Jim Brandstatter Almost Unlistenable
I listened to the Penn State game on the radio this past weekend. I really hate to dog him out because he is such a great representative of the University, but man, Jim Brandstatter is almost unlistenable as a play-by-play announcer.
Forget that he doesn’t have the classic voice or the proper intonation of a PBP announcer. The sheer number mistakes he makes when comes identifying players is astonishing. Constantly mixing up McSorely and Stevens is one thing. Not being able to tell the difference between Higdon and Evans or Long and Hill is inexcusable.
The University has really done a disservice to Brandstatter—a lifelong Michigan Man—in installing him in a role he is so ill-equipped to handle. After serving the University so well for so long, he deserves better. It’s time they made things right by hiring a true PBP man so Brandstatter can move back where he belongs as the color commentator. Keep Dan Dierdorf around and have a three man booth for all I care. Just please, for the love of god, take the PBP duties away from Brandstatter. It’s so, so, so bad! Sorry Jim!
November 6th, 2018 at 5:25 AM ^
Shep has paid his dues and is a local radio staple, but I don’t think you want him calling Michigan football. His basketball calls are a series of ref hot takes followed by indiscernible yelling. He isn’t good. I like him, but he isn’t good.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:55 PM ^
Absolutely. Most of the students (or ?) on WCBN do a fantastic job on play by play for all sports - FAR and away better than Brandstatter. Just listen to their replays. And you can rest assured they don’t have nearly the same budget or resources and yet their IDs of players are quick and they make sense in the way they call those. I’m actually kind of embarrassed for those two dinosaurs up in that booth.
November 6th, 2018 at 4:18 AM ^
I 1000% agree. And please, retire "sack time." It doesn't even make sense in the context he uses it most of the time. "And Uche gets sack time!" What? It's, not good.
Love Brandstatter, he's just fine on Inside, he's great as a rep of the University. But he doesn't belong on the radio calls / game calls.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:37 PM ^
Yes, thank you for this. Maybe “sacktime” once every 1000 or so sacks but every single one? Brandstatter needs to go
November 6th, 2018 at 4:32 AM ^
When Brandstatter did the color for the Lions he was actually good. He understands the game and provides insight as to what is going on. As a PBP caller, he is terrible. You would think every play is going for a touchdown because he YELLS the play, This past weekend, I listened to Blaha call the MSU-MD game and he may actually be worse because he rarely calls a play until after it is over. For example: Lewerke to Jabroni - IT'S CAUGHT. Ten and 15 to go in the third... and that's it. No down and distance, no yard line, and then dead silence until the next play where he tells you they lost two yards and it's second and twelve. I flipped around and caught part of the OSU game and their announcer is the anti-Brandstatter. He is very low key and treats each play the same. A long pass gets no more emphasis than a dive up the middle for two yards. BUT, the guy gave you formations, personnel, the score, the down and distance, and facts about the players.
Someone mentioned Wayne Laribee. That guy was a pro. There has to be someone comparable to him that Michigan could hire.
November 6th, 2018 at 4:32 AM ^
I agree and I thought this was going to be an unpopular opinion.
As an example, he couldn't tell the difference between David Long and Lavert Hill, so he called a player David Hill.
November 6th, 2018 at 4:42 AM ^
The worst part of Brandy’s PBP is how he always shoehorns in “Touchdown ... Mmmmmmichigan!” whenever we score. He so badly wants that to become a catchphrase like Ufer’s “Meeechigan”. It is cringeworthy.
November 6th, 2018 at 4:59 AM ^
I really dislike him as Pbp. I think I posted about it last year. His “sack TIME” call is awful and I can’t help but repeat it every time now! Compare it to OSU’s broadcast and it’s like Grapentine vs everyone else. The osu guy is amazing, sadly.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:19 AM ^
Sadly, the OSU guy—Paul Keels—was once the U-M PBP man.
November 6th, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
I have listened to a number of OSU games done by Paul Keels. He's very, very good. I actually remember him doing general sports reporting in Detroit; he was good. And I remember him doing U-M basketball; he was great at that. And oddly enough, I don't recall him doing Michigan football (even though he did it for six years I think) and I think the reason for that is because in those days when I listened to games on the radio, I always listened to Tom Hemmingway and the late Tom Slade -- THE BEST radio team Michigan has ever had.
The funny thing about Keels in this era of big college football blogs is that I see a lot of complaints about Keels from folks like the 11W crowd. Keels has some fans, as he should, but a mystifying number of detractors.
November 6th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
Perhaps Dierdorf teabags him every time the QB is tackled for a loss??
November 6th, 2018 at 5:28 AM ^
posted about this yesterday, but yeah, brandstatter is not good at his job. in fact, he's bad. what bugs me is that he can't even do the basics of his job about quickly/efficiently describing player X ran/passed to the Y yard line, for a gain/loss of Z. that is not rocket surgery. instead you get those clipped, excited but otherwise empty sound bites:
he runs!
oh! he dodged a guy. nice play!
well dan, sure seems like the team is playing well today...
(meanwhile, no down, distance, sideline, player ID, etc is noted)
November 6th, 2018 at 7:22 AM ^
This is spot on. It's the result / down / distance thing I want after a play completes, and in some cases that takes 10 to 20 seconds to hear.
Last year I thought he was starting to improve a bit, but he seems to have regressed.
I've listened to various college games on Sirius radio, and in general the announcers for other teams are much better at the PBP aspect of this. The best are restrained and efficient in their delivery of information. It can be quite enjoyable listening to a game on the radio if the announcers provide the right commentary.
I wonder if there's training for being a play-by-play announcer? He could benefit from some coaching on fundamentals.
November 6th, 2018 at 5:29 AM ^
I enjoy listening to them, although I don't listen all that often. Mostly, I'm happy to live in a world where we are reduced to bitching about the PBP Announcer in November!
November 6th, 2018 at 5:29 AM ^
My favorite is the 2nd TD (DPJ's catch).... "Shea's got a guy in the end zone - TOUCHDOWN MICHIGAN!"
And... SACK TIME!
November 6th, 2018 at 5:33 AM ^
I very much agree. He's a great color guy but trying to figure out what's happening in the game while he's announcing is frustrating. He's not quick enough to tell you the who and what. It's almost like he gets so excited himself, that he can't describe what's going on. And this "sack time" thing he's trying to start is just cringy. The last time I had to listen to the radio broadcast I remember screaming at my radio, "Tell me what the fuck is happening!"
November 6th, 2018 at 5:49 AM ^
I miss Frank Beckmann so much. I was definitely in the camp of "muting the TV to listen to the radio" back in the day. It's been years since I tried to listen to any radio broadcast. Sadly the last live radio utterance I heard from Brandstatter was the MSU punt fail... never again. I didn't mind him at all as the color guy, but something needs to change.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:17 AM ^
It's as if he's so caught up watching, he forgets he has a radio audience listening in waiting for his PBP calls. I've never thought he was any good.
November 6th, 2018 at 5:46 AM ^
Agreed to OP. Time to bring in a proper PBP and have Brandy and Dan doing Color.
November 6th, 2018 at 5:58 AM ^
On one of PSUs punts he said nothing for about 10 seconds. I thought my radio broke
November 6th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
It was like Rod and Mario were visiting.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:01 AM ^
Couldn't disagree more.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:57 AM ^
It’s ok to be wrong.
November 6th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
On a matter of opinion?
November 6th, 2018 at 6:04 AM ^
I’d like to first comment that all of these comments wer made between 1 and 6 am. Are you all overseas or just insomniacs like me?
Anyway, I agree that I would definitely want Brandy to stay on as the color guy and have Dierdorf be the third man ... lots of teams do it.
What about Mark Champion (Pistons radio) or Dan Dickerson (Tigers radio)? Both have enough football pedigree and Dickerson has subbed in on Michigan football in the past. I’ve never understood why they don’t get one of those guys but I’m sure it has everything to do with contracts and money $$$.
And somebody dogging Blaha just needs to stop. He is a professional at this and worlds better than Branstatter and he’s banked a lifetime of goodwill for his work as the Pistons TV guy going all the way back to the Bad Boys days. He’s a legend and when I want to catch how the Sparty game is going on the radio I enjoy his work just fine.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:11 AM ^
i agree with this re: blaha. we were listening to the sparty v. m-land game on the way down to AA, and it was refreshing to actually know the down and distance and what happened on a play in a coherent and efficient fashion. now, i'm fairly certain blaha's color guy failed the 3rd grade, but he's not relevant to this conversation.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:16 AM ^
yeah but then you had to put up with that freeloader Strayhorn. All he does is get paid to watch the game and hate on Michigan.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:48 AM ^
I will dog Blaha and I don't care what you say because he sounds like a douchenozzle scumbag used car salesman who yes, is much better trained as an announcer than someone like brandy, but sounds like his entire education in broadcasting came from watching talkies while he was coming of age in the 1920s.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:22 AM ^
i realize its like listening to tokyo rose but at least he covers the basics, and brandstatter does not.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^
I'll give you that; at least when I listen to Blaha I always know when the sparties are marching "Left to Right" or "Right to Left" - "Across my radio dial".
Very helpful descriptor.
/S
November 6th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
I've always laughed at that too. It makes no difference, I suppose it allows listeners to imagine more.
I don't get the attraction to Blaha. He gives the down and distance more frequently, but he is a massive whiner and will spew BS to support his whines. Brandy doesn't whine even half as much as Blaha.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:08 AM ^
See... A reference to Tokyo Rose on a college football blog in 2018. I mean, would you see such a thing on Alabama's AGoBlog? Or Clemson's CGoBlog? No.
Only at MGoBlog does one get an off-handed remark about Tokyo Rose without any backstory, nor any trace of whit. It's just a normal reference to an 88 year old radio personality - like everyone already knows exactly who she is. And we do.
Thank you, MGoBlog!
BTW, Rose's only valid competition for propaganda kingdom (queendom?) is Baghdad Bob.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:09 AM ^
The Lee Corso and Lou Holtz of Wolverine broadcasters.
Pick one from Jalen Rose, Dhani Jones and Matt Shepard. Keep Jon Jansen for color. Definitely need to consider some funk in the booth.
The mic is not fickle about picking up the grunts, huffs and puffs of Blue Beards in the background.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:17 AM ^
what about Doug Karsch? or Ed Kenjerski (spelling?)?
November 6th, 2018 at 7:27 AM ^
I like Karsch, but his voice is not neutral. 3 hours of that could be difficult to take.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:39 AM ^
Jalen Rose for play by play? WTF?
November 6th, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
Yeah, I have no idea. Somebody elsewhere suggested Jon Jansen. Not trying to insult anybody, but there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of what goes into a broadcast team.
There's a play-by-play guy, who is generally not an ex-athlete but rather a broadcasting professional - well versed in the cadence, tempo, and information needed to paint a picture of the game for the audience. Joe Buck is not an ex-athlete. He's a broadcaster. Same with Al Michaels, Gus Johnson, Mike Tirico, Brad Nessler, Brent Musburger, Keith Jackson, and on and on and on...
Those guys are broadcasters. They've studied and perfected the craft of broadcasting sporting events.
With them, you usually throw in an ex-athlete germane to that sport. Guys that know the nuances and can dumb down plays to help the 100-level listener process the game. These are Color guys. That's John Madden, Dan Dierdorf, Jim Brandstatter, Lomas Brown, Greg Kelser, Mickey Redmond, Cris Colinsworth, Troy Aikman, etc., etc....
Those guys are there to fill in the dead spots with explanations, stats or highlights of the game.
Jim Brandstatter was the color guy. Then Michigan made the odd move of making a color guy the play-by-play guy. They took a carpenter and tried to make him an architect. It's going about as well as you would think it would.
They need a broadcaster in that seat. Not Jim Brandstatter or Jalen Rose or any other of your favorite athletes from years past, regardless of how much they love Michigan. They need a Play-by-play guy or the radio broadcast will continue to be an embarrassment.
With that, I acknowledge I'm unnecessarily irritated by the subject and am leaving the thread. Hope this helps avoid insane suggestions moving forward.
November 6th, 2018 at 4:47 PM ^
You failed to mention the greatest PBP man of all time, Jim Carr.
November 6th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Jalen Rose for... football?
November 6th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
Tongue and cheek, but Jalen does a great job with the NBA, and I’d able to correctly identify players with numbers- hence being a far superior pbp than our current offering...
November 6th, 2018 at 6:15 AM ^
I love Brandy, but he was better at color than PBP.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:48 AM ^
Brandy is a great color guy, but I preferred Beckmann.
Also, give me Mark Champion over Dan Miller any day. Champion would say what all Lions fans felt....which was ultimately his undoing. Miller is a company line guy.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:00 AM ^
Totally agree on Champion/Miller. I was pissed when the Lions made that move almost as much as I was when they booted Branstatter. Instead of firing good announcers perhaps they should focus on building a decent football team.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:51 AM ^
I'm not going to act like Brandy & Dierdorf are fantastic, but if you hate their broadcast, next Saturday, download Tune-in radio and spend some time listening to other teams' broadcasts around the country.
There's a whoooole lot worse out there, let me tell you.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:15 AM ^
I feel like we're beating a dead horse on this. Yes, Brandstatter isn't great at play-by-play, we all know this and don't need to bring it up every month. He's also been around Michigan football for nearly 50 years and clearly loves the program. He's obviously not the long-term solution, so who cares? I hope the school is looking into a long-term radio announcer, someone who is young and passionate and can be the voice of the games for the next 30+ years. It's a big decision, no need to rush it.
Also, calling the radio broadcast "unlistenable" is hyperbolic BS. It's Michigan football, it happens one day a week for three months of the year. Are you really going to miss a game because the radio broadcast sucks? Come on. That's like saying pizza is "literally unedible." At the end of the day, it's still pizza, it cannot be that bad.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:30 AM ^
That's like saying pizza is "literally unedible." At the end of the day, it's still pizza, it cannot be that bad.
Totally off the OP topic, but I'm trying to think of a pizza I've had where it was truly so horrible I had to push the plate away. I've had pizza less good than other pizza, but never so truly horrible I could not stand it. Pizza seems to have a relatively high floor.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:53 AM ^
Interesting thought. What is always "pretty good" even when it's really bad?
Pizza, sex, fishing, brisket... what am I missing?
Golf? No; I've definitely said "F this" and walked off the course a couple times...
November 6th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
French fries?
November 6th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
The only pizza I remember turning down was many years ago, when I was substitute teaching in a junior high. I tried the cafeteria pizza: rubbery cheese, ketchup-like sauce, and sausage bits about as tasty as pencil erasers. Two bites was all I could manage.
Always good even when it's bad? I have a friend who would say weed.
November 6th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
We are not beating a dead horse. The horse is alive. The horse calls the Michigan game every week and the horse sucks at calling the Michigan game.
You say "He's obviously not the long-term solution". How is that? This isn't his first year doing this. Brandstatter/Dierdorf have been on the call since the 2014 season. This is their 5th year. If anything is obvious, it's that the school has shown no interest in finding a better option. Until they do, it's totally valid for the consumer (us) to voice our displeasure with the product.