I think it's time to discuss the commentary teams in detail.
I rarely have time to sit down in front of the TV while a match is on. I'm always doing other things unless I can set aside the time for something special (USA v. England, for instance). The most important thing for me is that I can really understand whether or not I should come rushing into the room. This is what made Gus Johnson such a caricature- he was Austin Powers unable to control the volume of his voice.
Beyond that, I'd like the commentary to allow the game to breathe, use the crowd, and provide the context needed to more fully appreciate what's going on.
I do not enjoy: commentary that thinks its the star (Ray Hudson), shouting/screaming, and useless filler.
- John Strong and Stu Holden
- It's really, really hard to believe this is what Fox perceives to be their best pairing. Strong hates silence, cannot modulate his excitement in a way that correlates with the play, and cannot anticipate anything that's going on. His excited voice simply is shouting without any inflection that suggests happiness, anger, or other. And it can happen for a throw-in at midfield.
- Stu Holden might be the right guy, but it's impossible to tell next to Strong. I'll give Holden a slight pass because Strong is just not the flagship guy he's been forced to be.
- Grade: C- (probably higher if they didn't get the big matches)
- JP Dellacamera and Cobi Jones
- JP is the worst play by play commentator in Fox's lineup and it isn't even close. Anything I look for in commentary he either can't do or violates. He has no clue when to get excited, very little clue what is happening in front of him, and can't lead Cobi into saying anything useful. That may be as much on Cobi as it is on JP as Cobi has very little insight. He also cannot be bothered to even attempt to get names right. Whether easy (Mbappe) or more difficult (Carvajal), he butchers it.
- Cobi is uninspiring, boring, and forgettable.
- Grade: F
- Derek Rae and Aly Wagner
- When I come downstairs after the games have finished and still hear Derek Rae, it's a toss-up whether there's a real game's replay on or my son is playing FIFA. His voice is iconic in footy. He may not be at the peak of his prime anymore, but he's still fantastic.
- Aly Wagner has the most potential of any of these color folks. My biggest criticism of female WC color commentary in the past was that they analyzed the men's game in the context of the women's game (Julie Foudy is notorious for this). Aly has the pipes and she analyzes the men's game as its own variant. If she can learn to modulate her tone and volume she'll be fantastic.
- Grade: B+/A-
- Ian Darke and Landon Donovan
- Ian is another legend, though another not at the impressive heights of his peak. He's still better than most.
- Landon Donovan is a leaf blower. He drones on and on and on. It's almost difficult to hear what he has to say, which is a shame because he's had some incredible insight and predications. When he says something is about to happen, it does. He's brilliant in his analysis. His voice is fingernails on a chalkboard.
- Grade: B
- Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton
- Jacqui is the surprise standout to me. She allows the game to flow, uses silence, had a good working knowledge of the game, and can modulate her voice. I would love to hear her alongside Holden to see if Stu can do the job.
- Warren got into a story about Jacqui during a match this weekend and it grated. That's the useless filler that I really don't care for. It's been an exception and not the rule, however. He's competent and innocuous enough.
- Grade: A
I think Fox has tried to generate as much of its Sunday NFL shows as it can out of the studio crews. Forced humor, people laughing too loudly, shouting over each other, poor or non-existent analysis... Leave that crap for the NFL. Watch some Rebecca Lowe with the two Robbies and get back to me. Fortunately, this can be easily ignored and doesn't really hurt or help my enjoyment of the World Cup.
