The broadcast team for EXC's national debut

Yesterday Elite XC announced the three people who will be filling the announcing booth for their national debut May 31 on CBS.

On the stick will be veteran CBS play by play guy Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo: the PRIDE and EliteXC veteran, and the World's Second Most Dangerous Man: Frank Shamrock.

Ranallo and Shamrock have worked together before and know the MMA game inside and out. Gus Johnson, along with his NFL, NBA, and college basketball duties has also voiced MSG network's Golden Gloves boxing tournament and has been a proven professional at everything he has covered.

My issue with the announcement is having two play by pay types in the booth at the same time. Johnson will probably call the play by play; with Ranallo filling a hybrid analyst-play by play position. Shamrock will be straight commentary. I'm curious to see how Ranallo and Johnson coexist. Three man booths that contain someone who isn't a straight play by play guy or veteran of the sport tend to be crowded. The third man is usually a media member or former play by play man that is being forced into an uncomfortable commentary role, trying to sound like experts on something they have never experienced first hand. All of their lines tend to sound forced and are usually unneeded.

This is evident with ESPN's MNF coverage with Ron Jaworski, Mike Tirico, and and Tony Kornheiser. Tirico and Jaws have clearly established roles, but Kornheiser has a tendency to stomp all over his colleagues and has had a difficult time fitting in with the broadcast. This same problem was evident when Jonathan Coachman tried to wedge his way into the three man WWE Raw booth with Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. Lawler and Ross knew what they were doing, but Coachman tended to sound like he was stuck on an island on his own, because he couldn't provide the same expert level of commentary as Lawler and Ross was clearly established as the play by play man. That left Coachman jammed to the side trying to deliver some weak and uninspired commentary that annoyed the viewers instead of educating them.

I hope Ranallo and Johnson are able to find a comfortable way to coexist, but if things go bad I would expect CBS to keep their man Johnson and cut ties with the new guy Ranallo.

Remember EliteXC's first Fight Night will air live on CBS, Saturday May 31st from 9PM to 11PM.