Gabe Kaplan is the nuts

[barycentric]

[ QUOTE ]
i actually like the guy who is doing play by play too... matt vasgersian... i think he does baseball somewhere... his calls give the show a big-time feel... nbc has easily the best poker announcers... finally i can listen to poker commentary without wanting to light myself on fire

[/ QUOTE ]

Matt Vasgersian used to do Milwaukee Brewers baseball. I didn't think he was very good. It was always much much better to listen to the radio broadcast with BoB Uecker.

[sdplayerb]

I live in San Diego, he is average at best at baseball commentary. But the cubs wanted him for some reason.

Kaplan is the best commentator. He was great even before the lipstick cams.

[MicroBob]

Sportscenter used to make fun of his HR call. He would positively scream like a buffoon.

Completely agree about Bob Uecker. He rocks and is THE voice of baseball in America's Dairyland (relatives in Wisconsin...would go there every summer...was born in Madison).
If I was there at that time I would definitely listen to Uke over Vasgersian.


I used to be extremely anti-Vasgersian. He was pretty standoff-ish to me the couple of times I met him.

But..as I said..I think he does a good job with the poker.


------------------------

Thread hi-jack!!
I can NEVER think of Vasgersian without thinking about this story.

Vasgersian story:

1995 - Vasgersian is broadcasting for either El Paso or Tucson I think...and gets a gig doing ESPN2's minor-league baseball game of the week.
Battle Creek against Kane County in the Midwest League in July.

Battle Creek (Red Sox affiliate at the time) have a prospect named Ethan Faggett. Named pronounced as you would expect.
Vasgersian and Steve Lyons are playing this straight-up of course because you just can't be making 'faggot' type jokes on national TV I guess.

Faggot is a lefty batter and had gone 3-for-3. each hit was pulled into right-field.
In the 7th or 8th inning he gets his 4th hit of the game knocking it the 'opposite-way' into LF.
Vasgersian had been observing that he was a pull-hitter just as Faggett did that and says something along the lines of, "Well...Faggett evidently does know how to swing both ways." (or something to that effect).
Steve Lyons loses it and I think they had to cut his mic.

the accidentally hilarious comment makes it's way into Baseball America.

All I could think of was 'Wow...I'm glad I don't have to call any games involving a guy with a name like that.' (it would be fairly easy to make some kind of slip-up that could REALLY get you into trouble).


A year later I was calling games for the St. Lucie Mets in the Florida State League and he was with the Sarasota Red Sox playing against us. so much for not having to call games involving this guy.


It was kind of weird...during the commercial breaks my studio-engineer kept telling me that he REALLY wanted to hear me say, "Lopez swings.... and hits a fly-ball to that faggot it right-field."

[barycentric]

Wow that is a hilarious story!

[kutuz_off]

His best line was after showing Hennigan in a striped shirt, "He's lucky we don't make shirt jokes on this show."

[MicroBob]

I didn't watch the show....but this line made me LOL just reading it.

Kaplan freaking ROCKS!!!

[augie00]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it equally impressive if he taped the commentary after the event, knowing the hand would not be shown down?

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What? It is obvious that a hand being contested between 4 high and jack high will not be shown down. If gabe were doing commentary live he would have been able to say the same thing.

Next time you think about being witty, don't.

[goodFlop]

At first, after reading this thread, I had some doubts (since I hadn't been following the NBC broadcast much), as Kaplan's own play at the final table of the (foxwoods?) WPT sometime ago failed to impress me (he was playing passively without any much trickery)

But after today's episode, I wholeheartedly agree that Kaplan is a great commentator. His analysis is spot on and reveals what players are thinking, very educational. He also manages to keep the commentary light-hearted with witty humour.

The line about how Hellmuth fell to the canvas or something to that effect had me chuckling. (wherein CF delivered the bad beat with a full house on the river). "I've never seen a person react that way to a beat" ... classic



I so wish the WPT producers would hire him.

[maryfield48]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Is it equally impressive if he taped the commentary after the event, knowing the hand would not be shown down?

[/ QUOTE ]

What? It is obvious that a hand being contested between 4 high and jack high will not be shown down. If gabe were doing commentary live he would have been able to say the same thing.

Next time you think about being witty, don't.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wasn't trying to be especially witty. It was my impression that poker commentary is usually added after the fact in the editing booth. And if the observation was obvious, as I agree it was, then even if live it's not particularly insightful. That's all.

Untwist your knickers.

[TimTimSalabim]

The best commentary team of all time, I submit, was Kaplan and Hellmuth at the 1997 WSOP.