October is the best time of the year to be a sports fan. Baseball heads into the postseason, the NFL and college football both hit the midseason full stride, Nascar drives deep into the chase, the action on the hardwood heats up, and the horse racing eyes of the world turn to see the best of the best square off in the Breeder's Cup. Predictions in the works.
Its a beautiful thing but almost too much to fully appreciate at once. I hope you've seen your college football highlights by midnight Saturday because when you wake up on Sunday you have to watch Keyshawn Johnson pontificate on whether Deion Branch is making the impact he should in Seattle. I propose a couple solutions to ease the anxiety of the common fan.
1. Sportscenter needs to go regional. Sure sure, keep the flagship sailing on ESPN that covers all of it, but let the Deuce show an hour long show centered around the action in the southeast. I love college football, but I know I'm not going to hear any analysis on the Georgia - Vandy game for Mark May telling me why Oregon - Washington State is going to be the game of the week. Stop analyzing Notre Dame, Mark and Lou, they are irrelevant in the south. My southeastern show can still pay lip service to whats going on in the rest of America, baseball playoffs, Nascar, big matchups, but I want to spend more time on the Falcons, Titans, Jaguars, SEC, ACC and Southern Conference. I'd rather see some highlights from local college games I normally wouldnt than Montreal hockey highlights. There's just not enough time for all of it.
2. Treat Saturday morning college football like Sunday morning NFL. How are the networks missing out on this potential goldmine? Currently, ESPN's Gameday has the only show in town telling you how it is in college football. Tommy Tuberville is right, ESPN has a scary monopoly in the sport because they get to tell you what games and players are important and what games and players are not. For some rason if its the Saturday night ESPN game two mediocre teams become dark horse contenders. Spread the wealth. I want to see FOX and CBS start pregame shows. Get big name guys who know and love the college game and still have ties that compete with their NFL careers. Where are Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker? While many I know dont, I like Jesse Palmer covering the sport. He's a college guy, as is Doug Flutie who's back doing college games too. Go get the Champ Baileys, Joe Hamiltons, Woody Dantzlers, Keith Brookings when their playing days are over. Put David Pollack, Chad Lavalais, and Alex Brown in the back of the end zone with a microphone Tony Siragusa style. Spread out the college coverage, stop running the ball up the middle.
3. For God sakes put the horses on TV. Keeneland is running and I'm not a part of it. I cant handle this.
4. Just put the hockey highlights on the internet in the deep south. That's right, put the horses on TV and hockey on the internet. All its doing is taking away from the sports we care about down here. Those being football (college and pro), baseball, basketball (college and pro), and Nascar. Do you ever see hockey on in a sports bar when you're trying to watch something else? Does it make you angry? Me too.
5. ESPN needs to create Sportscenter Court TV. If an athlete is arrested, sued, going to jail, suing someone else or otherwise finding himself askew of the law it goes on Sportscenter Court TV, not on Sportscenter. Steirods included. I'm not sure if sports were played in August but I do know that Michael Vick is going to jail, a ref bet, and half the athletic world is juicing. This is a problem.
Off to check the Edmonton Oilers score...
2 comments:
When does the NHL season start? I thought they were on strike?
how mad should Louisiana be for getting stuck with the color gray and then getting the name written outside the state? I'm sure there is a cajun somewhere ready to throw down with that pissy little 8 year old that thinks they're an artist.
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