Courtesy Seattle Times

(October 12, 2009) Editor's note: Rod Belcher, a well-known former Seattle-area play-by-play announcer, recently passed his 60th anniversary of his first Washington football broadcast — Sept. 17, 1949 against Utah. He submitted an opinion piece on current announcers.

Situation: You're at home, in your car, or in a bar, watching or listening to a football broadcast. Team A (call them the Cats) and Team B (the Dogs) are tied, 21-all, with one minute to play. This is what you're hearing:

"It's a critical moment. One minute left. Fourth-and-two for the Cats. They're out of field-goal range for their kicker. They won't punt. Will they choose to run or throw? It's been a great game, folks. But wait ... the Dogs have called time out."

The announcer has brought you up to date on everything you need to know, right?

Well, not exactly. That's NOT what you've been hearing. Instead, it's been this: "It's a critical moment. One minute left to play in the football game. Fourth down and two yards to go for the Megalopolis Cats, who need to put points on the board. They won't punt it away. They're out of normal field-goal range for their true freshman kicker. The question is, will they choose to run the football or throw the football? It's been a great football game, folks. But wait ... the Southtown Dogs have called time out. Yes folks, there's time out down on the football field."

Somehow play-by-play callers, especially the ex-jock analysts, believe they're being paid by the number of words — maybe even syllables.

Listen closely, football junkies. Count the amazing number of superfluous words.

Don't the producers and directors ever attempt to rein in these verbal excesses? I'm afraid younger broadcasters fear that if they don't mimic the wordy styles they'll be drummed out of the sportscasters' corps in disgrace.

You don't hear a baseball announcer say: "It's a ground baseball to third." You don't hear a basketball guy say: "Nash dribbles the basketball into the lane."

Eliminate "foot" and just say "ball." Say "game" instead of "football game." Every listener knows which sport is being described.

I have serious doubts ex-coaches and jocks who infect the broadcast booths will ever learn.

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