Is ESPN Looking To Open Up Its L.A. Digs With Pat O'Brien
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
You may remember that ESPN is planning on dividing its operations with a new HQ out west in the near future. While those plans are still moving forward, Sports by Brooks uncovered a possible added bonus that could come with the new digs. That bonus is Pat O'Brien. Yes....the Pat O'Brien. The ex-CBS Basketball reporter/ex-Access Hollywood host/ex-Entertainment Tonight host/drunken and drugged voicemailer.
SbB got a hold of ESPN to comment on the possibility of the hire....
A source recently revealed that O’Brien may be under consideration for an on-air position at ESPN Radio. I have no more details than that. These sorts of things can sometimes be agent propaganda, but from what I gathered from my source, that isn’t the case here.Obviously this is all speculation and rumor, but it could be time to get Pat O'Brien back into Sports. Everyone deserves a second chance, and as far as reporters go, O'Brien was one of the better ones in the 80s and 90s.
From a sports broadcast perspective, an O’Brien hire would make perfect sense for ESPN. But of course, based on numerous, ugly off-air indiscretions by the former “Insider” host, ESPN bringing him on would be a considerable risk to the network.
UPDATE: ESPN Media Relations Director Josh Krulewitz responds to SbB about the prospect of ESPN hiring O’Brien. “Our radio content is both national and local as we (ESPN) own five radio stations including one in Los Angeles. There have been no discussions about considering him (O’Brien) for a job.”
Speaking of Los Angeles, I’ve since heard that O’Brien may have specific interest in an on-air position with the aforementioned ESPN-owned L.A. radio station, KSPN-AM. I’m also hearing that an official at that station may have been contacted by an O’Brien representative about the prospect of O’Brien hosting a show on the station.
ESPN Ready To Take A Chance On Pat O’Brien? (Sports by Brooks)
9 Comments:
That's hot.
He'll fit in well with Jay Crawford. He's got to be better than Cowherd.
Does anybody have any...coke...hot.
gmoney- Herd isn't going anywhere any time soon, unfortunately, no matter how much we bitch and moan about him. He's even getting a tv show on tWWL later this year.
Salisbury's shoes need be filled in this department.
I like the move; I wish Kevin Frazier would come back from the gossip/Entertainment Tonight genre as well.
What ever happened to that interview Pat O'Brien did with Pat Riley during the Finals one year where they were both obviously coked up? I mean seriously, they must have done lines seconds before they hit the air. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time waiting for one of them to say, "Damn, that's some good shit. Game! I mean that's some good game."
That interview has to be on the interwebs somewhere. Everything's on the interwebs.
O'Brien's a perfect fit for ESPN.
I hated him back when he was on CBS (always thought he was above everyone else, sorta like Stu) and I'm sure I'll hate him now.
Neat! Will there be drunken rants and sexual harassment like old times?