I personally didn't think anyone would be good enough to succeed Marshall Cassidy but Durkin came along to become the second best caller in the country behind Denman so I'm willing to give the next guy a shot.

I work for Trakus, and love it.

But with any sport on TV, the cameras show you the action. It sure gets more exciting and enlivened with the play-by-play though. Vin Scully, the late Harry Kalas, the dulcet Pat Summerall, etc...some legendary voices made the pictures even better.

I haven't heard anyone in the US quite capture the race like the melody offered by Tom Durkin.

Enough of Denman already. Whenever I hear his call of Blame (whose name somehow acquires two extra syllables at the wire) winning the BCC, I think "Jesus, this guy sounds like he had an impacted turd blocking his sphincter."

You mean his call of Zenyatta losing the BCC? He called her name more than Blame's the entire way. :rolleyes:

This is dumb, national attention wise she was the star of the show coming into the race, not Blame, why wouldnt he call her out more?

People just are hell bent out of making something out of nothing.

The stretch of that BC Classic will not be on his highlight reel. The fact that he more or less rooted her home and barely gave the winner any mention is probably the biggest faux pas an announcer can commit.

:D

I could listen to Trevor all day.

:tro:

Yes, this exactly.

Yes, the millions and millions who were listening to the race on the Radio were upset.

Denman said his most upsetting race he had ever called was Zenyatta losing in that race. What you heard wasnt a faux pas, it was human emotion.

99% of the people watching that broadcast were as well. I don't understand this at all, when I watch the last Olympics didnt you think Dan Hicks was rooting for Micheal Phelps in his call in some of those close races? I am sure on some swimming board someone was critical but the rest of the people would not have seen it strange at all.

There's a way to accurately and fairly convey emotion, even negative feelings in a race call. The 2004 Belmont is a perfect example of that. The 2010 BC Classic is the definition of how not to do it.

Respectfully (and with lots of it too! :p ) I think it's really easy, years after the fact and not having been the one in the announcers booth, to forget that he's just a person. You know? It's not like they get to do it over.

Could you be at the BC watching the Classic go off and call it simultaneously?

Again, what 10 Point said. She was (not the only one, but...) the star of the day. :)

Is there a book on how to do that?

Seriously, that statement is absurd. There is no right or wrong method. People convey emotion in their own way. It is the way he chose to do it and you did not like it. Agreed?

I think 99% of the people watching were focused on her jockey ruining the race for her.

Yeah, it's called "How to not be a blatant homer in a field that requires impartiality."

The whole thread is about opinion. I think Trevor Denman is an outstanding announcer and will be remembered fondly when he has the graceful exit Durkin is taking. That call, however, was terrible in my opinion.

How many Smarty Jones races did he call before that one? Over how many years? And I thought there was plenty of let down in his call when the horse was being caught.

agree, horse never would have lost with a better rider that day. Glad you agree it was not the horse.

Tom Durkin: Erudite influences behind a celebrated voice

Denman used to be great, but now his overplayed catchphrases are really annoying. If you listen to South African racecallers, some have very similar styles. What set Denman aside previously was that he had become more original and had his own style. Now, it seems like he relies more on annoying sayings rather than ability. If I hear "they would need to sprout wings to get to ______ today"...

But again, as others have mentioned, we all have our own opinion on what is good and bad, or what we like or don't like. I do agree that the Belmont in '04 is a much better example of how to call a champion getting beat. However, for me this is the standard for how to impartially call a national hero losing while keeping the race caller etiquette. Unlike Blame/Zenyatta, this was interjected with excitement and spine-tingling.

http://youtu.be/CTHZrdyta5o

I tend to agree ! :D

UOTE=Benny;992955]How about, "they'd need to sprout wings ? " Hand me the barf bag. Then he stole a line from Johnston at CD , "the more they asked, the more she gave"

Who waits to mute Denman, who names every horse entering the gate. The man is on permanent mute. His catch phrases are redundant. Oh, and his job as shill for the Pick 6 bet $$$ totals and potential carryovers, guestimating how much the carryover will be too.
The only reason the sound is left on is to get a bet down before the start, then mute. Meh.[/quote]