An Open Letter to Versus
C.J. "Stoosh" Jiuliante | National Hockey League
May 17, 09:49 AM | Hype this story!
Dear Versus,
I tried. I really did.
I really wanted to like your hockey coverage. For real.
But you need to understand something. See, I come from the generation of fans who grew up with NHL coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. I was graced with the smooth stlyings of Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, Darren Pang and Tom Mees. Myself and most of the fans in my generation also watched John Buccigross and crew set the standard for hockey recap shows with NHL2Night. It was edgy, but not over-the-top. Even better, it was fair and balanced coverage.
So you can understand our concern when ESPN backed away from the NHL after the lockout, leaving the door open for OLN/Versus. But I shrugged my shoulders and said, “What the heck…give it a chance.” After all, I thought it was better for my favorite game to be broadcast by a network that really seemed to want it, and I was under the impression that ESPN was going to treat the NHL like a second-class citizen at the time.
I didn’t mind that original set you used, even though it looked like something that could’ve been broadcast out of my basement. I looked past those early broadcasts marred with jumpy camera shots, poor play-by-play coverage and intrusive graphics and interfaces. I chalked it all up to a network just learning how to broadcast a game, and I figured it would get better.
Unfortunately, guys, it hasn’t. In fact, it’s worse than ever.
Your camerawork is terrible – bad angles, inconsistent shots, shots that don’t mesh with the flow of the game. Would it kill your producers to stick with the same camera for more than five seconds? I don’t need behind-the-net shots as the play is going on. I don’t want the camera zoomed in on a particular player, especially when the play is going on and he’s not involved (sense a theme here?). I sure as hell don’t need to see the goalie going to the bench as his team in lieu of a pending powerplay or a shot at a late game-tying goal. Just tell me he’s left the net and keep the camera on the action, m’K?
I don’t care what Bill Patrick has on tap in the studio, especially when there’s a post-whistle fight going on. And speaking of in-game interruptions, can we save Christine Simpson’s 10-minute interviews for the intermissions? I really don’t care what Tom Glavine or the Umberger family has to say while the game is going on, and it didn’t seem like they were too thrilled with being interrupted either.
Now let’s talk about your announcers for a second. Mike Emrick is fine. He gets so excited, he could probably jumpstart a car from the booth. And he gets loud enough sometimes to challenge the decibel level of your average Metallica concert. But Emrick typically has a sense fot the game flow. Ed Olczyk usually provides color for Mike’s play-by-play and that’s all good now that Edzo finally seems to be taking fewer veiled shots at Craig Patrick for firing him.
It’s the OTHER crew that’s causing the problems. I don’t know what Pens fans did to Versus to merit this kind of torture, but Joe Beninati and Darren Eliot make Eric Dickerson and Beasley Reece look like broadcasting Hall of Famers.
Beninati’s tendency to get cute with his commentary and replace common hockey jargon with cute little terms of his own is bad enough. It’s a “powerplay”, not a “manpower advantage.” I hear him say “manpower advantage” and I think of a bad Village People video. And unless we’re getting play-by-play of a drug bust, those things the goalie wears on his legs aren’t “paraphernalia”, they’re just goalie pads.
Darren Eliot is a whole other ball of wax. Is this the BEST you could get for a color guy? He’s there to provide color commentary – not turn every semi-routine play into a Shakespearean act. When he and Beninati get together for a broadcast, it’s like an acute overdose of hyperbole.
But this Eastern Conf. Finals series has been the kicker for me. I can deal with bad commentary and stuff from time to time. But I have to wonder if “V-E-R-S-U-S” is some sort of goofy acronym for “Flyers Broadcast Network” or something. I’ve never heard a national broadcast tilted in favor of one team the way Beninati and Eliot have done in favor of the Flyers with this one.
Look, I’m well aware of the Pens’ status as the NHL’s New England Patriots. The Pens are one of the most talked-about teams in hockey and Sidney Crosby’s face is everywhere, and most non-Pens fans are probably sick of it. I’m not complaining about that. It doesn’t justify taking the broadcast in the opposite direction and practically cheering for one team. I could get watch a Yankees game on the YES Network with Hank Steinbrenner and Billy Crystal in the booth and get less tilted commentary.
And I’ve heard it advanced that money buys better talent, and Versus just doesn’t have a hell of a lot of money. Horsepucky, I say. Versus is owned by Comcast (which, coincidentally, also owns the Flyers…), and I’m sure Comcast has money to throw around if it wants to, given what they used to do to my cable bill (let’s just say there’s a reason why I reach for my DirecTV remote every time I turn on the television).
But is this what the NHL wants? I hope not because it’s turning people away. The NHL has a good, simple, entertaining product that doesn’t need to be overproduced. Not everything needs to be turned into a signature Al Michaels moment. And balanced coverage makes everyone happy.
Maybe it’s just time for the NHL to cut Versus loose. It’s nothing personal at all…Versus has tried and it hasn’t worked. The quality is second-rate, and the NHL deserves better. The fans of the NHL deserve much better.
So consider this our breakup, Versus. There might be times where I’ll still have to acknowledge you because you have exclusive rights to a Pens broadcast, but I’ll do so with my TV muted and my radio tuned to Mike Lange and Phil Bourque. Any delay problems will be small potatoes compared to the auditory torture of listening to another Beninati-Eliot broadcast.
Enough is enough.
Comments
Eric Politowski
May 17, 10:14 AM
Great job by sending this in. I sent an e-mail complaining about them as well, but you nailed it with this.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 17, 10:27 AM
Extremely well said. What a disagrace that game was commentary-wise. Every single feature they did dealt with the Flyers. Every interview was with someone connected to the Flyers. (The Dave Mustane segment was something that should have been reserved for a local network broadcast)
And here’s a question: did anyone notice Bill Patrick’s standout black and orange tie that completely mismatched his shirt and sport coat? Didn’t it appear that he was trying too hard to support the Flyers?
I haven’t had too many complaints about Versus, simply because I have been happy just to have a national broadcast, but this series has been a disgrace.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 17, 10:30 AM
For those interested, there is a poll about this at the Post Gazette. Check it out here
Mike Wilson
May 17, 10:41 AM
Amen Stoosh, amen.
diane
May 17, 10:55 AM
Great writing…clinical and free from any penguin bias. Best solution? Make sure this broadcasting team doesn’t work Tuesday evening.
Let’s Go Pens!
shoe tastic
May 17, 11:44 AM
you could get watch a yankees game?
Pamela
May 17, 11:49 AM
Gotta love the PG. Ther? What kind of word is that?
Commit to the Stoosh!
Lynne
May 17, 01:05 PM
I can tolerate the obvious Flyer bias, but the game constantly being interrupted by interviews, bad commentary and horrible camera shots is getting ridiculous. Even Flyer’s fans have issue with that. Just as you wait in the arena, to leave or take your seats until play has stopped, Versus should keep their interviews to between periods. Cover the game in it’s entirety, that’s all any fan wants.
Great writing Stoosh, you said it all and then some. I have no choice but to watch, but I’ll be using my mute button as well.
Mark
May 17, 01:37 PM
Lynne, I can’t tolerate the Flyer bias. I realize Comcast owns both the Flyers and vs. but for cryin out loud this is the Eastern Conference Finals. Let’s at least pretend to be objective here.
“The crowd and team are coming together as one!”
Spare me.
Eric
May 17, 01:43 PM
I agree with Stoosh. I have tried to like it, simply because they carry hockey. They carry games that you want to watch, but then later find out they’re challenging you to actually remain interested. I think the Playoffs were the boiling point for me, too. I’ve just had enough.
While NBC isn’t the greatest, it’s refreshing compared to versus. I’m glad that NBC will get games 3-7 and not have to watch them on versus.
In short, I wish I lived in Canada or I was at least allowed to get the CBC or TSN feed on Center Ice without blackout restrictions.
BlacknGold66
May 17, 01:55 PM
Commit to the Stoosh Indeed.
Scott
May 17, 02:12 PM
Great article. By the way Megadeath are terrible. I thought it was just me. Thanx..
stoopidful
May 17, 02:43 PM
Great writing stoosh. Only thing you missed dissing on was that cheesey sounding bumper theme they use. Is it just me or was the same music as was used in some goofy movie to bumper the sports coverage?
stefanh
May 17, 03:57 PM
Great post!
These broadcasts are nothing short of pathetic. I was so angry last game that I had the last 2 periods on mute.
shortbird
May 17, 04:33 PM
Great job, Stoosh. Nailed it.
Matt, I noticed that too. I also noticed that he was the only babbler that didn’t jump into the Penguin gang bang.
II
john
May 17, 04:45 PM
Also, Joe Beninati: when the goalie covers the puck, he is freezing it, not “melting it down.”
PK121
May 17, 05:38 PM
According to them the Pens had a total of 400 lucky bounces. But if Timmonen was present he would have prevented them all.
DaBich
May 17, 08:04 PM
Hell to the YEAH!
Great letter, Stoosh.
Joe
May 17, 11:17 PM
Jesus…please with the whining already. It’s getting to pandemic levels in the city of Pittsburgh…Waaa…Waaaa!
Just turn your TV down and get a radio if you are that feeble-minded that Joe Benideti or whatever is ruining your night.
Stoosh
May 18, 05:08 AM
I apologize for a few of the typos on here. I should’ve proofread this a little better.
Thanks, everyone, for the comments. In the interests of space (and also wasting your time), there were things I left out as well. I can’t understand why Versus doesn’t carry some sort of lead-in show for these games. They don’t necessarily have to do it during the regular season, but once you get to the playoffs, wouldn’t it make sense to bump the rodeo or another “Fishing with Babe Winkleman” segment or whatever for a half-hour pregame show?
When OLN/Versus announced this deal, I remember some OLN people saying that hockey would be the thing that would get their network out into the mainstream a little more. They talked as if the NHL was going to be the centerpiece of their coverage, and I believe it was part of the reason why they moved away from the “OLN” brand and towards the “Versus” name; they wanted to change the image of their network.
Instead, they’ve been treating hockey as something they kind of have to cover now thanks to the contract.
Stoosh
May 18, 05:31 AM
Joe,
Can you point out to me where I was whining about this from the point of being a Pens fan? I went out of my way to state that I’m perfectly aware of the fact that the Pens already get their fair share – and probably more – of the national coverage in the media. I even said I could understand how non-Pens fans are tired of it.
It’s not the job of the broadcasters – especially the national ones – to cheer for the underdog. Acknowledge the underdog and the fact that you had a team last Thursday night that was unwilling to go quietly? Sure. Maybe they were trying to drum up interest by the casual fan in a series that more or less has had all the drama sucked out of it by a three-games-to-none Pittsburgh lead. If so, fine, but do it in moderation.
To do it like they did is a slap to the face of the hockey fans who are already tuning in to watch and don’t need an Oscar-winning storyboard to draw them in. Hockey fans are knowledgable people who understand the game their watching and can tell in a second when they’re being pandered to, and hockey fans don’t want to be pandered to. Look at the responses above for proof of that. It tells me that Versus really doesn’t understand it’s audience.
It detracts from the quality of the broadcast and unfortunately, not all of us have the option to mute the television and put on Lange and Bourque. Versus has been producing a second-rate broadcast, and the NHL and it’s fans deserve better than that. And if all we’re ever going to get is second-rate, than give me what counts as second-rate from ESPN. At least more people are watching by default, and the quality might be better.
teri
May 18, 11:47 AM
And I thought it was just because I was spoiled by TSN and CBC coverage. Whew. Yes, the coverage is pathetic. I could do better play-by-play. I don’t have a problem with Chris except the timing of her interviews….oh, and her tops- is she trying to pick up a date for after the game?? If you are going to have a woman covering any sport, make sure she is intelligent, articulate, knows the sport she is covering and make sure she is covered so there is no question about why she is there.
teri in nova scotia
Matt Bodenschatz
May 18, 07:14 PM
Teri, it’s great to have yet another fan from north of the border to add to our resident Canadian, Ashley! I sure hope to see you around these parts on a regular basis!
Ashley Gallant
May 18, 08:23 PM
Sweet, another Maritimer around here! haha
And Teri, I agree about Chris. I haven’t seen her an awful lot on TV, but there is just something about her that doesn’t seem right – like she’s trying to pick someone up, as you said. I’d take Cassie Campbell over Chris Simpson any day…but maybe I’m a bit biased.
spiker97
May 18, 10:56 PM
Now I am hearing that the NHL has just signed {or is going to sign} another 3 year deal with Versus, and – they want to bring back the glow puck.
Say this is some kind of nightmare that is going to end soon – or give me the CBC and TSN feeds on Center Ice instead.
Versus also seems to have problems with determining if they are in HD or not. Usually they are not, even when they say they are.
How not to promote a sport.
At least the NHL network makes a very good attempt to do things right. That has been a very good tool to keep up with everything, especially with On the Fly Final {NHL 2-Night in an improved fashion}.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 19, 07:32 AM
Spiker, I believe they did sign that contract a few months ago. However, I don’t believe the glow puck talk is serious — more of a joke. But I could be wrong.
Ashley Gallant
May 19, 07:59 AM
I don’t know what it’s worth, but TSN was reporting last week that the ‘glow puck’ thing is going to be tested by Versus at some point in the near future before making any final decisions. They aired demos and everything.
Hopefully Versus will realize that this is a bad idea before they start insulting fans with this kind of stuff.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 19, 08:13 AM
That’s news to me, but I am not surprised. I’m with you, forget it. Move on.
Stoosh
May 19, 10:04 AM
For what it’s worth, I’m still hearing rumblings that ESPN is going to get involved as early as next year. It may involve ESPN buying out some share of the Versus coverage and putting some of the games on ESPN2; in consideration, ESPN would agree to advertise some of Versus’s programming.
I’m not sure how true this is, but this sort of thing seems to be gaining steam and ESPN seems to be inching towards more and more hockey coverage.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 19, 10:30 AM
Stoosh, I haven’t heard such rumblings, but there have been hints of late on ESPN. As you said, coverage has increased, and the effort/money to bring in Don Cherry is the perfect example.
I wish the NHL could work out some sort of deal with them that would allow them to broadcast games on different nights than Versus — in addition to the Versus games. In other words, I’m hoping that, if some sort of partial buyout occurrs, it isn’t simply a deal that gives ESPN2 some of the games that previously would have been on Versus.
I think Versus generally has an exclusive game Monday, then follows up with a game or two Tuesday. I’d like to see ESPN2 hop on board for a Wednesday and Saturday game to add to the mix.
spiker97
May 20, 08:46 PM
Here’s the link to the TSN piece of James Duthie on the Versus plan to return the Glow Puck.
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/james_duthie/?id=238199
I could see at some point some shared programming between ESPN and Versus – Versus does have some other events that may fit onto ESPN {like cycling} and Versus could also benefit from some overwash programming {like college football}, but with the NBC linkup in the States, I don’t see ESPN right now being a part of the picture. Maybe sooner than later, but, for those who not have access to Center Ice or other local broadcasts, two nights a week {or one if there is an early and late game} isn’t a lot to choose from.
At least this isn’t as bad as the Sportschannel era was, but it could be much better.
One more thing I didn’t touch on were the Versus broadcasters…but if you are really watching the game, especially in public or with a large crowd – who hears them? Besides, everybody’s radio feeds are always available at nhl.com or on XM to choose from.
And Mike Lange gets to broadcast another Stanley Cup round…get the Cordoba baby…there’s justice in the world – and he’s heard around the world.
Brandon
Jun 15, 08:13 PM
Stoosh, please, bring back Otter tracking. It’s a personal request.
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