U announces Gopher Radio Broadcast Team & other coverage info

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dpodoll68 said:
I very rarely do. I'm at every home game when possible and watch every road game on TV when possible.

My opinion is, you're not that much of a Gopher fan if you don't care about every facet of the team, which includes the media surrounding it.
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I get that a lof of people what the complete "homer" slant. all that matters to me is whether the person can do a good job or not regardless of where they went to school.
 

The thing is, people expect the announcer to be more than just a job. Ray set a pretty high standard.
 

You guys are taking the rivalry thing a little bit like Mike Gundy. Did you see this?
 

Poor analogy. This guy was simply a contractor, his job had nothing to to with OSU, he simply accepted a contract to work on someone's house. Now, if the radio announcer for Oklahoma State were to go around wearing an Oklahoma shirt, that would be a different matter. But I'll be charitable, after all, Jerry Kill was once on the other side of the field himself.
 

The choice for sideline reporter, while I don't like the choice I really question how many candidates did they have? I would have thought Ray Hitchcock, Justin Conzemius, Sean Hoffman, or at the very least a former Gopher player should have been offered.
 


I think they wanted to have at least one KFAN employee on the broadcast team. My guess is that it came down to Gaard, Chris Hawkey and Cory Cove.
 

RodentRampage said:
Poor analogy. This guy was simply a contractor, his job had nothing to to with OSU, he simply accepted a contract to work on someone's house. Now, if the radio announcer for Oklahoma State were to go around wearing an Oklahoma shirt, that would be a different matter. But I'll be charitable, after all, Jerry Kill was once on the other side of the field himself.
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I know, I really wasn't trying to compare the two. Just trying to add a little humor to it. I mean that is taking the rivalry serious!
 

I don't hear KFAN much, living in outstate MN, so I don't know much about Gaard.

I hate Mike Grimm with a passion. I listen to a lot of Gopher Mens basketball on the radio, and Grimm is a terrible p-by-p announcer. he spends more time complaining about the officiating than he does actually describing the action. Plus, he likes cutesy phrases, such as, when a player is being double-teamed, calling it being "two-timed."

And let's face it - Darrell Thompson was a great player for the Gophs, but he adds nothing to the radio crew. Dave Mona was the color analyst, and Thompson tossed in a few random cliches from time to time.

I hope I'm wrong, but I am not looking forward to the new radio team.

(and for what it's worth, I have 25 years of experience working in small-market radio stations in the midwest, and I've covered multiple HS state-championship games, and D3 national championship games. I think I have the ability to judge a p-by-p announcer objectively, and I repeat - MIKE GRIMM STINKS!!!!!!!!!)
 




4four4 said:
I agree. If you are an open booster of any team of a major rival they should not be able to broadcast the other teams games. In all honesty how can we take him seriously? Sorry you can't.
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Just for pooh and laughs.. Today on the Bumper to Bumper program, Danny B. mentioned the backlash KFAN is getting for having Gaard being the sideline guy. They both commented on it, Gaardsy saying he wasn't bothered at all with the anti-Hawkeye stuff people throw out. But then he was bothered about a comment that 'claimed' he was a booster for Iowa (and Danny B. blew it out of proportion in classic Dan Burrito style by saying Gopher fans claimed Gaard "was taking Frientz out to dinner" and such). He also refuted the claims, saying in no way was he an Iowa booster.

Instantly thought of you, Dpo. =D
 

I can't get upset over such a secondary job. So and so is hurt, Coach Kill told me this. Interesting story about playersMom or Dad.
 

The thing about Gaard if I understand correctly, is that he went to U of I, couldn't hack it there, transferred home and got a degree from U of M. So he grew up here, and got a degree from here yet he still talks up Iowa so much because they've had more success recently. Talk about bandwagon jumper to who's ever hot lately, it's annoying.

I hope he does well as the sideline guy, but I still find his claiming to be such a big Iowa fan to be annoying.
 

I am glad other people are upset by this. Justin Gaard? Really? His homerism for IOWA should have been an immediate dq from holding a position on GOPHER radio. I really don't see how this slipped through the cracks. If the shoe was on the other foot, a Gopher fan would be fired from an Iowa sports talk radio show for showing favortism to the Gophers, not get a job covering the sidelines of the Hawkey radio network.

Beyond being a Hawkeye homer, Gaard simply is not very good at his job. His annoying parroting of Barreiro is one of the worst things I've ever heard on the radio. I have a hard time believing the "U" couldn't do better than Justin Gaard for this position.
 



I find this whole hating on Gaard to be a little ridiculous. So I ponder a couple of questions:

- Have you ever left a job and gone to a competitor in the same sector?
- Have you ever taken a job in a sector where you don't have any previous work experience?

According to posters on this board, you shouldn't be able to do this.

I also spent five minutes on the Google and came up with these tidbits:

- Paul Keels, the Voice of the Ohio State Buckeyes, previously was the play-by-play guy for Michigan and Cincinnati, two schools tOSU don't seem to like.
- The Michigan State pbp guy attended Notre Dame.
- Wisconsin pbp guy Matt Lepay graduated from Ohio State

Here's my take on the whole thing: To blindly say that a guy isn't qualified for a job because of where he went to school or the like is insulting to that person. Gaard's job is going to be to cover the Gophers. I can only assume that he is going to be professional.

If you want to say that the job should have gone to a former player, I can respect that (though that would mean two of the three people on the crew would be former players). But to just assume Gaard is going to be anti-Gophers isn't fair.
 


We're really freaking out about the sideline reporter? The guy they can choose to ignore all game other than for his basic BS questions that Kill will answer with platitudes on his way to or from the locker room at halftime?
 

anonymous said:
I find this whole hating on Gaard to be a little ridiculous. So I ponder a couple of questions:

- Have you ever left a job and gone to a competitor in the same sector?
- Have you ever taken a job in a sector where you don't have any previous work experience?

According to posters on this board, you shouldn't be able to do this.

I also spent five minutes on the Google and came up with these tidbits:

- Paul Keels, the Voice of the Ohio State Buckeyes, previously was the play-by-play guy for Michigan and Cincinnati, two schools tOSU don't seem to like.
- The Michigan State pbp guy attended Notre Dame.
- Wisconsin pbp guy Matt Lepay graduated from Ohio State

Here's my take on the whole thing: To blindly say that a guy isn't qualified for a job because of where he went to school or the like is insulting to that person. Gaard's job is going to be to cover the Gophers. I can only assume that he is going to be professional.

If you want to say that the job should have gone to a former player, I can respect that (though that would mean two of the three people on the crew would be former players). But to just assume Gaard is going to be anti-Gophers isn't fair.
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What you're saying totally makes sense. I don't agree with equating being a fan of a team to leaving a competitor for another job, but certainly not every PBP guy out there was a fan of that team from birth. However, the Gaard situation is different than the ones you talked about. This is a MN-raised guy who has his degree from the U of M, yet is ALREADY on a Minnesota station trumpeting the Hawkeyes and gets hired by that very station to cover the team who is arguably their biggest rival.

I doubt LePay was already on Wisconsin radio and an outspoken Buckeye fan when he was hired to be the voice of the Badgers.

I think some are overreacting to this decision on Gaard. He will be professional no doubt, but I understand why some are upset. The situation is a little different than if we hired an unknown guy who was on the radio in Iowa to move up here to do it, for example.
 


Not quite the same thing.......

anonymous said:
I find this whole hating on Gaard to be a little ridiculous. So I ponder a couple of questions:

- Have you ever left a job and gone to a competitor in the same sector?
- Have you ever taken a job in a sector where you don't have any previous work experience?

According to posters on this board, you shouldn't be able to do this.

I also spent five minutes on the Google and came up with these tidbits:

- Paul Keels, the Voice of the Ohio State Buckeyes, previously was the play-by-play guy for Michigan and Cincinnati, two schools tOSU don't seem to like.
- The Michigan State pbp guy attended Notre Dame.
- Wisconsin pbp guy Matt Lepay graduated from Ohio State

Here's my take on the whole thing: To blindly say that a guy isn't qualified for a job because of where he went to school or the like is insulting to that person. Gaard's job is going to be to cover the Gophers. I can only assume that he is going to be professional.

If you want to say that the job should have gone to a former player, I can respect that (though that would mean two of the three people on the crew would be former players). But to just assume Gaard is going to be anti-Gophers isn't fair.
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The problem is that if you listen to Gaard on KFAN, he currently is an Iowa fan. He was not employed by the school and then moved to a different job at the U. That would be a different situation and similar to the examples you brought up. He outwardly favors the Hawkeyes publically and typically takes whatever opportunity he can to subtly rip on the Gophers.

I have coached against Justin back to his days as the Park Center sophomore basketball coach and really like him. Having said that, I do not feel he should have been considered for this job due to his allegiance to Iowa. Just seems like we don't get it at the U. Can you imagine any other school taking a person who is openly the fan of one of your biggest rivals and hiring him to be on your football broadcast? I wish I could go back to KFAN archives for the Monday after the Iowa win last fall and hear what he said about the game.

I really wonder if the person that made this hire was aware that Gaard was openly a fan of a rival and makes fun of the U? If so, that says a lot about why our athletic program is the way it is. Someone just does not get it.
 

TWeber said:
I wish I could go back to KFAN archives for the Monday after the Iowa win last fall and hear what he said about the game.
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That is a great idea!

Here are the links from November 29, 2010, if anyone has the time/inclination. Each is one hour of the show (i.e., first link is Hr 1, etc.)

http://tinyurl.com/3k94pgw (Hr 1)
http://tinyurl.com/3vsby8r (Hr 2)
http://tinyurl.com/3rut5lq (Hr 3)
http://tinyurl.com/3lbjkw3 (Hr 4)

I will try to listen today if I can, but may not be able.

TWeber said:
I really wonder if the person that made this hire was aware that Gaard was openly a fan of a rival and makes fun of the U? If so, that says a lot about why our athletic program is the way it is. Someone just does not get it.
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Sadly, that pretty much says it all.
 

dpodoll68 said:
That is a great idea!

Here are the links from November 29, 2010, if anyone has the time/inclination. Each is one hour of the show (i.e., first link is Hr 1, etc.)

http://tinyurl.com/3k94pgw (Hr 1)
http://tinyurl.com/3vsby8r (Hr 2)
http://tinyurl.com/3rut5lq (Hr 3)
http://tinyurl.com/3lbjkw3 (Hr 4)

I will try to listen today if I can, but may not be able.
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I didn't listen to the whole show.. but during the hour 3, they did mention the win and the whole top 5 at 5, Gaardsy kept referring the Gophers as 'we'. I just don't get that guy.
 

anonymous said:
I find this whole hating on Gaard to be a little ridiculous. So I ponder a couple of questions:

- Have you ever left a job and gone to a competitor in the same sector?
- Have you ever taken a job in a sector where you don't have any previous work experience?

According to posters on this board, you shouldn't be able to do this.
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I don't think many people are upset that we hired someone that doesn't have work experience, it's because the person who was hired to the position has openly been a fan/booster of a rival team. If he had worked at/went to another school, and had nothing against the Gophers that's one thing. For him to outwardly knock the Gophers and support their rival Iowa is why people, including myself, are upset that he is now representing Golden Gopher Athletics.
 

Gopherocious said:
I don't think many people are upset that we hired someone that doesn't have work experience, it's because the person who was hired to the position has openly been a fan/booster of a rival team. If he had worked at/went to another school, and had nothing against the Gophers that's one thing. For him to outwardly knock the Gophers and support their rival Iowa is why people, including myself, are upset that he is now representing Golden Gopher Athletics.
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Which I totally get. But if he toes the line and shelves this Iowa cheerleading to do his job then does it really matter? I mean, sure, you could be annoyed on the principle of the thing. But we're talking about him holding what might be the most pointless position in all of sports media here.
 

GoAUpher said:
Which I totally get. But if he toes the line and shelves this Iowa cheerleading to do his job then does it really matter? I mean, sure, you could be annoyed on the principle of the thing. But we're talking about him holding what might be the most pointless position in all of sports media here.
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Yes, if he eliminates the Iowa talk and does his job well, I will be fine with this move. It's not like I'll ever hear him much on the radio during games anyway, being as most games I either attend or watch on TV. The times I will hear him will not be during games, but on radio shows and other tidbits. Let's just hope for all of the radio listeners, this turns out to be a good hire.
 

Gopherocious said:
The times I will hear him will not be during games, but on radio shows and other tidbits. Let's just hope for all of the radio listeners, this turns out to be a good hire.
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Another way to look at it is that by making him the SLR they are probably guaranteeing that he'll shut his yap about Iowa during his day job. If he keeps slobbering over the Hawks KFAN will be pretty much forced to go to him and say "Idiot, you're the side line mannequin for the Gophers now. Knock it off."
 

Here's the deal, Justin Gaard has publicly mocked/ridiculed the Gopher program. It is completely different from working for Pepsi and then accepting a job with Coke. If Justin was simply "doing his job", then I don't think anyone would have an issue with him being on the sidelines. We wouldn't know that he's a Hawkeye fan and we would not have heard him take unnecessary shots at the Gophers.

Somehow the University managed to hire/ok the hire of a guy that raises the ire of their target audience (Gopher fans). Whoever made the hire was somehow unaware of the comments Gaard has made in the past and unaware of their target audiences feelings about the guy. It was pretty hard for the University to find someone who would legitimately spark anger, but somehow they did it.
 

I am starting to think that Learfield was on the fence about Gaard until Big Ten Media Day. I think he did an excellent job in Chicago and that is probably what got him the job.
 

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