I love Ben McDonald as an analyst

[cheewgumm]

I really figured he could be a major league national guy.

With the accent and all, if try him out. I think he's really good.

[Original48]

I do too. He's locked in on pitchers/strategy/batting nuances. He is no nonsense and the least homer home field announcer I've seen. I think LSU had 9 or 10 hits off Hudson through 4 innings and McDonald pointed out that LSUs hit total was deceiving..ton of ground balls that were just getting through. He almost predicted State to win that Friday game in the fourth inning when it was tied. Is as good as there is announcing SEC in my opinion.

[State82]

Always did like that dude. He knows his stuff.

[Skydawg1]

He's best suited where he is now...covering the college game. Dude knows his stuff. He's always very complimentary of State's program. He knows the deal...when he played, LSU had not quite taken over. Ben, Cohen, and Bianco all played the same years. There's a photo out there of John Cohen smacking a homer off of Ben McD (with Bianco's mitt extended) that won the game 1-0. That's right....the I.B. jolted one out of Alec Box in 1990 that stood up for the ballgame.

[Homedawg]

He's best suited where he is now...covering the college game. Dude knows his stuff. He's always very complimentary of State's program. He knows the deal...when he played, LSU had not quite taken over. Ben, Cohen, and Bianco all played the same years. There's a photo out there of John Cohen smacking a homer off of Ben McD (with Bianco's mitt extended) that won the game 1-0. That's right....the I.B. jolted one out of Alec Box in 1990 that stood up for the ballgame.

I actually think that home run was off Russ springer. He and Bobby reed had a duel. It was 1-0 final. I assume we are talking about same game.

[AlmostPositive]

He's smart, informed, funny, respectful... he may be the best SECN talking head of any kind. Could use a better haircut, maybe.

[Skydawg1]

I actually think that home run was off Russ springer. He and Bobby reed had a duel. It was 1-0 final. I assume we are talking about same game.I'm all mixed up. Cohen's homer did come against BM but it was a 4-3 game, not the 1-0.

http://djournal.com/sports/for-20-years-cohen-and-bianco-have-crossed-paths/

[Homedawg]

I'm all mixed up. Cohen's homer did come against BM but it was a 4-3 game, not the 1-0.

http://djournal.com/sports/for-20-years-cohen-and-bianco-have-crossed-paths/

I'm referring to the 1-0 game here and Cohen hit a hr.

[Skydawg1]

I'm referring to the 1-0 game here and Cohen hit a hr.What year?

[Homedawg]

What year?

88 Sunday night on tv.

[JoseBrown]

I agree. Ben, to me, is one of the best out there. He knows his stuff, and is not biased in his comments. I just enjoy hearing his style more than the others. He has the fundamentals of baseball, and the the knowledge of strategy to really enjoy the game of baseball. He loves the game. It's refreshing!

[I seen it dawg]

Shit I've given up a ball farther than Cohen hit in Alex box. It's nothing.

[klong-dog]

He and Kyle Peterson are the two best in business imo.

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

He and Kyle Peterson are the two best in business imo.

Agree 100%....really like listening to both of these guys when they're in the booth.

[Leroy Jenkins]

I like McDonald as a commentator, hes probably better known as a farmer though. E I E I O.

Ba da bing.

[shoeless joe]

He and Kyle Peterson are the two best in business imo.

Other than being an ambassador of the college game I'm not all that find of petersen. I do like McDonald however.

[Saltydog]

game on my Sony Walkman while sitting in a movie theater with my h/s sweetheart.

[RocketDawg]

I really figured he could be a major league national guy.

With the accent and all, if try him out. I think he's really good.

Not sure what you mean about the accent. Do you mean his Southern/Louisiana accent would keep him from being a national announcer? It might nowadays, but do you remember (probably not ... it was a long time ago) when Dizzy Dean was the national announcer mostly for the NY Yankees? Talk about an accent! Don't think he'd ever make it now. And he got let go because he was always talking up Mississippi durning the integration days, and that didn't go over well with the top brass.

[Tbonewannabe]

He and Kyle Peterson are the two best in business imo.

I agree, both of these guys are my favorite that are on the SEC Network including our home broadcast.

[bulldogcountry1]

I enjoy listening to him. He's that ideal mix of playing experience and personalty that you want in a color guy. He always has something interesting to add that real baseball guys appreciate. Last night, he mentioned how Kruger held his glove back on high breaking balls to give the ball just a little but more air time to get down a bit.

[Bully13]

Ben would have ended up at MSU had bertman not arrived at lsu.

[BiscuitEater]

Ben would have ended up at MSU had bertman not arrived at lsu.

Disagree. Ben actually went to LSU to play basketball From the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame ..

There was one choice McDonald made 22 years ago that launched him to the pinnacle of college baseball.

A multisports athlete at Denham Springs High — All-State in basketball and baseball — McDonald opted to sign a basketball grant-in-aid and joined Dale Brown’s LSU Tigers. At 6-foot-7, McDonald dominated high school hardwoods. He also was an All-District punter and kicker — yes a 6-7 kicker — for Denham’s football team.

Two years in Brown’s program, mixed with spring runs with Bertman’s Tigers at Alex Box Stadium left McDonald with a tough decision.

“Ben might be the best overall athlete who ever came through LSU athletic program,” Bertman said. “After two years in basketball he came to baseball full time. In high school, he was naturally in three sports, and for someone to play two sports at such a high level tells a lot about his athletic ability. Ben was a good player for Dale, but baseball was his best sport.

McDonald’s decision to forego his basketball scholarship meant that Bertman had time to accelerate his young pitcher’s development in fall workouts. Already named to one All America team after his sophomore season, Bertman watched McDonald’s potential develop into Major League talent.

“Arguably, he’s the best pitcher, and among the best players to play at LSU. He stands there with Alvin Dark, Mike Miley, Joe Bill Adcock and Connie Ryan,” Bertman said. “I’ve never had anyone pitch like Ben in the 30 years as a coach and athletics director, nobody ever.”

Numbers backed up Bertman’s statement.

McDonald’s junior season started with back-to-back wins over TCU and Mercer, but the real test would come in the Busch Challenge in the Louisiana Superdome. There, college powerhouse Oklahoma State awaited.

McDonald’s dominating 6-0 win awakened the world to his talent.

“After that, the Baltimore Orioles had scouts at ever game,” Bertman said. “For two months, scouts monitored Ben’s every move. He stood up well under that kind of pressure, that game-to-game scrutiny.”

Teammate and team captain Pete Bush said the Tigers were in awe.

“Ben was hitting 96 (mph) and 97 on the gun,” Bush recalled. “He struck out 14. He went to three balls on one guy from Okie State and then struck him out on three pieces of cheese. When we were running off the field, he yelled at the guy, ‘What’d you think I was going to walk you,’ and we got pumped up even more. Ben was ultra-competitive, all the time, no matter what we did. That showed us he was ready to be a star.”

That start to the 1989 season started a string of 44.2 consecutive scoreless innings, a Southeastern Conference record that stood for more than 15 seasons. Following a 144-strikeouts sophomore season, McDonald chalked up a SEC record 202 strikeouts in his 152.1 innings in 1989, nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

[Bully13]

I just remember hearing him say that if it were not for skip. He likely would have ended up at state