Dan LeBatard Rips Tony Kornheiser for Saying Matt Millen Was Qualified to Run the Lions

One of the strange things about the Matt Millen reign of terror over the Detroit Lions is that he was even hired to run the team in the first place. Most of the time, a guy who gets full authority over a football team has to have experience as a scout or executive or coach, not just as a player and TV analyst.

So it was bizarre to hear ESPN's Tony Kornheiser claim on today's Pardon the Interruption that Millen was qualified.

"I know him a long time," Kornheiser said. "I think he was qualified for his job. I think that his years of being a player, and his years of being on television, helped him evaluate personnel. I'm stunned by the totality of his failure because I like the guy a lot."

Dan Le Batard then proceeded to tell Kornheiser he's nuts.

"You're sucking up to him because he's friends with you," Le Batard said. "Because you guys have always liked him and this is how he's gotten ahead. He should have never had that job."

But Le Batard wasn't done there. For the rest of the show, Le Batard made fun of Kornheiser every chance he got. When they talked about Ozzie Guillen, Le Batard all of a sudden changed the subject and demanded, "How can you defend Matt Millen as being qualified for that position?"

It happened a few more times over the course of the show, Le Batard ripping Kornheiser and Kornheiser growing visibly irritated. It was great entertainment.

And it was a great point by Le Batard: It's dumb for Kornheiser to suggest that hiring Millen was anything other than one of the all-time boneheaded moves by owner William Clay Ford. I'm glad Le Batard was there to call Kornheiser out.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-24-2008 @ 9:12PM

cj said...

kornheiser has no business in the booth.He looks like a cadaver in a cheap suit.I have a hard time enjoying Monday Night Football with all the stupid things he says.He was trying to tell an all pro QB about football.This guy has the experience of a typical"All I can do is run my mouth"announcer.ESPN should know better,and obviously does not care.

9-25-2008 @ 1:15AM

Vincent said...

but I think Dan Missed the point Tony was trying to make - which is at the time of Matt Millen's Hiring It seemed like a good idea where as there were a number of teams interested in him. Hence Tony Saying how shocked he was that it didn't work out. Also, Dan Le Batard is a prick. you can't ever give you a straight answer.

9-25-2008 @ 8:02AM

Kevin said...

I agree. The mistake was not in the hiring of Millen at the time but rather in not relieving him of his duties a long time ago. It's ok to make a mistake so long as you own up to it in an appropriate time frame. Millen should not have lasted this long.

As for Le Batard, he has no business being on PTI. He never gives you a straight answer and offers nothing that is either new or interesting. If you are going to disagree with Kornheiser that is one thing, but the whole point of the show is to get your points in during the timeframe allotted. Of course Kornheiser was irritated. His fill in partner was trying to make a name for himself by ripping Millen and his firends/supporters on national TV. Is there nobody better to get as a fill in for this show than Le Batard? I can't watch it when he is on.

9-30-2008 @ 10:33PM

John said...

Kornheiser can go off the reservation on occasion, but Le Batard came across as a jerk-off on the show the other day...Vincent has a good point, and I agree that Kornheiser was probably going there with his comment as well. Having said that, Millen was a complete disaster as a gm, and should have been let go five years ago.