My Take

Hello Friends

This past Sunday ESPN’s Sports Reporters program marked its 20th Anniversary. Every Sunday since October 9, 1988, millions of viewers have tuned to the sports version of the Sunday morning political discussion programs. This is one of the best sports shows each week because there is no yelling and just intelligent sport talk. Three of the most prominent journalists from newspapers and other outlets across the country are regulars on the program. As long time executive producer Joe Valerio said, “the strength of the show is our unbiased view we don’t root for teams; we root for good stories”. One of the greatest experiences of my life was back in 1996 I was invited to a tapering of the Sports Reporters by my friend Mike Lupica. I got to talk to the late great Dick Schaap and sit next to him while he did the opening of the show. I have a great photo of Lupica, Schaap, Bob Ryan and Mitch Aborn pointing up at me while am behind them. The cool thing is that Lupica, Ryan and Aborn was on the 20th Anniversary this past Sunday. I hope one day I will have one of the best seats in sports. To think the Sports Reporters have been around for 20 years, boy, I feel old.

I have enjoyed the baseball postseason this year. This is TBS second year of coverage of the major league baseball playoffs. I have rediscovered Dick Stockton; he is a great announcer and can paint a picture with words. Ron Darling is a surprise and very good. Harold Reynolds is a great in-game analyst and has great enthusiasm for the game that really comes through. At first I was turn off by the sound of Chip Caray voice but he has grown on me and Buck Martinez is very good. I have watched the studio show only once and Cal Ripken Jr. is not good. He gets very worded and you can’t understand him. I think he has a lot of information in his head and can’t get it out.

Talk to you next week.

Good night and good luck.

Jamie Lazaroff