EARLY TEST IN BOOTH MNF pair under spotlight for Jets-Browns tilt
When it comes to “Monday Night Football,” ESPN has not gotten much right lately. Yet the Bristol Clown Community College faculty did resist the temptation of bringing a third mouth into the booth after Jason Witten figured out that even after all the miles he’s put on, he was still a better football player — by miles — than a football broadcaster.
Now, the unwashed masses are left with two voices — Joe Tessitore and Anthony (Booger) McFarland. Will the duo do a traditional two-man show or will they talk enough for three people? Who said bet the over?
When in doubt, it is safe to assume current voices, when hearing the sound of silence, will fill it with inane babble. The art of using silence to build drama is lost on these cats, including Tessitore and McFarland.
A couple of quickies: After their first (Texans-Saints) telecast, Tessitore still cranks up 4th quarter passion for 1st quarter moments.
So, when he got in late dramatic situations, his call sounded similar to the “excitement” he projected in the first quarter. And McFarland often sounds like he’s doing a football talk show rather than a football game. Still, we are willing to cut early slack, especially for McFarland.
Last season, ESPN suits set him up for complete failure. They cast him as no more than a distraction by having McFarland work inside a roving sideline contraption called the “Booger Mobile.” The “BM” served two “purposes.” It took the focus off almost everything (good or bad) McFarland said. And the reaction to the gimmick was so overwhelmingly negative, it took some focus off just how horrendous Witten was as an analyst.
Now, it’s just two men in a booth. Monday night will be a huge test for Tessitore and McFarland.
They have plenty to work with going in.
The storylines for BrownsJets are like neon Times Square billboards.
Sam Darnold’s mono. Can Trevor Siemian come to the rescue? Odell Beckham Jr., returning to Jersey, calling out Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Then there’s OBJ’s $300,000 watch and the lingering possibility of some type of antics during the game.
No reason for Tessitore and McFarland to sit on this stuff early in the tilt. The combination of the Jets playing without Darnold and their suspect defense could turn this game into a Cleveland blowout quickly. At that point, the voices would be basically filling time, hoping the clock moves quickly.
Still, even in that mode, Tessitore and McFarland can give those still watching a reason to believe they are good enough to continue being ESPN’s “MNF” team. They are beyond trying to develop chemistry. Last season they bought themselves some time.
Now they must prove they really belong.
DOLAN’S LATEST HUSTLE
With October approaching it is time for James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan’s Knicks marketing department to start selling their new and improved version of hope to suckers, er, fans contemplating buying tickets.
Radio advertisements promise that the Knicks will “go out and out-work the competition” every night. We thought the object was to go out and out-score the competition every night. Guess this means the most you will get for your money is a team that promises to hustle.
Is that enough for you, the fan, to pay the price?
NOT MANY FANS OF THIS MOVE
It was not a happy day inside the FAN Cave Wednesday when the ‘Droids dumped Chris Carlin.
Well-embedded moles who were inside Cave crevices that day said Carlin was informed of management’s decision shortly after his show (CMB) ended. Hopefully, the suits did the right thing and paid Carlin what was left on his contract.
The news hit his partners hard. “Maggie (Gray) looked like she had just seen a ghost, Bart (Scott) was somber,” the mole said.
On his FAN show another FAN staffer, Norman Julius Esiason, said Gray and Scott met with him in his office after the Carlin decision came down. Esiason too, mentioned how hard the news hit them.
CMB, as we have reported before, was put on thin ice when Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa ended his phony retirement in 2018 knocking CMB out of FAN’s afternoondrive show. There was no way Entercom, owners of FAN, was going to pay three talkies afternoon-drive money for doing a two-hour show in a makeshift time slot (1 p.m.-3 p.m.) and pay Francesa too.
Carlin, a talented Gasbag with a unique, self-deprecating style, has helped generate very healthy ratings with the CMB show. He also produced excellent ratings when he worked afternoon-drive on WIP in Philly.
Now, he is a victim of Francesa’s flip-flopping and a management team at FAN/Entercom uniquely skilled in the “art” of kissing The Sports Pope’s tuchis.
HEY SNY, FOCUS ON THE GAME
Are baseball broadcasters becoming bigger than the game?
By gratuitously putting the camera on its “Sunday Night Baseball” crew — Jessica Mendoza, Matt Vasgersian and Alex Rodriguez — ESPN is saying the game is about their voices. Like the players, the broadcasters are stars in their own right.
This philosophy is also being pushed by SportsNet New York during its Mets telecasts. Normally, at this point in the season, the only reason to watch a Mets game on TV is to hear Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. If SNY wanted to take the focus off the inept play on the field and shoot the booth (playing the baseball card game, etc.) it was understandable.
But now the Mets are in the thick of a thrilling wild card race. Every game is crucial. Every second should be spent on the field, not nonsense in the booth.