DURKIN DOES IT AGAIN

[Arbor Heights]

Calls the wrong horse winning in the third.

[banacek]

The was horrible, especially considering that it was a 6 horse race. He never even noticed the rail horse (winner) until he was well in the lead and then he had no idea who it was...how can he not know mid-stretch? (At least when Denman missed Street Sense along the rail, once he saw him, he at least knew which horse it was.)

And I know everyone makes mistakes, but how about admitting it? How about a "I'm really sorry folks, I messed up on that one..the winner was Big Brownie".

I'm sticking with my previous statement that both TDs are well past their prime.

[thaskalos]

I'm sticking with my previous statement that both TDs are well past their prime. Denman may have "slipped", but Durkin has fallen with a thud...

[PhantomOnTour]

The was horrible, especially considering that it was a 6 horse race. He never even noticed the rail horse (winner) until he was well in the lead and then he had no idea who it was...how can he not know mid-stretch? (At least when Denman missed Street Sense along the rail, once he saw him, he at least knew which horse it was.)

And I know everyone makes mistakes, but how about admitting it? How about a "I'm really sorry folks, I messed up on that one..the winner was Big Brownie".

I'm sticking with my previous statement that both TDs are well past their prime.
Agreed.
Lately I have noticed Durkin's voice cracking a bit near the finish of races as if he's winded. Just when he goes to give some verbal emphasis to the winner/contenders near the line his voice weakens sometimes.
Makes me worry.
I will not bore ya'll with my Denman opinions.

[lamboguy]

c'mon fellow's, the man has done a super job calling races for 25 years in the major leagues of horse racing. you want to pick on him because he is having one bad day and 10 thousand good ones. i mean yesterday i was just thinking how lucky we are to have this man calling races.

[affirmedny]

I think he was distracted by the odds on minus pool favorite that was about to run off the board.

[Bruddah]

If Durkin and Denman race calls were trading cards, you couldn't give me 100 Denman's for 1 Durkin.

[JustRalph]

c'mon fellow's, the man has done a super job calling races for 25 years in the major leagues of horse racing. you want to pick on him because he is having one bad day and 10 thousand good ones. i mean yesterday i was just thinking how lucky we are to have this man calling races.

Reading my mind

btw, if his health is slowing him down....... I hope he gets better. Some of you guys act like you have never been sick or injured.

Until you are truly ill or laid up with mobility issues, you can't appreciate it.

If he is ill..... I wish him well.

[The Hawk]

If Durkin and Denman race calls were trading cards, you couldn't give me 100 Denman's for 1 Durkin.

I agree. Durkin's calls are much funnier.

[v j stauffer]

c'mon fellow's, the man has done a super job calling races for 25 years in the major leagues of horse racing. you want to pick on him because he is having one bad day and 10 thousand good ones. i mean yesterday i was just thinking how lucky we are to have this man calling races.

Excellent post:)

[Cubbymac26]

Excellent post:)

Whoa what's this a track announcer backing up another announcer???? Guess vics not like some of the other caller who bury their bretheren! Good going vic

[Fastracehorse]

Whoa what's this a track announcer backing up another announcer???? Guess vics not like some of the other caller who bury their bretheren! Good going vic

"OHNOITSMYMOTHERINLAW"

fffastt

[Spiderman]

TD was very good in his early years. He was also doing well this year, but seems to have a few faux pas moments, lately. It may be a sign that his meds are not working.

I was extremely anti-Durkin for the past several years. To the point that I set a mythical over/under line of 1.5 mistakes per race day. I would have taken the over, day-in/day-out. His color commentary, as some appreciated, was supercillious and over-the-top, to me.

[CincyHorseplayer]

When I'm watching a race I don't even hear or even subconsciously acknowledge the announcers.Is this,as others have said,some bigtime stuff for you??

If so,you just punched yourself a one way ticket to the land of blue haired geriatricville,where the sun in the sky pi$ses you off and everything under it does too!!;)

[banacek]

When I'm watching a race I don't even hear or even subconsciously acknowledge the announcers.Is this,as others have said,some bigtime stuff for you??

They are generally background to me. But when I am watching on the computer screen and they are coming down the stretch and the announcer calls the wrong horse down the stretch and across the line, that can be more than a little irritating. The horse was all by himself..the number staring him in his face. And especially when he doesn't even bother to admit his mistake. Can you imagine if he pulled a performance like that in one of the Triple Crown races (no 6 horse races there)? Deputy!

Tom is one of my top 3 announcers of all-time..not the last few years though. If he is having health problems, as some have suggested, I hope he takes some time off to take care of himself - and then comes back triumphantly!

[OTM Al]

Who really cares? I can understand the importance of the race call when it was on the radio, but now we have those talkie-pictures on the radio-vision machine they have in fact become archaic. I have the volume on at home but can tell you I don't really listen to what they are saying and actually only hear them on a replay. Just another aspect of racing that never adapted to the world of television, but a minor one.

[ihatenyra]

What are you talking about? Not everybody can always see the numbers or know's what color silks belong to which owner. The call of the race is just as important as it's ever been. The guy called the wrong winner, can't get much worse than that.

[OTM Al]

What are you talking about? Not everybody can always see the numbers or know's what color silks belong to which owner. The call of the race is just as important as it's ever been. The guy called the wrong winner, can't get much worse than that.

Went to an otb for years. Except for very tight photos always knew who won right away. Did this without any sound from the broadcast. No one else seemed to have much trouble with it either. In fact when I do watch with the sound on now, I generally do better with the close calls that they guy in the booth.

So why is the call so important again?

Guess if you are blind or something, but then the PPs might be a bigger challenge in that case.

[Stillriledup]

You're only as good as your last racecall. There could be someone who's betting horses for the first time and Durkin called his horse the winner when it was not. That bettor could care less that Durkin has this glowing announcing resume.

Bettors are only as good as their last wager, bettors can't rest on their laurels, and neither can announcers.

[JustRalph]

You're only as good as your last racecall. There could be someone who's betting horses for the first time and Durkin called his horse the winner when it was not. That bettor could care less that Durkin has this glowing announcing resume.

Really? Really? Do you think that is really Germane to this conversation? How many first timers just ran to the window demanding to be paid just because Durkin called the wrong name? You think they looked at the results on the Tote board and decided that they should be paid? I think not........ get real......... I bet there weren't ten brand new players playing that race yesterday........

You can't have it both ways. Scream about the sport fading away and then bring up all these new players every time is fits your agenda........ or makes your ridiculous point.

[Cubbymac26]

There's no new players...only time fresh blood bets now is the first Saturday in may and that's only peanuts anyway...no way the game survives bad racecalls or not....I'm 29 and I'm the youngest person betting by 20 years in my racebook

[v j stauffer]

I've called the wrong winner three times in my career. All three times I didn't know I'd done it until the number came up on the board. If an announcer calls enough races it WILL happen. No one is perfect. I choose to rejoice in the 25 years of thrills Tom Durkin has treated us to rather than an honest mistake that anyone at any job could do.

[Stillriledup]

Really? Really? Do you think that is really Germane to this conversation? How many first timers just ran to the window demanding to be paid just because Durkin called the wrong name? You think they looked at the results on the Tote board and decided that they should be paid? I think not........ get real......... I bet there weren't ten brand new players playing that race yesterday........

You can't have it both ways. Scream about the sport fading away and then bring up all these new players every time is fits your agenda........ or makes your ridiculous point.


Its not that people are demanding to be paid on a horse who didnt win, but seriously, this is a rough rough game, do you REALLY need someone 'standing next to you' telling you that you won, when you didnt?

Durkin is paid big bucks to be right. Just be right, its not asking too much.

[JustRalph]

Durkin is paid big bucks to be right. Just be right, its not asking too much.

never a sentence was ever written with such irony

I know, you don't get paid to write. Thank God, neither do I.

[v j stauffer]

Its not that people are demanding to be paid on a horse who didnt win, but seriously, this is a rough rough game, do you REALLY need someone 'standing next to you' telling you that you won, when you didnt?

Durkin is paid big bucks to be right. Just be right, its not asking too much.

No one is perfect. Anyone who has a job has made a mistake. Most go unnoticed. Not a luxury afforded to announcers.

[thaskalos]

No one is perfect. Anyone who has a job has made a mistake. Most go unnoticed. Not a luxury afforded to announcers.Vic...if the game was easier to beat, I'm sure we horseplayers would be a lot more forgiving of the announcing mistakes.

Losing puts us in a negative mood...and we need to give vent to our frustration. :)

[Stillriledup]

Vic...if the game was easier to beat, I'm sure we horseplayers would be a lot more forgiving of the announcing mistakes.

Losing puts us in a negative mood...and we need to give vent to our frustration. :)


Exactly. If we were all riding around in Ferrari's that we bought from track winnings, i doubt we would care if someone told us the wrong horse on occasion. :eek:

[PaceAdvantage]

I've called the wrong winner three times in my career. All three times I didn't know I'd done it until the number came up on the board. If an announcer calls enough races it WILL happen. No one is perfect. I choose to rejoice in the 25 years of thrills Tom Durkin has treated us to rather than an honest mistake that anyone at any job could do.One of the more sensible thoughts posted in this thread...Durkin earned his keep LONG AGO...

Nobody should be busting on the man at this point...did anyone ever bust on Bob Sheppard when he started sounding like an 80-year-old man announcing Derek Jeter's name to the Yankee Stadium crowd? No...we were just happy he was still around and able to give us that part of the game we'd all come to expect and appreciate.

Durkin's calls haven't gotten to the point where he deserves all of this semi-regular venom. Not even close.

[Dave Schwartz]

Personally, I like Durkin and still like Denman, even though he apparently makes more mistakes than he used to.

Boys, this race-calling stuff is difficult. I mean it is really hard. I had a friend who wanted to do it. Watched him practice. Tried it myself. Once. LOL - I simply do not know how they get it done.

Seriously, I am amazed that they don't all sound like idiots from time to time. I mean, it is really hard.

You may notice a theme to this post: It's difficult!


Imagine if Derek Jeter's every error got a thread on PA. Add a couple more infielders and there would be no room for horse racing.


Dave

[banacek]

One of the more sensible thoughts posted in this thread...Durkin earned his keep LONG AGO...

If so, then so has Bret Favre, but in 2010 I'd choose a lot of other quarterbacks ahead of him...I wouldn't say that in 2005.


Durkin's calls haven't gotten to the point where he deserves all of this semi-regular venom. Not even close.

As I said he's one of my all-time favs, but he is not what he once was. Let's forget the race last week...he messed up on 2 of the the last 6 triple crown races. I consider that unacceptable. If Denman had done that, this thread would be 200 posts long.

[cj]

I'm glad somebody didn't start a thread about me every time I was troubleshooting an air conditioner and made a mistake over at ExpansionValve.com.

[The Hawk]

I'm glad somebody didn't start a thread about me every time I was troubleshooting an air conditioner and made a mistake over at ExpansionValve.com.

This is the point, though. If you were in a high-profile position making a lot of money at Expansionvalve.com, and you made mistake after mistake and were at the point were you were making a fool of yourself, you'd be replaced. Or, you'd have the good sense to either A) step down, before you ruined your HVAC legacy or B) did something to improve, instead of resting on your laurels earned 15 or 20 years ago. I don't know what that means, maybe study the horses more intently between races -- listen, we're all getting older, and things don't come easier for any of us as we age -- or maybe stop trying to create drama and focus on what's actually happening on the track.

I guess the difference of opinion here is whether he's making a fool of himself, but it's getting tougher for the Durkin worshipers to argue this point with each passing embarrassment, and the "great Durkin calls" they cite are indeed great, but they're getting older and older.

[Shelby]

Personally, I like Durkin and still like Denman, even though he apparently makes more mistakes than he used to.

Boys, this race-calling stuff is difficult. I mean it is really hard. I had a friend who wanted to do it. Watched him practice. Tried it myself. Once. LOL - I simply do not know how they get it done.

Seriously, I am amazed that they don't all sound like idiots from time to time. I mean, it is really hard.

You may notice a theme to this post: It's difficult!


Imagine if Derek Jeter's every error got a thread on PA. Add a couple more infielders and there would be no room for horse racing.


Dave:ThmbUp::ThmbUp: And ditto to everything.

Sheesh, I can't imagine being critiqued by thousands every day that I'm at my job.

Give the guy a break...and all of the announcers that may inadvertently call something wrong. You do 9 + races a day for how ever many days a year. That's a lot. I know when I do a lot of accounting in one day that I'm far more accurate at the beginning of the day than at the end.

[PaceAdvantage]

I consider that unacceptable. If Denman had done that, this thread would be 200 posts long.No it wouldn't, and Denman has made plenty of mistakes himself as of late. The Street Sense BC Juvenile being one of the more blatant ones...

DEPUTY! :lol:

[big frank]

Durkin is one of the best of all time,,, you could exuse him for a couple of miss-calls ... he has had THOUSANDS of great calls.. i remember ny before Durkin ,,, this guy is the best

[Stillriledup]

One of the more sensible thoughts posted in this thread...Durkin earned his keep LONG AGO...

Nobody should be busting on the man at this point...did anyone ever bust on Bob Sheppard when he started sounding like an 80-year-old man announcing Derek Jeter's name to the Yankee Stadium crowd? No...we were just happy he was still around and able to give us that part of the game we'd all come to expect and appreciate.

Durkin's calls haven't gotten to the point where he deserves all of this semi-regular venom. Not even close.

The difference is that he actually says "DEREK JETER" and not Darrin Jeter.