Herbstreit takes right turn, then gets back on wrong road

ONE OF TV’s many untreated disappointments is ESPN’s lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

He could be so good — so important — if only he ceased saturating his words in football gibberish, from “running down hill” to “stick his foot in the ground” to chalk-talk explanations of defenses that no one can see once the ball is snapped, and, of course, the ESPN specialty, vacant, vacuous stats.

Monday night, Herbstreit had two outstanding moments, one after Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle was ejected for targeting, helmet-to-helmet. While ESPN normally loads up on useless stats, no mention was made that this was Battle’s second targeting ejection this season, and at least Bama’s third.

But after Chris Fowler said that such hits used to be legal, Herbstreit hit us right in the reality chops: “Legal? They were encouraged! They led ‘SportsCenter’!”

Yep, excessive brutality was what TV and football once sold as the essence, why we love it.

Now it’s trash-talking, musclesflexing and all acts of excessive immodesty.

Herbstreit later praised Bama star receiver DeVonta Smith as the ultimate sportsman and gentleman, marvelously talented and a pleasure to watch. Hear! Hear!

But if that’s how Herbstreit feels — and I’m sure he does — why does he regularly indulge those who exploit the view to draw extra attention to themselves through demonstrations of self-aggrandizement — the kind ESPN tapes and airs as come-ons for future telecasts? Step up! Speak up! Unless he thinks ESPN will fire him for being pro-sportsmanship, a possibility worth considering.