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Announcers Collect Big Money, But Do the Fans Follow?

BLEAV Gumbel Walton Wagner James(1)
BLEAV Sports with Fred and The Fantastics
BLEAV Sports with Fred and The Fantastics
Announcers Collect Big Money, But Do the Fans Follow?
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Do commentators deserve to bring in the big paychecks? Greg Gumbel says announcers do not draw fans to watch a game, but they can definitely cause viewers to change the station. The guys feel that Bill Walton and others are often divisive, while those like Chick Hearn enhance the experience. Does the personality of a commentator have a direct effect on the enjoyment of the viewer?

Was UCLA’s loss to North Carolina In the NCAA tournament easily preventable? Should Mick Cronin have used his two best defenders, Jaylen Clark and Payton Watson, for more than eight minutes when the opposing team was scoring well and put in a sub for Jaime Jaquez, who played 38 minutes on a sore ankle and missed ten shots? Did Cronin give deserving talent a chance? Was he fair to his players? As more teams fall by the wayside, who do Fred and Art see winning the whole thing?

Now that Von Miller has left the Rams for greener pastures, the team has picked up linebacker Bobby Wagner after his release from the Seahawks. Have his 11 years on hard astroturf taken a toll on his body, and will that affect his game on the natural grass surface in LA?

The Lakers are still having issues, with some of their biggest players spending a lot of time in the physio room instead of on the court. Can they rally in time to have a chance in the finals? Will LeBron James make an appearance in any of the last few games? Some consider him a four-year wonder, as he seems to move from team to team every four years. Will he stay with the Lakers or look elsewhere?

Email Fred and Art with questions and comments at sportsfred@aol.com

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