2018: Halby’s sportscasting awards; The best and worst, 50 categories

Howard Cosell, Bob Costas, John Madden and Vin Scully 

The outspoken, sharp-tongued and often polarizing Cosell was network television’s first personality; Costas emerged as the ultimate host, interviewer and eloquent voice of the Olympics, someone who can do anything; Madden fashioned modern day color commentary and heightened the popularity of the NFL. Scully was the  unequaled play-by-player; who set the loftiest of standards by which the best are measured. (While Vin will always be identified with the Dodgers first, he did 7 years of the NFL for CBS including the famous ‘catch,’ by the late Dwight Clark (1975-82),  8 Masters (1975-82), 11 World Series over 4 separate decades and 8 All-Star Games; all on network television. Most importantly, there’s no network announcer who would say that Vin wasn’t the best ever.)

Joe Buck   His economical and undisguised sentences are punctuated by clipped, anticipative scene-setters. After a couple decades, he’s been accepted, particularly on NFL (see Book of the year) 

50^th anniversary of the Heidi Game – An epochal telecast that demonstrated the public’s demand for network football (11.17.1968)

Joe Buck‘s Lucky Bastard. A no holds barred bio that bonded this reader with the subject. The title strikes at Joe’s roots. He was born out of wedlock in 1969 while dad Jack was married to his first wife. The profanity laced text and crude descriptions were eye-popping but they underscored Joe’s choppy youth, his interaction with his half siblings, dealing with some overpowering human foibles and the relationship he had with his popular dad. He provides great insight in the text into what made the old man tick. The book is wowing and heartwarming. The memoir was a New York Times best seller

Tigers’ announcers Mario Impemba and Rod Allen, engaged in fisticuffs this summer outside the broadcast booth. They were first suspended and later fired.  It wasn’t the first time announcers battled physically. Brent Musburger and Jimmy the Greek got into it in a New York restaurant in 1980 and it is said hat Joe Garagiola decked Milo Hamilton when the two were calling Cardinals games in the 1950s. But in the day of social media and political correctness Mario and Rod are gone. Too bad

Jim Nantz; At ease and impassioned. Like the chirping birds, Nantz has been the television soundtrack of the game for decades

Bill Walton; Goodness gracious. Will he ever say anything that’s pertinent to the game or even basketball?

Carolina Hurricanes  Pulling the plug on arguably the NHL’s best radio play-by-play announcer, Chuck Kaiton and going to a TV/radio simulcast

Rusty Staub (Mets), Woody Durham (North Carolina), Keith Jackson (ABC football), Lee Leonard (ESPN, NBC +) and Larry Cotlar (Iowa sports radio and Drake)

Bob Costas Helpful to most anyone requesting his counseling; from students to budding broadcasters seeking his advice

Marv Albert; Iconic and influential figure who’s been on-air for 56 years. Marv’s stamp on NBA telecasts is indelible

Jim Gray, Pat O’Brien, Sean Salisbury, Bonnie Bernstein and Jim Lampley;  What came of these once visible network broadcasters?

John Smoltz; Not as supercilious as Tim McCarver. Doesn’t over-talk  or grind and rasp annoyingly. Smoltz speaks when he has something to say and it’s usually something  fairly perceptive. He did his third straight World Series in 2018

Bob Costas; Encyclopedic knowledge, genuine love for the game and presides over the play-by-play  unobtrusively on MLB Network

Sean McDonough; As solid, diverse and steady as they come; moved from the NFL’s MNF booth back to college graciously

Brent Musburger; The indefatigable voice will be 80 in May and has been at it for more than half a century. So, undertaking two new challenges this year is mind-boggling; VSiN and play-by-play for the Oakland Raiders on radio

ESPN Monday Night Football It’s been a subject of debate since week one; so much so that football television’s lexicon now includes the Booger mobile

Heady and deep-thinking Colin Cowherd and creative and offbeat Dan Le Batard are refreshing, provocative and entertaining 

Reggie Miller;  He’s intelligent, intuitive and  his comments are visceral. Working with Marv Albert through the years has honed his broadcast skills

Mike Breen; Not as stylized as the legendary Albert, yet unsung, current and thoroughly versed in the rules. No one has done more NBA finals on network TV, 13

Kevin Harlan; A captivating call delivered with sonorous enthusiasm; no screeching. He wears well

Bill Raftery; 75 and spry, blends the keen Xs and Os understanding of an ex coach, the blarney, the smile and the one-liners

Tim Brando; Play-by-play is as good as anyone’s on network television; spot-on, honest and sprinkled with a hearty laugh

Mike Tirico;  Newcomer? Well, yes, for the Olympics. An impossible assignment, taking over for the brilliant Costas who can virtually be draped in the Olympic flag. Costas himself praised Tirico for his debut as host this past winter

Tony Romo; Credit CBS Sports CEO, Sean McManus for hiring Romo who continues to excel. He’s cut back on predicting plays but puts viewers on the field; to appreciate the game from a QB’s perspective

Al Michaels;  The game comes to him and he delivers it elegantly, stylishly and never overbearingly

Mike Emrick; Breaks cardinal TV rule, peppering audience with a graphic radio call. Still NHL’s best ever. If you don’t agree, ask announcers around the league

Barry Melrose; Shares commentary playfully on ESPN; primarily with Steve Levy. He always generates a chuckle on the set from both the hockey and non-hockey crowd. Melrose has become a TV personality

Vin Scully (91) and Jack Whitaker (94); Retired but never forgotten and both are still razor-sharp

Kenny Albert; Numbers are one of Kenny’s strength. Still, as the icon Vin Scully said, “People use statistics as a drunk uses a lamppost, for support rather than for illumination.”

Al McCoy (85) and Hubie Brown (85); Two amazing men. McCoy does radio for the Suns and travels the enervating NBA circuit. Hubie doesn’t miss a beat for ESPN

Iowa AD Gary Barta suspends play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin for being critical of player when he didn’t know his mic was on. Very smalltownish! 

Brad Nessler; Doesn’t emote like his beloved SEC predecessor ‘Uncle Verne’ Lundquist. Schooled in the precepts of the great minimalist Ray Scott, Brad captions pictures economically and in measured intervals

Fox running MLB playoffs on FS1. Viewers needed a research assistant to find the games on their cable systems, if, big if,  they subscribe

CBS’ Verne Lundquist , ESPN’s Mike Patrick and NBC’s  Tom Hammond; In different ways each of these gentlemen who are either fully or for the most part retired are missed on network TV play-by-play

Howie Long; Does Fox actually pay this taciturn ex-player?  He says little and when he does say something it’s generally inane. On camera, he looks like he wants to go home

Al Michaels (74) and Bill Raftery (75);  Both men are hale, on top of their games, current and their voices are in fine fettle

Kevin Brown worked with aplomb and called  ESPN college football smoothly and impressively

Kirk Herbstreit Herbie needs Brent Musburger to interrupt his speeches. Chris Fowler lets him spew freely

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude; Made a mark for herself during the NCAA Tournament covering Loyola’s run and her uplifting interviews with Sister Jean

Ernie Johnson; Wins in a landslide. Presides over network sports’ best  studio show and knows when to shorten and lengthen the leash on Shaq, Kenny and Chuck

Streaming of virtually all sports at all levels is an underappreciated service. Even if only parents and family tune in, it affords budding announcers, beginning in high school, an opportunity to sharpen their skills. For generations, their predecessors weren’t given this golden opportunity to get their needed TV reps

Boomer  Esiason; Working five days a week as WFAN’s morning drive host, continuing every week as a CBS NFL studio panelist, Boomer gave up his color commentator gig with national radio network, Westwood One. It was too much for the 57 year old ex NFL quarterback

Larry Cotlar; Drake announcer died this past June when he was swept away in a flash flood. He was 66 and the 2007 Iowa Sportscaster of the Year

Suzy Kolber; Impressive, dedicated, comes quietly and goes quietly. Doesn’t make a fuss of herself. Steady and smooth and by now an NFL fixture 

Greg Gumbel and Kenny Mayne;  Whether in the studio or calling games, Greg is about as laid back as it gets. As for ESPN’s Mayne, he’s so understated that I didn’t know he was still there until I saw him on the set recently

Dick Vitale; His voice has thinned but there are millions who still interchange his name with college basketball. Says he has a lifetime contract with ESPN

Spero Dedes; The man has the goods. He’s ready and excels game after game. Should be up CBS’ depth chart. Is there a good reason he isn’t?

Brian Anderson;  Solid on three sports; baseball, football and basketball. Presides over play-by-play smoothly, can spin a yarn and share a human interest profile

Red Sox’ flagship WEEI considering a talk-show fashioned play-by-play broadcast. Is station management nipping at the bottle during office hours? Please!