Worst Announcer

[cj]

I actually liked Jack E. Lee as Freehold was my home base for many years, even though I still played mostly T-breds while my wife was at the mall. Probably because I knew all the nicknames at the time, but he could be entertaining...I loved and so and so "can see em all!", especially when it was the favorite with Herve Filion driving, which happened often, because you didn't win from last at Fhd, EVER!

[Zman179]

Originally Posted by Doc

Hey, any of you harness guys remember Jack E. Lee at Freehold? I think he was either canned or resigned in disgrace after some sort of embarrassing incident...can't recall the details. Anyway, he was just Gawd-awful with the way he called races...always used nicknames and had a monotone delivery. Long live Larry Lederman, King of Comedy!
Doc

He lost his Freehold job after writing menacing letters to another horseman at Freehold. He pleaded guilty to the charges and got probation, but lost his job as a result.

Jack E. Lee was on the top of his game when he called at Roosevelt. His skills at Freehold were only a fraction of what he had originally displayed at RR.

Some of my favorite original RR sayings of his:
"_________ is seventh and ___________ can see them all"
"_________ has the best view"
"And they reach the half in one one and one (1:01.1)"
"They're off and pacing and off stride goes 'USS Enterprise'. The USS Enterprise...is sinking"
"Bobboooooooooooo forrrrrrr the leeeeead"
"This field issss on gait"

Jack E. Lee was one of the best announcers to ever call the harness races.

[Doc]

Maybe I started paying attention to Lee when he was past his prime...it was the same way with Bob Weems at Monmouth Park. Weems was just a tremendous racecaller in the '70's...his call of Ruffian winning the Sorority was terrific. But towards the end he started making a lot of mistakes, and probably should have left long before he did.

[syyamo]

Was Jack E. Lee the announcer who had the call "He's got the field by 4 and is looking for more."

I seem to remember this at Yonkers but it was some time ago.

One other sort of announcer item: someon earlier in the post mentioned Richard Grunder. I'm not going to take a position but I thought I noticed TAM using the saddle cloth colors as the helmet colors. I do not remember seeing this anywhere else but I've noticed less mis-identification of the runners lately. I know it flies in the face of tradition but it has certainly helped me find a horse when the field is bunched.

[racingrev]

Originally Posted by zuki

I have little experience with American racecallers. I haven't heard Denman. If anyone knows a website that features him calling some races, I'd appreciate it. As for Durkin, I can't stand the guy. It sounds like he takes a sip of coffee and a bite of doughnut in between calling each horse. Sounds just like whomever calls the professional wrestling (Oh My!) I also don't understand the need to remark on the time splits or at least to put so much emphasis on them. I'd rather hear the action. And I definitely don't get why the caller only calls the first 3 across the line (maybe 4) and then disregards the other finishers. Even if my horse is out of a place, I want to hear where it finished.

Obviously Aussie callers and American callers (the ones I've heard anyway) are poles apart. And it must come down to what you are brought up with and what you're used to.
Speaking for the major tracks here, I can't recall too many bad callers. If they're no good they don't get the gig. But I'm talking major tracks here. There might be a few shockers out in the bush.
As far as racecallers go, John Tapp is the best I've ever heard. Great enunciation, never hurried (even in large fields), seldom wrong in a tight finish, and extremely entertaining. He did visit the States at one time and made some calls. Apparently he impressed greatly and was offered a job. He declined, because I think he was retiring.

Hey Zuki welcome on board...

Tappy made some calls in California. It was just before the start of Sky, so obviously he took up that challenge to call home a host of champions into our houses.. I loved his calls of Super Impose winning his Epsoms and Doncasters..

Tappy was the man that introduced Mike Wrona to US racing...

[Tom]

Originally Posted by cj

After watching OP since the meet started, I have to say this Wallace guy is really, really bad. A good thing is I find myself becoming a better race watcher knowing listening to his guesses is fruitless.

Oakloawn guy....pa-theic!
Just heard another screaming , "...picking them up and laying them down on the outside..." call for a horse running third by at least 12 inside the final sixteenth!.

[Doc]

Thoroughbred Times just did a big feature on Terry Wallace, the Oaklawn guy. He's a jack of all trades - handles the media, too. Maybe he's got too much on his plate.

[46zilzal]

Originally Posted by Doc

Thoroughbred Times just did a big feature on Terry Wallace, the Oaklawn guy. He's a jack of all trades - handles the media, too. Maybe he's got too much on his plate.

fairly nice fellow in the many letters he has contributed to the Derby List over the years. Little excitable, but hen who isn't who calls races?

[LARRY GEORGE]

I DON'T LIKE VIC STAUFFER WHEN HE IS AT HOLLYWOOD
ED BURGART OF LOS AL DID CALL HOLLYWOOD PARK FOR A WEEK OR TWO
I KIND OF LIKE ALLAN BURKHART WHEN HE FILLS IN FOR TREVOR AT S.A.

[zuki]

Hi yourself Racingrev. Good to see you again. Thanks for the calls you sent me. You're a natural, my friend. Have you ever had a stint overseas (apart from NZ) yourself? I could see you getting a gig at a major track for sure.

It's interesting to note the different styles employed by callers from different nations. Huge contrast for me between Aussie callers and American callers (the one's I"ve heard at least.) The English are different again.
I suppose it comes down to what you're used to but every time I hear an American racecaller I find myself saying "c'mon, get on with it." Talking to yourself is not a healthy thing........ but there seems to be too many gaps between calling the horses and not enough actual information to the listener.

One more thing. Why no FEMALE racecallers. Or have there been? I've never heard one but there seems to be no reason that I can think of why one of the fairer sex couldn't be every bit as good as their male counterparts.
There you go ladies. A challenge!

[racingrev]

Originally Posted by zuki

Hi yourself Racingrev. Good to see you again. Thanks for the calls you sent me. You're a natural, my friend. Have you ever had a stint overseas (apart from NZ) yourself? I could see you getting a gig at a major track for sure.

It's interesting to note the different styles employed by callers from different nations. Huge contrast for me between Aussie callers and American callers (the one's I"ve heard at least.) The English are different again.
I suppose it comes down to what you're used to but every time I hear an American racecaller I find myself saying "c'mon, get on with it." Talking to yourself is not a healthy thing........ but there seems to be too many gaps between calling the horses and not enough actual information to the listener.

One more thing. Why no FEMALE racecallers. Or have there been? I've never heard one but there seems to be no reason that I can think of why one of the fairer sex couldn't be every bit as good as their male counterparts.
There you go ladies. A challenge!

Hey Zuki...

I've called in New Zealand of course and Australia in Victoria and Tasmania but that's it at this stage..

Although the international
racing world nowdays has become smaller with horses, jockeys, trainers and even racecallers working all over the place..

Personally I like a lot of the American callers but no doubt in my opinion Trevor Denman is the best. Accurate, articulate, good humor and nails them in a tight finish. If you have a look at ESPN's website they quite often feaure races from Santa Anita.

From memory there was a female trials caller in country victoria a few years back. I never heard her, but was told she was quite good. Obviously the public couldn't handle it as she now works for a cluster of country tracks in Victoria.

Cheers...

[Zman179]

Originally Posted by zuki

It's interesting to note the different styles employed by callers from different nations. Huge contrast for me between Aussie callers and American callers (the one's I"ve heard at least.) The English are different again.
I suppose it comes down to what you're used to but every time I hear an American racecaller I find myself saying "c'mon, get on with it." Talking to yourself is not a healthy thing........ but there seems to be too many gaps between calling the horses and not enough actual information to the listener.

One more thing. Why no FEMALE racecallers. Or have there been? I've never heard one but there seems to be no reason that I can think of why one of the fairer sex couldn't be every bit as good as their male counterparts.
There you go ladies. A challenge!

That's because Americans do not usually receive racing information via radio. In Australasia, the race callers have to describe the action to a radio audience so the caller has to be more descriptive. In North America, the fans watch the races so we don't need a racecaller to be super descriptive when we can see the action for ourselves. I've heard quite a few American horseplayers say aloud as to why Australian racecallers never shut up. So there you go, it's just a clash of different racing cultures.

In regards to female race callers, I've only seen two of them since I began following the ponies in 1982. One female was the assistant racecaller at The Meadows outside of Pittsburgh in the 1980's. The other is the current race caller at Bluffs Run Greyhound Park in Iowa. If you want to hear her calls, click the link below:

http://www.bluffsdogs.com/video_results.asp

[zuki]

Thanks for that ZMan. Actually we don't live in the dark ages down here. We watch the races too via that new fangled gadget, the t.v. But it obviously does date back to radio description. I guess our guys never got out of the habit of describing what they are seeing whether the audience can see it or not. I notice Denman calls a lot like our callers - in comparison with other U.S callers that I have heard. He's quite descriptive in his calls. Whether you could watch the race or not, you would know what was going on judging by the calls I have heard by him.
As I said, I guess it's what you're used to.
I find Durkin amusing but I guess he gets it done. He's quite happy to let the viewer do the work while he gets ready to deliver his punch line toward the finish. Not bad work if you can get it. But he'd last about 30 seconds down here before someone pulled the plug.
Do you think it would be true to say that perhaps you guys have smaller fields on average than Australia? I've watched quite a few Internet replays of American races and the fields seem much smaller as a rule. If this is so, it might explain the difference between the respective U.S and Aussie callers; in the fact that your callers would have more time to call the race compared to our guys with bigger fields. This could account for the different styles. English racing seems to have smaller fields as well. What do you think?

[Zman179]

Originally Posted by zuki

Thanks for that ZMan. Actually we don't live in the dark ages down here. We watch the races too via that new fangled gadget, the t.v. But it obviously does date back to radio description. I guess our guys never got out of the habit of describing what they are seeing whether the audience can see it or not. I notice Denman calls a lot like our callers - in comparison with other U.S callers that I have heard. He's quite descriptive in his calls. Whether you could watch the race or not, you would know what was going on judging by the calls I have heard by him.
As I said, I guess it's what you're used to.
I find Durkin amusing but I guess he gets it done. He's quite happy to let the viewer do the work while he gets ready to deliver his punch line toward the finish. Not bad work if you can get it. But he'd last about 30 seconds down here before someone pulled the plug.
Do you think it would be true to say that perhaps you guys have smaller fields on average than Australia? I've watched quite a few Internet replays of American races and the fields seem much smaller as a rule. If this is so, it might explain the difference between the respective U.S and Aussie callers; in the fact that your callers would have more time to call the race compared to our guys with bigger fields. This could account for the different styles. English racing seems to have smaller fields as well. What do you think?

Trevor Denman is unique in that he'll let you know via his descriptions if a horse is in the process of doing something that the regular viewer may not notice. He has a sixth sense like that and he's definitely one of the best callers on the continent.
Tom Durkin is excellent as well. I remember when he used to call the races at defunct Hialeah Park and we (in New York) could only get the race calls. He would literally paint a picture of the race in one's mind. There's no doubt IMO that Tom Durkin's best work came at The Meadowlands when he used to call the trotters. Durkin is the best announcer EVER to call a trotter race in North America.

In general, US fields (especially in California) are much smaller than those in Australia. Heck, look at Sunday's entries at Bay Meadows where fields are always super small:
http://www.nycotb.com/_uploads/docs/wbm0220.pdf

English callers I've found have different styles according to the type of race being run. With the flats, they utilize what I would consider to be a mélange of US and Australian styles. But for the jumpers, it's a methodical, descriptive style that is not only very informing but quite entertaining as well. I believe that the English jumper callers are much better than their Australian counterparts and that the US callers don't even come close to their standards.

[racingrev]

Originally Posted by Zman179

Trevor Denman is unique in that he'll let you know via his descriptions if a horse is in the process of doing something that the regular viewer may not notice. He has a sixth sense like that and he's definitely one of the best callers on the continent.
Tom Durkin is excellent as well. I remember when he used to call the races at defunct Hialeah Park and we (in New York) could only get the race calls. He would literally paint a picture of the race in one's mind. There's no doubt IMO that Tom Durkin's best work came at The Meadowlands when he used to call the trotters. Durkin is the best announcer EVER to call a trotter race in North America.

In general, US fields (especially in California) are much smaller than those in Australia. Heck, look at Sunday's entries at Bay Meadows where fields are always super small:
http://www.nycotb.com/_uploads/docs/wbm0220.pdf

English callers I've found have different styles according to the type of race being run. With the flats, they utilize what I would consider to be a mélange of US and Australian styles. But for the jumpers, it's a methodical, descriptive style that is not only very informing but quite entertaining as well. I believe that the English jumper callers are much better than their Australian counterparts and that the US callers don't even come close to their standards.

Interesting point Z man....

What I like about the race descriptions of jumping events from the UK is the special comments man in the booth with the announcer.. Just adds a bit xtra and gives the announcer a breather over long distances..

Sir Peter O Sullevan was the doyen of Jumping announcers..What a legend..

If you get a chance at English Grand National time tune into BBC's five live internet radio broadcast. The main announcer is second to none, a brilliant jumps caller.

Australia's best jumps caller John Russell retired about 18 months ago and New Zealand's top jumps announcer Keith Haub called his last Great Northern in 2004..