ESPN Monday Night Football is A Joke

by | Nov 24, 2008 | NFL Media, NFL Random Thoughts

So, I was sitting at a local chain restaurant having a quick bite to eat with my wife tonight, and had my eye on the TV watching a little bit of the pregame show before tonight’s Green Bay Packer vs. New Orleans Saints matchup.  Fortunately, we didn’t have any sound.

The pregame show is bad enough with the group of jokers that they have on set (including a bit with Trent Dilfer that appeared to be talking about what Tony Romo’s return has meant to Terrell Owens and the Cowboys–and I wouldn’t be shocked if he didn’t bother to mention the illegal contact and pushing off that TO appeared to do in every highlight).

But to make it an even bigger waste of time, they aired a segment that appeared to be a “Newlywed Game” type contest of who knows Reggie Bush better–between what I assume was a teammate and Bush’s girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.  That’s right, they devoted at least five minutes of airtime (and who knows how much production time) to a segment that featured a player that is not playing in tonight’s game, and his “celebrity” girlfriend/fiance that is most known for a) having a fat ass, b) having a not quite as famous as Paris Hilton porn tape, and c) getting booted off Dancing with the “supposed” Stars.

Congratulations, ESPN–you have sunk to a new low.

And, to make things worse, in a quick search before writing this, it appears that the Bush/Kardashian bit isn’t limited to Monday Night Pregame–it appears that they are in ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN: The Website, and presumably ESPN: The Vomit Bag.  At least, I hope so–I think I need one after seeing that.

Presidential politics on MNF

by | Oct 30, 2008 | NFL Media

After nearly two years of announcements, campaigns, primaries, caucuses, conventions and debates this year’s presidential election is a mere five days away.

It’s crunch time and we’re being bombarded with bitter, vindictive television and radio advertisements and mailings every day. As much as I care what direction our country is heading in I can’t wait until this election cycle ends – and I would have to guess I’m not alone.

But the folks at ESPN don’t seem to think we’ve had enough. Chris Berman intends to interview each candidate Monday and the network will air them during the game.

Do they really think Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama are going to cut open a vein for them? Is there really going to be something groundbreaking? Haven’t we heard enough of these candidates pandering to the sports teams in whatever city they happen to be in on any given day?

I guess I’ll just watch the game with the sound off. I think I get the Westwood One radio coverage somewhere on my radio dial.

Pasquarelli recovering, still watching football

by | Oct 17, 2008 | NFL Media

ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli occasionally gets criticized by observers for getting too close to some sources and letting it affect his reporting but he also has a keen eye for the game.

So I’d wondered a couple times where he disappeared to during the last offseason.

Pasquarelli had quintuple bypass surgery around the Super Bowl last season and then three weeks later contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an illness that attacks the peripheral nervous system.

So he’s watching games from his couch rather than the pressbox, a fact he was obviously frustrated by when he made a guest appearance on Chris Mortenson’s Mort Report on ESPN Radio Friday night.

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CBS Reinforces NFL Thug Stereotype?

by | Oct 6, 2008 | NFL Media

For the late game yesterday, CBS had three choices:

First, they had New England visiting San Francisco.  The 49ers opened the season 2-2, and while neither win was over a great team, most would have to consider 2-2 better than expected.  More importantly, you’ve got the New England Patriots, coming off of their first regular season loss since 2006.  And it was an ugly loss, to Miami.  Sounds like a game some people might be interested in.

Second, they had Buffalo at Arizona.  Arizona, like San Francisco, opened the season 2-2–better than many would have expected, given their seemingly recent annual failure to live up to sleeper pick status.  More importantly, you’ve got Buffalo, who opened the season a surprising 4-0, leading the AFC East, and featuring collection of solid young stars in the making.

Finally, you’ve got Cincinnati at Dallas.  Cincinnati has been a mess this season, opening 0-4, and featuring the Chad “Ocho Cinco” distraction, Carson Palmer playing with a bum elbow (and not even playing last week), last week’s addition of Cedric Benson and the desperate re-signing of everyone’s favorite NFL police blotter subject, Chris Henry.  Dallas, meanwhile, was considered the team to beat in the NFC, before suffering their first loss last week at the hands of Washington.

In fact, judging by the media coverage I saw this week, the most interesting storyline in the Bengals/Cowboys matchup was that the Bengals were activating the thug wide receiver, who would at least on occasion be matched up against thug CB Adam ‘Pac-man’ Jones–the first time both thugs were reunited on the field since their days terrorizing the student body at West Virgina, where they were teammates.

So, of course, the logical choice for CBS?  They force us to watch the Bengals and Cowboys.  ‘America’s Team’ my ass–almost everyone I know hates the Cowboys, and the only reason they would like to see them is to watch them lose, (and to see if Terrell Owens finally snaps (like last week)).

Of course, as it turns out, it was probably the closest of the three games.  But that doesn’t mean it was the right choice.  I’d have much rather watched the Bills/Cardinals match-up, at least until it got out of hand.  And even though I’m not a huge fan of the Patriots, seeing what progress Matt Cassel has made would have interested me.

Watching thugs in orange and black stripes vs. thugs with blue stars?  I’ll pass.  Or I would have passed, if any other game was on–or if the NFL would get smart and make the Sunday Ticket available on networks other than DirecTV.

NCAA bristles at CBS Sports college fantasy plans

by | Aug 26, 2008 | Business of Football, College Football, Fantasy Football, NFL Media

CBSSports.com last month announced that it has launched an all-new version of its College Fantasy Football game, “continuing to be the only major fantasy sports service provider with a collegiate fantasy football game.”

CBSSports.com originally released the game in 2005. But the controversy this year is that for the first time, it will use real, individual player names rather than listing school and position, such as “FLORIDA QB” or “MICHIGAN RB”.

“As the leader in the fantasy sports business, we’re constantly looking for ways to distinguish our service from the competition,” said Jason Kint, senior vice president and general manager, in a statement. “We believe combining fantasy sports and college football will give fans and alumni yet another reason to get involved in the sport, increasing the popularity of college football much in the same way fantasy sports has affected professional football.”

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Pete Prisco = Self-aggrandizing ass

by | Aug 14, 2008 | NFL Media

CBSSportsline.com is among the many sites I try to check at least occasionally while searching for content for Zoneblitz which means I occasionally come across their columnist, Pete Prisco.

There are a lot of good reporters covering the NFL, many of whom have been cited here. I constantly learn things from Peter King on SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. The NFL Network’s Adam Schefter, Jay Glazer from FoxSports.com and Chris Landry, a veteran NFL scout who shows up on the radio all over the place, are three more journalists who provide a wealth of knowledge.

Then there’s Pete Prisco. I’m not saying he never provides anything of worth. He definitely pounds the pavement and he is willing to occasionally go out on a limb with his predictions and comments. But then he goes and posts a video like this one that did nothing but steal 58 seconds of my life that I won’t ever get back.

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