I have a serious urge to take Mike Smith aside and teach him some basic Italian pronunciation rules, though.
How's Kipolini doing in the Giro? What about Petaki?
Oh, he manages Chipperleeny and that, but he's convinced that there's a "For Maggie Pins Olo" team.
I'm assuming - there are signs - that he isn't actually doing the commentary from the race, just back in Paris with the TV feed, so he's not even picking that sort of stuff up from the PA and other journalists either.
Mike Smith's been a reasonable commentator on the Giro so far but lack personality and charm. As for David Duffield i think he's great. I kno he frequently rambles on about everything but the action, nattering o about what he ate for dinner the other night and what have you but think he's a very entertaining bloke. He manages to crease me up like n other commentator encouraging me to watch the race which can't be bad He's a Brummie too like moi ;
"crystal_tears_" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Mike Smith's been a reasonable commentator on the Giro so far but lacks personality and charm. As for David Duffield i think he's great. I know he frequently rambles on about everything but the action, nattering on about what he ate for dinner the other night and what have you but i think he's a very entertaining bloke. He manages to crease me up like no other commentator encouraging me to watch the race which can't be bad. He's a Brummie too like moi 😉
Is my memory failing or is the Duffers Debate early this year? ISTR we normally let him ruin the Giro without comment.
Don't we normally wait for him to start spoiling the Tour before we lay into him?
Actually, I solve it by watching French Eurosport myself.... -- Mark South Citizen of the World, Denizen of the Net <<Tiens! Ce poulet a une grenade!>>
Mike Smith's been a reasonable commentator on the Giro so far but lacks personality and charm. As for David Duffield i think he's great. I know he frequently rambles on about everything but the action, nattering on about what he ate for dinner the other night and what have you but i think he's a very entertaining bloke. He manages to crease me up like no other commentator encouraging me to watch the race which can't be bad. He's a Brummie too like moi 😉
You can't commentate on bike races in the UK unless you come from the West Midlands or the Potteries, it's a well-known fact.
Smith is getting a bit better (has done some pronunciation practice) but he lost track who was in which group on the summit finish and failed to spot (or at least comment on) the maglia ciclamina in the bunch gallop today.
That said, a 2-3 hour stint commentating solo on a fairly uneventful stage is pretty tough to do (well, it's hard enough even doing text internet commentaries on days like yesterday); Eurosport ought to stump up for someone (preferably italophone) to sit next to him. A definite Duffieldness was starting to creep in.
Cycling commentary is difficult when there is apparently not much happening. A bit of infill about the location, scenery, history is OK but commentators easily get carried away and fail to cut short when something interesting happens.
David Duffield and Mike Smith are OK but anyone new to the sport and more used to a football type commentary find them a bit 'waffly' and off-putting. For me Phil Liggett is the best, wish Eurosport could get him.
Roger Hughes <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
That said, a 2-3 hour stint commentating solo on a fairly uneventful stage is pretty tough to do ...
Cycling does seem to lack a John Arlott. My father and I once set spellbound for over an hour in front of the idiot box when the cricket was rained off and the BBC simply brought a camera inside the long room while JA discoursed on the photographs adorning the walls. He had the ability to paint the most vivid word pictures in a voice you would pay to listen to if he were reading the telephone directory.
"The ball runs down to the boundary, bounces over the rope and is fielded by a gentleman in shirtsleeves. He measures the distance to Alan Knott, decides not to make a fool of himself and gives it to Snow. The Sun comes out."
