Being a Good Sport

I'm not a big fan of the ESPYs and don't tend to watch them.  Years back in the past, they've been enjoyable enough in that they don't especially take them too seriously, but there was still always a certain sense of importance and it's grown over the years, now in their 25th anniversary.  But a TV sports channel giving out its own Best Of sports awards in the field just has always struck me as a bit unctuous.  Not problematically so, since as I said, they don't take themselves too serious.  But it's still ESPNs own awards done as if it was industrial and meaningful.

Usually, I just catch up on video highlights later, since there always are a few well--worth watching.  And I have three such videos here.

I think they'll be fun for most people, but if you don't like sports I understand, and you're excused.  The lobby is over there, and we'll be serving snacks.

This first is the opening monologue by Peyton Manning.  It's pretty funny, and he does (not surprisingly) a solid job.  There are a few points where the targets of his jokes are stone-faced, but I have a feeling they cleared some jokes ahead of them and are in on it, much the same way Matt Damon seems unmoving at Jimmy Kimmel's slams at him.  Those this video says 13-minutes (and is), the monologue is only 10 minutes.  Still, that's a long time to do such a good job for someone who's not a professional comedian.  

One last thing -- for some reason when ESPN released these videos, they did something bizarre with a sparkly-star universe in the background and the image smaller in a box in the center.  Don't ask me to explain in.  It's distracting but their choice.

This second clip is a lovely Icon Award presented to the legendary Los Angeles Dodger announcer Vin Scully, who retired at the end of last season, after 65 years behind the microphone.  There's a very good presentation by Brian Cranston (who grew up in L.A. listening to Scully), a nice montage of Scully highlights, and then a not-surprisingly gracious speech by Vin Scully, who'll be 90 in four months and looks in high-announcing form.

Why the headline of this says that Scully "trolls" Cranston is utterly beyond me.  He repeats on thing Cranston says, but that's more a case of he had clearly planned it all along, and the two men didn't compare notes.  Other than that...not a clue.
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And finally, the ESPYs give a Best Moment in the entire world of sports, and there's only one choice they could go with.  The Chicago Cubs winning the World Series after 108 years.

There is a very nice montage of the minutes building up to the Best Moment, and some fun joshing around by lifelong Chicagoans Bill Murray and Nick Offerman, joined by David Ross -- the beloved journeyman catcher who oddly just finished second in Dancing With the Stars.  I'm not quite sure why they didn't have any of the Cubs starters or longtime stars on stage, though doing it this way did keep the moment far lighter.  For Cubs fans, this is all fun, though it probably goes on a bit longer than necessary for most people, especially Chris Dunn, though that's part of the reason for including it here...

The other reason, of course, is that how could I not?!