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re: Unpopular opinion: Jim Hawthorn > Chris Blair
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:43 pm to Olric
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:43 pm to Olric
quote:
I'd much rather know what happened than have a broadcaster excitedly get the call wrong 2-3 times
I agree with this. Blair has room for improvement, as all do, but Hawthorne was insufferable the last five or so years.
Blair needs to get us into the moment better. Not all drives are the same and not all 3rd and 17s have the same importance. He has room for improvement there for sure.
What is great about Blair, though, is he has no trouble identifying players, and he doesn't seem ready to throw in the towel at the first penalty, sack, bad play, etc.
0
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:43 pm to DEG
Hawthorne had a weird nasally voice and really wasn’t very good at his job.
He was enthusiastic though so I guess there’s that
He was enthusiastic though so I guess there’s that
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:43 pm to DEG
Chris Blair does a good job. I'm biased towards Hawthorne though because I grew up listening to him and loved his excitement on big calls.
Same goes for Jim Henderson. Zack Strief is good, but Henderson's calls became as memorable as the play itself. "Hakeem dropped the ball!" or "Pigs have flown...."
Same goes for Jim Henderson. Zack Strief is good, but Henderson's calls became as memorable as the play itself. "Hakeem dropped the ball!" or "Pigs have flown...."
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:44 pm to Tiger Prawn
Zach Strief is a joke
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:45 pm to BattinRouge11
quote:
With football, Blair is always too late and not descriptive enough with what is happening.
He's fun to listen to on the dubbed over highlights next day but it can be so frustrating to listen live. When you hear that a pass is caught or a runner is still going, you have no idea how long of a play it is or where on the field any of it is occurring.
You are describing Jim Hawthorne, not Chris Blair
Hawthorne would completely miss plays. It was insane.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:46 pm to Caymus
quote:
I remember my first time hearing Jim Hawthorne, all I thought was that is the perfect voice to call LSU football.
I remember thinking, this guy's voice doesn't hold a candle to John Ferguson.
I haven't thought that about Blair to Hawthorne.
I always found Hawthorne grating, though.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:46 pm to DEG
His call of 3rd and 17... was subpar 
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:46 pm to The Boat
quote:
Zach Strief is a joke
Got to play golf with him in Maryland for a wedding in the Spring. Dude is nice as hell and loves the fricking Saints. And can slam some beers.
Pretty average on the radio though.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:47 pm to Y.A. Tittle
Ferguson is the GOAT. I was glad when Hawthorne retired
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:47 pm to Mrs. Amaro
That’s really that one I was talking about. It was awful. Completely unexcited. It was like a TD in the 4th quarter of a 52-0 game against Rice.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:49 pm to StTiger
quote:.
His basketball play by play is out of this world and I love the football and baseball work to
He's significantly better than Hawthorne was at basketball which is surprising given that basketball is the sport Hawthorne called the longest while at LSU. Plus, it's probably the most difficult sport to call given then speed of play and the bad viewing angle for PBP purposes (there is a reason both football and baseball don't have their PBP men at field level)
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:49 pm to Caymus
quote:
I remember my first time hearing Jim Hawthorne, all I thought was that is the perfect voice to call LSU football.
Well, after John Ferguson.
But, I agree, Hawthorne in his prime WAS LSU sports.
I'll give Blair basketball, Jim seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the pace sometimes - and actually used to piss me off with his negativity during basketball games.
And I actually used to like when Hammagrip used to do baseball games.
I just think we need Louisiana bred to call our sports.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:51 pm to Alt26
We’ve been bagging on Chris Blair in here but I actually do really like him for basketball and baseball. He’s great at those and I enjoy listening to him and his professionalism.
This thread was about football so I was talking about his football calls. Something seems off when he does football.
This thread was about football so I was talking about his football calls. Something seems off when he does football.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:51 pm to DEG
I understand the sentiment totally, OP, but after thinking about it I decided to give him a chance, because LSU has/had been blessed with two icons in John Ferguson and Jim Hawthorne spanning generations. Nobody will ever sound like those two. Hopefully Blair can grow into it.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:52 pm to The Boat
quote:
Chris Blair has a more professional voice but I can’t stand how he doesn’t get excited about big plays. So much so I don’t even care about going and listening to them after the game.
His calls for Texas were like LSU was playing Northwestern State.
I loved Jim Hawthorne’s distinctive voice and could live with his mistakes. Jim Hawthorne’s excitement made him great.
Exactly. I used to always go find the radio calls of our big plays after the game. Don't really care to anymore because they are lackluster.
I'm really hoping that with more time here, Blair will get more emotionally invested and show more emotion in his calls.
This post was edited on 9/11/19 at 2:53 pm
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:55 pm to DEG
Blair is light years better than Hawthorne could ever be. I swear, you’d think Jim was drunk as often as he was wrong.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:55 pm to DEG
Blair has zero Tiger flair. Don't bother listening to him.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:55 pm to DEG
"Jack Hunt!"
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:57 pm to DEG
quote:
Chris Blair is a good dude and has been a great ambassador for LSU, don't get me wrong. This is about what happens in the booth. His voice is inauthentic and his enthusiasm is too tempered and comes off manufactured at times.
Hawthorn, for all of his errors, never lacked authenticity and his voice was unique and recognizable. And he never held back.
Thanks for listening guys. I feel better now.
Younger JH > Blair > Older JH
Once upon a time, Jim could describe certain things so well that you could almost see it. Particularly basketball, but also sometimes baseball and football. His voice, emotion, and as you say - authenticity, all were incredible.
Older Jim wasn't able to see as well, made many mistakes, and seemed to repeat certain phrases etc., losing some of the authenticity and spontaneity that made him so great. His description of the action was also suffering. I didn't fault him for it, I didn't think any less of him - it just was not to the standard that he had set for so long.
Blair does a really nice job. But he its a job. He's passionate about the profession but you don't get the feeling that he's passionate about LSU. Not necessarily a requirement, but it does detract.
Posted on 9/11/19 at 2:57 pm to DEG
Blairs calling is basketball and he's damn good at it. Football, meh
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