Versus armstrong coverage...

[US Patent Exploding Cyclist]

I agree with most of what's been written so far. I just hope that when Comcast finally buys NBC they don't shift all cycling coverage to Versus, instead of the split between Versus and Universal Sports we have now. Not that the coverage, or commericals, are any better on Universal its just the only break I get from the Hummer,Ligget,Sherwen and Roll team at Versus. I'd rather suffer through the 3 week Giro or Vuelta where the guys at Universal mispronounce the name of every rider, even the American ones, and every location then have to listen to Ligget and Sherwen any more than I already have to.

They aren't very good at their geography either. During the World Road Race a Venezuelan rider was taking a pull at the front (could've been Rujano) and they commented on how good it was to see cyclists from Central America.

 

[Highlander]

Ha! That comment really made me laugh...will take a sip of water now ala Lance...the funny thing is even my non-fan wife was asking me "WTF" was that? "What is wrong wth your sport ect..." Between the constant commercials on versus and the egostrong reach around stuff it is getting pretty rotten. I have gotten to the point where I hope he is not riding so I might be able to find it somewhere else in the american market...otherwise, it is blocked and I have to listen to the crap...Guess Sherwin isn't making enough money from his fabulous diamond mine in Rhodesia...ugly!

I'm pretty sure that he owns a gold mine rather than a diamond mine.

 

[Highlander]

They aren't very good at their geography either. During the World Road Race a Venezuelan rider was taking a pull at the front (could've been Rujano) and they commented on how good it was to see cyclists from Central America.

They also take part in the Lance lovefest. Last year at the Giro, the peloton split on one of the early stages and Lance was in the first half with Cav being dropped. Petacchi won the stage, but the announcers kept going on that Lance may be in the pink jersey tonight. I wasn't really sure how he was going to manage that since Petacchi was already ahead of him in the overall standings and was getting a time bonus on top of that. Perhaps they were planning on giving him a penalty for having the audacity for beating Armstrong.

 

[US Patent Exploding Cyclist]

They also take part in the Lance lovefest. Last year at the Giro, the peloton split on one of the early stages and Lance was in the first half with Cav being dropped. Petacchi won the stage, but the announcers kept going on that Lance may be in the pink jersey tonight. I wasn't really sure how he was going to manage that since Petacchi was already ahead of him in the overall standings and was getting a time bonus on top of that. Perhaps they were planning on giving him a penalty for having the audacity for beating Armstrong.

I remember during one of the middle stages I think with a break out front, the coverage was of Lance back at the team car drinking a coke, than another coke, then about how he likes to drink coke, andthen about how he was just being the best darn super domestique around. Just riveting stuff!

 

[richwagmn]

Versus is basically unwatchable these days. It jumped the shark last year with Ligget bagging on Contador. It was bad enough in previous years when Paul Sherwin would find a way to mention Armstrong no matter what was going on in the race. Someone would take a drink in a break, and Sherwin would say, "There's Voeckler taking a drink. You know who knew the value of staying hydrated during a long, hot stage like this one? A certain rider by the name of Lance Armstrong..." Roll was always a fanboy. But with Armstrong's return everything has become far far worse. I seriously suspect that there are orders to say something about Armstrong every four or five minutes. Versus is now the homoerotic network for those who have a crush on Armstrong. The constant Armstrong fixation is rather disturbing.

You absolutely nailed Sherwin with that quote. Very funny.

 

[Anonymous]

All True

What has been said is too true, about Phil and Paul and Baby Bob, and being joined at the hip with LA, and P&P being mere shadows of their former selves. They now have ideal jobs. No prep, no actual labor. Just show up, watch the monitor, "blah blah blah, Lance Armstrong, blah blah blah", repeat, go home cash the check. Who wouldn't want that gig?

Let us not forget the contributions.

Think how they've enriched American English with words like "penultimate", "dodgy" and "argy bargy". I'm just sorry they don't say "What Ho!" and "Oi!".

I've heard Paul make veiled comments about Phil wearing a dress over the years. That's funny, whether he's a cross dresser or not. And it ties in nicely with the way Phil sometimes salivates over the svelt young newbies in the pack.... not that there's anything wrong with that.

They have known a lot, done a lot related to cycling and I personally have learned a lot from their former selves.

Would you rather have Al Trautwig? Be honest.

The solution or course is obvious and easy, TiVO and the mute button.

I don't think there is a cure for Versus, pathetic, mindless, pandering to the lowest level of everything. BUT they are no longer on Direct TV so I have no cycling coverage to watch, at all and I would like them back along with P&P and the Buffon Day France Roll. To my shame I would even watch Al Trautwig.

 

[Anonymous]

my wife has convinced me to enter the "ride with roll" competition...so if I win...I promise loads of Bobke haters I will cruise up along side him via a descent and shove him over a large mountain pass...hopefully a versus car won't be filming us...I can just hear Bobke on the way down screaming "be sure to give Lance's balls a good licking...."

 

[danthony930]

danthony930

I have always had a problem with Versus coverage of last years TDF. My number 1 issue is...the announcers continue to say "how amazing it is LA survived cancer and won seven TDF's." It is amazing anyone wins seven TDF's. I find it more amazing that AC survived/recovered from brain surgery to not only race again but to win the main tour races. There is a huge difference to surviving a emergency life or death illness or injury as oppose to a diagnosed illness. In an emergency surgery it is a one shot deal with no do overs. When it come to versus they always blow up LA even over AC in this area. We Americans have to learn that the world does not center around us.

 

[D Avoid]

They aren't very good at their geography either. During the World Road Race a Venezuelan rider was taking a pull at the front (could've been Rujano) and they commented on how good it was to see cyclists from Central America.

Venice Whale A aint that far down though, if it was the Malvinas, then that would be different.

I realised that Pigget was in The Lords loincloth when he turned up in Shorters bike shop, he wanted background while ITN interviewed him about the outright lies surrounding Pances use of EPO in 99, he said"(paraphrased) if you only knew the man , then you'd realise that he could not possibly do such a thing", then I kuped. I was in the know regarding the shop and his unsavoury attempt at being a great mate, Sept 05 was the time, just after the reveations by the lab/whoever pooed the whistle.

Himself and 'is mates are so far up that a Lanced boil will be stuc' with a big ring for all time.


It is apparently the case that Piggett rides a Trek or should I say, loads of them. How this came about, I have no idea. His PR mind is so good(he thinks) that he is bordering on inhuman, in person. Empty character and he used to be the big spoke in the CTC?, may be the wrong org.To many pies, not enuff fingers as at least a hanfuk need to be permanently inserted in the main man. Interested to hear what Robert Millar thinks of him .

 

[David Suro]

The criticism of Bob Roll is unfair.

I had the opportunity to sit and have a sandwich and a couple of drinks with Roll about a year ago. He is passionate about cycling, knowledgable, experienced, and generally a really nice person. Many find him funny, though that is a rather subjective topic.

I hear golf fans griping about the disproportionate amount of media coverage Tiger Woods used to get. NASCAR fans gripe about Dale Junior's air time.

Get over it.

There are superstars in sport and they will always get more than their share of media attention regardless of their performance.

Look at the amount of time posters discuss LA compared to other riders and you will see that the same phenomenon appears in forums, as well.

As for griping about Vs., if you don't like it then don't watch it. Better yet, watch with the sound off and play some nice music. Only a fool would continue to expose himself to coverage he finds miserable.

 

[Oldbiker]

Enough whining about LA - get over it

I don't get to this forum often because I read the same whining BS from the same 15-20 people who have a hard on for LA. You may hate his guts but he is good for cycling (the promoters must like him because they shell out big bucks to get him there). Why don't you quit being so negative about everything even when he makes it into a break at TDU you have some crazy things to say. Obviously he wants to show the Radio Shack logo to the fans, what is wrong with that?

One of the posters said it well, "if you don't like Sherwin and Liggett, turn down the sound"

The guys with 2000+ posts must have nothing else to occupy their time, maybe a nice ride on your bike might help relieve some of your frustration that LA is making a serious attempt (not sitting on his ar$e like most of the whiners) at a comeback. He may not make it but at least he is trying.

Why don't you chill for a while and let somebody start an interesting topic!!

By now we understand that you don't like LA so you don't have to repeat the same stuff.

'nuff said, I'm going for a ride.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

'nuff said, I'm going for a ride.

Is Lance riding you alone today or will Roll be joining the menage?

 

[Publicus]

The criticism of Bob Roll is unfair.

I had the opportunity to sit and have a sandwich and a couple of drinks with Roll about a year ago. He is passionate about cycling, knowledgable, experienced, and generally a really nice person. Many find him funny, though that is a rather subjective topic.

I hear golf fans griping about the disproportionate amount of media coverage Tiger Woods used to get. NASCAR fans gripe about Dale Junior's air time.

Get over it.

There are superstars in sport and they will always get more than their share of media attention regardless of their performance.

Look at the amount of time posters discuss LA compared to other riders and you will see that the same phenomenon appears in forums, as well.

As for griping about Vs., if you don't like it then don't watch it. Better yet, watch with the sound off and play some nice music. Only a fool would continue to expose himself to coverage he finds miserable.

Roll is a factually challenged, water carrier. I don't care about the latter, but I do care about the former. Just report the facts. No one begrudges him his man crush on Lance, but once it starts to color his reporting of the facts, well then that's when the viewers have the right to complain.

As for Versus, love the images, but the commentating is horrifically imbalanced. It would be like watching the Vikings and the only thing they talked about all game was Farve and not the defense, or the collapse. There is more than one player on the field and certainly more than Farve contributing to the victory. It's not too much to ask as a viewer that they spend less than 50% of the time verbally giving Lance a handjob. I'd like to learn a little more about the relevant riders on any particular stage, and not how they resemble Lance Armstrong. That's not too much to ask IMHO.

 

[Publicus]

I don't get to this forum often because I read the same whining BS from the same 15-20 people who have a hard on for LA. You may hate his guts but he is good for cycling (the promoters must like him because they shell out big bucks to get him there). Why don't you quit being so negative about everything even when he makes it into a break at TDU you have some crazy things to say. Obviously he wants to show the Radio Shack logo to the fans, what is wrong with that?

One of the posters said it well, "if you don't like Sherwin and Liggett, turn down the sound"

The guys with 2000+ posts must have nothing else to occupy their time, maybe a nice ride on your bike might help relieve some of your frustration that LA is making a serious attempt (not sitting on his ar$e like most of the whiners) at a comeback. He may not make it but at least he is trying.

Why don't you chill for a while and let somebody start an interesting topic!!

By now we understand that you don't like LA so you don't have to repeat the same stuff.

'nuff said, I'm going for a ride.

I believe there are some clouds you could be yelling at right now.

 

[Lifeshape]

I noticed all the LA plugs on VS as well and too wondered how the hell he got the ride of the day. By whose standard did he "win" and by what metrics?
I know without any doubts he is good for the sport if for no other reasons than exposure about the sport, but he makes the other riders try harder physically and psychologically.
Now, what I do not like is getting on the forum and reading about the fetishes and fascinations of posters' saddle/chamois sniffing and homoerotica. If I wanted that, I'd go elsewhere.

 

[lagartija]

Roll is a factually challenged, water carrier. I don't care about the latter, but I do care about the former. Just report the facts. No one begrudges him his man crush on Lance, but once it starts to color his reporting of the facts, well then that's when the viewers have the right to complain.

As for Versus, love the images, but the commentating is horrifically imbalanced. It would be like watching the Vikings and the only thing they talked about all game was Farve and not the defense, or the collapse. There is more than one player on the field and certainly more than Farve contributing to the victory. It's not too much to ask as a viewer that they spend less than 50% of the time verbally giving Lance a handjob. I'd like to learn a little more about the relevant riders on any particular stage, and not how they resemble Lance Armstrong. That's not too much to ask IMHO.

very accurate...........what kills me is versus sell themselves as the cycling network, and then fail miserably to represent the sport accurately , or at all.
as in nothing to see after the tour de france.........and really thats just a fraction of the issue, ............

 

[Ferminal]

lol BroDeal, hilarious and true

 

[Oldman]

Even better....versus has a new competition..."Ride with Roll"...you can win a ride with Bob...I can't even imagine...I have been wanting to deck that *** for about a decade of listening to his crap...

Don't take him too seriously. He played the clown as a racer as well and it prolonged his career. He may be on the payroll now but he definitely knows what makes Lance run...Be great if Lance alienated him. Roll's a bad enemy to have and could tell tales from a long time back.

 

[biker jk]

I don't get to this forum often because I read the same whining BS from the same 15-20 people who have a hard on for LA. You may hate his guts but he is good for cycling (the promoters must like him because they shell out big bucks to get him there). Why don't you quit being so negative about everything even when he makes it into a break at TDU you have some crazy things to say. Obviously he wants to show the Radio Shack logo to the fans, what is wrong with that?

One of the posters said it well, "if you don't like Sherwin and Liggett, turn down the sound"

The guys with 2000+ posts must have nothing else to occupy their time, maybe a nice ride on your bike might help relieve some of your frustration that LA is making a serious attempt (not sitting on his ar$e like most of the whiners) at a comeback. He may not make it but at least he is trying.

Why don't you chill for a while and let somebody start an interesting topic!!

By now we understand that you don't like LA so you don't have to repeat the same stuff.

'nuff said, I'm going for a ride.

I'm Australian and will be attending the TDU and riding one of the stages on Friday. I can assure you that LA is certainly not the reason for my interest in cycling or the reason for attending the TDU. Indeed, I believe LA is doing more harm than good to the sport and wish he would just go away.

 

[fpcyclingn]

Versus is basically unwatchable these days. It jumped the shark last year with Ligget bagging on Contador. It was bad enough in previous years when Paul Sherwin would find a way to mention Armstrong no matter what was going on in the race. Someone would take a drink in a break, and Sherwin would say, "There's Voeckler taking a drink. You know who knew the value of staying hydrated during a long, hot stage like this one? A certain rider by the name of Lance Armstrong..." Roll was always a fanboy. But with Armstrong's return everything has become far far worse. I seriously suspect that there are orders to say something about Armstrong every four or five minutes. Versus is now the homoerotic network for those who have a crush on Armstrong. The constant Armstrong fixation is rather disturbing.

Maybe you should just finally accept the fact that there are people in this world who are cooler than you.

 

[bianchigirl]

Oh thank you so much for such a good laugh to start my day - the thought of Liggett, Sherwenn, Roll and particularly the monster that is Boss Hog being cooler than anything is just hysterical and clearly either the product of a sharp comedy brain or an entirely delusional one. Black socks, cool?? Hahahahahahahahaha

 

[BroDeal]

Maybe you should just finally accept the fact that there are people in this world who are cooler than you.

And you will just have to accept that you are not one of them.

 

[frenchfry]

All this makes me somewhat glad that I only have fanboys Thierry Adams and Jean René Godart to listen to, they are bad but not as bad as what has been described here about Versus. I suspect I am going to have to carry over my boycott of TDF coverage into 2010 - unless a miracle happens.

 

[SpeedWay]

Only a fool would continue to expose himself to coverage he finds miserable.

Apparently there's no shortage of them around here along with an equal number of whiners. Sad, miserable, pathetic and another thread about LA to boot.
The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

[bianchigirl]

Fortunately I don't have to - but I can absolutely sympathise with having to suffer the utter lack of journalistic integrity