It’s All About Style for Berman

Chris Berman, ESPN’s most recognizable personality, is everywhere, announcing a baseball playoff game one day, in the studio as host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” and doing “NFL Primetime” highlights the next.

But not everyone loves Berman, particularly newspaper critics who find his bombastic style to be over the top.

Berman, in Anaheim to do the play-by-play on the Angels’ playoff series with the Boston Red Sox, talked about his style and his critics during an interview in the Angel dugout before Game 2.

Berman said of his critics, “They are not listening closely enough.” But he said he does pay attention to criticism, sometimes.

“If it’s accurate,” he said, “but most of it isn’t accurate.”

Of those who say his style is an act, he said, “They think it’s an act. If they ever talked to me, they’d say, gee, that’s the same guy as on the air.”

And if they talked to him and still didn’t like him?

“Then I guess we wouldn’t be friends,” he said.

Berman says his style comes from a combination of sportscasters, depending on what he’s doing. His model for doing highlights is New York sports anchor Warner Wolf, although Howard Cosell played a role as well.

“Howard used to say, ‘Look at him go.’ I say, ‘He ... could ... go

He admires Brent Musburger for his studio work on football, Jack Whitaker for his language skills -- “If I was one-third as good with the English language, it would make my mother very proud” -- Curt Gowdy for the stature he brought to an event, and Ray Scott for his football play by play. Ray Scott? The legendary Green Bay Packer announcer known for his word economy and succinctness?

“If I could ever do pro football, and I don’t see how that would ever happen, there would be some Ray Scott in there, because it is one thing I would like to try,” Berman said.

On the Angel-Red Sox series, he has been sedate, readily deferring to commentators Rick Sutcliffe and Tony Gwynn.

“Frankly, I’m interested in what they have to say,” he said.

But don’t expect him to tone it down when he’s in the studio.

“There are three groups of people I’m concerned about,” he said. “One is the people I cover in any sport. Another is the people I work for -- excuse me, not for, the people I work with. Ask the guys behind the scenes. And the third thing, and most important, is the audience. If I get A’s with those groups, I think I’m doing OK.”

Still, there are going to be people who just don’t like him.

“That’s OK,” he said. “Not everyone likes clam chowder. Or ice cream.”

Short Waves

Too bad Wednesday’s crowd at Angel Stadium didn’t have access to ESPN’s K Zone graphic. They would have seen all those close ball and strike calls were pretty right on.... Eric Karros, who has been a regular on FSN’s “Southern California Sports Report” this week, joins Jeannie Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy in the Fox studio this weekend. Karros impressed Fox executives with his commentating work on last Saturday’s Dodger game.

Bill MacDonald and Rex Hudler are in Boston to do live reports for “Southern California Sports Report” immediately after today’s game.... With Joe Buck busy on football this weekend, Fox’s Thom Brennaman will work with Tim McCarver on Saturday’s Dodger game.... ABC’s Al Michaels gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in front of Musso and Frank’s on Hollywood Boulevard.

Complaint department: Some NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers were up in arms last Sunday when they didn’t get the Chargers’ victory over Tennessee. It will be the same thing again this Sunday because the Chargers didn’t sell out for their home game against Jacksonville. It’s not DirecTV’s choice to black out unsold-out Charger games here. The NFL is responsible for that ingenious decision.

ESPN’s Mike Patrick, having recovered from heart surgery, returns to Sunday night football this weekend. Pat Summerall did an excellent job while filling in.... NBC’s Allen Bestwick, who missed last weekend’s NASCAR race because of a compound broken leg suffered in an adult hockey league game, will be out one more week.

“NFL Receivers: Wide Open,” an NFL Films production that examines the game’s best receivers, will be televised by CBS Saturday at 11 a.m.... The Oak Tree Breeders’ Mile at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meet will be part of TVG’s “Trackside Live” show Saturday on FSN West 2.

Al and Adam Gottfried, a father and son who created “Tee It Up,” the golf show on KSPN (710) Sunday mornings, have begun syndicating the show. It will soon be heard in Hawaii, Florida and Canada.... Speaking of KSPN, Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian seem to have disappeared. No, they haven’t been fired. With all the ESPN radio baseball coverage, they’ve essentially been programmed out of existence.

In Closing

Vin Scully continues to amaze. His call of Steve Finley’s grand slam last Saturday was as succinct and perfect as his “She is gone” call of Kirk Gibson’s home run in 1988.

“Finley hits a high fly,” he said. “No matter where it comes down, the Dodgers have won.”

He then let the crowd noise tell the rest of the story.