11.22.2005
foo'ba'
Just got done with Monday Night Football. Which, I guess, goes by the significantly less cool name of Tuesday Morning Football. What's consistantly amazing, and Derek and I say this every time we watch football in the UK, is that the announcing on British TV is so phenomenally bad. Bill Simmons took on a question this weekend regarding horrible announcing at football games (read the column, it's funny), but there's no comparison if we take British commentators into consideration. First of all, no one should have to watch a game commentated by an Irishman and some washed up American former player. Who, if I'm not mistaken, compared giving birth to being a lineman. They also batted a whopping 0.000 for calling and explicating the plays correctly, attributing crowding the QB to a blown pass when it's clear to everyone watching the game that Brad Johnson just slipped, etc. I enjoy yelling at the screen when I watch football, but it's usually gotta be directed at the players and not the idiot announcers.
Extra funny: the sauerkraut cut-away, in which we were taken on a super-sped-up tour of how bottled and canned sauerkraut is made while being serenaded by raucous polka music. And the sight of former Vikings player [was it Jim?] McMahon wearing what appeared to be a giant (and fresh) deer pelt while head-bopping to music that he clearly was not listening to, as there were no earphones anywhere around him. And the supicious lack of sound or logos that accompanied the end of the sentence: "Monday Night Football is brought to you by..." It became clear to us that these sponsors aren't allowed to have their names shown on British TV, but the Brits are not allowed to "edit" any of the MNF broadcast. As a result, they were only able to cut the audio feed and eliminate the logos being splashed up, thus leaving the viewers with a silent pan over the Packers hall of fame.
Finally, it was weird to be rooting for the same team as Derek. We're good friends, but I'm from Boston and he's from Manhattan. Last year, during the Superbowl, he took pleasure in leading the Brits who were watching the game in raucous cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles. He even rooted against the Patriots two weeks ago simply out of spite, not because he likes the Colts, but because the Patriots must go. Oddly enough, instead of following in his father's [dubious] footsteps to root for the Giants, Derek's favorite team has long been the Vikings. He attributes it to really liking the color purple. Which Pat Robertson would take as a mark of his sexuality, but that's another rant for another time. So yes, very odd to be rooting for the Vikings as well. It's not that I really like the Vikings either, but I really can't stand Green Bay.
Extra funny: the sauerkraut cut-away, in which we were taken on a super-sped-up tour of how bottled and canned sauerkraut is made while being serenaded by raucous polka music. And the sight of former Vikings player [was it Jim?] McMahon wearing what appeared to be a giant (and fresh) deer pelt while head-bopping to music that he clearly was not listening to, as there were no earphones anywhere around him. And the supicious lack of sound or logos that accompanied the end of the sentence: "Monday Night Football is brought to you by..." It became clear to us that these sponsors aren't allowed to have their names shown on British TV, but the Brits are not allowed to "edit" any of the MNF broadcast. As a result, they were only able to cut the audio feed and eliminate the logos being splashed up, thus leaving the viewers with a silent pan over the Packers hall of fame.
Finally, it was weird to be rooting for the same team as Derek. We're good friends, but I'm from Boston and he's from Manhattan. Last year, during the Superbowl, he took pleasure in leading the Brits who were watching the game in raucous cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles. He even rooted against the Patriots two weeks ago simply out of spite, not because he likes the Colts, but because the Patriots must go. Oddly enough, instead of following in his father's [dubious] footsteps to root for the Giants, Derek's favorite team has long been the Vikings. He attributes it to really liking the color purple. Which Pat Robertson would take as a mark of his sexuality, but that's another rant for another time. So yes, very odd to be rooting for the Vikings as well. It's not that I really like the Vikings either, but I really can't stand Green Bay.
