Tuesday, September 9, 2008

THE ATROCITY OF THE MIKE AND MIKE AND MIKE ESPN MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BROADCAST

I will begin by saying that I did not watch much of the Raiders Broncos football game last night but when I did tune in (somewhere in between Gossip Girl and Weeds) I heard what I thought perhaps was a continuation of the Bar A auditions. The combination of Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Mike Ditka was unbearable. Did these guys even rehearse? They talked over each other constantly, they provided little or no insight and basically did not belong in a broadcast booth. I believe the last time ESPN had MNF doubleheader the broadcasters included Dick Vermil and Ron Jaworski, who actually have broadcast football games and know what they are talking about.

To me, with a broadcast team like the 3 Mikes, ESPN was saying a few things:
1. It's the NFL and we know you, the fan will watch anything we throw up there even if it includes completely unseasoned, untrained broadcasters mucking it up throughout the game
2. IT'S MIKE AND MIKE: Everyone loves them. Well, sorry to say but that's not really true. I kind of can't bare listening to them and to just blindly believe that you can throw those guys with no experience into a booth and do football games is disrespectful to the people that actually treat broadcasting as a craft and to the fan who actually expects something more during the game.
3. MIKE DITKA, YOU SO CRAZY: Essentially ESPN was relying on the old trick of let's put someone crazy in the booth and everyone will stick around for them to say something crazy. That worked out tremendously with Dennis Miller.

Ok, ESPN you want to experiment, you wanna do some FUN STUFF, maybe not as fun as Titletown or 50 States in 50 Days, fine. Do something fun. But how about this, how about at the least putting a seasoned play by play guy in the booth to handle the heavy lifting, to take us through the game. Maybe go INSANE because you really want this THREE Mike thing because it's super clever, so go FOUR PERSON BOOTH! Mike and Mike and Mike and even go another Mike and have Mike Tirico doing the play by play on the Madden Cruiser while driving to the game. I'm sure we could get the live feed hooked up in there. It would be INSANE! A RATINGS GRABBER! Maybe Sal Palontonio could do his sideline reports from the highway exits as the Madden Cruiser passes important exits. Sportsnation will be going crazy, Bill Simmons will do a live diary that will mention pop culture AND sports!

Yup, ESPN, just think, you were only one Mike short of taking an atrocious idea and making it an incredibly entertaining train wreck.

7 comments:

TheNextBestThing1 said...

They could of made five mike's by calling Mike Francesa that would of been great. He d probably decline, b/c his day job is to demanding..But all in all Fatcesa probably would of been better than those other three Mike's that were in the booth to be fair. I mean lets be fair Mike did a great job at the Garden w/ the big east tournament(sarcastically speaking).

TheNextBestThing1 said...

We have learned in the first seven minutes that Mike's twins went to school today. B/c they are the only children whoever left to go to school..

Anonymous said...

What a shock. Mike is going to change the jingle to something a random listener sent in. Who woulda thought that could be a good idea, a good medium to explore? Oh yeah, pretty much everybody but Mike. Mike sounds like he just realized some people in the world with dead end jobs can have talent.

What is his fascination with harmonicas? Mike, they make guitars now!

KBilly said...

Mike thinks that
A) he'll be allowed to finish his current contract with this crap show.
B)that WFAN will want him to stick around for a couple more years.

TheNextBestThing1 said...

Yea i agree who the fuck does he thinks he is? This show sucks...We have also learned that Mike is a parent and no one will be able to date his daughter...

Rock said...

Mike and Mike were awful lastnight. Just like their horrendous morning talk show. Sound like a bunch of bitches.

Clueless.

Can't wait for RUSSO!

Anonymous said...

Mike + Mike + Mike sucks + sucks + sucks. Greenberg is basically Mad Dog, with a bit more sports knowledge but not remotely likeable. You know how you ogle (most) female sports reporters but ignore every word they say? (Yes, you do; admit it.) That's Greenberg, but luckily you don't see much of him.