ESPN's Mount Rushmore

With Linda Cohn retiring and Karl Ravech unceremoniously getting the boot (yet still awkwardly calling games for six weeks...then getting an even more awkward on-air tribute at the end of the Little League World Series), an era at ESPN is officially over.  You could make the argument that the era has been over for quite some time (and there's definitely some truth to that), but these recent personnel changes have made it even more abundantly clear.  This is no longer your dad's ESPN.  Gone are the days when every show wasn't the same and they weren't making annual layoffs just so they can afford to pay Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee, both of whom ESPN is banking on (in more ways than one).

It does make you miss those days, though.  Back when SportsCenter was actually watchable and ESPN's anchors were personalities with enough star power to carry the "This Is SportsCenter" campaign that ran for years.  Back when people would watch SportsCenter just because of who was anchoring that night.  To say it was ESPN's Golden Era would be an understatement.  It's something they'll likely never come close to matching again, either.

I freely admit that I'm stealing this idea, but who would be on the ESPN Mount Rushmore from that Golden Era?  There are plenty of names to choose from.  You have Dick Vitale and his enthusiasm for college basketball.  Ditto about Lee Corso and his giant mascot heads on College Gameday.  You had Jon Miller & Joe Morgan as the voices of Sunday Night Baseball for years.  The late, great Mike Patrick on play-by-play for so many different sports.

Also worth mentioning are two men who put the "journalist" in sports journalist.  Bob Ley and Dick Schaap.  They both won multiple Emmy Awards for their work on The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines, two outstanding shows that were critically acclaimed, but not appreciated by viewers as much as they should've been.  That's the type of show ESPN simply doesn't make anymore.  The network's current lineup is debate-style shows in the vein of Pardon the Interruption.  PTI has endured and is still one of the best shows on ESPN, due mainly to its longtime combatants, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.

None of those personalities (and that's exactly what they are) anchored SportsCenter, though.  Neither has Stephen A., who's obviously the current Face of ESPN.  So, they don't qualify for this list.  It's limited just to anchors.  Because, let's face it, SportsCenter has always been ESPN's signature show, and anchoring the 11 p.m. SportsCenter was long considered the marquee gig.  So, this isn't an ESPN Mount Rushmore as much as it's a SportsCenter Mount Rushmore.

The first and most obvious name isn't known for SportsCenter, but he anchored every other program on the network for years and is as synonymous with ESPN as anybody.  I'm, of course, talking about Chris Berman.  Any list of ESPN's all-time greats begins and ends with him.  He's their George Washington.  So, the question is really about who joins Boomer on the ESPN Mount Rushmore.

Another name who would make the list feel incomplete if he wasn't included is Stuart Scott.  Has there ever been a more beloved figure on the network?  Stuart Scott was the reason why so many people watched SportsCenter.  Then the bravery he showed throughout his cancer battle was so inspiring.  And the gut punch everyone felt when he lost that battle.  If you haven't seen the wonderful Stuart Scott documentary, you need to.  But make sure you have the tissues ready.  Especially for the final 10 minutes.

So, that's two.  I don't think you'd get much of an argument (if any) about either one.  Filling those two remaining spots, though.  That's a little tougher.  And much more subjective.  There are probably four or five names in contention, but only two can join Boomer and Stu.

Of all the current ESPN personalities, Scott Van Pelt is the only one worthy of even being in the conversation.  He'd probably be considered their "lead" anchor right now.  SVP hosts the 11:00 show that often doubles as Monday Night Football or NBA postgame.  That's why I can't give him one of those two places on Mount Rushmore.

Likewise, Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann don't get one, either.  Eisen was Stuart Scott's SportsCenter partner for all those years, but he eventually left ESPN to become the face of NFL Network and only came back after ESPN bought NFL Network and merged the talent (which was the reason cited for the recent layoffs).  The other famous SportsCenter pairing was Dan Patrick & Keith Olbermann.  Patrick also famously left ESPN to join NBC Sports, and he now hosts a very popular nationally syndicated sports talk radio show.  And Keith Olbermann's had a love/hate relationship with ESPN over the years.

Which really leaves us with just a few options.  One of those is Kenny Mayne, who, for many years, was just as ubiquitous a presence at ESPN as his colleagues Chris Berman and Stuart Scott.  He covered everything while also serving as one of the primary SportsCenter anchors.  The more I think about it, the more it seems like Kenny Mayne should be as much of a lock as those other two.  So, he gets spot No. 3.

As for spot No. 4, I think that has to go to someone who just retired from the network.  Because, frankly, Linda Cohn is as synonymous with SportsCenter as anybody.  She spent 34 years at ESPN and hosted SportsCenter that entire time, more than 5,500 episodes in total.  That's an incredible number which seems unlikely to be matched anytime soon (if ever).  And not to mention her starring role in so many of the This Is SportsCenter commercials!  (The one with Mr. Met, especially, is so great!)

Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Kenny Mayne and Linda Cohn.  That's my list.  There have been plenty of memorable SportsCenter anchors over the years, but those four stand out above the rest.  And they're likely four of the first names you think of when somebody asks you to name your favorite SportsCenter anchor.  Are there others worthy of being on the list?  Sure.  But who are you taking out?  And who are you replacing them with?

Those four names are all throwbacks.  They remind you of the days when SportsCenter wasn't just an extension of ESPN's multitude of screaming head debate shows.  It brings you back to when SportsCenter actually showed highlights and analysis.  And when the anchors were the stars of the show.  That's exactly what Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Kenny Mayne and Linda Cohn were in their time.  Stars.  That's why they belong on the Mount Rushmore of ESPN's SportsCenter.