Warner2BruceTD
2011 Poster Of The Year
It's long, but pretty interesting. I greatly preferred the pregame shows from this era to the nonsense we get today, but the show structure is obviously pre internet, and gambling focused as opposed to fantasy focused. Also, I should note that nobody watched NBC. CBS had the dominant NFC, and was considered the premier pregame show with stars like Brent Musberger, gambling expert Jimmy the Greek, & token black guy Irv Cross.
-The first thing Costas does is go over every game on the slate, and he gives QB updates. The big mystery of the day, was Gary Danielson or Bernie Kosar lining up behind center for the Browns. Remember, for fans in 1985, ESPN was not what it was now, and you couldn't just click the website for a Cleveland paper to see if Kosar was practicing every day. This was often times your first & only update on injuries all week - a half hour before the game started. Costas drops an Oliver Luck reference here too, which is interesting.
-The very next segment is Pete Axthelm's gambling segment. This is before the first commercial and after the QB updates. Do the math...people need to get those calls into their bookies, and they need key info. One, what QB's are playing, and two, what picks does the expert like? FOX & CBS don't even employ men like Axthelm or Jimmy the Greek anymore. Now we get Jimmy Kimmel or Fran Caliendo or Rob Riggle doing bad comedy with the picks.
NFL gambling used to be a manly activity done by men. Now every 19-year old with a debit card puts in faggoty 6 team parlays with offshore websites and thinks they're a gambler. Back in the day, you laid the heavy lumber on one play, lost, then chased at 4 o'clock, lost again, and chased on Monday. And then you paid up on Wednesday, meeting your guy in an OTB or on a street corner or in a hole in the wall bar. Like a man.
Anyway, what was interesting here, was Axthelm picked Miami +3 1/2 over the Bears on Monday Night Football. Of course, that ended up being a historical game, as Miami upset the Bears outright and handed Chicago their only loss that season.
-Next up is Bob Costas with the Jets Ken O'Brien & Al Toon in studio. Mark Gastineau was supposed to be there, but he was "stuck in traffic". In reality He was probably stuck in his hotel room with a couple of strippers doing blow. There was probably nobody watching this, because everybody was calling their bookie. Only 20 minutes to kickoff. I remember when I was a kid, our big italian family would gather on Sundays, and this was the time of day my old man and all of my uncles would be lined up at the phone in the kitchen.
-Next is a segment with LARRY KING. Yes, that Larry King, who if you don't know is a huge sports guy and at this time was an inside information man. This is late in the season, so NFL & NCAA coaching rumors are swirling. There is lots of good forgotten stuff here, like Mouse Davis being linked to the St Louis Cardinals, and the controversy surrounding Lou Holtz "leaving yet another job" bolting Minnesota for Notre Dame.
-Next, Ahmad Rashad does a segment on NFL RB's & the Giants diminutive runner Joe Morris. They talk a bit about the Joe Morris vs George Adams battle for playing time.
-Back to Pete Axthelm for last minute advice. Costas receives word that Danielson won't play, so it's Kosar for the Browns. RUN TO THE PHONE! They talk about Falcons vs Raiders, with the leagues two leading rushers in the league squaring off, Marcus Allen & Gerald Riggs. Riggs lead by 12 yards.
-We head to the open of the big game of the day, Browns @ Giants. Marv Albert & Bob Griese on the call. These guys still aren't sure who the starting QB is, showing how slow information moved in those days. Bob Griese's keys to the game, and i'm not making this up:
Browns: Throw the ball
Giants: Run the ball
:dead:
-The first thing Costas does is go over every game on the slate, and he gives QB updates. The big mystery of the day, was Gary Danielson or Bernie Kosar lining up behind center for the Browns. Remember, for fans in 1985, ESPN was not what it was now, and you couldn't just click the website for a Cleveland paper to see if Kosar was practicing every day. This was often times your first & only update on injuries all week - a half hour before the game started. Costas drops an Oliver Luck reference here too, which is interesting.
-The very next segment is Pete Axthelm's gambling segment. This is before the first commercial and after the QB updates. Do the math...people need to get those calls into their bookies, and they need key info. One, what QB's are playing, and two, what picks does the expert like? FOX & CBS don't even employ men like Axthelm or Jimmy the Greek anymore. Now we get Jimmy Kimmel or Fran Caliendo or Rob Riggle doing bad comedy with the picks.
NFL gambling used to be a manly activity done by men. Now every 19-year old with a debit card puts in faggoty 6 team parlays with offshore websites and thinks they're a gambler. Back in the day, you laid the heavy lumber on one play, lost, then chased at 4 o'clock, lost again, and chased on Monday. And then you paid up on Wednesday, meeting your guy in an OTB or on a street corner or in a hole in the wall bar. Like a man.
Anyway, what was interesting here, was Axthelm picked Miami +3 1/2 over the Bears on Monday Night Football. Of course, that ended up being a historical game, as Miami upset the Bears outright and handed Chicago their only loss that season.
-Next up is Bob Costas with the Jets Ken O'Brien & Al Toon in studio. Mark Gastineau was supposed to be there, but he was "stuck in traffic". In reality He was probably stuck in his hotel room with a couple of strippers doing blow. There was probably nobody watching this, because everybody was calling their bookie. Only 20 minutes to kickoff. I remember when I was a kid, our big italian family would gather on Sundays, and this was the time of day my old man and all of my uncles would be lined up at the phone in the kitchen.
-Next is a segment with LARRY KING. Yes, that Larry King, who if you don't know is a huge sports guy and at this time was an inside information man. This is late in the season, so NFL & NCAA coaching rumors are swirling. There is lots of good forgotten stuff here, like Mouse Davis being linked to the St Louis Cardinals, and the controversy surrounding Lou Holtz "leaving yet another job" bolting Minnesota for Notre Dame.
-Next, Ahmad Rashad does a segment on NFL RB's & the Giants diminutive runner Joe Morris. They talk a bit about the Joe Morris vs George Adams battle for playing time.
-Back to Pete Axthelm for last minute advice. Costas receives word that Danielson won't play, so it's Kosar for the Browns. RUN TO THE PHONE! They talk about Falcons vs Raiders, with the leagues two leading rushers in the league squaring off, Marcus Allen & Gerald Riggs. Riggs lead by 12 yards.
-We head to the open of the big game of the day, Browns @ Giants. Marv Albert & Bob Griese on the call. These guys still aren't sure who the starting QB is, showing how slow information moved in those days. Bob Griese's keys to the game, and i'm not making this up:
Browns: Throw the ball
Giants: Run the ball
:dead:
