UPDATE: Rick Jeanneret coming back for 2013-14 season

[Eleven]

 

Jeanneret to Return Next Season

 

Oh, thank you so much for this good news.

[Doohickie]

Another thought- when Harry Neal joined the broadcast team, there was general acclaim that the Sabres were getting one of the legends of the game in the booth (to join our own legend, of course). It didn't take long to realize he was well past his prime and into decline of his abilities.

 

 

RJ is to that point.

 

 

I feel bad, almost embarrassed, every time Rick makes a gaff, which is becoming more and more frequent. Don't wait until you're so past your prime that people can't enjoy your call, Rick. Retire while people still remember you at the top of your game.

[SwampD]

He's still way better than Emrick.

[LabattBlue]

Another thought- when Harry Neal joined the broadcast team, there was general acclaim that the Sabres were getting one of the legends of the game in the booth (to join our own legend, of course). It didn't take long to realize he was well past his prime and into decline of his abilities.

 

 

RJ is to that point.

 

 

I feel bad, almost embarrassed, every time Rick makes a gaff, which is becoming more and more frequent. Don't wait until you're so past your prime that people can't enjoy your call, Rick. Retire while people still remember you at the top of your game.

I agree that RJ is way past his prime, and I would not be upset if he retired, but only if Sylvester does NOT get the job. You know he's working behind the scenes.

 

On a related side note, are Sylvester and Peters full time Sabres employees...or just part time WGR hacks?

[wjag]

While it's sad to see RJ go, and the memories will last forever. There will never be another RJ but in the same sense, to the newer fans, they wont ever know the good RJ. Today's RJ is nothing of the old. He's def several steps down from his past and it's probably best for him to leave and carry on his life, and allow the Sabres to move on as well. He's not the RJ i grew up loving. Last few seasons, theres been several games he's been pretty bad.

 

This is exactly where I'm at. I grew up on AM radio listening to him and that was a-okay. When I hear him and see the game at the same time, it is not the same. My eyes tell me something different than my ears are hearing. It's noticeable. It's distracting. He is a perfect radio voice where you need some imagination. He suffers from what most suffer from when trying to call the came live, tunnel vision against a very fast moving game.

[X. Benedict]

Another thought- when Harry Neal joined the broadcast team, there was general acclaim that the Sabres were getting one of the legends of the game in the booth (to join our own legend, of course). It didn't take long to realize he was well past his prime and into decline of his abilities.

 

 

RJ is to that point.

 

 

I feel bad, almost embarrassed, every time Rick makes a gaff, which is becoming more and more frequent. Don't wait until you're so past your prime that people can't enjoy your call, Rick. Retire while people still remember you at the top of your game.

 

One thing I like about RJ is that he's always calling the game. I know who has the puck. He isn't telling stories as a player is carrying up ice. If he's calling the game on the ice and messes up - he almost always corrects himself.

[nobody]

On a related side note, are Sylvester and Peters full time Sabres employees...or just part time WGR hacks?

 

They work for the Sabres - the hockey hotline show is produced by the Sabres and broadcast on GR.

[Meathead]

with where technology is today i say we build a library of jeanneret sound bits and then write a software routine to analyze the game then make the call by piecing together the sound bits so that it sounds just like hes actually saying it so we can have rick forever mwahahahahaaaaa

[26CornerBlitz]

with where technology is today i say we build a library of jeanneret sound bits and then write a software routine to analyze the game then make the call by piecing together the sound bits so that it sounds just like hes actually saying it so we can have rick forever mwahahahahaaaaa

 

AI RJ...Great!

[buftex]

Where are you "the next" Ted Darling....

[Grumpy]

They work for the Sabres - the hockey hotline show is produced by the Sabres and broadcast on GR.

Sooooooo, is that a lose lose?

[nobody]

Per Alan Pergament at TBN:

 

"My sources expect that he will definitely work more than half the games and perhaps as many as three quarters of the 82 games. A reasonable guess is that he will work in the range of about 55-65 games."

 

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/talkintv/2013/08/jeanneret-to-reduce-schedule-fairbanks-confirms-her-schedule-shift.html

[Weave]

Per Alan Pergament at TBN:

 

"My sources expect that he will definitely work more than half the games and perhaps as many as three quarters of the 82 games. A reasonable guess is that he will work in the range of about 55-65 games."

 

http://blogs.buffalo...dule-shift.html

 

So, less than Ryan Miller's full workload? :P

[That Aud Smell]

Agreed with what X said above. A great thing about RJ is that he doesn't subscribe to that turbl modern trend of story-telling, narrative-building while calling the game. Emerick is actually quite competent as a PBP guy for hockey, but his producers clearly have him in that "sell the story" mode - "A funny thing about young Tyler Myers ... he used to fix recumbent bicycles in his spare time during those hot Houston summers, until his mother suggested -- here's a turnover and they SCORE!" -- Hate it.

 

This also caught mine eye this morning.

 

Brian Duff‏@duffersabres“@2ITB_Buffalo: I vote for Duffer to take over for RJ” - and you remain on the Duffer Productions payroll! #checkisinthemail

 

https://twitter.com/...745835772264448

[nucci]

One thing I like about RJ is that he's always calling the game. I know who has the puck. He isn't telling stories as a player is carrying up ice. If he's calling the game on the ice and messes up - he almost always corrects himself.

:thumbsup:

Unlike Emrick and McGuire and all the other games I watch where it's all talk and no play-by-play. Back in my day the analyst didn't talk until there was a stoppage in play.

[cpabob]

Whatever they do, I hope they pick the heir apparent now and let them work all the games RJ doesn't. The announcer by committee system stinks.

[nobody]

I wonder if the plan is still to split the radio and TV. If so - have Duffer do the TV and Sylvester can do all of the radio?

[Eleven]

I wonder if the plan is still to split the radio and TV. If so - have Duffer do the TV and Sylvester can do all of the radio?

 

I hope not. Sylvester can't describe a hockey game very well at all.

[That Aud Smell]

Duff strikes me as a top-end broadcast talent. Seriously - would he look/sound out of place on HNIC? (And yeah, that's my measuring stick.)

 

I'd love to hear how Duff sounds calling a game -- I don't think I've heard that to date.

 

EDIT: This bit suggested that Duff was being groomed to take over the color commentator role. That was written, I think, before it was announced that Ray would take that gig.

 

http://blackbluegold.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/duff-has-tools-to-inherit-lorentzs-vacant-role/

[Eleven]

Duff strikes me as a top-end broadcast talent. Seriously - would he look/sound out of place on HNIC? (And yeah, that's my measuring stick.)

 

I'd love to hear how Duff sounds calling a game -- I don't think I've heard that to date.

 

EDIT: This bit suggested that Duff was being groomed to take over the color commentator role. That was written, I think, before it was announced that Ray would take that gig.

 

http://blackbluegold...zs-vacant-role/

 

I'm open to hearing Duff but I really liked Hamilton's play-by-play the last couple of times he had an opportunity.

[apuszczalowski]

The Play By Play guy for TV isn't important anymore outside of a small group. You don't need someone to describe the game in detail to you as its happening because thats what the visual is for on TV, its why many just yammer on about useless crap you don't care about. Its not like the radio broadcast where you have no visual and need a good description to understand whats going on.

[nobody]

So Duffer on TV and Hamilton on radio?

[darksabre]

 

 

I'm open to hearing Duff but I really liked Hamilton's play-by-play the last couple of times he had an opportunity.

 

Hamilton has the job if he wants it as far as I'm concerned. He's a natural.

[That Aud Smell]

I honestly can't recall anything about Hamilton's call of games - good, bad, or indifferent.

 

The suggestion that the Sabres could/would have 2 play by play guys - one for radio and for television - is something that I initially responded to by thinking "no way they will ever go back to two announcing teams."

 

And then I seemed to recall there being a report that they were in fact going to do that for the upcoming season. Sure enough (this article is probably linked upthread):

 

Buffalo, which has simulcast Rick Jeanneret’s play-by-play on television and radio since 1997, is expected to split the two feeds beginning next season, multiple sources tell The Buffalo News. Different announcing teams would represent MSG and WGR-AM 550.

 

http://www.buffalonews.com/20130421/opportunities_squandered_did_in_sabres.html

[Eleven]

I honestly can't recall anything about Hamilton's call of games - good, bad, or indifferent.

 

The suggestion that the Sabres could/would have 2 play by play guys - one for radio and for television - is something that I initially responded to by thinking "no way they will ever go back to two announcing teams."

 

And then I seemed to recall there being a report that they were in fact going to do that for the upcoming season. Sure enough (this article is probably linked upthread):

 

Buffalo, which has simulcast Rick Jeanneret’s play-by-play on television and radio since 1997, is expected to split the two feeds beginning next season, multiple sources tell The Buffalo News. Different announcing teams would represent MSG and WGR-AM 550.

 

http://www.buffalone..._in_sabres.html

 

Doesn't make much sense to me, but whatever.