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 FOX Sports Net sportscaster Patrick O'Neal interviews Anastasia Valeryevna Liukin prior to a game between the Lakers and the Bucks, Jan. 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (NBAE Noah Graham/Getty Images/AFP) |
It's quite easy to play armchair quarterback and criticize the voice describing sports action on television.
It's another thing to step up to a live mic and do it yourself.
The Score is asking all wannabe sportscasters to put their voices on the line and give it a shot.
From firsthand experience, no one should ever call sports broadcasting easy ever again.
Gillette Draft 2: The Search for Canada's Next Sportcaster is completing a cross-Canada tour this weekend in Vancouver and the top-10 finalists will be part of a reality show that will air starting Sept. 6 on The Score.
Filming will begin in Toronto July 7, and this sportswriter won't be part of it. The audition tanked, as expected.
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The process is a nerve-racking one and it certainly weeds out the pretenders. After getting prepped for television (the customary shave), and viewing some highlights for a preview, the contestant gets thrown under the hot lights, handed a microphone and the action rolls.
Last year's winner Paul Brothers was on hand throughout the tour, and he offered some feedback during a quick run-through of Game 7's highlights of Montreal Canadiens against the Washington Capitals.
This contestant stumbled right out of the gate, forgetting momentarily who was facing the Caps and where Washington plays its home games. All it takes is one slip-up and it goes off the rails quick.
It didn't get any better from there, as identifying the goal-scorers was difficult in the fast-paced NHL action.
Without the benefit of a script (which the Drafted crew has taken away to see who can ad-lib the best), it was easy to get behind.
As for feedback on my performance, Brothers was too kind.
"Saying 'Who's that?' or 'What's happening here? probably isn't the best thing to do," said Brothers, who had a broadcasting degree but was unemployed when he won the contest last year.
"Viewers know when you don't know what you are talking about. You need to have energy but it's tough to get."
The producers for Drafted aren't necessarily looking for someone to read the highlights with proficiency.
They want personality, enthusiasm and some witty lines.
Brothers brought that during the first season, but he also has the ability to remain calm on air, which is a skill unto itself.
But that reminded him of his favourite Pat Quinn quote, and it's one he uses as his motto.
"I'm like a duck. I'm all calm on the top but underneath the surface my legs are kicking like crazy," Brothers said with a laugh.
Nationals fever
Will there be a more celebrated debut in the history of baseball than when Stephen Strasburg steps on the mound June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates?
The Washington Nationals pitcher has had every one of his minor league starts available in some fashion on U.S. television, and his first start will be shown nationally on the MLB Network.
Whoever thought a midweek Pirates-Nationals contest would cause so much fuss, but that's the power of Strasburg.
Around the dial
CBC's Bold channel will get moved to high-definition just in time of the World Cup of soccer. When the network announced its World Cup schedule, there was some fuss about Bold hosting games that would not be in HD, but the problem was quickly solved . . . This is a good year for sports documentaries with ESPN's 30 for 30 series. But in addition to the Broad Street Bullies, HBO Canada is showing Magic vs. Bird, the detailing of the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers during the 1980s.
ian.busby@sunmedia.ca