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This whole DB/RC controversy sparked my memory of when RC got to come in the booth on a regular basis with Ralph and Fro. I don't think there was a broadcast where RC didn't remind Jeff of his superiority on a bike. It was funny a couple times under the right circumstances, but it was RC's go to schtick every week. I remember cringing at it after a while and thinking to myself Jeff is going to dot your eye one of these weeks.
I remember this as well. Just like in 1 of the other threads, I'm not here to make excuses for RC but I always gave him a pass on that. But my opinion is that when you grow up basically like a robot programmed to ride a motorcycle, you are likely going to lack some social skills. It happens a lot with athletes that were expected to be great from a young age. In contrast, I think back to how MC and Jeffro were not only great riders, for their era, but they also seemed like very cool, regular people. It's what made them rockstar status to most people my age (who grew up watching that era.) When RC came along, obviously he was a total badass on the bike but the sport seemed to lose some of that cool personality, with him being the face of the sport. And he always came off to me like that was his way of ribbing Jeff or sort of adding his personality, whereas Jeff is a lot more well-rounded in that area.
I have always thought that RC's insecurity within the moto industry is strange for someone who was once the best in the world. It's like he feels like he has to prove himself every second to people who already know and didn't say otherwise.
MC on the other hand is the opposite. Mr California cool without trying. Emig is kind of the same way. You would think that Carmichael was a local hero who keeps trying to remind everyone that he can actually ride. And he's self depreciating in a forced way. Almost like, look I'm not a dick since I made fun of myself.
Like when Tomac beat his sx win record and Daytona win record he was like I LOVE IT! lol.
And for the record I don't care about the broadcast. I must be one of the few.
I think of it this way, Jeff would be cool with or without being a champion. RC, not so much.
I think you are right on, but I just cannot understand why NBC/Feld have him on the broadcast. He clearly lacks the skill and charisma which is not a dig on RC, just don't put him on camera offering zero value. I could even look past the lack of social skills and vocabulary challenges if he actually analyzed the race. That's why Stew is so good IMO. He also has his own issues, but clearly is a student of the sport and his analysis is generally spot on.
Ricky offers "inside/outside" and "now that he got passed he can follow and learn" and "OHHHHHH".
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Emig was 100 times better in the booth than RC. Ralph was/is terrible.
Or the ol' "catbird seat"...it's like he only has 5-7 different sayings, and given a situation, you can always count on exactly what he's gonna say.
Soundboard Rick
I agree with what's been posted above and will throw in my 2 cents. Going back to RC's pod with Gypsy he mentioned knowing what it would take to beat MC and it wasn't skill it was having more fitness. When Ricky moved up to the premier class taking down MC was obviously a HUGE undertaking. Jeremy was the king of the sport, Ricky was the robot redheaded FL kid coming in with piss and vinegar in his veins with a hellva task at hand to beat Jeremy. He succeeded obviously but IMO he also changed the trajectory of the sport at the same time by forcing anyone wanting to win to have to out work him off the track.
I remember that too and it was so cringy. It's like he has little man syndrome where he feels the need to always prove himself. If you watch him, he's super cool with people who don't pose a threat to his ego, but if you criticize him or even make the wrong joke at his expense, he can't take it. For someone who should have nothing left to prove in this sport, he sure as hell is sensitive.
I can respect the hell out of his riding, experience and work ethic, but I just don't really like him as a person.
The funny thing is I used to cheer for RC against MC but now I have sooooo much more respect for MC than for RC. I don't put as much weight on wins and championships - how you conduct yourself during and after those wins (or during your losses). how many people you brought up with you and the positive or negative impact you had to the sport matters more to me now.
I agree, but Ralph did do a great job doing what he had done for years...been a "master of ceremonies" in the motorsport arena. He was there to hype things up, and...love him or not, he did that.
Jeff Emig is a bad stutterer
RC is a bad stutterer
Mx broadcast team, let’s hire them
Saying you don't care about the broadcast seems like a cop out to me. I'd like to be able to leave the sound on and have someone actually call the action as it happens and leave the stories about this that and the other thing to the 2 hours of airtime when there isn't racing going on. Hell if RC would attempt to do that rather than what he currently does I could handle it better. It seems like this year the whole crew whether it be Diffey, Weigant or Ricky they all constantly scream into the microphone like they're calling a Monster Truck event and almost never call the race like professionals.
Emig worked his ass off to overcome his shortcomings.
RC hasn't yet.
I agree about the yelling.
I'm more disappointed in what Weigant has become than I am about how poorly RC does in the booth.
I always think of Monster Jam with him and that's what we need to be moving away from. We're better than that, contrary to what NBC thinks of our sport.
small pp energy
The real question is if we could choose between Ralph and Diffey, who is it?
Fro sucks in the booth as well. I hate these guys getting jobs up there just because the won titles! Is really dumb.
Pit Row
I’m old enough to remember this forum bashing Fro every week with “go for the jugular” and “heart rate”.
Maybe you guys need to see a doctor about some medication. Nostalgia ain’t the right compound.
It’s nothing new, it’s this way in every single sport. Look at ESPN during football season, almost every guy talking is a prior player. It’s the way it is and I think most people expect it.
I think they should bring back the "real" DB: David Bailey.
It's not a cop out if you don't care about the announcing. I don't think RC is great, but I've always pretty much tuned out the announcers whether at the track or on TV. I'm there to watch the race, not listen to them after the gate drop. Some announcing teams are better than others. Frankly, but for a very few exceptions its seems like they are there to engage (capture?) an audience that doesn't know much about motocross.
Depends on if it’s a must situation or not
I'm the opposite. I think great announcing and a great event goes together like pizza and beer. Tony Romo, Joe Rogan, Al Michaels, Joe Buck....Those guy can elevate the show. Hope you're doing well my ol buddy!!
Hammertime
Just finished his Gypsy podcast. RC definitely sounds like someone with a “I need people to like me” complex.
I was seriously impressed with Emig's work ethic to over come his stuttering that was prevalent during his podium interviews. I thought that he did a great job and do remember Ricky bagging on him on live TV which was in poor taste on his part. No one has come close to Art Eckman since he left and only Emig and Langston have come close to filling in for David Bailey. Production has been better and commentary has gotten worse over the years.
You lost me at Joe Buck
We’re so spoiled now.
The older guys who “don’t care” about announcing remember when the only time mx was on tv was on Wide World of Sports and they definitely dumbed down the broadcast to reach a wide audience.
We all need to remember that the sx broadcast started out being self-funded… the promoters had to pay for airtime, so they didn’t have the big budget to hire the best producers and talent.
Things are a little better now, but this sport doesn’t command the resources that the major sports can, so it’s always going to be lacking in one way or another. Combine that with the networks insistence on traditional dinosaur production techniques and you have a pressure-packed broadcast that everyone (like JT$ on Pulp) says is “harder than it looks.”
It doesn’t have to be.
This was the GOAT crew
Minimum requirement should he they ride. Leigh needs to go. Loads of guys who sweat and bleed for the sport could do that job better than a non-rider talking head like Leigh.
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