Two weeks ago, even before the Patriots’ stunning comeback, FOX’s Super Bowl telecast appeared odd — unusually good because we were provided the largest, clearest, most uncluttered view of an NFL game seen all season.
With FOX choosing to minimize graphics and with no fantasy league graphics to scroll along the bottom, an unfettered view was ours at almost all times. FOX had succeeded in what once was live TV’s only and frequently attainable goal — to provide us “the best seat in the house.”
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Saturday’s first college basketball telecast, Notre Dame at N.C. State at noon on ESPN, quickly made it clear that those who’d tuned in to watch it had made a wrong turn.
At ND 13, N.C. State 6, just 6:40 in, ESPN posted a large two-line graphic over live play: “ND 2 J.T. Gibbs, Season: 15.1 MPG, 5.2 PPG.”
Hmm. Was there even one viewer, outside of the Gibbs family — which likely already knew — who needed or even wanted that info? Yet, ESPN chose to distract all viewers to deliver needless, worthless stats as per TV’s persistent and worsening any-stat, any-time obstructionist genius.
Now, N.C. State was expected to be down and out, Saturday. Its coach, Mark Gottfried, had already been told to start packing; he’s out at season’s end. But N.C. State was keeping it close, down, 22-17, 7:11 left in the half and play on.
That’s when ESPN posted a five-line graphic demanding we watch that night’s Virginia-North Carolina, to be seen on — or hidden by — ESPN.
Moments later, with N.C. State still hanging tough, the view of live play again was diminished, this time by a huge three-line graphic encouraging us to watch Louisville-UNC — five nights later!
These fat promos couldn’t be held for after a whistle?
N.C. State was still in it, well into the second half when ESPN chose to cut the live view in half to show Gottfried on the sidelines. He was seen clapping his hands while — get this — watching the game!
All of the above was accompanied by ESPN’s usual non-stop, bottom-of-the screen scrolling — and re-scrolling — of scores, more ABC/ESPN promos and stories reported (but perhaps repeated) by ESPN insiders.
And, once again, this was far closer to the norm than was the clear, clean telecast of the Super Bowl — and most live televised games many years ago. It’s crazy. Down in front!
Allen’s play, not media, at fault
The folly of TV’s pandering herd is that the panderers play us as too stupid to know better.
Three Saturdays ago on Raycom’s ACC Network, Duke’s Grayson Allen was the focus of a sideline hassle at Wake Forest. Allen wasn’t at fault, but his self-sustaining rep for dirty play — he’d this season been suspended for a game after his third episode of tripping an opponent — inspired the Wake crowd to get all over him.
Tim Brando, who calls games for FOX, then identified the problem. Allen, he said, is the victim of “a media circus.” That’s right, the media did this to him; he had nothing to do with it.
This past Saturday at Duke, two Wake players collided leaping for a rebound. One, guard Trent VanHorn, hit the floor, hard. As Allen ran past him, he suddenly slowed to angrily stare down at him and holler something unkind. It was as ugly as it was unnecessary.
When a replay appeared, analyst Dan Bonner on Allen: “He’s fired up … Of course, but anything that Grayson Allen does, if someone else did that, well it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
That’s right, Allen’s being unfairly persecuted and prosecuted. Time after time, it’s not his fault; it’s everyone else’s.
Ridiculous quotes are ‘reality’ of situation
Great week for quotes; the top 3:
Reader Mark Dantonio asks if Yankees president Randy Levine, who Saturday on WFAN was heard saying that Dellin Betances’ salary request “wasn’t based in reality,” is the same Randy Levine who has priced tens of thousands of fans out of Yankee Stadium.
While we have no clear idea what went down with Darrelle Revis in Pittsburgh, his attorney, Blaine Jones, explained that Revis had been assaulted when he “went by a location in the South Side that he is in the process of developing.” He was conducting an on-site real estate inspection at 2:30 a.m.?
Then there was the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network, which, although neither had any idea what the Charles Oakley-Jim Dolan hassle was all about — nor seemed to care — released a statement threatening “to picket MSG … unless Mr. Oakley’s [Garden] privileges are reinstated.”
Saturday on FOX, Villanova was up 23 at Seton Hall when the clock stopped with 1:34 left. Both teams’ starters remained in. Then the clock stopped with 1:00 left. Still, coaches Jay Wright and Kevin Willard left their starters in.
With 47 seconds left, Villanova up 22, they finally gave a few of the kids who likely practice hard all week a sniff of national TV/boxscore time. Others, on both teams, continued to sit.
Wanna restore some action to drowned-by-commercials NFL games? Lose both two-minute warnings; keep playing ball! Of course, to serve the game’s best interests might mean the NFL take a little less from its TV networks for lost ad revenues. In other words, forget it.
Nick Swisher seems like a good get as FOX Sports studio analyst. As a player, Swisher was a go-to guy, an attention-keeping interview.
Reader Rich Roberts asks if “Facility Fee” Dolan soon will turn off the Garden’s escalators to save money? I think the plan is to do that, but under the guise of rededicating the escalators as “The World’s Most Famous Arena’s Stairs.”
Knick Ron Baker, Wichita St. man, was interviewed Saturday on ESPN2 during Northern Iowa-Wichita St. He came across pleasant, modest and self-deprecating. Thanks, we needed that.
Here’s to ESPN’s Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla for noting, Saturday, that had WVU coach Bob Huggins chosen to give a foul rather than allow Texas Tech to tie it with a 3-pointer, 4.6 seconds left in regulation, WVU wouldn’t have had to win it in double OT. While coaches are paid millions, we see similar two, three times a week.
Harvey Araton, a lifelong pal, ex-teammate, former Post colleague and superb, thoughtful sportswriter and columnist, has won this year’s print-side Curt Gowdy Media Award. In September, he’ll be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.