Best Color Analysts Ever

[da man]

A lot of good choices here.
Having watched the Australian Open these past two weeks, and suffered through Chris Evert made me realize how much I miss Mary Carillo. I think she was not only the best color tennis announcer, but best period. She was concise, accurate, and had a personal level of, well being human, that I completely enjoyed. I loved Mary Carillo.

Chrissie is terrible. She's at her worst when Brady is playing, because Chrissie sees her as one of her tennis daughters.

I will say, though, that every once in awhile she says something that absolutely cracks me up -- usually some reference to her many failed marriages.

 

[poindexter]

Evert said that Pegula spent time at her academy as well. I think every American young woman goes thru Bradenton, it seems.

 

[BTExpress]

A lot of good choices here.
Having watched the Australian Open these past two weeks, and suffered through Chris Evert made me realize how much I miss Mary Carillo. I think she was not only the best color tennis announcer, but best period. She was concise, accurate, and had a personal level of, well being human, that I completely enjoyed. I loved Mary Carillo.

Feinstein's book "Hard Courts" described the difference between British TV and American TV as British analyst John Barrett and Carillo described a point between Emilio Sanchez and Andrei Chesnokov. This was during the height of European clay-court tennis. Balls were slow. Courts were slow. Points were long.

Barrett: "Aha! He's done it! Chesnokov has at last broken through the Spanish Armada, wearing down the will of the gallant Spaniard! Superbly played by the Soviet!"
Carillo: "Jeez, that was a long point, wasn't it?"

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Wrestling division: Bobby Heenan and Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Loved Bobby paired with Gorilla Monsoon

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Too many of these guys had a shelf life. Maybe even a couple decades, but eventually their act wore thin, for different reasons. Packer, Madden, McGuire to name a few.

Hubie Brown is my favorite all time NBA analyst. Its fantastic he is still doing games. But when the voice goes, as it is wont to do when guys approach 80, I can't do it any more.

Hubie's 87, and yeah, the voice is gone.

You're absolutely right about the shelf life. I get the praise for Madden, but for the later years of his career his "insight" was limited to "You need your great football players to make great football plays!"

Heard Marv Albert lately? He's only vaguely aware there's a game being played out in front of him.

 

[Starman]

Bill Russell was pretty good during his broadcasting years, although it was always funny listening to him doing Lakers games and studiously avoiding mentioning the name of Wilt Chamberlain.

You can dig up some old OLD school NBA broadcasts from the 1960s on YouTube, and Jack Twyman was really pretty good. But I think he stepped out of broadcasting about 1970 when ABC took over the national NBA games.

 

[poindexter]

Bill Russell was pretty good during his broadcasting years

No.
We'd laugh at his commentary.
"Magic went on run. Then Dr. J went on a run."

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I always enjoyed Rick Barry back when he did the TBS NBA broadcasts in the 80-90s.