I for one really enjoy Starkey, despite his deficiencies.
I invite any of you to listen (if you can) to other PXP announcers on opposing schools' networks. Some of them are incredibly awful. Others are pretty competent, but nowhere near as fun to listen to (IMHO). Having been a commentator covering Oregon and UW many years ago, I can tell you that overall, the quality of broadcasting throughout the Pac has gone down significantly. Voices used to be informative, really appreciate the school's they represented, and the color and pageantry of the game above and beyond the play on the field. Starkey still has this ability. Few capture the atmosphere and peripheral events around the game as Joe does. Additionally, Joe does a much better job of helping us get to know players than all the others I've heard, particularly when he talks to them about their academic pursuits and their Cal experience. He still has fun with the game (and the game SHOULD be fun!), and though he does miss some details of plays, he still gets enough info that you don't lose anything of major importance.
Joe also has an appreciation for the alumni activities, Cal Band, and Cal lore that isn't acknowledged on most (if not all) of the other competitor's networks.
I must mention, however, that I have not heard the new UW crew. Bob Rondeau was excellent when he did Husky games, and he was, (along with Starkey) the best the Pac had.