Forrest Gregg
Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 5:52 pmJust saw him on the stage in Canton, Ohio as the new NFL Hall of Fame inductees are getting ready for their ceremonies. (As soon as Coach Gregg was off the screen, I switched it to another channel.) Two things struck me:
1. Coach Gregg still looks great, and could probably whip 95 percent of the guys on that stage with him. Here's to continued good health and happiness, Coach.
2. How the hell did Chris Berman score the honor of introducing the Hall of Fame class? I know he owns a piece of ESPN, and is one of the real heavyweights (literally and financially) in the sports world, but it's not like ESPN owns the NFL, right? I'm sure the network paid some outrageous fee to get the broadcast rights for the induction ceremony, and therefore gets a little extra clout since TV dollars govern the entire sports world. However, it still seems pretty gauche to have him up there slobbering all over these guys — and sticking in his own nicknames, i.e. Thurman "Thermal" Thomas, in case anyone forgets how witty he was 20 years ago. If he was on some makeshift stage/set like they have at the NFL Draft, the Masters, the NBA Finals, etc., that would be more appropriate. Berman was great years ago — many years ago — but he's not a retired star athlete or coach, and has no business being up there with the greats. Only Roger Goddell should have introduced the inductees.
1. Coach Gregg still looks great, and could probably whip 95 percent of the guys on that stage with him. Here's to continued good health and happiness, Coach.
2. How the hell did Chris Berman score the honor of introducing the Hall of Fame class? I know he owns a piece of ESPN, and is one of the real heavyweights (literally and financially) in the sports world, but it's not like ESPN owns the NFL, right? I'm sure the network paid some outrageous fee to get the broadcast rights for the induction ceremony, and therefore gets a little extra clout since TV dollars govern the entire sports world. However, it still seems pretty gauche to have him up there slobbering all over these guys — and sticking in his own nicknames, i.e. Thurman "Thermal" Thomas, in case anyone forgets how witty he was 20 years ago. If he was on some makeshift stage/set like they have at the NFL Draft, the Masters, the NBA Finals, etc., that would be more appropriate. Berman was great years ago — many years ago — but he's not a retired star athlete or coach, and has no business being up there with the greats. Only Roger Goddell should have introduced the inductees.
