Troublesome Threesome

Now I sure don't want to get on ESPN too much as they are one of the reasons I can watch NCAA basketball on a daily basis. But man, I just can't take their three man crew of Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery anymore. The first problem I see is Bill Raftery in general. I know he had this one great moment with "Send it on, Jerome!" but that day isn't every day and also that play isn't every play. I just can't take his stupid sentence endings anymore, sounding more and more stupid the more you hear them. When I hear the color commentator get himself worked up over meaningless, normal drives to the hoop ("With the blow by"), I just have my problems with taking the basketball conversation on the station seriously.

Now even if you would be able to stand Raftery, I just can't see how anyone can take three, yes, three guys in the booth during a game. Not only do Bilas, who brings up good things yet sometimes likes his own knowledge a bit too much, and Raftery constantly disagree on certain points (especially on foul calls or big guys swinging their elbows), they also waste way too much after a play to both make a point and sound smart. Really, when a great play happens, McDonough hasn't missed it and calls it, I don't need to have two color guys trying to beat each other out with overanalyzing and commentating the play. One is more than fine.

MORE THAN FINE, how Bill Raftery would scream. Bilas also gets wasted as he is usually a very good color guy in the booth. He constantly gets on teams when they are playing terrible and points out stupid plays which certainly is the truth on many occasions. But hell, this is ESPN and more is always better for them. More studio guys, more meaningless talk, more praise for Brett Favre and so on.

Thank god tonight's games are called by the much less heralded yet way more calmed pair of Dan Shulman and Len Elmore. Even though they could be a bit more excited, their chemistry is a lot better and they let the game do the talking.