I know he's a US Swimming icon, but he is really, REALLY hard to listen to sometimes. He gets so excited that he messes up names and strokes, but he also just makes crap up. Then spends 5 minutes trying to prove it.
I may have to mute him! God help him if Phelps is going for # 7 and 8 by the end of the week!
What if John Madden was the swimming commentator?...
JM:"You see, the person who makes it through the water, and touches the wall before everyone else is declared the gold medalist."
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I was ok with Rowdy, though his exuberance was a tad overwhelming at times. His comments about one swimmer being able or not being able to see another swimmer got really predictable. Hicks did give props to Rowdy by calling out his experiences, but Rowdy did a nice job generalizing it and not gloating.
But Andrea Kramer was just awful. She had the same mind-numbing line of questioning for everyone ("what does that mean to you?" "how does it feel...?") which led her to look amateur and unprepared, and in some cases, made some of these swimmers come off really dumb. There were few references to past performances (04 olympics, trials, prelims etc.) that would have really made for some real, poignant queries.
And her tact - or lack thereof - is mindblowing: not tossing a mic in Soni's direction after the 400MR, and then asking Piersol, Hansen and Lezak how it felt for Phelps to have 8 medals.
What if John Madden was the swimming commentator?...
JM:"You see, the person who makes it through the water, and touches the wall before everyone else is declared the gold medalist."
---
I was ok with Rowdy, though his exuberance was a tad overwhelming at times. His comments about one swimmer being able or not being able to see another swimmer got really predictable. Hicks did give props to Rowdy by calling out his experiences, but Rowdy did a nice job generalizing it and not gloating.
But Andrea Kramer was just awful. She had the same mind-numbing line of questioning for everyone ("what does that mean to you?" "how does it feel...?") which led her to look amateur and unprepared, and in some cases, made some of these swimmers come off really dumb. There were few references to past performances (04 olympics, trials, prelims etc.) that would have really made for some real, poignant queries.
And her tact - or lack thereof - is mindblowing: not tossing a mic in Soni's direction after the 400MR, and then asking Piersol, Hansen and Lezak how it felt for Phelps to have 8 medals.
