Using someone else's internet connection, I was able to tune into ESPN360 today and check out the recent match between Istanbul's Efes Pilsen (check out my preview article) and Real Madrid. The game was not broadcast by ESPN, but by Euroleague.tv and as watched the warm-ups I immediately noticed the familiar woodwind duduks of the Turkish crowd. Ah, memories...
A few other observations:
Listening to only one play-by-play announcer was a bit strange. It was like watching a man shoot play pool by himself. It seems Euroleague.tv does not have as large of an operating budget as the European broadcasters of soccer matches. The only 7,000 who watched the Efes-Real match in Istanbul bear testimony to this. Adding to the strangeness quotient was that the announcer was non-English speaking native. Some of the stranger, entertaining, things he said:
Like during Olympic basketball on nbc, euroleague.tv also didn't inject commercials during the breaks, leaving the American viewer to wallow in a kind of televised purgatory. Luckily, in this game, cheerleaders gesticulating wildly to songs that seemingly changed every 20-30 seconds filled the void.
- Real's point guard Bullock throws alley-oop to Hosley, who lays it up in traffic. The announcer afterwards says: "Hosley, which were asking foul on that action."
- Real Madrid player makes a nice pivot and pass in the 2nd quarter. Announcer: "A gooood delicious deliver!"
- He tended to end everything with an extraneous "uh" - like a profoundly unsexy version of Michael Jackson, or Otis Redding.
- Efes' Vujanic missed a free throw and Real's Alex Mumbru almost hit a 3/4 court shot to end the 1st quarter.
- The announcer: "Missing the second-uh.. "Mumbru with a HOPE!.. close to the basket-uh..."
- Had a habit of saying a basketball player had found a "good solution' whenever he drove to the basket and scored a basket.
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