Not cruel or ruthless, but what difference does it make?
Not only is the NFL pregame studio show a huge waste of time, it hardly matters that the panelists include Joe Joe the Dog Boy, Caligula Jones, and Estes Kefauver. At least you know this as well as I do. If there’s no NFL game going on, watch it for 10 seconds.
Last week, Phil Sims and Boomer Esiason were let go after more than 20 years at CBS, and will be replaced by former QB Matt Ryan and superstar pass rusher JJ Watt.
So what? Neither will add viewers beyond their loved ones for as long as the kickoff lasts. Sims and Esiason were the same from the day they first sat down in the CBS studios.
The studio underwent all sorts of expensive cosmetic improvements and even a makeover during the Sims and Esiason years, none of which were of much value to viewers.
The content of the studio show was the same as any NFL-related studio show: redundant and uncreative: “Who do you like at the Chiefs vs. Lions game?” Here on CBS, it’s followed by “60 Minutes.” And there’s no humor, unless you count the forced belly laughs.
Of course, the NFL must always be protected from any negativity, like Roger Goodell refusing to cash billions of dollars in checks on TV.
One person who is sympathetic to this purge is Sims. Esiason was an ill-advised hire from the beginning. Because he was often silent, bereft of adjectives, adverbs, and useful insights.
He now continues his role as the Weekday Boomer, shedding his gentlemanly CBS exterior and using childish swearing to attract listeners who by then would be sitting in fifth-grade homerooms. Trying to focus on his role as co-host of WFAN’s Vulgar Morning Drive.
(Esiason never apologized for mocking former Knicks executive Donnie Walsh, who was confined to a wheelchair after surgery.)
The Sims was a different story. When CBS plucked him from the fumbling hands of ESPN and NBC 26 years ago, I would have believed he would become the nation’s most rated NFL field analyst. Working with Jim Nantz, Sims didn’t hesitate to rank above both CBS and the NFL.
He often debunks statistics, works behind the scenes to eliminate ridiculous graphics, chastises players who risk penalties and games with selfish plays, and even “gets it right” replay rules. He questioned the practicality of the ever-changing rules. I made a lot of mistakes.
Sims was always ready and always gave us the best candid shots. He cemented a faithful relationship by doing the forbidden thing of telling us we were wrong. “Can you see that in the replay? I was wrong.” Imagine!
But then something happened. Something was transmitted from deep within to the outside. Sims suddenly became a distinctly cautious, see-no-evil, see-no-evil, smiling NFL spokesperson-cum-sycophant-pandering figure, just like Nantz.
Arguably the most disgusting nationally televised game in NFL history, the 2016 Bengals-Steelers AFC Wild Card Game could lose with both teams and coaches having their players act like violent, free prisoners. It was a match where they exchanged
In-game “influencers” include such notables as Vontaze Verfect, Adam “Pacman” Jones, and Joey Porter, who was active on the sideline as an assistant coach with the Steelers. It was. The game ended with Pittsburgh winning 18-16 on a short field goal (actually Cincy lost) after the Bengals received consecutive penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Nantz and Sims remained silent throughout what was a senselessly brutal match, but they finally spoke out after rock bottom erupted late in the game, but it was still too inconsiderate. That’s when I realized that the Sims had changed.
And the next season, CBS changes him and assigns him to the studio show Devil’s Island, where he is eventually seen with Esiason sadly opting for an over/under serving CBS’ sportsbook advertisers. is what happened. CBS replaced him with Tony Romo and signed him for a horribly stupid $180 million.
He could have saved CBS $180 million by ordering and ordering Sims to resume his days as the No. 1 analyst by being better, different, and special. yeah. But, like CBS, for $180 million, you’d much rather see Romo Cole fight than Phil Simms. So go hokey pokey and change yourself.
Joe Girardi seems fine with slowly circling Soto’s bases.
For crying out loud, YES Yankees commentator Joe Girardi is telling us a “truth” that we, and probably even he, don’t believe.
On Thursday, Yankees forward Juan Soto did what he has always done throughout his seven-season career with three teams. He hit the ball deep. He then stylishly stayed close to the plate to see if it would be a home run or, in this case, probably a foul ball.
It was neither. As Soto jogged toward first base, the ball hit the left field wall and then traveled along the wall toward center field. Park number? perhaps!
But Soto, who had been benched by the Nationals for not hustling, was too slow to run. He had to settle for a North Low triple.
Asked about this by Michael Kay, Girardi not only excused Soto’s indefensible standard minimalism, but also rightly called it a “bad read” rather than a problem with Soto’s lack of hustle. It became. Sigh.
Is a bad read like a bad guess? Is a bad read a legitimate defense against not being in the lead, whatever that means?
Would Coach Girardi accept such an excuse?
“Why were you first and not second?”
“Bad reading.”
“Oh, then that’s fine.”
Who will be the next target for these sleazy NY fans?
Group psychology comes in many forms. I would joke with her one-on-one and you would yell back, “Wow!” To my face, I would think you were crazy. A good joke should make you laugh, not say, “Wow!”
But when stand-up comedians finish a joke to a large audience, you can often hear a collective “Woo!” Instead of real laughter. Perhaps it’s to show that you understand, not just comics, but other audiences as well.
Right now, the Knicks’ internal fans are busy finding a pacer who can spew vulgar language. Interestingly, I’ve never seen or heard individual audience members start “F–Fill in the Blanks!” chant. People like that would normally be avoided like a wound.
But if you can find three or four bright lights and start chanting “F – Embiid,” another 8,000 or 9,000 will soon follow.
To create a village, you need at least one village idiot.
Reader Michael Duncan: “In the early 1970s, A’s owner Charlie Finley proposed that all MLB players become free agents after each season. He was laughed out of the room.
“So, in your wildest dreams, did you ever think that this would ever be implemented in college sports?”
Heck, I used to take it for granted that you had to be able to read and write to get into college, let alone be given a full scholarship among other perks. Not good for good people.
