OT: American Sportscaster/play-by-play Mount Rushmore
Prompted by the retirement of Brent Musburger, Mike Hall tweeted this:
Here's an impossible task: American Sportcaster Mount Rushmore. You only can put up 4. I think Brent's in there. Who ya got?
— Mike Hall (@BTNMikeHall) January 25, 2017
Someone in response pointed out that one needs to differentiate between "sportscaster" and "play-by-play" guy, which is probably wise.
It's not easy. I don't think Brent is there (he would make the college football mount, along with Keith, Verne, and... hard to narrow down a fourth. Maybe Joe Tess in a few years).
Focusing on just play-by-play guys, I would list Al Michaels, Vin Scully, Howard Cosell, and Keith Jackson, even though I'm not a big fan of Cosell even granted the generational differences there.
Brent actually has a better case if you expand the field beyond play-by-play, because he was an iconic studio host for CBS for years. Cosell fares well there, too. Jim Nantz becomes a legit candidate, even though I don't like him, as do guys like Chris Fowler.
Who ya got?
January 25th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:43 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:49 PM ^
Whoa Nellie.....
January 25th, 2017 at 5:39 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 7:42 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 10:43 PM ^
Hello Heisman!
January 25th, 2017 at 6:25 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:53 PM ^
Dan Dakich.
ESPN - Dan Dakich
BTN - Jon Crispin
January 25th, 2017 at 8:15 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 11:35 PM ^
lmao I was just thinking of current guys. But maybe one day my friend ;)
Love to see Gus in the final 4...I mean just listen to the man
January 25th, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
Keith Jackson
Jim McKay
Vin Scully
January 25th, 2017 at 6:00 PM ^
Daaaaamn. Good call on Jim McKay.
January 25th, 2017 at 10:50 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 7:44 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 5:20 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 6:27 PM ^
Tirico, Jackson, Cosell, Costas
January 25th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
TEXAS IS BACK BABY!!!!!
January 25th, 2017 at 5:36 PM ^
[NO RELIGION]
/s
January 25th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
For me, most of them are going to be "newer" because I didn't hear a lot of the "old guard" call games.
#1- Gus Johnson: Some of my favorite memories growing up are watching him call NCAA tournament games. Even though he gets off the rails sometimes, his passion for basketball is above and beyond what anyone does.
#2- Ken Daniels: Maybe some hometown bias here. I've heard plenty of other on-air guys call their local NHL teams. None of them hold a candle to Ken.
#3- Bob Cole: Even at 83, no one calls a hockey game like him. And he's still sharp with the game.
#4- Mike Tirico: Professional, passionate, good dude. He's already one of the best.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
gus, ha haaa!! youre right, hes a little out there at times and may not be everyone but a great dude and passionate hoops nut.
gus has called some classics, thats for sure. tough to top his enthusiasm, especially during march madness or big east tourney (which ill always put near the top of the list of best sporting event - though more so the old big east and gus wasnt as involved) - but he can just easily crack me up with a random outburst during the opening minutes of some december non conference game.
i despise all things osu but ill never forget that wild xavier vs osu tourney game (maybe 08?) and his call - ron lewis!!!
January 25th, 2017 at 7:53 PM ^
...so this old timer suggests you find video of Danny Gallivan. He did English language CBC broadcasts from the Forum in Montreal. " A cannonaaaading shot by LaFleur."
January 25th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
Doc Emrick 100%
January 25th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^
Doc makes bad games seem way more interesting, and but utterly sucks the life out of great games (that don't need him to say 180 words per minute for the duration of the game).
January 25th, 2017 at 4:39 PM ^
Doc is really, really good. I could listen to him call Stanley Cup Playoff games all day long.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^
but here is mine:
Keith Jackson, Verne Lundquist, Vin Scully, Dick Enberg
I also LOVED Bruce Martyn. He'd be in my personal Hall of Fame. So many good memories listening to Wings games riding in my Dads work truck
January 25th, 2017 at 7:55 PM ^
and Sid Abel. Sid was a real character. "Detroit are playing back on its heels."
January 25th, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
25 years. I wasn't around for Cosell. My picks would be Keith Jackson, Marv Albert (sexual exploits aside), Jim Lampley, and Brad Nessler. Nessler goes back a lot longer than most people think, has worked for muttiple networks and even called NBA on ESPN for a number of years. He is underrated.
January 25th, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^
Teddy Atlas for color guy
jokes.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
super passionate.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
Ernie Harwell was the best baseball play-by-play of all time. Period. I won't brook discussion on this.
January 25th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 7:59 PM ^
...simply loved the man. He had some company in the pantheon of baseball announcers. A Mt Rushmore simply for that catagory...
Harwell
Jack Buck
Vin Scully
and, of course, Harry Carey
January 25th, 2017 at 10:48 PM ^
The first three are no brainers, but the fourth one was a no brainer.
Harry was fun, but he was... not good.
But we should all get to live like Harry for a little while. I don't think anyone has had as much fun.
January 25th, 2017 at 11:36 PM ^
we called Paul Carey the "Voice of God," because of the tenor of his voice. But Ernie would be #1 on Rushmore in my book.
I'd also include Keith Jackson, of course. And Al Michaels for his call in the 1980 Olympic hockey game: "Do you believe in miracles?!!"
January 25th, 2017 at 7:02 PM ^
I clicked on the thread to certainly see Ernie Harwell mentioned within the first post or two and here it is at #29. All 28 of you that posted above "stood there like the house by the side of the road".
January 26th, 2017 at 7:05 AM ^
January 25th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
Easy...
- 1. Jim Lampley
- 2. Vin Scully
- 3. Jim Lampley
- 4. Jim Lampley
Jim Lampley is the best fight caller in the biz, by a mile, but also bounces around to baseball, the olympics, and other random sports, and kills it. I'd listen to him read the phone book.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:18 PM ^
should stop what they are doing and go watch and listen to the 9th round of Gatti/Ward 1. Lampley is very, very good.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^
A big part of the reason Lampley is so amazing is that they stick him with Larry Merchant... who is not all there anymore, or with a parade of boxers who are in the beginning stages of their sunset and add nothing. He carries them all and genuinely adds to the telecast.
Always wished Lampley had called other sports besides boxing on the regular.
Also, Max Kellerman, before ESPN made him into a hot take-r, used to be so great and knowledgeable. But now he's just another sports talk radio hack.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
of the things I like the most about Lampley is that he makes a great fight that much better, but he doesn't try to convince you that a bad fight is good, regardless of how much you paid. If you are watching a bad boxing match, he will tell you that you are watching a bad boxing match. He doesn't sugar coat anything, and that is rare among announcers.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
knowledgeable about boxing. He didn't forget it just because he's on some dumb espn show.
January 25th, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^
Agreed, he's still got it.
But 99% of people know him as the annoying Hot Take guy now, so I think that overrides his few good boxing appearances per year.
January 25th, 2017 at 9:10 PM ^
On all counts
January 25th, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^
He's awesome. Max K is also a great color guy. Actually, Roy Jones is super knowledgeable and does a good job. Too bad Larry M retired. He was good comic relief.