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Hillgrove

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steelermania

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There's a heated discussion on one of the main Pitt football boards about whether it's time to put Bill Hillgrove out to pasture. Hillgrove is 75. Jack Fleming was 71 when the Steelers eased him out. Hillgrove has been with Pitt far longer than he's been with the Steelers, so he's much more of an icon with the Pitt fans. Was wondering what the opinion might be here in Steeler Nation. If Hillgrove goes (which is going to happen soon anyway), who would you like to see replace him?
 
How old is Vin Scully?

But really.... what are ratings like for listening to Pitt football on the radio?
 
I'm in the extreme minority here, but Hillgrove is a horrible play-by-play announcer. Yes, he should be put out to pasture, not because he's old, but because he's AWFUL.

If you're just listening to the radio, you have no idea what's going on listening to Hillgrove. I would guess that if he's the only one you've ever heard, then you really don't know...but listen to this clip of Eli Gold (University of Alabama) calling a last-minute drive in an Iron Bowl from 1996. Don't watch the video...just listen to Eli Gold You can visualize everything happening on the field of play...even the clock. I'm no Alabama fan...but Eli Gold is the absolute best.

http://m.melodiacristiana.com/video/icxutaGSNQk/

Now listen to this Hillgrove clip (don't watch, just listen):

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/09000d5d823a0ac3/Steelers-defense-sack-14-yd-loss

For the Record...I'm a Gator fan and our Play-by-Play guy (Mick Hubert) is awful too...
 
Lindsey Nelson on a crisp and clear fall afternoon while doing my yard chores with Dad in the late mid to late 70's, always brings back good memories for me.
 
steel dino said:
How old is Vin Scully?

But really.... what are ratings like for listening to Pitt football on the radio?
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Vin is an all time great. He's only part time, and baseball is so much slower, and easier to follow than football.

Bringing in Hillgrove 20 years ago worked well though. An outsider might have had great difficulty getting used to Myron, and while Fleming was not the beloved icon here that he was in West Virginia, or that Myron was, most of us still liked him a great deal, and were very comfortable with him. Bringing in a guy many of us were already very familiar with made it easy to accept the transition, and of course Bill was already very familiar with Cope, so he knew what he was getting into.
 
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steelermania said:
Vin is an all time great. He's only part time, and baseball is so much slower, and easier to follow than football.
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Agreed!

When you watch Steelers highlights with Hillgrove's commentary it's not bad at all. But just Hillgrove's voice over a radio. Nuh uh
 
Its time to use Hillgrove like they used cope near the end... he has probably broken myron's record for drunken air time by now. let two other guys be play by play and color and let guys like Hillgrove be the iconic (Icomic?) guy in the booth interjecting insight
 
I didn't know he was that old.
 
He's hard to listen to for Steeler games. He gets yard lines wrong, player names wrong, will say passes are incomplete when they've been caught for touchdowns, the list goes on. I often hear Tunch correcting him on things he's screwed up.
 
I would welcome a good play by play voice.. Yes I would miss his voice as hes been here so long.. but to me,, It's time.
 
Steel G said:
He's hard to listen to for Steeler games. He gets yard lines wrong, player names wrong, will say passes are incomplete when they've been caught for touchdowns, the list goes on. I often hear Tunch correcting him on things he's screwed up.
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You exactly right... I listened to the PIT/NE game radio stream while watching with the TV muted to avoid the more annoying Collinsworth, Tunch had to correct him multiple times.
 
Hillgrove is OK, but he's pretty hammy.

Fleming was on another level. He didn't get into hyping what he was calling. Just his voice and delivery - and of course, Cope - underscored what was happening.
 
I grew up listening to games on radio, I prefer it over the national announcers.
When I was away I tried to stream games as much as possible and in the last ten years since I've been back I've listened to hundreds of Steelers and Pitt games on the radio while simultaneously watching on TV.

I've said this before, for Steelers games there is a problem with the spotters that help call out yard lines, player numbers etc...
If you've ever heard the raw audio to a football game (sometimes local preseason feeds screw up and you hear the raw feed for a few seconds) the play by play announcer basically repeats what the spotters are telling him immediately after a play.

So either Hillgrove is talking before he gets the spotters prompt or they are screwing up. IMO it's a combination of both.
Penguins play by play legend Mike Lange once said on radio you don't have to call the play in real time, you can wait one-two seconds. For whatever reason Hillgrove doesn't do that.

What is weird is that Pitt football games aren't nearly as bad (plus Pat Bostick is quick to correct unlike Tunch who is shy about it).
That's why I think there is a problem with the spotters for Steelers games.

I don't know who they could get as a replacement, are there any young local football announcers waiting for a chance like there are for the Penguins?
Lanny Frattare is still around doing high school football and he is great but almost as old.

But really.... what are ratings like for listening to Pitt football on the radio?
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The early season Pitt games aren't even on local TV, you have to watch them streaming online so ratings are probably decent for those games.
 
steelermania said:
There's a heated discussion on one of the main Pitt football boards about whether it's time to put Bill Hillgrove out to pasture. Hillgrove is 75. Jack Fleming was 71 when the Steelers eased him out. Hillgrove has been with Pitt far longer than he's been with the Steelers, so he's much more of an icon with the Pitt fans. Was wondering what the opinion might be here in Steeler Nation. If Hillgrove goes (which is going to happen soon anyway), who would you like to see replace him?
Click to expand...

Screw the Pitt fans. I love Hargrove. Let Pitt ease him out, and let him just do Steelers games.
 
Stlrs4Life said:
Screw the Pitt fans. I love Hargrove. Let Pitt ease him out, and let him just do Steelers games.
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It's more likely to be the other way around. He's more of a Pitt icon than Steelers. When Fleming was eased out,WVU kept him around for a few more years. The same may happen with Bill. He probably has too much on his plate for a guy who's heading towards 80.
 
Hillgrove does both Pitt football and basketball, so they would need to replace two positions.
Bill is definitely a workhorse though, I've heard him call a Pitt basketball game in Texas on Friday night, Pitt football in Cincinnati game on Saturday and a Steelers game in Pittsburgh that Sunday.

I can see Charlie Batch doing radio color analysis eventually.
Yeah he had a tough time on preseason TV games but...that was TV with all their scripted crap and preseason is worse with Pompeani having to read hundred promos for local banks and new CBS shows.
On radio the analyst has 20-30 full seconds between plays to give his thoughts.

Paul Zeiss from 93.7 has a good voice.
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Zeise as an analyst would be epic!
 
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