Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with Boston Celtics play by play man Mike Gorman.  Mike is one half of the longest running announcing duo in televised sports with Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn.  In fact, the pair are being honored before tonight's home game against the Pacers with a ceremony commemorating their 30 years together in the booth on "Mike & Tommy Night" at the Garden.  Mike is one of the best play by play men in the NBA and in all of pro sports and has covered many events in his career including Celtics basketball, the NCAA Tournament, and the Olympics.  In this interview, Mike talks with Awful Announcing about his longstanding partnership with Tommy Heinsohn, how he broke into broadcasting, being the voice of the Celtics for 30 years, and just how much longer he and Tommy plan on staying behind the mics.

Q: Why were you interested in being a sportscaster and how did you get your break with the Celtics?

A: I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I got out of college.  I was in the Navy for 5 years and when I got out of the Navy, I still wasn't sure what to do.  I always flirted with the idea of being a sports announcer.  I ended up getting a job in New Bedford changing tapes and eventually worked my way onto the AM side and started with high school sports.  I went out and started doing high school baseball, basketball, golf, you name it we did it.

Somebody heard me in Providence and called me up one morning and asked if I wanted to be a stringer on their morning news.  I started doing some sportscasting because they didn't have a sportscaster and eventually moved over to WPRO radio and said to the general manager, "we should do sports."  He said, "if you can sell them, we'll do them."  We went out and we started doing URI basketball and that was my first chance to do a Division I college basketball team on the radio...  then the television station in Providence had a weekend anchor job open and I got it, and they had a contract to do 5 Providence College games a year on TV.  

I was there about 2 months and ended up getting the Monday-Friday job and with that got the play by play of Providence College basketball on television, and that's where Tommy Heinsohn and I first worked together...  Prism was one of the first regional pay telecast groups and they opened up a Prism New England and got the rights to the Celtics home games.  They hired Tommy to be the color guy and asked him who do you think should be the play by play guy and he's like, "I got this guy down in Providence I think you'd like."  I got the job. 

Q: What does it mean to you and Tommy to be the voices of the Celtics for the last 30 years and have such a special relationship with Celtics fans?

A: It's very flattering more than anything else.  That's a long time for people to accept you.  The first 15 years that I did the job I only did the home games... how could you not like me and Tommy?  The Celts won every single time we were on the air!  Their home record in the 80's was unbelievable.  I learned early on in my career, if you broadcast a really good team, you have to work to screw it up.  I was very fortunate - Larry Bird and I started the same year.  How's that for good luck on my part?

Q: How would you describe the style of broadcast that you and Tommy put together?  

A: (Laughs)... here's the thing, this is a true story.  The very first Celtic game I did with Tommy, I reach into this briefcasey thing I'm carrying with me and I pull out this sheet where I've got the rosters of both sides.  I've got names, I've got numbers, scoring averages, little one and two word clues, anecdotal stories to tell about all these guys, history, where they went to college, how many people they got in their family - you name it, I got it written on that little sheet.

Tommy looks at that and says to me, "what's that?"  And I said, "that's the stuff I'm going to use during the game."  And he reaches over, he turns the thing upside down and says, "we're not going to need that."  And we haven't for 30 years...

(On his broadcast partner Tommy Heinsohn)

You talk about unique, 8 championships as a player, 2 as a coach, another 30 years as a broadcaster all with the same franchise.  It's a remarkable career.  Tommy's life has been basketball... he was an outstanding coach, and should be in the Hall of Fame as a coach actually as well as a player.  Tommy wanted to just do the game as it took place in front of him - to sit down, let the game happen, and react to what you see.  And that really has been how we've done it for 30 years and fortunately for us, it's worked.

The fun of the 2011 NCAA Tournament tips off tonight in a matter of minutes on truTV. Too put it mildly, we so excited for the greatest sporting event of the year to begin. As you frantically search your television for the channel number of truTV, I've got a website that will ruin any hopes you had of being productive until Thursday, the NCAA Vault.

The NCAA Vault is an NCAA basketball fans dream. Simply put, almost every important somewhat recent NCAA Tournament game is there, in its entirety, with no commercial breaks and full announcers. For instance, my team has 24 full games in the archives that load instantly in decent enough quality.

There's even handy shortcuts for the greatest dunks, buzzer-beaters and plays in the tournament's history. If you are a Gus fan, all of his classics are in there as well. Here's a guide of some of his most memorable calls. Enjoy the tournament everyone!

On Sunday night, we gave you the NCAA Tournament announcing assignments for the TV side of things.  Here is the Westwood One radio schedule for all games including announcers for each game.  Westwood One will provide coverage of every game of the NCAA Tournament once again.  Games can be heard online, on Sirius Satellite Radio, and on radio stations across the country.

Here's the Sirius Satellite/XM Radio information for all opening weekend games:

Games in Washington DC will be on Sirius 125/XM 241
Games in Denver will be on Sirius 127XM 242
Games in Tucson will be on Sirius 126/XM 243
Games in Tampa will be on Sirius 91/XM 244
Games in Charlotte will be on Sirius 125/XM 241
Games in Chicago will be on Sirius 127XM 242
Games in Cleveland will be on Sirius 126/XM 243
Games in Tulsa will be on Sirius 91/XM 244

"ROUND 1"

Tuesday, March 15

6:40, Dayton: (16) UNC Asheville vs. (16) UALR - Dave Ryan and Alaa Abdelnaby

9:10, Dayton: (12) UAB vs. (12) Clemson in Dayton - Dave Ryan and Alaa Abdelnaby


Wednesday, March 16

6:40, Dayton: (16) UTSA vs. (16) Alabama St. -- Dave Ryan and Alaa Abdelnaby

9:10, Dayton: (11) USC vs. (11) VCU -- Dave Ryan and Alaa Abdelnaby


"ROUND 2"

Thursday, March 17

12:15, Tampa: (5) West Virginia vs. (12) UAB/Clemson  -- Gary Cohen and Kyle Macy

12:40, Wash D.C.: (8) Butler vs. (9) Old Dominion  -- Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey

1:40, Denver: (4) Louisville vs. (13) Morehead St.  -- Ted Robinson and Tom Brennan

2:10, Tucson: (7) Temple vs. (10) Penn State  -- Dave Sims and Bill Frieder

2:45, Tampa: (4) Kentucky vs. (13) Princeton  -- Gary Cohen and Kyle Macy

3:10, Wash D.C.: (1) Pittsburgh vs. (16) UNC Ash./UALR  -- Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey

4:10, Denver: (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) Richmond  -- Ted Robinson and Tom Brennan

4:40, Tucson: (2) San Diego State vs. (15) Northern Colorado  -- Dave Sims and Bill Frieder

6:50, Tampa: (2) Florida vs. (15) UC Santa Barbara -- Gary Cohen and Kyle Macy

7:15, Denver: (3) BYU vs. (14) Wofford  -- Ted Robinson and Tom Brennan

7:20, Wash D.C.: (3) UConn vs. (14) Bucknell  -- Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey

7:27, Tucson: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Belmont  -- Dave Sims and Bill Frieder

The increasingly popular Michelle Beadle is reportedly dating one of her colleagues at ESPN - hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby.  Good for him, Beadle has been growing on me and actually made me watch a few seconds of SportsNation... then I had to turn it off because I saw Cowherd pollute my TV screen.  Evidently, some amateur genius gumshoe cracked the case by discovering on Twitter that both were in Buffalo for a youth hockey tournament.  According to The Big Lead...

"Michelle Beadle, a rising star at ESPN, and Matthew Barnaby, a former NHL player who is a hockey analyst for ESPN, are dating. After a reader tipped us off to the budding ESPN romance earlier today, we asked Beadle if it was true. She confirmed they’ve been dating for six months and noted that ESPN was made aware of it in the Fall of 2010."

Well, thank goodness they notified ESPN back in the Fall.  You know, because it's not like Bristol has had any notable sex-related stories in recent memory like Steve Phillips, peeping producers, or the Deadspin files.  At least everything here with Beadle & Barnaby seems all nice and wholesome.  I can't imagine ESPN wants any more news about relationships of any kind involving its staff or on-air personalities in the public domain considering the hammering they've taken in recent years... and considering the many shoes that will potentially drop in the near future - just wait till the book comes out.  Seriously, that book better have something on par with "you're with me leather" or I'm going to be very disappointed.

Michelle Beadle & Matthew Barnaby: An ESPN Love Connection - The Big Lead
 

I am guessing we all have nightmares of everything going wrong at work or school, but rarely does that ever happen in real life. Unfortunately for Doug Gottlieb, everything imaginable did go wrong and it was in just under a minute and on national television.

It reminds me of the time when I had the worst first date ever in high school, which included my credit card being rejected trying to buy movie tickets (she had to pay), we were kicked out of sneaking into an R rated movie, and then my car broke down after failing to see any movie. 

Gottlieb's string of bad luck includes a touch screen that revolts and turns into a non-functioning SportsCenter logo rotated sideways, accidentally picking the wrong team to advance to the final, and then his phone going off to the dismay of SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, who confiscates the phone and walks off-set. At least his pants didn't rip or fall down, I guess.

Just another epic case of the Mondays.

Lost a bit in this weekend's college basketball storylines were the first impressions of Turner announcers merged with CBS talent. This was essentially a dry run at what you'll be seeing in the NCAA Tournament with Steve Kerr joining Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg for the Final Four (he's partnered with Marv Albert and Craig Sager for earlier rounds) and Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith in studio along with CBS veterans Seth Davis, Greg Gumbel, and Greg Anthony.

At first glance it seems that the meshing of talent is still in a feeling out process. Barkley and Smith were confident and made their ascertaions on the released brackets but seemed to stay at a basic level when discussing the teams in the tournament. Davis and Anthony, who cover NCAA hoops for CBS all season long, would typically drill down deeper in their analysis by providing names of players, going over matchup styles, and citing games earlier in the season.

With Gumbel sitting in the middle of the two sets of announcers, there seemed to be a bit more argumentative banter as Barkley and Smith's broad analyis often clashed with Davis and Anthony.  Most of the Twitter reaction seemed to find fault in Barkley and Smith who cover the NBA for Turner and are only now being fully counted on for their college basketball analysis.

 

Most thought that the show was business as usual and others look forward to the idea of Barkley and Davis becoming more combative as they begin to let it rip as the tournament gets underway. My take is that the casual basketball fan will enjoy the additions of Barkley and Smith to the studio while the NCAA enthusiast/purist will be proactive in evaluating if the Turner duo have properly researched and scouted the teams. Even the best analysts have been hit or miss as prognosticators, but I think Barkley and Smith are under some pressure to deliver a good track record of predictions to build some level of credibility with the hardcore college basketball affecianados.

You mean there's other basketball games on this week!?

Monday March 14

San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat (ESPN 8PM) Michael Tirico, Hubie Brown - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN 10:30PM) Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Chris Mullen - Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Tuesday March 15

Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trailblazers (NBA TV 10PM) Rick Kamla, Kevin McHale, Chris Webber – Rose Garden, Portland, OR

Wednesday March 16

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat (ESPN 8PM) Michael Tirico, Hubie Brown - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors (ESPN 10:30PM) Marc Kestecher, Mark Jackson - Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Thursday March 17

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Portland Trailblazers (NBA TV 10PM) Local Broadcast – Rose Garden, Portland, OR

Saturday March 19

Denver Nuggets @ Miami Heat (NBA TV 7:30) Local Broadcast - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

h/t Sammy!

Here is every single game from Rounds 1 & 2 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament with announcer assignments.  The games and network on which they will be televised are in bold with the locations and announcers surrounding.  Play by play first, then analyst(s), and then sideline reporters.  If you're one of those people that like to schedule ahead, here's the dates, times, and networks for all the NCAA tourney games.  Enjoy!

"ROUND 1"

Tuesday, March 15

6:40, Dayton: (16) UNC Asheville vs. (16) UALR (truTV)  -- Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, Tracy Wolfson

9:10, Dayton: (12) UAB vs. (12) Clemson in Dayton (truTV) -- Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, Tracy Wolfson

Wednesday, March 16

6:40, Dayton: (16) UTSA vs. (16) Alabama St. (truTV) -- Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Marty Snider

9:10, Dayton: (11) USC vs. (11) VCU (truTV) -- Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Marty Snider

"ROUND 2"

Thursday, March 17

12:15, Tampa: (5) West Virginia vs. (12) UAB/Clemson (CBS) -- Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, David Aldridge

12:40, Wash D.C.: (8) Butler vs. (9) Old Dominion (truTV) -- Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, Lewis Johnson

1:40, Denver: (4) Louisville vs. (13) Morehead St. (TBS) -- Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser

2:10, Tucson: (7) Temple vs. (10) Penn State (TNT) -- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Sam Ryan

2:45, Tampa: (4) Kentucky vs. (13) Princeton (CBS) -- Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, David Aldridge

3:10, Wash D.C.: (1) Pittsburgh vs. (16) UNC Ash./UALR (truTV) -- Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, Lewis Johnson

4:10, Denver: (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) Richmond (TBS) --Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser

4:40, Tucson: (2) San Diego State vs. (15) Northern Colorado (TNT) -- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Sam Ryan

6:50, Tampa: (2) Florida vs. (15) UC Santa Barbara (TBS) --Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, David Aldridge

7:15, Denver: (3) BYU vs. (14) Wofford (CBS) --Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser

7:20, Wash D.C.: (3) UConn vs. (14) Bucknell (TNT) -- Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, Lewis Johnson

7:27, Tucson: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Belmont (truTV) -- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Sam Ryan

The brackets just came out and there are a couple of shockers. Most notably the inclusion of VCU and UAB in this year's tournament. To put it mildly, everyone on ESPN right now is pissed off about the bubble teams that were or were not chosen. Enjoy Dickie V's classic rant on this subject, and stay for the Roseanne Barr vs. Scarlett Johansson reference.

Gus Johnson was at Staples for the Pac 10 Final between Washington and Arizona. It just had to go down to the buzzer, right?  This video shows why we all love Gus Johnson - notice how he is standing during the call as Isaiah Thomas nails the game winner at the buzzer for the Huskies.  Of course, the call of this buzzer beater will take its rightful place with the rest of the all-time great Gus Johnson moments.  The last minute of the Pac 10 title game is March Madness at its best with two huge shots within the last thirty seconds to crown a conference champion.  And to think this is only the appetizer to the big dance.  It's truly the most wonderful time of the year! HA HA!

***Update - Here's a much higher quality version via @jose3030...