This is not a repeat of 2009, 2008, 2007....wait how many years has Bill Simmons worked at ESPN? Anyway, Simmons had a bit of a Twitter meltdown yesterday after learning that his scoop, which hadn't been taken seriously was credited to Adam Schefter. Bill had reported that Tom Brady had broken three ribs way back on December 10th, but his employer didn't believe the claim until it was reported by a "real reporter"....




Well let's get one thing out of the way first. Of course Bill cares, or he wouldn't be drawing attention to it. Of course it's terrible when someone gets credit for something that you've found first, but what do you expect? Breaking the story, and with "their guys", is all ESPN cares about and they're notorious for claiming credit from others. Just ask Jay Glazer.

All in all, I think this spells the end for Simmons and ESPN. I thought that his (brilliant) work, and time spent on ESPN's 30 for 30, would give him new life.....but apparently there's still an underlying element of mistrust.

Bill Simmons Hammers ESPN's Twitter Policy (Huff Post)

Bill Simmons has been trying to get on PTI for years, and now it finally appears that it will become a reality. Simmons has a book coming out and as a part of his tour, he'll be appearing on PTI next Tuesday. On top of that, he'll be appearing on Sports Nation, The Colbert Report, and joining Mike Breen and Hubie Brown during their call of the Bulls-Celtics game on October 30th....

Monday, Oct. 26th: Washington, D.C. - ESPN Zone (11:30pm)
Tuesday, Oct. 27th: Philadelphia - Borders (6pm)
Wed., Oct. 28th: New York - Professor Thoms' (7pm)
Thursday, Oct. 29th: New York - Borders (Noon)
Friday, Oct. 30th: Boston - Barnes & Noble (12:30pm)
Friday, Oct. 30th: Boston - Hurricane O'Reilly's (4pm)
Monday, Nov. 2nd: Chicago - ESPN Zone (5:30pm)
Tuesday, Nov. 3rd: Phoenix - Barnes & Noble (7pm)
Thursday, Nov. 5th: San Francisco - Borders (7pm)
Friday, Nov. 6th: San Diego - Borders (7pm)
Saturday, Nov. 7th: Las Vegas - ESPN Zone (4pm)
Monday, Nov. 9th: Los Angeles - ESPN Zone (TBA)
Friday, Nov. 13th: Anaheim - ESPN Zone (4pm)
Tuesday, Nov. 17th: Seattle - Sport Restaurant & Bar (7pm)
Thursday, Nov. 19th: Beaverton, Ore. - Borders (7pm)
Friday, Nov. 20th: Denver - Tattered Cover LoDo (5pm)

• Tuesday, Oct. 27th: "PTI"
• Wednesday, Oct. 28th: "SportsNation"
• Thursday, Oct. 29th: "Morning Joe" (6-9 a.m. on MSNBC) and "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m. on Comedy Central)
• Friday, Oct. 30th: Bill will join the announcing team during ESPN's broadcast of the Bulls-Celtics game (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

There are still rumblings that Simmons is leaving ESPN when his contract is up, and if he does, at least he'll be going out with a bang.

I remember Jim Traber fondly, since I grew up an O's fan, but since his retirement he's become one of those Sports Talk Guys, that you would just absolutely despise. Traber recently got into a pissing match with the OKC Thunder's, Nick Collison, over some Twitter comments, and after Bill Simmons denied a request to come on his show to talk about it, the radio host turned his hate to the Sports Guy. Ding....let's break it down blow by blow....

Simmons: "Note to unpopular, low-IQ sports radio bully/hosts in non-Top40 markets: I'd never come on your show to bring you attention. Ever. Not ever."

Traber: "Simmons's lack of knowledge on sports is only surpassed by his lack of knowledge about me. Little does he know that his own network - ESPN - did a story on Outside the Lines about this unpopular radio host. #1 in the country per capita...enough said. As far as my IQ, I do not have a masters, as I was playing Major League Baseball during that period of my life, but I was the scholar athlete for the entire state of Maryland.

Last thing about Simmons, if I had the voice of a pre-pubescent girl I'd probably stick to writing a blog as well. Meanwhile, I will just continue to struggle along to support my family without the "attention" I would gain if Bill Simmons would grace my small time OKC radio show."

Hmmm that's a tough round to score. Traber went with the standard Simmons' bashing, and did a pretty good job, but I think Simmons' tweet speaks for itself. He's like the Yankees (before 2004) saying that the Red Sox had to win something, before they could call it a rivalry. How do you like that comparison, Bill?

Simmons Twitter (Twitter)
Traber: Simmons and Seattle – a perfect match (The Sports Animal)
For He Is Traber, Lord Of The Idiots (Daily Thunder)

I'm not saying that Bill Simmons didn't have a lot to do at the "Leader", but....well yeah....he didn't really have a lot to do. He was in charge of a column, and a weekly podcast, but never really had any other responsibilities besides that and a cameo or two on E:60. Well that's all changing as Simmons is now embarking on a producer role for ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series. Via The Hartford Courant....

"It really bothered me that HBO had cornered the sports documentary in the minds of the average sports fan," said Bill Simmons, ESPN's Page 2 columnist and executive producer for the "30 for 30" project.

"Why is it so special when HBO releases one, but yet we're putting out documentaries all the time? Some of them were really good, I thought, and they just kind of fell through the cracks and just didn't make sense to me," Simons said.

In "trying to come up with different ways that maybe we could beat the system" he concentrated on the title, "30 for 30."

"I knew we loved celebrating anniversaries, and I knew we had a lot of money," Simmons said. "And it's like, yeah, we could go get filmmakers."

And so they did, amassing a roster that includes Barbara Kopple, Barry Levinson, Morgan Freeman, Albet Maysles and John Singleton.

The 30 films won't be structured to represent each of the 30 years ESPN has been around, nor will it be all encompassing to cover every event.

"This is meant to be a filmmaker-driven series. It's meant to let creative people be really creative," said Connor Schell, executive producer of the event. "We've picked topics that will collectively create a mosaic of the period. So if you were to watch all 30, you'd get a really good variety of the different types of things that have happened over the last three decades in sports, but by no means is it a countdown."

Well that's certainly a good start to a very large undertaking. Having someone that's passionate in charge of the documentaries, is also a very good idea as well. I think Simmons knows what fans want, and you can expect for the majority of the docus to be very entertaining. Overtaking HBO will be hard, but not impossible.

Here are the dates where you can start checking out the first seven films, this Fall....

* Tuesday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8 p.m.
* Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 p.m.

Making ESPN a Documentary Force (Hartford Courant)

There was a rumor, that started from a Deadspin podcast, that Bill Simmons would be filling in for Tony and/or Mike on PTI this summer, but apparently that's not the case. Dan LeBatard told the Deadcast that he and Simmons were all set to host the show together, but according to show producer Erik Rydholm, that's not the case. Via The Sporting Blog....

When Tony and Mike came back from vacation this week, the question became if, not when, Simmons and Le Batard would have their chance to pardon and/or interrupt one another. Usually the fill-in weeks are during the dog days of July, and with August just around the corner and football season starting, there may not be time for Simmons to do a full week of PTI.

I emailed with Erik Rydholm, executive-producer/creator/genius behind PTI and he told me that he would like to make it work, but scheduling isn't cooperating. He wrote:

"Very few upcoming stretches when both Tony and Mike are off. A couple of single days and it makes little sense to fly Dan and Bill in from forever away for one day. Hope to get something (scheduled) down the line."

It's surprising to me that Simmons has never had a stint on the show, especially when you think of all of the random people they've had as fill-ins. I mean, Patrick McEnroe was a co-host at one point! Personally, I think it would be a fun experiment to have Simmons on, but I guess if it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it.

Don't Expect Bill Simmons Pardoning Any Interruptions This Summer (The Sporting Blog)

Bill Simmons has been openly campaigning for the Minnesota Timberwolves open GM spot, and according to some reports, upwards of 15,000 have emailed the Wolves ownership to bring him on. Simmons has even offered to work for free (as long as he can write about the experience in a book), but that doesn't seem to be swaying the powers that be at all. Via the Star Tribune....

Just a day after I believed the Wolves had narrowed their search to former Indiana GM David Kahn, Glen Taylor and Rob Moor apparently continue it anew with a candidate in town this week.

I heard it was a candidate from within the Northwest division, possibly Portland assistant GM Tom Penn, the Blazers’ salary-capologist.

The first guy I thought of was Rex Chapman in Denver, who was with the organization for a brief time about three years ago. But it’s probably not him because he was at Nuggets practice today and I’m guessing the guy was in town today.

Sorry, but I don’t think it’s Bill Simmons, either.

Michael Rand, also of the Tribune, said that the Timberwolves are reporting that the 15K number is actually only 1.5K, but there's definitely an interest from fans. I always thought Simmons would make a great GM, as long as he didn't overdo it with the transactions. And hell, they really couldn't do any worse, could they?

Under the Big Top: And the search goes on…looking west (again) to Portland? (Star Tribune)

This has been building up for almost a year, but Rick Reilly finally spent some time on the B.S. Report yesterday. The two feuding writers decided to put all of their differences aside, and talk about everything that had been said over the last year. Just kidding. They actually didn't address anything, and the only time they came close to getting in an argument is when the name "Obama" came up. Here's a small clip....

Ah yes. Good use of the word "allegedly". Of course they were never feuding! So sad. In the span of a week and a half, Bill Simmons has mended the fences with his bosses and Rick Reilly. I couldn't be more depressed right now.

Rick Reilly (The B.S. Report)

The first part of the latest Simmons vs. ESPN went down on Friday, but Bill Simmons not only hosted ESPN Senior VP & Exec Editor John Walsh on his podcast, he also got ex-Ombudsman LeAnne Schreiber to discuss the current "State of ESPN". Simmons has obviously been vocal in his distaste for his employer lately and the two guests talked about everything from commenting on employees (i.e.- Kornheiser on MNF) to the role of sex in Sports (i.e.- Erin Andrews). Here's are a few quotes (some quotes via Sports Business Daily) from both and then an audio snippet from both interviews....

Walsh and Simmons on discussing current ESPN employees: Walsh: "We don’t want to have people doing things critically within a company, going after one another."

Simmons: "For me the Kornheiser thing, the root of the issue, is ... fundamentally people watching a football game want to hear from people who played football or coached it. Anybody outside of that realm they just don’t trust their opinion on it."

Simmons on Sports Center: "I watch ‘SportsCenter’ and it’s like, all right we made money there, we made money there. To be honest, I miss the old ‘SportsCenter.’ I just feel like we make enough money as a company that we don’t need to bleed ‘SportsCenter’ with all these different zingers."

Schreiber on Announcers: "ESPN is the only way you can experience the game, and the announcers have a tremendous impact on it. So I think they care a lot about who the announcers are and how they're operating. I received almost no complaints for instance about, very few complaints about play-by-play announcers."

"The analysts and color commentators, you know, there were a lots of complaints about them and the all essentially come down to essentially one thing. You're too much of a presence between us and the game."

Simmons and Schreiber on random ESPN Segments and Sponsors: Simmons: "My personal biggest, I don't know if it's a fear or I just don't quite understand about ESPN is that they care so much about being a media entity, and reporting news, and being on top of things, and having the best editors and reporters, breaking stories. And then on the other hand, you know....the Budweiser Hotseat, and the Coors Light Top Five, and all that other stuff.

Schreiber: "Yeah that's the trick. You have the argument that could be made, that you have a sponsored segment and what you do on that segment better be something that is justifiable in and of itself that is news."

"Simmons: "Did you feel that was consistently the case?"

Schreiber: "No. It felt it was variable, but I felt it was actually getting better.

And that's just a small taste of the over two hours and thirty minutes (!) worth of audio. I had recently thought that Simmons was just trying to get fired, but if his gripes cause this much discussion, you have to consider his complaints/bitching one of the most productive things to happen to ESPN in years.

As far as the quotes above, nothing sums up everyone's feelings on the network better than the last exchange between Simmons and Schreiber above. I am in the group of people that think ESPN has certainly has improved, but for every step they take forward....they take a giant leap back.

Hopefully these discussions help the network, and I have an idea. If ESPN won't have me on as the Ombudsman, they should get Simmons to try out the role.

John Walsh (ESPN: BS Report)
LeAnne Schreiber Part One (ESPN: BS Report)
LeAnne Schreiber Part Two (ESPN: BS Report)
Simmons Discusses Gripes With ESPN Senior VP & Exec Editor Walsh (Sports Business Daily)

Huzzah! The ESPN war that is Simmons vs. Reilly will be heading to the airwaves. Bill Simmons was on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan, and when the hosts asked him about his feud with Rick Reilly, he said things are fine and that the two will be together on the B.S. Report soon. Here's the audio....

Man, I cannot wait for that one. This podcast has anticipation similar to that of Tyson-Holyfield. Oh and Bill, I know the Rushmore thing was technically your idea, but after seeing how it turned out....you might want to distance yourself from it a bit.

Bill Simmons (WEEI)

Well this certainly comes as a shock. The Max Kellerman Show, which airs on ESPN 1050 in NYC, has been dropped by the network today. A reason for the move wasn't really given, but both parties had this to say....

1050 ESPN Radio and on-air host Max Kellerman have mutually agreed to end their relationship. Kellerman's final broadcast for the station was yesterday (March 9), 10AM - 1PM.

Tim McCarthy, the station's President and General Manager said: "Max is a highly articulate and passionate sports talk host and he brought a unique voice to our talent lineup. We wish him nothing but the best in all of his future endeavors."

Kellerman added: "I had some great times at 1050. I appreciate everything Tim McCarthy, Aaron Spielberg, and everyone there have done for me over the years."

Until a full-time replacement is selected, 1050's evening host, Brandon Tierney, will host the weekday 10AM - 1PM slot.

Well I guess it's good that Bill Simmons got on there while he could then, right? In all seriousness, this comes on the heels of Colin Cowherd now being aired in the Big Apple on 1050. While that might not be the exact reason, it most certainly played a part because Kellerman's show was bumped down from three hours to two, and then was ultimately bumped off the air.

Thank goodness for Kellerman's back up gigs in Boxing, because he just can't keep a job with ESPN.

Update: The latest rumor that we're hearing out of NYC, is that Kellerman might have something lined up with WFAN to join Mike Francesa. Seems like an odd pairing, but they've been looking for a partner to work with Francesa for awhile now. I'll keep prying.

1050 And Host Max Kellerman Mutually Agree To Part (ESPN Radio)
No More Kellerman? Um, What? (Fack Youk)

Brian Windhorst, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has broken just about every single Cavaliers story/trade that's gone down over the past few years. He had the Mo Williams information first, and more recently, had the Joe Smith deal before anyone else. Most people would speak highly of someone with such a stellar record of finding things out, but apparently ESPN's Ric Bucher isn't most people.

Bucher is the latest person to head onto the B.S. Report, and the NBA analyst decided to take a few shots at the CPD writer. Via Cursed Cleveland....

“The Plain Dealer came out and said very early on that Joe Smith was going to the Cavs, but I know as early as yesterday that there was a chance it could have come apart and he could have been headed to the Lakers… it got a little contentious… at the end of the day does the Plain Dealer look wrong…? No, because he ended up there, but were they completely on the beam… maybe not?

And so, my issue now is right now is....You have people who put things there, that are not couched, that put it out there early because they want to be first, and then they're not right. There's no culpability, there's no okay...this is going to happen and it didn't."

Seems rather petty to use the culpability, when there's not a reporter or ESPN personality that every apologizes for getting things wrong. I don't know what Bucher's beef with Windhorst is, but this seems like someone being jealous of a beat writer's talent.

Ric Bucher Rips Plain Dealer and Brian Windhorst’s Reportage (Cursed Cleveland)

A lot of things have been said about the show, Cold Pizza, but this could quite possibly be the funniest. Bill Simmons had Matthew Berry on his podcast today, and when the talk of ESPN "The Weekend" the ESPN2 morning show came up, Simmons compared it to "starting out in snuff films". Seriously....here's the audio....

"Starting out on Cold Pizza, that's like, yeah....I did some snuff films back in the 70s. That's how I broke in."- Bill Simmons

Man, the B.S. Report is a must listen these days because Simmons talks trash about ESPN every single episode. I thought for a second it was getting old, but anytime you can work in a snuff film reference, I'm back all-in. Plus he sarcastically said that he wasn't "a company man" further into the podcast. Too funny.

B.S. Report: Matthew Berry (ESPN)

Yes folks, yet another Bill Simmons podcast, and yet another shot at ESPN and Rick Reilly. Simmons had on The Soup's Joel McHale, and after commenting on the E! network allowing McHale to make fun of the channel, he started at ESPN and took a veiled shot at Reilly. Here's the audio....

Not the worst shot he's taken, but at some point ESPN has to realize he's just trying to get fired. Also at some point, Simmons has to realize this is getting kind of old. It was entertaining at first, but now it just seems a little forced.

Bill Simmons went on the Max Kellerman Show yesterday. While the talk of steroids, Lost and David Lee, was very entertaining, it was the talk about ESPN's "ESPN Radio Only" policy and blogs that caught my attention. Here's the audio....

Obviously he's right, and entitled to his opinion, but it's kind of funny to see how things have changed. Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't see how a dedicated Sports fan could do without blogs these days (plus I don't believe him). But whatever floats your boat.

Bill Simmons (ESPN Radio)
Bill Simmons: Kind Of A Drama Queen? (Fack Youk)

Just about every time there's a chat with Bill Simmons on ESPN.com these days, the Page 2 writer takes a pot shot or two at his employer. This time he accused the network of stealing his ideas, and not letting him go on any radio shows that aren't aired on ESPN Radio. Via ESPN....

Zo (Arlington, VA): So, you have started a new Hall of Fame: The Donovan McNabb Comedy Hall of Fame for athletes/entertainers who try to be funny in such an awkward manner that it is actually more creepy than anything. So, you have McNabb and Kobe. I would also throw in Superbowl Week with Kurt Warner as well. Who else joins the club?

SportsNation Bill Simmons: If you made a Mount Rushmore for it (I look forward to SportsCenter stealing this idea and not giving me credit or even emailing me to say they are doing it - thanks guys, it's great being on the same team with you!), I'd go with...

Kevin (Chappaqua, NY): Bill, with the Mike and the Maddog show no longer on the airways and the classic radio 1, 2 combo having gone their separate ways, What do you think there interactions will be at their first Super Bowl apart? I'm sure they will be fighting for guests, giving evil snickers and stares across radio row, while Mike sips on his Diet Coke and Dog fidgets uncontrollably in his chair. My question though is if you were asked to go on both shows and only had time for one, who you going with?

SportsNation Bill Simmons: I would go on Mike's show. There's a 85% chance that Dog has never read a single thing I've written. Mike and I have a love-hate relationship (mostly love) but at least he reads me... the last time I was on, they grabbed me on Media Row and I was sick... I want a second chance... sadly it can never happen because I am not allowed to go on non-ESPN shows ... even though the show that goes against Mike's (Michael Kay) has never asked me to come on. Yup, this is my company.

Kind of odd that both digs are still up too. I also think it's odd that ESPN won't let any of their personalities cross promote on other networks. Seems like a no-brainer, and they let them do interviews for newspapers, but maybe they think otherwise. It's amazing that Simmons hasn't been dropped or suspended yet, but I guess you can't get rid of your most popular Internet draw that easily.

Chat with Bill Simmons (ESPN)

Ever since Deadspin unleashed holy hell on a Simmons article about a year ago, the Sports Guy's pieces have been without comment. Since then, only Rick Reilly has been added to the commentless ranks, while all other works on ESPN.com can be picked apart and debated. CBS Sports reporter, Cameron Martin, decided to ask ESPN why this is so, and ESPN Spokesman Paul Melvin had this to say....

Me: "Paul, I had a question about ESPN columnists that I was going to address in my CBS column on Monday: Why can't readers comment on Rick Reilly and Bill Simmons columns? And why is it only them? Is it to protect the idea that these two columnists are universally loved? Jemele Hill and DJ Gallo and Scoop Jackson and Gene W get hammered by some readers. Why isn't that same courtesy extended to Bill and Rick? Seems disingenuous. Thanks, Cameron Martin."

ESPN: "Cameron, Bill and Rick's accessibility to fans has always been part of their style, and they both have developed long-standing practices of engaging their fans. Bill has a history of using his interaction with his readers as part of his voice and has, through the years, developed a regular, robust 'mailbag' style column that is a favorite of readers. Rick's connection to the personal stories of people in all walks of life has helped give him his signature voice. With respect to those traditions, we've chosen to continue to present their interaction with readers through those avenues."

(As non-answers go, that's pretty good. Unfortunately I wasn't looking for a non-answer.)

Me: "Paul, thanks for the reply. Quick follow-up: In this new era of change, transparency and accountability, isn't it a bit antiquated and un-American to try to control feedback from the public? What if President Obama wanted to comment directly on one of Rick Reilly's stories? Shouldn't he be able to announce to the world, ‘Rick, you're an inspiration to millions everywhere'?"

ESPN: "Hi Cameron. Appreciate the follow up, but I think our earlier comment is all we're going to have to offer here. Paul Melvin."

Okay, well that was a pretty obscure response, wasn't it? To be fair, Simmons and Reilly get about ten times the criticism that other writers get, and I don't fault ESPN for not wanting to sift through, and delete, over 1,000 comments or so. It's still interesting that with the thick skin that both Reilly and Simmons probably have at this point, that they wouldn't just go ahead and unleash the hounds on their articles.

Oh and if you're a dog owner, and want to have a good cry, read Simmons latest article on the passing of his Golden Retriever.

Monday S.P.O.R.T.S. Cam: Bad breaks, worst football state wrapup (CBS Sports)

Bill Simmons has been bringing the podcasts fast and furious now that his latest rift with his employer seems to have died down. He recently had Cris Collinsworth on the program, and when talking about the Cowboys the Sports Guy had this to say about the situation.

"As we've found out time and time again in sports or in any other community, if you bring in another guy and pay him more then the best guy you have, there's gonna be trouble. Guy's not gonna handle that well."- Bill Simmons

He of course was talking about T.O. and Roy Williams, right? Well, I guess that's possible, but it certainly sounded like a shot to me. Ah, the holidays are always happy over at the "Leader".

The Sports Fella Unleashes Another Not-So-Subtle Dig At Rick Reilly (Deadspin)
The B.S. Report 12/17 (ESPN)

Le Anne Schreiber has once again pulled the curtain back on the most powerful Sports network in the World, and as she addresses perceived biases across the board at ESPN (including BCS rights and Chris Spielman's Michigan comments), she also hints at a committee being formed to write a book of standards for the "Leader's" personalities. It seems like a simple idea in theory, but after speaking with Bill Simmons on the matter, it might not be so easy to get put into action....

When I told Simmons about the guidebook in progress, he said, "You mean they are planning on cracking down?"

When I suggested he think of it as clarifying rather than cracking down, he said, "So I'm writing a column and I have to consult the rule book."

I reversed field and asked him what he found most troublesome about writing for ESPN.com.

"When you are supposed to push the envelope," Simmons said, "but you are afraid of the repercussions of every decision, I think it affects you. I don't really blame the editors, because those guys aren't really sure where the lines are anymore, so they're going to take stuff out that is anywhere close to the line. But if you're going to take something out, the reason can't be 'We'd rather be safe than sorry.' You have to put some thought into it and say, 'If this stays in, what are the potential repercussions?'"

What if guidelines meant editors didn't have to resort to the better-safe-than-sorry stance, because they knew and could articulate where the lines were, and didn't have to wait to see how PR would draw the lines after some genuine or manufactured public outcry?

"If these guidelines could help me do my job, great," Simmons said.

It still amazes me that a company as large and as prominent as ESPN, doesn't have standards in place, but I think it's more the penalties that people question. When you suspend a Jemele Hill for a Hitler comment, and then don't do the same for Lou Holtz, you come off as a tad hypocritical. And when you fire someone like Harold Reynolds (allegedly based on heresay), and then stories of multiple transgressions from various employees are leaked onto the Internet.....you almost solidify the hypocrisy.

I personally could care less what Chris Spielman says when he's not on ESPN's airwaves, or in print. But if you let things like that go when they happen, there's almost no way that someone might not bring that bias back to the network. Again, you don't have to start disliking a team you played for, or grew up liking, but catering to them on-air is just taking it too far.

I have a feeling that ESPN will be taking a closer look at itself in the new year, but changing a culture can be a huge undertaking. With all of the new league, and championship, acquisitions....I just don't think there will be enough time to hammer something out. Good luck though.

ESPN can define boundaries and keep its edge, too (ESPN Ombudsman)

Bill Simmons has been all over blogs the past few days in one way or another. People have been questioning if his time at ESPN is up, or speculating why he stopped doing his podcast, but one thing they haven't been discussing is why a company called "Western Aviation" is using his likeness on their website. Well that is until today.

In a recent mailbag, Simmons got an email from a reader stating that the Sports Guy's photo was being used by the aviation company in a section on their called "Experts". Gelf Magazine decided to contact "Western Aviation", and this was their response....

"The web development firm changed it quickly once I notified them who it was. The project manager who would have picked the photo was no longer with the company so I could not ask her why she used this photo. But I did approve the photo when the site was originally built in April 2007. The photo has been up all this time only now did someone put the face to a name. I am not an ESPN buff so I did not know who it was so I just thought it was a photo of an anonymous person, just a photo they could use."

Amazingly random but equally as awesome! And as Gelf also points out, "it's probably better to have your photo associated with a private jet company than, say, a gay cruising site." So very true.

Bill Simmons, Aviation Expert? (Gelf Magazine)
Hyperbole knows no bounds for Cassel (Simmons Mail Bag)
Meet The Experts (Western Aviation)

You'd think by now that someone as popular as Bill Simmons would just cut his losses, but apparently the guy is just a glutton for punishment. Simmons' unauthorized blog is back and this time its weekly NFL picks column that randomly got the nix from the "Leader"....

Quick update: I received a slew of e-mails yesterday wondering what happened to my Friday NFL column and blaming me for being lazy and all the usual crap. Please know that I handed in that column as scheduled - on Thursday night, on time, like I always do -- and on Friday afternoon, ESPN.com decided not to run the column. These are the facts.

Anyway, here were my Week 9 picks for posterity's sake....

....Last week: 9-3-2
Season: 59-52-5

We are on the record.

Well then. That's short and to the point, huh? I thought the two sides had worked out their differences, but it appears we're just getting started with this thing. Plus it can't be sitting well with Simmons that Rick Reilly's last articles was picking a fantasy Football team with Obama. That should have been you, Bill!!!

November 1, 2008: Week 9 Picks (Sports Guy Unplugged)
ESPN Jerks Bill Simmons Around, Yet Again (Deadspin)