PSA: ESPN 8: The OCHO is real!

[CochiseCowbell]

9:15 am Eastern. I'm sitting at the Atlanta airport IHOP enjoying a Blue Moon trying to figure out what sport I'm watching. It's kickball, with only home plate & 2 bases. What is this nonsense & why is it televised? Then the ESPN 8 graphic is displayed before an ad. Holy Sh*t!

10 minutes later, over bacon, eggs, & hash browns ESPN 8 THE OCHO graphic is displayed before a dodgeball game starts. I'm pointing & exclaiming to my bemused wife, "They actually call it The OCHO! Did you see that?" Confused stare.

This may be years old Germans or a funny joke ESPN is running during these sports doldrum days, but it made my day.


And since we've had a traffic thread recently, Karma caught my *** today. Woke up super early to drive to the ATL airport to pick up my stepson coming back from visiting his brother in Chicago. I usually don't drive that early, so it was a little unnerving with so few cars on the road. Joined a convoy of 3-5 cars & we made great time at an 80-85 mph clip.

After picking up the boy as soon as I got on I-20 from 285 I barely moved for an hour. We caught 3 more construction lane constrictions on the way home.

Glad to be out of that driver's seat. @aTotal360 you can have that nonsense. I'll stay in relatively sleepy Augusta.

 

[eckie1]

So, IHOP serves beer now???***

 

[CochiseCowbell]

So, IHOP serves beer now???***

That one did. Don't know about in general. The wife had a mimosa as well.

 

[aTotal360]

9:15 am Eastern. I'm sitting at the Atlanta airport IHOP enjoying a Blue Moon trying to figure out what sport I'm watching. It's kickball, with only home plate & 2 bases. What is this nonsense & why is it televised? Then the ESPN 8 graphic is displayed before an ad. Holy Sh*t!

10 minutes later, over bacon, eggs, & hash browns ESPN 8 THE OCHO graphic is displayed before a dodgeball game starts. I'm pointing & exclaiming to my bemused wife, "They actually call it The OCHO! Did you see that?" Confused stare.

This may be years old Germans or a funny joke ESPN is running during these sports doldrum days, but it made my day.


And since we've had a traffic thread recently, Karma caught my *** today. Woke up super early to drive to the ATL airport to pick up my stepson coming back from visiting his brother in Chicago. I usually don't drive that early, so it was a little unnerving with so few cars on the road. Joined a convoy of 3-5 cars & we made great time at an 80-85 mph clip.

After picking up the boy as soon as I got on I-20 from 285 I barely moved for an hour. We caught 3 more construction lane constrictions on the way home.

Glad to be out of that driver's seat. @aTotal360 you can have that nonsense. I'll stay in relatively sleepy Augusta.

Peach Pass and strategy. Luckily I'm not in the middle of that mess any longer. Marietta and Roswell are as close as I get to ATL. I've moved my real estate business from metro ATL to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a lot nicer driving an hour north than an hour south.

 

[Dawgg]

Normally during the August 8 weekend, ESPN turns into the Ocho with dodge juggling, juggle wars, rock skipping, snake catching, etc.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Normally during the August 8 weekend, ESPN turns into the Ocho with dodge juggling, juggle wars, rock skipping, snake catching, etc.

So it is just a self aware gag?

 

[Cantdoitsal]

So it is just a self aware gag?

I wonder all the time why sports networks make the programming decisions they do. I dunno, maybe women's lacrosse & pool volleyball are bigger draws than I know. I've always liked stuff like those NFL films when they're on the sidelines miked up yellin' and cussin' & schit. Nolan Ryan throwing a no no at age 42 and whippin' Ventura's a$z. Do a follow up on Money Ball showing A's footage. Fights during the Ali Era. Lots of better off season options IMO.

 

[Dawgg]

I wonder all the time why sports networks make the programming decisions they do. I dunno, maybe women's lacrosse & pool volleyball are bigger draws than I know. I've always liked stuff like those NFL films when they're on the sidelines miked up yellin' and cussin' & schit. Nolan Ryan throwing a no no at age 42 and whippin' Ventura's a$z. Do a follow up on Money Ball showing A's footage. Fights during the Ali Era. Lots of better off season options IMO.

ESPN Classic exists.

 

[Dawgg]

So it is just a self aware gag?

Yep. Here's last year's line-up:

How to watch ESPN 8: The Ocho, 2022 edition

ESPN8: The Ocho is taking over ESPN2 on Aug. 5, featuring 24 hours of seldom-seen sports. Here are the details.

www.espn.com

I remember one year, they had an English Bus Parking competition where bus drivers in I think London were trying to hit a certain mark to park and got scored on both speed and accuracy. Usually the ESPN app is littered with events like that in late July and early August.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

ESPN Classic exists.

No excuse for other channels to suck.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Yep. Here's last year's line-up:

How to watch ESPN 8: The Ocho, 2022 edition

ESPN8: The Ocho is taking over ESPN2 on Aug. 5, featuring 24 hours of seldom-seen sports. Here are the details.

www.espn.com

Welp, I'm late to the gag. But, I sure appreciated it at the time.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Glad to be out of that driver's seat. @aTotal360 you can have that nonsense. I'll stay in relatively sleepy Augusta.

Another reminder that I got to make a Carolinas - Georgia run sometime and visit my Augusta area kin as well as see who I can of my friends and family in the Carolinas.

Peach Pass and strategy. Luckily I'm not in the middle of that mess any longer. Marietta and Roswell are as close as I get to ATL. I've moved my real estate business from metro ATL to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a lot nicer driving an hour north than an hour south.

North Georgia, eh?

That part of the state’s long been on my shortlist for a visit but I’ve not been.

Friends and family have liked Helen. That - and - Hiawassee have gotten my attention.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Another reminder that I got to make a Carolinas - Georgia run sometime and visit my Augusta area kin as well as see who I can of my friends and family in the Carolinas.


North Georgia, eh?

That part of the state’s long been on my shortlist for a visit but I’ve not been.

Friends and family have liked Helen. That - and - Hiawassee have gotten my attention.

The Secretary of Education has family from coast to coast.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

The Secretary of Education has family from coast to coast.

Gulf Coast to Atlantic Coast.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

I watched many of an Australian Rules Football Game in the early days of ESPN.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

I remember watching the lumberjack games on ESPN when I was a kid. That was probably during the summer slow sports times. Bring that stuff back. I guess talking heads beating the same dead horse gets better ratings…I guess those dead horse beatings get more active threads here too.

 

[Dawgzilla2]

I watched many of an Australian Rules Football Game in the early days of ESPN.

I wanted to be an Aussie rules goal umpire when I grew up.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

I wanted to be an Aussie rules goal umpire when I grew up.

Yep they were cool, looked like Panama Jack in their outfit. I don’t think they wear the same outfit nowadays.