There are some things that you wouldn't think would be very difficult. Being a color commentator for sports wouldn't seem to be overly arduous, but I think it is actually quite difficult. If it were easy, then I wouldn't have to mute my TV while watching sports. The announcers that do not detract from a game are few and far between. Podcasting seems to be similar. It wouldn't seem like it is that hard to put on an interesting show, but I have stopped subscribing to more podcasts about college basketball this year than I actually listen to. Maybe my standards are impossibly high. Speaking of those standards, here is what I ask for from a podcast host: they need to be funny, interested in their subject, knowledgeable, and able to look at situations from more than one perspective. Most college basketball podcasters are knowledgeable, but as a knowledgeable listener myself, I can hear when they are just BS'ing and have little of value to impart.
Before I start dissecting what I consider a pretty weak field, I'd like to make a few caveats. First, I am not saying (nor do I think) that I could do better. We had a podcast two seasons ago and interviewing skills are quite a bit different than writing skills. I was sincerely glad that CFHI alumnus and current host of the Bottoms Line podcast, Andy Bottoms, was around because he certainly has the gift of gab that I do not. Second, I listen to a lot of podcasts (and I tweet about them at @PerryMissner) and generally if they are not good, I stop listening. There are a lot of really great podcasts out there and there are probably some that deal with college basketball. If you have one that you listen to and it is not one of the three listed below, let me know at perry@cfhinsider.com. I also listen to these podcasts as both a hardcore fan of college basketball and a fantasy college basketball player. Lastly, I just wanted to mention that I don't really want to be too harsh on any of these people, so I have employed some euphemisms. In other words, when I say nice, I mean boring. I've linked to the podcasts' iTunes page, but they can all be listened to over the Internet. We'll go in order from my favorite to least favorite.
ESPNU Colege Basketball
This twice-per-week podcast has two sets of hosts. Doug Gottlieb and Andy Katz host the early week show. Eamonn Brennan and Dana O'Neil host the show later in the week. I am a big fan of Gottlieb. He too has the gift of gab and could easily fill the entire podcast with his own voice. Some people find this aspect of him troubling, but I think he is a strong host who concentrates on basketball and has interesting takes on a lot of teams. He tends to regard point guard play a bit too heavily. Seeing as he was a point guard, that is natural. Katz has really improved this season. I think Gottlieb brings the best out of him. The thing that sets the Gottlieb-Katz pairing apart from all of the other podcasts is that they are willing to disagree respectfully. Gottlieb has strong takes on a lot of issues (and I don't always agree with him) and he is willing to question Katz, who has always been one of the best college basketball reporters. Unfortunately, over the past couple of weeks, they have added Ryan Burr to the mix. I am not a fan of the three-man podcast and Burr does't really add much to the mix. Just because you went to Syracuse, Ryan, that doesn't make you Marv Albert (the best sports announcer in my humble opinion).
The other pairing of Brennan and O'Neill are really, really nice. They seem to feel bad if they criticize anyone. While this is admirable in some respects, it is also very dull. I often don't listen to their podcasts anymore. O'Neill has been gone the past couple of weeks, so Brennan has been chatting with John Gasaway and Myron Medcalf. Yesterday, Brennan and Medcalf were discussing Perry Jones as if tall but rather meek players were something new. Jones is a very talented player who comes up with some jaw-dropping plays, but aggressiveness is a needed component of any good player. Jones doesn't have it. The Baylor sophomore is worthy of his own column, but Brennan and Medcalf spent ten minutes talking about him without saying much of anything. It was indicative of this podcast.
The Bottoms Line (Midwest Sports Fans)
In some ways, The Bottoms Line is the opposite of the other ESPN podcast. Andy along with Ballin' is a Habit guys, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, are intensely knowledgeable and their knowledge is not limited to Tier 1. Perhaps the best thing about this podcast is that they are more than willing to talk about the Mountain West and WCC rather than wasting time on the morass that is the Pac 12. They also have developing chemistry and are improving as a team. However, for the most part, they do not interact much and they talk a lot. It often feels like they feel that they have to empty their notebooks on every topic. Sometimes less is more. They also agree far too often. Unlike Gottleib when Katz says something that somewhat hard to prove, when Troy says something out of left field, no one calls him on it. Andy and Rob just laugh. I don't want podcasts to be screaming matches like political shows on TV, but a little disagreement and discussion can be very enlightening.
CBSSports.com College Basketball Podcast
I'm afraid I had to stop listening to this podcast a couple of months ago because it really annoyed me. The good points are that Matt Norlander seems like a well rounded guy and he served as a very good moderator when Gary Parrish and Jeff Goodman were on and the trio was talking about basketball. The problem is that the actual basketball talk did not always seem to be the focus. Norlander and his guests could ramble on for ten minutes of a 30-minute podcast about the weather or traffic. Perhaps the most damning thing to me came early on. Norlander was going on and on about something like the traffic and his guest asked if listeners would really want to hear about that. Norlander replied confidently, "the listeners love this stuff," which made me roll my eyes and stop listening. Norlander also seems more interested in journalism related to college basketball rather than the actual play on the court. The other big problem is that Parrish and Goodman apparently need to make sure everyone is aware that they are buddies and can bust each other's balls. If I really wanted to hear ball busting and fake laughter, I'd watch the Fox NFL Pregame show or ram my head into the wall repeatedly. Goodman and Parrish are super knowledgeable and two of the best reporters in the nation, but I am not really that interested in them as "personalities."
All in all, the podcast I really miss is the Athlon Sports podcast that teamed Braden Gall and Mitch Light for a short roundup of college hoops. Gall can still be heard on Sirius XM College Sports Nation (Channel 91) with Chris Childers and Tom Brennan, but those of us who do not have access to Sirius XM are left to wonder.