Re: Butch Kreiger

	Butch Kreiger February 23, 2011 03:32PM
Question	Butch Kreiger seemed a little lost this year in my opinion about different drivers or vehicles ecpesially some NTPA that have ran all year. My question is I thought Butch announced a lot of NTPA events. Does he do other like PPL or outlaws. Or just NTPA. Just wondering thanks Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 23, 2011 03:35PM
I think	I think Butch does more PPL than NTPA pretty sure that he does not do any outlaw. Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 23, 2011 03:43PM
Question	Ok i was wondering did,=nt kknow if he had like some contract with a pulling organization or how that works. Thanks Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 23, 2011 06:34PM
spectator	Would love for Miles and Butch to announce the show together! They are both great announcers and very intelligent when it comes to this sport! Lets have the Kreiger's as announcers at the NFMS!!!! Great job guys! Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 23, 2011 11:50PM
ky 4430	I just wish they would turn the volume down a little.If I want to hear someone yell I will get married again. Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 02:22AM
TA	LETS NOT!!! He seems lost half the time and does not give the pull distance the other half. Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 02:39AM
puller 12000	What the NFMS need to do is get rid of cowboy copius he must be wearing western boots, because cowboy boots have the BS on the outside Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 03:43AM
missin Ed	Yea, the longer the session gets the more they forget their main job. Giving the pull distance! But then again they didn't seem to notice that Friday's #2 super farm wasn't in the finals, or at least thought their audience was too dumb to notice. Ed Johnson was the best ever, time for this pair to join us as spectators. Reply Quote

Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 04:23AM

Dick Morgan

Moderator
Registered: 03/25/2008
Posts: 1,449

I think that in Butch and Dave’s defense people are being too critical. There is no better overall tractor-pulling announcer than Butch. Butch is the benchmark that other announcers strive for. No one does a better job than Butch of announcing ALL the parts and pieces that put a good show together.

Having said that I do believe that like so many of us there are “fans” of the sport and then there are “students” of the sport. My son is a “student” of the sport, [if a puller changes front tires or moves a decal 4 inches he sees it] I on the other hand am a “fan” of the sport. I think the same is true of most pulling announcers, they are “fans” of the sport.

I listen to pulls on TV, go to state and national events, indoor and out and there are very few announcers that get everything right. And if they do know the tractors and trucks they fail miserly with the rest of the show, interviews, sponsor recognition, bad jokes, etc.

I read on the page that the distances where not put up in a correct or timely manner, the distance problem should not be laid at Butch and Dave’s feet. That a NFMS issue. Is all the information that they give correct, NO! Dave seldom if ever sees the tractors that hook mostly sees NTPA or PPL and Butch never see the Outlaws entries. Some of their information is wrong.

So here my solution to the announcing issue, bring in a third person, a guy that is both a “student’ and a “fan” of the sport. From my time around Miles K. he fills both those bills. I think that the chemistry would work well. Miles knows most, if not all the pullers and their vehicles and would be a great addition to the show.

Dave does a great job with the Outlaws, fan/driver interviews, and bring a high level of enthusiasm to the show, Butch is the best at pulling the show together, from the opening ceremony to the award presentations, no one does it better. And Miles could fill in those pulling “facts’ that make the show complete.

Dick Morgan

www.PULLOFF.com
Independent Pulling News

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Re: Third announcer wanted February 24, 2011 06:02AM

Bryan Lively

Moderator
Registered: 01/11/2009
Posts: 1,579

Well said Dick. Its by no accident that Butch has been doing this for over 30 years at the farm show. Miles would be an excellent choice for that third party at the microphone. The farm show is for certain an endurance test for a lot of folks and I think announcing the event is by far one of the toughest jobs physically and mentally. Their voices are what pays the bills, and I admire the fact that they can still speak clearly and fluently at 1130 Saturday night. I admire Dave for doing it again this coming weekend in KC. Put it in perspective: at what other event is so much asked of just two announcers? Bowling Green has an arsenal of announcers and Butch being one of them. It is time to add a third announcer, a lot is being asked of two men to keep up with it all. Miles is truly a fan and a student, and it's time he had an opportunity to demonstrate it on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

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	Re: Third announcer wanted February 24, 2011 06:33AM
ITPA Fan	My vote would be to add Art Downs, "The Bulldog". Some may not like his jokes, but I think he does a bang up job announcing the ITPA Pulls and the Midwest Winter Nationals. He is not only a fan, but a student, (as Dick Morgan put it) and puller himself. He knows the history behind the sport, the drivers, pulling vehicles, etc. Reply Quote

	Re: Third announcer wanted February 24, 2011 06:53AM
patches Registered: 04/04/2008 Posts: 1,523	this was my first time at gordy and i thought the announcing was very good from both of them.. Reply Quote

Re: Third announcer / rover wanted - something new February 24, 2011 07:20AM

Dyno Dude

I feel that it would help to get the fans involved more. Have a 3rd roving person do some impromto interviews / ask questions of the fans like they do at Bowling Green. (Well maybe not from the "North Side")

Would it make sense with todays video capabilities to pre-shoot a 60-90 sec video with the drivers and show them on the "Big Screen" while they're getting hooked up?
Telling a bit about themselves and their vehicle. Could be pre-shot at Broadbend.

I know I don't know every puller/tractor from other parts of the country. I feel that something new should be added (tried) and it probably a younger person added to the mix would be a positive. (especially to handle technical stuff.)

What about Larry Koester's daughter Ashley? Let's get the ladies involved.

It's time to add some newness to the show. It needs a facelift.

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Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 06:42AM

de

Dick, i have to totally disagree. it doesnt matter if Butch sees these tractors or not, if he is not familiar with them then he should do a little homework to get the facts right. He has a job, he needs to do it right just like anyone else. He may have been the "benchmark" in the past, but thats the past. tickets are alot of money, with the price of admission we deserve better. As far as him being the best around maybe you need to travel more. i invite you to the thumb of mich. im pretty sure we have the best in the business come and see for yourself

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	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 08:05AM
nfms fan	The announcing was perfectly fine, and they add at least a little bit of excitement to it. The distances are posted on the digital boards after each hook? shouldnt have to announce each one. jack wagons Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 08:12AM
tractor fan	yes it was fine.The idea of interviewing and putting on jumbo tron as they back to sled is great idea!!!Would fill in the show great.Dave appeared to do his homework on drivers.That video would take it to a new level!!!! Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 24, 2011 01:04PM
Jeff L	The theory behind the interview on the screen is good. But it would be pointless during the mod or twd class, too much noise to hear anything. Perhaps people are focusing on the announcers to take their mind off of being crammed into a seat made for a midget. Reply Quote

	Re: Butch Kreiger February 25, 2011 04:13PM
Archie	Ed Johnson and Dave Grimm made the Indy Super Pulls very memorable for me. Reply Quote

Re: Butch Kreiger and Roaming the Crowd February 24, 2011 05:22PM

Anonymous User

That reminds me of the NFMS back in or around the year 2000 give or take a year.Anyways was setting there waiting for the next class to start and all of a sudden i get a tap on the shoulder from behind.Low and behold it is Butch and the next thing i know there is a cameraman and Butch asks my name,where i was from,farmer or not,favorite brand etc etc.I'm sure i flubbed up from being startled,but remember saying i was from Ohio,farmed x amount of acres with my dad, used mostly John Deere equipment etc.He asked a few other quick questions and shook my hand and moved on.Later that night at the bar a few people i know and a few i didn't said they saw and heard me being interviewed at the pull,that was my 15 seconds of fame LOL...

I haven't been able to make it down to the pull the past couple years,so i can't comment on Butch's announcing is now..But the last time i heard him he was as good as ever...Ed Johnson was a funny announcer,had a different sound and was entertaining,i would have to say he was my favorite announcer,but thats been a long time ago now...RIP...Ed Johnson.......

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Butch, Dave, a third announcer, and the jumbo-tron February 25, 2011 03:29AM

Jake Morgan

Admin
Registered: 03/25/2008
Posts: 2,526

Like you Randy, I was interviewed once at an ESP pull. It was while I was selling my house and moving so I had canceled my phone line and I hadn’t had internet access in over a month. I hadn’t checked at the library, work, anything. The first question I was asked “what’s new on the internet?” and I didn’t have a clue! I had four or five idiot friends standing 6 feet behind me just yelling and heckling me. Needless to say, it didn’t go well. I was like a Deer in the headlights. I remember a friend yelling “tell them your wife left you!” I know it may sounds harsh, but I had a good sense of humor about it and it’s was all I could think about after that. My mind couldn’t think of a thing about tractor pulling, and I couldn’t even think of anything to make-up. Needless to say I still get grief about it from my friends every now and then… but hey that’s fine, it's good to be humbled from time to time. At least my interviews at the NFMS this year went a little better (thankfully I set the bar so low on that first interview that there was no where to go but up!). Those impromptu crowd/sidelines interviews are fun and make the show a little more interesting.

Personally, I think Butch is a legend and should remain as master of ceremonies. Like all people he does some things extremely well and he makes mistakes too, but I don’t know too many people who don’t. He’s got one of the best voices in the business and I honestly think if there was a third announcer Butch could talk a little less which would save his voice and his energy. He could then use that voice and energy to do what he does best, and that’s get the crowd fired up for the puloff.. the last hook… or whatever he wants to get them fired up about.

Dave has continued to get better and better each and every year he’s done the Farm Show. It seems like he’s gotten more comfortable with his position there and he seems to be settling in very nicely. He brings a different flavor to the show, a different energy, and knowledge from a different area. Dave reminds people that pulling extends far beyond the reaches of Freedom Hall, much further West than most folks know. He does a great job of staying fired up from the very first hook, right to the very last.

I give both these guys a ton of credit, they speak for hours on end, night after night, without a script. They keep the information and fun facts flowing. Sure they make mistakes, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t. Heck I talk with people in the pits for five minutes and we all get some facts wrong. There are a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks and coaches out there, but most have never had a mic in their hand or in their face and it’s not always as easy as it looks.

I also agree with my father about Miles. He’s a student of the sport and he’s got a much younger perspective. I think he’d have great chemistry with Dave, and he’d obviously have great chemistry with his father. I honestly think Miles should have been there with a mic in his hand a year or two ago. I hope to see him there with a mic in the very near future.

I’ll also put in a long-shot plug for an announcer local to me: Empire State Pullers Vice President and co-announcer - Dan Mayer. Dan’s the guy that gave me that first interview where I was heckled by friends, but I’ll recommend him anyway! Dan runs the website http://www.pulling-reference.com and is as much a student of the sport as there is. Dan’s knowledge covers every area and every region and he’s got a great voice. Here’s an example of how good he is: after my charity bike ride this year, my wife stopped by the ESP pull in Penn Yan, NY. I didn’t plan on going to the pull so I didn’t have my camera so we sat in the stands to just watched the show. I sat there and listened to a long conversation from some other fans about Dan’s announcing skills. Essentially the conversation was wondering what radio station Dan worked for. They were all convinced that he was a DJ or talk show host or did news on one of the local TV channels. They thought he was a professional announcer that announces pulling events on the weekends for fun. He’s not DJ or host, but his voice, knowledge, and professionalism are simply that good.

So yes, I’m all for a third announcer, and hey, if they miss a distance or two it’s OK. They put them on the scoreboard. And for those the scoreboard misses, they also do an excellent job putting them up on the NFMS website less than 15 minutes after each class ends. Distances are easier to get at the farm show than anywhere else in all of pulling.

As for the pre-taped interviews on the jumbo-tron… that’s an awesome idea. It kills time between hooks and would give an inside view of the drivers, or the tractors, or whatever. It would also be a great place to put a Syngenta logo at the bottom or side of the screen. Start and end the interview with a quick “brought to you by Syngenta”. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Jake Morgan
Owner, PULLOFF.COM
Independent Pulling News

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Re: Butch, Dave, a third announcer, and the jumbo-tron February 25, 2011 04:20AM

missin Ed too

I have too disagree about the distances issue. The fact is they usually do not post the distances on the screen until the announcers give them. Usually, not always. With the technology we have today the distances go immediately to the announcers stand at even the smallest local brush pulls, who do a better job of getting them out there than NFMS does.Regardless of who's fault it is, this is first off a competition, & distances are what it's all about. We don't need them after the class is over. Maybe the big screen thing would take some of the pressure off these guys to feel they have to be saying something at all times. And yes a midget better be a small one if they're going to be comfortable in those seats!

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