The last time we heard John Wiedeman, he and every other broadcaster of Game 6 in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was thoroughly confused by Patrick Kane's Cup winning goal.  Thankfully for Wiedeman and everyone else listening and watching, Ben Smith's Game 6 OT winner against the Canucks was much more clear.  Thanks to our pal Jimmy Traina of SI's Hot Clicks, we have audio of Wiedeman's fantastic call of the goal and his excitement as the 'Hawks come from 3-0 down to force a Game 7 back in Vancouver.  Video below of the goal as well if you'd like to see it visually (with CBC's Jim Hughton on the call).

WGN Audio...


CBC Video...


I'm pretty sure Roberto Luongo hears this in his nightmares.

[Monday AM Hot Clicks]

The Hornets beat the Lakers last night 93-88 to level their series at two games a piece.  Chris Paul was the star of the show once again notching a triple double - 27 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds.  Paul's performance got even better after the game with this classic quote in his postgame interview with Cheryl Miller.  From Black Sports Online...



[Black Sports Online & BlazersEdge]

Monday April 25

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (ESPN 7PM) Sean McDonough, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone

Tuesday April 26

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Boston @ Baltimore]
Atlanta Braves @ San Diego Padres (MLBN 10PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Oakland @ Los Angeles Angels]

Wednesday April 27

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Florida Marlins (MLBN Noon) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Cincinnati at Milwaukee]
Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels (ESPN 7PM) Dave O'Brien, Nomar Garciapara

Thursday April 28

Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers (MLBN 2PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Seattle @ Detroit]
Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (MLBN 7PM) Bob Costas, Jim Kaat [Alternate Game: Boston @ Baltimore]

Friday April 29

St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (MLBN 7:30) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: New York Mets @ Philadelphia]

Saturday April 30

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (FOX 1PM) Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver
St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (FOX 1PM) Kenny Albert, Mark Grace
Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays (FOX 1PM) Josh Lewin, Eric Karros

Sunday May 1

Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees (TBS 1PM) Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, David Wells
New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN 8PM) Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Bobby Valentine

H/T Sammy! [photo via Chicago Tribune]

Dave Strader is one of the top hockey play by play men in the country and has been a welcome addition to the NHL coverage on Versus.  He was great for the most part in last night's OT thriller between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.  However, Strader wasn't at his best after Nathan Horton scored the game-winner for Boston in the second overtime period.  Strader's call of the goal was fine, but it was afterwards where he may have slapped his own forehead.  Check out the video below from Huffington Post...



"And the Canadiens now lead it 3 games to 2."  

D'Oh!  Now, Huff Post probably goes too far calling it a HUGE embarrassment and doesn't even list Strader as the pbp guy in the article.  Is it embarrassing and a boneheaded move?  Yes.  But did 99.9% of people watching know Strader meant to say "Bruins" instead of Canadiens?  Probably.  It would be a much worse error if Strader's actual call of the goal was for the wrong team, but a simple misspeak afterwards doesn't bother me as much.  It's not like he screamed, LINE DRIVE... BASE HIT.... caught, out there!  Now that would just be silly.

[H/T Huffington Post]
 

The NBA Playoffs had one of the greatest comebacks of all time tonight as the Trail Blazers stunned the Mavericks by erasing an 18-point 4th quarter deficit to win 84-82. This was almost completely because of the often broken Brandon Roy's superhuman 4th quarter performance. He put up 18 alone in the 4th, highlighted by this insanely clutch 4-point play with just over a minute to go to tie it up. With such heroics, this would be the time for a hometown announcer to deservedly lose his shit...and KXTG's Brian Wheeler did just that.

For the sake of comparison, here's Wheeler calling an insane Roy buzzer-beater winner from a couple years ago.

Also, here's the audio of Wheeler calling the final hectic seconds of the win from Iamatrailblazersfan.com

The cries have been loud and clear from fans of the NBA and committed viewers to the NBA Playoffs - get the local announcers off NBATV!  Throughout the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, you're guaranteed that usually the lowest games on the marquee are destined for NBATV land.  It's like the kiddie table of your NBA Playoffs viewing experience.  This year we're talking Hawks/Magic, Spurs/Grizzlies, and Bulls/Pacers.  Those are the three games that have been on NBATV so far through the first week of the playoffs, but they've all had one thing in common.

Local announcers.

The practice of using local announcers for playoff games isn't unique to the NBA - Versus has done it with NHL games when they broadcast multiple games in an evening.  However, the fan outcry has been present during these playoffs that NBA fans don't want their playoff games infested with homerism.  The most visible (or egregious) case came during the Spurs/Grizzlies game on Wednesday.  NBATV picked up on the local feed with San Antonio announcers Bill Land and Sean Elliott.  Let's just say that many fans were not impressed with the homerism of the announcers.

I'd guess most people were watching the NBA, or highlights of the NBA, or sleeping, but -- so you know -- the NHL playoffs have been unreal and this shall be Exhibit A. It's the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' Bobby Ryan with a go-ahead goal in the third period, a dangle dangle goal that may not be bested for quite some time.

Gord Miller on the call ...

Nashville tied the game with a little over eight minutes left. Anaheim took back the lead two minutes later, but then allowed Nashville to tie it yet again, on a wrister from the point with 35 seconds left in the third to force OT. That's currently where we stand as I write this. How can anybody not like this, the NHL playoffs ... all the dramatics!?!?!

UPDATE: Predators scored within the first two minutes of overtime, taking away some of the luster from the above goal.

[video via]

Like a kid calling out a player's name upon learning it or seeing him in public, Florida Marlins analyst Tommy Hutton screamed "Scott Cousins! That's Scott Cousins!" as Cousins' first career home run -- a grand slam -- was headed toward the many empty seats in right field. If you didn't know who Scott Cousins was before, you probably won't forget the name now ... for at least a few days. The call is a slight alteration of Hutton's "His name is ... Dan Uggla!" call, whenever the oft-mispronounced Uggla would homer with the Marlins.

Cousins is playing in lieu of Logan Morrison, who was placed on the DL with a strained muscle in his foot. Remember, Cousins reaped the benefits of a line drive off of Morrison's face while he was in the on-deck circle last year; Cousins pinch-hit for the hurt Morrison and subsequently picked up his first career hit.  That's so Scott Cousins.

Playoff hockey at its finest -- Bruins scored late in the third to force OT and then score in the opening minutes of sudden death to knot up their series with the Habs.  Here's four-sport broadcasting star Kenny Albert with the call. With the call!

After you listen, tune into TNT and hear his daddy call the final quarter of the Heat/Sixers game.

With no regard for human life, Kevin Harlan called Chris Paul's buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter of Game 2 like he was auditioning to be the killer in Scream. I'd at least give him a call back.

Given how bloody ugly this game was, you can't blame Harlan for gettin' a little woozy over Paul's three-pointer. Of course, it's a signature call for Harlan, but he usually doesn't put so much English on it. It's fantastic.

[video via Blazers Edge]