Was in Fresno for the West Regional this past weekend, and watched the Fresno State-Boise State game on ESPN as there was a ton of local interest in it in the area, and this is what I heard from announcers Chris Speilman, Sean McDonough, and Rob Stone:
McDonough (sorry for the misspell): Another good reason to watch the PBA this season is our own Rob Stone will be announcing it.
Speilman: Since when did bowling become a sport? I know it's a skill, and a hobby, but isn't it more of a beer drinking thing, rather than a sport?
Stone: C'mon guys, you're going to get me fired before my first live broadcast. I know Walter Ray Williams is on the show Sunday morning, and.....and...well I can't remember the other 3, but 4 very good bowlers will be on the show Sunday morning.
Speilman: So, if Walter Ray has to go to the bathroom, does that mean Pete Weber will have to wait for him to get back, like in a regular league?
Stone: Well, it's been a crash course for me over the last few weeks trying to pick up bowling lingo, and I've picked up a little, but we'll see how it goes.
These are not exact quotes, as I was half asleep when this coversation happened during a break due to an injury, so I paraphrased most of it, but I know the Speilman comment about "when did bowling become a sport?" is right on. I feel that regardless of what his opinions of bowling are, his making those comments on the air was very unprofessional, and frankly not a very good idea, considering he's on the network that is airing bowling, and trying to increase ratings for it, I'm assuming. I do feel bad for Rob Stone, as he's being thrown into a sport he has no prior knoweledge about, and 2 days before his first live broadcast, he's sent to Fresno to cover a football game, when he should be researching, and be in Wisconsin covering the bowling event. It appears ESPN feels that they can just send any Joe Blow to cover bowling and sound like they completely know what they're talking about, and trying to save money in the process (of course). As for Chris Speilman, I found his comments to be very unprofessional, and I will be looking for some way to contact ESPN to voice my displeasure about them. Just wondering if anyone else caught this.
