[Mikey]

The Pats have an easy schedule! The Steelers got screwed! Mark these dates on your calendar!!

Is anybody else already sick of this Favre-esque hype?

[Tommy]

Yes, because the schedules never end up being what they are when they come out.

However, the Patriots schedule is something like a .349 opponent win %. That's historically easy. They do have three trips to the West Coast, and they have to play the Denver Stupid Broncos so it's not a cakewalk. Plus, their defense is going to suck this year, so there's that.

[Outback Frito Pendejo]

I'm not half as sick of schedule hype as I am of draft hype. Why don't they create a 24 hour a day TV channel, simulcast on radio and the internet, to hype the draft all year long? Then for a change of pace they could spend a couple of hours a day on the schedule.

[jmagee]

See, I'd be more mad if that Pats schedule wasn't determined 4 years ago. The NFL schedules are set up so far in advance, I can't even get that mad. Well, that and those filthy cheaters lost to my Giants, and I'm still riding that Superbowl high!

[jetskid48]

Their schedule is also messed up because the 3 other teams in their division were horrible last year and they're lucky to have come up on the AFC West this year that had a weaker regular season out of San Diego, plus the Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs all suck.

But its also good for the annual, 'the Jet's have an easy schedule...we can make the playoffs!' moment for me.

By my count, the Jets only have 5 games against teams that were over .500 last year. I figure the Jets will lose at least one of the games in shitty fashion to a terrible team as they do every year, and maybe squeek out a win against one of the better teams. The Bills will be better this year, although I still have no idea why they got better last year.

But pretty much, after the first 24 hours of the schedule being out and the 48 hours of the draft, I barely think about football season until August...and I sure as hell don't want to think about the end of summer before it starts, so that's enough of this.

[bdbdbd]

This playing games out of the country thing is stupid on its face, it's twice as bad when you play a foreign came in Canada. That's not even trying.

[Jack Quinn]

I care about the schedule release day about as much as I care about coverage of the combine, which is to say not at all. Not even a little bit. Fuck you espn you will not make me care about this!

[Lucky]

I actually believe that ESPN's goal is to have so much NFL coverage in the middle of the Masters, the beginning of the baseball season, the NHL playoffs, and the end of the NBA season that they just anger everyone who doesn't LOVE the NFL and makes us all hate it completely. I really have nothing against the NFL. I enjoy the NFL. But every year I find I'm just a little more aggravated towards it thanks to the wall to wall coverage it gets often at the expense of every other sport that SHOULD be getting talked about.

And yes, that's the same as Boston/Yankees.

[Jack Quinn]

I didn't think it would ever be possible, but I think Yankees/Red Sox has slipped to #2 behind the NFL in ESPN's eyes (which, if we are going by business sense makes sense because the NFL makes an ungodly amount of money)

I am flipping through the channels last night and there is a whole show dedicated to debating the schedules. THE FUCKING SCHEDULE. This is before the draft, before we really have any idea of how good or bad teams will be, before we have seen all the players find a new home. That just amazes me. That would like doing a 2009 World Series preview in November. And anymore it seems like every time I catch one of those teasers for sportscenter its "WILL THE COWBOYS TRADE FOR PACMAN?" "WILL BRET FAVRE RETURN?" "WHY ISN'T BRET FAVRE RETURNING?" "COULD BRET FAVRE RETURN WITH A DIFFERENT TEAM?" "HOW DOES BRET FAVRE'S POSSIBLE RETURN AFFECT THE NFL?" "WILL CHRIS HENRY SIGN WITH THE COWBOYS?" "DID THE PATRIOTS CHEAT IN 1977?" "WILL THE COWBOYS SELL THE NAMING RIGHTS TO THEIR STADIUM TO THE VATICAN?" "WILL THE DOLPHINS TRADE THE #1 PICK?" "WILL THE COWBOYS TRADE FOR THE #1 PICK AND TAKE DARREN MCFADDEN?" "DID TONY ROMO MARRY JESSICA SIMPSON? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE NFL AND ITS FANS?"

and if I am lucky I might get "oh yeah, NHL playoffs tonight, playing for some cup or something, tune in at 6:58 for details and complete coverage"

[The Jewish Cunthead]

Don't blame ESPN... their programming is getting eyeballs and that's all they care about.

[Lucky]

And for the record, I'm not complaining. I just stopped watching ESPN almost entirely. I honestly don't know when the last time I had it one when there wasn't a game on. I have been meaning to watch Baseball Tonight but I just don't want to waste my time learning when its on and never randomly encounter it. Its probably just a 15 minute edition anyway because they need to air NFL Live in April.

I forgot what it was but last year they televised the NFL Schedule Release instead of some event I was interested in. No idea what it could have been. Maybe the WBC 2 years ago? Did the schedule release get pushed back a few weeks recently? Whatever it was it was then that ESPN turned me away from them and started to build resentment in me towards the NFL.

I don't blame ESPN for catering to obsessed NFL fans, obsessed Yankee/Sox fans or Yankee Haters, people who enjoy 20 seconds of retarded comments on a sports topic that get scored arbitrarily, or whoever cares about What's Now. It just start hating the NFL, get sick of my own team's best rivalry, and stop watching ESPN.

[Jack Quinn]

no, I still blame espn, I understand WHY they are doing it, that doesn't make it any less annoying. I blame espn and these NFL-obsessed fans who spend every moment of their lives stressing over every detail of their football team.

[jetskid48]

Apr 16, 2008 15:00:31 GMT -5 The Jewish Cunthead said:

Don't blame ESPN... their programming is getting eyeballs and that's all they care about.

ESPN Guy 1: Hey, you know what would be a great idea for ratings? Let's spend an entire month determining "Who's Now".
ESPN Guy 2: What, you mean spending 2 more segments a night talking about the same people we pack our daily shows with anyway, only now being able to go deeper into their lives so people can hear the scintillating news about Serena Williams' new clothing line and other obviously important to sports items?
ESPN Guy 1: Yeah!
ESPN Guy 2: Awesome, lets do it. Make sure we can fit it in between the 12 'Favre is returning' segments and our feature story about Tom Brady and Giselle's relationship.

[jmagee]

This is the first year I remember anyone making this big a deal about the NFL schedule. Honestly, I love the NFL, I pour over stats for fantasy football, debate the weeks games with co-workers, etc. Yet I find no reason to care THAT much about the NFL schedule outside of the Giants. Who cares who has the toughest schedule. Knowing that ESPN made such a big deal out of it, it makes me glad that I don't have cable anymore.

[Mikey]

Apr 16, 2008 15:05:59 GMT -5 Lucky said:

I forgot what it was but last year they televised the NFL Schedule Release instead of some event I was interested in. No idea what it could have been.

I remember this, too, because I believe I brought the whole "schedule show" up on the OO thread we were discussing whatever the program was in. My guess is it was the first week of the season last year, and there were a shit load of matinees that weren't being shown on national TV. I could be wrong though.

[Lucky]

It was Matsuzaka's first start, I think. Night game, I think. I wanted to watch and I was shocked ESPN wasn't on it considering how much hype he had gotten before that. But the NFL Schedule show was on.

If I can't trust ESPN to cover the big events they're obsessed with what can I count on? Lesson was learned. If an NFL player takes a crap that's more important than anything else in the world.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

Especially when that matchup was Matsuzaka-Felix....shame we couldn't see it.

[Mikey]

No, Dice v. Felix was like the following week, and it WAS televised, cause I remember watching it. Dice's first start was a day game in KC, and I do believe that this was what it was.

[Lucky]

It was April 11th at night. His second start of the season against Felix. Not his debut, his Fenway debut. And April 11th is the day that a google search says the NFL schedule was released.

So mystery solved. Matsuzaka's Fenway debut on a Wednesday night (ESPN's Baseball Night) in a really compelling matchup vs Felix Hernandez.

They showed the NFL Schedule Release show and I realized that it isn't a case of "ESPN will choose the sport that best serves their ratings." Or "ESPN will air crap during the day if it gets them ratings." It became (to me) "ESPN doesn't give a shit about show sports, period. They'll choose utter crap over compelling sports if it means ratings. Games, not highlights. Not them choosing a game I find less compelling. They'll skip big games to talk about a piece of paper telling you the schedule of a sport that won't happen for 6 months."

Good for ESPN. I was done with them. If it works for them without me, we'll all live.

Although that dumb gimmick they started doing where they show the same game on every channel started me in that direction. They were happy to limit the sports coverage for a stupid gimmick. At least they were showing sports, but they were intentionally blocking channels and limiting my options. Which sucked as a sports fan. But once they choose coverage of schedules over showing a game it was clear.

[creepy]

I watch pti. Other than that, espn is unwatchable.

[Outback Frito Pendejo]

I'm having nightmares about Mel Kiper. How can he be on TV all day long and on the radio all day long? Maybe he's really 2 identical twins, or perhaps ESPN has a secret lab cloning an army of Mels.

When ESPN started, most of its programming sucked, since they couldn't afford major sports. Some of the women of beach volleyball were cute, of course, but the main value ESPN added was coverage of results and news from around the country on shows like Sports Center and Baseball Tonight. Remember, sports was otherwise a 5 minute segment near the end of the local news, most of which logically involved the local teams. Newspapers had the box scores the next day, plus a round-up columns with a few sentences at most about the out of town games. Pre-internet, Sports Center was a great new thing for those of us who live away from our favorite teams. Now it's nice for seeing the highlights, but not so essential, so even that show is getting loaded up with talking heads yammering at each other.

I do like watching the "real" sports they show now in prime time, especially since I can see Boston teams more than just their games with NY teams. I also tend to watch the late afternoon ESPN shows at the gym, since not much else is on. My question is, why does Reale (spelling?) show up at the end of PTI like that? Does he finish taping ATH, rip off the shirt and tie, and head over to PTI just for that little segment? Also, what's the deal with his chair on ATH? Has he ever toppled over backwards?

[creepy]

I don't think they're live. Maybe the clothes change is a joke. Maybe I don't know the answer.

[jetskid48]

ATH is taped, which is the reason why they always miss out on anything that happens after about 2 PM everyday.

The interview segment on PTI is usually taped except for once in a while (I remember after Kobe got out of his rape charge, they had him on to start the program because it was such a big thing). Otherwise, the rest is live, or given a bit of a tape delay.

As for Reali, he was always Stat Boy, but once Max Kellerman decided to leave for Fox, they needed a new host for ATH. Since Reali had appeared on the show and been a guest host, they tabbed him. I guess they left him on PTI because he started there and never knew if he was always going to keep the ATH job. Either way, both are filmed next door to each other in the Washington DC studio, so all he would basically have to do is change and walk to the next room to pick up another paycheck.