VIEWPOINT

I have nothing against new Dodgers road TV announcer Eric Collins. He’s pleasant-enough sounding, just like Matt Vasgersian, Josh Lewin or a hundred other announcers.

But for someone who grew up on a diet of Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, Chick Hearn, Bob Miller and Tom Kelly, I have to ask: Why all the blandness all of a sudden? Collins’ style and tone is interchangeable with two-thirds of the announcers on the MLB package.

Was there a conspiracy among the broadcasting schools to recruit only bland-sounding students? Did the American sports consumer suddenly demand blandness? Or did the owners finally decide they didn’t want announcers eclipsing them in popularity, as did Harry Caray, Harry Kalas, Jack Buck and Ernie Harwell, to name a few.

Enjoy Vinny while you can, folks.

David H. Crocker

Placentia