Favorite Sports commentators

Who are or were you favorite sports commentators?

Here in Washington DC we were blessed with John Riggins, both as a player and a commentator. He was like a far more refined Terry Bradshaw, to the point where you were often stunned by his takes. He was a yokel born and bread, which made his more inciteful takes all the more entertaining.

I miss those old days...

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Kurt Gowdy

Howard Cosell. Monday Night Football and Wide World of Sports announcer

Al Kaline and George Kell where to voice of my teenage years:

Past Favorites:
Frank Gifford - NFL
Keith Jackson - College football
Vin Scully - MLB

Current:
Al Michaels - NFL

Ones I can not stand:
Joe Buck
Troy Aikman
Cris Collinsworth
Howard Cosell - hated him doing football, liked his doing boxing.

Bob Costas

Tom Brady.

Tom is a huge Trump supporter.

MAGA.

Gary, Keith and Ron.

Jack Buck Cardinals broadcast for many many years, then went national
Vin Scully Dodgers legend who should have a corner reserved in Cooperstown just for him
Harry Carey Just because his passion for the game, even though he broadcast for the "hated" cubbies

Keith Jackson Loved his call on Saturday afternoons during college football

The Monday Night ABC crew for football...Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Keith Jackson

Those are probably my all time favorites, but i know i am missing a couple

Jay Bilas has a bit of an ego, but as long as it’s not a Duke game his analysis is always pretty good.

As long as I didn’t actually care about one of the teams playing, Bill Walton was always a fun ride.

Tim McCarver was probably my all time favorite.

Here in NY we are very lucky to have the two best broadcasters in the NBA, Ian Eagle and Sarah Sustok.

Of course we also have the worst, Walt Frazier.

gdgyva said:

Jack Buck Cardinals broadcast for many many years, then went national
Vin Scully Dodgers legend who should have a corner reserved in Cooperstown just for him
Harry Carey Just because his passion for the game, even though he broadcast for the "hated" cubbies

Keith Jackson Loved his call on Saturday afternoons during college football

The Monday Night ABC crew for football...Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Keith Jackson

Those are probably my all time favorites, but i know i am missing a couple

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Great list. Took three of mine, Jack, Scully, and Keith Jackson.

I would add Ray Hudson (soccer). He’s over the top. No one drops better metaphors than him.

Chick Hearn - LA Lakers

Jim Lampley

Most of them sound the same to me. I always recognize Romo and Peyton, but a lot of the others could all be the same person. Who doesn't miss the days of Cossell and Madden? Summerall and Jackson? Al Michaels is the last of that breed.

Al Micheals still and Bob Costas before he got mouthy. Sports specific - I'll take vin scully and Keith Rumblin' Bumblin' Stumblin' Jackson.

For overall sports, it’s Bob Costas for me, hands down. Special mention for overall hockey and play-by-play to Dan Kelly, rest in peace. Listening to Dan call hockey games, especially on KMOX radio for my St. Louis Blues, was the best.

There was something to those old national broadcasts of the NFL, too. The AFL games on NBC called by Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis, and the CBS duo of Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier were favorites of mine.

Other than those who call games live, I find most all of the general sports commentators today on radio, podcasts, and television, to be vapid and shallow, but I do like listening to Tony Kornheiser and Keith Olbermann tell sports stories.

jmotivator said:

Who are or were you favorite sports commentators?

Here in Washington DC we were blessed with John Riggins, both as a player and a commentator. He was like a far more refined Terry Bradshaw, to the point where you were often stunned by his takes. He was a yokel born and bread, which made his more inciteful takes all the more entertaining.

I miss those old days...

https://www.facebook.com/

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If we're talking play-by-play announcers, I think few today can beat Paul Allen, "The Voice of the Minnesota Vikings." At least on the radio. This wil sound strange, but when watching the game on TV he's at times too descriptive. I can see the action, bud. But he is very passionate and really gets into the game, dragging us along for the ride.

A compilation of his best calls from the 2020 season:

And an interview:

In this Facebook Reel, they show their Top Five most devastated announcers, the Vikings hold three of the spots, and Paul Allen called them all...
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Kevin Calabro, especially teamed up early on with Rick Barry and later Marques Johnson. Both combos were briliiant.

College football: Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson.
Baseball: Vin Scully, Jack Buck, Skip Caray, Bob Costas.
NFL: Pat Summerall & John Madden, Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen.
NBA: Dick Stockton, Marv Albert.
Boxing: Jim Lampley, Al Albert & Sean O'Grady
MMA: Mike Goldberg.
Pro-Wrestling: Bill Mercer*, Gordon Solie, and Jim Ross.
Honorable mention: Joe Buck. Not the best in any particular category and I used to think he was annoying, but he has matured over the years and his style has grown on me.

*Bill Mercer, who recently passed away at the age of 99, was really an amazing guy. He actually began as a news broadcaster and actually was one of the local radio news reporters who covered the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963 as it happened. He got his first break in sports doing local minor league games in North Texas before eventually becoming an announcer for the Texas Rangers in the early 1970s. He briefly called games for the White Sox before returning to North Texas, where he covered college football for the University of North Texas.

It was at UNT where he covered the collegiate football careers of Kevin Adkisson (aka Kevin Von Erich) and Steve Williams (aka "Dr. Death" Steve Williams). The "Von Erichs" were known to pro-wrestling fans in and around Dallas, but when cable-tv took off in the late 1970s and early 1980s, KXTX (Channel 39 in Dallas) was carried by cable providers well beyond North Texas and Bill Mercer made the Von Erichs a household name on World Class Championship Wrestling with his weekly broadcasts. He was as smooth as anyone I've ever heard. He made the staged spectacles of 'wrasslin' seem realistic and unscripted.

In addition to all that, Mercer served in the US Navy during WW2.

DC had a couple of decent sports reporters, Glenn Brenner and George Michael were fun to watch.

I love Kevin Harlan. IMO, he's the best in the biz today. He's very good at calling football, but his NBA work stands out.

RedAkston said:

I love Kevin Harlan. IMO, he's the best in the biz today. He's very good at calling football, but his NBA work stands out.

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Kevin Harlan is one of those guys that has a very distinct voice, with a tone unlike anybody else. It’s taken some time for me to like his calls- can’t say I always enjoyed them. He seems right at home calling Vikings or Packers games. Agree on the NBA. It’s a quicker moving game, and it suits his style really well.

Harlan and Trent Green are calling the Texans-Rams game at 4:25 pm EDT next Sunday.