http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/blog ... lumn_id=13
OU-Tech Telecast Painful, Pitiful
Watching ABC’s telecast of Saturday night’s Oklahoma-Texas Tech game was an excruciating, frustrating experience. And it had nothing to do with the final score.
Bonnie Bernstein, who is billed as a “veteran” sideline reporter and among the best in the business, showed her serious lack of reporting skills when it came to Sam Bradford’s injury.
We didn’t hear a word from Bernstein on Bradford’s situation for several series. That left the commentators in the booth, Brad Nessler and Bob Griese, to guess what was going on. That was after they realized Bradford wasn’t in the game, even though they called him "Crawford." Incredible.
Perhaps they had him mixed up with "Wahoo" Sam Crawford, the Hall of Fame baseball pitcher. Of course, Sam Crawford was born in 1880 and has been dead for 39 years.
When Bernstein finally got around to speculating that Bradford had a concussion, she defended her lack of knowledge on the fact OU coach Bob Stoops doesn’t allow in-game injury information. A journalist with real reporting skills would have known other ways to get around Stoops’ don’t-ask policy.
Then there was the clown known as Paul Maguire. Instead of providing insight as a color commentator, Maguire preferred to dress up in the hat, mask and cape of Tech’s mascot while riding around the field on one of the TV booms and telling us stories about his playing career. Who cares?
Instead of following up on Bradford, Brenstein spent time complaining that Maguire didn't include her on the goofy drawing he did of the other three with his children's Etch-A-Sketch toy. She also informed us how happy she was not to have a Mohawk haircut like an attention-seeking ESPN broadcaster got last week. Yup, that's the kind of reports viewers want to hear.
As a comparison, when Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon was hurt last Thursday against Arizona, we saw how TV can do it right. ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews told us almost immediately what was wrong and that he wouldn't return. She also did an excellent interview with Dixon after the game.
Saturday night's horrible effort by all four of the “talking heads” was topped off by the rear-end kissing, “insider jokes” interview Nessler and Griese did with Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight.
Thank God for the mute button.
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RACK that rant. ABC was sub-par for that game.
At least we have Brent to look forward to for MU-KU.
