Millrose Coverage on ESPN2

^Was just thinking this exact same thing.

The announcer is one of the Universal Sports Guys!!! This is the best thing that ESPN has ever done for Track and Field on TV! Nothing against Larry Rawson but the European announcers are the real deal. Pay attention Dwight Stones, you might learn something.

Thank you ESPN!

Maybe we should flood the comments of ESPN with something positive for a change.

nope coverage still stinks, less talking more racing is needed.. its bs that i dont get to see the guys hs mile but I have to see interviews and introductions for non live 10 second sprint races.

The stands seem mostly empty. Definitely looks like a second rate event.

I'm not going to praise ESPN for doing a lousy job. Indoor track will never appeal to 'mainstream' TV viewers. So why create a production that appeals to the mainstream.

We see a 60 meter dash with guys from other sports but they don't show the HS mile (except for the last 70 meters)?

They should broadcast the races track fans want to see . . . because it's only track fans who are watching.

Okay fellas, you didn't get to see the boy's HS mile. Point taken. But the commentating of the girl's mile and the women's mile was great, MUCH better than the past.

What separates the European announcers from their US counterparts is that they describe what happens during the race rather than viewing it with preconceptions. You should do the same vis-a-vis this broadcast.

Love that announcer! He's informed and excited. Missed his name?

Tim Hutchings

Yes it was Tim Hutchings.

Tim as an athlete was 4th in the Olympic 5K in LA in 1984. He knows the sport and has great passion that has not waned over the years. A great addition to American audiences.

If only the current British male distance runners could race as well as Tim commentates!!!!

European guy was on point. Agreed with the awful coverage of the events though. But then again, those who love field events never get to see more than four or five throws, jumps, etc. Its a tough call and espn has taken the stand on it.

I don't know. The Boys HS mile looked like a pretty good race. Would have loved to see how it unfolded with splits and everything

guess what? espn is not owned by distance ruinners. it's owned by business men. business men who are involved with espn show sports/events that joe blow would enjoy. some obscure boy's mile is DEFINITELY not something that anyone other than the parents of the runners or track geeks would appreciate. be glad there was a track meet on tv at all.

Hutchings was pretty good, but they need to turn his volume up. The announcer at the event overpowered his voice on TV, which made the announcing seem less impactful then it probably was.

Millrose is a second-rate track event. It's unfortunate, but not a single event was all that exciting.

And...ESPN probably should have edited out Ryan Whiting's shocker symbol at the end of his interview. I laughed, but it certainly wasn't family-friendly.

I agree that they need to turn up the volumne on Hytchins' mike. Overall coverage was horrible (no high school mile, how about the college 4x800?, why show someone sing the Nat Anth when we get only 2 hours of coverage, etc).

This coverage will not promote the sport to new/young viewers!

Anyone know if there is archived video of the meet anywhere?

I agree, the announcer was a WELCOME addition!!

That being said, still WAY too many interviews and breaks from the action. Streaming European meets are a lot more fun to watch. I was watching Millrose with friends, and they asked if we could just Tivo it and watch something online.

I had buddies in the mile and multi, but I didn't blame em and came back to watch it later.

The High School boy's mile is the 2nd most important event after the elite mile. Of course it's politically correct to pretend to give a sh*t about some girls running 4:50, but that's no excuse not to show the guy's event.

I realize that sports is a good activity for girls to help them with their self-esteem issues (and to help them meet other lesbians), but really? Let's face it, if the girl's mile was the last event, the stands would be emptying out while it was being run. It's time for the end of PC.

cbrb wrote:

The announcer is one of the Universal Sports Guys!!! This is the best thing that ESPN has ever done for Track and Field on TV! Pay attention Dwight Stones, you might learn something.

Dwight Stones should never be allowed to talk about a track race again. Ever. He has seen thousands upon thousands of races yet still felt compelled to ask during the women's 1500m, why the pacer kept looking back. To which THutchings calmly replied, "to coax the others along w/out getting too far ahead," paraphrasing. Former rabbit and co-announcer Lewis Johnson agreed w/this. DStones also spends too much time talking about runner form and offers very little insight about the races.

Near the top of the program, LJohnson said Amber Campbell won the '10 Visa Challenge in the 35# weight throw. Oops - he meant 20# weight.