The hiring of Dennis Miller by ABC "is one of the
boldest moves in sports television history," according to
Larry Stewart of the L.A. TIMES. If ABC "was looking for
someone who is loved and hated, as was [Howard] Cosell, the
network may have found the perfect guy. Some view Miller as
brilliant and witty, others see him as smug, pompous and
obnoxious" (L.A. TIMES, 6/23). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke
writes that ABC "went out on a limb Thursday in putting
together the most non-traditional broadcast team for ["MNF"]
since the days" of Cosell. Fox NFL analyst John Madden:
"What happens if a football game breaks out and a replay
pops up? What do they do then? People tune in to watch a
football game" (USA TODAY, 6/23). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir
writes that hiring Miller "is the boldest gambit the show
has taken" since former ABC Sports President Roone Arledge
hired Cosell in '70. Sandomir: "Importing Miller
underscores how far ABC was willing to go to revive the
notion that ['MNF'] can generate water cooler talk -- or
postgame e-mails -- in a far more competitive entertainment
environment than the 1970's" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/23). In
Baltimore, Milton Kent writes that ABC "threw the television
equivalent of the Hail Mary" in hiring Miller (Baltimore
SUN, 6/23). In Albany, Pete Dougherty writes that "all
parties made it clear that Miller wasn't hired to launch a
nightclub act in the booth, although his persistent attempts
to inject humor into the conference call Thursday were
grating." Dougherty: "If Miller isn't up to speed, the
sophisticated Monday night audience will know it. From that
standpoint, this a bigger gamble than when ABC brought
[Boomer] Esiason in to replace Frank Gifford" (Albany TIMES
UNION, 6/23). In Chicago, Ed Sherman: "Give credit to ABC
for daring to be different in picking a non-football person.
But the risk is huge. Miller will either be a terrific hit,
or he will turn the broadcasts into awkward flaps. There
will be no middle ground." Sherman writes that Miller's
challenge "is to be relevant. The obvious pitfall is he
could become a distraction" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/23).
IS HE A SURVIVOR? In Boston, Gerry Callahan:
"Ohlmeyer's first brilliant idea was to drag out his
decision for months." But Callahan notes that Miller is
"much more vicious and irreverent than Limbaugh, which
should go over big with [NFL Commissioner] Paul Tagliabue
and the rest of the staid suits in the NFL headquarters. ...
[Miller] should be fun, in an uncomfortable, Andy Kaufman
kind of way. Of course, about halfway through the first
preseason game, Fouts is going to be wondering what the hell
he's doing in the booth. And Esiason's going to be glad he
escaped." Callahan calls the hiring of Miller "a bizarre
and radical way to bring viewers back to ABC without forcing
anyone to eat rats." But Ohlmeyer must do more to boost the
show, and Callahan offers other suggestions, similar to the
rules of CBS' "Survivor" series: "Vote one member of the
booth out at halftime. I mean, if at halftime Melissa Stark
asks Bill Belichick what adjustments he's going to make in
the second half, or some other brilliant query, we douse her
torch and send her home. No goodbyes allowed" (BOSTON
HERALD, 6/23). In IL, Phil Arvia: "Since 'MNF' is
apparently willing to try anything to rescue its ratings
from last year's Boomer bust, you'd think they'd come up
with a more failure-proof concept than putting a showily
intellectual graduate from the comedy cradle of Anthony
Michael Hall next to Al Michaels. Like, say, marooning all
the former booth-mates on a deserted island and letting them
vote each other off one-by-one" (DAILY SOUTHTOWN, 6/23).