From the desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe

I’m usually listening to Monday Night Football when I’m driving. So, tonight, being home and watching the Colts host the Jets on ESPN TV, I wasn’t ready for the voice of John Gruden in my ears.

Even worse, the ESPN cameras often went to the booth. So I not only heard Gruden’s voice but also saw his face – and I can’t stand either.

So I experimented.

I turned on the radio and started listening to the game on WIP – which is what I usually do. WIP uses Westwood One for MNF.

Boomer Esiason

On Monday nights on Westwood One radio, it’s usually Kevin Harlan doing the play-by-play with either Boomer Esiason or Kurt Warner doing color commentary.

Harlan is excellent on play-by-play. And either paring of color analysts is good. Boomer’s been doing it longer, but they’re both real good. Even better, there’s not one annoying voice in the Westwood One booth.

But Westwood does have its own John Gruden of sorts – in the form of Jim Gray, who does the pre-game, half-time, and post-game coverages. I don;t want to listen to him, so I switch stations during his pre-game and post-game commentary, and by switching stations during halftime.

Sweet Success

My experiment was successful.

Kurt Warner & Kevin Harlan

It was Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner doing the Jets-Colts game tonight.

Now, there’s one thing you do have to get used to. Westwood One’s audio is about 20 seconds behind ESPN’s video. So as you watch the plays unfold, they’re still talking about the last play. But you can see what’s happening and figure it out and, usually, by the time they’re doing the play-by-play on the radio, it pretty much coincides with the replay on TV.

It takes a few plays to become accustomed to the sequence, but – to me – it’s a much more enjoyable experience than dealing with John Gruden.

I know it’s wishful thinking, but perhaps, some day, ESPN will follow my example and mute John Gruden.

In addition to being an official Eagles Outsider, Barry Bowe is also the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
• Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
• Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow
• Soon-to-be-published Birth of the Birds