Wednesday, April 24, 2019

EP120: NBC’s Al Michaels, Part 2


In the second of two parts, NBC sportscaster Al Michaels, who has called 10 Super Bowls, numerous World Series, and will be forever known for his “Miracle on Ice” call, joins Ken for an in depth discussion on NFL football, working with partners, his process, preparation, and how much sleep he gets the night before he calls a Super Bowl. 


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5 comments :

Jeff Boice said...

Thanks- that was in-depth- and interesting.

His comments on sideline reporters intrigued me because I remember there were a few years when CBS and maybe FOX stopped using them on regular season games saying they weren't needed as NFL gave them all the updates on injuries,etc.

He gets Cleveland for Week 3- luckily the trip to Cleveland is in late September.

I was reminded of his last Super Bowl broadcast (Eagles-NE)- where Michaels refused to speculate whether the Eagles go-ahead TD would be upheld (adding he no longer was sure what a complete pass was under the rules), Collinsworth predicted the TD call would be overturned (and ticked off all the Eagles fans).

Tom Asher said...

Loved it! Al's book is fantastic too.

julian said...

love the pod, Ken. keep it goin.

Louis Burklow said...

Ken,

I enjoyed both halves of this interview EXCEPT the love lavished on Tim McCarver. Given your previous defenses of Joe Buck I realize there's a wide difference between the way sportscasters are perceived by peers and the public. Frankly, I'd take Buck over McCarver any day. I've never heard a more tiresome windbag. He may have known all about baseball but he couldn't stop telling you how much he knew about it. In doing so, he sometimes revealed the limits of what he knew. He also never met a bad pun he didn't love and beat into the ground. Buck and McCarver calling baseball on Fox was like listening to twenty fingernails on a chalkboard. There's a Friday question in this rant: do you know why there is such a difference in these perceptions? I don't notice it so much with hard news reporters or other people with MC-type jobs on television. Is it just familiarity breeding contempt? Is it that we don't know these people personally so we see them differently than his/her peers? Vin Scully, in my opinion, deserved every bit of the praise he got. He was at least as knowledgeable as McCarver but he knew when to shut up. Can you imagine McCarver shutting up after saying "She is gone?" Me neither.

Mike Barer said...

I really enjoyed it.