As much ad Hatch annoys me, he's earning his money in this years Giro, trying to keep a small bit of hype in this years race
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From my experiences listening these guys it's quite simple.
Put Hatch in the classics because he is very good at quickly recognising race situations and identifying riders. You would no want Kirby calling the last 50km of Roubaix for instance
Put Kirby in the stage races because he is good at telling stories about culturing things not always related to cycling. Hatch is so dull when there is a boring Giro stage . Kirby can talk about local farming methods
Put Hatch in the classics because he is very good at quickly recognising race situations and identifying riders. You would no want Kirby calling the last 50km of Roubaix for instance
Put Kirby in the stage races because he is good at telling stories about culturing things not always related to cycling. Hatch is so dull when there is a boring Giro stage . Kirby can talk about local farming methods
There's not really any story to be told of a ball game. A bike race is a narrative on wheels, always moving forward.
Of course it really depends on when it happens. If they talk about it while absolutely nothing happens, fine. That's the "cheese talk" to me, I don't care if they talk about how some sort of cheese is produced or what exactly happened here in 2007. Often I turn off the commentary anyway.
What I really hate is when they do it with about 5 km to go for instance, when the race is really on. Migels has the tendency to fabricate long sentences then in which he tries to build a relation between something that happened in the past and what is happening in that moment, sometimes it doesn't even have that much actual relation, though, but anyway - when the race is on I want a commentary for ONE reason, that is a kind of "do you see what I see/do I see this correctly", some help to get an overview of what is happening and a co-viewer (since I usually have nobody at my side who's interested in the race). In such moments any cycling history talk annoys me to death.
What I really hate is when they do it with about 5 km to go for instance, when the race is really on. Migels has the tendency to fabricate long sentences then in which he tries to build a relation between something that happened in the past and what is happening in that moment, sometimes it doesn't even have that much actual relation, though, but anyway - when the race is on I want a commentary for ONE reason, that is a kind of "do you see what I see/do I see this correctly", some help to get an overview of what is happening and a co-viewer (since I usually have nobody at my side who's interested in the race). In such moments any cycling history talk annoys me to death.
I would disagree on that first sentence. However I think it's for articles and maybe even books, not for live commentary.
I think Kirby tries to model his commentary on the late great David Duffield. He could literally spend the whole of a 200km boring flat stage talking about local cheese, while asking Sean Kelly for updates every 30 minutes.
I think theyre similar characters, Kirby doesnt try to model himself on Duffield, he's always had that raconteur commentary style, give him a glass of vino and he can talk for hours about literally nothing and be quite entertaining with it. I always remember him popping up during Eurosports Le Mans coverage and theyd give him the night shift when theres little in the way of on track action to commentate, and he'd tell all these stories about some French bistro he'd found or the gite he was staying at, the wine or cheese theyd be served at dinner, and every so often read the timing screen to say who was where etc.
whic is the same style he brings to the cycling in the boring bits, I remember one year the tv crews kept showing cows in fields, and he must have spent the next week every so often when it got boring and another cow appeared on screen, talking about herds of cows, and how the farmers looked after them and the history of the breed or its association to the region.
fwiw on the history stuff, I thought on GTs as well as the road book, they produced a media history/local region guide so that when they show all those pictures of monestaries (insert Kirby joke about them always being shut when he visits or the bells are ringing) or chateaus that the commentators can flick to the right page in the guide and say something knowledgeable about them, they dont have to have researched or learnt all that stuff.
That's the worst part. They usually have no idea what they are talking about there and it shows. It's usually just random bits of "xy built this in 1879" without real context and therefor "unnecessary knowledge". Nobody will remember the date next time they come around and why should anyone?
Well, I'm cheap! I don't want to have to pay for multiple different streaming services, half in languages I don't even talk. With TV2 Play, and GCN+ I'm pretty much covered.
However, now someone just needs to explain to Brian Holm that there's no 'i' at the end of Armirail.
Well, that's what I ment by 'shopping back and forth', me neither having it all at one and same time
Btw, speaking Brian Holm. IMO both Holm and Thomas Bay are fading on sharpness, compared to previous years.
However, must credit the Danish Eurosport Premium team for stepping up on the giro with full coverage, in-depth pre race analysis, intellectual aspect by Bastian Emil, their man onsite Mielke with insight knowledge, also on the nerdy technical field, and then post race sum up.
Good commentators have the ability to interrupt themselves in e.g. intellectual dozing of local regions or own personal stories by seizing the moments, previously Bay&Holm have had better standards here. But must admit I've not had the time for watching every single stage, could in general be better of what I've witnessed, but remember some spring classics with pinnacle commentary from both guys.
But now a bit of a rollercoaster for both, just like in the days of David Duffield like someone mentioned, and some occasions with litterarily a rollercoaster experience, when Duffield commented on quirky downhill sections, the camera MC bikes not able to follow a JaJa or a Savoldelli in full downhill attack mode
And yes, noticed Holms fallout of Amirail's family name, and though a bit fading on Bay&Holm, still OK, and for the entire package still more than OK for me.
But as I stated, I've switched back and forth and just finds something better instead of using energy on grumpiness
Well, that's what I ment by 'shopping back and forth', me neither having it all at one and same time
Would be really hard to know when I'd need to have which one.
Well, that's what I ment by 'shopping back and forth', me neither having it all at one and same time
Btw, speaking Brian Holm. IMO both Holm and Thomas Bay are fading on sharpness, compared to previous years.
However, must credit the Danish Eurosport Premium team for stepping up on the giro with full coverage, in-depth pre race analysis, intellectual aspect by Bastian Emil, their man onsite Mielke with insight knowledge, also on the nerdy technical field, and then post race sum up.
Good commentators have the ability to interrupt themselves in e.g. intellectual dozing of local regions or own personal stories by seizing the moments, previously Bay&Holm have had better standards here. But must admit I've not had the time for watching every single stage, could in general be better of what I've witnessed, but remember some spring classics with pinnacle commentary from both guys.
But now a bit of a rollercoaster for both, just like in the days of David Duffield like someone mentioned, and some occasions with litterarily a rollercoaster experience, when Duffield commented on quirky downhill sections, the camera MC bikes not able to follow a JaJa or a Savoldelli in full downhill attack mode
And yes, noticed Holms fallout of Amirail's family name, and though a bit fading on Bay&Holm, still OK, and for the entire package still more than OK for me.
But as I stated, I've switched back and forth and just finds something better instead of using energy on grumpiness
I think Bay is perfectly sharp. Apart from when he says "modernet".
Kirby, Thomas Kristensen and the like have made that part really easy for me
But must say I'm quite surprised to read how insider guys as Jens Voigt or Blythe apparently tends to be, but seems I'm not missing anything here.
Kirby, Thomas Kristensen and the like have made that part really easy for me
I meant instead of just having to keep track of "This race is TV2" or "This race is ES/Discovery+/GCN+", and just have both all the time (because, sometimes I need both at the same time), then having to keep track of when it's time to temparily sign of for Sporza, or Rai, or whatever French streaming services there are.
Its obvious that Bay puts up with some of Holm's bad takes, analysis, pronunciations etc. You can tell that's not how he feels, he just fails to state it since Holm is the 'expert' and they have a great relationship, so he just deals with the bad stuff without going into arguments.
Also, now I quite want to listen to a Duffield broadcast, because believe it or not, I actually used to enjoy Kirby a lot. Not that I don't anymore, just haven't listened to him for ages. Speaking of old commentators, used to watch a lot of these extended TdF highlights with Sherwin and Liggett, and watched almost the whole Tour, I think in 2011, listening to those two. So relaxing.
Also, now I quite want to listen to a Duffield broadcast, because believe it or not, I actually used to enjoy Kirby a lot. Not that I don't anymore, just haven't listened to him for ages. Speaking of old commentators, used to watch a lot of these extended TdF highlights with Sherwin and Liggett, and watched almost the whole Tour, I think in 2011, listening to those two. So relaxing.
Put Kirby on a space shuttle to the moon with no return trip
These days, some commentators comment from home, so that probably wouldn't stop him.
Kirby would be like that guy from Office Space . They sacked him and he still turned up. stopped paying him, they moved his stuff out of his office and he still turned up and then they moved his desk to a basement file storage in the dark and sure enough when someone turned on the light there he was
Kirby could be orbiting Mars and l still shouting " I'll be bound watch his count down the awnings" about the wrong named rider winning a race while he told us for the umpteen time how he felt "Si Clarke could have won it"
Orla looking...interesting...today. Bruises on the knees, trashy top. Personally prefer a classier look. They don't costume up the guys like they consistently do with her. I'm as much a dawg as the next guy, but...just don't need my cycling commentators to look like...well...I guess I'd better stop.
I actually like Orla as a presenter, she's very knowledgeable about the sport and is very passionate.
But sometimes I look at her and wonder what the hell is she wearing, she dresses like a teenager, not a married woman with kids in her mid 40's. Each to their own I guess, but sometimes it's a bit inappropriate for the audience they are katering for..
I was so glad she's no longer on Dutch eurosport, but my euphoria was short-lived as she was picked up by GCN.
A serious presenter on TV wears suit and tie, whether male or female. Unless it's a gala occasion.
But I'm not particularly bothered by Orla's outfit. At least she's no worse than the usual standards of Blythe.
But I'm not particularly bothered by Orla's outfit. At least she's no worse than the usual standards of Blythe.
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