OT? Your Favorite Announcer - Any Sport, Any Period

[Husky25]

I believe that is Chris Berman's line.

Berman does a very poor Facenda impersonation when he says this.

 

[meyers7]

Berman does a very poor Facenda impersonation when he says this.

Point was, Facenda didn't say that, Berman did.

 

[Husky25]

Point was, Facenda didn't say that, Berman did.

Ergo, The Autumn Wind is a Pirate clip above.

And it's not my opinion. Berman does a horrific impression of the Voice of God.

 

[Replicant]

Berman does a very poor Facenda impersonation when he says this.

I believe that is Chris Berman's line.

When googled, most sites state (and I paraphrase) "no one knows who first coined the expression, but it is believed to be Facenda". I have an alternative theory, that it more than likely was one of the Sabols (Ed and/or Steve) from NFL Films that may have been the originators!

 

[wire chief]

I wasn't aware that Facenda did anything except the NFL Films specials.

Don't know either, but that qualifies as "sports announcing."

 

[Husky25]

When googled, most sites state (and I paraphrase) "no one knows who first coined the expression, but it is believed to be Facenda". I have an alternative theory, that it more than likely was one of the Sabols (Ed and/or Steve) from NFL Films that may have been the originators!

That's not wholly true either:

Steve Sabol wrote those very words while working on the Packers’ highlight film for that season. Vince Lombardi, an English major, wanted to review the script before it went to production. Lombardi first informed Sabol that “frozen tundra” is redundant (Wester’s defines it as a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil). Secondly, Lombardi told Sabol that because they had installed a heating element under the field, the field was actually never frozen, and he would not allow those words to be used!

"The Voice of God". His rich, dramatic voice was a perfect complement to the long passes, thrilling runs and violent tackling of pro football. All football fans know his word delivery and can visualize the scene, "the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field", which he never actually said, as it was a Chris Berman (ESPN) tribute to his style.

Frozen Tundra is used in the Cowboys' video that Facenda did not narrate.

 

[rocky rococo]

Ha! So I threw a red herring into the bowl--but didn't know it. My apologies for being a wascally wabbit.

 

[sparky]

Scooter Rizutto, Cawood Ledford Univ. of KY.

 

[slug25]

Ray Hudson doing the Barcelona games is "magisterial"

 

[meyers7]

Ray Hudson doing the Barcelona games is "magisterial"

"Don’t look for him in Xs and Os, he doesn’t live there. He doesn’t live in the tactical world, or the technical world, he lives in the magnetic spectrum of genius."

 

[TRuconnfan]

.Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez on SNY are wonderful on Mets games. The Mets stink but the games are worth watching just to listen, learn and laugh with those three.[/quote]

Love these guys they are the best...I pay extra to get them on MLB.com.
You have to love all the "Keith-isms"
I'm a huge Mets fan, I remember also when McCarver used to be good calling Mets games (stunk on Fox) and always loved Ralph Kiners Stories.

For Uconn I do really like Kara but I prefer her and Rebecca behind the desk together.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Interesting thread.

I wasn't thinking women when I posted earlier - amazingly - but Beth Mowins does a nice job across multiple sports.

And there was a woman with the old CSTV network that was very entertaining, she used to do the BET at times. They were doing the WNIT final one year when Nevada? was in it and describing the fan who attended sports events wearing a barrel. Funniest commentary ever.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

.Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez on SNY are wonderful on Mets games. The Mets stink but the games are worth watching just to listen, learn and laugh with those three.

Love these guys they are the best...I pay extra to get them on MLB.com.
You have to love all the "Keith-isms"
I'm a huge Mets fan, I remember also when McCarver used to be good calling Mets games (stunk on Fox) and always loved Ralph Kiners Stories.

For Uconn I do really like Kara but I prefer her and Rebecca behind the desk together.[/quote]
------------------
Kiner!!! Forgot his own name once...

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/ralph-kiner-dies-at-91-1.2526161

 

[TRuconnfan]

------------------
Kiner!!! Forgot his own name once...

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/ralph-kiner-dies-at-91-1.2526161[/quote]

LOL thats funny I didn't know that....but even at 90 & with the stroke his mind seemed sharp as a tack when talking baseball, it was pretty amazing.

 

[Mattydog7]

Mel Allen

Great pick.

 

[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