Lunchtime Challenge #1

I asked one of my colleagues to issue me a topic to rant on, and he chose sportscasters and how they change their opinions. So, here goes:

Sportscasters Gone Bad – or - Waffle House
So, how about it? Ever notice that some sportscasters are like weather vanes? Whichever way the wind blows, so does their educated opinion. Most of your mainstream local media guys just flipflop with the popular tide. A great example is Terrell Owens. When he’s not producing, he’s a cancer to the NFL and sports, and role models anywhere. When he’s producing, he’s “mercurial”, and he’s “unique”, or “a strong personality who brings energy and vitality to the game”.... Excuse me while I gag for a moment.

But some guys stick to their guns. In this area, I think the best example is Steve Duemig, AKA “The Big Dog”. I’ve been listening to him on 620WDAE for a long time now, and when he’s come out for or against something or someone, I’ve never heard him waver on it down the road. It’s a tightrope for him, because he’s been vocally against a lot of Jon Gruden’s actions as head coach of the Bucs, and he’s gotten on several of the players from time to time, yet he hosts many of the athlete and coach talk shows, and has to maintain a good relationship with them in the wake of criticizing them, and he does it. He’s respected by them, and can be candid with them without them getting defensive.

On the other side of the equation is Joe Theismann on Monday Night Football. Man, he is the lamest color guy I’ve ever heard. He changes directions more than Jean-Claude Killy being chased downhill by the paper boy in Better Off Dead. A couple of examples: He gets on Brad Johnson of the Vikings in week 1 when he said Johnson was luck the ball he threw into triple coverage wasn’t picked off, then one series later, he lauds Johnson for “not making a bad decision all night”. Then in the Arizona-Chicago game, he jumped on coach Dennis Green because several passes dropped incomplete; only to praise how much they were throwing the ball just moments later.

I could rant on Theismann for a long time, but he’s the best example. Whatta goon.