Good solid keepers:
Patrick McEnroe - Really knows and loves the game ... which "communicates" to the average fan. Regularly has "scoops" on training methods, and scouting reports ... demonstrating he is still a "court rat." (I even like his hokey "Hello!" and "Droppa!" stuff.)
Mary Carillo - Obvious that she ... knows the game and the players ... has great Locker Room scoops ... loves the game. (She seems to be chattering less. Thank you!) The timbre of her voice is admittedly "manly" but -- speaking from a Technical perspective -- her diction and clarity is excellent.
Luke Jensen - Last year I couldn't stand him. This year he's *way* better. His Court.side Insights were really well done in OZ. And I thought his enthusiasm from the Booth, during the Dubs Final, was terrific. (Even if Bob Bryan *did* wait until the 3rd Set to swing his Lefty serve wide in the Ad court, on Damm, like Luke kept "coaching"....) Luke has managed to "tone down" his exuberance. He's gonna be good....
On "KK's bubble":
Mary Jo Fernandez - She'll have good tourneys ... and bad. Tends to "dither" too much. I'd rather have silence than her "fill".
Cliff Drysdale - Really talks too much. Used to be better, before he lost his appreciation of letting the camera do the talking. He still *does* have his good weeks, though.
Give 'em the Axe!!!:
Dick Enberg - (It was cool to see him in the Stands on an off day in OZ. He seems to really be a "fan".) A really nice guy, but he's done. I'm tired of him too often getting Game and Set scores wrong, and forgetting which name goes with whom on the court.
Tim Ryan - Waste of film and tape.
Chris Fowler - He still "tries too hard," which merely highlights his lack of knowledge of the game.
Brad Gilbert - His analogies are too long, involved and inane. I'm sick of his self-promotion. He cannot give *brief* commentary fromt the Booth. ** If he'd agree to only do those Court.side Insights, I'd say "Keep him." He's *able* to do pithy commentary from the Sidelines; for some reason, he seems to think being in the Booth is a license to blather. **
- KK