Hey Shane Sparks

[Gus]

It is funny, light hearted exchange between two guys that have a great deal of respect for each other. In SD, it is a head lever and a Gizoni FWIW.

[11986]

I like Gibbons and don't mid Sparks. The guy they had doing mat side interviews was pretty bad.   

[Jason Bryant]

17 minutes ago, 11986 said:

I like Gibbons and don't mid Sparks. The guy they had doing mat side interviews was pretty bad.   

Having done this multiple times in my career, it's the spot that TV wants but it doesn't work great for wrestling given the immediacy of the interviews. You never get good answers, but you always want the emotional response. For every "work hard and get better" response from a "what do you need to do" question, you get the "I just want some ice cream."

The networks will gamble to get that ice cream line every time. A few years ago, they did Sparks with breakaways, which gave us the Sam Brooks mullet moment, but that's very rare in television these days. 

Ray Flores is a professional, but he's got a no-win position there. You have to ask quick question, realizing these are NOT for the die-hard. Everyone watching knows more than Ray does. You will never get that kind of insight from a post-match interview. He's good apparently at boxing (I don't watch boxing anymore), and he's a good broadcaster, but sometimes good broadcasters get stuck in gigs they do a decent enough job at for the networks but will always be reviled by the die-hards. Quint, for example. That role deserves a little grace. 

 

 

[11986]

1 minute ago, Jason Bryant said:

Having done this multiple times in my career, it's the spot that TV wants but it doesn't work great for wrestling given the immediacy of the interviews. You never get good answers, but you always want the emotional response. For every "work hard and get better" response from a "what do you need to do" question, you get the "I just want some ice cream."

The networks will gamble to get that ice cream line every time. A few years ago, they did Sparks with breakaways, which gave us the Sam Brooks mullet moment, but that's very rare in television these days. 

Ray Flores is a professional, but he's got a no-win position there. You have to ask quick question, realizing these are NOT for the die-hard. Everyone watching knows more than Ray does. You will never get that kind of insight from a post-match interview. He's good apparently at boxing (I don't watch boxing anymore), and he's a good broadcaster, but sometimes good broadcasters get stuck in gigs they do a decent enough job at for the networks but will always be reviled by the die-hards. Quint, for example. That role deserves a little grace. 

 

 

I agree with all you said re mat side interviews, my opinion is that he's especially bad at it. Feels even more awkward than most. 

[jchapman]

6 minutes ago, 11986 said:

I agree with all you said re mat side interviews, my opinion is that he's especially bad at it. Feels even more awkward than most. 

I didn't think he was more awkward than Quint.

[MarkGA]

I was watching B10 later on DVR.  I just FF through the winner mat side interviews.  I really enjoy Sparks and Gibbons. Johnson has one story on each wrestler and repeats it every match he does which gets really boring.  I would prefer he not be on match commentary.  It seems I do not like most commentators.  Harrison, Johnson and Robles come to mind.  I hope Cormier is not on NCAA again this year.  He was not good.  

[lu_alum]

I like Gibbons and don't mid Sparks. The guy they had doing mat side interviews was pretty bad.   

Agree. Ray Flores sounds like a Howard Cosell wannabe.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[scourge165]

16 hours ago, dragit said:

You had me until "and then with Tim Johnson, even better."  Seems like a wonderful man and has some good instincts about the flow of a match, but he engages in these giant trivia data dumps during live wrestling, must be paid by the word, and must be paid bonus for every time he says the word "freshman," which you could make a drinking game of.

Gibbons, on the other hand, takes a lot of criticism when I think he in reality is terrific.  He has a nice understated manner, and immediately points out crucial and sometimes complex technique issues that provide important insight to the viewer.  

Fair enough. I think I'm a bit less discerning when it comes to broadcast duo's. 

They generally seem to be disliked and I find myself having an unpopular opinion quite a bit(NFL, I don't mind Buck and Aikman for example). 

I think Gibbons is great. I think Shane Sparks has done a lot for the sport and he worked hard to get more access to the Wrestlers...a bit of a pioneer in that regard IMO. Seems like it used to be...what, Gibbons and then they'd have Gable in there who was more of a fan than an announcer.

I also like Daniel Cormier when he does the NCAAs or Robles. When you're watching a good match, it kinda becomes background noise...as with Tim Johnson. I know he tells some stories and people may find him a bit grating. I'm indifferent.

[lightweight]

34 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Having done this multiple times in my career, it's the spot that TV wants but it doesn't work great for wrestling given the immediacy of the interviews. You never get good answers, but you always want the emotional response. For every "work hard and get better" response from a "what do you need to do" question, you get the "I just want some ice cream."

The networks will gamble to get that ice cream line every time. A few years ago, they did Sparks with breakaways, which gave us the Sam Brooks mullet moment, but that's very rare in television these days. 

Ray Flores is a professional, but he's got a no-win position there. You have to ask quick question, realizing these are NOT for the die-hard. Everyone watching knows more than Ray does. You will never get that kind of insight from a post-match interview. He's good apparently at boxing (I don't watch boxing anymore), and he's a good broadcaster, but sometimes good broadcasters get stuck in gigs they do a decent enough job at for the networks but will always be reviled by the die-hards. Quint, for example. That role deserves a little grace. 

 

 

I think your basic point is right, these immediate post-match interviews are a hard gig to pull off.  

However, (and this is true of other sports also, e.g. the NFL, the PGA, etc.) can we please dispense with the "What does this win mean to you?" question?  It's pointless, I can't remember ever getting any insight from any athlete that 'let me in a little' from this question.  (Although RBY wins this weekend's prize for his answer to "What does being a Big Ten Champion mean to you?", which was essentially, "Well, actually, not that much.  It's just a tournament.", or words to that effect.) 

[Jason Bryant]

I watched most of them, but I think Woods' post-match was the best. I missed the last three since I had to hop on a plane. 

[scourge165]

3 minutes ago, lightweight said:

I think your basic point is right, these immediate post-match interviews are a hard gig to pull off.  

However, (and this is true of other sports also, e.g. the NFL, the PGA, etc.) can we please dispense with the "What does this win mean to you?" question?  It's pointless, I can't remember ever getting any insight from any athlete that 'let me in a little' from this question.  (Although RBY wins this weekend's prize for his answer to "What does being a Big Ten Champion mean to you?", which was essentially, "Well, actually, not that much.  It's just a tournament.", or words to that effect.) 

I remember watching a pretty notable HS Wrestling Tournament and they'd ask the SAME question to everyone. The guy who did it was pretty young and has gotten much better, but it was literally 14 times of "what does it mean to bring the _____ title back to Parkland, Illinois," or "St. Edwards." 

Wrestler, "Oh, it means a lot, we have a lot of support from our families and our coaches and...yeah, it means a lot."

 

You're right, you're not getting much there. They also do the, "when you were down 4-3 in the 3rd, what was your thought process." And generally...I assume it's, "I gotta score or I will lose." But again, it's the, 'just keep grinding away, I knew I had to keep attacking...he's tough to get in on and I just kept grinding and I'm just glad I was able to get in on a leg and finish that TD!'

[dragit]

51 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Having done this multiple times in my career, it's the spot that TV wants but it doesn't work great for wrestling given the immediacy of the interviews. You never get good answers, but you always want the emotional response. For every "work hard and get better" response from a "what do you need to do" question, you get the "I just want some ice cream."

The networks will gamble to get that ice cream line every time. A few years ago, they did Sparks with breakaways, which gave us the Sam Brooks mullet moment, but that's very rare in television these days. 

Ray Flores is a professional, but he's got a no-win position there. You have to ask quick question, realizing these are NOT for the die-hard. Everyone watching knows more than Ray does. You will never get that kind of insight from a post-match interview. He's good apparently at boxing (I don't watch boxing anymore), and he's a good broadcaster, but sometimes good broadcasters get stuck in gigs they do a decent enough job at for the networks but will always be reviled by the die-hards. Quint, for example. That role deserves a little grace. 

 

 

The Ice Cream Moment was worth several thousand "work hard and get better" and "glory to God" cookie cutter interviews.  

And in addition to that and the mullet and excuses are for wusses, there are usually some memorable ones every year.  I think I remember Zain saying something like he'd dreamed his win over Stieber the night before

Whoa, you're saying hard core wrestling fans don't like Quint?  

[11986]

we need more post match interviews like this

 

[dragit]

15 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

Fair enough. I think I'm a bit less discerning when it comes to broadcast duo's. 

You should take anything I say with a grain of salt.  I've been accused once or twice of being a tad over-discerning about broadcasters.  You don't want anything to do with my John Smoltz rages.

[lightweight]

5 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

I remember watching a pretty notable HS Wrestling Tournament and they'd ask the SAME question to everyone. The guy who did it was pretty young and has gotten much better, but it was literally 14 times of "what does it mean to bring the _____ title back to Parkland, Illinois," or "St. Edwards." 

Wrestler, "Oh, it means a lot, we have a lot of support from our families and our coaches and...yeah, it means a lot."

 

You're right, you're not getting much there. They also do the, "when you were down 4-3 in the 3rd, what was your thought process." And generally...I assume it's, "I gotta score or I will lose." But again, it's the, 'just keep grinding away, I knew I had to keep attacking...he's tough to get in on and I just kept grinding and I'm just glad I was able to get in on a leg and finish that TD!'

I think you and I are on the exact same wavelength.  On the rare times when a HS kid gets a broadcast interview there's always the danger that he's hasn't been coached up to give the humble/sportsmanlike/work harder response and will tell you what he really thinks.  At our local HS they ask the seniors a stock question, "What was your favorite wrestling memory?" and the one kid said "Stopping at Denny's on the bus ride home from the away matches." which at least had the benefit of being totally honest.  

 

[Crotalus]

3 hours ago, Xmas32 said:

I think 'resilite' is really shooting up the rankings. I swear they dropped it in at least 10 times during the broadcast. I get why to mix up from saying mat at all the time but man, it seems like a lot haha.

One of the most annoying things announcers can do is to try and force various catch phrases. "Resilite", "hasta lasagna, don't get any on ya", etc.

[jmoney]

1 hour ago, MarkGA said:

I was watching B10 later on DVR.  I just FF through the winner mat side interviews.  I really enjoy Sparks and Gibbons. Johnson has one story on each wrestler and repeats it every match he does which gets really boring.  I would prefer he not be on match commentary.  It seems I do not like most commentators.  Harrison, Johnson and Robles come to mind.  I hope Cormier is not on NCAA again this year.  He was not good.  

I'm a fan of Harrison. I did not think Cormier did a good job- he also seems to be enjoying not cutting the weight, looking round haha

[scourge165]

2 hours ago, dragit said:

You should take anything I say with a grain of salt.  I've been accused once or twice of being a tad over-discerning about broadcasters.  You don't want anything to do with my John Smoltz rages.

Eh...that one I'm actually with you on! Greatest post-season pitcher of his generation, but a little annoying listening to him in October. 

[bnwtwg]

1 hour ago, jmoney said:

I'm a fan of Harrison. I did not think Cormier did a good job- he also seems to be enjoying not cutting the weight, looking round haha

ESPN and UFC have a nice fat partner$hip and therefore Cormier is essentially an ESPN employee via his contractual obligations to event attendance. It doesn't hurt that Cormier is a great ambassador to both sports from a PR perspective. So agreed he is not the best color commentator, but it's reasonable to understand why he was there. And he was at least better than some of the past years.

Rock & Robles though plz

[CHROMEBIRD]

3 hours ago, jchapman said:

I didn't think he was more awkward than Quint.

Agree, Flores is better than Quint. Gibbons is a smart commentator but gets repetitive sometimes. Like how many times does he have to appreciate RBY working on his fundamentals instead of his ridiculous backflip single leg counter? Sparks does excellent color, but the volume contrast with Gibbons can be jarring. But I like Shane's enthusiasm, it's very infectious. I love how excited he gets about mat returns, lol. Both are fine, but pale in comparison to Robles. His commentary and in-match analysis makes us smarter viewers.

[CropDuster507]

Sparks used to do the best Fargo Finals interviews fresh off the mat.

[Pipewrench]

I wish they would wait to interview 125 until after 133 and so forth.  HWT would have to be pretty immediate after the match, however.  Let them take a drink, breathe, towel off and gain some composure.  Also, Ray isn't good, but I'd take him over Quint all day.  Jim knows his shit, Tim meh, and Shane needs to dial it back from 11 to 8.5 or something.  I feel like he's yelling at me....

[ionel]

10 minutes ago, Pipewrench said:

Shane needs to dial it back from 11 to 8.5 or something.  I feel like he's yelling at me....

thats because he is!

[500 wrestler]

We called the move a head lever in NJ in the 80s. Really only works for a turn against seriously overmatched opponents. 

As for post-match interviews - the gold standard interviewee was Sammy Brooks talking about his mullet. I never tire of watching that.  

I also liked the honesty of Real Wood's answer. I get a bit tired of the same answers: 'I trust my coaches. I have a great support system. All glory to god.' I don't mean to knock anyone's religiosity but how about some real talk. Yanni mentioning having some nuts and Spencer's 'excuses are for wusses' were real, if a little harsh. 

As for the interview questions: I think they really missed an opportunity to ask Sasso about wearing his backpack to the mat. That was unusual enough that it warranted a question. 

One last thing about Real Woods: I loved the mutual respect and sportsmanship that Woods and Hardy showed after their match. A real testament to both of their characters. 

[Gus]

4 minutes ago, 500 wrestler said:

We called the move a head lever in NJ in the 80s. Really only works for a turn against seriously overmatched opponents. 

As for post-match interviews - the gold standard interviewee was Sammy Brooks talking about his mullet. I never tire of watching that.  

I also liked the honesty of Real Wood's answer. I get a bit tired of the same answers: 'I trust my coaches. I have a great support system. All glory to god.' I don't mean to knock anyone's religiosity but how about some real talk. Yanni mentioning having some nuts and Spencer's 'excuses are for wusses' were real, if a little harsh. 

As for the interview questions: I think they really missed an opportunity to ask Sasso about wearing his backpack to the mat. That was unusual enough that it warranted a question. 

One last thing about Real Woods: I loved the mutual respect and sportsmanship that Woods and Hardy showed after their match. A real testament to both of their characters. 

Head lever is not used for a turn against legit competition but is used as a set up to get an arm bar hooked up.