Al T. makes it official - He's bored

Be sure to watch the tail end of the OLN post race show
on Sunday.

For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored. No
mountains. No time trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler hiding
out in the pack.

Bob, Phil and Paul took Al to the clearners after that
comment. Maybe ESPN will book Al on "Pardon the
Interuption."

Bryan

"OnThaBeach" <onthabeach@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040711171628.16026.00001004@mb-m21.aol.com...
>
>
> Be sure to watch the tail end of the OLN post race show
> on Sunday.
>
> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
> No mountains. No
time
> trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler hiding out in the pack.
>
> Bob, Phil and Paul took Al to the clearners after that
> comment. Maybe ESPN
will
> book Al on "Pardon the Interuption."
>
> Bryan

I saw that as well. So much for his claim that he's a
cycling fan. He has no clue how a stage race is raced. He
complained about it being just another long, boring stage
with three guys in a breakaway and then cut off Paul as Paul
attempted to explain the subtleties of the stage. He may
have called a race or two (Olympics maybe), but the guy is
clueless. And to make it worse... he's loudly proclaims his
clueless-ness.

Keep flooding OLN with email. Remember, NBC changed its
primetime coverage of the Utah Winter Olympics after the
first few days because of all the negative feedback. Al
needs to come down with a case of the "flu" for two weeks.

"Bestest Handsander" <none@u.biz> wrote in message
news:PKOdnYG05vzIIGzd4p2dnA@aros.net...
> "OnThaBeach" <onthabeach@aol.com> wrote in message news:20040711171628.16026.00001004@mb-
> m21.aol.com...
> >
> >
> > Be sure to watch the tail end of the OLN post race show
> > on Sunday.
> >
> > For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
> > No mountains.
No
> time
> > trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler hiding out in the pack.
> >
> > Bob, Phil and Paul took Al to the clearners after that
> > comment. Maybe
ESPN
> will
> > book Al on "Pardon the Interuption."
> >
> > Bryan
>
> I saw that as well. So much for his claim that he's a
> cycling fan. He
has
> no clue how a stage race is raced. He complained about it
> being just another long, boring stage with three guys in a
> breakaway and then cut off Paul as Paul attempted to
> explain the subtleties of the stage. He may
have
> called a race or two (Olympics maybe), but the guy is
> clueless. And to
make
> it worse... he's loudly proclaims his clueless-ness.
>
> Keep flooding OLN with email. Remember, NBC changed its
> primetime
coverage
> of the Utah Winter Olympics after the first few days
> because of all the negative feedback. Al needs to come
> down with a case of the "flu" for two weeks.

Perhaps they can get him a two week gig at The Scooter
Store.

In article <20040711171628.16026.00001004@mb-m21.aol.com>,
onthabeach@aol.com (OnThaBeach) wrote:

> Be sure to watch the tail end of the OLN post race show
> on Sunday.
>
> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
> No mountains. No time trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler
> hiding out in the pack.
>
> Bob, Phil and Paul took Al to the clearners after that
> comment. Maybe ESPN will book Al on "Pardon the
> Interuption."

That was frigging retarded. Al is bored after a brilliant
rising-sprint finish won by Hushovd's superb show of power,
after a couple of daring breakaways, and after some pretty
good action.

The worst part was his boredom didn't seem to be based on
the actual racing action, but on the fact that the GC riders
hadn't established their leadership yet.

It was a dumb comment, informed by the idea that the GC is
the only contest that matters, and that nothing can affect
the GC chase in the early, flat days (tell that to Mayo.
Tell that to Leipheimer or Hamilton).

I sort of understand the perspective: the Tour organizers
set up a program that was as likely as possible to not cause
any notable GC differentiation before Bastille Day (and will
I be staying home and watching that one live? Oh yeah. Flex
days rule). It seems almost cruel, though it has given USA
Today lots of chances to write man-bites-dog stories about
how it's not a big deal that Lance lost the yellow jersey by
nine minutes. Maybe USPS did that on purpose so that
American journalists would have to write some articles
explaining how the GC strategies work.

On the other hand, I think that Trautwig, to his credit, is
there to play a combo of devil's (the other one) advocate,
and to ask the "naïve" questions that your typical once-a-
year Lance fan might be asking. Actually, they're the same
questions all my co-workers keep asking me (except the
Colombians; they just keep going around muttering stuff
about Nozal). It's a dirty job, but OLN gets lots of viewers
for its coverage, and I suspect most of them know about as
much about cycling as this newsgroup does about bull-riding
(why are cowboys such lousy lovers? They think 8 seconds is
a good ride). OLN can't just let the commentators nerd out
about how Ullrich is the Zoetemelk of his era, because most
of the audience has never heard of Joop, has barely heard of
Jan, and doesn't know what the point of comparison would be.

And another moment of praise: has anyone heard Phil describe
the pack as "literally exploding" this year? Whatever OLN
used to treat that particular verbal tic, it worked.

--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

>Keep flooding OLN with email. Remember, NBC changed its
>primetime coverage
of the Utah Winter Olympics after the first few days because
of all the negative feedback. Al needs to come down with a
case of the "flu" for two weeks.<

Maybe Brent Musberger is available?????

Unbelievable. I didn't like him anyway. Especially with his
candy ass 5 Battles Won. But this is truly outrageous.
Here's what I sent OLN...

" If Al is so bored with the Tour, why not get someone else
that understands the race? You would think it would be
better for ratings to discuss how exciting the Tour is and
its subleties rather than arguing over how boring it is. I'd
get rid of him quick so save your ratings and cycling in the
US. It's hard enough to get people interested without the
show lead himself dismissing it as boring!!!"

"OnThaBeach" <onthabeach@aol.com> wrote in message news:20040711171628.16026.00001004@mb-
m21.aol.com...
>
>
> Be sure to watch the tail end of the OLN post race show
> on Sunday.
>
> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
> No mountains. No
time
> trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler hiding out in the pack.
>
> Bob, Phil and Paul took Al to the clearners after that
> comment. Maybe ESPN
will
> book Al on "Pardon the Interuption."
>
> Bryan

On 07/11/2004 04:51 PM, in article
rcousine-F265F2.15513811072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, "Ryan Cousineau"
<rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote:

> (except the Colombians; they just keep going around
> muttering stuff about Nozal).

So what has Isidro Nozal done that he's raised the ire of
the Colombians?

--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks
at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas
servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee
sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for
word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-
ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash

> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
> No mountains. No time trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler
> hiding out in the pack.

I'll admit that I only watch the Tour de France, so my knowledge of
bike racing is not extensive. But it ain't boring! I'm
sitting in front of my TV every day for a few hours watching
guys ride their bikes, and what makes it interesting is all
the different races within the race, the insight that the
commentators offer, etc. For me it's not about Lance going
for 6. It's about the races for the other jerseys other than
yellow, the tactics used by various teams, the breakaways
and the chases, etc. I wish we could hear what the riders
are saying over radio to their team cars, to give a
different perspective on what we are seeing. I can do
without ignorant asses like Al and the Cutters. On paper I'm
their audience, but they are not what I want to watch.

In article <BD1740F5.3AB7A%stevens@veloworks.com>,
"Steven L. Sheffield" <stevens@veloworks.com> wrote:

> On 07/11/2004 04:51 PM, in article rcousine-
> F265F2.15513811072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, "Ryan Cousineau"
> <rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote:
>
> > (except the Colombians; they just keep going around
> > muttering stuff about Nozal).
>
> So what has Isidro Nozal done that he's raised the ire of
> the Colombians?

Took Victor Hugo Pena's spot on the team, and so far has
proven incapable of keeping up in the TTT. Pena was the
first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey.

To Nozal's credit, his job doesn't start until the course
turns upward. We'll see if he's ready for the mountains.

--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

max taylor wrote:
>> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
>> No mountains. No time trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler
>> hiding out in the pack.
>
>
> I'll admit that I only watch the Tour de France, so my knowledge of
> bike racing is not extensive. But it ain't boring! I'm
> sitting in front of my TV every day for a few hours
> watching guys ride their bikes, and what makes it
> interesting is all the different races within the race,
> the insight that the commentators offer, etc. For me it's
> not about Lance going for 6. It's about the races for the
> other jerseys other than yellow, the tactics used by
> various teams, the breakaways and the chases, etc. I wish
> we could hear what the riders are saying over radio to
> their team cars, to give a different perspective on what
> we are seeing. I can do without ignorant asses like Al and
> the Cutters. On paper I'm their audience, but they are not
> what I want to watch.

It's a bit like watching golf too, in that they scenery is
usually interesting. It makes good background noise/video
while being productive.

Al T. is playing Devil's Advocate, trying to get P&P to
explain why these flat stages are interesting. They didn't
do a very good job of taking the bait.

I've taken a couple of these flat rides into the indoor
cycling room as an instructor. They are NOT boring if you're
riding them, or even pretending to ride them for 45 minutes.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"

in article cct06q0uo4@enews2.newsguy.com, max taylor at m@t
wrote on 7/11/04
8:23 PM:

>> For the A.M. live edition, Al let loose that he's bored.
>> No mountains. No time trial. Just Lance, Jan and Tyler
>> hiding out in the pack.
>
> I'll admit that I only watch the Tour de France, so my knowledge of
> bike racing is not extensive. But it ain't boring! I'm
> sitting in front of my TV every day for a few hours
> watching guys ride their bikes, and what makes it
> interesting is all the different races within the race,
> the insight that the commentators offer, etc. For me it's
> not about Lance going for 6. It's about the races for the
> other jerseys other than yellow, the tactics used by
> various teams, the breakaways and the chases, etc. I wish
> we could hear what the riders are saying over radio to
> their team cars, to give a different perspective on what
> we are seeing. I can do without ignorant asses like Al and
> the Cutters. On paper I'm their audience, but they are not
> what I want to watch.

You sound like my kind of guy. Stick with us awhile, you'll
have a lot of fun following the other races as well. The
Tour is only one landmark of the season, and there are many
many others... my personal favorite being the traditional
Italian season closer, November's one-day Giro di Lombardia,
the "race of the falling leaves." It really is a great thing
to follow the season as it develops, day in and day out...

-Sonarrat.

in article rcousine-C9D83E.21280711072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, Ryan Cousineau at
rcousine@sfu.ca wrote on 7/11/04 9:28 PM:

> In article <BD1740F5.3AB7A%stevens@veloworks.com>, "Steven
> L. Sheffield" <stevens@veloworks.com> wrote:
>
>> On 07/11/2004 04:51 PM, in article rcousine-
>> F265F2.15513811072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, "Ryan Cousineau"
>> <rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> (except the Colombians; they just keep going around
>>> muttering stuff about Nozal).
>>
>> So what has Isidro Nozal done that he's raised the ire of
>> the Colombians?
>
> Took Victor Hugo Pena's spot on the team, and so far has
> proven incapable of keeping up in the TTT. Pena was the
> first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey.
>
> To Nozal's credit, his job doesn't start until the course
> turns upward. We'll see if he's ready for the mountains.

Wrong team.

On 07/11/2004 10:28 PM, in article
rcousine-C9D83E.21280711072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, "Ryan Cousineau"
<rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote:

> In article <BD1740F5.3AB7A%stevens@veloworks.com>, "Steven
> L. Sheffield" <stevens@veloworks.com> wrote:
>
>> On 07/11/2004 04:51 PM, in article rcousine-
>> F265F2.15513811072004@morgoth.sfu.ca, "Ryan Cousineau"
>> <rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> (except the Colombians; they just keep going around
>>> muttering stuff about Nozal).
>>
>> So what has Isidro Nozal done that he's raised the ire of
>> the Colombians?
>
> Took Victor Hugo Pena's spot on the team, and so far has
> proven incapable of keeping up in the TTT. Pena was the
> first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey.

But Isidro Nozal rides for Liberty Seguros, whilst Victor
Hugo Pena rides for USPS-Berry Floor.

Could you perhaps be referring to Benjamin Noval, who
crashed heavily the day before the TTT, as the riders were
about to hit the first cobbled section, on the stage to
Wasquehal?

> To Nozal's credit, his job doesn't start until the course
> turns upward. We'll see if he's ready for the mountains.

--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks
at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas
servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee
sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for
word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-
ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash

Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@sfu.ca> wrote in message news:<rcousine-F265F2.15513811072004@morgoth.sfu.ca>...
> In article <20040711171628.16026.00001004@mb-m21.aol.com>,
> onthabeach@aol.com (OnThaBeach) wrote:

[snip]
> (except the Colombians; they just keep going around
> muttering stuff about Nozal).
[snip]

Noval. Benjamin Noval. Not Nozal, as in Isidro Nozal the
rider for Liberty Seguros.

I suppose even Big Al might get that right more often then
rbr posters.

"Richard Adams" <ackthpt@concentric.net> wrote in message
>
> Noval. Benjamin Noval. Not Nozal, as in Isidro Nozal the
> rider for Liberty Seguros.
>
> I suppose even Big Al might get that right more often then
> rbr posters.

But can he spell Dierckxsens?