link (http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-abc23aug23.story)
QuoteWill ABC Sack 'Monday Night Football'?
The struggling Disney-owned network must decide whether the benefits of airing the program outweigh the financial losses.
By Meg James
Times Staff Writer
August 23, 2004
Is Walt Disney Co. running out the clock on "Monday Night Football" on ABC?
The 34-year-old sports classic is ABC's most popular and longest-running prime-time program — a tradition that began in 1970 when ABC's legendary sports producer Roone Arledge put Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Keith Jackson in the broadcast booth.
In recent years, though, the struggling Disney-owned network has been losing about $150 million annually on "Monday Night Football." ABC pays the National Football League $550 million a year for the rights to air the Monday matchups, but advertising revenue doesn't come close to covering the costs.
Now, with Disney executives under pressure to prove to Wall Street that they can reverse the fortunes of the fourth-place network and turn a profit by next year, they must decide whether the benefits of "Monday Night Football" outweigh the financial losses.
"ABC is between a rock and a hard place," said Brad Adgate, research director for the advertising buying firm Horizon Media. "It's been ABC's highest-rated show, but at some point they have to ask: How much is too much?"
The NFL has been meeting with network executives in recent weeks to start hammering out a new TV rights package that probably will exceed its current eight-year pacts, which total $17.6 billion and expire at the end of the 2005 football season. NFL executives had wanted to negotiate new agreements this fall, before they begin contract talks with the players union, because the network advertising market has been strong.
But Disney told the league it was not ready to deal. Instead, Disney executives want to wait until next year — closer to the October 2005 deadline — to renegotiate NFL contracts for ABC and sister network ESPN.
Disney also pays $600 million a year for ESPN's rights to Sunday night games, the Pro Bowl and other NFL-related events. Unlike ABC, Disney's cable sports empire doesn't lose money on football because ESPN is hugely profitable, collecting cable subscriber fees in addition to ad revenue.
"We do not expect formal talks to begin until the end of this upcoming season," said ABC Sports spokesman Mark Mandel. He declined to say whether Disney executives had reached a decision on whether to renew ABC's deal for "Monday Night Football."
Privately, Disney sources concede that the decision could "go either way." Despite being a marquee program with plenty of sentimental value, "Monday Night Football" has tripped up ABC's prime-time programmers, who struggle each year to come up with shows that will work in the show's time slot once the regular NFL season ends in late December.
NFL executives won't say how much of an annual increase they are seeking from the networks. Estimates range from as low as 5% to as high as 20%.
ABC, which analysts say is losing about $250 million a year, $150 million of that from "Monday Night Football," might be hard-pressed to swallow another gargantuan NFL fee increase — even though the program has been the network's top-rated show for the last three seasons.
Ratings for "Monday Night Football" have slipped over the last decade, although viewership has stabilized since 2002 with the hiring of John Madden to join play-by-play announcer Al Michaels.
"I don't think [ABC will] continue to absorb the kind of financial losses that 'Monday Night Football' has sustained," said sports marketing consultant Neal Pilson, a former head of CBS Sports.
"The economics of the television marketplace are not strong enough to support the cost of the NFL contract, and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better," Pilson said. "This is a marketplace with no set prices, no rate cards. It's what people will pay for the rights to broadcast these games."
The NFL's two other broadcast partners — Viacom Inc.'s CBS and News Corp.'s Fox Broadcasting Co. — are happy to have football and willing to renew their rights packages, network sources say, despite the sometimes lopsided economics of football.
Two years ago, News Corp. took a $387-million charge against its earnings for losses on its eight-year, $4.4-billion NFL contract. But that didn't faze media mogul Rupert Murdoch or his Fox network, which pays the league $550 million a year for its package.
Fox has long had a soft spot for the NFL. The upstart network didn't get much respect in the industry until 1994, when it beat out CBS and grabbed the weekend National Football Conference games and playoffs for $395 million a year. The NFL would become Fox's ticket to the big time, bringing new affiliate stations and higher ad revenue.
"Fox built their business on losing money on the NFL," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. "The thought has been that a network isn't really a major network unless it has major sports as part of its programming package."
CBS found that out the hard way. After the network lost out to Fox, CBS executives watched affiliate stations defect and their prime-time fortunes plummet. Four years later, when the NFL contract came up again, CBS was willing to write a big check.
CBS now pays $500 million a year for the rights to American Football Conference games and considers it money well spent. CBS maintains that it makes a small profit on football when factoring in the benefits to local stations. The network credits the NFL games for attracting younger viewers and giving it a platform to tout its prime-time shows, such as the popular "Everybody Loves Raymond."
There are several scenarios for how the NFL might divvy up its next TV rights package, according to sources close to the negotiations.
Disney might move "Monday Night Football" to ESPN and give up the cable channel's Sunday night package. That could create an opportunity for another cable channel, such as Time Warner Inc.'s TNT.
The NFL might schedule fewer Sunday night games. That way the league could reintroduce prime-time games on Thursday nights, when advertisers are willing to pay higher rates to reach viewers before the weekend.
One wild card is whether NBC Universal, which lost football in 1998, would be willing to get back into the game if "Monday Night Football" or another NFL package becomes available. Top executives at the General Electric Co.-owned network have met with NFL officials, although network executives stress that they're not willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars just to have football.
Since NBC's association with the NFL ended, the company has added several cable channels. Sources say NBC executives might be interested in an NFL package for their newly acquired USA Network. Putting football on USA could give NBC more leverage to negotiate higher cable subscriber fees for that channel.
In the end, though, the NFL has an interest in maintaining its current partnership.
"The NFL and ABC created the longest-running prime-time entertainment series in television history," NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said in a statement, in response to questions about the current contract negotiations.
And ABC might not be willing to part with its most durable program.
" 'Monday Night Football' is a good investment for ABC," said Dean Bonham, chief executive of Bonham Group, a Denver-based sports marketing firm. "It's a great property and one of the longest-lasting traditions in all of sports. And [it] reaches an important audience, particularly young men."
The value of fetching such a large male audience is hard to ignore, said Jason Maltby, co-executive director for national TV buying for ad agency MindShare.
"Shows that deliver that many men are few and far between," Maltby said. "The ultimate value that ABC gets is the ability to cross-promote their other shows."
Although sports contracts have become increasingly expensive, there might be a payoff down the road, said media analyst Tom Wolzien of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. If ad-zapping, TiVo-like recording devices become more mainstream, advertisers probably will pay a premium to advertise on programs such as live sports that viewers will watch in real time.
"Over time, what the networks can charge for commercials during live sports can be bid up," Wolzien predicted.
Some owners of ABC affiliate stations, their patience wearing thin as the network's sinking prime-time ratings have affected their revenue, say re-upping for "Monday Night Football" should be a no-brainer. In recent years, ABC affiliate stations have chipped in $34 million to help pay for ABC's NFL contract.
"If they are serious about fixing the network — and I think they are — then fixing the network doesn't equate to losing 'Monday Night Football,' " said Darrell Brown, general manager of ABC affiliate KMGH-TV Channel 7 in Denver.
I can't imagine ABC losing that amount of money going forward but you would think they could negotiate something. Otherwise, I like the idea of a Thursday game and maybe NBC could pick up MNF.
i dont see what the big issue is with them. If they lose 150 million a year, why the hell do they keep doing it.
to me it sounds like the only reason ABC loses so much money on the deal is because of the boneheads running the network havent figured out the same ways to make it work as CBS and FOX have.
CBS and FOX have been able to successfully cross promote good shows that the same people will watch and turn a loss-leader in the NFL into profits from other shows that may not have been exposed if it werent advertised during the NFL broadcasts, like CSI, Without a Trace, 24, the sheild(FX), but really...does anyone watch anything on ABC other than MNF? how much regis and drew carey can 1 person take?
Maybe if their other shows didn't suck so bad people would watch them. I won't watch that stupid people trapped on an island show after the way they advertised it.
Disney is the problem, they need to get out of there, FAST! Let another channel do it, or leave ABC alltogether, but Disney needs to back off. They are the last company that should be running the channel that shows MNF.
I don't think you can blame ABC's incompetence on the decline in MNF's populairty 100%. They deserve a large portion of the blame, but not all of it. Think about MNF in the 70's and 80's to now. Now you have the parity in the league, and the fact that no one has any idea whose goin be good or in the playoff race come November. They schedule these things in April, so if a crappy game that was thought of to be good comes up, their screwed.
Another major part of it is the fact that fans can watch so much more football than they used to. In the 70's you got to see maybe 2 games a week. Now, you can watch every game. There are 3 games every Sunday afternoon, one sunday night and one monday night. Cossell doing the highlights was also a big draw, because thats the only way you used to be able to see the highlights from around the league. Now theres NFL Primetime, millions of highlight shows, Monday Night Countdown, etc.
Right now MNF is coming down to if the matchup is good, and if they game is good. Thats the only way they can get the ratings they used to. People used to stay in, stop what their doing and watch MNF. Now alot of people are "footballed out" by monday night, since they watched it all day sunday. They dont need to watch the entire game. They could check in and out and watch the 4th qtr if its a good game.
SNF has been succesful mainly because its ESPN. You watch Sportscenter, PTI, all the shows on the network and see constant promos for the sunday night game. They have a very strong leadin of Primetime, and freakin 90 minute Sportscenter follows it. The game is trapped in between two huge shows, so they grab in extra viewers right there. Not to mention, alot of people stay in Sunday night and have nothing better to do than watch football.
Since cable is becoming more and more popular, I wouldn't mind seeing MNF go to ESPN. I would love for a thursday game, even a friday. Being a football nut, the more games on tv, the better.
No, the biggest drop in MNF's ratings was (and probably still is) wrestling.
Quote from: General_Failure on August 24, 2004, 03:23:24 PM
No, the biggest drop in MNF's ratings was (and probably still is) wrestling.
[Ed McMahon voice] You are correct sir! [/Ed McMahon voice]
I know that is the real problem, but Disney sucks and needs to get it's nose out of football!
On another football - TV related note:
Here's your precious Comcast!
Quoteowboys | 24-Hour Cable Channel Coming? - from www.KFFL.com
Tue, 24 Aug 2004 09:38:28 -0700
Clarence E. Hill Jr., of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, reports the Dallas Cowboys and Comcast Corporation are expected to make a formal announcement, possibly as soon as Wednesday, Aug. 25, on a 24-hour Cowboys channel, according to several sources. The sources said the Cowboys will produce four to six hours of original programming, including the 'Jerry Jones Show' and 'Cowboys Huddle,' which features head coach Bill Parcells. The team might also show their preseason games and Parcells' daily news conferences. Outside of the original programming, the channel could air reruns of past games and Cowboys Broadcasting Network programs. The channel is expected to be available this season to roughly 500,000 Comcast cable subscribers in the Fort Worth-Dallas area.
Way to go Comcast :boo
More mush for the masses in Dallas. As long as I don't have to see it I'm cool with them milking suckers for everything they've got ... hey, I don't have cable. :)
Hey, as long as we get our game televised before they decide to pull the plug, its cool by me...
them losing money isnt about the actual ratings. MNF is the highest rated show on ABC, and the highest rated show for the time slot. while also the highest rated football broacasts of the regular season, yet they lose money? the problem being that they dont pull in enough money from ads to compensate for the production. (which is common for your run of the mill NFL broadcasts)
if all of the networks did as they did, they would lose money too. the other networks use the huge audience of sunday football to pull them into their other shows which non-coinsidentally are really good shows in some cases, to boost the ratings around the other timeslots. MNF is by far the highest rated show on ABC. ABC has been terrible for years. there are many more people that watch the MNF broadcasts than there were in the 70's, but the ratings are lower because there are even more that watch other shows (not everyone in the country was able to get any TV before cable came to their areas).
they have also had bad luck as their one sitcom that was actually starting to make a profit for them was 8 Simple Rules, and then John Ritter passed away and the show went downhill.
ABC's programming stinks, mostly due to the disney connection. CBS, FOX all hype their own shows as well as their cable partener stations shows, ABC's cable partners include stations the disney channel which would have NO effect and would be a waste of time to promo on MNF. they have ESPN, but that is already maxed out.
the popularity of the NFL is at an all time high, but ABC are the only nimrods that cant seem to make it work for them. how is ABC the ONLY outlet that has a NFL licence crying about not being able to make money?
Quote from: Mr. Heisman on August 24, 2004, 03:45:31 PM
Hey, as long as we get our game televised before they decide to pull the plug, its cool by me...
I think that pic of Carson Palmer needs to be a little bigger :D
Quote from: General_Failure on August 24, 2004, 02:27:23 PM
Maybe if their other shows didn't suck so bad people would watch them. I won't watch that stupid people trapped on an island show after the way they advertised it.
You mean that show 'Lost' or whatever? Yeah that looks like an engaging show right there... They should get some decent programming and maybe people would watch their crappy station. The only time I EVER turn on ABC is if there's some sporting event on that I want to watch.
Quote from: MDS on August 24, 2004, 03:05:04 PM
Right now MNF is coming down to if the matchup is good, and if they game is good. Thats the only way they can get the ratings they used to. People used to stay in, stop what their doing and watch MNF. Now alot of people are "footballed out" by monday night, since they watched it all day sunday. They dont need to watch the entire game. They could check in and out and watch the 4th qtr if its a good game.
I always watch MNF, I don't care who's playing - I even watch until the end of preseason games because I love watching football. I might not like the teams, but I love the game. I even watched that whole Dallas/ Skins suckfest a few years back and I watched the whole thing. Football fans will watch the games no matter who's playing. Hell if I could see every game played all weekend every weekend one after the other I would. ABC is losing money because their shows suck. They're worse than CBS right now.
I thought that last year they got amazingly lucky with the MNF games. Out of the 17 or whatever there was some amaaaazing games and only 1 or 2 that were even bad. (including when the Eagles got blown out by the Bucs in week 1)
If you took WWE and moved it to Tuesday instead of Monday, the ratings would skyrocket for MNF, period.
Wrestling is a soap opera, filled with drama, relationships, people getting fake brain tumors, the whole nine yards. So the WWE fans are VERY religious about watching those shows. The ratings for RAW WAR on Monday night are huge every week, and I'd have to think atleast half of those people would be football fans too. They're just more of the pansy football fans, the weaker fans, that rather watch a soap opera than a football game on Monday night. :boom
Quote from: NB on August 24, 2004, 03:39:40 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on August 24, 2004, 03:23:24 PM
QuoteCowboys | 24-Hour Cable Channel Coming? - from www.KFFL.com
Tue, 24 Aug 2004 09:38:28 -0700
...The sources said the Cowboys will produce four to six hours of original programming, including the 'Jerry Jones Show'...
I hear Jerry's going to feature segments on extreme makeovers, including his own magical transformation to a she-male two years ago...
Seriously, can anyone imagine tuning in for "The Jeffrey Lurie Show"? Puh-lease!
There was a nice stretch there where that soap opera was better than MNF. I think it was when Dierdofthpth was still spitting all over the air.
Wow, next you'll be telling me that CBS is pulling Gunsmoke.
:boo to Thursday night- keep Sunday as the main focus with MNF as the after dinner dessert.
Quote from: jeffreyjpa on August 24, 2004, 07:13:59 PM
Quote from: NB on August 24, 2004, 03:39:40 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on August 24, 2004, 03:23:24 PM
QuoteCowboys | 24-Hour Cable Channel Coming? - from www.KFFL.com
Tue, 24 Aug 2004 09:38:28 -0700
...The sources said the Cowboys will produce four to six hours of original programming, including the 'Jerry Jones Show'...
I hear Jerry's going to feature segments on extreme makeovers, including his own magical transformation to a she-male two years ago...
Seriously, can anyone imagine tuning in for "The Jeffrey Lurie Show"? Puh-lease!
There could be This Week in Fashion with Christina Lurie.......
So...does another network pickup the MNF game or do they kill it all together and just do Sunday and Sunday nights?
Quote from: JTrotterFan on August 26, 2004, 12:51:27 PM
So...does another network pickup the MNF game or do they kill it all together and just do Sunday and Sunday nights?
i would guess that is ABC did not want to do it anymore, another network...like NBC or someone (maybe a cable station like TNT or USA) would snatch it up in a heartbeat.
I'd like to see MNF move back and forth between FOX and CBS/NBC/whoever the hell keeps screwing up the AFC games. This way we could maybe get a choice about which game goes on that night without those two networks crying that it's taking money from them.
:-D Nice avatar coach
Mornhinweg
gotcha. Thanks.
Quote from: General_Failure on August 26, 2004, 12:58:07 PM
I'd like to see MNF move back and forth between FOX and CBS/NBC/whoever the hell keeps screwing up the AFC games. This way we could maybe get a choice about which game goes on that night without those two networks crying that it's taking money from them.
That would be a great idea, except CBS has their big comedy night on Mondays (even though Raymond is done after this year), and I dont see them giving that up to be on a rotation of MNF.
There is no doubt MNF will live on, the question remains if it will be on ABC. Fox and CBS will keep the sunday afternoon games (no competition to buy their respective packages).....anything beyond that is up in the air.
on an interesting note, someone was babbling about this on tv and threw out the the WB is talking to nfl and theoretically want to throw their hat into the ring
hoping to turn themselves into a real network like fox did when they got football
i can't imagine they have that kind of cash to through around though
they seemed to think that what will probably happen is that they will slide it over to espn, which would be fine by me
i live for sunday night games so wouldn't mind seeing mnf in a similiar format
The WB angle is an interesting one. However, they are target audience that is the exact opposite of the average NFL fan. Shows like 7th Heaven, Everwood, Gilmore Girls...alot of NFL fans might not even know what channel the WB is. Fox at least at The Simpsons, Married With Children, In Living Color, Martin---shows an NFL fan watched, so they were familiar with the network..........
I can just see the freagin frog dancing around Hank during the "Are you ready for some football" song in pregame.
WB :puke
It could be the time slot. 9pm. Its late especially when the majority of teams playin are from the midwest and east coast. How about Spike TV. They can move wrestling, like someone says, to Tuesday and have football on Monday.
McMahon has Spike by the balls. They wouldn't dare move their only show with decent ratings.
If ABC can't make a profit out of Monday Night Football, then I'd be skeptical that Spike or the WB could.
Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.
Quote from: FastFreddie on August 27, 2004, 09:06:49 AM
Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.
Then that's the fault of ABC for overpaying for the rights. If no network overpaid, the NFL would have no choice but to drop what they charge.
Quote from: QB Eagles on August 27, 2004, 10:55:27 AM
Quote from: FastFreddie on August 27, 2004, 09:06:49 AM
Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.
Then that's the fault of ABC for overpaying for the rights. If no network overpaid, the NFL would have no choice but to drop what they charge.
I agree completely. I'm just saying I doubt Spike or WB could pay the same and make a profit.
Cable stations make more of a profit because they cost money to have, on top of getting money from ads. They also pay less than broadcast stations because less people are going to watch them. But right now, around 80% of sports fan have cable---so putting a majority of the games on cable (the NBA) doesnt kill the sport. The NFL will obviously continue to put their sunday afternoon package on broadcast, but having two or three other games during the week on cable is very likely.
Putting MNF on cable would make the ratings drop even further. I think that is the wrong way to go. Yeah the network who bought the rights would pay less, and maybe make more profit, but in the long run they would lose more viewers than they already haveIMO. I think they need to try the "2 games on MNF, pick the best one" method for a year or two. Starting in week5 or after they could schedule 2 Monday night games and put the best one on.
Also, stop putting rediculous games on like Pitt vs. Seattle, or Saints against the Jets, games where there is no connection, no rivalry, no history, etc.:boom They need to have more rivalry games, and more top runner games. Teams with some sort of history or connection. Sorry but in the history of MNF, if your team sucks, it ain't getting on MNF unless it is an extremely popular team. They need to put on games where top teams face each other, rivalries, teams with history, also unfortunately (but for ratings) they should put on games with the best story they can sell, i.e. Ray Ray vs. TO.
Rivalry games are greatly exaggerated. Some of them are interesting, but some like Wash-Dallas or Oak-Pitt in recent years have been painful to watch.
Division games are still (for the most part) closer and more compettive and mean more than an AFC-NFC matchup. Even if you have two average teams who are in the same division, they could put together a real good game unlike some boring Seattle-Indy matchup (two good teams, but they dont know each other and the game doesnt mean as much).
Quote from: GoinLong on August 27, 2004, 03:21:01 PM
Rivalry games are greatly exaggerated. Some of them are interesting, but some like Wash-Dallas or Oak-Pitt in recent years have been painful to watch.
For you maybe, but I would think they'd get better ratings and be more interesting than some team from the AFC playing some team from the NFC that has no connections and they are both mediocre teams. It's rediculous when you have some game on MNF like the Bengals vs. Packers.
Would you really watch Green Bay/Cincy?
Martzke on new developments in NFL Network getting games next year (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/martzke/2004-09-14-martzke_x.htm)
Tags will be making a shtein load of money if he keeps the proposed Thursday Night package to the NFL Network instead of selling to the TNT or USA (2 networks competing for it). NFL Network is in over 22 mil homes, about half of cable users.
Tags wants to get the NFL Network has big as possible soon, and this is the biggest move he can make. A lot of insiders in the business think the NFL will go this way......
If he really wanted the NFL Network to get big right away he wouldn't have renewed that stupid contract with Direct TV and would have put the network on cable which more people ALREADY have and and already subscribe to.
Quote from: TexasEagle on September 15, 2004, 05:56:24 PM
If he really wanted the NFL Network to get big right away he wouldn't have renewed that stupid contract with Direct TV and would have put the network on cable which more people ALREADY have and and already subscribe to.
I can't say this enough.....
DirecTV is awesome and the NFL Sunday Ticket is possibly the greatest thing ever.
Oh, and the NFL Network is awesome, too! :yay
According to Rudy Martzke, ESPN will get MNF. ABC is willing to pay $50-100 mil less than their last deal, while ESPN will offer close to $1 billion.
Also said TNT should get the thusday-saturday package.
how long is the deal they are looking at for 1 billion?
That makes little sense, considering ABC and ESPN are "sister" networks.
Quote from: TAFKAFF on March 11, 2005, 12:56:13 PM
That makes little sense, considering ABC and ESPN are "sister" networks.
Maybe they could save some money by cutting Madden and Michaels free and giving the game to the Sunday night squad.
:puke
Quote from: TAFKAFF on March 11, 2005, 12:56:13 PM
That makes little sense, considering ABC and ESPN are "sister" networks.
ESPN costs money to watch. Cable companies pay the most out of any cable channel to get ESPN on their packages. That enables ESPN to make a profit on most things they put on. ABC of course is free. Even though MNF is still a top ten show ratings wise, people don't need the same football fix on monday nights like they did years ago. Add what ABC is paying, and they constantley lose money every year.
No word on the length of ESPN's deal, but I guess it will be 6 or 5 years. Also said that Fox is the frontrunners for the SNF package. Interesting to what Fox will do with baseball playoffs, announcers, etc. The game would probably move to 8:00, so Fox could have a direct lead-in from their 4:00 and 4:15 games. If this does happen, Fox could own sunday nights. I'm sure ABC backed off the SNF deal due to the popularity of Desperate Housewives.
They would almost have to move The Simpsons to a different night.
Quote from: General_Failure on March 11, 2005, 03:43:39 PM
They would almost have to move The Simpsons to a different night.
Not true. They could show The Simpsons with no reruns starting in early january. Fox does it with 24, ABC with Alias.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Would love to see Aikman/Buck team do Sunday nights. In fact, Collinsworth could be put out to pasture or made to work with Sam Rosen or Kurt Menefee.
Quote from: QB Eagles on March 11, 2005, 02:57:20 PM
Quote from: TAFKAFF on March 11, 2005, 12:56:13 PM
That makes little sense, considering ABC and ESPN are "sister" networks.
Maybe they could save some money by cutting Madden and Michaels free and giving the game to the Sunday night squad.
:puke
God, no. If Joe Theisman went to Monday Night, I'd kill myself.
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on March 11, 2005, 05:39:00 PM
God, no. If Joe Theisman went to Monday Night, I'd kill myself.
I'd watch it in mute.
My guess is Madden/Michaels would go to ESPN and do the game there. So would the entire team. If not, Madden could go back to Fox if they get the SNF package.
Either way, I hope it ends up with The Leg sitting on his somewhere in DC blowing Gibbs.
QuoteNFL | ESPN could let Michaels walk
Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:04:49 -0800
The New York Post reports ESPN will decide after the Super Bowl whether it will let Al Michaels out of his signed Monday Night Football contract, allowing Michaels to join John Madden on NBC's Football Night in America next season, according to sources. ESPN is apparently waiting until after the Super Bowl to make such a move because it doesn't want Michaels' awkward situation to become the main Super Bowl TV story. In November, New York Post TV Sports first reported that Michaels, who already had been announced as ESPN's MNF voice, made overtures to NBC about joining Madden. Since then, Michaels has declined to declare his intention to remain at ESPN.
I hope Michaels stays with ESPN, because if not, they may put Mike Patrick in with Theezman on MNF.
The good news is that the Eagles probably won't have a lot of night games this year.
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on March 11, 2005, 05:39:00 PMIf Joe Theisman went to Monday Night, I'd kill myself.
:'(
michaels is a right wing nut job nazi and should not have a voice...sports or otherwise
Yes. There is hope. Michaels goes to SNF, that opens the door for the SNF to keep intact. Oh sweet lord.
IGY in the booth with "good looking" Theezman on Monday Night Football. We have to make this happen.
I still can't get over the selection of "Football Night in America" as the title. Horrible.
Quote from: Zanshin on January 27, 2006, 12:23:22 PM
I still can't get over the selection of "Football Night in America" as the title. Horrible.
You and me both.
Theisman is already in MNF, correct?
If Michaels leaves I hope to god Patrick doesn't follow. I can't take him ex-Bills punter anymore.
ESPN MAY USE KORNHEISER AS 3D MAN ON MNF (http://www.nypost.com/sports/61194.htm)
Tirico would replace Michaels? They don't have any better options? :-\
I think Phreak might be available.
I think Tirico, Kornheiser, and Theismann would be intentionally and unintentionally hilarious.
Quote from: FFatPatt on January 30, 2006, 10:32:44 AM
I think Tirico, Kornheiser, and Theismann would be intentionally and unintentionally hilarious.
Gotta make sure my mute button is working this fall.
Kornheiser goes to bed at 900, not sure how he'll pull this off. Plus he hates flying....so, yea, I watch a lot of PTI.
Tirico sucks. If Michaels is out, reunite the SNF team and lets get on with it.
Quote from: MDS on January 30, 2006, 11:49:32 AM
Tirico sucks. If Michaels is out, reunite the SNF team and lets get on with it.
My dog (either one) > Tirico > Mike Patrick & Paul Maguire
Quote from: FFatPatt on January 30, 2006, 12:12:55 PMMy dog (either one) > Tirico > Mike Patrick & Paul Maguire
That's just bullshtein and you know it. The little one, yes. But the big one..no way in hell.
This is Mason saying...
"Farg you, Diomedes! (http://www.hewroteshewrote.com/images/Monty%20and%20Mason/images/img_0448.jpg)"
And this is Mason saying...
"My 'mommy' wasted $1 on this stupid hat that my 'daddy' could have put down a stripper's thong! (http://www.hewroteshewrote.com/images/Monty%20and%20Mason/images/img_0078.jpg)"
Man, they can't be serious with that.
Tirico is a joke as a PBP guy. He should stick to golf where he belongs.
Kornheiser sounds like John McEnroe with a lisp.
And Joe Leg is just plain painful to listen to.
kormnheiser is in bed by 9 and doesnt fly so hes out
john riggins would be absolutely perfect...he is excellent on football and has jokes for days
John Riggins?
Jesus - isn't there enough ex-Deadskins & Cowflops players in the announcing booth already?
:puke
ed rendell should do it. he's the fort knox of football analysis.
With Thiesmann we already know MNF is going to suck. Here's hoping that it becomes a total train wreck so I can at least extract some amusement from it. Teaming Leg with competent people would make the program half-assed and therefore boring.
Quote from: Diomedes on January 30, 2006, 10:11:52 AM
I think Phreak might be available.
Then I could stab Theismann and re-break his leg. Nice.
I woud like to see Kornheiser in there. I like him.
My favorite 3 team crew would be:
Jim Nantz
Troy Aikman
Tony Kornheiser
No shot, I know. But...
Nantz? The unintentional comedy would be too much to handle.
I think it's going to be Tirico, Theismann, Kornheiser in the booth for ESPN.
and Michaels, Madden, Collinsworth on NBC.
MDS you seem to be the TV guy. Your thoughts on Tirico? I hate him for basketball, but I think he's good for football. I liked him in the ESPN games he did, but Sterling Sharpe was terrible. Tirico also does a good job on college football I think.
The Michaels to NBC stuff is only speculation. I think ABC would lose him for their NBA games, too.
Tirico is pretty mediocre. Nothing special. I guess ESPN is well aware how awful the old SNF team is, thus there have been zero talks about reuniting them in Michaels is let go.
QuoteNFL | New Monday Night Football cast announced
Wed, 8 Feb 2006 06:43:22 -0800
ESPN.com reports the station has formally announced the new announcing cast for Monday Night Football that will show on ESPN starting with the 2006 season. Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser will be part of a three-man booth calling the games on Monday nights next season and Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will be sideline reporters. Kolber and Tafoya both reported from the sidelines for ABC during Super Bowl XL. In addition, Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will take Pardon The Interruption on the road on Mondays during the football season. The shows will air from the site of ESPN's Monday Night Football games.
yikes.
I think Kornheiser's great. Too bad he'll only be on for a year before they realize he's not going to work on MNF.
Theisman sucks. Really bad. He's going to make MNF horrendous.
Tirico's ok, i guess. He's pretty much blah, but ok.
I see it as an upgrade over this year's Sunday Night or Monday Night groups.
That's not saying much.
I like Kornheiser. For some reason, his being in the booth doesn't bother me at all. I actually look forward to what he'll bring.
Tirico :-\
Leg :boom
Tons :D
Michaels to NBC with Madden with this move, as he's not even doing basketball anymore. Mike Breen is the new main PBP man. After like 20 years, Michaels is out at Disney.
BTW, the poll on ESPN.com asking if people liked the new MNF team: 53% said no.
Tirico isn't the best, but he's better than the rumored Costas and much better than Patrick who was in the spot before him.
This team is definitely an upgrade over what they had, but will it be the best team? I severely doubt it with Theismann there. I don't think it will be bad though. At least it'll be fun to tune in and get some fresh blood to listen to.
if they were going to take someone who did college for them, i would've preferred either Brad Nessler or Brent Mussberger, they are both better than Tirico. not that Tirico is bad.
He's mighty fat these days, though.
I hate Mussberger, but I would've peferred Nessler over Tirico for football too. Nessler and Tirico both suck at doing basketball games. So did Michaels.
why do you hate Mussberger, i like him the best of the college announcers
I don't know, I don't like his voice. I find it annoying.
fair enough
They shouldve put Tony with the old SNF team, just so he would eventually crack and make fun of them.
At least he'll still get to tell The Leg how full of shtein he is.
QuoteNFL | NBC confirms Michaels' hiring
Thu, 9 Feb 2006 06:20:00 -0800
Neil Best, of Newsday, reports NBC confirmed many reports broadcaster Al Michaels would join its new Sunday night package as the play-by-play man. Michaels and analyst John Madden will debut on NBC at the Hall of Fame Game Aug. 6, the weekend Madden is inducted into the Hall. NBC will precede its games with a studio show as part of what it is calling "Football Night in America.'' That show will be co-hosted by Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth.
the fact that an American network is copying anything from Canada makes me sad.
Shocking news there.
Tirico should stick to golf because he sucks cock as a football announcer. He sounds like a squeally little bish.
Theismann is a joke.
Kornheiser sounds like McEnroe on crack. He's fine on PTI because Wilbon is there to smack some sense into him and to cut him off when he starts whining like the Long Island/Queens/New York queer that he is. On MNF, who is going to shut him off? Tirico? Ha!
Worst.
Broadcast.
Team.
Ever.
Here's hoping the Birds only appear once or twice on MNF this year.
Wilbon replacing Theismann would make that team so awesome, despite Tirico.
See, now that would make more sense.
I mean, not much actual football would be discussed because neither one of them knows anything about the sport, but still, at least it would be amusing to hear Tirico try and maintain order in the booth.
Seriously, this was a trade.
QuoteSpecifically, ESPN gets:
• Rights to broadcast live Friday coverage of the Ryder Cup golf championship between the United States and Europe in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, as well as the right to re-air NBC coverage and extended highlights.
• Expanded Olympics highlights from this year through 2012.
• Monday Night Football promotions during the NBC Sunday night through 2011.
• Expanded highlights from Notre Dame football, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness through 2011.
nothing could be worse than the previous sunday night football team. So I am looking forward to them not existing anymore.
I wish they'd throw Paul Maguire into the sun.
he'd just come back saying, "See what happens when you keep your feet moving?"
Literally got some LOL out of me there, SunMo. Good job.
We will always have the memories....... (http://www.youtube.com/w/Espn-crew..Sunday-night-football-Jibber-jabber?v=U1oyK2vl3RU&search=espn%20)
Found a video from like a 2002 game between Oakland and Tennessee with the SNF team acting like their normal, idiotic and annoying selfs. Makes me so sad to see em go. I think their doing the Pro Bowl, though. So....one last game is in store.
Quote from: MDS on February 11, 2006, 12:37:17 PM
We will always have the memories....... (http://www.youtube.com/w/Espn-crew..Sunday-night-football-Jibber-jabber?v=U1oyK2vl3RU&search=espn%20)
Found a video from like a 2002 game between Oakland and Tennessee with the SNF team acting like their normal, idiotic and annoying selfs. Makes me so sad to see em go. I think their doing the Pro Bowl, though. So....one last game is in store.
More of that Temple A+ quality grammar there, I see... ;)
But the fact that the SNF crew will be calling the Pro Bowl is merely one more reason for not watching it.
Oh no. Me gramar wa'snt teh bestest.
Quote from: MDS on February 11, 2006, 12:53:18 PM
Oh no. Me gramar wa'snt teh bestest.
You know you're spending too much time on the internet when you clearly understand the slop written above.
:paranoid
NFL says that they are thinking about putting 2 games on ESPN to open up MNF, one at 6 and one at 9. They also will not have a game during week 17, keeping in check with what they have done the past few years.
Thing is, for the game at 6pm, it would probably be Patrick and Mcgurie (they will also do college ball) :-D
Article also said that Pittsburgh will have the thursday night NBC opener at home, most likely against NE or Cinci (I figure ESPN opens up with Manning-Manning, or that game could be the NFL Network primetime thanksgiving game).
Denver @ Pittsburgh, most likely
Here's an idea for opening weekend:
THU = DEN/PIT
SUN NBC = IND/NYG
MON 6PM = NE/CIN or CAR/PHI
MON 9PM = SD/SEA
You can throw all sorts of ideas out, we really have no clue.
But I do think NBC wants the best possible match up for the Pittsburgh game. Denver? Eh, not a huge draw. I'd guess either Indy or New England still, seeing as they are the two top draws in the AFC.
Pittsburgh doesn't play New England or Indy next season...
Really? Oh. Well then maybe Denver, Cinci or an NFC team (Vicks?).
Quote from: MDS on February 13, 2006, 11:39:16 PM
But I do think NBC wants the best possible match up for the Pittsburgh game. Denver? Eh, not a huge draw.
not if Terrell Owens is playing for them
ooops
Quote from: MDS on February 13, 2006, 11:39:16 PM
But I do think NBC wants the best possible match up for the Pittsburgh game. Denver? Eh, not a huge draw.
That's a rematch of the AFCCG. That matchup would fall right in line with what the NFL has done opening weekend the last few years. OAK/TEN and PHI/TB in 2003, NE/IND and PHI/ATL this past season. Plus, when you consider the wide fanbase that the Steelers have... it could draw fine. PIT/DEN could definitely happen.
^ Jerome Bettis will be in studio for NBC's coverage this fall, per Bob Costas
Bettis and Collinsworthless? YUCK
Quote from: MDS on February 19, 2006, 11:54:59 PM
Bettis and Collinsworthless? YUCK
And Costas himself, I believe.
I wonder if Bettis is replacing my man Sterling Sharpe? It has been reported that Sterling Sharpe was supposed to join Costas and Collingsworth in the studio - that piece of news has been flying under the radar a bit, which only adds to my concern that they may have changed their mind about Sharpe and decided to go with Bettis. Also, there was the whole ESPN travesty when they let Sharpe go and replaced him with....Irvin. :puke (Now if this had been the real world and they replaced Sharpe with Irvin - heads would have been rolling in the human resources department!) This may be happening all over again for Sharpe - he's being replaced by "fresher meat" - this time before he could even get on the air.
Of course if it's Costas, Collingsworth, Sharpe, and Bettis that would be cool. But I have my doubts...
Sharpe was nothing special. That said, Irvin is about as irritating as it gets. Bettis will probably be okay, I'm just sick of him right now because of everyone shining his knoob at the superbowl.
^
Dolphins/Steelers will be announced as the opening Thursday game, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...
Dolphins? Yuck.
I hope Culpepper's still injured, or I hope he plays like crap.
theres not even a tiny chance i watch one single minute of that game
There is a 100% chance that I watch it from beginning to end. First game of the football season could be Houston vs. San Fran and I would watch.
farg yeah. plus, i'm sure i'll have a fantasy player in there somewhere
except for maybe the playoffs and if the skins game is close or they are losing i dont watch non eagle pro games
you don't play fantasy football?
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 27, 2006, 12:13:49 PM
except for maybe the playoffs and if the skins game is close or they are losing i dont watch non eagle pro games
...and yet, that doesn't stop you from having a definitive opinion on the skill level and potential of every player in the NFL. I have to say that I find that equally and admirably bold & stupid.
Quote from: FFatPatt on March 27, 2006, 12:16:53 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 27, 2006, 12:13:49 PM
except for maybe the playoffs and if the skins game is close or they are losing i dont watch non eagle pro games
...and yet, that doesn't stop you from having a definitive opinion on the skill level and potential of every player in the NFL. I have to say that I find that equally and admirably bold & stupid.
IGY's 110% conviction to all his opinoins is the top reason to why i am the president of his fan club.
Quote from: Sun_Mo on March 27, 2006, 12:17:56 PM
IGY's 110% conviction to all his opinoins is the top reason to why i am the president of his fan club.
Doesn't his fan club already have a president, a mayor, and a CEO?
no silly
ill buy the gold chains, you start getting everyone to wear their jerseys backwards
you don't play fantasy football?
yeah i do but the day i watch a whole football game to follow a fantasy player is the day i end it all
and yet, that doesn't stop you from having a definitive opinion on the skill level and potential of every player in the NFL. I have to say that I find that equally and admirably bold & stupid.
not so much...i have more opinions on college players who ive seen a lot...but i watch the eagle games sometimes two or three times over...and by watching those plus parts of other games here and there plus skins games i see more than enough to form opinions on many players
simple fact is for an eagle home game im in the parking lot at the game or on the road for over 12 hrs a sunday...and every road game i watch at the bar...i dont have time to sit at home and flip thru all the games around the league and scout players
also if the eagles lose i can barely watch sports much less another football game
but more than anything i just cant get emotionally involved in a non eagle game
i find that when i put 150% of my being into the eagles all the other games just dont do anything for me...its like if i try to watch pittsburgh/miami i find myself the whole time comparing it to an eagle game and it ends up just doing nothing for me
Quote from: MDS on March 27, 2006, 12:23:33 PM
ill buy the gold chains, you start getting everyone to wear their jerseys backwards
I call mayor of the IGY fan club. You can be CEO.
ill buy the gold chains, you start getting everyone to wear their jerseys backwards
that could be the whitest thing anyone has ever said...all thats missing is mds in a b-boy stance imitating turntable scratching goin "wicky wicky wicky"
what?
:-D
Opening weekend games:
THU 9/7 8:30PM ET NBC = Dolphins @ Steelers
SUN 9/10 4:15PM ET FOX = Cowboys @ Jaguars
SUN 9/10 8:15PM ET NBC = Colts @ Giants (Manning vs Manning, as predicted)
MON 9/11 7:00PM ET ESPN = Vikings @ taterskins
MON 9/11 10:15PM ET ESPN = Chargers @ Raiders
i thought it was Cowboys Eagles for opening Sunday night?
are the 2 monday night games going last all season, who the farg on the East Coast is staying up for a 10:15pm start?
Quote from: Sun_Mo on March 27, 2006, 02:19:41 PM
i thought it was Cowboys Eagles for opening Sunday night?
Eskin said so. We should have known it was automatically wrong!
Quote from: Sun_Mo on March 27, 2006, 02:19:41 PM
i thought it was Cowboys Eagles for opening Sunday night?
Eskin wrong again.
I'm surprised the reigning NFC champs aren't in there somewhere. I mean, Minny vs. Washington? And Chargers at Raiders? Three out of 4 didn't even make the playoffs last year.
The Thanksgiving games were also announced:
THU 11/23 12:30PM ET CBS = Dolphins @ Lions
THU 11/23 4:15PM ET FOX = Buccaneers @ Cowboys
THU 11/23 8:00PM ET NFL Network = Broncos @ Chiefs
Can't get enough of those Dolphins!
i was hoping for a eagle-cowboy thanksgiving game
when's the schedule come out? it's usually the end of March. it shouldn't have gotten pushed back due to the labor dispute, there was going to be football this year no matter what.
when's the schedule come out? it's usually the end of March.
its usually closer to the draft...the week of or before
Usually a week before the draft
when does the schedule come out? right after the draft?
No dude. One week before. Usually.
i always remembered it being in march.
so everyone farg off.
I heard somewhere that the schedule will come out in April, about a week before the draft or so.
I wait until I get the schedule at the gas station.
Nice. 1pm sunday start. Not too much hype into the comeback year opener.
probably on the road too
On CBS. Does CBS have the AFC games this year? I have no idea where anything's going to be this season.
1pm sunday start. Not too much hype into the comeback year opener.
probably on the road too
why is the eagles opener at 1 on the road??
just curious cause i have a wedding to go to that friday in cape may and i am staying over saturday as well if the eagles arent at home at 1
Quote from: General_Failure on March 27, 2006, 03:10:53 PM
On CBS. Does CBS have the AFC games this year? I have no idea where anything's going to be this season.
cbs and fox extended their deals, so the same rules apply as have applyed
QuoteNFL | Cowboys at Jaguars a Week 1 matchup
Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:40:43 -0800
ESPN.com reports the first late Sunday afternoon telecast of the year, to be broadcast by FOX, will be September 10, when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Jacksonville Jaguars.
I'm confused as to why the NFL would want an umarketable team like Jacksonville playing in the 4:15 game on opening weekend. Maybe because they want the best NFC-AFC matchup?
FOX and the NFL want TO on national TV
Quote from: MDS on March 27, 2006, 03:20:53 PM
I'm confused as to why the NFL would want an umarketable team like Jacksonville playing in the 4:15 game on opening weekend. Maybe because they want the best NFC-AFC matchup?
Oh, it's worse than that. Vikings & Skins on the MNF opener??
QuoteThursday, Sept. 7:
• Dolphins at Steelers, 8:30 ET (NBC)
Sunday, Sept 10:
• Cowboys at Jaguars, 4:15 ET (FOX)
• Colts at Giants, 8:15 ET (NBC)
Monday, Sept 11:
• Vikings at taterskins, 7 ET (ESPN)
• Chargers at Raiders, 10:15 ET (ESPN)
Thursday, Nov. 23:
• Dolphins at Lions, 12:30 ET (CBS)
• Buccaneers at Cowboys, 4:15 ET (FOX)
• Broncos at Chiefs, 8 ET (NFL Network)
At least the squeezed in a couple of division rivalries there. Sheesh.
Quote from: General_Failure on March 27, 2006, 03:23:57 PM
At least the squeezed in a couple of division rivalries there. Sheesh.
This is probably the guy that came up with schedule-tumor.
(http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/407capture_goonies04.jpg)
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on March 27, 2006, 03:22:37 PM
FOX and the NFL want TO on national TV
well then have him face.....some team besides Jacksonville.
I can hear Joe Buck already...
"Terrell Owens returns to the field where he so bravely played in Super Bowl thirty nine....."
well then have him face.....some team besides Jacksonville.
dallas even without TO is a huge draw
dallas with TO is money
they dont need to waste another draw opposite them
they have it regardless
Is this for just week one or are their always going to be two Monday night games. Please tell me that this isn't the case!
And I was hoping for a Dallas @ Philly for the first Monday Night Game!
week 1 could now be:
CAR--home
TB--road
HOU--road
TEN--home
GB--home
SF--road
Jax, Indy and the division games are out. I don't think we'll open up two years in a row with the Vicks, and the Saints will be on the road to begin in the year.
I'd like either Tennesee or Green Bay, both teams suck.
Also, if we open up with SF, the game will be at 4:15. Meaning, we won't even see the TO game. So maybe thats a good idea.
What a kick on the crotch to open the season in Houston or San Fran.
this is essential issue for the nfl. get these bitches cheering games when the weather is warm.
(http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/BOAALLADPJKC/06cheer_semifinal_3.jpg)
(http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/BOAALLADPJKC/06cheer_semifinal_19.jpg)
Quote from: General_Failure on March 27, 2006, 03:42:26 PM
What a kick on the crotch to open the season in Houston or San Fran.
At least it will be a win :yay
I, for one, will be happy to get an opening game win for once.
the eagles have opened on the road west of green bay once ever
1983 at sf
my pick for the opener is at TB
i know the nfl wants to avoid scheduling a phillies home game and an eagles home game on the same day. the phillies are only home on sunday the 24th and monday the 18th. so, really that doesnt do much as to finding out if well be home or away.
doesnt tell you for sure but because of it theres more chance of a home game youd have to think
we will not go to san fran. the last two years they have not played home and home with the giants. the giants are home on opening weekend, so the niners should be on the road.
the texans has played home and home with the astros. so, i guess thats a possibliy.
Quote from: MDS on March 27, 2006, 04:24:53 PM
we will not go to san fran. the last two years they have not played home and home with the giants. the giants are home on opening weekend, so the niners should be on the road.
the texans has played home and home with the astros. so, i guess thats a possibliy.
Wow, to much information for a Monday.
They opened the 2002 season at Tennessee, so I don't think they'll open against them again. Or they might. Who knows. It's 5:00....
Who the hell is going to a Phillies home game at that time of year?
Quote from: rjs246 on March 27, 2006, 03:52:32 PM
I, for one, will be happy to get an opening game win for once.
I think this year, more than any other in recent memory... the Eagles NEED to open up the season with a win. As zesty as things went last year... this team needs something that says first and foremost that 2005 is in the rearview mirror. Can't have any of those feelings and doubts that a loss could bring leaking into 2006.
Who the hell is going to a Phillies home game at that time of year?
if theres a dollar dog day im there
speaking of the first sunday of the season is dollar dog/schedule magnet day at the bank...i advise everyone to take advantage as dollar dog day is almost never on the weekends and usually is like a tuesday nite...plus other than the ryan howard growth poster schedule magnets are the best giveaway youll get all year
i am convinced you are a 13 year old white girl now.
could be black could be white...could be wigga could be 13 year old girl???
you make no sense when you go into the rap talk
im still waiting for dollar beer day.
Dollar ticket day would be swell.
you know the phillies had the 4th highest average ticket price in the majors last year?
do you also know joe buck has won 4 consecutive play by play man of the year awards?
i read the sports almanac today.
baseball play by play? or all of sports.
either way, it's a joke.
all sports, considering he does 2 of em. collinsoworth won the last 3 anylast ones.
oh, and the worst was espn snf won 2 times this decade for sports program series of the year (like mlb on fox, nba on tnt kinda stuff). what they hell do these voters smoke?
Quote from: MURP on March 28, 2006, 02:15:00 PM
im still waiting for dollar beer day.
Greatest Baseball Story ever (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/features/flashbacks/06_04_1974.stm)
Quote10-Cent Beer Night
Cleveland Municipal Stadium / June 4, 1974
By James G. Robinson
Mike Hargrove remembers his first game in Cleveland well.
The Indians graciously gave away their beer. Their fans gave away the game.
10-Cent Beer Night was the Indians' most desperate stunt in the club's most desperate era. Cleveland was mired in the AL East cellar for half a decade despite the best efforts of ace hurler Gaylord Perry, who won 24 games and the Cy Young Award in 1972. Stagnant attendance at Municipal Stadium (their turnout in 1973 had been the second-lowest since World War II) prompted the announcement that at selected games stadium vendors would offer a 10-ounce cup of Strohs for just 10 cents.
Cleveland's first (and last) "10-Cent Beer Night" was the first game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, who had held "cheap beer nights" of their own at Arlington Stadium the previous season without incident. Even though the Rangers had suffered through two of the worst seasons in baseball history since moving from Washington to Arlington, star turns by right fielder Jeff Burroughs (AL MVP) and Ferguson Jenkins (25-12, 2.83) and the emergence of Hargrove (AL Rookie of the Year) would help the surprising Rangers finish the 1974 season second in the AL West with an 84-76 record.
An incident a week earlier in Arlington brought some testosterone-laden intrigue to the "Beer Night" matchup. It all began with a hard slide into Indians second baseman Jack Brohamer by the Rangers' Lenny Randle; four innings later Indians hurler Milt Wilcox retaliated with a fastball behind Randle's head. Instead of charging the mound, Randle bunted the next pitch up the first base line. As Wilcox charged the ball, he was greeted by a hard forearm shove from Randle, who then barreled into Cleveland's hulking first baseman John Ellis.
As the obligatory brawl ensued, more than a few Indians found themselves doused with beer gleefully hurled from the stands. Rangers shortstop Toby Harrah remarked that the normally docile Ranger fans were becoming "more and more like the ones in Venezuela," who frequently chased referees out of arenas.
It certainly seemed like a good percentage of the Indians fans attending "10-Cent Beer Night" were looking for a measure of revenge. For a team that had averaged less than 8,000 fans a game the previous season, the announced attendance of over 25,000 was an impressive turnout. But many of the fans were already tipsy when they showed up and things turned ugly early. Especially ominous were the sounds of small explosions from the stands, heard from the press box as early as the first inning.
After the Rangers took an early lead, the alcohol-fueled frenzy that had pushed fans through the turnstiles began to push them onto the field. In the second inning, a large woman jumped into the Indians' on-deck circle and lifted her shirt; in the fourth, a naked man slid into second as Rangers outfielder Tom Grieve circled the bases with his second homer of the game; and in the fifth, a father-and-son team welcomed Hargrove to Cleveland by leaping into the infield and mooning the crowd. From the seventh inning onwards, a steady stream of interlopers greeted Burroughs in right field. Some even stopped to shake his hand.
The stadium simmered until the Tribe came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, down 5-3. With one out, an Ed Crosby single scored George Hendrick; two singles later, a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center by John Lowenstein plated Crosby to tie the game. But slugger Leron Lee never had a chance to drive in the game-winner (Rusty Torres) from third. As the Cleveland fans pelted the field with golf balls, rocks and batteries, someone took the opportunity to swipe Burroughs' glove. Burroughs chased the fan back to the stands and in response, people began swarming into the outfield, surrounding the Rangers' star outfielder and ending any hope for an Indians rally.
Dodging more than a few flying chairs, Texas manager Billy Martin grabbed a bat and led his team on a rescue mission to right field. "The bat showed up later," Hargrove recalled, "and it was broken." Even the Indians were helping to fight off their own fans. Umpire Nestor Chylak, hit by both a chair and a rock, quickly forfeited the game to Texas, officially ending the Indians' comeback. "They were just uncontrollable beasts," said Chylak later. "I've never seen anything like it except in a zoo." Nine fans were arrested for their part in the melee.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram beat writer Mike Shropshire asked Rangers outfielder Cesar Tovar if the Cleveland fans were acting more like Venezuelan fans than the Arlington fans had. "These people are different, very different. Got no respect for the police," the Caracas native replied. "Of course, they'd shoot the people who tried that at home."
Ironically, the game was the first forfeit in the major leagues since the Rangers (then the Washington Senators) last game at RFK Stadium, when a horde of souvenir-hungry fans took the field and refused to leave.
How desperate was the Indians front office to fill the Municipal Stadium seats? Incredibly, the team had no plans to call off the remaining 10-Cent Beer Nights until AL President Lee MacPhail intervened with the understatement of the year: "There was no question that beer played a great part in the affair."
ha! great story wingspan
cleveland rocks
damn philly fans
QuoteNFL | League expected to release regular season schedule April 6
Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:19:20 -0800
Tom Silverstein, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reports the NFL is expected to release the regular season schedule Thursday, April 6.
this is in a week. i like it.
NFL Network is doing that 2pm schedule show again this year. PFT or some other site will probably leak it early though...
Quote from: BigEd76 on April 04, 2006, 03:40:01 PM
NFL Network is doing that 2pm schedule show again this year. PFT or some other site will probably leak it early though...
Or some random poster? :D :paranoid
By the time I get a hold of it, PFT will probably have it leaked already. I'm trying to get a copy of it that morning though...
Is it being leaked later today?
some tv station in pittsburgh or some city said last week that the shedule comes out april 6 (tommorow)
QuoteNEW YORK (AP) — NFL games will be replayed in a 90-minute format on NFL Network during the upcoming season.
In the past, the league didn't allow full rebroadcasts. But beginning Tuesday, Sept. 12, "NFL Game Re-Airs" will feature four of the best matchups from the previous weekend. Eliminated will be halftime and, according to a league announcement, "other elements not critical to the outcome."
But additional features, such as sideline and on-field sound captured during the game and postgame news conference sound bites will be interspersed within the broadcast. There also will be camera shots and angles from NFL Films that differ from those on the original telecast.
"Fans have been asking us for years about encore presentations of our games," said Charles Coplin, NFL Network's vice president of programming. "For NFL Network, these rights are as significant as securing the new Thursday-Saturday prime-time game package."
Two games will be shown each Tuesday and Wednesday night. Games shot in high definition will re-air in HD. Which games will be re-aired will be announced Mondays.
It will be the first time in league history that games from the NFL regular-season or playoffs will be shown outside their live window. The network expects to show 75 replays altogether.
nice.
Supposedly Andrea Kremer left ESPN to become the sideline reporter for NBC. So....where's Bonnie Bernstein now? :-\
who cares, they should rid themselves of those useless reporters. I dont need to hear about how Brett Favre felt at halftime or how many family members came to the game or what Shanahan told his troops at the half.
Its a shame they need a pretty face to try and entertain the tv audience--waste of money. Put them in bikinis--different story
Pretty face? Bikinis? Have you seen Michele Tafoya?
Quote from: BigEd76 on April 24, 2006, 03:13:30 PM
Supposedly Andrea Kremer left ESPN to become the sideline reporter for NBC. So....where's Bonnie Bernstein now? :-\
sucking on some running backs cock?
she has been banging bellichek for quite some time...which is why she left cbs to begin with...but rumor is they are no longer an item
billicheck tapped that lil ho? nice pull, bro. she must not require a personality or emotion to farg.
Quote from: reese125 on April 24, 2006, 03:37:33 PM
Put them in bikinis--different story
(http://www.jimmyv.org/content/contentimages/news/andreakrameraward.jpg)
You want THAT in a bikini? :puke
she looks like she did the 100 yard dash in a 90 yard gym.....BAAAM
nothing is more repulsive these days than leslie visser...she belongs in a wax museum
Dick Stockton is bangin that.
that relationship has come full circle
it used to be what is that old ass muppet looking man doing with visser
now he is the less ugly of the two
women age hideously...esepcially when they get 300,000 dollars worth of bad work done on them
bryant gumbel and cris collinsworth will announce the thursday/saturday package of games on the nfl network.
collinsworth now will do inside the nfl, thurs/sat games color and snf studio. lots of work for that loud mouth idiot.
gumbel will still host real sports, the best news magazine show on tv.
riveting
even bigger news, peter king is going to nbc to be the "reporter" for their studio show.
Yes, but will Peter give us coffee tips on the air? And will he provide us with the keep-you-in-your-seat riveting updates on Mary Beth's softball career?!?!?
last piece to nbcs football coverage puzzle was added today. sterling sharpe will be on the football night in america studio team.
that makes this:
studio- costas, collinsworth, bettis, sharpe, king
game- michaels, madden, kramer (sideline)
everyone cares!!
Does this mean on NFL Countdown that Stu Scott won't have his nightly chat with Madden?
considering he doesnt work for disney anymore.....
one last piece of news, espn announced their college football announcing pairs, and mike patrick and paul mcguire will not be together. i know, i know. almost. patrick is doing the sat night espn game, and paulie is joining the main abc sat afternoon team. i thought the two of them would be together, and we could relive some old memories of sunday night. but alas, disappointed yet again.
and paulie is joining the main abc sat afternoon team.
nessler and griese (the main sat aftenoon team) are not doing the sat nite games now?...i thought they were considered abc's number one team
i guess it will be musberger and someone else doing the prime time game
yea that cock brent musberger and i think bob davie are doing sat night. keep in mind both espn and espn2 also have sat night games. why, i do not know.
Not a fan of the scoreboard on this broadcast....it's distracting....
Is it just me or is Tony Kornheiser the worst b roadcaster in the history of sports. He's depserately trying to squeeze his awful side comments into the half-second of space between the other idiots' ramblings. This team is miserable and should be murdered in the face.
So, he's worse than Dennis Miller?
nobody takes that crown away from Miller
Oh dear god it isn't even close.
Miller at least had timing. And some of his comments, while obscure and not catered to a football audience, were funny from time to time. Kornheiser has no timing and no sense of humor. Cut.
I don't like the scoreboard either, and I agree with Kornheiser. He sucks. He's trying too hard to be a contrarian, and act like a hardass.
It seems like Theismann wants to punch him in the face. I don't know if Kornheiser will be there long if he keeps at this pace, but you never know with ESPN. Their self-promoting egos will never let the public know they made a mistake. They'll probably ride him until his contract runs out.
Oh good, the Vikings added stupid stripes to their jerseys and got a baseball logo. That's great.
This might be the worst announcing crew in sports history.
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the sunday night crew might be better.
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree completely with Bunkley78. I hate Madden and this crew is infinitely worse than he is. Jesus christ.
Tony need to pull out the trampoline bear or the penguin dance to make the broadcast complete.
This isn't great, but it's not as bad as the last SNF crew. Also, the scoreboard sucks. Why is it in the middle of the screen? Top corner (right or left, depending on which direction the offense is driving) is the way to go.
I called it on this crew back in February (post 105).
Tirico sucks and should stick to golf, Theismann is a hopeless assclown and Kornheiser is a buffoon.
Great picks there. Well done.
This is a pure genius move by ESPN. Make people skip the game so they have to watch SportsCenter to catch the scores! GENIUS!
Yeah, that fargin scoreboard thing was annoying as shtein. Who is the loser who decided it should go there? Fire them now.
Send your complaints here (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/espntv)
To whom it may concern,
It's bad enough that we have to listen to Joe Theismann again this year but now you geniuses put the clock and scoreboard right in the middle of the screen? How about you do to the scoreboard with what you did to Paul Maguire - move it to another spot.
The scoreboard was the least of their problems, and that note was too kind, Phreak.
I've always hated Theisman, the fact that he is on tv at all is unbelievable, but I think Kornheiser is going to be good.
His constant baiting is going to make Theisman completely snap at some point during the season and it's going to be awesome to see.
Wilbon would have been better than Kornheiser. Much better.
Quote from: rjs246 on August 14, 2006, 09:22:01 PM
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree completely with Bunkley78. I hate Madden and this crew is infinitely worse than he is. Jesus christ.
The ESPN crews have always been the worst in football. I think this new crew is better than the group of assclowns they have had in the past for Sunday night, even though Theisman is still there.
Why the hate for Kornheiser here? There is no chance at all he is worse than Dennis Miller.
WATCH HIS FEET!
this crew is better, much better than the previous Sunday night crew of McGuire, Thiesman, and Patrick
it was one game, and Kornhieser is new to this, give him more than one game to find his spot.
kornheiser jumped the shark like 7-8 years ago...his original radio show before it went national was incredible...once he went to espn he started going downhill big time and now he tries way to hard and is actually very not funny...sometimes painfully so
but even were he still funny he has absolutely no business being on a football broadcast...last night was an embarrassment to the legacy that is MNF
So I'm the only one that barely even noticed the announcers last night?
Quote from: SunMoTzu on August 15, 2006, 10:22:40 AM
this crew is better, much better than the previous Sunday night crew of McGuire, Thiesman, and Patrick
amen.
i noticed them because i was purposely focusing on them and it was pathetic
tirico is ok but hes small time....should be doing mid level college football games
theisman much the same....i dont mind him but he shouldnt be doing anything more than a browns-lions sunday nite game
kornheiser needs to stick to pti...youre not funny and you know less about football than any person in sports
this is monday night football and it deserves better...nbc did a great job in filling the sunday nite slots with michaels madden costas et al....espn went in the opposite direction...es[pecially when you consider their prime time sat nite cfb team is better than their monday nite pro guys
they are having a team of Nessler, Vermeil, and Jaworski do the 2nd MNF game on week 1. i would take that as the permanent team, i like Nessler alot and Vermeil was always good when he did college.
Agreed, Mo.
they are having a team of Nessler, Vermeil, and Jaworski do the 2nd MNF game on week 1. i would take that as the permanent team, i like Nessler alot and Vermeil was always good when he did college.
definitely
now thats a good team....nessler is smoove as it comes and you have two excellent football guys....
tho if i had my choice there would never be another three man booth again in any sport....exceotion to the rule is herbie and corso on the espn thrusday nite games...those two are more entertaining and funny than kornheiser will ever be and they know football...and this year fowler is in the booth with them....should be good stuff
Quote from: SunMoTzu on August 15, 2006, 10:33:04 AM
they are having a team of Nessler, Vermeil, and Jaworski do the 2nd MNF game on week 1. i would take that as the permanent team, i like Nessler alot and Vermeil was always good when he did college.
Sold!
i think the whole 'did joe get tony's joke?' routine is going to be fun to watch.
It would be if Joe had any chance of getting just one of them.
Why did they even pick Kornheiser anyway? I'd assume they would want to go with an ex-player. Someone that can add something to the program other than annoyingly witty comments. I'm not looking for comedy relief when watching football.
just because someone played football doesn't mean they're not an idiot when it comes to their football opinions. i'll take kornheiser over theisman anyday.
its called trying to emulate cossell's mnf teams where people would watch specifically for cossell. it cant hurt to try, considering people arent gonna stop watching football because the announcing team sucks.
Theismann is bad, but he's not as bad when he's not with Patrick and Maguire. Kornheiser doesn't add anything to the program. Theismann can at least add some insight when Kornheiser really has nothing to add.
i'm not looking for comedy relief, but you do need someone entertaining. i like both Phil Simms and Troy Aikman because they are informative but they are also not boring
just because someone played football doesn't mean they're not an idiot when it comes to their football opinions
except that kornheiser admits he knows absolutely nothing about football and has shown time and time again that he isnt lying...pti is the perfect forum for him and where he can spout off about anything and everything and even if he sounds likes an idiot or is wrong 99% of the time it doesnt matter because its a 530pm sports talk show...but that kind of crap shouldnt be on monday nite football
Right, and neither is the least bit funny or witty, and neither tries to be. All I want is for you to be objective, and know what you are talking about. Also to not say the same stuff over and over again or say obvious things like Maguire, Theismann and Madden do.
Quote from: Bunkley78 on August 15, 2006, 03:39:48 PM
Theismann is bad, but he's not as bad when he's not with Patrick and Maguire. Kornheiser doesn't add anything to the program. Theismann can at least add some insight when Kornheiser really has nothing to add.
Never in my life have I ever heard Theisman add any insight to anything. He spouts his opinions with absolutely nothing to back them up. He has no more insight than any of us here. And Kornheiser is going to rack him up on shtein like that all year long. He already started last night and it's going to work.
however, i do think theisman will be better without mcguire and teh other dude dumbing him down even more.
Instead of hiring "personalities" to man the broadcast booth, how about they hire qualified, experienced broadcast journalists instead?
Nah. :-D
- Also -
I still think that Tirico is ill-suited for NFL PBP. I can't stand listening to his screeching whenever something happens on the field.
NBC did a great job with their crew. It's a shame ESPN farged theirs up so badly.
I'm too lazy to link it, but the critics (except for the Wash Post) praised Tony.....
i only watched about 15 minutes of the game...i didnt mind the announcers that much. i barely noticed them in fact.
some of you care way too much about talking heads.
I didn't notice the announcers... then again, having it on mute the whole time may have something to do with that.
some of you guys are so anti-establishment. way to stick it to the man and not pay attention to the announcers.
This is what I know.
1. I hate John Madden. I can't stand his rambling or his memory lapses and inability to recognize the difference between things that are happening now and things that happened 5 years ago.
2. The commentary last night was so much worse than anything that I have ever heard come out of Madden, or anyone else's mouth, that I was actually wishing for Madden to be there. Theisman is terrible. His voice is awful, his 'insights' are completely biased and frequently proven incorrect mere seconds after he makes them and he still talks about the taterskins all the time. Worse than Theisman was Kornheiser, though. It was like he was a kid trying to get his older brother's attention by tossing out non-sense and interrupting people now and then.
The whole goddamned thing was terrible.
Still an improvement over the old SNF team.
Quote from: phattymatty on August 15, 2006, 05:46:16 PM
some of you guys are so anti-establishment. way to stick it to the man and not pay attention to the announcers.
Mine had more to do with needing to get work done and letting the toddler sleep.
Quote from: phattymatty on August 15, 2006, 05:46:16 PM
some of you guys are so anti-establishment. way to stick it to the man and not pay attention to the announcers.
:-D
not exactly what i mean. i didnt really notice if they were bad or good it was a stinking preseason game for christ sake, what exactly are you supposed to talk about in the 3rd and 4th quarters?. although i am thinking it will be week 8 when either wobble leg or tonk k gets thrown out of the booth and onto the field.
I only watched the first quarter straight through (the rest of the game on and off) and they were farging awful from the outset.
Real talk:
QuoteTim (Indy): I love Kornheiser on MNF, but the TK-Theismann duo just doesnt work. Tony makes a joke and Theismann takes him 100% seriously almost to the point that he gets offended by it. I thought he was going to have a breakdown during the taterskins game a couple of weeks ago because Tony kept cracking on Joe Gibbs.
SportsNation Bill Simmons: You're right. Joe needs to, um, loosen up, Not sure if it's possible.
Theismann's a moron and has no place on an NFL broadcast team.
Neither does Kornheiser. To me the 2 man team is perfect. Joe Buck and Aikman are the best team. Joe Buck isn't the greatest, but he's definitely competent, but Aikman is the best analyst out there.
Just get someone in the booth who knows how to break down a football game.
The 3 man team with Siragusa does alright. Mainly, Goose talks whenever the hell he wants, and sometimes actually adds some insight.
You're joking, right?
Notice that I took the time to point out that he is not always insightful. However, there are times when he's more useful than whatever chick ESPN or ABC throw out there.
Now let's go down to the Goose for a sideline report...
Siragusa: "Yeah guys, I noticed a little piece of grass here that came up on that last touchdown. Back to you guys."
I hate Kornheiser, but I enjoy the fact that he pisses off Theisman so much.
I enjoy Kornheiser. I haven't really had a chance to watch MNF yet this year so I don't know how he is there but I've always liked him on PTI and I used to listen to his radio show just about every day.
I don't mind Kornheiser at all. Theisman sucks horribly. Goose started out awful the first season he was down there, but he has improved.
First "flex" schedule option exercised - Bears/Giants moved to Sunday night/NBC on Nov 12 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2637214)
my favorite part of last night's game was kornheiser calling out the skins for not playing lavar and theisman sticking up for them like a douche as always.
I liked before the game when Kornheiser literally called T.O. the devil.
this flex scheduling stuff is bullshtein
Quote from: ice grillin you on October 24, 2006, 03:36:28 PM
this flex scheduling stuff is bullshtein
It beats putting a crappy matchup in primetime late in the season.
you have the package what do you care
Quote from: ice grillin you on October 24, 2006, 03:43:23 PM
you have the package what do you care
Well, I'd rather have the good games on during the day Sunday, so I don't feel compelled to watch Madden/Michaels or Theismann/Kornheiser, as they're both infuriatingly awful. But this isn't about me.
It makes good business sense for the NFL to schedule the games in this fashion, so why not?
have they announced any changes yet?
^^^^
some giant game...no birds games yet
i just think its bullshtein cause they know lots of fans travel have set plans to attend games out of town
do i expect them to care....no
do i know why they do it....yes
does it still bother me for purely selfish reasons....yes
Quote from: FFatPatt on October 24, 2006, 03:47:54 PM
It makes good business sense for the NFL to schedule the games in this fashion, so why not?
it might make business sense for them but a lot of fans travel and make plans far in advance for these games. this will farg all of that up. but at least they make some more cash so why should they care.
EDIT: i see this has already been said, never mind.
just the one. out of the 7 weeks that are open, cbs and fox can protect 5. both have chosen 4, though we don't know which ones.
philly at indy was probably protected. fox has the dh that week and has not designated its 415 game yet. it has two good games, saints/falcons and eagles/colts. guesses are they would prefer a mcnabb vs. manning matchup.
also quite possible that fox protected eagles/giants. its 415 game is seattle/oakland. the other 100 games suck. so most likely they will move that game to 415.
more likely, the eagles/taterskins game could be moved. that game wont be protected, but there are a bunch of other better matchups that week that all wont be protected, so they will probably be chosen. however, if nbc things simply getting big markets and big name teams beats a indy/jacksonville or new orleans/dallas...then maybe.
Monday's game was the highest rated show in the history of cable, not counting breaking news. Everyone cares.
how are the numbers compared to what ABC was pulling in.
It's cable to broadcast, can't really compare. But NBC is doing better than ABC did last year, and ESPN is well up on monday's compared to sunday's. In fact, ESPN drew more viewers for the Chi/Arz game than NBC did for the Oak/Den game. So, overall, everybody is happy because these multibillion dollar conglomorates are making a shteinload of money. Hooray for rich white guys.
i know that you usually can't compare cable to broadcast, but i thought for football that the fanbase was the fanbase regardless of what station the game was on.
the fact that NBC gets to pick the last 8 games of the year is a sweet deal for them, although i'm sure they payed out the ass for it.
Quote from: SunMo on October 25, 2006, 09:23:34 AM
the fact that NBC gets to pick the last 8 games of the year is a sweet deal for them, although i'm sure they payed out the ass for it.
I think it's only 6, but NBC isn't making as much as you'd think on the deal... because they paid so damn much in the first place.
actually nbc made a terrific deal. fact is abc had been losing money on mnf. its tough these days for a broadcast network to make a profit off primetime sports. thats why basketball is only on some choice spots and the finals. baseball is going to one lcs and the series. despite top ten ratings, you cant really make a profit based on what abc was originally paying. so nbc is paying far less than espn, but espn makes a bunch back buy upping the rates it costs for cable companies to carry it. and since a cable company cant be legit without carrying espn, they need to pay it.
nbc made a great deal economically, not to mention getting (i think 7 weeks) of flex schedule games. nbc also gets 2 playoff games, and espn gets none. nbc even gets in the superbowl rotation. it was a great deal for them. same for espn, despite what their paying. they are drawing record numbers for cable viewers.
and thats also the point. not everyone has cable, but most sports fans do. like without a csn or espn, its hard to be a diehard fan and really get into sports. youre relying on the internet or local news stuff for things, not to mention you cant watch most games aside from the nfl. thats a big reason why sports leagues and relying heavily on cable, because they can. you couldnt say that the last time these tv rights deals were made.
two weeks from now: San Diego @ Denver (which means CBS will pick something else for 4:15...probably Indianapolis @ Dallas)
three weeks from now: rumored to be Chicago @ New England (not Philly/Indy)
not Philly/Indy
if the colts are undefeated 12 days before that game i cant imagine it not being the sunday nite johnson
ESPN needs to stop the in-game interviews. I don't like it even when they have someone from the NFL on.
But last night they had CHRISTIAN SLATER on. Huh?!
ESPN is becoming harder to watch each day.
I fell asleep watching that shtein last night.
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on November 07, 2006, 09:33:22 AM
ESPN needs to stop the in-game interviews. I don't like it even when they have someone from the NFL on.
But last night they had CHRISTIAN SLATER on. Huh?!
ESPN is becoming harder to watch each day.
I fell asleep watching that shtein last night.
Christian Slater > Brian Bosworth?
Slater in the booth was more annoying than Theisman in the booth.......if that's possible.
ESPN is doing a crap job with MNF. I pretty much hate everything about it now. From the daily "X days till Monday night" commercials, to that corny ass GMC advertisement that they call an opening and everything else that takes place until the end of the game. This thread is titled inappropriately. ABC didn't kill MNF. ESPN did.
ESPN is the devil.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on November 07, 2006, 09:53:40 AM
ABC didn't kill MNF. ESPN did.
ESPN is the devil.
ABC and ESPN are one in the same and owned by Disney. Thus, Disney is the devil.
Slater was awful, he freaked out over every play like this was the first game he's ever seen. Kornheiser is bad on the football end of things but he's great for just making fun of people who are in the booth.
Quote from: SunMo on November 07, 2006, 10:37:04 AM
Kornheiser is bad on the football end of things but he's great for just making fun of people who are in the booth.
I liked how he said something to Bosworth like, "Do you have any regrets about how your career turned out?"
That, and they showed the play where he got trucked by Bo Jackson at the goalline. Good stuff.
Quote from: SunMo on November 07, 2006, 10:37:04 AM
Slater was awful, he freaked out over every play like this was the first game he's ever seen. Kornheiser is bad on the football end of things but he's great for just making fun of people who are in the booth.
it very well might have been his first game in person.
one of the guys asked him if he was a football fan and he paused, then said "i have lots of friends who are football fans."
and i'm sticking with my statement that tony kornheiser is the only thing worth watching on MNF. like sunmo said, he makes fun of guests, and his constant needling of theisman is definitely going to make him blow at some point this year.
Quote from: SunMo on November 07, 2006, 10:37:04 AM
Slater was awful, he freaked out over every play like this was the first game he's ever seen. Kornheiser is bad on the football end of things but he's great for just making fun of people who are in the booth.
I couldn't help but laugh at Slater just because he was acting like such a tool.
And I really wish I could say I like Kornheiser on MNF but I can't. I love his radio personality and I think he's awesome on PTI. But in the booth it's just not working. Part of that could be due to the company around him though. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Wilbon call a game. It can't be worse than any of the other crap that's been in the booth the last few years.
Quote from: phattymatty on November 07, 2006, 11:29:43 AM
and i'm sticking with my statement that tony kornheiser is the only thing worth watching on MNF. like sunmo said, he makes fun of guests, and his constant needling of theisman is definitely going to make him blow at some point this year.
You must be on his fantasy team.
i like the fact that he talks about his fantasy team. 90% of the people watching are, as it's the only reason to watch the monday night game anymore.
The only MNF game I've watched in its entirety was the Eagles-Packers game. I think I've seen about 3 other quarters.
Monday Night Football is dead. Howard Cosell is rolling over in his grave.
MNF is awful.
they don't care. they get are getting some of the highest ratings in cable history. disney is laughing in a big pile of money.
how in the hell did Seattle/Oakland get good ratings?
Well not that game specifically, but in general. They are making loads of money off this.
Quote from: MURP on November 07, 2006, 10:22:39 PM
how in the hell did Seattle/Oakland get good ratings?
Probably because many people had the channel on and fell asleep with it on, like me. That game was like prescription strength ambien. Knocked my ass out cold.
For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Eagles game was the only MNF I've watched since the preseason. It has turned into an awful joke.
Kornheiser is a fargin douche. I cannot stand him at all on MNF. PTI isn't that bad, cause he sticks to talking about sports. His job on MNF is to dig up non-football related garbage and tries make it funny somehow. Horrible. Am I the only one who notices his gay little head bobbing around. Does he have torrets or something? Jesus shoot him.
Quote from: rjs246 on November 09, 2006, 09:43:29 AM
For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Eagles game was the only MNF I've watched since the preseason. It has turned into an awful joke.
Same. And even that was terrible because we had to sit through Steve farging McNair through the entire 2nd quarter.
so two weeks ago was the highest MNF game ever, and now this weeks was the lowest ranked ever.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4321045.html
Well you can't compare ABC to ESPN. It's stupid to. Of course viewership was gonna be low. It was a horrible game.
Quote from: phattymatty on November 07, 2006, 12:10:58 PM
i like the fact that he talks about his fantasy team.
Unless he really has about 65 players on his team, I'm pretty sure that's a goof.
Somebody tell me, if Mike farging Patrick isn't good enough for the booth on Sunday night, why let him screw up a great college football broadcast team? It hurts my ears...
Seriously. And Paul Maguire getting shoved between Nessler and Griese is horrendous.
Week 13 flex schedule:
Seattle @ Denver (originally FOX 4:15PM ET) moves to NBC SNF.
Dallas @ NY Giants moves to 4:15PM ET national game for FOX.
Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh also moves to 4:15PM ET as the alternate late game for FOX.
Jacksonville @ Miami moves to 4:05PM ET as the late game (singleheader) for CBS.
Why aren't they picking up more Eagles games in primetime?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!!?!!?!!?
Week 14 flex schedule:
New Orleans @ Dallas (originally FOX 1:00PM ET) moves to NBC SNF.
Buffalo @ N.Y. Jets moves to 4:15PM ET as the alternate late game for CBS.
jimmy kimmel was probably the first good guest they've had all year. he should be in that booth.
hes funny and he has a slight understanding of football? gee, thats hard to find.
theisman is unbearable. but tony calling him out when he says stupid things is funny. the leg is gonna blow soon.
Replacing Theismann with Kimmel would be hilarious.
even kimmel called theisman out on something stupid last night, and he was only there a few minutes.
i think it was joe saying that hasselbeck wanted to get hit hard because he was playing like shtein.
yes, a qb wants to be jacked up by a linebacker because he is playing poorly. that makes sense.
actually, I've heard Aikman say that sometimes the best way to get into the game is to take that first hit. off all the things Theisman says, that one was actually pretty good.
of course Kornheiser, not having an athletic bone in his body, would question that one.
maybe you should jut marry theisman.
maybe i jut will
Week 15 flex schedule:
Kansas City @ San Diego moves to NBC SNF.
EAGLES @ GIANTS moves to 4:15PM ET as the national FOX game.
Miami @ Buffalo moves to 4:05PM ET as the main late CBS game.
Skins/Saints > Igs/Gints? Or did they not want to use the Giants as the A game 3 weeks in a row?
Quote from: MDS on December 04, 2006, 10:24:04 PM
Skins/Saints > Igs/Gints? Or did they not want to use the Giants as the A game 3 weeks in a row?
Art has some pull with FOX.
The only pull Art has is of Larry Michael's dong, when he demands it, of course.
i actually thought ben stiller's little peyton manning impression before the game yesterday was funny.
yeah, it wasn't awful.
but that intro where the city turns into a football field is just terrible.
Quote from: SunMo on December 19, 2006, 10:26:53 AM
yeah, it wasn't awful.
but that intro where the city turns into a football field is just terrible.
I don't know what's worse - the intro or the infusion of GMC shtein into it.
I'm going with the GMC infusion because it's so blatent. There's absolutely no subtlety to it at all. I'm surprised they don't just call it "GMC's Monday Night Football" or something gay like that.
Latest rumor floating is that Packers/Bears is the Sunday night game next week, but it's not official. Steelers/Bengals was originally scheduled, but it may have no impact anymore. At least if this Packers game doesn't either, they'll get Favre's "final" ::) game...
Now official....
Week 17 flex schedule:
Packers/Bears moves to NBC SNF.
Bills/Ravens and Dolphins/Colts move to 4:05PM ET for CBS.
(plus the Eagles game being moved to 4:15PM)
I'm staying in on New Years to watch that one.
God I hope this is true (http://www.profootballtalk.com//)
QuoteSUNSHINE OUT AT MNF
A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that ESPN is yanking analyst Joe Theismann from Monday Night Football. Earlier this year, the network said that the lineup for the weekly NFL broadcast would returned unchanged in 2007.
Per the source, the likely replacement for Theismann is Ron Jaworski, who performed well (despite wearing ladies' glasses) during the back half of a season-opening Monday night doubleheader and who currently is handling booth duties for the ESPN/ABC coverage of the Arena Football League.
It's unknown whether Theismann will be reassigned to other ESPN NFL-related shows, or possibly to ESPN's college football coverage. After Mike Patrick and Paul Maguire weren't shifted with Theismann from Sunday night to Monday night, Patrick and Maguire landed with the network's NCAA broadcasts.
The problem, as we understand it, is that Theismann received a lucrative contract in the waning days of Mark Shapiro's tenure, and the network is unlikely to eat the balance of it. We're told that there are at least two years remaining on the deal.
Per a source with knowledge of the in-house dynamics at ESPN, Theismann and Tony Kornheiser didn't mix well, and there's a school of thought that Kornheiser would be better without having to worry about tiptoeing on eggshells with Theismann. (And we agree with that. Completely.)
The information came to us in response to an item we posted earlier on Saturday indicating that ESPN had offered a spot on Monday Night Football to former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells.
Stay tuned.
Theisman is farging terrible, and I've always been a fan of Jaworski's, the guy's a ham, but at least he has a sense of humor. I'm also a fan of Kornheiser's, and watching Tony make a joke or take a shot at a player, team, or situation that was funny and different from the normal drivel, then watch as Theisman, who had no idea it was joke or otherwise, would try to correct Tony with some nonsense. Don't let the door hit ya in the leg Joe! farger.
Replace one guy that won't shut up with another guy that won't shut up. I like Jaworski, but c'mon.
Anyone is better than Joey the Leg. Jaws is actually pretty good, just needs to shut up a bit.
Have a feeling that Skins fans will complain about this, with the media out to get them and all?
farg them and farg Theismann too. I am glad that shteinbag is outta there.
Theisman is my least favorite broadcaster ever but I enjoyed Kornheiser making him look like a fool every week. Jaws isn't as dumb so it won't be as fun. I like how they called him out for wearing chick glasses though.
Jaws > Theismann.
Theismann is the absolute worst. I would prefer horrible static to come out of my speakers every time he's talking than to hear his voice. Not only would I accept Jaws over Theismann, I would accept any horrible blabbermouth as an improvement -- they could dig up Dennis Miller, Rush Limbaugh, or Michael Irvin for all I care. Those guys would flame out after a season at most anyway; Theismann has somehow stayed on the air for years, like a metastasizing cancer that keeps showing up in new places and is never completely destroyed. Please ESPN drive a steak through his broadcast heart!
Joe Buck out at Fox
Pregame show. Hes back to doing just announcing, Curt Menefee becomes the new James Brown, right down to the skin color and monotone delivery.
Figure it was a pain in the ass to travel around to different sites each week, didn't pay off ratings wise, so its just easier to do it from a studio.
Quote from: QB Eagles on March 25, 2007, 12:12:33 PM
Theismann is the absolute worst. I would prefer horrible static to come out of my speakers every time he's talking than to hear his voice. Not only would I accept Jaws over Theismann, I would accept any horrible blabbermouth as an improvement -- they could dig up Dennis Miller, Rush Limbaugh, or Michael Irvin for all I care. Those guys would flame out after a season at most anyway; Theismann has somehow stayed on the air for years, like a metastasizing cancer that keeps showing up in new places and is never completely destroyed. Please ESPN drive a steak through his broadcast heart!
Good use of metastasizing.
Quote from: MDS on March 30, 2007, 12:07:35 AM
Joe Buck out at Fox
Pregame show. Hes back to doing just announcing, Curt Menefee becomes the new James Brown, right down to the skin color and monotone delivery.
Figure it was a pain in the ass to travel around to different sites each week, didn't pay off ratings wise, so its just easier to do it from a studio.
I was thinking that all year last year. Menefee did a great job on the show when Buck had to leave to go to the booth. It just made no sense to not have him take the chair for good.
nbc did a nice job last year but the other two networks pregames are unwatchable...i dont think ive watched more than three or four of them since fox got football
espn owns all
for some reason i dont mind the fox pregame. espn 2 hrs extravaganza gets boring by noon. yeah u wake up on sunday and ur all pumped up for the game and u watch at 11 but they keep repeating the same crap over and over. cbs is absolutely horrible so i usually end up just watching FOX.
now if they only brought in vermeil into the booth for MNF. that would be awesome. or hell bring vermeil in somewhere...fox, nbc, or whatever.
all pregame shows suck, that's why i take dumps, play video games, and jerk off until 1pm every Sunday
At the same time, son!! WHUT?!?!?!?!?!
Like you don't.
Mike and Mike and Mike Ditka will do the night cap of ESPN's MNF Week 1 DH. It's the only game they'll do, though.
Quote from: MDS on June 20, 2007, 03:31:56 PM
Mike and Mike and Mike Ditka will do the night cap of ESPN's MNF Week 1 DH. It's the only game they'll do, though.
mike and mike are pretty funny but i wonder how ditka will be.
It'd be close but I'll go with Mini-Ditka, 107-3.
Quote from: Magical_Retard on June 21, 2007, 01:12:53 PM
Quote from: MDS on June 20, 2007, 03:31:56 PM
Mike and Mike and Mike Ditka will do the night cap of ESPN's MNF Week 1 DH. It's the only game they'll do, though.
mike and mike are pretty funny but i wonder how ditka will be.
Horrible. Bonnie blowjob will also be doing the sidelines. I think I'll like Kornheiser and Jaws.
Quote from: Philly Crew on June 26, 2007, 03:18:53 PM
[Horrible. Bonnie blowjob will also be doing the sidelines. I think I'll like Kornheiser and Jaws.
I still remember igy arguing that her nickname was common knowledge. :-D
Jew girls can't stay away from the big black cock. We know.
Quote from: MDS on June 26, 2007, 03:37:50 PM
Jew girls can't stay away from the big black cock. We know.
Until they get married.
After that it might as well be a radioactive railroad stake laced with cyanide for all the gobbling they'll do.
ESPN barf
Quote
Sunday NFL Countdown (ESPN):
Host – Chris Berman
Analysts – Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Emmitt Smith and Chris Mortensen
Stadium Reporters – Bob Holtzman, Rachel Nichols, Wendi Nix, Sal Paolantonio and Ed Werder
Feature reporters – Greg Garber, Kenny Mayne and Nichols.
NFL Live (ESPN):
Host – Trey Wingo
Analysts – Merrill Hoge and Mark Schlereth
NFL PrimeTime (ESPN):
Host – Trey Wingo
Analysts – Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge and Mark Schlereth.
Monday Night Countdown (ESPN):
Hosts – Chris Berman (Bristol) and Stuart Scott (MNF city)
Analysts – Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen and Bill Parcells (Bristol); Emmitt Smith and Steve Young (MNF city)
Monday Night Football (ABC):
Play by Play- Mike Tirico
Analysts- Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser
NFL Match-Up (ESPN):
Host- Sal Palantonio
Analysts- Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge
Football Friday (ESPN News):
Host- Stan Verrett
ESPNEWS Fantasy Insider (ESPN News):
Host- Matthew Berry (aka The Talented Mr. Roto)
Analysts- Howie Schwab and Merril Hoge
Countdown to Kick Off Sunday (ESPN Radio):
Host- Joe D'Ambrosio
The NFL on ESPN Radio (ESPN Radio):
Host- John Siebel
Analysts- Jeremy Green and Sean Salisbury
SportsBash (ESPN Radio):
TBD
The Keyshawn/Mortensen/Parcells Show (ESPN Radio):
So they took Steve Young off NFL Countdown and replaced him with either Emmitt Smith or Meshawn?
Haha. Ridiculous.
As for this...
Quote
NFL Match-Up (ESPN):
Host- Sal Palantonio
Analysts- Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge
That's flat-out vomit inducing.
I dunno, I'll enjoy watching Hodge and Jaws go at it about the Eagles. The homer vs. the hater.
I see a lot of Trey Wingo on that list, reminds me of that ESPN commercial.
So they took Steve Young off NFL Countdown and replaced him with either Emmitt Smith or Meshawn?
steve young wanted off..they didnt take him off...if you notice the last couple years he wasnt even in the studio...he wanted more time with his businesses and family
The bottom line is we're stuck with two ex-Cowboys to listen to for two hours before game time and that farging sucks.
I hate Meshawn almost as much as Deion. Emmitt Smith is tolerable. Regardless, neither one of them could sniff Young's jock in the studio, though.
i watch these shows maybe three times a year so i dont really care
deion is the man tho
Deion has done one worthwhile thing in his life. He told the marine police to go farg themselves when he was fishing. That was awesome on his part.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/deionmugshot1.html (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/deionmugshot1.html) :-D
And you don't watch pre-game shows when the Birds are on the road? WTF? What else is there to do between 11:00 & 1:00?
I dont know if i have watched more than 2 or 3 pre...or post game shows in the past 4 years or so.
And you don't watch pre-game shows when the Birds are on the road? WTF? What else is there to do between 11:00 & 1:00?
i watch all the road games at eagle bars and im there at around noon or shortly after...i thought you did the same?
before that its...
mclaughlin group
chris matthews
meet the press (if they have a good guests)
computer time to read the papers and do fantasy teams...its during this that i might nor might not catch some of gameday
what happened to suzy?
You watch political shows before an Eagles game?
Oh, IGY that shtein's tragic. We got to get you straightened out, son.
chris matthews is from philly....does that count
no, it doesnt
I really thought Tirico, Kornheiser, and Jaws did a great job last night. It was so nice not hearing teh leg talking about his vast experiences as a qb, and just having jaws break down plays as they happen
i liked that new graphic that tracked the path of the ball carrier that was pretty cool
i like tk but hes a waste of life on mnf...jaws was ok but talked to much like he was on that hideous edge matchup show...he needs to talk more like a game analyst
i agree tho the booth is much better with him vs theesmen
Quote from: SunMo on September 11, 2007, 08:59:43 AM
i liked that new graphic that tracked the path of the ball carrier that was pretty cool
NO
yes
Quote from: SunMo on September 11, 2007, 08:59:43 AM
i liked that new graphic that tracked the path of the ball carrier that was pretty cool
the only thing cooler than that is the Fox Glow Puck
Not sure if anyone saw the 3 Mike broadcast (Greenberg/Golic/Ditka), but they came close to killing MNF...
greenberg is a travesty...the other two are decent tho
i laughed when he called vernon davis a 6th round pick last night
basically after last year when the west coast team vermeil nessler and jaws owned the main crew tk theesmen and tirico....they had to change things this time around
Quote from: BigEd76 on September 11, 2007, 10:38:05 AM
Not sure if anyone saw the 3 Mike broadcast (Greenberg/Golic/Ditka), but they came close to killing MNF...
The first two Mikes were bearable, but Ditka was BAD. Half the time he was mumbling and you could barely make out what he was saying. The other half of the time he was interrupting whomever was talking to put his inane comments out there. Also, he got a bunch of calls wrong. Like when he kept "correcting" Golic that the fumble was a touchdown. Even worse, how about how he kept saying that Gore made a nice block on that last minute TD by Battle, which was seconds after Golic said that Robinson is in the backfield.
I'm pretty sure the only reason ESPN went with Ditka was because his first name is Mike.
Quote from: MDS on September 11, 2007, 05:41:11 PM
I'm pretty sure the only reason ESPN went with Ditka was because his first name is Mike.
And Mike Rowe is pretty tied up with his schedule.
I didn't think the crew could get worse losing theisman, but after last night........jees those guys are lame.
They need to hire the Round Mound of Rebound as a full time talker.
Why, so he can say "that's just the way it is" about the Philadelphia fans for the 492nd time?
As annoying as that was, it was much more educational and entertaining that the rest of the announcers combined.
Understandably, you've set the bar very low.
I don't mind the announcers at all. The only problem is TK tends to get away from the game too much. Jaws is a damn good in-game analyst, and the black dude aint a bad play by play guy. TK just has to try and keep is obscene remarks related to the game somehow. Say someone's running like a monkey or something.
thats also why tony goes silent for long periods of time...he really does not have much to add. not that i mind him cause he is occasionally funny but what makes him work great is his chemistry with wilbon.
holy shtein...Jimmy Kimmel just had the line of the century
Mike Tirico was welcoming people tuning in from watching the Cleveland/Boston playoff game and Kimmel says, "I'd also like to welcome Joe Theisman, watching from his living room with steam coming out of his ears."
the booth was silent until Tirico started to make the next play call, it was farging brilliant.
Quote from: SunMo on October 15, 2007, 10:42:23 PM
holy shtein...Jimmy Kimmel just had the line of the century
Mike Tirico was welcoming people tuning in from watching the Cleveland/Boston playoff game and Kimmel says, "I'd also like to welcome Joe Theisman, watching from his living room with steam coming out of his ears."
the booth was silent until Tirico started to make the next play call, it was farging brilliant.
That was great.
He was blastin Emmitt on the pregame too for his Dancing with the Stars outfits too
he should have blasted emmitt for being a idiot who can not string together a full sentence without bumbling and stumbling.
Quote from: Magical_Retard on October 16, 2007, 12:05:56 AM
he should have blasted emmitt for being a idiot who can not string together a full sentence without bumbling and stumbling.
Don't knock Emmitt. He says that Travis Henry will be the breakout rookie this year.
Quote from: SunMo on October 15, 2007, 10:42:23 PM
holy shtein...Jimmy Kimmel just had the line of the century
Mike Tirico was welcoming people tuning in from watching the Cleveland/Boston playoff game and Kimmel says, "I'd also like to welcome Joe Theisman, watching from his living room with steam coming out of his ears."
the booth was silent until Tirico started to make the next play call, it was farging brilliant.
Kimmel was banned (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7344548) for the crime of saying something interesting and actually humorous on Monday Night Football. Your normally scheduled boring, vapid content will resume on Monday night.
typical ESPN, ban the most interesting 15 minutes they've had in 10 years
Romes
I didn't see the broadcast but PFT pointed out a damn funny Kimmel line from MNF that went somewhere along the lines of "Harrinton isn't a very good quarterback, but he's very nice to his pets."
lmfao
espn and nfl network might join forces. basically the jist is the 8 thursday games go to espn classic (possibly renamed) and then they both can charge cable companies more to carry the station. nfl network is in 40 million homes, espn classic around 60-70. if they get 8 nfl games, that number will go up and everyone will make more money.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-espn21-2008jun21,0,2189308.story (http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-espn21-2008jun21,0,2189308.story)
also, mike, mike and mike will do the second leg of the mnf doubleheader in week 1 again.
and i dont think the nfl network announced a replacement for gumbel, but its supposed to be tom hammond.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/business/media/22FCC.html?hp
July 22, 2008
Court Throws Out Super Bowl Indecency Fine
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
In a decision that clears CBS of any wrongdoing for airing the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that featured Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," a federal appeals court overturned the $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission levied against the station, calling the fine arbitrary and capricious.
The decision was handed down early Monday by a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the fine was unfair because the commission, in imposing it, deliberately strayed from its practice of exempting fleeting indecency in broadcast programming from punishment. The commission also erred, the judges ruled, by holding CBS responsible for the actions of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, who were characterized by the judges as "independent contractors hired for the limited purposed of the Halftime Show," Reuters reported.
"Like any agency, the F.C.C. may change its policies without judicial second-guessing," the court said. "But it cannot change a well-established course of action without supplying notice of and a reasoned explanation for its policy departure."
The live broadcast on Feb. 1, 2004, sparked headlines around the world with one swift motion that came at the end of the halftime show, when Justin Timberlake tore off part of Jackson's bustier, exposing her right breast. The network quickly cut to an aerial shot of the stadium, but not before the image was seen — and in many cases replayed on video recordings — in millions of homes. Although the exposure appeared to be pre-planned, CBS said it was unintentional, and Ms. Jackson later said that Mr. Timberlake had accidentally removed too much of her outfit, calling it a "malfunction of the wardrobe."
The controversy surrounding the incident yielded a record-breaking 540,000 complaints to the commission in the weeks following the show. The commission responded by calling the exposure inappropriate, and imposed the penalty on CBS, in the form of fines of $27,500 against each of the 20 television stations that CBS owns and which — unlike the network — depend on F.C.C. licenses to operate.
The fine was the largest the commission has yet levied against a television company, but its second largest overall; the record was set in 2003 in a settlement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest chain owner of radio stations, stemming from complaints about broadcasts by Howard Stern and other radio personalities.
CBS, a division of Viacom, apologized for the Super Bowl incident and paid the F.C.C. fines, but appealed the decision in court. In their ruling on Monday, the judges said that CBS could not be held responsible for the exposure, and went on to question the extent of genuine public outrage over it, saying that "the record is unclear on the actual number of complaints received from unorganized, individual viewers" As opposed to advocacy groups. During arguments, lawyers for CBS had argued that many of the complaints the commission received were form letters.
The commission did not immediately react to the ruling on Monday. But CBS released a statement calling it a victory.
"We are gratified by the court's decision, which we hope will lead the FCC to return to the policy of restrained indecency enforcement," the network said in a statement. "This is an important win for the entire broadcasting industry, because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material."
The 2004 incident prompted the commission to step up its enforcement of indecency rules. In the years that followed, the agency has levied larger fines on broadcasters than before, and in 2006 Congress agreed to increase the maximum fine for a single violation tenfold, to $325,000. It was unclear what impact Monday's ruling might have on that trend.
Anyone hear the big news?
Valdosta, GA is Titletown, USA!!
oh yeah.....the Sportscenter 10-minute useless filler for the last month or so. I haven't been this excited since it took a 2-month NCAA-style tourney to determine that Tiger Woods was the top athlete on the planet.
Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?
yup....the blue and black backgrounds and the cheesy graphics and even the Royals and Clippers made an appearance. It all went downhill when Kilborn left to do the Daily Show and Tom Mees tried to be a hero...
Quote from: Geowhizzer on July 29, 2008, 11:46:07 AM
Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?
duck pin bowling scholastic sports america and late nite log rolling?
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 29, 2008, 11:55:28 AM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on July 29, 2008, 11:46:07 AM
Remember when ESPN used to just be about sports - the actual games being played?
duck pin bowling scholastic sports america and late nite log rolling?
Didn't watch it in the early early years. My part of Chesco didn't have cable then.
In the early 1990s SportsCenter seemed to be more about the sports themselves, rather than the constant barrage of "personal interest" stories that ESPN indulges in like a crack whore.
espn is 1 trillion times better than it ever was...sportscenter maybe not as much
luckily for people that hate sportscenter there are now many options to get your highlites package...perhaps thats why it isnt what it used to be
Quote from: phattymatty on July 29, 2008, 11:37:36 AM
Anyone hear the big news?
Valdosta, GA is Titletown, USA!!
I love Wikipedia:
QuoteOn July 28, 2008, in what may go down as the day ESPN jumped the shark, Valdosta was named "Titletown USA" based on 29.2% of fan votes in an online ESPN poll
LINK (although it might be edited back soon) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdosta%2C_GA)
espn is definitely NOW.
Personally, I feel ESPN jumped the shark when they started putting a special "FAVRE" section on the bottom line a couple of weeks back. Awful.
Quote from: FastFreddie on July 29, 2008, 12:22:19 PM
Personally, I feel ESPN jumped the shark when they started putting a special "FAVRE" section on the bottom line a couple of weeks back. Awful.
Guess you missed the "CLEMENS" category from earlier this year...
Different. The MLB season was going on, so I see the need to separate. As the NFL season has not yet started, it it just ridiculous to separate out the Favre news.
Besides, farg Favre.
just read Madden isnt calling Sunday's game because he doesnt want to go cross country 3 weeks in a row, just retire already old man
Or die and give me some ghoulpool points already.
I hope MNF tanks. I never cared for it. Kornheiser is the latest joke to co-host the show. :boo
Oh, so you're one of those guys that is going to change the color of text every time you post, huh? Enjoy.
You can't get more hetero than with teal text
ha, i couldnt even tell it was colored
It's refreshing to see someone see beyond the racial divide.
Quote from: FastFreddie on October 14, 2008, 10:00:43 AM
Oh, so you're one of those guys that is going to change the color of text every time you post, huh? Enjoy.
lol. Nah. I'll stick with the teal. :-D
how about you stop sucking cork you farging flamer
Quote from: eaglegene on October 14, 2008, 03:44:37 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on October 14, 2008, 10:00:43 AM
Oh, so you're one of those guys that is going to change the color of text every time you post, huh? Enjoy.
lol. Nah. I'll stick with the teal. :-D
go post in the Asian Porn thread and introduce yourself
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on October 14, 2008, 06:11:58 PM
Quote from: eaglegene on October 14, 2008, 03:44:37 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on October 14, 2008, 10:00:43 AM
Oh, so you're one of those guys that is going to change the color of text every time you post, huh? Enjoy.
lol. Nah. I'll stick with the teal. :-D
go post in the Asian Porn thread and introduce yourself
Sorry i aint into Asian Porn. Not that theres anything wrong with that. :-D
Yeah, its our introduction thread in the general forum.
There isn't really porn in there.
Except for MDS' bukkake videos.
i am going to jizz on a cracker and make you eat it
you're confusing your homo erotic fetishes, that's circle jerk behavior not bukkake
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on October 14, 2008, 06:19:23 PM
Yeah, its our introduction thread in the general forum.
There isn't really porn in there.
Except for MDS' bukkake videos.
Ok, i filled a post out in that area. :-D
Our first new poster in ten years. Let's see how long he lasts before realizing that :CF makes everything else in the entire universe appear meaningful by comparison
what it takes to put the yellow first down line on the screen:
http://www.fandome.com/video/107610/The-Mystery-of-the-Yellow-Line/
I could not for the life of me figure out how to embed this video. If someone knows how to do it, I'd appreciate some schooling.
I always wondered how they do that. Nice.
As far as embeding it, I can't firgure it out. The embed code seems useless.
Kornheiser out, Gruden in (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4174469)
I think I could actually stand listening to that group.
Friggin fantastic! I cannot wait to hear them.
Do people still watch?
0% chance gruden lasts into next year.
Because he'll suck or because he'll have another head coaching job?
coaching
Even though he sucks at coaching?
i don't think he's a terrible head coach at all but i'm not completely sold on him as a head coach either. i think he's in the middle of the pack. but he's a damn good coordinator and if he willing to go back to that, there's quite a few teams out there who would snatch him up in a heartbeat.
and i'm sure he'll get some calls over the next year from colleges looking for a new hc as well.
Gruden is so intense that he has a relatively short shelf life. He would actually be a great guy to bring to Philly to try to squeeze a championship out of McNabb. Maybe.
mcnabb would soil his pants at the mere thought of a gruden coaching him...no chance he actually could survive under him
Oh, you say that like Gruden constantly throws players under the bus.
gruden gets in that ass on the regular...something donnie certainly couldnt handle...say what you want about him and reid but they are the perfect match for each other
a match made in losing in nfc championship games heaven
something like that
Gruden also loves him some short passes. He's the king of 1-5 yard routes.
Quote from: BigEd76 on May 18, 2009, 10:51:47 AM
Kornheiser out, Gruden in (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4174469)
There IS a God....
John Gonzalez with a nice ESPN bashing article.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20090520_Gonzo___ESPN_developing_a_problem.html
John Lynch replaces Brian Baldinger at FOX
pinky swear?
i didnt think Baldinger was bad, but that finger freaked me out
Baldinger interviewing Tory Holt was pretty bad. I hear they're going to join a competitive shadow puppet team coached by Chuck Bednarik.
other than his blatant eagle homerism baldinger was probably the best color guy in the business....
its a disgrace they got rid of him altho to be fair i dont know the story behind it and maybe he wanted out
he would be an awesome addition to espn's gameday
Love Baldy...maybe he's taking on more at NFLN?
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 27, 2009, 04:02:10 PM
other than his blatant eagle homerism baldinger was probably the best color guy in the business....
its a disgrace they got rid of him altho to be fair i dont know the story behind it and maybe he wanted out
he would be an awesome addition to espn's gameday
His unabashed Eagles homerism is what helps make Baldinger so great
Quote from: Tomahawk on May 27, 2009, 06:16:35 PM
His unabashed Eagles homerism is what helps make Baldinger so great
I thought he was white?
(Insert lollercopter here)
For whatever it's worth, the MNF crew is way better this year. Gruden, like him or not, really adds quite a bit and is pretty insightful.
Yeah, he and Jaws called the first Brady TD pass to Watson before it happened.
Mike and Mike suck. Greenie is just horrible
Quote from: Zanshin on September 15, 2009, 08:54:47 AM
For whatever it's worth, the MNF crew is way better this year. Gruden, like him or not, really adds quite a bit and is pretty insightful.
really?....i dont find him awful but not insightful either....altho some of that may have to do with him sounding incredibly uncomfortable which should lessen as he moves forward...right now hes neither good or bad to me....just super boring...golic is much better for example
and yes greenie was an abomination last night....i actually felt bad for him
I didn't watch the second game, so I can't speak to Mike and Mike...but the usual MNF crew is a huge upgrade over last year.
Golic knows what he was talking about Greenie just sounded like a guy who is a radio guy and has no clue about anything going on. Golic called him out a few times for having the wrong viewpoint.
It's not that they're exceptionally terrible or anything...but they basically do the game like it's their radio show. Which doesn't really translate well to calling a live game.
Greenberg was horrible. He was basically monotone all game long.
how hard is it to use an actual announcer and not a radio host. really. espn has like 3000 of them.
Quote from: Munson on September 15, 2009, 09:31:38 AM
It's not that they're exceptionally terrible or anything...but they basically do the game like it's their radio show. Which doesn't really translate well to calling a live game.
that's basically it right there. mike and mike are great on the radio, bad in the booth.
Quote from: MDS on September 15, 2009, 01:31:31 PM
how hard is it to use an actual announcer and not a radio host. really. espn has like 3000 of them.
mike and mike are the biggest thing espn has going for them. their radio audience is enourmous and espn is riding that cash cow as far as it will go.
i highly doubt people are watching a game because of the announcers.
people listen to mike and mike because espn resources give them great guests and analysts not because they are good radio hosts....in fact greenie might be the single worst sports radio guy to ever have a national show...hes so bad
the only good thing hes ever done is hosts sportscenter wher hes surpisignly decent
schefter almost dying on air
and man would i do some illegal shtein to sage steele
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPS2EUZ4uWw
her name alone gets the anal secks
before she moved to bristol i was in a restaurant bar waiting for a table one night at a spot in columbia md and had a short conversation with her and her husband
she has one of the worst non white women bodies ive ever seen but theres something about her....might be that i worship women news/sports broadcasters
a five is like a 7/8 when it comes to them
Quoteshe has one of the worst non white women bodies ive ever seen
Translate
White women are ugly and don't have bodies. And if they do have a body, it's a black girls body.
Trying to prove he is a brother at heart, but failing miserably because everyone knows a black guy will f a fridge as long as its white?
I seen it
Quote from: ice grillin you on September 15, 2009, 03:53:56 PMa five is like a 7/8 when it comes to them
This alone explains you when someone is trying to understand you. You use the curve on most things. You like.
I like Gruden in the booth. He's got a little work to do on small stuff like talking a little less, and not so much when the other guys are talking, but his analysis is good and he's well spoken.
agree. as of right now hes better than trying to put a funny man in the booth, and at least the guy knows football
hearing all that jazz about him always sleeping in the office, being a severe work-a-holic, etc., Im actually surprised that he doesnt give more in-depth analysis on schemes and so forth. IMO, you can never have enough of that
could be a couple of things....he's still learning the ropes and doesn't want to talk too much. he's still learning the ropes and has been told not to talk too much. plans on coaching next year and isn't getting over involved in this job. could be one of them, could be all. could be something completely different. i just don't know.
what i do know is that i'm grilling salmon for dinner and it will be delicious.
He's probably still looking for a producer to blame for all his problems.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on September 15, 2009, 08:13:36 PM
could be a couple of things....he's still learning the ropes and doesn't want to talk too much. he's still learning the ropes and has been told not to talk too much. plans on coaching next year and isn't getting over involved in this job. could be one of them, could be all. could be something completely different. i just don't know.
what i do know is that i'm grilling salmon for dinner and it will be delicious.
I can tell you stayed in a holiday inn express last night because that answer was spectacular Sarge
my insight is insightful
But not as refreshing as your miserable attitude.
yeah. that's me.
Theismann and Millen are OUT
Nessler and Mayock are IN (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/05/05/nfl-network-nessler/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a13&eref=sihp)
I've heard of both of them but am not overly familiar with either since they've mostly done college fb work and I watch very little college ball. Still, there is no way on earth they can be worse Joey Leg and Millen.
Also, Gus Johnson's contract at CBS is up and he may or may not jump to FOX.
ESPN will now carry MNF basically forever after they agreed with the NFL on an 8-year contract extension.
Gruden is awesome and I hope he stays in the booth, unless he's brought in to coach the Birds.
this guy, right here, this is a guy that has no idea what a good announcer is
you dont like gruden....hes farging great
you like joe morgan so really you are pretty much one of those people that doesnt mind wheeler
Gruden's okay. His dynamic with Jaws is what makes it good. It seems like they finally found some chemistry in the MNF booth.
Quote from: MDS on September 08, 2011, 02:32:49 PM
you like joe morgan so really you are pretty much one of those people that doesnt mind wheeler
i havent heard joe morgan in years.....but i can guarantee hes 1000 times better than wheeler
Sounds about right, as 1,000 x 0 = ............
Gruden has a limited vocabulary, but his understanding of the game is second to none, and he appeals to both Joe Q. Football and uber-nerds with relative similarity. He's perfect for his job.
its amazing how many times he predicts exactly what is going to happen before it actually does
youngins like the lil guy are more into entertainment than analysis....not that i dont enjoy some guys who give that value but id much rather have someone who knows the game
I like Gruden quite a bit. He's only going to get better as he continues to settle into the nuances of the job. I also get a kick out of how he busts Jaw's balls. He's usually spot on with what is happening on the field, and my only bitch is the lovefest he has with the quarterbacks.
I'll take him over Theisman, I know that much.
I'd much rather have MDS and IGY in the booth than Theismann.
i know gruden knows the game, but his delivery THIS GUY is awful and irritating
collinsworth is the king right now and thats the barometer
i like collingsworth but aikman is way better than he is and gruden is also better
collingsworth gives strong opinions but adds little football wise...what he says i pretty much always agree with but he never ever comes with anything that makes me go hmmmm or think yeah i never thought of that
hes pretty elementary
Aikmen is excellent. I just wish they'd get that douche Joe Buck out of the booth
Quote from: ice grillin you on September 08, 2011, 04:22:45 PM
i like collingsworth but aikman is way better than he is and gruden is also better
collingsworth gives strong opinions but adds little football wise...what he says i pretty much always agree with but he never ever comes with anything that makes me go hmmmm or think yeah i never thought of that
hes pretty elementary
i hate it when we disagree
aikman can be good at times but very often says insanely generic things or nothing at all. to an extent buck brings him down, though.
collinsworth notices things no one else notices and is pretty much the only one who routinely rips players and coaches apart. gruden is still very lovey dovey because he obviously wants another gig at some point.
Football broadcasts should be a single guy talking about what's going on.
Period.
Same as in baseball. Just assume everyone listening is blind and simply describe what's going on in front of you.
Three iceholes in a booth talking at once is like pure torture to me.
Quote from: Rome on September 08, 2011, 05:21:20 PM
Football broadcasts should be a single guy talking about what's going on.
Period.
Same as in baseball. Just assume everyone listening is blind and simply describe what's going on in front of you.
Three iceholes in a booth talking at once is like pure torture to me.
That's for radio broadcasters. I'd be fine with a single commentator for baseball like Scully, but there's pretty much no one out there who could carry a broadcast by himself. For football I do prefer to 2 man team though. PBP guys in football don't strike me as any more knowledgeable about the sport than serious fans. They're knowledge is limited to the stats and information given to them from the researchers but their actual game knowledge doesn't seem to be very impressive. No way Joe Buck would be able to predict the next play like Gruden or break down the previous play like Jaws.
joe buck could laugh at artie lange without being his funholey self
hes a terrible human being and i want to punch him
joe buck is a big a pompous ahole as you will ever come across and it over shadows the fact that hes a very good announcer
hes kind of like the drew rosenhaus of broadcasters
Well, the worst example of his "good announcing" is his anti-climatic and borderline angry call of DeSean's punt return last year. Almost exasperated. Just bad bad bad.
i guess its the difference btwn a homer ear and hater ear but i didnt hear that at all and thought the call was actually very good
his UNBELIVABLE at the end didnt sound anti climatic at all to me....but 95% of fans think announcers are anti their team...so i can see where you are coming from
Quote from: MDS on September 10, 2011, 04:08:43 AM
joe buck could laugh at artie lange without being his funholey self
If Artie Lange were ever funny, yeah, Joe Buck should definitely laugh.
he was funny on the joe buck show, thats for sure
Quote from: ice grillin you on September 10, 2011, 10:06:49 AM
i guess its the difference btwn a homer ear and hater ear but i didnt hear that at all and thought the call was actually very good
his UNBELIVABLE at the end didnt sound anti climatic at all to me....but 95% of fans think announcers are anti their team...so i can see where you are coming from
it wasnt a terrible call, which is a stretch for him, mostly because it was so shocking. buck is pretty obviously disinterested in what he does, or in the least attempting to be so neutral that he comes off as insanely bland. to me it seems like hed rather be somewhere else.
the pimp play kind of caused him, ever so briefly, to wake up and actually be a real announcer and he did it pretty well. problem is if you look at his key calls, say during the super bowl or during the 2010 nfc title game, its pretty shocking how level headed and mundane he is as such critical points of the game.
but really the ultimate proof in how pointless announcers are is nfl ratings. theyre off the charts, and with the exception of michaels (despite being a zealot of epic proportions), gumbel and a few of the cbs guys, the announcers are pretty unlikable (buck, tirico) to just plain bad at their jobs (kenny albert, stockton).
Quote from: FastFreddie on September 10, 2011, 10:01:05 AM
Well, the worst example of his "good announcing" is his anti-climatic and borderline angry call of DeSean's punt return last year. Almost exasperated. Just bad bad bad.
I thought it was a great call. He rarely puts emotion into his calls since he's a national announcer but he clearly went out of character when that happened.
Overall I like Joe Buck. He has a great voice (or should I say 'had') and calls the game without adding too much commentary. Don't know why he rubs so many people the wrong way.
im with you on buck cept he does come off as pompous and douchey and while that doesnt bother me i can def see why people would be straffed by him...but saying hes an awful announcer is untruth....i hate al michaels to death because of his politics but i still have to admit that hes been a great pbp guy
yet you love tony la russa and hes right there with michaels as a disgusting right wing zealot
splain that
i dont care about larussa either way i just laugh at people when they say hes a terrible manager
he really is though
but anyway, i hate joe buck. farg him.
Quote from: SD on September 10, 2011, 03:23:36 PM
Overall I like Joe Buck. He has a great voice (or should I say 'had') and calls the game without adding too much commentary. Don't know why he rubs so many people the wrong way.
I heard him for the first time in awhile during one of the NFL preseason games and heard that voice - I just thought he had a cold. Is it something more permanent?
He has some sort of virus in his vocal cords. I may be wrong but I don't think it's permanent.
Buck and LaRussa both farging suck.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/S-my-Jaws-says-ESPN-analyst-curses-on-Monday?urn=nfl-wp7020
Jaws lol
I doubt many (if any) of the east coasters stayed up to watch Oak/Den last night, but holy hell Trent Dilfer is not good. I like him for his studio work and analysis....it's not Jaws level stuff but it's still good. But damn he is some kind of awful when he's unscripted and has 3 hours to fill instead of 3 minutes.
I've been to both Denver and Oakland. I don't really care to go back to either place, but if I had to choose, Oakland wins no bout adout it.
No, I did not stay up.
Oh...right. It's on cable. So I couldn't have seen it anyway.
moving along
I made it to halftime and I was out cold.
yea dilfer was awful
he was yelling, angrily, at the audience
dilfer is awesome in studio and should be on countdown...not so good in the booth but thats not his steeze
I didnt like him when he first got in the studio either, but he excelled big time as time went on.
he came on nfl radio yesterday and fully admitted how hard it is and how he stunk up the joint which I guess is half the battle to getting better.
It was pretty bad. He committed to too many things he wasnt sure about. Like
What a great catch
moments later...
It appears he was out of bounds
He threw a punch!
mins later...
Oh... it was more of a 2 handed shove
Quote from: Diomedes on September 13, 2011, 09:12:36 PM
I've been to both Denver and Oakland. I don't really care to go back to either place, but if I had to choose, Oakland wins no bout adout it.
No, I did not stay up.
Oh...right. It's on cable. So I couldn't have seen it anyway.
moving along
If we are to compare bar scenes strictly in Oakland and Denver....then Denver wins a bajillion times. I'm not sure your business in either, but Denver was cool. Not many good looking chicks though. Not many at all.
QuoteNBC, CBS, Fox extend NFL deals thru '22. Fox has had NFC package since '94, CBS has had AFC package since '98, NBC has had SNF since '06.[/url]
there were three wrinkles that i loved in the deal
1. nbc getting the thanksgiving night game, so its no longer on a channel nobody has and its actually going to be a great game (according to preseason thinking)
2. nbc giving up the 430 wildcard game for a saturday night divisional game. so basically the same guessing game over wild card times will now apply to the divisional round. nerds.
3. cbs and fox agreeing to switch random afternoon games with each other so they can be seen by more people (like this year with the tebow/vikings one).
theres also the "nfl network can extend its thursday package but doesnt plan to and the nfl might sell half of it somewhere else anyway" card.
Is there a chance they change the Saturday night Dallas/Tampa game gets changed to one that might be worth watching??
first of all, how are they going to move a sunday game to saturday.
second of all, how is that not a watchable game, especially for eagles fans
First of all, it was more sarcasm than anything.
Second of all, you watching this game rooting for the Cowboys to lose so it makes the paper thin slim chance the Eagles make the playoffs a 1/16 thicker is embarassing. The Eagles suck, and if they do beat most all odds and make the playoffs, all it does is make sure that we have more Andy Ried, even if he wasn't going to be fired, he damn sure won't if they make the playoffs.
Third, as was perviously stated somewere, so farging what if they make the playoffs, what do you want, yet another NFC Championship loss? Not that thier one and done asses would even make it that far. They'd lose the first game quicker than Ried saying he needs to do better.
Farg 'em all. That elephant ass Ried deserves every loss he gets and more.
didn't realize you were one of the cool ones who root for his team to lose. nice work fake fan.
Whatever. I'm not trying to be cool, just being a realist. And yeah, I want to see Andy Ried lose. Not so much the team but they both go hand in hand so it is what it is. This team is falling apart, there is absolutly no point in them making the playoffs except that it will make Lurie richer. They won't make it to the superbowl, and they will not win a game if they make it, which was the major point of my post, but go ahead and call me a fake fan if it makes you feel good. At this point, with the sorry state of this team, I don't care anymore.
15 thursday night games coming next year on nfln
every team will have a primetime game, too.
Quote from: BigEd76 on February 03, 2012, 01:03:20 PM
15 thursday night games coming next year on nfln
every team will have a primetime game, too.
Took me a minute to figure out what was edited from the original post. Well done, sir.
You mean they're not the same person?
Quote from: Rome on February 03, 2012, 01:43:43 PM
You mean they're not the same person?
LIL guy
BIG easy
you figure it out
u guys
from houston chronicle article:
QuoteESPN analyst Ron Jaworski will be removed from the Monday Night Football booth and spend more time in the studio as stipulated under a new five-year contract.
Jaws will not be replaced on Monday Night Football, leaving Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden as a two-man booth. Along with Mike Mayock and Cris Collinsworth, Jaworski has been one of the top color analysts in the business. His loss could send quite a few fans for the mute button on Monday nights.
Yeah but will they be reaching for the mute button to engage it or disengage it?
I like the polock but the three of them together was toxic.
THIS GUY should be on monday night football
i didnt think anyone watched mnf anymore much less listened to it
anything that helps jaws spend more time at nfl films is a good thing...the last thing he should be doing is wasting his talent on horrible monday nite games most of which are unwatchable trash
lock of the year is mnf seeing an increase in yty ratings. their schedule is terrific this year.
what is not terrific is 3 hours of that funhole tirico and THIS GUY jon gruden. farg that. feva talk to whatever jew they put in charge and tell em what up