Armitage is BRUTAL!

[Toppy Vann]

You guys are nuts.
I listened carefull to Jones because I noticed right away that he was nervous when he paused a few times when introducing the game notes.
From then on in, he stumbled a bit, but overall was a breath of fresh air with his comments and analysis.
What do you want? He's a QB, for crying out loud. Jones will be pretty damn good one day, and he's a hell of lot better than McManus.
As for Armitage, nothing wrong with his low-key, matter-of-fact delivery. And he and Jones mesh quite well.
Ball and Caravata are good, but Ball gets a little too homerish.

I have no issues with the local broadcast guys (radio) being for BC and I think Rick Ball is one of the best play by play people in all of football - CFL /NFL. I have friends in the US who follow and watch Canadian sports telecasts and think our announcers are great for football and have thought so for a long time. They love the knowledge the guys have of even the back up players.

As to Khari tonight, his insights as a QB are great but then again I like McManus also as they see it from the eyes of the QBs. I like Darren Flutie as he thinks like a QB too. Not that I didn't like Dan Kepley way back when and he was an LB. The CBC telecast tonight super for BC Lions given the insights on our players and I might have missed someone calling Knowlton's first name wrongly but who cares. It's the type of coverages and formations I want to hear as TV viewing doesn't give you at home a complete picture of both O and D on every play so it's nice to hear the commentator.

McManus is new but he is bright if you like the views of the QBs which to me are superior to most simply because they know both sides of the ball. Rick and Guilio kind of have to be homerish given their station is the local guys much like Shorthouse and Larscheid on hockey don't hide that they are Canucks fans. The greatest of them all, Jim Robson, never hid his love for the local teams either and he is a hall of famer in all sports fans books.

I like the mix of announcers and former players especially those like QBs who know def and offences. That's good enough for me. I can read the numbers and the names on the jerseys for the most part. Tonight I listened to tv for the whole game and these guys for me did a very good job not that I don't like TSN guys - I do.

I guess it is personal taste. I like to get both the radio guys views and the tv guys views of things but don't need them to entertain me. I am used to British soccer announcers and love their understatement and low key ways. I have the Brits that do some of the Fox games for the US cable audiences as they try and make everything sound exciting. Understatement for me is great. That is more my style and personal taste. I guess each to their own.

One thing that does bug me is that we too often knock local broadcasters like it is some sort of blood sport. I have ripped the guys who can't talk football but go to hockey on a game night for the Lions as I grew up here in Van when football was the talk of the town and every radio program had football - morning, noon and night and the guys knew the game.

[Solar Max]

Great post, TV.

I for one have not forgiven Armitage for the 2004 Grey Cup postgame interview with Jason Clermont either. Nor have I forgiven Mrs. Hall in Edmonton for her little boy Bryan.

Come to think of it, I'm still pretty choked at Jacques Chapdelaine for dropping the football in Lui's FG range in the last 2 and a half minutes of the 1983 Grey Cup. Guess these things take time to get over.

[MacNews]

You guys are nuts.
I listened carefull to Jones because I noticed right away that he was nervous when he paused a few times when introducing the game

Jones was pretty good tonight but he still had his moments. He was a lot better than Armitage though, I'll give you that.

[prairielion]

Kinda missed the TSN crew tonight. Guess you just take their professionalism for granted. Oh well they are back next week.

[TheLionKing]

Mark Lee must be scouting NFL cuts or something.

Didn't he do the Saskatchewan / Edmonton game ?

[Lions4ever]

But I do have to quantify that by saying Armitage was head and shoulders above Rod Black.

Pauly Shore and Alvin The Chipmunk are head and shoulders above Rod Black.

[Lions4ever]

Great post, TV.

I for one have not forgiven Armitage for the 2004 Grey Cup postgame interview with Jason Clermont either. Nor have I forgiven Mrs. Hall in Edmonton for her little boy Bryan.

Come to think of it, I'm still pretty choked at Jacques Chapdelaine for dropping the football in Lui's FG range in the last 2 and a half minutes of the 1983 Grey Cup. Guess these things take time to get over.

Same here.

[lion24]

Great post, TV.

I for one have not forgiven Armitage for the 2004 Grey Cup postgame interview with Jason Clermont either. Nor have I forgiven Mrs. Hall in Edmonton for her little boy Bryan.

Come to think of it, I'm still pretty choked at Jacques Chapdelaine for dropping the football in Lui's FG range in the last 2 and a half minutes of the 1983 Grey Cup. Guess these things take time to get over.

:lol: :lol: Bryan should have retired 10 years ago, and he picked the Esks to win 7 in a row before the Rider game today. But really if we went by his picks the Esks would never have lost a game in their history.

[Don Miller]

Armitage and Jones were both brutal. CBC are really lacking in coverage. Mark Lee is even worse and Walby. Jones was really on the stamps bandwagon.TSN are miles ahead. I would like to see Rogers Sportsnet take over the games that are not on TSN. Dave Benefield would be great along with simulcast Rick Ball and Gulio

[LFITQ]

Speaking of Benefield ...

I'm surprised no one (including myself) has brought up his "soundbite" in the pre-game show. That bit on BCSI was hilarious.

Hopefully some smart person will put that bit on youtube shortly.

[David]

Did anyone catch Steve Armitage call Rob Murphy "Joe Murphy" until someone corrected him in his earpiece?

Thanks Steve....

Kahari Jones? Nice guy, but not color man material. I realize he's new, but he's too marble-mouthed for my liking (he kept tripping on words), and got lost several times (falling a step behind in his delivery). The best exchange between the two was when Armitage asked him to explain what a "hard count" was that was drawing B.C. off-side. He also explained the keys to the game fairly well. His worst moment was when he started to list the B.C. O-line in which the names were listed as Leos but the graphics were all Stamps. That was a big production blunder that had him totally lost, and you had to feel for the guy.

There may have been a lack of intensity on the field in the first-half (and in the stands?), but it sure was palpable in the booth too. It was like listening to two guys decribe the Big-Bang theory on the Discovery Channel. Someone needs to hire the TEAM1040's Chris Burns. The guy shows great potential.

DH 8)

[Solar Max]

Mark Lee must be scouting NFL cuts or something.

Didn't he do the Saskatchewan / Edmonton game ?

That was on TSN, with Black and McManus.

[WestCoastJoe]

Free shots at the announcers: a great world-wide sports pastime.

Here are my off the cuff weigh ins on this subject.

Armitage Boring, uninformed, filling any dead air time with inane comments.

Giuliio Way too nervous. He has enough experience at this time to be better than he is. He stumbles, bumbles and fumbles his way along. He says the same thing over and over, desperately trying to find a point to make.

Rick Ball Gets the job done. Stays out of the way of the game.

Cuthbert and Suitor: the most palatable of the lot.

Khari: Give him some time. He is new.

Benefield: More entertaining as a columnist than a broadcaster.

Greg Frers is good on the panel.

I have also cut the sound at times for both the CFL and the NFL. The game is the thing, not the announcers, unless they really do their homework.

By the way, I have come to appreciate Tom Larscheid, the ex BC Lion, as a hockey commentator of all things. Ironically, now that he is near the end of his career, I find his emotions, insights, turns of phrase and response to the game very appropriate. I will miss Old Tom when he hangs them up

Golf: Johnny Miller Great insight into the various golf swings. Never afraid to say the tough things that others avoid.

NFL: John Madden Although he is almost a cliche now, he can still be entertaining. As he might say about Rob Murphy in a pileup: "He's giving him the business down there."

[MacNews]

Kahari Jones? Nice guy, but not color man material.

No argument there, has anyone else noticed how hard he is on QBs? I know some of the time it is a bad throw, but a lot of the time it seems to be sour-grapes from Mr. Ticat-Cut-'05.

[Shi Zi Mi]

If you truly want to hear the best PBP guy in the business......tune in CJOB and listen to Bob Irving during the next Bomber game.

I've listened to the guy for years and, quite frankly (but not in a homosexual way), he's spoiled me for anyone else in the business.

I was so frustrated living in China with the CKNW feed as my only option for Lions football..........listening to JP babble about anything other than what was happening on the field, had me screaming at my computer.

Rick Ball couldn't hold a candle to Bob Irving........Irving is THAT good.

*****Disclaimer*****If you do choose to listen to Bob Irving, you do so at your own risk........you may not be able to stand listening to anyone else as a result.