NBC Coverage/Question

[andicap]

Your reaction to this article?

http://www.nypost.com/sports/57808.htm

Agree, disagree?

[Dave Schwartz]

Andi,

Well, of course they are idiots. It is just another case of amateurs trying to present a professional event.

Regards,
Dave Schwartz

PS: The Piazza/Bonds thing was interesting as well. Let 'em run everything out.

[Amazin]

I was a bit annoyed and felt at total loss watching the end of the Preakness,because Midway Road was my key in the race.I thought of all the horses in the race he was the most likely to improve and when I saw him come up with ease to the leaders,I got really excited.But the finish was anticlimactic when(like the article said)they just focused on Funny Cide.I needed Midway Road at least first or second,so even though the race was over,it wasn't over for my emotions.Not until they showed the complete order of finish.But this brings up an important point.Sometimes after work,I like to play some of those evening tracks like Evangeline,Penn National and Mountaineer(BTW the hardest and best paying track IMO).The coverage is similar to the Preakness.You don't even get to hear the announcer say who finished behind the winner.You have to wait awhile till they post the order of finish.Seems very unprofessional.But even the big name tracks that do announce and show the also rans have inadequate coverage during the race with the split screens.So even though I was annoyed at the end of the Preakness,the stupidity didn't surprise me.

[anotherdave]

Wasn't it NBC that did that "camera along the horse" a couple of years back so I never knew what point the race was at? They would be on the turn and you didn't know. They dropped that too, thankfully.

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[andicap]

I disagree. I thought NBC made the right decision in staying with Santos instead of focusing on the 2nd place finisher. Considering a major storyline for the race was what Santos was (wasn't) holding in his hand during the Derby, showing Santos waving his open hand past the finish line was a great show and great TV.

You heard Durkin describe the place/show finish. Remember NBC is producing teh show for a general audience, not for gamblers and the Santos storyline was huge in people's minds, and more important than who finished 2nd.

You have to go with the dramatic moment in TV, not the literal one.

[stgeorge]

Originally posted by andicap
I disagree. I thought NBC made the right decision in staying with Santos instead of focusing on the 2nd place finisher. Considering a major storyline for the race was what Santos was (wasn't) holding in his hand during the Derby, showing Santos waving his open hand past the finish line was a great show and great TV.

You heard Durkin describe the place/show finish. Remember NBC is producing teh show for a general audience, not for gamblers and the Santos storyline was huge in people's minds, and more important than who finished 2nd.

You have to go with the dramatic moment in TV, not the literal one.

They have to show the finish of the race. They might hope they're broadcasting to a "general" audience -- but the vast majority of that audience are racing fans (check the ratings).

The race is the story. The photo controversy was a secondary story -- and if Santos did or did not do anything with his hands after the finish line NBC had enough cameras covering him that they could easily have shown a replay within seconds.

But their first responsibility in a horse race broadcast is to properly show the race -- which includes the horses battling for spots behind the winner.

[JimG]

Other than NBC's blunder at the end of the race, it was an enjoyable race. Since all I played in the race were trifectas, I was going nuts wondering if my longshot was able to get through on the rail. Thankfully he did and as an added bonus Peace Rules was nipped for third.

Jim

[lousycapper]

Well at least we got to see the buzzer that J. Santos "wasn't carrying" or was he really the re-incarnation of Houdini?

-L.C.

[kenwoodall]

At least ntra did not let Santo's kid pull a "Baker"!

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by kenwoodall
At least ntra did not let Santo's kid pull a "Baker"!

Ok...I give....enlighten me........

[kenwoodall]

Giants' Dusty Baker's kid ran out on the field.
What do you think about Peace Rules trying to run against t\he rail bias? Why didn't Frankel have him in the speed lane 3 wide? Rail was dead all day as shown in results charts.

[MikeDee]

I thought it was lousy coverage and I sent NBC a email telling them so (like it matters). NBC needs to realize that 1000's of the people watching the race at home have made exotic bets and it matters who comes in 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

I thought is was ironic that one of the NBC talking heads put up his exacta combinations that he was going with and then they all but ignored who finished second.

There many ways this could have been covered. How about 2 cameras on the stretch run and go to a split screen when the winner has a big lead. How about immediately going to a video tape replyy of the close 2nd and 3rd place finish.

[Amazin]

Ken

If you are correct about the dead rail on P.Day,that makes the horse I picked look much better.Midway Road was full of run when he came up to the leaders and then had to wait for room.In the stretch,he finally got an opening on the rail that you say was dead.I suspect this horse has a bigger race to come considering the way he lost his momentum,but if the rail was dead,he just may be the upsetter in the Belmont if he runs.And that's exactly why the focus of Funny Cide sucked.Come Belmont time,if Funny Cide is upset,I'm sure the broadcasters are going to show us clips from the Preakness as say see,see.See what?All you cared to show us was a Hollywood painted horse race.Not everyone is a Funny Cide fan.

[ceejay]

I still haven't seen Midway Rd, Scrimshaw and Peace Rules cross the finish line in the Preakness. Does anyone know a link to a full replay?

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by kenwoodall
Giants' Dusty Baker's kid ran out on the field.
What do you think about Peace Rules trying to run against t\he rail bias? Why didn't Frankel have him in the speed lane 3 wide? Rail was dead all day as shown in results charts.

Oh Yeah......the baker kid almost got clocked......saved by a shirt tail.....you have to admit the guy who scooped him up made a great play.

I agree the rail was dead on Preakness Day.I don't think Midway had a choice but to be down there so he may have ran a much bigger race than it looked.

[kenwoodall]

The rail was so dead Peace rules has still not crossed!!

Speaking of other-than-winners, By the way, If a futurity at Prarie Meadows Iowa can time the 1st 10 horses in a race to the 1/100 second, why are major tracks only capable of timing the winner to the 1/5th (Belmont) works and races are to the 1/100th, but only time the winner. Other horses are exactly 48 and 3/4 lengths back!! Can you imagine timing the NYC marathon runners by lengths back instead of ALL 100,000+ participants at 1/100 seconds?!

[MikeDee]

ceejay
I don't think there is one NBC had the rights to the broadcast and the only replays I have seen is their coverage of the finish line.

[SAL]

There won't be any solid evidence that the rail was dead until horses come back to run again. Most of the winners Preakness day made sense. I don't suspect a surface bias unless some horses win that don't make sense. I don't think Midway Road would have made any impact on Funny Cide even if he didn't rally on the rail.

[GR1@HTR]

NBC coverage is horrible...ESPN "pregame" coverage is much better w/ Randy Moss and others who have some knowledge of handicapping...They also have superior camera angles w/ the "blimp" view. I had to fire up Youbet Video after the preakness to find out who finished 2nd/3rd. How about the microphone/audio meltdown on the race track after the he crossed the finish line...

[lousycapper]

Originally posted by GR1@HTR
How about the microphone/audio meltdown on the race track after the he crossed the finish line...

============================

This was purposely done to muffle the sound of the "buzzer" hitting the rail as Santos tossed it away. LOL

-L.C.

[Valuist]

I was ready to give NBC a pass after they quit using the moronic camera cuts (lets go to a head-on as the horses come out of the clubhouse turn) but then they do a camera cut at the finish. In over 20 years of watching horse racing, I've never seen anything like it.

And Durkin DID NOT call who was 2nd or 3rd until well after the race was over.

[stgeorge]

Originally posted by Valuist
And Durkin DID NOT call who was 2nd or 3rd until well after the race was over.

In his defense he did call Midway Road as the place horse and said it was close for third.

[Valuist]

He did, shortly after the race was finished. During the final furlong the camera panned away from the PR, MR, Scrim trio and zeroed in on Funny Cide while Durkin was going on about Funny Cide drawing away, yada yada yada.

[stgeorge]

Originally posted by MikeDee
ceejay
I don't think there is one NBC had the rights to the broadcast and the only replays I have seen is their coverage of the finish line.

I'm not sure how or where it's available but there is another recording of the race. The Pimlico feed itself was different from NBC's coverage.

[stgeorge]

Originally posted by Valuist
He did, shortly after the race was finished. During the final furlong the camera panned away from the PR, MR, Scrim trio and zeroed in on Funny Cide while Durkin was going on about Funny Cide drawing away, yada yada yada.

Don't blame the snafu on Durkin -- he was calling the race specifically for the TV audience and i'm sure he had no idea whatsoever that the director would cut away from the fininh line before the place and show horses passed.

His call was perfectly acceptable -- the camerawork was at fault.

[stgeorge]

Originally posted by ceejay
I still haven't seen Midway Rd, Scrimshaw and Peace Rules cross the finish line in the Preakness. Does anyone know a link to a full replay?

Give this a shot... Next best thing.

http://www.equidaily.com/bestbet/extras/derby/prfinish.html

[PurplePower]

Originally posted by stgeorge
I'm not sure how or where it's available but there is another recording of the race. The Pimlico feed itself was different from NBC's coverage.

Yep. Sometimes it pays to be at one of those big, old, dusty, spider-web covered (or even a brightly painted, TV filled) racetracks where they show the "standard" simulcast feed. I had the NBC feed on one of the small (19 inch) TV's in the Fan Ed room and the Pimlico feed on the big screen (42") plus two other 19 inchers (being shown through other tracks' simo feed). I enjoyed the focus on Jose on NBC and was able to see the "exotic" finish soon enough to know that my trifecta was beaten by a nose. The combination of elation and frustration was like wheels spinning on ice - lots of action but going nowhere.

[andicap]

Originally posted by PurplePower
I enjoyed the focus on Jose on NBC and was able to see the "exotic" finish soon enough to know that my trifecta was beaten by a nose. The combination of elation and frustration was like wheels spinning on ice - lots of action but going nowhere.

Sounds like we were the only ones, PP!

I thought NBC's focus was the right one considering the controversy with the whip and his reaction was so human, such elation, such an "Fuck you Miami Herald" reaction that you had to show it. You can find out who won the exotics later -- and I still maintain most people watching didn't care who won the exotics either because they didn't have a winning ticket or they are casual fans who didn't necessarily bet on the race.

(Yes, Virginia there are millionsof people who watch horse races on TV -- especially the Triple Crown -- but don't bet on the race.)