Andy Gray has been a pleasure to watch

June 16th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

You’ll have to forgive me for this little bit of heresy: I’ve been paying just as much attention, if not more, to Euro 2008 as I have to the ongoing NBA Finals saga.

The Finals have been disappointing to me; the Lakers have been flat and uninspiring, the Celtics have been businesslike and boring (they managed to somehow maintain that ethos even as they were coming back from 24), and the notion that Paul Pierce’s game is currently more successful than Kobe Bryant’s is baffling to me. Piece is like a good Antawn Jamison. The mind boggles.

So the Finals are not really getting it done for me. I’m still watching. I’m just not as excited about it. Which is why it’s worth heaping praise on ESPN’s soccer talk gun-for-hire Andy Gray. Gray has been brilliant announcing Euro 2008 matches thus far, something EPL Talk nails today:

Gray is a perfect fit for ESPN and American soccer fans. The way that he’s so naturally enthusiastic about the games makes you want to watch them. Plus, I find myself listening to the commentating more closely. I’ve learned something in every match I’ve watched so far where Andy Gray has been co-commentating.

Agreed. Gray has been insightful, endlessly enthusiastic, smart, funny … he’s been, as he might say, a pleasure to watch. He’s no Marcelo Balboa, but he’s OK.

On three: Hahahaha. Marcelo Balboa. Just kidding. Andy Gray is eight thousand bajillionzillion times better than Marcelo Balboa. Maybe even more times than that. I’m not very good at math.