Kerber and Vitale

[HighStick]

I knew I was going to hate this season broadcast wise. I said it in the JK contract thread and got flamed for it. It's too many changes at one time without a final outcome in mind. Blues games are a B grade production at this point both on the ice and off. I miss Panger, John Kelly and Alexa Datt.

I stream the games and sometimes I have to listen to other teams homer broadcast and it's just as bad most of the time. There's only a handful of crews around the league that would really standout as much better. This is what we are stuck with.

I also think most of us wouldn't even notice them if the Blues started winning. They are terrible but we ALL are pissy and butthurt right now because the Blues keep losing.

[zamadoo]

Kerber’s a parody of a bad play-by-play guy, while Vitale, one suspects, is in a work-release program for village idiots. Unlistenable. Makes me much less likely inclned to tune in,

Well put, hard to deny.


Kerber is perhaps average on his own, but at this point should have done the work to become better. Something he does miserably is escalate accordingly. He routinely gets worked up about mundane events, leading one to believe something exciting has happened - then will do the opposite at other times. He also makes wrong calls quite often. Is the guy even paying attention? Is he too distracted by Vitale? I'm assuming they're just watching the broadcast like we are, but he has called "tried to go 5 hole on that one" when it was up in the goalie's chest, and "beats him on the ice" when the puck was elevated over the pad (then Vitale added to the blunder).

We went from world class and SC to circus act and last place.

Rivers is "world class"?

World class and SC = Kelley and Panger when we were the top team in the league

And yes, we had to go through multiple coaches and broadcasters on our slide to where we're at now.

We should've kept John, Darren, and Chief (and Perron), we should've gotten rid of Kyrou, and we never should've added a cheerleaders section.

[AtillaTheBlue1]

I don't get the impression these two care if they are liked.

No doubt these two have read every post in every thread about themselves and are just trolling the fans by not trying to correct.

I remember JK was saying "and" with every description. After posted here, he stopped.

These two are like [fork] you's

they are big fans of themselves

[11WSChamps]

It was a classless move by a franchise that's always been known to respect its tradition and past.

The Plagers, the Kelly’s, blue collar team and fans, surviving the lean financial years, Saskatoon, the old barn, etc.

Those are things you hang onto.

Not toss away and plunge into whatever (bleep) we're having to listen to now.

[BobbyOrr]

Don't know how much control the team had over these changes.
Whom Ever is Responsible, should be ashamed for the BLUNDER.

The Blues team can fix it.
They can Insist it be fixed!
Get rid of Vitale and Kermit immediatly, they are the worst, hire Rivers to fill in NOW.

Look for a team to fix this Mess on the TV side.
Kerber works on radio, not good on TV.

[blues2112]

These are all just growing pains. The other alternative is they bring in a couple of out of towners who have no connection to the team or the city. Remember how bad Bernie used to be? These guys will get better just like he did. It just takes time and experience.

Please, Bring in ANYONE who knows hockey, Not a Homer to fix this Ridiculous FK UP that never should have happened.
This is BRUTAL Bad.
I don't care what they know about St Louis, Vitale and froggy need to go!
Rivers would be a big improvement over this mess.

Awful hockey and broadcast is killing the season and it's only November......

I respect that you don't like them, and, I agree that Vitale sometimes talks too much, but he and Kerber surely know hockey.

Last week, during the "Xs and Joes" segment, he gave an interesting explanation of the history of the morning skate, and compared that to the Blues morning skate Thursday.

[Russdv14]

I’m not trying to get anyone fired like some posters who are mad enough to promote the idea. Joey and Kerber love the team & full of insights & knowledge. In the lopsided games it was easy for the broadcasters to digress. I ve been unable to watch a lot so use Internet radio a lot. With their banter they have to fill in the time too. So on the radio we don’t see who has the puck so for me Joey & Kerber on the radio works as entertainment, but not on tv at all.
On tv we watch to see what’s going on, and want to know who has the puck for each team with an explanation of why the player likely did what he did based upon what we see. And then we used to have a lot more replays, too, which need to be described .. but this year’s TV cast has a lot worse camera work and break time .
Like somebody else said, as the Pro he is, John Kelly put up with Panger’s personality but roped him back to the game rather quickly . Kerber can not. So either abandon the simulcast or swap Joey for one of the other tv analysts. Joey would rather stay in St Louis anyway I think with all his kids.

[Blues Dave]

It was a classless move by a franchise that's always been known to respect its tradition and past.

The Plagers, the Kelly’s, blue collar team and fans, surviving the lean financial years, Saskatoon, the old barn, etc.

Those are things you hang onto.

Not toss away and plunge into whatever (bleep) we're having to listen to now.

I agree. Most of us went through all of the things you mention. All the ups and downs with bad years and good years. We hung in there for years and came to respect the Blues organization for their showing of some loyalty. Ya' get used to that and it makes you feel like we're the good guys no matter what because we take care of our own. Not with players necessairly, because they will come and go. It all has to do with pride in the Blues organization.

[Hazelwood72]

Feel bad for those who can only listen to the broadcast.

These two go minutes not moments when there is no idea where the puck is or what is happening.

You get what you pay for.

Listened to half of tonight's game on radio. Thought they were great. Bring energy.

Perfect? No. But I've never heard perfect hockey radio.

Au contraire, there have been some perfect radio broadcasts.

Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle were outstanding on radio in the late 60’s-early ‘70’s. (Unfortunately KMOX started giving Dan non-hockey doofuses like Bill Wilkerson and others as colormen).

I lived in Chicagoland from 1988-1994. Pat Foley and Dale Tallon were outstanding on Blackhawks radio games. (Unfortunately, as Foley aged and Tallon left to become GM, they stuck Foley with Edzo Olczyk, moved to TV, and that broadcast became a clown show.)

Olczyk now pulls down the normally excellent John Forslund in Seattle on the Kraken games. Olczyk and Vitale are very similar — they constantly jabber, tell their bro stories while play is going on, and consume all the oxygen in the arena.

[Hazelwood72]

Chris Kerber has the incredible talent of being able to sound like a down home shucks guy buy not articulating the word "the" - he will say "Anna" as in "Anna puck up to Sundqvist" because he's so relatable. It's the fancy talkers who have to articulate the 'the.' Then he seamlessly pitches wealth management. You get the feeling he knows the personal values of the wealth managers and they're literally the best people he knows.

Vitale is unable to do the job period.

The idea that we're dogpiling is ridiculous. People who say that have no discernment.

I like Kerbs--for the most part. He tries too hard to come up with game-closing one-liners that precede his tagline, and said tagline of "Bring out the Zamboni!" is just bleh. Also, when he and Vitale start talking about "puck luck" I want to run out of the room, mostly because once they get going, it's puckluck-puckluck-puckluck and it sounds like something a kid would say.

Now I can live with all of that, but Kerbs has one MAJOR flaw: his score calls. Almost every announcer has a very simple, smooth inflection as they exclaim, "He shoots, he scooooooores!"

Kerbs on the other hand... omg, it's painful just thinking about it. There's nothing smooth about his scoring calls at all.

His "He shoots, he sccccoooooeeeeEEEEEErrrrraaaaaahOOOOORRRRAAAEEESSSS!" It's literally painful to listen to especially if I'm in the car and have the volume turned up.

Totally agree, but even as annoying as Kerbs is, take a listen to the Avalanche announcers. Even a Colorado pre-season goal sounds like the OT winner of the 7th Game of the Cup Finals.

[TAFKAP]

Well since everyone's (bleep) about things they can't change, I''m glad I catch everything on the radio. I'm used to Kerbs and Joey so outside of explaining replays I don't see, not much has changed. Listening saves me from having to see those GOD AWFUL sweaters. I don't care about the first three years, Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle, dudes in suits to watch the game, the old barn etc. The Blues became a team people watched NATIONALLY in the late 80's and they didn't wear powder blue. It sucks. I put up with it with the WC, had to accept it when they went to the alternate. This is a bridge too far. I hope to God they come out with a STELLAR 3rd next year. If not, my 50th Anniversary will be the last one I buy, not spending on that trash.

Brett Hull didn't wear powder blue. Without Brett, there are no St. Louis Blues today.

[callitwhatyouwant]

Well since everyone's (bleep) about things they can't change, I''m glad I catch everything on the radio. I'm used to Kerbs and Joey so outside of explaining replays I don't see, not much has changed. Listening saves me from having to see those GOD AWFUL sweaters. I don't care about the first three years, Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle, dudes in suits to watch the game, the old barn etc. The Blues became a team people watched NATIONALLY in the late 80's and they didn't wear powder blue. It sucks. I put up with it with the WC, had to accept it when they went to the alternate. This is a bridge too far. I hope to God they come out with a STELLAR 3rd next year. If not, my 50th Anniversary will be the last one I buy, not spending on that trash.

Brett Hull didn't wear powder blue. Without Brett, there are no St. Louis Blues today.

That's an interesting take. While the Blues aren't as popular as the whites, I do think the Whites look better with the new blue than the old one. They pop and it just looks old school. It is interesting as someone who grew up as a kid during the brett hull end days. He seemed like a larger than life guy. I was too young to really know but it felt like everyone knew Brett Hull and calls like OO BABYY!!!. I personally gravitated to Grant Fuhr and Al MacInnis. Those were my guys. Loved seeing the clappers from the point and acrobatic saves.

But weren't they rockin red in the sweater at that point? My first jersey definitely had that in it. I think it's uglier than sin but I guess that combo was the STL combo.

[netboy65]

I remember the posts where lots of people would say “oh I mute JK and Pang and just turn on Kerbs and Vitale on the radio”

[TAFKAP]

Well since everyone's (bleep) about things they can't change, I''m glad I catch everything on the radio. I'm used to Kerbs and Joey so outside of explaining replays I don't see, not much has changed. Listening saves me from having to see those GOD AWFUL sweaters. I don't care about the first three years, Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle, dudes in suits to watch the game, the old barn etc. The Blues became a team people watched NATIONALLY in the late 80's and they didn't wear powder blue. It sucks. I put up with it with the WC, had to accept it when they went to the alternate. This is a bridge too far. I hope to God they come out with a STELLAR 3rd next year. If not, my 50th Anniversary will be the last one I buy, not spending on that trash.

Brett Hull didn't wear powder blue. Without Brett, there are no St. Louis Blues today.

That's an interesting take. While the Blues aren't as popular as the whites, I do think the Whites look better with the new blue than the old one. They pop and it just looks old school. It is interesting as someone who grew up as a kid during the brett hull end days. He seemed like a larger than life guy. I was too young to really know but it felt like everyone knew Brett Hull and calls like OO BABYY!!!. I personally gravitated to Grant Fuhr and Al MacInnis. Those were my guys. Loved seeing the clappers from the point and acrobatic saves.

But weren't they rockin red in the sweater at that point? My first jersey definitely had that in it. I think it's uglier than sin but I guess that combo was the STL combo.

Yep. The sweater redesign was 1995 as part of the opening of Kiel Center (now Enterprise). It was a shame that the lockout spoiled all of that. Grand opening night was supposed to be Blues/Blackhawks. Those sweaters were very polarizing, I was a kid, I loved them. Had kids so I couldn't afford one. My oldest daughter has my 1993 white unlettered, and my son has a 1992 blue #19 Shanahan that my brother gave him for his 13th Birthday, his name is Brendan. My first game was 1991 or '92, it was the 25th Anniversary season. I still have the Upper Deck Blues card sheet from that game somewhere. I can understand the throw back, I can understand the 3rd. it just drives me nuts that when other teams look to the future, we're stuck in the past. It's St. Louis, I know, Home of the 1904 Worlds Fair and Olympic Games. Like I said, I'll stop (bleep) if we get a decent 3rd, in the right color.

[AtillaTheBlue1]

Don't know how much control the team had over these changes.
Whom Ever is Responsible, should be ashamed for the BLUNDER.

The Blues team can fix it.
They can Insist it be fixed!
Get rid of Vitale and Kermit immediatly, they are the worst, hire Rivers to fill in NOW.

Look for a team to fix this Mess on the TV side.
Kerber works on radio, not good on TV.

Blues have final say on ALL tv personalities.

We learned this when Ken Wilson got a new deal, and Blues nixxed the deal. They have right of refusal.

Cardinals also did this.

[Celtic Jim]

Thank God I found people who think like me, I have not liked the TV broadcast, wish we still had John Kelly.