Best move: As announced on The Teardown Podcast, TNT Sports has snagged the talented Shannon Spake. Tomorrow, she makes her debut on Inside NASCAR: The Playoffs."
The show will air Thursday's on truTV.
Jordan Bianchi, Mamba Smith, & Steve Letarte will round out the show.
End of an Era for Raycom Sports tomorrow as it will televise its last regular season college basketball game ever. Raycom existed prior to ESPN and was an outlet in days when people simply didn't have cable television & could watch a game. Raycom developed talent & so much more.
Best line: NBC Sports Al Michaels, regarding the analytics of going for it on 4th and goal from the 4 down by 3, Al Michaels quipped, “Whoever came up with that ain't picking my horses at Santa Anita next week, I'll tell you that!"
Best line: CBS Sports Bill Raftery, after Gonzaga hit a shot off the glass in OT to defeat UCLA, “There are onions and there are major onions with a kiss.”
Around the Dial: ESPN will have Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor on the call next Saturday for Michigan/Minnesota. Game will air on ABC.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler were a delight to listen to tonight. Viewers knew chemistry would be there but the hard work put into preparation was apparent throughout the telecast starting on the opening kickoff. Enthusiasm was outstanding.
Grade- A+
Brent Musburger agreed to terms on a 2-year deal with Compass Media to call games on the radio for the entire football season for the Oakland Raiders. His first season will be in Oakland and then to Las Vegas to call Las Vegas Raider games on the radio.
NBC Sports Johnny Miller's last golf telecast is today after 30 years. He has been a mainstay in an industry where people come and go. His candidness will be missed. Miller is hands down the best golf analyst ever, and one of the most influential analysts in any sport.
NFL is closing in on mandating that all television and radio network broadcasters must be vaccinated and any unvaccinated broadcasters won’t be allowed to call games in any stadium this upcoming NFL season.
Tim Brando will be having a busy week. Brando will honored by the Lombardi Award with the Excellence in Broadcasting Award. Previous honorees include Dick Enberg & Vern Lundquist. Saturday, the Louisiana Italian American HOF is honoring Brando w/the coveted Buddy Dileberto Award
Viewers that watched Coastal Carolina/BYU had the underrated team of Bill Roth & Dustin Fox getting exposure it needed. This duo has been consistent all season, chemistry-laden, w/the right tone on all the huge plays. Roth & Fox were solid at the end w/no over the top hyperbole.
Best nugget: CBS Sports Gary Danielson sharing with Nessler and viewers that he received a text from Verne and he said, “It’s days like this that I miss it."
Best move: ESPN by adding the Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli is the best decision by the network in decades. It definitely brings back the “E” in ESPN that has been lacking for a long time. The guests, stories, and analysis by both Mannings are spot on.
Grade: A+
ESPN’s Bob Valvano triumphant return is a emotional listen on ESPN Radio. Valvano has kicked Stage 4 leukemia to the curb and is calling the Jimmy V Classic on-site at MSG. Congratulations Bob!!!
Best line: CBS Sports Dan Bonner, camera panned to die-hard Louisville fan/actor Bill Murray, "Looks like the gophers got him again. Classic Caddyshack movie reference by Bonner.
Class act: ESPN’s Steve Levy gave a heartfelt shoutout to the late great legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson who would have turned 93 years old today. Jackson was the first voice viewers heard on a new venture called Monday Night Football in 1970.
Best line: Primo Video’s Al Michaels, on a low scoring and lots of punts between Colts/Broncos 3-0 close to halftime, “it’s the kind of game you’d like as your fifth CBS regional.”
Confirmed that Al Michaels will call Thursday Night Football for Amazon next season. Fred Gaudelli goes to Amazon with Al Michaels, but still remains EVP for NBC Sports Sunday Night Football.
New York Giants radio network needs to add Phil Simms. Simms has been reenergized in his return to the booth. Offering fresh observations & up on all rookies in the league. A three person booth w/smooth down & distance pro, Bob Papa, and defense guru Carls Banks would be an A+
Worst move: Apple TV + not investing in credible broadcasters. Picture quality and score graphic are good. Baseball viewers aren’t getting the quality commentary that a network or paid streaming service should provide.
Grade - F
Class act: ESPN’s Dave Pasch giving Mike Golic Sr. a classy send off including a fist bump. Golic’s tenure comes to an end at ESPN. Throughout the telecast. Golic shared memories, pictures of then and now shown, Golic reminiscing about calling Arena games in Iowa & Kurt Warner.
CBS Sports Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel last night were exceptional. Both games Eagle provided excitement when needed & let Spanarkel shine. Eagle perfectly let the scenes speak for themselves when needed. Chemistry is exceptional. Their work all year calling basketball shows.
Al Michaels should call Sunday Night Football next year. Michaels hasn’t missed a step. No slippage. Quick to tell viewers flag on field, identifies players fast, top notch on down & distance, pipes strong as ever. Overlooked is teams tell him inside info they don’t tell others.
Fox Sports broadcast of the Field of Dreams was simply flawless. With the introduction, graphics, Costner in the booth discussing game, the field, Earl Lee Jones, the drone shots and angles, the uniforms, and the music. The best produced game ever put together.
Grade: A+
Rising Duo: John Fanta and Vin Parise of Fox Sports 1 have been a new combination in the network’s college basketball coverage this season. Their chemistry has been impressive, and they add to a game broadcast with their knowledge and personality. Two names to watch.
Best move: CBS Sports adding Avery Johnson to call NCAA Tournament games. Johnson’s basketball IQ, enthusiasm, and and distinctive voice are a fresh addition. After his assignments end, CBS should move him into the studio.
The days of “Four Downs” with John Clayton and Sean Salisbury were great solid debates not to attract “hot takes.” but to discuss issues. Clayton referring to Salisbury as “Mr. Backup” and Salisbury quipping back as “Mr. Peabody” and “Cryptkeeper” classic ESPN segments and days.
The NFL Today with Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and Phyllis George was the gold standard for pre-game shows and so ahead of its time. The chemistry was genuine and was the must watch pre-game show. Irv Cross will be missed dearly.
Virginia Tech’s long running radio duo of Hall of Famers Bill Roth (Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum), & Mike Burnop (VT Hall of Fame) will begin an unprecedented 30th year together this football season. Both Roth & Burnop are fan favorites & still have passion for the game
SEC Network is doing viewers a tremendous disservice by not having longtime Atlanta native, "Mr. College Football," Tony Barnhart, on any of its coverage offering his tremendous insights leading up to the SEC Championship between Georgia/Alabama.
CBS Sports will have the
#1
team in the country, in college basketball, Gonzaga, against
#2
Baylor on Saturday for the lead in game for the SEC Football doubleheader. Tom McCarthy and Bill Raftery will be on the biggest game in college basketball this season.
SEC Network should really consider bringing in Rick Karle into the mix. He's leaving WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama in December and was the first to put Paul Finebaum on television. One of the best in the county.
Class act: Fox Sports Tim Brando. at the conclusion of every game, gives a shoutout and thank you to the entire production crew, spotter, and the entire staff that makes the telecast seem flawless.
Around the Dial: Fox Sports will have the pipes of Gus Johnson, the insightful Joel Klatt, and the always informative Jenny Taft on the call Saturday for Ohio State/Michigan.
Broadcaster Debbie Antonelli with a tremendous day of calling games. Antonelli comes well prepared, insightful & has done her homework on both teams. Antonelli, an alumna of Ohio, called the game straight down the middle as the Bobcats defeated the reigning champs in UVA.
Around the Dial: Fox Sports will have the pipes of Gus Johnson, the insightful Joel Klatt, and the All-American Girl, Jenny Taft on the call Tuesday, December 28th for the Holiday Bowl between UCLA/N.C. State.
The Holiday Bowl is the only Bowl game Fox Sports has this year.
November 14th, is to the day, the 50th year anniversary of the tragic plane crash in 1970 w/Marshall University losing 75 lives from the school. Marshall is set to play MTSU on CBSSN at Noon on Saturday. CBS Sports should fill the postponed game slot w/this game & share the story
Around the Dial: Fox Sports will have the pipes of Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft on the call for the matchup between USC/UCLA. Game coverage begins at 8pm ET
Hustle Award: ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the sidelines for two games today. Rowe is on the sidelines right now Indiana/Mich St now, driving 64 miles to Ann Arbor for Wisconsin/Michigan tonight to work the sidelines.
Best move: MLB Network putting Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, and Buck Showalter together. They are phenomenal. The stories they will share as the game goes can’t be duplicated by any other booth.
ESPNs Sean McDonough was noticeably irritated for the viewers tuning into Wake Forest/Clemson that had “live” cut in’s of Aaron Judge’s HR chase telling viewers,
“In the game that people were tuning in to watch, Wake Forest has taken the lead.” No “live” look in’s during OT
Excellent line: ESPN’s Greg McElroy chime as Clemson misses a potential game winning field goal, “What would've been a Hollywood ending”
Sean McDonough brilliant quips, “Well, the writers are on strike."
The thing that makes McDonough so great is he listens to his analyst.
Viewers of sports, this is a weekend to appreciate the voices of some titans in broadcasting. Verne Lunquist on The Masters, Dick Stockton on the NFL on Fox, Brent Musburger on radio for the Raiders, Al Michaels on Sunday Night Football, and Tim Brando on College Football on Fox.
Dick Stockton is a broadcast legend. NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, and Olympics. Generations enjoyed him There wasn’t too many better than Dick Stockton in his prime. In later years, he became a mentor to new broadcasters. The stories that nobody could relay on games will be missed sorely.
Fox Sports Petros Papadakis is astonishing in his ability knowing almost know players out of California high schools and college players out of California. Their strengths and weaknesses. Papadakis should be used used in some type of NFL Draft capacity for the network.
Around the Dial: ESPN will have its top crew of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe on the call Friday night for the PAC-12 Championship between Oregon/Utah. Game air on ABC.
John Clayton and Sean Salisbury were the inspiration for PTI at ESPN. The two had great chemistry and loved to banter. They continued on radio long after their ESPN days and the magic was still there.
Class act: Fox Sports Tim Brando giving well wishes to Dick Vitale that is battling cancer. Brando putting networks aside and gave a shoutout to a true ambassador to basketball in Dickie V.
NBC’s Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines are one of the all-time great tandems.
Hicks gives Gaines the latitude for Gaines to excel. Hicks is short and sweet to the point.
The duo is so reminiscent of Pat Summerall and John Madden.
Best exchange: ESPN’s Sean McDonough, calling Kentucky/Ole Miss on SEC Network, is told by Matt Barrie that "The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium.” McDonough quips , Oh. What a shame!”
Hustle Award: Broadcaster Joe Davis will call the Pac 12,Championship tonight between Oregon/USC for Fox Sports, then will call Panthers/Packers, tomorrow for NFL Network.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy time with your family, friends, and loved ones. Count your many blessings today and everyday.
Thanks to all the readers and followers of this account. I’m humbled and truly grateful. This account wouldn’t exist without your support. Thank You!
Strongest statement: Fox Sports Troy Aikman, on a very questionable roughing the passer call against the Seahawks on Dak Prescott, “I’m not even going to comment on it. It’s ridiculous."
Best moment: Broadcaster Al Michaels appearing on Cubs/White Sox game on ABC, reminiscing with Matt Vasgersian & Alex Rodriguez about calling a Yankees/Mariners on a Saturday night game at the Kingdome in 1994, where Alex Rodriguez had an RBI single. Michaels is a living legend.
Broadcaster Noah Eagle will be, no doubt, the voice of sports to today’s generation. Eagle, at 22, became the voice of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. He’s now on CBS’ College Football coverage including a few SEC games this season. Eagle has even called an NFL playoff game.
Best move: ESPN allowing Sean McDonough to call Clemson/Syracuse on Saturday as on Friday night he will receive the prestigious George Arents Award, which is the highest alumni honor at Syracuse University. Saturday, he will call the game with Kirk Herbstreit and Maria Taylor.
Top stat: Prime Video’s Al Michaels noting that in 53 years, the Steelers have only had 3 Head Coaches. The Browns during the same time frame has had 21 Head Coaches.
Congratulations to NFL on CBS Sports analyst Adam Archuleta. He’s been underrated for years and is getting recognized with a well earned promotion. Archuleta is moving up the NFL on CBS depth chart and will be paired this NFL season with the prominent Greg Gumbel.
Worst move: Fox Sports for letting the popular, versatile broadcaster Shannon Spake leave the network. Spake has been the face of NASCAR, along with sideline reporting.
CBS Sports Tony Romo’s analytical skills throughout the game and especially with Tom Brady’s play in the 4th Quarter escpeically on 3rd Downs was sensational.
Class move: ESPN GameDay crew acknowledging Tom Rinaldi’s last day with the network and having Rinaldi share his thought and a final piece of a montage of a few moments over the years. A+ send off.
Around the Dial: ABC will have Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Tom Luginbill on the call of Bedlam as Oklahoma State battles Oklahoma Saturday. Game kicks off at 7:30pm ET.
Around the Dial: ESPN’s most popular radio show host will make his ESPN Radio debut in the broadcast booth after 18 years with the network. Freddie Coleman will be teamed with Mark Morgan on the call Saturday for Miami/Virginia.
Legendary ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale will throw out the ceremonial first pitch tomorrow for Game 1 of the ALDS between the Red Sox/Rays. Vitale is a long time Rays fan.
Funniest line: ESPN’s Peyton Manning telling Rece Davis, “I haven’t cared about a Kansas/Oklahoma game since Danny Manning took on Mookie Blaylock in the ‘88 Final Four.”
The passing of Angela Lansbury, today, triggers memories of those of a certain generation of the NFL on CBS. Pat Summerall reading those double-header Sunday night promos for Murder......She Wrote. Summerall’s long pause were epic for viewers
Condolences to the Lansbury Family.
RIP to Fred Hickman. We lost a legend. Hickman and Nick Charles were must watch television on CNN’s Sports Tonight. CNN’s Play of the Day was epic. True pioneer that will sorely be missed. Condolences to the family of Fred Hickman.
Legendary broadcaster Marv Albert calling Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, on TNT, going into OT doesn’t get much better than that in the last year in his epic career.
NFL Network needs to have Noah Eagle & Nate Burleson paired together in next years late season games. The chemistry between the two is remarkable. Eagle has set up Burleson perfectly as well as giving Burleson latitude to excel.
Unfortunately, Eagle is at Fox & Burleson at CBS.
Thoughts and prayers with the Mortensen Family. Chris was a true gentleman and pioneer in breaking news. Mort was the internet of scoops of inside info like no other.
The Fox Sports production team should be commended for its opening. If you’re a baseball fan this should have given every baseball fan watching goosebumps and maybe tears or fighting off tears. Phenomenal job.
Grade: A+
Jim Nantz had his best performance of the tournament last night. Even in the first half, he remained engaged and didn’t make viewers feel like the game was over. He’s been around too long to fall into that trap.
Grade - A+
Around the Dial: ESPN will have the popular duo of Dave Pasch and Mike Golic Sr. On the Fiesta Bowl. Game is January 2, 2021. Sideline Reporter has not been assigned.