Now I love Mary Carillo just in general. Her Wimdledon and US Open commentary with her childhood friend and one-time mixed doubles partner John McEnroe is priceless. They have great chemistry.
But here she is at the 2004 Athens Olympics doing a commentary on badminton. About 1:20 in, she goes off the rails. I don’t know if it’s calculated or if she’s having some sudden traumatic badminton flashback, but it’s hilarious. She’s so deadpan with that low voice. I love her and now I love her even more.
(Yeah, she does have a low voice, but the sound quality on this makes it sound even lower. I’m listening to her on TV at the Open even as I write this, and it’s not THAT low.)
“The tree is now groaning with children ……”
“Then you see Christopher Burr — and it’s always Christopher Burr — take a rollerblade ….”
The look on her face when she says “Christopher Burr” is hysterical.
I keep replaying this, and it just gets funnier to me. I really don’t think it was planned. I think she’s riffing. The YouTube page that features this says it was “taken off the air in the middle of the night.” If that’s true, why?
It’s hilarious.
Why have I never seen this??????
“Suddenly … you realize you have 18 basketballs.”
DYING
This. Is. Awesome. 🙂
“It’s fragile, but very strong” Uhmmm…
“They’re leaving skidmarks” Yikes! I hope she’s referring to bicycles.
I want to play at her house. Sounds like fun.
It’s so funny how she never cracks a smile. She just lets the story take her.
And “the tree is now groaning with children” is an awesome line. I laughed about it for 5 minutes.
“Including the inflatable raft that hasn’t seen action since the great duck rescue of ’97” Her house must be the most exciting in the neighborhood. This is hilarious! And her face is priceless.
The duck rescue of 97 – dying!!!
How about when she is amazed that she can suddenly pull her car into the garage because it is now empty “of sporting equipment”.
This woman is a riot.
“Colleen Clark is now up the tree trying to remove a Spongebob Squarepants beach ball with a hockey stick.”
I can’t stop watching it.
This is fantastic! “Hey! Come on over! WE’RE PLAYING BADMINTON.” The look on her face as she says this is magnificent!
Why hasn’t Mary Carillo ever hosted SNL?
You guys, I know! It’s insane. It’s addictive. I mean, she’s having this total deadpan breakdown. I have now put this in my YouTube favorites.
I love her loathing of Christopher Burr.
I can almost hear her inner monologue: “I went to journalism school, dammit, and I’m on the air at 1 a.m. talking about badminton.”
“I won the frickin’ French Open Mixed Doubles with John McEnroe! BADMINTON? You cannot be serious!”
On the other hand, have we ever heard anyone make badminton commentary so enjoyable??? She took crap and made GOLD, baby!
Come on Mary, this is like the blind leading the blind. It may be okay for SNL and the likes,but certainly not Olympic material okay.
Now take off the blinders, like a good girl and get your goodminton out of the backyard and take it inside. I’d like to see you try real badminton and not just explain the equipment that the “bad boys” of badminton use.
You would have pissed off,us real baddy’s if we did’nt know better. Luckily for you we do know you’re seriously lacking for material and have to come up with something so ridiculous,and not laughable in a serious setting.
Try again and maybe you’ll get it right this time with the right equipment, and in the right setting.
Oh Mary, Mary quite contrary! Stick to tennis!
Uhm, Arun, it’s a comedic piece. Don’t take it so seriously. Sheesh.
Hi Tracey,
Yes indeed, and even I get the comedic angle…honest I do.
The whole point was it focused more on her humorous angle than on the sport.Wasn’t that the intended purpose?
Thanks though, I really feel better now that I vented. You have a gentle nature and I respect that.