OT - San Marino GP and Speed broadcast

[F308GTB]

Watched it on Tivo this afternoon. It's too bad CBS got the deal they got. The Speed team clearly demonstrated their high quality. Great race, even the second time around, made better by Varsha, Hobbs, and Matchett.

[Zeppo]

I'm not well-versed in motor-sports on US TV, and only know Daly from his hanging out with Peter Windsor co-hosting the Speed channel blow-out coverage of the USGP at the Speedway. I certainly like Hobbs (sp?) and Matchett (sp?) better, and of course Varsha is much preferred over whoever that whiney guy was, but by the same token, any time F1 is on over the air, network TV in the US I think that fact outweighs any other concern regarding the broadcast.

And Daly's line (re: JPM) about playing tennis on a motorcycle was timed to prefection and priceless. In general though, he almost seemed to be trying to say too much, while not being entirely sure what kind of audience he was speaking to. It was painfully like what watching soccer here was like 10 years ago (and still is to a great degree, though it's slowly getting beyond the 'let's explain the rules every second' stage).

Anyway, I was happy to TiVO the Speed channel version, just for pre-race and to catch the entirety of the post-match interviews, or at least the parts in English.

[pk500]

I didn't think Sheheen and Daly were that bad on CBS. Better than I imagined before the race.

Daly does offer some good insight, and his comment about Montoya's tennis accident was priceless. But he talks way too much, calling way too much play-by-play for a color man, as if Ralph Sheheen knew nothing about racing or F1. That's not the case -- Ralph is one of the more versatile racing play-by-play men in America today. He's called NASCAR, ALMS, WRC, F1, NHRA and more.

OK, Ralph is no Bob Varsha, but who is? Varsha is the best play-by-play man in North American motorsports broadcasting. And there is no finer North American racing broadcast team than Varsha, Hobbs and Matchett on F1 for Speed. Joy, DW and Larry Mac are very good doing NASCAR on Fox, but they're not as good as the Speed F1 boys.

But Ralph did a good job last Sunday on CBS in the four seconds Daly gave him to talk. And he's also a very good guy.

Take care,
PK

[Zeppo]

I shouldn't have called him 'whiney.' I don't even think I spelled it right . I think he did F1 on Speed for a year or two there? And he fills in for Varsha when he is ill or has other commitments? His voice was familiar to me.

I think what I found annoying was that 'let's explain the rules' type of factor, where he was dumbing down his play-by-play for the network audience. My attitude is that it's best tell it like it is, and folks will catch on quickly enough. Too much dumbing down can turn people off, IMO, moreso than using too much jargon, but maybe that's just me. I don't entirely blame Sheheen, as I imagine he is unsure of exactly what kind of audience he is speaking to. FWIW I have enjoyed his work on Speed F1 in the past (if I am not mistaken, and it was indeed him).

Who was the guy who used to do F1 when it was carried on Fox Sports Net channels? I liked him a lot, too. He had sort of a Bob's Big Boy head, and a real radio voice?

[mixdj1]

His voice was familiar to me.

He used to do the WRC coverage on Speed. I much preferred him to the group they have now (excluding Nicky Grist of course, how can you not like Nicky).

[pk500]

Mix:

Nicky loves your beloved Mitsubooshis. Seriously, Nicky is my favorite racing analyst, period. I think he does a nice job of explaining the finer points of rallying.

Plus I sent Nicky an e-mail -- found his address on his Web site -- from my personal e-mail account after McRae fired him as co-driver and he made his debut on Speed WRC telecasts. I thought it was a SUPERB TV debut and complimented him. I made no mention of my job at Indy; I just wrote him as a fan, which I am.

He wrote me a short, kind note in reply! Mega cool.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Zep:

I'm trying to remember who the "other" guy who did F1 play-by-play for Fox Sports Net when it had F1.

There are only three guys who come off the top of my head: Mike Joy, Dave Despain or Sam Posey.

I don't think it was Despain. He has the classic radio voice, but he does not look anything like Bob's Big Boy. Angular, brushcut guy. Hosts "Wind Tunnel," a great racing call-in and opinion show, on Sunday nights on Speed.

I don't think it was Posey. Sam, a former F1 and sports-car driver from the U.S., always has done color only in his numerous racing broadcasts, including an analyst on Speed's F1 team until his health started to deteriorate about three years ago.

That leaves Joy. And I'm pretty sure it was Joy. Radio voice, sort of dumpy, everyman face with a full head of hair. Very solid behind the mike, knows enough to sound credible, hands off and receives from his analysts seamlessly, etc. The Jim Nantz of racing telecasts. He's now the play-by-play guy for FOX's NASCAR telecasts.

Take care,
PK

[Zeppo]

Well, I do fine disliking little Nicky . He may know his stuff, but he's no Ovid when it comes to speaking. Does every sentence have to start with 'Well, as far as. . . .' Plus every time he says 'MistiBOOSHi' it drives me INSANE (sort of like the 'nucyular' for 'nuclear,' or 'foilage' for 'foliage' thing). Luckily in CMR05, he doesn't have to say 'MitsiBOOSHi,' and I couldn't do without him in that game!

Ok that's a little harsh, but you get my meaning. And Speed doens't have a group anymore for WRC coverage. They just take the Brit. highlight show and cut some Nicky into it. Cheaper by a LONG shot than having Varsha or Sheheen do their own thing. (I doubt they ever cut their own stuff anyway.)

[mixdj1]

Yeah, the only thing I can fault Nicky for is slaughtering MIT SOO BEE SHEE. And that is a cool story. He just seems live a very cool guy.

[pk500]

Zep:

You've hit on all of the points why I like Nicky. I like that every one of his reports seems like it was shot on the first take unless he really screwed up, cursed or starting speaking Welsh mid-sentence. It's very folksy, relaxed, personable -- very Nicky.

Plus he knows his sh*t.

I do miss Sheheen or Varsha doing the play-by-play. Varsha apparently really got into WRC when he joined Sheheen and Nicky for on-location coverage of Rally Mexico last year. No coincidence that Varsha probably called two of the next three WRC telecasts on Speed!

The British pair do suck. But the chick, Izzy Clark, does have a very proper English accent with superb pronunciation, so I bet she'd sound pretty foxy asking, "Would you care if I open my vagina for pleasurable penetration now, my sir?"



Out,
PK

[pk500]

LAY OFF OUR NICKY, YOU C*CK.



Take care,
PK

[Zeppo]

PK: Myabe it was Joy. Very much a pro, and it definitely wasn't Despain. Seen the commercials for his show enough to be able to recognize him, and I do think I've heard this guy on some Fox Nascar shows. But if Joy is the skinny guy, that ain't him. My guy had a pudgy, round face. I remember the skinny guy from before Fox had NASCAR and he used to do a NASCAR pre/wrap-up type show with the younger Waltrip and others on FS Net channels. I need to see some picures, I could pick him out of a line-up, no prob.

And don't get me wrong, I'm being pretty facetious with the Nicky hating. I do like his insights quite a bit, I just wish he could take a class or two in broadcast speaking. In the end, however, I'd rather have a knowledgeable, experienced guy who has some inside access but is a little rough around the edges than a smooth-talker who doesn't know what he is talking about.

[DChaps]

I'd agree with you but I'm an idiot and forgot to set the VCR before watching the IRL stream from Motegi. I remembered with about 20 laps to go in the Indy Car race.

Oh well, I'm at 94% of a BT download of a Spanish broadcast of the F1 race. I'll bet the Spanish guy is better than Derek Daly.

sf_z, I'll send it to you on DVD if you are interested.