Last week, all the buzz was the alleged run-in between Marv Albert and rapper 50 Cent. There were reports of a verbal confrontation and some even said that there was a potential punch thrown in the fracas. Well over the weekend, Marv came out and said that not only was the punch a fabrication, the whole incident was. Via USA Today....

At issue is what happened when Albert last week was getting set to appear on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. As he was walking backstage to his dressing room he "heard something" that he thought were people "kidding around." The raised voices, he thinks, came from someone with rapper 50 Cent— another Kimmel guest — wanting to use a phone in Albert's room. "But I didn't even see the guys and don't even think there was a scuffle."

Still, the diminutive TNT NBA announcer says he and friends and family found various online accounts of "stuff that never happened" — included that he and 50 Cent had a fight. "I kept reading about new things that never happened. Maybe it will keep going until Jimmy Kimmel gets punched."

Well that solves that. It seemed a little far fetched, but crazier things have happened. I'm just happy that we don't have to worry about Albert being gunned down in Vegas after a boxing match. Whew.

Marv Albert finds Web reports 'upsetting' (USA Today)

Well there's a title I never thought I'd write. Apparently there was a bit of a scuffle at the Jimmy Kimmel Show that included Marv Albert versus 50 Cent and his posse. Via the LA Times....

As Albert arrived, with an entourage of one, TNT public relations specialist Jeff Pomeroy, there was a sudden scuffle when a multitude of 50 Cent protectors seemed unfamiliar with Albert. There was shouting ("It's Marv Albert," yelled a Kimmel show guard, a pronouncement that seemed to have no effect on the 50 Cent phalanx.) There were obscenities. A fist or two flying. A "Don't you put your hands on me" pronouncement.

And finally Albert made it to his waiting room, relatively unruffled but slightly puzzled. "Did you see that?" Albert said. "I thought they were kidding, but then I realized they weren't."

I thought this was a joke at first, or a PR stunt, but it actually isn't. How someone couldn't recognize Marv Albert is beyond me, but furthermore, how someone could want to rough up a 68 year old man is beyond me. You are dead to me 50 Cent! Actually that took place after his second album dropped....soooo you're doubly dead to me!

Marv Albert And 50 Cent’s Entourage Mix It Up Backstage At Jimmy Kimmel’s Show (S of B)
Marv Albert gets recognition from Jimmy Kimmel, but not everyone at show (LA Times)

It's been since 2003 since the Yankees made an appearance in the World Series, so it comes as no surprise that they're breaking out all the stops for this year's Fall Classic. Before game one there will actually be a concert, and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are scheduled to appear. Via NY Daily News....

The Yankees will get Empire State-size support from two of the music world's biggest stars.

Hip-hop mogul and Bombers booster Jay-Z will perform his hit "Empire State of Mind" just before the Yanks take on the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.

The Brooklyn native will join fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys in singing the rap anthem blasted at Yankee Stadium during the Bombers' postseason run.

"Thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee," Jay-Z said Monday, invoking the famous quote by Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio.

I'm a bit sick of that song, but it's about NYC and has been Jeter's entrance theme for awhile now, so it makes sense. Maybe the Phillies can get Pearl Jam to walk over to Citizen's Bank before the start of game three.

Jay-Z, Alicia Keys to perform 'Empire State of Mind' before Game 1 of World Series (NY Daily News)

Every year, NBC airs a mini concert as a part of their Kickoff coverage. In the past there have been such acts as Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, P Diddy, Kelly Clarkson and Elton John, and this year's concert will be just as mind-blowing as those. Your two acts this year will be the dynamic duo of Tim McGraw and The Black Eyed Peas! Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette....

The Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw will jump-start the Steelers' season with a free concert at Point State Park on opening night, Sept. 10.

Details are being worked out about other acts and when the big names will go onstage, although the headliners will certainly be part of the live pre-game simulcast from 8 to 8:30 p.m. on NBC and NFL Network. Kickoff for the Steelers-Titans game at Heinz Field is scheduled for 8:30.

I'm sure there will be more acts announced, but you usually only get to see the main two acts on NBC anyway. This is the second concert that Pittsburgh will be hosting. In 2006, before the Steelers took on the Dolphins, Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride kicked off the game from Heinz Field, with Diddy and Cassie in Miami.

Free concert by Black Eyed Peas, McGraw to kick off Steelers' season (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

I know this has nothing to do with announcing, but I post this collection of songs every single year. Once again, EA Sports has put together an amazing collection of songs and artists for Madden '10, and here's who you can listen for when the game comes out on August 10th....

2Pac - Can't C Me
Airbourne - Heads Are Gonna Roll
Alice In Chains - Them Bones
B.o.B - Created A Monster
Bang Camaro - Revolution
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Cypress Hill - Get ‘Em Up
Helmet - Unsung
Iron Maiden - Aces High
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Kid Rock - I Am The Bullgod
Killswitch Engage - Reckoning
Korn - Blind
Mastodon - Divinations
Nas feat. Puff Daddy - Hate Me Now
Nirvana - Breed
Pantera - Walk
Public Enemy - Shut Em Down
Rage Against The Machine - Guerrilla Radio
Set Your Goals - Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)
Slipknot - Duality
System Of A Down - Sugar
The Vanity Plan - Before I Die
Young Dre The Truth - Cheah Beah

If you want to check out the songs for the rest of EA's 2010 releases, click below....

EA Announces Fall Music Line Up for Sports Franchises (PR Business Wire)

What a better way to get ready for the first game of the Finals than by listening to the hot new track by Lil' Wayne called "Kobe Bryant". With a special vocal appearance by Stephen A. Smith! Enjoy Game One and I'll be back later tonight with video and commentary....

Kobe doing work.
2-4 on my shirt
he the greatest on the court
and I’m the greatest on the verse.
Going for the fourth ring
like it was his first.
Gotta get the gleam, do it for Kareem!

(H/T to Steady Burn)

You've probably seen the Shaquille O'Neal Comcast commercials with Ben Stein (Bueller?), but I bet you haven't seen the outtakes. Outtakes that feature Ben Stein breaking out some old school Snoop Dogg rhymes. Here's the clip thanks to Comcast....

Wheat jelly, huh? And "hittin' corners on the low low"? Not sure if I've heard of that one before. Pretty hilarious though.

Behind The Scenes With Ben and Shaq (Comcast Voices)

There are a ton of ridiculous polls on ESPN daily, but this one might actually take the cake. ESPN The Mag, has something called the "All-World Power Rankings", in which they rank random things like "The Best Green Jersey In Sports" and "Least Loyal Sports Figure Ever". Well today they decided to rank the "Most Intriguing Athlete Turned Musician", and somehow, Deion Sanders came out on top....


I'm not exactly sure how the voting works, but either way you look at it, there are thousands of holes in this. If it's a joke, they missed Kobe Bryant, Oscar de la Hoya and Tony Parker. And if it's real, they forgot Bernie Williams, Bronson Arroyo, Wayman Tisadle and of course the legendary....Peter Gammons. Either way though, Deion Sanders should not be on the top of any list with songs like this....

Who is the most intriguing athlete-turned-musician? (ESPN The Mag)

The NBA Playoffs tipped off this weekend, and Jeff Van Gundy has made headlines in three different, yet very funny stories. Van Gundy not only mistakenly called Lakers' guard Shannon Brown, Chris Brown, but he chatted with Kanye West and expressed his disdain for LA's taco promotion. Here's the Brown video, and the other two stories from the LA Times and Sporting Blog....

Van Gundy Is Hip Hop: "Kanye West sat courtside at Lakers-Jazz, which led to an exchange on what analyst/former coach Jeff Van Gundy knows about the rap game. The Notorious J.V.G. responded by telling the world: "I am hip hop."

Tacos: "Geez, Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, let Lakers fans have a little fun. As the Lakers were concluding their easy win over Utah on Sunday, the ABC announcing trio got testy about the chanting "We want tacos" that the fans were doing at the end of the game.

If the Lakers hold an opponent under 100 points, fans get a certificate for a free Jack in the Box taco. Putting aside the fact that those tacos are really, really bad tacos, full of mushy stuff and grease, the Lakers had led basically from start to finish. It almost seemed in bad form to cheer much when the opponent was so outclassed. So they were having a little noisy fun begging for tacos. Big deal. But Breen, Jackson and especially Van Gundy made it sound as if having such promotions that caused such chanting was an affront to the very dignity of NBA basketball.

Now the Kanye thing is pretty funny, but I'm with the LA Times, when they say to let the Laker Fans have a little fun. Every team has a promotion like that, and to criticize fans for wanting something free, is a bit ridiculous. It's good to see that Van Gundy is already distracting viewers from the game at hand, and it's only the first round!

Jeff Van Gundy does read the tabloids (Outside the Boxscore)
Jeff Van Gundy Is Hip Hop (The Sporting Blog)
Lighten Up, Guys (LA Times)

How's this for random? Kobe Bryant decided to make an appearance on Sesame Street (the episode will air in November), and not only did he hang with Elmo, but he even beatboxed the opening song with the red puppet. First Cuts has the video....

There's really so much that Kobe can teach the kids out there, and none of it has to do with Basketball. How to jump over cars, how to alienate your friends and teammates and even how to buy expensive things for your significant other when you do something wrong. Should be a great episode!

Kobe Bryant Is Street....Sesame Street (First Cuts)

Kanye West was recently knocked down a few pegs by South Park, but apparently he's back on his game in this new NBA Playoffs commercial. The song is "Amazing", and after splicing in a few announcers saying the word (namely Marv Albert), this is what you get. Via Alana G....

The NBA never puts out a bad commercial these days, and that one is no exception. The song however, I will pass on.

New NBA Playoff Spot Featuring Kanye (Alana G)

Again, this is another "just because" post, but you absolutely have to watch this video via LWS. Bruce Pearl made a guest appearance at the third annual "VOLSCARS" (clever), and decided that he needed to rap when doing so. Seriously....

Wow. Erin Andrews would be proud.

Bruce Pearl Rapping (Loser With Socks)

I don't know how many of you watch MTV, but one of the biggest trainwrecks to ever grace the airwaves is the Snoop Dogg talk show, Dogg After Dark. The guests are all over the place, from Paris Hilton to Pacman Jones, and the topics are just as random as random can be.

With that said, there is some interesting news out of the Snoop Dogg camp. Chicks in the Huddle is reporting, that FOX sideline reporter Nischelle Turner, has been requested by the Dogg Father to be his news anchor. Seriously....

You’ve seen her on the sidelines of NFL games. You’ve read about her rumored (and we do stress rumored) relationship with one Eddie Murphy. And now, she’s experiencing life in the “Dogg House”…as in Snoop D-O-double G.

Nischelle Turner will make a special appearance on MTV’s “Dogg After Dark”, a weekly variety show hosted by Snizzle Dizzle himself. We hear Snoop requested this Sideline Sexy after watching her in action on Good Day L.A.

Ms. Turner will play a role she knows well, that of a news anchor.

Damn....I was hoping he would have gone with Danyelle Sargent because of her penchant to ask questions about the dead, but I guess Turner will do. Hopefully she doesn't party with Snoop too hard though, I hear FOX is rather strict about their drug testing policies.

Fox Sideline Reporter Does It “Doggy Style” (Chicks in the Huddle)

Now I understand the gimmicks of LL Cool J and Lil Wayne coming on the network to talk their favorite teams, and to promote albums. But bringing on 50 Cent to talk shop, for seemingly no reason at all, is beyond infuriating. Now if Curtis Jackson was at ESPN "The Weekend", joking around with Skip Bayless and Jemele on the set of First Take, I'd let it slide. But no....the "Leader" randomly brought on the rapper onto ESPN News to promote his new video game and talk steroids. Here is the clip....

Why in the hell would they put him on ESPN News?! That just makes me angry. Why even call it ESPN "News"? Every time you think that ESPN is taking some steps back to its roots, they take two gigantic leaps back with stunts like this. I fully expect MTV to be bought by Disney within the next ten years, and our regular ESPN programming to be relegated to ESPN2. It's just a matter of time.

At long last, 50 Cent addresses controversies of the sports world (The Sports Hernia)

I know all of you saw Aubrey O'Day's Playboy spread that just came out recently, but if you didn't you can click on this very NSFW link if you would like to see them. What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well the Danity Kane singer (who knew?) and Puffy confidant, called into the Boomer and Carton Show today, and decided to hang up on the hosts.

According to Sports Radio Interviews, Carton asked O'Day a series of questions that we're obviously too personal, one about dating Puffy, and she got pissed and ended the call. Here's the audio of the hangup, and the aftermath....

Ah good times. You're famous for being on a reality television show, and (allegedly) hooking up with Puffy, but you don't want to talk about it. Too funny.

Playboy Cover Girl Hangs Up On Sports Radio Station (Sports Radio Interviews)
Aubrey O'Day Interview (WFAN: Boomer & Carton)

Oh my god! I can't believe he actually pulled it off!!! Rapper Lil Wayne actually beat three of our country's finest sports writers to take the ATH....ummm....well I'm not exactly sure what he won, but who cares! Here are the highlights....

All kidding aside he was a bit to quiet, but maybe it seemed that way because Mariotti and Paige are so damn loud, but he was actually pretty good. Plus that LT "face time" bit was actually pretty funny. Good on you fellow blogger.

Video: Lil Wayne On Around The Horn

If there is anyone out there crazier than Woody Paige, Lil Wayne is probably the guy. The rapper has already appeared on First Take multiple times, and has his own blog on ESPN.com, but ESPN has decided that's not enough. Wayne will be on the panel of tomorrow's airing of Around the Horn. Seriously....

Fresh off his four wins at the 2009 Grammy Awards Sunday night, rapper Lil’ Wayne will be a panelist on ESPN’s Around the Horn Tuesday at 5 p.m. He will match wits with regular reporters Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti and Michael Smith in the 30-minute sports debate program moderated and scored by Tony Reali. Lil’ Wayne, who contributes to ESPNthemag.com and has appeared on ESPN's First Take and, led performer nominations with nine and won four -- Best Rap Album (for Tha Carter III), Best Rap Solo Performance ("A Milli"), Best Rap Performance by Group or Duo ("Swagga Like Us"), and Best Rap Song ("Lollipop"). He will appear on ATH from Los Angeles.

I guess you can't really make that show anymore annoying than it already is, and Lil Wayne is actually pretty good during his appearances on First Take. With that said, this seems to be inline with a lot of the other current gimmicks on the network to garner ratings for certain shows.

Set your TIVOs now, folks!

(Via ESPN PR)

Ugh. I can't even believe I'm taking the time to post this, but anytime the words "rap" and "Bayless" are in a clip....I'm required by law to show it. Lil Wayne was on First Take today,

Oh snap! Weezy called him "Earnest"!!! Other than that....I have no comment. Good lord....what a way to end the day. I need a nap.

(You can check out a longer version at Drew Reports if you want to, but I have no idea why you would.)

So, I got this clip forwarded to me from a couple of different PR firms, and thought I would share it with you to end the day. It's of a commercial which stars various Sports and Entertainment Stars (Kevin Garnett, David Beckham, Missy Elliot), and for some reason they're calling each other up on their cell phones and talking about some sort of party. Here's the spot....

Sounds like a sweet get together. I did some research and apparently the campaign is for Adidas' 60th anniversary of the 3-Stripes mark and the commercials will be of a shindig that features a mix of people from the worlds of music, fashion and sport. The campaign kicks off tomorrow, so keep a lookout for it on the airwaves.

I don't know if anyone was watching the start of Around The Horn last night (and why would you be?), but RCS caught a cameo by Tha Doggfather. For some random reason, Snoop Dogg popped up with J.A. Adande during the shows opening segment, and here is your video proof....

Not only does J.A. befriend pornstars, but apparently has courted some rappers into his cavalcade of celebrities. I would make fun, but if I knew Snoop, I'd name drop him at every opportunity. Who knows what I'd do if I was a regular on a TV show?

Snoop Dogg Appears On Around The Horn (Real Clear Sports)