Should pool stream commentators be player-neutral?

sunnyone

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If so, it’s often an artificial neutrality. Strained.

Commentators are, for the most part, human. They have favorites, they have adversaries, styles they admire, strategies they detest, players they loathe.

From a profit perspective -- if DVDs of a PPV match are later going to be sold -- perhaps impartiality is for the best.

Or, perhaps not.

I think that allowing on-air pool personalities to reveal their honest rooting interests would add color to the color commentary. (I’m not referring to those late night, drunken rants ... although those can be fun in their own way!)

Perhaps -- during a two-in-the-booth presentation -- it would add even more zest if each analyst were sincerely cheering for a different player.

My guess is that pool streaming took its cue from televised sporting events. (ESPN may have been the bridge?)

On TV, we find such a buttoned-down objectivity to the commentary -- such a politically-correct blandness -- that their self-enforced neutrality stands in rather sharp counterpoint to any on-screen excitement.

I think that this blather-boringness may be one reason why, these days, so many viewers watch television in conjunction with social media … these hyper-engaged spectators create instant community rooting sections that are otherwise uninspired by ‘professional’ announcers.

Commentary on commentary is my life,

Sunny

P. S. One positive variation that could possibly spike pool-viewing interests would be to have a girl (yes, a girl!) behind one of the mics. During the boys’ competitions.

That may occasionally happen? But I imagine it’s fairly recherché, mon cher.
 
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SactownTom

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Rachel Abbink, Sunny Griffin and The famous OMGWTF blogness Malinda.
Lots of Ladies have been at the mic for commentary and shot calling. All done, IMO, as well or better than their male booth partners....

I like the combination of a commentator that knows about the game and can explain the subtleties to the viewers and another commentator that can keep track of the score and be able to update the bracket results every so often.

I HATE the distraction of the "Chat" ....Garçon timide
 

Cowboy Dennis

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P. S. One positive variation that could possibly spike pool-viewing interests would be to have a girl (yes, a girl!) behind one of the mics. During the boys’ competitions.

And you were doing so well too. There isn't a girl or woman in the world who knows or plays one-pocket as well as the 100th ranked man. How could she commentate a match? Get real, and get back in the kitchen.

RBL
 

lll

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lll

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to answer the question i think
the commentators should not be rooting for one player over another
 

tylerdurden

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And you were doing so well too. There isn't a girl or woman in the world who knows or plays one-pocket as well as the 100th ranked man. How could she commentate a match? Get real, and get back in the kitchen.

RBL

It really is true, and says a lot too, about their "true love of pool" (or lack thereof) imo. A solid shortstop could give Gai young kim a strong contest in 9ball (if not outright rob her), and if they played one pocket any of the shortstops I know could spot her like 10 to 6 lol. I mean cmon.... it is bad.
 

alex

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Whenever I stray from the tables awhile, entrenched in such trivialities as 'running a business' and 'trying to fulfill my dreams,' the brutality of life invariably grasps at my pantaloons. I hobble about, perturbed and hollow, only to return to the community I forsook - one unafraid of eschewing anachronistic values and tired idioms.

The pool community gives me focus and realigns the dial on my moral compass; the riveting, and eloquent, forum exchanges of its progressive thinkers are in stark contrast to the platitudes of my daily trade. Unlike other subcultures/meritocracies marred by an appreciation for intelligence, it achieves solidarity for all, by means of mutual-respect, without artificial roles keeping some members from realizing their potential. The following video relates this accurately:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4bs80yuEzs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4bs80yuEzs[/ame]
 

Red Shoes

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"Women" in the booth? Well it reminds me of a US Open One Pocket Tournament held years ago in Kalamazoo. The finals (if my memory serves me correct) was "Larry Nevel" (who won) playing "Leil Gay" (I think)....Anyhow, "Matt R." who owned the room would put bleachers up for the tournament. In the bleachers for the finals was a "whos who" in one pocket America (Buggs, Grady, Steve Cook etc..etc..). Quiet commentary was going on between the spectators WHEN a shot came up and ALL of a sudden a loud female voice sitting high up in the bleachers can be heard saying "well THATS the wrong shot"! Everybody sitting in the lower end of the bleachers TURNS AROUND ALL AT ONCE to see this "female one pocket expert" and starts laughing. It was "Martina" (Larry's girlfriend at the time....later wife THEN x-wife). Larry rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disapproval of her "display".
 

Bankin Ben

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For the most part the streams and even DVD matches, the commentators have been nuteral. I am sure there are cases that this is not so, but overall they are not. Billy Incardona and Grady Matthews are great examples of this. I always find them to be professional and not let feelings about someone become part of the comments they make. Grady will always be missed as a great player and commentator. I am sure Billy misses having his friend Grady to do commentary with. The knowledge between the two of them is unmatched. You have to have that knowledge to be a great commentator. Yes on occasion a player may play a shot that was not described by the commentator. You can't fault the comentator as he called what he thought was a good possibility for the player to do. Also I have found that when the player shoots a shot like that, the ones the Billy and Grady described probably would have been the better shot for the most part.
 

ulikastr8pool

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A solid shortstop could give Gai young kim a strong contest in 9ball (if not outright rob her), and if they played one pocket any of the shortstops I know could spot her like 10 to 6 lol. I mean cmon.... it is bad.

No shortstop is robbing Gai Young Kim in 9ball. I've seen her gamble against a very strong player (high level shortstop) for high stakes on a tight table and she got there alright. She parked the cue ball and made a ball on the break almost every time. One hole is a different story.
 
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