Mitch Laurence is irritating as a commentator

Mitch is there because he's a pro commentator/broadcaster. Ewa is color commentary. All the people everyone are preferring over Mitch are also color folks. Only streaming broadcasts would put only pool players in the booth. The pro broadcaster is there to pace the commentary and guide it; otherwise a couple of pool players will start either arguing over the shots or telling war stories. You and I might like it, the great American Public will change the channel...

I like Mitch...now Jim Wych, he gets on my nerves! I'm sure he's a nice guy and a great snooker/pool player, but his style, yells and idiomatic expressions are just nails on a chalkboard to my ear!:angry:
 
elvicash said:
What to pay them I guess expenses plus $500 to $1000 apiece per match I think would be top dollar I expect they get more than that but if so I think they are overpaid in comparison with what the tournament pays.

I have heard that ESPN pays ~$250k for a tourney including the right to replay as much as they want and they require fairly high production level so they do the production for the same amount 250k thus being on TV does not pay any money into the women's tourney fund. I expect this amount probably includes paying the on air talent. In comarison much of any and all pro sports depend heavily on their TV contract, not so in pool we depend mostly on entry fees and promotr added money.



My friend those people in all of those sports come off as if they understand their specific sport from a high level and they all seem know details (Dennis Leary was an exception). They know what is easy and what is hard, they know some history, they are not amazed if a player jogs or throws a ball they are amazed when a player jumps and catches a ball stretched out and hold on after getting hit. TV baseball watchers have long been watching the a baseball game on TV and listening to it on the radio. This say there is a difference in people who commentate on a sport and it is recognized by people who follow that sport.

Mitch Larence comes off as someone who does not understand pool beyond a low introductory level. We the people who love pool (I am including you) need announcers who speak about the game in a knowledgeable manner. The announcer represents the game and the game deserves to be represented better. I guarantee that pool needs really good commentary.

I suggest better commentary would elevate the value of our sport in the mainstream. I see it on Accu Stats and streams and most of that is all live I believe the stuff on TV is dubbed in later so it should be even better.
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Yeah, well, I don't have anything to say about Denis Leary because I don't know what sport he was or is a commentator on. However, Dennis Miller did MNF, is that what you are talking about? A bit of irony if so.
 
I don't really care for it either, but my take on the commentating is that Mitch is playing to the casual observer, i.e., the non-pool player, and Eva gives the "expert/pro" view.

Frankly, I love Billy Incardona and Grady Mathews as commentators, but I don't think putting them on ESPN would be good for the game. JMO. I'd rather listen to Mitch & Eva than Jim Wych, that's for SURE!

Lastly, Mark, I have the utmost respect for you, but I think steering this conversation tword a public review of Mitch & Eva's compensation is, well . . . I'll just say uncalled for and surprising.
 
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He's not worse than Jim Wych though. I've heard Jim was a very very good player in his day too, so why litter commentary with pointless trivia and uninteresting anecdotes when he could be providing some really great insight?
 
for the masses

I agree with those who say there could be a better commentator for those who are pool players and in the know; however ESPN is probably more concerned about the great majority of people who aren't......This of course pertains to the incessant clapping too......they are trying to be appealing to the masses....I think the "basic" commentary functions as more of a informational or educational feature for those who don't know the game of pool. So as they say; don't like the commentary, turn off the sound....I enjoyed ProPoolVideo's many streaming matches w/o the sound too.....
 
I watched a little pool on ESPN yesterday it was pretty sad. The camara man keep getting in the way of the shooter as they were walking around the table. The player would have to wait for him to get out of the way and then set up for the shot. Even the camaras that were shooting from a distance kept showing strange angles and switching right in the middle of shots. Then the next match had Jeanette Lee vs some unknowen. In one game Jeanette slopped two ball to get out and the crowd was cheering like she played them, completey clueless. I was shocked to hear Ewa say she slopped in a couple of balls to win that game. That is the first time I've ever heard any one call it what it was slop. My hats off to her.
 
I listened to a female commentator once that had a monotone nasal drone.
After every shot, she would say WOW.
If you want to see how it sounded, pinch your nose and say WOW.

Can you imagine how irritating that was for the entire match?
I know I could have turned the volume down but I was interested in what the other commentators had to say.
 
In one of the WPBA telecasts yesterday VV had a hanger in the pocket at one end of the table but had to draw off the rail with spin to get back to the other end for shape. She of course makes the hanger but doesn't get anywhere back up table for the next shot. The crowd applauds. :confused:

:clapping::clapping::clapping:..........:mad:
 
JUSTABANGER 2 said:
I watched a little pool on ESPN yesterday it was pretty sad. The camara man keep getting in the way of the shooter as they were walking around the table. The player would have to wait for him to get out of the way and then set up for the shot. Even the camaras that were shooting from a distance kept showing strange angles and switching right in the middle of shots. Then the next match had Jeanette Lee vs some unknowen. In one game Jeanette slopped two ball to get out and the crowd was cheering like she played them, completey clueless. I was shocked to hear Ewa say she slopped in a couple of balls to win that game. That is the first time I've ever heard any one call it what it was slop. My hats off to her.
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I watched about 15 minutes of this before i turned the channel watch something else i had planned too . I to noticed the crummy camera work , there were 3 or 4 balls on the rail opposite the camera during the Kim/Villarreal match that i couldn't identify and they never did a close-up. Those people in Detroit , Chicago and Texas know what bad play by play commentating is , know Mitch Laurence doesn't hold a candle to Josh Lewin's irrelevant commentary during baseball games .
 
There one commentator I think from Britan that sound like he's doing WWF. First he'll whisper then as the shot unfolds his voice will raise and he'll go off on a rant. Drives me nuts. I'll take Mitch over him any day.
 
Mitch has been married to a champion player for how many years and still don't know jack???
 
West Point 1987 said:
Only streaming broadcasts would put only pool players in the booth. The pro broadcaster is there to pace the commentary and guide it; otherwise a couple of pool players will start either arguing over the shots or telling war stories.
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That's pretty much what happens whenever Billy is in the booth. He might know his shots but the guy is rude to the other commentators. He can't say something simple like, "You know I prefer 'this shot'", he has to act like he's the only person alive who knows anything about the game. It always comes out as, "WHAT? What kind of a shot is that? No, no, that's dumb!" I think he comes off as being in desperate fear someone might know something too. I listened to one match where the other two people in the booth left, one with an excuse the other just to have a "walkabout" or something to that effect. It did make me laugh though, I thought it was coming to fisticuffs.

The chemistry between the main and color commentator has to work and both have to get along together. Danny and Jim on the Acu-Stats stream seem to play nicely. They aren't the only team, but they're on air now so it's a good example.

I don't mind the war stories at all, in fact that interests me, but then again I'm not the general public. I even like Billy's stories, I just find him to be, oh, let's go with ... "abrasive". Yeah, that's the word. Abrasive.
 
I would be very happy to listen to any match commentated by Billy I, Grady M, Jeremy Jones, Nick Varner, Buddy Hall, or a few others I am no doubt forgetting.

I especially enjoy the combination of Billy I and Grady M. Great banter, some occasional disagreements (who wants commentators who agree on every shot?) and a wealth of knowledge that is well communicated.
 
I don't really care who is commentating as long as there is pool on TV. Though I would prefer to have people commentating that know a little about the game, not necessarily experts on shot selection and theory but at least are able to understand easy vs. hard shots for a professional. It's annoying listening to someone who is flabbergasted by every routine shot. It'd be like watching a hockey match and the commentator can't get over how they can skate backwards lol.

Given the choice, Danny D is absolutely my favorite. Also Steve Davis is lots of fun. He's one of the greatest cueists of all time but he's so self deprecating.
 
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