So I sat back in my easy chair, cranked my computer up to full screen and watched two champions play LIVE POOL! What a pleasure it was to be able to see a final match live and not tape delayed by weeks or months. In this country LIVE championship pool has almost been non existent. Only SkySports, Star Asia and some of the regional Asian networks have been offering live pool to their audiences. In the USA we miss out on all this.....UNTIL NOW! Thanks to Justin Collet and his team from TAR.
This is what I've always wanted for pool in America, my main beef with the networks here. Who really cares about watching a match when we already know the result. It's like watching Tiger win the U.S. Open a month later. Wonder how those ratings would be? But now, thanks mainly to TAR, Accu-Stats, Pool Action TV and a few others, we finally have an opportunity to see it the way all sports should be viewed, as it happens!
And what a great job the TAR crew has done. Justin, Andrew, Nathan and all their crew are creative and talented young men, who are breathing new life into our sport. Kudos also to the very personable Samm Diep Vidal, who does the pre-game intros. The camera loves her and so do we! The TAR shows are TELEVISION at it's best. Good camera work, excellent direction and most of all, entertaining commentary. These guys are the new face of pool, and maybe our saviors. They have fresh new ideas about how to showcase the game without trying to make up some fancy new gimmick. Get behind these guys, because they are the ones who can make a difference in the future of our sport. I don't think they've scratched the surface yet on what they can create. Music, graphics, animation, all that and more is in their repertoire and who knows what these guys will dream up. For me, I'm excited at the prospect of seeing what they'll do next.
Now, let me talk a moment about the main man Justin. He's bigger than the average bear! In fact that's a good name for him, BEAR! Well our man Bear is the Cable Guy of commentary. If you haven't heard him in the booth you're really missing something. Bear is blue collar to the core, with nothing or no one off limits. He's so relaxed and comfortable in his own skin, it's like he's sitting on the couch next to you, just rapping away about anything that comes to mind. I like doing commentary myself, but if I had my choice I would kick back and listen to the Big Bear all day. Next time I'm in the booth with him, I'm gonna shut up and let him take charge. I know when I'm window dressing.
He kicks off the show with his anthems - Always bet on Shane! Don't bet against the Pinoys! He thanks Samm for her work by calling her "Little Ms. Spain." A reference to her hubby, Marc "Spain" Vidal. His dialogue is full of his own hip pool jargon - Talking about his man Shane, "He plays like a gangsta." Referring to the prize money, "Get that meat!" Talking about a supposed warped cue, "He grabs his fishing lure cue." Good cue ball control - "He's working it." When Shane runs off a few quick racks, "The train is rollin'." Bear makes no excuses for his favoritism of Shane. He is totally unapologetic and could care less what you think. He calls the legion of Shane fans, "Shaniacs." But just when you think he's a comedian, he makes an astute observation to remind you that The Bear knows POOL! "Pool at it's highest level is all about pressure and creativity." There you have it in a nutshell, what separates the men from the boys, and Bear said it in one sentence. Talking about what constitutes a good safety, "It's all about separation and distance." Right on again!
But he's at his best when being spontaneous - Talking about Cleary's Ten Ball game, "You're a slop hammering junkie." Alex is no where to be found, "He's got tennis elbow from throwing dice." A sarcastic reference to systems like CTE, "He's playing center to ghost ball." Again to Cleary who is reacting to a missed shot, "Please pick up your liver." Any player with an awkward stroke, "He's got a stroke like a rusty door hinge." When a player misses a ball, "He hit it too fat. The story of my life." Shane is playing a wild shot, "Keep your hands and feet inside the ride." And nearing the end of the match, "My grandpa used to say it's time to call in the dogs and piss on the fire." Bear is also self deprecating, referring to himself and side kick Cleary as "The two fat guys."
What you're listening to is an American original. His greatest gift may be his off beat commentary, which is often overlooked by the quality of his shows. I don't know about you but I'm glad that we have this crew "working it" in the pool world. We might just have a chance to go somewhere with these guys creating the shows.
This is what I've always wanted for pool in America, my main beef with the networks here. Who really cares about watching a match when we already know the result. It's like watching Tiger win the U.S. Open a month later. Wonder how those ratings would be? But now, thanks mainly to TAR, Accu-Stats, Pool Action TV and a few others, we finally have an opportunity to see it the way all sports should be viewed, as it happens!
And what a great job the TAR crew has done. Justin, Andrew, Nathan and all their crew are creative and talented young men, who are breathing new life into our sport. Kudos also to the very personable Samm Diep Vidal, who does the pre-game intros. The camera loves her and so do we! The TAR shows are TELEVISION at it's best. Good camera work, excellent direction and most of all, entertaining commentary. These guys are the new face of pool, and maybe our saviors. They have fresh new ideas about how to showcase the game without trying to make up some fancy new gimmick. Get behind these guys, because they are the ones who can make a difference in the future of our sport. I don't think they've scratched the surface yet on what they can create. Music, graphics, animation, all that and more is in their repertoire and who knows what these guys will dream up. For me, I'm excited at the prospect of seeing what they'll do next.
Now, let me talk a moment about the main man Justin. He's bigger than the average bear! In fact that's a good name for him, BEAR! Well our man Bear is the Cable Guy of commentary. If you haven't heard him in the booth you're really missing something. Bear is blue collar to the core, with nothing or no one off limits. He's so relaxed and comfortable in his own skin, it's like he's sitting on the couch next to you, just rapping away about anything that comes to mind. I like doing commentary myself, but if I had my choice I would kick back and listen to the Big Bear all day. Next time I'm in the booth with him, I'm gonna shut up and let him take charge. I know when I'm window dressing.
He kicks off the show with his anthems - Always bet on Shane! Don't bet against the Pinoys! He thanks Samm for her work by calling her "Little Ms. Spain." A reference to her hubby, Marc "Spain" Vidal. His dialogue is full of his own hip pool jargon - Talking about his man Shane, "He plays like a gangsta." Referring to the prize money, "Get that meat!" Talking about a supposed warped cue, "He grabs his fishing lure cue." Good cue ball control - "He's working it." When Shane runs off a few quick racks, "The train is rollin'." Bear makes no excuses for his favoritism of Shane. He is totally unapologetic and could care less what you think. He calls the legion of Shane fans, "Shaniacs." But just when you think he's a comedian, he makes an astute observation to remind you that The Bear knows POOL! "Pool at it's highest level is all about pressure and creativity." There you have it in a nutshell, what separates the men from the boys, and Bear said it in one sentence. Talking about what constitutes a good safety, "It's all about separation and distance." Right on again!
But he's at his best when being spontaneous - Talking about Cleary's Ten Ball game, "You're a slop hammering junkie." Alex is no where to be found, "He's got tennis elbow from throwing dice." A sarcastic reference to systems like CTE, "He's playing center to ghost ball." Again to Cleary who is reacting to a missed shot, "Please pick up your liver." Any player with an awkward stroke, "He's got a stroke like a rusty door hinge." When a player misses a ball, "He hit it too fat. The story of my life." Shane is playing a wild shot, "Keep your hands and feet inside the ride." And nearing the end of the match, "My grandpa used to say it's time to call in the dogs and piss on the fire." Bear is also self deprecating, referring to himself and side kick Cleary as "The two fat guys."
What you're listening to is an American original. His greatest gift may be his off beat commentary, which is often overlooked by the quality of his shows. I don't know about you but I'm glad that we have this crew "working it" in the pool world. We might just have a chance to go somewhere with these guys creating the shows.
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