 |
| Greg Papa |
It's the coming calamity in the fall: Papa broadcasting 49er's football. That's the ultimate disaster and a disaster it will be.
When Papa was fired from the Raiders I knew he'd resurface because in technical terms, he's very good, no one denies that and even boorish Papa knows the NFL landscape well enough to be successful.
What caught me and almost everyone else off guard was the 49ers' broadcast hierarchy (namely, Bob Sargent) working feverishly to get Papa into the broadcast booth and replace Ted Robinson, a fine play-by-play man himself who built up a ton of good will with the 49ers' Faithful and developed quite a bond and kinship. That you replace Robinson with a guy that has spent 20 years with the same job with the Raiders; a guy so identified with Silver and Black he was almost a quasi-son to Al Davis, is simply mind-boggling. How much so? 49ers believers and The Amen corner of fans have said it bluntly with a fever pitch: Papa is not one of us. I'm not using the exact words but something to that effect. You get my drift. I know the general response to Papa's hiring as 49ers radio PBP-guy lukewarm at best. There's simply no rhyme or reason only than Sargent's love affair with Papa only he miscalculated Papa's Raiders' identity.
Moreover, and this is what counts most: the 49ers' advertiser base in the South Bay; in Santa Clara and Silicon Valley has been unhappy with the selection of Papa; it's not the gospel for sure but it represents the wide division between them and the organization and that manifests itself not only in sponsorships with the team but with the radio station too. We're talking about dollars and cents and there's nothing more black and white then that, you can take it to the bank, or in this case, not.
Sure, if the 49ers win, then the matter of who's broadcasting becomes less relevant --perhaps. It can't hurt but Robinson's absence --a decade-long voice beloved by the Red and Gold fan base and whose presence was popular all over the radar spells trouble for the 49ers' broadcast entity.
There's a weird progression in the pictures you post of this guy...his face gets more and more punchable.
ReplyDeletean 11-5 season and the sponsors and the faithful will be just fine with it. What I want to know is will Papa carry the water for management attacking certain players?
ReplyDeleteThe 49ers haven't had a decent radio voice since Lon Simmons' second tour of duty. It's all about money and whose ass one kisses. Greg Papa is good technically, but he should still be on the other side of the Bay. This is one instance where you DON'T TURN DOWN the television sound.
ReplyDeleteNot to worry, Papa will do just fine with the 49ers!
DeleteDoes anyone really turn down the TV volume to listen to radio play-by-play in this age? The reason I ask this is because I did this all the time listening to Bill King call Raiders games while watching the games on TV.
DeleteBut -- I think it was the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" which led to different FCC rules -- for about the last 15 years or so, it's been impossible to do the radio/TV hookup. There is literally about a 30 second delay between video and audio.
Or is that just me?
-- Gaga V
Another from the "Gee, What A Surprise" sarcasm department.
ReplyDeleteThe separation between NFL owners and their fan bases continue to widen. From treatment of player personnel to politics to radio broadcasts; nothing is sacred other than the not-so-almighty dollar.
I luv it when you call me Big Papa...
ReplyDeleteI think Greg Papa will work out. I think when he did Niner pre and postgame on NBC Sports Bay Area last year, he wanted to get a pulse of how fans at the game would treat him, being an ex-Raiders guy. I think he mentioned this a few times last year.
ReplyDeleteSounded like the reception overall was positive, and I think that probably could've been another reason why he took the Niners radio play-by-play job when it became available. If the reception didn't go well, I think he probably wouldn't have taken the Niner job and maybe do college football games again this year or try to link up with another NFL team. Probably the Rams or Chargers or a team like that?
I think everyone here in the Bay Area is familiar with Greg Papa, not just with the Raiders, but with the Warriors, the A's, the Giants, and other sports, as well as his work on NBC Sports Bay Area, his work back in the day on the Ticket 1050, and most recently with 95.7.
Yeah, it will be a little different getting used to Greg Papa calling Niner games on the radio, but I think it will be good. Greg Papa rarely fails at what he does. Plus, he originally wanted to be a Niner broadcaster back in 1984 as he claims, so in a way, he's coming full circle and getting the job 35 yrs later. LOL.
Touchdoooowwwnnnnnn Niners!
F Greg Papa and his face, KNBR gig and 49er Fiasco.
ReplyDeleteThe only similar instance I can think of is that Lon Simmons, a San Francisco icon more beloved among Giants fans than Robinson was with the Faithful. was cut loose and later became an A's broadcaster. It worked okay, though it always sounded not quite right. But then fans would love hearing Lon read the Yellow Pages, and Giants and Athletics fans don't have the mutual hatred '49ers and Raider fans too.
ReplyDeleteRobinson was strong. This is a play to try to win over Raider fans now that the Raiders are down to one season left in Oakland. Papa will always sound like the Raiders.
ReplyDeleteLund back with the peepee jokes, etc on the show today. My guess is he's getting ready for his reunion with Papa. Glad he won't be with Tolbert anymore. I am sure Tommy is ecstatic.
ReplyDeletePapa is forever and always will be a Raiders, A's guy. KNBR gets more pathetic by the day.
ReplyDeleteWith a stadium one third full and half of those wearing opposition jerseys evey Sunday who are these "faithfull" that you are refering to !!
ReplyDeleteGreg Papa is a extremely knowledgeable and outstanding football PBP announcer. He knows the schemes, the rules and the players. I liked Ted Robinson but the hiring of Papa is a big step up. He has a fantastic color commentator in Tim Ryan. This is a very positive move for the 49ers
ReplyDeleteThe overly emotive play by play style of Papa is off putting and contrived. I much prefer Ted Robinson.
ReplyDeleteHow many quarters of football before Papa lectures Tim Brown on the nuances of the game?
If the tean is good and becomes a contender, Pappa will be fine, at least we will never hear Touchdown RAIDERS.
ReplyDeleteSo...is he now gonna go with the annoying "TOUCHDOWN...NNNNNNNNNIIIINNNNNNERRRRZZZZZZZZZ" TD call? Every time the Raiders scored a TD, I became conditioned to quickly (within 2-seconds of the score) mute the radio or TV so that I wouldn't have to listen to that annoying Raiders TD call.
ReplyDeletehey, even the raiders didn't want
ReplyDeletehim, shows you how hard up the 9er's are
How's that working out with the degenerate failed gambler in Papa's place??
ReplyDelete