OT:Chris Berman supposedly "retiring" from ESPN after 2016

[sb1]

I put "retiring" in quotes because I get the impression this was not his own decision.

 

[Gronk]

Well hey, I don't watch him anymore but I suppose it's slightly more likely I'd watch a Suzy and Straight Cash Homey version of Countdown. I guess respect to him for making millions being for being a dipshit.

"You're with me, leather."

 

[IcyPatriot]

Whatever ........ don't care.

 

[XLIX]

He is denying that he is retiring (via his agent). Interesting situation.

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[Joker]

He must've dropped 200 hits of acid and shot up a pound of heroin covering the Dehategate saga...

 

[GrogansArmy]

I know very few will agree with me on this, but If him retiring is true... its an end of an era. I grew up on watching him back in the 90s and while there wasn't much for him to say about us, he always put us in a good light. Yeah yeah I know he's a bills fan and all, but he's always been good to us.

Chris, while not many of my fellow pats fans will care that you're retiring, there is at least one pats fan here that will miss you.

 

[Fencer]

I remember ESPN from the 1980s. Berman was a fun and interesting newscaster, with the "Get this!" items and the nicknames. Roy Firestone was an excellent interviewer.

That's the last time I watched with any frequency.

 

[captain insano]

I can't stand Chris Berman. his schtick got extremely old years and years ago. I'm not watching that piece of sh!t station no matter who they put on.

 

[Joker]

 

[Off The Grid]

It happened so gradually that I can't put a Date on it, but the Shows he was on, before and after the Games, changed dramatically over the Years. Back in the early 90's, their Shows were so damned good, I'd haul my Ass up and awake on Sunday Morning on as little as 2 or 3 Hours of Sleep just to watch'm.

You know how you'll often watch a Show well beyond its Prime, just because you're invested with the Characters, and because you've become part of a small NetWork of People who talk about it?

It was about 10 Years or so ago that I woke up one Sunday Morning, got my Java going, sat down and turned the Telly on...And it hit me: "Wait a minute. This Show sucks, now."

"And now that I think about it...It's sucked for Years. "

Back in The Day, Berman and They Hate Their Coach used to have terrific Conversations about FootBall.

But it's been a long, long time.

That's what catering and marketing to The Lowest Common Denominator will do.

 

[Joker]

and they still haven't found the BOTTOM of that denominator.....

 

[AtomicDawg]

Don't care but it gives me an excuse to post this to jog memories...

EDIT: NSFW!!!

 

[Bill Lee]

I remember ESPN from the 1980s. Berman was a fun and interesting newscaster, with the "Get this!" items and the nicknames. Roy Firestone was an excellent interviewer.

That's the last time I watched with any frequency.

I agree with all of the above.

Chris was with ESPN from the start, and before that, he did high school football games in the Waterbury CT area on WNVR:

Chris Berman joined ESPN in its first month of operation on October 1, 1979 as an anchor for the 3 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter. Then, he was a 24-year-old, long-haired sports host and traffic reporter for WNVR-AM in Waterbury, Conn. who worked weekends as the $23-per-day sports anchor on WVIT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Hartford, Conn.

Ref : ESPN.com - ESPNINC/PRESSRELEASES - Q&A with Chris Berman

So Chris has been a part of my sports scene since the 70s, for better or for worse. In the 80s he had a unique schtick going for himself, but it has long since gone stale. These days he's just a nostalgic presence, and it won't bother me one bit if he decides to retire.

Don't care but it gives me an excuse to post this to jog memories...

I'm sure we all have had sh*tty days at work before... But yeah, I've heard he got a pretty big ego. At least at one point in the rant he says he's sorry for exploding.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Looks like sexual harassment claims at ESPN will go down now.

 

[rkarp1]

I know he is not a fave around here, but he really did change the way broadcasts are today. CB invented having fun with it. anyone over the course of 30 plus years will grow stale, but he had a great 15 year run with it. HOF career imo...hope he doesnt taint it by trying to stay to long, or move on to another affiliate

 

[DarrylS]

When you near the end of your career and you are not getting much attention, your publicists manufactures something , anything to gain some news..

And then you deny it, gain a few more facebook and twitter followers, and you are then viewed as some sort of "success"....

 

[Fixit]

I bet he'll be back, back, backbackbackback on another network.

 

[Wordsmyth]

Rumblin bumblin fumblin back back back back GAN!

 

[PatsBoy12]

I stopped watching ESPN three or so seasons ago (maybe longer if I really think about it), so I couldn't care less about their comings and goings.