Joel Meyers. I think he has been around forever. He announces other sports like college football bowl games and has done the NFL for NBC (and maybe Fox or CBS now) before.
It wasn't just "being a homer", grumpy. Tony Parker dominated the broadcast when they have players like Tim Duncan and David Robinson playing well. It'd be one thing if Parker was going off for 30 points and 15 assists, but he was just making good passes... and of course EVERYBODY blows by Francis' defense. It's not like Parker did something that no one else does.
I don't know how you guys were listening to the game, but the SA announcers did nothing that surprised me. Homers are Homers. Period. What perked my ears were the kudos Elliot was giving the individual Rocket players. At one point after the other announcer was saying something negative about the Rockets (which he did a lot), Elliot responed to him by saying something about Steve going to be the top PG in the league in a year or two. In fact, I said to myself, Elliot! If you keep that up you are going to get fired! This was not the only case. Elliot did give us credit guys. It seems to be whenever the other announcer was saying something negative. Okay, okay. They were high on Parker. That's to be expected. RR
The worst to me was on a Steve Smith play in the second half where he did a pump fake at the 3-point line that fooled Walt, then he drove and basically did a running jumper. Elliot then pulled his penis out, and started calling the Rockets the Washington Generals. This went beyond the normal Homer announcers, something I've come to expect from watching Spurs' games.
this is exactly what i've been talking about. parker's good, but they were making it seem like he was an even match for francis. parker's going to be good, but let's be clear about this: parker can't see francis with a flashlight.
one more thing... i listened to the afternoon radio show here in san antonio last friday. they were talking to pockmarkovich. the announcer was saying that "parker is a special player." he then got stupid: "we believe that, in tony parker, we a have a very, very special kid. i'm talking about tim duncan, kobe bryant, jason kidd type of special franchise player, here, folks." being a homer is one thing, but ludicrous and stupid is another. someone please show what in the hell - AFTER 8 GAMES - parker has done to be annointed a "franchise player"?!!
I started watching the game in the early 3rd quarter... the first possession I saw was Tony Parker popping a three in front of Stevie, who clearly wasn't respecting his jumper. From that point on, the Spurs announcers were giving T.Parker a full body massage while taking jabs at Franchise. As other posters mentioned, comments included "Parker, RIGHT BY FRANCIS" or "Francis got away with another walk" or "Francis forces up another shot." However, as Francis led the Rockets closer in the 4th quarter, it definitely became a Stevie lovefest... one of the top 3 guards in the league, could be the best point guard by next year, plays way bigger than 6'3, does everything on the court, etc. etc. I kind of liked the announcers actually. In a Bill Walton sort of way.
one more thing... the comparison spurs' announcers and fans are making about tony parker: gary payton WTF??!!!
"Christ isn't going to be 32 forever, and, quite frankly, He hasn't been the same since the Romans drove holes into His hands and feet," Oh my God...I can't breathe.
What you missed earlier in the game was Parker air-balling a 3 pointer and bricking another long shot. That was probably the first real outside shot he hit. Prior to that shot, there was no reason to "respect" his outside shot.
LOL SmeggySmeg I can't believe that only 1 person commented on that so far. That was hilarious! In related news, upon hearing about the return of Jesus "The Savior" Christ to the NBA, a throng of reporters rushed to Washington, DC to officially get commentary from (who else?) Michael Jordan on his opinion on another ex-star player making a comeback this year. When asked about the impact of his long time rival Christ, Jordan said, "Jesus will still be a fine player, but I respect him for his incredible love of the game. However, like myself, I think he knows his limitations and people shouldn't still be expecting the man to change Gatorade [at this point Jordan smiled and held a bottle of Gatorade up with label facing the camera] into wine." Another reporter inquired on whether Jordan should feel competition from Jesus about potential endorsement deals. Jordan retorted, "I have endorsed Nike, Hanes Underwear, Gatorade, and MCI for a long time. Jesus endorses things like peace, love, and forgiveness, so I don't foresee any potential problems with him interfering with any of my endorsement deals. Anyway, Jesus typically wears sandals and has frowned upon Nike's practice of giving more money to endorsement contracts than to the entire payrolls their factories in Thailand. Anyway, I think he's putting his endorsement behind an affordable Payless Shoe Store line called 'Jesus Savers' or something like that." Finally, in response to the controversy that upcoming Washington Wizards games have pre-empted the national television broadcast schedule of 2 Atlanta Hawks games even after the news of Christ's second coming to the NBA, Jordan replied, "I am not responsible for who decides the television schedules of NBA games. Maybe you should talk to the directors of programming at TNT, TBS, and NBC. All I can say is that I know that the Hawks are still getting a good deal of coverage. I mean, all 4 of the games I play against them are going to be televised, so what's the problem?"
That one sentence sums it all up. It was annoying listening to Meyers & Elliot induct Parker into the HoF.
Well it seems that most of us share the same sentiment, that announcers are expected to be homers but not obnoxious. At least Bill & Calvin are "classy homers", quick to compliment an opposing player and criticize a Rocket and vice versa. Tony Parker = looks like Kevin Johnson, plays like Terrell Brandon
Joel "You said it, partner" Meyers isn't exactly a fan favorite in SA. Elliott, of course, is. There is understandably excitement in SA about Tony Parker, especially since Terry "Moses" Porter was the starter last season. The kid has skills, and for a 19 year old who grew up playing ball in France, it is pretty surprising. I know the organization was excited about being able to land him in the draft after their attempts to trade up for him were unsuccessful. Of course, every team hypes their picks. The original time table for Parker was for him to move into the starting lineup around the All Star Break. Parker does have the potential to be a top point in the NBA. He is not there yet. I was interested in this game to see how he would match up against an elite point guard. He looked fine in the 4th. Francis looked great. Of course, this was Parker's 4th game starting. He is fairly cool under pressure. I did not see the SA broadcast, instead, I had the pleasure of watching the Houston broadcast for the 4th. Yes, Worrell & Murphy do consistently give praise to opponents...but you would've thought it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals by the way they were calling the game. Perhaps it's nice to have such enthusiasm in calling the 8th game of the season, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, much props to Houston, especially SFrancis, for not quitting when the Spurs apparently decided that the game was over at the end of the 3rd. Worrell & Murphy hype the Rockets, Meyers & Elliott hype the Spurs, those two old farts on WGN hype the Bulls, and so forth. NBA Excitement. Like I said, I only saw the Houston broadcast, but I know from experience that watching the opponent's broadcast of a game involving your favorite team will always be aggravating.
