To: ESPN executives
From: Andrew Marchand
Re: Monday Night Football
CC: Tony Kornheiser
Dear execs,
We’re not sure it would work, but we think putting Tony Kornheiser of Pardon the Interruption and the Washington Post on Monday Night Football is the right move for ESPN.
If – or is it when? – you let the Al Michaels out of his eight-year, $32 million MNF contract after the Super Bowl, you can spin it that Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Kornheiser are a fresher broadcast team than NBC’s Michaels and John Madden.
You can point out that the tradition of MNF is to take chances. Some work (Howard Cosell), some don’t (Dennis Miller), but that is why Monday night still is the glamour night.
Now, The Memo reserves the right to rip the proposed new team, because we already have some doubts. Tirico can deliver content, but his pipes aren’t on par with Michaels’. Theismann can be distracting. And, while Kornheiser’s sarcasm might work at 5:30 weekdays, it might be annoying on game night.
But which team will have more intrigue going into next year: Michaels and Madden or the threesome with the cranky sports writer?