Mike Crispino To Be New Radio Voice For UConn Football, Men's Basketball

[huskymedic]

Mike Crispino To Be New Radio Voice For UConn Football, Men's Basketball

>>Crispino, who has been doing St. John’s basketball on radio in New York, and worked as an announcer in various roles at MSG Network for 25 years, will replace Joe D’Ambrosio, the voice of the Huskies for 26 years, multiple sources have told The Courant. Crispino, a long-time resident of the Hartford area, began his career at WRCH radio and at WVIT (now known as NBC Connecticut) in the mid-1980s.<<

 

[Hoophound]

Good choice. He’s a face people are comfortable with. I don’t really like switching out Joe D though. Too many changes in the last few years. Tradition matters.

 

[dogpause]

Great choice.

 

[Purple Stein]

Happy to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I will miss Joe D (and all his shortcomings) during basketball season.

 

[Devland]

Good choice. He’s a face people are comfortable with. I don’t really like switching out Joe D though. Too many changes in the last few years. Tradition matters.

From reading this article it seems like they wanted to bring Joe D. back but WTIC wouldn't let him out of his contract. The first time I've heard this angle.

 

[2Infinity]

This is good! Crispino is professional, has lots of experience, is a local guy and yet, will be refreshingly new!

 

[alexd]

Very nice. But I have to comment that he really started his broadcasting career at WWUH radio at Univ. of Hartford.
I've had a chance to meet him at a few WWUH staff/alum shindigs. Great guy.

 

[Thirty Three]

Glad to see they kept Wayne Norman. Great guy.

 

[The Viking]

From reading this article it seems like they wanted to bring Joe D. back but WTIC wouldn't let him out of his contract. The first time I've heard this angle.

I had heard that from someone with TIC connections and couldn't believe it. Maybe it's true.

What a kick in the nuts if you're Joe D and everyone keeps their jobs and moves over except for you - so you can do sports updates and some commentary on the morning show. Damn.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I heard that name and instantly felt really old.

It had been decades since I heard his name.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UofCT]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

 

[Huskybass]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

Joe D. was kind of familiar and comfortable. It took me awhile to get past the "tricky dribbles" and the like to come to like him though. He just became part of the fabric of UConn basketball based on years of service.

 

[gtcam]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

obviously two others (the likes) also and one of them comes as no surprise
I am not sure you can classify the voice of Husky hoops for decades and the famous calls he has made as overrated.
Maybe to some he became tiresome but to me he will always be the voice of the Big East Huskies - he was not the best at hockey and marginal at football but it just won't seem like UConn radio hoops. As it was when George Ehrlich and Floyd Richards were replaced by Joe D - life goes on
Mike Crispino is a nice guy but at this time it doesn't excite me but I will get used to it
Congrats to Crispino and best of luck to Joe D

 

[Devland]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

It all depends on where you had him rated. He is what he is.

 

[Hoophound]

Sometimes the best person for the job isn’t the best person at the job. Joe D wasn’t perfect calling football games and he got a little big for his britches over time, but he is the voice of UConn sports.

Crispino is pretty good and people will accept him because he is friendly, humble and familiar, but Joe D will be missed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe return in a few years if this really was a contract issue with WTIC.

 

[Rico444]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

He's been doing this forever, and it's a shame he couldn't leave on his own terms, but yeah he wasn't my favorite PbP man overall.

Still wish they could've found a way to keep him.

 

[Blueballer]

So they wanted Joe D but WTIC wouldn't let him out of his contract. Those spiteful clowns.

 

[Exit 4]

So they wanted Joe D but WTIC wouldn't let him out of his contract. Those spiteful clowns.

Wow. They may have tried to used their control over Joe D as part of the overall leverage to pay less for the media rights. Clowns.

 

[jostar1]

I like Joe D and would have preferred that he be the one still calling the games.
It's Joe D's birthday tomorrow. He will be 65. That's retirement age. Maybe that's some consolation to him.

 

[krinklecut]

I didn't think I minded Joe D leaving all that much until I found this video of his calls:

Nostalgia is a weird thing. I've been living far from home for a number of years now, and this video made me instantly homesick. It's so weird that one man's voice can be such a part of your life. I'm immediately taken back to sitting in my dads car on long, quiet rides listening to UConn. Or sitting in a room around a radio with my brother to catch the UConn game when the powers out. Or trying desperately to tune into 1080 on vacation in southern Vermont or the Rhode Island beaches and hearing flickers of his voice through the static. And now I'm sad that I would get to show and share these experiences with my wife whenever we hopefully move up north; without Joe D it's not the same experience I had growing up.

It really is the end of the era, and I hope Crispino is ready for the same die hard fandom that comes from Connecticut.

 

[firstnline]

Solid choice. Has a comfortable clear voice to listen to and has plenty of experience. Hopefully he has no Syracuse ties. Can't tolerate that.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

I grew up listening to sports on the radio and still to this day enjoy listening to a game, basketball, football (not so much) and especially baseball on the radio while working in the garage or driving. Anyway I was living in NJ during the 90s without access to televised games but if I put my radio antenna out my attic window I could pick up WTIC in Hartford. So up I'd go to my attic "office" and listen to Joe D. He had a rhythm and pace to his call and he brought the game to you. He sometimes went off on tangents, but nothing like some of the TV announcers like Dickie V and others.

 

[StoneyDawg]

Am I the only one who thought Joe D was incredibly overrated?

Who highly rated him? Never really heard anyone say he was a great play by play person.

 

[Guapo]

Look, basically:

UConn>St. John's