Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa, Jim Sullivan column: Sully Saturday: Berman failed to address key issues

Nov 08, 2008 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- DIS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- I watch Chris Berman for two important reasons

It's a perfect chance to needle my wife, who can't stand ESPN's most famous sportscaster.

Did I mention it's a perfect chance to needle my wife?

For better or worse, I moved firmly into my wife's camp before the recent Monday Night Football game.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports announced that presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain would be interviewed at halftime of the Pittsburgh-Washington matchup by none other than Berman.

Now, enough is enough. Sports is supposed to be a refuge from politics, not a habitat. Even though Berman has some usefulness, he also carries some flaws.

One, he's never understood that a microphone actually amplifies sound. Two, Chris Berman's favorite subject is clearly Chris Berman. His ego could play left offensive tackle for most NFL teams.

So, when word of the McCain-Obama interview came down, I vowed to flee faster than Usain Bolt runs the turn in the 200. Of course, I was working Monday night, so it was something of an empty promise. Then again, politicians know a little something about that.

But I never say never. Or read my lips. Yes, the two men touched on topics like a college football playoff and the NFL. So does everybody else.

If Obama and McCain had agreed in advance to discuss a few topics vital to an alternative corner of the sports world, I would have been riveted. I also would have said to my wife, "Hey, isn't that Chris Berman? Boy, he's great."

For better or worse, indeed.

Anyway, here are some of the topics Berman should have brought to his brush with politics.

I'm sure you're aware of how Singletary, the former Bears linebacker and current San Francisco interim coach, dropped his pants during halftime of a recent loss. He was trying to impress upon the 49ers how badly they were embarrassing themselves, he said. I guess it was supposed to be leadership by example.

Now, I'm not sure what Obama or McCain might have suggested as a deterrent. Perhaps borrowing a concept from the economic sphere would have helped, something like belt tightening. Or the burgeoning jobless figures. If Singletary keeps this up, he may be confronted by a line -- at the unemployment office.

Why go to the moon, especially if it belongs to Mike Singletary?

After awful weather that brought the 2008 World Series to a temporary freeze, the suggestion of a neutral site in a warm climate began to surface. It makes sense for the NFL, so why shouldn't Major League Baseball borrow a page from the Super Bowl?

If I had been Obama or McCain, I would have pointed out several major flaws. Good weather or bad, a World Series without the fans who have been in the seats for six months would be an empty vessel. Rather than seeing Phillies backers waving towels, we would have watched CEOs sip Chardonnay. There's no way the average baseball fan with family can foot the bill for a week in Phoenix or Houston or Los Angeles. Good grief, baseball lovers can barely afford a Sunday afternoon game in Kansas City.

So, shiver your timbers all you want. The Series stays at home, although I can't wait for the first Fall Classic to be played at the Minnesota Twins' new outdoor stadium. Even Sarah Palin, that renowned Alaska hockey mom, might need a few extra layers for that one.

There's no neutral corner in baseball.

Prince lost his job as head football coach at Kansas State after the Monday Night interview, of course. But I would hope that Obama and McCain would find a place in their camps for a guy like Prince.

I don't know how he dealt with his players at K-State, or the local media, or the boosters. He had his flaws, certainly. But when I saw him at Big 12 Conference functions, he seemed bright, well-read and thoroughly self-confident. Now, he's out of a job after 2-1/2 years with the Wildcats.

Take Bill Snyder's miraculous run out of the equation, and coaches at Kansas State succeed about as often as Democratic presidential candidates win Texas. Why pull the trigger so fast? At Iowa State, Dan McCarney got five years of frustration before he brought the Cyclones their first taste of victory in ages.

So, it's sad to see a guy like Prince fail.

It's almost enough to make me find Chris Berman on television.

Did I mention that it's a great way to needle my wife?

Does anyone have a few good words for Ron Prince?

Contact Jim Sullivan at (319) 291-1434 or jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com

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