It's Calabro!!!!!

[theprunetang]

Steve Blake was all of those things as well...

Yeah, but Blake would probably kick over a chair during the broadcast if he disagreed with a call.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Steve Blake was all of those things as well...

Perfect. He's played for a billion teams. Let's fire Schonz and put Blake there. The putreach would be spectacular

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Perfect. He's played for a billion teams. Let's fire Schonz and put Blake there. The putreach would be spectacular

Isn't Schonz a Seattle guy?

 

[Mediocre Man]

Isn't Schonz a Seattle guy?

The point is replacing long time popular Blazer employees with people our president of a couple years think we'll like more and have a broader reach

 

[Tunchi]

The point is replacing long time popular Blazer employees with people our president of a couple years think we'll like more and have a broader reach

We do like it more

Check the polls out

 

[PDXFonz]

Perfect. He's played for a billion teams. Let's fire Schonz and put Blake there. The putreach would be spectacular

I like when you go to extremes.

 

[THE HCP]

Maybe we should fire the Schonz and hire Jerry West? He's more well known, right? Woyld make a great ambassador.

You just don't always have to go for better. Barrett was solid, extremely competent. Is he as good as Calabro? No, but he was fine to listen to, was a great ambassador for the team, fans loved him, and when I met him he was a hell of nice guy.

Quality post

 

[BlazerCaravan]

The point is replacing long time popular Blazer employees with people our president of a couple years think we'll like more and have a broader reach

I think you're overvaluing our team's talent, to use a phrase you're fond of (excepting Schonz who is a legend).

 

[maxiep]

Obviously, this move was in place before the firings. Calabro is obviously a terrific hire and a best case scenario.

I would have liked to have seen Barrett and Rice moved to radio and Wheels and Tone shown the door. Wheels would leave PDX in a heartbeat for a bigger city. Barrett nor Rice would.

 

[Strenuus]

Obviously, this move was in place before the firings. Calabro is obviously a terrific hire and a best case scenario.

I would have liked to have seen Barrett and Rice moved to radio and Wheels and Tone shown the door. Wheels would leave PDX in a heartbeat for a bigger city. Barrett nor Rice would.

Any reason for this assumption?

 

[maxiep]

Any reason for this assumption?

He has openly longed to be the radio guy for the L*kers.

 

[Mediocre Man]

We do like it more

Check the polls out

So asinine. It'sbeen done. Of course people will vote that way.

 

[Strenuus]

He has openly longed to be the radio guy for the L*kers.

I've looked around, and I see he has lived in LA and is inspired by Scully and Hearn... but inspired by someone and longing to be something are two different things. Any direct quotes?

 

[BlayZa]

so, should we expect something this week around the color comms. guy?

 

[jlprk]

The NW really needs to come together as one in solidarity against the rest of the sports nation. Each city now has only one major sport team for the major sports. I dont see why we cant unite against the rest of the regions.

Yes, I'm a believer in the Pacific Northwest. Idaho skinheads defend Washington's Eastern Front. Maris can handle Oregon's Eastern Front. Marzul is on the watch on the Southern Front. And I'm here to handle naval attacks from the Pacific. You guys need to watch the Columbia Inlet.

As long as who he hires is an upgrade, what's the problem? Weren't you one of the ones who wanted Nate fired? Should we have kept him around forever for sentimental reasons? What about players, are we not allowed to trade or waive them because a minority of the fans might miss them? Jlprk still misses J.J. Hickson. I don't. Will you be upset of they don't resign Leonard? I think not. I know player move are not McGowan's turf, justr pointing out that change isn't always a bad thing.

DID SOMEONE SAY J.J. HICKSON?? HE'S AVAILABLE. DO NOT WAKEN A SLEEPING DRAGON.

For all those freaking out about hiring a "Seattle guy", Calabro has ties to Oregon as well - as witnessed by his career defining role as 3rd Airport Reporter in Prefontaine.

Clicking on Calabro's name leads to a more salient role he had.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783392/?ref_=nm_knf_t4

 

[jlprk]

Barrett was very average at best when he started. He got much better over time, but he always has just seemed like a news anchor to me...we have gotten used to the Mikes more than we love them...Calabro is on par with hiring Shonz in his prime.

Calabro is better than Shonz was. And Calabro used to be even better, especially in his Sonic years with humorous colormen like Mychael Thompson and Marques Johnson. Brent Barry is weak and unfunny when paired with Calabro. Terrible. Calabro is not as funny now, and not as deep-throated. His speech is more clipped (he used to dwell on the last syllable longer) and a little higher pitched than 20 years ago.
----------

It's not so much where they're born. Isn't Calabro the equivalent of Bill Schonely to Sonics fans?

Only to younger Sonic fans. The great Bob Blackburn is the Sonic equivalent of Schonely. Blackburn had a more flowing, musical voice than either Schonely or Calabro. Calabro learned from Blackburn how to look down at stat sheets and cite numbers while simultaneously calling play by play. Blackburn was very good, and it's one of the few moves made by the great Bob Whitsitt that I question. Calabro, Kemp, Karl, etc. were just some of a string of Whitsitt finds of previous unknowns. Whitsitt was magically pulling rabbits out of his top hat every year while with the Sonics.
-----------

The only reason this happened now is because Seattle lost its stadium fight this year.

This guy was the Kansas City Kings announcer until they left, then he was the Sonics announcer until they left, panic! For real though, I don't think it's a coincidence he decided to come here a month or so after the Sonic arena deal got voted down. He must think that place is a lost cause for at least the rest of his career.

That's a plausible theory for why Calabro tolerated piecework for a few years, but now at age 59 has changed his single ways and married a specific team again.
--------

Also, based on the videos that someone posted above, it seems that Calabro was the radio announcer for the Sonics, not the TV guy.

After being a Laker fan in California, when I moved to Bellingham in 1974, the Sonics had a TV game about once a month. In the 80s they increased to maybe once a week. So it didn't make economic sense to pay a separate TV guy. In the 90s, charging for special game channels, the teams with extra money (Blazer fans don't appreciate Paul Allen) hired separate TV broadcasters who left out many details as they spoke, since viewers could see what was happening. The Sonics were in the poorer half of teams and used the same guy, which was fine with most fans, since we loved hearing every detail and didn't want to hear small talk filler. Occasionally the Sonics experimented with Pete Pranica and guys like that, but 99% of the time, the radio guy was the TV guy. Calabro was both, and I wish it would stay that way for all teams.

 

[BBert]

I've looked around, and I see he has lived in LA and is inspired by Scully and Hearn... but inspired by someone and longing to be something are two different things. Any direct quotes?

I don't have any quotes but I could have sworn Wheels applied for the Lakers job a few years back, even stating it was his dream job?

 

[illmatic99]

Good interview



Fast forward to about the 25 min mark.

 

[Spud147]

Not to mention calling Kevin Duckworth "Clyde". And saying AryGONE even when asked not to.

I remember and I can hold a grudge!!!

Isn't it weird how we all thought Hubie was old back then?!? That was 20+ years ago.

 

[Spud147]

Tease! Spill the beans. Your'e the new color guy, aren't you?

Not my first choice, but still a billion times better than Mark Jackson.

BNM

Mama, there goes that man...

 

[julius]

Mama, there goes that man...

Hand down, man down!

 

[Spud147]

Maybe we should fire the Schonz and hire Jerry West? He's more well known, right? Woyld make a great ambassador.

You just don't always have to go for better. Barrett was solid, extremely competent. Is he as good as Calabro? No, but he was fine to listen to, was a great ambassador for the team, fans loved him, and when I met him he was a hell of nice guy.

Mike Barrett is not Schonz. Nice guy, did a good job but never was and never will be a HOF level announcer like Bill. Kevin, on the other hand, already has one foot in the door. I'm excited we're finally stepping up and thinking big!

 

[Spud147]

Isn't Schonz a Seattle guy?

 

[Nikolokolus]

Mike Barrett is not Schonz. Nice guy, did a good job but never was and never will be a HOF level announcer like Bill. Kevin, on the other hand, already has one foot in the door. I'm excited we're finally stepping up and thinking big!

The only thing I was worried about with the turnover initially is that I wasn't sure McGowan actually had a plan - change for change's sake. Knowing now that he had a deal in principle with Calabro beforehand assuaged all of my concerns. He went out and got an A+ announcer to replace some C+/B- guys (D+ if you want to count 'Tone).

I've had to listen to national broadcasts for years, or Wheels with the TV muted because M&M were unbearable. I'm stoked.

 

[Spud147]

The only thing I was worried about with the turnover initially is that I wasn't sure McGowan actually had a plan - change for change's sake. Knowing now that he had a deal in principle with Calabro beforehand assuaged all of my concerns. He went out and got an A+ announcer to replace some C+/B- guys (D+ if you want to count 'Tone).

I've had to listen to national broadcasts for years, or Wheels with the TV muted because M&M were unbearable to listen to. I'm stoked.

The NBA is becoming an international sport. Maybe it's a pipedream but, I feel like we have the opportunity to become a competitive "large", well maybe "medium", size market if we get the entire PNW and Asia on board. I'm excited to see the Blazers putting themselves out there to compete with the "marquis" franchises. I think they have exactly the right stars in Lillard and McCollum to this with and I appreciate the effort by Mr. Allen to make this a team elite players want to join. I really like the direction this team is going.

 

[Driew]

The NBA is becoming an international sport. Maybe it's a pipedream but, I feel like we have the opportunity to become a competitive "large", well maybe "medium", size market if we get the entire PNW and Asia on board. I'm excited to see the Blazers putting themselves out there to compete with the "marquis" franchises. I think they have exactly the right stars in Lillard and McCollum to this with and I appreciate the effort by Mr. Allen to make this a team elite players want to join. I really like the direction this team is going.

Yeah I think Portland management is finally realizing that to win in this era of the NBA you first have to show the NBA you have a TV market (unless you're the Spurs and just have godly Duncan and Pop).

 

[Spud147]

Yeah I think Portland management is finally realizing that to win in this era of the NBA you first have to show the NBA you have a TV market (unless you're the Spurs and just have godly Duncan and Pop).

That's what I'm hoping... we'll know for sure when they finally give us an All Star game!

 

[Driew]

That's what I'm hoping... we'll know for sure when they finally give us an All Star game!

We'll get one once we build a couple of hotels closer to the stadium. Paul just needs to bite the bullet and build a 100 story hotel were the coliseum stands.

 

[riverman]

The allstar game would be the worst showcase for Portland we could offer....February in Portland? Just bad timing.

 

[Shaboid]

Just got a email survey from Justin Souvannasane as "Your New Front Office Contact" for the trailblazers. I wonder if they hired him from Seattle somewhere.

They're moving the teammmmmmmm!!! AHHHHH