I think we've established that ESPN should have reported on Ben Roethlisberger's lawsuit last week, and that we've all moved on. Well apparently the Sports Reporters haven't. The civil suit was the opening topic on the show over the weekend, and it sparked a war of words between, Mitch Albom (Detroit Free Press) and Bill Rhoden (NY Times). Tom Jones of TampaBay.com took notes....

ESPN's Sports Reporters got a little testy Sunday when Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom and New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden got into an argument about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who is being accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting a woman. The argument essentially started because Rhoden came off highly critical of Roethlisberger. Albom, who made a point of saying he didn't know whether Roethlisberger was guilty, brought up the possibility that the allegations are false, saying, "There are many women who make false claims.''

To which Rhoden said: "Many? Name five.''

Albom said, "You sound as if you already presume he has already done this.''

Rhoden: "I'm presuming he put himself in a bad position.''

Jones notes that Mike Lupica then pulled the reins in on the argument, and the topic was quickly switched (presumably to Brett Favre). It's actually a bit ironic that ESPN decided to ignore the fact the whole week, and then when it's finally brought up in a debating format, the kibosh was quickly put on the topic. To say ESPN's stance and reporting on this has been schizophrenic, is an understatement.

Shooting from the Lip/Monday edition (TampaBay.com)

A week ago, it was our new favorite announcer (the Panthers' Randy Moller), but today I give you the NBA mind that is sweeping through the Great White North. That mind comes from a Canadian named Kayvon, and he would like to introduce you to the San Antonio Spurs....

"He looks like Michael Finley to me", is going to be my new catch phrase from here on out. Kayvon is actually an cult Internet hero in Canada, and he doesn't just stop with NBA Players! He even tackles the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gene Simmons!!!

Canada is full of so much talent these days. I don't care what the rest of the world says.

(Thanks to reader DM for the clip)

Sunday Times reporter, Paul Kimmage, conducted a radio interview after Lance Armstrong announced his return to Cycling in which Kimmage called Armstrong the Sport's "Cancer". Well last night, during a press-conference for the Amgen Tour of California, Armstrong got his chance to address the reporter and absolutely owned him. Here's the video via Velo News....

Man. I almost feel bad for the guy. Well besides the fact that he's an ass for using "Cancer" as the butt of his commentary. I too have questioned Lance Armstrong's use of PEDs before, but I've always believed that someone was innocent until proven guilty.

Another interesting crossover happened during Media Day on the NFL Network. A panel including NFL News Breakers, Jay Glazer of FOX, Michael Silver of Yahoo and Adam Schefter of the NFL-N, discussed reporting on the league and "journalistic integrity". You can even catch a slight jab at the one NFL reporter missing from the round table....

The panel was obviously missing that one key participant that Glazer took said jab at, but that certainly could have been by design. Great discussion all around, and it's interesting that the two up-and-comers are actually friendly and respectful of each other. I don't really know what was going on with Silver's glasses, but great points from him on the Internet side of things as well.

Oh and speaking of Mort, is he even in Tampa today? I haven't seen him moseying around among the masses at all.

I personally never liked the Sports Reporters, and I'd regularly get mad at the TV on Sunday mornings when it came on. It wasn't the format, but I just couldn't stand Mike Lupica. Even at the age of ten I would watch the intro with Dick Schapp and as soon as Lupica spoke, I would change the channel to cartoons or something. Obviously I'm in the minority though because the show's popularity has kept it on the air, as of this Sunday, for twenty years. The show has a litany of popular guests including Howard Cosell, David Halberstam, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Jim Nantz and Lesley Visser, and was really the first Sports panel show of its kind.

Here's a clip of the first show that ESPN released with news of the anniversary, and take notice of a young Gary Thorne (the first host), Jackie MacMullen and Ralph Wiley. It's a little bit choppy but still viewable (it also helps to let it load all the way before first)....

While the show wasn't always my favorite, it certainly has had it's moments. One I remember vividly was the airing following 9/11, which actually turned out to be Dick Schapp's last show. All four panelists (Lupica, Schapp, William C. Rhoden and Bob Ryan) expressed their feelings gracefully, and Schapp's account of his frustration, and the pain of not being able to do anything, still sticks in my mind.

Happy Birthday Sports Reporters.