I'm not sure what the consensus is on Tony Kornheiser in his role as Monday Night Football color man, but let me put in my vote for HE SUCKS.
Somebody needs to tell him his job as a football announcer is not to give opinions on franchises. It's not his job as a football announcer to give speeches full of flowery and melodramatic hyperbole. He's a color commentator -- his job is to be insightful and funny and initiate clever banter with Joe Theismann. That's it.
The disaster that is Tony Kornheiser reared it's ugly little bald head non-stop in this game: his constant barrage about what a horrible franchise Arizona is; his calling Arizona a "bad team" SEVERAL times; his tirade about how the city of Phoenix should just "close up the new stadium and call it quits for the year" if they lose this game; even on Arizona's first offensive series, they got a first down and he said they should "just call it good, go home right now, and tell everybody to drive home safe". I just spent two hours trying to watch a great football game, and instead found myself saying over and over again, "Who asked you, Kornheiser?"
It doesn't matter if everything he said was true -- that's beside the point. Making inflammatory statements and knee-jerk reactionary comments is his job on PTI, not Monday Night Football. If they wanted that in the booth, they would get Charles Barkley. In fact, I'm hoping that Barkley's appearance in the booth in the first half was a message -- maybe it was ESPN saying, "Is it just us, or would Charles Barkley be way more entertaining than this Pez-headed jerk we mistakenly hired?"
Tony Kornheiser is only mildly entertaining on PTI, and he's simply unbearable as a live football commentator. He's not a live sports announcer, he's a just loud-mouthed New Yorker with a superiority complex. The color commentator for a football game is supposed to be the guy you wish you were hanging out with watching the game. He should be that likeable dude who's witty and insightful, not that guy you wish would just shut up and watch the game. Whatever he is, he is not Monday Night Football material.
Uh, Roger, Arizona does suck. Big time. And it's not Tony K that's the problem. It's Joe Theisman. He flip flops more than Paris Hilton with a few drinks in her. Tony just points that out.
BTW, having lived in Arizona for a long time, it's about damn time someone on a national broadcast called out the hopeless f---ing Cardinals.
That's Mr. Wallace if you please... I couldn't agree with you more. In the post I just made I too had to vent similarly on our shared disdain for the current booth.
I did enjoy Charles Barkley in the booth. It was easily the most entertaining part of the Audible version of the telecast. From now on, I will only watch MNF with the mute on, and wait for the braille version of the commentary.
I halfway agree with you, but it is so funny listening to Kornheiser rip into Theisman.
How many times did he say to Theisman..."Well you thought Leinart wouldn't make it in the pros because he doesn't have a strong arm". At least 3 times he said it.
Then he calls him out when Theisman says "stay aggressive" but also says "You have to keep the clock running and shorten the game". Kornheiser's reply..."Well which is it?? Throw the ball & be aggressive or run the ball & kill the clock"
There is no doubt in my mind that Theisman absolutely hates him.
Last edited by shaolin74 on October 16th at 10:45 PM.
I agree with you, Shaolin74 -- I bet Theismann thumped Kornheiser on his goofy chrome dome after that game, while the producers held him down. Again, Tony K. was right, but who asked him? It's not his job to correct his coworkers, or call them out on their flip-flopping. Their job is to help each other in the booth, not try and point out someone else's flawed arguments over and over again.
LJ4PREZ: Glad you agree. Barkley is definitely entertaining, but I don't really think he's right for the MNF booth, either. I'm just saying if the MNF producers want entertaining, inflammatory comments, Barkley is much better at it than Kornheiser. Frankly, I miss Dennis Miller.
Ricko: Yes, Arizona does suck. But it's not his job to say so. That's the job of the post-game commentators, and it IS his job on PTI. He just needs to keep it out of the booth. Yes, Theismann was making no sense. But he's a hell of a lot more knowledgeable than Tony K., and it's not K's place to "call him out". It's just unprofessional.
Agreed. If Theismann stays on MNF next year, there is no way he'll stay if Kornheiser is there. I'm waiting for a real verbal altercation to break out between them.
Gotta give Theismann credit cause there have been about 5 or 6 times this year I really thought he would lose it and start choking Kornheiser.
Did anyone pick up the thing where Tony K said Bob Dylan had a line, "standing in the world alone" or something like that and there was like 3 to 4 seconds of dead air. I'm still trying to figure what context he said that with. I'm guessing so are others. Were I Theisman I would pummle the little creep before the season ended. And I am not an advocate for violence.
gcoach: I am an advocate for a good thumping if somebody is asking for it, and Kornheiser has been asking for it for a long time. Theismann is too much of a professional to say anything on the air, though. He'll just resign or insist that they fire Kornheiser.
Last edited by RogerCWallace on October 16th at 11:32 PM.
Theismann's not great, but at least he has the credentials to be in the booth. Theismann doesn't bother me as much as he does everybody else -- and I don't think it's possible to be worse than Tony Kornheiser. At least Theismann knows what he's talking about most of the time, even if he doesn't communicate it too well.
I can't even stand the sound o his voice anymore. I find myself muting the game because of his incessant yaking about things other than the game. I can't even get the critical info from any of these guys before the snap. Tony Kornhole, as I like to call him, needs to shut up and get out of the booth. He has no place on MNF or PTI for that matter.
MNF needs Chris Berman in that booth...now that's the guy I want to watch the game with. Imagine how fun and informative that would be. Hmmm.
SHUTUPandPLAY: Yes, Berman would be interesting, but I don't know that he's the right man for the job. He's a "front man", a guy that needs to be the center of attention in a group discussion. He's colorful, and pretty likeable, but I think his insistence on catch phrases and bombasticity (is that a word?) would be a hindrance in the booth. It would be the same problem as Kornheiser, without the "jerk factor".
I still contend that Jim Rome is the right guy for the color slot. He's intelligent, funny, and professional. He does have a problem with "likebility" if you're not a fan of his show, but he's still the best guy out there for the job.
By the way, there's a reason I refrained from using "Kornholer" in this slam-piece -- it's just too easy. It's so obvious, it's not even funny. It's like knowing a guy named "Boogermed" and calling him "Boogerhead". He'd be like, "HA!! Boogerhead... that's a good one. Did you think of that all by yourself?"
Last edited by RogerCWallace on October 18th at 2:36 AM.
I never thought about Jim Rome. He might fit the bill nicely.
And yes, I do get why you don't call him Kornholer, BUT when I watch MNF it is the only way I refer to him and it has become like a broken record in my head, much like he is. Essentially I have so little respect for the man I can't call him anything other. His voice is like a tiny insect boring into my brain. BUT I do see and respect your point. And thank you for calling me out on that. Still, he is such a Kornhole...(last one, I promise)
Bottom lining it...they need somebody different. I feel as though the vast majority of MNF fans dislike this guy. I wish things were like they used to be when the customer was always right instead of the company giving you what they think you like without regard. Enough...
Roger - Watching PTI yesterday and they were talking about Mike Tyson and Kornheiser said he'd like to fight the other guy on the show. Watching this imbecile is not good for me. When he said that I had an urge to just reach out and pop the scrawny little turd right in the mouth. I once thought Lee Corso was the most annoying man in a broadcast booth. Not any more!
i got the perfect line up: Charles Barkley and those two guys from the Sonic commercials. that would be hilarious.
2006-2007 Question of the Year: if trapped in an announcer's booth with Dicky V, Bill Walton, and Joe Theisman, and you had a .357 with 1 shot in it... who would you shoot?
I agree with most of the post I've read;it's unprofessional to call someone out as many times as Kornheiser has with Theisman.I also think that Theisman's had to address this during the commercial breaks a time or 2 so it's a matter of time before Theisman calls out Kornheiser in a bad way on the air or one leaves the booth.I will say Kornheiser wasn't saying anything more than what I and I would think most of you were thinking listening to Theisman during the game.
Since most people seemed to enjoy when Barkley was on air, they should shitcan Tony leaving only two guys and bring in the celebrity commentator from the crowd two or three times a game. Ya know, different people in the crowd as they have done all season.
First off, Kornheiser is a blowhole. He used to hang up on guys that called his radio show that waited on hold for an hour if the caller asked him "How ya doin?". he didn't like that phrase.
That said, I hope him and Theisman have a HEATED debate this Monday if LT is visiting the booth (Giants/Cowboys) and Kornheiser asks Theisman if he has to have LT sack him again!
And, nice choice on Demon's question HogFan. I'd shoot the doorknob so they couldn't get out until I could reload.
Sorry Fox, when Kornheiser is on I'm off. There are too many good sportscasters out there that don't have his snide "favor one team" attitude.
When he laughed at Rickey Williams for getting deliberately stomped in the chest for a season ending injury, that iced the cake. Is he a bigot or just an ####?
W. F. Outland (Perry Fl.)
kornheiser is a blithering ####. I'd rather not hear about his man-love for Brett Favre or Tom Brady. He whines about the cold in the booth; hopefully, he'll freeze to death.
Kornheiser is ANNOYING. He's like the fly at a barbecue that you swat at but is hard to kill. Bring back the old ESPN crew: Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire.
Roger C. Wallace is a 34-year-old resident of Austin, TX, and a professional musician by trade (feel free to check out www.rogerwall ace.com if you have the time and inclination). He is also a sports fan by birth, and a sports junkie by years of undue dilligence. He also likes to hear himself type. And cheeseburgers . A lot.
