Poker Commentators Wsop
Not that I would want anyone to contract the novel coronavirus, but of all the people in the poker world, one of the last people I would want to see get sick is the legendary Norman Chad. Well, sure enough, Mr. Chad has caught the virus and as one might expect, he is not feeling so fantastic right now.
Poker’s biggest annual event will have a 2020 winner — COVID-19 be damned. Usually held over the summer, the 2020 World Series of Poker main event began Sunday with online play after th. Sometimes poker players like WSOP Main Event champions Bobby Baldwin and Jim Albrecht would be brought in as well to provide strategic analysis. Phil Hellmuth has been a frequent contributor to televised poker as well, dating all of the way back into the 1990s.
That is not to say that Norm Chad isn’t in good spirits. At least he seems to be. On Monday, August 10, Chad posted a short video on Twitter to announce that he has COVID-19. Speaking while his new puppy, Blue McCallahan, alternated between eating his glasses and giving him kisses, Chad explained that his symptoms are an “unspeakable” headache, a cough, and fatigue.
“Blue is blaming me,” Chad said while informing Blue that those are his glasses that she is biting, “She doesn’t feel well. And you know, I’ve got COVID. And she thinks I gave her COVID. I don’t think she has COVID. I think Blue gave me COVID.”
Chad said that he is quarantining for 14 days.
On Tuesday, he followed up with another minute-long video, saying that he has the same headache, describing it as a “Mack truck backing up behind my eyes.” The “occasional” cough and “extreme fatigue” are still there, as well.
Of course, in Norman Chad style, he kept things light-hearted, explaining that when Blue chews his left arm, she doesn’t taste anything.
It has been a rough spring and summer for much of the world during this pandemic. And for Norman Chad, things have been particularly hard. We’ll let him explain it as he did with PokerNews last week:
As for many others, this summer has been unceasingly challenging: Loss of work, loss of income, loss of movement, loss of creative outlet. In addition, my wife Toni and I have been on opposite coasts for the entire pandemic, and when our beloved family dog Daisy unexpectedly passed in April, my overall sense of loss felt apocalyptic; she was my sole companion in L.A. with Toni 2,500 miles away. I was emotionally devastated.
Chad added that he suffers from depression, so one thing he has taken up is posting what he calls an “Ooka Luka” video each day. All Ooka Luka is is a silly mantra and dance. Chad looks like a goof doing it, but that’s the point.
“I thought it would help combat the increasingly toxic and hateful nature of Twitter, because it’s just fun with the intent of making people smile and getting people to get along better,” he said. “The Ooka Luka felt like a mental-health lifeline for me.”
That, combined with Blue, has helped Chad get though these trying times.
And while Chad misses the poker rooms that he loves, he has been able to play a bit online from his Las Vegas home. Last month, the World Series of Poker television commentator cashed in a couple 2020 WSOP Online events, including a 13th place finish in Event 28: $1,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 6-Max.
Poker Commentators Wsop Game
| Born | 1956/1957 (age 63–64) Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara(B.A. 1980) |
| Occupation | Sports commentator |
| Known for | Coverage of World Series of Poker |
| Style | Play by play |
| Television | ESPN |
| Spouse(s) | (m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Matthew Wood(nephew) |
Lon McEachern (pronounced 'ma-CAIR-en', born 1956/1957)[1] is an American sports commentator most known for his hand-by-hand commentary of the World Series of Poker on ESPN. He is known as the 'voice of poker'.[2][3][4]
Early life and education[edit]
Poker Commentators Wsop Championship
McEachern was born in Memphis, Tennessee, one of four children.[5] His family later relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and McEachern was raised in Corte Madera in Marin County until the age of 19.[1][5][6] He attended Redwood High School and played baseball while a student.[6] He was teammates with future MLB shortstop Buddy Biancalana in his senior year and graduated in 1975.[6]
McEachern attended Santa Barbara City College and was a baseball teammate of future-MLB player Jesse Orosco.[7] He later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated in 1980 with a B.A. in communications.[1][5] While enrolled at UC Santa Barbara, he worked at the campus radio station KCSB-FM.[7]
Career[edit]
Out of college, McEachern worked radio at KTMS, the former home of another UCSB graduate in Jim Rome, before entering the television industry with KCOY-TV.[7] He moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1990s to work at KGO-TV and KPIX-TV.[6] He also freelanced for ESPN, including covering play-by-play of the X Games.[5][6][7] By 2002, McEachern had left the television industry.[1][5]
In 2002, ESPN reached out to McEachern, who was working as a mortgage banker at the time, to cover poker.[1][5][6] He was brought back in 2003 alongside Norman Chad for the 2003 World Series of Poker.[1][5][6] The tournament was won by Chris Moneymaker and led to the Moneymaker effect and a corresponding surge in poker's popularity.[8] McEachern continued as a mortgage banker for nearly five years, doing poker coverage for ESPN on the side.[5] As of 2017, he has covered every World Series of Poker main event since ESPN acquired the broadcasting rights.
McEarchern also covered play-by-play of the PBA Tour during the 2012–13 season alongside color analyst Randy Pedersen.
Personal life[edit]
McEachern married Carol Czyzewski, a fellow UC Santa Barbara alumna, in 1981 and has two children.[9][10] His nephew, Matthew Wood, is a sound engineer for Skywalker Sound and has worked on numerous Star Wars films.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefVillano, Matt (December 2, 2010). 'Poker not just a game to broadcaster Lon McEachern'. San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^Chozet, Tara (2013). 'I Follow: Lon McEachern'. ESPN Front Row. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^'Legends Classic Series Announces the Addition of Lon McEachern and TJ Cloutier: '45 is the New 50''. PR.com. April 3, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^Beauregard, Steve. 'Lon McEachern – ESPN's WSOP Announcer and The Voice of Poker'. Gamboool.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ abcdefghDalla, Nolan (June 20, 2014). 'Facing the Firing Squad: Lon McEachern'. Nolan Dalla. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ abcdefgArild, Derek (August 13, 2014). 'Redwood grad McEachern stumbled onto poker commentary at right time'. Marin Independent Journal. Marin County, California. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ abcd'Q&A with poker announcer Lon McEachern'. Ante Up Magazine. April 23, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^Caldwell, John (May 23, 2008). 'The Moneymaker Effect: Five Years Later'. PokerNews. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^Nield, Judi (November 2013). 'Question & Anwser [sic] With The Voice of Poker Mr. Lon McEachern'. 2PairPoker. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^'Anne Farrar McEachern obituary'. Marin Independent Journal. February 10, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^'Lon McEachern Biography'. IMDB. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
External links[edit]
- Lon McEachern on IMDb
- Lon McEachern on Twitter
