Well, McFarlin isn't young, for one. And second, even though he mistakenly tosses George Kell into the list of "analysts" (Kell was a play-by-play guy, and one of the best. Ever.), he makes a good case. He also rightly acknowledges that Allen's competition isn't all that enthralling. Jim Northrup, Al Kaline, and Kirk Gibson, for starters, weren't terrific -- although I still have never heard anyone on TV who knows more about baseball than Kaline. Al just didn't always have a compelling way of conveying it, is all.
Still, I have no problem giving Allen his due as the best Tigers TV analyst. Ever. Mr. McFarlin and those who agree, have my permission.
McFarlin mentioned all the catch phrases Allen uses, and even gives a nod (I think) to my friend Big Al and his Rod Allen game, without mentioning Al's site by name. And Allen, in the story, frets a bit about being made fun of, as opposed to being taken seriously. It's easy for me to say, but I don't think Allen should worry too much about that. I get the impression that he's respected and liked far more than he's mocked. Heck, we made fun of Kell and his Arkansas twang. Remember George Baier on WRIF radio and his "George Swell" character?
But reading McFarlin's anointing of Allen made me wonder when someone is going to do the same for Greg Kelser. So I guess I will.
Kelser, Special K, is the best Pistons TV analyst. Ever. Yet he flies under the radar, and I suspect it's because he's taken for granted. That, and Kelser doesn't really have any catch phrases. He's not loud or over-enthusiastic. He's just smooth as silk. If he was still a player, he'd be considered a "bad interview" because he doesn't utter anything outlandish. But if you want the straight dope on the basketball you're watching on television, then Kelser's your man.
Kelser's Pistons career started auspiciously, if only because of the clown who drafted him.
Dickie Vitale held a draft party at the Silverdome in 1979, prior to his second season as Pistons coach. Dickie's Pistons had finished 30-52 the season before, an eight-game drop-off from the previous campaign. It was about to get much worse. For here came Vitale, proud as a peacock, waving a box of Special K cereal. No joke.
"The Pistons have just made a trade!," Dickie declared to the curious and perplexed inside the Dome. Then Vitale told of how he had bamboozled the Milwaukee Bucks into trading draft positions so the Pistons could select Kelser, from MSU. Special K was Kelser's nickname at State. So Dickie thought he was a laugh riot, waving the box of cereal as he announced the trade and, in his mind, how smart he was.
Here's how smart he was: the Bucks had no intention of selecting Kelser, despite his fine career in East Lansing and the NCAA championship he won with Magic Johnson a couple months earlier. The Bucks had their eyes on Sidney Moncrief, a dynamic guard from Arkansas. All along. So they took the $50,000 of Bill Davidson's money that Vitale waved as enticement, and agreed to switch draft positions with the Pistons. It was because of decisions like that, that Vitale made a much better living barking into a television microphone than he ever did as an NBA coach and personnel guy.
Now, nearly 30 years later, Kelser is still with the Pistons, the perfect complement to George Blaha's stirring play-by-play work. The Pistons are lucky to still have him; I would be shocked if he didn't have opportunities to work at the network level. I've listened to all the blowhards on TBS and TNT and NBC and ESPN, and I'm not seeing where any of them are more insightful about the NBA and aware of the nuances that go on during games than Gregory Kelser. Seems that most of them are a little too cognizant of the fact that their words are being broadcast, because they seem to enjoy listening to themselves so much.
Jim McFarlin can have his Rod Allen as best Tigers analyst thing, without my dissent. Just allow me my Greg Kelser thing. Anyone got a problem with that?
3 comments:
No arguments with Kelser (or Allen for that matter). So what about Lions and Wings analysts? To be honest, Brandstatter is all I can remember for the Lions. I'm sure there have been others in my lifetime but I honestly can't recall any.
As far as the Wings go, Sid Able has to be the choice (Sid Disabled to go along with George Swell). Sid is how I learned to talk "Canadian" - Detroy-it are bringing the puck up the ice. And Woods isn't bad, but I can't get past his stuttering (Kris-uh-Draper) and he's starting to become more cartoonish, playing games with Ken Kal.
The Lions radio team was uneven before Brandy. Charlie Sanders gave it a shot, and he was OK. You're about my age, so you might remember (I do) Bob Reynolds and Van Patrick. They were awesome.
Woods is OK, but you're right about his speaking style. Kinda distracting. He also runs words together; doesn't pronounce all the syllables. But he'll do.
I liked Kelly Tripucka on TV. Vinnie Johnson and John Long on the radio were God awful. Rick Mahorn doesn't float my boat all that much. Too dry.
But when Bruce Martyn and Budd Lynch combined on TV and radio -- wow. THOSE were the days!
Lynch was my first autograph. I saw him at age 9 at my first Red Wings game and actually knew who he was. He signed my program, with Larry Johnston on the cover.
I'd have to say the Wings, Pistons, and Red Wings all have exceptional broadcasters. You can't go wrong with any of them, as they make the game that much better.
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