Jamie Mottram's Sports Blog - www.misterirrelevant.com

After 27 years of delivering the goods, DC sportscaster George Michael signed off last night for the final time as the NBC Channel 4 sports anchor. In his honor, via the brilliant Wizznutzz, here's the intro for the Sports Machine circa 1984. Note the post-Star Wars graphics, powerful theme music and '80s icons (Dr. J! Art Monk! Hulk Hogan!). It's amazing how much this 30-second clip brings me back to a desperate youth spent trying to stay up late on summertime Sundays just to watch nationwide sports highlights ...

I'll always be thankful to Michael for that, but, honestly, I've only really thought of the guy twice in the past 15 years or so. The first time was in 1998 when I heard that one George Michael had been busted for a "lewd act" with an undercover (male) police office. For whatever reason, I thought it was the NBC Michael and not the Wham! Michael, so you can imagine my disbelief and uncontrollable laughter.

The second was just last month when the Sports Bloggers Live crew was dining at Joe's Stone Crab down in South Beach. The place was star-laden and we passed Michael and Sonny Jurgensen waiting for their table on our way out. I had no idea what to say ... "DC!"? Too weird. "Skins!"? Too lame. So my cohort CT pipes up on the fly and yells, "Sports Machine!" Just right. Of course, CT kept walking while Sonny and George looked up at me, helpless and tongue-tied. All I could do was offer a thumbs-up. A thumbs-up for Sonny, sure, but certainly a thumbs-up for the Sports Machine, circa 1984.

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• #3 Comment from monponsett 
  3/7/07 7:51 AM | Permalink

  I don't follow links well... did he "sign off" as in "doesn't do the show anymore" or sign off as "died?"
  
• #2 Comment from lostinmalibu 
  3/3/07 3:38 PM | Permalink

  panger from <i>foul balls</i> here, jamie.  thank you so much for sharing this.  miss washington and d.c. sports so much; george michael was a big part of that.
  
  good times...
• #1 Comment from sportzassassin 
  3/2/07 10:33 AM | Permalink

  The Sports Machine....may it rest in peace:
  
  http://journals.aol.com/sportzassassin/SPORTZASSASSINSSPORTSJOURNAL/entries/2006/11/17/the-manly-george-michael-set-to-leave/1873