Somehow this thread eluded me (thanks to
@VF21 pointing me in the right direction). I'd like to chime in .....
For me, I'd prefer it if they had G-Man do a simulcast with DC still doing color.
G-Man encompasses SAC and the KINGS to me. He's been with the org from day 1 and has done stints on the TV side. Most KINGS fans seem to revere him and it seems like a home run decision to make.
He is SAC's version of Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. And they did simulcasts.
G-Man is my top choice, by far. But if he didn't want to do it, or if the org decided to go in a different direction on the TV side, then I'd be ok with some of the other suggestions in this thread.
Me too.
Some here may have forgotten, and some here may not be old enough to have experienced all that went on during those early relocation years. But his behavior was very turncoat. It very much rubbed me the wrong way.
I don't agree with 'impartial' from the standpoint that he's a media member sticking up for a fellow media member. I realize he made it clear they weren't close friends and even had a spat at one point, resulting in only appearing on the radio show once. But I don't believe that completely qualifies him as impartial.
That said, the resounding point Breton is missing IMO is that there have been a myriad of events that have transpired the past 3 decades that almost assuredly played roles as well.
In short, I don't believe this one current mis-step was the sole reason for the end result.
DMC handed him a fuse and GN lit it himself. I'm with you in that this turned out to be a crazy plot twist.
I'd add that CWebb and MattyB also had a part in it.
In the end, the contentious relationship he willingly forged with/against those three players, as well as others, had personal consequences.
It's a reminder to me that, while we have free speech under the constitution and can say most anything we want as long as it doesn't incite violence or create a public safety issue, we are not protected from the personal consequences that can result from of our words and actions toward others.
I fully agree. Unlike Breton, JJ recognized and acknowledged that there is more to this story than just the most recent incident. Kudos to him for that.
For the most part, I didn't dislike GN the TV guy. I thought he was a very good PbP announcer.
That said, I didn't like when he allowed his personal agendas to bleed over into that role. For example, he'd often poke at DMC during live game broadcasts. From little passive aggressive comments that a fan outside the SAC market might not catch to going overboard in admonishing him for his on court behavior. Calling attention to it was ok IMO, but not letting it go was over-the-top. Also, hated when he would say things like "you can't allow a 3 here..." but I digress. On the whole he was good.
The radio guy was another thing altogether. He always defended his shtick and behavior on radio by separating the two jobs. Some fans bought it. Some didn't.
I haven't listed to his show religiously in years. But for much of the past 26 years, I did. Mostly because I could at various jobs and such. And on the whole, I found his show to be the best way to get KINGS related info. The participation on other topics was also fairly good.
But like many others, I didn't care for his NY tough guy persona or his rudeness toward fans that didn't deserve it. Most of all, I didn't care for his combativeness toward certain KINGS players over the years. They've mostly all been named here. CWebb, BoJax, MattyB, Boogie.
It was ok to disagree with them. But I just feel he helped take things to an overly personal level. And, again, it bled over into arenas it shouldn't have. IMO that's what invariably came back to bite him in the you-know-what.
Lastly, I also feel it's important to stipulate that it wasn't just ONE player that this happened with. I get that some of these players, and possibly all of them, can be considered combative and sensitive themselves. But GN is still a common thread among them. And as a professional radio and TV guy, it should be incumbent upon him not to allow it to bleed into his work. That's just how I see it, anyway.
Again, I fully agree. To me, this is the resounding, most important point to keep in mind. It's easy to get swept up in the moment, but there were decades of words, behavior, and relationships that came into play.
I might very well be wrong about this, but if it had been G-Man that made the same comment -- I'm not so sure the reaction and result would have been quite the same.
For one, notice DMC didn't ask the same question of G-Man. Nobody was trying to bait him, likely, because of how they know and feel about him. But if G-Man had somehow volunteered the comment, I don't believe numerous former players would have jumped in to react as harshly as they did to GN.
When relationships and past behavior are considered good, most people tend to be more forgiving of perceived mistakes.
