CBS v. ABC..... thoughts
I thought the Gator Bowl was a CBS deal, with the SEC the prime conference for a number of years, and I really do think I remember that the Gator Bowl was a CBS product for a while, wasn't it?
Anyway, it got me to thinking, I don't know if it is the debacle that has become the"ESPN Family of Networks" or a preference for CBS' Duh, DuhDuhDuh, DuhDuhDuhDuh(CBS theme song - kind of) but I kind of have CBS envy. Are Lunquist and Danielson better than anything ABC has to offer? I kind of think the answer is yes.
And if no, who is the duo from ABC/ESPN that you find better (production quality and HD quality included in your discussion of preference)?
December 6th, 2010 at 7:38 PM ^
danielson is terrible and borderline senile.
nessler and blackledge is the best pair on tv right now, i believe.
cbs does have gus johnson. but ESPN gets the overall nod.
but i love me some gus johnson. WOW!!!!
December 6th, 2010 at 8:06 PM ^
Totally agree. I love me some Gus Johnson as well. He is my favorite commentator of all time. I also like the Nessler/Blackledge duo. I think the overall production/quality is in ESPN's favor. Danielson is absoultely rotten. A Lunquist/Johnson duo wouldnt be bad.
I saw last night on the Bowl Selection Show that Craig James has the call on the game and is suppose to be televised on ESPN2. I am not sure who he is paired with though. Maybe Rece or Jesse Palmer? I wouldnt mind if it was all 3 of them, they usually do a pretty good job when they did the Thursday night games.
I too support RR.
GO BLUE!
December 6th, 2010 at 8:09 PM ^
it's mike patrick and craig james on ESPN2. i asked the question earlier.
if i had to pick anyone in the whole wide world to call it, i'd pick keith jackson. even those he's 82, he is the best there is.
December 6th, 2010 at 9:29 PM ^
WHO NEGGED THIS? HOW COULD YOU EVER NEG KEITH JACKSON. I AM VERY UPSET.
December 7th, 2010 at 6:23 AM ^
http://www.gusjohnsongetsbuckets.com/
Nothing can top the awesomeness of the Gus Johnson soundboard.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:38 PM ^
I'm pretty sure the Gator is on NBC.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:39 PM ^
Wiki says ESPN2.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:38 PM ^
I hate Danielson and Lunquist.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:50 PM ^
My sentiments exactly. All they seem to talk about is how awesome the SEC is and how everybody else pales in comparisson. I also notice that whomever the star is for the team they are annoucing, is in Danielson's eyes, the best player in the world and this changes every week. This pair is just huge SEC homers and are really difficult to listen to.
December 6th, 2010 at 8:37 PM ^
Not only is he the best player in the world, but he is the best person in the world. I wanted to vomit as he went on and on about Cammy Cam juice.
December 6th, 2010 at 8:59 PM ^
Yeah, I think I reached my point when he accused South Carolina of cheating by faking injuries to slow down the Auburn offense, just like Cal did to Auburn. He kept trying to say he wasn't accusing them, but then would immediately say that they were probably doing it. He is dispicable.
December 7th, 2010 at 4:07 PM ^
Danielson used to be a Big Ten proponent, but once they put him on SEC games he has become SEC Biased.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:43 PM ^
"The spread is dead" Danielson? I'll take ESPN.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:44 PM ^
I will take Musberger and Herbstreit any day of the week and twice on Sunday before Lunquist and Danielson. First you have Danielson's ridiculousness during the 2006 SEC Championship Game. Second, Danielson just doesn't provide good insight into the game, why some players are doing well, others aren't, why a strategy isn't or is working etc. Instead, he mostly fawns over the best player on both teams, and comments continuously about how the SEC is the toughest conference in the country. On the other hand, Herbstreit, though a buckeye, provides quality analysis every game and I never seem to notice any bias from him (though some on this board seem to notice it). Lundquist and Musberger are both quality play-by-play, but I give Musberger the slight edge just because I associate him with college football and I associate Lundquist with March Madness.
December 6th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^
You get to play the Musburger Drinking Game!
(Even if it's not the same without Jack Arute. *sad face*)
December 6th, 2010 at 7:45 PM ^
dueces
December 6th, 2010 at 7:46 PM ^
It's not Fox, just be thankful. How they can produce an NFL game but are unable to produce a college game without missing 8-9 plays, showing the same four members of the band one hundred times, and randomly cutting away to close ups of Tostitos bags is beyond me.
December 6th, 2010 at 7:57 PM ^
for next years BigTen Championship game.
December 6th, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^
December 6th, 2010 at 7:57 PM ^
I'll take the mute button/Frank Beckmann if possible
December 6th, 2010 at 7:59 PM ^
He's a close second to Nessler in my book. Love Uncle Verne's play by play but Danielson has yet to get the SEC's dick out of his mouth since he went to CBS. I understand about supporting your league but his homerism is OVER THE LINE!
December 6th, 2010 at 8:00 PM ^
soley on the fact that he has scarred many a man's childhood in Detroit from the 70's-80's.
Herbie at least provided fodder for us by getting knocked out against UM.
Vern and Brent are both good.
December 6th, 2010 at 8:14 PM ^
I like CBC Sports coverage best..
December 6th, 2010 at 8:15 PM ^
December 6th, 2010 at 8:36 PM ^
Seriously, look at the alternatives:
Verne Lunquist lost his right to have a voice on football matters with "Is it an incomplete pass?" remark during last year's Arkansas @ Florida match (after the Arkansas receiver ran with the ball for quite some distance before fumbling near the end zone), and Gary Danielson is Gary Danielson.
Sean McD has a speach pattern similar to a revving vacuum ("hERe coMES FOrciER!"), and Matt Millen is Matt Millen (plus he went off for like half the Sparty @ Iowa match about how great Dantonio is).
Brent Musberger spends as much time pimping MNF or telling us how college rules are different from NFL rules as he does actually doing play-by-play. Kirk Herbstreit is alright, but the annoyance of Musberger trumps him.
Craig James seems to have a family tradition of helping a Texas school get into trouble once per generation (yes, I know he wasn't technically one of the paid ponies) and just generally sounds like more of a conceited ass than most color commentators, so any crew with him is an instant failure. That's a shame, too, since Jesse Palmer is on par with Herbstreit. Rece Davis is the tofu of play-by-play: completely bland and unworthy of notice, for good or for ill.
Beyond this point, the rest of the commentary crews sort of blend together, but Pam Ward is Craig James with more make-up, Andre Ware is Craig James without the glassy eyes, Bob Davie is Craig James with less hair pigments, and that other woman on ESPN3 (I think) is Pam Ward's clone. Everyone else is so forgettable that I'd prefer the Lunquist/Danielson team, who can at least provide comedy and high blood pressure.
December 6th, 2010 at 8:37 PM ^
For the Gator Bowl, I would LOVE to see Brian and Bob Griese up in the press box calling the game for ESPN2...That would be super-fantastic!!
However the best all-time duo was Bob Griese and Keith Jackson on ABC!! I remember Keith Jackson's pre game description of Michigan at Penn State in 1997..In the words of Keith Jackson..."Today's game has many implications. You have the Big Ten Championship on the line, the National Championship, and the Heisman Trophy. Now, if that doesn't whet your appetite, your watching the wrong channel!!!"
December 6th, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
Danielson ranges from tolerable to atrocious, but he's not that much worse than many of the rest. Hate to say I agree about Herbie but he is okay. Funny with Musburger… Seems like he's been at it my whole football watching career, which would mean he started when he was about 12. I really used to hate him but I think he's gotten a lot better.
While in general we have to hope for ABF (Anyone But Fox), production on college games overall has not kept up with up-tempo offenses. I think I saw something about when ND hired Kelly, they worked out with NBC how there would be less time between plays for various promos, etc. It is galling how many times we miss the beginning of a play because the network is showing filler. It's especially bad early on with the starting lineup intros. Seems like the director is trying to fit all his crap in and then cut to the play at the snap, with no time to check the formation.
I shudder to think how Fox will butcher the BCS championship, with Auburn going up-tempo and Oregon at hypertempo. Last night on the BCS selection show the Oregon Kelly was being interviewed and he was asked something about how defenses adjust to up-tempo offenses. His response was something along the lines of, it's you TV guys who have to adjust by talking less and letting us play the game. It came out pretty funny but the guy is dead right.
December 7th, 2010 at 7:38 AM ^
December 6th, 2010 at 9:03 PM ^
they do the AFC and the SEC my two least favorite conferences also CBS is channel 3 and I never look that far down on the guide.
December 6th, 2010 at 9:55 PM ^
Pressing buttons are too daunting of a task I understand.
December 6th, 2010 at 9:46 PM ^
Bring back Jack Arute!
December 6th, 2010 at 10:12 PM ^
announcing crew
December 6th, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
Are Lunquist and Danielson better than anything ABC has to offer? I kind of think the answer is yes.
Please tell me that you're kidding. You're kidding, right?
December 7th, 2010 at 6:31 AM ^
Never has a post needed the /s tag more than this one; for a minute I thought you were serious.
But really, you're not serious, right?
related note: Miller really isn't that bad, he's a fine play by play guy, I feel bad that he got stuck with Morgan for so long.
December 7th, 2010 at 4:03 PM ^
yes im serious, i buy the MLB games just to hear them do play-by-play.. lol not really, but i think that they are excellent play-by-play commentators expecially when you want to compare them to some of the others out there. i wish they would make a special appearance to the Gator Bowl this year!
December 7th, 2010 at 12:59 AM ^
excellent, since they typically only cover 1 or 2 games, they always seem to have all the replay angles and then some.
Danielson is the anchor that drags them down though, he's become such an SEC homer its intolerable to listen to him.
December 7th, 2010 at 1:19 AM ^
I really only care about the quality of the graphics they overlay onto the field.
December 7th, 2010 at 9:03 AM ^
all your bowl games are owned by us
December 7th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
Danielson makes my soul hurt.
"Tebow is like Jesus only better."
"Cam Newton is the love child of Gandhi and Mother Theresa who's sweat droplets cure aids."
"The SEC is as if you bred the in-their-prime NFC East with a cage match between a T-Rex and Fighter Jet."
"Urban Meyer and Nick Saban are not only the greatest coaches in the history of the world but they're great people and I'd let them fornicate with my daughter."