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Schnauzer

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I have been around here for so long, and I am just boring enough - That I can't remember if I have called this out before. Oh well, if so... apologies and perhaps a new discussion on announcers this off season will be fun anyway.

I have my favorites and quite frankly it is easier for me to call out announcing teams and individuals I like than it is to think of ones I can't stand. I enjoy the gus/klatt combo (I know Gus is too much for some, but I like him), love Herbstreit/Fowler, and I have always liked any combo that includes Sean McDonough. The Brad Nessler team is good too, and Tim Brando/Devin Gardner can be sneaky good.

One thing I find quite interesting is Sean McDonough has been at the mic for what may be all three of my favorite Gopher games of the 21st century: Hockey national championship 2003, the Whalen/McCarville shocker over Duke to go to the 2004 final four, and 2019 battle of the unbeatens between Gopher football and Penn State. Those three games alone put McDonough in my personal broadcasting hall of fame but he basically blew it when he decided to rip on the Big Ten and kick sand in Indiana's face while they were playing Notre Dame in the 2024/25 CFB playoff. It became pretty clear he was carrying water for the SEC. That really irritated me and blew a lot of good will I felt for McDonough.

And Dave Lee is still announcing on occasion. Any thoughts there? :)
 

I'm guessing you're mostly looking for college football? If not, I enjoy Kevin Harlan and Michael Grady.

I'm sure there are some others that I prefer but there's no way I'm going to remember their names...
 

yeah, mostly thinking college football but I did mention McDonough's work on college hockey and women's basketball so pretty much anything is fair game. And I also mentioned Dave Lee (I think he just does HS stuff now) and that was just pretty much to rage bait.
 

McDonough for me cemented a place on the podium with the Ole Miss Georgia CFP 2025 game . For those of us fortunate enough to watch it was one of craziest second halves I’ve ever personally witnessed with multiple insane athletic plays and a perfect narration from Sean throughout. It was viewing perfection and the droll delivery occasionally peaking into shades of excitement.

I miss Grinnin Glen on BTN.
 
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Pompous Elitist said:
McDonough for me cemented a place on the podium with the Ole Miss Georgia CFP 2025 game . For those of us fortunate enough to watch it was one of craziest second halves I’ve ever personally witnessed with multiple insane athletic plays and a perfect narration from Sean throughout. It was viewing perfection and the droll delivery occasionally peaking into shades of excitement.

I miss Grinnin Glen on BTN.
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Well said. It isn't just his delivery, which makes the games he is calling feel BIG and also can be downright memorable (like when he called the mixed up punt in the historic MSU/Michigan game), but also his knowledge and prep work. He just seems to know everything about everyone and works in the info bits at the perfect time.
 

Gopherchase said:
I can tolerate anyone other than Dave Lee. What a curse his run was.
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Oustate grandma's loved it.

Big fan of Provus and Benetti for traditional baseball guys doing CFB/CBB. Brian Anderson is great as well on tourney.
 





GopherVotary said:
I’m in the “Love Gus Johnson” camp. I also enjoy Minnesota State’s own Brad Nessler. But nobody compares to Ray Christensen calling games on the radio.
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Whenever I think about getting older, I'm always revitalized knowing I've been around long enough to remember Ray and Herb Carneal calling games on WCCO. Some of my greatest memories as a kid involved their brilliant play-by-play of my favorite sports teams.
 

Keith Jackson and anyone with a pulse is the best announcing tandem ever. For college football he was paired with some good ones though such as Frank Broyles, Bob Griese and Dan Fouts in Jackson's later years might have been tops.

For MLB Network if they have a "Classic" game he's calling from the 70s & 80s, especially with Howard, I am All In.

Of course there's no MLB announcing team that can top Vin Scully. Solo.
 




I’m in my mid forties and I fondly remember Jackson, lundquist, enberg, Mike Patrick as being better than most of what I hear now. But that could be just me thinking it was better 25 years ago because life was simpler back then.
 

mnsports1 said:
I’m in my mid forties and I fondly remember Jackson, lundquist, enberg, Mike Patrick as being better than most of what I hear now. But that could be just me thinking it was better 25 years ago because life was simpler back then.
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I’d add Ron Franklin too
 

mnsports1 said:
I’m in my mid forties and I fondly remember Jackson, lundquist, enberg, Mike Patrick as being better than most of what I hear now. But that could be just me thinking it was better 25 years ago because life was simpler back then.
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Enberg was great.
 



I'm so used to 11:00am Gopher Big Ten Network games with intern-level announcers that I'm numb at this point.

Jokes aside, I'm a Johnson/Klatt fan if I had to choose. I also love how Klatt is always subtly dissing the SEC and boosting the B1G/other conferences.

Even though I hated the SEC dominance era, I loved listening to Vern Lundquist on a crisp fall day. His voice felt like big time CFB.

I actually like Greg McElroy a commentator and think he's the best part of that entire SEC CFB crew.
 

mnsports1 said:
I’m in my mid forties and I fondly remember Jackson, lundquist, enberg, Mike Patrick as being better than most of what I hear now. But that could be just me thinking it was better 25 years ago because life was simpler back then.
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It was a time when announcers were expected to know the game, provide insight and information, and not hype every single player, play, and upcoming sport, game, program, or ad break on [insert network name here].

Gone are the days when the game itself was enough. One of the reasons I also like Sean McDonough is his focus on the game, not the hype (he's not old school, but he comes off as actually knowledgeable, and is complimentary of good plays without making everyone "one of the best players in college football" after a good play.
 

The people working the game typically define the status or level of the game. That's how I look at it and don't really listen to what they have to say. I watch the game in my own thoughts which is typically through the eye of sports referee.

IMO people get way too caught up in what the announcers are saying. Many on GH know more about our team than anyone covering the game from a national perspective.
 

Gopherchase said:
I can tolerate anyone other than Dave Lee. What a curse his run was.
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Just think, for a time, we had the two worst football play by play guys in the country in this market with Paul Allen and Dave Lee. If I ever wanted to have no freaking idea what was going on in a game, I could listed to these two.
 

disco said:
Just think, for a time, we had the two worst football play by play guys in the country in this market with Paul Allen and Dave Lee. If I ever wanted to have no freaking idea what was going on in a game, I could listed to these two.
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Wild, Wolves, and Twins have been solid.
 

disco said:
Just think, for a time, we had the two worst football play by play guys in the country in this market with Paul Allen and Dave Lee. If I ever wanted to have no freaking idea what was going on in a game, I could listed to these two.
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It seemed like Dave Lee couldn’t follow the game. Then when he got the boot he was all bitter about it. I find Paul Allen annoying. His voice, the way he delivers and how he pouts when things don’t go well for the Vikings. I don’t get his appeal but enough people appreciate his play-by-play announcing style.
 

I lived in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for 17 years when I still followed pro sports. Walked into a medical center one time and there was Johnny Most and his wife. My NYC wife was a Yankee fan so I started following them in '95 and I fell in love with their announcers John Sterling & Michael Kaye. Also liked Bob Murphy over at the Mets. Can't recall the Red Sox announcers. Moved back to Minnesota after 9/11. Sorry guys, I liked Dave Lee both on 'CCO and calling Gophers football and I am a huge fan of PA and Bercich doing the Vikings. I do love Mike Grim and Darrell Thompson... maybe my all-time favorite local broadcast team.
gophmeister said:
It seemed like Dave Lee couldn’t follow the game. Then when he got the boot he was all bitter about it. I find Paul Allen annoying. His voice, the way he delivers and how he pouts when things don’t go well for the Vikings. I don’t get his appeal but enough people appreciate his play-by-play announcing style.
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.
 

gophmeister said:
It seemed like Dave Lee couldn’t follow the game. Then when he got the boot he was all bitter about it. I find Paul Allen annoying. His voice, the way he delivers and how he pouts when things don’t go well for the Vikings. I don’t get his appeal but enough people appreciate his play-by-play announcing style.
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Thanks goodness with SiriusXM on games when I am forced to listen to Vikings games, I can tune into the opposing teams announcers rather than be subject to KFAN.

Easily worth $10/month just for that.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Wild, Wolves, and Twins have been solid.
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gophmeister said:
It seemed like Dave Lee couldn’t follow the game. Then when he got the boot he was all bitter about it. I find Paul Allen annoying. His voice, the way he delivers and how he pouts when things don’t go well for the Vikings. I don’t get his appeal but enough people appreciate his play-by-play announcing style.
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Dave seemed like a nice guy but yeah if you listened you'd have no idea what was actually happening in the game.
 



balds said:
Beth Mowins.
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Are we talking worst announcers? Because if you put her and Paul Allen together I think you would have the two worst ever! I think PA is trying to capture Kevin Harlan when the only one who should do that is Harlan. Remember his best one “with no regard for human life!!!” I’m no Packers fan but I think Wayne Larivee is excellent, but his color guy is as bad…no check that, worse than PA’s homerism.
 

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