I tried to point out the blogs that several of the smaller papers in the area have started in my last post.
But as usual, my compliments are ignored.
So I'll try again.
Folks, major league kudos to Wes Holsclaw down at the Star, for the simple reason he actually POSTED THE VIDEO of the technical foul on Swader!
Holsclaw follows this with some commentary that might be a bit longwinded (watched the game with your girlfriend is a bit too much info) but still pretty good, finally coming to the conclusion that as both a writer and fan he felt the call was bogus.
http://estarsports.wordpress.com/
Now, second thought. Sonny Smith was obviously hired as a color commentator because he is something of a name coach and lives nearby.
And that's usually how color men are hired- Matt Wiljelm, for instance.
But Smith's commentary to the technical foul spoke of shilling for his employers and nothing else.
First of all, Smith makes no comment after the initial call. He only begins commenting after the replay.
So he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary initially.
Now, after viewing the replay Smith immediately comes to his conclusion the call was justified. Here's what he says-
"Oh, he swung the elbow and also was jawing. You would think why would anyone call a technical foul in a situation like this but that was a justified call right there because of the swing of the elbow and also the jawing. Otherwise I would think that would be a very difficult call."
Matt Stewart- "Murry Bartow incredulous with that call. That's a- that's a hard hard call to make!'
Smith- "Well, very difficult call to make."
Smith then goes to try and add "very difficult call" while Stewart is calling Justin Hare's free throws.
Forget the fact Smith is trying to talk while the PBP man is, which is bad enough.
What is apparent is that Smith is riding the fence. The officials could have taken out a gun and shot the players and it would have been okay- heaven forbid I criticize the beloved A-Sun!
To make a "it's a justified call" comment after that so quickly is an attempt to steer away controversy when controversy simply CAN'T be steered away!
Stewart- to his credit- keeps his objectivity and doesn't make a judgement on the call.
After the game, here's what Stewart says when Bartow is arguing with officials-
"Quite frankly, I don't blame [Bartow]. It was a tough call."
SMITH THEN INTERRUPTS HIM AGAIN- "Oh, it was a tough call to make!"
Stewart- "I'm not in a position to argue the validity of the call because I don't know what was said, but I know Murry Bartow is upset about it and I certainly understand his position."
So Smith continually talks over his PBP man and makes excuses rather than comments in the moment of the year on the CSS broadcasts.
Furthermore, does he really have any ties at all with the A-Sun? Okay, he was ETSU's old head coach.
Back in the OVC! For two years! Only one winning season! And he not only played the Bucs for fools against Auburn (a former player of his told me he said to his team he wasn't going to leave them), but he played the Bucs for fools again in the mid-80s when he flirted with a return before bailing out. Then, and only then, was Les Robinson was hired.
Smith is not a guy who will call something out a la Billy Packer. He is not a personality a la Dick Vitale. He is not something of a hybrid of those two like Al McGuire or Jim Valvano were.
He adds nothing and he might as well have been Sgt. Schultz during the broadcast.
"I see nothing (wrong with the technical)! I see nothing (wrong with the technical)!"
Can we PLEASE get a quality color man for the CSS broadcasts next year?