http://www.nypost.com/seven/07222007/sports/self_loving_espn_is_no_lo
nger_in_the_now_sports_phil_mushnick.htm?page=0

SELF-LOVING ESPN IS NO LONGER IN THE NOW
July 22, 2007 -- THE worst thing ESPN could do to itself, it has
done to itself. It has made itself a too-easy target.

The secret's out. Last week, alone, ESPN took a beating for what it
has become in both Newsweek and Sports Illustrated.

And on WFAN/YES, Mike Francesa delivered a long, sarcastic and
accurate holler about how ESPN's value to sports fans has been lost
to endless self-promotion - "ESPN has learned that it's Tuesday!" he
shouted - and ridiculous concoctions, such as "Who's Now," another
lame excuse to remove sports from "SportsCenter."

"Who's now," Francesa bellowed, "Shaq O'Neal or a polar bear?"

"SportsCenter," once a cherished and conditioned stop, has become
SelfCenter, unconscionable and unwatchable. And everywhere you look
and listen, ESPN talent is being forced to do embarrassing things in
service to an ESPN/ABC/Disney sales plan that ensures nothing better
than ridicule.

Everything that once held promise at ESPN has been compromised and
corrupted. And that's a shame.

Tuesday morning I tried - several times - to listen to ESPN
Radio's "Mike and Mike" show. But every time I switched back - and
this was over 20 minutes - Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic were still
discussing "Who's hot" and "Who's even hotter" - as in hot babes and
hunky guys.

And that isn't something that either would normally or proudly do in
public - unless they were just following orders, both direct and
implicit.

Tuesday morning, they chose to focus on Jessica Biel. Well whattya
know, she'll be joining Greenberg on a panel to choose the winners
in ESPN's beyond silly "Who's Now" competition, the one in which
Steve Nash nosed out Serena Williams, Reggie Bush defeated Danica
Patrick and Peyton Manning crushed Amanda Beard. Seriously.

Who's Now? Nelson Riddle or The Who?

And the worst thing ESPN could have done to itself - make itself
such a dignity-barren garbage mill that you feel sorry for the good
people who work there, especially those now forced to make clowns of
themselves in exchange for their paychecks - is exactly what ESPN
has become.

Friday, an ESPN news crawl reported that "sources tell ESPN" that
David Beckham may not make his U.S. debut as scheduled, the next
night, due to an injury.

Given that Beckham had made that clear to all, days earlier, those
who knew better could only read such a thing with contempt for ESPN.
ESPN could only fool those didn't know better, and those were people
who didn't care about Beckham to begin with.

So what was ESPN's net gain? More viewers who are disgusted by what
ESPN has become. Brilliant strategy.


*
Stop the nonsense. Beckham will not make soccer fans and soccer
patrons out of a country of sports fans who aren't.

I wish it weren't true. I'm a soccer fan. In 2002, I even got up at
3 a.m. to watch all the U.S. team's games in the World Cup (and was
able to catch the final two innings of a Yanks-Orioles games).

But with Beckham's arrival to play here, this is the third episode
that is supposed to take soccer from there to up here, a rush of
blood to the head.

The first came in 1975, when Pele joined the Cosmos. That lasted for
a while, but it didn't stick. Next, after the U.S. women's team won
the 1999 World Cup, media folks who should have known better lined
up to declare that this would make women's pro soccer here a go -
and a stay. The WUSA began in 2001 and was kaput by 2003.

Beckham? Hey, if the MLS became can't-miss TV, I'd love it. But it
won't happen. Pivotal U.S. Soccer Episode No. 3 will be strike
three. To that end, if Americans are to be bored stiff and love it,
they'll stick with baseball.


*
It appears as if MLB adopted the "hold" stat just to prevent
the "save" stat from remaining the stupidest stat in sports.
Baseball box scores now provide the funniest stuff regularly printed
in newspapers.

In one day, Monday, last week:

Giants reliever Kevin Correia was credited with his seventh hold. He
pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing two hits and two earned
runs. Way to hold 'em, Kevin! Correia also got credit for the loss.
Yep, in his two-thirds of an inning he got an H and an L. Seriously.

White Sox pitcher Dewon Day threw one pitch. He got a hold. Rockies'
pitcher Tom Martin also got a hold for getting one out, but he faced
three batters; one got a hit and one walked. In that game, Martin's
teammate, LaTroy Hawkins, got a hold and a win.

And Washington's Jon Rauch got his 18th hold, holding the Astros to
only two hits and an earned run in his one inning pitched.

Better stupid stats than no stats at all!


*
What are you doing July 30? The Honeysuckle Foundation For Children
With Cancer holds its fifth annual fund-raising golf tournament at
the Mill River Club in Oyster Bay. For details, (631) 885-1009 or
Honeysucklefoundation.org.

phil.mushnick@...

http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?
showtopic=1600587&st=855