03-06-2021, 04:15 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-06-2021, 04:20 AM by meistermatze.)
Excellent breakdown, tbh, ... OP that is.
I started a thread and parodied Harp some years ago because I always felt he was not very good at his job. I do think he got better though, but he was so bad, it really does not say much. I actually met and took a picture with the guy when I was in the US and at the AAC 3 years ago and he was relatively cool. I would have rather chatted with Skin though haha.
Regarding the other broadcasters... I have said this before: Followill is by far the best announcer tied to a time. I am really glad he has not left us. If I wasn't a MFFL, maybe his homerism would trigger me a bit but I mean since he is a Mavs' announcer, he is supposed to do that.
Skin I think is told to be the way he is. I also think he's a very cool and funny guy who also knows a lot about basketball. Sometimes he drops some insightful stuff, more so in his Podcast or when he and Followill break down the numbers. But he's supposed to be the funny guy, I think, so some people, like Harp for example, think he has no clue and is just there for the weird 80s references (I don't get many of them, tbh, so that's why I say weird, maybe they are good and funny).
What irritates me the most is how he so often tries to engage Harp in a conversation, even asks him "... right, Harp?" or tries to throw him some compliment to get him to give some feedback or pick up Skin's sentence - and the dude mostly flat out ignores him. It's really cringeworthy most of the times. It's like a kid trying hard to get his girlfriends dad to like him by sucking up... and since I am convinced that Skin is neither a loser nor stupid, this is by design but it doesn't work because him and Harp have NO chemistry whatsoever, period.
I really feel that they sometimes have a great time together, but mostly it's just, like OP said, Skin and Followill hyping something up that Harp said. The other night Harp called them "Nerds" due to a Star Wars reference and this was reaaaally funny. Rare nugget though.
So let me get back to Harp before I finish up...
Like I said, I met the guy and I don't hate him (anymore), since he was pretty cool and I mean it's a better story to tell my grandkids that I met the all-time Mavs assists leader (a security guard who stood nearby even asked me if I even knew who he was and when I did, I think they were both impressed lol. I assume since I have a german accent and am the whitest dude you'll ever see, they thought I was just some tourist thinking a tall black guy had to be a basketball player and was photo-worthy, lol) rather than some random announcer-dude... but I know I would have had a better time chatting with Skin or Mark.
So how do I feel about him?... as a basketball announcer, Harp that is. I am absolutely convinced I can talk better in English than he does. And that's not racist or anything, he just is not an eloquent person. He keeps repeating his phrases, he keeps mispronouncing names (he even still has trouble pronouncing Nowitzki for god's sake or his "favorite player", JJ Barera (wtf?)...). Nifty, crafty, as a team... the lsit goes on.
But the worst thing is what many others already also alluded to (also a phrase he uses ALL THE TIME): His apparent lack of basketball knowledge or rather his inability or unwillingness to share ANY of it. He has to know more about basketball for sure, but the only explanation he gives for things that do or do not happen on the court are:
- missed shot: "did not have his legs into it" or "was not squared up"
- made shot: "I could see he had his legs in the shot" or "he was squared up" or "he had his feet set"
- the team is up or down: "this is a game of runs"
- somebody gets hot or cold "streaky shooter", "no hesitation"...
... I mean he doesn't even comment on the basic things that guys like me do understand, like pick and roll action, switching themes on defense, ... not to mention all the things I don't know or don't see by myself. I know C-Webb got cut from the ESPN crew because he was not cool enough after Shaq came in but the guy at least analyses the game and points out things that I could not see. it is really frustrating to listen to this guy for years now and literally not learning anything.
I started a thread and parodied Harp some years ago because I always felt he was not very good at his job. I do think he got better though, but he was so bad, it really does not say much. I actually met and took a picture with the guy when I was in the US and at the AAC 3 years ago and he was relatively cool. I would have rather chatted with Skin though haha.
Regarding the other broadcasters... I have said this before: Followill is by far the best announcer tied to a time. I am really glad he has not left us. If I wasn't a MFFL, maybe his homerism would trigger me a bit but I mean since he is a Mavs' announcer, he is supposed to do that.
Skin I think is told to be the way he is. I also think he's a very cool and funny guy who also knows a lot about basketball. Sometimes he drops some insightful stuff, more so in his Podcast or when he and Followill break down the numbers. But he's supposed to be the funny guy, I think, so some people, like Harp for example, think he has no clue and is just there for the weird 80s references (I don't get many of them, tbh, so that's why I say weird, maybe they are good and funny).
What irritates me the most is how he so often tries to engage Harp in a conversation, even asks him "... right, Harp?" or tries to throw him some compliment to get him to give some feedback or pick up Skin's sentence - and the dude mostly flat out ignores him. It's really cringeworthy most of the times. It's like a kid trying hard to get his girlfriends dad to like him by sucking up... and since I am convinced that Skin is neither a loser nor stupid, this is by design but it doesn't work because him and Harp have NO chemistry whatsoever, period.
I really feel that they sometimes have a great time together, but mostly it's just, like OP said, Skin and Followill hyping something up that Harp said. The other night Harp called them "Nerds" due to a Star Wars reference and this was reaaaally funny. Rare nugget though.
So let me get back to Harp before I finish up...
Like I said, I met the guy and I don't hate him (anymore), since he was pretty cool and I mean it's a better story to tell my grandkids that I met the all-time Mavs assists leader (a security guard who stood nearby even asked me if I even knew who he was and when I did, I think they were both impressed lol. I assume since I have a german accent and am the whitest dude you'll ever see, they thought I was just some tourist thinking a tall black guy had to be a basketball player and was photo-worthy, lol) rather than some random announcer-dude... but I know I would have had a better time chatting with Skin or Mark.
So how do I feel about him?... as a basketball announcer, Harp that is. I am absolutely convinced I can talk better in English than he does. And that's not racist or anything, he just is not an eloquent person. He keeps repeating his phrases, he keeps mispronouncing names (he even still has trouble pronouncing Nowitzki for god's sake or his "favorite player", JJ Barera (wtf?)...). Nifty, crafty, as a team... the lsit goes on.
But the worst thing is what many others already also alluded to (also a phrase he uses ALL THE TIME): His apparent lack of basketball knowledge or rather his inability or unwillingness to share ANY of it. He has to know more about basketball for sure, but the only explanation he gives for things that do or do not happen on the court are:
- missed shot: "did not have his legs into it" or "was not squared up"
- made shot: "I could see he had his legs in the shot" or "he was squared up" or "he had his feet set"
- the team is up or down: "this is a game of runs"
- somebody gets hot or cold "streaky shooter", "no hesitation"...
... I mean he doesn't even comment on the basic things that guys like me do understand, like pick and roll action, switching themes on defense, ... not to mention all the things I don't know or don't see by myself. I know C-Webb got cut from the ESPN crew because he was not cool enough after Shaq came in but the guy at least analyses the game and points out things that I could not see. it is really frustrating to listen to this guy for years now and literally not learning anything.