The Waltrips

joe h said:
The issue with commentary is industry wide. For whatever reason sport radio and tv producers decided every millisecond must be filled with someone talking, even when the situation doesn't call for it. Football telecasts are really getting bad, play by play commentators are injecting their own opinions, and color commentators have to yap endlessly over every insignificant action/inaction on the field, or some bullcrap less than fun fact they either pulled out of their ass or the producers gave them to read.
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I'm so happy that Tim McCarver finally retired from MLB on FOX though. I'll take ANYTHING over that Joe Buck/Tim McCarver combo.
 
joe h said:
The issue with commentary is industry wide. For whatever reason sport radio and tv producers decided every millisecond must be filled with someone talking, even when the situation doesn't call for it. Football telecasts are really getting bad, play by play commentators are injecting their own opinions, and color commentators have to yap endlessly over every insignificant action/inaction on the field, or some bullcrap less than fun fact they either pulled out of their ass or the producers gave them to read.
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I've said this before when the issue of commentary has been brought up:

Sports commentary died when Pat Summerall (NFL) retired from commentating. He was the GOD of speaking only when necessary. Even when he did speak, he let the game speak for itself.

Example....*Packers on their own 20-yard line...Favre passes to Freeman on a short route and results in an 80-yard touchdown*. Summerall would have called it like "Favre, Freeman, touchdown". No filler in between the play that may have taken 15 seconds. He only spoke about what mattered and I wish the NASCAR commentators would do the same. Mike Joy is the only commentator left in this sport who even remotely resembles that...I think he would be incredible without DW in the booth constantly yapping his mouth.
 
I've been listening to both of these guys for years, so I think I know what to expect from them, and then next week comes the next grid walk. I don't know about y'all, but I get a hard enough time from some people being a fan, and these guys don't help the cause when someone I know decides to tune in for a bit of the race (the end).

Some good points in here about the constant talking. The Waltrips especially, but there are others too, I hear them contradict themselves more then a couple times during a race, or say things that just plain aren't the case. I don't know if they're just trying to make more of it then what it is for the excitement factor or what, but it's....uggg

I honest think they could both be great at it if they just took it down a level or three. Can't ever say their hearts aren't in it though.
 
I wonder if Dale Sr was alive, if he would have wanted to get into the booth.

IMHO one guy I enjoy hearing is Parker Klingerman, he's such an intelligent guy in all facets of motorsports and as much of a wheelman he is, I would like to see him in the booth.

Also, I think Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski are fantastic analyst in the booth. Bodes well for the future.
 
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racefan41 said:
I don't know about y'all, but I get a hard enough time from some people being a fan, and these guys don't help the cause when someone I know decides to tune in for a bit of the race (the end).
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Yeah doesn't help the 'bunch of redneck yeehaas' stigma that Nascar gets.
 
I know it's quite popular on these boards to be a Waltrip disliker. I know I've stated my thoughts on Ol' DW a time or two. It may just be that we're the vocal minority on this subject. It wouldn't make sense for FOX to employee them if this were the general consensus. They may be much more liked that you think.
 
R Clarence said:
Sad to see Darrell Waltrip as he is today. Is for me - he may disagree.

He was winnin’ cup races driving for DiGard when he showed up at the local short thing one Saturday night. He ‘n the promoter went way back. Guess he was cuttin’ him a favor. Waltrip didn’t need to be there. He had already arrived as a cup driver. He sure drew a crowd ‘n 90% of ‘em were boooin’.

Had an immaculate Nova, belonged to him. The canted 88s (when an 88 was a threat to win at anytime) moved up to the front wheel wells ‘n “Gatorade” larger than what DiGard had on the cup cars (NASCAR rules) fillin’ the rest of the sides.

Wasn’t sure the race was gonna go due to rain. When it cleared he put up the fast time on a track he didn’t see every week. Fact is I don’t know if he’d ever seen it before. First time I’d seen ‘im there ‘n at the time I didn’t miss many.

Anyway, the race started ‘n he took off with Tommy Ellis chasin’ ‘im but losin’ ground. A couple regular guys got into it goin’ into four ‘n splashed water, grass ‘n mud on the track. Waltrip got into it – in time for Ellis to see it ‘n back off - ‘n he held that car off the fence, dead sideways onto the front stretch. Think he finished out of the top five though.

He stood on the track after the race. Folks kept him in beers wrapped in red rags ‘n he stayed there until anyone who wanted to talk to him or get him to scribble his name on somethin’ had an opportunity to do so. Even held a couple babies for pictures. I shook his hand ‘n told him he did a hell of a job holdin’ the car off the fence. The boy looked me dead the eyes, didn't let go of my hand ‘n thanked me for sayin’ so. It was a sincere expression of gratitude. To this day I believe he desperately wanted the fans’ approval 'n he was happy he'd gotten it from me.

I thought the world of Buddy Baker, still do. Baker made an appearance at the same track a couple years earlier. Drove a car owned by a local. Waved at the crowd durin’ driver intros. Parked it after a couple laps. Had somethin’ in his eye. No where to be found after the race.


ut all that on the board outta respect for what Waltrip was 'n in hopes the younguns understand he wasn’t always just an obnoxious noise on Fox broadcasts. In his prime, he could hold his own with anyone.

I, for one, won’t forget that.
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Anytime I get irritated with DW I just think of Jaws and what a great racer he was.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I know it's quite popular on these boards to be a Waltrip disliker. I know I've stated my thoughts on Ol' DW a time or two. It may just be that we're the vocal minority on this subject. It wouldn't make sense for FOX to employee them if this were the general consensus. They may be much more liked that you think.
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Not Michael and check out DW's "Worst Announcer" points. :D


PockrassAnnouncing.png


http://buildingspeed.org/blog/2014/04/01/nascar-announcing-a-new-look-on-sporting-news-poll/

http://beta.thescore.com/news/459907
 
I don't mind DW even if Bill's broken shifter at Riverside in "85" was made in his hometown......
 
I fuss about DW in the booth a lot. He gets me irritated with some of his 'observations' and recollections. I do have to give him credit for loving the sport. He likes to be recognized by the fans also. I few of us, maybe 5, met him as he got off his airplane at the track. Walking up to us he seemed to be genuinely happy we were there. He looked at us and had this little smile like 'I still got fans'. At least that's what it looked like to me.

You can't see me in the picture, but he is signing the back of my jacket. And he posed for my brother to get a pic with him.
DWSignsMyJacket.jpg
DWWithRay.jpg
 
I like how DW has had the exact same haircut for 30 years :cool:

As much as I dislike him in the booth, I like everything else about him
 
DW used to be great in the booth. The chemistry between Mike, Larry Mac and Darrell was good for the first 5 years or so when FOX took over.

As with most things, time has gone on and it's past by ol' DW the broadcaster. He's been out of the car for almost two decades now. The insight is no longer there. Part of the issue is Jeff is so plugged in and on point that I think Darrell tries too hard to say whatever comes to mind just to keep up.
 
Jeff Gordon is excellent, and much better than I thought he would be. But he is such a constant HMS cheerleader that it becomes tiresome, and IMO impairs his credibility at times.

In the latter portion of the Martinsville race, the camera was on the 5 car dicing with a couple of backmarkers. Gordon was praising Kasey Kahne for how well he was running... "He's been fast all day, driving a smart race, and not even a scratch on his fenders." DW jumped in with this: "Well, he is a lap down in 22nd place, so maybe Kasey should drive in there and bang those fenders a little bit!" Solid gold.

I think DW is good, even with his occasional cringe-worthy moments. Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon are the main guys, for sure. Larry Mac is good in his limited role, much better than when he was in the main booth. And Michael Waltrip is an embarrassment to Nascar and Fox with his breathless exaggerations and constant fabrications. Just my $0.02.
 
I respect DW the racer, but don't really like him as a broadcaster. Too many wtf moments, too little insight. Constantly saying things that are obviously not true to anybody paying attention or listening to the scanner.

The ONE time I was actually watching a NASCAR race with my entire family -- I think it was the Allstar Race 2009 or 2010 -- the only thing any of my family members can remember from the race itself was that DW pronounced "kudos" as "kuh-dooz". Erggghghgghh
 
LewTheShoe said:
In the latter portion of the Martinsville race, the camera was on the 5 car dicing with a couple of backmarkers. Gordon was praising Kasey Kahne for how well he was running... "He's been fast all day, driving a smart race, and not even a scratch on his fenders." DW jumped in with this: "Well, he is a lap down in 22nd place, so maybe Kasey should drive in there and bang those fenders a little bit!" Solid gold.
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Excellent! :D
 
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