The Voices of the Tour
I love watching the Tour. Surprise, right? I love watching those guys push themselves and hurt themselves for 3 weeks. I love the glory of the stage win, but equally, the nobility of sucking it up to make it to Paris when you are in 143rd and your body is begging you to stop.
But I don't think I'd have near the appreciation for it if not for the voices of the Tour de France, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Cripes, this blog is almost a shrine ot them with all of the quotes.
My wife is pictured above at the Bike Expo in Vegas with Phil (rumor has it that for the rest of the people asking for pictures, he just sat at the table, sly devil).
Paul is what we would refer to in the States as the color man of the team. Phil calls most of the action, Paul breaks it down. Paul rode in the Tour. But he did it poorly enough that Phil sticks it to him. They are a great team, and have a wonderful British flavour. Something cycling should have, as U.S. cycling is pretty johnycomelately.
As I was watching the Tour with Brad, Kathy and Tee this morning, Brad said "I wish U.S. announcers were more like these guys." I agree. In fact, one of the reasons that I like watching Premiere League Football (British Soccer) is just to hear the annoucers. The are precise and have beautiful vocabulary. It is a shame that in the U.S. we are so focused with sucking off ex-players that we demand they do the broadcasts. Yuck. Fucking Troy Aikman is never going to use the word capitulate.
The most we can hope for with our announcers is that they have some fun and don't take the games they call too seriously. It is just a damn game. One of the reasons that I enjoy the Brewers broadcasters more than most is that they are willing to do shit like interviewing Mr. Red.
So, as the Tour de France winds down, my five favourite quotes from Phil and Paul this year.
5. He's a good man you know.
~ Paul
4. When we use the word complicated (to describe the race) we usually mean we don’t have a clue what is going on.
~ Phil
3. He has lept across the gap like a scalded cat.
~ Paul
2. He rode like a sack of potatoes.
~ Phil
1. And my favorite was an exchange between the two, as the Tour rode past a run down castle:
It was pillaged by the Huguenots. You must remember that, don’t you?
~ Paul
I do. I never did trust them.
~ Phil
But I don't think I'd have near the appreciation for it if not for the voices of the Tour de France, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Cripes, this blog is almost a shrine ot them with all of the quotes.
My wife is pictured above at the Bike Expo in Vegas with Phil (rumor has it that for the rest of the people asking for pictures, he just sat at the table, sly devil).
Paul is what we would refer to in the States as the color man of the team. Phil calls most of the action, Paul breaks it down. Paul rode in the Tour. But he did it poorly enough that Phil sticks it to him. They are a great team, and have a wonderful British flavour. Something cycling should have, as U.S. cycling is pretty johnycomelately.
As I was watching the Tour with Brad, Kathy and Tee this morning, Brad said "I wish U.S. announcers were more like these guys." I agree. In fact, one of the reasons that I like watching Premiere League Football (British Soccer) is just to hear the annoucers. The are precise and have beautiful vocabulary. It is a shame that in the U.S. we are so focused with sucking off ex-players that we demand they do the broadcasts. Yuck. Fucking Troy Aikman is never going to use the word capitulate.
The most we can hope for with our announcers is that they have some fun and don't take the games they call too seriously. It is just a damn game. One of the reasons that I enjoy the Brewers broadcasters more than most is that they are willing to do shit like interviewing Mr. Red.
So, as the Tour de France winds down, my five favourite quotes from Phil and Paul this year.
5. He's a good man you know.
~ Paul
4. When we use the word complicated (to describe the race) we usually mean we don’t have a clue what is going on.
~ Phil
3. He has lept across the gap like a scalded cat.
~ Paul
2. He rode like a sack of potatoes.
~ Phil
1. And my favorite was an exchange between the two, as the Tour rode past a run down castle:
It was pillaged by the Huguenots. You must remember that, don’t you?
~ Paul
I do. I never did trust them.
~ Phil
posted by Tom at 10:57 PM
2 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Could be my favourite Cheddar post so far. All your other posts have happily capitulated.
I too am a lover of the British commentator in all sports, where they seem to be able to get a point across without shouting at you, and can make a joke without demanding 4 people in the background laugh out loud.
Two quick favourites, not guaranteed to be exact quotes:
* Recent broadcast of a English Premier League Soccer match: "Oh dear. Thats a poor cross. I promised myself this year that I would try to limit my use of the phrase "he'll be dissappointed with that one", but I may have to break that promise now.
* Classic quote from world (?) snooker (pool with more defense and colored balls) commentating legend 'Whispering Ted Lowe', in a 70s broadcast of a world championship match. You have to whisper this to yourself to recreate it, because in the days where the broadcast box was not that far away from the table, he really did whisper everything between shots:
'Now he's after the pink [ball], and for those of you with black and white televisions, that's the one next to the blue'.
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