by Kent Sterling
Great play-by-play guys don’t come around very often, and more often than not, they tend to bounce from gig to gig, always searching for the next rung on the ladder – to where I don’t know. Mark Boyle has been in Indianapolis calling NBA basketball games for the Pacers for 23 seasons, and frankly he’s the best there is at it.
Mark’s voice has been the defining and continuing characteristic through the good times and bad for the Pacers. What Jack Buck was to St. Louis, Mark is to Indianapolis. He never blows a big call. As signature franchise moments are paired with the video of the moment as it happened, Mark’s emotion and articulation of the magic are as big a part of the memory as the play itself.
The brawl, the finals, the shot to beat the Bulls in 1998, eight points in nine seconds for Reggie Miller, Rik Smits hitting the shot to beat the Magic, and so many more memories all bound together by Mark’s description of them.
Whether the Pacers win or lose, Mark does his job with consistent passion and skill. So at 2,000 games, does Mark have any interest in calling another 2,000?
Congratulations to a unique professional and man who significantly raises the level of the mean for professional play-by-play broadcasters. The Pacers are damn lucky to have him. He is the touchstone between the Pacers and almost every fan, but has never allowed popularity to define his work. He earns his money with routinely excellent broadcasts.
Mark’s the best! – nice salute to someone who defines the word “professional.”
Congratulations Mark on an excellent and highly professional career. Many announcers are HOMERS but not Mark He calls them as he sees them yet still displays the professionalism to use wise words in the process. The Pacers have been blessed to have you as their sideline announcing spokesperson. Great job sir.