I have not been a Rod Black hater like so many seem to be on these forums.
He is just another announcer/play caller to me, although I do recognize the better ones.
Having said that, I heard him yesterday and today co-hosting TSN 1050’s “Drive” program with Gord Miller in the absence of the usual hosts who are on vacation.
Yah, I’ve come around to the growing consensus, Black is an idiot. :-\
I have some Canadian radio channels on my Sirius XM down here, but I don’t think I have that one.
How I wish I did because then I would listen on the way home from work just for the comedy.
Go figure when living in Easton PA an hour north of here near Philadelphia, one could receive some news channel out of Hamilton on plain on terrestrial AM radio.
So how was he in his last game? Any gems or career-defining moments?
So someone posted, though I did not hear it because the volume usually is low at work, that Rod Black stated that McLeod BT is the king of comebacks?
Anyway, any other notable lines or how did he do?
That was me - and yes he did say that.
He also said “Ballgame” when the running clock when to zero before the Argos last play (while they were in motion to start the play).
But Rod is likeable even if not the most accurate announcer in the sports world. 8)
Farhan did BCs last game. I like him as a reporter and think he could do well as an announcer seeing as he has a good voice, just was quite awkward that game because I think it was his first one ever.
I also agree about Gord Miller. Definitely my favourite commentator in all of sports right now. I’ve also heard some of the cfl games he’s called and he’s a natural. Love it when he calls hockey games such an entertaining voice to listen to.
No, he isn’t.
He’s an embarassment to the league and the country.
I was ready to give him a pass until Touchdown atlantic. The amount of comments about Lewis though were way beyond annoying. Lewis’s background as a basketball player and his dad’s in the nba. The first couple times was fine, but every single time lewis was on the screen. Cant he research more than one fact on a player.
You amateurs and late-comers are all about trashing Rod Black like you invented the sport? I was inventing drinking games for Rod Black like A DECADE AGO.
http://forums.cfl.ca/cfl-talk/1/rod-black-presents-the-rod-black-drinking-game/28282/
ROD BLACK PRESENTS THE ROD BLACK DRINKING GAME
Hello, I’m TSN’s Rod Black. In my capacity as commentator, I cover a wide variety of sports for TSN, but the CFL occupies a special place in my heart. And to enhance your enjoyment of this wonderful Canadian football that we all love, I’ve come up with a drinking game. Why? Because the only thing better than watching a CFL game is watching a CFL game completely bombed out of your gourd. And if I’m calling the game you’re watching, you’d better have plenty of alcohol handy.
The Rules:
Take a shot every time I say something that is factually incorrect. For example, I may randomly add two years to Anthony Calvillo’s age for my own amusement.
Take a shot every time I jump to a conclusion that I have to retract a few seconds later. As a typical example, if a pass falls incomplete, I will always assume that the receiver dropped the ball, only revising my opinion when the replay clearly shows that the defensive back knocked the ball down before the receiver could catch it.
Take two shots every time I refer to my broadcast partner by his full name (Duane Forde) for no particular reason. It’s a sexy name, kind of like Carl Weathers. I enjoy saying it in almost any context.
Take three shots every time I repeat information verbatim from the stadium announcer because I can't actually follow the action myself. For example, if you watched Thursday's Hamilton-Toronto game, you could clearly hear the announcer giving credit to a player ("Cornelius Anthony ... with the sack!") and me repeating the same thing a few seconds later, with the same pause between player and action. Why do all that tedious work when the guy on the stadium PA can do it for me?
Take a shot every time a play ends without me mentioning who was involved on the tackle, knockdown, or reception. I don’t bother with that kind of detail, and neither should you.
Take two shots every time I confuse one player with another. Reasons for this confusion may vary: the players both have jersey numbers in the same range, play for the same team, or are both bipedal humanoids who need food, sleep, and oxygen to survive. My broadcast partner, Danny McManus, often has the same problem.
Take three shots every time I offer an opinion so egregiously embarrassing that Duane Forde immediately has to off-set it with a statement that doesn't sound like it came from a paranoid crack addict. For example, during last night’s Bombers-Alouettes game, at one point I opined that regardless of what play the Bombers ran, it almost seemed like the Alouettes knew it was coming. Did I have evidence for this laughable assertion, that accidentally implied that Montreal had instituted some sort of Patriots-style spying system? Not a shred! Fortunately, my broadcast partner has my back and will always be ready with a more commonplace but not cracked-out rejoinder about how preparation and scouting are key components to a successful defense.
Take a shot every time a penalty is called and I talk about something completely unrelated instead of mentioning who took the penalty and what impact it has on the play or series. I have a free-associating spirit and a wide-ranging mind, which you may find difficult to follow.
Take three shots every time I display my unfamiliarity with basic football terminology. For example, I might comment that Winnipeg’s only point thus far has come on a punt that went into the end zone that the Als chose not to return. Joyless pedants who detest the English language might choose to refer to the above point as a ‘single’. I prefer to paint a vivid descriptive portrait for the viewer, a picture striking in its narrative complexity and Germanic in its syntactical insistence on ending sentences with verbs. Besides, it fills up airtime that my broadcast partner could potentially use to supply analytic insight on the game in progress, which of course holds no interest for our viewers.
Take a shot every time I disguise a boiler-plate assertion that's been circulated through all the CFL wires for days and weeks as my own opinion. On an unrelated note, the Als haven’t had a kick returner as dynamic as this Larry Taylor guy since the days of Ezra Landry!
Take two shots every time I turn a simple play-by-play call into a stuttering, Shatner-esque beat poetry lyric. Take this fragment from last night’s Montreal-Winnipeg game, which may possibly form the basis for a book of found poetry I hope to publish under the nom de plume Dominant Performance:
Calvillo
In trouble
Dances out of the pocket
Gives it to Kerry Carter
(And he could go a long way here)
CARTER!
To the 20
To the 10
Foot...
Down to the 2!
In closing, I hope that my drinking game provides you with entertainment as you enjoy an exciting game of Canadian football. Please use responsibly.
Sincerely Yours,
Rod Black
a.ka. Dominant Performance
I remember this game! Though memories of actually playing it are considerably more fuzzy… :-\
-Gives it to Kerry Carter -
i had an opportunity to play organized touch football with him
during his early stanford years
fast, big guy, very quiet, ‘beaucoup’ skillz
Thought Farhan did a great job considering it was his first game. Like a deeper voice like his for play calling.
I remember the game discipline, but I have an issue with rule #2; Rod Black (gotta use his full name) never corrects himself. He makes so many mistakes Duanne Forde has even given up correcting him.
I think it’s easier and takes less energy to just compliment him when he’s correct. Which is mostly just when he says his name and even then not always. 
He said on air that Duane Forde was his favourite player in university. Cringeworthy.
He also continues to say “Hook and ladder”, rather than “hook and lateral”.
But his heart’s in the right place.
Same here, I like him
Marc…
No it’s not. His heart is where his brain should be and his brain…well, when they were passing out brains Black thought they said train and said “I’ll catch the next one”.
Rod Black is bush league. I’d also throw Duane Ford in there too. They both sound very amateur on TV.
DCMoses, you made me laugh.
I like Forde for Usports and high school scouting notes.
He seems very interested and involved. He should work with the CFL or football Canada to promote young players.
As for colour, I find him pretty dry.