Deadspin
To make clear, this upcoming vote on Digger Phelps is not a referendum on his acting abilities. In case there was doubt about that.
It has been fun to watch Digger and Bob Knight occasionally duke it out this week; they seemed as different as analysts as they were as coaches. Of course, it's difficult to even remember when Digger was a coach.
By the way, to remind: Digger was once supposedly a Presidential candidate. We wonder if he has higher, or lower, negatives than Hillary.
So: Do you like the Digger Phelps? Do you not like the Digger Phelps? Voting time.
Comments
Approve. Disapprove of the tie-lighter.
I ain't approvin of a gold Digger
Shrugs shoulders. Doesn't vote.
@Send It In, Jerome!: My feelings exactly. He goes down in my estimation every time I have to explain to my wife or daughter why the marker matches the tie.
@UkraineNotWeak:
My thoughts too.
Of course, it's difficult to even remember when Digger was a coach.
He coached ND. Maybe the 18 reminders a show weren't enough to reinforce it.
In HD this weekend he looked like he had herpes on each corner of his mouth. Approve.
This is one of the times I wish we had a "meh" option.
I wonder if the line "hey baby, does the highliter match the tie?" would work...
i voted with my yes colored highlighter
Disapprove. Fordham's basketball program has never recovered from his treachery.
Digger: "You know, zone defense. Where you have 2 up here and 3 back here?"
Knight: "I don't speak Spanish."
Approve. Admittedly, some of my love for Digger is rooted in the fact that I hate his ex-wife (former ND law prof) with the fire of 1000 suns.
Approve. Digging for phelps is how my immigrant grandfather was able to provide for his family.
Disapprove: Digger
Approve: Dig Dug, Frogger
Digger? Yea, I can dig her.
Partly responsible for Bill Laimbeer. Disapprove
I actually voted based on his directing abilities.
Literally provides almost zero insight to anything he talks about and relies on these:
"I just think it comes down to... "
"This team is on a mission ..."
"When you look at _____ , Why? ..."
"They just know how to get it done."
Throw in a few stats that someone places in front of him and you've got an easy-to-build college hoops analyst.
Never have I been overcome with such feelings of indifference!
@smurphette: snerk.
[insert generic and not so witty comment about tie and highlighter matching here.]
@Signal to Noise: I always wish we had a "meh" option, I think I've only been worked up over about 5 of these.
Cannot correctly pronounce the word, "solid", so any given broadcast seemingly includes several references to a player/coach/team resembling a meal constructed of lettuce. Has, at some point in his tenure, referred about 4MM x to a player/coach/team being "on a mission". Brings absolutely nothing as far as explanation of Xs and Os. Is generally obtuse and grating. Disapprove.
Digger Phelps is Jamie Moyer's father-in-law.
I don't have an opinion on his broadcasting abilities, I just think that's an interesting factoid.
Approved until the introduction of Bobby Knight to ESPN. Since then Digger has shown the insight of a kid tugging at his mom's skirt, asking to stop at the ice cream stand.
Holy shit, I almost fell over from laughing at the pic of Keith Tower. Oh god, I think that guy picked up a foul just for checking in to the game.
If I approve, will he give another compelling speech to ND football fans about their god-awful team not being dead yet, right before they lose to Navy again? Because that was awesome.
@Lady Andrea: God, I loathed that woman. And that was before I heard all the back story about her and the university. Thank god she's finally gone :)
@Brazil Thrill: Yes, but you will also have to watch the pay per view of him and Lou Holtz wrestling in a vat of chocolate syrup.
It will be the worst $49.95 you ever spent.
@CollegeHoopsJournal: The guy loves asking himself "Why?" and then giving the answer.
Digger's up, so I get to post one of my favorite random facts:
One of the few Notre Dame people of whom I approve (Regis and our Deadspin Irish are also on the list.)
STILL thinks Scott Hicks was a better ball player than Steve Alford
/disapprove
Gus Johnson is envious of "Send it in, Jerome!" Definitely approve.
@DannyNoonan: Err... aren't you thinking of Raftery there?
Approve, if only because I wait and wait for him to get called something else as a Freudian slip...
As Big Bill would say, "He's horrible."
@Clare: Huh, I did not know that!
@Hank Scorpio-Steinbrenner: I'd pay as long as we can get Charlie Weis in on the action.
Actually, never mind. He'd probably ingest the chocolate syrup before the wrestling match ever started.
I was googling for info on a cheesy commercial Digger did with Gene Keady & Bob Knight for Coke. Google asked if I meant to seach for "Bob Knight choke"
oh, and disapprove
@Brazil Thrill: Yup. And my work here is done.
There was a rumor floating around campus back int he day that Digger had the choice to offer a scholarship to Tower or Christian Laettner and he picked Tower. I doubt it's factually true, but it's so believable that I choose for it to be true.
As a coach, nobody got less out of more. As an analyst, well, his highlighter matches his tie.
I just realized his first name is actually Seamus...is it too late to change my vote?
This is another one where evoking indifference is proving to be a quality. Since I don't really dislike him, i guess I like him?
A sad commentary on today's media. Someone should write a book about this, or something.
Approve.
As a kid in Indiana, if you read the most books in the MS Read-a-Thon, top prize one year was a lunch with Digger Phelps.
It would have been nice to tell him face to face that I DISAPPROVE.
Wow I came in with the...he's okay vibe and I couldn't believe how many people agreed with me.
He's more so background noise than anything.
Diapprove. He's an asshat.
@Detective Bunk: Is there a reason the highlighter matches the tie?
It's quirky, I like it. Approve.
/rushes out to buy blinding yellow tie
WE GET IT, YOU ONCE COACHED FOR NOTRE DAME!
/disapprove
@preciousroy:
Digger happened to be in the same movie theatre when I saw "Hoosiers." At the end of the movie, someone yells, "Hey Digger, did you learn anything?"
/pretty much sums up his later years under the Golden Dome.
I would approve if he would promise to stop using malapropisms and to stop messing up players names. Alex Thompson is not the name of a Carolina player. He is senile, so obviously this won't happen. Disapprove.
Picked Tigers to go all the way at the start of the tournament. Double approve.
Anyone that lets Jamie Moyer throw his daughter a change up get's an approval in my book.
This past Saturday, I actually found myself holding a magazine up in front of my eyes to partially cover digger and his tie-lighter, or changing the channel. Seriously, this isn't a joke. I found the combination that irritating.
...his analysis was "meh", but