Bob Barker Tries Out For Sports Center

[Brian Damage]

June 19, 2007 -- DOES ESPN want a piece of Bob Barker?

The 83-year-old host of "The Price is Right" who retired this month after 35 years, popped up over the weekend on video seeming to audition for "SportsCenter," the sports network's longtime news show.

"I would bring something new to ESPN," he said. "I'm an interesting guy. Before anyone had heard of Michael Jordan, they were calling me Air Barker."

The seemingly real interview tape was another in the network's series of dead-pan promo spots. Even if it wasn't serious, that did not stop fans from posting it all over the web yesterday.

"I would fit in with the ESPN staff," Barker tells on off-camera interviewer. "I'm inadequate."

During the interview, Barker brags that he studied karate with actor Chuck Norris.

"And I was a World War II hero, too, and I could talk about that. The enemy heard that I was coming out and they surrendered. That was the end of World War II . . ."

The footage was originally recorded for ESPN's 20th anniversary, in 1999, where ESPN did a bunch of fake demo audition tryouts with various celebrities were shot, including Ray Romano and Phyllis Diller.

ESPN pulled it out of its archives because of all the publicity surrounding Barker's final shows, which aired last Friday.

"We've done this with movie and TV stars before," said a spokesperson for ESPN. "We try to infuse part of pop culture into what's big, and we try to hook into the news of the day. Someone knew we had the Bob Barker stuff laying around and we played off it.

"Our fans are more contemporary these days," said the spokesperson. "We always get good reactions."


"Adam Sandler is a big star now," Barker says on the spot.

"He's making millions of dollars a picture, and nobody had heard of him until I beat him up in Happy Gilmore. In karate, I work with the hands and the feet and the head. Don't get too close, man. I'm the greatest."


http://www.nypost.com/seven/06192007..._weinstein.htm

[Dynomite]

Nice spoof of Bob Barker on ESPN's SportsCenter.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

June 19, 2007 -- DOES ESPN want a piece of Bob Barker?

The 83-year-old host of "The Price is Right" who retired this month after 35 years, popped up over the weekend on video seeming to audition for "SportsCenter," the sports network's longtime news show.

"I would bring something new to ESPN," he said. "I'm an interesting guy. Before anyone had heard of Michael Jordan, they were calling me Air Barker."

The seemingly real interview tape was another in the network's series of dead-pan promo spots. Even if it wasn't serious, that did not stop fans from posting it all over the web yesterday.

"I would fit in with the ESPN staff," Barker tells on off-camera interviewer. "I'm inadequate."

During the interview, Barker brags that he studied karate with actor Chuck Norris.

"And I was a World War II hero, too, and I could talk about that. The enemy heard that I was coming out and they surrendered. That was the end of World War II . . ."

The footage was originally recorded for ESPN's 20th anniversary, in 1999, where ESPN did a bunch of fake demo audition tryouts with various celebrities were shot, including Ray Romano and Phyllis Diller.

ESPN pulled it out of its archives because of all the publicity surrounding Barker's final shows, which aired last Friday.

"We've done this with movie and TV stars before," said a spokesperson for ESPN. "We try to infuse part of pop culture into what's big, and we try to hook into the news of the day. Someone knew we had the Bob Barker stuff laying around and we played off it.

"Our fans are more contemporary these days," said the spokesperson. "We always get good reactions."


"Adam Sandler is a big star now," Barker says on the spot.

"He's making millions of dollars a picture, and nobody had heard of him until I beat him up in Happy Gilmore. In karate, I work with the hands and the feet and the head. Don't get too close, man. I'm the greatest."


http://www.nypost.com/seven/06192007..._weinstein.htm

Isn't this supposed to be a Joke?

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

Isn't this supposed to be a Joke?

Yes, hence the

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Yes, hence the

Oh I missed that-lol Then again ESPN would try anything

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

Oh I missed that-lol Then again ESPN would try anything

Could you imagine Bob Hosting sportscenter legitimately??? That would be recordable material. lol

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Could you imagine Bob Hosting sportscenter legitimately??? That would be recordable material. lol

And if he did I know Phil Munsnick would have a GREAT TIME blasting ESPN's new Move-lol