Blatantly biased? You bet.
 

I know there's another thread but I thought his admission that he was literally cheering for her was a little much.

"In only two races in my history have I been blatantly biased," Denman said Tuesday from his farm in Minnesota. "[ Bill] Shoemaker's last ride, in that race I said, 'Come on Shoe,' because I wanted him to win so bad, he ran fourth but at the eighth pole he could have won it and, literally, I said, 'Come on Shoe,' and then Saturday. I wanted so badly for Zenyatta to win.

"You have to have sagacity and say, 'This occasion is different and I have to be different.' I have to admit, I almost said, 'Come on,' right before Blame and Zenyatta hit the wire. I think you can hear exasperation in my voice, at the end. I was deflated when I said, 'Blame has won it.' "

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...,4695748.story

Well, that's OK, because I am blatantly biased too--I think Trevor sucks donkey balls.

Yeah, that call was pretty awful. Denman should be embarassed, sagacity and all.

Sagacity would have probably won the BC Turf if he was around this year.

The Michael Kay of calling races with Vic close behind....How bout do your job.

Funny you say that. Had I called the race I was preparing to say........"Zenny wins. Thaaaaaa Zenny's win. How bout GET A JOB?:)

Excellent comeback.

Announcers are all biased, you could hear Durkin's voice rise in excitement when Birdstone ran by Smarty Jones in the Belmont. :rolleyes:

Hmmm...was that because it was exciting or what? You don't think Durkin would have wanted to call a frigging TC? Really?

What is it around here recently?

Seriously? Durkin was rooting for Birdstone? F'ing retarded. Only race I have ever been to where 120k people could clearly hear the racecall for the last 100 yards of the race. It was that quiet.

That's hilarious. Durkin actually walked out and put a piece of tape at the 31 length margin on the rail. That's how confident he was in Smarty Jones but he was cheering for Birdstone.:rolleyes:

Read it again with sarcasm.

Race callers have favorites. Was there ever a more emotional call than Durkin's in the 2009 Woodward. Thought the man was going to have a freakin' heart attack - as well as a lot of racing fans. I couldn't hear normally for about a week after.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysO_Fhc8Fpw

Don't be ambiguous--no one is ever going to give the likes of you the benefit of the doubt. That's your legacy.

To whom were you referring? Me?

Are you calling me ambiguous?

OK...no, it wasn't you.

I wasn't calling you anything. I was just asking a question.

Just forget it. I shall drag my knuckles back to my cave.

Off to find my cave.:zz:

I'm pretty sure he was referring to my post, because he wasn't clever enough to understand it was meant to be read with sarcasm, even with the usage of :rolleyes: Anyone that knows anything about horseracing that watched that race would have known Durkin's voice sounded noticably dissapointed when Birdstone ran by Smarty Jones, and I do think this ties in with the theme of this thread. Obcourse Denman was rooting for Zenyatta, just as Durkin probably wanted to call a triple crown winner.

Sarcastic responses are sometimes prize winning veiled here at DT that it's extra hard to figure out when posts aren't quoted.

Still searching for cave.:)

Every post on derbytrail should be read with sarcasm, it's the modest operandi of many that post here.

FTFY!:)

Dude, three people in a row assumed that you were that big of an ass.

Like I said, it is your legacy--too late to run from it. You've earned it.

PS: I don't play with emoticons. I have a dick and I am older than 12.

Let's compare them. Durkin's Belmont

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Z49x11smk


Denman's Classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Et15M6wsPo


IMO one of them sounds like amateur hour.

Do fries come with that?:{>:

Maybe a 4 inch weiner does. :)

How about the one where he says ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

You mean the one where he shows some personality? I guess it's too bad he likes his job.

Yeah it was so cute. Before you get all up in arms I think Tom Durkin is an excellent track announcer

SHARP!:D Mean that sincerely.

Back on topic - I find absolutely nothing wrong with Tom Durkin's call of the 2004 Belmont. Nothing! Then, I find nothing wrong with Denman's call of this year's Classic. I just don't like his nasal tone - it's so un SA.

I really don't understand why it was a big deal. Would it have been better if he said, "They would need to sprout wings to catch ARRRRRRRRRR!" or "It looks like ARRRRRRRRRRRR just joined in at the 1/4 pole" or "Circular Quay, oh wait ARRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Denman is a robot with the same five lines over and over.

I edited the response...and it wasn't a big deal. I just think it's funny how everyone rips on the announcers. Who cares...if you don't like it turn the volume down and just watch.

My grandmother used to say, "you lie down with dogs, you get fleas." And so it is.

I don't either, he called it great, hey everyone (Especially the fairweather fans that watched it nationally) wanted Smarty Jones to win the TC, and when Birdstone crossed the wire, you can hear it in his voice. And Birdstone wins the Belmont Stakes...now to me that didn't sound like a call had Smarty Jones won. He captured the moment succinctly, just as Denman did.

I know people hated that, but I actually thought it was kind of funny....the first time. Not so much the second time. I'm biased because I grew up listening to Durkin and think he is the best. He's lost a step...or two recently, but we all do as we get older.

I read something on another board and I thought it was a pretty smart observation. It was something along the lines of announcers like Durkin are part of the race. Denman is a guy talking in the backround.

Durkin is a classic, Denman a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

By the way my favorite track announcer was Larry Lederman when he called the races at Garden State and Atlantic City but I don't get into Freehold. I do enjoy when an announcer shows some personality...not robotic calls.

Maybe in your grandmother's day they didn't have a flea remedy. They do now. Just sayin'....

All in all, I think you're a pretty sharp poster. I really like your description of Zenyatta's racing style. :tro:

Lederman is great, I always enjoyed his calls.

Trevor just sounds to me like this is a job for him and he goes in and puts in his 5 hrs or whatever it may be then goes home. You're never going to get Trevor allowing people to go to his booth to raise money for charity. There's never going to be anything remarkable about one of his calls. Hell, he recycled his own call when Sidney's Candy won the SA Derby this year. Durkin would get lambasted if he used a cheesy line like "Eskendereya carrying the hopes of New York all the way to the Kentucky Derby."

Lederman, very entertaining calls--I agree