2009 TDF Liggettisms

[Cracked Again]

Paul S: "hes going deep into his pain cave"

"Team Discovery is rasing the pace in an attempt to lauch a hand granade and detonate this main field"

Phil L: "ooo the pain of the Ventoux"


They are part of the Tour's charm no doubt

 

[ggusta]

Mind you I think I'd recognise my mum at that speed, if she had her teeth in.

Dear Looooorrrrdddd....

Here in America, a comment like that is what is called a hanging curve ball.... so ripe for punch lines, out of respect for the sanctity of motherhood, I will pass.

Phil... Please please go away. Your adulation of all things Lance is so saccharin and delusional.

 

[ggusta]

Don't forget "Unpack something special".

Clearly, they have unresolved laundry issues.

 

[ggusta]

In his pre-Versus/OLN days, Phil was very very good. I think his home base was UK channel 4. He was still trying hard, and didn't have a rooting interest, unless a Brit was doing well on a particular day.

I blame it on Lance. But the again, I blame a toothache on Lance.

 

[ggusta]

Phil and Paul spend a lot of time talking about Armstrong because Versus is broadcasting to an American audience. They also spend a good amount of time covering the two American teams, Garmin and Columbia. They are simply playing to their audience as many fans tend to follow the riders and teams from their home countries.

I think it goes a little deeper for Phil Paul and Bob Roll. They toiled in relative obscurity forever until Lance made them - again, relatively - famous. They have a personal debt to Lance (and Lance to them for deifying him).

Having said all that, here in America, we had Howard Cosell broadcasting boxing and (american) football for years (and prolly a bunch of other sports that ABC assigned him to). Two sports he had exactly ZERO qualifications to discuss.

Sports fans LOATHED him. LOATHED HIM !! Right up until he went off the air (and later died). Now he is missed. We loved to hate him, but his absence leaves a gaping hole in broadcasting that can't be replaced. He was obnoxious, grating, clueless, ignorant, a bloviating blowhard of the highest order and God how I miss him.

Go search youtube, I am sure there are more numerous examples than I could ever recount.

 

[rgmerk]

There are a few things that should be said in the Phil and Paul show's defence:

1) you try and talk about anything for four hours a day, for three weeks straight, without repeating yourself or saying anything naff.
2) try doing it annually for 20+ years.
3) try doing it when a lot of the time there's not actually much of interest going on.
4) a lot of their commentary is actually done with the highlights tape in mind, so (at least on SBS) they repeat key points so that they have a choice which occasion makes it onto the highlights.
5) they're not commentating for you - they're commentating for the other 98% of viewers who know a lot less about cycling. That audience thinks they're great. It's the same, by the way, with a lot of other sports - ask a cricket aficionado about the failings of cricket commentators.

That said, it'd be nice if the brave new world of Internet TV meant that we could have the choice of commentators - Phil and Paul for the cycling uninitiated, and somebody like Matt Keenan for those with a bit more background knowledge.

 

[auscyclefan94]

There are a few things that should be said in the Phil and Paul show's defence:

1) you try and talk about anything for four hours a day, for three weeks straight, without repeating yourself or saying anything naff.
2) try doing it annually for 20+ years.
3) try doing it when a lot of the time there's not actually much of interest going on.
4) a lot of their commentary is actually done with the highlights tape in mind, so (at least on SBS) they repeat key points so that they have a choice which occasion makes it onto the highlights.
5) they're not commentating for you - they're commentating for the other 98% of viewers who know a lot less about cycling. That audience thinks they're great. It's the same, by the way, with a lot of other sports - ask a cricket aficionado about the failings of cricket commentators.

That said, it'd be nice if the brave new world of Internet TV meant that we could have the choice of commentators - Phil and Paul for the cycling uninitiated, and somebody like Matt Keenan for those with a bit more background knowledge.

Cycling is definetly a hard sport to comeentate. NO doubt there. People love to hear Phil and Paul's Cliched comments as they are quite quirky.

 

[poupou]

They can read some pages of Walsh's books

 

[Crunchy Frog]

There are a few things that should be said in the Phil and Paul show's defence:

1) you try and talk about anything for four hours a day, for three weeks straight, without repeating yourself or saying anything naff.
2) try doing it annually for 20+ years.
3) try doing it when a lot of the time there's not actually much of interest going on.
4) a lot of their commentary is actually done with the highlights tape in mind, so (at least on SBS) they repeat key points so that they have a choice which occasion makes it onto the highlights.
5) they're not commentating for you - they're commentating for the other 98% of viewers who know a lot less about cycling. That audience thinks they're great. It's the same, by the way, with a lot of other sports - ask a cricket aficionado about the failings of cricket commentators.

That said, it'd be nice if the brave new world of Internet TV meant that we could have the choice of commentators - Phil and Paul for the cycling uninitiated, and somebody like Matt Keenan for those with a bit more background knowledge.

Yes, most of us know this is true, but a good moan is very cathartic, isn't it ? I cringe every time the Uniballer comes into shot 'cos I know it's double orgasm time in the commentary box, but I'd really miss P & P if they weren't there.

.........I think.

Want a really useless commenator with NO redeeming features, not even one ? Ask a British rugby fan about Nick Bloody Mullins and your dreams will come true.

 

[Cracked Again]

from today's pair-tour

Paul: And there is the black cloud of the main field

Phil: The main field has taken dead aim on the break away