SportsCenter

When I first watched Sportscenter on ESPN in the 90's, I got hooked on the highlights, not to mention the interviews with sports stars and celebrities and stories behind the athletes as well as live look-ins on games. I also liked the music and the fast pace of the show. Not to mention the "This is Sportscenter" commercials. To this day, in the age of Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook, I still watch Sportscenter to see what I have been missing. Watching the HD highlights are pretty cool. Recently, Sportscenter became a live marathon for several hours from 9-3p.m., although they play the same highlights over and over again. Not to mention the annoying Bottomline ticker.

SportsCenter has become unwatchable. This morning's 7:00 a.m. Program covered one game during the entire hour (Chiefs/Ravens). Showed highlights and talked about it four different times. No baseball (it's September and playoffs are not that far off, no Tennis (Semi Finals of the US Open). Just one game, contract issues for a Bengals player and previews of upcoming NFL and college games. Doesn't ESPN have a hundred other talk show options that I happily skip? This isn't just today. When baseball is covered, it's Yankees and Dodgers. This time last year, the Yankees were at least 10 games behind Baltimore, but we always saw Yankees highlights. Orioles would get coverage if someone hit a homerun, or Mike Trout hit a homerun against them (and that was the highlight)

What used to be a great way to start my day has become unwatchable......

Let's face it; SportsCenter is one of the greatest shows of all time, and also has the greatest long-running series of commercials EVER. En Fuego, as it were. What clever people over there in Bristol. Dan Patrick, Boomer, Stu Scott, Kenny Mayne...what more can you say? One of my favorites is the old school no- nonsense Bob Ley. Charley Steiner's also great, and willing to do anything in the commercials. Ley and Chris Berman led the way in the early going, and then Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann brought the show onto another level.

(Olbermann leaving the Big Show was about as stupid as Shelley Long leaving "Cheers.") The show has changed the way athletes view themselves always looking for a way to get into the highlight reel. And it has changed the way that other networks broadcast sports and show highlights. And think of the catch phrases: put the biscuit in the basket, as cool as the other side of the pillow, he could...go...all...the...way, you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him, show them what they've won: a National League baseball game. All the great ones. Boo-Yah!

Sportscenter's usefulness has gone with the appearance of the internet. As a result, the anchors, most of whom are horribly unfunny and annoying (are you listening Stuart Scott?) have had to resort to cheap gimmicks to attract viewers, rather than actually have any real sports reporting. So now, the show is for people who have no real knowledge of what sports is all about. Instead, it is for people who think sports is all about dunking, showboating, and classlessness. Oh yeah, and plenty of Michael and Tiger. I really love knowing that Tiger came in 23rd, 12 strokes behind, rather than getting any real clips of the WINNER.

This sports news show has now been going for over two decades, and shows no signs of slowing down "SportsCenter" seems to be staying for good. You name it when you want to know anything about sports of any type tune to this day or night. I know ESPN reruns enough of these shows over and over during the mornings and during the day, but hey this is the networks bread and butter, so a viewer has a chance to catch something if they miss it right off. The reporters and anchors are some of the best and most knowledgeable in the business that is well evidenced in Chris Berman, Charlie Steiner, and Brian Kenny. Some of the female anchors are colorful and talented you can notice that so well in Robin Roberts and Linda Cohn. So if your a sports buff making "SportsCenter" apart of your week is a must.