Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I watched several of the 2005 WSOP reruns on ESPN this weekend and decided I have underrated Norm Chad. When some Donkey behaves like an idiot he points it out. I suspect several of his detractors are people who asked friends over to watch them on TV only to have Chad point out they acted like an idiot.
Way to go Norm! Keep it up.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I really enjoy Chad's work. Some of his jokes suck, but I'll take his funny stuff over Vince and Mike's overworked drama any day of the week.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Ill take the Britsh guys on the EPT over both But Chad is better than the WPT dudes

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

How do you get to watch the "british" guys on EPT. Is that broadcast here in the US?

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I don't think Norman Chad is funny, but I think he knows more about poker than most people seem to give him credit for. I also like that he calls out jackasses.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ill take the Britsh guys on the EPT over both But Chad is better than the WPT dudes

[/ QUOTE ]they are oretty good. but hearing the guy with the lisp is funny

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Chad's sense of humor got old for me a long time ago. I used to read his columns, which recycled the same jokes he now recycles on the air. I like that he expresses his opinions, but even those are hardly unconventional (Ferguson and Lederer have class, Hellmuth's a jerk, the young loudmouths should learn better manners, etc.)

That said, I don't like to complain about announcers because no matter how bad you think somebody is, they always manage to come up with someone even worse. That goes for almost every sport.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

The commentator is Irish, Duthie is British I assume.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I understand Norman Chad is divorced. Has anyone else heard that subject come up?

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I understand Norman Chad is divorced. Has anyone else heard that subject come up?

[/ QUOTE ]

Woah, I wonder why this newsflash hasn't come up on drudge.

Chad on the WSOP does one good thing, it keeps him off PTI. God was he AWFUL in his fill in roles on PTI.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Chad is good but I think Kaplan is better now. Kaplan was excellent at the recent heads up challenge

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I watched several of the 2005 WSOP reruns on ESPN this weekend and decided I have underrated Norm Chad. When some Donkey behaves like an idiot he points it out. I suspect several of his detractors are people who asked friends over to watch them on TV only to have Chad point out they acted like an idiot.
Way to go Norm! Keep it up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Remember that dude Barry Paskin who wore the same sweat-stinking England soccer shirt the whole tournamnet?
He'd always stand on his chair and shout "no, no, NO, NOOO, YES !!!"
When Paskin gets knocked out on his donkey ass Norman Chad say's something like "he's not shouting anything, ok i'll shout something...... YES, YES, YES, YES, SEE YA !!!!"

made me laugh anyway [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
Chad is good but I think Kaplan is better now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Chad is literally the poor man's Gabe Kaplan. I have to think Kaplan's who ESPN had in mind when they looked for a color commentator.

[ QUOTE ]
God was he AWFUL in his fill in roles on PTI.

[/ QUOTE ]

In comparison to whom...?

PTI is a 30-minute black hole in ESPN's schedule as far as I'm concerned, just like "The Sports Reporters" and all their other sportswriter-talking-head shows.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I don't mind Chad. His commentary is bearable which is a lot better than most poker shows.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
His commentary is bearable which is a lot better than most poker shows.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's also more bearable than his second wife.

/rimshot

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I really enjoy Chad's work. Some of his jokes suck, but I'll take his funny stuff over Vince and Mike's overworked drama any day of the week.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that Vince Van Patten is overdramatic, but Sexton is a much brighter poker mind than VVP, Norm, and Lon combined. Despite the annoying North Carolina drawl, Sexton has a lot more valuable insight to offer than anyone else in the business, save for Lederer on FSN and maybe Kaplan on High Stakes Poker.

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think Norman Chad is funny, but I think he knows more about poker than most people seem to give him credit for. I also like that he calls out jackasses.

[/ QUOTE ]

Disagreed. Norm is constantly overreacting to unsportsmanlike behavior in poker. Guys like Matusow and Arieh, and sometimes that Hellmuth guy I suppose, they're just talking to get under players' skin, and there's no rule against that. Norm needs to butt out.

[ QUOTE ]
Chad's sense of humor got old for me a long time ago. I used to read his columns, which recycled the same jokes he now recycles on the air.


[/ QUOTE ]

Oh GOD. He is absolutely TERRIBLE as a columnist. I've read a bit of it too, and it's just worthless.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]

PTI is a 30-minute black hole in ESPN's schedule as far as I'm concerned, just like "The Sports Reporters" and all their other sportswriter-talking-head shows.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's the highest rated talk show they have on the network. They signed a 5 year contract this year to keep it on the air until 2011.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I for one love the ESPN sportswriter shows. PTI, ATH, Sports Reporters, you name it. Anything that doesn't feature Stephen A. Smith, I'll watch.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I used to like Around the Horn when Max Kellerman was running it, simply because he knew the sportswriters were boobs, and treated them as such. Plus he had charisma, where as whathisname running it now doesn't.

So I just stick to PTI these days, which is even entertaining with the B team running it.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I don't mind Chad that much. Gape Kaplan is the man though. It's pretty clear he knows what he's talking about when it comes to poker.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I don't mind Chad that much. Gape Kaplan is the man though. It's pretty clear he knows what he's talking about when it comes to poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Kaplan's pretty good, but he's a really tight player. When he announces, it always seems as though he expects the players to play just as tight as he does... saying things like "he should fold this hand in this position..." when the player in question actually ends up raising. I guess it's just a personal preference thing, but sometimes Kaplan's analyses aren't really at my speed. He's a smart guy though, and he knows the game.

As for ATH, I actually like Reali... he's a knowledgeable guy, and like me, he's got a good head for stats. PTI though, is terrible unless the A team is on. Jason Whitlock is a moron, and Lebatard, while he's not that bad a sportswriter, is annoying as a TV personality. On the other hand, Wilbon is absolutely brilliant -- the best sportswriter in the world right now, if you ask me -- and Kornheiser makes a great sidekick. PTI's A-team can't be beaten.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

To chime in on the talk show discussion, I love PTI when Wilbon and Kornheiser are there. I like it when exactly one is there. I generally don't watch it when neither is there. These last few days with Whitlock (who I can't stand) and Le Batard (who I kinda just dislike a little) have been pissing me off.

I used to watch ATH, but it grew old since it always just feels like a less sophisticated PTI. I still watch it about once a week.

I like Tony Reali a lot.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Funny, I dislike Norman a lot. To me he comes off as a bully of sorts looking for unknown players to simply make fun of the way a school bully looks for weak kids to pick on and boost their self esteem. He even seems to want to make fun of anything he can, their clothes, glasses as well as their play. I don’t find it funny; I seem to want to defend the players he picks on. I do find Kaplan funny as his joking comes off as teasing with no harm intent.

When I first saw how nerdy Norman looks, I imagine he was probably picked on growing up and that is what he learned.

Of course I’ve only seen his TV personality, so what do I know.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I'm not sure about ATH being the less sophisticated one. There are a few guys on there (Michael Smith, Mariotti, Bob Ryan) who are just as good as, if not better than, Kornheiser. I wouldn't say either one is that sophisticated. They're both informative though.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Not poker related, but sports caster related...Bob Costas...nuff said.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

the USPC is now playing played on Canadian TV and I think norm chad really handles himself well. As compared to Kaplan's HSP crappy comentary, Norm Chad actually analyzes the hands and situations based on the fact that the other player doesn't know what he has. Kaplan on the other hand commentates and analyzes the situation based almost entirely by what the other players holdings are. Weak.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Very interesting point. I don't think Kaplan is quite as bad as you make him out to be, but I definitely see where you're coming from here.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I disagree, and think it's actually the opposite. Chad will often call a play one way, and the near-exact same play another way, based on the results. Of course, they're both a little guilty of it, which is natural.

But mainly, Kaplan's analysis is just worlds deeper than Chad's. Kaplan actually seems to be inside the players' heads on some levels thinking things out from their POV, and then adds his own thoughts.

Look at the hand where Antonio falsely agonized calling with his QQ after Matusow re-raised him (asking him to show him one card and such), in order to set up a flop check-raise. Kaplan read the situation precisely, and even lightly questioned the ethics of it, noting Matusow would probably be angry when seeing the hand on TV. Would Chad have perceived ANY of that? Likely he would have just criticized Antonio's hesitation ("He has QQ against a loose aggressive player who might be tilting. I don't know what he's thinking about...") or maybe commented that Antonio was scared of AA-KK ("When you get re-raised like that Lon, you have to consider your queens might be beat...").

Basically, Chad just alternates between complete awe (of the "great" players), cheesy mocking (of the not great players), and superficial 1st level analysis that's usually heavily results-based.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I disagree, and think it's actually the opposite. Chad will often call a play one way, and the near-exact same play another way, based on the results. Of course, they're both a little guilty of it, which is natural.

But mainly, Kaplan's analysis is just worlds deeper than Chad's. Kaplan actually seems to be inside the players' heads on some levels thinking things out from their POV, and then adds his own thoughts.

Look at the hand where Antonio falsely agonized calling with his QQ after Matusow re-raised him (asking him to show him one card and such), in order to set up a flop check-raise. Kaplan read the situation precisely, and even lightly questioned the ethics of it, noting Matusow would probably be angry when seeing the hand on TV. Would Chad have perceived ANY of that? Likely he would have just criticized Antonio's hesitation ("He has QQ against a loose aggressive player who might be tilting. I don't know what he's thinking about...") or maybe commented that Antonio was scared of AA-KK ("When you get re-raised like that Lon, you have to consider your queens might be beat...").

Basically, Chad just alternates between complete awe (of the "great" players), cheesy mocking (of the not great players), and superficial 1st level analysis that's usually heavily results-based.

[/ QUOTE ]

Spot on.

All that's missing from Kaplan (and pretty much every other poker commentator on TV) is proper emphasis on big hands, big draws, etc. Many poker commentators come across as too monotone - not really providing the audience with what I would consider to be useful and constructive emphasis on particular hands.

Personally I think that's the by-broduct of edited poker, and the fact that most or all of the analysis is done in post-production - long after any drama of the moment has worn off. It's hard to re-manufacture that drama in an editing booth. It's one of the reasons that live cash games (particularly L@TB) can be so much more interesting - because the commentators can react to the hands in real-time, and you also gain the insight as to why players may make the moves that they do along the way.

- T

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I just hate the World Poker Tour people. Ugh.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I really like the espn broad casters, clear voices and entertaining. The wpt's isn't very exciting, but i'd still watch it whenever i can. I do miss shana hiatt though =[.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

Norm is head-and-shoulders above the team of Vince & Mike. This ain't life and death, it's poker. Chad's does make me chuckle once in a while, but more importantly, he calls out the guys that are either acting like dick's, or playing like them. The more I watch and learn about poker, the more I appreciate Chad's commentary.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I for one love the ESPN sportswriter shows. PTI, ATH, Sports Reporters, you name it. Anything that doesn't feature Stephen A. Smith, I'll watch.

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean that I'm-from-the-hood cocksure swagger doesn't do it for you?

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

You have point. And yes, they are both guilty of hand based analysis once in a while. I remember that Antonio hand, gotta laugh at your hypothetical Chad commentary, lol. However, Kaplan is sometimes guilty as well by cheesily mocking the amateur players at the HSP (chammanara's KJ trip Jacks vs Mizrachi's set hand comes to mind).

Can we just agree that VVP's commentary is the absolute in poker? Mark Seif's PPT commentary is also a whole other story....

Points well taken, and I do agree with you wholeheartedly based on previous WSOP ME commentary, but I still think he's upped his game with the USPC tourney.

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure about ATH being the less sophisticated one. There are a few guys on there (Michael Smith, Mariotti, Bob Ryan) who are just as good as, if not better than, Kornheiser.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mariotti is horrendous. His analysis is always knee-jerk and superficial. I don't ever hear anything from him that goes beyond surface-level small talk.

I do enjoy Michael Smith and Bob Ryan, as well as Tim Cowlishaw (my favorite).

Re: Norm Chad Keep It Up
 

I love chad, he repites himself alot but still he comes up with something new all the time that makes me laugh.