They can be a pain. But when they are good, they enhance the broadcast.

Thread creep... Yankee football. A few years back, a great comedian, social satirist, political pundit, and writer was given a spot on Monday Night Football. It was the first time that a non-pro sports commentator or non-ex pro football player had been given such a job. He was to be the first "fan" commentator.

He was excellent. His eloquence, his humour, his VAST knowledge of the history of the league, the teams, the players... it was almost shocking. I very much enjoyed his work and looked forward to listening to him as much as watching the games. He was let go at the end of the regular season. He had obviously made the rest of them look like dolts.