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)

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)

I'm kidding of course with the title, but ESPN is doing a very interesting and not widely publicized, thing this afternoon. Right now actually. Starting at 2pm, you can chat with both Robert Flores and Chris McKendry while they are live on-air. When one is doing a highlight, the other will be answering questions at SportsCenter.com. ESPN says that this is a first for the AM Sports Center, and that the anchors are trying out different things both on-air and with the anchors blogs.

While this seems like a fun idea, it's going to be awfully hard to pull off without Flores and McKendry getting distracted. Live TV is tough enough as it is and it's a good thing they are attempting this on a Friday afternoon when the least amount of people are watching.

I'll be checking it out and updating this spot if anything fun or crazy goes down. Also, if any of you "AA Panelists" happen to get a question answered, I'll give you an E-High Five!
____________________

First question....."The Yankees will come back to win the Wild Card."- Mike in New York

Great start! Oh and there's this one....

Jenny (Oklahoma)
Is Robert single ;)
ROBERT FLORES
Ha I'm spoken for.. but thank you.

You internet commenters are so silly.

Chat with McKendry & Flores (SportsCenter.com)