Easy Listening
Per my therapist's suggestion -- I've been seeing a shrink since I was 11 months old, after my mother told me "to start fixing your own breakfast" -- I am trying to be kinder and gentler. To that end, I've been watching TV with a smile in my heart and have compiled by first-ever list of Slouch Sweeties:
Marv Albert, TNT: On any given day, he can call any given play in any given sport -- with the possible exception of curling -- as well as any given human. Plus, he's ageless.
Monday MorningA look back at the weekend and a look ahead at the coming week's action with a fresh new edge.  Norman Chad's Couch Slouch: Time for a rant against both the FedEx Cup and its most notable absentee -- Tiger Woods. The Chat: Michael Baisden, an author and the host of a nationally syndicated radio show, calls the outrage over dogfighting "hypocritical." The Starting Lineup: For the final edition of this feature, a look back at some of the funniest lines. THE QUOTE"I think it was out of ignorance — and by ignorance, I mean lack of knowledge." -- Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis, on 19-year-old QB Jimmy Clausen's citation for transporting alcohol. In Indiana, it is against the law for a minor to drive a person of legal age to buy liquor. |
Charles Barkley, TNT: I wouldn't want him as my governor -- I'm not even sure I'd want him to live in a neighboring state -- but he is sheer entertainment saddled in a studio, speaking his mind sometimes before locating it.
Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long, Fox: I'm not sure how they did it, but these guys have bottled the formula for pregame studio entertainment, and it appears to have no expiration date.
James Brown, CBS: He wasn't born in a studio, but he certainly seems to live well there.
Joe Buck, Fox: Occasionally gets too cutesy, but he understands the big moments, the small moments and most everything in between.
Mary Carillo, CBS: Straightforward, no nonsense and, thankfully, not John McEnroe.
David Feherty and Gary McCord, CBS: If these fellas sit down on either side of you in a bar during Happy Hour, you'll gladly be there until closing.
Dan Fouts, ABC: I just like the cut of his jib.
Greg Gumbel, CBS: Seems like a friendly, unobtrusive sort.
Ernie Johnson, TNT: If my dog is run over by a truck and one of my ex-wives runs away with one of my ex-lawyers, the man I'd want to tell me the bad news is Ernie Johnson.
Bob Ley, ESPN: It's not easy going outside the lines time and again; eventually, they might not let you back in.
