After weeks of internal deliberations, ESPN has opted to assign Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic and Mike Ditka to the second game of the season-opening Monday Night Football double header for the second straight season.

In 2007, ESPN tabbed Mike and Mike (and Mike) to handle the 49ers-Cardinals snooze-fest on June 20.  But it struck us as odd that ESPN didn’t immediately announce that Mike and Mike (and Mike) would enjoy an encore when the schedule was released in April.

Some folks in the media (and in Bristol) believe that some folks within upper management at ESPN hope to eventually assign Greenberg and Golic to the first-string MNF team.  The first opportunity likely would come whenever Tony Kornheiser vacates the fiefdom that he patrols by bus.

Greenberg was/is not good, in our estimation, as a play-by-play announcer.  Ditka was solid as a color analyst, especially since he gave us something that has helped add color to our neighborhood for nearly nine months, and counting.