[Hitman]

I think this is good news....anything but frigging Brad Nessler. I heard they also hired Mike Breen, so maybe ABC is going to be a little better this year. We can only hope.

Al Michaels to be Lead Announcer For ABC

Al Michaels, one of television’s most respected journalists and commentators, will be the lead play-by-play announcer on ABC Sports’ coverage of the NBA beginning this season, it was announced today by Michael Pearl, senior vice president and executive producer of ABC Sports.
Michaels will make his NBA debut on ABC Sports on December 25. In addition to regular season games, he will be the lead play-by-play announcer on playoff games and all of the NBA Finals. With this assignment, Michaels will complete the professional sports league cycle. He has covered five Super Bowls, eight World Series and three Stanley Cup Finals.

“Al Michaels has been ABC Sports’ signature announcer and has often anchored the Network’s biggest events. He has put his unique stamp on ABC Sports premier primetime sports packages for many years, so it is fitting that he do the same now on ABC Sports’ NBA coverage,” said Pearl. “Al is knowledgeable, insightful and entertaining, which makes him the ideal person to broadcast the NBA on ABC Sports.”

“I am very excited about this,” said Michaels. “I have been fortunate over the last 27 years at ABC to have covered numerous World Series, Super Bowls and Olympic Games, and a vast array of memorable and classic events. And now, to be able to add the NBA to my ‘Monday Night Football’ assignment creates a perfect combination.”

Michaels has amassed more hours on primetime television than anyone in history. He is currently in the midst of his 18th season as the play-by-play announcer on “Monday Night Football,” and is also regarded as one of the best baseball announcers of all time. To date he has been on primetime a total of approximately 1900 hours. With the addition of the NBA Finals, Michaels will have broadcast all the major professional championships, including Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals, in addition to five Olympics. He also served as the play-by-play voice of the UCLA Bruins basketball team from 1973-1975, John Wooden’s final two seasons. Additionally, Michaels broadcast college basketball games for ABC in the late 1990’s.

Michaels has earned many accolades, including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality-Play-by-Play (Host) and three National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Sportscaster of the Year Awards. He garnered his first NSSA Award in 1980, when he made his memorable call of the USA hockey team’s dramatic quest for the Gold medal in the Lake Placid Olympics. He also earned praise as a journalist, and became just the second sportscaster in history to receive a News Emmy nomination during the network’s coverage of the San Francisco earthquake during the 1989 Olympics.

Rounding out ABC's NBA play-by-play team will be Brad Nessler who will broadcast a mix of regular season and playoff games for the network. Nessler will also serve as ESPN's lead play-by-play commentator, handling regular-season and playoff games, including the Eastern Conference finals. One of the industry's most versatile commentators, Nessler, a 23-year broadcasting veteran, has called many of ABC Sports' and ESPN's top college football and basketball games, including last year’s NBA Finals and the BCS National Championship game. He joined ESPN in 1992, and added ABC Sports responsibilities in 1997. His resume also includes work on the Olympic Games and the NFL for CBS. He is the former radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons, Georgia Tech basketball and Minnesota Vikings.