ESPN/ABC's Arena Football Booth Going Through A Major Overhaul
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Maybe Mike & Mike are too busy doing Soap Operas (3 O'clock on CBS!), but the pair isn't going to be back in the AFL booth next year for ESPN/ABC. No that honor will go to the most random collection of analysts and play-by-play guys ever assembled.
The plan seems to be to mix and match three different analysts and three different leads over the four month season beginning March 1st. And your winners are....
Leads: Bob Wischusen, Dave Pasch, and Joe Tessitore
Analysts: Shaun King, Marcellus Wiley, and Ray Bentley
While this is really a random set of announcers none of them are really that bad. As far as PxPers go Wischusen and Pasch are top notch and I think King and Wiley are intelligent and great studio analysts. I'm also convinced that Ray Bentley could be good as well without having Pam Ward dragging him down.
You would think that they would pick one team and go with it but apparently ESPN plans on changing them around for every single game. Here's your schedule if you're into the AFL....
Sat., March 1
Dallas at Georgia- Bob Wischusen, Shaun King and Marcellus Wiley (ABC, 1 p.m.)
Mon., March 3
San Jose at Chicago- Dave Pasch and Wiley (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)
Sun., March 9
Philadelphia at Chicago- Joe Tessitore and King (ESPN2, 1 p.m.)
Mon., March 10
Los Angeles at Arizona- Pasch and Wiley (ESPN2, 11 p.m.)
Mon., March 17
Colorado at Dallas- Wischusen and King (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Sat., March 29
Tampa at Philadelphia- Wischusen and Wiley (ESPN2, 2 p.m.)
Sun., April 6
Chicago at Orlando- Tessitore and King (ESPN2, 2 p.m.)
Mon., April 14
Chicago at Kansas City- Wischusen and Ray Bentley (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.)
Mon., April 21
Philadelphia at Columbus- Pasch and Wiley (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., April 28
Dallas at Philadelphia- Wischusen and King (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., May 5
Chicago at Tampa Bay- Wischusen and King (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., May 12
Philadelphia at Georgia- TBD and Bentley (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., May 19
Los Angeles at Chicago- Wischusen and Bentley (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., May 26
Georgia at New Orleans- Tessitore and Wiley (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Mon., June 2
New York at Colorado- Pasch and King (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.)
Mon., June 9
Los Angeles at Utah- Pasch and Wiley (ESPN2, 10 p.m.)
Mon., June 16
Colorado at Arizona- Pasch and King (ESPN2, 10 p.m.)
Sun., June 22
Dallas at Chicago- Wischusen and Bentley (ESPN2, 4 p.m.)
12 Comments:
This reads like a problem for my math teacher wife.
"ESPN's Arena Football has 3 play-by-play announcers and 3 analysts. How many different teams can they make?"
Seriously, I don't know to read this is as a step up or step down for Mike and Mike. Were they fired from Arena Football, or have they moved past it? And if you're fired from Arena Football, is that really a great loss?
Maybe Mike & Mike are two busy doing Soap Operas...etc
Not sure if I'm getting whooshed by a play on words here, but >.>;
ESPN finally came to their senses and got rid of those 2 doeps Mike & MIke from the AFL booth
Less M&M is good for society.
Less Mike & Mike is good for Arena Football.
Now if they could only do something about Jon Bon Jovi and his Philadelphia team. Bon Jovi owns the team. WE GET IT. I think the broadcasters and the league were actively rooting for him to be successful the last couple of years.
Tessitore is their boxing guy, he spent numerous years in Hartford with WFSB as sports ancho/director and was also at a station in Providence. I think he'll do a good job.
Is Tessitore the guy that did the New Year's Eve Motorcycle Jump abortion? If it is, he sucks fetus.
I'm glad M&M are off the Arena games. Greenberg just annoys me.
At least Philly is only on 5 times this year, as apposed to the 7 times last year. They have some pretty good games this year for the most part.
I live in Orlando, and really other than the Magic, the Predators are the only other game in town, so Preds games are usually well attended 12-13,000/game. But I've always wondered do people watch it particularly if you don't have a hometown team?
King is horrific on Cold Pizza or whatever that show is on the ESPN2. He and Emmitt Smith need to get together and see how many mixed metaphors and misnomers they can come up with.
Ray Bentley did a ton of Chicago Rush games last year and contrary to what you believe, he does indeed suck no matter who the pbp person is.
However Wiley is interesting since I've been impressed with his studio work.
@ jj
Dont forget Ron Jaworski (he co-owns the team with Bon Jovi) working Philadelphia games last year. I think the first five games shown last had Philadelphia playing in them.
Yet another sport that ESPN has changed the coverage of to the point of making the games unwatchable.
Bentley is great, he is a former AFL head coach and did the games on NBC. King, well, did a half a year in the AFL and was really really bad. Wiley. Well he is new to ESPN, so off to the AFL he goes I suppose.
I like the play by play guys, the best pairing will be Bently with any of them.