Next on ESPN’s Plate: A Late-Night TV Show
ESPN, Media Gossip/Musings August 26th. 2008, 10:35am
We’re hearing that for months now, ESPN has been trying to secure a host for a late-night TV show it has in the works. Yes, a late-night TV show not unlike Letterman or Leno, but obviously centered around sports with a dollop of entertainment.
According to sources, three recognizable names have been approached about hosting the show, and all of them passed: ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd, Jason Whitlock of the KC Star, and 790 the Ticket radio host Dan LeBatard.
Can a show like this even work? With swings and misses on ESPN Hollywood and Stephen A. Smith’s show, is this crossover between sports and entertainment something that sports fans aren’t interested in watching? As for the host, if ESPN is forced to look in-house, does Bill Simmons have the TV experience for this? Rick Reilly?
76 Responses to “Next on ESPN’s Plate: A Late-Night TV Show”
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August 26th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Best decision Whitlock ever made. I would burn every TV in my house if he got a late night talk show.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Simmons is a writer. He is definitely NOT a front man.
Reilly? Not a chance. He is douchy and grating in his few minutes on the air now.
This is yet ANOTHER mistake by ESPN. Go back to reporting sports, not creating headlines. Make SportsCenter a place where one can find recaps of actual games… mind you, that would mean all games, not just Red Sawx, Yanks, Cowboys, and Favre…
August 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
This has “The Magic Hour” level of failure written all over it.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I thought Whitlock was persona-non-grata at the leader.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Cowherd, Whitlock and LeBatard all have ties to this very site. I see TBL taking on a Paul Schaffer/Kevin Eubanks-type role. No way this doesn’t succeed.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Career suicide for whoever takes this garbage on
August 26th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Jason Whitlock of the KC Star
i saw him on Best Damn Sports Show the other night. that show is horrible
August 26th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Beat me to it, johndwear.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I’ll watch if Raj is hosting.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:42 am
i’m told jay mohr and screamin’ stephen a. smith both passed on the opportunity.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Finally, Page 3 will get the airtime it always deserved!
August 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am
…and USC. Can’t forget about that 5th member of ESPN’s Team Vapor Lock.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
“paging rowdy roddy piper… paging rowdy roddy piper… “
August 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
No way SAS passes on this “oppurtunity”…
August 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Not that this idea is a good one, but wouldn’t Kilborn be the perfect host for this type of thing?
August 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’m told Tony Kornheiser and Jim Rome passed on the opportunity.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
lebatard might actually have been able to pull this off. kornheiser would likely be very good at this if not wilbon.
this sounds like another project for jim rome.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
What happened to the Steven A smith show or the show with Jay Mohr…Please ESPN dont do this.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:49 am
You know you what to see Whitlock interviewing ppl like Jemele Hill and Mitch Albom on National Television. Waiting to see how long it takes before he snaps would def be dvr worthy.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Bring back Kilborn!!! I liked his old show, and I’m pretty sure he’s not busy curing cancer or anything…
August 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
/McCain’d
August 26th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Bring back Kilborn!!! I liked his old show, and I’m pretty sure he’s not busy curing cancer or anything…
He is so above ESPN
August 26th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Willie Geist might be a good host.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:52 am
damn, and here I thought the Jump to Conclusions Mat was a horrible, horrible idea. This tops it.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Kenny Mayne?
August 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Biden talking about McCain being rich was the pot calling the kettle black I am sure.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Maybe this is how ESPN will bring back Rush Limbaugh… worked well last time.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I miss the days when espn was all about sports news and headlines and not the extra shit.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am
@ cbh: “With a net worth between $59,000 and $366,000, [Joe Biden] is considered one of the least wealthy members of the Senate.”
August 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I would like to see Rush interview McNabb, only for his mom show up and pelt him with Campbell Chunky soup cans.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
JB, I am not ready to jump off the bridge with O’Sullivan being QB, he can’t be any worse than what we have had, he should know Martz’s offense well, not saying he will tear up the league but he has shown potential.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Well at least he is happy that Obama is articulate and well spoken and not ready to be president.
\Done talking about politics, point has been made
August 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
A sports entertainment show couldn’t possibly work on ESPN and never will. Much of the entertainment comes from the Bristol goons as it is.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
You know what’s great about SportsCenter? The scroll on the side that shows what stories are coming up next. I hate having to sit there and be surprised for an hour. My weak heart just couldn’t handle SC back in the mid-2000’s.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
two words: stuart scott.
think about. this show would be positively drek. it would require to host to slurp athletes and perform jock sniffing at the highest order.
who, aside from berman, is the most vapid, empty-headed lout with the least amount of shame at bspn than stewy?
August 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I miss the days when espn was all about sports news and headlines
If only ESPN had an outlet devoted to just News…
/just kidding ya, because I agree. and, ESPNNews is usually unwatchable
August 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
You know what show is going to work? That black news show hosted by David Allen Grier.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Done talking about politics, point has been made
agreed.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Sean Salisbury
August 26th, 2008 at 11:00 am
i like it.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:00 am
They could get rid of those awkward camera switches, you know, because he is already looking at both of them.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:00 am
CBH I was surprised at how effective the offense was against the Bears. But also dissapointed at how bad the defense looked.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:03 am
This would doom the rest of Stuart Scotts career.
Arseneo Hall>Stuart Scott
August 26th, 2008 at 11:04 am
playing the part of a clown sure worked out well for him didn’t it?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
@ cbh: “With a net worth between $59,000 and $366,000, [Joe Biden] is considered one of the least wealthy members of the Senate.€
Delaware is such a shitty state. No one has money there.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
i dunno. the guy seems like a cockroach. somehow, if, say, iran decided to nuke bristol, amid the smoldering rubble you would be able to hear the feint cries of, “booyah!”
August 26th, 2008 at 11:08 am
is he a fucking retard? unless he has a ton of assets held in trusts that don’t get counted towards his net worth, i find that incredibly hard to believe.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Kevin Duckworth died
August 26th, 2008 at 11:12 am
no shit? i went to school with him (and kevin seitzer and sean payton).
August 26th, 2008 at 11:13 am
@tampa: for real? link?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:13 am
link
August 26th, 2008 at 11:14 am
at the time i went to school with duckworth, he was 7-0, 300. at the time, that was king kong. when you walked past him going to class, it was like an eclipse of the sun.
i remember when he graduated, he said if he wasn’t drafted by the second round, he was going back to school to get his master’s degree and play defensive tackle.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:16 am
@Jimmy-Isnt Eastern where Romo went to school?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:18 am
yes.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Biden talking about McCain being rich was the pot calling the kettle black I am sure.
Actually, according to the talking heads at CNN (for whatever that is worth), he has the lowest net worth of any U.S. Senator. Around $150k.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:29 am
This has Mario Lopez written all over it.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am
@spence: he was 30 when he got elected to the Senate… he’s also never moved to Washington full-time and rides a train 2 hours a day to get there.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Who the fuck is Kevin Duckworth?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
ever hear of google?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I agree with the guy who said it before.. If this was any sort of a winning idea.. Kilborn would be the guy… Hell, he was made for this sort of thing… No way in hell he does it now.
I’m thinking Max Kellerman. I cant state how chapped my ass has been for the past 5 years after he held out for more cash on Around the Horn and we got stuck with that awful cornball douchebag Reali.
I miss the disembodied voice.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:47 am
one of my favorite norman chad line was:
“I Max” may be the only tv show in the history of the medium named for both the host and lone viewer.”
August 26th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Who the fuck is Kevin Duckworth?
@Sportsgal-Does the Bulls vs. Blazers series do anything for you.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Ah.. I Max…
What an awful career decision… And a terrible terrible show.
Michael holley could have been the next Michael Smith… But he would have likely gone nowhere unless he shaved off the Hairlocks.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Stay classy, sportsgal
August 26th, 2008 at 11:51 am
What the fuck is google?
August 26th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
cbh: “With a net worth between $59,000 and $366,000, [Joe Biden] is considered one of the least wealthy members of the Senate.€
He spends that much a year on capped teeth,hairplugs, spray tans and $2,000 suits. BULLSHIT that guy has only a max of $366K! I got more than that and I’m an idiot, not a Senator from the “not great” state of Delaware, (or Scranton, now that Obama wants to win PA).
August 26th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
well that’s a very reasoned, scientific rationale.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
It should be “Around the Horn” but with hot female athletes talking sports:
first panel: Heather Mitts, Cat Osterman, and the Brazilian synchronized swimming twins
August 26th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Fuck off, Nick P.
I googled Kevin Duckworth and still have no clue who he is aside from a former basketball player. I don’t remember any of his games, what made him stand out, what year he played, blah blah blah. The NBA sucks.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Google a little deeper.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I’m fairly certain Kevin Duckworth lowered his shoulder and simultaneously traveled and charged into heaven, just like every play of his career
August 26th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Anyone else remember Lupica’s ESPN talk show? YIKES~!
August 26th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
@illformula- the best thing about Kilborn is that he’s not on TV.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
leno is going to be out of a job next year. espn should scoop him up.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Is there anyway to tell my cable provider that I only need ESPNews and Classic at this point?
August 26th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
@ Tar Baby… hahaha Michael Holley. Yeah right. He was disliked when he was at the Trib. He could never carry Michael Smith’s pen.