Gary McCord, my lord

[1puttTUT]

Gary said some straight suspect things about younger players - Berger in particular that are quite creepy. "He likes to grab you by the pants and not let go"

 

Not funny, nothing of value, glad I don't have to see/hear him at the Open

 

Deserves the criticism

 

I actually find that kind of funny

[bullie76]

He sure is annoying.

 

I couldn't watch because of him. Guess I will have to mute if I want to watch CBS coverage.

[mwkbmw]

I guess a lot of the folks bashing Gary are either too young to remember, or have forgotten the scintillating golf commentary of the past. When Gary came along, his off-the-wall humor and wit were quite refreshing compared to the mundane commentary being offered up by Vin Scully, Dave Marr, Pat Summerall and the likes. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but they just were not particularly entertaining. Commentators without the color, you might say.

 

For those who trash him because his shtick is old, consider this: Gary has been with CBS since 1986, 31 years. Sure, some comedians have had careers that lasted as long or longer, but they were not limited to one subject. Just watch, it won't be long until the same folks that love Feherty will be the same ones trashing him when they tire of his act.

 

Perhaps we should start a thread where you guys could post funny comments about the tournament each week in real time. Then, we could re-visit it every few years and bash you for being unfunny, boring or irrelevant.

[QEight]

Perhaps we should start a thread where you guys could post funny comments about the tournament each week in real time. Then, we could re-visit it every few years and bash you for being unfunny, boring or irrelevant.

 

Quite a bad argument, I think.

[mwkbmw]

Perhaps we should start a thread where you guys could post funny comments about the tournament each week in real time. Then, we could re-visit it every few years and bash you for being unfunny, boring or irrelevant.

 

Quite a bad argument, I think.

 

How so?

 

Everyone seems to think it is so easy to be funny and witty week, after week, after week, all the while coming up with new material to keep each successive generation entertained with their preferred style of humor.

[dbleag]

When McCord is on the Golf Channel on Thursdays and Fridays with Gannon, Faldo and Oberholser, I like the banter. It's fun to listen to and usually pretty insightful. But, when he's on with Nance and Professor Kostis, his witticism just doesn't fit with the CBS brand of self-importance.

 

+1.

 

When the golf-action is lacking, their banter is slightly more tolerable.

 

However, when the action is starting to improve, banter is a hinderance. Nance and McCord were discussing Nance's New Jersey high school basketball team's success back in the 70's, and they talked for several minutes without commenting on the action.

 

Since there was some heavy butt-kissing going on, I was forced to flip to the local Weather Channel to avoid throwing my remote at the TV.

[QEight]

Perhaps we should start a thread where you guys could post funny comments about the tournament each week in real time. Then, we could re-visit it every few years and bash you for being unfunny, boring or irrelevant.

 

Quite a bad argument, I think.

 

How so?

 

Everyone seems to think it is so easy to be funny and witty week, after week, after week, all the while coming up with new material to keep each successive generation entertained with their preferred style of humor.

 

You do not have to be funny and witty after every shot. You do not have to say anything at all sometimes.

[mwkbmw]

Perhaps we should start a thread where you guys could post funny comments about the tournament each week in real time. Then, we could re-visit it every few years and bash you for being unfunny, boring or irrelevant.

 

Quite a bad argument, I think.

 

How so?

 

Everyone seems to think it is so easy to be funny and witty week, after week, after week, all the while coming up with new material to keep each successive generation entertained with their preferred style of humor.

 

You do not have to be funny and witty after every shot. You do not have to say anything at all sometimes.

 

I will agree with that. However, that is generally what he was hired to do. Perhaps CBS golf producer Frank Chirkinian was better at controlling McCord that current producers. Perhaps he is now encouraged to do even more. Who knows? Could it be that he is getting pressure to be funnier, and as a result, he gives more quantity in an effort to achieve quality?

 

Here is an excerpt from a Golf Magazine interview:

Frank Chirkinian was a larger-than-life figure at CBS. What advice did he give you on the art of broadcasting?

 

He said, "See that TV screen? If you ever tell me what's on that screen, live, I'm going to fire you. Now get out of here." I'm going, "What the hell was that all about?" I struggled with it for a couple of weeks. I was scared to go back to him. I finally figured it out, that if you as a viewer get something that slaps you upside the head out of left center field, you go: "Well, that's interesting." So my whole thing with Frank was to try to venture outside the box so he could rein me in.

[Dr. Block]

I've always wondered if they can hear the producers talking to them in their headsets as they speak and broadcast the action, and if they can throw a switch or something to turn that off when they are speaking.

 

Sort of like when you can hear an echo of your own voice on a poorly connected phone call, if they are talking to us on the broadcast while someone is talking in their ears, my hat is off to all of them - that would make it incredibly difficult to concentrate.