Pat Foley

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Used to love Foley calling games but the last few years he's been atrocious. Not calling him a fan boy, but he clearly just blasts any youth in recent years that felt Q disagreed with. Its not news Foley, Q, and Olczyk are close friends off the ice and horse racing buddies (gamblers) which has been verified by more sources than you can count, but Foley is almost unbearable these days. Doesn't pronounce names right, gets numbers wrong left and right, yuks it up with Edzo for stretches at a time, and really has lost the game and almost any patience for youth development and Front Office choices without explicitly saying it.

Just saying he is out of his element because he literally only calls it as he sees it from a press box and its ripping the team like a GM and he should talk more like a play by play guy (like Doc Emrick) and not like a guy who ever played even major junior

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[SabbathBloodySabbath]

He had messed up names for many many years. That's not at all new.

He used to do all the details and say them often -- score, time left, who was out there, etc -- but he doesn't do that anymore. Some of it is because he's getting old and some of is because it's not radio only anymore. He knows anyone hearing him is also watching so he doesn't have to do it.

They do way too many shout outs and birthdays and death notices and who's in the hospital this week. 80% of them are unrelated to the team. It's the "nice thing to do," I know, but I don't need to know guy who owns a golf course's wife's dad's friend is having surgery.

Also if someone could take Emrick's thesaurus away, that's be good. I find that "squibbed" and "sashay" more annoying than Pierre McGuire knowing which junior team someone played for ten years ago.

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

God, I hate Pierre.

 

[HawksBeerFan]

He and Eddie have been bad for a while now, but this year is a whole different level of terrible. I really lost it last night with Eddie criticizing Strome for no reason, while also talking up Manning. Their bias is just absurd now. Call the damn game.

I vowed after last night to just watch the other team's feed going forward.

 

[Kurtosis]

It’s almost like they are trying to get fired at this point. I’d welcome that with open arms if that’s actually what they want.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Alcohol is a helluva drug.

 

[Kurtosis]

Alcohol is a helluva drug.

It’d be something else if Foley has been in a perpetual state of black out since Q has been fired and has no actual recollection of what he has said over the last 10+ games.

 

[pvr]

The beauty of NHL Center Ice is that both home and away broadcasts are typically televised. I’ve been watching the opposing broadcasts for two years. Better perspective, and an ancillary benefit is that they tend to focus on their players,which I find helpful watching the play as I don’t know/identity them as well as Hawks players.

 

[AmericanDream]

It pains me to say what I have been saying about Foley the past 2 years...this man was an icon growing up listening to games, his calls were the best - his voice/passion kept you into the games. Foley and Tallon would go off on some tangents, but damn they were fun to listen to and Tallon was such a homer it was hilarious the shit he would say...

How many else remember watching Hawks Home games regular and playoff games on Pay Per View??? Sportsvision anyone??? We had a thing called the "pink box" which spliced all the cable and ppv channels so we never missed a game, and his calls during the late 80s and 90s were legendary.

What he has turned into now is near unlistenable. f***ing breaks my heart. The constant Harry Caray shtick is pathetic...the constant shout outs and stories have taken up a third of the damn game. The bitterness he seems to have now to an organization that brought him back in when he was tossed by the Old Man is just odd...I don't know what it is with him, losing his dad doesn't excuse the way he has been on there..Foley has always been a guy to throw some jabs when justified, that is okay as home team announcers should be able to call out crap they see - just watch his EPIC rant on the late Karpotsev for that...but what he does now seems almost bitter and miserable towards JC and some of the kids...

They NEVER call out Manning for his shit play, Foley also had the balls to say last week the Hawks have been a team that haven't had guys able to step up and fight and defend each other over the years - yeah Pat, let's ignore the guys we did have here like Bicks, Buff, Brouwer, Eager, Bolland, Burish, Shaw, etc who did do that stuff and ignore the guys that would stick up for teammates still here like Seabs, Murph, Toews, etc...And oh yeah, how did we win all those Cups which such soft teams???

I will always love the Pat Foley I grew up with, but this version of him is no longer the icon I once thought he was - he needs to go and play golf full time somewhere...

 

[HawksBeerFan]

Does anyone know how much longer their contracts are for?

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

He and Eddie have been bad for a while now, but this year is a whole different level of terrible. I really lost it last night with Eddie criticizing Strome for no reason, while also talking up Manning. Their bias is just absurd now. Call the damn game.

I vowed after last night to just watch the other team's feed going forward.

Yeah it's gotten completely out of hand. It becomes increasingly annoying each game because all him and edzo do is complain about players, the team, the moves that were made, what plays they did make, what plays they didn't make, how soft they are, how they should fight more, how this player isn't living up to expectations, etc

Like you said, at this point, enough. Just call the damn game. I don't want to hear your jaded opinions every single play about you don't like the head coach or the organizational choices.

Hell the white sox have been bad for years and Steve benetti can sit there and call an entertaining and objective game without sounding like the bitter old man that Foley does

 

[ChiHawks10]

Yeah, Foley and Edzo have gotten out of hand. It has been especially bad since Q was fired. And bordering on unprofessional many nights.

It's a shame. I grew up listening to Foley, and loved him. I think it's time for Edzo to move to the national booth permanently, and Foley to retire.

 

[Rick C137]

Foley is still good when he’s with a different partner. Eddy is toxic for him because their stichkt gets really annoying and they do it all the time.

 

[ClydeLee]

Yeah it's gotten completely out of hand. It becomes increasingly annoying each game because all him and edzo do is complain about players, the team, the moves that were made, what plays they did make, what plays they didn't make, how soft they are, how they should fight more, how this player isn't living up to expectations, etc

Like you said, at this point, enough. Just call the damn game. I don't want to hear your jaded opinions every single play about you don't like the head coach or the organizational choices.

Hell the white sox have been bad for years and Steve benetti can sit there and call an entertaining and objective game without sounding like the bitter old man that Foley does

I think its actually a lot easier to not be bitter in that sense when you suck for years vs were just the top of the league recently

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

I'll add that beyond Foley's criticism's of players, he's really fallen off in actually identifying the player with the puck. Like 10 times a game he's misidentifying the player with the puck. It's sad to see.

Foley's shtick bothers (3:33, etc.) me more than the criticisms though.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

Foley is still good when he’s with a different partner. Eddy is toxic for him because their stichkt gets really annoying and they do it all the time.

Are you implying Foley is good with Konroyd? Wait, are you implying Konroyd is good?

 

[Rick C137]

Are you implying Foley is good with Konroyd? Wait, are you implying Konroyd is good?

I actually said in the GDT that the one day Eddy got his one last shift and Pat called almost the entire first period by himself was his best work in awhile just because he was actually forced to actually talk about what’s going on on the ice instead of bullshitting with Eddy.

I would love if the hawks or any other team did a “sounds of the game” broadcast every now and then where there’s no play by play and it’s just all the rink mics but I would highly doubt that ever happens.

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

I think its actually a lot easier to not be bitter in that sense when you suck for years vs were just the top of the league recently

I agree but Foley's professionalism has gone completely out the window and he sounds more like a petulant child every game. Rocky and mcdonut have to be hearing this too, they should consider canning them both because it's fair to be critical but they are daring them to fire them at this point

 

[Salvaged Ship]

Wow, now its fire the announcers. No one is off limits for moaning at in here.

Just like many players Foley is slowing down towards the end of his career. His tree tirty tree stopped being funny after game 1 and now we are on about game 3000 of hearing it. Thing is, I don’t really care. The team, the players, the front office, and even the announcers stink. Its hard to watch or listen to and with little hope for several years to come it might be time to do something else with our lives for a while.

 

[Dont Toews Me Bro]

He had messed up names for many many years. That's not at all new.

He used to do all the details and say them often -- score, time left, who was out there, etc -- but he doesn't do that anymore. Some of it is because he's getting old and some of is because it's not radio only anymore. He knows anyone hearing him is also watching so he doesn't have to do it.

They do way too many shout outs and birthdays and death notices and who's in the hospital this week. 80% of them are unrelated to the team. It's the "nice thing to do," I know, but I don't need to know guy who owns a golf course's wife's dad's friend is having surgery.

Also if someone could take Emrick's thesaurus away, that's be good. I find that "squibbed" and "sashay" more annoying than Pierre McGuire knowing which junior team someone played for ten years ago.

Doesn't the network require them to do that?

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Wow, now its fire the announcers. No one is off limits for moaning at in here.

Just like many players Foley is slowing down towards the end of his career. His tree tirty tree stopped being funny after game 1 and now we are on about game 3000 of hearing it. Thing is, I don’t really care. The team, the players, the front office, and even the announcers stink. Its hard to watch or listen to and with little hope for several years to come it might be time to do something else with our lives for a while.

I still want to watch the team through thick and thin, I just don't want to have to hear the announcers female dogging every gamr, all game long

Really just ruins trying to enjoy the game even when it's scoreless that they have to find something to complain about

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Doesn't the network require them to do that?

Yes for guys tied to the organization or broadcast crew, but they are doing way more of it for personal relationships lately

 

[Salvaged Ship]

I still want to watch the team through thick and thin, I just don't want to have to hear the announcers female dogging every gamr, all game long

Really just ruins trying to enjoy the game even when it's scoreless that they have to find something to complain about

Well then you better accept Foley because just like Seabrook he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I’d love an unfiltered ice level mic feed. I know it’ll never happen.

 

[bwana63]

Like many others, I loved Foley's call. Guy was great and his HoF nod is well deserved. Totally understand the slipping with age. Happens to everyone. But the happytalk (Edzo banter, schtick, reminiscing, shout outs, going off on tangents, etc.) is increasingly insufferable. Even worse, his opinions (on players and the team) are frequently hot take level.

I'm ready for a new announcing team. The primary & secondary focus should be on calling the game.