1: Joe Buck
Announcing Duties: NFL on FOX (#1) & MLB on FOX (#1)
I could almost kill myself every time I have to listen to Buck’s announcing. Buck always seems to favor a team while calling a game, which is a no-no in the world of announcing (you could tell he was totally favoring his Cardinals in last year’s World Series). Buck received a lot of criticism last year as he was battling a vocal cord virus. He continued to call games during the virus and made his calls even duller. He tries to be like his late father and legendary announcer, Jack Buck, way too much.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=16864875&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_16864875&v=3
(Timberlake’s sarcasm is quite hilarious!)
2: Ken “The Hawk” Harrelson
Announcing Duties: White Sox Baseball on WGN & Comcast Sportsnet Chicago
“Hawk” Harrelson has done Chicago White Sox baseball announcing for over 20 plus years. Being mainly a local announcer, Harrelson’s work is just like others on this list: very bias! You won’t see this type of bias commentating from the Sox’ cross-town rivals. Hawk uses the same stupid catchphrases that will annoy any non-White Sox fan. I’m very thankful that Harrelson is not a regular announcer for national baseball telecasts on other networks. His latest outburst will most likely earn him a fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AYOiskRTU9E
3: Dick Stockton
Announcing Duties: NFL on FOX (#4), MLB on FOX (fill-in), NBA on TNT (#3) & MLB on TBS (#3)
I’m not certain how Stockton still has a job considering he messes up pretty frequently. Anyone remember Stockton’s calls in the ’08 NLDS…”Chicago Cowboys” and “Rodrigo Ramirez”? How about “David” Rose accepting the MVP last season? ENOUGH SAID!
4: Mike Breen
Announcing Duties: NBA on ESPN/ABC (#1)
Breen received his big break when he was hired to be the #1 play-by-play for ESPN/ABC’s NBA coverage. He previously did NBA games for the New York Knicks on the MSG network. Breen has a very east coast bias, which viewers can tell by his tone of voice during calls. Rarely will Breen (and his partner Jeff Van Gundy) call West Coast games, even if they are more high-profile games than the one they do call.
5: Mike Tirico
Announcing Duties: ESPN Monday Night Football (#1) & NBA on ESPN/ABC (#2)
In my opinion, Tirico is the “ass kisser” of ESPN. He tries way too hard to please and entertain viewers during broadcasts. I don’t konw how he got the Monday Night Football job, considering he rarely announced any big games for ESPN. Tirico doesn’t have very much knowledge of any sport he covers.
6: Kenny Albert
Announcing Duties: NFL on FOX (#2) & MLB on FOX (#3)
Here’s another second-generation announcer who will never live up to his father’s name. Kenny’s voice sounds just like his dad’s but lacks the true entertainment value. For NFL games on FOX, Albert is paired with Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa, making one of the worst announcing teams, in my opinion.
7: Tom Hammond
Announcing Duties: Notre Dame Football & NFL on NBC (Wildcard round only)
Hammond’s appearance freaks me out…his voices isn’t much better. He’d be better off doing radio so we didn’t have to see his face. One recent Hammond screw up that comes to mind was during the Texans – Bengals playoff game from last season where he mispronounced Matt SCHAUB’s name multiple times.
8: Sam Rosen
Announcing Duties: NFL on FOX (#7) & NHL on NBC Sports (playoffs only)
Like Stockton, Rosen is a “season-veteran” that often screws up. Rosen’s ability to call multiple sports (NFL, MLB, and NHL) is an asset to a network although Rosen’s calls aren’t very entertaining for viewers.
9: Ron Pitts
Announcing Duties: NFL on FOX (#7)
Who? Exactly…unless you’re on the West Coast, you mostly likely never heard of Ron Pitts. (Well, that is unless you remember him as a player). For those who aren’t familiar with Pitts, he mostly calls “lower tier” games (NFC West division). Trust me, you aren’t missing anything great.
10: Pam Ward
Announcing Duties: ESPNU NCAA Football Saturday Afternoon game
A female announcing men’s games? Sorry, No thanks, no interest. ESPN is doing us all a favor and removing her from their college football coverage for the 2012 season.
Honorable Mention:
- Chris Meyers (FOX Sports)
- Josh Lewin (FOX Sports)
STAY TUNED FOR PART IV OF THIS SERIES, TOP 10 WORST COLOR ANALYSTS…
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