SAN FRANCISCO — Though he was born in Connecticut, broadcaster Chris Berman somehow had a Bay Area native for an inner child. Berman gravitated to the Giants as a kid, choosing Willie Mays as his favorite player in 1963 after his father instructed him to keep his eyes on the do-everything centerfielder.
In 1981, before either Joe Montana or ESPN were household names, the 26-year-old anchor with a window-rattling voice hosted the 2:30 a.m. ET SportsCenter. That was the year Berman donned a turban, stared into his crystal ball and predicted the 49ers would win every single week.