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| Instant sports punditry |
| Talking heads stop making sense |
| Originally published in the August 2004 edition of Take ONE, as written by Hank Brockett |
| Kellerman's jump to FSN added another competitor for TV's best instant historians. Around the Horn (4 p.m. CST) - C Pardon the Interruption (4:30 p.m. CST) - A I, Max (6 p.m. CST) - B+ |
| (too much poker makes the baby go blind) and create almost an instant history for sports news aficionados. As you’ll see, this added perspective both pleases and perplexes. Each of the shows was reviewed July 19, to see how each show handled the grab bag of available headlines on a normal day.
“Pardon the Interruption” started the genre more than two years ago when hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon saved the viewing public from interview shows like “Unscripted with Chris Connolly.” Both moonlighting Washington Post columnists brought a charismatic approach nestled into a format that’s as reliable as an old fielding glove. With upcoming topics listed along the right-hand side of the screen, the newsman’s approach permeates each timed subject. On this day, Wilbon and Kornheiser spent the first segment examining five different news angles of the British Open, won by golfer Thomas Hamilton the day before. This choice highlights a common approach on the show, with special consideration for “classic” sports the duo has covered through their careers. Horse racing and boxing also receive attention sometimes disproportional to the common fan’s attention, while baseball sometimes gets the short shrift -- even in the summer months. This creates head-slapingly misinformed statements like Derek “Oh No! It’s” Lowe is “not having a terrible season,” as was uttered by Wilbon. Compared to the other shows, “PTI” looks much more closely at the mentality of athletics as well as the spectacle. The yelling so attributed to the talking head style of television is for show, but even mentioning issues like race in a steroid story is where the show makes its dough. And then there’s the extraneous, fluffy stuff that paradoxically is what keeps viewers coming back day after day (even when knowing there’s five minutes of discussion on Day 756 in the Shaq-Kobe Standoff just ahead). Be it a clip of a bear bouncing on a trampoline or Wilbon’s hatred for PETA supporters, the running gags reward consistent viewers. Pop Culture References: Alexander Hamilton, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “The Godfather, Part II” “Around the Horn” took the success of “PTI” and expanded it to include perspectives outside Eastern Daylight Time. Since the departure of host Max Kellerman, though, the show as sunk into a despicable brew of unlikable regulars and disposable opinions. New host Tony Reali, a brash but awkward emcee whose wit is lessened when showcased for an entire show, leads a “competition” between four sports columnists. Like “PTI,” the upcoming topics are shown on the bottom, but each of these stories almost always becomes an issue much bigger than a day’s events. Such as: When Tiger Woods doesn’t win, does this mean he’s finished? And the list goes on. While venturing into other parts of the country is commendable, this still creates a mindset with major markets in mind. In 2003, the show took notice of the Chicago White Sox only after beating up on the New York Yankees two games in a row. But the worst aspect of the show has to be the improbable continuation of Jay Mariotti’s success story. The Chicago Sun-Times columnist almost prevents readers from even wanting to pick up the sports section in the morning. Now a talk radio staple as well on AM 1000, he’s the newest resident of hyphenate hell, sipping lattes with actress-singer Lindsay Lohan and athlete-actor Dennis Rodman. Pop Culture References: “Caddyshack,” And 1 Mixtapes, Viagra (no mas!) Kellerman took his trade to Fox Sports Net, which is sort of like succeeding as U.S. President and then looking for a challenge on the local school board. “I, Max” polarizes viewers even more than Mariotti, but for fans of an odd blend of cockiness and tongue-in-cheek fun, the newest sports talk show is a worthy addition. Kellerman is joined by former Boston columnist Michael Holley in another mock competition as judged by fellow “Around the Horn” escapee Bill Wolf. Kellerman sets the stage as a “me against the world” affair, which would be annoying if there weren’t so many putdowns flying from all parties. It’s like “White Men Can’t Jump” without as many pastel clothes. Unlike “Around the Horn,” previous points don’t dissipate into the ether. Instead, they’re brought up as safeguard ammunition in times of argumentative need. And while there are plenty of topics here not talked about on the other shows (the Los Angeles Dodgers, etc.), on this day they take the British Open and make the lead story about Tiger Woods – a tiresome problem. Pop Culture References: Battlestar Galactica, “Win a Date With Tad Hamilton” While the shows each have their own appeal, they don’t come without the same risks as that factory’s sausage. The Surgeon General warns that binging on all three shows each day might be harmful to your health, or at least to your social life. Because there’s more to life than Shaq. |
| A sports story is a lot like that line about sausage. The finished product is delicious, but you probably don’t want to see how it forms.
But for those whose lives hinge on, say, assistant coaching decisions in Utah, that doesn’t stop them from trying. The game at 7 p.m. creates the result, which spurs on soundbites, which break up the prose in the morning columns, which get the television anchors talking on ESPNEWS, which helps the producers of three very different sports talk shows create 30 minutes of digestible hot air. By the time “Around the Horn” (4 p.m., ESPN), “Pardon the Interruption” (4:30 p.m., ESPN) and “I, Max” (6 p.m., FSN) air, no news is left to be broken. Much like the successful formats on the 24-hour news shows, these issues-oriented discussions break up programming monotony |