Lay off Kornheiser - it was his first game

A lot has already been written and said about this columnist/TV cohost/failed sitcom character/grouchy bald man after his debut on Monday Night Footbal last night.

But let's set a few things straight:

1.) IT WAS HIS FIRST GAME Who performs like a superstar their first day at a new job? No one I know. Most people are a combination of nerves, confidence, and nausea, which is exactly how Tony came off.

2.) IT WAS A FREAKIN' PRESEASON GAME Who is in mid-season form in the pre-season? No one I know. Not the coaches (well maybe Chucky, Belichick, Cowher, and Billick), not the players (well maybe Romo), not the refs, fans, nor announcers.

3.) TONY WAS THE WAY TONY ALWAYS IS- SURLY & CYNICAL Snapping at "Theesman" (which he did frequently, to everyone's delight), complaining about the job reqiurements (namely staying up WAY past his bedtime), not knowing players & coaches, and praying the game didn't go into overtime-THAT'S TONY BEING TONY (to paraphrase one of RSN's favorite sayings). These same qualities made him a lovable grouch on PTI, but under the harsher spotlight that is MNF (no matter what network), he is criticized for this behavoir.

But the best thing to come out of all of this is Korheiser's response to his critics on the Dan Patrick radio show today:

On fellow Washington Times columnist Paul Fahri (click title link for his piece): "he is a two-bit weasel slug who I would gladly run over with a mack truck".

When DP played a snippet of Mike & Mike cohost Mike Golic's comments, where Golic basically said he thought the debut was neither great nor terrible, to which DP proclaimed that Golic has some sour grapes about not being chosen for the job, Tony ripped off this beaut: "I heard he ripped me, and I'd love to ring Golic's neck and hang him over a shower rod like a duck... he thinks I'm gonna be a disaster, and it always sounds like he's saying "it shouldda been me".

PTI cohost Mike Wilbon on DP's show today actually said he "didn't have a problem with anything Golic said, in fact I probably would've been nodding in agreement with him" and graded his partners' performance as a C+.

Bottom line: cut the guy some slack, let the booth take shape as the season progresses, and don't rip a guy after 1 game. And keep this in mind: at least we didn't have comments like "this guy makes Max Cady look like Atticus Finch; Pat Buchanan is so homophobic he blames global warming on the AIDS quilt" to listen to (Dennis, we hardly miss ya).