Use of narrative to "enhance" melee combat

[Buttmonkey]

I'm wondering to what extent players and DMs/GMs/CKs use narrative improvisation to flesh out the details of combat in RPGs. For example, the C&C PHB strongly recommends embelleshing the mechanics of combat like this:

Bob rolls a 19 and hits the goblin for 8 points of damage, killing him. The CK then narrates, "Argon the Barbarian uses his battle axe to rip through the sinister goblin's torso, severing his spine and killing him instantly."

Then another goblin scores a hit on Argon. The CK narrates, "The worst-smelling goblin slices at Argon's exposed shins, scratching him badly, but not enough to slow the enraged barbarian."

Personally, the thought of role-playing like that kind of makes my skin crawl. I was reared in a more dice-and-numbers style and got all the atmosphere I needed from the fantasy setting and the fact that my halfling fighter-thief was back-stabbing a monster. My imagination did the rest.

This is why I am not interested in play-by-post. All of the examples I have seen look more like people trying to collectively write a fantasy novel than playing a role-playing game.

What do other folks think? (Please note, I certainly have no problem with people playing in the style suggested by the C&C PHB (so long as they don't try it at my table!)).