I think this rating from GQ — which ranked the five best and five worst broadcast announcing duos in the bigs — is a little unfair. Manning and Underwood are by no means good, but I doubt they're in the bottom five. And the fact they're this low is mainly the fault of Underwood, who has been, continues to be, and will be bad in the booth for a long time. I like Manning, though. Just wish he'd get a better partner.
Here's the link to the rankings.
4) Cleveland Indians—Matt Underwood and Rick ManningThis is just an incredibly boring pair, from the timbre of their voices to the blandness of their conversation. To their credit, they don't force faux-analysis down the viewers' throats and they don't resort to cheerleading, but there is a difference between letting a game breathe (vital) and listening to paint dry (brutal). On occasion, you may wonder if they've fallen asleep at the mic or if the audio cable has been cut, because there's so much dead air. Perhaps the Indians lack of success has drained them of personality—hell, even the GM has admitted the season is over— but they could definitely use an injection of Harry Doyle.
Follow me on Twitter: @vincethepolack
