May
6
Filed Under NBA, Commentary
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
In this article:
• Tom Bore Also Fired by Bulls; Red Kerr Relegated to Studio
• Even Worse, Stacy “KYP” King Moving into Color Role for WGN
• How are the Bulls and Its Fans Better Off?
In what is definitely a typically stupid move for a city in which a lot of sports announcers are sniveling, yes-men who are in the back pocket of old, stodgy and antiquated management (see the Cubs’ Len Kasper, Bears’ Jeff Joniak and Bulls’ Bill Wennington) and thus ensured job status for way too long, the Bulls fired one of the few solid, professional and … gasp respectable play-by-play men in the city in Wayne Larrivee this afternoon.
In what was long overdue, the Bulls also bid-adieu to Comcast play-by-play man Tom “the Bore” Dore and announced that Johnny “Red” Kerr will be moving from behind the scorer’s table at the United Center to behind the desk at the Comcast Sports Net studio.
While the Bulls were expected to make changes this off-season—most notably in hiring a new coach and possibly moving a few players—it’s hard to say that anyone saw this coming, maybe with the exception of the reassignment of Kerr.
The firing of Larrivee is extremely disappointing, considering that he’s been calling Bulls games on WGN since the early nineties and hasn’t dipped at all in quality.
The Dore move is also surprising, especially when realizing that this guy was also around since the nineties despite bringing no excitement, appeal or insight to any games he called.
While it may be puzzling that Dore had a job in Chicago for so long, if you’ve lived in this city all of your life and followed sports here, it’s hardly so.
The bigger surprise is that he’s been fired in a sports town run by organizations that are behind the times and want broadcasters who don’t question their penny-pinching ways but rather promote the “grand history and aura” of these teams.
For example, the Cubs have Kasper, the Bears’ Joniak, the Sox Darren Jackson and the Bulls Wennington. You used to be able to put Dore in this category, as he seemingly was one of those guys who brought little to the table but must have kept himself liked within the organization to have a job.
That is until Tuesday, when Dore was deservingly fired and Larrivee undeservingly relieved of his duties.
Larrivee is, make that was, as solid as it gets in terms of broadcasting in Chicago (which isn’t saying much, but that’s not an indictment of the outstanding Larrivee but rather of the slew of other goons in booths across the city).
In a day and age of hype and overstatement, Larrivee provided a substantive, yeoman-like effort each time he got behind the microphone.
Maybe Larrivee wasn’t the most exciting announcer around; to some, there probably weren’t enough frills in his delivery besides the occasional “Dagger” following a clinching basket at the end of the game.
However in a day and age in which Joniak is a dorky and nauseating presence on the airwaves with his macho “Touchdown Bears” catchphrase after a Bears’ touchdown every 8-12 quarters, Larrivee keeps you informed of what was actually going on in the moment while still being able to bring interest and levity to the game without doing so in an obnoxious way.
There never was a schtick with Larrivee; all he did was deliver a solid call each and every NBA game that he covered, in addition to covering Big Ten football and basketball games often on the mornings of Saturday Bulls games.
Maybe that’s why the Bulls got rid of the hard-working Larrivee, who once did play-by-play for the Bears and would be a welcome improvement in that position again (one could dream). In recent years, Larrivee’s presence has been expanding nationally, getting work with Westwood One during the NCAA Tournament in addition to his play-by-play duties with his boyhood team Green Bay Packers and for Big Ten football and basketball.
Perhaps the Bulls simply wanted continuity across the board of all of their TV broadcasts; hence moving the respectable Neil Funk from radio to television play-by-play for games on WGN, WCIU and Comcast.
If that’s the reason, it still doesn’t make sense. While Larrivee may be spending every waking hour covering sports in the winter, he rarely let his other jobs interfere with calling Bulls’ games on Saturday nights. And Larrivee is the very definition of a consummate professional who never appeared overwhelmed with all of his work.
To make matters worse, the Bulls have just moved the easy-listening Larrivee out and brought the annoying Stacey King in to be color man for all TV broadcasts.
Yikes. While many in the media may have made fun of the venerable Kerr as being too much of a homer – he clearly was but at least he has never made any bones about who he was – adding King is a quick way to alienate already frustrated Bulls’ fans.
While King likes to talk about KYP – Knowing Your Personnel – during telecasts, Stacey clearly needed to Know Your Place when working with Kerr the last couple of seasons.
Just as he was as an underachieving player, King is too much of a clown behind the microphone. Oftentimes during this past season, King infuriated Kerr with his mindless and endless banter. For a guy in his forties, he acts like he’s a stupid teenager.
Thus, when King makes an interesting observation or point every once in a while, it is hard to take him seriously because he is a clown most of the other time. While King’s attitude may have been funny when the Bulls were winning championships and he was doing a mean Bill Cartwright impersonation following a Finals clincher that he didn’t have anything to do with, it will quickly tire on viewers new to him next season.
While Kerr was getting up there in age and doesn’t bring anything to the game with the exception of screaming out of excitement or in fits of rage, he was clearly getting pushed out.
You could tell that Kerr didn’t like working with King, and who could blame him. Whether you like Kerr or not, it was tough at times last year to hear him silenced by the worthless and irrelevant arguments about Big 12 football between the former Booner Sooner King and Missouri graduate Dore. Kerr even acknowledged live during one game last year that Dore and King hardly talk to him.
While this may be viewed as mere self-wallowing, there was some truth to Kerr’s statement.
Sure, Kerr was never anything great but at least he was accessible to the fan watching at home. You could relate to his frustrations this year every time Tyrus Thomas took a terrible jumper or Ben Gordon had a careless turnover and he blurted out in anger how “STUPID” that just was.
Even though Kerr often got angry this year with the Bulls’ terrible play this season, at least you can say he never got to the irrational point of a Hawk Harrelson, who is just an utter embarrassment nearly every time he speaks.
While it was time for Kerr to move out of the booth, it’s also disappointing to see who is replacing him in King, a guy who never took anything seriously as a player and is a little more serious but still way too inconsistent as a color guy.
Anyways, Kerr will now host home telecasts, serve as a “Goodwill Ambassador,” and work in the studio. It will definitely be a bit weird to watch a game without Kerr’s voice being heard.
This may seem better for many people, but with King as the alternative, take the old man.
As for Dore, those unfamiliar with him would have thought he played for the Bulls at one point in order to have such a great gig. That’s how bad and lifeless he was doing play-by-play.
Not only did Dore struggle to get viewers into a game, he also had the annoying tendency of trying to talk up struggling players as if they were turning the corner, such as when Kirk Hinrich hit the occasional jumper here and there during his season-long slump.
As Dore was a hack, such tactics were a discredit to smart basketball fans.
So if there is one positive with all of this action today, it is that Dore is gone and solely the property of the Chicago Rush.
Besides that, it’s just another confusing day in what’s been a confusing 2008 for the Bulls.
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