The all-time worst sportscasting blunders

[Pratte4Life]

Oh come on. That wasn't the worst Pete Franklin blunder-

THIS WAS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jAZv2cyTVI

It got him fired from WFAN, resulting in the start of "Mike and the Mad Dog," and sent him to California for good.

Back in Cleveland, Mike Trivisonno used the "Screw You! Screw You All!" line from this rant as a liner for years.

 

[schmave]

I'm curious. What was so bad with Harry Carey and Milo? I don't live in that area and never heard it.

The biggest problem was that Hamilton had been promised the lead TV job by Jack Brickhouse when the latter retired in '81. Brickhouse was not only the Cubs' PBP man, he was also the VP of Sports for WGN and as such was able to pick his successor. Hamilton & Brickhouse had been paired up for a year or two previously.

But after th 1981 season, Harry Caray left the White Sox because he didn't want to be involved with the Sportsvision debacle. Immediately, Brickhouse hired him (the announcers worked for WGN rather than the team, even though they were under common ownership by this time), knifing Hamilton in the back. Brickhouse & Hamilton had always been on friendly terms, AFAIK, but Harry was one of Jack's closest friends. Brickhouse later admitted that he handled the situation very badly. Hamilton should have been allowed to leave before the '82 season started.

On top of that, Hamilton and Caray had been bitter enemies going back to when they were both in St. Louis in the '50s. Hamilton had been paired up with Caray and Jack Buck in 1954 on Cardinal broadcasts and it didn't work out. Officially, Hamilton was let to to make way for Joe Garagiola, but it was no secret that Caray had him canned and it didn't make any difference who replaced him. When Hamilton was fired in '84, it was allegedly because Harry didn't like him and the Tribune Company thought (correctly) that Caray was more important.

Three wrongs didn't make a right.

1. Brickhouse should have known about the Caray-Hamilton feud (since he was friendly with both men on a personal basis as well as professionally) and allowed Milo to find another team. Moving to radio was out since Vince Lloyd & Lou Boudreau were still viable broadcasters.

2. Caray behind the scenes was well-known as not being the nicest guy in the world to his co-workers. Really, only Steve Stone and Jimmy Piersall could put up with him on a long-term basis. Even Jack Buck had problems with him but from what I understand, they respected each other on a professional basis.

3. Hamilton had a well-earned reputation as a professional but always bitter over how he was fired in St. Louis in 1955. He always blamed Harry for it. He got worse over the years. He was a great play-by-play man in his day but he was always hurt by his bitterness. No need for it, Milo. It's your voice that will forever be heard on the call of Henry Aaron's 715th home run, not Curt Gowdys or anyone else who called that game.

I'm one who believes that Myron Cope was so bad, he was good in that he was entertaining to listen to.

That's what most Steelers fans said about him. They compared him to Harry Caray at the end of his life or Ron Santo. Maybe it's because I only heard him a few times when I used to pay for the NFL radio broadcasts, but I thought he was much worse than Caray or Santo at their worst. But he was developing some serious health problems by that time (2004-05). Maybe he was decent years ago.

I thought the 1980 no announcer game was cool. I wish they would do that again, or offer a place to have games broadcast that way.

The networks pay these guys way too much money to ever try that again. Maybe the least important CBS game that Ian Eagle would be calling. His presence is like not having an announcer anyway. ;D

Milo is a still bitter old man. Not even Texas can hold his ego. Amazingly enough after 25 years with the Astros, he still has only a fraction of the following Harry did with the Cubs, Jack Buck did with the Cardinals, Marty Brennaman does with the Reds, etc. and that's mostly because he makes all his broadcasts about himself, not the game.
Anyone who speaks ill of the dead like Milo did after Harry died deserves no sympathy. No wrongs can justify that.

 

[radioman148]

I'm curious. What was so bad with Harry Carey and Milo? I don't live in that area and never heard it.

The biggest problem was that Hamilton had been promised the lead TV job by Jack Brickhouse when the latter retired in '81. Brickhouse was not only the Cubs' PBP man, he was also the VP of Sports for WGN and as such was able to pick his successor. Hamilton & Brickhouse had been paired up for a year or two previously.

But after th 1981 season, Harry Caray left the White Sox because he didn't want to be involved with the Sportsvision debacle. Immediately, Brickhouse hired him (the announcers worked for WGN rather than the team, even though they were under common ownership by this time), knifing Hamilton in the back. Brickhouse & Hamilton had always been on friendly terms, AFAIK, but Harry was one of Jack's closest friends. Brickhouse later admitted that he handled the situation very badly. Hamilton should have been allowed to leave before the '82 season started.

On top of that, Hamilton and Caray had been bitter enemies going back to when they were both in St. Louis in the '50s. Hamilton had been paired up with Caray and Jack Buck in 1954 on Cardinal broadcasts and it didn't work out. Officially, Hamilton was let to to make way for Joe Garagiola, but it was no secret that Caray had him canned and it didn't make any difference who replaced him. When Hamilton was fired in '84, it was allegedly because Harry didn't like him and the Tribune Company thought (correctly) that Caray was more important.

Three wrongs didn't make a right.

1. Brickhouse should have known about the Caray-Hamilton feud (since he was friendly with both men on a personal basis as well as professionally) and allowed Milo to find another team. Moving to radio was out since Vince Lloyd & Lou Boudreau were still viable broadcasters.

2. Caray behind the scenes was well-known as not being the nicest guy in the world to his co-workers. Really, only Steve Stone and Jimmy Piersall could put up with him on a long-term basis. Even Jack Buck had problems with him but from what I understand, they respected each other on a professional basis.

3. Hamilton had a well-earned reputation as a professional but always bitter over how he was fired in St. Louis in 1955. He always blamed Harry for it. He got worse over the years. He was a great play-by-play man in his day but he was always hurt by his bitterness. No need for it, Milo. It's your voice that will forever be heard on the call of Henry Aaron's 715th home run, not Curt Gowdys or anyone else who called that game.

I'm one who believes that Myron Cope was so bad, he was good in that he was entertaining to listen to.

That's what most Steelers fans said about him. They compared him to Harry Caray at the end of his life or Ron Santo. Maybe it's because I only heard him a few times when I used to pay for the NFL radio broadcasts, but I thought he was much worse than Caray or Santo at their worst. But he was developing some serious health problems by that time (2004-05). Maybe he was decent years ago.

I thought the 1980 no announcer game was cool. I wish they would do that again, or offer a place to have games broadcast that way.

The networks pay these guys way too much money to ever try that again. Maybe the least important CBS game that Ian Eagle would be calling. His presence is like not having an announcer anyway. ;D

Milo is a still bitter old man. Not even Texas can hold his ego. Amazingly enough after 25 years with the Astros, he still has only a fraction of the following Harry did with the Cubs, Jack Buck did with the Cardinals, Marty Brennaman does with the Reds, etc. and that's mostly because he makes all his broadcasts about himself, not the game.
Anyone who speaks ill of the dead like Milo did after Harry died deserves no sympathy. No wrongs can justify that.

Agreed. I heard Milo's comments after Harry's death. Even though he got the shaft in Chicago he would've been better off saying no comment than saying what he said.

 

[kjl]

Dickie V! Please go away.

We can make a long list of the ESPN ones.

This past NFL draft was just a circus! We really need 150 people on there? Cris Carter calling Trent Dilfer "homie" was the breaking point for me! Erin Andrews is nice to look at but I rather have someone else interview the draftees.

You should have Berman, Mortensen, Kiper, and Tom Jackson. Have Wingo take the host after round 1 is over and have maybe McShay cut in every so often.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Two more blunders I remember- Don Criqui in the mid-'90s when his career was slipping.

First, the instance when U of Miami was playing in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes' players huddled by holding hands in a circle- no big deal.

Criqui commented "Their coach doesn't care about them holding hands in the huddle as long as they don't do it off the field."

HO! HO! What a funny man Criqui is!

If that wasn't enough, I recall him calling a Steelers-Panthers season finale in '96 and not knowing the playoff scenarios- closing the broadcast that the Steelers were on their way to play Jacksonville in the playoffs when it was, in fact, Indianapolis.

Flubbing a score or saying "James Earl Jones has died" when it was really James Earl Ray is human error.

But not knowing the playoff scenarios on the final weekend of the year? Inexcusible- and why Criqui's star has fallen through the years.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Another blunder- Todd Christensen.

When Christensen first came on the air he tried to speak over the audience's heads.

But it was so transparent back then- stepping on the play-by-play guy, quoting Shakespeare on the pregame, etc.

Worst comes out in the Louisville-Alabama New Years Bowl Game almost a generation ago. Louisville is winning 32-7 midway through the fourth quarter, has the ball inside the Tide's five yard line halfway through the fourth quarter.

With the game decided, the Cardinals decide to go for it on fourth and goal. You've seen this- a team gives the other a chance to stop them. A field goal now would be chincy.

Christensen goes off- and will not let it go- that Louisville is trying to run up the score. The man who has played football for how long, who tries to come off as the great intellectual, now simply doesn't get "Basic Sportsmanship 101."

Well, he did play for the Raiders.

Regardless, he tries to make his point with this doozy- minutes after the play has been run and Lousiville has been stopped.

"But three points would give Louisville 35. And 35 is a divisor of 7.

"Fans reading the paper will be able to comprehend 35-7 tomorrow, but not 32-7 or 39-7."

HUH?

This said- I believe since his demotion to ESPN2 on college football Todd Christensen has checked a lot of his ego and, dare I say, STUPIDITY at the door and is now a top color man. I wouldn't mind him back with the big boys again.

In fact, he's probably paid his dues.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Oh come on. That wasn't the worst Pete Franklin blunder-

THIS WAS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jAZv2cyTVI

It got him fired from WFAN, resulting in the start of "Mike and the Mad Dog," and sent him to California for good.

Back in Cleveland, Mike Trivisonno used the "Screw You! Screw You All!" line from this rant as a liner for years.

Given that Pete often bashed the Yankees, even creating a "Yankee hankee", his jumping to New York was a blunder in itself. He was an icon that help to create (and ultimately save) the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he pioneered the post-game call-in shows (the Sportsline name continued with different hosts - including Trivisonno, originally A CALLER to Pete's show - until 2008).

It just never clicked in the Big Apple. But WFAN recovered a little bit, you could say.

 

[Pratte4Life]

I doubt too many Yankees fans were upset with Pete Franklin for that in 1989. After all, he was playing up to his audience back then and in '89 the Yanks were in the dumper anyway.

I remember Pete on WWWE and WFAN. I remember while his WWWE show claimed to have a national voice (remember, there was no network sports talk in those days. Pulling in the 50kw out of Cleveland might be your source for hearing what else was out there), he got more callers wanting to know about the national scene at WFAN.

It was said that Franklin's problems were that he couldn't get away with just screaming at a caller in NYC if the guy called up and asked him something he didn't know.

I actually believe that had something to do with it. But furthermore, you have to remember at the time Franklin and Don Imus were competing as to who would be the top personality on the station.

Imus would criticize Franklin a lot. Supposedly one of Imus' bits was opening up the newspaper and then reading the obits.

"Nope, Pete's not in there! He'll be on the air this afternoon!"

Regardless, do you honestly think the New York critics were going to shine up to Franklin instead of someone they had been calling the best radio performer in the country at times? Imus was, in that era, still in his heydey. He was the guy the execs wanted to keep instead of Howard Stern. They remembered Imus' profiles in national magazines, his albums, all of that.

A sports talk show host out of Cleveland? Heck, didn't we already have something like that in Art Rust Jr. over at WABC? The old "Sports Tonight" hosts on WNBC were more in touch with what was going on, had better guests, were more cutting edge.

A 60 something year old man with an angry schtick was going to replace what had been the leading sports show in town?

I heard KNBR's tribute to "The King," and really thought he'd slipped. It was a tired schtick. They asked him what he thought of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" as bumper music. He promptly dismissed it as a new fad- made fun of the song- all of that.

It was 1995. "Highway to Hell" was released in 1979.

I then heard him for the final time on WTAM in Cleveland. He did his show from California and had lost the bite that you listened to him for- he no longer attacked callers- only told listeners how lovely his California home was.

Callers would ask if he'd seen the revitilization of Cleveland. Remember when he left none of the downtown redevelopment was even thought of. No Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, no Gateway District- none of it. The Cavs played in the middle of nowhere 35 miles out of town and the Indians were still at Municipal Stadium. He was sponsored by rundown strip joints in The Flats.

He'd say he'd visited once.

But I honestly wonder about Franklin's legacy. I think he cemented the idea a sports talk show host had to have a bunch of attitude.

Still, would he be able to make it today? Would his bit work? Could he have saved the Cavs from moving? Would he be nationally reknown? Would he be THE syndicated host, or would it still be Jim Rome? Would Jim Rome be possible if it weren't for Franklin?

 

[djfrresh]

the all time worst sportscaster is chris berman his act is gettin stell.

 

[ct2874]

would the merger of Fox Sports Radio with KLAC count as a blunder? You think everyone bashing the media's so-called "east coast bias" is bad, ever since the merger, FSR KLAC has taken SoCal homerism to astronomical proportions...

 

[larnov]

the all time worst sportscaster is chris berman his act is gettin stell.

100 % right, I will not listen or watch ESPN when Berman is on,
I would rather see a shopping network selling perfumes rather than putting up with bermam.
His Brother (Len) is 10,000% better

 

[Pratte4Life]

I wasn't aware Len and Chris Berman were brothers.

I did always think Len Berman got the shaft from NBC. I'm old enough to remember when he hosted the NFL pregame show- "NFL '82."

I thought he did a good job. I was just a kid and there was the football strike that wiped out half the season. For a brief period of time NBC aired Canadian Football League games as a substitute, and Berman had to introduce to us who the Edmonton Eskimos were and update us on former college stars who had found a home in the CFL- like Warren Moon.

During the strike, "NFL '82" was, if memory serves, expanded. They gave updates on how the strike went and such.

Berman had the personality of a friendly, gracious host.

And then, after just a season, Berman was gone. Bob Costas, if memory serves, became the NFL pregame host.

I have no idea of the internal politics. I'm sure NBC saw Costas as a rising star and wanted a showcase to feature him. I do wonder if the strike had anything to do with Berman's demise, but regardless.

I realize Berman has had a great career as a local New York City sports anchor, but I was somewhat disapointed that I didn't see Berman again on an NFL broadcast until he gave sideline reports for a Jets-Houston Oilers game in 1996 from the Meadowlands.