NCAA Final Four on Radio

Okay…I realize no one may really care what I think about sports announcers. I live in this little town of Fall City which is right on the edge of nowhere.

Anyway, I’m listening to the radio broadcasts of some of the NCAA March Madness and I want to make a cuppla comments about what I’ve heard so far on this second day of the First Round of play.

First…it IS the second day of the First Round…NOT the second round as so many radio guys seem to insist upon. The second round begins tomorrow (Saturday)…not today (Friday). I find it particularly offensive, hearing so many announcers calling it the second round.

Next…I realize I’ve been critical of Dave Sims as a Mariner voice. However, he’s great for basketball!

John Thompson is as good as it gets! He knows his shit and doesn’t pretend to be something other than he is…a basketball genius!

I do enjoy listening to (and watching) Charles Barkley. He’s real…and he’s honest!

Kevin Calabro is the best broadcaster I’ve ever heard…anywhere!

On the negative side…I wretch when I hear some of the characters on this NCAA thing sometimes. I can’t stand hearing all these old characters with such a gross, New York accent. They often say “dis or dat” instead of “this or that”. They seem to be unable to pronounce the letter, “R”. If they can’t speak proper English they should stay home. They get paid for this!!?? It’s bad enough listening to all the southern accents but I’ve almost learned to accept that. (Not entirely, though.) Like Dave Niehaus pronouncing the word "national" with a long I instead of a short A. Sometimes, I think these guys are speaking an entirely different language.

I may add to this as the tournament progresses…keep in mind that I don’t have ready access to television broadcasts…only a scratchy-sounding radio. That’s why I listen so carefully (and critically) to audio broadcasts. 

Another thing...I think the rules need to be changed for college basketball. I was listening to the last minute of a game (in the first round, day two). That last minute used at least fifteen real minutes. Each time there was a foul and a stoppage of time. Each time there was another time-out called. Each time, when there was a free throw, both teams substituted offensive or defensive players as needed. That's REALLY stupid! The league has to put an end to this final-minute madness! It makes most of the game seem almost meaningless.

...and...I just heard the very end (on the radio) of the Illinois game against Colorado...the guy comes out and says that Illinois is advancing to the third round. It's NOT the freeking third round! It's the SECOND round! What's wrong with these people? Are they really that stupid?

...and...this is Saturday...round two...listening to Michigan vs VCU on the radio...the announcer comes out with, "the difference-maker", referring to some player in the game. I think that term, "difference maker", is one of the stupidest terms I've ever heard. Difference-maker? It just sounds stupid and childish. I've heard "difference-maker" in so many sports! I hate it! Can't these people come up with anything more appropriate? Difference-maker?! They sound like idiots!

Sunday, I'm listening to Iowa State and Ohio State. The "color" guy on the radio is one of those New Yorkers (or Boston or something)...anyway, he's one of those guys (Pete something) who says dis and dat and says "god" instead of "guard". It's Really annoying! Fawteen...fawty-faw...Doesn't it make sense that someone being paid to speak on American radio should learn how to pronounce our own language properly? Doesn't it? Am I right or am I right?

Another thing...the guy they have on the radio...the "Westwood One" guy...I hate it. He sounds just so phony that I can't stand it. There are some things I hear on the radio that cause me to turn it off immediately...that guy...the breathy-sounding, gravelly, fake-deep-voiced guy...I shut off or change the station as soon as I hear him.

Getting back to the "first round, second round" issue...so...Gonzaga loses the second game...it's Saturday...they're calling it "round three" of March Madness. Does that mean that Gonzaga made it through the second round? No. Saturday and Sunday are both "round two". What say the announcers get this right, eh? It's bad enough already that the players generally sound stupid and illiterate, and it's astounding to think they're actually in college rather than grade school...but the announcers should be, at least, a cut above. I'm embarrassed for the United States.

I just HAVE to mention this...in the area of so many mispronunciations...they're running some kind of ad on the radio...and the woman is talking about getting regular oil changes for a car...but she says, "awl" instead of oil! Welcome to America! We're a country of morons!

Okay...since I'm doing nothing much but complaining...I'm listening to North Carolina and Kansas on the radio. Kansas scores and the announcer says they're within one. They are NOT within one. They are still down by one. If they were within one, we'd be counting basketball games in fractions rather than whole numbers. I must add...the same stupid description is rampant throughout American sports broadcasts. If a baseball team is down by a run..."They're within one!" Bullshit! They're down by a run...not within a run. The same with football. What say we use proper English, eh?