Its really nice that so many people "dont care" or want to protect Kerr's feelings. Fine, I get that.
The issue I have is that the NHL, and the Flames in particular seem to really have a tough time presenting themselves as a top flight sport. And it seems to really show in a lot of the regional broadcasts. The national broadcasts are much better.
You want to see good sports presentation? Tune into English Premier League soccer. You'd never hear the goofiness level amped up to 10 in the broadcast booth. Sure, they probably have some quirks too, but the overall intonation of the voice, the calls, the vocabulary. It just seems like you are watching something important. Even the NFL is great at it...it doesn't feel like you are tuning into some high school level game in a small town somewhere. It feels big, it feels important.
Sportsnet, from the presentation, to the commentary, to everything, has a real tough time capturing that important, professional sports league feel.
I will give NBC major props I think they do hockey way better than most Canadian broadcasts.
__________________
A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Igottago For This Useful Post:
I understand ppl getting tired of the beotching and complaining about the commentators but to be fair the Flames have just not had a good pbp guy since good ol' Ed.
I definitely wouldn't be complaining if our guy was Cuthbert or Miller
The issue I have is that the NHL, and the Flames in particular seem to really have a tough time presenting themselves as a top flight sport. And it seems to really show in a lot of the regional broadcasts. The national broadcasts are much better.
This thread is also proof that Flames fans have very high expectations and want national-level broadcast quality for every regional broadcast, when they don't get the viewership to justify. No one will ever be happy, I imagine.
Compare the Premier League viewership to regional NHL broadcasts, and I imagine there is a large gap.
I really don't get the love for Loubo, I am not the biggest fan of Kerr but I still think he is better than Loubo's voice. Loubo may be a brilliant hockey mind but a play-by-play broadcaster he is not. I have not yet met a non-Flames fan that thought Loubo's play-by-play was anything but bad. There's a reason he doesn't have a play-by-play job.
I find Kerr, despite his quirks, better this year than last, so maybe there is some room for improvement. Only time will tell.
I like Kerr.
I think his play calling adds humor to the broadcast. I never know if he is gonna yell "wacking, wacking, wacking" or scream randomly at some event in the game.
He is getting better which each broadcast IMO and the fact that he goes with it when he does something awkward is what makes it genuine. Much better then a blank silence after someone says "he's does everything on the ice off the ice the White way...er right way.".
I think half the naysayers should just go into broadcasting. I'm so tired of these threads. We won't have anyone on Calgary radio or television the way it's going.
Then the other half should continue their naysaying against the first half. Let's at least make it entertaining.
To add a more serious comment to the conversation, I think it's kinda sad that he's getting picked on for an expression of personality. What do you want, a robot? It may not always be 'professional', but it's interesting. Peter Mahr who is much beloved with his Yeah Baby and other quirks, probably sounded a little goofy when he was finding his voice too. You think his first 'Yeah Baby!' was greeted with a resounding 'what an awesome catch phrase!'? There were probably more than a few eyebrows raised.
Add to the fact that the internet just makes it so easy to complain and I feel like we have a non story here.
Lastly, this is what, his second year? Give him some time. Few people roll into their jobs a superstar.
The Following User Says Thank You to Daradon For This Useful Post:
The one who needs to be replaced is Simmer, boring and adds nothing!!
Embarassing....sure
Quirky....sure
Goofy.....sure
But at least he is himself and makes Flames games interesting cause you never know what he is going to do or say!!
I like Rob Kerr, I find the quirkiness entertaining. But I was also one of the few people who liked Loubardias initially too with all his quirks. I think some people just get too bent out of shape on who's doing pbp. Unless they are atrociously bad, I don't ever really notice it. Heck, even Peter Maher's an aquired taste.
And like I've pointed out, if the internet was around when Ed Whalen was around, people would be clamouring for him to be fired, what with his quirky phrases and nasally voice.
I never used to hate Kerr. I was never overly fond of him I just didn't hate him. CP started pointing all these things out and how bad he was , thats when I started to notice it. I'm sure if most of just listened to the game having no idea who Rob Kerr was we would enjoy the game just fine. But now that I know I can never go back...
The Following User Says Thank You to MyFlamesFirst For This Useful Post:
He is much less a homer than the Canucks guy or Quinn.
And no more a homer than Zloubardias without the awful voice or stupid comments but everybody will have different opinions I guess.
haha I don't agree. If you could go back and hear some of those broadcasts, Rog was quite the homer. Not that some homerism is bad in a local broadcast.
His job is not to talk hockey during the play, or to 'host' the game while action is ongoing. That's what he does. Rob needs to communicate the emotion of what's happening on the ice and be able to build a narrative simply by the tone of his voice. Good play by play in this game is like music; there is a discernable rhythm and flow to it when it's done well.
I direct your attention to 5:07 of this video for a pitch-perfect example of how to call a hockey game.
I understand that not every game will have the emotion built in like this one. But since this is basically all your job requires, being unable to convey the tone of the game through the tone of your voice makes you a bad PBP man.
Last edited by GreenLantern2814; 02-08-2013 at 02:49 PM.
I used to not like Kerr, but he is getting a lot better. I also like his style of mixing some info to the game. The play is on the screen, we don't need the pbp guy to tell you what is on tv. For him to give us some more insight about the game is a good thing in my opinion. I have gamecenter and watches the opposing feeds sometimes to compare and they are bad. To be honest, I have turning away from the hockey night in canada feed more than the Kerr's pbp. HNIC is very biased against the Flames and that is more annoying to me.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Iggy3x For This Useful Post:
What puzzles me is how sportsnet can allow Lubo and Kerr to so obviously be occupying eachothers jobs. Admit to making a wrong decision and rectify it.
Kerr used to be boring, but now he is over the top annoying. Either youre funny or you aren't. dont try to be because it shows. Awkward as f. I used to wish he was more exciting, I am now eating my words.
We (for the most part) all wanted Lubo instead of Brynn Griffiths, so I am happy that happened, but he is CLEARLY better as PBP. Kerr is an excellent radio host. FIX IT.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Joker For This Useful Post:
I know. Because it's pretty much the perfect call. It's what you aspire to. Does rob Kerr have it in him to make a call one tenth as good as that on his best day?
He might. Nothing in the last 18 months indicates he does.
