PRO FOOTBALL TALK has this gem from the Giants/Rams game yesterday: Joe Buck and Pam Oliver getting snippy with each other on-air. The whole thing started when Oliver filed a sideline report questioning the attitude of the Rams (do we really need Oliver to tell us that?), which led Buck to link it to a similar report she made early last season about the Giants.
(Pam Oliver on the lookout to kick Joe Buck’s butt)
This lead to the fireworks. (Note: I’m not talking about not big, “blasting over the White House as John Williams conducts Stars and Stripes Forever” kind of fireworks, more the “lousy Safe ‘n’ Sane sparklers” sort of fireworks.) Video after the jump - the good stuff is about 1:10 in.
I find it hard to blame Joe Buck here: he was making a fairly salient point that Oliver made a similar comment about a floundering team early last season, and they wound up winning the Super Bowl. Of course, that comment would imply that the Rams have even the most outside chance at winning the Super Bowl this season, which is about like saying that Paris Hilton should practice her Oscar acceptance speech for The Hottie and the Nottie. Although he does come off as pretty damned condescending at the end.
It would be easy to blame Pam Oliver, and she was being pretty unprofessional. But I’m going to asign the lion’s share of the responsibility for this at the feet of the director. If you know that your on-air talent is getting upset with each other, I probably wouldn’t choose to show one of them practically telling the other one to “talk to the hand.” It’s not exactly helping your talent out very much.
Or, the director chose to ramp up the tension to get something “newsworthy” for people talk about the next day. In that case, bravo gentlemen, well played.
4:21 pm on September 15th, 2008
What????? this is nothing…… i want my 3 minutes back
4:24 pm on September 15th, 2008
You can just tell they’re falling in love.
4:39 pm on September 15th, 2008
That is pretty damn amazing. What a beatdown. I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll hear of this.
4:46 pm on September 15th, 2008
I was a little disappointed to see Pam wave off the camera and not get in Buck’s face. That would’ve been epic.
4:59 pm on September 15th, 2008
It’s obvious. Pam and Joe have hooked up and they are now having a spat.
Actually - Joe was correct in his comments, but you don’t slam your co-worker to get your point across. Jerk.
5:55 pm on September 15th, 2008
Maybe Joe is just pissed Pam stole his makeup case before the game (reepy inset pic).
Liberace, anyone?
5:59 pm on September 15th, 2008
Do teams lobby for Pam on the sideline in the early season? By the looks of the photo above, she’s very effective at blocking out the broiling sun - keeping NFL benches cool.
10:36 pm on September 15th, 2008
Pam Oliver rarely adds anything to a game broadcast.
11:22 pm on September 15th, 2008
Right or wrong, Joe Buck is a first class jag off for throwing his on-air partner under the bus like that.
Try that on Siragusa, pretty boy.
2:09 am on September 16th, 2008
I saw the game and he is a total idiot for saying that.
10:12 am on September 16th, 2008
What was the big deal there.
In unrelated news, Joe Buck blows.
8:52 pm on September 16th, 2008
I’m with Pam Oliver on this one. Why was it necessary for Joe Buck to make that comparison? Does he think the Rams are going to make a run to the Superbowl? Please!!
I happen to like Joe Buck but I think he was wrong in this instance.
12:02 am on September 17th, 2008
Wow, never knew Pam had so much junk in her trunk. She looks good. On the other hand, Joe Buck is a tool. I will never forget how much he bashed Randy Moss when he did the “fake moon” against the goalpost up in Green Bay. You would have thought he made out with Joe Buck’s wife the way he went off. Get off your high horse Joe Blow. Must be nice to get a job only because of your old man.