If there is one man in mainstream media, that's willing to call out the "Leader, that man is Jay Glazer. The FOX Sports "Breaking News" Expert has made it no secret that he likes the current battle between himself and the likes of Chris Mortensen, so it should come as no shock that he recently decided to deface Mort's Tour Bus. Via PFT....


I'm not entirely sure what gang sign Glazer is throwing up there, but the nuances that he added to Mort's visage are extremely entertaining.

In this day in age, especially in the NFL, up to the minute reporting is a must. CBS has long come in fourth place (behind ESPN, FOX and NFL Network) in the "breaking news" department, but they are making changes to catch up with the other networks. Starting this season, CBS has started an initiative called "Rapid Reports", and will be placing a reporter with every NFL team. Basically they're adding 32 bloggers to file reports throughout the day. Via CBS PR....

CBSSports.com today announced the creation of an innovative new way to cover the NFL. RapidReports will be a network of 32 correspondents, one with each NFL team. These reporters will file multiple bite-sized updates per day from each team's practice facility or stadium that will appear at the top of the CBSSports.com (www.cbssports.com) homepage.

CBS will be the first media outlet to cover the NFL, or any sport, in this manner, with one embedded reporter attached to every team working solely for one entity. Additionally, the style of coverage, with a constant stream of short, original news updates has never been used in the world of sports and CBSSports.com users and highly engaged NFL fans around the world will undoubtedly embrace this new mode of news delivery.

"With RapidReports, CBSSports.com will provide the rabid NFL fan base with the one thing they crave most – the absolute latest breaking news and updates from around the league – and deliver it in a way that will distinguish our service from the competition," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CBSSports.com. "We’re thrilled that CBSSports.com was able to find reporters for this initiative with a deep resume of sports experience and combine them with burgeoning new talent for a perspective and approach that fans won’t find anywhere else.”

CBS has also teamed up with Bleacher Report, and many of the correspondents will be coming over from their network. Obviously it's a good move, given the fact that CBS is so far behind the game at this point, but it will be interesting to see if it works. If they use it as a Fantasy tool, then I see it succeeding, but any other use and it might not pan out.

I never understood why courts come up with a sentencing that makes someone only serve a day or so in jail, but I guess the law is the law. According to TMZ, Barkley just plead guilty to two counts of driving under the influence, and was subsequently sentenced to ten days in jail, five if he completes an alcohol program....

Barkley just pleaded guilty to 2 counts of driving under the influence and pleaded "responsible" to running a stop sign for the December 31st incident in Scottsdale.

Barkley was sentenced to 10 days in jail -- but will only do five if he completes an alcohol education program. Barkley was also fined $2,000.

Forget the amount of time Barkley was sentenced with for a minute, is $2,000 a standard fine in Arizona for a DUI? That seems rather small if you ask me (not that it ultimately matters). As for the sentence, people have done worse and have received less to no time in jail, but driving drunk is a serious crime and I think Barkley understands that.

Charles Barkley Is Going to Jail (TMZ)

ESPN just aired a brief clip of the Peter Gammons interview with Alex Rodriguez, and while it's not the full one that will be on Sports Center tonight, it seems to be the most important part of the discussion. Here is the video in case you missed it....

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day. Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."- Alex Rodriguez (Via ESPN)

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful."

So what we now know is that he is admitting to using PEDs during a three-year period with the Texas Rangers, and that he's apparently extremely sorry for doing so. It's still not surprising, but what is surprising is that he actually came clean and admitted to doing so. I don't think many people are willing to forgive right away, especially when you take into account he lied during his 60 Minutes interview, but this was definitely a step he needed to take.

A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs (ESPN)

As many times as you've seen the Katie Couric interview these past few days, you knew A-Rod's first interview wasn't going to CBS. Instead, the "Leader" will get Rodriguez's first comments following SI's report on Saturday that stated the slugger tested positive for steroids back in 2003. Via Watchdog....

Alex Rodriguez apparently will not wait long to respond publicly to the revelation over the weekend that he tested positive in 2003 for a performance advancing substance.

ESPN is "finalizing" plans for an interview with Alex Rodriguez, a network spokesman said early Monday afternoon.

It is not clear when that interview would take place - likely sometime later this afternoon - or with whom, but a person familiar with the discussions who declined to be identified said the most likely interviewer would be veteran baseball journalist Peter Gammons, who has a history of being relatively sympathetic to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was in The Bahamas when the news broke Saturday but he since then is believed to have huddled with his agent, Scott Boras, about how to handle the public relations fallout.

It's now clear when that interview will take place, and with whom, as A-Rod will be sitting down with Peter Gammons within the 2 o'clock hour this afternoon, and the interview will air at 6pm tonight during Sports Center. Scott Boras has obviously been trying to find an avenue to start the PR campaign, and the first step will be taking place on ESPN. I'll be sure to get the video for you as soon as the interview is over.

Update: According to ESPN, via Gammons, A-Rod admits to using PEDs.

ESPN working on 'finalizing' first interview with A-Rod (Watchdog)

There is rarely anything that shocks me in this world anymore, and on a scale of 1-10, A-Rod taking steroids comes in at a .25. Jose Canseco called the Yankee slugger a user in his book "Vindicated", but Rodriguez vehemently denied the allegation. Well today (weird that this broke on a Saturday), SI is saying that he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Primobolan and testosterone back in 2003....

In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

While this isn't surprising, it's not all that damaging to Rodriguez. Steroid use wasn't yet banned in Baseball back in 2003, and the samples tested were supposed to be kept anonymous. Obviously, as we've seen with Bonds, Giambi, etc., that hasn't held true. But as we've seen with Giambi, Pettitte, etc., a little time just makes everyone forget.

It will still taint A-Rod's legacy as a hitter, but I don't think it will hurt him as much as Bonds or McGwire.

Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003 (Sports Illustrated)

A move that seemed about a year in the making, will finally go down this afternoon. The MLB Network will announce the hiring of Bob Costas, which will finally fill out their roster. Not only will Costas be a host for the channel, and preside over original programming, he will be going back to his roots by also calling games. Via Darren Rovell at CNBC....

Bob Costas, a 19-time Emmy Award winner and NBC broadcaster, has signed a multi-year contract to join the upstart MLB Network, CNBC has learned, though he will remain at NBC Sports.

The MLB network, which debuted on Jan. 1 as the largest launch in cable history at 50 million homes, will announce the news later today.

Costas will host original programming on the channel and will serve as play-by-play commentator for a select group of regular season games broadcast by the network, which is owned by the league.

"Bob's love for baseball is well documented and very sincere," said his agent Sandy Montag of IMG. "When this opportunity came up, it made a lot of sense. The network's distribution out of the box is strong, the management is strong and the place looks great."

Montag also said the network's geographical location was also a plus. The MLB Network is based in Secaucus, N.J., close to New York, where Costas now lives.

Good lord, that was a painstaking process to finally bring him on board, but still the best thing the network could have done. Costas will bring a level of notoriety that a new channel needs, and having him call games is just icing on the cake. His first day on the job is February 5th, as the network will show his recent interview with Joe Torre.

Oh and one more thing. Costas will be leaving HBO, and his show Costas Now, immediately, but will stay with NBC for Football and the Olympics. Here is the quotage from the MLB Network press release....

“In addition to being one of the preeminent sports broadcasters of his generation, Bob also cares very deeply about the game of baseball,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We’re glad to reunite him with the game he loves most and look forward to the exciting television he and MLB Network will create together in the years to come.”

“I’m especially enthused about the type of programming we’ll be able to create at MLB Network, a mix of historical pieces, documentary-style programming, interviews and play-by-play -- all the things I most enjoy, and it’s all baseball,” said Costas.

“Bob showed us all on January 1 how his presence can truly elevate a broadcast, and we plan to tap into his unique abilities and perspective to build more high-caliber programming in the future,” said Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive Officer of MLB Network. “In addition to the studio show, we’re also looking forward to Bob’s return to the broadcast booth, where he’s been part of so many memorable moments in baseball over the years.”

Bob Costas to Join MLB Network But Stay With NBC (CNBC: Sports Biz)

I mentioned a while back that ESPN was going to be a revamping of sorts of its website, and Ryan Spoon has your first look. Spoon, who is an ESPN Insider, got to test out the site and provide an assessment for ESPN recently. Here are his thoughts on the new look (see above)....

As an ESPN Insider, I got access to the new ESPN Beta (in other words, the new ESPN website revamp that has apparently been much of their focus for the last several months). And because I have spoken glowingly about ESPN and ESPN.com previously - I don’t feel bad being sour about ESPN Beta…. but I am and here’s why:

- It’s too much like a magazine and too little like a sports site
- The magazine layout makes it more appropriate for People / US Weekly-like content than sports
- The screen shot below demonstrates just that - the only true sports content is in small blue text on the upper right… and that’s what I want to see!
- The grid layout below the main module is visually attractive - but it’s used exclusively to promote ESPN personalities rather than content
- The new header is clearly designed to increase pageviews and make hubs out of each league / sport (the navigational drop downs were removed)
- There are five headers / navigation bars: leagues, scores, ESPN properties, ESPN.com themes, sports… HUH?!
- While I like the ESPN Red color scheme, it makes the blue, gray and brown text very difficult to read

I’ve turned the Beta off as I am more than underwhelmed… I am struggling to use the new site.

Well then. That's not a glowing review at all is it, but looking at the photos, I'd have to agree with him. At first glance, the site is aesthetically pleasing. The main photo is larger and you can tell they're pulling your eye away from news, and towards sponsored content and promotions. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but as RS said, it's really hard to find any of the "breaking news" content you might be looking for.

I've said before that I rarely go to ESPN.com anymore, and while that's true, I know a ton of people who still use it as their goto site for news. You're almost forced to use the MyESPN feature to find anything, and that might not rub readers the right way when (and if) it's officially launched.

Feel free to check it out yourself and let me know what you think in the comments.

ESPN Beta (ESPN)
ESPN Beta: The Review (Ryan Spoon)
ESPN.com To Be Revamped, New Search Function Kicks Off The Process (Awful Announcing)

I always wondered what seeing a college band in 3-D would be like, and thanks to FOX will have that opportunity! FOX will be airing the BCS Bowl Games this year in 3-D at various movie theaters throughout the country. Via USA Today....

Via technology that's rattled around since the Eisenhower era, next month college football is coming to theaters. Fox will announce today plans to show 3-D coverage of the Bowl Championship Series live in theaters.

And Fox Sports Chairman David Hill says Fox hopes to let theatergoers use 3-D glasses to watch February's NASCAR Daytona 500.

Hill says sports in 3-D is "fabulous," and high-def TV "has just been a steppingstone" to get to 3-D. But even though TV sets already being sold are 3-D-ready, he says don't expect TV networks to lead the way.

Oooooh! The Daytona 500 too!? While I think the possibilities with the technology are through the roof, I have a feeling that the first run of 3-D events will be like how playing a computer game used to be on a Commodore 64. Hopefully I'm wrong though, and maybe I can sneak into one of these theaters to check it out. Anyone know someone who works at a Magic Johnson Theater?

BCS on Fox going 3-D in theaters (USA Today)

TBL came across an interesting ESPN chat item from much-maligned ESPN Reporter, Chris Mortensen today. A reader was asking about ESPN attributing stories to certain websites and the same not being the case for other networks and websites. Mortensen ended up giving a pretty interesting response and even hinted that some outlets utilize "time stamp" fudging....

Ken (Scottsdale, AZ): Mort, you got props on the blogs for answering my question a few weeks ago about ESPN “confirming” other network’s stories. You guys still continue to do it. Do you know why Fox or SI doesn’t post headlines confirming your breaking stories?

SportsNation Chris Mortensen: It’s not that big a deal. really, some of the reporting is so split-second..or minutes apart and there’s a little trick to getting it out. I think each brand/agency should just do their job and not worry about the “credit.” ESPN is the big brand so I think we’re treated like that.

Interesting angle there, but I don't think it addresses the real issue. It's not that ESPN, or Mort for that matter, isn't doing their job. No, it's the fact that up until recently, ESPN had been taking credit when other outlets had the story upwards of a few hours before them. I know stories can break fast, and that not every item needs to be accredited to a certain individual, but the perception that ESPN breaks everything is just insulting.

I think things have gotten much better, and I wouldn't doubt there's time-stamping going on, but it's just something that ESPN needs to keep more of an eye on.

Chat with Chris Mortensen (ESPN)
Chris Mortensen Concurs with Buster Olney on the Mysterious Time Stamp Controversy (The Big Lead)

The more and more I write this afternoon, the more and more I realize what a crazy past two weeks this has been. We've had a war of words between two highly respected former QBs and announcers in Troy Aikman and Boomer Esiason. We've had a network that calls themselves, "The Worldwide Leader in Sports," completely ignore a story when they could have reported it as a rumor. AND we had a person at that same "Leader" make a Hitler reference and cause a double standard in suspension policies. Just wild all-around, right?

This site really tries to be a "watchdog for the watchdogs", and while I think it's succeeded in that to some degree, it ultimately just a drop in the bucket. Well a drop in a bucket, from about the 100th bucket, in a line of proverbial buckets. Jay Glazer however has an idea. A very good one in fact. In a discussion with USA Today's Michael McCarthy, he has proposed the idea of a "Media Scorecard"....

Jay Glazer, Fox Sports' NFL insider, says his goal is to make his rivals at ESPN "miserable." Still ticked after ESPN issued an internal "hot list" instructing staffers not to follow his report that New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre snitched on his old Green Bay Packers team to the Detroit Lions, Glazer views this week's leak of the private directive to ProFootballTalk.com as a personal attack.

"It's disappointing. What we should do as a result is start keeping score," says Glazer, who broke Favre's trade to the Jets and the firing of Lions GM Matt Millen. "If they want to talk about credibility, let's keep score, starting from Week One of last year, and see who broke what, who was right and who was wrong. I don't think they'd want that."

And Glazer didn't appreciate the report by Peter King of NBC and Sports Illustrated in which Favre himself described his story as "total" bull. "Did he give up family secrets? Yes. Was it total (bull)? No."

Well, as a pseudo-member of the Sports Media, I had thought about taking on this task by myself, but lucky for me.....someone beat me to it. PFT's Mike Florio....

The relevant factors listed will be the scoop, the person who broke it, whether it was confirmed by a credible independent media outlet (OK, that will require some subjectivity as well), whether it was confirmed or denied by the persons involved, and whether the report was accurate, inaccurate, or inconclusive.

For starters, we need to come up with a good list of reporters to include. Here’s our work-in-progress roster: Jay Glazer of FOX, Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Adam Schefter of NFLN, Peter King of too many media outlets to list, John Clayton of ESPN, Alex Marvez of FOX, Michael Smith of ESPN, Michael Silver of Yahoo!, Jason Cole of Yahoo!, Charley Casserly of CBS. (Let us know who we’re missing, or whether any of these guys shouldn’t be included.)

The exercise begins Sunday and runs through the Super Bowl. We’ll then decide whether to keep it going, or whether to change it or expand it.

I think this is ultimately a great idea, but when we start to talk about the "merit of inclusion", I think that's when it gets sketchy. Many of you have talked about not even caring about who breaks news on trades and firings, and I think that's a fair point of view. If you're just a regular Sports Fan, who cares right?

I think the lesson that ultimately needs to come from this is that ESPN needs to understand that giving credit to someone else isn't a bad thing. Us Blogs do it all the time and the sharing of information will only make the public more informed. Waiting for Chris Mortensen and Michael Smith to confirm a story, just so you can spin the headline to cater to them, really needs to stop. It's not fair to the viewing audience, or the person who actually broke the news, and just makes you look like a poor sport. Hopefully something like a "Media Scorecard" can make that a reality.

Reporters engage in their own kind of trash talking (USA Today)
We're Keeping Score, Starting Now (Pro Football Talk)

ESPN just broke the news before noon, that Tony Romo is going to miss the next four week's with a broken pinky finger. Apparently the credit is going to Michael Smith today, which is surprising since Ed Werder actually leaving at Valley Ranch, and here's the video....

The channel has already made the switch to "Cowboys and Romo TV", and look for it to stay that way for the rest of the day. We've already heard from a handful of analysts, and while it's definitely a big story, but by the time we get to Monday Night Football....we'll be in overkill territory.

P.S.- ESPN is also breaking the news that Big Brown is going to be retired, and Tommy Bowden has been fired, as well.

Well that was quick wasn't it? I really thought this was going to drag out for at least a week, but Jay Glazer is breaking the news (well he is a co-worker, so not exactly "breaking") that Strahan will NOT be returning to the Giants next season. The retired defensive end has decided to stay retired and will continue his role with FOX as planned. Via Fox Sports....

The recently retired perennial Pro Bowler told FOXSports.com exclusively that he has decided to remain retired and has turned down the Giants' offer to lure him back to action.

"This has been one of the toughest nights of my life," Strahan said from Greece. "But after long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired."

"I have gone back and forth on this because as a player you'll always want to play, you'll never lose that urge to be out there. But I could only do this if I could commit 100 percent, physically, mentally, emotionally and I can't do that. I've tried to convince myself and my body to give it one more year, but in the end I just don't think I could turn it on like I need to again."

"I really love my life now," he said. "It's great having nobody put a finger on me. You really put yourself through an awful lot in this league, more than people realize.

"I've got a great home at FOX now and I think it's where I belong. I wish I could've had different news for Giants fans but I've known for a while I'm done."

Strahan was also quoted in the article as saying that the money was right, but that he didn't want to put his body through the rigors of another season. While this is bad news for Giants fans, it's certainly good news for this site. After Emmitt Smith and Tony Kornheiser, I think Strahan is going to be one of the biggest soundbytes this entire season. I'm looking forward to it.

Strahan turns down Giants, will stay retired (FOX Sports)

Mort's reporting has been well documented on this site as extremely suspect and now you can officially add another to his resume. On Sunday, Chris Mortensen had the breaking news that the Arizona Cardinals were choosing veteran Kurt Warner as their starting quarterback. Well that had every beat writer in the Grand Canyon State perplexed and scrambling for a statement from Cards' Coach Ken Whisenhunt. The coach refuted the item early yesterday morning and by the end of the day the AZ Central had the news that Mort's report was completely off-base.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, however, citing a team source, said Warner would be named the starter ahead of Leinart, who threw three interceptions against the Raiders.

“I haven’t read the paper today or seen the Internet,” Whisenhunt said. “Do we have a quarterback? … It seems like Chris Mortensen is making the decision on our quarterback for our football team. … But nothing has changed.”

Update: Leinart remains Cardinals starting QB

Matt Leinart remains the Cardinals starting quarterback, despite a news report on Sunday that coach Ken Whisenhunt had decided to replace him with Kurt Warner.
Whisenhunt denied that was his plan and said today that the evaluation process at quarterback is continuing. He met with Leinart this morning to talk about the reports, assuring the young quarterback that the information didn't come from the Cardinals.

Leinart took snaps with the first team in Monday's short practice but so did Warner. That has been the norm this off-season.

In the past two years alone Mort has been responsible for a laundry list of false reports. First, it was that Michael Vick unlikely to get indicted, we all know how that turned out. After that came the guarantee that Ron Rivera was the next Cowboys Coach, and when that didn't pan out he was chided by colleague Greg Easterbrook online. Next, it was Mortensen saying that Eli Manning would "officially" miss a month to start last season, Eli played every game. THEN it was Jon Gruden put him on blast. If you add to that this Cardinals story, the Parcells to Atlanta guarantee, and the lock that Brett Favre WAS NOT going to come back this season, you have grand total of eight....EIGHT!....breaking news items that Mortensen was dead wrong about.

Look, I'm not denying that Mort has sources or that he works his tail off, but good lord! How many times is ESPN going to go all-in with one of his guesses just to have it blow up in their face? It's not the fact that he gets reports wrong, that happens to everyone (obviously not that many times), but every damn show on ESPN then talks about them like they are gospel. Yesterday alone PTI, ATH, NFL Live, First Take and Sports Center all spent a good two to five minutes on the item when Whisenhunt had already refuted the claim. Hell, he said that wasn't the case at around 9am Monday morning! Anybody can make guesses like this, but if he was a reporter for a local newspaper, he would long been fired for so many errors.

The guy is obviously there to say, but can we please just tone down all the "Breaking News" reports the next time he happens upon some news, ESPN? I'm just looking out for you.

Whisenhunt says no decision yet (AZ Central)
Still No Named QB in Arizona ... Mort Guessed Wrong Again (Fanhouse)
Chris Mortensen is back in the game, baby (PaxArcana)

You knew it was only a matter of time. For tonight and tomorrow's editions of PTI you'll be getting a dose of the one and only, Richard Paul Reilly. Tony is on assignment in Green Bay for Monday Night Football, so we get stuck with the ESPN The Mag writer for two days.

Expect a lot of PGA Championship talk and cheesy jokes about how he can't watch primetime Olympic coverage because he's already in bed. Actually that's not really any different than what Tony gives on a day to day basis, so he should fit right in.

Interesting NFL angle this weekend as Sports Business Journal passes along the news that NBC will be streaming their Sunday night games online. Seventeen games will be able to be viewed online and will start with the Skins-Giants on September 4th....

Starting with the NFL Kickoff game on Thursday, Sept. 4, between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, the league plans to stream NBC's prime-time schedule on NFL.com and NBCSports.com as part of a plan being engineered by NBC Olympics President Gary Zen-kel and Brian Rolapp, NFL senior vice president of digital media.

The online video will consist of NBC's broadcast feed, with the call by Al Michaels and John Madden. The league has not decided how to treat the ads, but the most likely scenario will strip NBC's ads out of the broadcast, with the NFL and NBC selling new online ads and sharing the revenue.

The move is significant for the NFL, as it continues to ramp up its digital offerings and open its content on more platforms. The league always has been extremely protective of its game action, doling out limited use of highlights and vigorously safeguarding the television broadcast. Two years ago the league took management of NFL.com in-house, and last year that site was the only place on the Web where users could find limited game highlights.

I still don't understand why they don't do these process for all games similar to what MLB does. How many fans would pay at least $20 a month to watch out of market games? The NFL Network did this last year (sort of) but there's a big difference between a cable channel and network television. I don't know who would care about watching a game online that everyone in the country gets already, but I guess it's a step in the right direction towards streaming all of the games on Sundays.

(Via SBJ's Monday Edition)

Well there's no surprise here, but Chris Mortensen is reporting on NFL Live that Brett Favre has talked to Coach Mike McCarthy and is interested in coming back to the Packers. We all know Mort's track record in regards to "Breaking News" but if there's one guy he's got an in with it's Favre.

The interesting thing is that Al Harris is in the ESPN "Carwash" today and has had stuffed dropped in his lap all day long. On First Take they asked him about Aaron Rodgers comments about Green Bay's fans and now they're piling the Favre news on top of him as well. He seems very at a loss for words today.

It's not fair to Aaron Rodgers, but at least he's starting this nonsense now and not during Training Camp. I blame Strahan taking Favre's job at FOX for all of this.

Well at least according to Neil Best he will be. The Newsday writer has confirmed with a few sources close to the hiring process that Papa is the choice....

I don't know when the network is announcing this, but three people familiar with the situation said Wednesday that Papa would be the choice.

Other candidates are believed to have included Spero Dedes - like Papa a Fordham alum - and Tom Hammond, who was the presumed leading contender when Bryant first departed.

Papa, the Giants' radio play-by-play man, received national attention during the team's Super Bowl XLII run. He is a veteran broadcaster who has done extensive work outside New York, but having his calls replayed over playoff highlights introduced him to a wider audience. He also calls boxing for HBO.

Not a bad choice in the least, and it's good that they finally have someone to get ready for the season (just over one month to go!). Hopefully Cris Collinsworth will accept the choice though because we know how much of a bear he can be on PBPers he doesn't get along with (see: Joe Buck).

NFL Network to hire Bob Papa for its play-by-play gig (Newsday)
So What's Going On With That Vacant PBP Spot Over At The NFL-N? (Awful Announcing)

Richard Deitsch of SI has the breaking news that Michael Strahan has signed on to be in-studio with the NFL on FOX starting this upcoming season....

SI.com has learned that Michael Strahan, the garrulous just-retired Giants defensive end, has been signed by Fox Sports as an NFL studio analyst. A press conference is expected Tuesday in New York City to formally announce the hiring.

Strahan will join host Curt Menefee, and analysts Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson on the set of FOX NFL Sunday. He is the second high-profile Giant (Tiki Barber) in as many years to land a plum job on a network pregame show. Strahan's agent, Maury Gostfrand, told USA Today last week that his client is interested in calling games as well as studio work. As a long-term play, Strahan said he could see himself appearing in sitcoms or hosting a late-night talk show. He has a home in Hermosa Beach, Calif., which puts him close to Fox's Los Angeles studios.

Not much of a surprise, and it was just as I had predicted two weeks ago, but that came awfully quick didn't it? What's also interesting is how SI confirmed and posted on this before Strahan's own buddy at FOX, Jay Glazer did. They probably put the kibosh on it until Strahan officially signs tomorrow.

Sundays will certainly be more lively now as FOX tries to rival ESPN in decibels and number of morning analysts.

Strahan to join Fox's NFL studio show (SI.com)
Michael Strahan Retires, Prepare For Him On Television (Awful Announcing)

I wish I was kidding, and this will probably everywhere soon, so I'll keep it brief. From ESPN via Beast Mode comes this late breaking story that Colts WR Marvin Harrison is being investigated for a shooting that took place in his hometown of Philly this week.....

The source said the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, around 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

Police came to scene, but the victim did not identify a shooter. On Wednesday, according to the source, ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom-made Belgian weapon, and police determined that Harrison owned such a gun.

Police then went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison to question him about the gun. Harrison admitted owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home.

However, the source said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene.

Well then. I guess it's good that the Colts took Pierre Garcon in the sixth round of the Draft then huh? If there was someone in the NFL that I would never expect this to happen to it's Harrison, and in all fairness Harrison hasn't been charged or arrested at all. This is also a report ESPN is picking up from WIP in Philadelphia, so we'll see what develops. I'm very surprised that the "Leader" picked it up so quick.

Marvin Harrison Now Shooting People (Beast Mode)
Report: Harrison investigated in shooting outside bar (ESPN)