2-man crew suits Michaels

By ERNEST HOOPER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 30, 2000

ATLANTA -- ABC will have three men in the booth for today's Super Bowl broadcast: Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason and the specter of a second analyst who isn't really desired by Michaels and Esiason.

So many people have been mentioned as a possible third analyst for ABC's Monday Night Football team that ABC Sports vice president John Filippelli joked the network will have 11 in the booth next year.

John Elway, Steve Young, Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, Mike Ditka and Jimmy Johnson have been mentioned as possibilities. But ABC hasn't even decided if it wants to turn its duo into a trio.

You can't help but think that Michaels and Esiason have a chance to sway the powers with a quality performance today. A crisp broadcast combined with high ratings could very well make the debate moot. Michaels, who has seen his partners go from Dan Dierdorf and Frank Gifford to Dierdorf and Esiason to just Esiason in three years, certainly hopes that's a possibility.

"It's the third year in a row we've had a different dynamic. I'm very happy with it. I really am," Michaels said. "The way we have to do television these days with our obligations to a telecast, and we do have a lot promotionally . . . I like it. I think we have a little bit more space.

"I would like to see the league come less restrictive about the access given the sideline reporter. I think a lot more can be done in that role. I'm not making (sideline reporter Lesley Visser) a half person, but I think the right number is 21/2. Lesley's role, because of the nature of it, can't be as much as it is from the booth, but I think it's the right mix and the right chemistry."

Chemistry is the key word. Michaels and Esiason got along fairly well this season. Esiason is still a work in progress, but is coming on. Michaels has to like the pairing because it gives him more room to be a co-analyst and work his solid story-telling abilities into the broadcast.

But Filippelli and ABC Sports president Howard Katz will not rule out the possibility of a third person in the booth next season. Certainly with Johnson and possibly Parcells available, there's interest in adding someone with a high profile.

"Once we get past the Pro Bowl, we'll take a hard look at whether there's anybody out there that by adding to the booth, will make the telecast better," Katz said. "I thinkI have an obligation to explore that if we think it will result in a better telecast.

"But I think if you're going to go with three guys in a booth, it has to be three guys integrating different perspectives to the telecast. In the perfect world, you should be able to read a transcript of a game, without having names attached to it, and know who said what because of the point of view or perspective."

Translation: Don't look for another quarterback (i.e. Elway). Esiason already offers that viewpoint. One of the coaching candidates might get the nod, but they have to fit with Michaels and Esiason.

"What we don't want to do is make a mistake," Filippelli said. "We want to make sure it's the right person now and give the viewer what he could possibly offer and also the dynamic of the booth."

PREGAME: Look for the formulated blend of sports features for the hard core and off-beat stories for the casual viewers during ABC's pregame show, which starts at 2 p.m.

Filippelli said the theme will be "emotion, edge and entertainment." The network is raving about three features in particular: a profile of Fritz Pollard, the first African-American quarterback and coach in the NFL; a tribute to Walter Payton featuring clips from Payton interviews; and the story of Claire Marino's trip to China to adopt a baby.

The crew from The View will have a segment (Barbara Walters on football, I can't wait) and Emeril Lagasse will offer a Super Bowl recipe. Bam!

Chris Berman and Steve Young will serve as hosts. With Berman moving over from ESPN, Mike Tirico will host ESPN's GameDay at 11 a.m. Tirico will be coming off Saturday night's three-hour preview. On Monday, he has a college basketball game in Syracuse.

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