ESPN Analyst Takes Massive Dump On Network's $2.8 Billion Investment

Well, I guess we can go ahead and put Ben McDonald firmly in the ‘NO’ camp when it comes to NHL opening night next week. He ain't watching. In fact, he'd rather watch literally anything else in the world. 

Take that, ESPN! 

McDonald, for those who don't know – and I surely didn't because ESPN never covers baseball anymore – is an analyst this postseason for ESPN's wild card round. 

He's currently on the call for the Padres-Cubs series. He's a former first overall pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 1989 draft, and went 78-70 over a nine-year MLB career. He had a respectable 3.91 ERA. 

OK, we all caught up on our Ben McDonald trivia for the day? Good. Now, here's Ben, 57, taking a massive dump on ESPN's $2.8 billion investment during yesterday's broadcast. 

Enjoy!

Get off Ben McDonald's lawn!

First off … my God. Jessica Mendoza is STILL in the booth?! Really? That's the story here. She's on the Mount Rushmore of all-time awful announcers. I thought she was canned years ago. Amazing. You couldn't pay me enough to listen to her. 

Now, back to Ben …

People are PISSED at him today. Furious. They want his head. They want ESPN to yank his ass from Game 3 later today. 

I don't know. I think it's partly shtick. So what if Ben McDonald doesn't like the NHL? Is that going to deter people from watching? Was there one single soul watching yesterday's Padres-Cubs game who was thinking to themselves, "I’m on the fence about whether I should watch the NHL next week, I'll wait to see what these guys say and then make my decision"?

Of course not! Come on! Either you like the NHL, or you don't. I like it. I won't watch, because I'm a pink-hat fan who only watches from April on, but I don't pretend to be anything different. 

And Ben McDonald ain't pretending to like it, either, just because it's on ESPN. Sure, they acquired the NHL for nearly $3 billion back in 2021. Sure, he could've played good solider a bit more and just played along, but whatever. He chose violence, and I respect that. Lighten up, folks. 

Oh no, Ben McDonald – a dude I've never heard of until yesterday – doesn't like the NHL. How dare he! 

Get over yourselves. 

Side note: Did John Buccigross just commit a murder?

Side note No. 2: Ben McDonald is the same dude who fell 25-feet earlier this summer and broke half his body. Forgot about this: