Update On SportsNation

Here’s the latest with my new show, SportsNation.

I continue to rehearse four to five days a week with my co-anchor, Michelle Beadle from New York. She’s even better than we thought; sharp, opinionated and not afraid to spar.

The show is hard to describe. It’s similar to lots of shows, but different than all of them. It is much more interactive with the audience than any show ESPN has ever put on the tube. It also has a game segment each day, with the public being able to play alongside us.

We just broke into our new studio yesterday and it’s sweet. It has dark wood floors, like a loft in the city, with all sorts of gadgets for me to break. It’s a far cry from the 6 o’clock news room in Las Vegas twenty years ago. Nobody is smoking cigarettes, everyone has their real hair and no one is getting chased by a guy named Rocko after a bad weekend of picking games.

It’s a high tech look, with a simple to follow premise. The show debuts July 6th and like any show, will probably take a while to find its legs. PTI struggled initially I’m told, so I can’t imagine us winning an Emmy in the first year. Yet, I’d be surprised if it didn’t succeed. ESPN is pouring its heart and soul into it.

Listen, the critics and blogs will hate it (shocker), yet we’ll find an audience like everything I’ve done locally or at ‘The Juggernaut’. Michelle should be the star of the show for two reasons. She’s gifted, and she’s, um, attractive. And the audience is 90 percent dudes. So I can be a small part of the show, basically a house plant, in the dining room and allow her to be the central figure. That is until my massive ego needs stroking then I’ll butt in with illogical comments.

I’ll give you a few more updates, but for now, its full steam and full video stream ahead.