Al Michaels, Joe Buck, Marv Albert and Mike Emrick are national play-by-play talents familiar to sports viewers.
But for avid DU men’s lacrosse fans — and curious viewers — Eamon McAnaney has moved quickly into the TV spotlight.
McAnaney provided play-by-play during the Pioneers’ 11-10 overtime victory over Notre Dame at the Final Four in Philadelphia on Saturday.
He returns Monday to call DU’s game against Maryland (11 a.m., ESPN2) for the NCAA championship.
McAnaney has tinges of Irish green in his blood. The 1991 graduate of Notre Dame was a star player for the Fighting Irish.
I’m anything but an expert when it comes to watching lacrosse on television. But from my vantage point, McAnaney didn’t burst a green blood vessel when his alma mater lost the overtime thriller. His coverage didn’t favor either team.
McAnaney provides reporting and other play-by-play duties for ESPN, but lacrosse is his main focus. He will be joined again Monday by analyst Quint Kessenich, a respected East Coast sports talent who writes “Inside Lacrosse” in a regular online column.
ESPN used 10 cameras Saturday to cover the action. Three officials were equipped with microphones, which allowed them to further educate viewers not familiar with the sport. Expect the same coverage Monday.
Hooping it up.
NBA fans like to talk about the Michael era, the Kobe era and the LeBron era.
The league’s Steve era doesn’t generate as much hype.
Steve Kerr, a major TV sports broadcasting talent and former NBA guard, was analyzing the Spurs-Thunder playoff battle for TNT a year ago.
Now he is analyzing the Warriors-Rockets playoff battle on ESPN as Golden State’s coach.
Kerr’s coaching and the performance of league MVP Stephen Curry have helped the Warriors build a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. The series resumes Monday in Houston.
TV trademark.
Nearly every time Curry scores for the Warriors in the West finals, ESPN cameras follow the all-star guard down the court — his mouthpiece sticking out on his face.
Look for a poster or a TV promotional spot of Curry and his mouthpiece.
Longtime Denver journalist Dusty Saunders writes about sports media each Monday in The Denver Post. Contact him at tvtime @comcast.net.
Radio report: Mile High Sports Radio have been silenced for now
Mile High Sports radio (94.1 FM, 1550 AM) has been off the air since Thursday.
As part of a complicated broadcasting ownership deal, the two frequencies are now the properties of Marco Broadcasting. Marco has switched both stations to “oldies” music formats.
Mile High Sports president James Merilatt says his company’s sports format will return to new dial slots “in the near future.”
Irv Brown and Joe Williams, longtime talk show hosts who had been doing the 1-2 p.m. weekday show, were called Thursday morning and told not to come in.
Mile High operates differently from most sports radio outlets. Talk show hosts buy air time from Mile High and sell advertising spots to sponsors.
