Watching the Kansas/Texas A&M game, and I must say, Bobby Knight is a great commentator. You can learn a lot about the game just listening to his commentary. Plus I love the way he points out the non-obvious contributions of guys off the ball or bench guys. I'd love to see him call an NBA game or two sometime.
Knight does good work ... guys like him, Bilas and Bill Raftery do professional jobs as color guys. Raftery you have to recognize the personality - but he does not upstage players and his points are usually sensible.
Raftery is the man - one of the best and most underrated color guys out there. That McDonough/Raftery/Bilas announcing team is just the best hands down that you'll find anywhere on TV. They're funny, but don't take away from the game, and you'll always learn something from watching them. Every time I watch McDonough I miss his dry sense of humor and wish he was still calling the Sox games.
They are excellent. McDonough (Simmons discussed this I think in a recent piece) has that knack that few announcers do (Marv, Breen really that's it) of being able to rise up emotionally with the moment.
Usually you have guys like Gus Johnson and Kevin Harlan who seem overcaffeinated, or guys like Joe Buck or Pat Summerall in the day who seem half asleep. McDonough had the dry wit, but was also very good as letting the game dictate how the announcing would go. If that makes any sense.
Bilas and Raftery are so well prepared that it's easy and they don't insist on showing off. It's there, and it just drips out in jolly banter.
They are easily the best college team going ... at least as good chemistry as the outstanding Breen-Jackson-Van Gundy ABC team.
Topic: Bobby Knight the Commentator (Read 4749 times)