CBS "has made an unfathomable fumble in its strange choice"
of Danny Sheridan as their in-house "expert" for their college
football studio show, according to Leonard Shapiro of the
WASHINGTON POST. Noting Sheridan's history of providing betting
lines, Shapiro objects to a "major" U.S. TV network "putting
Sheridan on the air to focus on college football. ... Sheridan is
best known as a guy who sets the odds, even if he'd prefer the
title 'sports analyst.'" CBS Sports Exec Producer Rick Gentile,
backs Sheridan: "He gets good stuff. ... We're not going to be
touting his 900 number." Big East Associate Commissioner Tom
McElroy said their officials were "initially concerned" with
Sheridan's appointment, adding, "No one here is very happy about
it." Shapiro concludes: "It's a dreadful reflection on CBS, a
hire that should have never been made" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/23).
In New York, Richard Sandomir calls Sheridan "perhaps a
troubling" presence in CBS' studio. Sheridan, on his reporting
betting lines: "I am not an oddsmaker. An oddsmaker takes bets.
I don't." Sandomir notes CBS "wants to be noticed" and their
hiring of Sheridan and analyst Craig James "assures that" (N.Y.
TIMES, 8/23).
