cccallan@ucdavis.UUCP (Allan McKillop) (11/10/85)
> Blah, blah, blah...: I do have a great number of other good > topics I'd love to dicuss: extravagant costs of junior tennis, > disgust with Bud Collins, etc, but work+school... > hmm, i personally try not to let such insignificant things as school and work get in the way of usenet...:-) anyway, i think this brings up an interesting point: among tennis commentators, who do you like and dislike? i'll start with my good/bad list. Favorites: Dick Enberg - when he doesn't try to get too cute with collins, he does a superb job. i love him at wimbledon, and the french. Cliff Drysdale - very intelligent. knows his stuff, and he has the ability to get the info to the audience. Virginia Wade - yeah, i know i am going to take a lot of flack on this one, but i happen to like her. she still plays enough to be humble when talking about martina or chris when they miss a shot. she is even better on the BBC during wimbledon when she isn't forced to constantly chatter to fill dead air. Dan Maskell - not really widely watched here in the states unless you watch wimbledon on HBO or remember the old Brannif World of Doubles telecasts that used to be in syndication. i wish more of the american commentators could be like him. just wishful thinking, i guess... Most Hated: (where, oh where do i start?!?!) Tony Trabert - constantly talks down to the players ("you know, newk, i don't know WHY they try that shot.") except when jimmy or john are in the booth, then it's nothing but mindless compliments. he is just too wrapped up in himself, and his past history in the game. John Newcombe - did i say trabert is wrapped up in his own self importance? sorry, newk takes the cake here! we are always being forced to listen to "well, when the aussies were #1 we did/didn't do this or that". I just want to scream "newk, you never had a backhand, so shut up!" Joanne Russell - send her to broadcasting school. Pat Sumerall - he should stick to football. i don't care if the man used to be a ranked junior in florida, he doesn't know how to commentate a tennis match. Stan Smith - send him out to get a personality. Authur Ashe - far too wishy-washy to be a good commentator. when was the last time you remembered something he said for more than the next two points? Howard Cosell - i will be glad the day ABC pulls out of tennis coverage all together. howard is soooo bad, i won't go into it here. it would be like shooting a caged animal, far too easy. The rest: well, you might have noticed the lack of the name of Bud Collins. you see, i don't think he is among the best, but (um, well, er...) i kinda like him. he knows his stuff (he is the first person i ever heard tout sabatini as the next wunderkind of tennis). you just have to suffer through "the angelic assassin", "Mac the Knife", "the Ice Maiden" and who could ever forget "Count Dracula" (Ian Tiriac)? i guess i just think that his good points (his tennis knowledge) outweighs his bad ones (his tv personality). so, lets hear other peoples opinions! mike, you can take a few minutes off to tell me why you hate bud, can't you? and the rest of you, speak up! lets get some discussions going! -- Allan McKillop (...ucbvax!ucdavis!deneb!cccallan) "Where there's a will, there's a relative..."
cher@ihlpm.UUCP (Cherepov) (11/11/85)
-- > Dick Enberg - when he doesn't try to get too cute with collins, > he does a superb job. i love him at wimbledon, > Authur Ashe - far too wishy-washy to be a good commentator. when > was the last time you remembered something he said for > more than the next two points? Ha-ha, a couple of hours ago I produced a posting with dislike of Enberg and admiration for Ashe. The curious thing is that I agree with Allan on all his other judgements (except Newk, who sounds like a nice fellow who is having fun). But Enberg? He constantly expresses greatest admiration for Bud's knowledge, justified mainly by the fact that Enberg himself as a latecomer to tennis(game or coverage) knows rather little. There's no good substitute for knowing what you are doing. He likes the game, though.. Ashe: I think he is much more memorable then anyone else I've heard. I remember very well some comments on Lendl's strategy he made ~ 4 yrs ago... I can add Billie Jean King & Bjorn Borg to my list of mediocre commentators. I don't think they care, though. Does anyone? Mike Cherepov
cccallan@ucdavis.UUCP (Allan McKillop) (11/12/85)
> -- > > Dick Enberg - when he doesn't try to get too cute with collins, > > he does a superb job. i love him at wimbledon, > > Authur Ashe - far too wishy-washy to be a good commentator. when > > was the last time you remembered something he said for > > more than the next two points? > > Ha-ha, a couple of hours ago I produced a posting with dislike > of Enberg and admiration for Ashe. > The curious thing is that I agree with Allan on all his other > judgements (except Newk, who sounds like a nice fellow who is having fun). > > But Enberg? He constantly expresses greatest admiration for Bud's > knowledge, justified mainly by the fact that Enberg himself as a > latecomer to tennis(game or coverage) knows rather little. > There's no good substitute for knowing what you are doing. > He likes the game, though.. > > Ashe: I think he is much more memorable then anyone else I've > heard. I remember very well some comments on Lendl's > strategy he made ~ 4 yrs ago... > > I can add Billie Jean King & Bjorn Borg to my list of mediocre > commentators. I don't think they care, though. Does anyone? > Mike Cherepov ok, i won't argue with you that maybe enberg isn't the worlds greatest authority on tennis, but the man is an excellent commentator. i think he is at his best when reading a prepared script and not trying to winging with bud. and i think that bud's knowledge of the game and enberg's commentary style works well together. i still like him. he did win the WTA commentator of the year honors last year, so i'm not the only one... sorry, i still think ashe is wishy-washy. he refuses to take a stand on far too many things in a match to make him a good commentator in my opinion. perhaps i am not separating his role as a commentator and his role as Davis Cup captain (which he DEFINITELY was far too wishy-washy). i guess that he is also at a disadvantage in that he only gets to cover the glizty tournaments (the only type ABC does) and not the Grand Slam events. ARRGH! how could i have forgotten Bjorn Borg and Tracy Austin? just lucky, i guess. mediocre? you are being far too kind, mike. how about "they stunk"? and i don't think billie jean is that bad. now that i brought up the subject of ashe and the Davis Cup, i think this would be a good new topic. what do people think about (1) the code thing, (2) the way the whole incident was handled and (3) the recent selections for the US Davis Cup team. I think Georgia-Pacific (or whatever the name of the company is) should be dumped. the Davis Cupis bigger than any one company. I think ashe blew it by not taking a firm stand one way or the other. he voiced support for mcenroe and connors, but ended up going for the code. and why did we use Aaron Krickstein and Eliot Telscher for singles? both Curren and Kriek were FAR about these two on the ATP computer. Viva net.sport.tennis!!! -- Allan McKillop (...ucbvax!ucdavis!deneb!cccallan) "Where there's a will, there's a relative..."
pss@nvuxb.UUCP (P.Schroeder) (11/13/85)
Aside from a test, this is my first posting to the net.
I have read, with considerable interest, the recent articles on tennis
commentators and players' rankings, and would like to share some of
my ideas on these subjects.
I'll start with the commentators, leaving players' rankings for a later
article.
CBS:
Brent Musberger - Musberger's role with CBS's tennis coverage
(e.g., the U.S. Open) is to act as "host", a function
he performs quite well. A couple of years ago, he treated tennis
like "The NFL Today" with his well-known front-runner hype;
however, I thought he did a good job at the U.S. Open this year.
Pat Summerall - Summerall is much better at football than tennis, but
he is a real professional and quietly does a pretty good job. Maybe he
just sounds good to me because he usually works with Trabert.
Tony Trabert - Trabert is terrible, and I was very disappointed that his
contract with CBS was renewed. Aside from his excessive criticism
of many of the players, he has been an apologist for McEnroe's
abominable behavior. In addition, his overall pro-American
bias is quite evident.
John Newcombe - Newcombe is even more critical of players than Trabert,
but, otherwise, I can tolerate him more. It's clear to me that
Newcombe hasn't been doing his homework though, and I don't look
for him to last with CBS much longer (maybe they'll hire Connors
to replace him).
Virginia Wade - Wade doesn't offer much substance but, with her clipped
British accent, sounds good saying nothing.
NBC:
Dick Enberg - Much like Summerall, Enberg is a solid professional.
However, while he appreciates and conveys the traditions
of the French Open and Wimbledon, his lack of tennis knowledge
is evident. Consequently, he panders to Bud Collins.
Bud Collins - Collins is certainly the most controversial tennis
commentator and for good reason - he is both awful and excellent.
Collins covered tennis when nobody else in the U.S. was and for
that we owe him a debt of gratitude. Also, his knowledge of the
game and its players is formidable. However, his constant
blathering and attempts at humor trivialize the matches.
In general, I feel that NBC's coverage focuses too much on
player personalities instead of strategy and shot-making.
Stan Smith - Smith is knowledgeable but colorless. He is best suited
to a third-man role in the booth.
Joann Russell - Russell speaks well but has even less to say than
Virginia Wade.
ABC:
Howard Cosell - Cosell knows almost nothing about tennis. He's a joke.
Arthur Ashe - Clearly, Ashe is knowledgeable and reasonably articulate.
However, his role with the U.S. Davis Cup team clouds his
judgment, especially with regard to McEnroe.
ESPN:
Jim Simpson - Simpson hasn't been doing tennis this year and that's
fortunate for us; he's a professional but has little knowledge
about tennis.
Cliff Drysdale - Drysdale is among the best tennis commentators.
Not only is he knowledgeable and articulate, he is not afraid
to take a stand. Fortunately, Drysdale seems to have taken over
from Simpson as ESPN's main play-by-play commentator.
Fred Stolle - Stolle isn't a polished commentator, but he knows tennis
and the players. Perhaps he is a little too close to the players
to be totally objective.
USA:
Al Trautwig - Trautwig is my personal favorite among play-by-play
commentators. He is professional, articulate, knows the game
pretty well, takes a stand, and knows how to use the color
commentators. Unfortunately, he left USA after the French
Open this year to go to ABC (with any luck, he'll take over
from Cosell).
Donald Dell - Dell is a walking portfolio of conflicting interests
with managing players, promoting tournaments, as well
as serving as a commentator.
Even so, I like him as a color commentator.
It's clear that he knows tennis and the players; unfortunately,
he does show favoritism towards his own clients.
Barry McKay - Like Dell, McKay has some conflicting interests going.
However, I think McKay is one of the best around, especially at
player interviews. At the U.S. Open this year, he was doing
coverage for both USA and CBS and doing it well.
Bob McDonald - McDonald took Trautwig's slot for the U.S. Open coverage
this year and did all right. He was a let-down after Trautwig but
USA could have done worse (and, in fact, did at the Seiko Super
Series last month - the guy who did play-by-play was an
embarrassment).
Mary Carillo - Carillo is the best of the women commentators. She knows
tennis and the players, and conveys her ideas well. My only
complaint is that she seems too chummy with some of the women
players, especially Martina (with whom she wrote a book).
Also, she seems to serve as McEnroe's PR person.
Steve Flink - Flink isn't a polished commentator and serves as a third-man
in the booth for USA as well as MSG; however, he is a walking
encyclopedia of tennis facts and history. I really enjoy his
contributions.
Finally, this is how I rank these networks on their coverage of tennis:
1 - ESPN
2 - USA
3 - CBS
4 - NBC
5 - ABC