I despise Fox.
There are a million reasons as to why I despise Fox - their incessant need to emblazon their logo on almost fricken’ everything, their need to cut away from an instant replay review in the first quarter to show yet another Pontiac commercial and then return and explain what happened - it can go on and on.
The awfulness of Fox’s broadcasts cannot be adequately explained in print. It is almost as though Fox’s senior executive producers are plucked straight from high-school AV classes across the country, given advanced cameras, and told to shoot a football broadcast.
Their pre-games are terrible in collegiate football. I like Fran Tarkenton, but he has no business participating in a round-table prior to the start of a major BCS bowl game. My grandmother - drunk - could give a better synopsis of the game than Fran could.
I cannot in good conscience start off with an explanation of the outstanding game that Georgia just played tonight. I am, however, forced to respond to the absolute abomination of a broadcast that Fox just conducted during the 2008 Sugar Bowl.
Where to begin? Oh, let’s count the ways:
As already mentioned, Fox broke away from an instant replay review involving a Hawai’i catch in the first quarter to show a Pontiac commercial. They returned from this commercial with Brennan lining up and explaining that the ruling had been upheld, all without ever showing an actual replay of the play in question. If you had any question as to whether Fox actually cares about college football, or merely cashing a check from advertisers who would like to advertise during college football, well - there’s your answer.
Thom Brennaman and Charles Davies were the two worst possible announcers I could imagine calling this game. Their Fiesta Bowl experience last year has apparently turned them both in to the biggest WAC homers on the face of the planet. I believe they were in tears during the latter half of the third quarter because of the fact that Hawai’i had been exposed as a fraud of a team - as Kyle said, a team that should have come close to New Orleans only if they were there to play in the New Orleans Bowl.
Davies - a Tennessee grad - made asinine remarks, such as “I think America is terribly disappointed that they haven’t got to to see Hawai’i firing on all cylinders tonight”, a statement that was constructed in such a way as to imply that Georgia should somehow apologize for smacking Hawai’i all over the field like a used pinata.
My girlfriend, sitting next to me during this whole thing, turns to me and says “Well, it would have helped if Hawaii didn’t suck so much.”
Brennaman referred to Georgia as “The Gators” at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter. I’m not making this up. I’m sure this will show up on YouTube sometime soon - it’s on my TiVO, I just might post the damn thing myself to show the heinous incompetence of Brennaman. If someone referred to USC as “The Bruins” during a national telecast of the Rose Bowl, I’m sure they would be certain to never be calling said bowl game ever again on account of complete blindness, incompetence, or both.
By the middle of the fourth quarter, Richt had emptied the benches and had started to play Joe Cox and some of the other backups, clearly trying to get some catches and touchdowns for the backup seniors in the bowl game. Brennaman - for about the full five minutes remaining, began to openly question the class of Mark Richt. I will posit this: if Pete Carroll had gone for it on 4th down during the fourth quarter and tried to score a touchdown while up by a significant margin, I’m sure the announcers wouldn’t have questioned him then.
Oh, wait….you mean that actually happened this year?
4-4-NE27 (8:10) John David Booty passed to Fred Davis for 10 yards.
1-10-NE17 (7:40) Chauncey Washington rushed for no gain.
2-10-NE17 (7:00) John David Booty passed to Fred Davis for 11 yards.
1-0-NE6 (6:45) Touchdown. Allen Bradford rushed for 6 yards.
(6:45) David Buehler made the extra point.
USC 49 NE 17, Plays: 12 Yards: 80 Possession: 05:16.
Huh. Funny that. I might also add that when Georgia did get the ball back again, they kneeled down three times to end the game.
Georgia played a statement game tonight - they absolutely torched a team that played well this year, and while they clearly did not belong in the Sugar Bowl, Georgia played them head and shoulders above any other opponent during the course of the year.
And still, we get no respect. Apparently, according to Charles Davies, we’re supposed to apologize to America for playing good defense.
Are you serious?
Random PoP Query(ies)
The other day I saw a guy on the metro, in the middle of the day, who was snoring so loudly it surely could wake the dead. Now, the guy obviously had been working very hard and was completely out. But the snoring was so loud and painful it made the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard sound pleasant. So my question is you can’t wake the guy right? I mean I tried the fake coughing but that was as far as I was willing to go. So what’s the etiquette here?
For those who saw the pregame to the Georgia-Hawaii game: Don’t you think Fran Tarkenton looks exactly like a cast member from Monty Python?
A reader writes: “I was wondering: I have a 27-inch regular television (not high def or anything like that, though it still works perfectly fine, has remote and manual) sitting in the middle of my living room floor, unused. I know that as people move to high-def sets, these TVs aren’t as valuable anymore, but I was wondering if there might be a neighborhood charitable organization that might be willing to accept it. Perhaps for a waiting room, or to hook up to a game system for some kids?” So if you know of a charitable group that needs a tv leave your contact info in the comments and the reader will get in touch with you.