If only every game had an announcer ... or one as good as these guys

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I’ll take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate public address announcers at high school sporting events. First, I’m glad whenever they’re there. Second, I’m glad when they’re good and not simply homers.

Carl Sweet, who is the boy’s athletic director at El Dorado, has done the announcing at the Southern Section playoff games at the Home Depot Center, and I think he’s the best around -- at least for football.

But the thing that got me thinking about this subject was holiday basketball tournaments, and how much I enjoy hearing the announcers. Too often, there aren’t any announcers at some of these girls’ basketball games. They may not be a necessity, but they up the atmosphere 10-fold, in my opinion.

My two favorite PA announcers for basketball are Mark Shannon and Dick Edwards.

Back before there was an Orange County Championship, the Marina tournament was a first-rate effort under Pete Bonny (now an assistant at Mater Dei), and Shannon was the announcer, although it was his only announcing gig of the season. Yes, he got paid. Yes, he was worth it. Quick, witty, improvisational and on top of it, he was probably the best I’ve ever heard for a high school event and the perfect complement to the live event.

Dick Edwards is 79 and lives in Apple Valley, but has done the announcing for the Ayala tournament since 1992, ‘the boys and girls,’ he said. ‘I’ll be 80 next year. I’m lucky I can see the numbers. I used to keep the scoring and everything, but I’m much slower.’

But he’s still awesome.

-- Martin Henderson

-- Image from www.i.ehow.com