jayson w and doug g were awful all week...jayson is very very erratic in his delivery and makes little sense (tho i don't doubt he knws the game) and doug is too flip by half.....look, they have the right to dart the zags but they were way off base abt one of last yrs players -- micah was terrific and wd fit in nicely w this squad (the others? hah)......bilas is bilious, a bcs honk who pretends to be sincere abt praising the zags but its like, "geez this is a surprise but the zags are still pretty good." and raf: seemed muted and he is overwhelmed by bilious...raf (a great guy) is better off in a 2 man booth.......
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I have come all the way around on Bilas. I actually canceled my ESPN online subscription at one point because I was so irritated with him, but I've since become a big fan and think he's one of the best in the business.
Fortunately, I didn't listen to the ESPN guys last night because I was listening to HuddyBuddy and the Big Sexy on the radio instead. (Richard Fox's chair broke at one point and dumped him on the floor, so he had a terrible case of the giggles for a significant part of the game.)
Anyway, I think Bilas is a good friend of Mark Few's, and certainly he's been a good friend to Coaches v. Cancer.
Also, I remember this commentary in Bilas' blog back in September 2007, in which he talked about how incredible and unique what Gonzaga has done has been:The Next Gonzaga
Whenever a school from a non-BCS conference has success, I am always asked whether that school can be the "next Gonzaga". Last season, I was asked that question about George Mason. Earlier this week, I was asked that question about Davidson. A bunch of coaches on the mid-major level have gotten fired over that question, and the fact is because it is a silly one. The question is the same as asking whether a player could be the "next Jordan".
Gonzaga has done something that is almost impossible to duplicate elsewhere, for which there is no blueprint. The Zags have a good tradition, great continuity in coaches and mind-blowing support. Gonzaga was doing it their way and the right way -- and well before any of us caught on -- when Dan Monson and the Zags made their run to the Elite Eight in 1999. In less than 10 years, what Gonzaga has accomplished in Spokane has been nothing short of incredible, with conference titles, NCAA appearances, and a reputation that requires a "storming of the court" if you beat them.
But, it is folly to suggest that we should expect that sort of success from other programs in similar conferences. What Gonzaga has done with its limited size and resources has never really been done before, and may never be done again. When Gonzaga burst onto the scene and stayed there, which school did we compare it to? Gonzaga was the next & who? The answer is nobody, because no team from the mid-major level had ever done it in the modern game. The program that has come the closest to Gonzaga's success over the past decade has been Southern Illinois. The Salukis have been consistent winners in the Missouri Valley Conference, have had great support and a great consistency of coaches. I cannot wait to get to Carbondale this season to see the Salukis, or the "closest thing to Gonzaga"._______________________________
Gonzaga - The Greatest Student Section in the Nation!
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The thing that I do like about Bilas and Gottlieb is that they're not the usual spout-the-party-line talking heads. They have their own POVs and they stick to them and are generally outspoken about them, which is refreshing. I think Bilas has some pretty dumb opinions at times (particularly when it comes to his BCS vs non-BCS bias: his defense of Zona getting into the NCAAs last year vs SMC was ridiculous), but I often agree with Gottlieb (he was 100% dead wrong on Micah, like Jazz says, though). Still, agree or not, I think it's good that both do have their own POV and stick to it and can logically defend it (unlike, say, Dickie V).
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raf (a great guy) is better off in a 2 man booth.......Birddog
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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I don't listen much to these
talking heads. I listen to Hudson-Fox in the pre game and generally put the game on mute, reading or un muting (is that a word?) for an occasional replay & interpretation.
Same with halftime. Fox & Hudson do a better breakdown from the Zag perspective and Fox generally does a really good job analyzing the other team's strengths, too.
Plus all the halftime & end of game stats + an interview or two with players & coaches.
So if you are tired of the showbiz talking heads, you might want to see if you can stream Fox & Hudson into your pc's somewhere.
It really is first rate.
Go TEAM Zags !Go TEAM Zags !
"John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!”
Tom Hammond: “Wow, that’s a pretty strong statement. I guess I don’t have a good handle on world history.”
Bill: “Well Tom, that’s because you didn’t go to UCLA." - Bill Walton
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I guess I'm not into how big the names are that call games. I tend to enjoy Fraschilla, Lavin, Dykes, Bobby V, Bardo, Gannon... None are top dogs but I like them best.
I, too, like a contrarian now and then, but Gottlieb tries too hard at it to the point he doesn't really believe what he's saying.The Kennel: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
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Yup. I'm pretty much addicted to Tom Hudson and Richard Fox on the radio, and I think they're so tight with the staff (fly on the team plane and stay in the team's hotel, as well as Fox's obvious connections as a former player) that you know you're not going to be steered wrong. Also, after three years together, they've developed a fun chemistry. I hope we get to keep Richard around for a long time._______________________________
Gonzaga - The Greatest Student Section in the Nation!
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I have a friend who knows Jay Bilas, and he said that Bilas loves the Zags. It's true, but I don't why Bilas goes against the Zags a lot of the time. "Definite foul," "Can't recruit with the 'big boys,'" etc. Sometimes Doug and Jay are okay and sometimes they're just annoying.In Few We Trust.
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I disagree that Heister is awful at his profession. Surely there are guys who do a better job of play-by-play, but I like Heister's interviews and I like him personally, and I think Few does too, so he has access some other journalists don't._______________________________
Gonzaga - The Greatest Student Section in the Nation!
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