ESPN movie channel

Happy Gilmore on ESPN?Thursday night, the primetime event on ESPN was "Happy Gilmore".

Granted the movie could be the best work of funny man Adam Sandler, it was still odd to see a sports flick as the primetime main event of the sports channel.

Is this something new? Does ESPN have a master plan they are easing America into?

My guess is the company either knows everyone in this country is sick of Tour De France highlights and had to plug in the movie rather than showing another two-hour Lance Armstrong special, or ESPN is preparing us for the next super sports channels --ESPN movies.

Maybe ESPN could be pulling out an all sports movie channel? If not, I want to go on the record and take full credit for the idea.

Occasionally a viewer can run across "Prefontaine" or "Raging Bull" on ESPN Classic, but never before have I seen a non-ESPN movie production airing on the sports mothership.

But could a channel like this survive with an audience other than those who believe ESPN owns the only channels offered by most cable services?

There are the classics, such as "Raging Bull", "Bull Durham" and other sports movies that may or may not contain the word bull, but an ESPN sports movie channel may provide another opportunity to pull out the rarities from the sports movie library, such as "Youngblood" or "Vision Quest."

The only drawback could be ESPN's partnership with Disney and the possibility of "Mighty Ducks" re-runs, or the even more dreaded "Air Bud -- Golden Receiver."

Regardless of a possible "Mighty Ducks" appearance, this idea may be as golden as Air Bud. Or it may be just another opportunity to watch "Caddyshack."

Jeremiah Bartz is the Frontiersman sports editor and is not afraid to say, he would watch an ESPN sports movie channel.