For some reason that I can't quite articulate, I stopped watching ESPN's PTI a couple of weeks ago. Time was, I'd be sure to watch a recording of the show not too long after dinner each night off the TiVo.
In any case, about two weeks back I checked in with the show, only to discover that Jason Whitlock and Michael Smith were filling in for Tony and Mike. And while I think Smith has some potential -- and a penchant for dealing with actual substance -- Whitlock just makes me want to shut the television off. Check out Berg at Bat for more.
UPDATE: Heels, Sox and Steelers weighs in:
This is basically the same conversation I had with myself the last two weeks. PTI is the only watchable show left on ESPN and for two weeks it exemplified all the really crappy things about the network. Luckily Wilbon and Kornheiser are back. But that's not all, Screamin' A. Smith will be getting his own show soon as well. Brilliantly, it's called "Quite Frankly," an oh-so-clever play on the tired phrase he throws around whenever he's about to disagree with that witless monkey, Skip Bayless.
To check out how Sreaming A. is doing at the Road from Bristol, click here. Unfortunately, Steve is going up against another nemesis of mine, Paul Maguire, which is redundant I guess, as Maguire will probably be looking for work after the 2005 season anyway. May he enjoy his Buffalo-exile.
It appears I'm not alone:
"I hate him more than any man alive." -- Joey T"The single worst NFL announcer in the business today, bar none." -- Arford
"McGuire with his pseudo-intellectualism is horrible in his own right, but pair him with Theisman and I would rather give John Madden a sponge bath than listen to those two." -- J. Lichty
"Let me tell you something, Maguire is the worst broadcaster alive. He is annoying, repeats himself constantly, and...wait, watch this, watch this, BAM!!!! Did you see that? He just wet himself again." -- Luke
Bristol is right up there with I'm Stuck in Rehab with Pat O'Brien for Blog of the Year.
Yeah, I’m with you on that.
I’ve been tivo-ing PTI for a while now. Wilbon and Kornheiser tend to amuse me I guess. But when the subs came in… the holes in the format began to show. Jay Mariotti was the low point.
When the subs came in, I started to see how little they actually talk about sport — you know, that stuff that happens when the ref blows the whistle? It’s all politics and personalities and marketing. Some of that stuff can be OK… but it’s just about all they cover. Last week I got annoyed and started adding it up. In the end, 5% of the show actually dealt with playing the games. And I was trying to be generous.
It’s still on my Season Pass list. For now. But yesterday it was preempted by a Premiership rerun… and frankly, it was a relief.