Results tagged “chickhearn”

LA's airwaves have been blessed with legendary personalities over the years - Chick Hearn, Vin Scully, Jim Ladd, and Rodney on the Roq just to name a few. Just as important was Richard Blade who for decades educated LA over KROQ's air by spreading the good news of Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Duran Duran, The Cure and so many of our favorites from the '80s when KROQ ruled the world. His "Flashback Lunch" hour...

He's been the LA Dodgers announcer even when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. Handpicked by the legendary Red Barber, Vinny has been the poetic play-by-play man for the Blue Crew for 57 years, which is the longest tenure of a sports announcer with one team Ever.

Color us confused on this one, but is that some sort of an Italian or French chef popping out of a covered wagon with a freshly cooked chicken on his hand? And he's one tough guy, because he's not even using a plate or a potholder. Ah yes, it brings to mind the long and arduous journeys that the settlers undertook to come out West, bringing with them the joys of international cuisine and fried chicken. We would say he's Italian because of the red scarf, but that mustache just says French all over the place. "Oh Ho HO! Zees ees what ees for deener! I wheeped eet up in zee wagon!" And check out his dandy boots. This is clearly a man about town. Or at least a man about Olympic and San Vicente.

Few sports announcers have paid their dues like Joel Meyers. This guy seems to show up everywhere. Listening to the NFL playoffs on the radio? There's Joel Meyers. Watching the Padres-Cubs go to 12 innings at midnight on ESPN2? There's Joel Meyers. Wake up to watch Kansas-Iowa State Big 12 football on Fox Sports Net? There's Joel Meyers. Inadvertantly picked up an MLB Extra Innings Tigers-White Sox game from Comerica Park on Fox Sports Detroit? There's Joel Meyers. Come to bar, and find a Spurs-Hawks game on TV from some local San Antonio station? There's Joel Meyers. Find yourself watching dog frisbee, senior golf, or college swimming? There's Joel Meyers.

A: 34. Los Angeles Sports Columnist

We've commented on Paul Sunderland at length in the past. No one thinks he's a bad announcer. LAist thinks he's average, passable for most teams, and all-around good guy. But no broadcaster would ever want to follow the greatest basketball announcer of all-time, and Sunderland was stuck.

He must have been reading LAist, which brought up Miller's name last week. But the more we think about it, the more we realize that Miller is the perfect person to become the Lakers' play-by-play announcer.

While Paul Sunderland is a real trooper who's fortunate to have his dream job, LAist is hardly surprised. Los Angeles has extremely high standards for its sports announcers as evidenced by Vin Scully, Bob Miller, Ralph Lawler, and the late-Chick Hearn. It's almost impossible for anyone to follow Chick Hearn, and Sunderland simply isn't up to the task.

For years, Lawler has been lost in the shuffle in a city that boasts great announcers like Vin Scully, the late-Chick Hearn, and Bob Miller. But Lawler is a top-tier announcer who has always epitomized class. You'd think that calling the vast majority of games for a team Sports Illustrated once dubbed "The Worst Franchise in Professional Sports History" would get someone down after 28 years. But not Lawler.