Rob Iracane from Walkoff Walk joins the show, we discuss Matt Millen and Adam Schefter going to ESPN and wonder if our cable providers are spying on us while we watch TV.

First, Nick and I discuss ESPN’s signing of Matt Millen. Is it a good move to bring Millen into the ESPN mix at this stage? And, like Steve Phillips mentioned he does when faced with a GM-type question on the air, will Millen use his personal examples and poor decisions to explain a situation? In other words, will Millen be able (and willing) to openly discuss his failures to teach the audience by learning from his own mistakes? Or will ESPN trot him out as another football expert and brush aside the fact that he was the worst sports executive of  -- at least -- the last 20 years?

We also discuss the news that Adam Schefter will be leaving the NFL Network for ESPN. Schefter is one of the top football newsmen in the business, so how does his addition to the stable of ESPN reporters shake up the hierarchy there? Is there any truth to the rumors that John Clayton and others are unhappy that Schefter will be brought onboard? And think about it, Schefter is great at his job, and a pretty handsome fella to boot, so why wouldn’t the others at ESPN be a little concerned he might get more face time on the WWL than them?

And what of the NFL Network at this point? Rich Eisen is solid, but is anyone going to the NFL Network because they enjoy Eisen’s delivery of highlight packages? With Schefter leaving the network, what’s left at NFLN that’s worth watching? Deion Sanders? Jamie Dukes? I’m not sure that’s going to get it done. (Ed note: We did not mention Mike Mayock on the show. He is very good and we should have mentioned him. I also like Marshall Faulk’s work.) Letting Schefter go, no matter what the cost, might be a huge blow to a network that has made more than a few missteps in recent years.

With the addition of two heavy hitters, ESPN has proven that they are the place to go for NFL information. But how much is too much? Do they really need 50 -- we’ll get the real number, but it has to be around 50 -- people covering the NFL?

One last little bit of speculation. With Matt Millen traveling to MNF sites and doing pregame and post game, it’s not far fetched to think that after one year he makes a smooth transition upstairs to the booth. He’ll already be at the games this year. The news won’t be as drastic as hiring him and throwing him into the booth. Does the Millen signing mark the end of the Tony Kornheiser era of Monday Night Football come 2010? It stands to reason. Or, will ESPN employ the first ever FOUR man booth? Hey, if CNN can have 11 people on a panel during an election, ESPN can cram four guys in a booth during a football game, right?

Talking Baseball:

We chat with Rob Iracane from Walkoff Walk about New Yankee Stadium. How great, in both size and quality, is the new home of the Yankees? Iracane says that it’s too big for words and equates it to the Colosseum in both stature, and it’s ‘coldness.’ Fun, and not in any way intimidating, I’m sure.

We talk about the affordability of the stadium, and Iracane says that while there are parts of the stadium that are entirely affordable, those seats aren’t available. So if you don’t have season tickets in the cheap seats and want to go to a game, be prepared to pay a hefty premium. And the good seats are great, but that premium is quite hefty indeed.

Iracane wrote that Yankee Stadium is like the Republican Party, so we have to talk about that. Really well done that you can read at WoW. And we talk about the Yankees rotation and wonder if filling their high-roller seats is more or less a concern than the performance of some of their pitchers.

We also talk about Walkoff Walk, and if covering all the teams in the league has made him less of a fan of the Bombers. They’ve recently started a podcast and do some other funny things every day, so check them out.

Tech Talk:

We discuss the news that TiVo will start implementing a tracking program that rivals Nielson. TiVo is billing that their service will ‘complement’ Nielson, but we all know what that means. TiVo can not only track what you watch, but it can track what you watch live, recorded and what you forward through. Yes, they can track what you forward through while watching a show. If you’re watching Big Brother, if that’s even still on, Big Brother is totally WATCHING YOU. How meta...and creepy.

This leads to a complete conspiracy theory that the cable companies already do this. Cable companies know what we’re watching, when we are watching it and how long we watch it for. They know what files we’re downloading from them and when those files are played, so how is this different than what TiVo is doing? It’s not, I feel they just don’t want you to know, because an audience is more valuable when they don’t realize they are being watched.

And speaking of being watched, the only thing the cable company doesn’t know is who in the house is watching what shows. Is it me, my wife, my kid or the neighbor who sneaks in when we’re not home? So how long before the cable boxes come with cameras inside? If they don’t have them already. And surely they’ll bill it as a version of Skype that will tie into your TV and home phone and people will be completely fine with the intrusion. Frankly, we’re a little frightened.

The question for you is: how much privacy are we willing to part with for an on-demand world? It doesn’t seem like we can have both.

Housekeeping:

Neil Best on tomorrow, Neil from Rockville later in the week as well (we think) and Drew from KSK and the Deadcast. Oh, and go get your free Ben and Jerry’s cone and your $.50 Dunkin Donuts iced coffee today. Just don’t wait in line for an hour.

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