OT: Official Sports Media Thread VIII - Milbury out as NBC hockey analyst after 14 years

[Aeroforce]

I'm a huge Emrick fan and am sad I will never again hear him call a game. I'm not even going to say he lost a step toward the end. For starters, calling games remotely surely isn't easy. And secondly, I doubt they'd admit it, but I bet both Doc and Jack Edwards realize the game has lost much of its edge, and their hyperbolic calls are often their attempts to make otherwise uninteresting games seem more exciting.

I also feel modern society has moved away from colorful characters in favor of more straight a ahead play by play. Would Howard Cosell's act fly today? NOt that Emerick was similar to Cosell, but he had a lot of personality that in recent times seemed to not find favor with some fans.

I will miss him.

 

[ODAAT]

this will offend many here but can`t express how grateful I will no longer have to listen to a game called by Emerick, the tone of his voice just irked me, like nails on a chalkboard.

 

[Fenway]

Eddie Olczyk, NBC broadcaster

Doc is going to get mad at me for this, but what the hell? We still laugh about it every time we talk about it.
So just to take you through it: before the game starts, we always go over all of our graphics and the promos, and there’s rehearsals, right? The billboards are what we run coming out of a break, and usually on the national shows those are done live. On the cable channel, they’re usually taped.

So one day, we were in St. Louis, I forget what year it was, but this was right around when TurboTax had a breach. We were doing a national game, but our understanding was that we were in rehearsal when we were recording the billboards. So Doc is reading them — you know, a Bud commercial, like, “the NHL on NBC brought to you by Budweiser, United Airlines and TurboTax.” And without a bat of an eyelash, Doc goes, “And TurboTax, it’s amazing what hackers can do.” He just gives a quick little, you know, and we laughed.

Well, what ended up happening was, instead of doing the billboards live, they ran Doc’s taped version. So we’re sitting there and all of a sudden here come the billboards and I’m going, “Usually we read these live, but maybe there was a problem and I just missed something.” Then I hear, “And brought to you by TurboTax, it’s amazing what hackers can do.”

They just kept his rehearsal because they thought it was so good, but nobody ever caught it. Everybody was just roaring when he did it at rehearsal, but when it really went out over the air, trust me, there was no laughing when that happened. I’m not kidding you, his phone was ringing in the booth. He was on the phone with Lou Oppenheim, our agent, I think calling the sales department. I was like, “This is probably not good. We’re probably writing a check to TurboTax for $50,000 for the sponsorship.”

 

[Alicat]

NBCSN had the first game after the Boston Marathon bombings. Doc had a beautiful, heartfelt intro to the broadcast. I cannot find video of it, but Chad Finn summed it up in the Globe the next day.

Still makes me cry every time I hear it.

 

[Fenway]

1977 - Unknown writer for Baltimore Sun winds up on national TV

 

[Lobster57]

this will offend many here but can`t express how grateful I will no longer have to listen to a game called by Emerick, the tone of his voice just irked me, like nails on a chalkboard.

i'm with you 100%, i also loathe Bob Cole which no one seems to understand, but i got tired of watching Chara get the puck to Bergeron who would then get it to Marchand but hearing "The defenseman gets it up to the Bruin who slides it over to the winger" meanwhile i am given a full biography on the Habs healthy scratches.

 

[Terrier]

BSJ Live Q&A: Conor Ryan on Bruins/NHL – Thursday at 2 p.m. | Boston Sports Journal

 

[McGarnagle]

Doc Emrick was on Toucher & Rich this morning. Despite Fred trying to continually talk over him, it was a good interview. I could listen to him tell stories all day. Apparently one of the first texts he got congratulating him on his retirement came from his favorite player, Robert G. Orr.

 

[Fenway]

Doc Emrick was on Toucher & Rich this morning. Despite Fred trying to continually talk over him, it was a good interview. I could listen to him tell stories all day. Apparently one of the first texts he got congratulating him on his retirement came from his favorite player, Robert G. Orr.

Mike “Doc” Emrick (Hour 4) - FF to 14:58

 

[Fenway]

To appreciate Doc Emeric I take you back 24 years to the final minutes of Game 3 of the 1996 World Cup in Montreal.

The game in the US was seen on a thrown together network of RSN's in the major hockey markets.

 

[TD Charlie]

Espn can pound sand for a million reasons. That is all.

 

[Fenway]

Very enjoyable read

 

[Fenway]

Back in 1998 - Sean McDonough was the lead hockey announcer for CBS

 

[Fenway]

WEEI is on life support

 

[Terrier]

BSJ Live Q&A: Conor Ryan on Bruins/NHL – Thursday at 2 p.m. | Boston Sports Journal

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

WEEI is on life support

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" Sports radio" is a cesspool of blowhards and fan boys that get paid to root for their teams. Good riddance, hopefully 98.5 is not far behind.

 

[Fenway]

How 'The Big Show' is still impacting Boston sports radio, 25 years later

But if there’s one thing Ordway has learned ever since he started “The Big Show” on WEEI 25 years ago this autumn — or maybe he’s known it all along, going back to his days playing football in his native Lynn — it’s how to take a hit. He was fired at WEEI in 2013 and then kicked around for a while, at one point doing an internet version of the show from his home office. He was later re-hired by WEEI to do middays, and then clawed his way back to afternoon drive. And at every step along the way he was both applauded as a survivor and dismissed as a dinosaur, except he neither fawned over the fawners nor caved to the complainers. He just kept plowing ahead, as he always has.

In that spirit, then, he’ll take your barbs and your insults, organize them, assemble them into a neat file, and then hand them back to you in triplicate.

“There’s no question they’re doing much better in the ratings than we’re doing,” said Ordway, referring to the “Felger and Mazz” program, during an interview for this story. “That station as a whole has done a good job. They captured a younger demographic group.”

And then, as a set-up to getting in the last word, which has always been a blood sport for Ordway, he said, “They’ve been respectful. When I first got fired (at WEEI), the first to go on the air and talk about how foolish it was were Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti.”

Then there was a pause, a perfect pause, because timing is vital on talk radio, and then … the last word.

“But it’s going to happen to them like it happens to everybody,” he said. “You can only have a show for so long. You tell me. TV. Radio. Shows don’t last forever. You go through a run. You have a great run, and I’ve had a great run and I have no regrets whatsoever. I’ve had an unbelievable run, and then your run ends and then somebody younger comes in and does it. And that’s what will happen with those guys.”

Let us examine some of the ingredients that went into forming “The Big Show”:

• “Sports Huddle.” Multiple hosts. Arguments. Comedy bits. Callers. It was less about analysis and dissection and more about fun and entertainment, and in that respect it was years ahead of its time. In putting together “The Big Show,” Ordway consulted with Bruce Cornblatt, who produced “Sports Huddle” from 1974 to 1980.

• “Voice of Sports.” Airing on WHDH in the early ’70s, the show lasted only about a year and a half but was a critical success. Moderated by the late Don Gillis, the show featured a panel of what one newspaper called “the celebrities of sport,” and was an early example of local sportswriters being brought into the studio and getting paid for their time. “They’d bring in different guys, like Jake Liston (of the Herald American),” Ordway said, “and they shared opinions. And I kept thinking: what if we developed something like that?”

• “Saturday Night Live.” Ordway was attracted to the cutting-edge, sometimes raucous comedy bits from the live 90-minute NBC television program, which debuted in 1975. “You’d hear bits like that on morning radio shows, but not on a lot of sports shows,” Ordway said.

 

[BMC]

1977 - Unknown writer for Baltimore Sun winds up on national TV

Too bad he didn't remain unknown....

 

[ODAAT]

i'm with you 100%, i also loathe Bob Cole which no one seems to understand, but i got tired of watching Chara get the puck to Bergeron who would then get it to Marchand but hearing "The defenseman gets it up to the Bruin who slides it over to the winger" meanwhile i am given a full biography on the Habs healthy scratches.

I hear you, the last decade or so it was evident that Cole was well past his due date and it`s not surprising given his age. I also understand the position the CBC were in with trying to part ways with a legend. When Cole was on though, I really appreciated his calls, I found him to be very fair with his calls which, as we listen or watch to a CBC broadcast these days, it`s often easy to see where their allegiances lie.

Emerick, for me it`s simple, it`s nothing against the man nor is it his fault, the pitch of his voice is simply something my ears can`t take

 

[DKH]

WEEI is still feeling the effects of Glen Ordway sinking that station

The Big Show although entertaining often to me was a bunch of pompous obnoxious white guys with inflated views of themselves

I love all the Boston teams and our family has had Red Sox and Patriots season tickets -we still have the Patriots.

however all kidding aside here the Bruins are my Binkie and always will be and I despised that lying slob Eddie Abdelman and later Glen Ordway for their treatment of hockey

he drove a lot of fans to Sports Hub and I’m stunned WEEI brought him back

 

[LSCII]

WEEI is still feeling the effects of Glen Ordway sinking that station

The Big Show although entertaining often to me was a bunch of pompous obnoxious white guys with inflated views of themselves

I love all the Boston teams and our family has had Red Sox and Patriots season tickets -we still have the Patriots.

however all kidding aside here the Bruins are my Binkie and always will be and I despised that lying slob Eddie Abdelman and later Glen Ordway for their treatment of hockey

he drove a lot of fans to Sports Hub and I’m stunned WEEI brought him back

WEEI was desperate because Holly and Dale w/ Keefe was okay, but once Holly quit, it was really bad. That show was only tolerable because Holly and Keefe had good chemistry, but Dale was vanilla and brought very little to the show.

 

[Serge]

WEEI is still feeling the effects of Glen Ordway sinking that station

The Big Show although entertaining often to me was a bunch of pompous obnoxious white guys with inflated views of themselves

I love all the Boston teams and our family has had Red Sox and Patriots season tickets -we still have the Patriots.

however all kidding aside here the Bruins are my Binkie and always will be and I despised that lying slob Eddie Abdelman and later Glen Ordway for their treatment of hockey

he drove a lot of fans to Sports Hub and I’m stunned WEEI brought him back

That show ridiculed Bruins fans. And the station tries to win us back with 'hot takes ' from Wiggy and his diatribes against Z?
No shot I listen to those buffoons unless they bring in a regular hockey analyst.

 

[BMC]

The only reason I ever listened to WEEI was for the Dale & Holley show. I also loved "The Whiner Line" at the end of Ordway's show although it sucked after he came back to the station.

 

[JRull86]

YT TV sent an email that NESN is no longer offered due to contract.

I'm sure it'll get ironed out, but Henry and Co are really playing with fire these days given the general lack of interest in the Red Sox.

 

[Babajingo]

I'm probably wrong but I have a feeling Mr. Burns has something to do with it.

There are so few options for NESN that are non-cable, this makes one less.