My feelings about Bill Curry.

[lighthouse]

I just finished watching the replay of Saturdays game and all the way through I felt Curry was trying to pull uavel through to a win. Did anyone else get that feeling, or is it just me?

[surveyor]

While I didn't have the opportunity to re-watch it, I never got the impression Curry was pulling for one team or the other, although he did reference and acknowledge numerous friendships he had made while at UK.
I suppose alot of it's perception and filtering what we want during the moment. A good friend of mine who's a staunch UofL fan, felt the opposite of you - he felt like the coverage was biased toward UK.

[UK78ALUM]

I just finished watching the replay of Saturdays game and all the way through I felt Curry was trying to pull uavel through to a win. Did anyone else get that feeling, or is it just me?

First off, I want to say that I met Coach Curry on several occasions and greatly respect the man - especially for his handling of the Trent DiGiuro killing.

But....

......his constant criticisms and comments like "what this team SHOULD be doing", or "how could the coaches miss THAT?" finally led me to shout "Give it a rest Bill, if you were really that smart, you'd still be coaching here!" :icon_rolleyes:

I talked to the TV quite a bit during that game :icon_lol:

[Terry623]

I used to like Curry as an announcer but he's grown far too found of his own voice. I had to turn the volume off and I didn't get to watch until the beginning of the 4th quarter! :big_grin:

[Levi]

Lighthouse I got the same feeling but I really don't think Curry is like that. I think he just is not aware of how he is sounding or coming across. Bill Curry reminds me of Al Gore in the respect that he overexplains things too much and doesn't know when to shut up, but I still think he is a good man. Sorry about the political reference, I'm just posing an example.

[Mark Blueblood]

I just finished watching the replay of Saturdays game and all the way through I felt Curry was trying to pull uavel through to a win. Did anyone else get that feeling, or is it just me?

No - I never got any such impression.

But, I admit, my view is jaded. I, too, have met Bill Curry on several occasions and have nothing but respect for the man. I've also heard him for several years as a commentator. I think he does an excellent, and unbiased, job. For some reason, and I'm not saying you're one of them, some of our fans look for reasons to bash the guy.

Yeah, he talked a lot, but hey, the guy he was paired with was a moron. I'm glad Bill was there to cover for him. (And he had a lot of covering to do!)

[lighthouse]

I respect Mr. Curry too as a man, and although I've never had the privilege of meeting him, I understand he's a fine christian man, but as a coach or color commentator he just doesn't cut it.
I guess when he said Little was such a good back, he would have the ball in his hands 30 to 40 times a game, it brought back memories of Moe Williams off right tackle on 1st down, off left tackle on 2nd down, and up the middle on 3rd down, then we would punt. Then on his radio show he would critize the OL for missing blocking assignments.

[trublu]

I sort of got the feeling that Curry was a little biased to Louisville winning the game too. I started to mute him and listen to the radio broadcast, but then Gillispie came on and I left the TV broadcasters on.

[gerntz]

Being a former UK coach, if he appeared biased towards LV it was perhaps to avoid appearing to favor us.

He's a good man.

[Clam]

I'm sure Curry is the Wilfred Brimley of football, as advertised. However, I get tired of the folks at ESPN treating Curry as if he were Yoda. I wrote into "Mike and Mike" one time and told them that if Curry's "unique opinions" were so great, then he wouldn't have stunk up Lexington for nearly a decade. Mike Biccosey (sp?), emailed me back defending Curry. I was happy that I hit a nerve by questioning Curry's genious.

[l5316]

He needs to learn the axiom my good friend JL is fond of spouting. "Never pass up the opportunity to just STFU".

[lighthouse]

Why is vulgarity necessary when you can say the same thing without it?

[poodoo]

Being a former UK coach, if he appeared biased towards LV it was perhaps to avoid appearing to favor us.

He's a good man.

FWIW, I, too, suspect that Coach Curry was trying hard not to appear biased in favor of his former team. Watching the replay, I noiticed an uncalled hold on the Cards, one that had enabled Allen to have a nice gain. Curry almost immediately mentioned that the officials had missed a hold by a Card. Only a few moments later, he mentioned something that "could" have been called on the Cats. I suspect that was an attempt to make up for his other comment.

If I were a betting woman, I would bet that Curry was wanting the Cats to win, particularly because of his friendship with Joker.:) Also, I join those who greatly respect Bill Curry, a good man.

[KYISSUPREME]

I just finished watching the replay of Saturdays game and all the way through I felt Curry was trying to pull uavel through to a win. Did anyone else get that feeling, or is it just me?

You know, I thought he did an adaquate job calling this game. Considering his personal history with our program, I think he does a fine job in general with our games. I agree with previous posters that sometimes Bill gets a little too involved with our coaching staff's decisions. But most announcers do that, these days. Everyone is a critic.

[BigBlue75]

Bill Curry is certainly not the best color commentator but he is not by any means the worst, either. I have yet to find any pair of announcers for any game that I agree with completely.

As far as his past association with UK, I've heard it brought up to him during a broadcast or in an interview several times (referring to the atmosphere, fan support, that kind of thing) and he has always spoken very positively about the university without a hint of animosity.

I'm not saying anyone here is or has done this, but as UK fans we have to be careful that we don't let our feelings concerning his tenure as our coach affect our opinion of how he does as a commentator.

[bellbrass]

Dick Gabriel, my favorite sportscaster, had this to say about UK fans' perceptions about Bill Curry: he said that fans often wonder who the play-by-play man (or woman) or color commentator is REALLY pulling for. We here talk all the time about how Billy Packer really pulls for Duke and/or the ACC and hates Kentucky. Dick Gabriel maintains that the commentators pull for a good game, period. He said that bias is instantly recognized by the management types in broadcasting, and it is eliminated or the commentators are fired. He is convinced that Bill Curry has no ill feelings for UK even though he was fired, and I believe him. I honestly think that fans are so emotionally involved with the team winning that they pick up perceived bias from the officials or commentators the same way a parent feels a percieved threat to their child: it has to be there, because I think it is.
I listened to Bill curry the whole game and wondered who he wanted to win, and I think the man is no more interested in a UK game than a South Carolina game. He is put on many southeastern football games because he coached in the south for his whole career, and he knows very well how things are played and officiated down here.

[surveyor]

Excellent post, bellbrass.:thumbup::beer:

[Levi]

You know, I thought he did an adaquate job calling this game. Considering his personal history with our program, I think he does a fine job in general with our games. I agree with previous posters that sometimes Bill gets a little too involved with our coaching staff's decisions. But most announcers do that, these days. Everyone is a critic.

I agree here in that I think if Curry would make his point and then let it go he would be much better received by all. It is when he keeps repeating himself that he sounds like he is too involved or has an agenda which I don't think he does. But gee whiz Bill make your point and then move on----- please.

[VirginiaBlue]

Funny, I thought Curry called a very nice game. As posted already, I think if anything he goes an extra mile to appear unbiased, whether he is or isn't.

In reading the assortment of viewpoints here, this looks a lot like when somebody complains about "left" or "right" bias to the news - when the news people are just not saying the kind of biased stuff he wants to hear.

[boomdaddy]

Everyone is free to have their own opinion, regarding Mr. Curry. As for me, I lost all respect for him when he wasted a whole year of eligibility for James Whalen, by pulling off his redshirt and using him sparingly as a fullback in the last game of the season against UT. I may be biased, but I think that he is average at best as an announcer.

You can say all you want to about Pitino and his huge ego, but he kept the redshirt on Jeff Sheppard, when his best player went down with a knee injury. He made the right decision and had much more to gain by playing Sheppard than did Curry with Whalen.

[surveyor]

With regard to the complaints/comments that Curry (or any other analyst / sportscaster, for that matter) says or talks too much, my cousin offered somewhat of an explanation with regard to her experience and t.v. camera work.

She's majored in photography from WKU and worked early on at WLEX in Lexington. She ultimately did free lance work for ABC, ESPN, etc. doing remote video work, covering golf tournaments, football games, etc.

She remarked that more often than not (with the exception of golf, perhaps) the producers want these guys talking constantly. They apparently would rather risk them talking too much than not enough - conversely risking periods of dead air - especially when folks may not be in the room but could still hear the t.v.

I've heard Bob Valvano opine similarly on "The Bob and Will" show that ESPN prods the guys (he and others) covering the basketball games to keep the commentary as constant as possible.

[TransientAlum]

With regard to the complaints/comments that Curry (or any other analyst / sportscaster, for that matter) says or talks too much, my cousin offered somewhat of an explanation with regard to her experience and t.v. camera work.

She's majored in photography from WKU and worked early on at WLEX in Lexington. She ultimately did free lance work for ABC, ESPN, etc. doing remote video work, covering golf tournaments, football games, etc.

She remarked that more often than not (with the exception of golf, perhaps) the producers want these guys talking constantly. They apparently would rather risk them talking too much than not enough - conversely risking periods of dead air - especially when folks may not be in the room but could still hear the t.v.

I've heard Bob Valvano opine similarly on "The Bob and Will" show that ESPN prods the guys (he and others) covering the basketball games to keep the commentary as constant as possible.

Its like being married with the benefit of a mute button.

[1daysoon]

I watched the UL-MTSU game and listened to the replay of the UK-UL game and I thought he was somewhat unbiased. He did really slam the Cards in the MTSU game several times though.

My question for the WCN crowd is if he were to come back and be introduced at a timeout during a football game, what kind of crowd reaction would he receive. I personally would stand up and clap for him even though he didn't have the stellar kind of career at UK that we all would have liked.

[l5316]

For lighthouse,
Friend, I apologize for my comment attributed to my good friend JL. As it is most often heard during poker games, apparently I didn't think about where I was when I wrote it. As we speak, I am sitting here watching the replay for the 2nd time and it is still apparent that the announcers have passed up many opportunities to use fewer words, regardless of whom is blistering their ears to keep the chatter going. Still, that is just my humble opinion and maybe I'm in the minority about needing constant chatter to tell me what it is that I'm watching and what should be happening on the field. Again, my apologies. l5316

[lighthouse]

For lighthouse,
Friend, I apologize for my comment attributed to my good friend JL. As it is most often heard during poker games, apparently I didn't think about where I was when I wrote it. As we speak, I am sitting here watching the replay for the 2nd time and it is still apparent that the announcers have passed up many opportunities to use fewer words, regardless of whom is blistering their ears to keep the chatter going. Still, that is just my humble opinion and maybe I'm in the minority about needing constant chatter to tell me what it is that I'm watching and what should be happening on the field. Again, my apologies. l5316

Accepted. You're a good man.

[Terry L. Wildcat]

I watched the replay on ESPN Classic last night and IMHO Bill Curry did not seem to be "pulling" for either team...he may not be the greatest announcer but I do think he is fair and as mentioned, a good man.