Ask Ping!
Friday, March 11, 2011 | 9:00 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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Dear Ping,
While watching Saturday's Daytona Supercross with my family, we, along with the rest of the world, watched as Stewart took a rough digger. While I am not a Stewart fan, I respect his abilities and talent and would never want a racer to get hurt whether I like them or not. My question is: It was very obvious his bell was rung as he could barely stand up, let alone get a leg over his twisted up bike. When do the higher powers step in and keep him from going back onto the track and potentially injuring himself, or other riders, worse?
Chris
Apparently there is still gravity in Bubbas World.
I’m not sure why there is so much buzz about this. This is professional athletics and motocross is one of the most brutal sports around. Riders have been crashing and getting up to finish races since the very first snaggle-toothed Brit with a leather helmet and chaps got his rigid-framed jalopy sideways in a scrambles race and got flicked off like a stubborn booger. Why is this such a big deal? James crashed hard and he was dazed but he jumped right up and started looking for his bike. If a guy is concussed or seriously injured, they usually find a nice, soft tuff block on the edge of the track and have a seat until they can pull it together. James ran to his bike. When he got there, Eddie from Asterisk’s crew asked if he was okay. James didn’t answer; he just began gathering his bike. He had to pull it off the side of a jump and didn’t notice the fender pointing up, causing him to fall when he swung his leg over. At that point Eddie asked him again if he was okay. James said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” So, they stepped back and let him start his bike and ride off. James pulled back onto the track with nobody around him and the Asterisk crew all kept an eye on him for the next several laps. He immediately began jumping the obstacles again and riding without doing anything erratic. In the end, James put together good laps for the rest of the race and salvaged some points. The right decision was made by Asterisk and the officiating staff to let James continue (realize that it isn’t Asterisk’s job, per se, to pull someone off the track if they think they crashed too hard). If James had ridden off into the high bank of turn one on the speedway or been weaving all over the track I’m sure that the AMA and FIM officials would have pulled him in. There have been questionable moments in this sport’s history where riders rejoined the race after hitting their heads. Josh Hansen’s ride at Anaheim 2 comes to mind, though he made that one work for him. But in my opinion the Daytona incident with James was handled properly. Let it go.
PING
Hi Ping,
I have noticed that many of the organized groups that participate in the racing each week refer to their respective group as: Team (fill in the blank); such as: Team Honda, or Team Suzuki, etcetera.... Recently, I have noticed that some of the riders who happen to share the same team are now being tagged as "Stable mates.” Does this new label indicate a deeper/higher level of connection between the riders sharing the same team? Do these "Stable mates" actually live, eat, sleep and eventually consummate this relationship in a stable?
Sincerely,
Mr. Ed
These are stable mates.
I learn something new every time I watch the broadcast as well. I never referred to any of my former teammates as “stable mates” but maybe that’s what kids are calling it these days. Or, maybe the fellas in the booth need to rethink some of their descriptive terms. Stable mates? I’ll tell you what, unless I’m lining up for the Kentucky Derby, I don’t want to refer to anyone as my stable mate. And while we’re airing our discontent, let me just say that if I have to hear about that track being “alive” one more time I’m going to tie all my shoelaces together and hang myself. We get it: the track is made of soft soil and it changes every lap. Deep ruts reach up and grab you, blah, blah, blah. It’s a scary track and it lives and breathes. Oooooooohhh, watch out. Moving on.
“Stable mates” is only slightly better than calling teammates your “partners” and I hope that neither of these catches on in the booth.
PING
Ping,
I really hesitate to bash TV coverage of SX. When I came up all we had was Motoworld and Cycle News so I am very appreciative that we have such a good TV package now. But every week one segment continues to strike me as legitimately stupid: the “Keys to the Race.” When I see introspective tips like “Get a good start,” “finish strong” or “ be patient” it makes me want to bang my head into something. Really? Not choking on lap ten is a key to winning? Getting a good start can lead to a better finish? Riding hard is important? Awesome, thanks. Never would have guessed.
Can you please use your magical-powers-for-good to make the Keys to the Race go away, or better still, replace them with some actual technique or track-related keys? I think even a casual fan would appreciate a little more of the “how” behind what the riders are doing out there than these vague and pointless “keys.”
Keyless Mark
My keys to the race? Go really, really ridiculously fast.
We should all be quick to realize how good we have it these days. I hear old-timers talking about how the only motocross they got to see on the color set was the USGP at Carlsbad and it was aired months after the event took place. We have come a long, long ways in terms of coverage in this sport and we should not take that for granted. That said, the Keys to the Race are lamer than a commentator referring to members of the same team as “Stable mates.” Sorry, still not over that one. I don’t need to hear RC and Fro give a dissertation on string theory, but it would sure seem to me that with as many titles as they have between them they could come up with something a little more profound than “Ride fast” and “Dig Deep,” or whatever the totally awesome “Keys” were this week. At one point I almost laughed out loud because it sounded like something Derek Zoolander would have said after explaining that there is more to life than being really, really ridiculously good-looking. Both of these guys have won at Daytona. So, how about telling us what you did to prepare and the mindset you had coming into and during the race? We all know it’s important to get a good start. My slow neighbor kid who munched all the lead-based paint off his crib like a beaver when he was a kid knows that you need to get a good start. Tell us all something we might not know. Mark, I wish I had more pull and I could make something change. Sadly, you might be stuck with Keys, so continue to breathe air in and out all day long or keep going until the officials give you the checkered flag for a couple more months. Sorry.
PING
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The zoolander comment was clutch. Why don't we ditch the animated track map while we are at it? I don't need to see a little animated arrow going over an MX vs. ATV track for 30 seconds. That does nothing for anybody. Well, at least the helmet cams work better now. I remember in the late 90s with Bailey and Eckman (the best by the way) they would cut to some footage of a helmet cam and it would just be static 75% of the time and you had no clue what was going on. Also, while attending Dayton I realized that the broadcasting on SPEED could actually be worse. I give Fro a pass, he has gotten better. And I think we all agree that Shaheen is the biggest tool ever. But what if it were Shaheen and Paul Page? Wowzers, that would be scary.
Can't believe I'm typing this, but I believe they pay Ralph to be the layman's commentator. Ask the painfully obvious so that new race fans at home get the answer to questions they may be thinking.
Ralph: Jeff, these guys are going bar to bar to bar. Is a handlebar necessary even when you're not going bar to bar to bar?
New race fan at home: Thiyat, I was just wondering the same thing. Man, I hope the pasty guy with no sideburns asks if that #7 should be allowed to get back on his blue motoRcross bike. And at what point do they flip over and get points?
Ralph: Ricky, you've taken your fair share of spills. Is James okay to continue racing? His bike flipped!
I like how they are still "tweaking" the animated track map also... first the arrow just whipped it over the triples..but watch carefully, he whips it more than Barcia now!
I can't remember his name, but there was a guy who called the races after Eckman/Bailey who was a bigger tool than Shaheen. Todd something or other ( I think). Man I hated that guy.
That Todd guy had a few minor operations, and he is now known as Erin. The Adam's Apple is the giveaway.
I remember the days when DC used to do the track lap on a borrowed bike with a helmet cam, and he would do the commentary while he was on the bike. THAT was cool. Best one was when he followed Ping over that big step-up, I think it was Millville, and said it was the biggest jump he ever did. THAT is the kind of stuff that makes us want more and more.
I think they should replace sheheen with WEEGGEEEEEEE!!! Leave RC and replace fro with Despain.
just a thought
While I'll readily admit the overall amount of TV coverage is way better than it was in the late 90's, the commentating has really gone downhill. Art Eckman and David Bailey were far and away the best commentators I have seen/heard in this sport for about 15yrs now. What is the deal with all the PC talk nowadays? I mean c'mon, Shaheen apologizing for scrutinizing some electronic trickery on Jame's bike a couple weeks back? Really?? That was actually good reporting and interesting at least.
They might want to take note of all the other sports out there and start making adjustments as needed. Can you imagine one of the football analysts "keys to the game"? "Needs to throw it hard"; "Needs to run really fast"... I used to love it when Bailey would just tell it like he saw it, from a racers perspective. May not have always been right, but it was how he saw it.
.....
Ping commentary for the win?
Or if he is all behind that, with the running away from chasing lawyers thing there is this guy "Eazy" who could totally do the job.
I love RC being on the broadcasts. His grammar can be questionable, but he's RC, he can get away with it. Keep him on!
Well said Ping, well said
That's hilarious, Yamalink.
Fellows, Fellows !! Enough with the bashing of Shaheen and Fro. They have to make the broadcast generally interesting to newer viewers, so you should just 'live with the dumbed down' explanations.
However, It really irks me to hear the Daytona SX track announcers say 'Bar-See-a'. I'm looking at you, Emmy winning Paul Page !! You can do better.
Yamalink, that was Todd Harris that transgendered into Erin Bates ( please forgive me Erin Bates, you may ask about my traction control anytime..)
I don't like to bash the commentators because it is a much harder job than it looks. I don't think ralph is as awful as everyone says. the commentating could be better, but could be way worse and I think it is improving.
There is one thing that I get most agrivated at, and I don't see anyone commenting on this to much. The camera coverage of crashes, especially in the first turn drives ME CRAZY!. Whenever there is a first turn crash, they keep the camera on the crash FOREVER! They sit there and show a 3 digit (or any) rider kicking his bike for 10 kicks while the battle for the lead continues for the ext lap! Whatching a guy kick his bike is NOT FUN TO WATCH!. Even if it is a top rider down in the first corner, after the wreck, the camera should be on only slightly long enough to identify the rider, then get back to the leaders! Usually, the battle on the first lap may be the most exciting of the race as that is when the most riders are together battling for position. It is also maybe the only time you will see your rider for the entire broadcast, especially if the top riders are down. But they continue to not show an entire lap of the leaders while showing us a dude kick his bike.
At the daytona race they also showed way too much of stewart coming throught he pack when I would have liked to see more of the top 5 - 8 riders jockey for position after his crash. Anyway, that is my pet peeve that I yell at the TV more at than any other thing in the broadcast.
You gotta love the live coverage though, and this season ROCKS!
Great JOB this week Ping!!! I got real tired of people saying JS should not have been back out there after that crash!! How do they know how he felt?? There were guys on here this week saying THEY KNOW he was concussed!! LMAO the haters always know so much. Also the KEY'S are DUMB!!!
I liked Ping's assement of the Stewart incident and remember Ping may have passed his paramedic finals by now. So he has the knowlege? now plus since he might have crashed once before Ping might know what you feel like when you kinda crash with out a chance to save it. I know I got up and took off at times when I should have been stopped then pulled off after a bit. Crahing sucks no matter what.
I hate when its lap 15 and then need to go back and show the start again!!
I personally think the coverage is fine and think its a good idea for people to talk about what they dislike. Doing it in an intelligent and constructive way can only help things. I too cringe when they say the key to a win is a good start and going fast. It' like in football when they ask what the key to winning is. ummm, score more points than the other team...
As far as Stewart's crash is concerned, I too feel like Eddie and the crew did the right thing. Heck, I'm not even convince James hit his head. I've looked at the video a hundred times (Google search it. A few people captured some great footage). I've been busy away from the computer so I have not heard if he actually said he did. What I noticed was how he was limping like he tweaked his hip, knee, or ankle. Everyone keeps saying James was visibly loopy when he fell over. I think he was just exhausted and having an "dangit!" moment that he just crashed. The only questionable thing I noticed was how they let James enter the track. Would have been a really bad situation if another rider was coming along. Didn't look like anyone was watching for on coming traffic. Bottom line - Good job Eddie!
I have had my fair share of knarly soil samples....good ones too. I remember back in the 250cc Intermediate racing days out at LACR, I swapped in the rolling whoops when I was 3rd or 4th pinned......I remember swapping, hitting the deck, crawling to the side of the track and the next thing I remember was sitting in the shade against my truck tire drinking gatorade....Dont even know how I got there....I have also had crashes similar to JS7's at Daytona....you know you just ate shit and the wind may be knocked out of you, but you get up and stumble...and while your stumbling around, you start getting your senses back and you know your leg or arms are not broken....instinct says keep going.....if James was really in trouble, I think he would have called it a night.....
Live TV is better than NO TV.
I definitely think they are commentating to people who have never seen Supercross and so they really dumb down the broadcasts! However 95% of the people watching are avid fans and don't need to hear all the nonsense!
Personally, I love, love, love the live events! I am hoping they run all 17 live soon. It's like a nice Sat nite event!
That being said, Erin Bates interviews are just terrible and make me cringe everytime. Seems to me that someone in the pits should be a bit more knowledgable about racing, than just a pretty face. I don't mind Ralph and Fro at all. All major sports have the Play by Play guy with the "voice" who doesn't know jack about the sport. Everyone hates that guy, but he's a necessity for the ads and announcements.
I definately think they need to do a better job of educating the audience on the specific skills in certain sections of the track, riding techniques, the bikes, etc...have to agree, Keys to Race are pretty stupid, and honestly, they never change from race to race anyway.
The asterisk people were told to keep james out there...he sells tickets because he is out of control
everytime the cameras are on RV or CR or someone and you here the fans go crazy ya know james went down....cause he just aint very smart....
lets see jump something that has high risk little reward when you are up 10 seconds already,,,thats intelligent
then after you have already cleaned you clock, you get back on the back and like you always do enter the track without watching for other riders on the backside of a triple takeoff that everyone has to roll because of you
lucky that CR22 didn't come over it at the time cause then we woulda just heard more of the "its just racing" line
all said and done though james you really know how to fans to the channel and the stadium because everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for you to bite it and watch ur dad freak out on you or someone else
angry Ping this week
Bring in David Bailey for the play by play. He is by far the best commentator in motocross. Here's something else that really bothers me. And it's not just in motocross but Nascar coverage too. Stop calling every racer by their whole name: like James Stewart or Chad Reed or Jeff Gordon. If they would just same James or Chad or Jeff I think we all would know who they are talking about!!
Erin Bates - while not a fan of her I do think that she would be better in the SX coverage if they changed the following things:
1) Tighter, lower cut shirt
2) Shirt not black, lets see the curves
3) Less words
4) Stop focusing on her face & words
or
1) Get a monster girl to do her job
@ Not up to Par and Mxkidnj506, I agree with both of you. Bring back Eckman and Bailey, ( keep Fro also, I've always been a fan) and get Davey back to track side asking questions and doing a quick lap. I don't need to see big hooters on the person asking questions there's plenty of eye candy with the Monster girls.I'd rather hear good questions.
James makes good TV wrote YOU might want to re look at JS's crash. He DID NOT crash on the just that YOU say >lets see jump something that has high risk little reward when you are up 10 seconds already< . Another hater with no facts.
Slim473, I too cringe at the interviews. Although, how would you know Erin Bates has a 'pretty face' when she has two pounds of makeup on? It could be Ron Lechein under there, who knows.
The low point had to be when Todd (Yer Winner!) Harris and brainless bugeyed Krista Voda were doing the broadcasts, Ralphie and Erin are pretty easy to take considering how pathetic Todd and Krista were, and Paul Page's voice is just like scraping nails on a chalkboard.
yo Bill, i didn't even say he crashed on that jump...he almost did everytime but he didn't on the hard one they were talkin about
im just sayin he doesn't think at all when hes ridin...was that one jump really neccessary when ur destroyin everyone...no doubt hes fast and no doubt hes the fastest person to ever throw a leg over a dirtbike,,,but the FACT is he is just plain DUMB and his tv show prooves it
so there ya go BIG Jame,,, i mean BillC
Dear Lord almost forgot about Krista Voda. Horrendous. And good ol' Tod Harris, the strongest man commentator. Having Tod Harris commentate for strongest man is like having Rosie O'Donnell commentate for a Hooters swimsuit competition. Just a little out of place...
theres a buzz because i belive it was one time 250 sx champ emig had to run his mouth and say someone needs to check this guy out, just like he ran his mouth about the traction control crap, he needs to shut up and just comment on the racing this is coming from a guy who was let go from factory kawasaki cause he was smoking a little bud, i thought his eyes always looked a little red. some people are going to run there mouths and turn whats known as one of the hardest sports to i got turf toe i cant play.
The olden days had worse coverage...blah, blah, blah. We have over 700 channels now and SPEED has at least three that I know of that are dedicated to nothing but racing. Seriously, all of these races should be live and played for the full race. None of this highlights only BS for some of the heats. If they can't put it together why don't they switch to Vs. or FuelTV (even more channels dedicated to extreme sports). I attend the races in my area but to have to wait a day or sometimes a week to see a race is rediculous.
If they ever brought Eckman back, I would never turn the audio on. That guy would start screaming at nothing, call riders by the wrong names, and look for any chance to yell out his signature catchphrase "BAR TO BAR!!!" As mentioned, Todd Harris was a complete tool, and Cameron Steele was annoying as hell too (duuude). If I had a choice...Larry Meiers, DC, David Bailey, and Weege. They are all lovers of moto, and appreciate the nuance of the sport. Jmo of course...
That wasn't good reporting, it was terrible. They led us to believe something that wasn't true and made a team look like they were cheating. Stupid.
RC is an awful commentator, he's one biased bastard. I think he only does those jobs to talk about himself.
LETS be honest..erin is a lizzie..ralph is a dork ,fro is cool and has mad buds of the stink nugg..rc is pretty cool ...race coverage blows...interviews are more like job interviews for wiener schnitzel!!!
The animated track maps are cool, as I can successfully (NOT quickly) navigate an SX track and it's interesting to observe potential lines. The arrow doing whips is just stupid.
PLEASE ditch "Keys to Winning", it's right up there with John Madden spewing worthless lines like: "ugggh....whaaatttt he (gggrrbbllllll) wannts to deewww hrrrrr is score poinnnnts....(garble-gurb).....(heavy, labored breathing)"
Krista Voda sapped viewer's intelligence, life is better these days.
James makes good TV wrote. Let get real here, Re read what ya said. > jump something that has high risk little reward when you are up 10 seconds already< Sure sounds like you blaimed that jump to me. OK sorbie!!
@ Parcans, you hit the bullsye! Art Eckman was a boob!! Nice guy but as you stated, not good and too many mistakes. For those of you who want Dave Despain and DC to come back (it would be great) you have to consider their other projects. It ain't gonna happen.
The other Erin (Normyle ?) is so much more articulate then bates and asks some real questions. Not bad to look at either.
Ah Todd Harris, thats the guy. Worst MX announcer since that guy who used to scream everything he said. Harris used to always say "he just pulled a Crazy Ivan" when talking about Tedesco. He stole that line from the movie "Hunt for Red October".
2 more of the most cringe-worthy "Harrisisms" in addition to that stupid Crazy Ivan comment were:
"High Risk, high reward"
And the most annoying commentary description of all time:
"Bubbaesque"
And if we we can't have Jamie Little, Erin will do. She needs to leave her jacket in the production truck though...
I've seen a soldier looking for his combat helmet, after part of a humvee door removed about a quarter of his skull. Blood pouring from his ear, and squirting at least six feet in the air, when we ask if he was okay, he too said "I'm fine." Of course, about 30 seconds later, he sat down and died.
Who's the tard that decided to show the animated track map after we've already seen all the heat races. Makes better sense to show it before the racing starts. This ain't rocket science. And Erin's interviews are down right painful for us and the riders. Ditch her already.
You dufus! That track was alive. I spotted it after the race catcing a bus to New Jersey, where it signed up for unemployment then went out and scored a couple hookers.
This is a fairly long comment, that wastes considerable bandwidth.. Please! do NOT read it, if long, well-researched, articles offend you.
"So in 99% of the fans opinions, Stewie NEVER beat RC for a title, not a real one. (dont forget, Reed was tied with Stewie in points that season after Vegas,366 points each, Stewie got the edge because of wins) "
Toronto: Honda’s Nick Wey grabbed the $1,500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award with Suzuki’s carmichael and Reed in tow. Stewart started in 10th place. Throughout the first lap Reed and Carmichael traded positions, but the start of lap two, Carmichael hit a tuff block and crashed. Stewart moved into second place and put the charge on Reed.Reed and Stewart swapped positions several times before they came together before the finish line jump on lap 17. Stewart went off the track and upon re-entering Honda’s Travis Preston collided with Stewart, causing both of them to crash. Reed went on to pick up the win. Carmichael battled back to finish second and Stewart finished third.
Vancouver BC : Stewart led all 20 laps en route to his second-career Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP race. Carmichael was second while Reed was third.
“It was not the start I wanted,” said Carmichael. “If you want to put yourself in a better position, you can’t start the race like that. Only bad things can happen when you get a start like that.”
“It was a great race tonight, and I love racing here in Canada,” said Stewart. “My parents really helped me keep on track this week and come into the weekend really prepared. I do not feel 100% confident yet because I still have a lot of work ahead of me.”
series points after 2 rounds:
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 50
Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 44
So.........stewart gains a 6 point advantage, in canada.
daytona 2006: "stewart grabbed the main event holeshot and even managed to make it through the first turn. With half the battle already won, it looked as though Number 7 had it going on. He posted the fastest lap time of the night and it was almost a full second faster than Carmichael. But, Lucky wasn't so lucky tonight as the call of his native soil was too strong to resist. Stewart enjoyed a nice reunion with the Dirt Wurx-built track on Lap 2, allowing Reed, who had been in second place, Carmichael and the entire field weave their way around him. Ricky got by Reed on the same lap and was in first for the remainder of the evening."
So........ Stewart finished 6th, and dropped 10 points to ricky, at daytona 2006
Final Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
1. James Stewart, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 380
2. Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 365
Even if you were to add 'Daytona 2006', to the 'World Supercross GP' series, it will only give Carmichael, 10 points more on stewart, leaving him still 5 points behind ! So..... is stewart's 2006 "world gp title" really worth any less than carmichaels ama sx title ? ? ?
Final Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 338
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 336
here an asterisk *. sorry, but even the GOAT has a few...
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS3TOIfy85s
at 4:25 we have carmichael, cutting the track in detroit. His teammate Ivan Tedesco was penalized earlier in the day, for doing the same thing. Their was also that little 'fuel' issue, as well...
These are the facts. If you think that you know something, and you want to prove it to somebody else, the BEST way to do it, is to present a case.
No disrespect to anyone. peace.
Here is a really COOL website, which chronicles the entire 2006 supercross season:
://www.amsoil.com/supercross/2006/schedules/supercross.aspx
I could go without hearing "Rock Hard, Ride Hard" 5 times.
Can anyone imagine RC just riding around, not trying hard enough, just being carefull not to crash and hoping someone else that is trying hard to crash....
I DON'T THINK SO, HE WAS A REAL CHAMPION
James, you are the man, keep up the great work
I guess it is just a different generation... when I was a kid I used to have to scan the fine print of the TV guide for three hours hoping just to see the word "motorcycle"... then when you tuned in, some Firestone Bowling tournament went overtime and they never showed the race...
Those helmet cams with DC talking whilst riding were the sheeet!! Matter of fact, DC ruled right up until he got rich.
Give Ralph some credit, he has come a long way in his knowledge of the sport and Fro likes him, that's a pretty good endorsement. Mostly on the telecasts I hate when RC drags Fro into an ego comp. Fro is def trying to be a professional at his gig, props.
Ralphie boy ,needs to go AWAY? ...He is a lost cause ,he should be commentating maybe a softball game maybe ,a game of checkers where his expertise lies???HE HE HE
anybody rember when Gary Baliey was in the booth wow he was good , telling what he thought about racers and what they are doing wrong or right..honest like it or not ..
I'll take David Bailey and Jim Holley for my All Star Anouncer team anyday. Ralph Shaheen? He should be anouncing dog shows or beauty pageants in Texas. I would rather go to the dentist than listen to that clown.
Keys to the Race:
Helmet, fuel, air in tires, hot trophy girl...
Back in the day those were us old-timers' keys.
Jim Lamply would be cool to see in the booth.
An unbelievable amount of *****ing , HEY reach up and turn the volume off if you don't like it. Just watch the race and be glad you can. What a bunch of whiners .I think RC and EMIG might know more than ,oh 99.9 pecent of the viewers and Ralph does just fine. Your getting to watch ALL the SX for free...... but you'll probably find something wrong with that too!!!!
Got to love Ping,tells it like it is,and makes it funny as hell when he does.Keep up the good work.
So sick of people complaining about the supercross coverage, announcers, etc. Stop whining about it, before there's none like the webcast.
i like jim lampley, but does he know moto like he knows boxing ?
i understand having the "keys to the race" segment for your casual new to the sport fan to get a grasp and all. what gets me is why after we have all seen the track for 25 minutes of heat racing do they insist on using the last 30 seconds before the main to finally show the animated track map and red arrow doing sick whips. this time could be spent doing a close up pan shot (going left to right or whatever) of all the riders that are in the main. lets say wey and regal are your riders you like to follow; when they do the rider start shot from 1 side of line to the other you get to know about where to look for them on the start. oh well
@Yamalink, You are the the man! That is hilarious but, factual as well! Erin Bates is looking pretty damn manly these days. Here's the thing... if the riders actually liked or respected Erin Bates the transvestite look could maybe slide just a bit but, they hate her. She is always asking questions trying to stir up drama among the riders. Atlanta for example; she asked Chad Reed about "going for the jugular" in regards to his battle with JS7. He immediately shot that down.
Daytona - She tried to coerce RV to state that he wanted to lap James after having a huge get-off that could have seriously injured the #7.
Earlier in the series Bates was the one who fueled the fire concerning the so called "traction control" device supposedly bolted to Stewarts bike. After the main event she even questioned James and asked if it helped him win the main event. He replied "I think you were looking at a piece of dirt!"
The main point here is that the riders simply don't like her. We don't hear how they are actually feeling after a race because she is doing the interviewing. They are tight lipped because they simply don't want to talk to her!
Who's missing out? We are! Get someone in her place who can actually get the riders to speak to the fans and the sport will be better for it!
Erin Bates Sucks!
Of course we all appreciate the live and next day coverage. That's a given. But in an age of 900 digital channels and such non-entertainment as Jersey Shore and Rich Housewives, live sports events should be the norm anyway.
And there's nothing wrong with a little message board banter about the broadcast either. Most of the posters are respectful, and I enjoy reading what others think about the show. All of us love moto, and we are just venting our opinions about how it's presented to us.
Now about those guys in the booth (again). Holley would have to refrain from tripping over a cameltoe on live TV, and I'm still amazed how far Fro has come from his stuttering interviews as a kid. I can't believe Ralphie would take anything Bret Michaels says seriously.Maybe next time he's in the booth RC can swipe that poser bandanna & fake hair off his noggin. Now THAT would be epic TV! Rock Hard, Ride Bald...
All of that said, I still wouldn't want their gig. Live TV has to be tough...
That is really mean. SXFan23, yamalink. boo-hoo : (
Hating on Erin
1.) A lot hotter than any piece you've gotten
2.) Been around moto A LOT longer than MANY of you
3.) There's a producer or six talking in her ear telling her what to ask
4.) She's a kind, kind hearted woman
5.) Have a nice day
@veronicavoom u r so hot : ))
Oh to be able to sit around all day (& night), selling yourself on how you once did a lap at the local practice track that was only 1:39 seconds off the Pro's lap times. Why not go for the Daily Double and criticize talented, hard-working people who are actually TRYING in their lives.
"He got passed by his Team Suzuki/rockstar stablemate after a Hukaboo in the whoops, because the track was alive, at Daytona sponsored by Honda-supercross, in the Monster-energy FIm world supercross championship".