Last week, Star sports staffers answered burning sports questions.
Star readers chimed in too, emailing their answers to sports@tucson.com. Here are excerpts of their responses. (Some have been edited for brevity, clarity and to match Star style).
Today’s question: Who’s your favorite sports broadcaster, and why?
Growing up in New York, we were blessed to listen to Mel Allen (Yankees) and Lindsey Nelson (Mets). The best was that 1963 World Series … the games were broadcast by the team announcers, and they had Mel Allen and Vin Scully doing the games.
Talk about sweet music. Both Mel Allen and Lindsey Nelson made the game fun to watch, both were big national announcers during their time — there was not a lot of talk, they let the picture tell the story.
There was none of these crazy graphics, analytic stuff that clogs the broadcast today.
Just like Dodger fans listening to Vin, it was like listening to a maestro soothing the orchestra into wonderful music.
Bill Leith
I lived in San Diego from 1982-2018. During my years there, my favorite broadcaster was Jerry Coleman with the San Diego Padres. At that time, they were playing in what was called Jack Murphy Stadium.
But any good play was greeted with an exploding, “You can hang a star on that one!” — complete with a banner of a star being hung out from the press box and waved around like crazy! His voice carried the excitement we all felt, and were cheering for.
Nini Frank
I have four sports broadcasters I feel are the best of the best: Ernie Harwell, John Madden, Keith Jackson and Dick Vitale.
Tom Horlacher
Red Smith. Considering sports journalism broadly to include sports broadcasting,
Red Smith sits near the top. Smith was witty, erudite, extraordinarily compact of phrase, and perceptive of events happening that others were missing. He worked in the business for 55 years, won the Pulitzer Prize and was elected to the Hall of Fame.
Smith is probably the only member of the Baseball Hall of Fame who was publicly accused (by Pete Rose — but probably unwittingly) of using steroids while at work in the broadcast booth.
The New York Times picked up on the comment and on the next day ran the story under the caption “Red Smith Used Steroids?”
Jack Sheerin
My favorite has to be Lloyd Pettit, who was the radio announcer for the Chicago Blackhawks when I was a kid.
The detail with which he called games put you right into Chicago Stadium, or wherever they were playing. I stayed awake in bed many nights, secretly listening to games, or so I thought.
The excitement was too much, sometimes, and I’d yell when Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita were skating a breakaway and/or scoring a goal.
And nobody can forget hearing him say, “It’s a shot. ... AND A GOAL!”
Lisa Brothman
My vote for the best sportscaster(s) goes to Cris and Al. Al Michaels does the best NFL play-by-play and Cris Collinsworth does an incredible job as analyst. He is No. 1 overall.
Together, they are so far ahead of Frank (Gifford), Dandy Don (Meredith) and Howard (Cosell) it is amazing. Even (John) Madden can’t compare, and he was the best of his time.
John Taylor
Cris Collinsworth. Knowledgeable, humble, funny, articulate and doesn’t overpower the game with his ego.
Tim White
Yes, Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett/Ross Porter were great. There are other teams who were great also. My favorites are Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale with the Angels and John Rooney and Ed Farmer with the White Sox.
All of these broadcasters had an intimate knowledge of the game. All had a great sense of humor.
All knew the players and were able to provide anecdotal information about them and their managers and coaches. All had the ability to smoothly segue to the next topic.
All appreciated their partners and strove to make them better, i.e., the sum was greater than the whole of the parts. All had distinct personalities. All had a love of the game. All did their homework.
All were consummate professionals. All were great storytellers.
Michael Horvath
Formers Reds broadcaster Joe Nuxhall called Cincinnati games for almost four decades, including during the time of the Big Red Machine in the 1970s.
Totally Vin Scully. We are Dodgers fans and when games were televised with other announcers, we’d turn off the sound and turn on the radio to hear Vin Scully announce the game, even if the timing was out of sync.
His descriptions were brief, vivid, and accurate — I remember when he introduced Fernando Valenzuela as “a chesty youngster.”
Vin Scully’s stories and his asides, periodically interrupted by his smoothly dropped updates — “strike two” — were always interesting.
His total mastery of the game, and above all his even-handedness, made him our favorite.
He praised good play from any player on any team. When our son was 3, if we turned on the car radio he would ask hopefully, “Dodger Baseball is on the air?”
I miss Vin Scully’s cheerful, soothing, upbeat voice. … Thanks for reminding me of those happy summer days!
Pat Eisenberg
Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds. I grew up listening to “Nuxy” broadcast The Big Red Machine’s games on the radio.
He would always sign off with, “this is the old left-hander rounding third and heading for home.” Nuxhall’s broadcasting career with the Reds lasted from 1967-2004. Loved listening to him.
Aaron Thomas
