The sports coverage and announcing thread

[Red Baron 0]

 

Worst announcer/analyst ever. Joe Buck is better than this shitbag up here.

[CanadianChris 0]

At least we don't have to listen to Kypreos for three hours at a time. Well, except on trade deadline day, but if you're watching Sportsnet instead of TSN there, I really can't help you.

[treble 0]

During the Jays game today (on Sportsnet), they were showing the new home clubhouse, and all the TVs were on TSN. I had to laugh that no one thought to switch the channel.

[Red Baron 0]

At least we don't have to listen to Kypreos for three hours at a time. Well, except on trade deadline day, but if you're watching Sportsnet instead of TSN there, I really can't help you.

 

And people think Pierre McGuire is bad.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Gary Thorne keeps on calling Richie Sexson "Richie Sexton" repeatedly for MASN's O's coverage. You'd think someone would at least say "Hey, it's Sexson or that he might at least read the back of his jersey or something. The guy is horrible he needs to go back to doing ESPN or whatever and get Buck Martinez back who I like especially with Mark Patrick on Baseball This Morning on XM. Mark Patrick being my favorite sports radio host.

[Red Baron 0]

Nothing would beat Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez in baseball commentating.

 

Fuck, TSN had some good commentators.

[CanadianChris 0]

Ken Hughson and Buck Martinez in the glory years, followed immediately by Shulman and Martinez. Damn. What the hell happened? Aside from Pat Tabler, I don't think we have a single good TV announcer now.

[Red Baron 0]

Considering most of the games are on Sportsnet and Jamie Campbell is horrible, it makes it hard to watch any Jays game on TV.

[CanadianChris 0]

And when it's not Jamie Campbell, it's Rod Black, who is worse.

[treble 0]

Darrin Fletcher is pretty funny, I think. He's probably the best of the Jays' rotating analysts, although none of them are that great.

 

In a non-Blue Jays related topic; I don't think Jon Miller is too bad of an announcer, but why does he feel his has to over-pronounce every Spanish name?

[Damaramu 0]

Why can't Jay Crawford do something to get fired? He's talking about how Calipari does smarmy really well then he turns around and comes across as a smarmy asshole himself.

"You're both wrong. Memphis will win." and the way he says it reminds me of that Amy Lawrence biatch on ESPN radio. They just have that tone of voice when they make statements like that that says "I'm right you're wrong and that's it. This isn't opinion. I'm right."

 

He just needs to add a nerdy laugh in there and he'll complete that "dork that knows nothing about sports but still tries to tell you how it is" thing he seems to be going for.

[alfdogg 0]

This is from the Reds' radio guys just a few minutes ago, for some reason discussing Garth Brooks.

 

PBP guy: "I heard this quote recently, and I think it's so true...'If the internet was around when The Beatles were popular, they would have sold one billion records." Garth Brooks has an advantage that the Beatles didn't have.

color guy: "Well, if I hadn't had two shoulder surgeries, I'd still be pitching right now!"

PBP: "Well, that's not a fair statement."

Color: "Yes it is!"

PBP: "No it isn't! We're not talking about you or who you'd be a better pitcher than, we're talking about something else right now!"

*uncomfortable pause*

[Guest Teal-y Dan]

Hahaha, was that Marty smacking down Brantley? They really need to cut their losses on that guy. Anyone ever heard him call an inning of radio play-by-play? SOLO? Well, I have! He sucks!

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

This is from the Reds' radio guys just a few minutes ago, for some reason discussing Garth Brooks.

 

PBP guy: "I heard this quote recently, and I think it's so true...'If the internet was around when The Beatles were popular, they would have sold one billion records." Garth Brooks has an advantage that the Beatles didn't have.

color guy: "Well, if I hadn't had two shoulder surgeries, I'd still be pitching right now!"

PBP: "Well, that's not a fair statement."

Color: "Yes it is!"

PBP: "No it isn't! We're not talking about you or who you'd be a better pitcher than, we're talking about something else right now!"

*uncomfortable pause*

 

We need the audio clip of this ASAP.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Why can't Jay Crawford do something to get fired? He's talking about how Calipari does smarmy really well then he turns around and comes across as a smarmy asshole himself.

"You're both wrong. Memphis will win." and the way he says it reminds me of that Amy Lawrence biatch on ESPN radio. They just have that tone of voice when they make statements like that that says "I'm right you're wrong and that's it. This isn't opinion. I'm right."

 

He just needs to add a nerdy laugh in there and he'll complete that "dork that knows nothing about sports but still tries to tell you how it is" thing he seems to be going for.

 

He's way too pretty to be from Cleveland.

[Damaramu 0]

Once again Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson make complete fools of themselves. They just freak the fuck out over Roy Williams wearing the Kansas sticker and when Skip and JA Adande give rational reasons why they don't have a problem with it that fat anti-catholic biatch just flips out on them and is totally flabbergasted by their reasoning.

It was funny hearing her say "Well it's been a hot topic around the newsroom" because the fans weren't emailing about it. They acted confused earlier in the show about why the fans didn't have anything to say about it.

It's ESPN making a big deal out of nothing again.

 

Seriously, can't they get hosts on that show that know something about sports?

[naiwf 0]

If they can't get analysts who know something about sports on most of their shows, what makes you think that their hosts should be held to a higher standard?

 

Also, if the Beatles were around in the internet age they would have sold less records simply because almost no one buys albums anymore. It amazes me how many horrible albums sold in the 8+ million range just a decade or so ago.

 

Finally, Keith Hernandez just confused So Taguchi with Tadahito Iguchi which was pretty funny because neither Gary Cohen nor Ron Darling corrected him as he was explaining how Taguchi (read: Iguchi) came over from the White Sox to play 2B for the Phillies last year when Utley got hurt moments after someone said he was the left fielder. Whoops.

[Guest Teal-y Dan]

I'm listening to the Brewers on WTMJ. Bob Uecker is one of the all-time best, but his backup Jim Powell is also very good at calling a game on the radio. I'm surprised nobody has offered him a full-time job; apparently he's been at this since the mid-'90s, when he took over from none other than Pat Hughes.

 

Dandy, Genius, or anyone else who follows the Reds: what exactly is their deal with announcers? As far as I can tell, they have a pool of two Brennamans, Jeff Brantley, and George Grande, and every inning of TV and radio is some mix-and-match of those four. Like one time, I got a couple of innings of solo Marty, then Brantley dropped in to add some color, then Brantley pathetically tried to call the game solo for like an inning or so, then back to both, then back to solo Marty. However, it seems like Thom and Brantley do the majority of the television PBP. Why can't anyone sit still in these booths? No continuity.

 

 

[Dandy 0]

Reds: what exactly is their deal with announcers?

Marty/Thom/Brantley are supposed to be the radio guys while Grande and Chris Welsh have been the TV team for 15 years now. Not sure if they switch over to George and Chris for radio on the rare occasion, but I'm sure Marty is on a part-time schedule. I don't listen to them on radio because almost every game is covered through Fox Sports Cincinnati in this area. Grande and Welsh are excellent announcers on tv (in my opinion). They have a good rapport with the players and the owner. Welsh often has a short segment on pitching techniques of the Reds staff during the pre-game, and Grande just sounds like "Reds babeball" to me. Grande also refuses to say "damn" in BDSSP while doing the plug of that show. He just says "Best Sports Show Period."

[treble 0]

And when it's not Jamie Campbell, it's Rod Black, who is worse.

Ha, I don't know. Kurt Suzuki just got hit in the ass and Campbell said that he got it, 'in the kisser'.

[Guest]

Damn, Charles Barkley just called out ESPN. Haha.

[Damaramu 0]

Damn, Charles Barkley just called out ESPN. Haha.

 

What did he say? Not like they'd listen. They'll just make fun of him then deny there's a problem.

[alfdogg 0]

He made reference to some people on there who were I guess using the "Kobe has never won it before" excuse as a reason why he should win the MVP. "These numbskulls, I won't mention any names, but uh, ESPN..."

 

Which I don't think ESPN needs to go that route anyway. Kobe's claim to the MVP is as legit as anyone's. Although it would be tough to justify not giving it to Chris Paul should the Hornets finish atop the West.

[Timmy8271 0]

Well Charles was on Jim Rome on Thursday with Jason Whitlock. Whitlock was trying to get Charles on the "Kobe Train".

[strummer 0]

Even though he's approaching 90, Ralph Kiner is still better than anyone in the field when it comes to analyzing hitting. Very analytical, logical approach about looking for a pitch to hit and trying to figure out the pitcher's tendencies. He's just terrific as opposed to the usual talking heads

 

He (rightfully) has been made fun of the past 50 years for butchering the English language during broadcasts and from a pure technical standpoint he was never really a good broadcaster but the guy could always talk hitting

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Bryant Gumbel wont be doing NFL Network games this year. Lots of rumors on who they're going to get to replace him but I dont think they can find someone worse than Gumbel.

 

So the inevitable has happened and Bryant Gumbel has parted ways with the NFL Network, whose ownership he ripped on his other TV gig, HBO's "Real Sports," one week before calling his first game for the network. WHen Gumbel bit the hand that was feeding him, you knew the arrangement was going to be trouble. That was confirmed as soon as he opened his mouth without the aid of a teleprompter and sounded like ... a guy who had never called a football game in his life.

 

After that debacle, the NFL should be looking for an upgrade. Problem is, the league presumably can't go cherry-pick talent from its broadcast partners at NBC, CBS and ESPN. But what if it could have a talented non-NFL announcer from one of those networks, make it broadcasts network-quality ... and score a PR coup in the process?

 

Gentlemen of the jury, I give you ... Pam Ward.

 

Not just because she used to toil at a station where I now contribute (WBAL), but because Pam Ward is the best play-by-play talent not calling games for the country's premier sporting league. And because if you're going to make history, you'd better make it with somebody who won't embarrass you, will work hard and keep her head down and make her critics seem like very small-minded (and membered) people.

 

I have a recording of Ward calling the Division III NCAA football championship a few years ago. It was an historic game, in that it pitted John Gagliardi, the Methuselah of college football, who had earlier that season broken Eddie Robinson's all-time victories mark, against Larry Kehres of Mount Union, which entered the game with a 55-game win streak. As the game's momentum shifted slowly but decisively away from Mount Union and toward the Johnnies, Ward was terrific. She saw what was happening and used it to her advantage, calling the game with both excitement and intelligence.

 

I know that Doctor Johnson once said that seeing a woman preaching was like seeing a dog standing on its hind legs; the wonder is that it happens at all. And in the male-dominated culture of sports chatter, the harshest evaluations Ward would be likely to get are those that are generally complimentary to her but have the vaguely dismissive Deadspin tone of, Huh. A woman calling a game.

 

But here's why NFL Network should make her a deal anyway: Pam Ward is going to be miles better than Bryant Gumbel. With that act to follow, Pat Summerall would even sound good right about now. And the stakes are low. NFL Network isn't even in half of the homes with cable TV. She'll probably work cheap. The league can rent her for football season, then give her back to ESPN in January for basketball games. Small downside, potentially big upside. What's not to like?

 

The only fly in the ointment might be Cris Collinsworth. The NFL Network's color man has given every indication of being an arch-traditionalist, from his towel-snapping demeanor with other jocks on sports talk programs to his tone-deaf defense of Rush Limbaugh on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" ("Is he really the worst person in the world? The whole world?").

 

Also, there are rumors out there that Collinsworth wants the PBP job for himself. The NFL would certainly not be wrong to give it to him. He's one of the better talents out there. But he'd have to give up some of his folksy opinionating to focus on the game action, and that's a role better suited to a PBP lifer like Ward.

 

Plus, picking Pam Ward as the new face of the NFL Network might help the league in contract negotiations with those obstinate cable companies. We're the football channel women like to watch! Well, it couldn't hurt.

[CanadianChris 0]

Thank God.

 

Who's the worst NFL play-by-play announcer now? Joe Buck? Dick Stockton?

[Guest Teal-y Dan]

Joe Buck is worse. Even though Dick Stockton is a senile old fool, at least he has the well-worn voice of a football announcer. The NFL Network job should go to Gus Johnson, the anti-Buck.

 

http://www.burlysports.com/video/19564

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's an idea I had for a while, to have Joe Buck calling historic sports moments and sucking the life out of them, but I was beaten to the punch. (The example I always gave was "Gibson. Hit. To right. The Dodgers win the game.") The guy's execution is shite, more Len Kasper than Joe Buck, but an A for effort all the same, and even though you can see a certain punchline a mile away, it's still hysterical.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Ohhhhh, that's fucking beautiful.

 

It's weird to watch a lot of that stuff without the iconic calls that accompany them.

 

"He's been punched a lot in this fight, but that's boxing for ya."

[treble 0]

"Touch all of the bases, Joe Carter, if you want it to count"

 

"A dominating performance by hydrogen"