Good Eli

I personally don't care for his work but at least he isn't like Stan White and that other goober on Auburn radio.

I like Eli. the only thing I don't like about the pregame shoe is all the commercials. One minute of talk and then three minutes of commercials; rinse and repeat.

Goombaw, it’s true that Eli today is not Eli of yesterday, but could he simply be realizing that no one any longer lays on their bed listening to him alone? No one any longer sits in a dove field listening to the 1pm kick while the shooting starts to heat up like my dad and I would in the 80s. Today, Eli is essentially another television commentator.

When is the last time that an Alabama game was not televised at least on the SEC network so that many thousands had to listen on the radio? I wonder if that doesn’t effect the way Eli calls games now? Personally! I don’t know when I last listened to a football game on the radio. I listen to a lot of basketball games, though, since fewer are televised.

Just food for thought.

quote:

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it’s true that Eli today is not Eli of yesterday, but could he simply be realizing that no one any longer lays on their bed listening to him alone? No one any longer sits in a dove field listening to the 1pm kick while the shooting starts to heat up like my dad and I would in the 80s. Today, Eli is essentially another television commentator.

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The bigger issue for me is just his style these days. He feels scripted in big moments. Like he has a premeditated list of stuff and he's just waiting to squeeze it in somewhere. He kinda lost me altogether after the greatest radio moment in Bama football with the 2nd and 26. I was listening to the radio broadcast synced up to ESPN broadcast, which was cool. As Devonta barely clears the endzone Eli gives us a very scripted view of what it all means. Really? Now, in that crazy beyond words moment? Nothing spontaneous unless you count the color guy and crew that were losing their mind in the background. How about, we win, we win, we win. After Texas win, he talked about the Roses coming up Crimson and that was cool as a summation of it all. The right place and time. Not 2 seconds after the greatest catch in Bama history.

Eli is getting up there and he’s seen a LOT of football as well as just about every other sport under the sun. I remember listening to Eli calling the old Birmingham Bulls hockey games. But my point is, as good as Eli was in his prime, he’s probably a bit jaded. He’s called multiple national championships, SEC championships, he’s seen it all with Alabama.

He’s a consummate professional but he’s also human and honestly, with the decline of radio as THE conduit for some games, the travel, his age, his health, he’s probably just had enough and is a bit tired of it. It’s gotta be a bit boring calling 63-3 Bama killings as the norm. That’s just my opinion, and I love Eli and all he has meant to sports broadcasting in multiple sports, but if I’m correct and he’s just tired, maybe it’s time for he and Bama to part ways.

The guy that filled in for Chris Stewart for basketball was really good. I don’t remember his name but maybe he should get a shot.