RJ has lost his touch.

[Eleven]

I know why he's calling this road game--it's in Montreal.

But he's not the same.  It's "the Sabres keep it in," instead of "Pominville keeps it in." (It was Pominville.)  It's "Bogosian, taking his time," instead of "Bogosian, behind the net, being watched by ______."

I don't want to see him go out half-able.  At the same time, I don't want Dunleavy.  HELP!

Edited November 9, 2018 by Eleven

[Eleven]

Just now:  "And wheeled back in by [pause] the Sabres again."

Just not the same Rick.

[Hoss]

I’m having incredible deja vu on the exact wording of this thread, but yes. His goal calls this game have been confusing. The call on Skinner’s first goal was one of the worst I’ve ever heard. He just kept talking about the delayed penalty then nonchalantly mentioned Skinner had scored like seven seconds after it happened.

[Eleven]

6 minutes ago, Hoss said:

I’m having incredible deja vu on the exact wording of this thread, but yes. His goal calls this game have been confusing. The call on Skinner’s first goal was one of the worst I’ve ever heard. He just kept talking about the delayed penalty then nonchalantly mentioned Skinner had scored like seven seconds after it happened.

At least on the second one he interrupted the Losi and Gangi commercial.

[TrueBlueGED]

This is not exactly breaking news. He's been pretty bad for several years now, but most are okay with it because he's RJ.

[Randall Flagg]

^Yep. I don't even listen to what announcers say, so just hearing his voice in the background is icing on the hockey game cake.

[Stoner]

I was going to post how when Rick has a real hockey game to call, he sounds a lot better. And I thought he did for most of the night. The goal calls weren't top notch though. He kind of ran out of gas on the winner. I will say for the 100th time — if he would put his pride aside and the Sabres could figure out how to do it, he would benefit from someone in his ear saying, at the end, for example, "Ristolainen." Because he didn't seem to pick up on who it was. When the numbers don't show on the far side of the ice, he struggles.

I think the team will have a very tough decision to make after this season. The VP in charge of this area has already kind of put Rick on notice ("as long he can call the game at a certain level, he'll be around" (paraphrase). I know others didn't read it that way.

All that said, Rick gave me thrills up my leg a few times tonight, especially when he hauled out "Wild and Woolly." He called a pretty darned good game. The man is 75. Can't ask for much more!

[Taro T]

Yeah.  Hoping he calls it a day before he gets to be end of the line Van Miller.  Van had been AWESOME for literally decades, but was BAD his last few years.  Missed names, missed plays, missed calls, incorrect statements.  Sadly nobody beats Father Time.

[Taro T]

And definitely don't want RJ to have to put up with the sort of rumors that Ted Darling dealt with towards the end of his run either.  (Not that I'd expect them; but would be awful if they came up.)

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

I know why he's calling this road game--it's in Montreal.

But he's not the same.  It's "the Sabres keep it in," instead of "Pominville keeps it in." (It was Pominville.)  It's "Bogosian, taking his time," instead of "Bogosian, behind the net, being watched by ______."

I don't want to see him go out half-able.  At the same time, I don't want Dunleavy.  HELP!

I've noticed this, too. Since the beginning of the year. I've also had it in my mind while watching other games. That happens a lot across the league. It has made me appreciate just how good he has been.

He's still really good.

[Eleven]

43 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Yeah.  Hoping he calls it a day before he gets to be end of the line Van Miller.  Van had been AWESOME for literally decades, but was BAD his last few years.  Missed names, missed plays, missed calls, incorrect statements.  Sadly nobody beats Father Time.

Van wasn't that great, honestly.  He'd make a one-yard gain seem like a 20-yard play.  Sure, his call at the end of the Oilers game is iconic, but I wouldn't put him in the top third of NFL radio announcers in his day.  I'd put RJ in the top 1.

40 minutes ago, Taro T said:

And definitely don't want RJ to have to put up with the sort of rumors that Ted Darling dealt with towards the end of his run either.  (Not that I'd expect them; but would be awful if they came up.)

If the rumors were about his health (those rumors were circulating), they were true.  If they were about something else, no, they weren't true.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Eleven

[JJFIVEOH]

2 hours ago, Hoss said:

I’m having incredible deja vu on the exact wording of this thread, but yes. His goal calls this game have been confusing. The call on Skinner’s first goal was one of the worst I’ve ever heard. He just kept talking about the delayed penalty then nonchalantly mentioned Skinner had scored like seven seconds after it happened.

At least he calls the goals. Dunleavy doesn't even do that. 

[Taro T]

7 hours ago, Eleven said:

Van wasn't that great, honestly.  He'd make a one-yard gain seem like a 20-yard play.  Sure, his call at the end of the Oilers game is iconic, but I wouldn't put him in the top third of NFL radio announcers in his day.  I'd put RJ in the top 1.

If the rumors were about his health (those rumors were circulating), they were true.  If they were about something else, no, they weren't true.

Van was already starting to go downhill by the time the Superbowl era was ending.  He'd been very good earlier in his career.  And where his peak was, doesn't change the fact that what you remember of him was making a 1 yard running play initially sound like a 20 yard gain (likely through the air) and vice versa.  Which was FAR below where he'd been earlier.  Really not looking forward to RJ completely coming back down from the mountain top.

And you know that I was not referring to rumors of Ted having a debilitating disease, which he did in fact have.

 

[North Buffalo]

RJ is off, but I still enjoy listening to him.... little harder to follow if not watching... but I don't mind at this point... he isn't babbling incoherently like Rob Ray..

[Marions Piazza]

i had to watch the TSN broadcast, the Sabres put Hutton in for the 3rd, took half a period before they stopped saying Ullmark

[nucci]

Having Rob Ray constantly talking while the game is going on doesn't help. RJ has to wait for Ray to shut up and join the play while game is going on. I remember one time Ray was talking and couldn't finish his thought in time and a goal  wasscored...I remember the old days when the analyst would only talk during a stoppage

[dejeanerret]

1 hour ago, nucci said:

Having Rob Ray constantly talking while the game is going on doesn't help. RJ has to wait for Ray to shut up and join the play while game is going on. I remember one time Ray was talking and couldn't finish his thought in time and a goal  wasscored...I remember the old days when the analyst would only talk during a stoppage

I agree with this.   But his goal calls last night weren't his usual jump out of your chair good.  An OT winner like that and he would have killed that call.  But you can tell on the Risto winner that RJ was winded.  Part of the fun of watching the game was RJ's goal calls that were over the top.  Still love the guy though and hearing that voice.  Better than Dunleavy. 

Edited November 9, 2018 by dejeanerret

[Hoss]

8 hours ago, JJFIVEOH said:

At least he calls the goals. Dunleavy doesn't even do that. 

I think Dunleavy is somewhere between fine to good but this is so frustrating. It sounds the same no matter who scores or how exciting the goal is. It shouldn’t be hard to show a little excitement on a CLEAR goal call for the “good guys.”

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, nucci said:

Having Rob Ray constantly talking while the game is going on doesn't help. RJ has to wait for Ray to shut up and join the play while game is going on. I remember one time Ray was talking and couldn't finish his thought in time and a goal  wasscored...I remember the old days when the analyst would only talk during a stoppage

Having Ray between the benches doesn't help.  If he were sitting next to RJ, RJ could signal for him to be quiet.

[mjd1001]

7 minutes ago, Hoss said:

I think Dunleavy is somewhere between fine to good but this is so frustrating. It sounds the same no matter who scores or how exciting the goal is. It shouldn’t be hard to show a little excitement on a CLEAR goal call for the “good guys.”

I'm OK with Dunleavy.  Is he great? No. Is he good, Yep, I've come around to liking him doing a game.

Is Dunleavy as good to listen to as RJ was a decade ago? No...but to be honest, I'd rather have Dunleavy doing all the games at this point.

[nucci]

21 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Having Ray between the benches doesn't help.  If he were sitting next to RJ, RJ could signal for him to be quiet.

Good point but Ray should know not to talk during the action. Is it still simulcast on radio? If so, fans are missing a lot of the game

Edited November 9, 2018 by nucci

[nucci]

16 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I'm OK with Dunleavy.  Is he great? No. Is he good, Yep, I've come around to liking him doing a game.

Is Dunleavy as good to listen to as RJ was a decade ago? No...but to be honest, I'd rather have Dunleavy doing all the games at this point.

I really hate when a goal is scored and  I hear......"oh, and it's in". Of course I grew up listening to Ted Darling and Hockey Night in Canada in the '70s

[Eleven]

8 minutes ago, nucci said:

Good point but Ray should know not to talk during the action. Is it still simulcast on radio? If so, fans are missing a lot of the game

It is and we are.

[Georgia Blizzard]

I wasn't sure if I was the only one who noticed but all his goal calls were understated and late.  I mentioned to my son a couple times that I wasn't even sure that Sabres scored because of how late and low key the calls were

[Marions Piazza]

Isn't a good sign that people are here complaining about our 76 year old announcer and not the team itself? good times