I know there are people who both like and hate Dan Shulman around these parts (just like every announcer), but I honestly think he's the best thing ESPN has in their stable of broadcasters. He's funny, concise, works well with others and most importantly knows the game he's calling....and he calls a lot of them. From Toronto's Post City Mag via My Hog Town....

While not exactly Willie Loman, Shulman spends more time on the road than any other announcer in the biz. Shulman estimates he does close to 120 games a year, and as no NCAA and only a handful of NBA or MLB games happen in Toronto, every game is a road game.

For now, Shulman’s hoops duties are over. As the NBA playoffs chug to their conclusion, he’ll shift back to baseball where he calls Monday night MLB games for ESPN.

It’s a different game than basketball. The pace is slower, and it requires much more informative chit- chat to pass the time between pitches, but Shulman makes the transition look seamless, thanks to his time with the Jays.

“On my first play-by-play job back in 1995, Buck Martinez was my partner, and we envisioned a good broadcast as two guys sitting in a bar talking about baseball. I’ve always tried to be very conversational,” he says.

It's easy to say what he and Martinez did ahead of time, but to pull it without being annoying and overbearing (like most people at a bar) is pretty impressive. Again, if you know the game and you don't try to make it about yourself people will take notice. You may not get the accolades, or the love/hate response from the masses, but you'll definitely get respect. The rest well come in time.

This Thornhill dad on his rise from insurance actuary to the voice of basketball on America’s top sports network, ESPN (Post City Magazine)