ccsl2 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 "It is no big deal to me...TK sends me no money...I just find it amazing how much he is hated, but yet people know what he does on his radio/TV show...aka "drools over athletes in 5 good minutes" or "all he does is whine".It's not clear to me why you persist in using emotionally laden terms like "hate". that's more indicative of your mindset and worldview...to be quite frank. but...yea....I have what is in front of me when I watch PTI or read his articles....and my subjective response, in which I am apparently not alone, has been described. I didn't know I had to explain my use of wordplay on the board...be that as it may, in August 2006 we will see how good the new MNF booth will work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-02-08-michaels_x.htm >>>Michaels dealt to NBC as Sunday night, 'MNF' lineups set By Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY Al Michaels' career twists were already unusual. Now, they seem downright strange: the NFL play- by-play announcer owes his new job at NBC to a long-forgotten cartoon character. In July, the longtime ABC announcer of the NFL's Monday night games agreed to stay at Disney as those Monday games move to ESPN next season. But he changed his mind in recent weeks and wanted to follow his on-air partner, John Madden, to NBC to call the network's new Sunday night NFL TV game package. Thursday, NBC announced Michaels is joining them — in a trade with Disney that includes ESPN being able to buy NBC's cable TV rights to golf's next four Ryder Cups, NBC granting ESPN the right to show far more Olympic TV highlights on its news shows — and Disney getting back the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald has been largely forgotten by the public. In 1927, Walt Disney introduced the character in a 26-cartoon series distributed by Universal. Disney gave up on Oswald — essentially chopping off his ears to create another character called Mickey Mouse — while Universal, now a sister company of NBC under their corporate umbrella General Electric, kept the rights. Says Disney CEO Robert Iger: "As the forerunner to Mickey Mouse and an important part of Walt Disney's creative legacy, the fun and mischievous Oswald is back where he belongs." NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, who had been auditioning analyst Cris Collinsworth to become a play-by-play announcer to work games with Madden, heard in recent weeks that Michaels might be interested in getting out of his ESPN contract. Ebersol said Disney made it clear it would not let Michaels out of his contract "without getting something from us." When Disney officials raised interest in Oswald, says Ebersol, "I had no idea what that was." But the trade went through. "This is pretty cool," says Michaels. "I'm going to be a trivia answer someday." Michaels had been with ABC since 1976 and was the play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football since 1986. Michaels' decided to move to NBC after realizing he wanted to work with Madden, producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff, who also are moving from ABC to NBC. "I began to realize more and more how much I was going to miss being with those people," Michaels said Thursday on a conference call. "That's my family, that's my broadcasting family." Michaels granted release Wednesday Ending weeks of speculation, ESPN/ABC formally announced Wednesday that Michaels would be released from his ESPN and ABC contracts, freeing him to join Madden at NBC. The resulting fallout has lead to a novel twist for ESPN's production of Monday night games. Tony Kornheiser, a co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption talk show and columnist for The Washington Post, will join Howard Cosell and Dennis Miller on the list of non-athletes who became Monday night analysts. AP Michaels John Skipper, an ESPN executive vice president, said Michaels "had a change of heart in the last couple weeks" about honoring his ABC/ESPN contracts after earlier saying the Monday night slot "was the greatest job ever invented." ESPN had announced in July that Michaels would work Monday night games, with the announcer saying he found that time slot to be "spine-tingling." Wednesday, ESPN's Skipper said there was "very little hesitancy" in letting Michaels go after he expressed interest in moving. "Al was not comfortable with our vision of where we're going," Skipper said. "We don't want to work with those that don't want to work with us." Michaels' exit spawns several new on-air assignments. Play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, whose ESPN duties have included calling NBA and college basketball and NFL and college football, will replace Michaels. And ESPN's original plan, a two-man booth with analyst Joe Theismann, will be expanded to a trio with Kornheiser. Wednesday, Kornheiser noted he doesn't like to fly, so he'll be supplied with his own bus — and one, Skipper said, "that will be bigger than Madden's bus." Said Kornheiser, who was considered for the Monday night role that instead went to Miller, "I'm still in denial that I have this job." Michaels, under his contract for play-by-play on ABC's lead NBA on-air team, was expected to call NBA action this season — including this year's NBA Finals. Now NBA play-by-play announcer Mike Breen will replace Michaels and work with returning lead analyst Hubie Brown. Prime-time battle on tap Michaels' back flip might prove just a prelude to unprecedented competition between TV NFL carriers next season. The tug-of-war over Michaels is symbolic of a larger struggle: Which network will become the NFL's prime-time marquee? Historically, that's been ABC's MNF. But even though ESPN will pay about $1.1 billion annually for Monday games, while NBC will pay about $600 million for Sundays, it's unclear which network will get the choicest prime-time schedule. NBC has already gotten something ABC wanted for its Monday games — flexible scheduling, through which some late-season Sunday afternoon games can be moved into NBC's prime-time slot. (That could lead to even more squabbling, since those Sunday games will be pulled from Fox and CBS, which also might lose some good matchups to new Thursday and Saturday prime-time slots on the league's own NFL Network.) But Skipper said Wednesday that "we still think the showcase is Monday night." NBC, in landing Madden and Michaels, captured the biggest names among NFL announcers. Other shuffles are coming. ESPN reporter Andrea Kremer, according to several industry officials, is expected to join NBC, and James Brown will jump from Fox's top-rated pregame show to CBS. NBC's lineup will also include Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth, who left his job as a Fox game analyst. NBC had considered using Collinsworth on play-by-play, but not after Michaels' arrival. ESPN spells out expanded strategy But ESPN fired back Wednesday in elaborating on a strategy that combines tonnage, across its programming lineup, with novelty in a three-man broadcast booth. ESPN/ESPN2 will send a variety of its shows, including SportsCenter, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Cold Pizza and Pardon the Interruption, to the Monday night host city — meant to provide unprecedented hype for prime-time matchups. Says ESPN vice president Norby Williamson: "When it comes to those towns, it's going to be like a mini-Super Bowl each week." And, like MNF's use of Cosell and Miller, ESPN's Monday game will include an analyst who never played in Kornheiser. Kornheiser will work with Theismann, a longtime analyst on ESPN's old Sunday night NFL TV package, and Tirico. Kornheiser's novelty will help ESPN generate buzz even before he appears. Analysts, across TV sports, are almost always former players and coaches. But Wednesday, Kornheiser was unapologetic: "I don't feel diminished because I didn't play in the NFL." But he added that he'd "be lying if I didn't say this makes me incredibly nervous and anxious." Rounding out the MNF lineup, Michele Tafoya returns for her third season as a sideline reporter, and Suzy Kolber replaces Tafoya fill-in Sam Ryan. Contributing: The Associated Press<<< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 "I didn't know I had to explain my use of wordplay on the board...be that as it may, in August 2006 we will see how good the new MNF booth will work out." yes...cleverness can be such a burden....or was it humility? no one really cares whether it works out or not. the only thing folks around these parts really care about is whether the Skins advance upon last season's performance. TK is a circus sideshow. otherwise, hope you're right about TK if it makes you happier! I'ld say we've just about exhausted the limited pros/cons on this one......here's to some quality FA signings....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Hunter #21 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 its gonna be very interesting to see how this is gonna work out for Mr. Kornheiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philal0102 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 m still gonna miss madden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunellSuperbowl Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 everyone is making a big deal of Kornhiser because he is a writer. Now writers are excited how they can move up and do a job that they are not qualified to do. So then in turn brings hype. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunellSuperbowl Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 but i will miss Kornhiser on radio. The sports junkies are GOD AWFUL. They have awful comedians and dumb game shows. They hate the Redskins and do not talk much sports. I have no idea how they survive on radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcarey032 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I had to say that I was totally shocked that he got the gig and that he took it. I thought the fact that he wouldn't travel in a plane would hinder him from doing this not to mention the fact that he is like asleep by 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor ToughLove Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I think TonyK will do a nice job. But for the life of me I don't understand why Riggo hasn't gotten the gig. Here is a guy that not only he is a HOFmer, SB-MVP, and knows football but has some of the most off the wall comments that actually make sense at the moment he delivers them. It has got to be his past reputation but man Riggo would be awesom in there with JT and TonyK. I like Riggo too. I think the biggie for Tony was that they know they can draw from his PTI crowd. That's guaranteed numbers (which Tony couldn't offer his first time for consideration). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor ToughLove Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Glad to see one of our own make it to Monday Night Football. When the Redskins play monday nights I will actually listen to the TV & not the radio. People can say what they want about Kornheiser but he won't delve into the endless obvious-ism that Madden & Michaels droned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsl2 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 "I didn't know I had to explain my use of wordplay on the board...be that as it may, in August 2006 we will see how good the new MNF booth will work out."yes...cleverness can be such a burden....or was it humility? no one really cares whether it works out or not. the only thing folks around these parts really care about is whether the Skins advance upon last season's performance. TK is a circus sideshow. otherwise, hope you're right about TK if it makes you happier! I'ld say we've just about exhausted the limited pros/cons on this one......here's to some quality FA signings....... I will drink to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodie987 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I AM SO EXITED, HES AWESOME, I LOVE HOW HE RIPS ON EVERYONE. hes going to be awesome to watch and hear on monday nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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