I don't think people dislike Dave. Quite the contrary, I think most of us who have listened to him over the years enjoy the familiarity of his voice, and respect his love of and loyalty to Texas A&M.
That being said, he's not nearly as good as he once was, and I've heard plenty that were or are better. Eli Gold is great, John Ward at Tennessee was excellent before he retired, Wes Durham at Ga. Tech is solid, and perhaps the best I've ever heard, Larry Munson at Georgia. Even Joe Fisher at Vanderbilt does a better job.
Now, what defines "better". IMO, a play-by-play announcer's job is to inform the listeners who aren't able to be at the game, or to watch it on TV, as to exactly what is happening on the field. For me, accuracy counts...getting the down & distance correct, identifying the player carry the ball, who makes the tackle, etc. I certainly understand that it's not an easy job, and mistakes can and will be made. But there's no excuse for flubs like "he's going to throw for a touchdown!...he's sacked for a nine yard loss".
Living in Nashville, I've listened to a lot of Vandy games on radio, and I can tell you that I am NEVER at a loss as to down & distance, score, or anything related to what is happening on the field.
That just happens to be my criteria...if yours is a familiar voice that you can recognize easily, more power to you. I just like knowing what's going on in the game.
