Major networks guilty of neglecting on-field action

Mike Tirico, left, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser, right, have been in the news after Jimmy Kimmel's guest appearance on Monday Night Football. AP

MAILBAG Dr. Z will answer select user questions each week in his NFL mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

So which network do I go after first, Fox or ESPN? Getting many letters urging me to go forward in my crusade against network idiocy, equally divided between antagonists of both super-powers. Think I'll do the ESPN thing first because the e-mailers in that camp are more passionate; the Foxies seem to be merely annoyed.

First my E-mailer of the Week, who, unfortunately, did not include a last name, but his is one of the few missives I ever got that had me laughing out loud ... the Flaming Redhead, too.

From Steve W. of Brisbane, Australia -- "It was about midday on Tuesday here in Australia and, with the help of a six-pack, the Falcons didn't seem to suck that much in the first half, so I was quite enjoying Monday Night Football. Then some bloke called Kimble or Kummel or something came on and tried unsuccessfully to be funny. I thought you had shamed ESPN into stopping this rubbish."

He goes on a bit longer, but this is the essence of it. The Falcons-Giants game set a record for MNF, and I'm sure no one but me is aware of what it is. Shortest attention span by an announcing crew. In other words, quickest to lose interest in the game and go on to other topics, such as Jimmy Kimmel and his parade of one-liners. The old record was held by the Madden-Michaels team, which usually would go on to the topics of the day when the margin between the teams got to 10 points or so, I'd say around the third quarter. But this bunch severed connections with Giants-Atlanta at halftime and substituted Jimmy for it.

Now I'm not going to knock Jimmy Kimmel. I think he's a pretty funny guy, and I used to love the Dennis Miller imitations he did when he was on Fox's early Sunday show. But holy hell, first ESPN gave us a huge dose of him in their hour and a half pregame show, then they had to bring him back and sit him in the booth, basically reprising much of the same material, while the game was taking place. What was wrong with the postgame, which would have completed the trifecta? The thing is these people just don't care ... about what I write or how much agony the viewers must go through, or anything.

And in answer to your praise of Mike Tirico, EMOTW Steve of Brisbane, I must strongly disagree. He is the quickest of all of them to lose interest. No announcer skips more plays than he does, while he's on some sort of toot or other. And it's sad to see what Ron Jaworski has turned into ... ah hell, I'm shortstopping my own end-of-season announcers column.

Les of Brooklyn is another e-mailer who comes on even stronger. See that, ESPN ... from Brisbane to Brooklyn, thence your faithful narrator in Mountain Lakes, N.J., there is nothing but contempt for the show you put on.

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