Steve Albert deserves his own thread--and that's not a good thing

AzStevenCal

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Incidentally, he just fined the Spurs a quarter of million dollars for not suiting up Duncan et al for the Miami game. Another dumb move. Kudos to Pops for another shrewd mind game, I say.

I disagree with you here. I think Stern absolutely had to take steps before this got out of hand and Pop had to have known he was crossing a line. They are individual entities but each franchise has a responsibility to do what's best for them AND what's best for the league as a whole and this is a bad thing for the league. How do you sell this product if a team is allowed to pick and choose the nights they compete? It's one thing to do it down the stretch in preparation for the playoffs but to do it in November is just a slap in the face of the league.

If you let them do it like this then what's to stop Phoenix from resting all their starters one night in Miami so they have a better chance to beat a more beatable Orlando team the next night? Or keeping them home on a 3 game road swing against the best teams in the East so that they'll be better rested for the Sacramento and Golden State home games that follow? Or what's to stop Miami from leaving Lebron and Wade home because they know they don't really need to win every night?This is a business, it's entertainment and it's a competition. It's hard to balance all three and actions like this would make it much tougher to do IMO.

Steve
 
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Any whistle stops the clock. That's really all there is to it.
No, that's not all there is to it. That's why it is called a continuation play. That being the time between the physical foul and the player continuing/finishing the shot, even if the quarter (or game) ends. 'Not the same meaning as a continuance in a courtroom.
 

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Since we know that a whistled foul does not stop play, does it make any sense for it to stop the clock?

Sure. Free throws take place while the clock is stopped, so there is a difference between play time and clock time. And, especially toward the ends of games, we often see the point guard let the ball bounce part way up the court on its own before he touches it, during which time it is in play but the clock isn't running. Theoretically, a loose-ball foul could be committed during that interval, in which case you'd have a stoppage of "play" even though the clock was already not running.

As yet another example, if a player launches a shot just before the clock expires, the ball is still live on its way to the basket, even though the clock is reading 0:00, and a goaltending infraction could be called.

I've never seen the refs put time back on the clock after a continuation call, though it appears they did in this case.

No, they just corrected the late stoppage of the clock. Human reaction time is at least 0.3 seconds even under the best of circumstances, plus the sound of the whistle has to arrive in the time-keeper's ear, which can take another several hundredths. Usually, the delay between when the whistle blows and when the clock stops is small enough to be negligible, but in this case it wasn't.

What the heck is the clock for but to measure the time elapsed during play?

I take it you don't watch football. The rules for when the clock runs and when it doesn't are dizzying.
 
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Maybe we are in agreement here, or not, but two free throws should have been all that was given. The reason I say this, is because without the foul, the shot would not have counted... because the ball was still in the players hands when the shot clock (light) went off. This rule seems clear and a standard when reviewing whether a shot counts at the buzzer as interpreted in games most every day. The ball was still in the shooter's hands so therefore the foul should stand but not the shot. If the rules say otherwise, I say the rules are contradictory.
 
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What is wrong with you?
Oh, there are some things wrong with me. Arthritis is setting in. I wish I didn't have to work (part-time) while on Social Security. Thanks for asking. :)

And I enjoy sharing opinions with, and asking questions of, the good people on ASFN and learning from their experiences.

Have a nice day!
 

Superbone

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Yeah but that one surprised me too. I've never seen that call made before. Continuation and clock are two different things. I always thought you had to get the shot off prior to the clock expiring and that's it, nothing else enters the equation. At least, that's what I always thought. As the refs called it otherwise I'm inclined to think I'm wrong but I have to say I'm a little shocked by it. It just isn't consistent with the way rules are usually established, the clock is inviolate. It isn't something that can be ignored.

Steve

Huh? I fast forwarded through that call. You're telling me the Raptor released the ball after time had expired? Maybe the clock is supposed to stop at the time of the foul? Therefore the shot still counts due to continuation.

Edit: Whoops. Should have kept reading.
 
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Superbone

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Stops the clock, not the play. What is wrong with you?

:mulli:

What's wrong with him? That's uncalled for. Especially from the guy that doesn't know how a two on one fast break should be executed.
 
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:mulli:

What's wrong with him? That's uncalled for. Especially from the guy that doesn't know how a two on one fast break should be executed.
Thanks, Super. Perhaps we should also get back to the point, which was that Steve Albert didn't have a clue of what was going on, as with (unfortunately) too many of the plays he is supposed to be calling.

As a reminder, he is in his 20th year of announcing pro basketball, now with his 4th NBA team, and is expected to not make rookie mistakes. Unfortunately for us Suns fans, it's just another disappointment by the Front Office.

We are stuck with an untalented cast at the top of the organization. I think it will be a relief for Alvin Gentry when he is dumped at the end of the season. And that knowledgeable NBA people know that was is going on (on the court) is not his doing. If anything, he has gotten his team to play over their heads last season and this, hovering at the .500 mark -- 33-33 last season and 7-10 this season.

Gee, if Gentry only had some way to get the best out of Steve Albert, but that is up to Eddie Johnson. Or at least to cover for him. I wouldn't surprised if EJ bails out at the end of this long season.
 

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As a reminder, he is in his 20th year of announcing pro basketball, now with his 4th NBA team, and is expected to not make rookie mistakes. Unfortunately for us Suns fans, it's just another disappointment by the Front Office.

That's hard to fathom. He often sounds like a neophyte out there.
 

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This guy is horrible. Its like Sarver and Co. are trying to do everything they can conjure up to destroy the franchise.
 

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I got my hands on a transcript of the interview between Robert Sarver and Steve Albert. The following contains the entire interview (unabridged):

Robert Sarver: Mr. Albert?

Steve Albert: Yes! (trying to sound like Marv Albert)

Sarver: Please don't do that. Anyway, I've watched like 10 minutes of your work, and honestly, the way mistakes flow off your tongue... within 10 seconds of hearing you speak, I said to my wife, "I just found the next voice of our franchise."

Albert: I've seen the group of future D Leaguers and McDonalds burger flippers that currently make up the 2012-13 Suns roster, and if this were not a job interview, I would probably throw this hot coffee in your face for that.

Sarver: Actually, it's coffey-drink. Cost cutting, ya know?

Albert: indubitably.

Sarver: You've demonstrated a complete and utter inability to accurately describe what's happening on the basketball court. I have one question for you, Mr. Albert. If I hire you as the Suns' play-by-play announcer, can I expect that to continue?

Albert: I literally can't do it any other way.

Sarver: You're hired! I'd shake your hand, but again, cost cutting has forced us to buy less expensive beverage cups, and as I'm sure you've become aware, the new cups are not good at holding liquids for any sustained amount of time, and you have coffey-drink all over your hands and clothing. Not to worry, my personal assistant will find a few places not too far from here where you can buy paper towels. Siri!
 
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Steve seems to be getting a little better in following, and announcing, the action on the court. Not good, but better.

On a lighter note, he just doesn't come across as a comfortable person.

In the first attached photo, he doesn't sit next to Eddie Johnson, he leans on him. Every game.

In the second (from the Clotherie posed photo of Suns announcers), that protruding shoulder makes him look awkward.

Oh well!
 

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He is still amazing!

It is a new year and Steve Albert is still amazing.

The Celtics call a 20-second timeout and the "wandering" mind of our TV play-by-play announcer is wondering why they are meeting on the other end of the court.

Finally, "Oh, there must be a man injured."

If he is not on something . . . he should be. :D
 

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Steve seems to be getting a little better in following, and announcing, the action on the court. Not good, but better.

On a lighter note, he just doesn't come across as a comfortable person.

In the first attached photo, he doesn't sit next to Eddie Johnson, he leans on him. Every game.

In the second (from the Clotherie posed photo of Suns announcers), that protruding shoulder makes him look awkward.

Oh well!

What an, uhm, interesting post?
 
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What an, uhm, interesting post?
Body language, man. It goes hand-in-hand with his self-depricating humor.

He's getting paid a lot of bucks to do play-by-play in the best basketball league in the world.
 

AzStevenCal

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I've tried to avoid doing any Albert bashing after the first few games because it's obvious that he's just not a good choice and that's not going to change but now he's really starting to annoy me. He has such a juvenile sense of humor, I halfway expect him to start making potty jokes. And note to Albert, anytime you feel the need to apologize for the joke you just made, it's a sure bet you shouldn't have made it.

We all know he misses plays often but , and maybe it's just me, I really think I hear the beginnings of tension building between him and Ann. This is not a good team but this team is better at playing basketball than Albert is at announcing it. Based solely on performance to date (no projections), Michael Beasley has been a better acquisition than Steve Albert.

Steve
 
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I've tried to avoid doing any Albert bashing after the first few games because it's obvious that he's just not a good choice and that's not going to change but now he's really starting to annoy me. He has such a juvenile sense of humor, I halfway expect him to start making potty jokes. And note to Albert, anytime you feel the need to apologize for the joke you just made, it's a sure bet you shouldn't have made it.

We all know he misses plays often but , and maybe it's just me, I really think I hear the beginnings of tension building between him and Ann. This is not a good team but this team is better at playing basketball than Albert is at announcing it. Based solely on performance to date (no projections), Michael Beasley has been a better acquisition than Steve Albert.

Steve
Steve Albert's Henny Youngman sense of humor (antiquated terminology and references, self-depricating and Brooklyn ethnic) just don't fit the 21st century or the population of the Valley of the Sun.

Hearing his "downtown" reference to every 3-point shot attempt is his admitting that he is trying to ride the coattails of his brother Marv. Folks, once again we got the weaker brother. And with an obvious inferiority complex, to boot.

Being raised in New Jersey (and leaving it behind 35 years ago) is why I voiced my disappointment right from the start. I like your comparison to Michael Beasley. At least Beasley has one good game out of every ten. Not so with Albert.

BTW, EJ has been even more obvious than Ann in showing his discomfort with the clown sitting next to him.
 

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Early in the second half against the Mavs:

SA: Dragic kicks the ball out of bounds. Only six seconds left on the shot clock...
 

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Body language, man. It goes hand-in-hand with his self-depricating humor.

He's getting paid a lot of bucks to do play-by-play in the best basketball league in the world.

But over-analyzing his "protruding shoulder?" That's just strange. Sorry.

Oh, and I broke my right collarbone as a kid so my shoulder slumps down a little. Makes my left one look like it's "protruding," I guess. That must make me an awkward and uncomfortable person.
 

Superbone

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But over-analyzing his "protruding shoulder?" That's just strange. Sorry.

Oh, and I broke my right collarbone as a kid so my shoulder slumps down a little. Makes my left one look like it's "protruding," I guess. That must make me an awkward and uncomfortable person.

No, I think it's the hat. :p
 

AzStevenCal

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But over-analyzing his "protruding shoulder?" That's just strange. Sorry.

Oh, and I broke my right collarbone as a kid so my shoulder slumps down a little. Makes my left one look like it's "protruding," I guess. That must make me an awkward and uncomfortable person.

Couldn't you just hire someone less deformed to make your public appearances for you?

Steve
 
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But over-analyzing his "protruding shoulder?" That's just strange. Sorry.

Oh, and I broke my right collarbone as a kid so my shoulder slumps down a little. Makes my left one look like it's "protruding," I guess. That must make me an awkward and uncomfortable person.
But how are you at announcing basketball play-by-play? :)

It looks like it is Steve's choice to look (and sound) awkward. Especially when he leans toward EJ or Ann Meyers Drysdale at a 45° angle.

I'll bet you don't insult yourself on your job like Steve does. He has ridiculed himself far more on the air than I have on this board, constantly reminding us that Phoenix got the runt of the litter of the Albert announcing trio.

That's the problem with his apparent inferiority complex. That he is constantly reminding us of his faults. He gets EJ to talk about his basketball prowess, then Steve has to add that he himself is a klutz. Who asked?

Steve Albert is stuck in the 20th century in Brooklyn, but he accepted a job in the 21st century in Phoenix.

His awkwardness ("klutz", as he call it, not a broken collarbone) is just one example of the discomfort his persona brings.

My personal note is that I left New Jersey 35 years ago to get away from the Steve Alberts of the world. And here he is announcing Suns games.

I am going to start listening to Al McCoy on KTAR and muting the TV sound, just as I did with the childish announcing team of Daron Sutton and Mark Grace before they were each fired by the D'backs.
 
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Aw, geez. Albert, twice in a row, vaguely refers to players from the past while calling the play, then has to explain whom he was referring to while the play is going on.

Ann Meyers Drysdale gently tries to bring him into the 21st Century.

And instead of taking the hint that he has to appeal to today's audience, he says, "We're going down memory lane whether they remember or not." That's what he said.

'Freaking New York attitude. What a snot!

That does it! I've switched the sound on my stereo system from TV to radio and am listening to Al McCoy. And, as I sit at my computer, because of the 5-second TV delay to bleep out sounds where the camera is pointed, every play is visually like an instant replay.

That's the way it will be until "The Klutz", as he calls himself, hitchhikes his way back to New Yawk. Or gets DUI's or tells the Front Office what shirts he is going to wear. ;)
 
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