Maybe more traditional as in "doesn't sound like a fool, doesn't make elementary mistakes, does the job of a PA announcer without trying to be an entertainer and doing a piss poor job of that even." He is horrible. It's got nothing to do with his race. Bring back the old guy or find someone new please.
this is a very subjective issue so that's why we have divergent opinions. But on objective criteria, like basic understanding of the game, he stinks. That detracts from the experience at the game. then you pile on the subjective issues, like annoying voice, irritating style. . he just comes across like a person that is not particular articulate, intelligent or deserving of that position. He should be replaced. period. in many ways, this is paralell to the cynthia cooper situation. she was placed into a position for which she is not qualified. Thus, she stinks at it. No lack of effort, but she stinks. but with cooper, Tim suggested that cooper did appeal to certain segments of Rocket fandom that does not include clutchfans. However, based on the assumption that the average game attendee is probably higher on the socio-economic food chain, I'd think that Tim's point about cooper doesn't apply to t-gray's existence as the courtside announcer.
1) The 'Whose Ball Is It?!' is a horrbile rip off of the DEEEEEETROOOITTT BASKETBAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL -- which I enjoyed so much. 2) The old guy (Mario something?) was so much better.. He actually got us into the game. 3) I remember the new guy was like 'foul is on number 35 Dikembe Mutumbo.' and then 'Number 45 Brian Cardinal at the line shooting 2.' Get the numbers straight -- and it wasn't my ears, because my dad was asking me the same thing. 4) The 6th man thing is gay, we aren't the sixth man, Lue or Howard are.. I liked when they used to refer to us as Houston, because that's what we really are. 5) I don't get the off-topic stuff. Were at a basketball game, no need to be playing MUSIC during the MIDDLE of a play. I know they play that music in clutch situations, and that gets the crowd all jumpy, but seriously, playing AC/DC, who is a great band, during a basketball game is just stupid. Rap, has more to do with basketball, go techno or some beat. They've already played Enter Sandman, I don't know why. Playing Usher too, I dont get that. Let WHAT Burn? What does confessions have to do with a friggin basketball game? I remember they played part of My Band, which the crowd liked a lot.. 6) I remember Bill and Calvin were complimenting the old guy, and how great a person he was. They did like an entire half-time show on him.. back in the day. And I'm not in college yet, I remember the old guy so well. Whenever the Rockets were shooting free-throws, he'd be all like: players name -- Shooting TWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I loved that too.
Matt Thomas was our last good PA voice IMO. Wasn't too down with Mario Nanni and just can't get with T-Gray.
More experience? Where exactly do you get more experience? High school games? College? Should we trade him for another PA announcer and a ball boy to be named later? The guy is a dj, isn't he? I do agree he should layoff the cheerleading. I remember Mario getting blasted when he first started. He was just a Matt Thomas ripoff. I'll never forget when Hakeem came back as a Raptor and you would have thought he still played for the Rockets the way Mario introduced him and said "DREAM SHAKE!" after his baskets. You should NEVER do that for a player on another team. He also butchered a few names. That said, he got better.
Someone who has done this as a profession for an NBA game. T-Grey sucks. Bring back Matt Thomas. Yes, he is. And he should stick to that. It was the same **** he was doing last night and from last season. He records his crap and plays it over the PA. I have never heard him live (maybe during the starting lineups). How the hell does the crowd get motivated from someone who says "COME ON GUYS" or says "DEFENSE" one damn time? He's pathetic. Bring back the good times w/ the hyped up music (Y'all ready for this, Everybody Dance Down, etc.) and someone who gets into the game (not someone who records their crap and goes to have a beer).
Whenever he says, "Whose ball is it?" I just keep thinking, "Well, if you'd pay attention to the damn game, you'd know, wouldn't you?!?" Then when he says, "come on sixth man!" I think of Mo Taylor (although, since Mo is starting now, I gues our sixth man is Juwan Howard). Lose him. -- droxford
Everytime this guy starts the "Defense" chant, I either laugh or wince in pain. It's embarassing as hell and can possibly undermine team morale in clutch situations. This guy needs to go back to doing the weather. I miss the old "DEFENSE" chant in that sped-down, Darth Vader-on-nitrous-oxide voice that would rattle your GI tract.
I see. fair enough then. I agree not knowing who is at the line for free throws is a no-no but his style is not necessarily bad - it is just a different flavor. I apologize if I offended you with my initial response. Cheers.
I always laugh when he says "Good job sixth man!". When somebody hits a shot or something. It's sort of ridiculous. I wonder if it makes the kids have more fun? If kids enjoy it then I'd say it's worth enduring. I just find it all kind of silly.
Well everybody is entitled to their opinion, but overall I think you guys are way off base. First off the whole thing about the corporate fat cats vs the true fans upstairs. I have had season tickets for 8 years now. Always upstairs till last year. Upstairs crowd sits on their hands. Across the board, our fans sit on their hands, but when the game was jamming, I noticed that pretty much everybody downstairs was standing and pretty much everybody upstairs was sitting. People behind me used to ask me to sit down. I really don't understand that, but hey when in Rome. So I moved downstairs last year. OvVerall the crowd is much more into the game. Still a lot fo room for improvement, but overall much more into the game. In fact at the home oppener, game got exciting, we all stood, I looked upper bowl, basically nobody was standing. Say whatever romantic notion about rich vs poor, but my experience says downstairs is much more into it. Second, people buy their tickets, they can do whatever they want with them. Yea I think it is a shame we have so many empty seats just like you do, but it is their seat. Just because you enjoy the game one way does not mean everybody else has to also. I am a season ticket holder, and it is pretty hard to go to all of the games. People who make enough to buy $200 seats (how expensive is that times 44 games plus parking, beer etc) probably have pretty important jobs. The get held up at the office, they get called away, they are just plain tired and don't feel like going at the last minute, they are due back at work very early the next day. They bought the seat, as far as I am concerned their purpose is not to please me. Enjoy your seat any way you want. Third, the announcing is weak, but it is becasue the fans are so lame. As a group we all complain that the fans don't do anything, but then we whine when somebody does tell them to do something. Pick one or the other. Untill the fans start to be excited just to come to a game (when we start competing for a championship) we will always have empy seats and a basically unmotivated crowd. I remember when the Astrodme opened and the national media made fun of Houston fans for having to be told when to cheer. That has not changed, and T-Grey is not the reason. Lastly, the last couple of years at Compaq were truley bleak as far as crowd participation goes. The room was flat when you came in and unless it was a great game, it pretty much stayed that way. As a stadium, I like the Summit better than the TC, but the overall atmosphere at TC the last two years has been much better than the previous few at the Summit. Big suprise, those were basically downward years vs basically upward years. Winning will cure a lot of ills. Untill the fans get into it, no amount of prodding is going to fix it. Hippieloser has the best and most intelligent post of this thread...
