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Ray of Sunshine Networks should be on Hudson 'like stink on a monkey'
Posted: Friday May 05, 2000 04:01 PM
I'll go on the record right now. This story won't do Ray Hudson total justice. You would have to listen to him live to get the real essence of this man's announcing abilities. So, just who is Ray Hudson? He could very well be the best-kept secret in Major League Soccer. He is a former professional soccer player who works as the community outreach manager with the Miami Fusion and is arguably the best color commentator in the league -- although you won't get an argument from me. That is, when you can hear him. The Fusion will televise only six matches this season on its regional broadcast partner, the Sunshine Network, so Hudson's talents are either being ignored or wasted. Ironically and amazingly, this is happening in a sport that is sorely lacking in insightful commentators who can paint a picture of a soccer match in an intelligent, entertaining way. Hudson pours so much passion and enthusiasm into his work it sounds as though he's making love to the match and the sport itself. So, why isn't this man doing games for ESPN, Fox or someone else? I consider myself fortunate. I "discovered" Hudson and his vibrant, colorful comments while watching a late-season match last year between the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Tampa Bay Mutiny, when regular MetroStars color man Tommy Smyth had to meet some other commitments. Hudson and his English accent turned out to be the highlight of the match, which incidentally, turned into rare win, 2-1, for the visiting MetroStars. When Eduardo Hurtado scored a goal, Hudson noted the MetroStars forward had all the time in the world to shoot. "He could have had a cup of tea and scored," he said. When a defender was literally right on the back of his man, Hudson said "he was on him like stink on a monkey." When a defender allowed his man to get by him, Hudson noted, "The defender stood out like Madame Tussaud's." (For those who are not familiar with the famous wax museum, Hudson meant that the defender was a statue). And on it went. He had livened up a meaningless match and brought a smile to at least one viewer's face. "They weren't two of the highest-caliber teams, but it was a tremendous game," Hudson said. "There was a battle going on down there. It came out a battle royale and wonderful entertainment." And Hudson brought it to another level with his entertaining, descriptive comments. "These things come out completely naturally," he said. "When you've been at this game as long as I have and played it at a high level, you instantly recognize [nuances] and bring it to people's attention. I like to interject some kind of levity because people take the game too seriously too many times. It's a melodrama and not Shakespeare." It shouldn't be surprising that soccer comes so natural to the 45-year-old Hudson. After all, he performed for Newcastle United in England before coming to the U.S. in 1977 to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the old North American Soccer League. He became a fan favorite, team captain and NASL all-star. He liked it so much that he decided to stay in south Florida. When the Fusion debuted in 1998, investor-operator Ken Horowitz asked him to come aboard, although Hudson did not have a minute of broadcasting experience. While Hudson claims he is far from a homer, his biggest gripe with American soccer announcers is that not enough credit is given to the players. "Our game needs to be bubbled up," he said of MLS. "It's not Manchester United vs. Chelsea or Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, where the purity of everything will come out every 30 seconds. "Our guys in MLS don't get a lot of praiseworthy comments... They don't give players enough credit, such as a good defensive tackle. Sometimes that is viewed an offensive failure and not a great play. Those things are not picked upon in MLS." Take for example, Hudson said, a goal that the Fusion's Henry Gutierrez scored off an Eric Wynalda set-up in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution last week. Hudson felt the Revs announcers did not give the players enough credit. "Wynalda had the ball and the defense was retreating," Hudson said. "Henry Gutierrez already was making his run. Eric, instead of threading the ball on the ground, he scooped it up to Gutierrez. It was the only way he could have gotten the ball. "It was pretty as a cherry on a Sundae... I would be hanging out of the television booth because it was a beautiful goal... Those moments don't come along often. Players should lauded for that." Hudson said that he will point out the deficiencies of the Fusion, although he admitted that he tries to accentuate the positive. "If your team isn't playing well, you try to deflect the negatives of how your team is playing," he said. "Give the other team the accolades. It's a very, very hard line to walk. Seamus Malin [New England Revolution color man] is the best in the league at being truly critical of his team without being negative. He's not a team apologist or a team cheerleader. I've learned a lot from him." And from some other American announcers as well, although they do not work in soccer. Hudson's influences include basketball commentator Dick Vitale and pro football's -- yeah the other football -- John Madden. "I wasn't interested in college basketball until I listened to Dick Vitale," Hudson said. "My girlfriend told me this was the guy I should watch. He isn't an X's and O's guy. He is exciting. He elevates the game, brings it to a higher level because of his pandemonium. I only watch college basketball when Dick Vitale is doing the game. "They [Vitale and Madden] played on emotion, instead of these technocrats who break the game down." Beyond his fabulous one-liners, Hudson felt one of his finest moments came in tandem with Fusion announcer Craig Minervini, when they described a build-up between D.C. United's Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry that led to a goal last season. "In between Minervini's descriptions, I was punctuating it," Hudson said, "saying things like, 'That's beautiful.' He scored the goal and then Minervini went off. The interplay between us, it was like doing a tango." Unfortunately, Fusion fans won't be able to hear Hudson and Minervini tango on too many occasions this season. The Fusion's six local broadcasts is down from 15 in 1998 and 11 last year. "I don't do enough games," he said. "It's like being a player. You need games. You need games. It's a question of being more efficient and refining your art." Hudson's next match isn't until June 3, when the Fusion plays at New England. There has been talk of Hudson doing some games for ESPN in June when Smyth has commitments to work the European Championship, but that's all it has been right now -- talk. Hopefully, someone out there will be as bold enough as Ken Horowitz and "take a chance" with Ray Hudson and let him do what he does best -- talk about soccer. More than anything else, they owe it to a sport that needs all the help and hype it can get. Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. His third book, Soccer For Dummies, will be published in the spring. To submit a question or comment to Michael Lewis, click here.
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