I completely understand the role that Showtime has tried to place on Warren Sapp, or that he did so on his own, but this just takes it to a whole new different level. On Wednesday's Inside The NFL, Sapp was taking questions for a segment called "Ask Warren Anything". A question came in about whether Warren would be watching Keyshawn Johnson's new design show on A&E and this was the outspoken one's response. Via Adam Schefter's blog on NFL.com....

In a special segment on this week’s Inside The NFL, Warren Sapp answered viewer submitted questions during “Ask Warren Anything”.

Below are transcription highlights of the show.

(On rumor that Sapp is a diva on “Dancing With The Stars”)
SAPP: I’ll tell you what. I have to be honest about the diva thing. I am a little eccentric at times. I like cold water and in California they like it room temperature. And as a 300-pound man I needed a little cold water. So they gave me a big cooler and they put “Warren’s Water,” so I guess that’s where they get that from. If a big fella needing cold water is being a diva, then diva I am.

(On whether he would ever watch Keyshawn Johnson’s reality show about interior design)
SAPP: Me, watch Keyshawn on an interior decorating show? Keyshawn, I knew you were a bitch. And thanks for making it all clear.

I know what the term "bitch" is supposed to mean nowadays, and I know that we are overly sensitive as a society, but that's just flat out uncalled for. Even if you take away the sexist nature of the comment, there's no point for Keyshawn's name to be coming out of Sapp's mouth in this format. If he wants to go on some douchebag's talk radio show and spout off at the mouth....fine. But to do so on a once classy and well done show like Inside the NFL, and to not be reprimanded after multiple attacks like this, makes me think that Showtime just isn't taking their direction with the show seriously.

I really hope that Keyshawn doesn't take this bait, and sink to Warren's level, but nothing would surprise me these days. I'll try to have the video up later in the day for posterity when ITN re-airs today, but that's the last time I watch that garbage. There's just no need for more of this crap in an already crap-filled Sports World.

Warren answers anything (NFL: Adam Schefter)

So I was randomly forwarded a casting call from an anonymous tipster for an ESPN commercial which features various students calling people around the country to get them to watch more College Basketball. Seems like a basic concept right? Well wait until you read what the Casting Director is looking for from each individual acting as students from various Universities....

ESPN
Promo
SAG
PAY RATE: SAG PROMO RATE

Director: Matt Aselton
Casting Director: ERICA PALGON
Interview: Thurs 11/13 and Fri 11/14, Mon 11/17
Fitting: 11/21
Shoot: 11/24, 25
Location: New York

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY LIZ LEWIS CASTING PARTNERS

EVERYONE MUST BE STRONG WITH COMEDY/IMPROV. PLEASE WRITE ANY ADDITIONAL NOTES, IN THE NOTES PAGE, ABOUT ACTOR'S COMEDIC/IMPROV EXPERIENCE/TRAINING, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN LOOKING THROUGH SUBMISSIONS

All roles are ages 18-22 yrs old. WITH THE EXCEPTION of PERDUE.

The concept: The spots take place in the ESPN College Basketball Call Center (CBBCC). All of these guys are there representing their schools, calling people on the phone to get them to watch more College Basketball. Basically they are selling college basketball.

SEEKING:

[ DUKE UNIVERSITY ]
MALE. Our guy for Duke UNIVERSITY is a smart, with it, young WHITE male. He's handsome. He's from money. He is, in short, the kind of guy, everyone can't stand. He is the kind of guy everyone wants to be.

[ NORTH CAROLINA ]
FEMALE. She's a Southern bell. She is the counterpoint to Duke. Being young and pretty everyone wants to be around her. She's charming. Not a dingbat, she's sharp.

[ TEXAS ]
MALE. Straight out20of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, Texas is a young man's man. He is the kind of guy that could field dress a deer and then take you to the debutante ball in 20. Polite, farm boy. He's good at everything. Except call centering.

[ KANSAS ]
MALE. Kansas is straight off the farm. However, he takes great pains to point out that Kansas is very cosmopolitan, as witnessed by their record, their burgeoning tech industry, and their hybrid corns (bonus:
modified by fish genes!)

[ CONNECTICUT ]
MALE. Connecticut is all things Connecticut. He's a little bit older.
He's a little bit thicker around the waist. He's WHITE. He's also competitive. Very. Waspy, blue blood.

[ OKLAHOMA ]
MALE. Oklahoma is awesome and he thinks everything is awesome. He's very enthusiastic about all things call center and all things life and he wants to share this contagious enthusiasm with everyone he meets.
Wide-eyed, as naive as they come.

[ LOUISVILLE ]
MALE. Louisville is very true to place. He's short. He's HISPANIC. And one day he hopes to carry on in proud Louisville tradition and race thoroughbreds.

[ TENNESSEE ]
FEMALE. Tennessee is orange crazy. The ice tray in her orange fridge, that freezes the water she dyes orange, is that orange. The party girl cowboy hat she wears is a white and orange zebra print. The tattoo on her lower back is Pantone 3 for that Tennessee orange. The only thing that's not orange is her dog, which is the20mascot Smokey. Did we mention she's crazy? A slutty girl who would hang out at the cowgirl hall of fame.

[ PURDUE ]
MALE. Child prodigy. 14-year-old. Or open to an 18-year-old who looks 14. Aeronautical engineering. Wiz kid. Think McLovin from Superbad.

[ VILLANOVA ]
MALE. Villanova is the poor man's Duke — he's not quite as handsome, he's not quite as rich, he's not quite as dapper. After 2 or 3 beers though, who cares? As he's friendly enough.

[ NOTRE DAME ]
MALE He's an ASIAN kid who is in to all things Notre Dame, ridiculously so. Oh, and he's always fighting. Every time we encounter him he always has some words or another, be it the faint traces of a black eye, or a scab or whatever. He epitomizes the fightin' Irish.

[ PITTSBURGH ]
FEMALE. Pittsburgh is a tomboy. She obviously grew up in the neighborhood and isn't going to take any guff from anyone and she'll wallop you in the eye with a crowbar if you suggest different. So don't. Think Tina Fey type.

[ SYRACUSE ]
MALE. Jewish kid from Long Island that is loving the college experience. It has opened up a world he never knew existed. All you can eat buffets in the cafeteria — who knew? To Syracuse, everything is a party.

[ GEORGETOWN ]
FEMALE. Georgetown, a 4.36 GPA who's lived in 9 world-class cities, but all the time in her sister's shadow (her GPA is 4.37). She's sort of the female Duke, except most people like her. Think Reese Witherspoon.

[ GONZAGA ]
MALE. No one knows what Gonzaga looks like because no one knows where to find him. He is still stuck in the grunge look, reckless, in from the wild. Flannel look. Chews tobacco. Guy that would go to school in the Pacific Northwest.

[ MARQUETTE ]
FEMALE. Marquette, on a scale of 1-10, she's a six. A B-, C in every category you can define a person by. Her defining characteristic is you don't really remember her. You're not breaking your arm to get to her, but you're not chewing it off to get away. She does have a winning personality though. Midwest, sweet girl.

[ MICHIGAN STATE ]
MALE. Blue collar to the core. Michigan State is one tough kid that grew up by putting a few down. That's just Michigan State's way. Big beefy kid.

[ MEMPHIS ]
MALE. What can we say about Memphis? He's a southern BLACK kid, really culinary and polite. He's artistic, and draws comic books really well.

[ MARYLAND ]
MALE. He plays lacrosse. A dude. Low key. Mid Atlantic, wears baseball hats and chinos.

[ OHIO STATE ]
MALE. He looks like Jim Tressle (head coach of Ohio State football) in the dress code. Red sweater vest. Always. Doesn't care for swearing either — of course we never really test this out as they are commercial advertisements and no one swears in them, but it's true nevertheless.
A Republican.

[ ILLINOIS ]
MALE. African-American. Young Obama. Think Toofer-the straight-laced, Harvard grad write r from 30 Rock (Keith Powell)

[ OKLAHOMA STATE ]
FEMALE. She's a fun loving girl, Oklahoma born and bred. Decided not to travel out of State so she should be closer to home. She's a flirt.
She's a hot chick.

[ TEXAS A&M ]
MALE. True to the region, Texas A&M is one tough dude. He's not big physically, but he is imposing. He's an ROTC kid and his 100-yard stare lets you know it.

[ BAYLOR ]
MALE & FEMALE. Baylor is not one people but two. It's a couple. In fact, we're not even sure which one goes to Baylor. We only know they are madly in love. Their world is each other, which is really sweet or really sickening, depending. Think Sheri Oteri and Will Farrell as the cheerleaders.

So, ummmmm yeah. Basically if you're in actor/actress in NYC and you want to be a part of possibly one of the most sexist, racist and stereotypical ads ever, then this is for you! They're so stereotypical that they're almost funny. I mean...."[ MARQUETTE ]
FEMALE. Marquette, on a scale of 1-10, she's a six.....Really? I mean....REALLY?!?!?! Oh and so they want one "BLACK kid" and one "African-American"? Pretty funny how the "African-American" went to Harvard and the "BLACK kid" draws comic books. Unbelievable.

Good lord. I know directors are looking for certain people to fill roles, but are casting calls always this ridiculous? I wish I was making this up. Just flat out unbelievable.

Update: According to the original tipster, the notice has been taken down and here is ESPN's statement on the matter....

"Our marketing department just learned of this casting call today and the campaign is not something we will pursue. The language and approach reflected in that document were not approved by us and in no way represent ESPN or the respect we have for the college community."

Fair enough. When things get outsourced like this, you can certainly lose a lot of control. I don't think ESPN is entirely to blame for this one, but maybe they should keep a closer eye on things like this in the future.

Sam Newman is a commentator for AFL’s Footy Show, a Rugby Aussie Football highlight show in Australia. He's known for his off the cuff comments, and has been in hot water before, but this one might just get him axed. The show had finished airing an interview with Tasmanian Member of Parliament, Paula Wriedt about Tasmania's bid for an AFL licence when Newman dropped this bomb on the crowd. Via SbB....

After a clip was shown of Tasmanian MP Paula Wriedt, Newman made one of his trademark off-colour jokes.

“We couldn’t get her on, could we?” Newman said after watching vision of the MP.

“Worthy of coming on, her.”

Newman was immediately admonished by Footy Show host James Brayshaw.

“Sam you cannot say that,” Brayshaw said.

“It’s a disgraceful thing to say, Sam, and don’t do it again.”

Wow.....just wow. I know sexual talk is laxed in other countries, but that couldn't have gone over well with the viewing public. Newman, who was suspended earlier in the year for similar comments, has since apologized to Ms. Wriedt. He is also claiming that this is a misunderstanding, but it definitely didn't come off that way.

Aussie Football Analyst Puts Foot In Mouth Again (Sports by Brooks)
Sam Newman's career over? His latest on-air shocker (Sam Newman's career over? His latest on-air shocker)

It's insanely easy to pick on the WNBA these days. You can talk about the slow play, the low scoring or even the level at which the NBA tries to shove it in our face. But even those angles are a bit played out. Well a radio host at 100.3 FM in Minnesota decided to go with the oh so clever lesbian angle.

Some basketball fans and parents are upset by on-air comments by a local radio host.

Thursday morning, radio show host Chris Baker made a controversial statement about the Women’s National Basketball Association.

The topic of Thursday's show on 100.3 KTLK was about things that never lived up to their hype.

But when one caller suggested the WNBA, some say Baker’s response went too far.

"You know what [the WBNA] is? That's a place for lesbians to make out when they score," Baker said.

Forget for a second that the comment offends both the gay community and women, it seriously amazes me that someone would even think that was funny. I mean he might have got away with that joke in 1996 when the league was formed, but come on. There's nothing worse than a hack DJ trying to pass jokes he heard over 10 years ago.

The crazy thing is that it's not the first time he's gotten in trouble over controversial comments on-air. In April he also urged the beating and shooting of Republican National Convention protesters. Seems like a classy guy.

KTLK host under fire for WNBA, gay comments (KSTP)

A weird exchange took place during last nights ESPN Baseball game between Rick Sutcliffe and Erin Andrews last night. The conversation started with Dave O'Brien commenting on the color of Andrews' dress and ended with Rick Sutcliffe talking about her skirt possibly blowing up and people staring at her during batting practice. Seriously. Via Big League Stew....

I love Rick's attitude towards his battle with Cancer, but good lord he made OB a little uncomfortable at the end there didn't he? Not to mention how much of a stoner he sounded like when he said, "I've got a new favorite color, I know that, man."

Just a bit more than awkward there, and I'm sure EA doesn't mind it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sut got a talking to before his break. USS Mariner though thinks the penalty should be a little harsher.

Rick Sutcliffe is concerned for Erin Andrews' skirt in Chicago (Big League Stew)
Rick Sutcliffe is a horrible person and ESPN’s no better (USS Mariner)

I said it last month and apparently the remove Packer from CBS movement is gaining steam. According to the NY Daily News he might be removed for his ridiculous statements in the Final Four....

CBS is paying $6 billion for the right to air the tourney over the life of its contract with the NCAA. From a business perspective, telling viewers to turn off the TV is not a great idea, especially in a soft advertising market.

Naming a "winner" with plenty of time left in a game does not sit well with corporations paying top dollar to advertise their products during the tournament. Some of these same companies will be asked to purchase time on next year's tourney.

Not only did Packer prematurely turn the lights off - the Tar Heels eventually cut the gap to four points before losing 84-66 - but a few days later in USA Today, he poured salt on the wound.

Packer portrayed himself as an ethical realist just dealing with what he was seeing on the court.

"The integrity of the sport is more important than any promotion for television," Packer told USA Today.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Billy Packer is a cancer to CBS. The guy has called a black player a monkey, made sexist remarks on-air about a female player, used the term fag during an on-air interview, and even told a woman worker at Cameron Indoor Stadium, "Since when do we let women control who gets into a men's basketball game? Why don't you go find a women's game to let people into?" Every single time CBS defends the guy and for what?

All of the sexist, racist and idiotic remarks take a backseat to the guy losing the network millions of dollars. Either way.....it's time to make the move CBS.

Billy Packer can't dance around the stir at CBS (NY Daily News)
CBS Suits Seriously Considering Packer Ouster? (Sports by Brooks)
It's Time CBS, Get Someone Other Than Billy Packer (Awful Announcing)

Remember last season when New York Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez caught sight of a young lady in the San Diego Padres dugout and expressed his concern regarding her presence in the holiest of all holy places? Though blatantly sexist, the remarks ("I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout" is my personal favorite) were noteworthy in that they presented the best known instance of a real life "I'm Keith Hernandez" moment.

The 33-year-old interloper woman , sports therapist Kelly Calabrese, won't have to worry about revisiting the controversy or offending Hernandez's delicate sensibilities when the Mets visit San Diego in mid-July, because she won't be with the team. Why not? She'll be home doing what women are supposed to do in The World According To Keith: cooking, cleaning and having babies.

Well, at least the last one is true. Calabrese and her husband are expecting their first child, a boy, in early August, which means she will finish up her season with the team in mid-June (apparently, flying is not recommended during the last six weeks of pregnancy). If the couple had any sense of humor, they would've told the Associated Press that they planned to name the baby Keith, but unfortunately they don't.

So to recap - my kid is due in mid-July, Calabrese's is due in early August, Bridget Moynahan's should be due sometime in August...I am totally gonna figure out a way to get a play group together. I hope it's just like this.