SPEAKING OF SPEAKING

A reader forwarded me the following post which details probably the most egregious assaults on the art of oratory, namely, those coming from the world of sports commentary.

I'm old enough to remember Howard Cosell, who certainly approached his job with a sense of theatrical expression. He was annoying, but always articulate. I have a theory that the sports casters who move over from the world of radio tend to be the best. They have made it by speaking intelligibly, as opposed to making it based on how they look on the screen. The worst commentators tend to be the "expert" former athletes.

SO, here are some real snafus that were said over the airwaves during NBC's recent Olympic coverage. They are all funny, and a few are funny because they are so off-color...So, be warned. And I actually deleted two of them that were much worse than any that appear here!


OLYMPIAN SNAFUS


Here are some actual comments made by athletes and NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Equestrian commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."

2. Synchronized Diving expert: "It's not so much that the teammates need to be mirror images of each other, as much as they need to seem like two people who really look like the same person."

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."

6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."

7. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."

8. Rythmic Gymnastics expert: "The difference between this sport and the non-rhythmic gymnastic floor exercise, is that here, the dance elements are critical. In regular gymnastics, I would say they are just very important."