Posted on 07/06/2019 6:48:18 AM PDT by Cecily
f you have ever watched the Tour de France or even been a casual cycling fan, you have heard the voices of Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett on commentary. Liggett on play-by-play and Sherwen on analysis and color commentary, were one of the great announcing partnerships in sports. The two worked together on many cycling races, including 33 editions of the Tour de France.
That partnership sadly ended as Paul Sherwen died of heart failure last December at the age of 62. Before getting into broadcasting, Sherwen was a pro cyclist throughout the 1970s and 80s and specialized in climbing mountains and assisting his team leader up the steepest mountains throughout the world. It was this tenacity in climbing those mountains that got Sherwen to finish the Tour de France five times as a domestique.
(Excerpt) Read more at awfulannouncing.com ...
Concur; was amazed when he died, given his background and apparent good health. He is missed on the commentary although I still enjoy Bob Roll and Phil Liggett, like old friends.
Watching the Tour won’t ever be the same without Paul’s commentary and professional insight. His anecdotes of Tours past were a gift whenever I watched the tour. RIP Paul.
Bob Roll, not the right guy for sitting next to Phil Liggett while taking you on a 3 week tour across France.
Sad to hear that. Paul was an engaging and knowledgeable commentator. Only 62.
But nobody works the way Liggett and Sherwen did.
I’ll miss Sherwen, but I also miss the days when an American or two could be figured as a contender for one of the categories (green, yellow, or polka-dot shirt). American cycling seems to be at about a thirty or forty-year low for producing top international riders.
I like Liggett and Roll, but that current American rider that they always interview gives me the creeps. Can’t recall his name at the moment.
I’d rather listen to Jens than Bobke. Can’t understand a word however.
It’s either Taylor Phinney or TeeJay van Garderen. That would be my guess.
Taylor Phinney is the guy I find annoying.
It's beyond missing Paul, it will never be the same IMO. Those two were magical.
Bob Roll, not the right guy for sitting next to Phil Liggett while taking you on a 3 week tour across France.
I totally agree, Vision and Cecily. 'Magical' is the precise word to describe Phil and dear Paul in the TdF broadcast booth. Le Tour will never be the same.
Love Bob Roll, but I agree that he's not the right guy to be paired with Phil Liggett. And he absolutely *butchers* each French word! Paul Sherwen spoke French (and other languages) beautifully... he was such a pleasure to listen to. I'll miss his funny 'Sherwen-isms', too, i.e., "He's a beastie boy!"
I miss Bob in that center seat (with Christian on his left) in the NBC Sports studio as in the past several years. Part of the fun of Bob Roll is *watching* his facial expressions and hand gestures during the pre- and post-race shows. Love his Bobke stuff as well. Now he's shuttered off in a booth where we rarely see him. Ridiculous.
Steve Schlanger is doing a decent job, but I liked all the previous NBC Sports announcers (Paul Burmeister, et al). Don't like the addition of Chris Horner, although I think he'd be fine as an occasional guest on the shows.
Thank you so much for this article, Cecily.
Related new Tour de France thread:
Surprise! A Tour de France That Doesn’t Feel Like a Fait Accompli
Sorry, I have no advice on how to get beyond WSJ's paywall.
I do too, but I really miss him in that center seat in the NBC Sports studio with Christian. From what I saw today (Stage 1), Bob is now shuttered away in a broadcast booth, so we rarely see him. A big part of the fun of Bob Roll is visual: watching his funny facial expressions and crazy hand gestures!
I don't like most of the new "changes" in the TdF lineup at NBCSN.
Paul and Phil could talk for three straight hours and never run out of something interesting to say, even on the flat stages. They were great together.
Thanks so much for the ping nutmeg! I followed Paul and still follow Phil on Twitter. I loved Paul’s history tours through all of the old castles. I loved it when Phil would say something totally wrong and Paul would correct him so smoothly you hardly noticed. I’m glad Phil got back up on this horse. I’ll be watching a day behind starting tomorrow.
I was hoping Jens would work with Phil. He makes me laugh. His English is so harsh!
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