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Thinking bigger ... in all aspects


odhgibo

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I realize that I will be in the minority on this, at least initially, but I want to throw it out there for consideration and discussion.

Other than being a local icon merely for having been around forever, why does Steve French keep the radio play-by-play slot? He's not particularly good at painting a picture of the action, and he spends far too much time (1) being a fan and (2) complaining about the officiating when, at least as often as not, he's wrong.

A school with Akron's recent track record and ambitions shouldn't settle for what they have just because he's familiar.

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why does Steve French keep the radio play-by-play slot?
Here are some guesses...very nice guy, entertainment value, low cost, dependable, knowledge of the school, I think it would be hard to hire someone with those qualities at the money being paid. With STO, mac sports streaming, apple tv, firstrow sports, I hardly listen to Steve anymore.

I have written this story on here before, but I'll do it again for newer ZN members. When I lived in Akron I watched Steve's show on the CAT. He had this one annoying YSU caller that would call every week. I think he called just to harass Steve, because 99.9 percent of his calls were about nothing and Steve with his "ho hum" voice would dismiss him and move on. One day, back when James was coaching at YSU, this caller says "Jim Tressel is going to be Ohio States next coach"....Steve presses the button to hang up on him, pauses, leans into the camera, and raises his voice...."MY BIG TOE HAS A BETTER CHANCE OF COACHING OHIO STATE THAN JIM TRESSEL!!!!" Years later I was having a discussion with Steve and told him how hard I laughed when he said that, he replied to me "I said that?"

I have seen this type of thread when Myron Cope got up there in age. Apples and oranges, because Myron was a color guy, but when he was gone I bet the majority of Steeler fans missed him. I think the same would happen with Steve at Akron. I hope he gets to go out on his terms.

PS It would have been nice to see a poll on this thread. I'm guessing it would be 60/40 support for Steve. I understand the argument, but would still vote for him.

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I enjoy Steve's calls of the game although I have to admit that with all of the streaming and TV available now, I don't listen as often as I used to. I like the emotion and attachment to the team Steve infuses into his calls of the game. The Cavs can keep Joe Generic they brought in to replace Joe Tait. Steve and Joe Dunn are part of the Akron Blue and Gold and I'd like to see them stay as long as they continue to enjoy doing the calls.

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I realize that I will be in the minority on this, at least initially, but I want to throw it out there for consideration and discussion.

Other than being a local icon merely for having been around forever, why does Steve French keep the radio play-by-play slot? He's not particularly good at painting a picture of the action, and he spends far too much time (1) being a fan and (2) complaining about the officiating when, at least as often as not, he's wrong.

A school with Akron's recent track record and ambitions shouldn't settle for what they have just because he's familiar.

Loyalty?

It's just one word.

Even if you don't like him, he's been there for the Zips, and when they taste a little success, you want throw him to the curb for what you think is an upgrade?

If you think to the best local broadcasters, they always have a lot of character, and they have their quirks, and they are usually homers.

You want to throw out home town flavor, quirks granted, for some "professional" generic type.

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Steve is clever, knowledgable and quirky. That makes him entertaining, and I enjoy him.

Last night Steve asked KD about the upcoming OU game. KD replied "Hey, can you let me enjoy this win for a while before taking about OU?"

Stever responded - "Hey, there are a lot of people driving home after tonight's games who want to know about the OU game. It's a question that needs asked." Being one of those wondering behind the wheel, Thank You Steve!

Because Steve is knowledgable, and a fan at heart, he asks good post game questions. I like how he calls a basketball game too. Even though he knows next to nothing about soccer, he also does a nice job there.

The only think maddening to me about Steve is his bat-like eyesight. He never gets the names and numbers right from high atop InfoCision.

But that's another idiocyncracy that makes him...him.

Beware - the next announcer will be a sterile, personality-free, perfectly-schooled drone. Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.

Frenchy RULES! :rock:

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Add me to the "I love Frenchy" group. When Akron wins the MAC tourny, it's Frenchy I want to hear. Yes, he's a homer. Yes he gets caught up in the bad officiating. but so do I.

Steve and Joe are why I listen to the radio.

Listen to the other teams, any sport. I'll take Steve and Joe any day.

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Put me solidly behind Frenchy. Despite the times when he doesn't exactly describe the play and just says "Oh my!", I like what he does and the quality of his broadcast. Does anyone else remember Bob Wylie from the Tony Laterza era? He was truly horrible. I once heard him call a TV game in which he mistook Billy Turner (6'8" black guy) for Bobby Smith (5'10" slow white guy) :rolleyes: . I thought the guy who replaced Wylie was pretty good though. His name was Jerry Healey. He came to Akron to announce the Akron Vulcans CFL games and stayed to become somewhat of a mainstay on WAKR in the morning.

But I support Frenchy and enjoy his calling games. Don't mess with him. :bow:

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French and Dunn are awesome. No doubt about it. They are passionate about what they do and they are passionate about Akron sports. As a listener, you can tell they are as interested in the game as the fans listening at home. That's something you can't fake. Heck, when a Zips game is televised I sync their radio feed up with the TV and listen to them instead of the television announcers.

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Id venture to say that since Frenchy is the zips color commentator, that gives him the right to be a homer. He's there as a zips broadcaster. If you want to hear a neutral commentary, then look elsewhere.

All that said, I love frenchy. I concur he's second behind Tom Hamilton and lately slightly ahead of Jim Donovan. He does a real good broadcast, even if he's not perfect.

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