GUEST BLOG #30: Diane Holloway likes Dick Enberg's versatility

[Bianculli here: Wimbledon tennis is available all weekend, regardless of weather, thanks to the new retractable Centre Court roof. Men's semis are televised live Friday by ESPN2 (7 a.m. ET) and NBC (noon ET). Women's finals are Saturday at 9 a.m. ET, and the men's on Sunday at the same time, both on NBC. And at the climax of these weeks of British tennis, contributing columnist Diane Holloway salutes one of its amiable, always professional sportscasters...]

Dick Enberg meets every sports challenge

By Diane Holloway

Oh my. Dick Enberg -- arguably one of the best and certainly the most versatile sportscaster ever to grace televised sports -- turned in another brilliant performance during ESPN's Wimbledon tennis coverage.

Seriously, is there a smarter, more subdued, yet more enjoyable communicator working in sports today? I don't think so. And as many of you know, I'm a big-time sports watcher. But I'm happy to hear alternative nominations . Just click on "comments" below. (Please keep the additions to current sportscasters.)

Enberg is my clear-cut winner, and has been since he hit the national stage in 1975 calling college basketball for NBC. Nobody holds a candle to him. Not Al Michaels or John Madden or Marv Albert or even Bob Costas.

I think it's time to send out a hearty appreciation to Enberg, who at 74 hasn't lost a step in terms of energy or knowledge. He's still very much at the top of his game. And he still looks like he's having more fun than any working professional should be allowed to have. The smile is wide, genuine and permanent. But I feel kudos are in order.

I interviewed Enberg several times over the course of my tenure as TV critic for the Austin American-Statesman, mostly for his coverage of the NFL and the Olympics. But I've watched him exude quiet excitement during many TV sports events. He's a true sports Renaissance man.

Let's see, where to begin the Enberg story? Before he signed with NBC, Enberg was the voice of the California Angels, the Los Angeles Rams and UCLA basketball. And before that, the Michigan native was an academic. He has a master's degree and a PhD in health science from Indiana University. Armed with book smarts, he became an assistant professor and baseball coach at California State-Northridge.

On-air experience? Oh my! Enberg has covered NFL games for 41 seasons, the Super Bowl 10 times, the Rose Bowl nine times, the Olympics four times, Wimbledon 25 times, the French Open 22 times, the U.S. Open Tennis Championship five times, U.S. Open Golf Championship five times, the World Series and heavyweight boxing championships five times, NCAA basketball championship 13 times, the NBA playoffs numerous times . . . there's more, but my fingers are tiring.

Succinctly put, Enberg knows his stuff in tennis, football, basketball, baseball and golf. Oh, and he has put in time calling horse races, track and field, gymnastics and even figure skating. In 2000, he switched from NBC to CBS and remains much in demand. Who knows what NBC was thinking when they let him go.

What makes Enberg so good? Well, obviously he's smart and articulate. But he also knows when to analyze and when to shut up. Knowing when to talk and when to be quiet takes confidence and years of experience. And it signals to the viewer that he thinks we're smart enough to recognize a magnificent moment when we see it.

For his efforts, Enberg has raked in so many Emmys he's lost count, and he's won them for sportscasting, writing and producing. He nabbed a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2000. Not that it matters in the overall scheme of sports on TV, but Enberg also has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I once asked Enberg if he had a favorite sport among all he has covered, and he shrugged with that shy grin and said, "Oh my, I love 'em all." When you enjoy your work that much, it seeps into the broadcast booth and into living rooms all over America. What a joy for us.

(ESPN2 has the Wimbledon semi-finals Friday 7 a.m.-noon ET. Then NBC takes over Wimbledon coverage Friday noon-5 p.m. ET. NBC has the women's finals Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET and the men's finals Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET.)

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.