Monday Night Football Has Some Screws Loose

The new Monday Night Football debuted last night to great expectations. It’s still preseason and we got a match up of the Raiders vs. the Vikings but it was still a big deal because it was the debut for ESPN. Before ABC's Monday Night Football used to be the main game of the week. Now NBC is touting its Sunday night game as that because it’s on network television while ESPN is only shown on cable. They can both battle it out on which one has more importance but to me it’s still football.

I was at work so I didn’t get a chance to listen to the new booth. The game was on but volume was low. Probably a better thing. I enjoy ESPN’s coverage because it’s still football on tv. But I never enjoyed the booth they assembled in the past seasons and probably not this season either. I already do not like Mr. Know-It-All Theismann and I’m fairly sure he didn’t follow the yellow brick road to get a new brain. Mike Tirico is okay with me. Suzy Kolber drank her Red Bulls and was as perky as ever. Tony Kornheiser is the new pawn in Monday Night Football. He’s a newbie in any announcing capacity. I wouldn’t say he has an enormous following of fans but he certainly will bring a huge following of critics analyzing his every word this season.

They got a guy who said he hasn’t stayed awake to see the end of the Monday night game in about 30 years. He can name maybe eight other players, besides quarterbacks, in the NFL. He dreads the flying and never played football. This is a guy who’s supposed to invigorate the ESPN booth? Sounds like he’d rather read a good book after taking a hot bath than watch football. Plus how can you cover all sports for a living and not reel off names of players in the most popular sport in the country?

So I can’t be a critic of Korenhesier’s first performance cause I couldn't hear him but from the buzz on the message boards it seems the positives are in the minority.

But what I did see completely baffled me. My “WTF!” moment came when I saw the scoreboard graphic implanted directly in the middle of the bottom part of the screen. The sight became extremely annoying after the first time I saw it. What’s up with the shape of it? Where’s the traditional symmetrical box or rectangle? They’re trying to be modern and new wave when it’s not the right place for it. We’re used to having the scoreboard with flat edges in the corner where it’s out of the way but easily able to reference if we need. Never have we asked for it to be in the middle where there is dead space on both sides of the graphic. We've asked for Theismann to be fired but they don't listen!

It’s still football but after paying so much money for the rights you would think a producer would think of a better place for the graphic. There are four corners to choose from which provides many options. It’s a nice comfortable spot. The graphic must have felt like he was on an episode of "Lost". Get 10 football fans in a room and a case of beer and they’ll offer better advice.

Let’s hope we get some good games on Monday night because that’s all that will make us truly happy and forget about the flaws.

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