Heels, Sox & Steelers

Guerrero out, Tafoya in
After the NFL Draft, this might be the second big football story of the offseason. ABC has replaced sideline reporter Lisa Guerrero with the older, but infinitely more capable, Michelle Tafoya.

I was always curious why the NFL needed sideline reporters. I guess originally they were intended to give the viewer an up-close look at the action on the field and offer some behind-the-scenes information that you couldn't get by listening to the commentators in the booth.

That may have been the original intent with O.J. Simpson and Lynn Swann, but in recent years we've seen the likes of Eric Dickerson, Melissa Starks and most recently Lisa Guerrero.

Dickerson seemed to have trouble forming sentences and most of his commentary offered absolutely no insight -- in fact, I'm guessing it was a diversion while Michaels made a sandwich or got a refill. I was indifferent when Starks was the new sideline voice, but after she was replaced by Lisa Guerrero, I quickly realized how good Starks was. From the start, Guerrero struggled, and while she was may be the most attractive sideline reporter on MNF (A case could be made for Starks -- especially when you consider she was a much better reporter), I don't think that makes it OK to be a horrible on-air presence. Guys love looking at attractive women, especially at sporting events for some reason, but that's why most teams have cheerleaders (incidentally, Guerrero was a LA Rams cheerleader not too long ago).

Guerrero has one more year on her contract and ABC hopes to keep her in some capacity. Might I suggest she team with Dick Vitale to do college basketball games. That way ABC can have two people who have no idea what they're talking about, but watching those two work together might be worth it.