Everbody loves Bob Barker -- everyone, let's say, except the occasional litigious ex--Barker's Beauty or unwillingly neutered collie. And everybody respects Bob Barker. Since he announced his retirement from The Price Is Right (he tapes his last show June 6), the plaudits have rolled in: he has been called a legend, an institution, a record-setting pro.
The Price Is Right, though, that's a different story. Oh, people like the show. They remember fondly how Plinko and the Range Game got them through sick days, newborn nursing, freshman wake-and-bake sessions and periods between jobs.
But respect? It's not that critics treat any...