by titus james

Created on: December 11, 2006   Last Updated: April 27, 2007

Football has legitimately taken the helm as America's national pastime. Baseball was once as good as apple pie but too many things outside the actual game finally proliferated en masse and left too much of a mess (read: steroids, strikes, ticket prices and ticket prices affected by exorbitant player salaries). Back to football, it's the hottest ticket in town nearly half the year. The NFL has spawned a global love of the game from Asia to the sleepy American towns that have always relished it; there's no coincidence that you can now tune-in to high school football on the ever-present ESPN. The point that I'm getting to is that Tony Kornheiser's legitimacy, or lack thereof, is more about the money than Kornheiser himself.

If we go back a few years we may cringe at the horrid memories of Dennis Miller hording space in the booth. His political-esque commentary often drowned interesting stats and league stories, all to give him ample room on the soapbox. Fortunately for the fans, he was washed out after one season that dragged on for 17 long weeks (almost). The following year ushered in the incomparable John Madden, and with Al Michaels doing the play-by-play, all was made right again. ABC had managed to get the memo...and they read it. I'm sure the powers behind the scene patted each others backs on a novel idea but realized that they simply hadn't found "their guy".

In 2001, a sports show for real fans came on the scene: Pardon The Interruption (PTI). It was a back-and-forth take on the world of sports between two veteran sports writers, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The show has evolved greatly over these five or so years and has even managed to produce a spin-off - Around The Horn. The banter is contagious and candid and the viewer is treated with interviews and news that you'll never get from your local market 6 o'clock sportswo/man. It's been a long time since a show has enjoyed a cult following like PTI continues to grow. It has upped the ratings ante; in essence, earning top-dollar for all of those involved.

So here we are in 2006. The first time ever that Monday Night Football (MNF) isn't free. In September, MNF debuted on ESPN. Not too much of the proven formula was adjusted. Mike Tirico, another well-respected sports journalist and Joe Theisman, former Washington Redskin great, joined the booth to bring us the game and I think many of the old fans of MNF were pleased- after all, change for many is tough. It's my guess that some of the "old" ABC (ESPN's

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