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Are you ready for Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football?

© Roy Pickering

The search for a broadcaster to revitalize Monday Night Football has been concluded. It is now official that the ABC television network is even more desperate than we thought. In hope of recapturing the golden age of gridiron reporting, back when the one-of-a-kind verbosity of Howard Cosell found a perfect foil in the "aw shucks" persona of Don Meredith, comedian Dennis Miller was the surprise pick to join fellow newcomer Dan Fouts in the booth alongside Al Michaels. Forgoing more predictable choices like a seasoned sports journalist or another ex-jock, recently rehired producer, Don Ohlmeyer, decided that radically shaking things up would be the quickest, if not the only way to halt MNF's steady decline in ratings.

The curiosity factor alone should attract casual fans who might otherwise be absorbed in an episode of "Ally McBeal", the theatrics of pro wrestling, or surfing the web. At least for a game or two. But only football loyalists are likely to stick around much longer than that, making them the final judges of whether this gamble will pay off.

Opinion on the hiring of Miller ranges from outraged to gleeful. There is no denying that his youthful fan base will appreciate the livening up that Miller will bring to MNF. As for those who reacted with skepticism, they certainly have just cause of their own. Miller has never before worked in a football related job. The little commentary he has made on his HBO show about sports has been for the purpose of poking fun. But since it was made clear by Miller's new employer that: "His role is not to come in and be the resident comic and do stand-up", one can only conclude that he will be required to provide some insightful discourse on the games. Ready or not, we'll find out in about two months time how well he makes the transition from cleverly scripted monologues with liberal dashes of cursing tossed in, to live, rated PG analysis in a group setting. We'll learn if it's possible to be pretentious, and engaging, and discussing x's and o's at the very same time. Miller's mission, now that he has chosen to accept it, is to add a touch of humor to the proceedings that is not laced with his trademark mockery.

Sports and entertainment are merging closer by the day. Shaquille O'Neal wins scoring titles and championships in between movie roles. Garth Brooks takes to the baseball field as a pretend Met in between concerts. Oscar De La Hoya may score more hits with his upcoming album than he did against Shane Mosley in his last fight. After the initial surprise wore off, most people greeted the news of a comedian broadcasting football games with recognition of its inevitability. Nothing is sacred in this new millennium, except of course for the mighty advertising dollars earned by each precious ratings point. If the hip, irreverent rants of Dennis Miller attract additional viewers, even if many of them will be tuning in just in case he falls flat on his face, then MNF has manufactured, at least temporarily, a win-win situation. Only one thing about this scenario is certain. If it works, there will be copycats. Maybe Chris Rock should start preparing to cover the next World series.