Just some notes in response to Mike Machnik's post:
 
>I was told that Dave Shea went out West and did the games as
>play-by-play announcer.  Dave is a funny guy and, IMO, a very good PBP
>man...he is one-third of the NESN announcing team for Boston Bruins'
>home games.
 
Shea was the PBP man for one of the games ESPN2 carried - must have
been Michigan St./Wisconsin, but they all blur together - and I thought
he did pretty well. The problem is that there aren't too many big time
PBP types who see enough games during the year - it just doesn't pay
them well enough. The few PRIME games I've seen are good, but no
better than Shea.
 
>We didn't see any of the ESPN2 telecasts since our local cable company
>claims that our system is full and they can't add ESPN2.  Well, with
>25% of the channels devoted to shopping or pay-per-view, it is no
>wonder.  There's one incentive to move to another town.
 
Cablevision of Boston has ESPN2, in case you're house-shopping.
 
>Tom Mees apparently did the PBP on the East games along with Bob
>Norton on color.  I wonder how many times Mees called BU "Boston U" on
>Saturday.  Speaking of which, I noticed that AP is STILL referring to
>them this way, from Lynn Burke's great wrapup posts..
 
Tom Mees seems like an awful nice guy and, in all probability, is
single-handedly responsible for much of ESPN's interest in hockey -
but that hardly makes him a good PBP man. Is it me, or does every
game he handles sound like the first hockey game he's ever seen? I
get the willies every year when I flip on ESPN for the title game
and see him in the booth ... I'm glad the finals are in Providence,
so I can listen to the little man inside my head as I watch the
game and leave Mees to those at home.
 
Geoff Howell
The Trenton Times
Drop the Puck