After listening to our entire game in the car, I really miss Jack

[Seinfeld]

No disrespect to Ellis or Wyatt, but it's like we now have two good cops instead of the old good cop/bad cop duo that I listened to for so many years. Maybe Jack did go a little overboard in his later years, but the man called it like he saw it and who the hell wouldn't have after the horrors he witnessed?

Maybe this isn't the norm for Jim, but there were no less than five times that I wanted to reach through the radio and choke him on Saturday. Some of it may have been petty, but he definitely has a knack for saying "Lattimore with a nice carry" or "Ballard pushed the pile for a decent gain", but then he doesn't mention anything about the actual yardage gained until the ball's already being snapped for the next down. Then, I swear to god, when he we went up 10-7 and he says that the "story of the day is that Alshon Jeffries has been held in check with three catches", I knew it was over. I just glared at my wife as SC marched down the field and threw it to AJ for the winning TD.

Wyatt, on the other hand, seems to refuse to question anything that we ever do on offense. 3 yard runs are apparently solid first down plays, and he'll take them any time. Then, as we're trying to get back down the field with 3 minutes left and decide to run it up the gut for minimal gains twice, he explains that that's just MSU football. Well, we once again lost a game by running out of time and we once again wasted a lot of clock by being in no hurry on our final drive.

Truth be told, I like both Eliis and Wyatt and I'm not looking for a 3-hour bitchfest during our broadcasts. All I'm saying is that it's ok to question some of the things we do every now and then. We either led or were tied for 57 minutes of the game before handing the win to SC, and then I have to hear Ellis immediately talk about our hard fought moral victory as time runs out. Spare me...

 

[Shmuley]

Hell I'd sacrifice a left nut to keep him in the baseball "booth" [/imagine Jim years ago at Pete Taylor on a windy evening and you can hear his **** blowing off the plastic table they popped up for him]. But he won't ever learn to describe the f'n action while it's happening; instead he's sitting there formulating thoughts on how he will paint the picture of what happened after it happened. By then, you're scratching your head asking out loud "WTF HAPPENED DAMMIT?"

 

[Dawgzilla]

He is now the play-by-play guy, and not the color guy. He needs to give us an immediate idea about how many yards the play gained/lost. He tends to go on and on about how the action took place, and just leaves us hanging, wondering if the play was a first down or was stopped near the line of scrimmage.

It is very frustrating. And I'm one of the few who had thought Jack hung on too long.

 

[Indndawg]

Jack=Slipping Yet Fun

 

[The Peeper]

going say anything to him i.e. when he said the "Sonic drive of the day was his drive home to Tupelo". If Matt or Jim said the same thing Saturday, Learfield woud have had a message in their inbox before the game was over and Scott would have probably in a professional way told them that the athletic dept didn't want negative feedback from its own employees. I was as loyal to Jack as they come but it was time for him to go and I'm willing to give Jim/Matt some time to get it right before I ***** too much. I think they are both good enough to work it out, after all, Jack had a few years practice on them. I would love to hear some tapes of Jacks 1st year stuff if it exists in the basement of the library or wherever.

 

[o_Bigohh]

Jack was just too painful to listen to the past few years, but we all choose to remember the good years when he was absolutely the best. Plus, this just may be the "replacing a legend" situation when even vintage Jack wouldn't have been good enough to replace the Jack Cristil of our memories.

Either way, Jim and Matt will find their stride. Just be thankful we don't have to listen to the TSUN announcer (both the train wreck he has to describe and the way he describes it).

 

[coach66]

the curb by one of the gates at the end of the first half enjoying a cig. I told him he was "simply the best"!

 

[Seinfeld]

when Russell threw the ball in the 2nd quarter that was deflected and picked off, Jim simply says "the ball is deflected at the line, it's up in the air... and caught! Now the players are racing down the sideline!" I'm sitting there thinking that one of our receivers caught the damn ball and nearly scored, but Jim forgot to mention that the ball was caught BY SOUTH CAROLINA. Again, I don't have any problem with Jim most of the time, but damn that guy leaves out some key details at times.

 

[jxndawg]

and felt the same way - Ellis would be talking about how it was an option and Relf decided to keep it and so-and-so for Georgia was right there and if he'd decided to pitch itthere might have been a little seam there, etc., and I kept thinking to myself, "Just tell me how many yards we got and where the ball is now." Having said that, I like Ellis and Matt a lot and am figuring/hoping they'll get better w/ time.

 

[dogmatic1]

... though it's certainly not been the only one of its kind. You can hear the wheels in his head trying to grind out a well-turned phrase when, instead, I need to hear his mouth say, "Ballard takes the handoff, breaks a tackle in the backfield and pushes forward for a two yard gain. That brings up third and eight at the 25 with five-oh-four on the clock in the fourth quarter and the Dogs trailing seven to three." Nothing more. Let Wyatt describe the necessities of establishing the draw play for a four-foot gain to set up the pass at the ankles of the receiver in the flat for incomplete. Being a State fan is enough damn trouble without having to wonder whether we're losing yet too.

 

[gravedigger]

get better at the play by play deal. I think he will. It is really a simple issue.

He needs to say its a running or passing play, give the best guess distance of the play and to what yardline. THEN start adding what happened or leave it to Matt.

Jim, just like anyone whowould have held the color position for so many years, is struggling with letting go of the color analysis.

He'll be fine by next season if he works to improve. Basketball is another story. He cannot do this in a basketball game or I'm going to lose my mind.

I heard Jack, for years had a note in front of himself, Down, Distance, Score, Time left.

And that is what even sports announcing comes down to. Fundamentals.

 

[Phil Wenneck.sixpack]

What I mean by that is having the sense about him to make the call with such detail in a matter of seconds. Then, in a way that only Jack knows how, he would put phrases or words into it unlike any other. I'm talking about words you seldomly ever hear. I called him an intelligent announcer but the man was and still is a really intelligent person. The average joe can't sit at a ballgame, describe the action and think of adjectives like Jack did. (Remember Arkansas' punter using the gesticular motion or whatever that was or how about equidistance from the sideline stripes).
I've been forced to listen to a couple games this year with no tv from start to finish. I like Jim and Matt on the broadcasts but we've been spoiled for 50+ years. The details Jack would give is unmatched. Such as before a play, here's a Jack call..."Relf looks a 5 man front, linebackers deep, he sends Bumphis out wide with a tight end set to the strong side of the formation. He's got Ballard along side out of the shotgun. The give is to Ballard and he pounds his way for a gain of 5 yards." Now, that's a lot of information to absorb in a matter of seconds then relay to the listener. Not to take anything away from Jim but from what I've heard so far this season, here's Jim's version of the same play...."And now they're gonna give it to Ballard and he goes inside for a gain of 5 yards." What's missing is the details but again, that's not a knock on Jim. We have just been spoiled by the best for all this time.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Jack Daniel's that is.

 

[FlabLoser]

It was bad *** in its day. But its day is long gone.<div>
</div><div>I think Jim & Wyatt to a great job. Especially Wyatt. Its great to have a color guy that knows the game inside & out.</div>