OT? Your Favorite Announcer - Any Sport, Any Period

[Orangutan]

He called Abby Wambach's header in the 120+ minute against Brazil the following year too.

I remember that call very well. Something like "Abby Wambach has saved the USA's life in the World Cup!" I've never seen a sweeter cross than the one Megan Rapinoe hit to set up that goal.

 

[dbmill]

I also love listening to John Tuite doing UConn men's soccer on WHUS. He used to be active broadcasting other sports for the station, but his public addressing gig with UConn has pretty much eliminated that.

 

[CL82]

John Facenda - you'll know the voice.

 

[WildEagle]

Baseball: Mel Allen
Football: no team ever better than Madden and Summerall
Public Address: the late great Bob Shepard
Voice of God: John Facenda

 

[yukonsam]

Vin Scully - even today approaching 90 he is still the best at telling the game story and entrancing with his play by play.

Amen! I never heard Vin Scully's mentor, Red Barber, but I grew up listening to Vin Scully call games from the L.A. Coliseum and Dodger Stadium. Nowhere except Los Angeles do tens of thousands of fans bring their radios to the ballpark because only in Los Angeles can fans listen to Vin Scully beautifully describe the game they are watching.
"It is 9:46 p.m. ... 2 and 2 to Harvey Kuehn ... One Strike Away ... Sandy into his windup; here's the pitch: SWUNG ON AND MISSED! A PERFECT GAME!" Then comes what he learned from Red Barber (Scully said nothing more for more than half a minute; he just let's the screaming crowd tell the story). So so so much better than Russ Hodges screaming over and over what was obvious to any fan: "The Giants Win The Pennant!!"

 

[johnnyc]

My all time favorite was probably Jim Gordon who was the television voice of the NY Rangers and radio voice of the NY Football Giants. Also Sam Rosen (especially when he was teamed up with John Davidson) who is the current voice of NY Rangers hockey.
For baseball it would be Mel Allen.

 

[uconnfan68]

My first OT topic, in the spirit of Nan's off-season post.

Who were some of your favorite TV or Radio sports announcers?
I was always partial to Lindsey Nelson's coverage of college football. Consistently excellent, knowledgeable and objective with a good voice and he just irradiated the excitement.

Bill Raftery, "send it in Jerome!" is my favorite line.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

He wasn't really an announcer, but when I was young, "Leonard's Loser's" was a short radio program that predicted the losers of college football games every week. The guy that announced the spot sounded a lot like Foghorn Leghorn, who is and was my favorite cartoon character. I say, I said I say, boy, lemme learn ya how to throw that there ball.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

John Facenda's voice was the perfect means of conveying the NFL's sense of self importance.

 

[UConnDadRich]

Bob Wilson - Boston Bruins Radio

 

[RoyDodger]

Red Barber, without a doubt. He's still sitting in the catbird seat. Second would be Mel Allen announcing a Yankee "Ballentine Blast."

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Doc Emrick...he makes TV come live with radio talents....it's possible with him a the helm to watch a hockey game with your eyes closed. There is no mute in Emrick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Emrick

 

[TroyHouse66]

v old dog & dog... Yes!

Mel Allen (& Red Barber)
Both were absolutely marvelous at softly, Southernly, passing along a joyous picture of the cavernous Yankee Stadium (b. April 18, 1923) in its full glory.
A high school buddy's family was throwing away a(circa 1932) table-top cathedral radio about 1962... I asked for it & took the prize home. I had to string about 15ft of bare copper wire along my Mother's kitchen cabinets to pull in the signal from New Yawk; my radio, "Mel", and I lived through many great moments (Mickey coming out from a broken foot injury and parking a winning HR) and several bad moments (trading for Reuben Amaro for SS) over the years.
Billy Crystal has committed an unforgivable sin, as a self-proclaimed Yankee fan, which can not be pardoned. When he made the M & M story, "61*", Crystal made Mel's voice into some white-bread, same-old-same-old, voice that bore none of the lilt and warmth of Allen's Alabama tones. Shame!