ESPN Swapping College And Pro Basketball Announcers For A Day
Friday, December 19, 2008
I have no idea why they're doing this, but ESPN is going to flip-flop announcing crews for their pair of January 7th Basketball games. The team of Mike Tirico, Mark Jackson and Jeff Gundy will be moved to the Duke-Davidson game at 7pm and then Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale will be on the Nuggets Heat game at 9pm. Via USA Today....
NBA announcers Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Mike Tirico will call Duke-Davidson, followed by Dick Vitale — who called ESPN NBA games in the early 1980s — and Dan Shulman on a Denver Nuggets-Miami Heat NBA game. ESPN executive Norby Williamson says it's "a natural progression to make connections between college and the NBA. We try to cultivate basketball fans." So, can we expect more on-air swaps? "We never say no to anything," he says.I guess in theory it's a good idea, but it just seems a bit hokey to me. NBA announcers could benefit from hanging around the College game a bit, and checking out potential draft picks, but I really don't see what the point of Vitale calling an NBA game.
ESPN Announcers Will Trade Places (USA Today)
15 Comments:
Excellent!
Now I can watch the Duke/Davidson game without jabbing an icepick in my ear.
You can see the expressions on the faces of those court-side ticket holders when Vitale suggests that he body-surf on them. Good times.
I bet Vitale and Shulman were THRILLED to get bumped from a highly anticipated Curry vs Duke showdown for the Nugs and Heat.
I'm surprised Vitale is letting this happen, but I assume it's because ESPN is the boss...
It's amazing how similar Dickie V and Darth Vader with his helmet off are.
Stuart Scott wants to know how Dickie V got rid of the Googly-Eye Syndrome.
I think this is a great idea. ESPN should do this with football too.
I immediately thought of Pam Ward doing MNF
what is up with Vitale's left eye in that picture? Good gravy it looks like it got stuck in a grease vacuum a la Homer Simpson.
This will be interesting if only to see how many times Dukie V can mention his beloved Blue Devils who not only aren't playing the game he's watching, but don't even play in the league of the teams in the game he's watching.
i guess January 7th is Opposite Day....that means all of us who hate watching ESPN other than for games have to watch the bullshit programming that day
Wow, glass eye technology has really improved over the years.
It seems somebody got a better fitted glass eye when the money rolled in as the catch-phrases started rolling off his tongue. I swear, check ESPN Classic, he does not sound a thing like he does today.
When Vitale comes on my TV, the channel gets changed.
broadcasting schools
wasn't this the plot of that fred savage / judge reinhold movie?
-dan