http://czabe.com/daily/archives/2007/08 ... oomer.html

You really need to access the links from his site to see the full breadth of the discussion but I remember seeing this segment and it was as horrible as Czaban makes it sound and if you aren't listening to Czabe in the morning, you should be!

Chris Berman sucks.

This is not news.

However, I feel compelled to point out a particular segment that offended me as a viewer – and a broadcast professional – for it’s sheer laziness and amateur caliber.

On Monday, ESPN assembled its 5-wide round table to “discuss” the relevant issues in the Mike Vick story. Berman, presumed to be the “point man” has a role to play as moderator. In other words, get in, distribute, focus the discussion, agite a bit if necessary, involve all players, and get out crisply.

It’s television folks, we don’t have all day.

So what does Berman the bumbling blow hard do? He delivers the most unfocused, meandering, faux drama laced performance ever. Hell, I think the Ball State kid could have done better.

Here’s three sample bites that display Berman’s pompous irrelevance

"BITE 1"

"BITE 2"

"BITE 3"
(Go to the site to hear these)
Now, allow me to trim Berman’s verbal fat, and write for him how he SHOULD have set it up. After all, they are paying all those nicely suited experts for THEIR opinions, not yours, Berman.

Question 1: “Guys.. if Mike Vick is out of football for 3 years… does an NFL body risk gathering too much rust for a comeback?”

Question 2: A complete mess, capped by the non-sensical question: “Will he be a great person?” I’m assuming that Berman was trying to ask if Vick would be changed by prison in a positive way. For starters, it’s an irrelevant question in this forum. These are football experts, not priests. Furthermore, could the “lead up” to the actual question, be any more disjointed?

Question 3: Well, this one I can’t even fix. It’s something that would have gotten Mike Hall from “Dream Job” voted off the show. “We all hope..” Who is WE? How does Berman know what, exactly, the “we” he’s referring to are hoping for Vick? I hope he gets severely gang raped a few times in prison. Do I care if he “learns” from any of this? No. I do not.

Now my question is this: where’s the executive producer here? Is Berman so big at Bristol, that nobody will challenge him? Are there no standards when it comes to Boomer? Do the guys sitting next to him on the set think: “Geesus! If I was as bad as him, I would be fired tomorrow!”

Your theories welcome. I’m frankly stumped.

Wow! This guy nailed it.
ESPN believes that Chris Berman is the symbol of the network. I believe he's been there since the beginning.
He doesn't bring anything to the table.
The word games with last names is tired. Most of the references are out-dated. That's why I like Scott Van Pelt and others, who drop in things from 'Family Guy' and even 'ATHF'.
ESPN believes they have the equivalent of a transcendent personality. He's not Bob Costas. I wouldn't even say that he's Jim Nantz.
I equate this to John Madden's career as an analyst. He comes in with a different approach, then just continues to live off it.
Berman needs to go.

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club