I haven't watched an episode of Around The Horn since I was doing those video clips for Deadspin, and even then it was begrudgingly. Well recently SI put together a Best of Sports Media for the decade, and not only did we receive an ridiculous (yet extremely appreciated) honorable mention for Sports Blog of the Decade, but they also took a light jab at ATH. Via Deadspin....

The topics are patently absurd (one involved Evander Holyfield boxing a horse for the WBA heavyweight belt), but on the whole it's no more bizarre-and a lot funnier-than, say, Around the Horn.

That seems one of the nicer things that people have said about that abortion of a show, but apparently that was enough to send Bill Plaschke over the deep end. Via Plaschke's Twitter....

-I saw where, in its annual media issue, a certain publication took another shot at Around the Horn. We love it. Just spell our names right.
-One of these days, your grandfather's media is going to realize that, when it comes to ATH, they are out of touch with today's consumers
-ATH thrives because the grass-roots sports fan — which is most of us — thinks sports should be fun, and what's wrong with that?
-While our critics have dwindled to a few, we embrace those who still think seven years of hundreds of thousands of daily viewers are wrong
-Our show wouldn't connect with today's sports fan if yesterday's sports media didn't still rip it. The rips remind us the show still works
-I'll end this by once again thanking our show's patron saint, a notable broadcaster who called us, ''Gasbags on parade.''
-I'm honored to be one of those gasbags, and thankful that so many people allow us to parade into their lives...
-(and if those last few tweets don't get me into the showdown Thursday, nothing will!!)

Ah yes....those gasbags on parade. I mean when someone as respected as Al Michaels calls you a "gasbag", I would think you would take notice. But on the other side of the coin....if it ain't broke don't fix it. I know a good handful of people that list ATH as one of their favorite shows, and 700K worth of viewers at 5pm isn't anything to shack a stick at.

I'm not entirely sure why Jay Mariotti decided to wait a whole two weeks to chime in on the Raul Ibanez/Blog thing, but I'm more interested in the premise of his article. Mariotti is now about the 30th mainstream media member to comment that "steroid guessing is bad journalism", but forgetting what he has written about the subject in the past. Before we get into all of Mariotti's accusations about members of the Cubs, let's look at what he wrote late last night....

Yes, given the staggering bulk of guilty names and relentless flurry of new information, we all wonder to ourselves if every major leaguer who has played since 1995 used steroids. But that doesn't mean anyone has the right, legally or ethically, to start speculating for public consumption just because he has a functioning computer, a miniscule niche in cyberspace or a column in the dying newspaper industry. The methods of dissemination may have changed, but journalistic standards suddenly shouldn't go to hell.

If you know an athlete who uses steroids, convince us that it's true with corroborated material.

If not, please keep it to yourself.

Okay then. That's certainly an opinion someone can get behind, and if people want to follow that journalism tenet, I obviously have no problem with it. What I do have a problem with, is when it comes from someone who wrote the following:

The joke isn't funny anymore. Every time I ask Sammy Sosa about ster-oids, he uses a four-year-old punchline about his favorite vitamins. "I take my Flintstones once a day," he says, smiling as always.

But now that baseball's worst-kept secret finally is out of the medicine closet--vast numbers of players are juiced up on 'roids--it is incumbent upon Sosa and other prominent big-leaguers to start speaking up and taking a responsible stance concerning the sport's latest self-destructive issue. Very simply, he needs to tell the truth. If he hasn't used steroids, tell us. If he has used them occasionally, tell us. If he uses them regularly, tell us.

He really should just grab the cup, piddle in it and send it to the lab. It's the only way Sammy Sosa ends all suspicions, quiets the riffraff, blows away the steroid clouds and lets us resume enjoyment of his immaculate career, currently in an innuendo warp. He is sadly mistaken when he says, "The whole world knows that I am innocent."

For some reason, mainstream media members continually forget the words they wrote, if not days ago, at least a few years ago. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what is wrong with speculating? Sports as a whole is speculation, and whether it's who used steroids?, or will Albert Pujols win the Triple Crown?....What's the big deal?

Also, what's worse in your mind? Writing out a debate with your friend about a player you have on your fantasy team, and trying to defend his stats? Or telling a player in a national publication to send his pee to a lab? Sure it was Sammy Sosa, and we all know how that turned out, but back then it was complete SPECULATION.

It's also funny to me that someone who has been taken for task about doing zero research by both clubs in Chicago, is calling out people for laziness.

Steroid Guessing Is Bad Journalism (Fanhouse)
Letter To Chicago Sun-Times (White Sox and Cubs)

Buzz Bissinger famously ripped on Sports Blogs (and Will Leitch) over a year ago, and you would think that in the time that elapsed he would have figured them out. Well you'd think wrong. Bissinger went on the Deadcast this week, and somehow came to the conclusion that Harold Reynolds himself, not the website "Hugging Harold Reynolds", added the Raul Ibanez Steroid Story to his site. Take a listen....

Well then. Now that's completely and utterly untrue. I think Buzz Bissinger is one of the best things to ever happen to blogs, but the guy still has a lot to learn about them.

It’s Family Hour With A Kinder, Gentler Buzz Bissinger (Deadspin)

Everyone is adding their two cents when it comes to this whole Raul Ibanez steroid speculation story, and some people seem to be forgetting their own words from a few years ago. One of those people is SI writer, Jon Heyman, who called unfounded PED speculation garbage, but apparently forgot about his own speculation of Sammy Sosa a few years back. Via Rays Index....

Did [Sosa] use steroids when he hit his 66 home runs in the summer of 1998? Is he getting some sort of outside help now that he’s back to being a power hitter for the Texas Rangers? Tough call.

Sure sounds like Heyman is speculating to us. And why is it a “tough call” for Heyman?

Then when Sosa was called upon to speak (before Congress), he struggled to find English words. I know Sosa’s English is better than it seemed that day. But maybe he was nervous. Can I know for sure?

If faking poor English is a sign of steroid use, then half the 2007 Mets roster was juicing. Let’s continue…

No one has ever had the goods on Sosa. No one has ever said he failed a test. Unlike Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, he never bought from BALCO. I can assume the worst. But I’m not sure that’s fair.

No Jon, it is not fair. And according to your Twitter account, it is “garbage.” Now the big finish…

And unlike McGwire, Sosa has returned to play and thrive after baseball instituted steroid testing. The testing is imperfect, and Sosa is, too. Maybe he’s just as guilty as McGwire. But how am I going to know that for sure? Am I going to be able to count assumption and innuendo against Sosa? Am I going to assume the worst? Tough call.

That certainly does seem like a good bit of speculation there, but that's really what Sports is about. Everything is speculation. Who you think will win the Championship, Who will win MVP, mock drafts and yes....Who used/uses steroids. To turn this into a Blogger vs. MSM is just silly, but that's nothing new in the World of Sports. Ibanez has every right to defend himself, just as every Sports Fan has the right to speculate, and that's exactly what he did.

As far as the media goes, just look at this clip from Outside the Lines, and please take note of the different debating techniques from the MSMers on the show. You have the Philly Inquirer's John Gonzalez making a sound, thought out responses to the issue at hand. As well as, FOX's Ken Rosenthal, wildly arguing and acting as an apologist for the players....



And all of that coming from a person who wrote the following on May 14th, 2009:

"At this moment, I would have a difficult time voting for any confirmed or suspected user without an assurance from the Hall that the player's transgressions would be acknowledged.

If the players objected to such mentions, too bad. What would they do, boycott the Hall? Their mere inductions would reflect that they were the best of their tainted era. Many would argue that they do not deserve to be in Cooperstown at all.

I'm caught somewhere in between. And the clock is ticking on my time — and every voter's time — to figure out what is right."

We all are, Ken....but most of us try not to forget what we wrote an f'ing month ago!!! You say that we shouldn't just come out and guess who's using and who's not, but that's exactly what you did in that article. Who cares if it's a current player, or someone trying to get into the HOF?

Jon Heyman Is A Hypocrite When It Comes To PED Speculation (Rays Index)
Hall of Fame: Some tough calls must be made (Fox Sports)

You have to feel bad when someone gets fired, but the way in which David Steele was let go from the Baltimore Sun was just downright evil. Steele, and others, were told via phone that they were being let go, but even worse while in the press box covering an Orioles game.

Well Steele has penned his first account of the events for Real Clear Sports, and here are some of the highlights, er lowlights....

Not long after that, around 2 p.m., one of the other writers pulled me aside: “Maese just sent a text saying he got laid off." It was a perfectly legible sentence, but it made no sense to anyone there. It’s the middle of the game, they just had layoffs yesterday, he’s a prominent columnist … huh? It wasn’t anything to joke about, but it didn’t sound true at all. But he had, for the moment, disappeared from his seat.

I went back to my seat and saw that there was a message on my cell from the office. I hadn’t turned the ringer back up after the manager’s pre-game press conference, so I hadn’t heard it. The message: call back as soon as you get this. Good, I thought, we’ll straighten out this business of who is writing for the next day. Which, technically, is what happened. Still, apparently, I was either completely clueless or in total denial, I’m still not sure which.

It didn’t matter. I called back and got the voice mail. At 2:34 p.m. (that time-stamp is kind of stuck in my head for the time being), the office called back. I went into a hallway behind the press box and answered it with something like, “Hey, what’s up?’’ Or “What’s going on?’’ Along those lines.

My editor greeted me, paused, took a deep breath. “David, I’m sorry you have to be told this way …"

I actually doubled over. It wasn’t a sharp pain, and it wasn’t like I was about to get sick. It was more like a knot in my stomach. I know I said, “Aw, shit,’’ but I don’t know how loud I said it, apparently not loudly enough for my editor to take note of it. The rest is a little fuzzy, something about just now getting the list and the union and not wanting me to hear it from someone else and getting paid through the end of May and severance and human resources and return your possessions to us and thank you for your hard work and professionalism and blah blah blah.

That is just the lowest of the low right there, and a chilling account of what went down. Growing up in that area, the Baltimore Sun has always been dysfunctional, but hearing something like this just signifies the end of the end. You would have thought that the way it was depicted on "The Wire" would have been the nail in the coffin, but gutting the Sports Department seems to be the final straw. There's really no other reason to read the thing.

Press Box Layoff: How the Baltimore Sun Fired Me (Real Clear Sports)

Three weeks ago Sports Illustrated reported that defensive lineman BJ Raji, a potential top five pick, had tested for marijuana. After denial, after denial from Raji and his agent, and even the NFL saying he was not on the list, SI has admitted they got it all wrong. Here is their apology, which popped up on SI.com today....

An SI.com report posted earlier this month incorrectly stated that Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji's name would appear on the NFL's list of players who tested positive for drugs at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. We regret the error.

Well that's nice of them. I'm all for having sources and sticking to them, but when you've got a young man's future in your hands, you absolutely have to provide all the info that you have. The evidence was flimsy at best, and thankfully Raji can move forward with his Draft Day experience.

Correction: BC's Raji not on NFL's drug list (Sports Illustrated)

I honestly have no idea, and I'm being general here, but why can't people over the age of forty distinguish between a blog and an online sports outfit. Not that it really matters if the facts are all there, but it really isn't that hard. That's the exact angle, UConn's Jim Calhoun, took today when questioned about Yahoo Sports' report of possible NCAA violations. Via The Sporting Blog....

It was a newspaper story that ... it wasn’t a newspaper, I’m sorry. It was a blog story that appeared, I guess, in something I probably can’t get a hold of, which is Yahoo! And very simply my comments are what I said.

To be honest, I'd have probably tried the same angle if I was Calhoun, but Yahoo would like to clarify the situation via their actual College Basketball blog, The Dagger....

Only problem is that dismissing this -- which was written and edited by award-winning professional journalists who no doubt worked light years harder on it than I am currently working on this blog post -- in such a manner does a huge disservice to thos reporters. They sonned you on this one. You don't have to read the story in newsprint to know that. What was it you said to that kid who asked you about your salary? "Get some facts, and then come back and see me?" Wojnarowski and Wetzel got the facts on this one, Jim.

Naturally, this sort of dismissal and poor-mouthing is to be expected, as Calhoun has an obvious interest in discrediting the story as much as possible. Unfortunately for him, "THE INTERNET" isn't so easy to dismiss anymore.

Is the Internet really that tough to figure out? I guess there's just a generation gap that we all have to deal with. However, I hope the rest of the non-internet crowd can see when someone is trying to pull the wool over a medium's eyes.

Jim Calhoun's probe response is entirely incorrect (The Dagger)
Calhoun Reacts to Y!'s Silly (Damning) Blog Post (The Sporting Blog)

Here's a hilarious video, via College Hoops Journal, from yesterday that I wanted to share. A freelance reporter named Ken Kreyeske, decided to pester Jim Calhoun about his $1.6 million salary, and how he can justify accepting it with the state of Connecticut in debt, and this was Calhoun's response....

Awesome. I really hate using the term "pwned", but if there was ever a moment to use it, now is the time.

Calhoun Lashes Back at Clueless Reporter with an Agenda (College Hoops Journal)

Sports writers don't necessarily make a killing when it comes to their salaries, and I'm sure a lot of them look at other avenues to bring in income. Some write personal blogs, some do tv work, and some even start a weed growing operation out of their home. Wait what?

A Grand Rapids Press sports columnist today was charged with growing marijuana at his Northeast Grand Rapids home.

David Mayo, 48, was arraigned in Grand Rapids District Court on charges of manufacture of more than 20 but less than 200 plants, a seven-year felony, and also maintaining a drug house, a two-year high-court misdemeanor, at his home on Fuller Avenue NE.

Mayo turned himself into the Kent County Jail this morning, where he was housed while awaiting arraignment. A warrant for his arrest was issued by the prosecutor Friday.

His lawyer, Bruce Block, said Mayo is cooperating with police. Block said the plants were for personal use and Mayo was not selling them.

"This wasn't heavy drugs or anything like that," Block said.

Nice. I love that the lawyer had to classify that they weren't "hard drugs". Sure my client grew multiple plants in his house so he could sell marijuana, but at least it wasn't a meth lab! Good times.

Grand Rapid Press sports columnist David Mayo charged with growing marijuana (MLive: It's Just Sports)

So yeah, that whole thing about ESPN having their own High School from earlier....is completely untrue. According to ESPN, the Associated Press ran the story without getting a comment from them, and in turn, completely distorted the whole thing. Via CNBC....

Today, the New York Post had a story about the New York City Department of Education teaming up with ESPN to create a school called the Business of Sports School or BOSS. The high school, the paper said was "part of a push to create 21st-century versions of what are rapidly becomeing out-of-date vocational or trade schools."

I actually saw the story first on Awful Announcing and found out that the Associated Press had picked up on the story. Surprised that there was no comment from ESPN, I corresponded with spokesman Mike Soltys who sent this to me via e-mail.

"Reports suggesting ESPN is launching a high school are overstated," Soltys said, via e-mail. "ESPN the Magazine has made a non-financial commitment to help develop a curriculum, in addition to providing other volunteer-based support."

Thanks for the credit and thanks for clearing that up, Darren. It really did seem too good to be true, and very odd that the Post ran with it without doing some fact checking first. What's that you say? AA did that too??? Well I'm a blog, I can get away with that sort of thing.

The real story is that the school is a Career and Technical Education school, and that ESPN the Mag will be helping it out with curiculum, internships, speakers and the like. You can read more about B.O.S.S. through the link below if you're interested....

THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS SCHOOL (NYC.gov)

ESPN Says Sponsored School Story Is Overblown (CNBC: Sports Biz)
Introducing ESPN "The High School" (Awful Announcing)

Everyone knows about my irrational hate for Lebron James. A lot of it has to do with him killing my Wizards during every Playoff series, but a lot of it also has to do with the constant hype of the Cav, and the fact that (up until this year) he's lazy at times on the court. With that said, I've always thought the powder thing he does before games is original, and pretty badass, but not everyone agrees.

Kevin Ding, of the OCRegister, is now chastising NIKE for sending the message that it's okay to ruin his laptop. From the OCReg via BDL via TSB....

"As stylish as James' "chalk" Nike commercial is both in vision and sound, it sends a terrible message. You have no idea just how horrible that 'chalk' is. (It’s actually a rosin mixture — this is the one the Lakers use — to keep players’ hands dry for gripping the ball.) The powdery stuff gets everywhere — especially in sports writers’ drinks when sitting courtside and even worse ... in laptop keyboards. It’s a nightmare. So boo on James (and Kevin Garnett) for throwing that crap into the air. And kudos to Bryant, who gets his and bends at the waist to lower his hands toward the floor, discreetly dispersing it with slow claps that keep it out of harm's way."

Wahhhhhhhh! First of all, powder isn't going to ruin your laptop. Second, if you know it's coming, just shut the top of the thing for 5 seconds. I know a lot of people whine about all sorts of different thing, I too do my fair share (see tag: Lebron James), but this is just a tad annoying.

LeBron’s “chalk” is a silent killer of defenseless laptops (OC Regsiter)
Suicide Lines (Ball Don't Lie)
Writer Wants Nike To Stop Encouraging Laptop-Killing Pregame 'Chalk' Tossing (The Sporting Blog)

I hesitated to use the term "mainstream" in the title because one of these articles comes from the Huffington Post, but two reporters in the past day have come out and ask for FOX to remove Joe Buck from the NFC Championship Game. Stephen Kaus from HuffPo was first, but has been followed today by Matt Nadu at NBC in Philadelphia.

NBC Philly: "But, like the hard economic times that have devastated this country, Buck has crippled not only our wallets by using taxpayer money for a game day Federal Marshall escort but he's also taken away some of our seemingly undying spirits.

Philadelphia can only take so much.

Buck lacks that certain something when he broadcasts a sporting event. He can't quite put the, what's the word, ah, life into anything. In fact, it feels like he makes his living draining the life of all who are forced to listen to him. Taxpayers you might want to work a little harder this week because a certain someone has another game to attend on Sunday."

Huffington Post: "Where, exactly, was Joe Buck while his father Jack was urging St Louis Cardinal fans to "go crazy folks" when the Redbirds won a playoff game* or telling a national radio audience that "I don't believe what I just saw" after Kurt Gibson's 1988 world Series blast off of the Eck?**

Was he reading a book? He is bloodless! And now it comes out that Buck and Aikman have been improperly escorted to gamers by U.S. Marshals.

Although I appreciate Brent Musburger's work these days on the NBA and college football, it was a liberating day in 1990 when CBS removed his stranglehold on its sports programming.

Please Fox, get rid of Buck. And you don't have to look far for an NFL replacement. Marv's son, who kept stats for his dad at a New York Rangers game when he was six years old, is right there in your stable."

My favorite part about anything with Buck these days is that people almost write about him with complete shock. Like it's new that he comes across not caring about the game his covering. It's been like that with him for yearrrrrs, but I guess it's good that people are noticing rather than kissing his "lifeless" ass.

What the Buck? Let's Stop This Now (NBC Philly)
Kenny Albert Should Replace Joe Buck as Fox's No. 1 NFL Voice Before We Are All in a Coma (Huffington Post)

S2N broke the news to you in the post below, but I just wanted to delve a little deeper into this very interesting Monday in the Sports Blog World. Jay Mariotti has said for months, following his departure from print media, that he was looking to start up a blog. I think a lot of people thought that he was being snarky and sarcastic, but apparently that wasn't the case. Jay Mariotti is your newest writer at Fanhouse. Seriously.

He already has his first column up, titled "Sunnier Times in New Mainstream Media" (See what he did there? So clever!), so let's take a look at some of the highlights, shall we?

Expect me to zealously comment on national issues while spanning the country and world to cover events. Sometimes, my pieces will appear via video, so you get to know me even better than the guy who schools Woody Paige every day on ESPN. The difference is, the column won't go through the 20th-century, ink-and-newsprint monkey grind where you hope the truck driver doesn't stop at Dunkin' Donuts and the delivery boy doesn't hit your dog on the ass. The column simply will go from my computer to an editor to you.

I'm working for a company, AOL, that attracted 54 million unique visitors to its programming content sites in November and ranks fourth in traffic among Internet news sites. As established writers keep moving Web-ward, it will cause consternation among a few members of the sports blogosphere, some of whom think they own the Internet when, as everyone knows, Bill Kurtis owns the Internet. I've never bought into this "mainstream media vs. bloggers" blood war because, in my mind, we're all writers. The best young writers provide compelling takes on sports. The losers wake up each day and attack (choose your ESPN target), an approach that can't attract much audience beyond a few neurotic souls in sports media. Now hear this: I'm a bit too busy to hate bloggers or, really, anyone but terrorists and certain Illinois politicians. I just think they should be writing about Steve Smith, not Stephen A. Smith.

Well then. I'm not one to tell a company like AOL, who has been through the ringer numerous times and has always come out on the other side, how to run their business. AND, I'm not one to use the phrase "jump the shark", because it has "jumped the shark". BUUUUUT....I do wish you good luck with your recent hire.

Why? Well because they've gone out and hired one of the most despised men on the Internet, are attempting to take one of the sole reasons bloggers became popular, and turn him into one its stars. It's so mind blowing that I can barely even think right now. This is beyond meta. Hell, Jay Mariotti is one of the reasons that this blog has done so well in its under three year existence.

Sure, on the surface it looks like I wake up every morning, try and find something to make fun of ESPN about, and then watch as the hits roll in. But it's much deeper than that. People like Mariotti, and throughout print media, started to get lazy and make the World of Sports about them and not the players or the game. Blogs were started by intelligent young writers looking to provide a better outlet, "Watchdogs" for the "Watchdogs" were formed to come up with a new checks and balances system, and then people like Mariotti cringed, fought back and groaned.

Now he's "one of us", and that my friends is the very definition of irony.

Sunnier Times In New Mainstream Media (Fanhouse)

I have yet to find/see the video on this, but a few outlets are freaking out because the NFL on FOX's Howie Long decided to call co-worker Terry Bradshaw a "scumbag" during the pregame show on the network. The comment came after Bradshaw said he was rooting for the Lions to lose their last game and finish 0-16. Via Phil Mushnick at the NY Post....

WHAT are we doing to us, why do we continue to do it, and when, if ever, will it stop?

Two minutes into Fox's one-hour pregame yesterday, host Curt Menefee noted that panelist Terry Bradshaw last week said he'd like to see the Lions finish 0-16.

"S--bag," panelist Howie Long said of Bradshaw.

"I am a s--bag," Bradshaw said.

That gave Long, Bradshaw and Fox 58 minutes to apologize, to express their regrets to a national audience for having ambushed it during Sunday daylight.

None came. Perhaps they felt they'd said nothing inappropriate, or, at worst, it was no big deal. Hey, if there were kids watching, that's what the Fox robot is for!

I think Phil Mushnick is a fine journalist, but that's a little much if you ask me. I'm of the vein that thinks kids have heard a thousand times worse in their time on this Earth, but I guess I'm not the person who should decide where the line is drawn. I didn't even know the term "scumbag" was that bad of an insult. Good to know.

Foul-Mouthed Ambush Mars Pregame (NY Post)

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)

This story will be everywhere by Noon today, and rightfully so. Rob Parker of the Detroit News decided to grill Detroit Lions' Coach, Rod Marinelli on his son-in-law, who is also the team's defensive coordinator. Parker tries to get a ton of questions in, and bait Marinelli into saying something controversial, before dropping this bombshell. Stay tuned for the NFL on FOX's response....

"Do you wish your daughter married a better defensive coordinator."- Rob Parker

That's just uncalled for. I mean the guy already answered your previous question, and is dealing with a possible 0-16 season. Good lord....give the man a break. Hopefully Parker is reprimanded, but even if he's fired, he'll still have a regular spot on First Take.

You stay classy, Rob Parker.

Update: Here's Parker's apology from this morning....

I attempted to lighten the moment in a tense situation and asked Marinelli if he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator...What might have seemed like a personal attack wasn't...I have asked Marinelli on numerous occasions if he's going to fire his son-in-law.

Every week, Marinelli says the same thing.

"No."

It's almost a running joke. A news conference isn't complete unless I ask it.
Sunday, with my attempt at humor, I was trying to get Marinelli to lighten up, have some fun after a rough day...Apparently, those watching replays of the news conference on TV didn't see it as humor. There's no way they could have known the relationship Marinelli and I have built, especially this trying season.

I don't know about that. The way the question was asked, it seemed very combative to me.

Fire Rob Parker (Pride of Detroit)
There's more to Marinelli (Detroit News)

During a conference call yesterday, Marshall Faulk decided to hint at the fact that the Dallas media was/is too soft on Offensive Coordinator, Jason Garrett. The only problem? It was during a conference call with the Dallas media. Via the Star-Telegram....

“You [reporters] kind of gave [Garrett] a pass,” Faulk offered up during a 35-minute NFL Network conference call today. “Whereas for Brian Stewart, the defensive coordinator, when things weren’t clicking on defense, you guys attacked him in the media.”

Faulk was “surprised” when Brad Johnson replaced Romo on Oct. 19 at St. Louis that the Cowboys didn’t seem to know “what kind of game plan they were going to run, and not able to implement it, say, against the Rams.” The Cowboys lost that game 34-14.

Said Faulk: “We didn’t get, ‘Hey, Jason Garrett, although you don’t have Romo, you’re still supposed to find a way to win football games.’ ”

When pressed for a reason why the local media would give Garrett a pass, Faulk replied, “I have no idea. [But] it’s the exact same reason why after Sunday’s [20-8 win over Giants], you guys threw softball questions and chuckled it up with Romo, and asked T.O. all the hard questions, and really got after him.”

Faulk indicated he watched the postgame news conferences on ESPN in amazement, as Romo was asked football-related questions such as where the team was headed.

“But for T.O., it was like y’all were pouring that lighter fluid out there,” said Faulk, “trying to get him to strike a match.”

I don't live in Dallas, but I think it's safe to say that Jason Garrett isn't exactly getting a "pass". I could be wrong though. Also, the notion that Romo got an easy question from Andrea Kremer, or anyone, is just wrong. In fact Romo was the first person to address the issue during the postgame interview. He may have just been joking, but if he wasn't, it seems really off base.

Dallas Cowboys' Jason Garrett gets ‘pass’ from local media, Marshall Faulk says (The Star-Telegram)

Well besides the fact that it's ridiculously uncalled for, probably the fact that the player in question, Juan Barea, isn't exactly Mexican. LAist was flipping through some power rankings in the LA Times, when they came across an interesting nugget for the Dallas Mavericks. The writer, Mark Heisler, decided to refer to Puerto Rican guard, Jose Juan Barea, a "Mexican Smurf". See for yourself....

10. New Orleans (12-7) Scott worries carrying team will reduce Paul to a grease spot by the end. (9)
11. Atlanta (14-9) Bibby at career-high 44% on threes, gives them big-time backcourt with Johnson.(12)
12. Phoenix (14-10) Looks like Suns vs. Mavericks for No. 8 in West. Loser breaks up team first. (14)
13. Dallas (13-9) Juan Jose Barea, superstar: Mexican smurf gets 15-18-22-21 off bench. (11)
14. Detroit (13-9) Once Bad Boys, now Small Boys, starting Wallace, Prince, three guards. (13)

Not only is the nationality wrong, but Barea is actually listed at 6 feet tall on his NBA.com player page. Not exactly someone I would call a smurf, per se. I'm sure he wasn't really meaning it as that big of an insult, but it sure comes off that way.

Power Rankings (LA Times)
A 'Mexican Smurf," he is Not (LAist)

Good work by the Dan Patrick Show in getting much-maligned FOX sideline reporter, Danyelle Sargent, on the horn today to explain the whole Singletary interview gaff from Sunday. Sargent explains that she actually meant to refer to the call that the 9ers Coach made to Walsh when he decided to get into coaching. In a nine minute interview, she also talks about Francesa's decision to air the clip, her f-bomb at ESPN, and how the video actually got out.

Here's the audio if you want to take a listen....

You just have to believe that the whole thing was just one giant mistake, and I feel for her the day after. Also, even though Francesa says he didn't know it was a taped piece, you have to think someone at WNBC knew that they weren't using a live clip, and I still think that's a dirty move.

Hopefully Sargent can get an apology from WNBC and move on from this whole mess.

Sargent explains Singletary mishap (Dan Patrick)

On The DL has been doing the Lord's work for quite some time now, but this could be DL and Co.'s greatest interview yet. Levy talked with Chicago columnist Rick Telander yesterday and naturally, the subject of his war with Jay Mariotti came up. Not only did it come up, but the latest story is just about the funniest thing I've ever heard....

“I was taking a sauna, which I do like once every ten years, and who walks in but Jay Mariotti. I swear to God. If God is my savior, if he is (he probably doesn’t want to save me, but) there he was. He almost freaked out. There were other people in the sauna. I probably shouldn’t even go on about this, but it was an hour ago. It was one hour ago, and he just started babbling.

I don’t think it’s fair for me...I’m telling you so much...it’s just surreal. I think if my eyes don’t deceive me, if he’d seen the Yeti or...Michael Myers sitting there, I don’t know, it would have been about the same. But you’d have to ask him that.

The first thing out of his mouth, ‘well, let’s just bury the hatchet.’ I had not said a word. Hatchets or anything – I didn’t have a hatchet in hand. Nothing.”

It's amazing what can transpire when two guys are naked in a sauna. That's pretty much the only place that Telander wouldn't have punched him in the face, and how funny is it that they just ran into each other like that. Of course there's much more in the interview including Rick lacing into Mariotti's writing style, so head over to OtDL for the rest. Mainstream Media continues to amaze me everyday.

Rick Telander Holds Nothing Back (On The DL)