Damiano Cunego/Phil Liggett TV Coverage

[keno]

I began to wonder if Cunego might be Liggett's bastard child. I found it very irritating to hear mentioned what seemed an infinite number of times in the most irrelevant of circumstances Cunego's name, not to mention "The Little Prince". Liggett, in particular, for me is a white noise machine, but his all too frequent uttering of Damiano Cunego brought out the red in me. It is a fun name to say, I must admit. Maybe because he was the only rider Phil actually recognized.

I must say, though, that I enjoyed Liggett's wit in the pre-race segments. He should have been muzzled after them.

keno

[thinpin]

BINGO
we have a winner

[victoryfactory]

I enjoy Phil. I admit that he tends to root for his favorites,
(read: riders who speak english and will actually talk to him) but
fortunately Paul is there to keep it (a bit) real.
I also was a big fan of Phil Rizzuto as a Yankee broadcaster. same thing.

This doesn't mean that I believe everything he says, it's just sort of like
having a caring but nutty uncle in the broadcast booth.

Sports broadcasting doesn't really need the vanilla, cold "fair and balanced"
approach that we want in the regular news media, IMO.

Phil Paul and Bob make it fun.

VF

[goonster]

Liggett, in particular, for me is a white noise machine

You say that like it's a bad thing. ;)

Seriously, a steady stream of pleasant, inoffensive, soporific noise . . . that's about the highest standard I set for a sports commentator. Senility is probably even a plus, I'm thinking Bob Murphy here.

It is a fun name to say

Not nearly as fun as Vincenzo Nibali's. :D

[keno]

maybe you're too young to have heard Red Barber or Mel Allen or Curt Gowdy. Liggett is more like Johnny Most without the attitude.

keno

[wasfast]

I grew increasingly attached to the MUTE button on the remote while watching the tour. Talk about endless rambling......I'm grateful to have the coverage but 3 weeks was too much talking.

[Charles M]

For me the white noise came in race form.

Someone emailed me that watching Cadel Evans is like watching paint dry.

My response was that I've done some custom painting that was, for me, far more entertaining to watch dry that gawking Cadel on what ever wheel is third on a climb...



After listening to a few others try and do what Phill does, I can say the guy is about as good as it gets... (he's also the best combination of cool / classy in the sport as a person)


This is one hell of a hard sport to make entertaining. The Dave Duff, Sean Kelly, Steph Roche's, Phills, Pauls etc of the world all have an insane job...

Turn the sound off next (or "just like every" time for some I guess) and try and comment for even 30 minutes next time. ;)

[Tom]

Did they show any actual racing in the ITT on Saturday? I couldn't watch. Thirty seconds of a rider, five minutes of Ventura pimping Trek, seven minutes of ads, thirty seconds of a rider, five minutes of Bruyneel saying nothing, seven minutes of ads, repeat until viewer gouges his eyes out with a plastic fork.

[gary135r]

five minutes of Ventura pimping Trek, seven minutes of ads, thirty seconds of a rider, five minutes of Bruyneel saying nothing, seven minutes of ads, repeat until viewer gouges his eyes out with a plastic fork.


TIVO/DVR. Modern tech's greatest invention.

[victoryfactory]

I think those who criticize Phil should try it themselves first.
Most of the races, he is sitting and watching the feed from the organization
and trying to make it sound exciting. Just trying to identify the riders is tough.
They have to change the commentary to match the pictures as they change,
unlike say, a baseball broadcast where there is an engineer in the truck
listening to the commentator and illustrating his points with the shots.

Also, those guys often are working for several parties at the same time,
like other networks, video makers, etc.
It's like doing radio and TV simultaneously. Yikes.

VF

[BumbleBeeDave]

This doesn't mean that I believe everything he says, it's just sort of like having a caring but nutty uncle in the broadcast booth.

Phil Paul and Bob make it fun.

VF

Phil may turn off the average non-cycling viewer, but with cycling knowledge it makes it fun to listen to him mangle names and just plain get stuff wrong. But even when he gets it wrong, it's with that nutty uncle, Mrs. Malaprop bent that makes it entertaining.

BBD

[johnnymossville]

I still like Phil. Versus is lucky to have him. I don't get all the anti Phil stuff.

[Tom]

I think they should have Kirsten Gum, Al Trautwig and Brent Musberger calling it.

[johnnymossville]

I think they should have Kirsten Gum, Al Trautwig and Brent Musberger calling it.

Now there ya go. you said it better than I could've.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and the first year she did it she was indeed clueless. but the next year I felt she had learned a lot and her comments and reporting were far more knowledgeable.

BBD

[fiamme red]

I don't care how much people make fun of his mistakes and clichés, I still love Phil Liggett. And David Duffield too.

http://www.addiscombe.org/features/duffieldcollection/Duffield.htm

[sc53]

Just play "Phil and Paul Bingo" (someone made up a set of cards and posted the link last week sometime) if you can't stand the commentary. For fun, I added a bunch (two pages worth) of new expressions to revise my bingo cards for next year since some of the old cards contained expressions already obsolete. I think Phil and Paul add a lot to the race though most of it consists of unintentional comedy. It's pretty boring to watch 4+ hours of people riding along. Tivo/DVR is the answer, makes it far less painful to watch.

[mikki]

I still like Phil. Versus is lucky to have him. I don't get all the anti Phil stuff.


Just something to bitch about. If not this, something else.

My hubby and I just make TV work for us...DVD...fast forward. No ads unless one attracts us. We all will be Phil's age someday (hopefully) and will misspeak or forget on occasion.The greater part of his personality is charming and informative in his coverage of the race; it's really no big deal except to those looking for something and someone to rag on.

[BigDaddySmooth]

Excuse me for not being exact but the one nugget of Phil's that stands out for me was the 96 Tour when Indurain was in trouble. At first, Phil though Indurain was moving up to the next group when in fact he had been dropped. Phil said something like "Indurain isn't going forward, he's going backward..." Classic Philism.

[keno]

Just something to bitch about. If not this, something else.
it's really no big deal except to those looking for something and someone to rag on.

Ironic, mkki, isn't it, that you, yourself, are one of those people who has found something to bitch about? You appear to bitch about those whose opinions differ from your own. Apparently it is a big deal to you, as well, as you ragged on those who do not share your views.

keno

[mikki]

You appear to bitch about those whose opinions differ from your own. Apparently it is a big deal to you, as well, as you ragged on those who do not share your views.

keno

I have no problem with divergent opinions about "things". It's when people slam other people seemingly without mercy or compassion that I step forward. Ironic? Perhaps yes; point taken.

[skyflash]

I think they should have Kirsten Gum, Al Trautwig and Brent Musberger calling it.


What?!? Is John Tesh not available?!? :)

[sailorboy]

If you have to get through some of Phil's inane comments to get to stuff like this:

"you're not out of the TDF until the ravens have pecked out your eyes and you see the ghost of Henri Desgrange himself" --Bob 'Bobke' Roll, TDF '08
then it is worth any inconvienence.

Long live Bob Roll

[keno]

I have no problem with divergent opinions about "things". It's when people slam other people seemingly without mercy or compassion that I step forward. Ironic? Perhaps yes; I see your point.

Yet, mikki, you have no problem making an ad hominem attack without mercy or compassion on some of us.

Just guessing here, but do you step forward and defend George Bush, for example?

keno

[taylorj]

I still like Phil. Versus is lucky to have him. I don't get all the anti Phil stuff.
+1 I love Phil. There is hardly a person out there who has so intimate a relationship with the sport/history of cycling, and the rider's behind the scenes. I find him to be one of the most entertaining sports commentators ever.

[JMerring]

+1 I love Phil. There is hardly a person out there who has so intimate a relationship with the sport/history of cycling, and the rider's behind the scenes. I find him to be one of the most entertaining sports commentators ever.

i love phil and paul, as well. bobke too. phil and paul could be the best commentating duo in all of professional sports, notwithstanding their mistakes.

those who rag on/don't like them probably think that mike "the moron" tirico is good. in fact, he could be one of the worst commentators. ever. in anything. period.