My fingers tremble as I write this post, for fear of being in the minority, but I've gotta say that I enjoy the commentary. I don't think any commentator would cut the mustard when it comes to those of us within this culture providing constructive criticism or opinions. I may like Buddy Hall better than another commentator, for instance, and there may be others who do not like Buddy's commentary. I don't think there is one person on the face of the earth who is going to please the masses, IMHO.
Yes, Mike Sigel needs to say "EFREN" and not "EFREM," and Kevin Trudeau has a Yankee accent which makes his words sound strange to others not from the Yankee region of the country. The other gentleman's commentary, though, seems quite appropriate and fine to me.
I do think they should have had a closed-captioning-type English translation on the bottom of the screen during the video clip of Efren speaking his native language, as the program is in English. However, I'm sure the Filipino pool enthusiasts enjoyed hearing Efren speak in his native language. This program is being broadcast in other countries too.
BTW, I think I read on a foreign pool-related website that Eurosport and/or Skysport is going to broadcast something that has to do with the IPT beginning today, June 26th, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it is this show.
I do realize that some may feel that Mike Sigel comes off as thinking he is the BEST in the world at playing pool. In his mind and in his prime, maybe he is and was. Who knows how well Marlon Manalo or others may be when they are Mike Sigel's age?! To tell you the truth, I think most players at that level when they step up to the plate believe that they are the BEST pool player in the world. That's just the way some champions think, no matter how old they are or how many titles they have won.
Mike Sigel, as some may know, was, indeed, a player who captured many titles in his heyday. The players I know who were competing in this era sure as hell didn't like seeing him on the other end of the table. He retired and has just returned, thanks to the IPT. For an old feller, he still plays pretty doggone good for someone who hasn't hit thousands of balls every single day as he did when he was active on the tournament trail. Give the man a break.
JMHO, FWIW!
JAM