Larry McCarren and Wayne Larrivee in their favorite haunt.
Photo by Packers.com

Delivered with pulse-pounding veracity and unequaled passion, Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren have been the voices of Green Bay Packers since 1999. These gatekeepers have been responsible for guiding football moments into immortal experiences that reverberate through the annals of Green Bay history.

The Green Bay broadcast team has been the premier soundtrack of our memories, but also the trusted voices to bring the action to life.

Larrivee’s tempo and crystal clear delivery is always a comforting return in the dog days of summer. His trademark, “and there is your dagger,” has been the declaration of victory for the Green and Gold, concluding each game in the most operatic fashion.

Honored alumni of Emerson College in Boston, Larrivee shares the distinguished pedigree with acclaimed filmmaker, Paul Thomas Anderson and celebrated playwright, Spalding Gray. Cerebral and articulate in his craft, Larrivee has been a staple for the Midwest in providing concise assessments and insight.

Not to mention, but he does cover the Chicago Cubs (ugh).

Wayne Larrivee introduced Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy during the Packers 2010 Super Bowl celebration at Lambeau Field.

If Larrivee represents the mind of the Green Bay faithful, then McCarren’s burly candor has to be the heart. Known as the “Rock” for his consistency during his Packers days, McCarren has brought a first-hand experience of battles waged in the trenches. Using the lessons from his playing days, McCarren’ s dependability has extended from the gridiron to the booth.

What makes McCarren truly special is the armchair observation in key moments, by bringing an intimate and humorous dimension to the broadcast.

Numerous calls throughout their career, Larrivee would set the stage with each minute detail, only for McCarren to blurt out the ID for the fan at home.

Simple words like, “wow,” “no way,” and “yes,” do not seem like appropriate descriptions of a last-second touchdown play, but positioned against the smooth articulation of Larrivee, the words carry the heft of a Hummer.

The combination of brain and brawn has created one of the most unique broadcasts in the league, and in unassuming circumstances I was able to see their dedication to the profession.

While covering a 2010 Packers training camp, I snapped pictures of the gargantuan athletes peddling toward Ray Nitschke Field, and was fortunate enough to be on the sidelines to experience a practice session.

Humbled by the sheer enormity of former defensive end Cullen Jenkins, and the spin of Aaron Rodgers‘ darts, I had no idea who was in my company.

A sudden burst of laughter startled me out of my composure, and spinning around I discovered to my pure amazement, a 6-3 behemoth standing on a parked beige golf cart.

It was McCarren.

“Wow.”

Larry McCarren’s famous pinky

Arms-folded, and his hands outstretched on his elbows, I could see the mangled pinky digit. Numerous memories flooded my mind as to how that very finger created uncomfortable groans by family and friends when McCarren would visibly accentuate any point.

Now, if you have not had the experince of seeing the pinky, just imagine your very own pinky, then form the middle to represent a sharp turn outward and you’re close.

Turning back toward the field to display some sort of professional behavior, I froze in my tracks at about 90 degrees to find myself standing next to the samurai of the sound byte.

There was Larrivee.

“No way.”

Observant of each detail akin to his broadcasts, Larrivee stood engulfed in the mundane with unparalleled concentration.

In the company of giants I stood, reminiscing about the unforgettable calls logged from childhood. The Al Harris interception against the Seahawks in the 2003 wildcard game, or the Greg Jennings game-winning reception against the Chargers in 2007, each have a special place in my development.

Larry McCarren interviews Nick Collins during the Packers 2010 Super Bowl celebration at Lambeau Field.

To this the day, the team continues the same dedication of bringing to life the fascinating world of the NFL. As we remember a great broadcaster such as the late Pat Summerall, we take time to understand the art of being brought into the experience.

Yet, when we listen to the team of McCarren and Larrivee, we are not just being told the game.

We are sharing it.

Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson is expected to start for the Green Bay Packers tonight against his former team, the Cincinnat i Bengals.Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers provide what’s known as their Dope Sheet … If you haven’t seen it before, it’s an in-depth look at the coming week’s opponent. It includes more information – up-to-date and historical – than you can absorb in one sitting.

To help with Thursday Night’s game, here’s some of the valuable information included in the Dope Sheet.

Thanks to Packers.com for providing. I share it here for your entertainment.

GREEN BAY (0-2) AT CINCINNATI (2-0)

Thursday, Aug. 23 l Paul Brown Stadium l 6 p.m. CDT

PACKERS HEAD TO CINCINNATI TO TAKE ON THE BENGALS

• The Packers travel to Cincinnati this Thursday night to face the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, Green Bay’s first visit to Cincinnati in the preseason since 2006.
• The 2006 meeting came in Mike McCarthy’s first season as head coach. This season’s road preseason slate (at San Diego, at Cincinnati) is the same as it was in McCarthy’s debut campaign.
• The clubs’ last preseason meeting came in 2008, when the teams squared off in the opener at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football. That contest marked QB Aaron Rodgers’ first NFL start (preseason or regular season), a game the Bengals won, 20-17.
• This will be the 17th preseason meeting overall between the clubs, with the Bengals holding an 11-4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first faced off in the preseason in 1970, the first of 10 straight seasons (1970-79) that the clubs played each other in the preseason. Three of the meetings over that span came in Milwaukee.
• Thursday will mark the Packers’ third game ever at Paul Brown Stadium, which opened in 2000. The prior meetings were the ’06 preseason contest and a regular-season visit in 2005.
• The franchises have met just 11 times in the regular season, with the last game coming in 2009 at Lambeau Field. Over the past 13 seasons (1999-2011), the teams met just twice (2005 and 2009). The Bengals hold a 6-5-0 edge in the all-time regular-season series.
• Thursday’s matchup includes a meeting of head coaches that worked together more than 20 years ago. McCarthy and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis both coached on the staff at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990-91. This will be the fourth meeting overall between the two head coaches (one regular-season meeting, third preseason game).
• This will be the final game before the league’s first mandatory roster reduction, one that requires teams to get down to 75 players by 3 p.m. (CDT) on Monday, Aug. 27.
• Green Bay fell to Cleveland, 35-10, in its home preseason opener last Thursday night. The Packers will close out their preseason slate next Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field. It marks the third straight year that the teams are meeting in the preseason finale.

WITH THE CALL

Flagshipped by Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV and in conjunction with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, the game will be televised over a 14-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities and Des Moines in Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska.

• The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS’s Kevin Harlan(play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon(analyst), with Trenni Kusnierek of WTMJ Radio serving as the sideline reporter.
• In addition to WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) and WFRV-TV (Green Bay), the final three preseason games will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; KLJB-TV/FOX and KGCW/CW, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; and KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.
• In its first season, in conjunction with the Packers TV Network, Telemundo Wisconsin (WYTU-TV in Milwaukee and on Charter Cable elsewhere in Wisconsin) will broadcast the game with Andy Olivares (play-by-play) and Kevin Holden (analyst) calling the action.
• Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 53-station Packers Radio Network, withWayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro BowlerLarry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 14th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 44 markets in six states.

Larry McCarren has officially started his new duties with packers.com

Is there anyone more respected and popular than Larry McCarren?

The longtime Packers player and radio personality started his new gig today on www.packers.com and should add a new and fresh perspective to the official Green Bay Packers site. Frankly, I’m looking forward to accessing his insights eat the popular site that has been the team’s main Web presence for many years.

He started officially today, July 26, and here’s what the official press release announcing the move said:

McCarren will … offer his insight and analysis on a daily basis during camp through online videos. His video work also will include interviews with players and coaches, game previews and game observations.

“Larry’s experience as a Pro Bowl player and as an award-winning broadcaster has made him a go-to source for news about the Packers,” said Joan Malcheski, director of the Packers’ media group. “We’re very excited to have him join Packers.com and offer his highly regarded football knowledge to our fans.”

McCarren is known to legions of fans as analyst on the Packers Radio Network, where he enters his 14th season working with Wayne Larrivee. He first joined the team’s radio broadcasts in 1995, working his first four seasons with Jim Irwin and Max McGee. Inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1992, he also is a favorite among television viewers in Wisconsin, spending 24 years as a sports director in Green Bay. He additionally served previously as co-host of Inside 1265, the official television program of the Green Bay Packers. He four times has been voted Wisconsin ‘Sportscaster of the Year’ (1994 1996, 2002, 2007) by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.