Formo, I will grant you that the 4 Dave Lee calls here weren't horrible. Lee didn't make any mistakes - he got the players right and the result of the play correct (3 TD's and an INT). But, watch them again and see how slow and delayed the call is (and that is assuming the video wasn't generously edited to match Lee's voice closer to when the play actually happened). His first 2 TD calls are a good 1/2 to 1.5 secs after the TD. The last TD, he waited for 2 or 3 seconds to announce the call. The INT was his best call, when he called the pic right as it happened.
But, and it's a big BUT, the problem with Dave Lee is not on a selected number of plays when you can see the video of the play being shown. The problem with Dave Lee is when you don't have TV coverage and you're trying to follow the game on the radio only. Then, you will wish someone was just pulling your fingernails out instead of having to rely on Lee to give you information. You will debate with yourself whether you should turn it off and do the Gamecast on ESPN instead, since the info is far more accurate, but slightly less timely. Ultimately, doing Gamecast and the radio is slightly tolerable, but still excruciating. "Why, for the love of all good things, when they've got Mike Grimm sitting there doing the post-game, can't they put Mike on the play-by-play??!!!" you will think in your head over and over. Finally, the game will be decided and you can go back to your normal life.
But the bad feelings will remain and you will be pissed at Joel Maturi and the rest of the yahoos who allow Lee - who consistently gets players wrong, down & distance wrong (or doesn't announce them at all), doesn't tell you which half of the field the ball is on (our 47 or theirs?), and makes calls way, way late (usually, I hear the crowds reaction to determine the relative goodness of the call and then later find out what happened from Lee) - to keep his job on play-by-play. I know Lee has a nice-sounding radio voice. I'm sure he's a nice man, and a staunch Gopher supporter. I'm sure he's a great guy or whatever. But his play-by-play skills are lacking, big time, and he already has another job on WCCO. Taking him off play-by-play wouldn't put him out of a job, please do it. Please, for all of us who don't pay the $50 or $100 or whatever to get Big 10 Network and so are forced to follow 3-5 road games on the radio every year. This is way, way overdue.
