(12-21-2022, 10:14 AM)rfc17 Wrote: I think Frangie is fine as play by play guy but I'm not a huge fan.  Feels like this type of thread comes up at least once a year and I've said the same thing a few times now.  It feels to me as though he is calling the plays as if he is a TV guy and not on the radio.  And those are two different jobs.  A radio guy needs to describe what is going on in a way that the listener can develop a clear picture of what is happening in real time.  Whereas a TV guy doesnt need to do that because obviously the listener is watching along with the announcer.  I don't think Frangie does a great job of explaining what is happening as the play unfolds.  I remember one play where essentially the call was something along the lines of "Etienne takes the handoff, bounces it outside [voice is rising], jukes the defender [is sounding more excited], is fighting for yards along the sideline....  (long pause).... couldn't break free of that last tackle.... (another pause)  ... and gets brought down back near the line of scrimmage".  You're sitting there thinking Etienne may have just ripped off a long run, or at least got some positive yardage, and then finally after a couple pauses and the the play is over, you come to disappointed realization that Etienne must have been bottled up inside, he tried to bounce outside, and wasn't able to turn the corner.  Same thing with passing plays at times.  You're not always sure how far down the field Lawrence threw it, if the ball was completed short of the sticks or past the sticks, if the WR is now running past the sticks, etc....  It's as if during the play you'll get teasers of what is going on but then you have to wait for the big reveal when the play is finally over to be told what really happened. 

In his defense I think there are a lot of radio play by play guys that aren't great at that.  And there is definitely an art to it that separates the really great play by play guys from the ones who are just okay at it.  Maybe that is a skill that can be learned over time but I'm sure like most things in life there are some that are just naturally gifted at it moreso than others.  Definitely a story telling aspect to it but with an ability to do it in real time on the fly.

You make good points regarding his inability to describe the actual play that is occurring to enable to listener to really know what is taking place.  That said, I find his high pitched voice on exciting plays to be quite annoying as do I also find his stuttering sense of communication on normal plays to be equally annoying.  He's pretty much light years away from Gene Deckerhoff and Mick Hubert and that's a real shame considering there are only 32 play by play broadcasters in the NFL and we get this guy.  It should be an elite position in the field but we pretty much got the equivalent to the CFO of Enron.

---