B's Announcers Get an A

I don’t particularly care for hockey. When I do watch, I root for the Bruins. Last season’s 7 game playoff series against Montreal was tremendous. But for me, watching a bunch of men with long names that appear to be made up only of consonants (except for the “i” on the end) chase a piece of rubber up and down a sheet of ice with sticks before beating the tar out of one another doesn’t really appeal to me.

However, while I sat at home last night, flipping through the channels (trying to avoid endless hours of Oscars coverage), I stumbled upon the Bruins game on NESN and decided to watch. They were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The game itself was exciting, but the announcers only enhanced the feeling. Andy Brickley and Jack Edwards did a great job of pulling me into this game. When there was a good play or a hard hit you could hear it in their voices. The puck would get close to the goal and their voices would speed up and get a little higher. Their excitement kept me excited and interested in the game. The play-by-play was more than just borderline yelling every time something happened on the ice. I also got an assortment of facts that helped me learn the players and the game, like Andrew Ference tied the game at 2 with his first goal of the season.

Brickley and Edwards also make the audience use their imagination. After the Lightning scored back to back goals only 15 seconds apart, the two announcers began speculating as to what the conversation on the bench was. I thought this conversation did a nice job of including the viewers at home by making them use their knowledge of the game and players to draw their own conclusions as to the talk amongst the players after lightning struck in the same place twice…in the Bruins’ net.

There was one thing about Brickley and Edwards that did bother me, and that was the fact that they work for a broadcasting company that is partially owned by the team they’re covering. During the post game analysis, Andy Brickley said he found the Bruins’ 4-3 loss to the 13^th ranked team in the Eastern Conference “encouraging”. He seemed to be playing the role of a public relations worker instead of a sports commentator. I don’t mind listening to a “homer” give his commentary during a game. I love listening to Gino during Pats games and Remy in baseball season (I am aware the Sox also own NESN). But, it even appeared as though the Bruins had dressed the announcers too. They were both wearing black suits and bright yellow ties! Why not just put jerseys on them?

Overall, their matching ensembles did not detract from my enjoyment of the game. Brickley and Edwards find a good balance between facts and fun. It may have been enough to convert me into a regular hockey fan…maybe.

The Dynasty Will Live On

It is what it is.

The New England Patriots have built their dynasty throughout the 21^st century. They have won 4 AFC titles and 3 Super Bowls this decade. People point to the outstanding players as the key. Others applaud Robert Kraft’s stupendous ownership. But, in the end one man holds the blueprint for the Patriots’ success. That man is Bill Belichick. His history and future as a coach are now brighter than ever.

In 2001, he led a team with the 199^th overall pick from the 2000 draft to a Super Bowl victory over the “Greatest Show on Turf”. He repeated his team’s championship glory in 2003 and 2004. In 2007 scandal rocked the Patriots franchise and the NFL with “Spygate”. Without flinching, he looked past the media distractions and gave the rest of the league a whooping it wouldn’t soon forget with the first 16 and 0 regular season.

Last season the Patriots looked to overcome a disappointing loss in Super Bowl XLII.

Bill Belichick coached the Patriots to an 11-5 record with a second string QB that shouldn’t have made the squad based off his lack luster performance during training camp and the pre-season, and had not started a game since high school.

Yet, the Pats still put the franchise tag on Matt Cassel. On the surface it would appear as though the team may be concerned about Brady’s recovery from re-constructive knee surgery. Could they really be looking for the second coming of Tom Brady?!

Not even close.

Cassel is no Brady. Number 16 made the team because Belichick saw something in the young quarterback that the rest of us failed to notice. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that the man in the torn up hoodie knows the value of a player.

Bill Belichick is acutely aware that his backup quarterback is not worth 14.65 million dollars. He knows the position is secure with Brady waiting in the wings to make his return in time for the ’09 kickoff. Cassel is the Patriots’ 4^th franchise tagged player for two reasons. 1: Nothing is free. 2: Belichick now controls where Cassel will play next season.

The Patriots understand more than any other team that football is a business. It was a business decision to trade Drew Bledsoe to the Bills in exchange for a first round pick in 2003. They used the pick to move up and draft defensive end Ty Warren…not a bad move. If a team wants to sign Cassel they’re going to have to dig deep and cough up some draft picks. There are teams right now that need a quarterback (I’m looking at you Minnesota!), and they will do what it takes to get a Belichick coached and Brady mentored player. Simply giving him away would be a waste of the coaching staff's hard work with Cassel over the last few seasons. The lesson for the rest of the NFL? You don't get something for nothing.

If New England did not place the franchise tag on Cassel, I would be willing to personally guarantee he’d now be wearing a green and white Jets jersey. Patriot fans should be breathing a sigh of relief over Cassel’s new lable, especially now with Brett Favre’s most recent retirement. This tag gives Belichick the competitive edge over New York in what is without a doubt the most storied rivalry in the AFC East. Who needs cameras and super secret spy gear to gain an advantage when you can simply dangle a franchised player over your rivals’ heads before sending him off to the middle of nowhere? The AFC East was surprisingly close last season. This move and what I ultimately expect will be a Cassel trade to an NFC team will keep the Patriots the dominant team in the division next season.

In 1975, Coach Belichick graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in economics. It is his business like approach to the game of football that has built the Patriots’ dynasty. His latest move with Matt Cassel will be the economic stimulus needed to get New England back into championship form for the seasons that lie ahead. This football dynasty will only continue to grow in Foxboro as long as Bill Belichick is the head coach of the New England Patriots.

Breaking Down the Breakdown

The Super Bowl is a spectacle on the world’s stage. It is seen around the globe, is etched into our pop culture, and is covered by sports journalists from almost every angle imaginable. Super Bowl XLIII was no different.

I’ve selected the following three articles on the “Big Game” to compare and contrast reporting styles: Don Banks’ “Super Bowl XLIII Snap Judgments”, Gene Wojciechowski’s “Sixth sense: Steelers do it the right way”, and Reuters reporter Larry Fine’s “Late touchdown gives Steelers sixth Super Bowl”.

All three of these reporters get a clear message across to their readers; the Steelers are world champions for the 6th time. Each reporter conveys the game’s exciting, intense, and at time stressful 4th quarter. However, each goes about describing the same events in different terms.

Reuters shows its newswire style of reporting by giving just the facts about the game’s final drive. “Pittsburgh marched 78 yards with receiver Santonio Holmes capping the drive with a sensational six-yard touchdown catch from Ben Roethlisberger with 35 seconds left.”

ESPN’s Wojciechowski makes the final seconds sound much more poetic and epic. “Of the 78 yards covered on the drive, Holmes caught 73 yards' worth. But it was his final catch -- that 6-yarder in the corner of the end zone, where his toes somehow stayed put on the turf -- that won him the MVP, and the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl.”

SI’s Banks’ take is more fan-like and excited about the events he’s just witnessed. “It had the most amazing game-winning touchdown ever, in Santonio Holmes' six-yard work of artistry in the back corner of the end zone with 35 seconds to play.”

Each author saw the same game and is writing about the same play. However, their accounts of that same toe-tapping finish appeal to vastly different audiences. Fine’s article for example would most likely appeal to casual sports fans, or those who really aren’t invested in sports (as blasphemous as that may sound). Wojciechowski would probably attract readers that have followed the NFL for a long time and have a passion for the game instead of one particular team. Banks’ piece would be waving a Terrible Towel and screaming out to all of the Pittsburgh fans out there. His piece is fun and light-hearted while still providing some outstanding facts for the die-hards.

The reporters’ styles also shine through in determining this Super Bowl’s final place in history. The wire service completely avoids making any judgment. Wojciechowski tip toes (no pun intended) around the subject by saying, “They beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in arguably the best Super Bowl game ever...” Banks does not mix words when he exclaims, “We just witnessed the best Super Bowl in history. Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23.”

You may want just the facts, or maybe you prefer insight on the game, or maybe snap judgments are more your thing. These stories from the biggest sporting event of the year show that no matter what kind of sports fan you are, there is a style of sports coverage for you.