Why isn't Versus ripping off the NBA on TNT?
Written by James O'Brien   
Thursday, 24 December 2009 02:52
tnt_inside_nba400300

I keep reading that Versus randomly decided to cover New Year's Eve(????) with an extra year-end segment. This is great news for people ... wait, what? Who would watch Brian Engblom, Keith Jones and Bland Straight Man without hockey being involved?

Why would you EVER want to see them for their merit alone?

How about this idea, for New Years and beyond: fire your entire "team" of voices. They do nothing but make people change the channel (OK, to be fair, maybe people leave the room and wash dishes while Versus fails at being ESPN).

Look, I'm a big hockey fan. I read blogs daily. I write a blog close-to daily. Despite all these damning factors, I will NOT watch this telecast. There's no way I'll be that bored.

So, instead of bland analysis and might-as-well-be-canned laughter, why not steal TNT's formula? Get former players who just need a little coaxing to say something interesting. Jeremy Roenick has been profoundly boring in his little broadcasting tryouts, but maybe that's because he's surrounded by a boring cast of characters.

What if you put a camera in front of, say, John Buccigross, Don Cherry, Roenick and Brett Hull? Honestly, you don't think one of those last three wouldn't say something buzz-worthy? Why wouldn't the instinct of competition make them say something bold and refreshing?

Oh well, asking Versus to improve is akin to asking Alexei Yashin to earn his paycheck.

 

Comments (2)Add Comment
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written by Matt Reitz, December 30, 2009
I totally agree. I thought that I wanted any kind of additional hockey coverage... but they managed to prove me wrong with this idea. There's no way in hell I'll be tuning into that! (not that I have a choice, thanks DirecTV).

I'd get behind anything that actually made those segments interesting. For TNT, their post-game shows can be more entertaining than the game their broadcast. Then again, I'm not sure if that says more about regular season basketball or their broadcast team...

Oh, and the Yashin line was genius
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written by cyclelikesedins, December 30, 2009
Thanks Matt. You're right about TNT's broadcasts, there are times when I regret missing Barkley and Co. but rarely do I regret missing basketball. That says a lot about their very funny studio show. Is there a group of people in hockey who can match that? Maybe, maybe not. But Versus isn't even trying.

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