Barry On Baseball Also blogging at Banished to the Pen.
Directv not offering the PAC 12 Network is not going over too good at the RBA household. And if Directv doesn't come to terms to carry the new Lakers network, that may put the nail in the coffin for Directv.
However, no other provider I can get right now has made a deal for the new Lakers channel. This includes Cox Cable, ATT U-Verse, and Dish Network. Dish Network carries PAC 12 Network.
It is nice to finally be able to watch the Thursday night games and I look forward to never having to watch Chris Berman ruin the Draft again, but thus far the other NFL Network programming has been somewhat disappointing. I was expecting something more along the lines of the MLB Network (more substance, less cliche-laden talk from ex-players), but thus far that hasn't been the case. The Sunday pregame show may be worse than ESPN's, which went from the gold standard to unwatchable. I want more Mayock and Lombardi and a whole lot less of Sapp and Warner.
The ESPN football coverage has its holes too. I'm fine with Mort and Clayton but very little of substance comes from ex coaches Mangini and Edwards. First of all they weren't good coaches to begin with. Edwards just likes hyperbole and thinks energy equals results whereas Mangini just has nothing to contribute. Case in point this week: They ask Mangini "if Dez Bryant hasn't gotten it at this point in his career will he ever?'
Mangini's answer: "It depends on if he works at it..."
Adam Schefter is supposed to be an insider who gives us accurate info yet for a full week he was telling us that once the Refs agreed to a new contract, logistically it'd take at least a week to get them back on the field. It took less than 24 hrs to get them back on the field.
I don't watch pregame NFL shows. I think College Gameday sets the gold standard for all pregame shows, one that none of the Pro networks can come close to. From my perspective the NFL shows are full of guys who just are unlikable. Saap, Berman, Deion, Irvin, Keyshawn, etc. are just guys who turn viewers off. I think NBC does a decent job in the Sunday night pregame coverage.
As for Mayock I am not a huge fan. He irks me doing ND games and it carries over to his other games. Give me more Tirico and Gruden and I am happy. I have always liked the energy Gruden brings and the likability he has. Tirico is just a smooth color guy who doesn't pretend to know the game more than he does.
The heyday of pre-game shows were many years ago such as CBS Brent Musberger, Irv Cross, Phyllis George and Jimmy the Greek.
Anything that Keyshwan Johnson is on is totally unwatchable to me. He has absolutely killed Sunday morning for me. If I get a chance I try to flip on CBS as I like JB, Marino, Boomer, and the gang, but most of the time I go without.
If you have a losing record at Reds games, please stop going.
To me, he was actually right. Cueto gets less groundballs than balls in the air (line drives, fly balls, pop ups). Very few guys actually get more grounders than balls in the air, but to me, to be a groundball pitcher, you need to have 50.0000001% grounders or better.
Now wait a minute here....YOu mean the guy who blamed Chad Johnson's recent problems on Marvin Lewis and the Bengals is NOT a good commentator?
From Day 1 of his NFL career this guy was what Terrell Owens and Johnson took notes on how to be a D Bag WR....and self promote and sometimes blame others. Hated that Wayne Chebret got more attention for putting himself out there as a WR than he did....and used the race card on top of it. Complete Grade A Megalomaniac.
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