Thursday, July 14, 2016

Searching for ESPN

So I went up and down the TV dial on the treadmill at the gym looking for the British Open this morning. ESPN. ESPN2. Fox. FS1. NBCSN (Tour de France thing there). Aha, Golf Channel. Only took six guesses.

And there's Mike Tirico, anchoring the action for the NBC-owned property. He left ESPN, and certainly without the fanfare of Bill Simmons, Keith Olbermann or Colin Cowherd. And now Skip Bayless.

Is anyone left at ESPN? Anyone worthwhile, worth watching, besides Scott Van Pelt? Sports Center anchor Lindsey Czarniak is competent, but not the force of any of those who have left. And will be leaving (Mike Ditka, Ray Lewis, Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson and soon, Chris Berman, all on NFL Countdown). Neil Everitt and Stan Verett are on the West Coast, and their schtick is getting old. Kenny Mayne pops up where and when you least expect him. Precisely.

The ones worth watching there don't get near enough exposure. Like Van Pelt. Trey Wingo. Kenny Mayne.

Last one out the door at ESPN, turn out the lights. Lance Armstrong is no longer in the basement, churning away on his bike, keeping the power generator going like he did in the long-ago network promo with Dan Patrick.

Lights out in Bristol.

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