I broadcast RPI hockey for 4 years from the 85-86 season to the
89-90 season on WRPI the 10,000 watt FM stereo station at RPI.
I did mostly color commentary. Some of you present RPI folks may
still be listening to one or two of the more inane things I let
roll off my tongue in a promo spot for hockey broadcasts that
starts off something like "Reasons to listen to WRPI...
inciteful color commentary..."
 
While a lot of my silly comments were unintentional, a lot more
were intentional. Not everyone who listens to these things is a
college educated highbrow. In fact we used to have folks wait for
us after the games and commend us on the quality and humourousness
of our broadcasts. One of our biggest fans was acting President Stan
Landgraf who I interviewed on at least one occasion. He said he liked the
fact that we were rather light hearted, willing to goof on ourselves
and the team (and the other teams :-) and not too overwhelmed by the emotion
of the games or our partisanship. Many of the folks in the crowd who used to
wear their headset radios to the game to listen to our broadcasts had similar
sentiments.
 
So maybe it never occurred to you that some of the most idiotic things
some commentators say is intentional self-depricating humor. I'm sure lots
of it is just dumb stuff someone said on the spur of the moment, but hey
you're laughing at it right, so maybe it has some value after all.
Next time you're drivng through Albany listening to WRPI and you hear
some promo spot with a color commentator making some "inciteful" comment
you'll wonder if he wasn't just having some fun with his broadcast partner
and the audience, or if he was really just saying something dumb. :-)
 
 
        JaH