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Booth just not Gumbel's bag
NFL Network may be losing its gamble on play-by-play man
Ed Sherman
December 7, 2007
Thursday's Bears game was the first opportunity for Chicago-area fans who haven't been blessed with access to the NFL Network to hear what it has to offer. Locally, the game aired free (a novel concept) on WPWR-Ch. 50.
Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth were given the difficult task of trying to make something out of a match between 5-7 teams. Green Bay-Dallas it was not.
The first half couldn't have been bleaker, as Gumbel and Collinsworth were left to describe players being carted off the field.
There was plenty of dumping on the Bears.
Collinsworth was typically sharp and biting. When Gumbel noted the Bears' defense excelled in three-and-out and third-and-long situations, Collinsworth said, "They must be lousy in between."
Then in the third quarter, he said: "There's professional football and unprofessional football. Right now the Bears are playing unprofessional football. It's embarrassing."
Ouch.
Gumbel also got in a shot when he said of the beleaguered Cedric Benson, "Let's be honest, he was lousy."
Candor was one of the reasons the NFL Network decided to pair Gumbel and Collinsworth in the booth. Collinsworth was an easy call, as he is the Tom Brady of analysts. Who's better?
The network gambled on Gumbel, who before taking the assignment last year hadn't called a game since the 1970s. Thus far, he hasn't paid off as critics have panned him for everything, including his voice. It lacks the authoritative tone usually heard from NFL play-by-play men.
Gumbel makes no apologies, saying "It's the only voice I have."
Of greater concern is Gumbel's ability to call a game. Thursday, he violated an announcer rule when he didn't wait for the referee to signal the result of a field goal: He said an attempt by Washington's Shaun Suisham was good, only to see it fall short.
"My bad," Gumbel said.
There were other "my bads," which shouldn't be accepted at this level.
I'm a big fan of Gumbel's "Real Sports" on HBO. That's his arena. The football booth, it appears, is not.
Send a letter
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has emerged as the great defender for sports TV viewers.
Thursday, he stepped into the dispute involving the NFL Network and the big cable operators who are balking at carrying it, writing a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Kerry is concerned many fans, especially those in Massachusetts, might not be able to see the Dec. 29 game between New England and the New York Giants, which will air on the NFL Network.
If the Patriots are going for an undefeated season, the uproar will be even more intense than it was for last week's Dallas-Green Bay game.
"Unfortunately, this disagreement has led to the use of what could potentially be an historic football game as leverage in a negotiation," Kerry said in the letter.
Kerry could have the weight to influence the negotiations. Earlier this year, the senator conducted a hearing about Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" subscription package only being available on DirecTV.
Eventually, MLB did a deal to place out-of-market games on cable.
NFL fans should hope Kerry will have the same effect again.
This time, Kerry probably reacted after seeing the rating for Monday night's game. The Patriots' 27-24 victory over Baltimore set an all-time cable record for the largest audience. An estimated 17.5 million viewers watched on ESPN.
That eclipsed the previous high of 17.2 million viewers set in August for Disney's airing of "High School Musical 2." The mark probably is safe until Disney airs the debut of "High School Musical 3."
An ace
The Masters' annual par-3 tournament had been one of the great unseen spectacles in golf. Not anymore.
Augusta National announced the event, held Wednesday of Masters week, will be broadcast for the first time on ESPN.
Played on Augusta's short 1,060-yard course, the loose atmosphere for the Par 3 always is a lot of fun. Let's hope the move is a precursor to ESPN being allowed to televise more of the first two rounds.
----------
esherman@tribune.com
LINK
NFL Network may be losing its gamble on play-by-play man
Ed Sherman
December 7, 2007
Thursday's Bears game was the first opportunity for Chicago-area fans who haven't been blessed with access to the NFL Network to hear what it has to offer. Locally, the game aired free (a novel concept) on WPWR-Ch. 50.
Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth were given the difficult task of trying to make something out of a match between 5-7 teams. Green Bay-Dallas it was not.
The first half couldn't have been bleaker, as Gumbel and Collinsworth were left to describe players being carted off the field.
There was plenty of dumping on the Bears.
Collinsworth was typically sharp and biting. When Gumbel noted the Bears' defense excelled in three-and-out and third-and-long situations, Collinsworth said, "They must be lousy in between."
Then in the third quarter, he said: "There's professional football and unprofessional football. Right now the Bears are playing unprofessional football. It's embarrassing."
Ouch.
Gumbel also got in a shot when he said of the beleaguered Cedric Benson, "Let's be honest, he was lousy."
Candor was one of the reasons the NFL Network decided to pair Gumbel and Collinsworth in the booth. Collinsworth was an easy call, as he is the Tom Brady of analysts. Who's better?
The network gambled on Gumbel, who before taking the assignment last year hadn't called a game since the 1970s. Thus far, he hasn't paid off as critics have panned him for everything, including his voice. It lacks the authoritative tone usually heard from NFL play-by-play men.
Gumbel makes no apologies, saying "It's the only voice I have."
Of greater concern is Gumbel's ability to call a game. Thursday, he violated an announcer rule when he didn't wait for the referee to signal the result of a field goal: He said an attempt by Washington's Shaun Suisham was good, only to see it fall short.
"My bad," Gumbel said.
There were other "my bads," which shouldn't be accepted at this level.
I'm a big fan of Gumbel's "Real Sports" on HBO. That's his arena. The football booth, it appears, is not.
Send a letter
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has emerged as the great defender for sports TV viewers.
Thursday, he stepped into the dispute involving the NFL Network and the big cable operators who are balking at carrying it, writing a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Kerry is concerned many fans, especially those in Massachusetts, might not be able to see the Dec. 29 game between New England and the New York Giants, which will air on the NFL Network.
If the Patriots are going for an undefeated season, the uproar will be even more intense than it was for last week's Dallas-Green Bay game.
"Unfortunately, this disagreement has led to the use of what could potentially be an historic football game as leverage in a negotiation," Kerry said in the letter.
Kerry could have the weight to influence the negotiations. Earlier this year, the senator conducted a hearing about Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" subscription package only being available on DirecTV.
Eventually, MLB did a deal to place out-of-market games on cable.
NFL fans should hope Kerry will have the same effect again.
This time, Kerry probably reacted after seeing the rating for Monday night's game. The Patriots' 27-24 victory over Baltimore set an all-time cable record for the largest audience. An estimated 17.5 million viewers watched on ESPN.
That eclipsed the previous high of 17.2 million viewers set in August for Disney's airing of "High School Musical 2." The mark probably is safe until Disney airs the debut of "High School Musical 3."
An ace
The Masters' annual par-3 tournament had been one of the great unseen spectacles in golf. Not anymore.
Augusta National announced the event, held Wednesday of Masters week, will be broadcast for the first time on ESPN.
Played on Augusta's short 1,060-yard course, the loose atmosphere for the Par 3 always is a lot of fun. Let's hope the move is a precursor to ESPN being allowed to televise more of the first two rounds.
----------
esherman@tribune.com
LINK
not bad at all.....
