I’ve got a lot of problems with you people! The following is not stadium-related, but it’s always fun to get these sports issues out into the open….
– My favorite sport of college basketball is getting harder to watch for a number of reasons, but the last two minutes of games is eye-gouging. The start/stop nature is being exacerbated by an insane amount of replay reviews as officials find the need to go to the monitor for every single out-of-bounds play or extra tenth of a second off the clock. Not to mention that we need to look at the replay just in case somebody pushed another player, such a heinous act! I’m ready to throw something when officials have two of themselves look at the monitor, then the other referee, then talk about it, then talk forever to the coaches, then talk to the broadcasters, then make the call. It’s almost unwatchable. Andrew Murawa had a great article over at Rush The Court on the issue.
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– Robert Allenby….Really?
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– I’m still trying to figure out how exactly Chris Fowler came to become ESPN’s #1 Play-by-Play college football announcer. Shouldn’t you have to put in some time as an actual announcer instead of getting anointed for such a huge gig. Aside from a few Thursday Night games, Fowler strictly was/is a studio host and how ESPN caters to him is a such a joke, especially since it’s not like he has wowed in his position. If you are going to boot Musburger fine, but tell me why far more deserving, long-standing broadcasters like the excellent Brad Nessler or the terrific Sean McDonough do not get that promotion. How this is just accepted by everyone, I have no idea (PS, same thing happened on tennis, where Fowler sidled his way in to demoted Cliff Drysdale).
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– Fox’s atrocious soccer and studio coverage deserves it’s own post. From the obsession with standing around a fake soccer field to the Gus Johnson experiment to the unlikeableness of Eric Wynalda…they are as bad as ESPN World Cup / NBC Premier League is good. I’ll stick with one point today and it is a simple one. Why do they have to put on a graphic that takes up 15% of the screen at the end of the game to tell us who won!!! While watching the Everton-West Ham 3rd Round Replay penalty shootout (that one hurt real bad as an Everton fan), Fox puts a graphic up saying West Ham wins. I couldn’t get a screenshot, but the graphic is the same layout as the one in the picture at the top. We just watched the freakin game finish, why do you have to place this giant banner that West Ham won and leave it on the screen for a minute! They did this last year too when Arsenal won the FA Cup. I think the viewer can see that they won, so watch the celebration pictures. Errrr!!!!!
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– How is Zac Rinaldo still playing in the NHL? This goon consistently makes dirty, late hits that put players in jeopardy and that was seen again Wednesday as he concussed Kris Letang and even bragged about it after. He’ll get suspended, but then will be right back in his uniform a few games later. Even some Flyers fans think he is an embarrassment, which is saying something. It seems that a player has to be stretchered off for the NHL to actually take notice, despite all of their hypocrisy gibberish about player safety.
Finally, we have to end on a good note. If you want a smile on your face at the end of a long day, I urge you turn on any Pac-12 basketball game that is broadcasted by Bill Walton and Dave Pasch. I’ve loved Bill for awhile and I can’t describe the things that come out of his mouth. I laughed out loud several times last night, probably the most when he called Karl Ravech “Kevin Radish” and Pasch responded by saying “He’s only been with us at ESPN for about 25 years”. Anyway, enjoy just a small sampling of the amazingness…Throw it down big man, One Time!
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Stadium and Arena Visits 