UMaine telecast in midseason form

Saturday’s telecast of the University of Maine-James Madison University football game had it all – controversial calls, big plays, blunt comments – both on the field and in the broadcast booth.

The game, won 21-17 by JMU, was the second of four Maine games being aired by The Maine Broadcasting System this fall.

The folks at WLBZ (Channel 2) in Bangor and Portland’s WCSH (Ch. 6) seem to be in midseason form: replays were revealing, but excessive; graphics were good; and, except for a few gaffes, announcers ably handled their duties.

WCSH’s Bruce Glasier did play-by-play and was joined by guest analysts and former Maine football standouts Carl Smith, now a pharmaceutical salesman, and Scott Hough, a manager for Home Quarters in South Portland,

Glasier has a nice play-calling style. He’s no Keith Jackson, but he lets the action dictate the excitement in his voice and doesn’t try to make every play a game-breaker.

Hough, the chattier of the two analysts, made several good observations during the game and wasn’t afraid to criticize. Smith was more reserved. Both sounded like they were reading right off cue cards early, but Hough improved as the game wore on. Several times, Smith read the text of a graphic word-for-word while it was being shown on the screen.

Production-wise, there wasn’t much to dislike. Replays were great, but not every play was worth one. All nine plays on one of Maine’s late offensive drives were shown on replay.

With that in mind, here are the most notable broadcast moments:

Who are you? While calling the action during a replay in the second quarter, Smith said “Nice tackle by…” and never finished.

Best critique: Tie between Smith and Hough.

Referring to an official’s failure to see an apparent fumble, Hough said, “The referee is standing right there. He’s obviously watching a different game than what we are in the booth.”

“That wasn’t a smart play at all. You’ve got to know your game situation here and get yourself out of bounds if you’re not going to get any positive yardage,” said Smith after Maine’s Andre Pam failed to get out of bounds and stop the clock late in the second quarter.

Biting sarcasm award: “It hit him in the wrong spot – the hands,” said Smith after a JMU receiver dropped a pass late.

Don’t count your touchdowns before they’re scored: Glasier wins for this gem during a long UMaine running play: “Andre Pam heading to the outside. ANDRE PAM, they’re not going to get him! Oh yes they are at the four-yard line!”

Best replay: Tie. The game-winning, one-handed TD catch by JMU’s Macey Brooks in the last minute was captured from two different angles. Also, replays clearly showed a JMU receiver fumbling the ball near the sideline on the Dukes’ final scoring drive. The referees ruled it was no fumble.

“Homer” Simpson award: “I tell you. The referees have really blown some calls here. None of the calls have gone the Black Bears’ way today,” said Hough, after a TV replay of the fumble.

Fed up with being able to watch only one of four baseball playoff games? You’re not alone, and you won’t have to put up with it next year.

According to Associated Press reports, major league officials said Wednesday they would change their one-game-per-market policy by arranging starting times so games won’t conflict and each game will be seen by fans either nationally or on cable TV.

The way it is this year, fans in Connecticut can see either Boston or New York, not both. This despite the fact the state is both Red Sox and Yankees country.