The Bridges Of Olbermann County

Keith Olbermann's new late-night talk show will premier on ESPN2 tonight. This is good news for a network that could use some right now, but if history is any guide, we know where this is heading:

• "It's a shame Olbermann burned his bridges at ESPN, where replacement Kenny Mayne continues to try too hard to be a comedian."—Miami Herald (1998)
• "Ha! Those bridges are burned, Mr. Olbermann said—and the river, too. "My presumption would be that [ESPN] would not have me back were the building on fire and I the only possessor of a fire bucket in the world," he said."—New York Observer (2001)
• "He didn't burn bridges here, he napalmed them."—ESPN exec Mike Soltys (2001)
• "Olbermann, who was on Ch. 5's staff in 1984, burned bridges at ESPN and Fox..."—Boston Herald (2003)
• "Keith Olbermann addressed the burned bridges in his career when he was hired by NBC to anchor cable coverage of the 2004 Olympics."—The Journal News (2003)
• "I don't burn bridges, I burn rivers."—Olbermann to David Letterman (2007)
• "Perhaps only Keith Olbermann has burned more bridges than MeMax."—New York Daily News (2009)
• "Olbermann burned his bridges at ESPN."—LA Times (2010)
• "Keith Olbermann is smart, but he burns bridges with everyone around him, or so I've heard for a long time."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch (2011)
• "Where do you go when every bridge you've crossed has been burned behind you? That's the question facing Keith Olbermann now that his time at MSNBC has come to an abrupt end."—AOL (2011)
• "He has flamed out and burned bridges at every place he's worked"—The Big Lead (2011)
• "This time Olbermann didn't make it to the bridge; this time he burned the welcome mat."—NY Post (2012)
• "Here's his history of burning bridges and bomb dropping at various networks."—Awful Announcing (2012)
• "Is Olbermann really going to burn yet another bridge? Yes."—The Week (2012)
• "You thought Greg Smith had burned his bridges in the way he left Goldman Sachs? Where will Keith Olbermann ever work?"—Forbes (2012)
• Mr. Olbermann did excellent on-air work for CNN, Fox, ESPN, and MSNBC, but that never stopped him from burning bridges."—NY Times (2012)
• "I'm thinking Olbermann has burned his last bridge."—Mediaite (2012)
• "Olbermann, after all, has a history of burning bridges."—AlterNet (2012)
• "MLB Network still seems like the only reasonable scenario for a sports or news channel Olbermann could join that he hasn't burned bridges with."—Awful Announcing (2012)
• "But then Olbermann's celebrity went to his head and he left ESPN in a huff, later admitting he'd burned his bridges at the popular sports network."—Washington Post (2012)
• "Primetime ratings leader Fox News Channel may be ideological incompatible with Olbermann, who has likely burned his bridge to MSNBC."—Variety (2012)
• "Perpetual bridge-burner Keith Olbermann set ablaze another viaduct."—The Atlantic Wire (2012)
• "... leaving not too long after, burned bridges and accusations littering the highway behind him."—The Hollywood Reporter (2012)
• "Think Keith Olbermann has burned his last bridge in the television business?"—Forbes (2012)
• "That experiment didn't last; bridges were burned yet again, and on Friday, Current announced that it had fired Olbermann."—The New Yorker (2012)
• "The search for bridges that Keith Olbermann has not yet burned has stopped at the MLB Network"—The Atlantic Wire (2012)
• "Keith Olbermann burned more bridges than the Arsonist of Madison County,"—Jimmy Kimmel (2012)
• "Keith Olbermann—who has burned many a bridge during his career ..."—TV Week (2012)
• "Keith Olbermann has burned a lot of bridges, but seems eager to build one back to ESPN."—The Wrap (2013)
• "Throughout his career, Olbermann has been a serial burner of bridges."—Deadspin (2013)
• "If Keith Olbermann has never seemed afraid of burning bridges in his career, maybe it’s because he knows a burnt bridge can always be rebuilt."—Time (2013)
• "Will Keith Olbermann burn bridges at ESPN?"—Mercury News (2013)
• "Serial bridge-burner Keith Olbermann has inked a deal with TBS to host its in-studio post-season baseball coverage this fall."—New York Post (2013)
• "He has started many bonfires from the bridges that he has burned during the course of his career travels."—Beacon Journal (2013)

h/t Quincy