Tony Kornheiser Will Use MNF to Only Talk About Brett Favre (and Dry Cleaning)

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Tony Kornheiser really is an insufferable clown. It pains me to write that because for almost 30 years he was one of the best sportswriters in the country, but since cutting back (and eventually leaving) his Washington Post gig, and being named the third wheel in the Monday Night Football booth, he's gone from respected newspaperman to Woody Paige light. In case there's any confusion, that's not a compliment.

During the first two MNF games, Mr. Tony spent equal time yelling about Brett Favre -- even though, you know, the Jets weren't playing -- and making inane observations while talking over boothmates Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski, two guys made infinitely more interesting by comparison.

And now, with the Chargers and Jets facing off this Monday night, guess where Kornheiser will focus his attention? Yep, it's FAVRE-MANIA! Or something.

And this much we know: Kornheiser will not shy from talking about Favre. In fact, he did it so much in the "MNF" opener between the Vikings and the Favre-less Packers that "Tirico had to put a moratorium on me," Kornheiser said.

But he makes no apologies. "It's impossible to believe anybody would think any story approaches Brett Favre so far this year in football," he said.

"I talked extensively about him in Game 1; I talked about him in Game 2 and I will talk about him in Game 3," Kornheiser said. "He is just one of a handful of compelling figures" in the NFL, he added, putting Favre on a short list with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Quick suggestion to the ESPN production higher-ups: focus groups. Try them. I'm quite certain a random sampling of NFL fans have absolutely no interest in hearing about Favre, particularly in those games WHERE HE'S NOT EVEN PLAYING. For starters, it's hardly original, and moreover, Peter King has had that market cornered for more than a decade now.

If Mr. Tony wants to make MNF more compelling, maybe he should try to play down the "hey, I'm a big buffoon!" angle and actually contribute to the telecast. If that means fewer fatuous comments, so be it. A nation will thank you, I promise.

via TSB

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-20-2008 @ 1:02PM

Wade said...

I'm afraid the Kornheiser thing is stuck for awhile. Leitch warned us about this in God Save the Fan. ESPN isn't our for the fans. They're interested in getting the people dumb enough to watch and listen to him. They know real football fans will watch MNF no matter what and they don't care if we mute it or put it on the radio. We're still tuned in on the set.

9-20-2008 @ 1:37PM

Bob A Ganoush said...

Tony rules! He is a million times better than Dennis Miller was;
with his obtuse references to things about .001% of the population knew about. He is irreverent, funny and says the things Joe Lunchbucket would say, sitting on their couches with their buddies. Football is a welcome respite from this terrible economy with four buck a gallon gas, and a housing market in the toilet. So, give him a huge break. I see him on TV,
not you

9-20-2008 @ 1:39PM

ryan said...

"Tony rules! He is a million times better than Dennis Miller was..."

I believe this qualifies as "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

9-21-2008 @ 8:56AM

jc said...

the housing market is not tied to the economy do your homework. It is a result of bad financial decisions made by people earning 50k buying 400k homes. your rhetoric is what causes socialism to take over our country.

mel willis said...

I hate watching mnf with him on the program. I turn off the volume and watch. I can not wait for a change in the announcers

9-20-2008 @ 4:07PM

jj said...

Tony Kornheiser is without a doubt a great color man. He is the exact thing that the MNF broadcast needs. He is not trying to get everyone to like him, that is not who he is. He is a guy that is unafraid to say what everyone is thinking and say it in front of millions of people. If you are at all familiar with his previous work at PTI or The Post then you would know that he TRIES to be the black sheep. He doesn't care what people think and that is what makes him great. Keep up the good work Tony!!

9-20-2008 @ 4:41PM

Trogdor said...

As one of the .001%, I much preferred Miller to Kornheiser. Not a big fan of either, but there's no reason Kornheiser - who's been writing about football for about 230 years - should seemingly know so little about it. In fact based on his columns and PTI, we can be sure he does know quite a bit, which is what makes his buffoonery so aggravating.

9-20-2008 @ 4:53PM

4Favre said...

I'm a HUGE Favre fan and even I get sick of Tony Kornholer talking about him

9-20-2008 @ 6:13PM

giant fan since 57 said...

I wonder what Alex Karras is doing? Remember his comment about Otis Sistrunk being from the University of Mars? LOL

9-20-2008 @ 10:16PM

redskins fan said...

Cant stand the guy. havent had a good comentator since Howard cousell. Shame the liberal media black balled him for a comment that was absolutly inocent and made to mean somthing he didnt mean. thats not the way he lived his life.

9-21-2008 @ 8:41AM

Scratchy said...

Watching MNF and waiting for what Tony K will say next is akin to the expression of the Afflac Duck in the Yogi Berra commercial...priceless. He may not make sense all the time but he has some entertainment value. Plus he is funnier than Miller is. At least you can understand his reference.

9-25-2008 @ 3:30AM

Clay said...

God I can't stand "Tony Cornholer". Cringed on every word he utters since day one. To be honest I'd rather him talk about Favre than any other of his brilliant insights. One thing I must say about ol' Tony though, it makes the other rather ordinary announcers seem sublime (kinda like the hot chick that hangs around with fat girls)

9-27-2008 @ 1:26PM

JBIRD said...

jc , could you be any more of a moron?- the housing market isn't tied to the economy? You should maybe run to Washington and tell all congressmen and senators that so they know not to bail out all the banks, that are going bankrupt because of all the sub-prime mortgages they underwrote. Stick to football retard.

9-29-2008 @ 5:37PM

mike said...

The whole crew on Monday night football is a disgrace. They run their mouths constanly. Shut up and let us watch the game.
Most of the time they are yapping has nothing to do with the game.
All should be replaced.