As the sports media continues to privately discuss and debate the surprise decision by ESPN that sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya will be relieved of those specific duties in 2008, rumors are rampant that the move was the result of at least a management desire to create more talky time for Tony Kornheiser or at most a move by Kornheiser to clear out two of the voices that were cluttering up the broadcast.

If the latter is true, Tony’s next eventual target could be play-by-play man Mike Tirico.  As the grapevine goes, there is some tension between the two of them.

For now, Tirico is the only non-Kornheiser left on the two-season-old broadcast.  In addition to Tafoya and Kolber, Joe Theismann a/k/a Joey Sunshine got the shoe last year.

Though Kornheiser has gotten better due to the presence of the generally deferential Ron Jaworski, it’s odd to think that Kornheiser is the spoon that stirs the MNF stew.  We realize that the franchise is craving another Cosell.  But, all due respect, Tony ain’t Howie.

(Then again, it could be worse; it could be Mike the Man-Girl and Mike the Meatball and Mike the Furniture-Rearranger, every single week.)

Meanwhile, it is becoming more and more obvious that Tafoya and Kolber’s roles on the MNF coverage will be dramatically reduced.  Though the official network statement from Sunday implies that they’ll still have relevance, Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that the duo will be “largely shelved.”

For Kolber, the real question is whether she wants to mess with jumping from the NASCAR city to the NFL city in order to contribute little if anything to the Monday night production — especially since she’ll have a baby to care for by the time September rolls around.