Best Color Analysts Ever

[MTM]

Stu Lantz, Nick Nickson.

I was surprised to learn recently that Stu is only 74. He's been doing Laker games since it seems like forever, but actually 1987. He was the first Lakers commentator to say anything beside "Yes Chick" to Chick Hearn.

 

[da man]

Romo is good, grant you, but some of his work during the recently-completed playoffs was less than stellar.

If by less than stellar you mean drunk off his ass...

 

[UNCGrad]

Three good earlier mentions of Dr. Jack, Bilas and Bonner. Agreed.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Listening to Jerry Remy and Dennis Eckersley in the NESN booth for Red Sox games has been an absolute joy these past few years. Maybe it's because I love the era of baseball in which they played, but they are must-see TV for me.

Andy Brickley also does a great job with the Bruins. And to go way back, John Pierson, doing color with Fred Cusick, was excellent on Ch. 38.

nationally, I liked listening to Tony Kubek when he was paired with Garagiola or Costas. I thought he would explain all the nuances to the game that a casual watcher wouldn't understand.

i loved Remy and Ursillo. Why they ever cut him loose is beyond me.

 

[Octave]

Don Sutton was excellent as well.

As good as those teams were, watching them on TBS made people smarter about how they watched baseball.

 

[misterbc]

Football - Bob Trumpy
Baseball - Joe Garagiola

Always looked forward to Criqui/Trumpy broadcasts. Both excellent IMO, had good chemistry and called many close exciting games. Maybe it was because I was usually half loaded with pot and beer, and pot.

 

[dixiehack]

Don Sutton was excellent as well.

As good as those teams were, watching them on TBS made people smarter about how they watched baseball.

All during that run you could draw any two names from a hat and come up with a great booth for the Braves. And I hated the Braves.

 

[Octave]

I just like a rare candor in that role, and Trumpy brought that. Remember that guy in Arizona who knew the state's electoral politics like the back of his hand? That's how Trumpy was with the AFC Central and especially the Bengals, long after he quit playing.

 

[BTExpress]

I always thought Trumpy was unpopular, for some reason. Glad to see so many enjoyed his work.

 

[jackfinarelli]

Jim Spanarkel paired with Ian Eagle is great.

For pure entertainment, I am surprised that no one has mentioned Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Packer was decent when he was doing Jefferson-Pilot (later known as Raycom) with Jim Thacker as the play-by-play guy. When Packer's profile grew, so did his ego and his skills went to crap. Or he listened to some dunce who brainwashed him into thinking that griping about officials and other stupid crap would enhance broadcasts.

Jim Thacker and Billy Packer were the best college basketball tandem I've ever heard. Oh, the good old days of Barry Parkhill, Charley Scott, Phil Ford, Lefty, Len Elmore, John Lucas, Tom McMillian at Maryland, Monty Towe and David Thompson at NC State, Eddie Payne at Wake ... the 1974 ACC championship game might be the best game in college basketball history. And I watched it on Jefferson-Pilot.

 

[Octave]

BTE-
He told it like it was. Great voice, too.

I'd rather have a color analyst just play it straight rather than try to run the chucklehut factory, which happens far too much.