Tommy Kendall

[ARROWZ46]

I like Wally, but Tommy Kendall is even better. With Bob Jenkins retiring at the end of the year, I'm sure this is TK's "spring training" for 2013 & beyond.

[jcmark611]

I like Wally, but Tommy Kendall is even better. With Bob Jenkins retiring at the end of the year, I'm sure this is TK's "spring training" for 2013 & beyond.

TK is a color guy, not a PBP. It's a different role that TK wouldn't be good at. Bob's replacement will be someone more like Kevin Lee, Jack Arute, or Vince Welch.

[bsanderson]

The group they had last night is the best broadcast team in racing.

Good, but not as good as Varsha, Hobbs and Matchett. Just about every sport could benefit from a team like that.

[Jed]

The group they had last night is the best broadcast team in racing. I think Townsend does a great job in his position though like with Dan, you wish they were racing. The team just works well and complements each other and I think Tommy is a much better fit than Wally. Dario was really good in the booth as well.

Yep, with the Speed F1 exception duly noted.

[Sea Fury]

Tommy was good, but it was Dario that made the booth entertaining and informative IMO.

[LowRyter]

Tracy and Kendall should both be in the booth.

[cpthornman]

I'd pay money to see/hear that.

[Maxmach]

Jenkins is an embarrassment, Kendall is great, Wallys ok....

[PHJIndy]

Jenkins is an embarrassment, Kendall is great, Wallys ok....

What's an embarrassment is your post, IMHO!

[rappel]

I thought it was funny that NBC hired Wally in the first place for their NASCAR broadcasts. 0 wins in 200-plus starts.

[JacquesNGilles]

Totally agree. There were some in the race thread moaning about Dario being in the booth (but there hadn't been moaning since RM had been calling people "kid" so we were behind quota, I guess) but I wish he'd have been up there all night. A fun listen and it's so much more enjoyable to have someone who has raced the new car, knows the track so damn well, and can even give insight into different drivers and their "styles".

Tommy was good, but it was Dario that made the booth entertaining and informative IMO.

[Danny Noonan]

The entire broadcast last night was just absolutely top notch. It was well produced, some great camara angles and the guys really had some good chemistry. It's a damn shame that couldn't have been on network television. I think with racing like we saw last night, coupled with quality production and announcing, would equate to pretty good ratings if the series were given a fair shot on NBC.

[gonzo]

I know I'll get slammed for saying this, but Bob Jenkins was a disaster during the early portions of last nights race. He was getting everything mixed up, mixing up the cars, and he has some weird pauses where he stopped mid-sentence and didn't know what to say.

That's because all he does is read his notes. He can't call the race without them. Any move he makes he is making reference to his spotters guide. Its really pathetic and causes all the awkwardness and disjointedness. Which is odd to me cause he isn't like that on the radio. It's like he doesn't trust himself on the TV broadcast.

In saying all of that, he did recover and by the middle and end of the race he was mostly in good form and on-point with everything. He was kind of like a pitcher that doesn't have good command in the first and second inning and gets roughed up a little.....but by the middle innings he's throwing darts and in total command.

Not sure what the hell happened at the beginning of the race but it is not the first time it has happened this year and Bob needs to do a better job of knowing who is in what car and knowing where we are at in the race. That's his job to know more than the people sitting at home and convey that information to them. Some here won't like what I'm saying because Bob is supposedly untouchable but you know I'm right. He needs to be better and more on par with his color commentators.

You are definitely right. Bob is a giant weak link for the series to move forward right now. He's better by the end of the broadcast because he has used the first half of the race to practice and familiarize himself using his notes and as the broadcast goes on he relies on them less and things flow more smoothly.

He should come into that broadcast ready to rock and roll but he is continually unprepared.

[00steven]

When Dario retires, he's going to be a great booth announcer.

It was ashame he had to join them, but it was fun to listen to him.

[00steven]

What's an embarrassment is your post, IMHO!

+1

[gonzo]

You guys are a bit off the mark with TK. Fro is the one that came closest to picking up on his strength and that is as a PBP guy replacing the role that Jenkins holds. It will take a bit more practice but Tommy showed last night he is a natural at that roll. He's always been like that through his entire broadcast career but he has always been stuck in the wrong roll. I still remember his very first gig and I think it was stuck up on a cherry picker calling a CART race. What I haven't liked about Kendall is the whole look at me I'm a rockstar position that he has often seemed to take but maybe with some maturity or actually having now become more popular the last two times he has been in the booth he seems to have gotten past that.

Last night really reminded of the good old days when Page used to ask Bobby all these questions to pull out discussions and help educate the audience. Tommy new the asnwer to everything he was aasking last night. He was just doing a good job!

The more I am seeing him the more I would like to see him replace Bob Jenkins. He could play really really well with a guy like Townsend Bell in the booth. Townsend is a natural and he is really being wasted in the pits.

It would be fun to see TBell in the booth with Kendall and Jon. I don't even think you need three people in the booth. I'd move Jon back down to the pits. That is his strength. He's being wasted in the booth. Jon had a command of the pits like no other. Way way ahead of Townsend. Townsend does a good job doing interviews and what not but he doesn't know what to look for like Jon does. Jon is a strategist! He can see things unfold before they happen and he was always all over it. That has been lost while he is up in the pits.

[Swaze]

That's because all he does is read his notes. He can't call the race without them. Any move he makes he is making reference to his spotters guide. Its really pathetic and causes all the awkwardness and disjointedness. Which is odd to me cause he isn't like that on the radio. It's like he doesn't trust himself on the TV broadcast.

You are definitely right. Bob is a giant weak link for the series to move forward right now. He's better by the end of the broadcast because he has used the first half of the race to practice and familiarize himself using his notes and as the broadcast goes on he relies on them less and things flow more smoothly.

He should come into that broadcast ready to rock and roll but he is continually unprepared.

Agreed and interesting (and probably correct observation). It definitely seems as if Bob uses the first part of the race to familiarize himself with who is in what car, where they started, etc. Problem is he's supposed to know all of that ahead of time. You can't just show up and learn on the fly that Helio is in a yellow colored car this week. He should already know that from the spotter's guide or just common sense.

Since when does Ryan Hunter-Reay display Penske Truck Rentals sponsorship? I don't even need a spotter's guide to tell me that is Helio's car. That's just something any moderate to hardcore fan knows yet our lead PBP guy seems to just show up and figure it out as he goes along.

Marty Reid does the same thing on ABC by the way. Jenkins is still much better because of his loyalty to our sport and his resume but there right now there are similarities in preparation. I'd say the only differences between Reid and Jenkins are:

1.) Jenkins actually wants to be at the race and seems to enjoy his job and the sport he is covering. Marty would clearly rather be somewhere else (same for Goodyear)

2.) Jenkins improves as the race goes on whereas Marty Reid still fumbles around even at the end. A lot of that is again Marty doesn't really seem like he wants to be there.

[Ryan1248]

What's an embarrassment is your post, IMHO!

+1

The truth. It hurts sometimes...

[gonzo]

Agreed and interesting (and probably correct observation). It definitely seems as if Bob uses the first part of the race to familiarize himself with who is in what car, where they started, etc. Problem is he's supposed to know all of that ahead of time. You can't just show up and learn on the fly that Helio is in a yellow colored car this week. He should already know that from the spotter's guide or just common sense.

For me it comes across as less an ill prepared thing and more a comfort level thing. I say this because he is so natural during speaking engagements and so natural during his radio stints. But stick him in front of a TV and its like he looses the trust in himself. Is it being ill prepared. Yes, but not in the same way I think you are viewing it. It's ill prepared because he should be aware of this and spend the first hour before the show warming up or finding a way to get himself loose. But he doesn't and that is what I find unprepared about what he does.

Since when does Ryan Hunter-Reay display Penske Truck Rentals sponsorship? I don't even need a spotter's guide to tell me that is Helio's car. That's just something any moderate to hardcore fan knows yet our lead PBP guy seems to just show up and figure it out as he goes along.

Like I said.....

Swaze, we both know a guy with his experience, his knowledge, his level of expertise, there is no question he knows the difference. I want to know why something like that is tripping him up. It shouldn't and it is.

Marty Reid does the same thing on ABC by the way. Jenkins is still much better because of his loyalty to our sport and his resume but there right now there are similarities in preparation. I'd say the only differences between Reid and Jenkins are:

Marty is just a tool plain and simple. That is a guy who actually doesn't know the difference and like you pointed up shows up at the last minute, doesn't want to be there, isn't a fan, doesn't know, and is very ill prepared but for all the wrong reasons.

1.) Jenkins actually wants to be at the race and seems to enjoy his job and the sport he is covering. Marty would clearly rather be somewhere else (same for Goodyear)

I agree. Jenkins is a passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated IndyCar fan. Just one of the boys that has a passion for the sport. He's a fan. But something is going on with that TV broadcast.

Marty is definitely not.

2.) Jenkins improves as the race goes on whereas Marty Reid still fumbles around even at the end. A lot of that is again Marty doesn't really seem like he wants to be there.

Agree. Jenkins gets his groove on as he gets more comfortable. Marty, like I said is just a tool and what makes him a tool is what you and I have both already talked about.

The sad thing is IndyCar's inability to recognize this is the series front line sales force. These are the guys that "sell" the series to me and you and the rest of North America.

The on track event is the product, the broadcast team is the sales force.

I don't think you could have a crappier sales team if you tried. Both NBC and ABC!!!

I mean come on.....Jenkins couldn't even get the goddamn green flag correct? Ummm duh, hello, is this thing green? Are we racing? Hello!!!! McFly!!!!

!@#$% stick your freaking head out the window and look for yourself or give your guys in the truck a beating for pooching the view you need to see in order to call it.

That is how bad things have gotten. They can't even get the green flag correct.

ABC doesn't know the product or have the skills to sell it.

NBC at least knows the product but they don't have the skills to sell.

If we ever want to see this series reach the heights it deserves they need product specialists and top level sales people.

[ARROWZ46]

TK is a color guy, not a PBP. It's a different role that TK wouldn't be good at. Bob's replacement will be someone more like Kevin Lee, Jack Arute, or Vince Welch.

IMO, Kendall could handle what ever he's asked to do. Is Jenkins really "PBP"? They all seem to contribute

[ARROWZ46]

I thought it was funny that NBC hired Wally in the first place for their NASCAR broadcasts. 0 wins in 200-plus starts.

ABC hired Rusty Wallace... 55 Cup wins + a championship, but God-awful in the TV booth. Danny Sullivan was as stiff in the broadcast booth as he was on Miami Vice. FOX hired DW & we get Boggity Boggitty & interaction with Digger the track rodent! Kyle Petty won what 5-6 Cup races & Wally sports the Cup goose egg, however these guys are excellent in the booth.

[gonzo]

TK is a color guy, not a PBP. It's a different role that TK wouldn't be good at. Bob's replacement will be someone more like Kevin Lee, Jack Arute, or Vince Welch.

Kevin Lee would be a suitable replacement for Jenkins also but I disagree on your thought about TK not being a PBP guy. I know he has always been brought in as the color guy but I think he would be good at it, could pull it off. He's often played the PBP roll over the years even though he was supposed to be proving the color commentary! When he has done it he has done it well. It's actually been part of the reason why I never really liked TK in the booth because he was always all over the place with a look at me, look at me approach. He always wanted to be the "show", but as he has matured through the years, his experience behind the camera doing things like Speed Test Drive, he has really fallen into perfecting his roll and I have really liked what he has brought to the booth. He is much more subdued in his approach then what he used to be, and he can do the PBP! I would like to see him try.

[NDGator]

Jenks is an open wheel legend . But the last few years I cringe nearly every race from his oopses. Time to let a legend go out while still relatively on top.

Does Mike King step up from Indy Lights? Could Cheever handle PLP coming from the color spot? Al Michael is now with NBC, could he retake his old spot from ABC from 40 years ago WHOA must be eager to get off NHRA, and would be a voice to unite OW, could the rank and file stomach his return.

Lastly, only Jenkins likely knows for sure, but is the producers voice in his ear responsible for his issues or are they trying to steer him back to the path? Because whoever takes his seat will have to deal with this in their ear also...

[Chaparral4]

I like the F1 guys the best but this group would be my 2nd favorite.

I agree, Varsha and Hobbs are king. Jon Beekhuis and anyone else comes a close second. Bob and Tommy in the booth are very good with Jon but I think Jon could even make Marty Reid look good if they ever go paired together. I know that won't happen though.

[rappel]

Does Mike King step up from Indy Lights? Could Cheever handle PLP coming from the color spot? Al Michael is now with NBC, could he retake his old spot from ABC from 40 years ago WHOA must be eager to get off NHRA, and would be a voice to unite OW, could the rank and file stomach his return.

I think that Mike King makes the most sense to take over for Bob.

[PenelopePitstop]

What's an embarrassment is your post, IMHO!

There was only one person who was watching that race who didn't know that the race had officially gone green. Care to guess who that was?

Bob Jenkins may be a great fan with a long history of support for the series, but his announcing Saturday night was not complimentary to the action on the screen.

[ndcrs]

the reason we always like people who pop in is (imo) because they are saying something fresh, not the same things from the previous 10 races and they are spontaneous. except for t-bell -- that guy has different stuff every time and i think he is funny at the questions he's lobbing to the drivers...no softballs from him. looks like he is having fun like dan did. and it's obvious from iowa race that he reads tf.

[mdkiel]

Bob Jenkins has already announced he is going to retire at the end of the year. Yes he's coming to the end of his career, he's not at his best anymore and it's time to move on. He's even come on here once and apologized to you jackasses after the Brazil race a couple of years ago. Bob has been the absolute best at what he does for 34 years, but I guess he doesn't live up the standards of a bunch of ignorant keyboard jockeys who would wet their pants if they were handed a microphone and told, "you're on."

[Grizzlor]

I think that Mike King makes the most sense to take over for Bob.

Are you out of your mind?

[goldie19]

Bob does a good job as the "host" IMO. Tommy, Dario, Jon, Townsend are all very good.