Shane Sparks
- Thread starter dolecda
- Start date
I'll take him over Gibbons and Johnson any day.
I'm a big Shane Sparks fan. I know he's an acquired taste, but I dig his style.
That's a low bar, though. Those guys are stuck back in the days when Iowa Public Television was the primary source of college wrestling coverage.
Shane grew on me, he’s great for the sport. Gimme him over Quint please.
I do appreciate his enthusiasm, and he's such a genuine bloke that it's hard not to like him. He makes no apologies for his excitement of wrestling and we could probably use more people that enjoy it as much as he does.
He talks the same way on a normal phone conversation.
No. But he is by far the most enthusiastic!
Had an opportunity to meet and talk with him in East Lansing last year during the Big Ten tourney. A first class guy.
Shane can keep his excitement going without losing an ounce of professionalism. That is a rare skill that not many younger commentators can seem to grasp.
I love Shane's energy. Him and Bader remind me a lot of each other. They are my favorites but I think they are an acquired taste. Anytime I watch duals with non wrestling people they get annoyed by them.
I like 'em all. Young guys, old guys, loud guys, excitable guys, mild-mannered guys, knowledgeable guys, and last but not least Nebbie's Student U fill-in guys.
Re. Shane, we talked at length a few years ago after one of our BTN telecast bouts, and he actually can be a lot less animated and excited-sounding than we're used to seeing him. Very knowledgeable guy.
Re. Shane, we talked at length a few years ago after one of our BTN telecast bouts, and he actually can be a lot less animated and excited-sounding than we're used to seeing him. Very knowledgeable guy.
As others have said, he's an acquired taste, but he's definitely among, if not the, most tuned in of the major commentators (not counting the flo guys). He follows the sport very closely and that already puts him ahead of most of his competition.
No idea. Had him cornered for a couple minutes prior to the Radio Show last night too, could have asked. Not a biggie, imo.
Speaking of Sparks.. did they say on the broadcast why Nickal skipped the post match interview? Being there I just noticed he ran off the mat and bypassed Sparks’ interview.
You had Bo cornered? Ha! Bet he thought he wasn't getting out of that one.
It was an intriguing discussion, wish I could shareYou had Bo cornered? Ha! Bet he thought he wasn't getting out of that one.
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i like him. he's excited for the greatest sport (not game) in the world. he is a close talker but you can hear the entire interview without background noise interferring. kind of reminds of this episode, in a good way:
I like Sparks. Great energy and knowledgeable. I don't mind Baldwin at Nationals either, although I would tire of him quickly if he was a regular commentator.
I just hope Dake loses his ticket so we don't have a 10 minute interview during wrestling.
I just hope Dake loses his ticket so we don't have a 10 minute interview during wrestling.
if you get the radio at NCAA's.....of 8 mats Shane is usually most entertaining. He does a good job of calling the matches and adding a bit of entertainment as well. The gentleman that do the announcing I have found to be the same most years...most do a good job. Some are referees, some you have no idea. There always seems to be one that doesn't do the greatest job in my opinion but to each their own. Shane can usually be found making really funny comments when announcing matches of hammers like Nolf or Zain. Shane is good for the sport in my opinion.
Anyone else remember the Shane Sparks threads from years ago, here and/or Scout? The tone in this thread is dramatically different than earlier in his career.
No. That would be Billy Baldwin.
So much so that we can expect more tidbits of genius on national TV while Nolf wrestles in his last NCAAs ever in the background.
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I think back then he didn't get to do anything substantive, so his knowledge was wasted. He's much better as an in-match announcer.
Not what I'm referring to. Many found his passion and exuberance annoying. Today, the passion and exuberance is what many see as strengths. Not unlike others when they start out, seems he's earned respect, which is awesome.
I think he has toned down his between match segments just a tad, which helps too. But maybe I've just gotten used to his "11" approach.
As for Bo running past Shane, if you replay his match, you can see he is clearly disgusted at the end. I think that's all it is. Bo knows that minor decisions aren't gonna get it done and he was miffed.
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This. ^
It says a lot about the Penn State mentality. Bo wins B1Gs, Penn State wins B1Gs and Bo is pissed at himself for not wrestling his best and getting bonus.
