2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#9)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#9 - February 20th - Michael Wilbon - "PTI"

When doing some research for this column, I was amazed to see the start date of PTI. October 22, 2001. That's more than eight years ago. I still don't believe it, mainly because it is a sure sign that my generation is growing up, quickly.

Not gonna lie, before PTI, I had never heard of Michael Wilbon. No clue he wrote for the Washington Post. No clue he had made a couple of appearances on The Sports Reporters. And, more importantly, no clue that he would become my go-to guy for sports opinions.

It didn't take long after that October afternoon in 2001 for my appreciation for Wilbon to grow. First of all, I loved his delivery. It was strong, it was consistent, and it was entertaining. Secondly, his arguments made sense. You can tell that he was a fan first, and had developed a broad knowledge of sports. Lastly, we shared a lot of the same opinions on subjects, mainly because he used common sense, was not afraid to go against the grain, had a terrific sense of humor, and quite simply, told it like it was.

But, without question, the biggest reason I love Wilbon is his relationship with Tony Kornheiser. There is little doubt that these two enjoy working with each other, which is why PTI has been so successful. They have outstanding chemistry. They play off each other like John Stockton and Karl Malone. They poke fun at each other like an Abbott and Costello routine, and together they have a winning formula similar to MJ and Scottie Pippen. This is why whenever Wilbon or TK is not on the show, I don't watch, because even though the name hasn't changed, the show just isn't the same.

That chemistry can only be obtained through years of familiarity with each other. Which is why, one day, I have no doubt that Barnes and myself could pull off a similar show. But that is another topic for another day. For today is a tribute to Michael Wilbon.

Only Barnes came through with the correct answer to yesterday's trivia question. Michael Wilbon was portrayed by Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Theo from the Cosby Show) in the TV series, Listen Up! Jason Alexander played Tony Kornheiser, and from the clips below, you can understand why it only lasted one season. It was two seasons too many.

Okay, enough from me. Due to some Saturday night plans, the #8 selection will be up sooner rather than later tomorrow. Also, we now have the capability to podcast, and those will be coming out in the near future. Stay tuned. Finally, take a minute or two and head over to Barnes' blog (over on my sidebar) to hear his thoughts on my picks.

Hint for #8: This character has been the executive producer of a show featured on this list previously AND has guest starred on another show that has been featured on this list. Again, BONUS POINTS for the first to correctly name this character.

Until tomorrow, "read it, roll it, hole it."