Worst halftime in the world

The Spud has already professed his admiration of Keith Olbermann's work over the years, but after watching Thursday's "Football Night in America" halftime on NBC we again have to wonder what the hell he's doing on that show.

Back in April we opined that a return to sports would detract from Olbermann's impressive rise as an MSNBC political anchor and commentator. Little did we know at the time how ill-conceived the crossover attempt would be.

If the ho-hum first-half analysis and Tiki Barber's teasing that he might actually have something positive to say about the New York Giants on Sunday night weren't enough to numb the senses, there was Olbermann aping the amusing "Worst Person in the World" segment from his "Countdown" program, only now it had morphed into "Worst Person in the NFL."

And who was Olbermann's "Worst Person in the NFL?" None other than Olbermann himself. The commentator did a mea culpa for some poor writing in an editorial he gave on Michael Vick during a preseason telecast. Ugh.

Olbermann has become a prominent voice on MSNBC and with good reason — his intelligent reporting and passionate observations are tailor-made for these tumultuous times. And while we acknowledge his sports pedigree, the effort to infuse his brand of commentary into "Football Night" appears forced and can do little to brighten his news star. It also puts Olbermann (and NBC) in the precarious position of pissing off the NFL, which can't be to anyone's benefit.