Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Return of The Big Show

Hi, it's the other other author here with his first post. I was all set to go on about Alejandro Escovedo's smoking set at Taste the other day (and his excellent new disc, 'Real Animal') and probably still will at some point. But then news intervened and I figured, better weigh in on the biggest reunion since the Police -- which didn't work out so well except for all that money they made from people who still remember their show at old Comiskey ...

I am referring, of course, to the newest incarnation of The Big Show, as Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann so modestly dubbed their run on SportsCenter back in the '90s. They will be part of the increasingly unwieldy coverage team for NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' ...

This is, I think, a good move for all concerned. Keith's evolution from a guy who only used to get worked up about the fact that Pete Browning isn't in the Hall of Fame to the Bill O'Reilly of the left is kinda sad. If you're going to be a one-trick pony, better you're ripping HOF voters for ignoring Buck O'Neil when he was alive than going all pit bull on Ann Coulter ... or trying to do both in almost the same breath ...

As for Dan, it was almost time to put his face on a milk carton, wasn't it? The guy used to be everywhere: on SportsCenter, at the World Series, the Super Bowl and even the Winter Olympics (biathlon, anyone?). And then he decided he didn't want to work so much. The last time I checked, he was doing a sports talk show that I don't listen to because, well, it's sports talk, and writing a Q&A that Sports Illustrated likes to hide among the 25 pages of ads at the front of the mag ...

So welcome back to the spotlight, Dan. And here's a piece of advice: Don't bring up politics with Keith and the new gig will work out just fine ...

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