USA Today Breaks ESPN Press Release On 25-Hour College Football Telecast

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I don't know Michael Hiestand. I've never had a conversation with the guy. But if I ever get a job in Journalism, I sure as hell pray it's not his.

It's got to be tough to be ESPN's bitch. They give you stories ahead of time and you submit them at midnight the night before they are released. Woe is you. Well this one takes the cake in my book, and I'm pretty pissed off about it. I'll let the douchebag at the McPaper explain....

The idea, to be announced Wednesday, is to give ESPN's first college football game this season — Louisiana State at Mississippi State on Aug. 30 — a whopping 25-hour lead-in. Rece Davis, saying he'll play "the Jerry Lewis role" in hosting the marathon: "I might have to wear a tux. … And at the end, maybe we'll dim the lights and I'll loosen my tie and have more product in my hair than usual."

ESPN's Twenty-Five Hours of College Football Presented by TIVO starts at 7 p.m. ET Aug. 29 and continues until the Tigers-Bulldogs kickoff 25 hours later. Some regular shows, such as SportsCenter will remain intact, but with more emphasis on college football, while offbeat fare fills time slots. The University of Hawaii team practice was moved to 9 p.m. in their time zone to fill the 3 a.m. ET slot.

Davis says the format came up casually — "somebody said, 'Why don't we stay up all night?' " — and will serve fans "starved for more, more, more. I can't imagine there'll be much we'll miss."
To be "announced tomorrow"? Thanks you ass. Glad ESPN emailed it to you ahead of time. You're special.

With that said.....ESPN, how about you don't make a mockery of college football and the south, and make it an actual telethon. You can even raise money for the area from which one of your 25-Hour teams is from. You know the one that got hit with a massive hurricane last year 2005 (I was referring to the "Sports Season" in the previous explanation. Sorry for the confusion)? The one in Louisiana. Wait, didn't Mississippi get hit by it too? Oh I'm sorry.....I'll put it in terms you understand.

The one Spike Lee made an HBO Documentary about (you have to bring it to the Hollywood level for some people to understand).

I pray that Rece Davis got misquoted in this whole deal and that ESPN will "magically" make this into a money raising event. If you are making a mockery out of this ESPN, I swear to christ I'm stopping at no ends to let the world know.

/rant

ESPN set to air 25-hour college football pregame show (USA Today)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 12:12 AM

17 Comments:

You ever see the old Andy Kaufman bit on SNL from the 70's, the one where he's in a tux and pulls out The Great Gatsby and starts reading from it, just to assault the audience? They, of course, get riled up.

This is ESPN's version...

E Buzz said...
Aug 22, 2007, 8:28:00 AM  

Nice bird's nest on Hiestand's head.

GMoney said...
Aug 22, 2007, 11:05:00 AM  

i've stopped watching sunday night baseball, i will not watch the espn sunday pregame show or monday night football...i guess the saturday pregame show is next. keep it up wwl.

-dan

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 11:13:00 AM  

I don't read this blog much, usually only when someone else links to it, but by your comments *you* sound more like a pompous ass than anybody on espn or at usa today... You can lament at the 25 hr coverage all you want (which is incredibly absurd, but I wouldn't be watching at 4 am anyways) but why bust somebody's balls about getting a lead earlier. Its not like Hiestand's an ass or anything. He's just reporting what was given to him (and any other journalist would do the same). So why don't you set the next few plays out there, champ and quit trying to be the snarky cynical blog which you are obviously trying to, but failing, to be.

Justin, King or Prussia, Pa

Aug 22, 2007, 12:24:00 PM  

If you go back and look through the archive of Heistand's stuff, he has A LOT of stuff that says, "to be announced tomorrow." From all the networks, but ESPN is at the top, natch.

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 12:28:00 PM  

Justin...first of all, no one cares where you're from. Second, it's King OF Prussia, PA not King or Prussia...you can't even get where you're from right.

Third, it's USA Today...I/we all understand that they will get stories before anyone else. What *you* don't understand is that all MH does is copy and paste press releases into a story. He provides no commentary and doesn't question things at all. He's ESPN's bitch and it's been that way for awhile.

So you saying that he's "reporting" what he's been given is a joke. I don't expect you to read this because like other uninformed commenters you hit and run, but do me a favor....

If you don't "get" what I'm doing on the site. Don't stop by...you're not wanted. Just change the channel.

P.S.- If I'm failing as you say, I'd like to ask the 100s of thousands of people that come here every month to tell me why. Thanks.

Aug 22, 2007, 12:37:00 PM  

The picture of Hiestand screams "I'm totally peeping in my neighbor's windows. While naked."

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 12:49:00 PM  

I remember hearing this guy on with Don and Mike years ago(back when they were still funny); he was filling in for Rudy Martzke one day, and was totally clueless. Maybe he's gotten better since then, I don't know. As far as the 25-hour pregame goes, can you say "jumped the shark"?

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 12:52:00 PM  

"Justin is right!"

- family of Michael Hiestand




"Yeah!"

- the mentally ill

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 2:08:00 PM  

AA,

It's quite possible to fail and still be popular. I hope you realize that, since most of the people and programs you criticize have a much larger audience than this blog.

Now, I disagree that you're failing (you have to be pretty pathetic to fail at blogging), but playing the popularity card is kinda weak sauce.

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 2:18:00 PM  

I wasn't playing the card the way you think I was, but think what you want Anon. I'm not comparing myself to anyone, but if I am really failing I'd like to hear why from all the people coming here more and more every month. That has nothing to do with anyone or any site but this one.

Most people like to ignore idiots like Justin...I choose to defend myself.

Aug 22, 2007, 2:26:00 PM  

I've got your back, AA. Idiots, wake up, this site is about taking bad announcers/others to task.

Keep up the good work. Like normal, the haters can go fuck themselves.

GMoney said...
Aug 22, 2007, 3:27:00 PM  

Truly excellent idea on the fund raiser.

rwmonty said...
Aug 22, 2007, 8:58:00 PM  

Like the idea of making the whole thing a fund raiser, although Katrina hit in 2005 and not last year as you posted. I realize your intentions are good, but if you're going to be so cynical at least have the right info in there.

Trust when I say it won't be a "mockery" as you think it might be. The idea was conceived to give viewers something that it seems like people just can't enough of: college football.

Anonymous said...
Aug 22, 2007, 9:26:00 PM  

Sorry Anon....I was thinking in Sports terms when I say "last year". I.E.- The majority of coverage was last season with the annual Sports season starting in September and ending in August.

Everything begins and ends with Football my friend.

Aug 22, 2007, 9:32:00 PM  

Even though nobody probably is reading this story anymore, I thought I would come back and see what comments you had and its kinda sad that you went for the most juvenile of criticisms: spelling and name. Well, being a fan of blogs I've more than once today have overlooked poor spelling and grammar, it comes with the territory and I'm pretty sure that if i combed through your site I could get nitpicky myself. As for actually putting my location there, well I didn't want to be completely anonymous and while I didn't think anybody really cares where I'm from I didn't think that they would care that I posted it. Whatever, it was juvenile and lame, especially coming from the owner of this site.


ANYWAYS, its kinda sad that a person who blogs about criticizing announcers and talking heads cannot take some criticism himself. You have the whole 'if you don't like it don't read it' mentality but you fail to have that same philosophy about sports announcers, interesting. Putting issues that sometimes poor announcers are unavoidable (think billy packer and the NCAA tourney) aside, it is still very sad that you cannot take any criticism.

If you want to throw up numbers, fine. I'm sure that there are a lot of ppl who read your writing as I am sure that there are more ppl who enjoy the talking heads that you love to bash. But throwing up numbers is a lame way of saying you are successful. I would rather measure success on the quality of my writing, but thats just me.


And yeah, this will probably be the last time I look at your blog so I'll change the channel or whatever.

Justin, King OF Prussia, Pa

Aug 23, 2007, 2:20:00 PM  

Justin- I had a whole roast dedicated to people trashing me at the one-year mark of the site. I don't mind criticism in the least when it's calculated, informed, and constructive. When some dick just comes on the site and calls me a pompous ass and doesn't know what he's talking about (in regards to Heistand). I'm going to call them out. It's industry knowledge that he mails it in, so you're wrong there. You still haven't explained how I'm failing, and how does adding a town to your name make you not anonymous? You are just an ass hat who comments on blogs...poorly. That's pretty sad.

See you around and thanks for reading again today.

P.S.- If you're talking about measuring success on the quality of your writing...here's a quick criticism. "ANYWAYS" is not a word.

Aug 23, 2007, 2:43:00 PM  

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