How About Another FCS Win Over FBS...???

((HT: Patrick Netherton his own self))

We include this one because we can...

P-Netherton is the pay-by-play voice for the Northwestern State (LA) Demons and they were on the road last night at Joe Aillet Stadium to take on Louisiana Tech.

All we needed was a last-second field goal for the upset
The HQ got it...


Well called, sir... congratulations...

And that win puts a big dent in the La Tech bowl ideas...

Fan Loses Beer, Booth Replaces It

((HT: MLB.com))

The HQ has seen the beginning of the story before, but not the ending...

There's always the guy (or more than one) that chases after the foul ball like it is made of palladium or something. He might get the ball, but there will be collateral damage.

Could be a crying kid, could be a piece of food or clothing flying around or off an upperdeck perch, or it could be a spilt beverage.

Happened in Milwaukee...
But the broadcast crew for FS North gets a lot of props for the make good on the back end...

Braves Broadcaster Pete van Wieren Dies At 69

Another voice of the HQ's youth has left us too soon.
Long time Atlanta Braves announcer Pete van Wieren has passed at the age of 69.

The "Professor"- nicknamed so for his encyclopedic knowledge of the sport and levels of preparedness- was a part of the Braves booth that spread the "Superstation TBS" across the country and turned the Atlanta Braves into America's team- even more so than WGN's Chicago Cubs during the battle of cable powers Tribune and Ted Turner.

The group of van Wieren, Ernie Johnson, Senior, Skip Caray, and then later Don Sutton and Joe Simpson were the voices of some very bad baseball but also got their shot when the Braves won their only World Series.

On November 4, 2009, van Wieren felt a bump on the back of his head; when he got it checked, he learned it was Stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He had been battling it ever since.

van Wieren retired from the Braves booth in 2005.

In October of 2008, Van Wieren announced his retirement after 33 seasons with the Braves. His departure came less than three months after the death of his longtime on-air partner Skip Caray.

During the 2008 season, Van Wieren announced that a publishing company approached him about writing a book about his time in the booth. His book, written in 2009, is titled "Of Mikes and Men: A Lifetime of Braves Baseball" and was released in April 2010. It was co-written with Jack Wilkinson.

The broadcast booth for the Braves' home games at Turner Field is named for van Wieren.

Here was "The Professor's" good-bye to his broadcast partner:

Mike Redmond Throws A Nutty, Play-By-Play Agrees

((HT: MLB.com))

The land of instant replay has been a bit of a minefield this season...

But when things go wrong and they're not corrected, managers have an opportunity to express themselves appropriately
Like Marlins manager Mike Redmond did last night.

Awful Announcing led us to the play-by-play call of Rich Walz and Tommy Hutton- the latter of whom went nuts


Redmond got the chance to talk about his undressing last night for a really fun presser after the game...

Vin Scully Will Return For A 66th Season

((HT: MLB.com/TWC Sportsnet LA))

And the Dodgers pulled out all the stops last night to pull one over on the fans...

It was, first, the equivalent of a Vin Scully bobblehead giveaway night- a microphone was handed out to the fans who made it early enough to Chavez Ravine.

And, then, to announce his return, the folks at TWCSLA did a little between-innings reporting...
Wanna see a crowd go absolute bananas...???


Thanks for coming back...
That's all the HQ can say...

You! You Got What I Need!!!

((HT: MLB.com))

By way of a first pitch...

Get your head out of the gutter...
The MLB Network broadcast the Oakland A's game with Biz Markie throwing out the first pitch...

Which caused the appropriate response...

What If Doc Emrick Called Soccer...???

((HT: Awful Announcing/Ryan Gilmore))

AA's Matt Yoder gave us the heads-up on this idea...

It will NEVER happen, but what if...???

What if...???

Doc Emrick called soccer...

Ryan Gilmore gives us the mash-up...


What a wonderful thought...
You tease...

The Kershaw No-Hitter Condensed With Vin Scully's Calls

((HT: MLB.com))

The beauty of Los Angeles Dodgers games is that we get to hear Vin Scully call the games...

So, now here is a condensed version of all 27 outs from the Clayton Kershaw no-hitter with Scully's calls on his 19th no-no

Voice Of The Flames Retires After 34 Seasons

((HT: Global Calgary))

Most hockey people know Peter Maher...

The voice of the Calgary flames ever since they left Atlanta, he retired yesterday after calling over 3,100 straight games


Before he went to the Flames, he spent three seasons as the play-by-play in Toronto. And the HQ appreciates his Maple Leafs joke...

He was also inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame as a media honoree in 2006. He also won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.

Flames president and CEO Ken King said a tribute to Maher is being planned for next season.

As well there should be...

Vin Scully Can Do No Wrong... Frankly, Everything Is Right...

((HT: MLB.com))

And that is reinforced here with his open from the Sydney Cricket Ground...


How cool is that...???
Pretty cool...

Welcome back, baseball...
Well, only parts of you...

Oshie's Winner From A Different Perspective

((HT: OBS/IOC/Timothy Burke's vine))

Here's the Russian call of the Oshie game-winner...
And it's awesome...
Especially, the fade-out by the play-by-play guy...

Dave Pasch And Bill Walton Are Going To Enjoy Washington State

((HT: ESPN via The Big Lead))

Everyone made the joke about the states that were represented in the Roman Numeral Classic and their current (and most recent) election results...

The conversation below kinda sorta alludes to the past election and plays to everything we know about the color commentator


And... scene...

But it's still funny...

This Is Awesome! Jeanneret Calls Game From Ice Level- Not By Choice...

((HT: NHL/MSG))

What else could go wrong this season for the Buffalo Sabres...???

First off, they're really, really bad...

But second the building that they're skating in, (now) First Niagara Center, had elevator issues all day Tuesday...
No one up, no one down...

And that includes Sabres play-by-play legend Rick Jeanneret...
He couldn't call the game from the booth, so he joined Rob Ray downstairs...


But Puck Daddy gives us a play from the game where Rick might have been calling "May Day! May Day!"
((HT: EyeOnHockey))

BREAKING: Pat Summerall Passes At 82

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that broadcasting and play-by-play legend Pat Summerall has passed at the age of 82.

Summerall worked a record 16 Super Bowls on TV- the first five as an analyst. He worked for CBS from 1961 to 1993 then became the signature voice for the NFL on Fox when their programming started in 1994.. He moved with the NFL from CBS to Fox in 1994.

He worked with John Madden at CBS and Fox for 21 seasons.

His smooth, non-intrusive but highly informative style became a template for a lot of broadcasters and stil is to this day...

More when we know more...
But, in the interim, here's some of what made Summerall great...

Saint Louis PBP Guy Vs. Officials Makes For Funny Radio

It has not been a week for play-by-play guys...

First, the North Dakota play-by-play announcer, Paul Ralston, gets suspended for calling his team's loss to Northern Arizona "a choke job." And now, Saint Louis voice Bob Ramsey had to keep the zebras at bay after calling a "cheap foul" on the broadcast against VCU...

And the call is... awesome...
((HT: Awful Announcing))


"Just improve a little..."