Tom Durkin On The Call

RollerDoc · #1 05-06-2007, 11:14 AM

Yes I am a relative newbie to the sport ever since Smarty's run in 2004, so what do I really know.

I must say that I feel like listening to the race call of Tom Durkin is such a pleasure and complement to watching the Kentucky Derby. He is as much a part of the pageantry as are mint julips, fancy hats, riders up, My Old Kentucky Home, etc. etc. etc.

Last year's "sublime performance" by Barbaro, and Street Sense's "stretch run sensation" were the perfect exclamation points as those horses were about to cross the finish line.

Over the years, I have witnessed so many sports announcers/play by play guys who have diluted watching the excitement of a victory, sensational play, or milestone achievement because of too much grandstanding while showcasing their announcing skills.

Not Tom Durkin. In my opinion, he is the fine tuned soundtrack for watching the Kentucky Derby (and other races) and enhances my enjoyment for following the race.

skippy3481 · #2 05-06-2007, 11:19 AM

Roller you are certainely not alone in you assertation that durkin is a great caller. I think sometimes he gets stuck watching one horse, but overall he has an enjoyable call.

Rileyoriley · #3 05-06-2007, 12:21 PM

Give him back the BC!!!!!!

Danzig · #4 05-06-2007, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rileyoriley

Give him back the BC!!!!!!

hey, it was his choice to give it up, to make calls throughout the year. if he was ok with it, i guess we have to be too.

Rileyoriley · #5 05-06-2007, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig

hey, it was his choice to give it up, to make calls throughout the year. if he was ok with it, i guess we have to be too.

I know but I still miss him.

Danzig · #6 05-06-2007, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rileyoriley

I know but I still miss him.

i'd rather it be him than anyone....but at least we get to hear him on a lot of other racing throughout the year.

pmayjr · #7 05-06-2007, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig

hey, it was his choice to give it up, to make calls throughout the year. if he was ok with it, i guess we have to be too.

Danzig,
That's not true. It wasn't his choice. Durkin is under contract with NBC, and can't get out of it. The exception is the Belmont, because it's his home track. But he was tied to his NBC contract, so he couldn't call the BC races for ESPN/ABC. I think if you gave Durkin the choice, he'd keep doing the Derby and Preakness over the BC... I'd wanna call what's deemed the biggest race in the U.S. over anything else.

#8 05-06-2007, 01:34 PM

its an art form and he has got what it takes.

Danzig · #9 05-06-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmayjr

Danzig,
That's not true. It wasn't his choice. Durkin is under contract with NBC, and can't get out of it. The exception is the Belmont, because it's his home track. But he was tied to his NBC contract, so he couldn't call the BC races for ESPN/ABC. I think if you gave Durkin the choice, he'd keep doing the Derby and Preakness over the BC... I'd wanna call what's deemed the biggest race in the U.S. over anything else.

durkin said it was his choice to go with nbc, knowing full well he was giving up the bc. that he understood he was giving up a big day, but would have plenty of other racing throughout the year. it was his choice to give up the bc, in order to call a ton of other racing throughout the year, and in order to get that contract-which no doubt was quite lucrative, and made it worth his while to give up the bc.

pmayjr · #10 05-06-2007, 02:16 PM

ah... gotcha... because I know there were contractual conditions that didn't allow him to do both. But as I said in the previous post, tough to blame him in picking the network with the Derby coverage over the one with the BC coverage. I do wish he could do both. He's the best.

I don't even knock Denman for his mistakes in calling the BC last year, but Durkin captures the moment and brings emotion into it. Denman is too mono-toned for me. It's the way it is in all sports braodcasting for me. Give me the announcer that can gimme a little emotion wi8th an accurate call. The truly talented guys are the guys that canput emotion into it but still be accurate. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Danzig · #11 05-06-2007, 02:17 PM

here's this from bloodhorse:

Durkin, the voice of the New York Racing Association, signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports in February 2006. As part of that contract, he will continue to call the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) on that network. But with the Breeders' Cup shifting from NBC to ESPN this year, Durkin will be on the sidelines for racing's biggest day. A source close to the Breeders' Cup said that Trevor Denman, the voice of Santa Anita Park and Del Mar in Southern California, was ESPN's first choice to replace Durkin. Denman, a native of South Africa, has served as an analyst on NBC's previous Breeders' Cup telecasts.

This year's Breeders' Cup will be held Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

"I signed the exclusive agreement, and you can't have it both ways," Durkin said Sept. 2 from his perch high above Saratoga Race Course. "I am very happy with the contract I signed. I feel fine about it. Twenty-two years is a good run to hold a job. This is not a sad or bad feeling, and I'm not the weepy type, anyway. I will call 42 grade I races next year, so I'm not wanting for good horses. There's nothing negative about this at all.

"It's been an honor and a privilege to have called the Breeders' Cup since its inception in 1984, a memorable, thrilling, and fulfilling 22 years. I hope in some small way I've made those races memorable for racing fans."

Durkin, as the on-site announcer at Belmont Park, received a waiver to call this year's Belmont Stakes (gr. I) on ABC as long as he did not appear on camera or be identified as an ABC employee.

brianwspencer · #12 05-06-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmayjr

ah... gotcha... because I know there were contractual conditions that didn't allow him to do both. But as I said in the previous post, tough to blame him in picking the network with the Derby coverage over the one with the BC coverage. I do wish he could do both. He's the best.

I don't even knock Denman for his mistakes in calling the BC last year, but Durkin captures the moment and brings emotion into it. Denman is too mono-toned for me. It's the way it is in all sports braodcasting for me. Give me the announcer that can gimme a little emotion wi8th an accurate call. The truly talented guys are the guys that canput emotion into it but still be accurate. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

I think that Denman will do way better this year if he gets to do it again. I think he's still one of the very best.

Now if only they would let John G. Dooley call the BC, my life would be perfect!

Danzig · #13 05-06-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmayjr

ah... gotcha... because I know there were contractual conditions that didn't allow him to do both. But as I said in the previous post, tough to blame him in picking the network with the Derby coverage over the one with the BC coverage. I do wish he could do both. He's the best.

I don't even knock Denman for his mistakes in calling the BC last year, but Durkin captures the moment and brings emotion into it. Denman is too mono-toned for me. It's the way it is in all sports braodcasting for me. Give me the announcer that can gimme a little emotion wi8th an accurate call. The truly talented guys are the guys that canput emotion into it but still be accurate. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

it's a shame tho that he could get a waiver to call the belmont, but not the bc...but the next time the bc is at belmont--who will call it????

Samarta · #14 05-06-2007, 02:19 PM

yeah he is so much better than Denman....hell I think he is still trying to figure out where Pine Island is.....

pmayjr · #15 05-06-2007, 02:22 PM

lol Samarta.

Danzig I'm assuming it would work the same way the next time the BC is at Belmont. Durkin would call it under the same provisions that he can call the Belmont Stakes. Do you think Durkin might wanna line himself up for PT work at Monmouth... mainly working the popcron stand on off-days, to deem himself an employee of Monmouth lol?

Danzig · #16 05-06-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmayjr

lol Samarta.

Danzig I'm assuming it would work the same way the next time the BC is at Belmont. Durkin would call it under the same provisions that he can call the Belmont Stakes. Do you think Durkin might wanna line himself up for PT work at Monmouth... mainly working the popcron stand on off-days, to deem himself an employee of Monmouth lol?

good idea!

just wondering tho...if denman has a tight contract, then i would presume he would call it.
guess we'll know when it gets there.