Scout
01-15-2008, 02:31 PM
Switzer's Blog
The online presence of radio personality Ryan Switzer
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Colorful Comments and CURSES!!!
I enjoyed the beaking between Regina Pat and Swift Current Bronco fans on Rod Pedersen’s blog. One of the reason’s I was happy to have Swift Current back in the same division as Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and PA is the rivalries. While the feud with The Hat was healthy and fun, the tension between the Broncos and Lethbridge, Calgary or Red Deer doesn’t seem to match what we have now for divisional rivals.
I felt like commenting on Rod’s blog several times about phantom spearing and the “greatness” of the Pats vs. the Broncos “just concentrating on making the playoffs”.
After reading this, I'm sure Regina fans will be quick to remind us of some dark moments in Bronco history. Whatever. Nothing that hasn't been beaten to death already. I am going to make a prediction on the outcome of the mighty Pat's 08 run. The Regina Pats will make it to the conference final at best.
How does one arrive at what I’ll call a safe prediction like this? The best way to predict the future is to study the past…and Regina’s sports history reeks of potential not met and early playoff exits.
One can speculate why. I think it may be the uber watchful eye of the Regina media that gets in the heads of players and coaches. The Leader Post is not afraid to state an opinion and doesn’t do puff pieces. If the home team stinks, it’s on the front page without sugar coating.
Be it the media, the critical and sometimes rude Regina fans, the often fabled Regina drinking water or some other X factor, let’s look at the history of the Regina Sports Curse.
Exhibits A and B I copy and paste from Rod’s Blog (rodperdersen.blogspot.com):
But hold the parade. While the Pats are quickly coming together as the dominant team in the Eastern Conference, there's still plenty of work left to do. It reminds me of the 1996-97 season when the Pats had a lineup boasting four NHL 1st-round picks (Josh Holden, Derek Morris, Dmitri Nabokov and Dan Focht). After one particularly lopsided Pats win in January, Dmitri said to me in a heavy Russian accent, "We no lose one more game."
I chuckled at the time, and the team did go on to set a franchise-record 28-game home unbeaten streak, but they toe-picked it in the playoffs losing in five games to Red Deer.
And who can forget the 2001 Memorial Cup season where the Pats assembled a WHL AllStar team with the likes of Blake Evans, Paul Elliott, Garnet Exelby, Barret Jackman, Brett Lysak, Matt Hubbauer and co.? They ate up the competition in the second-half going something like 20-10 down the stretch but did another first-round faceplant losing in six to Pavel Brendl and the Calgary Hitmen. Both teams were superbly coached (by Rich Preston and Lorne Molleken) just like this one.
The next part of this entry is very Rider oriented. I’m not much of a Rider historian, so feel free to correct me on any errors. I realize the Riders are Saskatchewan's team, but they are based out of Regina and the players and coaches do live there.
Exhibit C: Don Matthews. CFL coaching legend and all time league leader in wins (231) Grey Cup appearances (9) and Grey Cup wins (5). Some of those 231 wins came in Saskatchewan, but that’s it. The best the most dominant CFL coach could do in Regina was some 11-7 seasons.
Exhibit D and E: John Gregory and Kent Austin. Like an annual flu shot that protects you for a while but then wears off, some coaches have an immunity to the curse for a season or two before it grabs hold and pulls you down. John Gregory took over the Riders coaching reigns in 1987 and led the Rider to an 11-7 record in 88 and a home playoff game. Gregory followed that up with a 9-9 record but a Grey Cup in 89. In 1990, the curse caught up to Gregory as he went 1-6 and was canned. The aforementioned Don Matthews took over.
Kent Austin, like Gregory led the Riders to success early in his tenure. A home playoff game AND a Grey Cup. The curse seems to be catching up to Kent though as fans are fuming over Kent having the AUDACITY to go for a JOB INTERVIEW IN HIS HOMETOWN!!!
Long story short, the Pats fans are harassing Bronco fans in the parking lot of the Brandt Center and online too. "It'll be a long year in Swift they say". Now the Broncos do have issues that they have to work out (and I'm sure they know what they are). The Pats have something intangible that one can’t pinpoint working against them. What’s worse?
To the Regina fan reading this, I say that there is hope. The most important job in Regina is now occupied by a guy from Swift Current, so hopefully that will help you out.
Keep Your Colorful Comments To Yourself
You may work in the media. You may be asked to do color commentary for a WHL game. The motivation for this post came from some fanboard action on Lethbridge color guy Dick Gibson (http://www.whlfans.ca/showthread.php?t=15583 ). I don’t know Dick (that’s just funny to say). I don't know the history behind the posts about him and I don't listen to him enough to form a description or critique about what he does on air. Dick spoke to me when Lethbridge was in Swift Current. He didn’t introduce himself, his first words to me were “13 million dollars worth of renovations and they can’t improve the broadcast view!” (in reference to the terrible sightlines from the iPlex press boxes). Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not a fan of broadcasters coming to the iPlex and whining about it. Go do a AAA Home Hardware Legionnaires game at the Fairview 11 years into your radio career, then talk to me about the view at the iPlex. Anyway, my point and I do have one is that I am not an expert on the subject of color commentating, but after five years I can offer this advice. I’ve seen more and people with no real commentating or hockey background trying to use WHL color to launch themselves to something better. People using someone else's airtime to try to become a star. Enjoy this dose of reality.
My first season of WHL color was 2003-04. Jon Keen was named the new Bronco play by play guy and I had indicated to the radio station I would be interested in doing color. Based on my on air track record at the radio station and not so much on my hockey knowledge I got the gig. I approached color duties the same way I approached my other on air duties. I was going to be unique, edgy and deliver something the hockey fans and people who listen to WHL radio hadn’t seen.
And after a few weeks it was safe to say I sucked!
I went into it thinking I would be a star. The hockey sporting community would be dazzled by my wit and be electrified by my one liners and I would be respected for my opinions and irresistable personality. Someone from Sportsnet or TSN would by chance hear me and it would be my ticket to greatness (not that I wanted to leave Swift, but at least I could say the big leagues wanted me).
I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was three weeks into the season when Bronco GM Brad McEwan had a closed door meeting with me and in a kind, diplomatic yet to the point way basically said “Ryan, who the hell are you to talk like this?” I was talking crap about other WHL GM’s and taking shots at coaches. In retrospect my approach to hockey was bush league.
Cuesy was right. I had to learn the role of the color guy is to support the play by play guy. The play by play guy is the star of the show. He travels with the team, has a rapport with coaches and GMs, knows the inner working of the league and has more insight to the players. In Swift Current, Keener is Batman and I'm Robin when it comes to Bronco hockey broadcasts. I was trying to be Superman.
Let’s face it, unless you are a retired and well spoken noteworthy NHL vet or a retired and well spoken noteworthy NHL coach or GM, junior hockey is as good as it will get for a color gig. If you want to make it in pro hockey broadcasting and don’t have the credentials I just mentioned, then move to the other side of the booth and take up play by play. Unless you have credibility, just help your play by play guy paint a picture for the listeners as to what is happening on the ice.
The online presence of radio personality Ryan Switzer
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Colorful Comments and CURSES!!!
I enjoyed the beaking between Regina Pat and Swift Current Bronco fans on Rod Pedersen’s blog. One of the reason’s I was happy to have Swift Current back in the same division as Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and PA is the rivalries. While the feud with The Hat was healthy and fun, the tension between the Broncos and Lethbridge, Calgary or Red Deer doesn’t seem to match what we have now for divisional rivals.
I felt like commenting on Rod’s blog several times about phantom spearing and the “greatness” of the Pats vs. the Broncos “just concentrating on making the playoffs”.
After reading this, I'm sure Regina fans will be quick to remind us of some dark moments in Bronco history. Whatever. Nothing that hasn't been beaten to death already. I am going to make a prediction on the outcome of the mighty Pat's 08 run. The Regina Pats will make it to the conference final at best.
How does one arrive at what I’ll call a safe prediction like this? The best way to predict the future is to study the past…and Regina’s sports history reeks of potential not met and early playoff exits.
One can speculate why. I think it may be the uber watchful eye of the Regina media that gets in the heads of players and coaches. The Leader Post is not afraid to state an opinion and doesn’t do puff pieces. If the home team stinks, it’s on the front page without sugar coating.
Be it the media, the critical and sometimes rude Regina fans, the often fabled Regina drinking water or some other X factor, let’s look at the history of the Regina Sports Curse.
Exhibits A and B I copy and paste from Rod’s Blog (rodperdersen.blogspot.com):
But hold the parade. While the Pats are quickly coming together as the dominant team in the Eastern Conference, there's still plenty of work left to do. It reminds me of the 1996-97 season when the Pats had a lineup boasting four NHL 1st-round picks (Josh Holden, Derek Morris, Dmitri Nabokov and Dan Focht). After one particularly lopsided Pats win in January, Dmitri said to me in a heavy Russian accent, "We no lose one more game."
I chuckled at the time, and the team did go on to set a franchise-record 28-game home unbeaten streak, but they toe-picked it in the playoffs losing in five games to Red Deer.
And who can forget the 2001 Memorial Cup season where the Pats assembled a WHL AllStar team with the likes of Blake Evans, Paul Elliott, Garnet Exelby, Barret Jackman, Brett Lysak, Matt Hubbauer and co.? They ate up the competition in the second-half going something like 20-10 down the stretch but did another first-round faceplant losing in six to Pavel Brendl and the Calgary Hitmen. Both teams were superbly coached (by Rich Preston and Lorne Molleken) just like this one.
The next part of this entry is very Rider oriented. I’m not much of a Rider historian, so feel free to correct me on any errors. I realize the Riders are Saskatchewan's team, but they are based out of Regina and the players and coaches do live there.
Exhibit C: Don Matthews. CFL coaching legend and all time league leader in wins (231) Grey Cup appearances (9) and Grey Cup wins (5). Some of those 231 wins came in Saskatchewan, but that’s it. The best the most dominant CFL coach could do in Regina was some 11-7 seasons.
Exhibit D and E: John Gregory and Kent Austin. Like an annual flu shot that protects you for a while but then wears off, some coaches have an immunity to the curse for a season or two before it grabs hold and pulls you down. John Gregory took over the Riders coaching reigns in 1987 and led the Rider to an 11-7 record in 88 and a home playoff game. Gregory followed that up with a 9-9 record but a Grey Cup in 89. In 1990, the curse caught up to Gregory as he went 1-6 and was canned. The aforementioned Don Matthews took over.
Kent Austin, like Gregory led the Riders to success early in his tenure. A home playoff game AND a Grey Cup. The curse seems to be catching up to Kent though as fans are fuming over Kent having the AUDACITY to go for a JOB INTERVIEW IN HIS HOMETOWN!!!
Long story short, the Pats fans are harassing Bronco fans in the parking lot of the Brandt Center and online too. "It'll be a long year in Swift they say". Now the Broncos do have issues that they have to work out (and I'm sure they know what they are). The Pats have something intangible that one can’t pinpoint working against them. What’s worse?
To the Regina fan reading this, I say that there is hope. The most important job in Regina is now occupied by a guy from Swift Current, so hopefully that will help you out.
Keep Your Colorful Comments To Yourself
You may work in the media. You may be asked to do color commentary for a WHL game. The motivation for this post came from some fanboard action on Lethbridge color guy Dick Gibson (http://www.whlfans.ca/showthread.php?t=15583 ). I don’t know Dick (that’s just funny to say). I don't know the history behind the posts about him and I don't listen to him enough to form a description or critique about what he does on air. Dick spoke to me when Lethbridge was in Swift Current. He didn’t introduce himself, his first words to me were “13 million dollars worth of renovations and they can’t improve the broadcast view!” (in reference to the terrible sightlines from the iPlex press boxes). Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not a fan of broadcasters coming to the iPlex and whining about it. Go do a AAA Home Hardware Legionnaires game at the Fairview 11 years into your radio career, then talk to me about the view at the iPlex. Anyway, my point and I do have one is that I am not an expert on the subject of color commentating, but after five years I can offer this advice. I’ve seen more and people with no real commentating or hockey background trying to use WHL color to launch themselves to something better. People using someone else's airtime to try to become a star. Enjoy this dose of reality.
My first season of WHL color was 2003-04. Jon Keen was named the new Bronco play by play guy and I had indicated to the radio station I would be interested in doing color. Based on my on air track record at the radio station and not so much on my hockey knowledge I got the gig. I approached color duties the same way I approached my other on air duties. I was going to be unique, edgy and deliver something the hockey fans and people who listen to WHL radio hadn’t seen.
And after a few weeks it was safe to say I sucked!
I went into it thinking I would be a star. The hockey sporting community would be dazzled by my wit and be electrified by my one liners and I would be respected for my opinions and irresistable personality. Someone from Sportsnet or TSN would by chance hear me and it would be my ticket to greatness (not that I wanted to leave Swift, but at least I could say the big leagues wanted me).
I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was three weeks into the season when Bronco GM Brad McEwan had a closed door meeting with me and in a kind, diplomatic yet to the point way basically said “Ryan, who the hell are you to talk like this?” I was talking crap about other WHL GM’s and taking shots at coaches. In retrospect my approach to hockey was bush league.
Cuesy was right. I had to learn the role of the color guy is to support the play by play guy. The play by play guy is the star of the show. He travels with the team, has a rapport with coaches and GMs, knows the inner working of the league and has more insight to the players. In Swift Current, Keener is Batman and I'm Robin when it comes to Bronco hockey broadcasts. I was trying to be Superman.
Let’s face it, unless you are a retired and well spoken noteworthy NHL vet or a retired and well spoken noteworthy NHL coach or GM, junior hockey is as good as it will get for a color gig. If you want to make it in pro hockey broadcasting and don’t have the credentials I just mentioned, then move to the other side of the booth and take up play by play. Unless you have credibility, just help your play by play guy paint a picture for the listeners as to what is happening on the ice.