Fritz
07-08-2003, 03:10 PM
There is an artilce on ESPN about the network picking up Michael Irvin. What it does not mention is that this he is taking Sterling Sharpe's slot.
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ESPN thinks Sharpe isn't sterling anymore
Sterling Sharpe has been cut.
ESPN has declined to renew its contract with the former Green Bay Packers receiver, who had served as a National Football League studio analyst on "Sunday NFL Countdown" and "Monday Night Countdown" since his 1995 retirement.
The network announced earlier this week that it had hired Michael Irvin as a studio analyst. According to an ESPN news release, Irvin "will join veteran host Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Steve Young on the main set of 'Sunday NFL Countdown.' "
The release, which said Irvin would join "Monday Night Countdown" starting July 28, makes no reference to Sharpe's dismissal.
Sharpe could not be reached for comment. The telephone listed for his business office in Columbia, S.C., has been disconnected.
A reporter's call to the office of Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president for programming and production, was directed to the ESPN communications department.
Keri Potts, a spokeswoman for ESPN, said Thursday that Irvin was replacing Sharpe on "Countdown."
"He did a great job for us," Potts said, referring to Sharpe. "We think he has a great future. It's just that we are very excited about Michael."
Last season, "Sunday NFL Countdown" included Bill Parcells, who departed to coach the Dallas Cowboys. He was "Countdown's" best analyst.
The departure of Sharpe and the addition of Irving mark more changes for the show, which has undergone other changes in set and format the last few years.
"Michael brings fresh perspective to an already informed, veteran cast," Bob Rauscher, ESPN's senior coordinating producer, said in a prepared statement.
Irvin's contract with "Best Damn Sports Show Period" was up and he was looking for another venue, and the opportunity for "Countdown" came along.
Said Shapiro in the release, referring to Irvin, "He brings solid credentials: closeness to the game, an engaging personality and television experience."
As an analyst, Sharpe was a high-volume talker, which is to say he could shout for impressively long periods of time. When his turn came, he could give you wall-to-wall words, but those words didn't always contain impressive insight, unvarnished opinion and a willingness to take shots at players and coaches.
Sharpe always sounded better than what was delivered.
Last year, one of the changes to the show involved building in a more free-flowing discussion between the participants, more improvisational give and take, and Sharpe did not seem to flourish in that setting. At times, he seemed to be miffed by some disagreements.
Sharpe can be uncooperative, and that might not be viewed as a positive quality in a company that wants its talent to be made available across a variety of media: TV, radio, Internet and a magazine.
At one point, ABC's "Monday Night Football" was interested in talking to Sharpe about an analyst's role on that broadcast, a role eventually given to Dennis Miller, but Sharpe didn't return phone calls to executives about the matter.
All or some or none of that might have been in Shapiro's mind when he let Sharpe go.
In any case, Shapiro and Rauscher made the judgment that "Countdown" would be better off with Irvin and without Sharpe.
Sharpe could re-emerge with a role on one of the other networks with NFL inventory. Fox's and CBS' main studio shows are set, however, leaving HBO or the fledgling NFL Netw
http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/jul03/152612.asp
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ESPN thinks Sharpe isn't sterling anymore
Sterling Sharpe has been cut.
ESPN has declined to renew its contract with the former Green Bay Packers receiver, who had served as a National Football League studio analyst on "Sunday NFL Countdown" and "Monday Night Countdown" since his 1995 retirement.
The network announced earlier this week that it had hired Michael Irvin as a studio analyst. According to an ESPN news release, Irvin "will join veteran host Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Steve Young on the main set of 'Sunday NFL Countdown.' "
The release, which said Irvin would join "Monday Night Countdown" starting July 28, makes no reference to Sharpe's dismissal.
Sharpe could not be reached for comment. The telephone listed for his business office in Columbia, S.C., has been disconnected.
A reporter's call to the office of Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president for programming and production, was directed to the ESPN communications department.
Keri Potts, a spokeswoman for ESPN, said Thursday that Irvin was replacing Sharpe on "Countdown."
"He did a great job for us," Potts said, referring to Sharpe. "We think he has a great future. It's just that we are very excited about Michael."
Last season, "Sunday NFL Countdown" included Bill Parcells, who departed to coach the Dallas Cowboys. He was "Countdown's" best analyst.
The departure of Sharpe and the addition of Irving mark more changes for the show, which has undergone other changes in set and format the last few years.
"Michael brings fresh perspective to an already informed, veteran cast," Bob Rauscher, ESPN's senior coordinating producer, said in a prepared statement.
Irvin's contract with "Best Damn Sports Show Period" was up and he was looking for another venue, and the opportunity for "Countdown" came along.
Said Shapiro in the release, referring to Irvin, "He brings solid credentials: closeness to the game, an engaging personality and television experience."
As an analyst, Sharpe was a high-volume talker, which is to say he could shout for impressively long periods of time. When his turn came, he could give you wall-to-wall words, but those words didn't always contain impressive insight, unvarnished opinion and a willingness to take shots at players and coaches.
Sharpe always sounded better than what was delivered.
Last year, one of the changes to the show involved building in a more free-flowing discussion between the participants, more improvisational give and take, and Sharpe did not seem to flourish in that setting. At times, he seemed to be miffed by some disagreements.
Sharpe can be uncooperative, and that might not be viewed as a positive quality in a company that wants its talent to be made available across a variety of media: TV, radio, Internet and a magazine.
At one point, ABC's "Monday Night Football" was interested in talking to Sharpe about an analyst's role on that broadcast, a role eventually given to Dennis Miller, but Sharpe didn't return phone calls to executives about the matter.
All or some or none of that might have been in Shapiro's mind when he let Sharpe go.
In any case, Shapiro and Rauscher made the judgment that "Countdown" would be better off with Irvin and without Sharpe.
Sharpe could re-emerge with a role on one of the other networks with NFL inventory. Fox's and CBS' main studio shows are set, however, leaving HBO or the fledgling NFL Netw
http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/jul03/152612.asp