Okay, so maybe I'm not quite over Roger Federer's loss in that epic Wimbledon finals against Rafael Nadal, but this certainly helped.
Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick are back together again!
Patrick is going to join Olbermann on NBC's Football Night in America this Fall. They were the two anchors I first saw when I started my American education with ESPN all those years ago. I think they were the first two to really cross over into mainstream pop culture (weren't the two in a Subway commercial at one time?) and were right there in the beginning of the worldwide dominance of the navel-gazing sports behemoth.
Then, of course, Olbermann had a nasty split with ESPN (I believe it was because he defied them in appearing on The Late Late Show with disgraced former Sportscenter anchor Craig Kilborn), bounced around for a bit before finally achieving the national prominence he always thought he deserved with MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Patrick stayed on with ESPN, playing the elder statesman (a role he was clearly uncomfortable given the unfortunate decision to start dyeing his hair). Then he bolted for his own nationally syndicated radio show (taking Reggie Miller with him apparently) and a column with arch-rival Sports Illustrated (in a Baron Davis/Elton Brand like tit-for-tat ESPN hired away the insufferable Rick Reilly from SI).
Then, of course, this news, and it all comes back full circle.
Read the New York Times article, though, if you can. It really does a great job in outlining just how ruthless ESPN is. It's no accident that they are at the very top, but man can they be spiteful and vicious.
It happens to the best of us, once you get to the top, you change.
LINKS
NYT: Patrick Reunites With Olbermann
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