Michael Wrona ‏

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

I'm in the minority here, but I didn't think Wrona was that good. It wasn't the accent, as I still like Trevor Denman.

Wrona wasn't bad either. The calls just felt unremarkable.

"And Exaggerator runs by them like they are tied to the rail!"

[Holybull1]

Originally Posted by HalvOnHorseracing

At Churchill were you thinking of Larry Colmus, Mark Johnson, Luke Kruytbosch, Kurt Becker, or Mike Battaglia? Just curious.

Mark Johnson. Not that he made many mistakes during his race calls, I wouldn’t hold a mistake here and there against any racecaller. His yelling during the stretch run was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me after a long time of playing an entire meet. I eventually would just mute his calls if betting at home.

[Andy Asaro]

Twitter

[Zman179]

This could be a blessing in disguise; I hope NYRA/Monmouth scoop him up as I’d love to hear his calls here (NYRA as an assistant of course plus TVG personality). Only problem is our winter weather.

My guess on his period of unemployment: two weeks.

[ubercapper]

Originally Posted by lamboguy

i am not sure, but i heard somewhere that Kentucky Downs got sold to Churchill Downs. if that is the case and Wrona accepted a job with Churchill, that would be an automatic firing

Kentucky Downs was bought by an entity owned by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone and they have no affiliation with Churchill Downs as far as everything mentioned to date.

[ubercapper]

Originally Posted by Speed Figure

Kurt Becker would be my choice!

I was waiting for someone to mention Kurt. I second the motion. Always articulate, no screaming, great tone to his voice and he always checks irregular names with owners and trainers (unlike Trevor) to get them right.



The only issue is Kurt has a nearly full-time (except for Keeneland) job calling auto racing which he loves.

[Inner Dirt]

Wrona is one of the elite and I am sure he will land on his feet. As for track announcers other than someone being incredibly inept I believe most of it is a matter of personal taste. It seems to be a very difficult job. I would have had to watch a replay over a half dozen times to catch all the things a vintage Trevor Denman pointed out. As for personal taste most of the OTB I went to could not stand Luke Kruytbosch when he was at Hollywood Park. His catchphrase "asked for speed" was often mocked. Obviously the hundred people who did not like him were in the minority as he got the coveted Churchill Downs job after Hollywood Park.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Wrona is one of the elite and I am sure he will land on his feet. As for track announcers other than someone being incredibly inept I believe most of it is a matter of personal taste. It seems to be a very difficult job. I would have had to watch a replay over a half dozen times to catch all the things a vintage Trevor Denman pointed out. As for personal taste most of the OTB I went to could not stand Luke Kruytbosch when he was at Hollywood Park. His catchphrase "asked for speed" was often mocked. Obviously the hundred people who did not like him were in the minority as he got the coveted Churchill Downs job after Hollywood Park.

I get your point but can we do better than going back 20 years to rip a guy who passed away a decade ago?

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by AstrosFan

Matt Dinerman is a cheap hire, sounds horrible and clearly shouldn’t be in the position he is in today. He can thank Larry for his jobs and the same for Stone, but sadly the crop of today’s callers aren’t good and most track managements do not care who is on the roof calling races. Who is the cheapest? You’re hired!

Mark Johnson towers over the boring Stone at CD who wants to so badly be Durkin’s shadow. But does it even matter? Racing continues to chop dates and the foal crop is dropping and most racinos treat their product like a sideshow attraction like Penn National, Mahoning Valley and the list goes on.

Travis Stone is far better than you are giving him credit for. What did he do to piss you off? Friend of yours not get a job because of him?

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Let me take a wild guess. Tom Durkin's calls "felt remarkable"...RIGHT?

Damn straight.

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Who remembers Bob Weems? Had the best schedule in the world. Turf Paradise from October to May, then Monmouth from May to September.

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Wrona is one of the elite and I am sure he will land on his feet. As for track announcers other than someone being incredibly inept I believe most of it is a matter of personal taste. It seems to be a very difficult job. I would have had to watch a replay over a half dozen times to catch all the things a vintage Trevor Denman pointed out. As for personal taste most of the OTB I went to could not stand Luke Kruytbosch when he was at Hollywood Park. His catchphrase "asked for speed" was often mocked. Obviously the hundred people who did not like him were in the minority as he got the coveted Churchill Downs job after Hollywood Park.

I know Luke worked in New Mexico (Ruidoso I believe) and Turf Paradise for a while. He wasn't my favorite race caller but I could listen to him. On the other hand, 30 seconds of Mike Battaglia was more than any human should endure.

I know Phil Georgeff was sanctified in the midwest, but that "here they come spinning out of the turn" call did nothing for me. On the other hand, I never got tired of Dave Johnson's "and down the stretch they come."

With Frank going to Santa Anita, Monmouth is open. I don't see why Wrona would turn it down if offered.

[dilanesp]

Maybe Miramahdi can do a Wrona impression for all the Santa Anita fans who miss him.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Wrona is one of the elite and I am sure he will land on his feet. As for track announcers other than someone being incredibly inept I believe most of it is a matter of personal taste. It seems to be a very difficult job. I would have had to watch a replay over a half dozen times to catch all the things a vintage Trevor Denman pointed out. As for personal taste most of the OTB I went to could not stand Luke Kruytbosch when he was at Hollywood Park. His catchphrase "asked for speed" was often mocked. Obviously the hundred people who did not like him were in the minority as he got the coveted Churchill Downs job after Hollywood Park.

Originally Posted by castaway01

I get your point but can we do better than going back 20 years to rip a guy who passed away a decade ago?

The dearly departed are not sacred to me. I also was saying while most of my lot did not like Luke, many people did. I also said announcing horse races is a difficult job. I do not understand why you jumped on my for my post. In your world is it wrong to say anything negative about someone who is no longer with us?

[Tom]

Frank has that "Godfather" look in the tweet Andy posted!