In Which Bellwether Meltdown Ranks Chicago Play By Play Announcers

Ok, keep in mind, I'm in my early 20s, so Vince Lloyd, Lou Boudreau, Milo Hamilton, et. al. will not be on this list. Also, this is Play By Play announcers NOT analists, that's why Steve Stone isn't on here.

When I rank play by play guys, the most important thing to me is the sound of their voice. It's not just tenor either. Pacing, patter, phrasing, how the words roll out of their mouth is just important. Second is how good they are at as technical announcers. If I'm listening to the game on the radio, how much of the game can I see. If I watching on TV, how well do their descriptions match up with what I actually see. Third most important is their excitement, how well do they bring me into the game, how well do they contain themselves from going over the top (Chip Caray, I'm looking at you.)

1) Wayne Larrivee

Wayne Larrivee is the voice I hear in my head when I imagine football. His radio call is play by play perfection. People criticize him for being a screamer, but I don't think I've ever heard Wayne yell in a situation that didn't deserve it. There are two things that make Wayne great, however. His description of formations and specific on field events, and that all important sound of his voice. Both are incredible on their own, but it's the way Wayne pairs the two that makes it so special.

"Conway Wide Left, Graham' wide' to' the' right, Timpson the slot' receiver on the right side, off'set I' behind Kramer" the patter and pacing of the description is fantastic. The wild hyperbolic exclamations were hilarious. ESCORTED TO THE CHALKMARKS.... FAVRE HAD ENOUGH TIME TO READ WAR AND PEACE IN THE POCKET... DIETRICH JELLS OF ALL PEOPLE RUNNING 50 YARDS DOWNFIELD LIKE JERRY RICE!

2) John Wiedeman

No, really. I know it's sacrosanct to say anything bad about Pat Foley in this town, but the fact is, Pat Foley, though very exciting, is a very difficult listen on the radio, it's very hard to follow the action on a Foley broadcast. Weideman has the same vocal qualities as Foley, brings the same level of excitement and gives you a technically competent broadcast. Wiedeman is just so solid all around. Also, Foley's a jerk, but that's another blog entry.

3) Pat Hughes

First of all, a million bonus points for actually making a Ron Santo broadcast worth listening to, but even aside from that, Pat's great. He gives you a rock solid call, knows when to get excited, knows when to shut up. His voice is amazing, he's a great storyteller (so important in baseball when there's 15-25 seconds between every pitch) and he's excellent at painting the picture. His long, list style descriptions are easy to poke fun of, but they're still entertaining and give you a great mental image.

4) Jim Durham

Only this low because I didn't hear much of him. He's probably the most recognizable voice on the list as he went on to work for ESPN. His descriptions are excellent, his voice is instantly recognizable

5) Harry Caray with the White Sox

Wasn't around, but the few tapes I've heard have been legendary.

6) Harry Caray with the Cubs

I got to hear the last 6-7 years of this. Harry and Steve was a special broadcast, but Harry was clearly losing it the last 5 years or so. The technical imperfections hurt this team, but it still holds a special place in my heart.

7) Pat Foley

Ok, fine. Wiedeman's still better, but it'll be great to have Foley (or hell anyone besides Dan Kelly) doing Hawks games on TV next season.

8) John Rooney

I wish I'd have listened to more Sox games on the radio pre 2006, I'm sure if I had, I'd have Rooney much higher. He made Ed Farmer tolerable, which while not as impressive as making a Santo broadcast enjoyable, is no slight feat in it's own right.

9) Jack Brickhouse

Ok I'm sure he's probably #1 if you're over the age of 45, but all I can go on are a few highlights. I get it, I do, but I wasn't around for it so it wasn't special to me. Brickhouse is most famous for annoucing the Cubs, but he also called games for the Bears, Bulls and White Sox, announced pro wrestling, and several national broadcasts, including the famous Willie Mays "Basket Catch" in the 1954 world series at the Polo Grounds.