Rebecca Lobo is joining the Studio Analyst Team at ESPN

[meyers7]

As long as we can get some good looking dude who fills out a suit nice *wink, wink, nudge, nudge, if you know what I mean* I'm happy.

Like this???

 

[Icebear]

Filling out a suit has never in my experience been a problem.

 

[Vowelguy]

Still, it begs the question as to whether moving Ms Lobo into the studio represents a step up, or a lateral move from which to broaden her scope.
!

I have no doubt this is something Lobo greatly desired. All those long road trips during the W playoffs were tough on her and family. I'm sure she's ecstatic.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Having Rebecca Lobo in the studio means a greater commitment to true "analysis." Lobo is one of the only WCBB commentators who will talk about the Xs and Os - where a down screen occurs, running off the ball, setting an elevator screen at the top of the key, etc. These are things the average basketball fan does not know. They are the subtle nuances of the game that has made Lobo's commentary so great.

Carolyn Peck basically says the same thing. She says, "When you talk about [insert team name], it all starts with [star player]. [Star player] can do it all - scoring, rebounding, passing. [Star player] is so versatile, and it will be very difficult for [opposing team] to stop her." Seriously. That is a basic summary of the in-studio analysis she contributes.

In recent years, Peck has added things like "[Team name] plays more of an up-tempo style" and "[Team name] likes to run but needs to learn how to execute in the halfcourt."

Having Lobo in the studio means there is a "Jay Bilas type" who brings incredible substantive analysis to the proceedings. It makes for a much more informative broadcast, especially for casual fans of the women's game. Using someone known for her Xs and Os analysis is a statement that ESPN is not relying on someone who was a fired coach who some perceive as good looking; it is using one of the best analysts (if not, the best women's basketball analyst) as the main component of the broadcast.

Plus, people underrate Lobo's dry sense of humor. During a WNBA broadcast on Oxygen in 2004, Beth Mowins and Lobo were calling a game together. Mowins had to do a blurb about "Nice Package," Oxygen's new home improvement show. Lobo's first quip after the blurb was, "Oxygen...the euphemism network." One of the funniest moments I have experienced watching a women's basketball game...

 

[Icebear]

As I said, Cam, the obvious and the meaningless.

 

[DaddyChoc]

perceive? she may not know how to call a game or pronounce her words but she's easily a Top-5 in the "looks" department

 

[pinotbear]

perceive? she may not know how to call a game or pronounce her words but she's easily a Top-5 in the "looks" department

Your perspective on the conflict (what she says vs. how she looks saying it) reminds me of the observation I made when Brittany Spears first hit the video airways, lo these many years ago. "The problem with Brittany is, she sings!"

 

[Icebear]

perceive? she may not know how to call a game or pronounce her words but she's easily a Top-5 in the "looks" department

perceive? she may not know how to call a game or pronounce her words but she's easily a Top-5 in the "looks" department

You're kidding, right?

 

[DaddyChoc]

nah, name 5 that look better... and not "guest" colors

 

[Icebear]

I didn't realize you were limiting it to commentators. Gosh are there even five more doing women's basketball.

 

[cabbie191]

As far as her return to the coaching ranks, there have certainly been enough openings. that she has not filled any of them indicates that she wants no part of it. Someone afraid to take a chance at failing has no business being a basketball coach anyway.!

Although it wasn't said outright, this wording implies that Peck is afraid to take on a coaching position for fear of failure. That might or might not be true. There are any number of reasons why someone would prefer to not be a head coach - family considerations, health concerns, lack of enthusiasm, preference to be on camera, etc. IMO, it's an unfair tarnish to Peck to throw this out there when there are no data to back it up.

As to her abilities in the studio, my reaction has always been "meh". I have never been greatly impressed by her but wasn't really bothered by her, either. What did get under my skin, though, was Trey Wingo's persistent introduction of Peck as "the coach".

 

[cabbie191]

While I hated listening to her southern accent.... I enjoyed looking at Ms Peck. I wonder if she has ruled out ever returning to the sidelines.

Triad - Curious how come - are you a northern transplant living in Dukieland? Or is it a matter that she butchers the accent?

 

[Wonkster]

... I prefer Vitale over Peck, and he's like listening to a pair of donkeys have s e x while snorting coke.

Please clarify this fascinating scenario, all right? Who's snorting coke - you, Vitale, or the donkeys?

 

[triaddukefan]

Triad - Curious how come - are you a northern transplant living in Dukieland? Or is it a matter that she butchers the accent?

Well since you asked... Born and raised in the South.... love living down here.... its just I find strong southern accents to be particulary grating. I have tended to date women who are either from New Jersey or Hartford .... or are from the South but have fairly neutral accents. The accents actually get worse the further you get from the urban areas. Typically females from Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle women are ok... but less than 20 minutes outside of those areas......

 

[cabbie191]

Well since you asked... Born and raised in the South.... love living down here.... its just I find strong southern accents to be particulary grating. I have tended to date women who are either from New Jersey or Hartford .... or are from the South but have fairly neutral accents. The accents actually get worse the further you get from the urban areas. Typically females from Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle women are ok... but less than 20 minutes outside of those areas......

When I lived in Boston I dated a woman from Georgia. She had a fairly strong accent but I rather liked it. What's ironic is now that I live in Wisconsin, I find the New Jersey accent to be on the strong side!

My sister-in-law is English. I had a wonderful opportunity to stay with Mary's family for a summer when I was a teenager. One of my best memories is the time when her dad took me to a county fair. We were talking about accents and Cliff said that he could tell not only where someone had been born but about how many years of schooling they had, based solely on how they spoke. He then proceeded to prove this.

He would listen in on a conversation, tell me the person's birthplace and level of schooling, and then engage the person in a talk and elicit the information from him. Cliff was amazingly accurate.

One thing that stood out and which makes sense to me is the point you made that I highlighted - those from England's major cities had much more muted accents then their country brethren.

 

[DobbsRover2]

It does seem a bit odd that there is a semi-pervasive attitude that WCBB is not necessarily entitled to smart articulate sportscasters and that a bubbleheaded twit whose last intelligent thought about the game came shortly before the last ice age started to recede is passable as long as she is "cute" or "nice to look at." Kind of thought the game deserved better, and that if we really needed a pretty face to help us through the games that we could pull out one of those magazines that cater to those fantasies. I don't know that I've ever seen the handsome cute guy factor raised about sportscasters for men's sports, and I'm guessing that certain women's sports will be even more marginalized on the networks as long as the suits and the viewers search for the lookers to fill the seats for WCBB analysis. Glad tennis does not work that way as I'm sure Anna K. would have driven us all crazy with statements like, "She really needs to start hitting the ball over the net more."

And does anyone have a link to the video of those two donkeys doing it while Vitale snorts coke? Sounds fun. And I think it happened during a Duke - UNC game.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Having Rebecca Lobo in the studio means a greater commitment to true "analysis." Lobo is one of the only WCBB commentators who will talk about the Xs and Os - where a down screen occurs, running off the ball, setting an elevator screen at the top of the key, etc. These are things the average basketball fan does not know. They are the subtle nuances of the game that has made Lobo's commentary so great.

Carolyn Peck basically says the same thing. She says, "When you talk about [insert team name], it all starts with [star player]. [Star player] can do it all - scoring, rebounding, passing. [Star player] is so versatile, and it will be very difficult for [opposing team] to stop her." Seriously. That is a basic summary of the in-studio analysis she contributes.

In recent years, Peck has added things like "[Team name] plays more of an up-tempo style" and "[Team name] likes to run but needs to learn how to execute in the halfcourt."

Cam -- how could you forget "What [insert team name] needs to do is feed the post."

I have no idea why Peck hasn't dipped her toe into the coaching ranks again -- though I'm guessing it's because she'd be exposed as incompetent.