tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post6793328415852136574..comments2024-01-05T06:18:18.086-05:00Comments on CommentaramaPolitics: Sadly, We Lost... Open ThreadAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-27935355885183407562014-02-25T12:38:39.816-05:002014-02-25T12:38:39.816-05:00tryanmax, Me too.tryanmax, Me too.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-1339514405000184502014-02-25T12:38:30.129-05:002014-02-25T12:38:30.129-05:00El Gordo, LOL! You mean you don't look to the...El Gordo, LOL! You mean you don't look to the NFL or Congress to provide you with values? I can't imagine why not?!<br /><br />"If it isn't in the Constitution, it damn well should be!" I wish I could laugh at this, but too many people on both sides believe it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-90172593693263356352014-02-25T09:14:42.179-05:002014-02-25T09:14:42.179-05:00I h-a-t-e the football robots. HATE THEM!!!I <b>h-a-t-e</b> the football robots. <b><i>HATE THEM!!!</i></b>tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-12407307653322083162014-02-25T04:26:56.133-05:002014-02-25T04:26:56.133-05:00Idiotland is putting it nicely. From the article a...Idiotland is putting it nicely. From the article at your link:<br /><br /><i> “If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it,” Burkman said.</i><br /><br />That is exactly where I look for morals and values:<br /><br />1. The NFL<br />2. Congress<br />3. The Bunny Ranch<br /><br />If it isn´t in the Constitution it damn well should be! <br />El Gordonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-91914092517488643072014-02-25T02:44:50.708-05:002014-02-25T02:44:50.708-05:00Rustbelt, Forget it, they're going the wrong w...Rustbelt, Forget it, they're going the wrong way. They assume that their audience has ADD and they are trying to fill in with more talking, done quicker... before the robots dance across your screens and point to some of the 400 graphics.<br /><br />Just as bad, at games these days, most parks blast music between pitches. WTF? The point to baseball is the breaks. That's when you talk about the teams, the game, the history or just whatever you want. Now you sit there like an idiot as the chorus of "Rock You Like Hurricane" makes you deaf.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-68525701400378160262014-02-25T02:19:50.703-05:002014-02-25T02:19:50.703-05:00Koshcat, thank you, my friend!
You mentioned the ...Koshcat, thank you, my friend!<br /><br />You mentioned the one detail that I really didn't cover: timing. I thought I covered it with my Randy Savage example. But to be more to the point, he talked like a normal wrestler- that is, doing interviews and making himself the center of attention. That's not what an announcer does in any sport (or sports entertainment).<br />Speaking of baseball, try these bits of trivia: Al Michaels was once asked who were the best announcers. He said baseball announcers. The reason he gave was that baseball is by definition a slow sport and long periods can pass without any action. Good baseball announcers, he said, are those who can describe the action in a lively, interesting manner even when there's nothing going on. I would add not talking down to the audience or telling boring, repetitive stories (the true bane of former athletes and coaches in the booth). <br /><br />And also, you're right that announcers need to know when to hold back. My guess is Lipinski had no training and she assumed that dead air was always bad and needed to be filled by her carrying the audience along every single step. You're right in that ice skating doesn't need that. Some moments sell themselves. Like when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak. Once the game was official, the announcers pushed away their mics and stayed silent for 30 minutes! All you heard was the crowd, fireworks, celebration, and the sounds of the stadium. (For a cinematic example, the chase scene from 'Bullitt' has no soundtrack; just the wonderful sounds of the engines and tires.)<br /><br />The skill and use of silence in regards to an announcer's timing is a lost art that needs to be re-learned. Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-8161241324233231882014-02-25T01:41:34.965-05:002014-02-25T01:41:34.965-05:00Rustbelt - your awesomeness has left me speechless...Rustbelt - your awesomeness has left me speechless. <br /><br />Well not totally...I think why I liked the ice dancing better was that the female color kept her mouth shut during the performance. Look baseball or hockey especially on the radio play by play is necessary. Ice skating it is not. Let me relax, enjoy the music and the talent someone has that I do not. Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-238267350387320772014-02-24T22:52:49.032-05:002014-02-24T22:52:49.032-05:00I'm watching Ship of Fools...a little long, bu...I'm watching Ship of Fools...a little long, but a great movie nonetheless..Critchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106908233705403513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-28597710836170281722014-02-24T19:16:52.675-05:002014-02-24T19:16:52.675-05:00Welcome to Idiotland... Some lobbyist is going to ...Welcome to Idiotland... Some lobbyist is going to try to introduce a bill to ban gays from playing for the NFL.<br /><br /><a href="https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/199057-lobbyist-drafting-bill-to-ban-gays-from-nfl" rel="nofollow">LINK</a><br /><br />I'm sure Jesus is very proud.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-1300529178411948212014-02-24T19:11:22.291-05:002014-02-24T19:11:22.291-05:00Rustbelt, Well diagnosed and I concur.
First, I d...Rustbelt, Well diagnosed and I concur.<br /><br />First, I despise the trend to hire athletes to do the broadcasting. Most don't have a clue what they are doing and they just spit out cliches. I had to laugh the couple times I saw Chris Collinsworth talking about some Olympic event and it was obvious that he knew nothing, so he spit out generic platitudes.<br /><br />Secondly, NBC is awash in ego, that's clear. And none of them seem like nice people.<br /><br />Third, I don't get why they didn't show the games either. They had all these cable channels available and yet they almost never used them. There was no chance to see most of the matches.<br />AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-47746470770083286732014-02-24T18:49:33.286-05:002014-02-24T18:49:33.286-05:00-Relegating the Good to the Back Burner: If there ...-Relegating the Good to the Back Burner: If there is a true successor to McKay's throne, it's clearly Al Michaels. The trick is to state the facts and keep them interesting. I don't see this as a skill; just great talent. Unfortunately, Michaels clearly doesn't have the connections at NBC to move further up the ladder. Thus, the "Miracle" man has been pushed back. Not only that, the dignified Dan Patrick was also on board, but was also kept off prime time. He only hosted stuff on NBC Sports. Both of these two have welcoming demeanors, which I think the audiences would like. They also know how to announce without irritating the audience. But, this is NBC. You know how it works. And finally...<br />-Why Put It On, Anyway?: In years past, I saw NBC Universal use all their channels to showcase the Olympics. The first time I saw this was Torino in 2006. NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, etc. all showed something nearly all the time. This is the type of event programming cable/satellite/streaming was made for. This year, they only used NBC and NBC Sports, with USA and CNBC showing something here and there. Basically, NBC showed stuff in prime time and late night, then programming switched to NBC Sports until the next prime time. What else were they airing? Why, the usual NBC shows that everyone loves, of course! (Barf.) Now, I'm willing to concede that NBC's plummeting fortunes likely played a role in spending less money, and, therefore, showing less of the Games. But if they want to save money, why not just keep the Today Show in NYC and send over a few reporters? That would save a TON of money! Oh, wait. I forgot. Egos. We may be showing less of the Games themselves, but, dammit, Matt Lauer wants all the benefits his unjustified position can give him! And as long as the elite clique at the top of NBC is happy, who cares that the ship is sinking?<br /><br />I guess what I'm trying to say is...NBC sucks.<br /><br />Dishonorable mention: You might have missed it, but the One made an appearance before the Opening Ceremonies. He was long-distance interviewed by- gasp!- Costas. Like I mentioned, I didn't have audio that night, so I didn't hear what was said. (It must have been about why Obama chose not to attend or some other garbage.) All I remember was Obama looked like he'd gone international, doing the Dublin Crawl. Seriously. He looked like he was about to fall over and pass out...or puke. One or the other.<br />Bad coverage and a (likely) drunk president. If you ask me, they go together. Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-59601832493496669972014-02-24T18:33:42.128-05:002014-02-24T18:33:42.128-05:00It seems I was one of the few who dared to brave w...It seems I was one of the few who dared to brave watching Obama's Own Network, but I did. And wow, what a terrible job NBC did of covering the Games. Honestly, it wasn't much of a shock as I had a front-row seat for the decline of the network's already-lousy coverage while working in news for a years. (They covered Beijing, Vancouver, and London during my tenure.) So, here are the worst problems I noticed:<br /><br />-Hail to the Egos: As mentioned in another post, I watched the Opening Ceremonies at a restaurant and didn't hear the 'Today' talk down to the host country. (Probably a result of the whole gay controversy in Russia; or, more likely, they suck.) Is it really necessary to transport a show, whose falling ratings can't justify the amount of money that have spent? (More on this in a second...)<br />-Jockocrisy on Steroids: "Jockocrisy" (not sure if that's the correct spelling)is Howard Cosell's famous word for the takeover of broadcasting by former pro athletes. Basically, in the 1970's, ABC Sports boss Roone Arledge saw that more announcers were showing up on screen as more cameras were added. He, therefore, though it would be a good idea to have athletes in the booth as they were recognizable and (allegedly) knew their sports. Mixed results since then. But as for 2014, most don't know when to shut up. (Hamilton, Collinsworth...) or are just plain repetitive (Lipinski "Best I've seen..." "The atmosphere is electric."). Recently I watched an online review of Wrestlemania IX, where Macho Man Randy was relegated to the announcer table. Yes, he was awful, making life hell for poor Jim Ross. Interestingly, the reviewers said Savage's problem was he was trying to sound the way he thought announcers were supposed to sound. In other words, he was someone who just watched stuff, but had no formal training. NBC had that on display in spades this Olympics. But I'm not implying that non-athletes are automatically better...<br />-Not fit for TV: I'm too young to remember the Voice of the Olympics, Jim McKay, but like Keith Jackson and Bob Prince, he is deeply missed. Matt Lauer and Bob Costas know nothing of sports. There I said it. Like Howard Cosell and John Madden, they view TV as their personal medium to yack about whatever they want. And being producers, they also get to call the shots without fear of being fired for incompetence- hence the meaningless packages about sad sacks, this such-and-such happened, or former famous person has lots of fun doing something you'll never experience. Both are old and past their respective primes. And their a******/"I'm better than you" personalities come across a LOT. But we're stuck with them, because they're in charge. In pro wrestling, it's said wrestlers shouldn't be bookers- thus preventing them from making themselves (and their over-the-hill/less talented friends) the stars of the show at the show's expense. It's a rule NBC could learn from. <br /><br />(continued...)Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-16499842006140058022014-02-24T18:23:13.021-05:002014-02-24T18:23:13.021-05:00Harold Ramis's death. To say it sucks is an un...Harold Ramis's death. To say it sucks is an understatement. Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-24044264751919763552014-02-24T18:09:29.877-05:002014-02-24T18:09:29.877-05:00Koshcat, I didn't see those interviews.
The G...Koshcat, I didn't see those interviews.<br /><br />The Girl Scouts should sell Doritos or something like that in front of pot stores. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-63019422674069477212014-02-24T18:08:55.418-05:002014-02-24T18:08:55.418-05:00Jed, Yes, Olympics. But yeah, they were on the Ob...Jed, Yes, Olympics. But yeah, they were on the Obama Network so you probably didn't see them. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-18902586182968252092014-02-24T16:28:43.102-05:002014-02-24T16:28:43.102-05:00I just saw the article where Girl Scouts of Colora...I just saw the article where Girl Scouts of Colorado will not allow sales outside marijuana stores. Seems like a poor business move although I can understand discouraging it from a safety standpoint. Maybe the GS are also worried about the health of the buyers. Do they ban sales outside of Weight Watchers as well?Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-29981310677571430032014-02-24T15:15:13.768-05:002014-02-24T15:15:13.768-05:00what???? You mean there was just an olympics???? I...what???? You mean there was just an olympics???? I didn't realize. Ah, I think I get it. It was on the Obama Network wasn't it? I think I installed channel block. On a happier note, I drove back to Knoxville yesterday on a beautiful and sunny day. I took the opportunity to detour down to the Petersburg, Virginia National Military Park and see where my great grandfather was wounded during an action near Peagram's Farm on October 1, 1864. It was kinda cool and more uplifting than, say, watching Bob Costas.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-44138521761598856782014-02-24T15:08:48.657-05:002014-02-24T15:08:48.657-05:00Legity and Bodey didn't either. Both commented...Legity and Bodey didn't either. Both commented that the course was challenging with the changing conditions but they also stated that it was their own fault they weren't skiing as well as they should be.Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-41215051805197022872014-02-24T15:02:18.366-05:002014-02-24T15:02:18.366-05:00I agree that conditions were not good. But what i...I agree that conditions were not good. But what impressed me with White was that while all the others were whining about the conditions as why they lost, he didn't. The moment he lost he congratulated the winner, said he had a lot of respect for the guy. Then he said, he just didn't do what he needed to do. "You can blame the conditions, but we're all on the same track." Bingo.<br /><br />I was glad to see solid sportsmanship.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-62966817481855843872014-02-24T14:58:39.738-05:002014-02-24T14:58:39.738-05:00The conditions were pretty crappy for skiing as te...The conditions were pretty crappy for skiing as temp were often in the 50s. But like you said, everybody was exposed to it. I don't think the US wax team did a very good job keeping up with the changing conditions. I think the place the conditions effected the most was the super G where the top was frozen and the bottom was slush.Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-79736856244464490902014-02-24T14:41:19.408-05:002014-02-24T14:41:19.408-05:00Koshcat and tryanmax, I am totally looking forward...Koshcat and tryanmax, I am totally looking forward to the LEGO Movie.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-78358000247680799272014-02-24T14:38:09.850-05:002014-02-24T14:38:09.850-05:00Critch, Totally agree on Ramis.Critch, Totally agree on Ramis.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-46576807626390257982014-02-24T14:37:07.217-05:002014-02-24T14:37:07.217-05:00tryanmax, LOL! True.tryanmax, LOL! True.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-84833479034319014002014-02-24T14:35:47.965-05:002014-02-24T14:35:47.965-05:00Koshcat, The whiners have largely been the speed s...Koshcat, The whiners have largely been the speed skaters, the dopehead ski team, and a couple figure skaters. The speed skaters whined last time too. In fact, I can't stand Apollo Assholo because all he's every done since I've seen him is whine that everyone else is cheating him. Loser.<br /><br />I was impressed with Shawn White of all people though. He lost and he was very gracious. He didn't even try to blame the track like the other US skiers did, he said, "We're all on the same track." He gets major points from me for that.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-39082468747717670402014-02-24T14:32:02.974-05:002014-02-24T14:32:02.974-05:00Koshcat, the only problem I had with World War Z i...Koshcat, the only problem I had with <i>World War Z</i> is that that movie has been done before a zillion times. Nothing wrong with it in and of itself, it just lacked freshness. <br /><br /><i>LEGO Movie</i> was a ton of fun and "Everything is Awesome" is a total earworm. I agree about the potential for over analysis, and I've already seen some articles to that effect. This is a movie that revels in it's childish simplicity. Any attempt to adultify is severely misguided. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.com