ESPN hired comedian Frank Caliendo to appear on its "Sunday NFL Countdown" show this season. The network says Caliendo will be a regular contributor on the show, though he will not appear weekly. His first appearance will be this Sunday from Bristol, Conn. Caliendo usually will appear in taped comedy segments. Caliendo had been on Fox' NFL pregame show from '03-11. He was replaced this year with Rob Riggle (John Ourand, THE DAILY). AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Matt Yoder writes some of Caliendo's impressions "are legitimately funny, but there's only so long he could make fun of Terry Bradshaw and have it stay amusing and relevant." Yoder: "Hopefully by joining Countdown, Caliendo will have a chance to freshen up his act. And on the plus side, there's now ample opportunities to mock Chris Berman" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 10/11). Bleacher Report's Dan Levy wrote on his Twitter feed, "As if their pregame show needed more 'yuks.' Plus, Berman already does a great caricature of himself" (TWITTER.com, 10/11). USATODAY.com's Mike Foss writes, "The greatest question is why do football pregame shows need a comedian? That's a question rivaled only by why do football broadcasts need horrifically awkward sideline interviews with coaches at halftime?" (USATODAY.com, 10/11).
