The ESPN book

I've been meaning to write this blog entry for a few days.

I recently finished reading "Those Guys Have All the Fun:  Inside the World of ESPN" and it was a great read.

I like to read, but with few exceptions (the new 007 novel Carte Blanche being one of them) it's mostly about sports.

So yeah, I won't be boring you with book reviews all that often;)

But this book was really good, even if you're not into sports or ESPN, etc. it's a very interesting look at the behind the scenes of ESPN throughout the years

I had heard stories through the years about ESPN and the inner workings and also about certain incidents that happened since ESPN started in late 1979, so I was pretty anxious to get my hands on the book, all 700+ pages of it.

It did not disappoint.

First of all, I've never liked Chris Berman to begin with and this book pretty much confirms what I thought of him.  He's a complete (insert you favorite insult here).

If you don't care to read the book, just go to YouTube and type in Chris Berman.....you'll see what I mean. 

I grew up with SportsCenter, and always made sure to tune in specifically anytime Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann (Yankee fan, so hello bias) were hosting together.  Those were epic broadcasts.  It hasn't been the same since Olbermann left in '97.  I still watch SportsCenter religiously and it's great but it's not the same.

The fact that Olbermann could write an entire SportsCenter episode in 30-40 minutes is amazing.  I wasn't aware of that until I read the book.  That's beyond impressive.

Also, Michael Eisner is featured prominently in the book because of the Disney angle and is also interviewed.  I never thought much of him to begin with but he comes across as someone with whom you wouldn't want to spend even an elevator ride with.

There are lots of interviews with people and stories about the wild partying back in the early days of ESPN.  That's not altogether surprising considering the stories I've heard (and read in the book) about Bristol, CT.    According to pretty much everyone interviewed for the book Bristol is not exactly a "happening" town.  Most ESPN workers wouldn't complain about working a 17 hour day because there was absolutely nothing to do in Bristol.  Yikes.

There's lots of other stories and anecdotes within the book, it's truly a great read.  Even if you're not into sports it gives a great look into developing a new TV channel and how to get it off the ground.  The 700+ pages went by very quickly.

It's worth checking out.