Around the Big Ten

[CGVT]

Just don't have him call Soccer again. What a disaster that was.

I don't watch much soccer, but I did stop on a game he was calling. Let's just say that his style didn't translate well. Ha!

[Hannibal]

Chris Fowler is following in his footsteps. His voice turns into a guttural growl of false excitement on big plays. He is terrible, too.

Yes, Chris Fowler is awful. He seems like he doesn't even want to be doing that job so he fakes excitement on big plays. But he is ESPN's "A" game lead announcer because they want the Gameday gang calling the game, because ESPN thinks that you tune in to see the Gameday gang and not the actual football game. Gus Johnson is at least a natural play-by-play guy and his excitement doesn't seem fake to me. The guy who did the Texas-ND game is Disney's best announcer now.

Speaking of horrible announcers, I noticed that Steve Levy is back in the booth now -- with Brian Griese doing color. Poor Brian. He deserves so much better.

[WingsFan]

At least Brent knows when to get excited and raise his voice. Fowler is so bad half his jubilant calls turns out as 3 years gains.

[AlabamAlum]

Yes, Chris Fowler is awful. He seems like he doesn't even want to be doing that job so he fakes excitement on big plays. But he is ESPN's "A" game lead announcer because they want the Gameday gang calling the game, because ESPN thinks that you tune in to see the Gameday gang and not the actual football game. Gus Johnson is at least a natural play-by-play guy and his excitement doesn't seem fake to me. The guy who did the Texas-ND game is Disney's best announcer now.

Speaking of horrible announcers, I noticed that Steve Levy is back in the booth now -- with Brian Griese doing color. Poor Brian. He deserves so much better.

I thought Fowler did his best work on Gameday. Moving him off that and onto big games was a headscratcher to me. But Rece Davis is a Bama alum, so that's a positive.

[WingsFan]

Fowler hates Michigan, he got hit in the head with a snowball in Ann Arbor during GameDay few years back.

[iam416]

My understanding from reading various fan boards is that virtually every announcer hates virtually every team either directly or by conference proxy.

For example, membership in the World Wide Anti-Val Conspiracy probably still extends to the inner recesses of ESPN, CBS, NASA, Unicef, the EU, PETA, Exxon and SETI, to name but a few.

[AlabamAlum]

Well, the Gameday crew has always been BigTen centric. A BigTen coach and two BigTen players. Fowler was a Colorado guy, but I always git the impression he likes tennis more than cfb.

Swapping him for Rece was a good move, but honestly, I had no real issues with Fowler.

[AlabamAlum]

I think the crew does a decent job at being impartial. Kirk is a Saban/Bama fan and it shows. And he says positive things about Harbaugh and M. And I haven't noted Rece being especially pro Bama.

[WingsFan]

I like Rece, wish he was still on college football final. Plus Michigan State hates him for always calling them 'Sparty'. I don't get that? Also Desmond was called out on a local TV show last week for calling them 'Sparty'? They are' Sparty'.... what the problem?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Well, it's not like we're looking to select Golden Globe or Emmy nominees. TV coverage of CFB is so universally bad that talking about these people amounts to little more than dumpster diving.

My problem lies with quality and accuracy of the play by play and color commentary. So much of it is just wrong. You'd think these people who claim to be professionals would study the game enough to be able to comment on or diagram a play as good if not better than most bloggers or most of us.

[Hannibal]

I thought Fowler did his best work on Gameday. Moving him off that and onto big games was a headscratcher to me...

It's not a headscratcher once you realize how the modern Disneybrain works. It's standard operating procedure for them now, which is why I pray on a regular basis that the next TV contract will have some other networks -- anyone, I don't give a shit -- covering B1G football. Fox, NBC, CBS, Lifetime, al-Jazeera -- Let someone else have a crack at it.

[WingsFan]

You do know Fox Sports and The Big Ten have a deal next year. Starting in the fall of 2017 about 25 football games and 50 men’s basketball games per season will be on FOX. Reports that Michigan vs Ohio State will be included. Six year deal.

[hack]

I like Rece, wish he was still on college football final. Plus Michigan State hates him for always calling them 'Sparty'. I don't get that? Also Desmond was called out on a local TV show last week for calling them 'Sparty'? They are' Sparty'.... what the problem?

``YOU can't say that word, but I can.''

SPARTAN LIVES MATTER.

[froot loops]

Sparty is the mascot, they should be called the Spartans.

Brent Musberger is one of the greats, he knows how to call games and he always knows the betting lines.

[hack]

The outside world has a limited appetite and ability to retain such arcane details about Michigan State University. We are working on spelling your coach's name right, and one would think that would result in a little appreciation. Instead we there are just continual demands for more. We want to make it seem as if you should feel important, but the world does not revolve around you people.