I thought it was me.
As the years fly by, I catch myself being more critical of things…be it politics, media, sports, or just life in general. I assumed it was just me becoming a grumpy old guy…but wait…
One morning while listening to CBS Sports Radio, I heard a ‘talking head’ state exactly what I’ve been thinking and doing for a few years. He couldn’t take the buffoonery and arrogant comments of sports analysts and kept hitting the mute button during games.
So, it’s not just me!
It’s quite frustrating listening to sports play-by-play guys and their analysts constantly running their mouths and saying little. From national sportscasters to local stations here in Boston, I’m constantly amazed by their blabber and obtuse commentary. Thank God for the mute button!
Nationally, the mute button is constantly used while listening to Tony Romo and his rambling on CBS Spurts’ NFL games. Yes, Tony knows his football, but God, take a breadth occasionally…and stop your rambling. I don’t know how his partner, Jim Nance, deals with him.
On the local level, I’ve watched most of the Red Sox games this year with no sound. Ever since NESN (New England Sports Network) lost analyst Jerry Remy to cancer and Dennis Eckersley to retirement, there has been a bevy of analysts used…and it has been a nightmare. Between former Red Sox players Kevin Youkilis and Keven Millar serving as analysts, plus the Sox sucking, it has been a long year. With all the money the Red Sox and NESN have, please hire a full-time, professional analyst next year. My vote would go to former Sox player and long-time Boston sports talk-radio host, Lou Merloni. Lou has announced a few games this year, but it’s now time to hire him full-time, so I can put the sound back on during games.
And while I’m bitching, here’s another gripe regarding national announcers….stop rooting for your favorites on air! It’s unprofessional and aggravating as hell.
There are times while watching a national game that I need to double check that I’m not listening to a local broadcast team. The bias toward certain players and teams is quite prevalent. And I can confirm this while watching a game in which I have no rooting interest. While aggravating, I also think it’s embarrassing for the network. We get enough bias in the news media, we don’t need to listen to it in sports, too!
But just in case it is me just being a grumpy old man, there is a reason for it…
Recent research states that more men suffer from ‘Grumpy Old Man’ syndrome when they hit 70. This is an age when men may become more aware of their own mortality, as they see friends and loved ones pass away. Dr. Gerald Lincoln, the late award-winning endocrinologist, theorized that “Irritable Male Syndrome” (a.k.a. “andropause”) was the result of the gradual loss of the testosterone hormone in aging men. According to Dr. Lincoln, men with low testosterone tended to be impatient, sarcastic, and argumentative.
So, I have a good excuse. But still…thank God for the mute button!
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