Pool Commentary

[gromulan]

The broadcasts will never be any good until they get rid of Mitch L. and Hopkins. They have become very polished but they bring nothing to the table. They make it virtually impossible to tell one event from another because they always say the same things. They need to get someone on there who will 'tell it like it is' a la Johnny Miller or John McEnroe. My vote is for Danny Diliberto, but he needs a straight man like Billy I or Grady to really bring out his stuff. One other guy I think would be good would be Sparky Farrell, but his reliability would be a bit of an issue.

For those of you who want an education on just how well a telecast could be, check out some of the snooker videos on YouTube. The gang over there has their productions down to a science and they make the pool on ESPN look like it is put together by total amateurs. I've been watching several of the videos from the World Championships this year and they have multiple camera angles (that actually show things!), solid commentary, telestrators, and even an amazing technology called Hawkeye that actually digitises the table and the positions of the balls, which they can use to show you exactly what the player is looking at. Really amazing stuff! Obviously they have a much bigger budget, but they didn't always, yet they've always done a very professional job.

Edit: If you do watch the snooker videos on YouTube, try and watch some featuring Ronnie O'Sullivan. He's a blast to watch.

 

[Sprite]

If anybody has watched the Guiness Asian 9 Ball tour matches, the commentary there is useless. No bad grammar or anything like that.

They just had nothing to say of any value related to the matches or the game. It was awful. I finally turned the sound off and just watched while listening to Lynard Skynard.

Agree with you. The games are good to watch but the commentary is really @#$%&^...

 

[JAM]

Kim amused me when after Mika had missed a shot and was speaking to himself going back to his chair Kim said "Mika is one of the best mumblers on the tour..."

Ain't it the truth!

I like hearing the pool players do commentary.

One of my favorite commentators is that English guy Wendall. A few years ago, he and Jerry Forsyth were co-commentators at the WPC, and it captured my interest, was entertaining.

My boyfriend, who plays pool professionally, but doesn't like watching it on TV, watched the WPC that year.

It was because of the energy and excitement that you could hear in their voices. Wendall with his blue-blooded English accent and his animated style of commentary, along with Jerry's knowledge of the game and the American players AND especially his Southern drawl, they were an EXCELLENT duo.

JAM

 

[smokeandapancak]

I got to see the hawkeye for the first time this year, I think it was at Sheffield.. really freaking cool. For those that havent seen it , you dont knw what you are missing. Pool/Snooker is a very 3-d game and a TV boardcast just cant allow you to see the table's layout. but the hawkeye puts you right on the table behind the cue, very cool indeed.

 

[smokeandapancak]

Ain't it the truth!

I like hearing the pool players do commentary.

One of my favorite commentators is that English guy Wendall. A few years ago, he and Jerry Forsyth were co-commentators at the WPC, and it captured my interest, was entertaining.

My boyfriend, who plays pool professionally, but doesn't like watching it on TV, watched the WPC that year.

It was because of the energy and excitement that you could hear in their voices. Wendall with his blue-blooded English accent and his animated style of commentary, along with Jerry's knowledge of the game and the American players AND especially his Southern drawl, they were an EXCELLENT duo.

JAM

I have heard some of Keith's commentary before.... good stuff

did anybody ever find the recording of Keith whne he was in the booth, and a lil bit tipsy.... "That'll get the Colonel's soldiers out of the hot sun!"
classic!! !

 

[Gerry]

I think Grady, and Jay would make a good team. Billy sometimes comes off as arrogant to me, but not knowing him personally I can't really say.

you wanna hear funny? I was watching a local telecast of a jr high basketball game and they had 2 kids from the school doing the color. I guess there was no producer because they were calling eachother dorks, commenting on the players hair styles, talking to people in the grand stands, and the one kids got up to "hit the can" in the middle of the match.....I couldn't tell you who won, but those kids had me rolling!

Gerry

 

[JAM]

I have heard some of Keith's commentary before.... good stuff

I know that coming from me, this may sound strange, but Keith's expertise, if you will, is in the pit. His commentary may be entertaining, but I think he shines brighter when he's playing pool.

did anybody ever find the recording of Keith whne he was in the booth, and a lil bit tipsy....

God, I hope not.

"That'll get the Colonel's soldiers out of the hot sun!"

That's a classic Keith quote!

I like his "Man overboard" quip. At the 2003 U.S. Open, he was playing Jose Parica on the TV table. Saturday before the finals, Keith beat Jose, and that is when he was in kind of a rare form, having already won four or five matches during the day and still remaining undefeated. It was a very long day, and Keith was, shall I say, definitely feeling no pain. When BCn Rob Sykora asked who everybody wanted to see play for an upcoming match on the TV table, the overwhelming majority nominated Keith.

As soon as he pulled ahead of Jose in the match, he started "floating" around the table, and I was feeling a little more comfy sweating the match. Jose began to take the heat and just wasn't catching a gear, as Keith began to dominate, shooting a .900-something on the Accu-Stats scale.

At one point during the early part of the match, Jose executes a tough long shot and pocketed the ball, but much to his horror, he then scratched soon thereafter.

Keith immediately stands up, rising from his designated chair at the TV table, and then, much to my horror, made this noise like Curly of The Three Stoogies, and then said "Man overboard." The whole audience cracked up. It was a funny moment; entertaining, if you will.

If they had played the finals that night, there is no doubt in my mind that Keith would have captured the U.S. Open title. He ended up coming in third place, but nobody remembers who comes in second and third now, do they?

The next day, Keith didn't bring his A game to the table, getting beat two rounds in a row, Jeremy Jones knocking him to the losers' bracket and then a little revenge match by Jose Parica.

I'd rather see Keith playing pool than commentating because sometimes I never know what is going to come out of his mouth.

Here's a shot of Billy Incardona as the Accu-Stats commentator getting ready to interview Keith after the match. That was a very tough U.S. Open in 2003. There was a hurricane warning which ended up being a Tropical Storm Isabel, knocking out electricity for a day or two in the Virginia Beach area. Barry Behrman, the U.S. Open promoter, managed to get a huge generator to save the day. That Saturday, though, before the finals on Sunday was a long day for the players. Keith played until 2:00 a.m. in the morning, and I heard Rodney Morris, who ended up coming in fourth place, didn't get to his hotel room until 4:00 a.m. The semi-finals and final match begain Sunday at 12:00 noon, not a golden hour for pool players who have been up all night.

JAM

 

[Scaramouche]

The BBC commentators were all at the top of the game - UK & World Champions

Steve Davis
John Parrott
Dennis Taylor
John Virgo
plus
Clive Everton - Editor of a snooker magazine

When discussing shots they mark where they think the shot will go, then you watch the player's shot take the same route.

When Billy Incardona is commentating pool he uses a recurring phrase "I didn't think he could do that". Jim Wych is more knowledgeable, but that is to be expected, he was a top snooker player

BBC commentators don't talk all the time. They have to pace themselves. For example, they are on the air for 17 days - 130 hours for the UK Championships - and have schedule priority to stay on to the conclusion of the important matches. They have a huge knowledgeable audience.

Pool has the match designed for casual players or non-players watching during TV's wasteland hours, and sliced and diced to fit 48 minutes.

But the real reason BBC Snooker is so good to watch compared to U.S. pool is that they have time to show it all, with discussions, interviews. and profiles to fill the intervals. It is the difference between the Tour de France daily on Versus (OLN) and the Saturday summary on a main network.

 

[JAM]

When Billy Incardona is commentating pool he uses a recurring phrase "I didn't think he could do that". Jim Wych is more knowledgeable, but that is to be expected, he was a top snooker player

Oh, don't get me started -- please!

Snooker may be a Canadia delight, considered a national passtime sport in some Canadian circles, but speaking as an American with limited snooker exposure, the game on TV here in the States would have about as much chance of survival as nine-ball, IMHO.

Jim Wych is, indeed, a knowledgeable kind of guy, with a lot of expertise behind a microphone, but Billy Incardona has his own style as a commentator, which I happen to enjoy listening to. As an American road player with knowledge of all games and ALL of its players -- not just the Buckingham Guard tournament soldiers -- Billy is articulate and well spoken, providing insights that the Canadian dude wouldn't have a clue about.

USA, all the way!

JAM

 

[frankwhite]

How bout ALLEN "HOPPY". He's an ace on that mic!!!!

 

[chilli66]

If anybody has watched the Guiness Asian 9 Ball tour matches, the commentary there is useless. No bad grammar or anything like that.

They just had nothing to say of any value related to the matches or the game. It was awful. I finally turned the sound off and just watched while listening to Lynard Skynard.

The thing that really drives me crazy during those games is the music that kicks in at the end of each rack, totally drowning out the commentators! I know that may not be a bad thing but when it's 3am & I have the sound turned up just enough to hear what's going on the last thing I need is that bloody music waking everyone in the house up!!!!

 

[JAM]

How bout ALLEN "HOPPY". He's an ace on that mic!!!!

I like Allen Hopkins as well when he's commentating.

I think some young'ns who are not aware of Hopkins' championship titles may not realize how strong a player Allen Hopkins is. He's in quite a few advertisements in the pool mags from the '80s. There is no doubt he has knowledge of the game.

And after getting to know him a bit and speaking with him, I believe Hopkins truly has the players' interests in mind. He is always coming up with innovative new pool exhibitions for TV, i.e., the Skins Billiards Championship, Texas Hold'em Billiards, Trick-Shot competitions, 7-ball competitions, SBE, et cetera.

Why he isn't in the BCA's Hall of Fame is beyond me, not only as a player but in the meritorious capacity as well. However, I don't think Hopkins is losing any sleep over it. He's done quite well in the pool industry due to his hard work and dedication to the sport, and thankfully, Allen Hopkins continues to keep pool alive and well in these United States of America.

JAM

 

[Race2-9]

Color Commentary

I think Mark Wilson is largely overlooked for his knowledge andability to let the viewer know what's happening. JMHO

 

[frankwhite]

I know that coming from me, this may sound strange, but Keith's expertise, if you will, is in the pit. His commentary may be entertaining, but I think he shines brighter when he's playing pool.



God, I hope not.



That's a classic Keith quote!

I like his "Man overboard" quip. At the 2003 U.S. Open, he was playing Jose Parica on the TV table. Saturday before the finals, Keith beat Jose, and that is when he was in kind of a rare form, having already won four or five matches during the day and still remaining undefeated. It was a very long day, and Keith was, shall I say, definitely feeling no pain. When BCn Rob Sykora asked who everybody wanted to see play for an upcoming match on the TV table, the overwhelming majority nominated Keith.

As soon as he pulled ahead of Jose in the match, he started "floating" around the table, and I was feeling a little more comfy sweating the match. Jose began to take the heat and just wasn't catching a gear, as Keith began to dominate, shooting a .900-something on the Accu-Stats scale.

At one point during the early part of the match, Jose executes a tough long shot and pocketed the ball, but much to his horror, he then scratched soon thereafter.

Keith immediately stands up, rising from his designated chair at the TV table, and then, much to my horror, made this noise like Curly of The Three Stoogies, and then said "Man overboard." The whole audience cracked up. It was a funny moment; entertaining, if you will.

If they had played the finals that night, there is no doubt in my mind that Keith would have captured the U.S. Open title. He ended up coming in third place, but nobody remembers who comes in second and third now, do they?

The next day, Keith didn't bring his A game to the table, getting beat two rounds in a row, Jeremy Jones knocking him to the losers' bracket and then a little revenge match by Jose Parica.

I'd rather see Keith playing pool than commentating because sometimes I never know what is going to come out of his mouth.

Here's a shot of Billy Incardona as the Accu-Stats commentator getting ready to interview Keith after the match. That was a very tough U.S. Open in 2003. There was a hurricane warning which ended up being a Tropical Storm Isabel, knocking out electricity for a day or two in the Virginia Beach area. Barry Behrman, the U.S. Open promoter, managed to get a huge generator to save the day. That Saturday, though, before the finals on Sunday was a long day for the players. Keith played until 2:00 a.m. in the morning, and I heard Rodney Morris, who ended up coming in fourth place, didn't get to his hotel room until 4:00 a.m. The semi-finals and final match begain Sunday at 12:00 noon, not a golden hour for pool players who have been up all night.

JAM

I remember one year at the SBE me and Kieth were stringing in the cheese, and out of nowhere he yells "DRESS UP GIRLS< WERE GOIN OUT".

He is the best and I love him to death.......When were together

 

[Maniac]

Why he isn't in the BCA's Hall of Fame is beyond me, not only as a player but in the meritorious capacity as well.

JAM

Unbelievable isn't it ???

Maniac

 

[JAM]

Unbelievable isn't it ???

Maniac

Most everybody in the pool world today may know Allen Hopkins the promoter and ESPN commentator. However, in his heyday, he was, without a doubt, an American pool champion.

Does anybody have a reference of Hopkins' world title championships? I have tried to locate them, but the references are scattered, and it is a time-consuming chore. I have located a few of them:

World Open 14.1 Champion, 1977
US Open Nine-ball Champion, 1977
PPPA World Nine-ball Champion, 1977
PPPA World Nine-ball Champion, 1979
Baltimore Ballet Nine-ball Champion, 1980 -- (LOL) Ballet?
US Open Nine-ball Champion, 1981
River City Nine-ball Champion, 1984
Meucci World Nine-ball Champion, 1987
Japan World Open Champion, 1988
Valley Forge Classic Champion, 1989
Legends of One-pocket Champion, January 1991

I would really like to see a full listing of them. I think it would open some folks' eyes as to how strong Allen Hopkins is as a pool player.

JAM

 

[Andrew Manning]

I think Jerry Forsyth is a great commentator, he brings a lot of knowledge to the job, but with an articulateness that FAR surpasses Allen Hopkins, and a polished, easy-on-the-ears delivery that I think would make him more marketable than Billy Incardona, Grady, or Danny D. Pair him up with a broadcasting specialist, such as Lon McEachern, who knows how to make commentary flow and sound professional, and I think that would be a winning combination. Especially if they were "joined in the booth" from time to time by some of the other players at the tournament, who could provide some insight from someone who actually plays against these guys regularly.

Either way, Allen Hopkins is constantly contradicting himself, using poor grammar and sentence construction, gruesomely over-using the term "perfect" to describe CB control, even when the player just got on the wrong side of the ball or even got hooked, and mispronouncing everything in sight. He does have great knowledge of the game, but he sure fails to express any of it. Mitch Laurance adds nothing, coming from neither a pool nor a broadcasting background; he's really just a B actor filling in as a second voice in the booth.

Jerry Forsyth and Lon McEachern is my vote. If Lon's too busy with poker, I'm sure they can find somebody else with similar speech training and ability to make the commentary flow well. Every commentators' booth for "major" sports has one guy trained to do just that; it can't be that hard to find one that could use a job.

-Andrew

 

[frankwhite]

I like Allen Hopkins as well when he's commentating.

I think some young'ns who are not aware of Hopkins' championship titles may not realize how strong a player Allen Hopkins is. He's in quite a few advertisements in the pool mags from the '80s. There is no doubt he has knowledge of the game.

And after getting to know him a bit and speaking with him, I believe Hopkins truly has the players' interests in mind. He is always coming up with innovative new pool exhibitions for TV, i.e., the Skins Billiards Championship, Texas Hold'em Billiards, Trick-Shot competitions, 7-ball competitions, SBE, et cetera.

Why he isn't in the BCA's Hall of Fame is beyond me, not only as a player but in the meritorious capacity as well. However, I don't think Hopkins is losing any sleep over it. He's done quite well in the pool industry due to his hard work and dedication to the sport, and thankfully, Allen Hopkins continues to keep pool alive and well in these United States of America.

JAM

And not to mention, the "STEW" is always paid in full.

Being that I had the pleasure to pal around w/ him for a time, beleive me he can still play some. I talk to him from time to time, he is still very involved in the billiards world(playing).

 

[gromulan]

The BBC commentators were all at the top of the game - UK & World Champions

Steve Davis
John Parrott
Dennis Taylor
John Virgo
plus
Clive Everton - Editor of a snooker magazine

When discussing shots they mark where they think the shot will go, then you watch the player's shot take the same route.

When Billy Incardona is commentating pool he uses a recurring phrase "I didn't think he could do that". Jim Wych is more knowledgeable, but that is to be expected, he was a top snooker player

This is true but the real class thing about the English productions is the camera work. It is really first-rate. Some notable points:

-they rarely use direct overhead, instead they use a high camera at an angle so you can still see that the game is three-dimensional
-they have no 'roving' camera people, only dolly cameras in the corners
-they have no fewer than eight cameras above the table, and they often use these to focus right in on the cue ball or object ball as the player is addressing it.
-Their transition between shots is terrific, and they capture the players expressions and emotions perfectly.

Of all of these, the only thing ESPN has copied in the last bunch of years is the camera in the pocket, which the BBC uses only sparingly. It's really quite a joke, actually.

 

[CreeDo]

Something I just remembered is that Weenie Beanie has a really staid, almost dignified way of presenting, he almost never says anything outright negative and what impresses me is how perfectly he sometimes predicts the shot the player will play. "okay he's just gonna tickle the four and bring the cue ball around two rails and nestle it right up against the eight. Watch how close he gets it on this eight." The player proceeds to thin the four, go two rails, and freeze it on the eight. I could swear the guy was adding the commentary after the match and already had seen the shot.

I only got to hear one with buddy hall and I really enjoyed it. He has that twang and has an easygoing and humorous style. "Welp looks like he's just gonna try to jerk his rock back into the stack and maybe rub the four. Here he is puttin' his knee up on the table with the cue almost vertical. That's the kind of thing that gives a backer nightmares, seeing his horse do that."

I like fresh quips and I gotta admit the Freddy B's 'monsters in his cornflakes' one is pretty funny.