Rob Dibble and 10 Other Announcers We'd Like To See Fired
By (Featured Columnist) on September 3, 2010
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Rob Dibble was fired by the Washington Nationals Wednesday in the wake of several idiotic comments uttered from the broadcast booth.
Nasty Boy's time in D.C. appeared to be numbered after he was suspended for making sexiest on-air comments during a Nationals game last month.
After he criticized Stephen Strasburg's ability to play through pain on his Sirius XM Radio, saying the rookie needed to stop crying to his manager and "go out there and pitch," MASN has relieved him of his duties.
Here's a look at 10 annoying and incompetent broadcasters we would like to see fired.
No. 10: Mark Jones
Mark Jones uses his play-by-play calls as a superfluous form of personal expression. If you don't have access to a thesaurus or a dictionary, just turn on ESPN and take inspiration from the great orator himself.
His cheesy comments, like for example his love of the phrase "Ginn and juice" when referring to former Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn, aren't usually too much to stomach.
But his asinine use of alliteration and words of wisdom straight out of the Oxford English Dictionary leaves both Bob Davie and the viewers utterly baffled.
Annoying, isn't it?
No. 9: Verne Lundquist
As a general rule, broadcasters should have some sort of idea of what is going on. That obviously wasn't the case in the 2009 SEC Championship game.
Suddenly, Tim Tebow was 39-5 as a starter but also making his 40th career start. Nick Saban was Florida's coach. Carlos Dunlap had another DUI arrest in the middle of the season that nobody knew about.
The SEC had adopted Arena Football League rules, allowing Florida to return an Alabama missed field goal that hit the uprights.
Who knew?
Lundquist rarely has any idea of what is happening on the field, screws up players names constantly and makes his partner Gary Danielson look even dumber.
Take your chuckles somewhere else, Verne.
No. 8: Thom Brennaman
Thom Brennaman used to be good. FOX just ruins everybody.
Brennaman's Sugar Bowl ode to Tim Tebow smeared more mud on the television broadcast of what was already one-sided affair.
The entire broadcast consisted of a back-and-forth between Brennaman and partner Brian Billick, who wasn't quite ready to bow at Tebow's alter.
Brennaman stuck to his guns and maintained that any NFL team would love to have Tebow, and that his famous intangibles would overwhelm any shortcomings.
Billick wouldn't have it, and the argument lasted for the entire duration of the Sugar Bowl.
Who knew the job of a play-by-play broadcaster was to editorialize?
No. 7: Tim McCarver and Eric Karros
It's a lot to ask for FOX to hire competent broadcasters these days, and Eric Karros is one of the worst.
His main problem is that he talks too much and treats viewers like they are aliens who just landed on planet earth and have no idea how baseball works.
He also seems to struggle with the concept of television and seems completely unaware that viewers can actually see what is happening on the field.
He learned from the master.
Tim McCarver's baseball knowledge is unmatched, at least that's what he will tell you. Teamed with the sarcastic Joe Buck, McCarver makes watching the World Series with the sound on a very painful ordeal.
Can someone explain what a double play is?
No. 6: Pam Ward
There's nothing like waking up on Saturday morning, flipping on ESPN and being greeted by the grating voice on one Pam Ward.
It almost makes you want to go back to bed, or not even watch the game. If you watch the game, you probably won't enjoy it, no matter the results. It's never easy to be exposed to annoying comments for over three hours.
Additionally, Ward's limited knowledge of football tends to manifest itself during games. The tension in the booth is evident, whether she is paired with Ray Bentley or ultimate alpha-male Chris Spielman.
There's a reason she was demoted to ESPNU last season. It's because she is not very good.
No. 5: Jim Nantz
What will it take for Jim Nantz to get excited about something?
After being infected with the Billy Packer bah humbug disease, Nantz's lack of enthusiasm is puzzling. Since when was the Final Four no longer worth getting excited about?
Nantz has the perfect voice and boring delivery for golf coverage, but it's hard to stomach him in any other sporting realm.
Maybe he should start hanging out with Gus Johnson.
No. 4: John Sterling
The voice of the Yankees is loved by Yankees fans and disliked by many.
Sterling's overdramatic calls have been well-documented and overshadow his inability to describe things accurately.
If it's high, and it's far, then why is it a routine fly ball out?
Sterling, who reportedly keyed a co-worker's car parked in his reserved spot outside Yankee Stadium several years ago, isn't going anywhere anytime soon. He will always be remembered, mainly because he won't let you forget him.
No. 3: Ron Santo
Ron Santo is hanging on in the Cubs radio booth, forcing partner Pat Hughes to deal with geriatric duties while also describing the struggles of the Cubs on the field.
Santo's analysis of yelling and whining is bad enough, but the worst problem is an obvious lack of any idea of what is happening on the field and in the world around him.
His charming demeanor keeps many Cubs fans content to listen to him drone on despite his declining abilities. Just don't remind Ronny he still hasn't made the Hall of Fame.
No. 2: Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale's antics gave all media outlets a license to hire the most obnoxious and attention-seeking analysts possible.
Dicky V isn't a complete imbecile, but his tiresome habit of salivating over the most mundane aspects of College Basketball makes him very annoying to listen to.
In essence, Dick Vitale has become bigger than the game itself. That's never a good thing.
It's time for someone to put him back in his place, like Jay Bilas did in this particular clip.
No. 1: Hawk Harrelson
Hawk Harrelson violates just about every rule of broadcasting.
His competitive nature leads to a stubborn, homer attitude that is personified in his use of "we" and "the good guys" when talking about the White Sox.
He is critical of other teams, gets visibly upset when opponents throw at the White Sox regardless of the circumstances and is utterly unable to broadcast a game objectively.
There's no question he deserves the top spot. You can put it on the board...yesss!!!
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