Ok my two cents for better or worse. Number one, I enjoy working with Bobby. He is easy to work with and he is a good analyst of pool. A few times perhaps we both got a little excited and talked to loud, and that can happen when you are so close to the table. I don't think we ever really bothered either player and only one time did Darren ever say anything. I made a conscious effort to remain subdued, and maybe that's why my voice sounded quiet on the mic sometimes.
Maybe I did over react to Darren's running dialogue, that was laced with profanity. I found it offensive and demeaning, especially for a great player like Darren. I have worked previously on many of his matches (where he was miked) and never heard anything like that from him before. I apologize to Darren for calling him unprofessional, but that was how I felt at the time. It was embarassing for me to know that many people were hearing the same thing, and that it continued non stop for hours. I have a feeling Darren will also be embarrassed if he ever watches the tape of this match. It doesn't matter to me whether Dennis heard it or not, although later he told me he could hear Darren talking but didn't know what he was saying. Dennis is good at blocking out distractions.
I'm a avid admirer of the game of pool and the great players who play it, and I believe there should be respect for the game and that's my opinion. I also believe that a negative attitude will definitely work against a player in the long run, and it just so happened that's what occured here. Contrary to what has been posted on here, I did not favor either player to win during the course of my commentary. Whoever said that was not paying attention. I pride myself on not playing favorites. I want the better man to win, plain and simple. Yes, Dennis is my friend and so is Darren. I hope that Darren learns from this experience.
As for Bobby and I chatting and telling old pool war stories, it is a lonnngg day during these TAR matches and five or six hours of straight commentary can get very old. Many people seem to enjoy hearing about old time hustlers and interesting pool characters. For the most part all we have is an oral history of the game and it's players, and my intention is to continue that, so all of you will know a little more about who they were.
I will always do my best to convey what's happening during the course of a match, and try to make it entertaining at the same time. I truly enjoy what Justin does with TAR. He is amassing a great library of top flight matches, only rivaled by the Accu-Stats collection. I did mention several times that you can go to theactionreport.com to download any of these matches for your viewing pleasure. Justin is a good man taking on a very difficult task in putting all these terrific matches together. There was some great pool played this past weekend by both players and I'm glad I was there to see it.
Dennis showed huge heart in coming back from 29-25 when it looked like he was finished. I give him huge accolades for his tremendous come back, with every shot made under palpable pressure. He proved once again why he so well respected by his peers as a player and a man. He damn sure has my respect!