LAWRENCE, Kan. – As CBS embarks on another NCAA Tournament, it is important to remember just how good they are at doing this event. Sure, they will miff some viewers by jumping around from site to site to update other games – the necessary evil known as “walking the dog” – but when your game is on the line, you can be sure you’ll see it live.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After putting forth my arbitrary list of the best in live television for the past year, I have seen that the Sports Emmy Awards were given out last night. I’ve decided that, since I have yet to look at the winners, I might as well give my picks to a slightly less arbitrary selection.
Here’s a quick digression: I’m sitting in the Kansas Union on the KU campus in Lawrence with ESPN’s newsmagazine attempt, E:60, on a television to my left. I can’t really hear what’s being said. What I can tell is that the film noir pitch meeting footage is horribly over the top, and the camerawork for the interviews in this Stephon Marbury piece is basically what I’d expect from ESPN trying to do break into this genre. Could someone please watch Real Sports or 60 Minutes?! They do it right.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For as long as I’ve been writing about the world of live television, I don’t think I’ve ever actually put forth a list of who I think is the best for on-air and production.
Here are a couple of rules: 1) individuals must still be active in their respective roles (network changes are okay); 2) there is no limit on how many people working for a particular network can be chosen (if the network happens to be that good, it wouldn’t make sense for me to suggest otherwise); 3) for sports, when I feel it is warranted, I may select multiple people holding the same position but for different sports.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – I’m back at KU for the spring semester, introducing a new look to the site, to me and to Jayhawk Sports Talk. While specifics of the coming season at KUJH are still pending, I will share my recommendations for the weekend programs you shouldn’t miss:
ROSWELL, Ga. – I wrapped up the last weekend of my winter break in exciting fashion, on the road in Chicago for last weekend’s NFC Divisional Playoff between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. Splitting time at the new Soldier Field between national television and radio coverage on Fox and Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports, respectively, I now feel confident that I have seen two of the three best NFL TV crews in action, both of which were working last Sunday.
With additional equipment and personnel on hand, producer Richie Zyontz and director Artie Kempner told the compelling story of the Bears’ comeback in the midst of an uncharacteristically poor defensive effort on its home field. While Carolina dominated early and often, Fox’s top production duo never counted the Bears out, following the game’s story to its unfortunate end. The game was surprisingly high scoring, with the Chicago defense giving up around three touchdowns more than its per game average at home, but the Bears were within striking distance until just before the two-minute warning when Chicago’s Rex Grossman threw a game-ending interception. It was a very exciting finish to say the least. Fox, however, had a hard act to follow.
ROSWELL, Ga. – Chalk one up for the BCS. This was the last year of the Bowl Championship Series’ TV contract with ABC, and without a last minute deal with Fox, we might have witnessed a change in the bowl system. Needless to say, the BCS is here for at least another four years. For all the criticism that the system has endured since its inception in 1998, however, this year it appears to have worked – more or less.
While the rankings may still need some work as a majority of top ten BCS-ranked teams lost their respective bowl games, the elite bowl games certainly lived up to expectations. As my trusty stat man pointed out to me after last night’s National Championship, all but the Fiesta Bowl were decided by three points, each with its own set of quirks. The Sugar Bowl had a huge lead and a subsequent comeback; the Orange Bowl was slow developing and mistake prone; and the Rose Bowl was an exhilarating neck-and-neck race of two tremendous football teams. Blowouts are no fun to watch, and this year’s games were infused with endless storylines and matchups that endured well into the final minutes of each game.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After my month-long hiatus from writing these little gems because of this thing called college, I have returned with a multitude of material. Perhaps my standards are too high, but I unfortunately have more disappointment to share than elation. Allow me to begin with a critique of ESPN’s Thursday night college football crew. Regardless of how anyone may feel about S.U. alum Mike Tirico’s falsetto touchdown calls, Kirk Herbstreit’s quarterback mentality (not as bad as Joe Theismann) or Lee Corso’s bizarre antics, I have a bone to pick with two men I actually know: Bo Garrett and Mike Schwab, the producer and director, respectively. I don’t care how good a player might be; the nickname “Pacman” is not to be used on graphics in lieu of a kid’s first name. I am quite familiar with West Virginia’s Adam “Pacman” Jones. He was the star running back at Westlake High School, just south of the airport in Atlanta, and my high school football team had the misfortune of crossing his path while I was shooting my second jockumentary, Inside the Game II. He was called “Pacman” then, and he may be called that for the rest of his life. That still doesn’t mean you put it on a graphic. Mookie Blaylock and Tiger Woods are one thing, but “Pacman Jones”? I think not.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Think Outside the Box: For some reason, networks have begun to show a growing number of replays with various split-screen effects. Here’s a thought: STOP! It began with Fox’s baseball coverage in the last few years and can now be seen on some of ABC’s college football telecasts.While some viewers may be able to follow two replays going simultaneously at opposite ends of the screen, no network seems to be able to integrate that with a background that doesn’t look absolutely hideous. Fox used its mind-numbing cookie-cutter shapes rather than simple polygons, and ABC’s background looked so pixelated that it was practically unbearable to watch. Whatever happened to the good ‘ole days when it was sufficient to show the isolated shot of the quarterback throwing and the subsequent pressure from the opposition’s defensive line and then seeing the receivers in isolation from a separate angle. I don’t remember anyone complaining that they couldn’t see both at the exact same time.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With the new NFL television contract extensions finalized for CBS and Fox, I suppose that most of the executives and production personnel at the two networks could rest easier as Week 10 blindsided football fans with a plethora of unexpected victories and losses around the league. Everything from the surprising demise of the Holmes-less Kansas City Chiefs to the Vick-torious Atlanta Falcons, who are somehow flying under the radar despite a 7-4 record, provided viewers with a little drama, suspense, and – thanks to the Steelers and Browns – intrigue. Indeed, I was watching the Pittsburgh-Cleveland bout, which at the very least made infinitely more sense than Evander Holyfield’s mismatch the night before. I was, however, watching the game in the midst of a few dozen college students. While I try to temper my criticism of sports telecasts, at least in public, the twenty-somethings around me were not so careful with their words. “I don’t like Dierdorf,” one of them said. “He probably wouldn’t like you either,” I thought – silently, of course. These kids mocked the slightest inflection in an announcer’s voice, his word choice, his criticisms of their favorite team, and proceeded to knock CBS’ pregame show, The NFL Today, for everything from the animated segment featuring the fictitious Thurston Long to why they think Shannon Sharpe doesn’t belong on the show.