Do you see the point of ESPN still airing "PTI" and "First Take" when....

[sportsfan76]

Tony, Mike, Skip, and Steve is on vacation and not on the show? I mean they are the reason we watch those two shows so why the f*ck would we want to see a replacement person if they are not there? We don't look at those shows just for the topics discussion, we look at those shows to see their reaction to those topics.

Agree or Disagree?

[Kblaze8855]

PTI has a great format that would be entertainign with the right replacments. First take is just skip and SAS arguing though.

[sportsfan76]

ATH died when Jay Mariotti got fired.

He probably deserved it because I don't even know who he is

[Andrew Wiggins]

Only the most masochistic fvks watch espn

watching sports is masochistic ?

you've got a f*cked up personality if that's the case

[BurningHammer]

ATH died when Jay Mariotti got fired.

Other than his chemistry with Woody Paige, he is very replaceable, which happens to be a better one in Bomani Jones.

[ImKobe]

FT is unwatchable without Skip and SAS, they make the show.

[sportsfan76]

Other than his chemistry with Woody Paige, he is very replaceable, which happens to be a better one in Bomani Jones.

Bomani Jones looks like he has a criminal record

[Thorpesaurous]

I've never been a huge ATH fan. But it does depend a bit on the panel. I'm a big Bob Ryan guy, so he helps a lot. Most of the newer guys to me are too safe, or designed to be outrageous. Too many guys came up designing their personalities for this at this point and it doesn't feel natural. Coming from the NY area, I've seen Frank Isola come up through MSG and FSNY's versions of the same shows, and it feels like a minor leaguer getting pulled up. It feels like those first few times you see a wrestler from the Indy Circuit try to cut it on Monday Night Raw. Something's just a bit off.

PTI on the other hand I've loved from day one. And a huge part of it's appeal is that specific relationship Tony and Mike have. And honestly it's more Tony for me, however there are times when Tony gets a little blown out of the water to me.

I love Tony's sense of humor. I love the lightness with which he takes his sports. It's a perfect counterbalance to the Black and White, Right and Wrong culture we're living in. The problem I have with him is when they hit a topic I care about, and he brushes it off. Because he really doesn't follow the sports scene like a sports reporter anymore.
My fondness of Tony drove me to his radio show for a long time, which I liked him even more in. He has a knack for putting critical thought into things without taking them so seriously that it becomes hard to listen too. And his fondness for writers, and wordsmithery, made his guests just far more interesting. It's almost always sports writers. Very rarely athletes, and when it was they were particularly good interviews. And he always said he'd rather talk to writers than athletes because guys who get paid to think about things usually have a more interesting perspective than guys who just have the gift to do them. It's similar to why great players typically don't make great coaches, where as mid level players tend to more often.

Anyway, that show will be really hard to replace. It just feels like the guys filling that void are being too groomed to do so, whereas those guys came out of the writing biz and had a more natural learning curve. And as unique as those two guys are, their relationship is even more unique than just them.


I also still watch The Sports Reporters, which is a real seminal show for this whole culture. Even though I despise Mike Lupica.

[Tarik One]

I only watch on Mondays anyway. There are usually more topics to cover due to them coming off a weekend. It gets less interesting as each weekday goes by, especially First Take. Talk about beating a dead horse. My God.

[chosen_one6]

Bomani Jones looks like he has a criminal record

Just because he's black? You're an idiot or a troll. Or both. Bomani is a pretty smart dude.

[GreggPopazit]

Of course we want to see the regulars, but it is still nice to see sports conversations even if it isn't the usual suspects.

[sportsfan76]

Just because he's black? You're an idiot or a troll. Or both. Bomani is a pretty smart dude.

It can't be because of that since Michael wilboun and Steven A are black

[chosen_one6]

It can't be because of that since Michael wilboun and Steven A are black

Is it because of his masculine jawline?

[DeuceWallaces]

You have shit for brains if you watch First Take.

[Tarik One]

Just because he's black? You're an idiot or a troll. Or both. Bomani is a pretty smart dude.

Bomani sucks and voice is equally annoying.