Spork Boy's ESPN from Top to Bottom

THE BEST OF ESPN, in descending order from No. 1 through No. 3:

1. Sports Center (with the right anchors)
Great way to get sports news in an entertaining way as long as the anchors do their job. Dan Patrick, for example, is too smug and self-important. Stuart Scott can be tops when focused, but when he strays from the material he’s just too much. But when everything is going just right, it’s hard to top Sports Center.

2. College Game Day
While it’s hard for me to sit and watch the show, it’s a great idea to have universities host this show. Lee Corso gets on my nerves at times (he used to coach my Indiana Hoosiers), but he seems to be having so much fun. The whole crew does. It’s like they feed off the energy of the students. And when Lee puts on the mascot head? I love it. He’s such a whore, playing to the crowd. Great stuff.

3. Essentially, the nerdy anchors.
Scott Van Pelt, Linda Cohn, Mike Greenberg, Stuart Scott (when not too full of himself or on the air too much).

THE WORST OF ESPN, in ascending order from No. 3 through No. 1:

3. Any show featuring egotistical, bombastic, and self important sports reporters (writers).
This does not include Pardon the Interruption although the show can be quite bombastic. When did yelling become journalism? Stick to writing your columns and leave the on camera work to those who majored in it.

2. NFL and NBA studio shows.
You’d think the show took place in a sports bar for as loud and incoherent as these guys are. The show might be better if Michael Irving and Chris Berman left, but I’m not sure Steve Young is any better than the other two. I like Tom Jackson. But the overall format must be changed. It’s all about zingers, proving points, laughing, yelling, more laughing, more yelling, and screaming JACKED UP. It could be worse; ESPN could be saddled with the Fox team. Then, when there is a pause in the yelling and laughing, Berman comes on and pontificates on something or other. When is he retiring? Ugh. I don’t watch this show much.

Then there is the NBA team. Greg Anthony is a nice guy with a good delivery. Legler is average. John Saunders is out of place. And Stephen A. Smith? See point number one. When I did try to watch the show, the format was atrocious. I couldn’t stand to watch, couldn’t stand to hear what anybody had to say. It’s just awful. I used the HATE the TNT team—talk about rambling idiots. Now, I prefer them. Even so, I don’t watch pre- or post-game shows unless necessary.

1. Stephen A. Smith
He’s just so…so…so…loud. Style without substance. Egotistical. Congratulations on making it to where you are. Now please go away. He’s a big reason why I don’t watch any of ESPN’s studio coverage of NBA games. Give me Bill Walton any day (Bill’s probably a bigger egomaniacal lunatic than Smith, but he just has a better delivery).