After living in D/FW and watching Mavs games, I'm SO THANKFUL for Bill. Their commentators are ridiculous homers and so GENERIC.
Bill just does what he is supposed to do, which is, strap it on and get to work, with whatever loser they set next to him. I don't know if Bill worked Rockets games with anyone prior to McCoy McLemore, because that was really my first extended exposure to regular Rockets telecasts. And man, it was dreadful, even worse than now with Clyde. It was so bad, even Bill couldn't make it better, and in fact he partook in the awfulness. Anyone remember Buck Johnson? For some reason, Bill took to calling him 'The Blade!' which has got to be one of the all-time stupidest nicknames for a barely-marginal player. You know, back in the day, when the Rockets commercials featured guys like Jim Petersen showing off his slick moves .. LOL Anyway, now, Bill is all class - he seems to just be happy to be doing what he is doing, and doesn't let the fact that the owner is determined to saddle him with one sub-par partner after another because of some unreasonable pathological hatred of Calvin Murphy, regardless of what the fans want. So Bill has to carry the telecasts right now, which is not really his forte, but he does a pretty good job. But I guarantee you, if Les were to ever pull his head out of his a$$ and bring Calvin back, the happiest man in the world, other than Calvin himself, would be Bill.
Sorry, I didn't see your post until today. I don't remember Hildreth, and I recall Bill being a cheerleader for the football team. It has been a very long time, but, I know this, he is an excellent announcer now. I really enjoy his commentary.
Is wexler going to do the games for us next year? Adam really isn't that bad, I just hope he gets a good sidekick. I'm really curious whose going to fill those huge shoes as rockets commentator on 610.
Hehehehe I know that's WHY they said it, but it was a fiction - it's not like he ever actually 'sliced' into a lane, or performed well, or was ever any good at all. That's why it was so ridiculous.
They were very annoying and completely biased. I had to watch the games on mute. They were so bad that Cuban actually had to switch up the crew. The radio guy is now doing TV. They are much better now you can't even imagine. Anyways, Bill is great and so was Calvin. I remember when Moochie Norris fell hard to ground many years ago and Bill said, "Moochie, get up, you don't want to go back to the ghetto!" Those were the good old days
Bill gets a "B" in my book...better than many but not in the top echelon. He has reduced his error rates over the years considerably and for that I give him a lot of credit.
Bill Worrell is great for a Rockets fan, but for sports fans I think he's OK at best. He's a little bit too homer in my opinion and makes the Rockets sound small town. What I mean is he calls the game with too much homerism and less professionalism. As a Rockets fan, he's a solid B+, But if you were any other fan listening to Rockets games you would probably wonder what is up with the guy? It could get annoying if you want to hear a game called objectively. He's afraid to criticize the Rocket players and makes alot of backhanded remarks hinting his despleasure towards calls made against the Rockets. The one-sidedness of it can get annoying.. As a sports broadcaster. I'd give him a C for average.
exactly.. Not being afraid to criticize your own players or point out flaws of the teams gives the game a much more authentic feel. IE: Walter "Clyde" Frazier color commentator for the Knicks.
Why in the hell though would a local broadcaster criticize his own team. The fans dont want to hear that crap. Im sure if he was on TNT or some crap broadcast station like that he could call a game more objectively and hate on the rockets like the other boring broadcasters.
There is a middle ground between blatant homerism (exhibited by most local commentators) and blatant hating (exhibited sometimes by guys like Kenny, Charles, Greg Anthony, Stephen A. Smith, etc.) and it would be the broadcasts done by quality national broadcasters, like Marv Albert, Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello, and JVG. Even handed calling of the plays, even handed quality analysis of the game. That's what I'd prefer to hear.
I think Bills supposed homerism is a little overstated. Is he a fan of the team? Absolutely! Does he gush over them unnecessarily? Not IMO My only gripe with him is the constant Rockets ads slipped in during the game...but I realize that isnt his fault, the bosses are calling that shot. I dont need my commentator criticizing them for every little mistake, and if you are gonna claim that Bill has never made note of a bad thing they were doing, I say we are listening to two seperate Bill Worrells. re: Acting like experts (telestrator time) Keep in mind the vast majority of people watching on tv are NOT experts nor do they spend hours on end on the internet learning about basketball...maybe they appreciate being shown how a play works in slow motion? and you can say stuff about Bull's tone of voice, or some of the corny stuff he says, but the man knows more about basketball and the inner workings of the ROckets than most of us do, so Id say he is more qualified to be considered an expert than we are to say he isnt.
Wow, he's been doing it for 30 years? That's dedication... The thing I like about him is that he never loses his enthusiasm about basketball, and the Rockets in particular... a true lover of the sport.
