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