- This topic has 84 replies, 32 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 11 months ago by
.
- Posts
…in stark contrast, alas, to JA’s effort for the same race on the Beeb. Does anyone know if his monitors packed in (or similar) halfway through? There was a period of about 30 seconds coming down the hill in the back straight the second time where he seemed to lose his thread completely, and resorted to naming random horses in any order. Before and after that he wasn’t at the top of his game, either.
gc
Well there weren’t any power issues at the course so I would be surprised if his monitor failed. Anyway there was a flaming great big screen opposite his commentary position, so even if his monitor failed he could have used the big screen.
Righto, Paul. So, just a fairly ordinary performance from a caller struggling to maintain his previously very high standards, then?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I can’t believe the Beeb continue with Aussie Jim, talk about dropping standards.
The guy is awful. Horses are five lengths clear before McGrath realises they’re in front half the time.
I seriously believe I could do a better job.
Righto, Paul. So, just a fairly ordinary performance from a caller struggling to maintain his previously very high standards, then?
gc
I haven’t heard Jim’s call Jeremy, but from what you say you are probably sadly correct.
Lee McKenzie did a good on course call for the race.
What was with the BBC going to the crowd after the first 2 had crossed the line? ? ?
Did they forget the others were finishing.
Lee McKenzie did a good on course call for the race.
Indeed he did – heard it on playback this morning. Well played if you’re reading this, sir!
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
What was with the BBC going to the crowd after the first 2 had crossed the line? ? ?
Did they forget the others were finishing.
I suspect they were momentarily more interested in picking up an emotional initial response from the Alner family and connections as Miko De Beauchene crossed the line.
All well and good, and nobody should question how big a deal this win is to all concerned; but as you say, for the sake of hanging on for a few seconds I’d sooner they had honoured their responsibility to backers of the other horses to see at least the third and fourth over the line also.
I had my conkers on Over The Creek. I’d have prefered to see him cross the line in third rather than just hear about it.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I suspect they were momentarily more interested in picking up an emotional initial response from the Alner family and connections as Miko De Beauchene crossed the line.
All well and good, and nobody should question how big a deal this win is to all concerned; but as you say, for the sake of hanging on for a few seconds I’d sooner they had honoured their responsibility to backers of the other horses to see at least the third and fourth over the line also.
I had my conkers on Over The Creek. I’d have prefered to see him cross the line in third rather than just hear about it.
gc
I agree Jeremy, but like you say, a few seconds more wouldnt have exactly been too much of a hinderance.
Im all for catching the emotional moment, and my best wishes go out to Mr Alner and his family, and it was a great result for all concerned.
However, the BBC havent exactly covered themselves in glory again.
i’d say he’s part of a wider thing called 2the BBC’s coverage to racing. Granted, his race reading skills aren’t what they were but personally I can’t just hold him responsible I hold his employers responsible aswell.
Can’t disagree with you there Marb, I think the beeb definitely did clip his style when he became the senior commentator. Which is a shame as I believe his style when he first came over here was like a breath of fresh air and I know a lot of the callers agree.
Couple that with the decimation of the BBC’s racing coverage. As a result of which he did lose the practice which is essential to be a good caller.
Now he has been allowed to call again at the tracks he does seem to be getting more gigs, which should improve his calling. However I can’t help thinking the damage has been done. It will be interesting to see what happens to Barty when he eventually succeeds Jim.
On another calling note, did anyone hear Mark Johnson’s really excruciating call to the finish of the first at Market Rasen on Boxing Day – I refer to the Three Ships win – I think he hit new depths with that one!!
"The guy is awful. Horses are five lengths clear before McGrath realises they’re in front half the time."[/color:3muun3ba]
[b:3muun3ba]
With that style, he’d fit in just nicely over here,LOL!!![/color:3muun3ba][/b:3muun3ba].[/color:3muun3ba][/size:3muun3ba]
i’d say he’s part of a wider thing called 2the BBC’s coverage to racing. Granted, his race reading skills aren’t what they were but personally I can’t just hold him responsible I hold his employers responsible aswell.
Can’t disagree with you there Marb, I think the beeb definitely did clip his style when he became the senior commentator. Which is a shame as I believe his style when he first came over here was like a breath of fresh air and I know a lot of the callers agree.
Couple that with the decimation of the BBC’s racing coverage. As a result of which he did lose the practice which is essential to be a good caller.
Now he has been allowed to call again at the tracks he does seem to be getting more gigs, which should improve his calling. However I can’t help thinking the damage has been done. It will be interesting to see what happens to Barty when he eventually succeeds Jim.
On another calling note, did anyone hear Mark Johnson’s really excruciating call to the finish of the first at Market Rasen on Boxing Day – I refer to the Three Ships win – I think he hit new depths with that one!!
I’ve heard it said before about McGrath, that he was like a breath of fresh air etc when he first came over but on what evidence? there was no television coverage in the bookies then so unless you were at the track when he was calling you wouldn’t know. I’ve never had him down as much good and working for the beeb certainly didn’t have a bad effect on O’Sullevan.
I take it you don’t like Johnson Paul, the Three Ships call was a minor blip on a usual excellent afternoon of calling. It’s not normally his style to go in for puns although even the commentator of the year on here as never been averse to one.Graham Goode was absolutely appalling today at Leicester.
1. Called ‘One Gulp’ as ‘Gulp’ for much of the race.
2. Called the finish in the 3:05 between ‘Bengo’ and ‘No Complaint’ all the way up the run in, when in fact it was ‘Bengo’ and ‘Olay Olay’ who fought out the finish.
3. Said ‘Zirkel’ had a red cap, when in fact it has a yellow cap.Those were the mistakes just from the 3 races I heard him commentate on, as the other races ATR showed the Irish races instead.
Time to give it up I think GG.
Mike
I’ve heard it said before about McGrath, that he was like a breath of fresh air etc when he first came over but on what evidence?
it was the view of his peers and those who heard him on course.
there was no television coverage in the bookies then so unless you were at the track when he was calling you wouldn’t know.
Can’t quite see the relevance of that point Yeats. His first UK call was at the 1984 York Ebor meeting, however by the time he was over here full time SIS was up an running. He was commentating to the relevant audience.
I’ve never had him down as much good and working for the beeb certainly didn’t have a bad effect on O’Sullevan.
I would suggest that Peter O’Sullevan was in a position not to be dictated to.
Regards McGrath’s style, as with any commentator it is a matter of personal preference. If you listen to McGrath commentaries from the early 90’s they were different to the staid offerings that were generally available at the time.
I take it you don’t like Johnson Paul, the Three Ships call was a minor blip on a usual excellent afternoon of calling. It’s not normally his style to go in for puns although even the commentator of the year on here as never been averse to one.
Please don’t presume as to my preferences – I said the call was excrutiating in the context that it was a really bad pun. In terms of hitting new depths it was one of the worse puns I have heard in a long time. It was not a criticism more a backhanded compliment.
I actually don’t mind the occasional bad pun from a commentator, it shows they are human. I don’t like it when they set to do a full comedy routine like some callers used to.
[quote="paulostermeyer")
Please don’t presume as to my preferences
What was the pun paul? I remember thinking the same as you at the time but forgot all about it within 5 mins on a busy afternoon and can’t think what it was.
What was the pun paul? I remember thinking the same as you at the time but forgot all about it within 5 mins on a busy afternoon and can’t think what it was.
It was a dramatic flourish along the lines of "I saw Three Ships coming sailing in at Christmas Time" – I thought he was going to burst into song. It did make me smile though and it is one of those examples of being the right circumstances at the right time – I suppose technically not a pun but it was groan inducing nonetheless.
It will stick in my mind for a long time.
My favourite one is from the early 90’s – I won’t embarrass the caller because he is still commentating. (I reminded him about it a few months ago and he still remembers it.)
It was a race at Newton Abbot and Buddy Holly was the horse in question and he cleared the last in front. The commentary went "as Buddy Holly clears the last his supporters ask can he be beaten . . . . . That Will Be The Day" I think the groan from the crowd could have been heard at Perth
Can’t help but think some people people are highly critical of “Jimbo”,
Not highly critical, Marb, and not even critical just for the sake of being critical. Rather, plenty of us believe he isn’t quite where he was a few years back and can only speak as we hear on the matter. No more, no less.
Rather than just blaming him, i’d say he’s part of a wider thing called “the BBC’s coverage to racing”. Granted, his race reading skills aren’t what they were, but personally I can’t just hold him responsible I hold his employers responsible aswell.
There’ll be people better placed on here than us able to say whether JA was prevented from returning to the Racetech roster before he eventually did 14 months ago, and / or whether his eventual return to it was as much at Auntie Beeb’s suggestion as his (I have always understood it to be the latter).
As has been suggested in one of Paul Ostermeyer’s subsequent posts, Sir Peter was probably in a position not to be dictated to by the BBC (whether or not they ever tried to). I can’t actually imagine that JA was asked to tow a party line in his commentaries to any great extent (other than the obligation to call more than the first three or four over the line) – certainly a lot of his “Jim-isms”, such as “he popped in a shortie”, were present before he got the BBC gig and still are, and it’s not as if he was especially wacky, rude or otherwise over the top originally.
Rishi Persad did’nt even get this level of stick when he was getting slagged off and I don’t see any of the liberatarian politically correct mob screaming racism here like they did in that case.
I believe that even the most recent of several sustained periods of Rishi-bashing on this Forum pre-dates your time here, Marb, so be assured that he was not tip-toed around to any extent during that one or any of those which preceded it.
The main argument against Rishi’s involvement in the BBC’s racing coverage now, as then, remains half that he is given the most superficial, spare-part tasks to do, such as the immediate post-race inteviews; and half that he doesn’t really transcend that remit often enough for comfort by asking that many genuinely perceptive or challenging questions.
I have absolutely no quarrel with his performances on RUK, likewise none with JA’s paddockside work for ATR, but neither are perhaps doing as well as we’d like them to all of the time in their respective roles on the Beeb.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Just a quick observation that Stewart Machin is trailing both Graham Goode and Derek Thompson in this poll.
I hope the poor man never finds this thread – if he does he’ll need to be put on suicide watch.
Anyone who hasn’t voted yet, please fix this nonsense result and give the poor chap a bit of a leg up.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.