More on the Brier

Russ Howard wins as repeat analyst. Joan Mc Cusker did a good job in the last two draws of the Brier. Russ is quite fair, he presents one educated view of the game as it progresses, he has the better tone of voice, he allowed viewers to hear the athletes (skips and others).

Somehow, it has eluded the CBC crowd that there are 4 aspects to air time: booth time, skips time, players time, and no comments. These 4 should not be distributed equally, and "booth time" definitely does not get more than the others.

Thanks to the TSN and CBC for NOT showing viewers the "routines" that players have as they prepare for their delivery. There was nothing more irritating for fans than to watch Dave Nedolin go through his pre-delivery routine.

Unlike some analysts, I think that Kevin Martin has grown a lot in the last while. John Morris has brought a fine contribution to the team, and he too has grown in his game. Yes, he still gets mad, but his coping skills are seriously improved this year. He deserves a large bouquet.

Maybe the networks can persuade Jim Cotter and others to drop the ball cap. It sure looks dorky, and doesn't fit the game at all.

The tribute to Don Wittman (and Chev and Maxwell) was very nice. They stand as giants in curling's development in this country. The patch on the curlers' jackets was obtuse. Looked like a last minute design and execution; it probably was. More is expected from the CCA.

Please, let the game speak for itself. No one needs to tell us "Howard is going to take out the yellow one," as Harris did, as the rock approached the house. Good grief. We can see the obvious!!!

We're looking forward to the Worlds. Let's hope that the round robin play is good, and that the playoffs are better. This Brier final will stick out as one of the game's true duds. Poor ice and poor play. Disappinting for the athletes and the fans.