There's a whole lot of choices as far as games go tonight, but your biggest choice is going to be in Hockey. The NHL has chosen to start the two game sevens for tonight, an hour apart. Not only is the timing ridiculous in its own right, both games are being aired on Versus, meaning that you will likely only being getting the Anaheim-Detroit game because it's starting earlier. There is good news though, you can watch the other game online. For $19.95....

For U.S. hockey fans who live outside the local Carolina and Boston viewing areas, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Hurricanes and Bruins Thursday at 8 p.m. ET is available live on NHL Center Ice and NHL GameCenter LIVE. Please call your cable, satellite or telephone provider for details on how to order Center Ice. Or to watch online with NHL GameCenter LIVE, visit nhl.com/gamecenter.

NHL Center Ice is the only way to watch your favorite teams and players on TV if you don't live in their area, with up to 40 out-of-market games per week during the regular season and select games in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As a reminder, fans in the Carolina area can watch on Fox Sports Carolinas, and fans in Boston can watch on NESN. The game will also be joined in progress by Versus following the conclusion of Anaheim at Detroit.

Canadian viewers can see the Carolina-Boston game in its entirety on TSN.

You would think with all of the bad press that the NHL has gotten over recent years, and more recently about games on Versus, that they would make tonight's game available for nothing. Other leagues seem to pull this off just fine. Just another great move in the legacy that is Bettman. God forbid, the Wings and Ducks goes into overtime.

'Canes-Bruins to be on Center Ice, NHL GameCenter (NHL.com)

I've always liked David Feherty, but the guy certainly has the habit of going a little too far when he's trying to make a point. This time, he may have gone too far. In a column he penned for D Magazine, Feherty tried to make an analogy about U.S. Soldiers that included the deaths of Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid. The statement was so shocking that it even earned him Olbermann's "Worst Person In The World" for this past Friday. Here's the quote, and the MSNBC video....

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."- David Feherty

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Talk about terrible analogies. However, I don't think CBS is going to be firing Feherty anytime soon, as Olbermann seemed to be calling for. The network has already classified the statement as "unacceptable attempt on humor", and Feherty has apologized via a statement from his agent: "The passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president. In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize."

President George W. Bush Comes Home (D Magazine)

Man, there are low things that people say all the time, but this one might actually take the prize. Radio Host, Mike Valenti of the “Valenti & Foster Show” on WXYT-FM in Detroit, made a joke about a capsized boat and apologized for the comments today. Via MLive....

Valenti read two comments from listeners about college basketball and one about baseball, then a joke about a capsized boat in Lake St. Clair. The hosts laughed, and crumpling paper could be heard.

Valenti declined to comment to the Free Press. But on the air, he said: “I just offer you my sincerest apologies. It was completely ridiculous to put it on the air, and again, it comes to me. The only thing I can promise you as my listeners, it won’t happen again. Otherwise, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t deserve to be around.” Debbie Kenyon, the station’s market manager, said: “We fully agree that the comment was absolutely inappropriate.”

Asked if Valenti would face further discipline, Kenyon said: “I think I’ve said enough. We’ve addressed the issue with Mike the way we feel is best. The on-air apology is pretty big. We don’t do that very often.”

Wow. Not only are you making a joke about people who are presumably dead at sea, but you're doing so in the market of one of the players. That's the height of idiocy and just downright despicable.

Radio host apologizes for 'reprehensible' comments about Lions' Corey Smith (M Live)

Of all the nonsensical things that ESPN has done over the years, this is by far the worst. Deadspin pointed out yesterday that Subway's commercial actor Jared Fogle was going to be on for an ESPN Chat, and The Sports Hernia decided to take in the fun. The only thing lamer than the actual guest were the actual questions that ESPN let through....

Leon (Maryland): Do you start singing the Five Dollar footlong song whenever you see it on TV like the rest of us?

SportsNation Jared: (11:28 AM ET ) Yeah, I think it's in my dreams these days. I do get asked to sing it quite a bit. But you don't want me to do it.

Steiny (NYC): So, Jared, do you eat at Subway?

SportsNation Jared: (11:32 AM ET ) My favorite now is the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki. I still eat it about twice a week. The best thing about my job is that I don't have to pay for it.

Bob (Tucson): Do you think they should have 6 feet subs on the sideline next to the Gatorade for the linemen?

SportsNation Jared: (11:33 AM ET ) Yeah, they could. That would be good. It should be the official sandwich of the NFL.

Jack (Old New Orleans): What kinds of reactions do you get when you go into Subway restaurants?

SportsNation Jared: (11:34 AM ET ) It's pretty crazy. The amount of crazy stares and the people. They can't believe. I find I freak people out a little bit.

Godish (Chicago): Do you just go by Jared now? Is Fogel in the past?

SportsNation Jared: (11:40 AM ET ) It is. Sting, Madonna, Prince, Cher. When you say Jared, people know, but if you say Jared Fogle, they don't know.

Unbelievable. They say that not that many people made the trip to Tampa this week, and that's clearly evidenced by this lame chat. Hey ESPN, I'm pretty sure Terry Tate "Office Linebacker" is available as well if you need space to fill.

Finally, your Super Bowl chat with Jared from Subway (The Sports Hernia)

Of all the things that could be done to the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball booth, this was not....and I mean NOT the move. Instead of the long rumored plan of splitting up the duo of Miller and Morgan, the "Leader" is actually adding another member to the booth. Who you ask?

Steve F'ing Phillips! Via Watchdog....

ESPN will announce Wednesday that Steve Phillips will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the "Sunday Night Baseball" booth for 2009, altering for the network's announcing lineup for its showcase event for the first time in 20 seasons of televising MLB.

The former Mets general manager, who has been an analyst for ESPN since 2005, will make his regular-season debut April 5 for the Opening Night game between the Phillies and Braves.

Phillips will continue to serve as an analyst for games and studio shows during the week.

Ugh. I still can't for the life of me understand why ESPN gets the pairings and studio shows right for Sports like College Football and Basketball, but has no f'ing clue when it comes to Baseball. I will always love Jon Miller for the time he spent in Baltimore, and I think the guy still has something left, but ESPN is doing him no favors by giving him two of the most incompetent people at the network to work with.

More when the announcement comes tomorrow.

ESPN to add Steve Phillips to its Sunday night booth (Watchdog)

Ugh. ESPN has decided to once again has decided to add a fan-based, nonsensical feature to Sports Center. This winter, you'll be able to nominate individuals for something called the "Mt. Rushmore of Sports", and after Rick Reilly runs the segment into the ground on Sports Center daily, vote on the four people that should represent your state's make believe, Mount Rushmore. Via ESPN....

SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship news and information program, and ESPN.com, the leading online sports destination, will combine to present a five-week, fan-based series to celebrate the sports icons from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The series, titled “SportsCenter Mount Rushmore of Sports,” will use fan-generated nominations on ESPN.com to identify the top four sports greats in each state/region, and online voting to select the state with the most impressive collection of sports luminaries worthy of being etched in the state’s Mount Rushmore of sports.

As part of the series, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com award-winning columnist Rick Reilly will host daily SportsCenter segments focusing on the top five states/regions selected by fans as having the most significant collection of sports icons Monday, Feb. 16 – Friday, Feb. 20, beginning daily at 9 a.m. ET. Reilly, who joined ESPN in June 2008 as a multimedia essayist and contributor to the network’s coverage of marquee events, will also pair with PTI co-host and Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon, and a Associated Press writer (one per state/region) to pick the fourth “must have” luminary for each state/region.

Beginning Sunday, Jan. 18, fans can submit names of their top three athletes, coaches and/or team executives in their state by logging on to: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportscenter/mtrushmore. To be eligible, the sports icons must be individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of sports in their respective states/regions (athletes, coaches, team executives, owners, media/commentators, et al).

During the week of February 2-7, ESPN.com will reveal the final four names for each state/region. Fans can log on and rank the top five states/regions. In addition, February 8-14, the site will include an online exclusive content featuring ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Steve Bunin discussing and debating the selections. On television February 16-20, Reilly’s “SportsCenter Mt. Rushmore of Sports” segments will profile the five finalists and argue the merits of each of the top five states/regions.

At the conclusion of Reilly’s segments on SportsCenter, fans can vote online for the top state/region Feb. 20-23, and the winner will be announced Tuesday, Feb. 24, on SportsCenter at 6 p.m.

Sorry for the length of that blockquote, but I thought it was necessary so you could understand the sheer nonsense of the idea. This is just like the annoying "Titletown" stunt, but with actual people instead of cities and towns. The fact that Rick Reilly is involved makes me dread it even that much more.

Charles Barkley was in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona last night/this morning, and after running a stop sign at 1:30am, was arrested on suspicion of drinking while driving and taken into custody. Via MSNBC....

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former NBA star run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m., said Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler.

Barkley declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren’t immediately available. After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. He left in a cab, Shuhandler said. Shuhandler said there was nothing remarkable about the 45-year-old Barkley’s arrest and that it is customary to release people after they’ve been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

“There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody,” Shuhandler said. “He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else.”

Well this isn't the best way to start out a new year, now is it? He obviously hasn't been found guilty of the DUI yet, but if it turns out that he was drinking and driving, it will be a fitting end to a crazy year for Barkley. I hate to preach to people, but to anyone with money to spend out there....please....PLEASE!....just get a damn driver to tote you around. I'm as stubborn as anyone, but there's too much at stake to be risking everything by driving drunk.

Barkley arrested on suspicion of DUI (MSNBC)

I missed this earlier, but Rob Parker went on ESPN2 to talk with Michael Kim, and the network gave Parker the opportunity to publicly apologize on National Television. Here's the clip in case you haven't seen it yet....

The more I think about it, the more I do think it was an attempt at humor, but also an extremely bad one. The odd part is that while Parker maintains that he and Marinelli are on good terms, the Coach is actually not currently forgiving the beat reporter. Via MLive....

"Anytime you attack my daughter, I've got a problem with that. In a room of stink ... and as a man and it was premeditated. I think there was something wrong with that, yeah.''

When asked about Parker's apology column, Marinelli said: "I didn't read it, but I was told a little bit about it. I don't accept anything. There are so many times people will say ... I had an assistant coach (Jim Colletto) one time make a remark with you guys that he didn't want to embarrass a player (Drew Stanton), did he take that remark back? Would you guys let him? No, you went from our practice field and ran to the locker room and put a microphone in front of the player -- and (the coach) didn't mean it that way. Do you remember that? To me, this is worse. Because his intent was to stir me up which is never going to happen. I can shoulder anything you bring. Easy. I can shoulder anything you bring.''

There are obviously worse things that Parker could have said when referring to Marinelli's daughter, but I think the general rule of thumb is that you just leave people's family members out of any discussion.

Lions' Marinelli won't accept Parker's apology (M Live)

I have no idea why Tiki Barber would be so animated in regards Donovan McNabb, but he certainly was during an interview with the Bloomberg show, "On The Ball". Barber sat down with the hosts of the show (airing November 22nd), and called McNabb's misunderstanding of the rule "indefensible" and that he would, "live to regret it for a long time"....

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's misunderstanding of the National Football League's overtime rules is ``indefensible'' and may have hurt his team's playoff chances, former NFL running back Tiki Barber said.

McNabb said after the Eagles' 13-13 tie yesterday in Cincinnati that he didn't know the NFL's regular-season rule that if neither team scored during a 15-minute overtime period, the game would end in a tie.

``That's an indefensible comment that he made,'' Barber, now a commentator for NBC Sports, said in an interview that will air Nov. 22 on Bloomberg's ``On the Ball'' radio program. ``He will live to regret it for a long time.''

According to Pro Football Talk, in an un-aired portion of the same interview, Donovan even stated that he'd, "Hate to see what happens in a Super Bowl or [I’d] hate to see what happens in the playoffs, to settle with a tie."

And while that statement is just downright dumb, and almost unfathomable, Tiki's comments make no sense. It's not like McNabb wasn't trying to win the game in the first overtime. They were trying to throw the ball down the field as time ran out, but McNabb just couldn't find anyone. Now if Tiki said that Donovan's play and three interceptions might cost them a Playoff spot, that would make sense. But to say that his misunderstanding the rule hurt his team in anyway is just wrong.

Sure it was (and still is) idiotic, but it didn't cost the Eagles their season.

Barber Calls McNabb's Mistaking of NFL Tie Rule `Indefensible' (Bloomberg News)

Why in the world ESPN would ever schedule a 49ers-Cardinals Monday Night Game is beyond me but that's exactly what we're getting tonight. You can expect some pretty low numbers as far as ratings go tonight, but ESPN knows that, and they don't really seem to be concerned....

Despite the NFL's immense popularity among TV viewing audiences in America, ESPN executives told Arizona State University students Friday that it is still a challenge to get the nation to care about the game.

Visiting with students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix, ESPN Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean spoke of the weekly task of creating content and story lines that appeal beyond a local level.

"It's more of a national kind of scope we put on the game and games like Arizona and San Francisco are more challenging," Rothman said, referring to this week's Monday night game between the Cardinals and the 49ers, two teams that lack the national profile of the Dallas Cowboys or the New England Patriots.

For reasons that have nothing to do with the crapiness level of this game, I won't be doing a live-blog tonight, but after reading that....I'm almost glad I'm not. If you're watching, expect a lot of talk about teams other than the ones on the field and maybe some presidential anecdotes from Tony throughout the night. Feel free to use this spot as your open thread, and I'll see you tomorrow with video and comments, and try to enjoy the game if you're taking it in.

ESPN executives say MNF a tough sell (AZ Republic)

It wasn't too long ago that writer Jemele Hill was being suspended by ESPN for referencing Hitler in an article, but now they have another employee in hot water for referencing the German leader. That person, Lou Holtz, will actually not be disciplined at all according to College Football Talk.

Holtz, who when referring to Rich Rodriguez said "Ya know, Hitler was a great leader too," issued an on-air apology and apparently that was enough for the brass at ESPN....

A source at ESPN tells me that the Worldwide Leader does not plan to discipline college football analyst Lou Holtz for saying, “Hitler was a great leader, too.”

Per the source, ESPN considers Holtz’s on-air apology to be sufficient.

Of course, it’s still possible that ESPN will reconsider, especially if it gets complaints from advertisers. But for now, it appears that Holtz will not be suspended.

“Last night while trying to make a point about leadership, I made an unfortunate reference. It was a mistake and I sincerely apologize. At the time, I tried to clarify my remarks. I’m not sure I adequately did so. I appreciate your understanding.”- Lou Holtz

I just really don't understand ESPN's suspension policy. There has always appeared to be a double standards of sorts, and I think this just proves the thoughts that most people have had about the network for awhile. Just because he's a kooky old man, doesn't mean that Holtz shouldn't be forced to take time off as well, and I'd be upset if I was Jemele Hill. Both were making just a bad attempt at a joke, but only one is getting suspended. You can draw your own conclusions there.

ESPN Plans No Discipline For Holtz Hitler Comment (College Football Talk)

The Geico Cavemen are everywhere these days. At Baseball games, at Football games, and now on the NFL Network for some reason. Watch as hilarity ensues when Steve Mariucci, Terrell Davis and Fran Charles go through a meeting with one of the bearded characters....

Get it? A bonfire AND a cave! Ugh. Is there any Sport these annoying things haven't invaded now. Maybe I should just watch Hockey from now on.

Geico Caveman visits the NFL Network, leaves in a huff (The Zone Blitz)

I'm really enjoying the mainstream media pieces about how the can't stand the Frank TV spots on TBS during the Playoffs this year. It's almost like they didn't watch last season, or got the press release that said they were going to be doing the same thing again this October. I've personally learned to change the channel (surprising I know), but if you've tried to endure, just know that Frank Caliendo feels your pain. From the Boston Herald via TSB....

“I say to those people, ‘I’m sorry, but watch the show and maybe TBS wouldn’t have to promote it as much,’ ” said the impressionist, whose sketch-comedy show’s second season - with an expanded cast - premieres Oct. 21.

“I think I’m on TBS as much as ‘Law & Order’ is on TNT,” Caliendo told the Track yesterday morning as he chowed on scrambled eggs, bacon, wheat and white toast and Diet Coke at a Back Bay hotel.

And, baseball fans, all the Frank fun continues during the World Series on FOX, when he joins five other celebs - along with the animated Stewie from “Family Guy” - as part of the MLB’s “There’s Only One October” campaign.

Where have you gone, Dane Cook? “I think I have to go into hiding soon,” laughed Caliendo, who appears on the TV spots as a blogging President Bush and NFL loud mouth John Madden.

At this point, their marketing strategy just has to make you laugh. If Caliendo is admitting that no one is watching, doesn't that tell them that they are just annoying the crap out of people? Guess not. I have nothing against Caliendo personally, but his fifteen minutes are up. Hopefully TBS realizes that soon so we don't have to be berated with Jim Rome impressions for another Baseball season.

At Least Caliendo Knows He's Insufferable (The Sporting Blog)
Frank Caliendo makes pitch to fans (Boston Herald)

I don't know how many people caught last night's thrilling victory by Middle Tennesse State over Florida Atlantic on ESPN2, but a new feature was debuted called "Interactive Tuesday". There were video clips, emails, soundbytes, votes and scrolling messages, and announcers Todd Harris and Ray Bentley constantly highlighted them throughout the game. There was only one small problem, apparently they were unedited before being displayed and some of the more asinine moments were caught by Complain In Vain....

(1) First, we saw the following message scroll atop our screen from a watcher named Landry Arnett: “sec title game: bama and lsu forget florida who loses to ole miss.” So, Landry had to take the time to sit down at his computer and write this, but not once consider is that is even a possibility? Seriously, there is 0% chance that these two teams could meet in the SEC title. None, nada. LSU is in the SEC West, Alabama is in the SEC West.

(2) Next, another message scrolls atop the screen. This one is not quite so offensive, but we do appreciate misuse of the English language. This was from texaswinbig12: “I think that Texas is a very good team this year even better then Bama.”

In the end, Middle Tennessee (nicknamed the Blue Raiders) won on a pretty exciting Hail Mary play as time expired. Just after the 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass was brought down by the receiver, Harris exclaims, “And the Blue Raiders snatch defeat from…[trails off]” then comes back with “Blue Raiders win!”

All hilarious moments, but nothing was better than the voting process. At multiple times throughout the night, both Harris and Bentley tried to use results from polls to add excitement, but when only 1,338 people vote on a poll that was posted in the second quarter....it's probably not the best idea to highlight that at the end of the game....


It seems like a fun idea in theory, and maybe ESPN is testing it out on lesser viewed games first, but they might want to work out some of the kinks before trying it again. Either that or just lie about the number of voters at the end of the night. That's just embarrassing.

Interactive Tuesday (for idiots) (Complain In Vain)

I've seen some crazy coaching moves over my years, but this one takes the cake. Shutdown Corner wrote yesterday about how the Raiders called timeout with one second left in the first half to attempt a 76-yard?!?! field goal and we now have the video evidence. Lane Kiffin actually had timeouts left in the first half of yesterday's game against the Chargers. With :20 seconds left in the stanza, Jamarcus Russell hit Michael Bush over the middle to get to the Oakland 42. Much to Jim Nantz and Phil Simms surprise, Kiffin decides against a spike, or calling a timeout right away, just to then decide to use a timeout with :01 left so Janikowski could attempt this ridiculous kick....

"The wind is in his face."- Phil Simms
"Unimaginable."- Jim Nantz

I still can't stop laughing. After adding seven yards for the snap, the ball was spotted just shy of Oakland's 35-yard line! That's further than an f'ing kickoff!!! Either Lane Kiffin absolutely had no idea where they were on the field, or he was just completely trying to piss off Al Davis. Either way, the result was awesome. Janikowski didn't even get it to the goalline and with Cromartie back there, that just heightened the idiocy of the decision. Unbelievable.

When Norv Turner is out-coaching you on the other sideline.....it's time to just quit.

Stuff like this just pisses me off. FOX has decided to replace the Mets-Marlins game, which has huge Playoff implications, with the possibly meaningless Yankees-Red Sox game. The main game for the network will be the Cubs and Brewers, but most of the East Coast (25% of the country in total) will be getting the Yanks and Sox. Via NY Daily News....

Looking at the final Saturday of the regular season as a chance to max out on its baseball ratings, Fox is playing it strictly by the book. It's betting a traditional rivalry - even though the game means nothing - will get a bigger rating than a contest, featuring a New York team, with huge playoff implications.

Also, bringing the Cubs, the biggest ratings magnets in baseball, into 30% of the country offers further proof the Foxies are playing chalk here.

In the final weekend of the regular season, Fox ain't taking a chance by betting on what it considers a ratings longshot. Before the regular season, Fox guarantees a certain average rating to advertisers for its baseball package. Not delivering on that "guarantee" is terrible for Fox's bottom line.

While I understand that the Sox-Yankees rivalry normally gets good ratings throughout the season, and that Boston could be playing for the division, but there's no way that it would beat out a Mets game with their trip to the Playoffs on the line. If the Rays clinch the AL East tonight, the Red Sox are probably going to just bench their starters, and 25% of the country will be stuck with a dreadful game. I just don't understand the move. And I, like most of the country, want to let Mets' schadenfreude wash over me this weekend.

Oh well. At least TBS picked up the slack so we can enjoy the misery on Sunday. Here's the announcing schedule if you're interested....

SATURDAY:

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers - Josh Lewin and Mark Grace (FOX, 3:55pm, 63%)

Markets Include: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Greenville, Houston, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tulsa

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox - Dick Stockton and Jerry Remy (FOX, 3:55pm, 25%)

Markets Include: Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Hartford, Jacksonville, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Tampa, West Palm Beach

Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies - Tom McCarthy, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal (FOX, 3:55pm, 7%)

Markets Include: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington

Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins - Chris Rose and Bert Blyleven (FOX, 3:55pm, 4%)

Markets Include: Kansas City, Minneapolis

SUNDAY:

TBS MLB on Deck - Ernie Johnson, Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley (TBS, 12:30pm)
Florida Marlins at New York Mets - Chip Caray and Harold Reynolds (TBS, 1pm)
MLB 2008: An Epic Season (ESPN, 8:30pm)

Mets not Fox-y enough for national broadcast (NY Daily News)

God, I really wanted to avoid this story, but there is seriously nothing else going on this afternoon. Tom Hoffarth of Farther off the Wall was listening to The Herd this morning when Cowherd went on a rant about how he wants to do a second show all about relationship talk. Seriously.

"You trust my opinions," he said. "So I can just do a relationship show for women the same way. There's gotta be a demo(graphic) for this."

His idea is to get callers from a "cool" city like New York or L.A., from women who have intelligence and really want smart answers. 'Cause that's what he'll give 'em.

He admits he's no doctor, but has an ex-wife, a daughter and a lot of female friends. Plus, as a single guy in his 40s, he also has no agenda -- very important for a male giving a female advice.

Meaning, he's content being a single male in his 40s?

Cowherd then took a call from a female listener who supported his idea. So did another male caller. Soon, Cowherd's female producer was pretending to be a caller to his "new" show, and asked a test question: "My husband doesn't make me feel special. I need more attention from him."

Cowherd's immediate advice: "Give him a gun and tell him to shoot himself."

Hoffarth said he was sort of joking at first, but as more callers chimed in, his ego grew to the point where it sounded like he was really considering it. He even tried to say that his current show is a "relationship based" program. I personally think it's a great idea. In fact, just pack up your Sports Radio show and please disappear to somewhere I could never hear about you ever again. Some start a petition to make this happen.

Colin's Love Connection (Farther Off The Wall)

Well after hearing Kornheiser's fourth quarter apology last night, I decided to run back through the game and find the original "laundry" quote. Here are both that one and the apology spliced together....

"I took high school Spanish, either he said he's not going to be caught, or please pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow." - Tony Kornheiser

"I said something before which I shouldn't have said, I apologize for it. Not my first mistake, undoubtedly won't be my last, but a 100% apology."- Tony Kornheiser

Now personal feelings about Tony Kornheiser's MNF work aside, the fact that the comment was potentially offensive never even crossed my mind. I also understand after the fact that it could be taken as such and that was probably not something you wanted to joke about during a Hispanic Heritage Month spot. In the end, I really think this was a case of Kornheiser being his unfunny on-air self and not saying anything inflammatory, so hopefully he'll get a pass on this one.

Since Tuesday, I've been getting multiple emails asking me why Tony and Wilbon keep popping up randomly during commercial breaks. To answer all of your questions....I don't know why. Here's what I'm talking about....

PTI is the flagship program for the network, and they've been using it to keep people interested in shows like the 6pm Sports Center for awhile. This move seems along those same lines, but doing so with advertisers is just a bit annoying. It's obvious that these are on purpose, and I hate commercials as much as the next person, but this comes across as someone trying too hard.

I think PTI is by far the best show on the network (I think everyone knows that), but ESPN needs to be careful they don't ruin the show with all of this nonsense. The show suffers enough when guest hosts fill-in, and when you start breaking the show up and doing these cut-ins, it's only going to make more people change the channel.

Just look at that picture above. Now I don't know about you, but that looks like both the coolest and cheesiest thing I've ever seen. ESPN has apparently been working with EA Sports for awhile now, and tabbed the video game in coming with a virtual playing field of sorts. And according to the NY Times you'll start to see analysts interacting with the Sports holograms in the coming days and months....

Boiled down, the complex technology, which will make its debut this Sunday on ESPN’s popular “NFL Countdown” program, involves using an Electronic Arts’ title — say Madden NFL 09 — with specialized digital camera equipment in the studio. Presto: Both real and virtual people move around the ESPN set to demonstrate plays and possible situations.

And the sports behemoth has more ambitious plans down the road. Instead of using the technology, called EA Sports Virtual Playbook, to tell viewers what to look for before games, ESPN wants to use it in reverse to play the ultimate Monday morning quarterback.

Using real information from a game, ESPN anchors could reprogram an actual sequence to show, for example, what would have happened had Peyton Manning thrown right instead of left.

In theory the idea is amazing, but when's the last time you saw a good 3-D anything? Every movie made comes out looking crappy and every person in them ends up looking like a glorified Weather Man. I hope it works out for them though, mainly just because I hate those pointless mini fields. They're finally putting those things to good use.

I'll try to have video of the technology up after it debuts this Sunday.

At ESPN, Play-by-Play Goes Virtual (NY Times)

(Thanks to IB for the tip)