instant replay

Chet Simmons was a true television pioneer. The things we watch today and consider essential to our viewing, didn't exist before Simmons created it. You know that little show on ESPN, 'SportsCenter'? That was Chet Simmons. All this is important to appreciate because Simmons died last week in Atlanta at the age of 81. In his passing, it's time to appreciate that Simmons was a visionary television executive who had the gumption and wherewithal to make his visions a reality.

Simmons started in his career at ABC Sports, one of Roone Arledge's right hand men, and part of the team that came up with the 'Wide World of Sports.'

Today, the show is remembered as an Emmy-winning program that literally scanned the world looking but 'Wide World of Sports' was really groundbreaking entertainment. You saw things on that show that were new and different and always filmed brilliantly. Whether it was ski-jumping in Austria or cliff-diving in South America, 'Wide World' was exciting. And Simmons understood that sports fans craved more.

First came the television, a must have staple for all serious football fans. Then came the remote control, a magical device that allowed everyone from Cheeseheads to the Raider Nation to control their equally magical television without wasting precious body fat. Then God bestowed upon his people the buffalo wing, a sports viewing achievement no one thought could be topped.

That was until Dec. 7, 1963 when television saw the first instant replay during the Army-Navy game on CBS.

Now thanks to this marvelous technological fusion of athletics and broadcasting, viewers around the world can go to the bathroom in peace knowing they would not be able to miss a minute of the action. Fans were ensured that referees would conclusive access to every angle of every play no matter how minutiae the detail. Now if only technology could improve the refs, we'd be set.