Yesterday, I posted a video of Rampage Jackson humping an unsuspecting MMA reporter during an interview. There was no mention of her outlet, so I had no idea who she was. Well thanks to some excellent sleuthing from SI's Jimmy Traina, we now know that her name is Heather Nichols, and that she works for Cage Potato....

Jimmy Traina: What did you think when Rampage started, um, getting frisky? Did you think it was funny or did you take offense?

Nichols: At first I was just shocked when he grabbed me, and all I could think was, "Oh my gosh, what is he doing?!" Then I tried to play along a little bit because I knew he was trying to be funny, but after about the first 5-10 seconds, it was just plain awkward. I kept thinking, "What should I do? Knee him? Keep going?" So I decided to keep asking questions, assuming he would stop if I did that. So I asked another question, and he kept going. I asked ANOTHER question, and he kept going. At this point I was just freaking out, but still trying to be a professional and ask all the questions I was assigned to ask, and this has been interpreted by some viewers as me liking it and egging him on. This was definitely not the case. I was hired to do a job, which was to interview Rampage, so I decided to put up with his shenanigans and finish the interview.

So there you have it. Ms. Nichols can be seen in a Jimmy Johns or KFC commercial near you, and has some indy films coming out in the coming months. You can now go on with the rest of your lives.

Heather Nichols discusses awkward interview with 'Rampage' Jackson (SI)

Erik Estrada is being raked through the coals today for saying that, "he's seen my share of child pornography," and on the surface it seems like a terrible statement to say on-air. However, if you listen to the interview in context, he actually mentioned in conjunction with talking about a good cause.

With that said, he does take the time at the end to talk about Ron Jeremy's junk, and say he wanted to stick a fork in Traci Bingham's neck, so there's that....

I'm not quite sure why they were talking about a VH1 show, that took place about five years ago, but whatever gets the interview going I guess. While that was certainly entertaining, I hear it wasn't nearly as good as his rendition of the seventh inning stretch. If anyone has the video, let me know.

Erik Estrada's Awesomely Awkward 7th Inning Interview: "I've Seen My Share of Child Pornography." (Fan IQ)

I don't know if it's something in his brain or what, but Matt Vasgersian must just forget that he's actually being broadcast to thousands of people at certain times. There was the Ozarks incident, the f-bomb on MLB Network, and now this. Via Bugs & Cranks....

Wow. There are times to try and make jokes, and definitely times not to make them. You can't go from serious/somber voice to lighthearted that fast! Plus that dude looked nothing like Donovan McNabb. Just plain awkward.

Update: Vasgersian has responded via KSK....

“I am an idiot .. Save the racial stuff which is just flat out wrong, almost all of what has been posted on my regrettably horrific timing is spot on .. It was a bad decision made on live tv and i can absolutely understand how that make an announcer sound insensitive. Bad on the spot judgment. Nobody feels worse about it than I do guys.”

Video: Another Awkward Moment in Television History Featuring Matt Vasgersian (Bugs and Cranks)
UPDATED: Matt Vasgersian should probably stop talking for a little while. (Kissing Suzy Kolber)

There's awkwardness, and there's awwwwkwardness. Scot Pollard was supposed to be on an NBA TV show during a game on the network, but flight problems delayed his appearance until after the game was over. For some reason, Cheryl Miller did not take kindly to this, and decided to grill Pollard for over four minutes on-air....

It's really hard to tell if she's serious or not. Oh and Cheryl, if you work Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, that's a three day work week. I don't think many people would be upset at that.

There are acceptable ways of ending an interview. A handshake is the customary move, but even a simple nod and thank you can suffice. Asking for a kiss on the lips, however, probably isn't the best move (as Joe Namath demonstrated in 2003). Well that's the exact move that Herb Deshaies, father of Astros' announcer Jim Deshaies, pulled during an exhibition game on the MLB Network this afternoon. Here's the clip....

Awkward! I love that the announcers immediately went to the Namath comparison and Deshaies referred to his pops as a "masher". I have no idea what that means, but I think I can guess.

Viewership for the Selection Show on CBS was up over 2008, and while I could spend this time discussing that or the analysts on the show, I think this moment just about sums up the show. Via The Dagger....

"Yes! We snuck Arizona in for the second year in a row! Let's awkwardly show our affection for one another by rubbing elbows in front of 5 million people!" Too funny.

The 10 Best Moments From The 2009 Selection Show (The Dagger)

Dan Le Batard has a myriad of awkward interviews under his belt, but this one might head right to the top of the list. The Miami radio host had Michael Phelps on yesterday, and after asking a few uncomfortable questions, the swimmer decided to cut the interview off. Well the fun didn't stop there. Phelps forgot to hang up the phone and was heard calling Le Batard an idiot. Via Sports by Brooks....

Sadly, the bewildered Phelps then went into “that’s my story and I’m sticking to it” mode, offering up more pap about how he loved to get the word out about swimming and help people.

To which Le Batard responded, “Do you go into the nightclub with these Kellogg’s products and just drop them on the floor with your face on them?”

That’s when Phelps had had enough, saying, “Sorry, I think we’re going to head to the next interview. Thank you very much for your time.”

After the interview, Phelps accidentally didn’t hang up the phone for a moment, saying to his handlers about the interview and Le Batard, “I didn’t say nothing. That guy was a idiot, that was ridiculous.”

Here's the interview in its entirety but near the 3 minute mark is when it gets interesting....

Too funny. The dial tone at the end was just awesome. I don't think I'm alone here, but the sooner Phelps' fifteen minutes are up....the better.

Please, Don’t Ask Michael Phelps to Tell The Truth (Sports by Brooks)

So the background on this is still a bit convoluted, but apparently Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News asked Lane Kiffin a question during a press conference about an article that was distributed to the media by Raiders' brass, one that was critical of the Coach. A little tiff ensued, but in the end the Coach still has a job....

So, for the time being, we're all stuck with each other, until the moment Davis pulls the trigger on the longest-rumored firing in the history of history.

That's fine and dandy — Herrera angrily confronted me right after Kiffin's news conference Monday, as Kiffin merrily strode by, but I'll take that sort of thing as long as it illustrates the larger issue.

Namely: the Raiders' burbling lunacy, which doesn't always manifest itself so vividly in public.

Also, Kiffin accepted the general point of my Herrera-enraging question — a question that referenced at least one attempt by at least one Raiders official to goose the argument in an anti-Kiffin direction.

Herrera didn't like that question and said my assumption that a senior executive printed out and distributed an article critical of Kiffin was a lie. It wasn't, by the way. Much frenzy accompanied our not-so-brilliant discussion.

Man, that is seriously confusing. Oh well....let's just watch a grown man yell at a reporter while people just stand around ignoring the situation! Via the Mercury-News....



Good times!

Another crazy day in Raiders Nation (Mercury News)
Herrera-Kawakami Nearly Rumble (PFT)

First thing yesterday morning a flood of emails came in telling me that I just HAD TO find video of Emmitt Smith on Outside The Lines. I missed the program at the time, but I finally tracked it down this afternoon. The discussion is all things Dallas Cowboys and the guests were Emmitt, Dallas Morning News columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor and ESPN Page 2 writer Jeff Pearlman.

After touching on Adam Jones the conversation turns to Pearlman's book on the Cowboys of the 90s and how the team will basically sign anyone regardless of character issues. Emmitt decides to take offense to it and then finally lays into Perlman for singling out his former team. Oh and make sure you stick around for Emmitt's parting shot to the author at the very end....

Awkward! I think both brought up good points, but Emmitt went a tad overboard with the homerism there at the end. Everyone does deserve a second chance people and if you have a problem with it remember "that is just the system that we live up under".

I first saw this at PFT, but I couple emailed me about it, so I thought I'd make a spot for it. Deion Sanders was on Mike and Mike yesterday to promote some Madden event when Greenberg asked him for his opinion on the whole Brett Favre situation. Listen as Deion emphatically states that he can't talk about Favre at all and then tries to plow ahead with the event he's trying to promote....

"I can't get into that guys. I promise you I can't get into the Brett Favre thing, I really can't....You know contractually where I am with the NFL Network, man. So you know how that is."- Deion Sanders

How odd was that? PFT seems it has something to do with the NFL Network putting a halt on Deion's column in the News-Press last year, but I'm thinking it has to be something different. Either Deion really thought that his commentary is solely reserved for the NFL Network, was just being lazy, thought he was only going to talk about his promotion or all of the above. Either way, it was seriously awkward kind of a d**k move.

On a site note, good job by Greenberg in calling him out. The "isn't he on the cover of the game?" line was golden. I really wish he would have hung up on him, but he handled it well.

Awkward Moment On Mike And Mike (Pro Football Talk)

This is Jim Kozimor and he is the Sacramento Kings' Sideline Reporter. He has an interview with some girl named Nikki who's promoting a skate boarding event. Jim seems to like Nikki just a bit too much....

"If Nikki doesn't get you excited nothing will."

I mean I guess he's right but that's still a pretty random thing to say.

Kings reporter makes somewhat creepy remark (Fan IQ)

(Thanks to IANJ for the link)

This video is awesomely weird on so many levels. Not only is Pierre McGuire a REALLY close talker but at the 1:45 mark the whole conversation gets taken to a new level. Via TSB....

"You're an announcer with a long stick from time to time."- PM

Riiiiiight. So you like to talk about long sticks eh? Also, Pierre.....no one cares about the logo on the screen. Back the hell up!

Pierre McGuire Needs to Take a Giant Step Back (The Sporting Blog)