ESPN First Take

ESPN First Take is an American morning sports talk program on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. The show was formerly known as Cold Pizza. The official switch was made on May 7, 2007. Two back-to-back two-hour episodes air each weekday from Monday through Friday, with the live episode airing from 10 a.m. ET until noon, followed by a repeat.

The show is hosted by former SportsCenter personality Dana Jacobson and Jay Crawford, both of whom came over from Cold Pizza. Skip Bayless and a rotating guest analyst are featured, providing daily debate on current sports topics.

In August 2011, the show underwent a drastic format change. 1st and 10 segments were removed, and Skip Bayless' contribution to the show was greatly increased, as the show gained an increased focus on debate throughout the show. Bayless also is given the opportunity to ask questions to show guests.

The 1st and 10 name was used as the name of the downloadable podcast. However, the podcast has been renamed the First Take podcast, rendering 1st and 10 effectively defunct.

The show moved from New York City to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The show is broadcast in high definition in ESPN's Digital Center.

Differences from Cold Pizza

• Control of the show has shifted from the ESPN Original Entertainment division to ESPN's news division.
• The "Here's the Latest" news segments have been replaced by the SportsCenter updates.
• The "Bottom Line" ticker appears continuously on the screen, even during national commercial breaks. This starts on the preceding show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, and continues through the re-airing of this program.
• A new commentary feature, "My Take," debuted on the Friday of the first week, May 11. The commentator was Peter Bonventre of Entertainment Weekly magazine, the former contributor of "Sports Must List."

First Take set

When ESPN First Take moved to Bristol, Connecticut on 05-07-2007, the program moved into ESPN's Digital Center in high-definition that was established in 2004. This is the same studio that Mike and Mike in the Morning moved into and the same studio that Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Live is filmed in. However, First Take never appears on the football desk that Mike and Mike uses; instead they use the opposite (Baseball Tonight) side of the studio (with the talent facing toward the demonstration field as opposed to the Baseball Tonight desk which, when in place faces the opposite way). This modified studio area includes a standup position for SportsCenter updates. The NFL debate set is used for 1st & 10 segments, an interview set on the field and a stand up location inside ESPN's highlight screening room are also used. The demonstration field and Barco indoor LED display are used more extensively on this show than any other show originating from the studio.

Staff

On-air staff

• Skip Bayless: (Contributor, 05-07-2007–present)
• Jay Crawford: (Co-host, 05-07-2007–present)

Former on-air staff

• Dana Jacobson: (Co-host, 05-07-2007- December 2011) left for other ESPN assignments, including Sportscenter, Outside the Lines, and College Football Live.
• Reischea Canidate: (Anchor, 05-07-2007- August 2011) left to do Sportscenter live.
• Sage Steele: (Anchor, 05-07-2007- August 2008) left to do Sportscenter live.
• Michael Kim: left to do ESPNews.
• Woody Paige

Guest hosts

In addition to Steele & Kim, these people have served as guest hosts of this program:

• Tom Rinaldi
• Michelle Bonner
• Jeremy Schaap
• Chris McKendry
• Rece Davis
• Matt Winer
• Josh Elliott
• Julie Foudy
• Jesse Palmer
• Mike Hill
• Wendi Nix
• Bonnie Bernstein
• Brian Kenny
• Cindy Brunson
• Jeannine Edwards
• Reischea Canidate
• Kevin Negandhi
• David Lloyd
• Jonathan Coachman
• Jay Harris
• Ducis Rodgers
• Michael Smith (sports reporter)
• Sara Walsh
• Will Selva
• Charissa Thompson

Guest update anchors

These people have served as substitute update anchors (includes two people who are current main co-hosts are highlighted in bold) on the show & Mike and Mike in the Morning:

• Michelle Bonner
• Ryan Burr
• Dana Jacobson
• Will Selva
• Anish Shorff
• Dari Nowkhah
• Jay Crawford
• Steve Bunin
• Erik Kuselias
• Bonnie Bernstein
• Kevin Negandhi
• Rachel Nichols
• Jonathan Coachman
• Reischea Canidate
• Bram Weinstein
• Kevin Connors
• Mike Hill
• Michele LaFountain
• Cindy Brunson
• David Lloyd
• Mike Yam
• Ducis Rodgers
• Don Bell
• Steve Weissman
• Lindsay Czarniak

Segments

Current

• Coach's Call: Every Tuesday during the NFL season, former NFL coach (and current Westwood One analyst) Jim Fassel analyzes certain decisions made by the league's head coaches during the previous week's games.
• Couch Potato: This segment, sponsored by DirecTV, is hosted by Jacobson who interviews Howie Schwab, ESPN's resident trivia guru, about the weekend's sports television viewing as he rates the weekend's overall event lineup on a scale of 10 bags of chips.
• Cover Two: This is when they are joined by two NFL columnists from all over the country to discuss different news and notes. This segment is also called cover Three when there are three columnists.
• Diagnosis NFL: This seasonal segment analyzes the effect of player injuries on NFL teams. Guests on this segment are Bob Glauber of Newsday and Michael Kaplan, who is the director of the Central Connecticut Sports Medicine Center. (Kaplan replaced New York-based Jonathan Glashow when this show moved and changed its name.)
• Francis the Cat: The feline, which is owned by an ESPN employee, is given a choice of two bowls with food inside. Whichever one he eats represents his prediction for the next Monday Night Football game to be shown on ESPN. He made his debut during the college football bowl games in 2007–08.
• Full Court Press: This is when they are joined by a NBA columnist from all over the country to discuss different news and notes.
• MLB Doubleheader: This is when they are joined by two MLB columnists from all over the country to discuss different news and notes.
• Morning Headlines: This is a segment where Reischea Canidate runs down the biggest headlines in newspapers around the country.
• Quick Takes: This segment is a spin-off of the former Cold Pizza segment Morning Slice. In this segment, the hosts discuss an odd or of the wall story in the world of sports.
• SportsNation Question of the Day: This is a multiple-choice question for which fans get to vote at ESPN.com. The hosts give the result of the vote at the end of the show.
• The Top Story: This is at the beginning of the show when they go indepth about a developing story and discuss it with insiders on the situation.
• Law Offices of Brooks and Brown or Two Big Guys on a Little Couch or Lomas and Derrick NFL Oracles: A new segment with rotating mediator features mainstays Lomas Brown and Derrick Brooks and also Jon Ritchie and Marcellus Wiley. The two word-smiths debate topics surrounding the NFL. Consequently missing from this law-practice/meeting of the minds is legal-aide Ray Buchanan who talked his way out of the proceedings last season.

Former

• First Take Update: Every twenty minutes during both Mike and Mike in the Morning and ESPN First Take, Reischea Candidate (or a substitute) runs down the top news and highlights from the previous night in sports. Renamed from SportsCenter Update on September 29, 2008. First Take Updates were discontinued after the show's format change in August 2011.
• The Great Throwdini: This appears every Friday, when The Great Throwdini picks three NFL games against the point spread by throwing knives blind folded at the team logos. This segment was not renewed for the 2008 season, possibly due to Throwdini having a sharp drop in his winning percentage in 2007 compared to 2006.
• Your Take: This live online chat session began on the November 7, 2007 program; it appeared every Wednesday. Amy Nelson was the moderator.

See also

• 1st and 10 (ESPN TV series)
• Cold Pizza

External links

• Official Website
• ESPN First Take at the Internet Movie Database