Annual Announcer Kvetch Thread, 2022-23

[MChambers]

I love Dickie V and, no doubt, he is a good person and I don't doubt his enthusiasm for college basketball, college BB players and (most importantly) DUKE BUT his "Don't sell past date" is now years old. Frankly, he IS tedious and annoying to listen to for the entire game (I'm not criticizing his fund raising appeals on air for cancer research). IMHO, it's a toss-up between who is worse - Dickie V or Jay B - and for opposite reasons. One barely talks about the actual game being played or provides any real insight and the other one has to try to prove how smart and knowledgeable he is by delving into too much minutiae about every "play" that takes place during the game. Again, IMHO, Malcolm Huckaby is the best color commentator on the ACCN and maybe in all of college basketball broadcasting. Again, IMHO, he provides just enough insight and analysis without being obnoxious (see Jay B) or overbearing. I look forward to the games that is he working on.
PS: I agree that, given his long broadcasting career AND his love for both Duke and Carolina, Dickie V SHOULD be one of the announcers for the Duke/Carolina game in Cameron. I'm not sure how many more years DV will have in the broadcast booth.

I like Huckaby, and he is very smooth, but all too often he makes factual assertions that simply are wrong. And when he does it, he sounds so certain of the truth of what he is saying . . . Just bugs me. Can't remember any specific examples right now, of course.

I'd say my favorite color commentators are Dan Bonner and Gminski, both after all these years. Funny how the two of them have aged so well, while Bilas and Vitale have become parodies of themselves.

[rasputin]

I think Spanarkel does a great job in the tourney games. Enjoy his pairing with Ian Eagle one last time this year. But if you want pure X's and O's, I think Hubie Brown may be the best.

9F

They have been pairing Spanarkel with Eagle in the first two rounds of the NCAA's for a long time, and they do work well together.

[Bluedog]

I think the NCAA announcing teams by and large are quite good -- light-years ahead of what the main ESPN channel typically offer us.

Bilas just stresses me out when watching Duke game while the trio of Nantz/Rafferty/Hill have a more calming effect for me. Maybe you don't want that in sports commentators, but I need it for Duke games, ha! Or unbridled enthusiasm of a Gus Johnson. Love it.

[kako]

I think the NCAA announcing teams by and large are quite good -- light-years ahead of what the main ESPN channel typically offer us.

I could do without the NBA analysts moonlighting in the tourney. Seems to me they rarely do their homework.

9F

[Saratoga2]

I think the NCAA announcing teams by and large are quite good -- light-years ahead of what the main ESPN channel typically offer us.

Bilas just stresses me out when watching Duke game while the trio of Nantz/Rafferty/Hill have a more calming effect for me. Maybe you don't want that in sports commentators, but I need it for Duke games, ha! Or unbridled enthusiasm of a Gus Johnson. Love it.

I think you are on to something there. ESPN tends to focus on commentators and color people who display large personalities instead of those who cover the games with commentary specific to what is going on. ESPN features kind of a cult of personalities. Most fans on this site are quite knowledgeable so I don't think the personality approach plays that well with them. It certainly lowers my enjoyment of the game when Vitale drones on and I am also not a fan of Bilas who appears to have an agenda.

[fidel]

Reading this thread makes me think about Marvin Bagley's second jump.

[elvis14]

Man it's great to have Dickie V back in action BABY! He's a PTPer. So happy he's healthy enough to be back on the air. Now if we could just get ESPN to promise to never let Bilas announce another Duke game...ever!

[ChrisP]

...Now if we could just get ESPN to promise to never let Bilas announce another Duke game...ever!

I'll be more than happy to sign THAT petition!

[gumbomoop]

Caught a few minutes of the Ohio State game tonight. Robbie Hummel is excellent. Probably only those of you who watch some Big14 games will hear him.

[rasputin]

I think you are on to something there. ESPN tends to focus on commentators and color people who display large personalities instead of those who cover the games with commentary specific to what is going on. ESPN features kind of a cult of personalities. Most fans on this site are quite knowledgeable so I don't think the personality approach plays that well with them. It certainly lowers my enjoyment of the game when Vitale drones on and I am also not a fan of Bilas who appears to have an agenda.

I tried, but couldn't, spork Saratoga@. I think that's right on the money.

[weezie]

https://nypost.com/2022/12/09/dan-da...107-5-the-fan/

[MChambers]

Caught a few minutes of the Ohio State game tonight. Robbie Hummel is excellent. Probably only those of you who watch some Big14 games will hear him.

Yes, he's quite good. I like most of that conference network's color announcers, or at least don't dislike any. Hummel is probably the best of the bunch.

[brevity]

https://nypost.com/2022/12/09/dan-da...107-5-the-fan/

Assuming Dakich has declared no pronoun preferences -- a safe assumption, I think -- I especially liked how the operations manager couldn't be bothered to completely adapt the form letter to this situation:

An email sent to employees Thursday by operations manager David Wood read: "Today was Dan Dakich's last day with Radio One. We wish him well in their future endeavors."

I would not expect a recommendation letter from Radio One.

[kako]

https://nypost.com/2022/12/09/dan-da...107-5-the-fan/

For all the [stuff] that goes other announcers' ways, Dakich is undoubtedly the worst human who ever broadcasted CBB. OK, there could be worse humans that we may not know about (who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men, etc.). But he made himself known willingly. And he was a terrible announcer. I state again: on the top 100 list of worst announcers, he's #1-50. You can start everyone else with #51.

9F

[uh_no]

who is this guy on with bilas today at the UVA game? he's terrible.

[DoubleBlue]

who is this guy on with bilas today at the UVA game? he's terrible.

John Schriffen https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/john-schriffen/

[uh_no]

John Schriffen https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/john-schriffen/

his play by play vocabulary seems to be limited to

- computing the current lead
- listing the time remaining
- identifying whether a shot went in, and sometimes, which player took the shot

With an inflection that gives me very "boom goes the dynamite" vibes


Bilas is carrying this guy so hard right now.

[jimmymax]

Sad to see John Strong and Stu Holden are commentating tomorrow's World Cup final. I'd much prefer Derek Rae and Aly Wagner, who likely would not sensationalize the event strictly as Mbappé vs. Messi. Maybe I'll watch the Spanish broadcast...

[Gooch]

Sad to see John Strong and Stu Holden are commentating tomorrow's World Cup final. I'd much prefer Derek Rae and Aly Wagner, who likely would not sensationalize the event strictly as Mbappé vs. Messi. Maybe I'll watch the Spanish broadcast...

I really like Stu Holden. Knowing how good a player he was, when he describes how awesome a pass, shot, or save is I believe it. I also like how the pitch of John Strong’s voice rises when the play gets exciting.

Aly Wagner is great. She too translates her experience as a player really well into her commentary. Derek Rae bugs me with his pronunciation of names—seems like he does it to draw attention to himself and it distracts me from the game.

[Phredd3]

I really like Stu Holden. Knowing how good a player he was, when he describes how awesome a pass, shot, or save is I believe it. I also like how the pitch of John Strong’s voice rises when the play gets exciting.

I find that John Strong finds way too many plays exciting for my taste, and I get tired of that high pitch being in effect for half the game. I much prefer someone with a more measured approach. Excitement is good, but it needs to be necessary for the moment, not every single time somebody makes a halfway decent play.