While I ranted and raved about ESPN's alleged role in the OU-Oregon game and its role involving the rise of sports' importance in society, both socially and economically, I failed to praise the network for its many contributions.

No, I have not decided to apply for a job at espn.com, although that's obviously kind of a wet dream of mine, criticism or none. My hunch is that my opinions regarding the network's effect on society would pretty much eliminate me, unless they'd be able to respect my perspective and appreciate all this damned talent I have.

Instead, it's all about Keith Olbermann, who has anchored MSNBC's Countdown news program in the 7 p.m. hour (Central) since March 31, 2003. Most sports fans know Olbermann as the tag-team partner of the mighty Dan Patrick in ESPN's Sunday night edition of SportsCenter, which for a long time was like 60 Minutes to the jockhead set.

If one were to examine networks both local and on cable for a genesis of great, modern news writing, one would need look no further than SportsCenter. Olbermann and Patrick were the ambassadors of the written word to ESPN, ushering an era of great wordsmiths to the network that exists to this day. There is sincerely no better news writing, on-air, than on ESPN.

Well, except for MSNBC, now that Olbermann is there.

In the past two months, the ratings for Olbermann's Countdown have shot up, by 55 percent in August, and upwards of 73 percent through the first half of September. Meanwhile, both MSNBC and CNN as networks are on the upswing, while Fox News viewership has declined by nearly 15 percent over the same time period.

That might be explained by a shift in the opinions of middle America as it pertains to the war on terrorism, or it could mean a bigger influence from those in the blogosphere with regard to pointing progressive news consumers toward progressive newsmen. There might also be a shift in how television traffic is measured now that DVRs are so predominant among the pop-culture public.

On the other hand, it hasn't hurt MSNBC that Olbermann has gone from being a clearly progressive anchorman to the liberal version of his nemesis, Bill O'Reilly -- minus the shouting, bad writing and general jack-assedness. And, I actually like watching Bill's show.

However, Olbermann has used his bully pulpit for some of the most biting commentary I have ever witnessed on television over the past few weeks, most notably a segment on Monday in which the native New Yorker admonished the Bush administration for questioning the public's right to think.

One critic described Olbermann's angst and populist sentiment as the second-coming of Howard Beale, the fictional newsman from the movie "Network," who was mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore before announcing that he would commit suicide on his news program the very next week.

However, Olbermann's writing prowess isn't new to me as a sports fan, an avid SportsCenter watcher and journalist. His clarity and compactness with the written word is unsurpassed in television journalism. His bite and wit are unsurpassed, even by the likes of Jon Stewart, whose "Daily Show" I have loved for years, since the days of Craig Kilborn.

Nevertheless, a world of progressives hadn't witnessed Olbermann's genius, seemingly, until the anchor decided to get pissed off about the Bush administration, the so-called war on terror and everything the far right stands for. It was like he morphed into the voice of the thinking progressive, not merely the casual news viewer who happens to vote Democrat, but the viewer who can understand references to Voltaire and words like "apoplexy."

I'm not sure if Olbermann's change in direction, his change of approach was purposeful, the result of a focus group's study; however, it has most certainly been effective in terms of the book. Personally, I've gone from being a casual watcher to a five-day-a-week TiVoer, watching bits and pieces everyday and catching up on weekends.

This is hardly a critical blog entry because as a progressive, I appreciate his positions on most all topics. And, as a writer, I respect the guy beyond comprehension.

May his swift success stay on the upward trend.