ESPN should be embarrassed. The telecast of the game was secondary to the RMK homecoming. It was the worst that I have ever seen. There were long periods where the play-by-play was absolutely missing from the broadcast while they were interviewing old IU players. Do that pre-game or post-game and broadcast the game!
Purdue-IU telecast was the worst that I have ever seen
- Thread starter arcb102000
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I felt the same way. You could barely see what was going on be ause they had it side by side with interviews and commentary about Knight the whole time. What a joke.
I agree, and I'm an I.U. fan who would have rather witnessed our embarrassing demise than listen to them talk about something other than the game. If you're going to broadcast a game, broadcast the game and not another event.
I was yelling at the TV for those clowns to get back to calling the game. I mean gives a poop about Dickie V’s memories of ...? Hell I don’t even recall what the heck he was babbling about, right over plays, fouls, and baskets. Why does he think he is more important than the actual real time game?
I believe Dakich was originally slated to do color on the game, but was bumped for Vitale.
Dakich would have been perfect. He would have of course paid the requisite respect to RMK but he wouldn't have allowed it to become such a fiasco for many reasons.
Metaphorically speaking, Dakich knows where the bodies are buried. He saw and experienced too much to let the praise get totally out of hand as it did with Vitale.
He also has enough professional and technical acumen to realize that there was a team on the court that was playing more like a Knight team than this Hoosier squad, and he would have pointed it out. This eluded Vitale.
Dakich would have noted that, played up the Knight-Keady era more, and talked about the influence thay have had on Painter's philosophy. It would have made the broadcast more about the game on the floor while still interweaving the RMK angle.
The production of the game was so distracting and semi-professional: Those clowns even misspelled Randy "Whitman's" surname in their highlight package; the rushed interview with Mike Woodson was awkward and hurriedly ill-timed with the media timeout; the split screen was unnecessary and frustrating to everyone regardless of allegiance.
Of course the return of Knight was significant. But ESPN totally botched it with Vitale's barely-literate, boring, and repetitive self-aggrandizement. He turned what should have been a dignified tribute into a nauseating hagiography.
Dakich would have been perfect. He would have of course paid the requisite respect to RMK but he wouldn't have allowed it to become such a fiasco for many reasons.
Metaphorically speaking, Dakich knows where the bodies are buried. He saw and experienced too much to let the praise get totally out of hand as it did with Vitale.
He also has enough professional and technical acumen to realize that there was a team on the court that was playing more like a Knight team than this Hoosier squad, and he would have pointed it out. This eluded Vitale.
Dakich would have noted that, played up the Knight-Keady era more, and talked about the influence thay have had on Painter's philosophy. It would have made the broadcast more about the game on the floor while still interweaving the RMK angle.
The production of the game was so distracting and semi-professional: Those clowns even misspelled Randy "Whitman's" surname in their highlight package; the rushed interview with Mike Woodson was awkward and hurriedly ill-timed with the media timeout; the split screen was unnecessary and frustrating to everyone regardless of allegiance.
Of course the return of Knight was significant. But ESPN totally botched it with Vitale's barely-literate, boring, and repetitive self-aggrandizement. He turned what should have been a dignified tribute into a nauseating hagiography.
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Think about how bad it would have been if we were getting beat
I think of her as a football commentator. Doris Burke I don't mind as a bball announcer, fwiw.
Btfu!
I 100% agree. I mentioned a few times to my wife that I wish they'd get all the history crap off the screen and just show the game. Also, I'm pretty sure in the first half the banners got more screen time than the teams on the floor.
she went Lafayette College out here in Easton, Pa. Same college of manager of the Cubs when they won the Series.
I completely agree it was difficult. Vitale is talking about a statue for a guy that assaulted a player, verbally abused anyone that crossed his path and nearly took a swipe at him for attempting to hug Knight. This wasn’t exactly Mother Theresa showing up tonight.
Had the game on mute the whole game and didn’t dvr it. Looking forward to the 60 minute replay so I can see the beat down again.
Monday @ noon (Central time) according to BTN listings.
Vitale is an embarrassment to anyone calling themselves a sports commentator. He no longer knows the game, if he ever did. His only color comments are long diatribes praising players to an extreme that he's likely never met. In short he's there to be a clown on TV, which apparently some people like.
We recorded the game because we weren't home this afternoon. Started watching the game and my wife told me turn the volume down because she said Dickie V is worse than Dan Dakich and she really doesn't like him.
The worst broadcast of any game I have ever watched. It was brutal!
Actually they probably bumped Dan off because he has openly said he hates Knight. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dakich asked to be pulled.
Watched it at a BWW and so couldn’t hear most of Vitales rambling.
The guy who has the toughest job is Wischusen. What do you say in response to that steady stream of nonsense ?Here's what you missed!
I completely agree it was very annoying. Could have been done so much better. That said, I also see it as two 80 year old men (one in serious health decline - which truly was sad to see) reminiscing about their lives. I give them a pass. I was happy to see Knight go - but really because he was a great coach. Think we all need to take a step back and let the "elders" feel good for the last times they can in the public eye.
the worst point was near the end when the play by play guy said “with knight, the positives clearly outweigh the negatives.”
REALLY? So as long as you win, you can abuse your players? As long as you have success, you can be a total egotistical asshole?
that kind of “ends justify the means” mentality is why there is so much dirt in college sports, namely at PSU, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville, Baylor, MSU....
it completely undervalues the good guys in the sport, like Keady, who still won without feeling the need to choke or kick any of his players.
Yes the broadcast was annoying. I accepted going in that we were going to see a love fest featuring an old announcer with verbal diarrhea and the biggest boor that Indiana has ever known. I concentrated on the game and pretended Vitale's voice was that of my wife which I have learned to tune out over 45 years. I believe yesterday is the final episode that ends as AssHall being recognized as the mausoleum that commemorates what once was and will never be again.
Vitale’s game prep for the Purdue roster... Haarms is 7 foot 3. I’ll just mention that a few times.
The broadcast was awful,but I will always have great memories of seeing Fred Glass,Sage Steele and Mark Cuban being there as their Hoosiers LOST!
the look on don flushers face at the end of the game was priceless
I expected the suck-fest from Vitale. What I didn't expect and what pissed me off were all of the live cutaways from the actual game. From halftime until about the 8 minute mark it might as well have been an exhibition game going on. Right after I tweeted my frustration it pretty much ended.
Gonna have to admit I really didn’t notice how bad and blatant the slant toward IU was when I watched it live. Was annoyed , but just happy Purdue was winning. Went back and watched the replay. Was trying to be objective and open minded , but It was honestly 80-90% all about IU. One of the worst broadcasts possibly ever !! ESPN should be ashamed and honestly owes Purdue an apology. At one point they have a split screen for almost 3 minutes of live game. Then another time a split screen for another minute. Nonsense.
The actual game was an afterthought. It was an embarrassing broadcast.
