The long awaited, much-hyped announcement has finally been made and the Monday Night Football crew will be Al Michaels, Dan Fouts and… Dennis Miller? ABC is clearly going for entertainment value and ratings points rather than striving for the best possible coverage of a football game. That’s the network’s prerogative, but it wouldn’t have been my choice. Don’t get me wrong, I think Dennis Miller is hysterically funny. He’s very talented, and a great entertainer. But when I turn on Monday Night Football, I want to see football, not standup. Maybe Miller will bring ABC a few extra points in the ratings, and if he does, good for them. I’ll say this, the network did a great job of milking the search process for the most possible hype. The unveiling of the new Monday Night crew got as much coverage as the unveiling of a new pope. What a coup for ABC. I guess it won’t be so bad having Miller in the booth, but my biggest problem is this: Dennis Miller is so smart that I don’t get all his jokes. Makes me feel like a dumb sports fan.
