NCAA Day 1 (March 29)

[RichH]

Two things irritate me about Buccigross: First, his rising and falling inflection makes it sound like every play was almost a goal, but turned into a disappointing near miss.  Second, like many ESPN commentators, he's addicted to catch phrases: every wrist shot for a goal is a "twisted wrister".

Watching ND-UMass, I hear it now. Every shot is a SHOT!!!! And he calls the game like he's yukking it up on SportsCenter.  Thanks for ruining something that I had been able to ignore up to this point.

Of course, it's always bugged me since the ESPN national announcers took over the NCAAs and displaced real college hockey institutions like Bob Norton (annoying as he was in his own way).

Not fair. playing the Norton card. I hear he's outta Apple Core.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Two things irritate me about Buccigross: First, his rising and falling inflection makes it sound like every play was almost a goal, but turned into a disappointing near miss.  Second, like many ESPN commentators, he's addicted to catch phrases: every wrist shot for a goal is a "twisted wrister".

Watching ND-UMass, I hear it now. Every shot is a SHOT!!!! And he calls the game like he's yukking it up on SportsCenter.  Thanks for ruining something that I had been able to ignore up to this point.

Of course, it's always bugged me since the ESPN national announcers took over the NCAAs and displaced real college hockey institutions like Bob Norton (annoying as he was in his own way).

Not fair. playing the Norton card. I hear he's outta Apple Core.

I'm watching the game, too.  These guys suck.  Whatever happened to play-by-play?  All they do is talk about anything but what's happening on the ice.

[Robb]

Two things irritate me about Buccigross: First, his rising and falling inflection makes it sound like every play was almost a goal, but turned into a disappointing near miss.  Second, like many ESPN commentators, he's addicted to catch phrases: every wrist shot for a goal is a "twisted wrister".

Watching ND-UMass, I hear it now. Every shot is a SHOT!!!! And he calls the game like he's yukking it up on SportsCenter.  Thanks for ruining something that I had been able to ignore up to this point.

Of course, it's always bugged me since the ESPN national announcers took over the NCAAs and displaced real college hockey institutions like Bob Norton (annoying as he was in his own way).

Not fair. playing the Norton card. I hear he's outta Apple Core.

I'm watching the game, too.  These guys suck.  Whatever happened to play-by-play?  All they do is talk about anything but what's happening on the ice.

Every PBP announcer should be required to work in radio for a minimum of 10 years before being allowed anywhere near a TV camera.  They're just lazy - they figure they don't need to describe the action since you're watching it anyway.

[Anne 85]

And he calls the game like he's yukking it up on SportsCenter.  Thanks for ruining something that I had been able to ignore up to this point.

I'm watching the game, too.  These guys suck.  Whatever happened to play-by-play?  All they do is talk about anything but what's happening on the ice.

Both of these are the ESPNication of sports.  Everything is about them and their broadcast and their ironic chemistry and their winking and their cross-marketing of their other shows, not the event.  ESPN is the equivalent of an endless series of annoying pop up ads.

The 5% of the time they try to describe the play it is the same dozen hackneyed jock cliches and narratives, delivered in pompous, stentorian tones.  "No quit in these kids."  Oh for fuck's sake, just call the game and let it speak for itself you self-important fucking fucks.

(This has been Trotsky, not Anne.  I'm sure you are surprised.)