All the talk about Marv Albert and Chick Hearn made me start to think of what my all-time favorite radio or TV "call" by an announcer was...Feel free to share your favorties.
From Chick Hearn - "There's a steal by the Doctor...Waaaaayyyy rock the baby to sleep and slam dunk!"
Johnny Most - "Aaaaaaaannddd...Now there's a steal by Bird!! Underneath to DJ, lays it in! Right at one second left!! What a play by Bird!!" (I'll bet Johnny is still cursing Bill Laimbeer from his announce table in heaven...)
Marv Albert - "Ewing....yesss!"
My favorite television duo would have to be the old team of Dick Stockton and Doug Collins...Stockton had solid delivery and (how do I put this) "un"-annoying voice, and Collins definitely knows the game, and didn't throw in all that extra "fluff" or whatever you want to call it, that Walton does.
As much as Walton annoys me, for some reason I cannot turn him off...maybe I'm afraid I might miss the next unbelievably stupid thing he says. NBC may have been on to something there...
"I'm more confused than Scott Hall in a parking lot" - Joshua Grutman
I'm gonna have to go with just about everything Marv Albert here. His voice is great for holding that suspense for just a split second when a shot goes up...then nailing the enthusiasm when the shot falls.
Mean Gene: "You know, I don't think it's a question - Goldberg, I don't think it's a question of who's next, I think it's a question of who's left?"
Goldberg: "No, see, that's where you're wrong. It ain't who's left, it's - WHO'S NEXT?"
"Just how hardcore am I? Well this morning, I drank milk that was two days past the expiration!" -Norman Smiley
"Oh what a move by Jordan!!!" is a classic that Marv Albert has used time and time and time for even the most routine layup.
I forgot word for word, but when Reggie made the three, stole the inbound and made another three in the Garden in the playoffs was a prett crazy call too.
"Paxton for threeeeee... YES YES YES YES!!!" from the Chicago/Pheonix series was pretty memorable too.
“Havlicek stole the ball!” The most obvious one that hasn't been mentioned yet.
Here's another one, from Game 7 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Semifinals-- Pacers vs. Knicks:
“Five seconds left. Ewing in the lane, he drives, he shoots, HE MISSED! HE MISSED! HE MISSED! RING THE BELL, BABY! DING, DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD! THE PACERS WIN, 97 TO 95, AND WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!”
Best... call... ever.
(edited by ekedolphin on 7.6.02 1737)
“What's so great about crack?” “Uh, uh, it enhances your personality.” “Yes, but what if you're an asshole?”
Is that the series where Reggie gaurunteed victory, and Ewing missed the layup at the buzzer after driving right down the lane?
Mean Gene: "You know, I don't think it's a question - Goldberg, I don't think it's a question of who's next, I think it's a question of who's left?" Goldberg: "No, see, that's where you're wrong. It ain't who's left, it's - WHO'S NEXT?"
"Just how hardcore am I? Well this morning, I drank milk that was two days past the expiration!" -Norman Smiley
Kevin Harlan has kind of become a favorite of mine...
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeazzzzzy Rider" (for J.R. Rider back in his T-Wolf days...or "Buckle Up!!" right before a nice dunk.
I'm not sure of Utah's announcer, but every time he gets to say "Stockton to Malone...hammer dunk!" just makes me smile. I'm a big fan of the old guys like him, Chick, and Johnny Most (RIP).
"I'm more confused than Scott Hall in a parking lot" - Joshua Grutman
How about Kevin Nash on Monday night? "Lakers about to sweep" that's coincidentally about the only thing worthwhile he's EVER said. the man's a B-Ball prophet;)
"My parents said I could be anything, so I became an ASSHOLE!"
Originally posted by chuckc14Johnny Most - "Aaaaaaaannddd...Now there's a steal by Bird!! Underneath to DJ, lays it in! Right at one second left!! What a play by Bird!!" (I'll bet Johnny is still cursing Bill Laimbeer from his announce table in heaven
I still go to sleep hearing that in my head.
Johnny Most & Larry Bird--my favorite two people ever.
Two others stick out. Marv saying, "Oh, a Speck-Tack-ular move by Michael Jordan!" during their first championship in 1991.
I can't remember the other school or announcer involved, but in one of the conference tournaments this year the greatest call ever took place. I taped it off of ESPN Radio but can't find it. I'm sure many of you heard it. It was the finals of a tournament and a goaltending call was whistled at the buzzer, and the losing announcer says, in his southern voice:
"What!! They called goaltendin'! They done called goaltendin'! The officials and (the other team) done ripped our hearts out and stomped on 'em! They called goaltendin'! I can't believe it! They have just crushed the souls of our players, our cheerleaders, our fans, and our announcers! I think I'm going to throw up!"
And it went on. One of the funniest things I have ever heard.
(edited by Triple Preperation H on 16.6.02 2356) I am not a has bean! I AM THE BEST WIENER IN ALL THE LAND!
"I can't remember the other school or announcer involved, but in one of the conference tournaments this year the greatest call ever took place. I taped it off of ESPN Radio but can't find it. I'm sure many of you heard it. It was the finals of a tournament and a goaltending call was whistled at the buzzer, and the losing announcer says, in his southern voice:
"What!! They called goaltendin'! They done called goaltendin'! The officials and (the other team) done ripped our hearts out and stomped on 'em! They called goaltendin'! I can't believe it! They have just crushed the souls of our players, our cheerleaders, our fans, and our announcers! I think I'm going to throw up!"
And it went on. One of the funniest things I have ever heard."
Ha! That's Larry Munson, the current play by play announcer for Georgia football and basketball. He went on the same kind of tirade after the Georgia-UT game this year, after Travis Stephens scored the apparent game winning touchdown...(I'm paraphrasing) "Travis Stephens has hammered a stake through the hearts of Georgia fans everywhere!! He just ripped out our hearts and stomped on them!" He then preceded to go into other things that Stephens did to their hearts, but it gets pretty graphic...
He was once the play by play guy for Vandy. I remember we caught some guff from the FCC due to a comment he made during a football game...it was something like "There he goes! That sumbitch is gonna go all the way!!"
You've given me a project for the rest of the day...I'm gonna go track down some old Larry Munson archives. :-)
"I'm more confused than Scott Hall in a parking lot" - Joshua Grutman
1)From this past playoffs...Reggie Miller's 26-foot controversial buzzer beat against The Nets, with the Pacers radio announcers losing their minds...
"Miller with the shot---ITS GOOD!! ITS GOOD!!! FROM FORTY FEET!! YES YES YES YES"
Hahahahaha it was claaaaaasssic.
2)The 98 playoffs, not because of its dramatic immediacy--but after Bryon Russell, uhhh, *tripped* and Jordan sank that 18 footer close out his career, so we thought, I'll always remember Costas' call, paraphrasing,
"If that's the last image we see of Michael Jordan, how sweet it is" something like that.
Anyone know a site where all these great calls are stored?
"Will There Ever Be A Rainbow?" was already taken, so I guess "Never Give Up" is as good as anything. I guess the moral of the book is that even if everyone in a city thinks you're an asshole, you shouldn't give up.