Best and Worst Sports Announcers/Analysts?

[Padreruf]

As I torture myself watching ESPN in retirement I have started to compile a list of those analysts/announcers whom I like and those who I wonder how they still have their jobs.

My favorites are many: Adam Schafer, Marcus Spears, Booger McFarland, Kirk Herbstreit, Emmanuel Acho, Laura Rutledge, Maria Taylor, Rod Gilmore, Field Yates and Louis Riddick...and on and on.

However, there are some who irritate me so much that I change the channel:

Mike Golic, Jr. -- I call him marble-mouth for obvious reasons; he is living proof that nepotism is alive and well at ESPN -- why else would he have a position??

Dan Orlovsky -- he shouts at the camera every time he speaks...who is reviewing him, anyway? He only shows the obvious and shouts while doing it...

Beth Mowins -- her voice is incredibly irritating...

How do these people still have positions? Your lists...thoughts? Can you tell its a slow, rainy day in Charleston, SC and I'm not playing golf???

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I miss Mark May.

 

[81usaf92]

Worst is Rob Parker and Max Kellerman.

I’ve personally met Brando twice and he is a big time donkey that I have no respect for. But atleast he is right once in a while and not stupid enough to play the Race card.

 

[GrayTide]

Chris Fowler needs to stay away from college football and focus his efforts on tennis. I cannot listen to Beth Mowins. I have also grown tired of Kirk Herbstreit. Not a huge fan of Brian Griese either. Surprisingly, I have gotten to really like Sean McDonough.

 

[TraskiTideFan]

If we are just talking about TV Sports announcers in general and not just ESPN personalities, Tony Romo has quietly come on the scene and really made himself an entertaining up and comer. Mac is as good a color commentator as it gets too. They are knowledgeable on the fly and don't make too many boneheaded observations over the course of a game.

 

[dayhiker]

On the analyst end of things, can Gary Danielson win worst and best? His insights are very often timely and accurate. Since he is a Purdue graduate, the story about engineers comes to mind. Yes, I'm an engineer. Anyway, what does an engineer use for birth control? Their personality. This certainly applies to Gary.

 

[The Ols]

If we are just talking about TV Sports announcers in general and not just ESPN personalities, Tony Romo has quietly come on the scene and really made himself an entertaining up and comer. Mac is as good a color commentator as it gets too. They are knowledgeable on the fly and don't make too many boneheaded observations over the course of a game.

Baseball guy..."Boog" Schiambie? GREAT baseball voice...

 

[UAH]

As I torture myself watching ESPN in retirement I have started to compile a list of those analysts/announcers whom I like and those who I wonder how they still have their jobs.

My favorites are many: Adam Schafer, Marcus Spears, Booger McFarland, Kirk Herbstreit, Emmanuel Acho, Laura Rutledge, Maria Taylor, Rod Gilmore, Field Yates and Louis Riddick...and on and on.

However, there are some who irritate me so much that I change the channel:

Mike Golic, Jr. -- I call him marble-mouth for obvious reasons; he is living proof that nepotism is alive and well at ESPN -- why else would he have a position??

Dan Orlovsky -- he shouts at the camera every time he speaks...who is reviewing him, anyway? He only shows the obvious and shouts while doing it...

Beth Mowins -- her voice is incredibly irritating...

How do these people still have positions? Your lists...thoughts? Can you tell its a slow, rainy day in Charleston, SC and I'm not playing golf???

ESPN does have obvious nepotism. I generally agree with your characterizations. As a consequence I don't watch anything on the network other than pre-game SEC network and the game broadcast itself primarily Bama games. I have become so repelled by ESPN personalities and their prejudices that I avoid watching any of their program excerpts that show up on YouTube. Most of us would likely agree that we are not their target demographic.

 

[BamaHoosier]

I miss Mark May.

I loved the old halftime shows with Rece, Holtz, and May. Say what you will about Holtz’s lack of enunciation and homerism, but the three of them just had great chemistry and were a blast to listen to.

With that said, Mark May has proven to be next level crazy since he left espn. Follow his twitter and you’ll see he’s narcissistic, tone deaf, and kind of obnoxious. He’s embraced the schtick of being an online troll, which I find sad as talented as he was.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

On the analyst end of things, can Gary Danielson win worst and best? His insights are very often timely and accurate. Since he is a Purdue graduate, the story about engineers comes to mind. Yes, I'm an engineer. Anyway, what does an engineer use for birth control? Their personality. This certainly applies to Gary.

I know I'm in the distinct minority on this (nothing new there), but I actually like Gary Danielson, occasional randomness and erroneous rule interpretation acknowledged. I learn something every time I watch his games.

Eli Gold, for all his crimson glasses is not a good play-by-play guy. I like his voice, his enthusiasm, and his obvious love for the Crimson Tide. But, Lord help him, he cannot convey the progress of a football game.

Long story short, I had to be driving during this past season's USCe game. So I listened on Sirius, but didn't have the benefit of a TV to fill in the gaps. It went for plays at a time without down-and-distance information, the score, overall flow of the game, etc. On more than one occasion I knew the previous play had been 3rd down only because we punted on the next play.

You don't really notice the lack of information when you have the game on TV with the sound turned down and use the radio broadcast as your audio. But I finally got the full picture of what so many had been complaining about when Eli's voice was all I had. A truly frustrating experience.....I found myself yelling at the radio with lots of non-TF words.

 

[92tide]

I know I'm in the distinct minority on this (nothing new there), but I actually like Gary Danielson, occasional randomness and erroneous rule interpretation acknowledged. I learn something every time I watch his games.

Eli Gold, for all his crimson glasses is not a good play-by-play guy. I like his voice, his enthusiasm, and his obvious love for the Crimson Tide. But, Lord help him, he cannot convey the progress of a football game.

Long story short, I had to be driving during this past season's USCe game. So I listened on Sirius, but didn't have the benefit of a TV to fill in the gaps. It went for plays at a time without down-and-distance information, the score, overall flow of the game, etc. On more than one occasion I knew the previous play had been 3rd down only because we punted on the next play.

You don't really notice the lack of information when you have the game on TV with the sound turned down and use the radio broadcast as your audio. But I finally got the full picture of what so many had been complaining about when Eli's voice was all I had. A truly frustrating experience.....I found myself yelling at the radio with lots of non-TF words.

i agree about eli. while out of the country, i have had to listen to audio streaming a few times and it is really hard to actually follow what is happening with the game. between that and stream buffering, it was pretty annoying.

 

[Go Bama]

Harry, Skip, and Chip Carey are my all time favorite play by play announcers. They are (were) baseball announcers but they’re knowledgeable and funny. A great announcer becomes your friend and these three have done it for me far better than anyone else.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are my favorite current football announcers.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Harry, Skip, and Chip Carey are my all time favorite play by play announcers. They are (were) baseball announcers but they’re knowledgeable and funny. A great announcer becomes your friend and these three have done it for me far better than anyone else.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are my favorite current football announcers.

I like Aikman. But Joe Buck needs to swallow a sock. He just rambles.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

I can't watch anything with Booger McFarland involved. His insights are elementary at best and his voice sounds like he is always whining. I got so tired of him on the SEC Network, he made some of the dumbest picks every week with stupid logic. I was so glad when he was promoted away from the SECN. I haven't watch more than 10 minutes of MNF ones he was added to the crew and will not tune in again until he is gone.

 

[Bazza]

For me.....Dick Vitale's voice is as annoying as Beth Mowins.

 

[Go Bama]

For me.....Dick Vitale's voice is as annoying as Beth Mowins.

Amen

 

[CB4]

I can't watch anything with Booger McFarland involved. His insights are elementary at best and his voice sounds like he is always whining. I got so tired of him on the SEC Network, he made some of the dumbest picks every week with stupid logic. I was so glad when he was promoted away from the SECN. I haven't watch more than 10 minutes of MNF ones he was added to the crew and will not tune in again until he is gone.

Booger is awful. There is very little he says in the course of a game that adds anything.

If I do watch Monday Night Football, it is on mute so I don’t have listen to Booger and Tessitore.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

For me.....Dick Vitale's voice is as annoying as Beth Mowins.

OMG yes, 100% agree.

The thing is he didn't always bother me much. He always had his shtick, the dippsy-dos, etc. but, he didn't seem to over do it. That seemed to change over the last decade. It now feels like he is doing an over-the-top impersonation of himself.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I can't watch anything with Booger McFarland involved. His insights are elementary at best and his voice sounds like he is always whining. I got so tired of him on the SEC Network, he made some of the dumbest picks every week with stupid logic. I was so glad when he was promoted away from the SECN. I haven't watch more than 10 minutes of MNF ones he was added to the crew and will not tune in again until he is gone.

I rarely watch MNF but did listen to McFarland a little bit when he was on the SECN. For someone who played the game and is employed to bring the "expert" analysis to the broadcast. He is pitiful. I know he's become known for saying some absolutely dumb stuff during MNF. Marcus Spears and Greg McElroy on the other hand are very good at what they do on the SECN. They actually bring substance to the broadcast.

 

[Tug Tide]

I don’t think I can dislike a broadcaster more than the Dennis Miller experiment on MNF