Thorpe says Mike and Tommy are not "informed"

[Celtics4ever]

Mid talent coach at lot of his guys he coached do ok, a lot don't doesn't say much for the man.  Why take him seriously, he is an ESPN bozo?

[guava_wrench]

When I have to listen to other announcers as I'm watching Celtics games, it takes away from the whole experience; a part of the enjoyment is replaced by irritation at the things the other announcers are saying and I want to tell them just to shut the *** up! I'd like to listen to Tommy and Mike each and every game. 

I feel that way when Tommy starts yelling.

Based on comments like yours, I think we should all be able to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the NBA for a non-home crowd due to his lack of objectivity and because he is practically a cheerleader.

It is funny how a few people here read into anything Breen says, complaining he hates the Celtics (which I don't buy for a second) and then those same people refuse to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the league for non-home team fans.

The Heat announcers (mentioned above) do the typical home announcer stuff - talk from a Heat perspective. That doesn't compare to what Tommy does. They are living in a delusion that their team is being persecuted by the league's referees.

I would check first what the correct pronunciation of Bellinelli is before criticizing them. In English, vowel sounds in unstressed syllables are typically given a schwa sound. That is how most of us pronounce Bellinelli. But I doubt that Italian has the same rulea. I would expect the 'i' to have a consistent pronunciation in Italian. It is possible that the announcer was actually more correct in his pronunciation than the rest of us and that criticizing them on this is looking for a criticism where there is none to be made.

Any Italian speakers?

[Lucky17]

In today's chat, I called him out on his comments from last week, but he responded to someone else who did the same:

Jacob (Boston) Really? Tommy Heinsoh uninforrmed? Really? 8 time champ as a player, 2 times as a coach and he's uninformed? Say he's biased and as a non bostonian that impedes your ability to enjoy the game, say he complains about the officiating too much. But get uninformed outta here. Don't even get me started about how wrong you regarding Mike Gorman.

David Thorpe  (12:14 PM) He understands the game, but rarely the players beyond the superstar.

Sounds like a backpedal to me.

[KCattheStripe]

He answered my question! But somehow the guy behind " I love Waltah" and Tommy points doesn't understand players beyond superstars.

[guava_wrench]

But being a homer doesn't mean you're misinformed.   And all of espn is a homer for whatever team Lebron, Manning, Jeter, and Favre are on, but he doesn't call them out, now does he?

I think you have a typo. Manning is the guy with all the commercials. Brady's team is the one that "all of ESPN is homer for".

Funny how the ESPN haters get all sensitive when other teams are talked about and completely miss how the teams and players they like are the same.

It is entertaining how skewed some fans views of sports news coverage are that requires their team to get special treatment in order to overcome their victim mentality that they are being disrespected.

[KCattheStripe]

But being a homer doesn't mean you're misinformed.   And all of espn is a homer for whatever team Lebron, Manning, Jeter, and Favre are on, but he doesn't call them out, now does he?

I think you have a typo. Manning is the guy with all the commercials. Brady's team is the one that "all of ESPN is homer for".

Funny how the ESPN haters get all sensitive when other teams are talked about and completely miss how the teams and players they like are the same.

It is entertaining how skewed some fans views of sports news coverage are that requires their team to get special treatment in order to overcome their victim mentality that they are being disrespected.

I generally like the Thorpedo, just thought he was way off base with this one. I understand ESPN not spending as much time covering the C's and Pats because frankly there's only so many times you can run this news report :

Stuart Scott: And lets check in with Hannah Storm who is in Boston.


Hannah Storm : The [ Celtics or Patriots] still have great team chemistry and are playing at an absurdly high level. Back to you Stu.


I can understand how that makes for horrible telvision.

[nba is the worst]

When I have to listen to other announcers as I'm watching Celtics games, it takes away from the whole experience; a part of the enjoyment is replaced by irritation at the things the other announcers are saying and I want to tell them just to shut the *** up! I'd like to listen to Tommy and Mike each and every game. 

I feel that way when Tommy starts yelling.

Based on comments like yours, I think we should all be able to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the NBA for a non-home crowd due to his lack of objectivity and because he is practically a cheerleader.

It is funny how a few people here read into anything Breen says, complaining he hates the Celtics (which I don't buy for a second) and then those same people refuse to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the league for non-home team fans.

The Heat announcers (mentioned above) do the typical home announcer stuff - talk from a Heat perspective. That doesn't compare to what Tommy does. They are living in a delusion that their team is being persecuted by the league's referees.

I would check first what the correct pronunciation of Bellinelli is before criticizing them. In English, vowel sounds in unstressed syllables are typically given a schwa sound. That is how most of us pronounce Bellinelli. But I doubt that Italian has the same rulea. I would expect the 'i' to have a consistent pronunciation in Italian. It is possible that the announcer was actually more correct in his pronunciation than the rest of us and that criticizing them on this is looking for a criticism where there is none to be made.

Any Italian speakers?

Here's a link to a site which has both written and audio pronunciations - and it's NOT how reed said it:

http://thenameengine.com/name.aspx?id=785&name=Marco-Belinelli&cat=175

[BballTim]

It sounds like he didn't call them both out by name, so I am not sure he really meant to lump Mike and Tommy together.

As far as Tommy goes, I agree completely.  He is a total homer, and has lost touch with today's NBA.  I still love him, but he has become a charicature of himself, and while he is entertaining, he would be lucky if half of what he says is accurate.

  Tommy may be a homer, but he hasn't lost touch with today's nba. He probably doesn't know a ton of info on a lot of the non-stars from other teams but most of his comments on what the Celts are doing right/wrong and what they should be doing are pretty much spot on, and at least as astute as what you'll hear on national broadcasts.

[Eja117]

But being a homer doesn't mean you're misinformed.   And all of espn is a homer for whatever team Lebron, Manning, Jeter, and Favre are on, but he doesn't call them out, now does he?

I think you have a typo. Manning is the guy with all the commercials. Brady's team is the one that "all of ESPN is homer for".

Funny how the ESPN haters get all sensitive when other teams are talked about and completely miss how the teams and players they like are the same.

It is entertaining how skewed some fans views of sports news coverage are that requires their team to get special treatment in order to overcome their victim mentality that they are being disrespected.

This is the difference.  Brady has three Super Bowl wins and one very very close loss which took a miracle play. Brady has earned it.

Manning, Favre, and Lebron haven't.  Lebron in particular shouldn't be talking bad about Trent Dilfer.

Dilfer should wear his ring on his middle finger and show it to Lebron and be like "What do you got loser?"

[BostonIrishGuy]

I'm sorry but if you don't LOVE Tommy, you can't really be a Celtic fan. Tommy is the BEST commentator there is, PERIOD. Is he a homer, yeah maybe, but he is original, funny, and calls it like it is. So you Tommy haters, ease up on big guy. I've seen him at a few local bars here in Boston, and the guy is always cool and buying other people drinks and shots...while of course putting a few down himself.....stuff you don't see celebs doing much anymore these days. Tommy is awesome, PERIOD. 

[winsomme]

Gotta agree. Celtics and Spurs are both pretty bad. Tommy is one of the most unpleasant to listen to in the league when he starts screaming. Spurs have homerism issues too, though they don't make ears bleed.

Tommy is a bit of a broken record in commentary, but I'm not sure many local color guys are that up to date anyway.

There is a difference between being uninformed and being a homer, no? No sane person who knows basketball can accuse Mike or Tommy or being uninformed.

The Spurs guys are homers. I can't vouch for how up to date they are on players.

Tommy is a homer, and is far from elite when it comes to being informed. People mention completely unrelated stats in this thread. Being informed requires keeping up on current players, not guys from 20 years ago. Tommy is so caught up in nonsense during his commentary, that it isn't that clear how much knowledge he has about guys. But since I have heard plenty of guys from other teams who don't seem that up to date, I'm not sure there is anything particularly bad about Tommy in that respect.

I can see how fans who like homerism for their team would like Tommy. Fair enough. But those fans should also be able to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers for non-Celtics fans to listen to because he adds almost nothing to the game for them. If someone asks a non-Celtics fan with league pass who is the worst color guy in the NBA and they mention Tommy, what is wrong with them saying that? Aren't they obviously correct from that non-Celtics fans' perspective?

To be fair to Tommy, he does talk a lot about offensive and defensive systems that many color guys across the league don't try to tackle, so it is dangerous to critique him on that. I would hope that Thorpe is only talking about his current player knowledge. Thorpe should have avoided the 'informed' part and just stuck to 'most unpleasant to listen to' or 'most biased during a game'. Or even most one-sided in his information, which I would concede is a good trait for the home crew since the home fans want to hear about what their team should do.

I hate the Lakers, but I love their color commentator's neutrality during games. I am jealous, though I can understand why some prefer someone like Tommy. If I had to listen to a Lakers commentator whose bias so blinded him to the actual action on the court and often caused him to start yelling, I would mute the TV (as I often do to Tommy) and say he was the worst color guy in the league.

If you are the type who is into the "us versus them" and likes those who publicly embrace that, well, no problem. But of course Thorpe thinks our broadcasts bring little to the table because it is so hard to get past the bias. The reality is that it is a general consensus among disinterested fans that Tommy is bad. (remember that graph from like 2 years ago?) This doesn't mean Celtics fans shouldn't like them. It just means that only Celtics fans like them.

There are actually broadcasts on NBATV where I can't tell which team's broadcast crew is on. As an NBA fan who is watching 2 teams I have no stake it, that is very pleasant.

  Tommy seems to have plenty of comments on current players. Who you need to stick with, who you need to force to their right or left, who's not going to try and stop the Celts if they go to the hoop, who's going to settle for jumpshots because they don't want to take it to the hole. I'd say he knows as much of that stuff if not more than the national announcers.

Personally, I don't equate knowing stats with being informed. Like you said BBall, Tommy gives analysis that I always find interesting. Plus, I'm not particularly interested in having unbiased announcers. I like having the announcers get frustrated when I'm getting frustrated and excited when I'm getting excited....

[winsomme]

When I have to listen to other announcers as I'm watching Celtics games, it takes away from the whole experience; a part of the enjoyment is replaced by irritation at the things the other announcers are saying and I want to tell them just to shut the *** up! I'd like to listen to Tommy and Mike each and every game. 

I feel that way when Tommy starts yelling.

Based on comments like yours, I think we should all be able to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the NBA for a non-home crowd due to his lack of objectivity and because he is practically a cheerleader.

It is funny how a few people here read into anything Breen says, complaining he hates the Celtics (which I don't buy for a second) and then those same people refuse to accept that Tommy is one of the worst announcers in the league for non-home team fans.

The Heat announcers (mentioned above) do the typical home announcer stuff - talk from a Heat perspective. That doesn't compare to what Tommy does. They are living in a delusion that their team is being persecuted by the league's referees.

I would check first what the correct pronunciation of Bellinelli is before criticizing them. In English, vowel sounds in unstressed syllables are typically given a schwa sound. That is how most of us pronounce Bellinelli. But I doubt that Italian has the same rulea. I would expect the 'i' to have a consistent pronunciation in Italian. It is possible that the announcer was actually more correct in his pronunciation than the rest of us and that criticizing them on this is looking for a criticism where there is none to be made.

Any Italian speakers?

Breen can't stand the Cs. Completely obvious...to me, anyway.

The difference is that Tommy has no problem with his bias. Breen actually tries to present himself as unbiased.

[winsomme]

It sounds like he didn't call them both out by name, so I am not sure he really meant to lump Mike and Tommy together.

As far as Tommy goes, I agree completely.  He is a total homer, and has lost touch with today's NBA.  I still love him, but he has become a charicature of himself, and while he is entertaining, he would be lucky if half of what he says is accurate.

Mike on the other hand is still one of the best in the game, and isn't nearly the homer Tommy is.  Mike does the research, that Tommy hasn't seemed like he has done in 20 years. 

My guess is Thorpe (who puts no thought into these responses) either didn't mean to lump them in together, or in his limited experience watching them, he has been so bowled over by Tommy, he hasn't had a chance to realize Mike's brilliance.

Sounds like the person who's not informed then is Thorpe. Kinda ironic...

anyway, completely disagree on Tommy. Maybe he's not doing a ton of research, but he knows what he's watching when he's watching it. And add that to his personality (which I like) and I think he's great as an announcer.

I really don't understand the homer criticism....what's the big deal?

[Tw1x990]

It sounds like he didn't call them both out by name, so I am not sure he really meant to lump Mike and Tommy together.

As far as Tommy goes, I agree completely.  He is a total homer, and has lost touch with today's NBA.  I still love him, but he has become a charicature of himself, and while he is entertaining, he would be lucky if half of what he says is accurate.

Mike on the other hand is still one of the best in the game, and isn't nearly the homer Tommy is.  Mike does the research, that Tommy hasn't seemed like he has done in 20 years. 

My guess is Thorpe (who puts no thought into these responses) either didn't mean to lump them in together, or in his limited experience watching them, he has been so bowled over by Tommy, he hasn't had a chance to realize Mike's brilliance.

Sounds like the person who's not informed then is Thorpe. Kinda ironic...

anyway, completely disagree on Tommy. Maybe he's not doing a ton of research, but he knows what he's watching when he's watching it. And add that to his personality (which I like) and I think he's great as an announcer.

I really don't understand the homer criticism....what's the big deal?

Its a big deal when you compare him to the other announcers around the league. NO ONE does what he does. Ive been listening to him long enough to realize thats his thing, but to others listening to him on league pass... some of the things he says can be disrespectful to the other players.

I remember a late in the season Sox game a few years ago when we were out of the playoff picture. Remy did a "homer" inning where he decided it would be fun to act like a fan instead of an announcers. He cheered for the players and 'argued' with the umps. It was rediculous. Then once basketball season came around again I realized he was just being Tommy.

[winsomme]

It sounds like he didn't call them both out by name, so I am not sure he really meant to lump Mike and Tommy together.

As far as Tommy goes, I agree completely.  He is a total homer, and has lost touch with today's NBA.  I still love him, but he has become a charicature of himself, and while he is entertaining, he would be lucky if half of what he says is accurate.

Mike on the other hand is still one of the best in the game, and isn't nearly the homer Tommy is.  Mike does the research, that Tommy hasn't seemed like he has done in 20 years. 

My guess is Thorpe (who puts no thought into these responses) either didn't mean to lump them in together, or in his limited experience watching them, he has been so bowled over by Tommy, he hasn't had a chance to realize Mike's brilliance.

Sounds like the person who's not informed then is Thorpe. Kinda ironic...

anyway, completely disagree on Tommy. Maybe he's not doing a ton of research, but he knows what he's watching when he's watching it. And add that to his personality (which I like) and I think he's great as an announcer.

I really don't understand the homer criticism....what's the big deal?

Its a big deal when you compare him to the other announcers around the league. NO ONE does what he does. Ive been listening to him long enough to realize thats his thing, but to others listening to him on league pass... some of the things he says can be disrespectful to the other players.

I remember a late in the season Sox game a few years ago when we were out of the playoff picture. Remy did a "homer" inning where he decided it would be fun to act like a fan instead of an announcers. He cheered for the players and 'argued' with the umps. It was rediculous. Then once basketball season came around again I realized he was just being Tommy.

I don't see why he has any responsibility to be unbiased. He's the local announcer not TNTs...