Olbermann Salutes Letterman's Career, While Shows Present Their Own Top Ten Lists
The tributes to CBS' DAVID LETTERMAN flowed in across the sports media world yesterday as the late-night host filmed his final episode of "Late Show." ESPN's Keith Olbermann said Letterman did "more sports, and did it better, than anybody has acknowledged or catalogued” as a late-night television host. Olbermann: “Letterman tried and failed, often deliberately, every sport they could think of. At supposed baseball tryouts, he would get beaned. He would fanboy gush at the stars, especially his friends the MANNING brothers, and then happily fail to out-pass them. In the old, old days, he used to televise elevator races inside Rockefeller Center, complete with a then very new NBC play-by-play man named BOB COSTAS." Olbermann added, “There is an argument to be made that David Letterman did so much sports stuff that he is ... the top sports humorist of the last 35 years. But he also took sports seriously and skeptically” (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 5/20). ESPN2's broadcast of "Baseball Tonight” last night had host Adnan Virk opening the telecast with a Letterman-style monologue all about baseball. The show’s set was formatted similar to “Late Show,” with a host desk and two guest chairs. A Top Ten list titled “Top Ten Reasons You Want To Work On Baseball Tonight” was read by various ESPN personalities (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN2, 5/20). Last night's edition of FS1’s “Fox Sports Live Countdown” also included a Top Ten list, the “Top Ten Reasons To Watch ‘Fox Sports Live Countdown.’” It consisted of topics that were discussed during the show (“Fox Sports Live Countdown,” FS1, 5/21).
ONE LAST VISIT TO THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER: Broncos QB PEYTON MANNING joined such Hollywood A-listers as BILL MURRAY, TINA FEY and JERRY SEINFELD in presenting Letterman's final Top Ten list. The list was titled “Top Ten Things I've Always Wanted To Say To Dave,” with Letterman noting it was being read by 10 "frequent ‘Late Show’ guests and good friends of ours.” Manning read the No. 3 entry, which was, “You are to comedy what I am to ... comedy." Letterman exclaimed, “Peyton! Oh my God!” He later said to PAUL SHAFFER, “Did you notice me standing next to Peyton Manning? It’s like we’re twins” ("Late Show,” CBS, 5/20). In a special to the MMQB, Manning writes, "I’ve been a part of some pretty special things and have had some great moments in my life. But for so many reasons, standing in the Ed Sullivan Theater on Wednesday night and being part of the 6,028th and final 'Late Show with David Letterman,' well, it’s something I’ll never, ever forget. ... Standing there watching the end, it just felt like I was watching a part of history, something really important." Manning writes of participating in the final Top Ten list, "I'm standing in that line, getting ready to do the segment, and I look around at these people and think, Am I a stand-in for JULIA ROBERTS or TOM HANKS? Am I here only because they couldn’t make it?" (MMQB.SI.com, 5/21).
