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[Chron] Barry confident he's finally found his calling

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by alexcapone, Oct 25, 2006.

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  1. alexcapone

    alexcapone Member

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    Didn't see this posted anywhere and didnt know if it should go in the game thread but its a Chron article so I thought I'd make a new one. Clutch, please lock if already posted.


    Barry confident he's finally found his calling

    By DAVID BARRON

    Jon Barry rejoins the Rockets on Wednesday, in a manner of speaking, in his new role as an ESPN game analyst. His first assignment will be the Rockets' preseason game at Miami with John Saunders.

    "I've been thinking about this for a while, but the NBA got in the way for 14 years," Barry said Sunday. "I wrote a sportscast as my assignment for a speech class in the eighth grade and delivered it in front of a camera, and my teacher said, 'That's what you're going to be doing in your career.' "

    Along with some studio work, Barry will work Western Conference games, mostly with Mike Tirico and Bill Walton.

    "I saw Bill last week, and he told me that when he gets on one of his tangents, please don't be afraid to interrupt," Barry said. "I think we'll have some good banter. I don't want to make it a Pardon the Interruption kind of forum, but I think there's a place for some back-and-forth."

    One of the first people Barry called after getting his work schedule was Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, a once (and perhaps future) broadcaster.

    "I talked with Jeff a lot about broadcasting," Barry said. "He loved it. I picked his brain and asked him to watch my tapes and critique me. He's excited for me."

    Calling a game that involves a former coach and former teammates won't be a novelty for Barry, who played for eight teams in his career.

    "I'm going to know somebody in every game," he said. "But I'm not going to be partial to friends or more critical of others."

    Barry's father, Hall of Famer Rick Barry, was known for his tart observations of players and teams during his days as a broadcaster. Bill Worrell, who worked with Barry on four Rockets games last year, thinks Jon will be candid but with a lighter touch.

    "Rick didn't sugarcoat it," Worrell said, "Jon has a way of getting in the needle without it hurting so much. Players won't get angry, and he'll get his point across."

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4279635.html

    I'm rooting for him to do well. I really hope his goofy, clowning attitude will translate well to being a good color commentator. I guess we'll find out tonight.
     
    #1 alexcapone, Oct 25, 2006
  2. entirelydave

    entirelydave Member

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    word up.
     
    #2 entirelydave, Oct 25, 2006
  3. Omer

    Omer Member

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    Nice, I can't wait to see him debut tonight on ESPN.
    Lookin forward to seeing what he will say about the team this season as well.
     
    #3 Omer, Oct 25, 2006
  4. deshen

    deshen Member

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    nice to hear Barry again soon
     
    #4 deshen, Oct 25, 2006
  5. tiger0330

    tiger0330 Member

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    Awesome, glad he got a national job instead of a local job down here in Houston. He should learn a lot from Saunders and Tirico, they are some of the best broadcasters on TV, especially Tirico. I remember his dad as a broadcaster, he was pretty good, hopefully the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and JB is as good as his dad.
     
    #5 tiger0330, Oct 25, 2006
  6. happyricky

    happyricky Member

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    Good read! Looking forward to seeing him again! :)
     
    #6 happyricky, Oct 25, 2006
  7. Lemarc

    Lemarc Member

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    he should do well...He was pretty entertaining on sports 610, so no doubt that he can be as compelling as JVG was
     
    #7 Lemarc, Oct 25, 2006
  8. TeamUSA

    TeamUSA Member

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    His mouth is faster than his hands, I guess he'll excel in this field.
     
    #8 TeamUSA, Oct 25, 2006
  9. Van Gundier

    Van Gundier Member

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    So... how do you think Barry did tonight?


    I liked him a lot. A little conservative during the 1st qtr, but got comfortable later on. Had good insight as well as a sense of humor. I like the crack about being the star of Van Gundy's film sessions.
     
    #9 Van Gundier, Oct 25, 2006
  10. Hippieloser

    Hippieloser Member

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    Mostly I'm just going to miss him on 610 before I hit the snooze. Battier can't compete.
     
    #10 Hippieloser, Oct 25, 2006
  11. ClutchCityReturns

    ClutchCityReturns Member

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    I thought he was great. Too bad he didn't go to TNT, where the real fun is at. ESPN's telecast is too conservative. I think a 3 man team of Kevin Harlen, Tom Tolbert and Jon Barry would be great. Maybe TNT will steal him away after he gets some experience.

    My favorite moment was when he made the comment about "Greece putting the beat down on us over the summer" when there was a short pause and then John Saunders goes "I'm Canadian...".

    :eek:


    By the way, I liked Tim Legler's enthusiam about our team during the halftime and post game shows. He made it extremely clear that the Rockets have what it takes to win the ring this year and he thinks they have an outside shot at actually doing it. If we do, mark him down as one of the true believers among the media.
     
    #11 ClutchCityReturns, Oct 25, 2006
  12. wafna

    wafna Member

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    Poor Bullard!!! He went through the whole humiliating contest for the job and lost. Now Barry just strolls right in through the front door.
     
    #12 wafna, Oct 26, 2006
  13. Uprising

    Uprising Member

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    Exactly what I was thinking lol.

    Too bad I missed this game, I'd love to hear JB.

    R2K? :) Wonder when the replay is....
     
    #13 Uprising, Oct 26, 2006
  14. Drift Monkey

    Drift Monkey Member

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    He wasn't nearly Rocket slanted enough... :p
     
    #14 Drift Monkey, Oct 26, 2006
  15. ClutchCityReturns

    ClutchCityReturns Member

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    The ESPN replay is in one hour (@ 2:30am)

    OOPS...must have started at 1:30. Sorry.
     
    #15 ClutchCityReturns, Oct 26, 2006
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2006
  16. Pistol Pete

    Pistol Pete Member
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    I thought John Barry was really good last night.
     
    #16 Pistol Pete, Oct 26, 2006
  17. forchette49

    forchette49 Member

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    I actually thought he was terrible, I admit I do enjoy his cander, but other than that, I wasn't impressed at all. Sounded more like a fan with a mic...

    Not saying that anyone else was much better, Bill Pido (sp?) said that Novak (first guy off our bench, one of the most dominate rookies in the league thus far) was "making his case for a roster spot" after nailing a few 3s...

    Right then and there it became obvious these people really don't know what they are talking about half the time during the game, they get some meaningless stats prompted at them, and they do little, if any, research about the teams they're announcing...preseason or not
     
    #17 forchette49, Oct 26, 2006
  18. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    He was FANTASTIC.....he is a color guy and he added tons of it to the broadcast.

    DD
     
    #18 DaDakota, Oct 26, 2006
  19. SirCharlesFan

    SirCharlesFan Member

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    I wasn't all that impressed, but he did show moments of potential. What I thought was pretty strange was how little he joked around. I think that he'd be better served on a three man commentating team where he could be around just as the guy cracking jokes while still making insightful points.
     
    #19 SirCharlesFan, Oct 26, 2006
  20. MC Ren

    MC Ren Member

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    Lol I agree they didn't seem to do much research but I thought JB sounded very good and the guy is hella funny...
     
    #20 MC Ren, Oct 26, 2006
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