So, I just got through watching a new show on HBO. Its called Joe Buck live. It is HBO’s latest attempt to put a provocative sports talk show together on cable TV. Instead, they put together a lot of dribble and drabble and pointless conversation in an hour long format.
First, there is the host. Bob Costas once hosted this show but he apparently had better things to do so HBO hired Joe Buck, the Fox Sports announcer who’s father Jack Buck is rolling over in his grave right about now. Buck has always had a biting, sarcastic type of humor — something I can appreciate. However, I didn’t laugh at any of his lame jokes and the word old seemed appropiate. Buck thought he was a version of David Letterman or Conan O’Brien and he was a version — a bad one.
Then, there was his guest list. Buck got lucky and booked Brett Farve on his first show. We are now in the middle of another Farve off-season retirement watch so he became the reason everybody wanted to watch this show. Will Farve comeback and play for the Vikings? His answer to that question from Buck was: maybe.
It was good that Farve spoke to the media to clear up some of ESPN’s reporting. However, the interview seemed to be rehearsed. Several times, Farve and even Buck referred to talking before the show. That’s a no-no in Interviewing 101. Nobody was there before the show, we only see the show itself. Farve didn’t say much other than what we all new in the first place — if he’s healthy, he’ll play for the Vikings. If he’s not healthy, he’ll stay retired. See that took about 5 seconds, we could have been spared the rest of the show.
Because the rest of the show was simply dreadful.
There was a recorded piece with Buck and New York Mets 3B David Wright. They were eating lunch in a New York bistro and the conversation was about being a celebrity in the Big Apple. Wright seemed like a nice guy but Buck was more interested in making dumb one liners and grabbing the attention away from Wright — his interviewee. Another violation of Interviewing 101.
Next, we go back to the studio for Buck interviewing Michael Irvin and Chad Ochocinco Johnson whatever his name is. Irvin was busy laughing and Ochocinco was busy trying to defend himself. The best part of the interview was when Buck told Ochocinco that he embarassed his quarterback and his teammates in the media and Ochocinco asked him when he said it. Buck had nothing! Nothing at all! I could see the egg in his face. He tried to laugh it off but Chad wouldn’t let him off the hook. Lack of preperation on Buck’s part and it showed, another violation of Interviewing 101.
Next up was Buck talking with 3 of his childhood buddies and they talked about nothing. One of them was a comic on the Howard Stern show and he stole Buck’s show, with his cursing and one-liners making Buck look like a fool for putting this loud mouth on a sports show. This guy was kind of funny but again, WHAT WAS HE DOING ON A SPORTS SHOW?
Lastly, Buck gave some opinions on some sports issues, most notably Michael Vick and sterioids in baseball. On Vick, Buck said he deserves a second chance. That was the first time all night that I agreed with him. On steroids, I still don’t know what he said.
And the show ended the way it started — pointless. Buck’s show won’t air again until September — hopefully by then I will have canceled my HBO subscription
Filed under: General
