Norm Jones' biggest problem as Avalanche radio voice: Following Mike Haynes

Norm Jones, who's handled radio play-by-play chores for the Colorado Avalanche in recent years, has been bumped from this role in an apparent cost-cutting move. He'll remain with the organization, but Marc Moser, who's contributed color commentary, will now man the booth solo at home and away. Jones has done...

By Michael Roberts

August 21, 2009

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Norm Jones, who's handled radio play-by-play chores for the Colorado Avalanche in recent years, has been bumped from this role in an apparent cost-cutting move. He'll remain with the organization, but Marc Moser, who's contributed color commentary, will now man the booth solo at home and away.

Jones has done a solid job calling games for the Avs. He clearly knows hockey, and his unpolished demeanor comes across as a throwback to a less slick media age. And although he never had the impact of his predecessor, Mike Haynes, who's graduated to TV, that's no sin, since Haynes remains the best voice of a pro-sports franchise in town. The Colorado Rockies' Drew Goodman does a fine job, as does the Denver Nuggets' Jerry Schemmel -- but Haynes supplements his hockey smarts with a level of enthusiasm and passion that's off the charts. Thanks to him, watching telecasts is tolerable even when the Avs are playing poorly -- which they did most of last year and will likely continue this season. That makes Moser's new job even tougher.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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