The Vig

ESPN is doing The Masters this year, which I didn’t realize until I read this.

Berman will have nothing to do with this year’s Masters telecasts, no presence whatsoever. There’s not even a pro-am for ESPN to show him clowning in. Mike Tirico will be the only ESPN person seen through the network’s Thursday and Friday, 4-7 p.m. window. And Tirico is assigned to conduct interviews from Butler Cabin.

The rest of ESPN’s telecasts will be in the hands of CBS and CBS personnel. Berman won’t even be a member of ESPN’s three-man, on-site “SportsCenter” team.

…

It stands to reason that even if Berman swore to leave his seltzer bottle and whoopee cushion home – TV announcers choose their words with such gem-cutters’ care during the Masters that the telecasts make for unintended comedy – he was considered by the Masters people and/or ESPN to be a behavioral risk.

Seltzer bottle and whoopee cushion.  That’s Berman in five words.

Like every other sports fan under the age of 45, I grew up worshiping at the altar of Berman.  It’s been sad to watch him slide into self-parody for the last decade or so.  There are younger, better anchors in ESPN’s stable.  Van Pelt comes immediately to mind, especially for golf, for crying-out-loud.  As for Berman.  He’s a professor-emeritus and I suppose he’s earned the right to stay in Bristol as long as he chooses.  Maybe they can turn him into a Harry Caray/Spuds McKenzie-type.  Send him to the big events to be the grand marshal, but keep him out of the anchor’s chair.

It seems Screamin’ Stephen A Smith’s days on Portland radio are numbered.  At least that’s what I’m taking from the The Fan’s “big voice” guy’s cryptic announcements this week that the new line-up is coming soon.  It will be interesting to see what the new line-up looks like.

I’ve no inside information, but it would seem they’re gonna have to work something out with ESPN since the Worldwide Leader holds much sway with their radio affiliates.  Without ESPN’s overnight programming, for example, The Fan would either have to go off the air, air a ton of infomercials, or go find Scott Ferrall.  The folks in Bristol have compromised with their West Coast affiliates by airing a West Coast-only hour of the Colin Cowherd Show so we can get a full three hours of his arrogant charm prior to Los Angeles’ Jim Rome.  Those days could be coming to an end.

I don’t see ESPN letting 1080 off the Stephen A. hook without some sort of compromise.  Personally I’d like to see them go live during the noon-hour with a show hosted by Gavin Dawson which would focus on the Blazers, the NBA, and college hoops.  If you’ve spent any time listening to Dawson, I think you’ll agree he’s got a ton of basketball knowledge and that sort of show would go over well.  At least that’s what I think.  Follow the Dawson show with two-hours of ESPN’s SportsBash, then slide straight into the afternoon drive show.

The only problem with this scenario is it would eliminate the Tirico show and I don’t think ESPN will go for that.  Tirico will stay on the air here.  So what happens if ESPN big foots 1080 and forces them to play Tirico live?  Would they perhaps run four hours of Cowherd, followed by Tirico from 10-noon, followed by Rome on tape-delay?  I can’t see thatgoing over very well.  Personally I would be disappointed if that was the direction they went.  Dumping a popular West Coast show in favor of six hours of East Coast programming just isn’t cool.  I like my Dawson plan.

Worst case scenario…if Rome does end up the odd man out, would he seek a deal somewhere else?  KXL is starting to put together quite a little stable of sports guys.  Maybe move Lars to a noon-to-3 deal and slide Rome in live from 9-noon.  Crazier things have happened.

The Fan’s website says the new line-up starts on Monday.  I guess we’ll have to see what happens.