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Whois worse: Frankie Andreau or Robbie Ventura

Jul 17, 2009
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These guys are struggling with the Q&A. Trying too hard with the text book structure equals a mouth full of marbles. It is like they ask 3 questions in one when trying to have a intro middle and conclusion. Just as a question Frankie for **** sake.

Interesting that it is Frankie is covering Lance given their history as well.

Robbie, Bro, chill on the coffee man...
 
Boeing said:
These guys are struggling with the Q&A. Trying too hard with the text book structure equals a mouth full of marbles. It is like they ask 3 questions in one when trying to have a intro middle and conclusion. Just as a question Frankie for **** sake.

Interesting that it is Frankie is covering Lance given their history as well.

Robbie, Bro, chill on the coffee man...

Andreau is HORRIBLE. He often begins to answer the question he is asking before the rider can get a word out. One of the worst reporters I've seen in all of sports. He's clearly nervous and makes the rider he is working with uneasy. He needs to take a deep breath and to keep it simple.

I may be ridiculed but I think that Ventura does a good job. He is far better than FA.

Ventura should be covering Astana for obvious personal reasons.
 
Jul 17, 2009
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I agree I do See Robbie working for sure

I can remember Frankie a few tours ago doing a TT Bike segment. He actually said "TT Bikes go really really fast, that's why they are aerodynamic so they go fast"

Chicken and Egg Frankie?

which came first FA the A$$ or the Clown more like it. you rat

Lance just looks at Frankie like "Who's your daddy now Frankie"? "Hows the little woman?'
 
Mar 10, 2009
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lean said:
Andreau is HORRIBLE. He often begins to answer the question he is asking before the rider can get a word out. One of the worst reporters I've seen in all of sports. He's clearly nervous and makes the rider he is working with uneasy. He needs to take a deep breath and to keep it simple.

I may be ridiculed but I think that Ventura does a good job. He is far better than FA.

Ventura should be covering Astana for obvious personal reasons.

Frankie should not be doing interviews. He doesn't get how that works. He needs to ask questions that we, as viewers, would want him to ask. It's not easy for him, you can hear him think out loud. Have the scripted questions available but be able to go with the flow with what is happening in the moment. He gets caught between the two and it shows. Robbie is more fluid but he needs a more mellow approach...turn it down an octave. Hummer doesn't quite fit either, close but maybe more an objective approach. His deliberate silliness doesn't work. There seems to be a number of posters here who don't like Roll, but I think he is extraordinarily skilled underneath his goofy demeanor. I never get bored with his stories. My favorite of all is Paul. He's seems to be the least commercialized commodity.
Does Phil have moments of senility? or is it his ego? Maybe it's because they have all become Americanized. Trying to keep the obese viewer awake as they gourmandize on junk food between commercials. Seems like Versus airs more commercials than tour time..."freecreditreport.com"
 
Robert Merivel said:
Well? Then who, BIGBRO? Enlighten us.

Sean Kelly fits the bill.

As far as the four from Versus, it would have to be Phil. Paul sounds like he is still working as a public relations man for Team Armstrong. How can anyone possibly say that he is the least commercialized? Of course, Robert the Muppet might not even notice that Paul pimps Armstrong every couple of minutes.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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when LA told Frankie they just rode tempo, i think Frankie could have brought up the fact that a couple of times the group was strung out single file. not exactly "piano" in the classic sense
Frankie is worse
 
Mar 11, 2009
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I pity Robbie's mouth. It just cannot keep up with the eruption of thoughts he needs to spew forth in the 30 seconds he's allotted for each segment.
 
Jul 18, 2009
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i am LMAO reading these..

robbie is just too keen and nervous...

how the hell FA get's anywhere near LA i'll never know...

but hey consider this.. FA confessed doper... RV associated doper...

now how's that for credability ....
 
Jul 17, 2009
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Paul tends to like pronouncing some riders names with an accent more often than others. do you think he is a...

not that it matters
 
Jun 24, 2009
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The whole Versus team is terrible....just a bunch of obnoxious lapdogs for Lance (does he own any Versus stock, btw ?). For the last two weeks all we've heard about is Lance is going to attack in the mountains, Lance is going to kick-*** in the TT, etc. Well, Lance is done now and all we heard were ratioanlizations about his three year retirement and his age.
 
Mainerider said:
The whole Versus team is terrible....just a bunch of obnoxious lapdogs for Lance (does he own any Versus stock, btw ?). For the last two weeks all we've heard about is Lance is going to attack in the mountains, Lance is going to kick-*** in the TT, etc. Well, Lance is done now and all we heard were ratioanlizations about his three year retirement and his age.

I think I might tune in tonight just to see the rationalizations and excuses these bozos come up with. It will have to be good for a few laughs. Bob Roll is sure to be a riot.

I think they will go heavy on the "champion riding incredibly at his age " schtick. I bet they don't mention that on a real TdF course with real mountain stages in the Alps and Pyrenees, Armstrong would not be in the top ten.
 
Jun 14, 2009
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Let's rename this thread "Would you rather have someone run a plane down your shin bone or stick a rasp between your teeth and yank it out really fast?"

And for those who aren't paying attention, LA specifically asked for Frankie to cover him and Astana.
 
Apr 12, 2009
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Trust me don't watch the prerace show it's dreadful, all bob roll does is kiss lance's *** is lance paying his bills or something, this morning he said lance is riding the best out of all the gc contender. If i didn't hate lance before the tour I would know just because of how annoying the versus commentators are. The only thing keeping me from not watching versus is the hd.
 
franciep10 said:
Trust me don't watch the prerace show it's dreadful, all bob roll does is kiss lance's *** is lance paying his bills or something, this morning he said lance is riding the best out of all the gc contender. If i didn't hate lance before the tour I would know just because of how annoying the versus commentators are. The only thing keeping me from not watching versus is the hd.
+1....................

i couldn't believe it when he put it over Contador.:confused:
 
Pardon my first reply here in the forums. I've known Robbie for years back since he was a local trackie at Northbrook. I would have to say that his presentations are a lot like the track racing he grew up with, way too much analysis and information to get out there in way too short of a time frame. He also brings along a lot of coaching experience with him with his own coaching company, so I think he tends to be a more well-rounded announcer than Frankie, they just need to give him longer segments.
 
Jul 8, 2009
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Well, I'll weigh in. I don't really care about what gets asked in interviews - it's the answers that interest me. It's Phil and Paul who I worry about.

I like the style in which Phil and Paul speak, but that's about it. Far better than the guy who did a lot of the Giro online - he was almost like a caricature of an announcer in terms of style.

But Phil and Paul's content simply fails to measure up. and it's not the Anglophile/Lancephile stuff, it's over and over and over again they are wrong when they tell us why things can/won't happen or are/aren't happening. They're seeing the same pictures I am and they are constantly misidentifying people and moves. They see two frames of Contador standing up today near the top of the final climb and they start talking about him making a move. Imagine that, standing up near the end of a Cat 1 climb.

Forget the Lance stuff, they simply aren't up to snuff with following the race any more. They were somewhat better years ago. Like I said, I like their general delivery, but it's hard to put up with the content. I get that it is not easy to keep everything straight, but that's their job, and it certainly can be done.
 
Boeing said:
These guys are struggling with the Q&A. Trying too hard with the text book structure equals a mouth full of marbles. It is like they ask 3 questions in one when trying to have a intro middle and conclusion. Just as a question Frankie for **** sake.

Interesting that it is Frankie is covering Lance given their history as well.

Robbie, Bro, chill on the coffee man...

Phil Liggett is worst of all. When did he become senile?
 
Jul 18, 2009
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Hummerisms..

My favourite quote from Craig Hummer (an even more useless annoucer than senile, but amusing, Phil Liggett), from the Col de Romme today:

"And it looks like Lance Armstrong has been dropped, unless (breathless and full of hope) the camera pans back to show Lance in front of this group... wait, no, he's in the group behind, he's been dropped"

The runner-up:

"Thor Hushovd, breaking wind in front of the other riders" (a phrase no cycling commentator should ever use)
 
Mar 18, 2009
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I also know Robbie from racing with him at the Northbrook track and around the Chicago area, so I guess I'm biased, but the way he talks on TV is just the way he is. He's a little high-strung, he talks fast, and he's been racing bikes for a long time, so it's understandable that he wants to put his own spin on the questions and maybe tries to squeeze too many words in. They really do need to give those guys more than 30 seconds to ask 3 questions though. :p
 

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