Favorite sports commentator?

[redqueen]

I listen to Mike and Mike, and I love reading Murphy's Hangover on Page 2.

You?

[kaitykaity]

1. Believe it or not, Bob Costas.

And I guess since I completely misunderstood the question,
I'd have to add Colin Cowherd as a commentator.

He used to be local here in Portland, and then his radio
show went national and he gave up his TV sports gig.

[frylock]

2. romey..

I have to admit that I listen to Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton as well. Not the most PC guy out there, but very knowledgable.

[lazarus]

13. Ugh

I hate Hacksaw. But then, I'm a Spurs fan. :P

[HuckleB]

3. Medeski, Martin and Wood.

It's much better to watch a game in any sport these days while listening to a little funky jazz than to have to listen to the inanities of the so-called announcers.

[redqueen]

5. Oh I hate all the announcers

I don't know, maybe some of them I don't hate, but the only time I even notice their blathering is when they're annoying me.

I was referring more to the guys that write and talk about sports as commentators rather than announcers. You know, the guys that write articles and talk on the radio. Not the play by play guys.

[HuckleB]

6. Ah, yes. And still, I should not have forgotten Phil Liggett ...

it just doesn't get any better than Phil, no matter the sport, whether it's announcing or commentating. And Paul Sherwen is a helluva straight man for Phil, too. If only we could find their equivalents for baseball, football, basketball and hockey. If only...

[trotsky]

4. Nobody else seems to like him, but I think Paul Maguire is great.

Mike Patrick used to be my favorite play-by-play guy but he's grown a little annoying. Still nowhere near where Joe Theisman is at on the annoyance scale, though. Yowza.

[theboss]

8. Really?

"Now folks, I want you to watch this replay. Look at this. Look at that right there. Now, let me tell you, that's something."

That's basically the way he calls a game at this point.

[trotsky]

9. It's because Theisman is yapping too much. :-)

Maguire makes some great observations - he has an eye for detail. I dunno, I just think he's a good color guy.

[davidinalameda]

7. Dickie V

the man is the best!

[hijinx87]

10. Kevin Modesti, LA Daily News.

favorite play by play guy, by about a zillion miles : the one, the only Vin Scully.

[theboss]

11. Wilbon is pretty good

He has a few agendas that bother me at times, but when he is clear-headed, he provides great insight.

Aside from that, Peter King's MMQB column is a must-read.

[kaitykaity]

12. Oh, I forgot about Art Thiel.

He writes for the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

He did a really good article last fall about steriods
in baseball, way even before the scandal broke.

[Penndems]

14. Sports writers: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon in the WaPo

Mike does an online chat Mondays ("Chat House", Washington Post, January 10th: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55967-2005Jan7.html) that I read religiously. Love Tony's writing style and all-around knowledge of sports, too.

Sportscasters? That's tough. Most of them suffer from a raging case of diarrhea of the mouth. The last one I could live with was Pat Summerall.

If I had to choose, though, probably the gang doing commentary on Monday Night Football.

[jakefrep]

17. I agree about Kornheiser & Wilbon

I also like Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star, Kevin Blackistone and Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, Peter King of Sports Illustrated, and Dan LeBatard of the Miami Herald.

[MrSlayer]

15. Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada.

Coach's Corner is the best segment in sports. I generally hate all the national announcers for football and hockey and the local ones are too homerish and biased to be any good either. Most hated are Theisman, Collinsworth and Madden.

[redqueen]

16. My most hated is definitely Madden.

Theisman is a close second.

I actually like Collinsworth. :)

[devilgrrl]

19. Don Cherry's a freeper. Ron Maclean's the Man!!!!!!!

[MrSlayer]

20. I'm a fan of Ron too but Cherry is the man.

I agree with a lot of his views on the game of hockey and I enjoy his commentary. I disagreed with his opinion on the Iraq war but it doesn't effect my view of his show. Ron is a great sidekick, they work well together.

[Telly Savalas]

21. The chemistry between those guys is great

McLean is the perfect foil for Cherry: very patient and rarely feels the need to get the last word, except for those awful fucking puns he ends the segment with.

I find Grapes' views on politics and society to be obnoxious, but man I miss his rants on the need for no-touch icing and how defencemen should "ping" the puck off the glass to clear the zone. <sigh> I want my hockey back.

Damn you, Bettman and Goodenow, Damn you all to hell!!!!

[bamacrat]

18. Eli Gold

[soleft]

22. Does that include play by play and game analysis people?

[redqueen]

24. Well that's not what I was asking

but since others have included them... go right ahead!

And I simply must say this somewhere... I don't know why... but I think Greenie is a hottie! :D

[Awsi Dooger]

23. Johnny Miller, John McEnroe and Cythnia Potter

They are head-and-shoulders the only 3 announcers who brilliantly analyze their sports of expertise, and point out things I don't know and never hear from others.

Cynthia Potter is the diving analyst and probably the best of all. It's incredible how she can pick out the most minute flaw in a twisting triple spin during real time. Then they show the slow motion and you see she was exactly correct.

Johnny Miller is the gutsiest commentator alive, forecasting chokes ahead of time and using terms like chunked chip shots repeatedly.

[DaveinMD]

25. Phil Simms

is the best sports announcer there is. I also think Aikman is very good. For baseball, I really enjoy Ken Singleton

[soleft]

28. I'll have to second Phil Simms

He was also my favorite player. Franco Harris a close second.

[DaveinMD]

29. I have a poster of Phil up

in one of my extra rooms. What a tough player he was.

[WilliamPitt]

26. Bill Simmons

[MaineDem]

27. Steve Matchett, Joe Castiglione, and Mike Joy

Mike would kill me if I didn't mention him. :)

[St. Jarvitude]

30. Pat Hughes (nt)