your opinions on todd schrupp !!!!!!!
 

since we are talking about matt and frank. what is your feelings about todd. i believe this man from meeting him first hand, is all class on tvg.his handicapping may be suspect but not horrible. this man is intelligent and holds together this network and makes it entertaing as much if not more then anyone on there staff. you can say its all about face time for him but thats not true, if you want to believe it or notthis man along with ken, makes this network flow and entertaining. these guys make me laugh my ass off and i get my 1/2 hour sitcom comedy combined with the other good cappers on the show i dont need to put on nbc for a laugh.hrtv announcers just put me to sleep. todd is what that station and horse racing needs to attract new fans. i really believe he has alot of input with tony to make that network the place to be to enjoy horse racing. this guy cares as much about the welfare of the horse and history as much as the capping aspect and is a huge ASSET,there has to be a reason why most like tvg over hrtv besides thier access to better tracks overall and i dont think todd gets enuff credit, so kudos to todd for making tvg what it is, alongwith everyone else on that great staff, this guy is to horse racing what matt vashgershin (padres tv announcer ex brewers) is to baseball broadcasting, goofy crazy funny sincere and a delight to watch. your honest take on him BESIDES HIS HANDICAPPING? would tvg lose a little flair without him , i think so

I pretty much agree,but I also think he could easily be a type that thinks he is a franchise player(I don't believe he is.)He is a very good ringleader.He is the M.C.

I think he is close to unbearable...

and that is my honest opinion.

He seems like the guy that no one else wants around.

I really can't take the constant threads about TVG and its "personalities". I do not have TVG because the people are insufferable, out local OTB shows the races on its own televison channel.
I just can't believe how many people here care so much about these folks, I really can't. If the "ex trainers" could train, they would still be doing it. If the other geniuses actually knew anything they would be playing in the game, not talking to people who do.
YOu guys really need to start paying more attention to the horses and handicapping, and less to the TVG people, who cares about them?

I think that he does a good job overall. He can be a little annoying at times, but overall I think he does a pretty good job. His handicapping is just average as you said.
For the most part, I think all the guys on TVG do a pretty good job.

My favorite moment on TVG is in the mornings when they show UK Racing for a little while with no announcer or studio. Just the full field and then video.

Good stuff

The dont train because they like the free time being an annoucer gives them. I heard Canini talking to Simon one day and he told Simon that he looks like he has gained a little weight and looks much better ever since handing in his license. All of the guys play the horses on their own as well as give out analysis on the tv. TVG has allowed guys like The Sarge to have some income while he is trying to get his stable off of the ground. Now, I would love to have their job and I think you would as well. Get paid $100k a year to talk horses--lol.

Todd is good. He can be the host or the talent. He is a good man and has a passion for the sport. He seems to be the whipping boy, but I think he handles it very well.

Mike,I actually would prefer they just show the races without anybody gabbing(like they do at night etc.)Since they aren't gunna do that,some people are easier to put up with than the others.The HRTV Network,for instance,is a lot tougher to watch.

According to some people I know at Calder, Todd S is a back stabbing weasel. They were glad when he left. He's the type of person that if you have a Pick 4 or Pick 6 alive, he'll actually pull against you in the last leg. Definitely not the kind of person that I would watch on TV. He's got so much hatred towards Gulfstream because they would never hire him whilie he was in South Florida and now his employer is not allowed to carry the races from Gulfstream. He doesn't drink alcohol and will rat anybody out that does if you know what I mean.

TVG is simply awful during the winter without Gulfstream or Santa Anita.

Mute
 

TVG is best seen on mute
Just like CNBC for stocks

The talking heads are ...
Well on mute

Exactly, CNBC is the worst. The people know nothing and simply spout the same **** every day. Just torture to listen to.

i respect your opinion oracle tho i couldnt disagree with you more. insufferable -i would hate to se what is really bad for you, these are the folks that bring alot of us our way to watch horse racing on a constant basis , you have a otb , alot of states incuding mine have none so no such luck for me to easily get to a otb as you do.we care about them or at least i do because after you have been with them bring you your sport you tend to feel likes they are a part of your life ,in person or on tv. i love bob uecker , when i hear him do the baseball games for years and to this day its like hearing a old friend if you will same with todd and the group at tvg, they grow on you,i don't think people are letting these on air talents getting in the way of our handicapping. just as going to a beautiful track doesnt. it is what it is handicapping mixed with entertainment,you are more of a hardcore capper then others, understandable but alot arn't and enjoy thier programming is part of the enjoyment. plus i luved broadcasters from a little boy from the ones i was to young for but can still hear do to old tapes like mel allen, red barber, to bob ueker harry carry etc. todd shrupp to me is that extension in the sport of horse racing butt like i said i love broadcasting and talk radio so........they don't influence my betting i listen and take what i will from thier knowledge, thnx for responding

and as far as hrtv laffit p is the only one i can handle listening to even tho his capping is horrible also he is the only one to add energy to that lineup. i respect j white and siegel on there knowledge of the history of the game , but i'll take todd scrupp over jon white having to listen to any day of the week.and the at least the guys on tvg right or wrong on thier capping of thier picks at least take a stand and make a pick unlike siegel and white who never take stands on alot of thiers and just say this horse has a chance and this horse and they like 3 or 4 different horses and never take a stand. its like cmon right or wrong dont be afraid to put you ass on the line with your capping skills to save your credibility(which isnt much if you are not willing to take a stand. at least tvg guys put it out thier and are willing to get blasted

yes but tvg has besides those 2 tracks so much better to offer the rest of the year as a whole

your right from his actions ive seen in front of me when i met him a couple of times coming all the way down during the derby just to give a little girl in the middle of the paddock crowd around the outside ofthe paddock a tvg beret and talking to her parents and her and seeing his being very upset on los al after barbaros breakdown with tears in is eyes and after watching it with his daughters speaks volumes to me, and yes he does seem to be the whipping boy eurobounce and thats why i started the thread, i think he deserves better , but to each his own

I think he might come off as the "whipping boy" because he is a full-fledged dork.

Not his fault, it is just how things are. Sometimes I can almost hear the disgust in Frank Lyons voice when dealing with the other announcers.

I got rid of my Fox sports package from direct tv just so i wouldn't have to listen to Ken Rudolph and Tod.The only one i liked was Gary Seibel because he didn't tout or try to be cute.I watch the races on my computer therefore i'm no longer annoyed.TVG would keep on talking instead of showing you a race that was about to go off and then those morons would show you the result and then decide to go to it on tape delay.There was a station tears ago called trackpower that had very little commentary but would just show you the races.I'm quite astute at losing my own money i don't need any help.

i agree showing me the stretch run bothers me also mermaid, and the thread was about todd excluding his capping abilities

and having no commentary does what to help newbies get into the sport-nothing at all. maybe you dont care for it thats understandable but sometimes certain things and the way they are done are for the better of the game. alot of people wouldnt want to listen to dead air or music either esp if your first learning the game or like me can make my own picks but still get entertainment value out of it. listening to the races on the computer would just plain drive me nuts, but i can see if you dont enjoy thier humor and sarcastic wit you did the right thing by dropping them

mood he plays that dorkiness up quite a bit ,dont think he is always like that lol ,hes not and frank couldnt hold that show together at all, hes tried to fill by himself and stutters , mumbles and hope like hell someone gets back to him, nothing bad on frank i enjoy him also but if you think hes looking over at todd with disgust im sure the same can be made of him also in many situations

I love the fact that after Franko Lyons returns after being suspended for boozing he can't stop talking on Thursday about how banged up he was from the parties after opening day at Del Mar the night before, " I woke up and was scared I was going to die...and then I was scared I wasn't going to die" LOL.. Kudos to him.


I think Chrisitina Oliveres (sp?) has been a huge addition to TVG. She really knows her stuff, is on a first name basis with all the connections, and is very easy on the eyes. I think they stole her from HRTV didn't they? They need to grab the blonde with the accent too. I see them all the time in person at Santa Anita and they are both stunning.

on friday, i think it was one of Lyons' first days back.
Todd, frank, and simon where on set when o got off work and turned on tvg.

these three guys had me in stitches, it was better than letterman. they are very amusing and had me laughing out loud.
they did a piece on trainers and cell phones, and then got back live and frank and simon hhad cell phoned one another live on camera, i was rolling on the floor, verfunny, and then todd breaks into his impression of the colored guy (forgot name)
screaming when Giacomo won the derby as they are capping the San diego, and they showed a repaly of his derby win. it was a good comedy show, they are funny, its comedy with some racing thrown in.

I don't know why they have remotes with an entire crew. All you new is one reporter. The network is way too tilted toward SoCal racing. But the biggest problem is the hosts believe THEY are the show when in fact most people would rather there were no talking heads at all.

well thats true at times but not at other times.

sunday morning, mr. B and the other guy will put you to sleep.
but on a good saturday afternoon, i prefer to listen to frank and simon cap, they have good insight.

but whta gets about frank is according to him EVERY horse in the post parade LOOKS GREAT !

hard not to be when your based in la and you are at those tracks everyday and are closer to all those connections, what would you expect? the hosts are a big part of the show and i disagree maybe some of you serious cappers could care less but i say more people enjoy the entertainment then no sound at all. they are there for a reason and thats to give you info , the works etc, f thats the case more people should do like mermaid and just watch your video feeds on the puter and i know a bunch f people watch and listen and just dont admit it cause they just think its not cool to admit it

I enjoy most of the presenters on TVG. I don't like to go to the track alone; I like to have people to talk over the horses, to point out things I may have missed, to argue about the merits of our picks. The TVG guys take the place of friends at the races for me. I am a frequent e-mailer ("Ann in Lexington"), even won a DVD of "Dreamer" from them for a quiz answer. The only one I can't stand is Mr B - something about the rhythm and timbre of his voice annoys me no end.

That is awesome that you still use "colored."

Just because they are based in L.A. shouldn't be relevant. When there's a big card out there, ok maybe then a remote is warranted. But virtually every day is ridiculous and a waste of money. Racing is a national sport and there's plenty of people that couldn't care less about a 4 or 5 horse field at Hollywood. There's no need to show "stretch runs only" and the only time a race should be on tape delay is when there's two racing going off simultaneously; not because they can't stop talking. And why the need to post picks? They never track their results so posting them is useless. Caruthers is the one guy worth listening to because he's the only one who does his homework. Lyons is too busy getting drunk.

your right ann , its lke i said if youve watched tvg for 5 years they are like old friends after awhile

i agree with your statement about the stretch runs, that does bother me the most, if we are following a certain track show us the whole race to see the trip your horse got if he was beaten etc. one thing i wish tvg would do would be show the pedigrees of all the horses like hrtv does ,dam,sire they only do at certain tracks and not sure why, hrtv shows all

I agree with you about Mr B. He is definitely my least favorite.

An afternoon or evening of watching racing should be about racing, not commentators. The best announcers or commentators in sports are the ones who interject their opinions and insights when needed, not to excess. John Madden has always been the best football commentator I ever saw because he always leaves you wanting more, not less, from him.
When I occasionally watch it I find it incredulous that anyone can watch that channel without muting it, its that bad. Everything they do is to excess and there are just too many of them. It seems as if not only are they trying to outshine each other, but they are also trying to outshine the races you are watching.
Good commentators would simply keep viewers updated on possible biases they see at tracks, and perhaps helpful tidbits like who is first time gelded or first time lasix. To talk nonstop is extremely annoying, and usually counterproductive. I've also heard them speak about how a horse looks in the post parade. This is fine but often useless if you don't know how the horse NORMALLY looks. To just say he or she seems sweated up is not real helpful when delivered as a negative if the horse is usually hot in the paddock or post parade. By the same token, if they say a horse who looks calm and collected(delivered as a postive) its not always great if the horse is usally showing more life.
The best way to help educated and non eduacted viewers alike is to simply give an overview of each race and perhaps how the track has been playing. They beat things to death and often in a theatric manner that overshadows the race. As far as selections go, why be forced to make selections on every race all day? Any sharp player is going to pass races or have races that they deem as just too hard to analyze in their opinion. Opinions on races mean a lot more when only delivered if you feel that you actually have one, instead of just throwing darts and looking for kudos when one happens to land ok.

I don't have TVG anymore, but I did enjoy it when I had it. You have to take it for what it is. Shrupp was a clown, but he was also fairly knowledgeable at times. I liked Caruthers a little bit, although he never seemed to pick many winners, at least when I watched. One thing I did like is that if you emailed them, they would actually read your questions & comments on the air! That happenned to me several times, as well as winning a couple small prizes over the years. I do miss it...

"Frank did you single this race,or spread"-somebody on the set

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... .... nnnooo.......don't ask me difficult questions the day after opening day..."-Frank L

The best announcers are the ones that do the HK races, those people are dead on usually and you don't ever have to see their face.

There is one guy who always is astonished at who they pick for the "best turned-out horse" in the post parade.

Pretty good analysis from them, though.

The best person that there ever was on tv doing a show and this was before tvg was Caton Bredar when she was down in Florida.That lady knew her stuff and also understood what the bettor wanted.The fact that tvg is based out of La. is irrelevant.Many people bet through them and i'm sure are not happy when there is 7 minutes to post at one of the southern california tracks or for that matter Los Alamitos and they stay with the horses cantering around the track instead of going to a race that's going off.Unless it's a big day someplace else they will never show a southern california track on tape delay,and that's wrong.