Professional Cycling - OMG, duct tape his hands down please !

I honestly cant watch oln when Bob Roll talks anymore, i have to look away.
He does a hand motion with ...every...single...word.
Someone needs to duct tape his hands down to his legs.

I have never noticed his hand movements, but I cannot stand how he pronounces anything in french -- for example, he says "the Tour DAY FRANCE". Drives me nuts...

I have never noticed his hand movements, but I cannot stand how he pronounces anything in french -- for example, he says "the Tour DAY FRANCE". Drives me nuts...

He does it to piss them off.

for example, he says "the Tour DAY FRANCE".

Really? Who would have known? It's never been covered around here.....

Just the other day he was talking about how he pronounces french words wrong to piss people off, like a waiter who ignored his group in a restaurant for over an hour.

So hes an ignorant dumbass not just a dumbass? Fantastic, he deserves a good kick in his junk.

Would you take Trautwig over Roll? At least Roll knows what he is talking about. I'm sympathetic to people who have been mistreated over the years (as Roll has by the French) and take out their frustration in such an non-violent way. But it's probably his own fault he was mistreated - get him a copy of Culture Shock France.

I think Bob Roll is a hoot!! He's pulling everyone's chain with that Tour DAY France stuff. Pay attention to him when he's talking about the classics - his pronunciation is beautiful. He's the best one OLB has out there by a mile in my book.

Just the other day he was talking about how he pronounces french words wrong to piss people off, like a waiter who ignored his group in a restaurant for over an hour.

And of course he's too dumb to realise that being ignored was the result of his idiocy. He probably thinks he got the last laugh in that one :rolleyes:

I think Bob Roll is a hoot!! He's pulling everyone's chain with that Tour DAY France stuff. Pay attention to him when he's talking about the classics - his pronunciation is beautiful. He's the best one OLB has out there by a mile in my book.

Absolutely. Bobke is hilarious but delivers great commentary.

Bob Roll is awesome and enertaining. He reminds me of a character that was cut out of "Cannonball Run", probably hanging out drinking beer with Mel Tillis, or perhaps shooting up with the junkie doctor. Liggett and Sherwin are the greatest, and for some reason I don't mind Al Trautwig as bad this year, although I think a background in the sport should be a prerequisite for being a commentator, which Trautwig obviously doesn't have. My question to those who hate on Roll; "Well what DO you want?" I, for one, can do without another clone of "Best Damn Sports Show, Period". I think OLNs coverage leaves something to be desired as far as the huge surplus of commercials goes, but their choice in commentators is very well done.

Bob Roll is pure entertainment. He thumbs his nose at those that thumbed at him for many years. Now he has had the last 6 and probably 7 years with an American dominating a french race. He must really be loving it.

I have zero problem with his commentary, just his non stop hand gestures.
Listening to him IS entertaining

Bob Roll is king. My Tour de France experience would be lessened if Bob weren't around to make the coverage so unique. I used to have problems with Trautwig, but he hasn't bothered me as much this year. Of course, Sherwin and Liggett are great. I enjoy the commentators on OLN more than any other team of sportscasters I've ever heard.

Roll is the real deal, but plays the nutball gig to the hilt. Read his books and listen close to when he interviews others. Remember last year in the OLN coverage when they had Hinault on TV? Bobke spoke excellent French with him.

BFD. He's funny. If you don't like it, well... too bad. :D

I particularly enjoy the adds for the scratch off games where he gets progressively more desperate while Phil and Paul rake in the prizes (I feel like Bob, BTW -- no prizes yet!).

I'll take Bobke's "Tour DAY France" over Frankie's "TOUR defrance" any day. ANY day.

The Trek game rocks. I feel like Paul. Three keyrings, two peak bars, and a JERSEY! WOOHOO!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I caught a mere glimpse of him in a commercial riding a bike in the nude. Correct me if I'm wrong – please!! :eek:

I have zero problem with his commentary, just his non stop hand gestures.
Listening to him IS entertaining

Have you ever seen the episode of Seinfeld where George says he grows on people like an irritating commercial jingle ("By Mennen")? In two years, you'll be humming, "Boooob Rollie" or "Tooour day France".

I can take the hands, but Trautwig is a doofus, he signed off sunday by telling us, "the tour de france is not over, there is always the possibility of crashes or the flu..tune in!"

Just because he's too much of an idiot to appreciate the sport, doesn't mean he should assume this of his audience.

i hadn't noticed bob's hands flying around before this year's tour coverage. i think someone told him he needs to learn the art of talking with his hands. while i enjoy his commentary, he needs a lot of practice using the hand gestures.

Roll is good for the sport. He plays the part people have told him to play. If you don't like him, get your tour feed from the net.

Roll is the real deal, but plays the nutball gig to the hilt. Read his books and listen close to when he interviews others. Remember last year in the OLN coverage when they had Hinault on TV? Bobke spoke excellent French with him.

I've seen him interview Italian riders in Italian, also. The man has a lot more on the ball than the casual viewer gives him credit for.

And of course he's too dumb to realise that being ignored was the result of his idiocy. He probably thinks he got the last laugh in that one :rolleyes:

I think it is hilarious you call Roll an idiot and dumb and yet you can't seem to spell realize!

Gotta love the Bob Roll. The Kinetic commercial is hilarius. Yesterday a naked guy was running alongside the riders going up a massive climb. The camera panned away from the man and there was silence then Roll without missing a beat says, "the naked truth is these riders bodies are in agony right now". If you listen to just him he really does say alot of things that fly under the radar.

Bob Roll is awesome and enertaining. He reminds me of a character that was cut out of "Cannonball Run", probably hanging out drinking beer with Mel Tillis, or perhaps shooting up with the junkie doctor. Liggett and Sherwin are the greatest, and for some reason I don't mind Al Trautwig as bad this year, although I think a background in the sport should be a prerequisite for being a commentator, which Trautwig obviously doesn't have. My question to those who hate on Roll; "Well what DO you want?" I, for one, can do without another clone of "Best Damn Sports Show, Period". I think OLNs coverage leaves something to be desired as far as the huge surplus of commercials goes, but their choice in commentators is very well done.

You mention the guy hanging out with Mel Tillis. It was Terry Bradshaw in that movie and who, interestingly enough, catches the same kind of flak from NFL fans as a reporter on Fox Sports. Its that goofiness that disarms you and somehow masks the the four Super Bowl rings and his precise knowledge of the game.

Bob may act like a goof but I suspect that he has more legitimate qualifications to report on the event than Kirsten Gum has. That being said, I "watch" the live feed at work so I am mostly working and keeping an ear open for breaking news. I don't have to opportunity to see Bobke and his flapping hand gestures. (I did, however, catch the Naked Truth commercial and the image is now irrevocably seared into my brain.)

I think it is hilarious you call Roll an idiot and dumb and yet you can't seem to spell realize!


Perhaps you missed the British flag as his avatar. 'Realise' is the correct UK English spelling of what we Americans write as "realize." :D

Without Bob Roll, the tdf coverage would be a bore. He adds character. I can't imagine the tour coverage without him. He's a goof, and that's why we love him. Plus, he does it so tongue and cheek.

In the John Kerry interview today, he said he was going to start using his hands like Bob Roll. He said he was a fan, and Phil said that he was probably Bob's only fan.

In the last few days the other announcers have been teasing him about his hand motions. So i'm not the only one who noticed :)

In my other sport im a videographer, so thats maybe why i even notice it, since im sure his hands moving out in front of him constantly drive the camera men batty.

Entertainment wise, hes the best on Oln, without a doubt.

"Realise" is a common spelling for "realize" in other English speaking countries where the "z" used in the US spelling is replaced with a "s". Given the flag MacMan uses in his icon I'm not sure it's a misspelling.

Here ends the lesson....

I like Bob Roll and have heard him speak both Italian and French quite well. As someone who struggled to become semi-literate in Spanish only to see the skill fade away I admire muti-linguists.

The Bob in the Buff stuff however is way too much.


:beer:

edit: I got beat to the punch with the spelling lesson, didn't I?

I'll take Bob's hands everyday over one of the network flunkies who show up at the 12 hour. I would turn of the TV if John Madden/Bob Costas/Al Michaels was to show up.