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Radio announcing evaluation
September 1st, 2014 at 7:05 PM
#1
Radio announcing evaluation
This is my first topic post, so please be gentle.
What did everyone think of the crew on Saturday? I felt that Dan did a fantastic job and fit right in. Jim reminded me of Blaha a bit, severely delayed on many calls. Being his first play by play game, he gets a pass in my book. Overall I think by the end of the season he will be descent.
Thoughts?
September 1st, 2014 at 7:08 PM
#2
Good topic! Didn't get to
Good topic! Didn't get to hear the broadcast, curious about it.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:12 PM
#3
I listened to most of the 4th
I listened to most of the 4th on the radio, and it was interesting. Brandy needs to figure out the balance between color and PBP. He sounds a bit awkward at times, but it wasn't a bad start. That being said, the banter between the two of them was pretty entertaining. Hate to say it, but Dierdorf is a much better, much more polished color guy than Brandy ever was, which I guess shouldn't be surprising given his history in NFL broadcasting.
In total, it's a bit of an uneven broadcasting team right now, but it'll get better.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:16 PM
#4
It's tough having listened to
It's tough having listened to Frank basically my whole life. You get used to a cadence and tempo, but Jim certainly has the enthusiasm.
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September 1st, 2014 at 8:19 PM
#5
bpenning
bpenning: If you think this is an adjustment, you should have been around when we lost Bob Ufer.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:17 PM
#6
Brandy not great at PBP
He was constantly late or nonexistant on much of the action. Too much chit chat when just needed to be calling the darn game action.
September 2nd, 2014 at 2:07 PM
#7
I expected that.
who can blame him for getting lost in a conversation with his old buddy.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:18 PM
#8
I flicked the radio on after
I flicked the radio on after TD's because of the delay and then listened to the post game recap. I thought they were OK. It takes a little getting used to because Brandy has been the color guy forever and Frank Beckman is the guy I associate the words, "Touchdown Michigan!" with. I like both guys so much though that I enjoy listening to them talk about anything.
I'm not sure how much my opinion matters considering I actually like Matt Shepard's broadcasts for the basketball games and I think I'm the only one on the planet that doesn't hate Brent Musberger.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:27 PM
#9
the only one on the planet that doesn't hate Brent Musberger.
I actually sort of like Musberger, as long as it's in small doses.
September 1st, 2014 at 8:26 PM
#10
I don't mind Musberger,
I don't mind Musberger, though he has gotten worse recently and I like Matt Shepard also. I think they both get way too much hate around here.
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September 1st, 2014 at 10:28 PM
#11
Over the years, Brent has
Over the years, Brent has deliberately roughed up the edges and tried to become more folksie. Suddenly, for example, there's a slight drawl. He was a decent, polished announcer who tried to ape Keith Jackson, not seeming to understand that there's only one Keith, and it's better to just be himself.
September 2nd, 2014 at 1:13 AM
#12
re: announcers
I actually really like Matt Shepherd... makes the games exciting and relates well to Michigan fans. Great bball announcer.
I only saw the highlights from Saturday with the radio commentary but I thought Brandstatter sounded fine. I'm sure he'll improve with time but I think he'll end up being really good.
Don't like Musberger... he was really exciting up until maybe 2002ish but I know I feel like he just chitchats with Herbstreit all the time. Musberger and Danielson was a much better combination. I remember in 2006 during the last couple of drives of Michigan - OSU Brent was talking about the USC-Cal game or something like that. Just doesn't get into the moment as much as he used to, which is a shame.
Anyway, Gus Johnson is my favorite play by play guy. He's so enthusiastic and makes every moment feel as big as important as it is to the fans of the teams involved. Fantastic announcer.
September 2nd, 2014 at 10:00 AM
#13
Musberger
Musberger was one of the better PBP guys, which is why he got to where he did. Unfortunately, he has seemed to lose his touch recently. He was good and always had enthusiasm, but he has seemed to mail it in more recently when trying to get outside the PBP action, IMO. He still isn't even close to one of the worst, he just mixes in being pretty good still with some really bad commentary, which makes it hard to listen in long sperts.
September 2nd, 2014 at 3:26 PM
#14
Too Much Love
I hate Musberger and everything about him.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:19 PM
#15
Hopefully he gets better with
Hopefully he gets better with more games under his belt. It was definitely awkward at times. It was weird not hearing that same ole familiar voice calling the game though
September 1st, 2014 at 7:19 PM
#16
I like Brandy more at color.
I like Brandy more at color.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:21 PM
#17
Barely finished
A sentence on describing the play before jumping back to doing color. He seemed to be working hard to tee Dierdorf up, which is unnecessary...
In fairness, listened to last 10 minutes of a blowout game when most announcers start to ramble.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:21 PM
#18
I thought they did a good job
I thought they did a good job for being their first game together. I was just glad that the feed through the TuneIn app was actually behind the TV, so I just had to pause my DVR for about 10 seconds and boom! TV with radio feed was synced up
September 1st, 2014 at 7:24 PM
#19
Was able to catch just about a quarter's worth of the game
Brandy sounded a bit hyper and forced at times, but he was OK. Dierdorf was smooth but entertaining.
I was pleasantly surprised at what I didn't hear—I thought there was a danger that they could spend too much time on their Bo anecdotes and stories, but that wasn't the case at all.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:24 PM
#20
As a debut effort, I thought
As a debut effort, I thought they did pretty well. Based on the first game, Dierdorf will be quite good as the Michigan color guy. I disagree with Bando on Brandstatter. I always thought he did a very good job of quickly analyzing plays and providing good insights. I have my doubts that he'll ever be as good at play-by-play as he was at color. The OP is spot on about Brandstatter being slow about calling the plays, and he also wasn't consistent about providing details about formations and personnel prior to plays, which is important on a radio call. It'll be interesting to see how much he improves over the course of the season.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:25 PM
#21
Link to broadcast...
http://www.mgoblue.com/collegesportslive/
Click "On Demand"
September 1st, 2014 at 7:40 PM
#22
My $.02....a "B/B+"
I thought Brando and Beckman were a good combination. That said I thought the team did well but not awesome:
- good football knowledge displayed
- Brando was late on some play by play or abbreviated it to the rough equivalent of "he runs for 4 yards". I think the shift will be hard for him but think it is more fair to assess after say week 4 than week 1
- Dierdorf clearly has good knowledge and brought that to bear - but at times I thought he was pretty rough on some players/coaches. Maybe it is just me - but with college players I always think of them as someone's 18 year old son and think the comments should stay a little more positive. I always aprpeciated guys like Spielman and Bill Curry and Bob Griese/Keith Jackson because they seemed to reflect this ethos. Don't get me wrong, from what I could tell Dan D was RIGHT in his assessment; but maybe could have been more diplomatic.
September 1st, 2014 at 9:21 PM
#23
Dierdorf specifically called
Dierdorf specifically called out his tendency to treat players as pros as something he had to work on with college players, so this is no surprise. You make an excellent point, and one DD himself realizes.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:53 PM
#24
I watched on TV and got tired of the
announcers, so I turned on the radio. However, the radio was so far ahead of the TV broadcast that I couldn't continue so I switched off the radio. I thought that I had heard Ira say that they would be synced together this year.
September 1st, 2014 at 8:12 PM
#25
That is what I thought too
but someone explained to me that the sync was only good for in-stadium radio. In any case, I ended up watching TV in windows media center, which allows you to go back a minute or so in the (temporarily recorded) video so that it matches the audio. I think that most DVRs allow you to do the same thing.
September 1st, 2014 at 7:55 PM
#26
I
Like Brandy and mean no disrespect, but it was not sufficient for a big time program radio play by play. Brandy does not know really what to say so he just says it in a really "excited" fashion to compensate, and it is not Blaha-like where the excitement sounds organic. He needs to improve quickly or I don't think it will last.
September 1st, 2014 at 9:14 PM
#27
Good point -- it was minor league quality
Brandy was late, wrong, and not descriptive on multiple occasions during the quarter or so I listened. For instance, he blew the id on Smith's TD run (he thought it was Green).
On commercial breaks, I turned over to 1130 to listen to Purdue-WMU. I have no idea who the announcers were, and I'm going to guess they were WAY down the totem pole to be doing a game for two struggling programs. Still, the play-by-play guy for that sixth-tier game sounded much more prepared and competent than Brandy.
Hopefully Brandy improves quickly, b/c I like the idea of two former college teammates announcing games for their alma mater. But I was not impressed by game 1.
September 2nd, 2014 at 10:07 AM
#28
Sorry to say...
...I agree. Brandy did not set plays up, seldom described the pre-snap sets, infrequently provided down and distance. Plays just seemed to suddenly happen without context. This can get corrected but Brandy has to reduce the banter and stick to the fundamentals of PBP. Let Dan be the color guy.
September 2nd, 2014 at 10:54 AM
#29
The thing
is, I am not sure they can get "corrected," ya know? Color to play by play almost never happens. Really, can you remember the last time it did? There may a random time here or there that it has, and perhaps even less frequent instances where it has worked, but it is really not a common transition. I was stunned and a little troubled when they announced Brandy as play by play. There are some "either you have it or you don't" aspects to PBP that I am not sure he will catch on to. Play by play is like the narrative to a story whereas color is kind of like the dialogue. In a good story, the narrative has a built in forward momentum where the next sentence kind of just rolls off effortlessly from the last one, Keith Jackson-like. Not sure Brandy is or will be that kind of announcer.
September 2nd, 2014 at 12:01 PM
#30
This.
PxP is just a rare
This.
PxP is just a rare talent. I'm sure that there is a lot of hard work that goes into refining it, but you either have that talent or you don't. I didn't listen to the broadcast, but I'm not surprised to hear that Brandy didn't sound too good.
ESPN for about 15 years has been filling holes by taking sideline reporters and studio hosts and turning them into PxP guys (and gals), and with maybe one or two exceptions, they have all been mediocre, at best. Even Chris Fowler, the best studio host in the business, is mediocre as hell doing PxP.
September 2nd, 2014 at 12:24 PM
#31
Yes, it's not automatic he gets much better
Brandy is not young -- he has literally decades of habits as a color guy that he has to discard. Pair that with the fact he will still be doing color 16 times a year for the Lions, it makes it twice as hard to "flip the switch."
Here's hoping, but we'll see.
September 1st, 2014 at 9:26 PM
#32
This is spot on. Brandy is
This is spot on. Brandy is not a play-by-play announcer. His voice, cadence, ability to paint a picture with his words, etc are just not very good. It is a real shame that this program has a play-by-play man who is average at best. Brandy is a fun color man, but Michigan deserves better.
September 1st, 2014 at 8:08 PM
#33
I think we are very lucky
to have radio announcers who are head and shoulders better than the TV announcers.
I always enjoyed Brandy. Dan Dierdorf is in a league of his own. We should be proud he is not only our announcer but also a UM alum. His professionalism casts in sharp relief the mediocrity of TV announcers like Galloway, Smith, Spielman.....I could go on.
September 1st, 2014 at 8:08 PM
#34
Dierdorf was great! Brandy
Dierdorf was great! Brandy needs to get his timing right, but chemistry will come with time. Good first effort
September 1st, 2014 at 8:52 PM
#35
Thanks to WTKA ....
I was able to listen to the radio call while at the game. I thought they did a fine job calling the action. It was wonderful having the call "live" at the stadium once again!
I love getting the stats and the fast info on injuries while you're at the game. Otherwise you get essentially no information from the PA announcer. Dan was pleading for more run calls as he kept saying "they should run until th eother team proves thay can stop it". Certainly a concept he was taught by Bo.
Go Blue!
September 1st, 2014 at 8:58 PM
#36
I love it that
Dan will get into the offensive line play.
September 1st, 2014 at 9:17 PM
#37
Brandy, C- on PBP. Dierdorf,
Brandy, C- on PBP. Dierdorf, A on color.
September 1st, 2014 at 9:26 PM
#38
I hate to say it, but Brando
I hate to say it, but Brando is just too mushmouthy for PBP. One needs to be smooth and quick to do football, and he simply is neither. He wasn't really capable of painting the picture, so to speak. Plus, he kept saying "Northfleet", which was disappointing.
He's a nice guy and very important to the program, but he's merely a color commentator. He doesn't have the tools for PBP.
The banter between him and Dierdorf was funny, though. Brando did a very awkward thing where he blurted "HEY" followed by silence, and Dierdorf was just like, "uhhh...what? You can't just say 'hey' with nothing after."
September 1st, 2014 at 10:53 PM
#39
I miss Frank's
"touchdown Meechigan." He had a bit of a lyrical announcing quality, kind of like Harwell in painting the picture from the get go. Brandy has none of that and while DD brings a great eye he's rather dull. I still prefer the new duo and their Michigan history over a more seasoned play-by-play guy though. A lot is riding on Brandy and his ability to improve the actual game calling and drive the energy of the broadcast.
September 2nd, 2014 at 9:55 AM
#40
Brandy
Brandy's a natural color guy. PBP? He's gonna need some practice. It was frustrating not to hear who made the tackle, or what the pickup was on offense. I love the guy, and it's clear that he loves Michigan. I thought Dierdorf was great, but they're going to have to work out the division of labor.
September 2nd, 2014 at 2:29 AM
#41
If by years end they can duplicate the old guys from the muppets
...then I am good with it!
September 2nd, 2014 at 3:15 AM
#42
Ufer was fantastic in many ways and I loved him
but if you listen to his PBP, it's eye (or ear-) opening how little hard information he gets into the calls.
September 2nd, 2014 at 4:44 AM
#43
It was his first game, I'm
It was his first game, I'm not going to make any judgments till a few more weeks. Hearing him compared to Blaha is scary, I can't even listen to a game that he does, it amazes me he has a job.
September 2nd, 2014 at 9:15 AM
#44
loved it
had to synch the online feed with the tv since online was about 10 seconds behind my tv. I've never listened to a radio broadcast before of a UM game. Always been a fan of Dan, I might do this weekly now, beats the TV guys any day. Felt like I was at bar listening to buds discuss the game, no awkward moments which matters the most to me.
