Thursday, June 15, 2006
Missing Chuck
With Miami winning games 3 and 4, the series is tied up, and for the time being it seems like we may have a competitive NBA Finals on our hands. While the series is starting to turn good, the ABC broadcast crew has been far from it. I think any fan would prefer to see the far superior TNT crew cover this series, but alas ABC has the money and therefore ABC has the rights. So that is that, right? Wrong! What bothers me even more is the fact that it seems ABC assigned their B crew in every aspect of the broadcast to do the NBA Finals. Why are Mike Breen and Hubie Brown doing the broadcast? Everyone would rather see Mike Tirico do it with Snapper Jones and Bill Walton! We got to experience this team for some of the Dallas - San Antonio series and it was a great crew. They speak their minds and aren't afraid to call out the refs, players, or coaches...this is unlike Hubie Brown. Honestly, Hubie Brown has his head so far up Dwayne Wade's ass, I can't tell where he ends and where D-Wade begins....
Is it me or does Hubie Brown look a lot like the guy who plays Silas in the Da Vinci Code?
Also, what's the deal with Mike Breen explaining every rule, every single game as if every viewer is a moron. We know what a lane violation is....
In Tuesday night's game, with 1.4 seconds remaining, when Dallas called timeout, Breen said "for those just joining us", and then summarized the game. Who is just joining the broadcast with one second left in the game?
Also, why is Stuart Scott on the sideline? It looks like ESPN is running out of ways to use him...Hmm let's have him host a game show (Stump the Schwab) that airs on ESPN classic and then why don't we have him do sideline for the NBA Finals...Who cares if he sucks...Where is Jim Gray? I miss Jim Gray? I don't even like Jim Gray...
The halftime crew brings nothing to the table. They really aren't that critical and don't bring up good points. I would much rather have the Saunders, Smith, Legler, and Anthony halftime team. I never thought I would say I miss that halftime crew and Jim Gray, I still can't believe I miss Jim Gray...
What is up with Michael Wilbon's body? Is it me or does it seem like whenever he is doing the halftime show (but not when he is on PTI) and he is behind that desk, his head appears way too big for his body. Seriously he looks like a fat guy that lost a lot of weight but somebody forgot to tell his head. Trust me, next time look for it, it is about as noticeable as Rachel Nichols' inability to blink....
The only bad thing about Miami not getting swept and turning this series into an actual series? We have to experience this ABC crew for more than 4 games.
12 Comments:
Mini me, I could not agree more with your comments. On every level, TNT telecasts of NBA games blows ESPN/ABC telecasts out of the water. Hubie Brown is much worse than any analyst that TNT uses. I would rather listen to Steve Kerr and Doug Collins (and I don't like Doug Collins). As for the pregame show, Marc Jackson, Wilbon, and Dan Patrick all look lost together. There is no chemistry! Maybe they should take a look at some tapes of TNT studio shows to learn how their job should be handled.
I would rather watch the finals on mute and listen to the Spice Girls than have to listen to Hubie Brown confirm my suspicions that he is an idiot.
Don't ever say you would like to listen to Bill Walton.
Seriously, Hubie Brown is world's better than Bill Walton.
And Mike Tirico is so bad. I cannot stand listening to his contrived excited voice that suddenly gets 5203328920892 pitches higher when any play happens. Mike Breen's biggest problem is inexperience. He will soon be the voice of the NBA.
I long for TNT like you, but I prefer ABC to the ESPN coverage. Mark Jackson is an idiot, but Michael Wilbon is pretty decent, although it seems like they've put the mute button on him at times. The ESPN group is horrible. Tim Legler is an idiot, Greg Anthony is slightly less of an idiot, and Stephen A. Smith is worse than an idiot.
So, in conclusion, yes on TNT, but no on the Walton-Snapper-Tirico and Legler-Stephen A-Anthony teams.
Aaron, I am glad we are in agreement. I have an idea on how to fix the half time show...why don't you host it? I know we have done a few halftime shows together for WBRS/BTV and if I may say, you have Ernie Johnson qualities.
Mavs628, Spice Girls? It is questionable, but then again they did have some catchy tunes.
Danny, I apologize for saying I would like to listen to Walton, but it is true. It is like a drug, I want to get off it but I find myself always wanting more...
Prada, sure Walton is an idiot sometimes but he isn't afraid to call players out and that is what I like about him. It seems like Hubie Brown is incapable of doing that, which sort of bugs me. As for the ESPN halftime crew, the experts are a little idiotic at times, but at least John Saunders gives the show good direction, I'm not so sure if Dan Patrick is able to do that.
Begin ESPN related rant.
I miss Steve Kerr. I miss Marv Albert. I even miss Reggie Miller. Someone needs to shoot all these Disney people. Let Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser to everything.
Hell, I'd be fine with Kyra Sedgwick calling the damn games.
Hubie Brown may be a great coach, but he is a bumbling fool of an announcer. Even when he tries to call out the refs for a terrible call it's like he's afraid to say anything more than "that call was a close one."
Charles Barkley would have called the refs idiots for not giving Stack a flagrant 2 (which would have probably been the right thing to do, and been punishment enough to avoid the 1 game suspension, which is overkill).
When Miami got like 47 phantom fouls in the early 4th quarter they would have cut to Charles and he would have asked how much Mark Cuban paid up for those calls. No one said anything. Dirk for the 3rd and early 4th quarter was like a porcelain doll, no one could so much as breathe on him without getting a personal.
There's no accountability for the stupidity of players and refs with this crew, the TNT group says whatever the hell they damn well please, and they're usually right and relevant because of it.
I even miss NBC. Bob Costas is surprisingly sharp and Marv Albert was at his best then. I'd rather listen to the local duo of Eric Reid and Tony Farantino call the final games then these idiots. It's symptomatic of all of ESPNs reporting outside of baseball, where Peter Gammons and Harold Reynolds and Jon Kruk are actually outspoken.
The NFL Sunday shows are jokes, Michael Irvin is a social reject, even the CBS show is better. HBO's Inside the NFL runs laps around ESPNs football offerings. The FOX Pregame show, despite all the fluff, is funny and relevant, while ESPN is just strained.
For a station that's dedicated to covering sports, they're pretty bad at covering them. If it wasn't for PTI, ESPN News, OTL (Bob Costas' HBO program is better than Outside the Lines anyway) and the 6pm Sportscenter all of ESPN could just be thrown in the trash. Save for Rachel Nichols, but that's just 'cause I wanna look at her, even with all her unblinking weirdness.
End ESPN rant.
Maybe we should just watch all sporting events on mute! Kenny the jet Smith has a radio show? http://radio.about.com/od/siriussatellitedjshosts/p/blSIRIUSKSmith.htm
crazy..I almost want to subscribe to hear his thoughts on the sports.
Is Hubie Brown albino? Cause Silos is in the book.
Charles Barkley is an animal, one I want to make sweet sweet love to.
Why are you all complaining about a bad broadcasting team? How about a bad officiating crew? Did you see last night...unbelievable.
The broadcasting crew is far worse than the officiating crew. The call on Dwyane Wade shouldn't have been a call since it was towards the end of the game, but during the rest of the game it would have been a foul call (arm to the back, knee hitting thigh, arm on the waist contact), so it's not terribly egregious. It's a call that wasn't severe enough to be made at that point in time in a finals game, but it was a foul.
Josh Howard was an idiot. He's a great player, I thought he would be really versatile in the NBA watching him at Wake Forest, but he went to the ref and said "timeout." It's assumed by most people that you want a timeout after the 2nd foul shot, but you say "timeout after the next foul shot." You don't say timeout. Timeout means TIMEOUT. When you go to a referee, and make the little hand motion, and say timeout, it's an instant timeout. Blaming Josh Howard's stupidity on the referees is not something you should do.
I want to see the videotape of Howard calling timeout. I know what the refs said happened, but I was listening to ESPN radio and Reggie Miller was on, insisting that Howard did not even look at the ref on two different ocassions, let alone say he wanted a timeout to the ref twice. Regardless, it doesn't really matter that much. Dallas can and I think will win game 6 and game 7. I expect them to drive to the basketball in game 6 and potentially game 7, much more than they did in games 3, 4, and 5. As a result, I expect the Mavs to get to the free throw line much more and I expect them to get the same kind of calls Wade got for driving to the basket in the last three games.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home