Better Late Than Never

Chenier's analysis, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. Early in last Thursday's game, he said the Wizards "had to play at a sustained high level for 48 minutes," one of those Duh!!! comments he makes far too frequently. When Caron Butler started missing a few shots early in the game, Chenier said, "His pace of adrenaline is too high." Oh please.

The contrast between Chenier's commentary and the analysis provided Sunday during Game 4 by spot-in ABC/ESPN commentator Hubie Brown was as stark as Muggsy Bogues trying to jump center against Manute Bol. There's simply no comparison, and Chenier might be wise to spend the offseason listening to the tapes of Brown and other top analysts, even the Wizards first-year radio analyst Glenn Consor, who has been a great addition to that broadcast.

As for the hockey guys, Joe Beninati, a pro's pro, remains one of the more skilled play-by-play voices in a game that requires seemingly super-human constant concentration to keep up with the puck. I've always been totally in the tank for his analyst partner, former Capital Craig Laughlin, even if his voice still sounds as if he's inhaling helium after 18 years on the job. I've even gotten to the point where his signature "biscuit in the basket" goal call still remains mildly amusing, though I could do without any more "danady darts" or "sin bins."

Laughlin also has an uncanny knack for describing a typically bang-bang play -- a slap shot goal, a kick save, a perfectly executed pass -- almost instantly after it ends, and when the replay does come up, you see that he's been absolutely correct in describing in almost minute detail every nuance of the action most of us mere mortals totally missed, sometimes even after the second or third replay.

Despite so many technological advances over the years, hockey still is best seen up close and personal live in the arena and remains, at least for these 60ish eyes, a difficult watch on television, at least on my own Neanderthal non-high-def set. But both Laughlin and Beninati were basically brilliant through three periods and overtime in Game 7 against the Flyers last week, sadly their final call of a season that ended far too quickly.

E-Mail of the week

You hit the nail on the head on two fronts. First, the over the top Masters coverage. I love golf, but the reverence given to the tournament is nauseating. The promos start during basketball season, get worse during the NCAA tournament and culminate with a crescendo of syrup over the Masters weekend. I thought something was wrong with the sound on my TV during the broadcast but then I realized it's hard for the CBS commentators to speak clearly with their heads lodged so far up the collective rear ends of the toon-a-ment officials.

Bullseye [sic] again on Dicky V. He adds energy to a college basketball broadcast the same way a cranky infant adds annoyance to a long airline flight. His act has worn quite thin as far as I'm concerned and it's beyond me what he accomplished to receive the honor of being selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. It certainly takes the luster off of the achievement for the others enshrined. It would be kind of like Bozo winning an Oscar.

David Zack

Silver Spring

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at len.shapiro@washingtonpost.com.