Bob Kesling Retiring

#202
#202
#205
#205
John Ward will always be considered the voice of the vols, painting those pictures on radio when the broadcasts were necessary and relied upon by the fan base, given the extremly limited television opportunities Tennessee had and the limited televison exposure the schools and the conference had until those rights were wrestled away in court from the NCAA.

We now live in an environment where every Tennessee football and all Tennessee conference and tournament basketball games will be on television, such that there isn't an overarching need for a "voice of the vols" as there was in the 70s and 80s, we need good, solid broadcast teams that can describe the action, the play, the pertinent information, occassionally the score, they don't have to be the same for football and basketball nor baseball if that is in the mix as well, just broadcasters that can communicate what is happening on the field, provide pertinent information as well as the score along the way. Screamers need not apply.

The days of fans sitting in Neyland or in Stokely with their a.m. headsets or ear pieces in are gone, whatever we have will be streamed through the fans' smartphones, such that the audience for the broadcast remains limited compared to what was captured on the Vol Network not so long ago.
 
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#215
#215
Back in the 80s and early 90s we weren't on TV like we've been accustomed to lately. The late great John Ward was our eyes for so many VOLS games. Greatest to ever do it in my mind and holds a special place in all our hearts. In a lot if ways, it was impossible task for Kesling to fill those shoes. I feel like most VOL fans would have a better opinion of his work if not for being compared to Ward. I have always felt that Kesling did a pretty good job of calling basketball games.
That being said, I think Wilkerson would be a good fit if they decide to go that way. He does an awesome job in Baseball. I do think it's worth an offer to Mike Keith to see what it would take to get him back here. He loves UT, and I do think that leaving the Titans to be the voice of the VOLS might be appealing to him. I do think that whoever it is, they need to have strong UT ties. Without that, you don't get the passionate calls those big moments.
 
#217
#217
Delmar said:
The radio voice really doesn’t matter too much to me anymore for football with every game on TV. About the only time I listen to the radio is pregame and postgame. When John Ward was doing it, every game wasn’t on TV and man did we get spoiled listening to him. Probably would make a difference in basketball since they’re not always on TV.

I wonder what Mike Keith would sound like calling a basketball game?
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anbailey76 said:
Back in the 80s and early 90s we weren't on TV like we've been accustomed to lately. The late great John Ward was our eyes for so many VOLS games. Greatest to ever do it in my mind and holds a special place in all our hearts. In a lot if ways, it was impossible task for Kesling to fill those shoes. I feel like most VOL fans would have a better opinion of his work if not for being compared to Ward. I have always felt that Kesling did a pretty good job of calling basketball games.
That being said, I think Wilkerson would be a good fit if they decide to go that way. He does an awesome job in Baseball. I do think it's worth an offer to Mike Keith to see what it would take to get him back here. He loves UT, and I do think that leaving the Titans to be the voice of the VOLS might be appealing to him. I do think that whoever it is, they need to have strong UT ties. Without that, you don't get the passionate calls those big moments.
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I think Keith and the University of Tennessee are better off if Kieth stays In Nashville.
 
#221
#221
Vol865 said:
He sounds like a weasel. Can't stand his voice.
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There is a reason this is his resume:

Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2021) Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame (2020) Tennessee's Sportscaster of the Year, 11-times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2023) Edward R. Murrow Award for nationwide excellence in sports reporting (1997)
 
#224
#224
Bob Kesling had an impossible task. I think he was ok, but unfortunately he didn't get a lot of great UT football which undoubtedly hurt.
I'd love to see Keith or Wilkerson.

If we want to troll Alabama, we could hire Eli Gold. That'd be quite the troll and he'd undoubtedly take the job. He was pissed the Gumps let him go.
 
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#225
#225
I wonder if the internet had been around what the reactions to Mooney replacing Nelson and Ward replacing Mooney would have been. No argument from me that Bob was a step down from Ward, but he's worked win an era where TV is king and where every mistake can be scrutinized and shared.

From what I gather Nelson and Mooney were pretty beloved announcers in their time.
 
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