Hey jerk-offs, there’s a game going on!
While trying to watch the Cal-Oregon game on Saturday I was confronted with the image above. Most of the game produced this image if not a huge close-up of Kirk Herbstreit (the guy on the right). And, of course, the game was in high-def and Herbstreit was in SD. In-between the plays these three would crop up on the screen and talk about the University of Florida and Urban Meyer and what a great job he was doing with the spread offense. Meanwhile there, was a game going on where both teams used it and Oregon had some of the most interesting formations. Did anyone ever comment on the formations? No, they went back to these three guys onscreen talking about Florida. They could have shown the crowd, the cheerleaders, the guys lining up, the angst of the coaches at the Cal-Oregon game. But no. We see this shot (above) over and over and over. Are these guys egomaniacs? Or does ABC just stink at this? I suspect a little of both.
Obviously some a-hole at ABC went to Florida.
When I watch a game I don’t want to see the commentators at all. Its bad enough that they talk as much as they do, and very little has to do with the game.
Have you seen Monday Night football this season. Same issue with the ESPN talking heads… Way to much talk, not enough game…
GATORS SUCK!
ABC spent decades patting themselves on the back for consistently mediocre sports coverage. I wouldn’t expect it to get any better in HD.
US sports could learn a lot from the UK.
Having recently moved to Oakland CA from near London, England I was taken to both an A’s and Giants game, and recently a Cal Bears game.
They were lots of fun (American Football is much better when you don’t think of it as a team sport, but more a giant chess game) , but having seen them on TV I would have thought they’d be AWFUL!
Why? because the TV coverage is so damn bad it’s painful.
In the UK the TV coverage still can’t beat a live match of say.. football, but the coverage is well done, with almost all the video being of the field, even if its just a replay.
When they do cut away it is quick, or during a dead time. The rest is relatively static. In the US the shot changes every 2 seconds! It’s impossible to watch and stay engrossed in the action!
Not to mention the ad-breaks, but that’s another rant entirely…
Maybe Google will buy them. I heard they’ve been on a buying spree. 😉
It’s the continued east-coast bias…
Add to that, pre-game, half-time, post game, post pre-game and pre-post game interviews with athletes and coaches. These guys need new writers worse than Dennis Miller. The post game press conference is another inbred mutant sports phenomenon that needs a visit from somebody, anybody… who can write better dialog and come up with some new Q&A copy. Or maybe I just don’t catch the subtle variations and nuance in the different ways a player or coach can repeat the same 25 ” jock talking points” for the 18 millionth time.
John’s still crying about how another SEC team – Tennessee – destroyed Cal. A team the Gators beat at their place, BTW.
i was watching a replay of the jets-colts superbowl with curt gowdy calling the game…. he left so much open air space that it was a joy to watch and listen like it was the best of tv and radio… techno overload is a major problem with movies, music, tv and web sites… like salt or sugar alittle goes along ways
Compare this to NBC’s Sunday Night Football: They hired the right people and do it the best.
It got pretty old hearing him bash on the PAC 10. What a sad conference we have… only 3 teams in the top 20!
They should learn from Soccer games, where the comentators are rarely seen and do their job which is narrate the game.
My favorite was the OSU/Texas game. It was all about Texas this and Texas that. Spent 15 minutes on Texas history, etc. and one of the announcers even brought out his Texas hat. Then OSU came out on the field and ABC broke for 8 minutes of commercials. Also, no half-time highlights of the bands? I’m not a band fag but I do enjoy the good show these college kids put on.
In summmary, I’m tired of watching this crap, do they not watch what they create? Radio is no better, I used to watch the TV on mute with radio commentary.
Guess we’ll have to wait for someone to broadcast games live from their cell phones.
Who wants to watch Cal? According to a recent study, going there causes dumbening.
I’m a huge college and Pro football fan….but I just can’t endure the way t.v. shows the games anymore. Hell, I would rather go to a live ASU or UA or Arizona Cardinals game than have to watch on t.v.. at least I get to see football.
Now Soccer(real football) is a joy to watch on t.v. if you can’t get to the game. Just football and all football.
LOL
BTW, John your really getting cranky. 🙂
Is that Brent Musberger? I can’t stand that guy.
FYI ABC’s sports is now produced by ESPN. CORPORATE SYNERGY BABY~!
So anything you see on Monday nights you get to see during College games on Saturday. ESPN has been doing the whole interviewing someone during the game this season on the Monday night games and man is it utterly excruciating.
Annotation department:
-College Football on ABC DISAPPOINTS!
-hey, inconsiderate-gentlemen, there’s a game going on.
-Obviously, some anal-aperture at ABC went to Florida.
# 14
It’s happened. At a tennis match, a guy near me broadcast the play-by-play to a friend over his cell phone!
The same thing happened last night during Monday Night Football… the games inprogress and the boys in the booth are interviewing some smuck actor from Desparate Wives.
If they’re not pimping their own lame shows in the booth they seem just as content to scroll the damn shot across the bottom of your TV screen.
All this inlcudes of course the large annouying station logo in the bottom right of the screen… and they wonder why people aren’t watching TV anymore.
I could care less, but it would take effort. not worth it.
I gave up on Television long ago
ABC did that because Kirk usually is in the booth with Brett Musburger for ABC’s primetime games. Since he was with the College Gameday crew in Gainsville and the primetime game was in Berkeley he couldn’t be there, so they brought him in to ask him questions that he normally would have been asked during the game by Brett
You are not kidding when you state Sports on ABC Sucks!Brent M>Sucks Trojan you know what!!!!!!!How can ABC allow that old fool to be as one sided in his disgusting pro USC bullshit.This guy is either from Southern Cal or he is a graduate of USC,ABC should never get this game again!!Brent M>is either ignorant or could it be the anti-Catholic gene rearing it’s well documented head again!Get rid of Musburger.
Brent Musberger is the worst. What’s with the “good ol’ boy” mentality? He is always tied to country music, NASCAR and the military. Even uses military terms in his broadcast….he must have said “they are locked and loaded” in one college football broadcast about 100 times. I expect him to be wearing the confederate flag during a broadcast one day. Come on Brent get a clue….don’t you realize that 85 % of the players you are watching are African-Americans?
I agree ABC is something else. I was watching the Longhorns of Texas cream Missouri and the idiots at ABC decided to go to “a more competitive game” at USC. Unbelieveable! That takes gall to interrupt a game with another one you could care less about because it’s “more competative in ABC’s narrow vision.
What a crappy Network
Once again I watch Oregon football as they totally spank Stanford and all I hear from Musburger is how great Stanford is……and rarely a word about the possible heisman in his home stadium. bret is a f***ing pinhead!