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Chris Berman

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File:Chrisberman.jpg
Chris Berman, ESPN Personality.

Chris "Boomer" Berman (born May 10, 1955, in Greenwich, Connecticut) is a noted host and anchor of SportsCenter, NFL Primetime, Sunday NFL Countdown, Baseball Tonight, US Open golf, and other programming on ESPN, he is sometimes referred to as The Swami.

Biography

Berman joined ESPN in October 1979, a month after the cable channel debuted. Since 1980, Berman has hosted the NFL Draft. Beginning in 1987, Berman hosted pregame and postgame highlight shows during the NFL season. He joined ABC Sports as a halftime host on Monday Night Football in 1996. Berman is also the chief play-by-play announcer for ESPN's Wednesday baseball telecasts. He was on hand to broadcast Cal Ripken, Jr.'s record breaking 2131st consecutive game, in that game Cal hit a home run that was best described by this call "Deep to left, oh my goodness, he did it again!". In recent years he has ventured into hockey and golf.

Berman is well-known for his colorful and enthusiastic nicknaming of players who show up on the highlights. He particularly targets baseball players, recalling a time when it seemed that every ballplayer had a colorful nickname. The nicknames are often puns on the players' names or pop-culture references, such as Bert "Be Home" Blyleven (as in "be home by eleven") and Barry "U.S." Bonds (based on rhythm and blues musician Gary "U.S." Bonds). Among the more outlandish are Jose "Won't You Let Me Take You on a Sea" Cruz, Jake "Daylight Come, and You Gotta" Delhomme and Scott "Supercalifragilisticexpiali-" Brosius. Most of the nicknames or "Bermanisms" are used exclusively by him, although fellow ESPN sportscaster, the late Tom Mees, used to cite them from time to time. "You're with me, Leather!" refers to his now infamous pickup line he used on a woman who dressed in leather in a bar. Ironically, Berman is supposedly happily married with children. Such is the difference between a carefully honed public media created image and the real truth behind his personality. One creation, "Crime Dog" for Fred McGriff (a play on McGruff), entered mainstream usage, especially after McGriff expressed that he rather liked it. When the show changed executive producers in 1985, Berman was instructed to no longer use his now famous nicknames. After receiving many letters protesting the decision, including support from baseball player George Brett, not to mention Berman following the decision to the letter and referring to then St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog by his given name (Dorrel Norman Herzog) on-air, the brass at ESPN relented, and Berman was soon back to using the nicknames. Despite their popularity, some have recently argued that this routine has outlived its novelty. Other critics have criticized him for what they perceive to as frequently injecting himself into stories and lists. Many athletes, in fact, like the nicknames that he gives them, as they use the nickname as a sort-of "title" to let them know that they have "made it" as a professional athlete and star.

Berman graduated from Hackley School and went on to college. He began his broadcasting career as a student at Brown University in the mid-1970s, and graduated in 1976. He was a play-by-play announcer for the Brown Bruins, and after college he went to work in Westerly, Rhode Island. He also hosted an early evening sports talk show, "Calling All Sports," on WNVR in Naugatuck, Connecticut. In the early years of ESPN, he anchored SportsCenter, which he still does occasionally (such as the program's 20,000th and 25,000th shows and two "old school" editions on August 11 and 12, 2004 with Greg Gumbel and George Grande respectively.)

Berman appeared in the newer version of the movie The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler in 2005. He played himself and did play-by-play for the main football game of the movie. Berman also appeared as himself in Little Big League in 1994 and in Kingpin in 1996.

Berman and his family are long time residents of Cheshire, Connecticut and have been active in local charitable activities.

Catch phrases

  • "That's why they play the game."
  • "Back back back back back back ... GONE!" (reference to Red Barber's call of a possible home run by Joe DiMaggio during the 1947 World Series)
  • "He could ... go ... all ... the ... way!" (originally a Howard Cosell phrase)
  • "Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!"
  • "The New York Football Giants" (which, without the definite article, is actually the legal name of the team)
  • "Da Raid-ahs!"
  • "Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin'" (mimicking Keith Jackson)
  • "The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" - mimicking the voice of NFL Films announcer John Facenda
  • "It's a fumble!"
  • "The NFC Norris Division." - The NFC Central/NFC North division, after the NHL's old Norris Division which included teams in the same cities as the NFL teams
  • "Look at that little Meggett run!" (used in highlights when former player Dave Meggett had the ball - and was used again in the 2005 movie The Longest Yard)
  • "Tick tick... tick tick..." - during the final seconds of a half or game when a team is trying to score before the clock runs out.
  • "WHOOOOP!" - used when an athlete in a highlight makes a terrific juke or fake
  • "Geee-Men!" - referring to the New York Giants in the NFL Prime Time when they score a touchdown.
  • "Seabags!"- referring to the Seattle Seahawks when they are winning, or score a touchdown.
  • "San Diego Super Chargers!" - sings the San Diego Chargers' name during their game highlights.
  • "Boom Boom Boom!" - makes a "boom" noise during the power runs of players such as Mike Alstott or Jerome Bettis
  • "C'mon Seattle!" - used when referring to the Seattle Seahawks
  • "Mar-shall, Mar-shall, Mar-shall!" - used in highlights of Marshall Faulk
  • "The Brady Bunch!"- referring to the Tom Brady led New England Patriots
  • "You're with me, leather"

Selected ballplayer nicknames and explanations

Nicknames Chris Berman mentions

Highlights

  • Sportscenter Anchor
  • NFL Draft
  • Wednesday Night Baseball play by play
  • US Open Host
  • Stanley Cup Finals Host
  • Super Bowl Host
  • Monday Night Football halftime host
  • ABC Playoff coverage host

Honors


In Other Media

  • Berman lent his voice to the videogame ESPN NFL 2K5 and hosts his pregame show he also is unlockable as a free agent Quarterback in season mode.
  • Berman has his own team in the game called the Bristol Swamis a play on his nickname "the Swami"


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