022 NCAA March Madness: NOLA Vibes featuring Jon Batiste (tbs | CBS | TNT | truTV)
NFL Slimetime (Nickelodeon)
The Nonstop NBA (NBA Social)
Playoffs on NBA Lane (NBA Social)

Thanks for posting. We gripe about announcers but there is some quality work represented here.

But...Kenny Smith?

[ClemmonsDevil]

I need to call IT again and ask for a new keyboard...this one just got ruined with coffee...

Hahaha! Glad to help! As the leader of the Jay Bilas fan club, I had to quickly post that before his detractors started in.

[Indoor66]

Hahaha! Glad to help! As the leader of the Jay Bilas fan club, I had to quickly post that before his detractors started in.

The detractors will probably acknowledge that he is an in studio personality. It is the further definition that gets dicey.

[budwom]

Thanks for posting. We gripe about announcers but there is some quality work represented here.

But...Kenny Smith?

Inexplicable. Bumbling fool