If ESPN didn’t plan it this way, it should have.
After ESPN boosted Rob Riggle’s sports cred by having him host the ESPYs, FOX hired Riggle to supplant Frank Caliendo as the host of the comic-relief-and-picks segment on the FOX pregame show. But Riggle, frankly, has been largely unfunny in the role.
So now that ESPN propped up Riggle to the point where FOX hired him and fired Caliendo, ESPN has made a beeline for Caliendo.
Caliendo has announced on Twitter that, this week, he’ll begin appearing live in the studio for Sunday NFL Countdown. According to SportsBusiness Daily, Caliendo usually will appear via taped segments, like he did with FOX.
It’s safe to say that Caliendo will from time to time be doing some of his impressions. From John Madden to Robert DeNiro to Jim Rome to Charles Barkley, Caliendo is great at what he does.
The real question is whether Caliendo has been working on a Chris Berman. If not, they can always bring in Dan Patrick for that one. And he can tag it with a little Lou Holtz.