Media: 2009-10 complaints about broadcasters

[moonpie23]

man, i feel bad for jay.....I know he has to sit there and make nice with davis, but i bet he'd love to fist-fight digger ....

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

I hate hearing him talk about Duke along with Hubert.

[camion]

"With Nolan Smith on the floor Duke is the best team in the ACC." - Jay Bilas

[Coballs]

Is this some sort of joke? While watching the Duke-Charlotte game, I noticed that ESPN was scrolling Bracketology at the bottom of the screen. They were already predicting the overall #1 seeds, as well as the top 4 seeds in each region for the NCAA tourney....that's right, the one next March. It looks like we'll be a 2 seed in the South. Texas is the 1, Tennessee the 3, and Ohio State 4.

Give me a break!

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Tennessee a 3 seed?? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Right

[jv001]

"With Nolan Smith on the floor Duke is the best team in the ACC." - Jay Bilas

Yeh and hubert davis agreed. Thought I would pass out. Go Duke!

[SMO]

"With Nolan Smith on the floor Duke is the best team in the ACC." - Jay Bilas

So does that mean Bilas picked Duke to win the ACC? Does he have Duke ahead of UNC in the ESPN Power Rankings?

[CameronDuke]

Digger and Hubert are two of the biggest homers in college basketball commentary. Bilas usually tries too hard to make it seem like he isn't a Duke homer, but he did say Duke is the best team in the ACC with Nolan Smith starting at point guard. I hope Jay Williams doesn't try too hard to make it look like he doesn't favor Duke like Bilas does. It's okay to be objective, but trying too hard to be neutral sometimes causes Bilas to hate on Duke.

[SupaDave]

Jay has come on this site personally and defended himself. If you would like his position - please search his name. He's on record as saying he has a lot of respect for Hubert.

[77devil]

Does he have Duke ahead of UNC in the ESPN Power Rankings?

No, but Dick Vitale does, but he's the only one. Jay Williams has been added to the voters this year.

[SMO]

No, but Dick Vitale does, but he's the only one. Jay Williams has been added to the voters this year.

So Jay thinks Duke is the best team in the ACC but the 2nd most "powerful". That makes sense.

[Kdogg]

Is this some sort of joke? While watching the Duke-Charlotte game, I noticed that ESPN was scrolling Bracketology at the bottom of the screen. They were already predicting the overall #1 seeds, as well as the top 4 seeds in each region for the NCAA tourney....that's right, the one next March. It looks like we'll be a 2 seed in the South. Texas is the 1, Tennessee the 3, and Ohio State 4.

Give me a break!

Joe had the first 2010 Bracketology out on April 7. This is just the latest update.

[rthomas]

WTF, This has gone on for years.

"Jay doesn't like us"
"Jay likes us, he's just being fair."
"Jay is sending subliminal messages."

JC, enough. Enough is enough. What is wrong with you guys? Every year it's the same thing from you.

Come on.

PS. I met Hubert Davis at Foster's Market and he is a really nice guy. I met Jay at Pop's and he was a really nice guy. I've never met Digger.

[Indoor66]

WTF, This has gone on for years.

"Jay doesn't like us"
"Jay likes us, he's just being fair."
"Jay is sending subliminal messages."

JC, enough. Enough is enough. What is wrong with you guys? Every year it's the same thing from you.

Come on.

PS. I met Hubert Davis at Foster's Market and he is a really nice guy. I met Jay at Pop's and he was a really nice guy. I've never met Digger.

That should tell you something about Digger. :D

[moonpie23]

actually, i guess my original post was misconstrued....what i meant was, i felt sorry for a dukie to have to be sitting a tarhole....no matter what kind of respect he has for davis, duke has been on the down side of the rilvary for a while....that's not comfortable for a dark blue winner like jay bilas.

but i did mean that i think he wants to fight digger...

[juise]

For those who haven't been around long enough to hear the criticism and Jay's response, it's worth referencing this thread (http://dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13549&page=3). As a Duke fan, it's always fun to hear the Devils recieve praise. However, I have come to respect Jay's opinion as more honest and thoughtful (not catering to his audience or to popular perception) than just about anyone else.

[CameronBlue]

I met Hubert Davis at Foster's Market and he is a really nice guy. I met Jay at Pop's and he was a really nice guy. I've never met Digger.

It's tough to admit but Hubert is a pretty decent sort. He doesn't have Jay's intellectual firepower obviously but no one should quarrel with his on-air demeanor and objectivity. The smugness surrounding the UNC program emanates from the old guard, in my opinion, Karl and Brown. Let's not dress this up with a lot of mellifluous euphemisms they are complete tools and I say that as someone with a UNC degree of which I'm very proud (which I display prominently in my basement. My Duke degree is framed in gold-leaf and displayed over the fireplace in my office/study bwah ha ha ha I guess that showed me!)

For those tormented by UNC's success as I was every moment of my life from the infamous 8 points in 17 seconds game onward, pray for deliverance. My savior was Laettner and the 91 championship. With back to back titles (I still can't believe it!) I was finally able to put the rivalry in some perspective..and with that, a revelation: It was probably safe to go ahead and have kids. I had screamed maniacally for 2 days, my wife screamed from the bathroom "it's BLUE!" I yelled "HELL YEAH BABY, DUKE BLUE!!! This phase of my life took maybe 48 hours, tops. And I had achieved inner peace.

Oh, I still hate the Toolies, c'mon, it's Carolina. But it's a kinder, gentler hate.

[rthomas]

That should tell you something about Digger. :D

Yea. And Foster's was muffins and scones. Pop's was muscles, bread, and vino.

[Lord Ash]

Absolutely ridiculous.

[SMO]

For those who haven't been around long enough to hear the criticism and Jay's response, it's worth referencing this thread (http://dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13549&page=3). As a Duke fan, it's always fun to hear the Devils recieve praise. However, I have come to respect Jay's opinion as more honest and thoughtful (not catering to his audience or to popular perception) than just about anyone else.

By and large, I agree with you. My criticism of Jay is that I think he overcompensates for being a Duke alumnus but trying not to pick Duke (rankings, etc) or Duke players (Singler doesn't make his All-American list). I also think Hubert has gotten much better over the years in this regard. Early on I thought he really favored UNC too much. I recall Bilas ribbing him once on air when Hubert was talking up UNC. Jay said something to the effect of, "What? No Wes Miller?" after Hubert had talked up most of the UNC team.

[NYDukie]

Yeh and hubert davis agreed. Thought I would pass out. Go Duke!

I almost choked on a chicken bone while eating dinner after hearing that...LOL I was like "who kidnapped Jay Bilas?"

[BD80]

"With Nolan Smith on the floor Duke is the best team in the ACC." - Jay Bilas

Jay landed a Haymaker when Digger was asked he would handle a situation such as at Miss (?) where the coach suspended a player who told reporters after an upset loss that the team had been outcoached.

Jay's response was that Digger "wouldn't have any players left" (if he suspended every player who thought Digger had been outcoached).

[Exiled_Devil]

So Jay thinks Duke is the best team in the ACC but the 2nd most "powerful". That makes sense.

Well, he made his power rankings earlier than 6 pm tonight. He made his comment about Nolan after watching the first half of the game.

Jay Bilas is an excellent analyst, and if you go back and look at what he says, he is right 90% of the time when he says things that we don't appreciate as fans.

I've met Jay and I can tell you, he is a Dukie through and through. Remember, he not only played for Coach K, but also coached for him. The guy is just a professional when he gets behind the announcer desk. And that means analyzing regardless of his preferences.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Well, he made his power rankings earlier than 6 pm tonight. He made his comment about Nolan after watching the first half of the game.

Jay Bilas is an excellent analyst, and if you go back and look at what he says, he is right 90% of the time when he says things that we don't appreciate as fans.

I've met Jay and I can tell you, he is a Dukie through and through. Remember, he not only played for Coach K, but also coached for him. The guy is just a professional when he gets behind the announcer desk. And that means analyzing regardless of his preferences.

He also left Kyle off the first and second team all american list.

[Exiled_Devil]

He also left Kyle off the first and second team all american list.

Pre-season.

I can't really address that - I don't know the cast of characters for NPOY honors and couldn't say if its a good assessment.

[dukemsu]

Can Vitale please, please, please, talk about the game he's at?

Tonight, he's mentioned:

-Mike and Mike in the Morning
-Notre Dame Football
-Bob Hurley Senior and how he should be in the Hall of Fame (correct, but this isn't the time or place)
-How he stood next to the prettiest girl in the Hall of Fame photo
-Roy Williams, who is, to my knowledge, not in St. Louis this evening

And those are just the ones I've caught while half watching.

Does he know where he is and who he's watching?

dukemsu

[Oriole Way]

For those who haven't been around long enough to hear the criticism and Jay's response, it's worth referencing this thread (http://dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13549&page=3). As a Duke fan, it's always fun to hear the Devils recieve praise. However, I have come to respect Jay's opinion as more honest and thoughtful (not catering to his audience or to popular perception) than just about anyone else.

I still think he has a strong bias against Duke in an effort to seem impartial.

He was 100% correct last season about UNC being the best team in the country and his pick to win the title, he defended his opinion about them being the best team in the end from Day 1, even when they lost or played lackluster basketball. I was one of the posters who called him out on picking UNC when I thought they had defensive flaws, and I was wrong, he was right. Despite what I consider his overcompensating for being a Duke alum and former Duke player, I consider Bilas to be ESPN's best analyst.

But Jay not picking Kyle Singler to either of his two All-American teams is absolutely ludicrous. He was basically the only analyst to omit him completely, so he's either bar none the best analyst in the country to be able to forecast Kyle not making any AA teams, while simultaneously stating that Singler is not one of the 10 best players in the country, or he has an occasional anti-Duke bias, of which Singler's omission is an example. I am certain it's the latter.

[davekay1971]

I have a hard time getting too worked up about what analysts say about us. ESPN, in particular, engages in hyperbole and wow-factor statements for entertainment purposes. Bottom line - 30 win seasons, ACC championships, final fours, and national championships will define us, not talking heads. Unlike politics, sports provides clear measures of success and failure. Duke hasn't made final fours with regularity lately, and we've been dropped out of the best-program-in-the-nation discussion as a result. Get to a final four, we'll be back in that discussion. Win the championship, and the talking heads will be singing our praises with the kind of hyperbole that helped generate the Duke hatred tsunami in the first place.

Of all their analysts, I think Jay and Hubert do about the best job giving a reasoned opinion.

But I would be interested in hearing Jay's rationale for leaving Kyle off his preseason AA teams.

[superdave]

In 2007, Duke lost in the first round of the NCAAs. In 2008, second round loss. In 2009, Sweet 16. Jay was not high on Duke any of those years as far as the team's ability to make a deep NCAA run and he was proven correct.

I'll take those honest assessments any day over Vitale's rah-rah stuff. Jay is usually in the ballpark with his assessments, if not right on the money. He's an expert and his track record (above) is pretty good.

As for Bracketology, I guess Joe Lunardi has to justify has paycheck somehow. It just seems silly in November though.

[jafarr1]

Last time I checked, just because Jay has a different opinion than other analysts doesn't necessarily make that opinion wrong.

If one made a list of Jay's predictions about Duke over the past few years and compared it to what actually happened, I suspect the accuracy of his predictions would hold up pretty well against most other people's predictions. Duke has not exactly done a lot to prove him wrong over the past few years.

[NSDukeFan]

He also left Kyle off the first and second team all american list.
I don't know if it is worth getting too upset about how someone speculates one way or the other about how someone will perform in the future. Now, after the season is over and if Kyle plays how we think he does and Jay is the only one not to choose him as an All-American, rip away at him.


But Jay not picking Kyle Singler to either of his two All-American teams is absolutely ludicrous. He was basically the only analyst to omit him completely, so he's either bar none the best analyst in the country to be able to forecast Kyle not making any AA teams, while simultaneously stating that Singler is not one of the 10 best players in the country, or he has an occasional anti-Duke bias, of which Singler's omission is an example. I am certain it's the latter.

See above. I like Kyle a lot and hope and expect him to be an All-American this year. He has certainly not done anything so far to make me think he won't be. But, he was not an All-American last year, similar to many of the other players on this year's preseason lists. He is bold by predicting Davis and Favors will have big years. I believe both are predicted as high lottery picks. I don't think they will be better than Kyle this year but I don't think it is absolutely ludicrous for him to make that prediction. If we want to get into conspiracies of bias, could we also say that Jay is so pro-Duke that he doesn't want to put additional pressure on Kyle, so doesn't pick him? These polls, while interesting, are taken before any games have been played and are just predictions.

[oldnavy]

Can Vitale please, please, please, talk about the game he's at?

Tonight, he's mentioned:

-Mike and Mike in the Morning
-Notre Dame Football
-Bob Hurley Senior and how he should be in the Hall of Fame (correct, but this isn't the time or place)
-How he stood next to the prettiest girl in the Hall of Fame photo
-Roy Williams, who is, to my knowledge, not in St. Louis this evening

And those are just the ones I've caught while half watching.

Does he know where he is and who he's watching?

dukemsu

BY FAR, the most annoying thing that ESPN or any other broadcaster does is show everything EXCEPT what is going on, on the court!! Who give a rat's hinny WHO is at the game, what the COACH is doing, or anything else except the action on the court. Show that crap to fill air time during time outs, etc…

I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to reach through the TV and choke someone when I miss a play because some producer thinks it is interesting to show BILLY BOB's mom and dad!!

Another pet peeve is when the announcers that are getting paid to analyze a game make ridiculously stupid calls. Like when a whistle is blown and the ref points to the baseline where the player stepped out, and the announcers say a charge was called on such and such.... GOOD GRIEF!! either learn the signals or wait until the ref announces the call.
Dumb commentary is bad, but I can and do turn the volume down. Poor game production stinks because you cannot do anything about it. JUST SHOW THE DARN GAME!!!

[RelativeWays]

If you guys are so desperate to find a Duke alumni who enjoy's crapping on his alma mater, look no further than John Feinstein who's constant digs at Duke football and his "yeah I graduated from Duke but I'm ashamed of it" schtick is tiresome. His latest article on this season of college football takes several swipes at Duke and the ACC, its petty and curmudgeony. How any alumni could not take some pride in the fact that the laughing stock doormat of Div 1 football is 5-5 and has a chance at a bowl is pathetic. Word is last year he was actively rooting against Duke when they played Navy and then made up some story on how the Duke fans tried to disrespect the Navy players (all untrue, I was there). The man is a bitter fraud who hates Duke because the LAX case exposed him as a hypocrite. I'd take Hubert Davis over Feinstein in a heartbeat.

[cbnaylor]

Is it just me or is Doug Gottlieb a beepin beep! You can choose what to put there.

After watching the halftime report from Doug and J Williams, I really wanted Jay to sucker punch Gottlieb. I was just wondering what others thought about this?

[05/18/2005]

Amazing that before the game, he was not even giving asu a chance of winning, to at half time, calling duke suprisingly unathletic. Quick turnaround for only 1/2 of a game.

[jv001]

Doug was trying to make J. Williams look bad on national tv. I'm like you in that I would have liked to see Jay coldcock him one time. But he's to classy to do that. Doug just blew off Jay when he said that Mason would make a big difference to this team. I agree with Jay. Mason will make a big difference to this team. And I say he is athletic. Go Duke!

[Indoor66]

Doug was trying to make J. Williams look bad on national tv. I'm like you in that I would have liked to see Jay coldcock him one time. But he's to classy to do that. Doug just blew off Jay when he said that Mason would make a big difference to this team. I agree with Jay. Mason will make a big difference to this team. And I say he is athletic. Go Duke!

I think the Gottlieb was being a jerk but J. Williams was taken off guard and didn't have a good comeback. Mason has to prove he will be a difference maker. That is not an answer or reasonable response to Doug's points.

[dukestheheat]

Doug Gottlieb reminds me of an athletic version of Glenn Beck, of FOX News. Both are prone to moody outbursts that take them off topic, off center. Both have a residual understanding of the topics at hand, but they let their emotions control their delivery and what we see most from them is not their knowledge or insight, but their emotion.

I've also learned to turn the TV completely DOWN when Vitale does any of our games. He's completely detracts from most of the game; the announcer I thoroughly enjoy listening to is Bobby Knight!

Let's beat UConn!

dth.

[cbnaylor]

Yeah then he went on to make Jay look like an I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. by saying and I thought we were really going to see what Duke was about tonight. They settle for outside shots, they have nobody that can drive in the lane and they can't even compete with UConn. I hope K showed this to his players.

[Indoor66]

I've also learned to turn the TV completely DOWN when Vitale does any of our games. He's completely detracts from most of the game; the announcer I thoroughly enjoy listening to is Bobby Knight!

Let's beat UConn!

dth.

I absolutely agree with you. I watched the game with the sound muted. I can not listen to Vitale's blathering. He has lost his mind. There is not even a pretense of covering the game at hand.

[Scorp4me]

Sounded like a racist comment to me. I hate political correctness, but that was a dangerous comment. Luckily he was talking about Duke so no one will care, lol.

[dukemsu]

Gottlieb is a bomb-thrower. He picks the easiest targets (Duke, the Big 10 a couple of nights ago) and makes statements such as the one about Duke not being athletic, or no team in the Big 10 having any athleticism and having zero chance of making the Final Four. He purposely tries to sound controversial so that he draws a reaction. I'm not saying this to sound above the fray, he certainly gets me to bite from time to time.

I think Gottlieb knows he's a B-teamer, as he's been since he was thrown out of Notre Dame. Since he knows his status, he just says things that he knows are bound to get reaction. He isn't at Hubert Davis or Bilas level. He's basically auditioning for Phelps' seat for whenever Digger calls it a career, which is hopefully soon. Phelps hasn't said anything on point in years.

dukemsu

[jv001]

The best: Bobby Knight, G-Man, Spanarkel, Hubie, Ramsey, J-Will, Jim Nance

The worst: Len Elmore, Dickie V(like him as a person), Packer(retired), All unc jocks except Brad Daughtery(sp?).
And I agree that Jay was caught off guard and did not have a good response to Gottlip. Go Duke!

[zingit]

I think the Gottlieb was being a jerk but J. Williams was taken off guard and didn't have a good comeback. Mason has to prove he will be a difference maker. That is not an answer or reasonable response to Doug's points.

I totally agree. Mason might be great, but he's a freshman, and what are the chances that he's a total game-changer for us? I actually thought J. Williams looked worse in that exchange. He just looked like he was trying to make excuses for Duke. I thought if he had said something about the athletes we do have (to be fair, he did make a comment about Nolan Smith) or about how ASU's style of play was bogging us down, he might have looked more reasonable.

[uh_no]

I absolutely agree with you. I watched the game with the sound muted. I can not listen to Vitale's blathering. He has lost his mind. There is not even a pretense of covering the game at hand.

I was hoping to see his diaper dandies though

[ETDevil4]

Gottlieb may come off as a prick, but he generally knows what he's talking about. His point certainly has merit. We're going to be eaten alive on the boards when we go up against teams with guys like Dwayne Collins, Arinze Onuwaku, Samardo Samuels, Derrick Favors, Patrick Patterson, etc. Save Andre Dawkins and Nolan Smith, Duke is probably the most unathletic team in the BCS conferences.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

I'm tellin' ya, it's the black socks.

It is visually impossible to look quick wearing black socks.

Sort of like wearing black socks with sandals at the beach, you can't look cool.

Hmmm...Capel. That hurts.

[calltheobvious]

I think the Gottlieb was being a jerk but J. Williams was taken off guard and didn't have a good comeback. Mason has to prove he will be a difference maker. That is not an answer or reasonable response to Doug's points.

There's no doubt that Jay took one on the chin in the exchange, and I'm sure he's watched the tape several times to study his reaction and how he can acquit himself better in the future.

What bothers me the most for Jay is that he got sucker-punched. Jay's relatively new to this business, and he clearly wasn't ready for the unprofessional, personal attack that Gottlieb delivered. And make no mistake, Gottlieb's half-time remarks didn't constitute basketball analysis so much as an attack delivered via his unabashed disdain for Duke. "A-LARM-ingly un-ath-LET-IC." That was a school-yard bully remark, one for which Williams was obviously unprepared.

I would like for Jay to have responded, "First of all, Doug, ASU's style of play is going to neutralize a lot of athletic players this season. But second, I've been watching you for a long time, and I've never seen you take a team's level of athleticism so personally. Are you okay?"

Does anyone think that Gottlieb would have made those comments in that tone if Bilas had been sitting next to him? Jay B. probably would have responded, "Yeah, Doug, it reminded me of some of your old tape."

[IFUSTABMEDOINOTBLEEDBLUE]

As much as I love the Blue Devils I am not gonna get delusional and state that Gottlieb was way off the mark. He may be a prick but we are sadly lacking in athleticism-subtracting Gerald and Elliott alone. That's not to say we will not have a great year or even better, but it is an ongoing problem that will pop up time and time again against some of the names and teams associated with them if we are to play them.

[MChambers]

I'm tellin' ya, it's the black socks.

It is visually impossible to look quick wearing black socks.

Sort of like wearing black socks with sandals at the beach, you can't look cool.

Hmmm...Capel. That hurts.

I keep agreeing with the Carolina fan today, but I agree. Gotta ditch those socks. They are ugly.

[slower]

I'm tellin' ya, it's the black socks.

It is visually impossible to look quick wearing black socks.

Sort of like wearing black socks with sandals at the beach, you can't look cool.

Hmmm...Capel. That hurts.

Black socks. We got it the first several times you said it.

If it's absolutely necessary, I'll search YouTube for video of AI or Kobe or somebody wearing black socks and then we'll see if they "look quick" or not.

Back to Gottlieb. Yes, he's a prick. I think that's part of his "TV persona", isn't it?

[-jk]

I keep agreeing with the Carolina fan today, but I agree. Gotta ditch those socks. They are ugly.

It's all part of K's PsyOps approach to hoops. And it's working: everyone thinks we're not athletic (if not necessarily alarmingly so).

-jk

[cbnaylor]

I can see some of the points that were made here but I believe that Doug was unprofessional and it seemed to be a personal attack on Duke if not Jay. I wonder, did Duke put a beat down on him when he was at Notre Dame or OSU?

[cbnaylor]

Duke got Gottlieb during the 1997-1998 season in the NCAA Tourney.

[77devil]

Incidentally, Gottlieb did pick Duke, reluctantly, to beat UConn today, notwithstanding the not athletic comment. I guess he appreciates that with K and a roster of talented and tough players led by experience will find a way.

[airowe]

Duke got Gottlieb during the 1997-1998 season in the NCAA Tourney.

K got Gottlieb when he chose to recruit Wojo more heavily than he Doug. Doug hasn't let it down and never will.

Also, you guys need to be careful when bashing Gottlieb. Look what he did to a chatter on ESPN:

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2007/12/07/espns-doug-gottlieb-lays-the-smack-down/

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

The best: Bobby Knight, G-Man, Spanarkel, Hubie, Ramsey, J-Will, Jim Nance

The worst: Len Elmore, Dickie V(like him as a person), Packer(retired), All unc jocks except Brad Daughtery(sp?).
And I agree that Jay was caught off guard and did not have a good response to Gottlip. Go Duke!

I loved J-Will as one of the Duke greats. But to say that he's currently one of the best hoops commentators is not an accurate assessment.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

Incidentally, Gottlieb did pick Duke, reluctantly, to beat UConn today, notwithstanding the not athletic comment. I guess he appreciates that with K and a roster of talented and tough players led by experience will find a way.

And J-Will picked UConn to beat Duke.

[-jk]

Folks, please stop with the snark already. Take a breather and read the Posting Guidelines again. I've cleaned a bunch of the posts out.

We want objective, healthy dialogue here. We don't want a lot of back and forth snark; there are plenty of boards out there for that sort of thing.

Regards,

-jk

[IFUSTABMEDOINOTBLEEDBLUE]

Apologize -jk....but the guy was outta line...I saw nothing wrong with what ETDEVIL 4 had posted. And I doubt any moderator on any board I have posted on would have either...but for my snarkiness I do apologize and will refrain from doing.

[TheBrianZoubekExperience]

Link to Gottlieb/Williams argument? I didn't catch it during the game and can't find it.

[dalmatians98]

I have one complaint about ESPN, and it's the same complaint I've had for several basketball seasons: Dick Vitale. As an earlier poster noted, the man goes on and on about everything except the game we're watching. With his stories about wives, grandmas, charities and yada yada yada of everyone under the sun, he has become the Willard Scott of college basketball. Nice guy, but dear God, enough already.

[sagegrouse]

I have one complaint about ESPN, and it's the same complaint I've had for several basketball seasons: Dick Vitale. As an earlier poster noted, the man goes on and on about everything except the game we're watching. With his stories about wives, grandmas, charities and yada yada yada of everyone under the sun, he has become the Willard Scott of college basketball. Nice guy, but dear God, enough already.

My late father (1920-2002) used to say, "Dick Vitale is the reason they invented the mute button."

He also put out seed in the backyard for the squirrels and cursed the birds for eating it.:)

sagegrouse
'Been known to eat some birdseed myself'

[Saratoga2]

Perhaps I should have put my complaint about Vitale here instead of the game thread. That guy had a classic match to call but instead talked about anything but. Why not have Knight do real basketball commentary?

[camion]

It would have been great to have Knight as the commentator on tonight's Duke-UConn game. I'm sure I would have learned something. As it is I'm happy, but dumber.

[Indoor66]

I have become convinced that V suffers from ADD and it has gotten progressively worse. Personally I can no longer listen to him babble through a game. I mute the sound and just watch the picture. It truly detracts from the enjoyment, either with or without sound, but without him I can continue to watch the broadcast.

[_Gary]

We all know the discussions that have been going on here about basketball analysts and announcers and Duke biases over the years. I have a couple about a ESPN news anchor. Let me set my questions up by stating that for quite some time now I've noticed what I perceive to be a pretty big bias from a certain ESPN anchor named Jonathan Coachman. Tonight, for instance, while showing highlights of the Boston/Orlando game he specifically pointed out that Ray Allan scored a big basket with JJ Redick guarding him. It was a little derogatory comment that I'd usually not think about but when this guy in particular mentioned it I took note of who he was and the way he seems to always take shots at Duke players, or former Duke players, when he gets a chance. He just seems to enjoy doing that. So, my questions are:

1) Do the ESPN anchors write their own stuff? If not, then maybe there's nothing to what I perceive with Coachman.

2) What reason would this guy have for liking to dig into Duke the way I think he does? I googled him and found out he was a basketball player in high school and at a small college in Kansas. Other than that, I don't know anything about him that would let me in on any reason he might like taking shots at Duke players.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Not a huge deal, but I've been wondering about this guy for a while and after tonight's little dig at JJ for no apparent reason I just had to ask.


Gary

[DukieBoy]

I do know that all ESPN anchors write their own stuff. I don't know, however, why he needed to be biased against Duke. Seems like he just goes off popular belief that no Duke player is successful in the NBA, which isn't true I might add

[papa whiskey]

When he introduces himself on ESPN News he actually refers to himself as "The Coach". I don't know of any other anchors that do that and it actually seems quite unprofessional. However for SOME reason ESPN lets him get away with it.

[roywhite]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Coachman

His main professional experience appears to be with Vince McMahon's WWE, according to Coachman's wiki bio. Unfortunately, ESPN often seems to be going in the direction of WWE, more hype and shtick all the time.

[Duvall]

Question 3: Who cares? This guy is Z-list, at best.

[sagegrouse]

Lets see:

A. The great unwashed masses who watch Sports Center have a visceral disregard for Duke.

B. The casual fan-on-the-street across the country thinks Duke is a good school and likes the team.

Lessee, if you have below-average intelligence and a gig on Sports Center, what is the easiest way to score points with the knuckle-dragging Neanderthals watching the show?

Don't give it a thought. If he is a serious talent, he will develop professional standards, and these ugly episodes will be buried in his past. If he isn't, he will be doing radio sports in Billings, MT, and you won't have to worry about a thing.

sagegrouse

[Jim3k]

Lets see:

A. The great unwashed masses who watch Sports Center have a visceral disregard for Duke.

B. The casual fan-on-the-street across the country thinks Duke is a good school and likes the team.

Lessee, if you have below-average intelligence and a gig on Sports Center, what is the easiest way to score points with the knuckle-dragging Neanderthals watching the show?

Don't give it a thought. If he is a serious talent, he will develop professional standards, and these ugly episodes will be buried in his past. If he isn't, he will be doing radio sports in Billings, MT, and you won't have to worry about a thing.

sagegrouse

Uh...Make that Twin Falls, ID. See Felix thread.

[dball]

Kept noticing talk of third brother coming along..."Madison"...during a couple of games. After glancing at Blue Ribbon, I see the error probably comes from there so I'm giving announcers a break. Someone should advise it is Marshall, though.

[oldnavy]

The announcers are bad enough, but what I keep complaining about is the production of the game. Specifically, how ESPN believes it must market the game to make it more interesting. Who came up with the idea that showing a player's father or mother would be interesting to anyone, other than that player or his father and mother? Or, that you must cut to the coach and show him whenever the announcer mentions his name. Or you have to show a player while he runs back down court after he makes a shot. Or the new and worst trick, to shrink down the picture size of the game in progress to show the coach (in a picture in picture) while he watches the game! I'm sorry, but that is just not very interesting, and it doesn't matter if it is K or Roy that they are showing... I am simply not interested in watching a coach watch a game! I wish that the networks and cable channels would just show the blasted game and save the tricks and production gimmicks for timeouts or halftimes.

[Highlander]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Coachman

His main professional experience appears to be with Vince McMahon's WWE, according to Coachman's wiki bio. Unfortunately, ESPN often seems to be going in the direction of WWE, more hype and shtick all the time.

And his most successful role was that of a heel, where he took potshots at the favorites and hid behind the bigger bad guys. Looks like more of the same.

[CLT Devil]

Okay, so here's a new ESPN complaint; They had an incredible video montage this past weekend of highlights of the best and worst of sports from the last decade. It was well done, played to some Coldplay song, and featured some very memorable moments. They even had a shot of Battier hugging K after the 2001 Final.

I know it might sound ridiculous for a Dukie to critique ESPN on their coverage, but there was one glaring omission from the segment, which ran for about 3 minutes and had just about every name in sports in it...where was the picture of K with the Gold Medals around his neck? Not even necessarily that, but at least a mention of USA bringing back the Gold Medal in basketball. Did anyone else see the video, and am I just spoiled rotten to even think that it should have been in there?

I searched on ESPN for the video but could not find it...would love to provide a link.

[roywhite]

Okay, so here's a new ESPN complaint; They had an incredible video montage this past weekend of highlights of the best and worst of sports from the last decade. It was well done, played to some Coldplay song, and featured some very memorable moments. They even had a shot of Battier hugging K after the 2001 Final.

I know it might sound ridiculous for a Dukie to critique ESPN on their coverage, but there was one glaring omission from the segment, which ran for about 3 minutes and had just about every name in sports in it...where was the picture of K with the Gold Medals around his neck? Not even necessarily that, but at least a mention of USA bringing back the Gold Medal in basketball. Did anyone else see the video, and am I just spoiled rotten to even think that it should have been in there?

I searched on ESPN for the video but could not find it...would love to provide a link.

Noticed the same thing, but I believe there was a shortage of Olympic highlights overall. Maybe an issue with NBC having the rights and don't want to turn over highlights to ABC/ESPN?

Any of our sports media types know if this is the case?

[BlueDevilBaby]

Were there other Olympic highlights? If the montage did not include Phelps, which it most certainly should have, then roywhite is probably correct.

[CLT Devil]

I remember a Phelps sequence as well as Usain Bolt crossing the finish line...I had thought the same thing, but there were other Oly vids.

Great video overall, and there must be some reason USA BBall returning to elite didn't make the cut.

Anyone have a link?

[mapei]

Heck, they probably didn't show Fabian Cancellara dominating the Olympic cycling time trial, either. ;(

[uh_no]

Heck, they probably didn't show Fabian Cancellara dominating the Olympic cycling time trial, either. ;(

it was tough enough to watch live as it was....

[Duke12]

Did anyone happen to hear Pam Ward's comment (she was one of the anchors for the Marshall/Ohio football game on last week) about a football player taking a dive? She analogized the dive to a Duke basketball player playing defense. After researching her background (Maryland alum), I quickly fired off an email to the ESPN complaint line.

[mapei]

it was tough enough to watch live as it was....

Heck, no - he's my favorite rider, very exciting - he has the heart of Jens Voigt (which is saying a lot) but tons more talent. Anyway, I was half kidding, just obliquely making the point that a lot gets left out of retrospectives like that.

I usually like Pam Ward, doubt that she has a strong bias against Duke but that comment does raise the question.

[hughgs]

Heck, no - he's my favorite rider, very exciting - he has the heart of Jens Voigt (which is saying a lot) but tons more talent. Anyway, I was half kidding, just obliquely making the point that a lot gets left out of retrospectives like that.

I usually like Pam Ward, doubt that she has a strong bias against Duke but that comment does raise the question.

I love cycling. But, man is it painful to watch an ITT.

[mapei]

I know what you mean - but I guess for me it's the drama of it, even though it's one rider at a time. Of course it helps if there's a contending rider that I'm rooting for, like FC lately.

[kmspeaks]

Did anyone happen to hear Pam Ward's comment (she was one of the anchors for the Marshall/Ohio football game on last week) about a football player taking a dive? She analogized the dive to a Duke basketball player playing defense. After researching her background (Maryland alum), I quickly fired off an email to the ESPN complaint line.

Not sure where to post this but I figured this is as good a place as any. On tonight's (12/29) Sportscenter for some reason Scott Van Pelt was talking about two guys who were in the studio from Maryland. He said, "He and his brother are from Maryland, although they didn't go to Maryland because they're really smart." :D:p

Not sure if he meant it the way it sounded or even why he was talking about them because they were getting ready to show a Syracuse highlight but I got a laugh out of it.

[roywhite]

A sure sign of ESPN's decline...

http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=4777064

Bomani Jones is doing a Page 2 column for them these days.

[Baxter the Lab]

Did anyone happen to hear Pam Ward's comment (she was one of the anchors for the Marshall/Ohio football game on last week) about a football player taking a dive? She analogized the dive to a Duke basketball player playing defense. After researching her background (Maryland alum), I quickly fired off an email to the ESPN complaint line.

Apparently, during the same game, she demonstrated her intolerance for injured players.

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/12/28/pam-ward-has-very-little-patience-for-injuries/

To her credit, she did show some restraint by not lobbing batteries at him.

[Baxter the Lab]

Not sure where to post this but I figured this is as good a place as any. On tonight's (12/29) Sportscenter for some reason Scott Van Pelt was talking about two guys who were in the studio from Maryland. He said, "He and his brother are from Maryland, although they didn't go to Maryland because they're really smart." :D:p

Not sure if he meant it the way it sounded or even why he was talking about them because they were getting ready to show a Syracuse highlight but I got a laugh out of it.

Probably just some self-deprecating humor. He's a Maryland grad.

[rthomas]

This is what I hate more than any other thing about ESPN.

[Jumbo]

They're starting it on ESPNU. All is well! ;)

[bluebuck]

I agree, it would be great if I got ESPNU - come on 1:20 to go. Makes it a little better (but not much) that Im getting to see E Will play.

[uh_no]

and its on espn360.....

what do you want espn to do? cut from a game which is being played?

[kmspeaks]

and its on espn360.....

what do you want espn to do? cut from a game which is being played?

Maybe they should realize that a college basketball game usually takes longer than the 2 hours they continue to allot, causing viewers to miss the first 5-8 minutes of the second game.

[Son of Mojo]

........I hate hearing "Jay" Williams call Roy-bag the coach of the decade. There went my appetite.

[RoyalBlue08]

Len Elmore is going off on the fans for making fun of the opponent? Really? And all they did was chant air ball when one happened....something that is now automatic in every college arena in the country. I can't stand listening to this guy.

[DBFAN]

Yeah Len went over the line with that. He should know better than to bash a bunch of people who were just excited to be there... but what do you expect with ESPN anymore. :rolleyes:

[roywhite]

Len Elmore is going off on the fans for making fun of the opponent? Really? And all they did was chant air ball when one happened....something that is now automatic in every college arena in the country. I can't stand listening to this guy.

Len tries to behave himself and compliment Duke, but inevitably he goes for a put down of sorts or a dig. This was one of his weaker barbs.

[moonpie23]

len is a hater...i am sure he has to yack after having to be nice during a duke game, esPECIALY if duke wins..


i thought i was gonna yack hearing jason say hanstravel was the player of the decade...

if hans goes out in his third year, he goes out destroyed......if jayson stays for his 4th year, duke mighta had another ring

[Exiled_Devil]

len is a hater...i am sure he has to yack after having to be nice during a duke game, esPECIALY if duke wins..


i thought i was gonna yack hearing jason say hanstravel was the player of the decade...

if hans goes out in his third year, he goes out destroyed......if jayson stays for his 4th year, duke mighta had another ring

What about Gotlieb saying J-Will was the player of the decade? Jay couldn't look at the camera as Gotleib went on.

I hate to say, but I can see Hans as player of the decade.

[striker219]

Len Elmore has always reminded me of a bitter ex-spouse at their ex's wedding reception.

They show up at the wedding/reception to show the world how "over it" they are of their previous marriage, and to "happily" support their ex in their new life. They're there to show their kids that they've matured and moved on with their life, but secretly everyone is waiting for the disaster to strike. And then it happens.

They get drunk at the reception and start making comments. It might start small, maybe with a subtle comment about him being a quicker shot than Billy the Kid, or her enjoying shoe shopping more than intimacy, but by the end they're toasting to a long and happy three and a half years before she's banging the pool boy.

That's how I see Len. Hopelessly bitter and totally incapable of saying anything positive. In the event that he did make a positive comment about Duke, it would almost certainly be an accident and would be hidden inside an insult.

I also hear that he's a quicker shot than Billy the Kid...

[moonpie23]

there are certain peeps i would LOVE to get drunk with and record what they say..

len is on the list...

[DukeVol]

if hans goes out in his third year, he goes out destroyed......if jayson stays for his 4th year, duke mighta had another ring

Didn't "Jayson" Williams kill his limo driver? Jeez, I didn't know he played at Duke...;)

[moonpie23]

my bad.....SEE???? that's why he had to go with JAY williams...

[Indoor66]

my bad.....SEE???? that's why he had to go with JAY williams...

Maybe he should have gone with Ja Williams instead

[airowe]

:D

http://www.dukies.com/viewarticle.asp?ID=1207

[roywhite]

Our game is scheduled on ESPN at 2:00 PM Eastern tomorrow, Saturday 1/9; just checked the schedule and the 12:00 noon game is Georgetown vs UConn. Ugh...potential whistle ball and slow-paced game that runs over the 2 hours allotted. :(

[diveonthefloor]

Today, Digger said that Singler was the leader of the Duke team and the reason it was playing well.
Has he watched any of our games?
I love Kyle, but Digger comment (to me at least) shows what a complete buffoon he really is.

[Bluedog]

College GameDay previews:

5 Duke at 7 Georgia Tech
13 UConn at 2 Georgetown

Is it impossible to type a "1" for the second team listed or something? Also, apparently Digger has only picked against ND once. Picked them over WVU today. I wonder why nobody ever talks about him being very biased for ND...I guess ND isn't relevant enough. In any event, Digger and Davis both chose Duke to win.

[YourLandlord]

College GameDay previews:

5 Duke at 7 Georgia Tech
13 UConn at 2 Georgetown

Is it impossible to type a "1" for the second team listed or something? Also, apparently Digger has only picked against ND once. Picked them over WVU today. I wonder why nobody ever talks about him being very biased for ND...I guess ND isn't relevant enough. In any event, Digger and Davis both chose Duke to win.

Can't wait to watch the 2nd half of today's game!

[RoyalBlue08]

Looks like the UConn/GT game is on a good pace. If we can just avoid OT this time perhaps we can see a whole Duke game for once?

[kmspeaks]

Looks like the UConn/GT game is on a good pace. If we can just avoid OT this time perhaps we can see a whole Duke game for once?

Game over with about 4 minutes to spare. A conn(vict) loss and we get to see the whole game. Today is shaping up to be a pretty good day.

[ReformedAggie]

The game is in progress and the announcers are talking about who they've had dinner with, someone's grandchild, something that happened before I was born, or they put up a stat board that covers the screen. CALL THE DARN GAME. Colour commentary has its place to be sure, but when you miss two or more possessions, a foul, an injury, or even (for me) a couple seconds of the action I want to give you more than a paper cut.

[esl]

One word: Mute!

[PallasAthena]

The game is in progress and the announcers are talking about who they've had dinner with, someone's grandchild, something that happened before I was born, or they put up a stat board that covers the screen. CALL THE DARN GAME. Colour commentary has its place to be sure, but when you miss two or more possessions, a foul, an injury, or even (for me) a couple seconds of the action I want to give you more than a paper cut.

Aren't there directors or producers running these broadcasts? It is terrible, and unprofessional. I've been surprised to find Brent Musberger on ESPN college basketball games, but not surprised to find that he almost always talks about the game we are watching. What a pleasure!

[dukebballcamper90-91]

Couldn't agree with you more on musberger. Love to hear him and the general

[sagegrouse]

One word: Mute!

As my late father (1920-2002) said, "Dick Vitale is the reason the 'mute' button was invented."

sagegrouse

[roywhite]

The game is in progress and the announcers are talking about who they've had dinner with, someone's grandchild, something that happened before I was born, or they put up a stat board that covers the screen. CALL THE DARN GAME. Colour commentary has its place to be sure, but when you miss two or more possessions, a foul, an injury, or even (for me) a couple seconds of the action I want to give you more than a paper cut.

Well, count me in. The ESPN telecasts seem to be getting worse:

1. Dicky V is a motormouth, we know that. But Dan Shulman is nearly as bad and acts as an "enabler" for Dicky V's verbose tangents. (Other announcers like Brad Nessler are better at keeping Vitale's commentary more toward the game and teams playing).
2. There are more cutaways from the game to the studio, etc.
3. Even during the game, there are graphics popping up on screen, or the screen shrinks to accomodate some chart.
4. The commercial breaks are sometimes running past the resumption of play.
5. ESPN is constantly promoting another game or itself.

Yuck.

[WiJoe]

That is why I will always prefer FOX telecasts. Too bad the only time Duke is on FOX is on Sunday nights.

ESPN is bad now, but wait until they get the ncaa tournament.

[miramar]

As my late father (1920-2002) said, "Dick Vitale is the reason the 'mute' button was invented."

sagegrouse

Smart guy your father.

[superdave]

That is why I will always prefer FOX telecasts. Too bad the only time Duke is on FOX is on Sunday nights.

ESPN is bad now, but wait until they get the ncaa tournament.

Hmmm, I dont know. Fox tends to show Coach K on the sidelines or some random graphic as often as it shows actual players actually shooting free throws, inbounding the ball or executing a fast break.

Fox is a day late and dollar short to live action. ESPN was actually kinda bad too. Give me the wide angle all game long, thanks!

[jacone21]

Don't forget about the constantly scrolling bottom line, reminding you that "Brett Favre thought about retirement while taking a poo this morning, according to sources." every 3 minutes.

[allenmurray]

Couldn't agree with you more on musberger. Love to hear him and the general

When Vitale does a game I feel like I am at the state fair and the carnival barker is tryng to get me to pay 25 cents to come see the worlds largest alligator. Someone should wedge a tennis ball in his mouth. Actually, that would be way too small for his big mouth - perhaps a football.

When Rafferty does a game I feel like he is waiting for just the right moment ot break out his (incredibly old, tired, predictible, and completely unspontaneous) kiisssssss of the glass routine. He should be forced to gargle before each game. With Drano.

When Mussberger and Kinght do a game I feel like I am being treated like an adult.

[Exiled_Devil]

This may be contentious given people/s enerla dislike for him...


Bobby Knight is the best announcer in college basketball moray.

[BlueDevilCorvette!]

I can listen to a bunch of stuff but what aggravates me is constantly hearing about the baby blue team 8 miles down the road and how they have hit a bump in the road but will rise like the firebird from the ashes and reign supreme over the ACC or their recruits for the next 4 years, etc. How about talking about Duke recruits (all of them) and when you do, please pronounce their name correctly (i.e. Kyrie Irving). Dickie V all but implied that UNC may win out the remainder of their games and make the NCAA tournament possibly on name alone...Geez...I want to hear about Duke or the opponent they are playing not the game plan of a coach who has more desire in his little pinky than any fan of any team in the nation.

[JStuart]

When Mussberger and Kinght do a game I feel like I am being treated like an adult.

Post-of-the-Year so far!, IMHO, of course

[tbyers11]

Don't forget about the constantly scrolling bottom line, reminding you that "Brett Favre thought about retirement while taking a poo this morning, according to sources." every 3 minutes.

My favorite bit of info on the scroll last night was that "Tim Tebow had strep throat and a 103 degree fever". Why do we care?

[moonpie23]

i've mentioned this before, but, i like muting the tv and turning on the radio to listen the play by play with bob harris...

it's a little surreal cause the radio is about 7 seconds ahead of the tv, but after you get used to it, you really get a better sense of "watching" the play develop when you've already "heard" the result..

last night, SUPER-WEIRD ---"and there's blood streaming from plumlee's head as he heads to the bench" before the play happened....

I love me some dick vitale.....i just don't care to listen to him...

give me Hubbie or coach knight - in that order....

[allenmurray]

i've mentioned this before, but, i like muting the tv and turning on the radio to listen the play by play with bob harris...

it's a little surreal cause the radio is about 7 seconds ahead of the tv, but after you get used to it, you really get a better sense of "watching" the play develop when you've already "heard" the result..


I've tried that a few times - it remains disconcerting to me.


I love me some dick vitale.....i just don't care to listen to him...

Agreed. I like his enthusiasm for the game, for kids, and for life. I think he is genuinely passionate about what he does. He just doesn't do it very well anymore.

[barjwr]

ESPN is bad now, but wait until they get the ncaa tournament.

Blasphemy! Bite your tongue! Go outside, turn around three times and spit (or curse, or both).

[mph]

Has anyone else forced to watch games on Raycom noticed that Tim Brando uses the phrase "blow by" at least a dozen times a game? Every single drive to the basket is a "blow by." As in, "Nolan Smith on the blow by." Many times the offense player doesn't even get by the man guarding him. Doesn't matter. It's still a "blow by."

[WiJoe]

Blasphemy! Bite your tongue! Go outside, turn around three times and spit (or curse, or both).


I do each of the above three times a day, but I just feel the ncaa is going to pull out of its contract with CBS & turn it over to dick v & pals

[oldnavy]

I noticed watching the Wake/GT game last night on FS Carolinas, that they actually kept the camera on the action for the most part. It was noticably better than either Raycom or ESPN.

[Jderf]

This is a little random and I don't know if it was mentioned before, but does anybody else finds Joe Lunardi's "bracketology" completely uninspired? I just remember seeing that when Virginia was 3-0, he had them predicted as winning the ACC. Now Maryland is on top and, lo and behold, Maryland is suddenly his predicted winner. Now, while unlikely, I don't discount either of those as a possibility, but it seems to me you'd have to justify taking that stand. Lunardi, though, views his job as more of a "copy and paste" activity. He just takes the AP poll and the conference standings, and lists it. There isn't even a paragraph or anything explaining it. I suppose things maybe get a little tricker towards the bottom, but I don't know. I'd just like to see more depth.

[Eternal Outlaw]

This is a little random and I don't know if it was mentioned before, but does anybody else finds Joe Lunardi's "bracketology" completely uninspired? I just remember seeing that when Virginia was 3-0, he had them predicted as winning the ACC. Now Maryland is on top and, lo and behold, Maryland is suddenly his predicted winner. Now, while unlikely, I don't discount either of those as a possibility, but it seems to me you'd have to justify taking that stand. Lunardi, though, views his job as more of a "copy and paste" activity. He just takes the AP poll and the conference standings, and lists it. There isn't even a paragraph or anything explaining it. I suppose things maybe get a little tricker towards the bottom, but I don't know. I'd just like to see more depth.

I'm not 100% sure but I think he doesn't do it as a future predictor of how it would look on selection Sunday. I believe he takes current records and resumes and shows what he thinks each school would be seeded if selection Sunday was the day he updated his bracket. He's not predicting Maryland to win the ACC, he's simply giving them the ACC spot since they are currently leading it. I really don't think he is predicting Maryland to win the ACC here on out and still be a 13 seed. What I read into is that Maryland is only getting in today if they have an automatic bid since 13 is extremely low for any at large team.

[House G]

In an effort to lighten things up, I thought it might be fun to start a thread on basketball announcers and (1) expressions they are known for; or (2) funny things they have said on the air. Some that come to mind:

Dick Vitale: PTPer; Are you serious?; diaper dandy; it's awesome baby
Al McGuire: Aircraft carrier
Tim Brando: The iron unkind
Mike Patrick: Holy Cow; Are you kidding me?
Bill Raftery: Onions; kiss off the glass; big fella
Brent Musberger: three-ball
? : string music; He stops, he pops, he drops.

Quotes reportedly said by Raftery:

When the second Muskateer fouled out at the end of a game...he cleverly said "one more and they can write a book".

Several years ago, after a nice rebound, he yelled "WHAT A SNATCH!"

During the UCONN-ND Big East tourney game in 2005, one of the announcers said "Even though he missed the layup, you gotta love the Gay penetration"

[onepresent]

Len Elmore: "As I said earlier..."

[natedog4ever]

One of the most annoying is Brando's use of the term "cryer", as in "player x takes a cryer from 15 feet." I believe that he has it confused with the term "tear-drop", used for some shots that have a slightly higher arc or when a guard floats through the lane and lofts one up.

In any event, he uses it in every game and it is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

[sagegrouse]

The all-time winner has already been crowned.

I am watching CBS Game of the Week back in the 1960s with Dizzy Dean and Peewee Reese. It is at Wrigley Field. The camera keeps returning to an amorous couple in the bleachers.

Suddenly Dizzy blurts out, "I figured it out -- he kisses her on the strikes, and she kisses him on the balls." Dead silence for at least a minute, except for some chairs being shuffled in the booth.

The network censors gave Dizzy a pass on that one -- untreatable dumbness.

sagegrouse

[Verga3]

The all-time winner has already been crowned.

I am watching CBS Game of the Week back in the 1960s with Dizzy Dean and Peewee Reese. It is at Wrigley Field. The camera keeps returning to an amorous couple in the bleachers.

Suddenly Dizzy blurts out, "I figured it out -- he kisses her on the strikes, and she kisses him on the balls." Dead silence for at least a minute, except for some chairs being shuffled in the booth.

The network censors gave Dizzy a pass on that one -- untreatable dumbness.

sagegrouse

"He shouldn't hadn't oughta swang."

[Newton_14]

Raftery- And Duke opens up in.........man2man! (said real real fast)

And "Big Fella" is actually one of the favorite terms of Clark Kellog

And G-Man started a new one for him tonight- AHAHAHAHAHA- (Busts out laughing when the UVA guard drains the impossible 3 from the corner with a hole all over him with .1 left on the shot clock)

[barjwr]

Another Rafterism:

He was calling an NCAA game in the '90s--maybe KU-IU in the regional final--when Greg Ostertag was a freshman. He made a few nice plays in a row, and James Brown asked him how much size he thought Ostertag might have on Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, playing for OK State at the time:

"Probably a couple of acres."

And, you can't leave out "Send it in! (+/- Jerome)"

[Matches]

Raftery- And Duke opens up in.........man2man! (said real real fast)



And always said, regardless of whether the team in question is *actually* playing man-to-man.... :eek:

[Lord Ash]

I really, really, REALLY miss Brad D.s "Out-sthanding!" I loved that guy.

[EltonBrandMan]

Great call - Hands down the best - We need him back

[weezie]

And G-Man started a new one for him tonight- AHAHAHAHAHA- (Busts out laughing when the UVA guard drains the impossible 3 from the corner with a hole all over him with .1 left on the shot clock)

And I heard a little Duke shade of blue in that full-throated laugh, didn't you? ;)

[barjwr]

And always said, regardless of whether the team in question is *actually* playing man-to-man.... :eek:

Yes, it's usually something like:

"Syracuse opens in zone with 'man2man' principles!. . . ."

[Newton_14]

And I heard a little Duke shade of blue in that full-throated laugh, didn't you? ;)

I thought the same thing. I really think that was a slip on his part...

[rsvman]

Disagree with a bunch of you about Musberger. To me he is the single most unlistenable play-by-play guy of the entire bunch. I can't STAND him!

He sounds angry a lot. He'll start low and then begin to escalate the volume and anger until he's practically yelling about something that's not a big deal at all, like a guy driving the lane and being fouled when the game is not particularly close and it's the middle of the first half. Later, paradoxically, he'll just practically mumble under his breath when somebody makes a really important or impressive shot, "it's good" with his voice trailing off. He was combined with Steve Lavin for a recent game and it was unlistenable. Lavin is an insufferable idiot.

Anyway, back to Musberger: Hate him, hate him, hate him. He's even worse in football. If I have to hear Musberger say "Nothing doing" one more time I'm going to kill myself. [/rant]

[-jk]

Sigh. I still miss Lefty's color commentary. And it was quite colorful commentary, too.

-jk

[calltheobvious]

I really, really, REALLY miss Brad D.s "Out-sthanding!" I loved that guy.

THAT young man...!

[SmartDevil]

Did anyone happen to hear Pam Ward's comment (she was one of the anchors for the Marshall/Ohio football game on last week) about a football player taking a dive? She analogized the dive to a Duke basketball player playing defense. After researching her background (Maryland alum), I quickly fired off an email to the ESPN complaint line.

Pam Ward used to be a score-reader and then a host on a sport radio staion here in DC and after she left to go to ESPN often was a guest on that radio station's programming. She never missed an opportunity to knock Duke.

[Newton_14]

I agree with others about Brad Daughtery. I loved the guy. He was really good and easy to listen to. Really glad that he did the Gone In 55 seconds game in Maryland. It is too bad for us that his passion for Nascar took him away from basketball..

Also agree with the poster that does not like Brent M. He is way past his time and the game has truly passed him by. I actually think he messes up the current best announcer in The General. Knight is really good, except in games where he is paired with Musberger.

I thought he got Knight off kilter in the Wisc game and had him talking about everything but the game that was going on. Case in point: In that game, Mason had been in the game for 2 minutes or so already, when during free throws Musberger commented that Mason was at the scorer's table getting ready to check in for the first time all year. It was actually Miles at the scorer's table and Mason was actually on the blocks for the free throws. Mason had already taken a shot and I believe gotten a rebound at that point.

That was a terrible mistake and was due to running his mouth the past few minutes prior to that and paying no attention at all to the game at hand...

[Son of Mojo]

The all-time Musburger line that drives me insane when he calls one of our home games. "The Cameron." And he repeats it like it's something that he's trying to get others to say but, thankfully, gets ignored.

[allenmurray]

Musberger has been doing what he does, and doing it well, since most posters here were in diapers. He is well ahead of most of the flavor-of-the-month announcers out there.

He has his occasional lapses, but he calls the game in front of him instead of the other 17 in his short term memory, and he doesn't try to control both of the microphones on the table in front of him. He knows his job is play-by-play and not color commentary and doesn't try to do both.

And tonight Knight even convinced him to wear a sweater instead of a jacket.

[barjwr]

The all-time Musburger line that drives me insane when he calls one of our home games. "The Cameron." And he repeats it like it's something that he's trying to get others to say but, thankfully, gets ignored.

Amen.

In a related vein, Bob Picozzi occasionally does early season games (I guess to limit the boredom of doing SportsCenter on ESPN Radio every 20 minutes), and I've heard him repeatedly refer to our stadium as "Cameron Indoor Arena." Minor, to be sure, but definitely a pet peeve.

[Matches]

Loved Brad D. - also I like Musberger, so long as he's not partnered with Vitale (which is unfortunately too often the case).

I like Knight but sometimes I feel like he's *too* insightful. Listening to him call a game is like attending a clinic sometimes. It feels like too much information at times.

[calltheobvious]

Loved Brad D. - also I like Musberger, so long as he's not partnered with Vitale (which is unfortunately too often the case).

I like Knight but sometimes I feel like he's *too* insightful. Listening to him call a game is like attending a clinic sometimes. It feels like too much information at times.

Wow. I think this may be another data point signifying how far the pendulum hath swung. I, too, feel like I'm at a clinic when I listen to Knight, but never in a bad way. He does a wonderful job of explaining things in a way that never leaves me wondering what he was thinking.

[allenmurray]

I like Knight but sometimes I feel like he's *too* insightful. Listening to him call a game is like attending a clinic sometimes. It feels like too much information at times.

Sometimes it approaches information overload - but I never feel condescended to - I appreciate that.

[allenmurray]

Amen.

In a related vein, Bob Picozzi occasionally does early season games (I guess to limit the boredom of doing SportsCenter on ESPN Radio every 20 minutes), and I've heard him repeatedly refer to our stadium as "Cameron Indoor Arena." Minor, to be sure, but definitely a pet peeve.

These guys call games from a lot of stadiums - I doubt that CIS is the only one that they get wrong (I can still remember in the pre-comcast days hearing the Uinversity of Maryland's gym referred to as Cold Field House). Given how many games they do, how much they travel, and the various names of stadiums they work from I'm more than willing to give announcers a break for saying Cameron Arena, or The Cameron, or other such misnomers if they otherwise do a good job calling the game. We all have a special relationshp with CIS and therefor get the name right. Not everybody has the same level of familiarity we do.

[sagegrouse]

I like Knight but sometimes I feel like he's *too* insightful. Listening to him call a game is like attending a clinic sometimes. It feels like too much information at times.

I think your powers of concentration are over-developed. You need to perfect the ability to "tune out." If Knight goes on too long, my attention wanders.

OTOH I have trouble tuning out Vitale because he screams.

sagegrouse
'What is surprising about RMK is that he really does have some degree of self-awareness. Did anyone else catch his tongue-in-cheek comment -- was it Duke-GT? -- that "of course, even sitting up here I can see the play better than the refs down on the court."'

[Newton_14]

Musberger has been doing what he does, and doing it well, since most posters here were in diapers. He is well ahead of most of the flavor-of-the-month announcers out there.

He has his occasional lapses, but he calls the game in front of him instead of the other 17 in his short term memory, and he doesn't try to control both of the microphones on the table in front of him. He knows his job is play-by-play and not color commentary and doesn't try to do both.

And tonight Knight even convinced him to wear a sweater instead of a jacket.

Now this is rare. I am normally in agreement with you in most cases. I agree Musberger was good back in the day. Especially in Football. I just don't care for him anymore when doing NCAA BB. Thought he was really bad in that Wisc game.

[allenmurray]

Now this is rare. I am normally in agreement with you in most cases. I agree Musberger was good back in the day. Especially in Football. I just don't care for him anymore when doing NCAA BB. Thought he was really bad in that Wisc game.

The more I think about it I have to admit he is not great. He is a Honda Accord. However, there are no BMWs, Mercedes, or even Volvos left out there. He is a Honda Accord surrounded by a bunch of Chevy Chevettes and Yugos. Thus, in comparison, he looks outstanding.

[Newton_14]

The more I think about it I have to admit he is not great. He is a Honda Accord. However, there are no BMWs, Mercedes, or even Volvos left out there. He is a Honda Accord surrounded by a bunch of Chevy Chevettes and Yugos. Thus, in comparison, he looks outstanding.

Fair points. It is hard these days to find good announcers to listen too. Most people do not remember the good Billy Packer, but I grew up watching ACC Hoops on Jefferson-Pilot listening to a 3 man crew of Jim Thacker, Billy Packer, and Bones McKinney. Those were the days when you did not have or need a mute button..

[gumbomoop]

I try never to pass up an opportunity to put in a good word for Dan Bonner, or Goofy Dan Bonner, if you prefer. I think his wide smile puts some folks off, but to me, he sticks to the game, with relevant and accurate analysis.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

When did college basketball announcers on television stop talking about the game they are watching? Perhaps it was always this way in televised sports and I just didn't notice it because as a boy I listened mainly to baseball on the radio. If those guys didn't tell me what was happening there was no way of my knowing what was transpiring because I wasn't watching it on TV. I feel like throwing a shoe at the screen when a foul is called and the announcers fail to tell me who fouled, what type of foul it was, and perhaps most importantly how many fouls is on that player. Instead they are often talking about some story that isn't even related to the game. Also, the announcers just talk and talk and talk. Is there anything wrong with a few seconds of dead air where all we hear is the crowd, coaches, players, and the squeaking of shoes?

GO DUKE!

[Newton_14]

Hi,

When did college basketball announcers on television stop talking about the game they are watching? Perhaps it was always this way in televised sports and I just didn't notice it because as a boy I listened mainly to baseball on the radio. If those guys didn't tell me what was happening there was no way of my knowing what was transpiring because I wasn't watching it on TV. I feel like throwing a shoe at the screen when a foul is called and the announcers fail to tell me who fouled, what type of foul it was, and perhaps most importantly how many fouls is on that player. Instead they are often talking about some story that isn't even related to the game. Also, the announcers just talk and talk and talk. Is there anything wrong with a few seconds of dead air where all we hear is the crowd, coaches, players, and the squeaking of shoes?

GO DUKE!

That happened on a play in our game yesterday in the first half. We were attempting to inbound the ball in the halfcourt on our end and the announcers were engaged in storytelling. The whistle blows and the ball goes over to Maryland. I had no idea why at the moment. I thought they had called a pushing or illegal screen foul on one of our guys or something. It was not until reading the post game thread that I learned the refs had called a 5 Second Count on Jon. Things like that drive me nuts too. Story time should be limited to breaks in the action or cut out entirely, the latter being preferred..

[allenmurray]

I'm not sure who invented it, but Vitale perfected it.

[Kewlswim]

I'm not sure who invented it, but Vitale perfected it.

Hi,

All his talk of "Diaper Dandies" and what not has left him little time to actually discuss the game. I feel he really does know a lot of basketball, wouldn't it be great if he shared it with us? Maybe ESPN is to blame, somehow these announcers feel like they have to entertain.

GO DUKE!

[Jarhead]

I'm not sure who invented it, but Vitale perfected it.

Yeah, Vitale is the main culprit, but so many of them do it now that we should be encouraging a congressional investigation. I used to have the radio tuned to Bob Harris for the Duke games, but now that radio and TV have a timing difference it gets a little annoying, too. We have a small TV in the kitchen on which we were able to pick up games perfectly synchronized with the radio, but that is no longer the case. It now lags about 3 to 5 seconds behind HD and radio. Hmmm, maybe HD has a lesser timing difference now. I'll give it try in a day or so. Or maybe it's cable that is causing it.

We have threads on this very subject, announcers' failure to stay in the game, year in and year out, but CBS, Fox Sports and ESPN seem to encourage it. What can we do? Maybe they'll notice that Bob Knight stays focused, and keeps his broadcast partner in the game. Wishful thinking? I suppose.

[roywhite]

Hi,

I feel like throwing a shoe at the screen when a foul is called and the announcers fail to tell me who fouled, what type of foul it was, and perhaps most importantly how many fouls is on that player.
GO DUKE!

...and how many team fouls!

[biscuit30]

I like the thought of dead air coming from the announcers. Sometimes with the crowd noise I can't tell what they are talking about anyways.

[BleedsP287]

I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing this. And yes, I can recall back in the day (for me late 70s early 80s) that we routinely were informed what was happening court side. No more. Even the graphics suck now relative to what they used to be, they used to show great summaries of player stats when someone was shooting a free throw for example, these days the free-throw graphics show how many points the player has in this game. I'd rather see his free throw percentage and made/missed this game and season. And they rarely give the foul situation overview when a foul is committed anymore, I want to know how many on that player and how many team fouls, I worry about that crap- we all do.

Honestly, for big games now I often flip the audio to the radio feed. While the delay variation between TV and radio can be annoying, you get WAY superior information about the situation on the court.

And if you set the laptop up to get the live stats online (with the 60 sec delay and routine errors) you can have it all.

One refreshing exception to the general trend is the commentary from coach Knight. He is really good at teaching game concepts, so while we're still not getting great updates on details, at least I often learn something.

Actually, in the process of fixing all this, it would be great if they could insert some of the stats into the excessive space they use for the score display, with a little creativity they could at least get team fouls and time outs in there.

[JetpackJesus]

We have threads on this very subject, announcers' failure to stay in the game, year in and year out, but CBS, Fox Sports and ESPN seem to encourage it. What can we do? Maybe they'll notice that Bob Knight stays focused, and keeps his broadcast partner in the game. Wishful thinking? I suppose.

I was going to say we need more Bob Knight. I think he's been a fantastic analyst in the games I've seen him do. I can't recall the last time I watched a game and actively noticed the analyst actually analyzing virtually every possession (let alone doing it well) before Knight. Maybe it was that game last year where Van Gundy and Vitale switched. I wanted Vitale to stay with the NBA after that evening. Van Gundy, I thought, did a great job.

What I love about Knight, too, is that he won't let story time get him off his point. His partner will go off on some tangent and Bob will go right back to the point he was trying to make before being interrupted. He also has the stones to actually call out bad officiating/calls (both ways).

[dball]

Yeah, Vitale is the main culprit, but so many of them do it now that we should be encouraging a congressional investigation. I used to have the radio tuned to Bob Harris for the Duke games, but now that radio and TV have a timing difference it gets a little annoying, too. We have a small TV in the kitchen on which we were able to pick up games perfectly synchronized with the radio, but that is no longer the case. It now lags about 3 to 5 seconds behind HD and radio. Hmmm, maybe HD has a lesser timing difference now. I'll give it try in a day or so. Or maybe it's cable that is causing it.

We have threads on this very subject, announcers' failure to stay in the game, year in and year out, but CBS, Fox Sports and ESPN seem to encourage it. What can we do? Maybe they'll notice that Bob Knight stays focused, and keeps his broadcast partner in the game. Wishful thinking? I suppose.

If you have a DVR you can rewind a couple of seconds and sync up with the radio. Takes a bit of practice but works.

[moonpie23]

i generally listen to the radio and enjoy the odd delay thing......FYI, the lag seems to run about 6 or 7 seconds behind.......

[alteran]

i've mentioned this before, but, i like muting the tv and turning on the radio to listen the play by play with bob harris...

it's a little surreal cause the radio is about 7 seconds ahead of the tv, but after you get used to it, you really get a better sense of "watching" the play develop when you've already "heard" the result..



Intriguing idea. I've noticed a similar phenomenon at the games and it bugs me less than I would have thought.

I also have a radio shark (radio equivalent of TiVO) I used to use a lot before everything on radio I cared about went to podcasts. I wonder if I could sync it with the TV broadcast.

[alteran]

If you have a DVR you can rewind a couple of seconds and sync up with the radio. Takes a bit of practice but works.

That only works in places where the radio is BEHIND the TV broadcast. If the radio is ahead, like 620 always is, it's the radio that has to be brought back. Delay the TV all you want, you'll never sync it with a broadcast that's ahead of it.

EDIT: Just occurred to me, if you can get the game on internet radio, that might actually be behind the TV broadcast.

EDIT 2: Another thing occurred to me, maybe 620 could be persuaded to delay THEIR broadcast to match TV. There's enough annoyed-with-TV folks that might flip on the radio (and listen to 620's ads). Might not be zillions of folks, but it might add a point or two to their broadcast share.

[HateCarolina]

Does anyone on here know of any stations in the Atlanta area where we could listen to the radio broadcast? I am willing to try the delayed beginning of the game on TV using our DVR with the hopes that it will be in sync with the radio broadcast.

[oldnavy]

I would take any combination of announcers if it meant that the cameras would stay on the action. I absolutely HATE it when the camera shows a player that just made a basket, or the coach, or a former player in the stand, or anything other than the action on the court. There have been several times this year alone when the TV audience would miss a play because some moron thought it would be interesting to show the coach on the sideline as the ball was inbounded... If the ref ain't holding the ball, then the camera should be on the court and the player with the ball. PERIOD!

[SharkD]

EDIT 2: Another thing occurred to me, maybe 620 could be persuaded to delay THEIR broadcast to match TV. There's enough annoyed-with-TV folks that might flip on the radio (and listen to 620's ads). Might not be zillions of folks, but it might add a point or two to their broadcast share.

I would suspect that the timing differs greatly between OTA broadcast, analog cable, HD Cable, ESPN vs FSN vs CBS vs Raycom (ESPN HD was a few seconds ahead of Raycom HD during the UNC game), Dish Network, DirecTV, etc.

[cape cod]

I think it's his intonation and frequently misplaced emphasis. He tries to build drama into almost every utterance that leaves his lips. His use of "Cameron" and "three-ball" strikes me as a bad attempt to appear "cool". Give me Bobby Knight and Raftery.

[DukeAppWV]

this possibly has been answered previously - I always liked Mike Patrick even though at times he kinda goes overboard - he seems to be making a lot of mistakes this year - Has he had some medical problems?

One guy who I think is great who we don't see enough of - Bob Rathbun

[dukee94]

What I used to do was sync my dvr with the radio feed of Bob Harris off WSFL over the internet. Unfortunately the internet feed would have some uneven buffering and I could lose my sync (which I could usually get if I paused the opening tip and waited for the radio to announce the tip).

Now, most games are broadcast in relatively good 5.1 surround sound so I just unplug my front speakers and eliminate the commentators (unless Bob Knight is doing the game). As long as the sound mixing is good you get nothing but game noise in the surround speakers. Occasionally ESPN has poor mixing and you can get some Vitale mixed in as well, but it's been pretty good this year. I typically keep some on-line stats nearby in case I miss a call in the game.

[blueprofessor]

Originally Posted by InSpades :
I only caught part of this game but the part I did see the announcer was talking about Taylor King and said something to the effect of:

"At Duke Taylor King thought that he couldn't miss a shot or he'd be taken out. Now at Villanova he knows that even if he misses a few shots he can stay in the game if he contributes in other ways... steals, rebounds, etc."

It just seemed to portray Duke and Coach K in a negative light which is rather undeserved. Like Coach K doesn't value rebounding and defense or something?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x

...that Taylor's playing time at Duke was adversely affected by his being overweight, out-of-shape, lacking in defensive effectiveness,and being one-dimensional.
The comment was definitely a slap at Coach K and begged explanation by a knowledgeable commentator.
An opportunity for balanced reporting missed.
Best--Blueprofessor:)

The comment was made by Sean McDonough, with Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas in the booth.:(

[sagegrouse]

this possibly has been answered previously - I always liked Mike Patrick even though at times he kinda goes overboard - he seems to be making a lot of mistakes this year - Has he had some medical problems?

One guy who I think is great who we don't see enough of - Bob Rathbun

Mike Patrick had open heart surgery about five years ago. I thought his memory lapses and mistatements (typically grabbing the wrong name) got worse afterwards.

sagegrouse

[AdjustNation]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4953428&categoryid=2378529


Wow, so disrespectful

[pfrduke]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4953428&categoryid=2378529


Wow, so disrespectful

Wow, so oversensitive....

[arnie]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4953428&categoryid=2378529


Wow, so disrespectful

Yeah, he pretty well trashed us. But whats more amazing is that Digger brought up our chances to win it all.

[El_Diablo]

Hubert was laughing at Digger, not at Duke.

The reason Hubert was laughing was not that he thought Duke can't win it, but that Digger was making an obvious plug for us right before the GameDay crew rolls into Durham. He made some decent points though.

[El_Diablo]

Digger brought up our chances to win it all.

The kiss of death. Thanks Digger!

[miramar]

I wouldn't say that a recommendation from Digger is all that big of a deal, but we should put all this in perspective.

The quartet was talking about whether Duke can challenge for the national championship, which is certainly a bit of a stretch. But look at it this way: at least they weren't talking about whether we will make the NIT like some other people.

[Jumbo]

Wow, so oversensitive....

Seriously. I just watched the clip and while he said he didn't think Duke's bigs could match up with Syracuse, the laughing part had to do with their constant making fun of Digger, and was directly in response to Digger saying "Excuse me!" in that pointed way. And then he basically laughed at Digger again for setting things up for going to Duke next week for Game Day.

[WiJoe]

A pair of gas bags. Enough said.

Someone, please bring two helpings of tar and feathers for those yahoos.

[rthomas]

I actually like Hubert Davis as an analyst better than Jay Bilas.

[DukeGirl4ever]

Do you guys ever watch College GameDay? THAT'S ALL HUBERT DOES - LAUGH! Every now and then he'll throw in a comment but 90% of what he does on air is laugh at everyone else. Either the guy likes to have fun and laugh or he's clueless about what to say on air....

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Do you guys ever watch College GameDay? THAT'S ALL HUBERT DOES - LAUGH! Every now and then he'll throw in a comment but 90% of what he does on air is laugh at everyone else. Either the guy likes to have fun and laugh or he's clueless about what to say on air....


I don't catch Game Day live very often, so I don't know, but he was sounding like a 12 year old when he was laughing there at the end. Weird.

[MrBisonDevil]

The quartet was talking about whether Duke can challenge for the national championship, which is certainly a bit of a stretch.

Why is it a stretch? Duke has played one of the toughest schedules and has 4 losses. All but 1 loss came from Top 50 RPI teams. Duke has faced good teams and beat them. I think the only reason Duke doesn't get NCAA Championship respect is we do not have a nationally respected elite player like Jason Williams, John Wall or JJ Redick.

Duke has been in the Top-10 all year long. Duke has been hovering around the Top-5 for the past 2-3 weeks. This late in the season, our game has improved.

So, why not talk about a National Championship? I only put 3-5 teams ahead of Duke in that chase.

[BlueintheFace]

The only way to shut everybody up is to win in March. That's it. That's the whole thing.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I don't catch Game Day live very often, so I don't know, but he was sounding like a 12 year old when he was laughing there at the end. Weird.

I watch it every Saturday and that's pretty much the extent of it...Hubert laughs all the time.

I hope you watch it next Saturday (for obvious reasons). Hopefully you'll get to see that the "12 year old" is typical Hubert behavior.

[gumbomoop]

Do you guys ever watch College GameDay? THAT'S ALL HUBERT DOES - LAUGH! Every now and then he'll throw in a comment but 90% of what he does on air is laugh at everyone else. Either the guy likes to have fun and laugh or he's clueless about what to say on air....

Hubert isn't clueless, but DukeGirl is right that he laughs a whole, whole lot, too much; result is, I'm thinking he isn't taken as seriously as he would otherwise be, for he's maybe in Bilas's league re insight [I mean this as a compliment, not sarcasm].

Jumbo's post above [#194] gets the details right. But Hubert does need to learn to control what appears to be just his natural jovialness, for it comes across as silly at times. He makes it too easy to disregard his often good analysis.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I'm thinking he isn't taken as seriously as he would otherwise be, for he's maybe in Bilas's league re insight [I mean this as a compliment, not sarcasm].

...

He makes it too easy to disregard his often good analysis.

That's my issue with him...I can't get past the silliness to actually listen to him.

I guess I need to really sit down and listen to him announce a game to see if I can see him on the same level as Bilas (and I too respect Bilas and think he knows his stuff).

[ReformedAggie]

They all talk too much about stuff that's not on the court. I'm sure they are all nice guys but hey, I'd like to know who made that foul, how many he has, and NOT what they ate for dinner seven nights ago when they drove from BFE to Exurbia or who had what hairdo in the 1990's. Call the darn game.

[Indoor66]

That's my issue with him...I can't get past the silliness to actually listen to him.

I guess I need to really sit down and listen to him announce a game to see if I can see him on the same level as Bilas (and I too respect Bilas and think he knows his stuff).

I think Bilas goes too far the other way - he is way too serious. It is a game, not life and death.

[Devilsfan]

Bilas is fine but Hubert sucks plain and simple. And it is life (win) or death (or the unemployment line) for the highly paid coaches.

[Indoor66]

Bilas is fine but Hubert sucks plain and simple. And it is life (win) or death (or the unemployment line) for the highly paid coaches.

The audience is not made up of coaches.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I think Bilas goes too far the other way - he is way too serious. It is a game, not life and death.

Hmmm....interesting viewpoint, and I do think Bilas does come across that way to some. Although I must say, I can understand his serious side...being a person who has had everything in my life happen because of basketball (my profession, my college choice/scholarship and therefore the way I am able to live my life today), I do understand the phrase, "Basketball is life."

I don't know Bilas, but he has a lot of things in life because of basketball (as well as intelligence, hardwork, etc.).

[Mcluhan]

Very few of these guys are at all interesting. Seems like splitting hairs to side with one who laughs too much or one who's 'too serious.'

I've always had the hunch that when ex-players like Bilas or Davis are reviewing tape or doing prep for games that they probably give real insights and unvarnished truths that we'd benefit from hearing, but when they're on the air we get mostly platitudes and over-obvious statements.

That's not to single out Bilas or Davis at all, both of whom seem like good guys. I'm talking about 98% of all TV color commentators.

[loldevilz]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4953428&categoryid=2378529


Wow, so disrespectful

Good, I was hoping someone would post this. I think that Hubert Davis was laughing first and foremost because Digger put him in his place on national television ("excuse me"). I personally was very touched that Digger showed Duke some respect. Bilas also said that Duke was a national title contender though he clearly doesn't think we're the favorite. That's fine. Coach K has repeatedly said that this isn't a great team, but it can do great things. Hubert is clearly ridiculous. He could not stop his annoying laughter and kept muttering nonsense out loud the whole time.
I really feel for this Duke team (especially the senior class) because they have never been respected this entire time even though mathematically they are top or near the top. Hubert Davis would not even let Digger mention how great Zoubek is at getting offensive rebounds. Digger had to literally interrupt him to say so. At least when we play Carolina next week they will have to say how good we are, but maybe they will just say instead that Carolina is having a down year.

[ice-9]

Strong vote of support from Digger! http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4953428

[Matches]

Yikes was the Duke/ UVa game a poor performance for the broadcast team or what? Even Dan Bonner couldn't save it. They cut to the sideline reporter for a detailed piece on how Duke wanted to win the RS title because the current senior class had never won an ACC-RS or ACC-T title? Remind me - who won the 2009 ACCT? I could've sworn.....

The PBP guy was totally lost - couldn't keep track of which players were on the floor, made tons of clearly false statements. You gotta wonder if a veteran color guy like Bonner is just cringing all the way through the broadcast. I actually missed Brando.

[Dev11]

Hubert Davis just referred to our Big Three as Jon Singler, Nolan Smith, and Jon Scheyer as a guest on the Mike and Mike show. I realize he's upset that his pick (and alma mater) went the wrong way on Saturday, but as they say on NFL Countdown, "Come on, man!"

[towerview road]

All afternoon ESPN has been using ESPN U's feed (covering the Syracuse/Georgetown lax game and then some weird news feature about people storming the court and now the WAC women's basketball tournament) instead of airing the ACC tourney game in Greensboro that my DVR/Comcast thinks it is supposed to air.

What's the deal?

Did I miss something?

Why the change?

I want to watch ACC hoops!

[stillcrazie]

It is broadcast to the local market on Raycom sports (CBS).

[jyu181]

If you are in area where Raycom/CBS is covering the ACC tournament (which I think is any state that has an ACC team in it), then the ESPN coverage is blacked out. The ACC tournament games will be on your local CBS affiliate, and will be produced and called by Raycom sports.

[towerview road]

Thanks guys! I am so dumb - don't know how that happened. Watched the Duke game at a friend's house, came home to my apartment, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with my cable.

DUH!

Don't know why I didn't think of this very obvious fact.

Thanks!

[CDu]

I normally love Bobby Knight's work, but he's not having the best of games in this KU/KSU game. He's missed a number of plays/calls in this one. I guess everyone is due an off-game.

[weezie]

We've been enjoying Montross and the tarhole guy doing the inside stadium broadcast. When a commercial comes on, they continue to talk to each other and we can hear that inside the coliseum on our headphone radio.
They have consistently praised Duke, said we are totally head and shoulders above every other team in the conference and are killers on defense. When they have tried to come up with anything to say about any other team we've played, Montross has said, who cares...Duke will destroy them.
They call a spade a spade, unlike the usual patter that you hear on broadcast.

Oh, and ps to you Erin Andrews fans...she spends a lot of time fluffing and checking her hair out. But yes, she is very cute. Tall guys only need apply. :D

[CDu]

I can't believe what I'm hearing. They just asked Bilas, Davis, and Phelps to compare three mystery teams:

Team 1: 21-12, RPI 57, SOS 34, 3-8 vs Top-50
Team 3: 22-10, RPI 58, SOS 104, 3-3 vs Top-50

And all of them said 3-8 vs the Top-50 was at least as impressive as 3-3 vs the Top-50, and went with Team A!

This makes no sense to me. What good is playing a bunch of good teams if you lose them all? Why is 3-8 better than 3-3?

[DukeGirl4ever]

Oh dear....3rd broadcast in a row that Happy Hubert is giving Zoubs props. I think he has a man crush on Brian.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Hubert has to have the most funniest annoying laugh on tv.

[DukeGirl4ever]

Anyone see Jay Williams get feisty about the Duke comments on the ESPN bracketology show that's on right now? (App. 3:30 EST).

It's getting kind of nasty...BUT GO JAY!

[dubayuw]

Anyone see Jay Williams get feisty about the Duke comments on the ESPN bracketology show that's on right now? (App. 3:30 EST).

It's getting kind of nasty...BUT GO JAY!

I'm pretty sure Gottlieb called Jay Bilas "gay," implying that that would be another thing that Bilas and Williams would have in common besides Duke. Did anybody else see that?

[DukeGirl4ever]

I'm pretty sure Gottlieb called Jay Bilas "gay," implying that that would be another thing that Bilas and Williams would have in common besides Duke. Did anybody else see that?

YIKES! I didn't hear that...but I tuned in while Jay was reaming out the other broadcaster that's with them (can't think of the name) to stop with the Duke comments.

Gottlieb is a frickin moron. I have no respect for him. But that's me, so PLEASE people, don't jump on me for that.

[theAlaskanBear]

I'm pretty sure Gottlieb called Jay Bilas "gay," implying that that would be another thing that Bilas and Williams would have in common besides Duke. Did anybody else see that?

I heard that too, but I was confused because it came out of nowhere. Was he saying gay or was he saying "Jay"?

Steve d-bag Lavin was ragging on Jay Williams because he complimented Bilas and said "is that because he went to Duke too?" and Jay got upset quickly, saying "thats enough/stop that guys", like it happens all time.

[blueprofessor]

"Hard plastic sticks to my fingers" Gottlieb : "Unlike your boy Shane Battier, Shulman actually takes contact" ---referring to Singler's dive into the announcers.

He is such a small person.:D

Best regards: Blue "have skis,will travel" Prof:)

[theAlaskanBear]

"Hard plastic sticks to my fingers" Gottlieb : "Unlike your boy Shane Battier, Shulman actually takes contact" ---referring to Singler's dive into the announcers.

He is such a small person.:D

Best regards: Blue "have skis,will travel" Prof:)

There is very significant tension between Jay and Doug on ESPN right now. I think they hate each other. I'm biased of course, but Doug is an donkey hind. He's trying to argue with Jay Williams about the 2001 Duke team, which Jay was a part of.

[CDu]

There is very significant tension between Jay and Doug on ESPN right now. I think they hate each other. I'm biased of course, but Doug is an donkey hind. He's trying to argue with Jay Williams about the 2001 Duke team, which Jay was a part of.

He's not arguing with Williams about the 2001 team. He was using the 2001 team as an example of why Kansas isn't an overwhelming favorite. He was actually complimenting the 2001 team, saying that if they weren't overwhelming favorites, then this Kansas team shouldn't be considered an overwhelming favorites (considering how much better that 2001 team was than Kansas this year).

[rthomas]

He's not arguing with Williams about the 2001 team. He was using the 2001 team as an example of why Kansas isn't an overwhelming favorite. He was actually complimenting the 2001 team, saying that if they weren't overwhelming favorites, then this Kansas team shouldn't be considered an overwhelming favorites (considering how much better that 2001 team was than Kansas this year).

With Gottlieb's demeanor, it's hard to tell when he is saying something nice.

[Grey Devil]

Now that the ACC Championship is firmly in hand and we're feeling good I'd like to share a story and ask some questions. I hope someone can give me some answers or explanation...

Question: Why would it be in the ACC's interest to have the ACC Tournament blacked out in their own market area?

Here's the story: My parents (who are now in their late 80s) live in the Tampa Bay area. (I live in California.) They are good Duke fans, since they paid for me to get my undergraduate degree there (plus they were indoctrinated even more by being able to get some great seats in the Indoor Stadium for Vic Bubas' last home game -- a glorious victory over Carolina -- and yes there were Crazies way back then, we just weren't called Crazies).

Yesterday my Dad wanted to watch the semifinal game between Duke and Miami. (Miami, BTW, for those who are geographically impaired, is in the same state as the Tampa Bay area and has a pretty good number of alums living in the same area who may have also wanted to see the game.) But it was not to be. He called me to find out why the game was blacked out and instead he saw on his ESPN channel, as he put it, "guys running around a football field with sticks in their hands." (Lacrosse)

I, fortunately, have Tivo and was recording the game for later viewing, but with his call I went immediately to it to make sure it wasn't lacrosse, too. Fortunately it wasn't, and I was able to get the game here in California, but I quickly found the answer -- when the program began there was an announcement that the game was being blacked out in "ACC market areas."

Thinking quickly I suggested he get on the internet and try ESPN360. Unfortunately, being so old he's not able to navigate the web very easily. At first he thought I meant channel 360 on his cable TV. Then after I got him straightened out that I meant on the internet and he had to go to his computer, I discovered that he thought I said www.espn760.com (not 360), which took him several more minutes to correct, because his old fingers don't go where he wants them to. Unfortunately when he finally got to the correct web page the system was apparently so overloaded that the video never loaded, all he got was a black rectangle where the video should have been. (I was duplicating it on my computer in California to help him through the agonizing process and got the same result..a black rectangle where there should have been video..I'm just glad that I had Tivo throughout this entire horrible mess.) He finally gave up in frustration and not a little bit of anger.

This led me to a number of questions, like the following: What the heck does it mean to have the program blacked out in “ACC market areas?” What are considered "ACC market areas” anyway? And why would the ACC want it blacked out in the area of their natural fan base? What possible business reason could they have for not wanting fans who follow the ACC and its teams to not see the Tournament in their own homes? How does that promote interest in ACC sports? Or is this an ESPN deal? And why would ESPN not want people in the region to see the games? It seems counter-intuitive to me to deny access to something that would be of high interest to a regional market. After all, it's a long way from Tampa to Greensboro, so it's unlikely that relatively casual fans, like my elderly parents (or even future avid fans who may get turned on by watching the games), would buy tickets to the Tournament let alone drive 12 hours (or spend an almost equal amount of time flying there, by the time you count in airport hassles). Is ESPN trying to drive business to their internet site? And if so, why not have sufficient infrastructure so that it actually works? Further, why would they want angry viewers to see a lower quality image on a smaller screen, hunched over a desk (like my father would be, and presumably a good number of others) instead of relax on the couch in front of their larger screen TV?

I know that if I still lived in the region I would have been really ticked off (well, I am really ticked off now, but nothing like I would have felt being unable to view the game).

BTW, I went through the same process with him again today for the championship game because (foolishly, it turns out) we thought that it surely wouldn't be blocked. Alas, it was.

Did anyone else experience this frustration? Can anyone give me a clear explanation why this foolishness would be allowed to exist? Instead of building a larger fan base, or solidifying good relations with it, the ACC and ESPN apparently are content to anger a lot of its fans in pursuit of short-term monetary gain. This seems to make no good business sense to me...

Finally, is there anything we can do to put a stop to this silly programming? (I'm hoping someone knows a little bit about the business dynamics of this situation.)

Still upset even though we won,
Grey Devil

P.S. Also, I'm curious, was yesterday's game blacked out in the Miami area? And what about today's game in Atlanta? I don't know, I'm asking if anyone here knows because if I’d been a Miami or a Tech fan I’d be equally, if not more, upset. (I know that in some areas the game was being shown on Raycom and other local, independent channels, so maybe they were shown, but I had no way of getting my elderly father to explore that from here in California).

[RoyalBlue08]

The ACC tournament is blacked out on ESPN in ACC markets because they also sell the rights to Raycom to broadcast in those markets and make more money doing so. I would assume that anywhere it is blacked out you can watch on Raycom on another channel.

[chrisheery]

That is exactly right. It is only blacked out if it is on a local channel. He should have still be able to watch.

[cbsbluedevil]

Sad to hear that. It was on the Raycom affiliate in Tampa, which was theCW (channel 4). Raycom has the rights to broadcast in ACC area, which FL is part of. Its the same for the first Duke/UNC game of the year as well.

[Indoor66]

The tourney was on the channel carrying Raycom broadasts in the Miami-Palm Beach area. Blacked out on ESPN.

[dairedevil]

Blacked out on ESPN in Atlanta, so watched on local Raycom affilliate....thankful that I only saw Dickie V when Singler jumped into the press row! Even happier that I didn't have to listen to it.

[DukeFencer]

Blacked out on ESPN in Atlanta, so watched on local Raycom affilliate....thankful that I only saw Dickie V when Singler jumped into the press row! Even happier that I didn't have to listen to it.

Dairedevil, I was thinking the same thing! I was hoping that they would somehow cut to ESPN's coverage and show it from Dickie's angle, but was very happy I didn't have to hear him for another +10 minutes talk about Singler being a "PT PLAYER BABY!"

[ReformedAggie]

Here's a thought - duplicate your dad's tv guide (depending on his cable/sat provider) so you can check which station is carrying the game before the day of the game. Duke was blacked out here in DC too, but we got it on Fox. Also, if he has DirectTV there should be a "find similar programs" function on the updated HD box... Hugs to Duke fans of all ages.

[cruxer]

Yes in this case DirecTVs Gamesearch function would have come in very handy. It searches your entire guide for the channel you're entitled to watch blacked out sporting events on, assuming there is one.

Most of the time, we folk in ACC country appreciate the fact that the ACC has a separate deal with Raycom (esp now that they're HD) since they broadcast a lot more ACC games than the national providers.

-c

[SharkD]

ESPN360.com coverage was also blacked-out in our area, during the ACC Tournament.

Interestingly, the map doesn't seem to cover Miami, but it does black-out Mobile/Pensacola. :confused:

Here's what popped up when I tried to watch Friday's game from my on-campus office (the image isn't a screenshot, it's the image that ESPN posted):
http://imgur.com/8hoKw.jpg

[McDougald]

There is a problem. I live in rural North Carolina - near South Carolina. We have a satellite receiver, but local channels are restricted to South Carolina because we are in the South Carolina market area. (Go figure, when our legislative actions come from Raleigh.)

Since digital TV began, we have not been able to pick up WRAL TV 5 in Raleigh. The tournament was not on ESPN due to the blackout, the South Carolina stations do not carry the ACC games, WRAL was not available, thus we were left without.
:confused:

[Newton_14]

There is a problem. I live in rural North Carolina - near South Carolina. We have a satellite receiver, but local channels are restricted to South Carolina because we are in the South Carolina market area. (Go figure, when our legislative actions come from Raleigh.)

Since digital TV began, we have not been able to pick up WRAL TV 5 in Raleigh. The tournament was not on ESPN due to the blackout, the South Carolina stations do not carry the ACC games, WRAL was not available, thus we were left without.
:confused:

Assuming you are not in a subdivision with rules against it, I would suggest getting a roof top antenna. You should be able to pick up one of the local CBS Channel's that carry WRAL. I have DishNetwork but I also have a roof top antenna. I plug the cable from the antenna directly into my Satellite receiver and the reciever adds all of the channels the antenna picks up (30+) into the channel list with the SAT channels. I am able to pick up CBS out of Raleigh and Greensboro. I actually watched the games this weekend on the WRAL Antenna Channel because the Antenna HD Signal is slightly better than the local channels on the Satellite.

Depends on how far you are from the closest Local Station in NC, but I would bet you could pick up at least one of them.

[mgtr]

Assuming you are not in a subdivision with rules against it, I would suggest getting a roof top antenna. You should be able to pick up one of the local CBS Channel's that carry WRAL. I have DishNetwork but I also have a roof top antenna. I plug the cable from the antenna directly into my Satellite receiver and the reciever adds all of the channels the antenna picks up (30+) into the channel list with the SAT channels. I am able to pick up CBS out of Raleigh and Greensboro. I actually watched the games this weekend on the WRAL Antenna Channel because the Antenna HD Signal is slightly better than the local channels on the Satellite.

Depends on how far you are from the closest Local Station in NC, but I would bet you could pick up at least one of them.

The FCC, backed up by Congress, has ruled that no subdivision, condo, or municipality can stop you from putting up a reasonable size antenna in order to get either over the air or satellite TV. You can tell the subdivision to go fly a kite. Do a little googling and you will find the FCC ruling.

[mgtr]

Here is a link to the ruling.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Just print it out and have it handy if they question your antenna. I have done it that way and never had a problem.

[Indoor66]

Here is a link to the ruling.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Just print it out and have it handy if they question your antenna. I have done it that way and never had a problem.

You must still be careful if you are in a condominium or townhome complex that has common areas. The relevant portion of the above cited section is:

The rule allows local governments, community associations and landlords to enforce restrictions that do not impair the installation, maintenance or use of the types of antennas described above, as well as restrictions needed for safety or historic preservation. Under some circumstances where a central or common antenna is available, a community association or landlord may restrict the installation of individual antennas. The rule does not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium or cooperative owners where the antenna user does not have an exclusive use area. Such common areas may include the roof or exterior wall of a multiple dwelling unit. Therefore, restrictions on antennas installed in or on such common areas are enforceable.

[SharkD]

There is a problem. I live in rural North Carolina - near South Carolina. We have a satellite receiver, but local channels are restricted to South Carolina because we are in the South Carolina market area. (Go figure, when our legislative actions come from Raleigh.)

Since digital TV began, we have not been able to pick up WRAL TV 5 in Raleigh. The tournament was not on ESPN due to the blackout, the South Carolina stations do not carry the ACC games, WRAL was not available, thus we were left without.
:confused:

I suggest asking around your "local" OTA HDTV thread on the AVS Forum website for antenna and station reccomendations -- especially this time of year, the Raleigh forum's activity is mostly ACC/NCAA basketball related:
Wilmington, NC OTA Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=254668),
Greensboro, NC - HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=137768),
Raleigh, NC - HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=147473),
Charlotte, NC - OTA (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=486246) (TWC (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=128876)),
Myrtle Beach, SC - HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=186712) and
Columbia, SC - HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=99727).
FWIW, the Myrtle Beach thread has the most results when searching for Laurinburg.

Searching for a list of Raycom affiliates (which I never found), I also stumbled across a blog post (http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2010/3/14/1372529/acc-television-an-absolute-joke) lamenting the fact that the entire state of South Carolina was unable to watch the ACC tournament.

[SharkD]

Len Elmore just provided his boilerplate 'Duke sucks and doesn't deserve the accolades' "analysis" on ESPN2's The Experts Bracket Analysis show.

Len's broken-record insight: if one of the Big Three of Singler, Scheyer and Smith is neutralized, Duke will lose. And Duke's Big Three are tired. Because they played 'a lot of minutes.' :rolleyes:

[SCMatt33]

Here are the announcing pairs for the tournament according to Wikipedia (apologies if this has been posted before, but I haven't been following this thread and don't feel like reading the whole thing):

Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg (1st/2nd/Regionals/Final Four in Indianapolis)
Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas (1st/2nd/Regionals)
Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery (1st/2nd/Regionals)
Gus Johnson and Len Elmore (1st/2nd/Regionals)
Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner (First/Second Round)
Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel (First/Second Round)
Tim Brando and Mike Gminski (First/Second Round)
Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel (First/Second Round)

Here's to anyone but Elmore.

[SCMatt33]

Just saw the separate announcer thread. Yay no elmore.

[BleedsP287]

Here in Maryland the ACC tourney ESPN feed was also blacked out. And my DirecTV only carries the standard definition version of the local channel with the Raycom feed. Really pisses me off that the HD feed is blacked out and I have to watch standard def. I'm going to have to check out Dish and see if they carry that channel in both standard and regular def. Grumble grumble. But we won, so all is right with the world. Until the networks switch away from the next Duke game as soon as they get a 6 point lead...at least ESPN (usually) shows the whole game.