Bob Kesling (merged)

[volintheham]

For how good Kesling is a basketball he is equally bad at football. He needs to retire as you can tell he is done and should have done it on a high note.

 

[05_never_again]

Yep..........remember many, many with their massive cord-connected-earphones w/ their padded comfort all listening to "give-him-six". the picture Ward painted was truly unrivaled and now a lost art I feel.

It's totally a lost art because let's be real...there isn't really a "need" for that art anymore. John Ward and other radio guys became the legends they did because very few games used to be on TV, and guys who could paint a picture, as you said, were awesome to listen to. It still is fun to listen to someone who is good at it, but it is more for nostalgia than anything else. There isn't really a need to. For a very long time, there were only 2 possible ways to consume a game live - attend the game, or listen to it on the radio. There are a ton of options now.

Think about all the legendary radio play-by-play guys you can name. Are any of them young guys who took the job within the last 10-15 years? They're either dead or older guys who were calling games in the 30s, 50s, 70s, etc. Good broadcast talent doesn't do radio anymore.

 

[Rocky Top T]

I do not think Bob would have been a topic of discussion at any other school. In my opinion the problem is that he followed the greatest of all time.


John Ward would have been an icon at any school or network in the country. He was able to paint a picture that no other announcer had the ability to do. That is a lost art in today’s media.

Any of school would not put up with him long

 

[SaguaroVol]

I always watch the games since almost all of them are on TV with the existence of the SEC network.

back in the day I usually watched the game on TV with the sound off, and listened to John Ward

 

[KoachKrab127]

back in the day I usually watched the game on TV with the sound off, and listened to John Ward

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to do that now because of streaming delays.

 

[UTFranklinVol]

It's totally a lost art because let's be real...there isn't really a "need" for that art anymore. John Ward and other radio guys became the legends they did because very few games used to be on TV, and guys who could paint a picture, as you said, were awesome to listen to. It still is fun to listen to someone who is good at it, but it is more for nostalgia than anything else. There isn't really a need to. For a very long time, there were only 2 possible ways to consume a game live - attend the game, or listen to it on the radio. There are a ton of options now.

Think about all the legendary radio play-by-play guys you can name. Are any of them young guys who took the job within the last 10-15 years? They're either dead or older guys who were calling games in the 30s, 50s, 70s, etc. Good broadcast talent doesn't do radio anymore.

With this said, if the UT broadcast was more exciting I would 100% turn the sound off on ESPN or SECN or CBS and listen to the home broadcast.

I'm a Cardinals fan and I absolutely did that in order to listen to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. Luckily when those guys got old/retired Danny Mac was great to listen to on TV.

 

[ptcarter]

I put Kesling on over the TV audio. It's better.

Question for you: It's 28-0 and your team is driving for it's last touchdown. It's Iowa as the opponent. The stadium doesn't have anyone sitting the upper deck. 7 Iowa fans remain. You want Kesling to be passionate? If you compare this to a funeral as someone said previously, it was - Iowa's funeral.

I think he does OK, and I listen to him even when in the stadium. Yes, he makes a few mistakes, but all in all he does exactly what he's paid to do and that is call the game.

Can you imagine if they replaced him with Beth Mowins?

 

[volsforever27]

I don't expect another John Ward, that'a once in a lifetime talent. I do expect the announcer to know whats happening and show enthusiasm.

He's never been good, but at least he used to get excited occasionally. He doesn't even do that anymore. Maybe it's part getting older, but I doubt it.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

It's totally a lost art because let's be real...there isn't really a "need" for that art anymore. John Ward and other radio guys became the legends they did because very few games used to be on TV, and guys who could paint a picture, as you said, were awesome to listen to. It still is fun to listen to someone who is good at it, but it is more for nostalgia than anything else. There isn't really a need to. For a very long time, there were only 2 possible ways to consume a game live - attend the game, or listen to it on the radio. There are a ton of options now.

Think about all the legendary radio play-by-play guys you can name. Are any of them young guys who took the job within the last 10-15 years? They're either dead or older guys who were calling games in the 30s, 50s, 70s, etc. Good broadcast talent doesn't do radio anymore.

Major professional sports' teams have great play-by-play announcers

 

[ptcarter]

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to do that now because of streaming delays.

Here is what I do. I put VOL network (WIVK feed) through my bluetooth speaker. I watch the game and wait for an event that's easy to synchronize to, like a fair catch or the ball going out of bounds. I pause the TV until VOL network catches up and then hit play at that point. Video and audio are together.

 

[KoachKrab127]

The only thing he picked up was being a professional and not sounding completely biased like most team broadcasters do.

If you are a school’s radio announcer, you should be a little biased. Call the game as you see it, but it’s okay if you are a bit more excited when Tennessee scores than the other team. That’s the way John Ward was. He still had a bit of excitement in his voice if Florida or Bama scored, but he was ecstatic when UT scored.

 

[Volador]

Such a shame that John Ward and his wife Barbara, who died in 2017 in a car wreck, one year earlier than John's passing at the age of 88, didn't have any children. Would give anything for the legacy of John Ward to live forever in the shadows of "the hill" on Rocky Top.

 

[KoachKrab127]

Here is what I do. I put VOL network (WIVK feed) through my bluetooth speaker. I watch the game and wait for an event that's easy to synchronize to, like a fair catch or the ball going out of bounds. I pause the TV until VOL network catches up and then hit play at that point. Video and audio are together.

That will work, until one of your streams pauses for a few second.

 

[UTFranklinVol]

I put Kesling on over the TV audio. It's better.

Question for you: It's 28-0 and your team is driving for it's last touchdown. It's Iowa as the opponent. The stadium doesn't have anyone sitting the upper deck. 7 Iowa fans remain. You want Kesling to be passionate? If you compare this to a funeral as someone said previously, it was - Iowa's funeral.

I think he does OK, and I listen to him even when in the stadium. Yes, he makes a few mistakes, but all in all he does exactly what he's paid to do and that is call the game.

Can you imagine if they replaced him with Beth Mowins?

Kesling sounds no different at the beginning of a game than he does at the end of a blowout. As I said earlier, if it weren't for the crowd noise in the background, nobody would know anything great just happened.

If you're listening to it with the TV turned down that is a DIFFERENT experience than if all you have is the radio because you can SEE the play and generate your own excitement from that. I could not. All I had was the broadcast. It was so frustrating.

 

[WallyBalls]

Tom Hart would be a fun solution.

Ding him for being a Mizzou guy all you want, but he has a strong affinity for Knoxville. He was close to getting the Braves gig, so maybe he'd like a chance to be in one place as his career moves on...

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

I admittedly watch most Vols football games on TV but yesterday I was caught without an option as I was driving home from Ohio after holiday.

Kesling has had his fair share of critics in the last 24 years but yesterday was GODAWFUL. I couldn't tell if he was announcing a football game or a funeral. I've never heard anyone less enthusiastic about the action on the field and that's when he was actually telling you what was happening. Several times, especially on 4th down tries, I had to listed to the crowd in the background to even know if the attempt was good or not. It was more apparent when I got home and watched the recording of the game and the ESPN broadcasters were way more excited about my Vols than Kesling was.

I know he announced he was retiring after 2022 but yet here he still is. In my opinion, this new exciting version of Tennessee football needs a new man on the microphone that makes it sound like it actually is.

The vanilla delivery is really my only complaint with regard to Kesling. He would be perfect calling random games each week. But to be the Voice of the Vols..idk.

I think he really does love the University and the teams but allows his "professional broadcaster persona" take over whem calling football games. He is actually pretty good at roundball.

 

[peaygolf]

There are very few, if any, great radio announcers around today. Don't need it since every game is on TV.

 

[ptcarter]

That will work, until one of your streams pauses for a few second.

And that happened during the Iowa game. Like the network skipped ahead about 10 seconds all of a sudden. Just repeat the process and it syncs up again. Yes, it's a little work on my part, but I don't mind.

Long ago I realized I can watch a TV game (and this isn't just VOL football) without the sound on. I don't really need Herstriet or Fowler "Jacking their jaws" non stop telling about what I've just seen. I can figure it out. Only time I'll take it off mute is when the ref explains a call I didn't understand. Other than that 97% of what the announcers say is filler - they can't NOT say anything. And sometimes I even try to call the game in my head as if I was doing the play by play. I'm as good as that "boom goes the dynamite" dude.

 

[adam.vol]

Can we program AI to call like Ward? If there is a use for such technology, then surely it is this.

How about voice filter to make Kesler sound enthusiastic in Ward’s voice?

 

[VolTull]

Yesterday would be too late

 

[dalton_vol]

bob is old and it takes too much energy to show excitement. he needs to be on NPR giving commentary. us fans don't complain enough to the administration about it. we're so apathetic to him. i find myself putting the TV on mute because i hate the TV announcers and i don't listen to bob because of how bad he is. Bob needs to go. no offense

 

[woodpusher]

It's totally a lost art because let's be real...there isn't really a "need" for that art anymore. John Ward and other radio guys became the legends they did because very few games used to be on TV, and guys who could paint a picture, as you said, were awesome to listen to. It still is fun to listen to someone who is good at it, but it is more for nostalgia than anything else. There isn't really a need to. For a very long time, there were only 2 possible ways to consume a game live - attend the game, or listen to it on the radio. There are a ton of options now.

Think about all the legendary radio play-by-play guys you can name. Are any of them young guys who took the job within the last 10-15 years? They're either dead or older guys who were calling games in the 30s, 50s, 70s, etc. Good broadcast talent doesn't do radio anymore.

Also I think announcers today are afraid of offending anyone. I recall Bob Prince (Pirates) and Jack Fleming (Steelers, also did WVU) - there was no doubt you were listening to a Pittsburgh broadcast. The announcers today are bland by comparison.

I've heard what got Bob Prince fired was when he said "Ladies and gentlemen, there's a couple of idiots in front of me rooting for Chicago." (Pirates were playing the Cubs in Pittsburgh). It turned out those idiots were executives with Westinghouse Broadcasting. He was let go at the end of the season.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

bob is old and it takes too much energy to show excitement. he needs to be on NPR giving commentary. us fans don't complain enough to the administration about it. we're so apathetic to him. i find myself putting the TV on mute because i hate the TV announcers and i don't listen to bob because of how bad he is. Bob needs to go. no offense

Yeah agreed. I will occasionally listen to the Vol Network when I’m traveling or otherwise can’t catch a broadcast in football or hoops. It’s infrequent but it happens - and each time it does I’m left completely blown away at just how bad Bob is. No emotion, almost sounds like he hates his job and is watching the clock tick down until he can get out of there.

He’s a little better on basketball, but I think that’s because he’s friends with Barnes and that seems to keep his attention. But he stinks at football, period. It’s unlistenable and that’s a shame for a a flagship school, even if radio is a lost art. My Freshman year was 98, so I didn’t get to experience a lot of Ward first hand aside from my grandparents absolutely refusing to watch games when I was young and instead put on Ward and let him paint the picture for you. Maybe that tinted my perspective, but come on, other teams have good announcers - even today - why can’t we?

 

[KoachKrab127]

And that happened during the Iowa game. Like the network skipped ahead about 10 seconds all of a sudden. Just repeat the process and it syncs up again. Yes, it's a little work on my part, but I don't mind.

Long ago I realized I can watch a TV game (and this isn't just VOL football) without the sound on. I don't really need Herstriet or Fowler "Jacking their jaws" non stop telling about what I've just seen. I can figure it out. Only time I'll take it off mute is when the ref explains a call I didn't understand. Other than that 97% of what the announcers say is filler - they can't NOT say anything. And sometimes I even try to call the game in my head as if I was doing the play by play. I'm as good as that "boom goes the dynamite" dude.

I remember the Vol radio network used to broadcast games on 99.1 FM and AM 990. One of the stations was real time, and the other was delayed about 2 seconds to sync up with the delay of cable TV. It was perfect whether you were watching the game in Neyland Stadium or at home. But now, it’s so difficult to do.

 

[goldvol]

I listened to the first quarter in the car. I kid you not, the first play of the game Ragaini caught a pass for Iowa. Kessling proceeded to pronounce Ragaini 3 different ways in the next 4 sentences.

I couldn't help but laugh, due to all the complaints I read on Volnation about mispronounced names from Kessling.

He literally had weeks to learn the player's names, and has a cheat sheet right next to him for help!