12/23/24
April 07, 2011
The top 10 sports broadcast calls of all time.:
With these broadcasts came the inevitable memorable calls by the announcers. It’s a rare skill to summarize the occasion aptly and not be overwhelmed by it. Some announcers rise to the challenge, others fall victim to it. But either way, what they said at the spur of the moment, in complete spontaneity, would be preserved for posterity.
Don't be ashamed of that one graymatters, you're in good company. At that moment in time, what those young men did was so much greater than just winning a hockey game against a heavily favored team. And Mr. Michaels, using a brilliant economy of words, captured it absolutely perfectly. I remember watching that game with my family as a 9 year old, and that call will still elicit an emotional response from me as if I'm still sitting in front of our old rabbit eared t.v.
posted by tahoemoj at 10:51 AM on April 07, 2011
A bit North American-centric. Is Maradona's goal in there for token value?
This list is Anglo-centric, has Kenneth Wolstenholme whose phrasing at the end of the 1966 World Cup Final has entered the language, and also the same Maradona goal, but in English.
Neither has Allan McGillvray on the last over of the Tied Test, but you can't have everything.
posted by owlhouse at 11:57 AM on April 07, 2011
A bit North American-centric.
Fixed that for you.
posted by tommybiden at 12:00 PM on April 07, 2011
Every Fall for the week leading up to Big Game (Cal v. Stanford), you hear Starkey's call of "The Play" around the Berkeley campus - never gets old. And that was a guy who was totally overwhelmed by what was going on in front of him, which is part of the charm.
posted by sbacharach at 02:55 PM on April 07, 2011
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but more than thirty years later my eyes still mist over with Number One.
Nah, I get chills every time I watch or hear that. No need to be ashamed.
posted by Joey Michaels at 05:31 PM on April 07, 2011
Why can't they just say "The best American calls", or "Our favourite calls of recent memory"? Why name it the most blatantly stupid thing you can? The one that would immediately elicit a predictably annoyed response.
I think they're just trying to make me mad on purpose. Mainstream Media Trolls?
Great calls, though. No doubt.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:51 PM on April 07, 2011
Several of these calls are in that 20th century ESPN montage (thanks spofi!). Talk about getting chills.
posted by cl at 06:27 PM on April 07, 2011
Here are the 2 clips that dfleming referred to in The Huddle:
Foster Hewitt's play by play of Paul Henderson's goal in '72
Tom Cheek's call of Joe Carter's Home Run in '93
posted by tommybiden at 09:28 PM on April 07, 2011
Several of these calls are in that 20th century ESPN montage (thanks spofi!). Talk about getting chills.
I remember compiling the original list who's-who for that video, 6 years ago. I probably watched all or part of it at least 100 times when I was done (over the span of about 5 hours).
I'll actually turn off the song (or try to get out of the room it's playing in) if I'm in public because it elicits a really strong Pavlovian response in me. I will get very misty-eyed as I can mentally imagine almost every scene that happens in that song.
posted by grum@work at 11:58 PM on April 07, 2011
Of course, my current top 10 list might be the same event called ten different ways...
posted by grum@work at 12:09 AM on April 08, 2011
Yeah, a pretty American centric list to be sure. It was odd to watch Secretariat race in a Triple Crown race with only 4 opponents. Those races are packed now. Maybe that's why it's so hard to win the Triple Crown of late.
posted by dviking at 12:52 AM on April 08, 2011
three things I would like to add...
1--I hope the day never comes that watching and listening to Al Michaels on the Miracle on Ice doesn't give me chills--still the greatest moment in sports broadcasting.
2--I realized while watching that ESPN montage why I love sports so much
3--Secretariat only ran against 4 other horses in the Belmont, dviking, because no one (and rightfully so) thought they could beat him--they had a fuller field in the Derby--14 horses (the 20 that now start in the Derby is a more recent trend as everyone who can get in runs pretty much--even if they have no chance at winning). There were only 6 horses in the Preakness that year, with the second and third place horses from the Derby also trying the Preakness. The way the Derby is set up now keeps some horses out of it (graded earnings) and some of the better horses wait until the Belmont where they would have a better chance against tired horses instead of the Preakness. But I could go on and on about the system as it is today vs. the early 70s but I would bore most of this crowd/lol.
posted by jagsnumberone at 01:22 AM on April 08, 2011
A bit North American-centric.
Just to beat that point to death.
Meanwhile, any top ten not including this is also suck-centric.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:18 AM on April 08, 2011
In terms of excellence over a longer call, I would have to go with Vin Scully's call of the 9th inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965.
posted by holden at 10:38 AM on April 08, 2011
In terms of excellence over a career, I don't think anyone even touches Vin Scully. His call of Gibson's home run is less famous, but amazing nonetheless.
posted by grum@work at 11:16 AM on April 08, 2011
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but more than thirty years later my eyes still mist over with Number One.