Howard from Winston-Salem, N.C. asks "What do you think of ESPN's Monday Night Football announcing team of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann, and Tony Kornheiser?"
Me like. Personally, I would prefer Kornheiser and his Pardon the Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon calling the games, and if they work their "Good Cop, Bad Cop" schtick, then that's even better. Throw in one of the clowns from Around the Horn on play-by-play, and you've got yourself an Emmy Award-winning announce team. That is, if Kornheiser was the only Emmy voter. That threesome could only be topped by grouping Kornheiser with Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano from Spike TV's Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Indeed, Tony!
Tirico is an extremely competent and knowledgeable play-by-play man, and Theismann gives the team an ex-player with lots of insight and anecdotes. Kornheiser will bring journalistic integrity and a cohesive bond to the booth. Ah, who am I kidding? Kornheiser will just be funny. I can't wait for Tirico and Theismann to playfully chide Kornheiser on his sense of humor during the opening segment of the first Sunday's game. I'm sure Kornheiser will retort gleefully with, "Me so Korny!"
Honestly, do you remember laughing out loud at anything the previous ESPN team (Theismann, Mike Patrick, and Paul McGuire) ever said? If you did, you were probably laughing at them, and not with them. You never quite knew when McGuire was trying to be funny, or whether he was just plain wrong about a call. He always thought he was funny, though. Maybe that's why he doesn't have a job.
A lot of people may think Kornheiser will just be a joker and not offer anything substantial to the broadcast. I think we can expect him to tone his act down for the most part, and, when the time is right, he'll go into PTI mode and bring down the house. Tirico and Theismann will form a perfect balance to Kornheiser's musings, and the result should be pure entertainment. I can hear it now. Kornheiser cracks up Tirico and Theismann with a witty remark, then proclaims himself "too sexy for this announce team." If Kornheiser gets too full of himself, ESPN can bring him back down to earth with corrections from trusty PTI sidekick Stat Boy.
Kornheiser will face comparisons to former Monday Night Football motormouth Dennis Miller, whose brand of humor never sat well with most MNF viewers. Miller never bothered me — if he was talking, that meant Al Michaels and Dan Fouts weren't. Do you believe in miracles? Yesss! Kornheiser's brand of humor will appeal more to the sports fan because he, himself, is primarily a sports fan. Miller always seemed like a political, historical, and cultural commentator thrust into a role as a sports announcer. Miller's strength is the monologue, not analysis of football. Kornheiser's chemistry with Wilbon is top-notch. I expect Kornheiser's repartee with Tirico and Theismann to be on par with that. And speaking of Wilbon, ESPN's halftime show could be Wilbon and Kornheiser reviewing the afternoon's games in 30-second snippets in PTI fashion.
So, Howard, I think ESPN's team in the booth will be informative and entertaining. "Dandy" Don Meredith would be proud of Kornheiser. And, if the Kornheiser deal doesn't work out, ESPN can always go to the bullpen and insert Jim Rome, Stuart Scott, or the Sklar twins of Cheap Seats fame.
Me like. Personally, I would prefer Kornheiser and his Pardon the Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon calling the games, and if they work their "Good Cop, Bad Cop" schtick, then that's even better. Throw in one of the clowns from Around the Horn on play-by-play, and you've got yourself an Emmy Award-winning announce team. That is, if Kornheiser was the only Emmy voter. That threesome could only be topped by grouping Kornheiser with Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano from Spike TV's Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Indeed, Tony!
Tirico is an extremely competent and knowledgeable play-by-play man, and Theismann gives the team an ex-player with lots of insight and anecdotes. Kornheiser will bring journalistic integrity and a cohesive bond to the booth. Ah, who am I kidding? Kornheiser will just be funny. I can't wait for Tirico and Theismann to playfully chide Kornheiser on his sense of humor during the opening segment of the first Sunday's game. I'm sure Kornheiser will retort gleefully with, "Me so Korny!"
Honestly, do you remember laughing out loud at anything the previous ESPN team (Theismann, Mike Patrick, and Paul McGuire) ever said? If you did, you were probably laughing at them, and not with them. You never quite knew when McGuire was trying to be funny, or whether he was just plain wrong about a call. He always thought he was funny, though. Maybe that's why he doesn't have a job.
A lot of people may think Kornheiser will just be a joker and not offer anything substantial to the broadcast. I think we can expect him to tone his act down for the most part, and, when the time is right, he'll go into PTI mode and bring down the house. Tirico and Theismann will form a perfect balance to Kornheiser's musings, and the result should be pure entertainment. I can hear it now. Kornheiser cracks up Tirico and Theismann with a witty remark, then proclaims himself "too sexy for this announce team." If Kornheiser gets too full of himself, ESPN can bring him back down to earth with corrections from trusty PTI sidekick Stat Boy.
Kornheiser will face comparisons to former Monday Night Football motormouth Dennis Miller, whose brand of humor never sat well with most MNF viewers. Miller never bothered me — if he was talking, that meant Al Michaels and Dan Fouts weren't. Do you believe in miracles? Yesss! Kornheiser's brand of humor will appeal more to the sports fan because he, himself, is primarily a sports fan. Miller always seemed like a political, historical, and cultural commentator thrust into a role as a sports announcer. Miller's strength is the monologue, not analysis of football. Kornheiser's chemistry with Wilbon is top-notch. I expect Kornheiser's repartee with Tirico and Theismann to be on par with that. And speaking of Wilbon, ESPN's halftime show could be Wilbon and Kornheiser reviewing the afternoon's games in 30-second snippets in PTI fashion.
So, Howard, I think ESPN's team in the booth will be informative and entertaining. "Dandy" Don Meredith would be proud of Kornheiser. And, if the Kornheiser deal doesn't work out, ESPN can always go to the bullpen and insert Jim Rome, Stuart Scott, or the Sklar twins of Cheap Seats fame.
Personally, I am not sure it will work, but I figure it worth a shot. Could be pretty good.
