{"id":81,"date":"2008-01-09T12:23:08","date_gmt":"2008-01-09T17:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=81"},"modified":"2008-01-09T12:23:08","modified_gmt":"2008-01-09T17:23:08","slug":"bsb-announcer-hall-of-shame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=81","title":{"rendered":"BSB Announcer Hall-of-Shame"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the\u00a0most common topics that sports fans like to rant about is television announcers, and rightly so.\u00a0 They’re often \"mccarver\"spectacularly bad.\u00a0\u00a0To paraprase an anonymous person (because I forget where I heard it), the United States has produced hundreds of people that can capably\u00a0perform a heart transplant, hundreds of people that could help navigate a space shuttle, and maybe half a dozen people that can properly announce a football game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, after 25 years of watching sports, I usually just don’t even notice bad announcers anymore.\u00a0 You just accept it after a while.\u00a0 Sometimes I’ll find myself watching a game with someone who hasn’t yet reached this level of acceptance and they’ll say, “Did he just say [insert ridiculous, maybe even insane comment]?”.\u00a0 I’ll wince, nod my head, and say, Yes, yes he did.\u00a0 I wince, in part, because I realize that if it hadn’t been pointed out to me, I probably would have listened to that ridiculous,\u00a0possibly insane comment without even batting an eye.<\/p>\n

And so, that brings me to the point of this story, which is, it takes an especially awful performance by an announcer to get \"hammon\"my attention these days.\u00a0 There are a number ways to achieve that necessary level of incompetence, and during the Redskins-Seahawks game on Saturday, NBC play-by-play man Tom Hammond took the subtle approach.\u00a0 The very, very subtle approach.<\/p>\n

The Skins scored early in the fourth quarter to make the score 13-7 Seahawks.\u00a0 So it’s a tight playoff game, with the Skins trying to build some more momentum.\u00a0 On the ensuing Seahawk possession, Matt Hasselbeck throws an interception to LaRon Landry\u00a0in Seattle territory.\u00a0 How does Hammond respond?\u00a0 With no emotion whatsoever.\u00a0 He announced that the ball had been ‘intercepted’ in the same tone of voice you would expect if there had a been a false start called.\u00a0 He only started to raise his voice slightly when Landry started running down the sideline.\u00a0 You can see it at the 2:40 mark of this clip<\/a>.\u00a0 That interception was a\u00a0huge, game-changing play in the fourth quarter of a playoff game!<\/p>\n

Later in the quarter, with the Skins now leading 14-13, the Seahawks\u00a0drove into Washington territory, looking to take back the lead.\u00a0 Again Hasselbeck was intercepted by Landry, and again Hammond acted about as excited as someone reading their grocery list (3:20 mark of the same clip).\u00a0 I’m not saying I need my play-by-play announcers getting overly excited and yelling and screaming.\u00a0 But I think acting like you’re at least somewhat interested in what is happening on the field goes a long way.\u00a0 When there’s a turnover in the fourth quarter of a close playoff game, you need to convey to your audience that something important has happened.\u00a0 If I’m in the next room over from the TV, I should\u00a0heading right in to say, “What happened?”, based on the announcer’s rise in voice.<\/p>\n

For this performance, I actually want to thank Tom Hammond.\u00a0 He has inspired me to create the BSB Announcer Hall-of-Shame<\/strong>.\u00a0 <\/em>Ladies and gentlemen, the inaugural inductees (in alphabetical order):\"bill<\/p>\n