Frisco Kilgore Highlights

Listen in to some of the audio highlights of the Frisco Fighting Raccoons and Kilgore Bulldogs 4A Div II playoff game from this weekend in Forney, Texas.

Martin Trinity 2011 Highlights

Hear some of the highlights of today's Texas 5A Division I High School football playoff as Arlington Martin beat Euless Trinity, 19-7, to advance to the Regional Finals next week.

Loved the call, hated the moment

When St. Louis Cardinals hero David Freese belted a solo home run to dead center field to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, the Rangers fan in me cringed and tried to sink deeper into the couch. But as a broadcaster, I couldn't help but appreciate FOX's Joe Buck tipping his cap to his late father Jack.

"We'll see you tomorrow night!"

The same words that Jack Buck used to punctuate the dramatic finish of Game 6 of the 1991 World Series when Kirby Puckett launched a bomb over the left-center field wall.



Now those words are part of St. Louis Cardinals lore, the same team that featured Jack Buck as lead broadcaster for decades.



And while this tribute to his father is certainly significant -- not just for the World Series Game 6 parallels but also the fact that it was a Cardinals victory -- it's not the first time Joe Buck attempted a tribute to his father. In Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, the Boston Red Sox staved off elimination on a David Ortiz walkoff home run after midnight on the East Coast. Joe Buck capitalized on the moment:



"We'll see you later tonight."

Whether you love Joe Buck or hate him, anyone who has an appreciation for broadcasting knows exactly what was going on in that booth. All broadcasters have their vocal heroes they have either worked to emulate, blatantly or subconsciously. Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully, Jack Buck -- these are legendary voices, and in this era of broadcasters, hearing Joe Buck pay tribute to a man he no doubt admired as a broadcaster but also as his father was special.

Broadcasters of the world, I don't believe what I just saw! heard!

CCCAA MVB State Championship broadcast

The broadcast from Saturday's men's volleyball California Community College Athletic Association championship match. Check it out...

Such bad announcing, even Bryan Gumble is cringing

This must be some sort of joke or this guy is the worst announcer ever.

"...and that happens!"

Seriously, could this phrase become the next "boom goes the dynamite"? Only time will tell.


World's Worst Sports Announcer - Watch more Funny Videos

Seriously, there are bad broadcasters and announcers, but this can't even be real. If it is, then I feel much better about my chances to make it as a broadcaster. Hey, Long Beach Armada fans, don't you feel so fortunate now?!

Pen Is Mightier

Apparently ESPN isn't too familiar with SNL:

See the SNL Skit here

Breast Awareness Week

This week the NFL will be focusing its efforts on the cleavage of the woman who stroll the sidelines. Bring on the cheerleaders. According to ESPN's Chris Berman, it's Breast Awareness Week in the NFL.

Are there any guys who weren't already very, very aware of boobs? Just asking. At least it's for a good cause, right...



see it on YouTube

Magic Johnson infectious?

Watching the Barack Obama inauguration coverage this morning on ABC, after a reporter had an interview with former Lakers superstar Magic Johnson, the reporter tossed it back to ABC's studio crew. And that's when anchor Charlie Gibson made perhaps the most awkward comment we will hear today (excluding anything outgoing President George W. Bush might say).

Needless to say, it is probably a bad idea to use the words "Magic Johnson" and "infectious" in the same sentence.

As my comedian friend Brad pointed out, this would be akin to saying that an Asian politician's views on a subject were slanted.

Romo, Witten, Owens in SNF intro

Tonight with the Cowboys and Giants on Sunday Night Football, the big focus will be on the drama between the Cowboys' Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Tony Romo. I wonder if NBC will edit them out of Faith Hill's musical "Sunday Night Football" introduction and replace them with some of the more mellow Cowboys, like Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson.  

Just 20 seconds into the theme song, the trio is eating popcorn, all smiles. This could be more of a disaster than TO's Desperate Housewives plug on ABC a few years ago, leading to an unnecessary apology from Owens despite being a total non-issue.

NBC's "Waiting all day for Sunday Night" introduction

Goodbye Gumbel

Bryant Gumbel's tenure in the booth at the NFL Network is over.  It's about time. It's so hard to listen to Gumbel calling NFL games the past two seasons.  It's bad enough he can't get players names right, and he doesn't have a strong concept of the game of football.

Gumbel no longer calling games for NFL Network is a good first step in improving the actual live game broadcast that NFL Network airs. This is truly a cause for celebration for football fans nationwide. I don't know of too many Cowboys fans who will miss hearing about our amazing young QB "Rick Romo."

Past posts about Gumbel's play-by-play for NFLN:

• Moe Larry Curly (Dec. 29, 2007)
• Triple-Gumbel not good for anyone (Dec. 29, 2007)
• Play-by-play problems (Dec. 21, 2006)

Flutie not head-over-heels for flips

During the Rose Bowl halftime show, ABC/ESPN analyst Doug Flutie made a comment that perplexed me (not that that's a tough thing to do, but nevertheless--).

He said - and I'm paraphrasing - that Desmond Reed's flip into the end zone after a perfectly executed wide receiver pass was completely and totally uncalled for and that, if he were the USC coach, he'd sit Reed down for the rest of the game to teach him a lesson.

Hey, Doug, ease up man. Seriously, this is not an egregiously vicious helmet to helmet hit on a quarterback. Reed didn't take the ball and perform an elaborate two-minute skit a la the Bengal's Chad Johnson. He flipped into the end zone. Something that plenty of college football players have been doing all season.

Was it a little much? Eh, I don't think so. It's the Rose Bowl. As a player, you're fired up and when you get a chance to score a touchdown you should embrace it. Reed what excited to score. He was head-over-heels as we all saw. But to claim that Reed should be benched in the second half is ridiculous.

Gumbel bumble - 1

Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilford just tried to poke the eye of Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.  Yes, it was a cheap little shot at him, but the Pats got tacked for 15 yards on the play anyway.

NFL Network announcer did refer to the eye-poke as a "Moe-Larry-Curly situation."  I'm impressed considering I've never heard the Three Stooges names recited in that order.  Gumbel then said he didn't think poking a player in the eye was a serious offense.  If it weren't for experience color-commentator Chris Collinsworth to straighten him out and correct him, we'd be in serious trouble.

NFL Network nightmare

Tonight's triple-televised attempt at history will turn into what will either lead to major change or the downfall of the NFL Network.  When the 15-0 Patriots face the Giants tonight on NBC, CBS and NFLN, the everyone will be able to watch a game that would originally be seen by only a fraction of the nation.

As a result, more people than ever before will be an NFL Network football game production.  And as a result of that, the NFL Network will be viewed as a farce rather than the quality network it really is.

I do get the NFL Network, and it puts on some great shows.  I especially loved the America's Game series that looks back at all the previous Super Bowls in the words of the athletes that played in the game.  The worst things the network televises, however, are actual NFL games.  It's horrible.

Bryant Gumbel makes me want to rip off my ears, and whoever sits in the truck seems to be paying more attention to his daily commuter crossword than the game.  Last week during the Cowboys-Panthers game, they missed the first play of the game (a fumbled snap between a sore-thumbed Tony Romo and back-up center Cory Proctor).

The Patriots' quest at perfection will be widely watched by the entire country.  Everyone will see what a horrible joke the production value of an NFL Network-produced game is.  Everyone will hear Bryant Gumbel's nails-on-a-chalkboard play-by-play.

Because these games have been hidden on a network no one gets, the general public doesn't know how bad it really is.  This game will be the highest-rated televised football game of the season, and it's going to be the most poorly covered.  As a result, expect some sort of backlash in response to the atrocious telecast.  I don't know if it will be a retooled production crew next season or perhaps - and don't get your hopes up, but we'll see - a new play-by-play man.

Something has to change, and because of the wide audience this game will draw, something will.

What channel is the game on?

Cowboys vs. Packers.  The NFC on the line.  Two teams with young talent.  Two teams with Super Bowl dreams.  Thursday night 65,000 people will cram into historic Texas Stadium for this classic.  All of Dallas-Ft. Worth and Green Bay, Wisc. will be watching.

And that's it.

Because unless you have the NFL Network - or you live in the local market - you won't be able to see the game.  The thing that worries me - especially with these two teams, is that their "local market" is really their entire state.  The Packers define Wisconsin sports.  The Cowboys are the team of Texas (don't let the Spurs fool you - football in king in the Lone Star State).

Since the creation of the NFL Network and since they began carrying games, high level figures in the NFL have been praying for a big showcase game on the NFL Network to help its case as a must-have-channel in basic cable packaging.  Well now that game is upon us.  And the only people this actually hurts are fans.

I could care less about the squabbles between the NFL and Time Warner or any other cable company for that matter.  I don't care about which one of these sides has to cave.  I don't care about which side has to concede the most to make a deal happen.  But something has to be done - and soon - to fix this problem.  If the league and cable companies continue this feud, football fans nationwide must live with not seeing their games.

Sure fans can go to a local sports bar or a friend's house, but when you think about the fact that a significant number of Americans won't be able to see the game - a big game with serious playoff implications between two of the most storied franchises in league history - it's just wrong.  Fans do not have a voice at these negotiating tables.  Fans are the ones that foot the insanely priced bills for tickets, stadium taxes, parking, $9 hot dogs and so much more.

I don't disagree with games being on the NFL Network (however, I can't stand listening to Bryant Mumble Gumbel call a game), but just find a way to bring it to the fans.  Roger Goodell is concerned about playing games in London or across the world.  How about the NFL focus on allowing everyone here in America to watch the games first.

Football has become America's game.  The only thing left is to let America watch it.

Hockey sighting

Tonight the Stanley Cup Finals made its triumphant 2007 network television debut, and the sport didn't disappoint.

The Ducks and Senators put on a high-energy, high-scoring game 3 that proved capable of capturing the attention of any half-hearted sports fan who may be channel-surfing on by (which is how I ended up watching the second and third periods). I thought I'd be focused on the Pistons-Cavs Game 6 tonight; I like watching basketball more than hockey. Instead, I watched the NBA Eastern Conference Finals during commercials and intermissions, going back to the Cup Finals as my primary channel.

It was great.

I really enjoyed watching the hockey game - a privilege I was denied for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals because it was only televised on the Versus (whatthefuck?) network. Thanks to NBC, the county was able to at least have the opportunity to watch hockey tonight. I don't know how many people tuned it, but if the NHL plays more games like that one, the league will have no problem gaining fans.

Ottawa came to life for the first time in this series to win, 5-3. The crowd in Ottawa represented a hockey-loving nation yearning for a championship, but also represented the passion this sport can generate. As a casual hockey fan, I can appreciate the energy and excitement tonight's game stirred up.

The NHL better hope that remaining games of these Stanley Cup Finals are just as competitve. They need the ratings. They need to gain back the fans. More importantly, they need a reason to keep their games on networks that people have heard of.

Fans gone wild

Just now while watching the Yankees/Rangers game, in the top of the 9th inning, apparently a nutty fan decided to run around on the field. ESPN is broadcasting tonight's game, I really liked how they just handled this situation.

Simply put, they ignored him.

They showed close ups of Yankees and Rangers players and the dugouts. They did as much as they could to deliberately avoid showing the fan who was apparently running around on the field.

Good for ESPN.

By not putting him on TV, he don't glorify this disruptive behavior that not only detracts from the game, but could also endanger players on the field. No one watching at home got to see anyone not in uniform on the field. Sure fans at Yankee Stadium cheered as their fellow New Yorker ran wild in the House that Ruth built, but other than that there was no incident.

And just now, another Yankee fan jumped down from the crowd and onto the field. Once again, ESPN didn't show this guy who was apparently put in handcuffs.

I really appreciate ESPN going out of their way to not encourage this sort of behavior and completely ignoring these idiot fans.

A MUST-READ about Don Imus

I just came across this column, and I had to post a link to it. I encourage everyone who heard about the Don Imus incident (so all of you) to read this column by Jason Whitlock. It's really great to see someone put things in racial perspective.

Hey, Beer Man!

John Daly's Maxfli golfball commercial is a beautiful drive off the tee on a long par 4. It's straight down the fairway. The wind keeps it away from the water on the right and the sand to the left. A nice roll brings it up over the fringe of the green and stops 16 feet from the cup. It's perfect. When you get to the green, you mark your ball and wait for the other guy to catch up.

Eventually, you put your ball back down. One putt later, this commercial is good for an eagle. -2. Very well-played.

Then an official comes over and says that you've incurred a two-stroke penalty for wearing an ugly shirt. The shirt is hideous, and the PGA Tour is embarrassed you're out there representing them in it. The only problem, this yahoo delivering the news of your penalty is dressed in a green and pink colored plad shirt with a white and biege checkered flap cap. You can't believe this guy is the authority! The greatness of that eagled hole is now nothing more than a "what could have been."

It's that absurd.

WATCH JOHN DALY'S MAXFLI AD:


CBS has decided they will not air Daly's new commercial, according to an article in USA Today, because according to network spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade, it violates network guidelines prohibiting ads "with direct, or implied, excessive consumption of alcohol," especially when the ad also "involves hazardous activity."

The real problem that CBS has is that Daly is shown in the video driving around in a golf cart, beer in hand.

This ad has apparently been airing on the Golf channel, but CBS apparently now has the moral authority to decide what gets on TV and what does not. The problem here is that the ad features Daly, who's not been shy about sharing his troubles with alcohol. Now that he's throwing a party on the golf course, CBS decided "Oh. Oh no. We certainly cannot have this. Inappropriate."

Perhaps CBS is worried that John Daly will have a wardrobe malfunction. Maybe someone from CBS Radio called the TV boys and told them Daly may start referring to the girls who drive the snack carts as "nappy-headed hoes," so the execs waited a week to see if this would affect the bottom line before pulling the commercial. Oh maybe, just maybe, it's because they have a grudge against Daly for supplying Dan Rather with a bogus report about George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Ah, now it all makes sense.

The real problem is that Daly is doing nothing differently than so many others worldwide who play golf every single weekend. They sell alcohol at the course. Beers and the little bottles of Jack Daniels and Crown Royal are all available from the cute girl on the snack cart. When someone finishes a round of golf, they go to the 19th hole for a drink.

And whether you drink or not, if you've played golf, you've seen people drink while out on the course. Does that really worry you? Are they going to get so smashed that they run you over with their golf cart? Are they going to let their three wood slip out of their grip from the tee box, and the club will sail through the air and hit you in the head?

Everyone is so worried about offending someone that as a society we can't have fun anymore. That's not right.

Now maybe the problem really was the fact that Daly is seen jumping on the back of a golf cart in the ad. Now that's not cool. My daddy specifically told me NOT to do that. Only golf bags go in the back of the cart. It's an aggregious violation of course rules. (rolling my eyes)

I don't see any good golf commercials on TV, and I do watch golf every now and then. Sure Tiger Woods has a few great commercials, but he has so many endorsements that they're all starting to run together. Daly's ad is a breathe of fresh air - well, okay perhaps this breath wouldn't pass a breathalizer, but CBS still shouldn't be banning it.

In the spot, Daly sings, "Go long or go home." CBS is opting for the latter. As for Daly, I can only imagine what he's feeling after seeing his ad pulled. I feel sorry for him. I wish there was some way I could cheer him up. Hmm.

Bartender!

Making the call one last time

It's not a major sport in this country outside of any beaches, but I've always been a big volleyball guy. I started playing when I was 12. I did used to be on the team at USC. Ever since I got cut, I've kept close ties with the program as their broadcaster.

Over the last three years I've been calling games for USC men's volleyball, I always tried to make sure I kept as much bias out of the broadcast as possible. Granted these broadcasts streamed online at usctrojans.com, so it shouldn't come as a great shock to anyone listening that there would be some slant toward USC. But I never felt like a part of the team. I wasn't part of the team.

Somehow that feeling changed last night during my final regular season broadcast for USC men's volleyball.

'SC took on Northridge in a battle to host the MPSF Tournament Play-In match. USC had to win 3-0 or have a favorable point differential in a 3-1 victory to host the first match of the post season. I along with color commentator Brooke Bentley detailed not only the playoff picture but also a look at the seniors who were playing their final game in front of the Trojan fans. While going over the accomplishments of the team's seniors, I couldn't help but think about this being my own "senior night" as the team's broadcaster.

Calling these volleyball matches has been the one thing I've truly enjoyed at USC. I don't get paid for it. I don't care that I don't get paid for it. I love the game, and I respect this program. The hardest part of broadcasting for 'SC men's volleyball over the last three year was the fact that once the regular season ended, that was it. The postseason, heh, that wasn't happening. To give you an idea of how bad the team was in 2003 when I got to 'SC, I was on the team! That's a problem.

Last night, even though USC lost to CSUN in four games, assuring the play-in match will be held at the Matadome, the Trojans secured a post-season berth thanks to BYU defeating Pacific this weekend. At the end of a bittersweet night, USC's seniors were sent off in style: into the post season for their first and final time.

As for that tall guy on the sidelines wearing cowboy boots and a headset, well, I'll be at that match Wednesday. My mic will be on, my notes will be ready, and I'll clear my throat, crack my knuckles and hit the air waves one final time. I'll miss being the self-proclaimed "voice of volleyball" but getting to call just one postseason game for this team is reward enough for the last three years of work. The one thing that I've come to realize is that I may not be a part of the team, but I'm a part of USC volleyball, and I'm proud to say that.

USC plays Cal State Northride Wednesday, April 18 at the Matadome in Northridge. First serve is scheduled for 7pm. You can listen to the broadcast of the match streaming live online at usctrojans.com/allaccess.

Imus be crazy

The firing of Don Imus cannot be taken at face value. CBS fired the shock jock today, over a week after he first made his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Since that time, many people have been calling for his termination, but more importantly, advertisers and sponsors back-pedalled from Imus' show in the face of outside pressure. As a result, CBS had no choice but to get rid of him.

Had CBS really wanted to get rid of him because of what he said, they would have fired him a week ago. Instead they fired him today, after they realized they wouldn't be able to sell any commercial time.

Also I think firing Imus in the middle of his charity telethon represents either: a) just how serious CBS is taking the threat of advertisers pulling out; or b) a complete lack of judgment by CBS. If he had to be off the air as soon as possible, then they did what had to be done. If not, he should have been allowed to at least finish a fundraising event. At least give him a chance to go out on some form of a high note.

I don't condone what Imus said - I don't think anyone does - but I'm disgusted with how this situation has been handled. His termination is indirectly linked to his comments, but the true reason he is no longer on the air is money. Don't fault CBS on this one, though. This became a business decision, not a moral decision.

If this had anything to do with morals or ethics, Imus would not have been on the air this week.