And no....it's not with his writing. In yesterday's Around The Horn Showdown, Jay Mariotti decided to bring out a prop, an actual baby, and the kid did not seem to like being held by Jay. Fast forward to the one minute mark of this clip to watch the hilarious action....

My favorite part is after he get the win, and hands the kid back, that he says the baby is from Nebraska. Like it isn't his fault that the baby cried....it's a Cornhusker! Too funny.

You knew the day was coming, but how could you prepare for it? Over the past few years, Emmitt Smith has stuttered, stumbled and made up words, for various programs on ESPN, but next season....that will be no more. ESPN hasn't made an official statement yet, but Pro Football Talk has gotten word from the inside, that Smith has been officially "blowed out" by the "Leader"....

After a two-season run featuring multiple new on-air additions to the English language, the greatest running back in NFL history ultimately has fared no better than Joe Montana as a broadcaster.

Yes, ESPN has advised us that Emmitt’s relationship with the network has ended.

There will be no formal announcement — and presumably no going away party. Or vodka-fueled roast.

“We thank Emmitt for his contributions to ESPN and work ethic the past two years,” ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer told us via e-mail. “We wish him all the best.”

Such a sad, sad day. I know that there are times when I wish people weren't on air, but there are some people that you pray stay on just for comedy's sake. Emmitt was one of those people, and I don't know what I'm going to do during Monday Night Football without him. As a tribute to Emmitt, I give you a countdown of my favorite Emmittisms, and the quintessential compilation video of his work. Godspeed my friend, and I hope you find the rites of patches you deserve!

AA's Top Ten Emmittisms:

Honorable Mentions:

"Not only does he have the NFC East record for touchdowns, but also the team record."
"Wes Worker is a possession receiver that make things happen."
"The NFC West is probably one of the weakest conferences in the whole NFC."
"The leadership definitely have to come from the leaders."
"I think it's his self-confidence in himself that make him so confident when it get down into the crunch time."

10. "Last year there was a lot of things the Colts had to address. They couldn't stop the run, and all those. That was one of the biggest things they had to address."
9. "You have to have the personality to match up with the Patriots."
8. "He's giving them all the confidences they need. He giving them the confidence that he need."
7. "They do a very good job of flying around the Football field and carousing the Football carrier."
6. "Don't worry about the game you just won or the team that we just blew out. Uhhh... blown. Blown out. Let's think about what we need to do going forward, and they had blown out."
5. "Eli Manning has been given the rites of patches."
4. "This kind of inconsistency, against a team like New England, will get you completely blowed out."
3. "You cannot change the stripes of a leopard."
2. "Go to Arizona, sharp as a whistle, and do some finishing touches, so we can go down in the Super Bowl and play our best football of the whole entire season."
1. "The strength of the Patriots, their offense, got debacled."



Emmitt Exits ESPN (PFT)
The Emmitt Smith Anthology (Walter Football)

You do not want to make Tom Brady angry. You will not like him when he's angry. Yesterday the Golden Boy laid into the NFL-N for comments that Sterling Sharpe made about backup Pats QB, Matt Cassel. Sharpe and Marshall Faulk were pretty critical of Cassel in his last game against the Bucs, but neither said anything that out of line. The most I can gather is that Sharpe said that the Patriots shouldn't be “too comfortable” with their backup QB.

Well that angered Brady and he had this to say on WEEI yesterday. Via The Boston Herald....

“Watching Matt (Sunday) night, hearing all the criticism, I don’t even know where that was coming from,” he said. “That was so far from what I was watching. The quarterback has a lot of responsibility out there. I thought Matt was making good decisions. He was really decisive with his throws. Was every throw perfect? No. But that doesn’t happen so often anyway.

“I see Matt every day in practice and the improvement he makes. I love what I see in Matt. I have a lot of confidence in Matt . . . for the three guys sitting in the booth, I thought it was unfair to criticize the way they were criticizing, because I don’t think they really knew what was happening.”

Now I know that Brady has to stick up for his friend and teammate, but let's be honest here....Faulk will be a HOFer and Sharpe would have been if not for injuries. I think they're pretty qualified to say if a QB is having a bad day. With Brady himself being injured, it's also a pretty good point to raise in a preseason game.

Cassel himself responded himself after the "criticism" and had this to say: "It’s interesting to me because those guys were in the same shoes at one point in their career, and they should understand how hard it is to go out there and perform each and every week.”

Now I didn't hear the conversation firsthand, but if you're seriously that defensive about a random announcer's comments in the freaking preseason, maybe the NFL isn't the place for you. This whole "The World is against us" routine the Patriots try to pull off every single week is getting old. And good for Sterling, he's standing by his assessment....

“It looked as though the passing offense made a change, as a confidence-building thing with some of the throws for Matt,” Sharpe said. “I could be way off on that. Maybe I missed the boat, and if so, I apologize. But from a player’s perspective, I’m looking at it like, he’s already been in the situation for three years now and he’s in a quarterback battle with a rookie and a guy without much experience? If he’s in a battle, you’d expect him to win it. . . . This was his opportunity to separate himself from the other guys. He has to show why he is the No. 2 guy in New England. So I put more pressure on Matt to perform than I did (Kevin) O’Connell. You bet I did.”

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to announcing, and if a player stinks, I don't want an announcer holding anything back. With ESPN and CBS kissing the Pats collective ass whenever they can, it's great to hear someone take a stand. Bravo Sterling.

Sterling Sharpe’s words for Matt Cassel defended (Boston Herald)

This is just depressing now. Mad Dog called into the "Francesa Show" (I guess that's what it's called now) and pretty much lost it as he talked to his former co-host...

Hahahaha. The Beatles? I just love them. Whether you liked them or not though, it is definitely the end of an era for New York Sports and Sports Radio. It's a shame they couldn't keep it going.

(P.S.- I fully expect to see Mad Dog on ESPN within the year. Just preparing you now.)

I know you probably REALLY want me to stop talking about this, but when a woman calls an ex-NFL QB a "girlie man"....I'm going to post about it. FOX's Laura Ingraham went on a rant about Brett Favre this past Friday that puts Sal Pal's piece to shame....

"All these years, and I didn't know there was a woman quarterback in the NFL. ...

"Brett Favre...we're watching this in the studio, obviously retiring from the NFL, great quarterback, handsome 38-year-old man, he gets up there and he does this press conference that was frankly one of the most embarrassing things I have ever seen."

"That's a great message for young boys. 'Get up there and act like a girl and start blubbering like a baby."

Then, in her best impersonation of a crying toddler with its favorite toy taken away, she wah-wah-wah's while uttering in a mocking tone, "It's about me, it was never about me, but it is about me, bla, bla, bla" before returning to her regular voice and stating, "I could not believe what I was seeing."

That's right guys, it's NOT okay to cry, and you WANT a woman like Laura Ingraham in your life! Seriously.....I can't even put the words together to say how irresponsible and downright stupid that message is. Cheese and rice.

Conservative Talk Show Host Laura Ingraham Is Officially On The Packers Nation Hit List (100% Injury Rate)

As a Non-Packers Fan it was tough for me to understand how tough this was for people of Wisconsin, but I think I kind of understand now. Brett Favre is finishing up his teary retirement speech and it's pretty tough to watch without getting choked up yourself. I'll have the video up in a few if you missed it.

"No regrets. I played the game one way. The only way I knew how."

Video: Brett Favre Cries as He Announces Retirement From Green Bay Packers (Fanhouse)

I'm not going to poke fun at people crying....wait, yes I am. Seriously UNC....you're 18 and 1, why the hell are you all bawling after one loss?

Come on. It's not even February yet and you're crying? There's no crying in Basketball!

Update: Ooh....Mr. I has pictures, and they're umm....special.....


Terps Beat UNC, Make Fans Cry (Mister Irrelevant)