Shawn Springs always seemed like such a likeable guy to me, but he made a really bad joke on ESPN First Take yesterday. Host Dana Jacobson asked Springs who he would rather not play in the Super Bowl, and the cornerback had this to say....

“Well if it was me, I would hope a hurricane comes through.”- Shawn Springs

I get what you're saying, Shawn. As a defensive player you would hope the weather would affect the play of the quarterbacks. But, you seem to forget that a huge hurricane named Katrina went through one of the teams backyards not too long ago. Obviously not intentional, but he should of avoided that one.

Shawn Springs Is a Natural On ESPN. Disaster. (Sports by Brooks)

Of all the random twists I've heard involving announcers, Craig James is now moving on from getting a coach fired to running for the Senate. Seriously. According to WFAA, James is reportedly interested in Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat....

“I’m a Texan. I’m concerned for our country. I disagree with the approach that we’re having, things that are taking place, and so whatever door opens up, I’ll look at it, if and when it opens up. I think Americans today, if you placed us back in 1765, it would be the same scenario. We’ve got the American revolution taking place again.”

News 8 talked to James who confirmed he is interested in getting involved in Republican Party politics, and he’s not ruling out a run for office. James said in addition to his role as a college football analyst, he’s also been in business as a real estate broker and investor. He calls himself a conservative and very concerned about government intervention in business and health care.

James has been making the rounds meeting prominent Texas Republicans and donors raising his political profile, and he said he would not rule out running for the Hutchison seat.

Not only is this a questionable choice, but probably a terrible one as well. Every Texas Tech fan has expressed their hatred of both Adam and his dad Craig in this instance, and with new reports surfacing every day of Adam James' crybaby nature, it seems even worse. Good luck, Craig.

Craig James Confirms Interest In TX Senate Seat (Sports by Brooks)

It's not really odd when former players are asked for their opinions when it comes to their old team, but when a former player (who is also a current analyst) offers it up himself and is turned down, it's news. It's especially news if the team that turned it down was the Raiders. Via USA Today....

Rich Gannon, the 2002 league MVP for the Oakland Raiders, is offering his help to his former team.

Gannon said on Sirius NFL Radio on Wednesday that he called Raiders owner Al Davis the previous day to offer whatever help he can to the organization.

"I did something yesterday that I can't believe even I did," Gannon said. "I picked up the phone and I reached out to Al Davis. So I called Mr. Davis, I have not spoken with him yet, but I'm happy to help out in any way I can. I'd love to help JaMarcus Russell (FSY) if he wants help. I'd love to help Tom Cable and that organization. It's important. Listen, seven straight seasons where they've lost 11 or more games? Something's not right."

Raiders senior executive John Herrera said Davis would not be accepting the offer and questioned why Gannon made it public.

"Maybe it's Rich that needs the help," Herrera said.

Ah yes. It's items like this that make it easier to be a Redskins fan. I mean they haven't had a winning season since Rich Gannon left, so you think someone may want to listen to him. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it?

Ex-MVP Rich Gannon offers aid to Raiders; team says he needs 'help' (USA Today)

It was in mid-September that I stated that FOX's Chris Myers "Comes Up With The Best Analogies", but I might have to take that title away from him after his latest attempt at humor. When discussing a sack by the Lions on Jay Cutler yesterday, Myers tried to slide in a joke about airport security that may have got him in a bit of hot water.

Ummm....I don't think anyone is going to work with you on that one. Terrorist jokes never really go over that well.

Chris Myers Thinks The Lions Are Failed Terrorists (Detroit 7 Lyfe)

Craig James is scheduled to call the Alamo Bowl on Saturday, but this time he'll be a part of the storyline. Craig James' son Adam plays for Texas Tech (who's playing in the Alamo Bowl against Michigan State), and recently suffered a concussion. Adam wanted to sit out a practice or two, but apparently Tech Coach Mike Leach did not taken kindly to that idea. He (allegedly) ordered a trainer to put Adam in an electrical closet, to which (surprisingly) Papa James did not take kindly to....

Sources told ESPN's Joe Schad that the Jameses felt Adam was treated inappropriately by Leach because he was unable to practice after a mild concussion. A source close to the James family told Schad that Leach directed a trainer to confine him to an equipment room for three hours and, days later, told a trainer to place James in an electrical closet. An attorney for Leach said that while James was secluded twice, the circumstances were not as portrayed by the James family.

"Mr. and Mrs. James took the step with great regret and after consideration and prayer to convey to the Texas Tech administration that their son had been subjected to actions and treatment not consistent with common sense rules for safety and health," the family said in a statement released on Monday.

Well then. Texas Tech has now suspended Leach for the Alamo Bowl and he could be facing even further action following an investigation. ESPN certainly protects their own, so I'd be worried if I were him.

Leach suspended after player complaint (ESPN)

You know I always say that if you're going to say something that a person or group would find offensive, it's best to not say it at all, but the uproar of the latest case of verbal diahhrea even has me rolling my eyes.

Paul Steigerwald is an announcer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and today he's under fire for making a joke about the Hobey Baker Award (Best College Hockey Player). See Baker quit the game of hockey to serve his country in WWI, but tragically crashed and died during a postwar flight in 1918. Steigerwald's boothmate Bob Errey made a point of saying that former Hobey Baker Award winner Mike Mottau went down hard, to which Paul chimed in and said, "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down, though. He went down in a plane crash." Here's your video....

Yeah it was a little much, and the fact that the joke was made 91 years to the day that Baker died didn't help, but let's give Steigerwald a pass on this one. Afterall, it's Christmas right?

Video: Penguins announcer finds comedy in aviation fatalities (Puck Daddy)

Chris Johnson is undoubtedly very fast, but when describing his prowess in that department, you probably shouldn't call it "get away from the cops speed". That's what Gus Johnson said during the Titans romp over the Jags yesterday, and it brings up a lot of questions. First the video....

"First down and ten. Johnson ... gets his shoulders square! Watch out! He's got gettin' away from the cops speed. Touchdown."- Gus Johnson

I know that this is just another attempt at making a clever comment, that went wrong, but an ESPN commenter just got suspended for a similar line of thinking recently. What would happen if Jim Nantz blurted that line out instead of Gujo?

Exciting calls like these are made on the fly, but every announcer should seriously just stick to the gameplan and not try to be so clever.

Press Coverage (The Sporting Blog)

Well it took the weekend for a decision, but late Sunday night, ESPN officially fired Steve Phillips citing his inability to be an effective representative for the network. VP Mike Soltys has the announcement on his Twitter page....

I really hope they didn't feel pressure from Deadspin's stunt near the end of last week, but there was really no other choice for the "Leader". You would think this line of reasoning would be used more often by ESPN. (More tomorrow when the full release comes out)

ESPN MikeS (Twitter)

(Top image via WEEI)

By now everyone has heard that Bob Griese made a pretty racist statement yesterday, when he suggested Juan Pablo Montoya was out of the Top Five because "he was out having a taco." Well late yesterday evening he issued an apology through ESPN. Here's the video and the apology.

“Earlier today on our game I made an offensive comment regarding Juan Pablo Montoya as part of a NASCAR promo. It was regrettable and I should not have said it. I really enjoy NASCAR and I follow it closely and would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Juan, NASCAR and everyone else who heard my comment.”- Bob Griese

I just don't know what to say when these things happen anymore. How someone could ever think that would be funny is beyond me. Bob Griese now joins Tony Kornheiser in the Stereotype Hall of Fame.

I haven't watched much Baseball Tonight since the Playoffs began, but apparently their missing one key player. Steve Phillips has been rumored to be suspended from ESPN after having a brief affair with a 22 year old, but that's just half of the story. According to the NY Post, the 22 year old not only stalked Phillips, but she even made contact with both his wife and son before finally showing up at his house....

The former Met general manager, whose tenure with the team was rocked by admissions of infidelity, confessed to his wife and local cops that he had slept with ESPN assistant Brooke Hundley several times this past summer before dumping her.

In retaliation, the jilted young woman repeatedly phoned Phillips' wife, Marni, saying, "We both can't have him!" an explosive police report claims.

Hundley's desperate actions -- including accidentally smashing her car into a stone column while speeding away from the Phillips' home after leaving the letter -- terrified the family, according to the Wilton, Conn., police report.

"I have extreme concerns about the health and safety of my kids and myself," Steve Phillips said in a police statement, adding that the woman became "obsessive and delusional" after he dumped her.

But Phillips, 46, declined to pursue criminal charges against Hundley, a Bristol, Conn., woman who cops learned may have used an ESPN computer to contact Phillips' 16-year-old son on Facebook while posing as a high-school classmate.

Phillips -- who admitted having multiple affairs with women while working for the Mets -- is now being sued for divorce by his 40-year-old wife, the mother of his four sons. Two months ago, Phillips deeded the family's five-bedroom, multimillion-dollar Wilton home to her.

While that is a pretty good summation of the events, the details are even wilder, and not only does the Post have various statements (including a detailed on from Phillips), but they even have a letter that Hundley wrote to Mrs. Phillips. Just a crazy mess, and while I don't wish bad things on anyone, I think a divorce is best for everyone in this case.

ESPN's Steve Phillips in foul affair with production assistant (NY Post)

I thought that Deion's whole thing was mentoring players coming into the league, heck he even had a television show about it. Well, it appears that going to Deion Sanders house now, and more specifically lying about it, can cost you your eligibility. Namely Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant's eligibility....

Bryant was ruled ineligible for violating N.C.A.A. bylaw 10.1 (d), which prohibits “knowingly furnishing the N.C.A.A. or the individual’s institution false or misleading information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an N.C.A.A. regulation.”

Sanders said the suspension stemmed from a day he and Bryant spent together last summer. They met at an athletics center in Frisco, Tex., and later had dinner at Sanders’s home in Prosper, Tex. Sanders said the N.C.A.A. asked Bryant if he had ever been in Sanders’s home and Bryant said no.

Bryant could not be reached for comment through the university, but he said in its statement: “I made a mistake by not being entirely truthful when meeting with the N.C.A.A. I sincerely regret my mistake and apologize to my teammates, coaches, O.S.U. fans and the N.C.A.A.”

Well, that's a bit lame but I guess rules are rules. While I know Dez is probably upset, this could be a blessing in disguise for him. He's been battling some aches and bruises this season, and a mistake like this won't really cost him any spots in the Draft. Now he has time to heal, work out on his own, and get ready for the combine.

Oklahoma State Declares Star Receiver Bryant Ineligible (NY Times)

Every time a player is released back into the wild (the Sports Media World), it's always interesting to see what approach they take with their interviews. As I mentioned earlier today, Donte Stallworth has chosen ESPN's E:60 as his first outlet, and while there's nothing wrong with the choice, it's an interesting one at that (Why not Sports Center? Why not PTI?). Well even more interesting than that choice, is the fact that Mike Vick hasn't even made a statement since being released from prison.

Everyone, from First Take to Oprah, was interested in talking with the quarterback, but Vick has given his rights to CBS via 60 Minutes, and has chosen to lobby through his agent and more confusingly, Tony Dungy. Darren Rovell, decided to look at the reasons why Vick has taken this angle, and like me, he couldn't figure it out either....

The best strategy for Vick is to speak with and appease all his critics and to show them that he is really genuine. By shutting off access, and directing everyone to Sunday’s broadcast, he is actually creating more work for him and the team that might sign him.

The only thing I can think of is that his handlers think it's best if Vick's story could first come out in a nice little package with a bow on top so as to take some pressure off him when he has to do his first press conference. But anyone in the business knows that if an athlete has trouble talking about his past, and isn't genuine, its going to look ugly no matter what forum it's said in. Just look at A-Rod.

Vick was released from prison 82 days ago. That’s 82 wasted days. If he had the right strategy and got himself out there, I truly believe that there’s a possibility he could be with a team right now.

But no matter what Tony Dungy tells insiders about Vick, no team can sign him until they gauge the reaction from the first time he opens his mouth. In the end, Vick’s crime might not be his greatest enemy. His greatest enemy might be his own media plan.

In an era of PEDs, and shocking player arrests, I think people are more forgiving than ever. Either that, or they are just so jaded that they don't even care. To wait 82 days, without a comment, seems like a bad plan to me. I think if Vick had made a statement months ago, it would have already started the healing process, and he probably would already be in a camp by now. It'll certainly be interesting to see how this plays out after the piece on Sunday evening.

Michael Vick’s Next Mistake: His Media Plan (Sports Biz)

ESPN decided to pull off an interesting idea the other night, by placing both of their Monday Night Baseball analysts in opposite camera wells, while the PbPer stayed up in the booth. I thought the plan had some promise, but after watching some of the game, I quickly figured out that wasn't the case. It wasn't that the reports from the wells were bad, rather that they were just boring. Others, namely Diane Pucin of the LA Times, seemed to agree as well....

Anybody watching ESPN's Dodgers-Cardinals television broadcast, where analysts Orel Hershiser and Steve Phillips are working the game from photo wells near the dugouts? Has it been noticeably bad or good?

Seems kind of neutral. Not at all like when Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray used to take off his shirt and report from the Wrigley Field bleachers with some beery-headed observations that often didn't make sense. But Caray always had the professional Steve Stone to lead the fans gently back to the action when Harry was having too much fun.

Honestly, if ESPN hadn't told us this was happening would you have even noticed Dan Shulman was alone in the booth? At least, so far, neither Hershiser nor Phillips have been nailed in the chin by a baseball a la Erin Andrews a few weeks ago.

Zing! Good one, Diane. As far as the whole sideline analyst thing goes, the reason this setup works for Hockey and NBC in particular, is because there's so much action between shifts. That and Pierre McGuirre actually talks with the players on the bench, as the game is going on. It just doesn't work with the slow pace of Baseball. Hershiser and Phillips, just did their same old analyst jobs, but from a different location.

No harm, no foul. It was worth a shot, didn't work, and now you move on.

ESPN's announcers in the photo well experiment (LA Times)

I know it's taboo to call Brett Favre annoying these days, and it's probably best to try and ignore him, but the guy makes it virtually impossible. You all know about the Wrangler ads, where the "childlike" Favre plays touch Football in the mud with a bunch of white dudes, right? Well Favre is filming a new commercial for Sears, and get this....he plays a guy who can't make up is mind about a television. Brilliant!

The TV spot, scheduled to air in early September, launches the Sears Blue Electronics Crew campaign, which includes print, events marketing, social media and public relations. The TV commercial features Favre agonizing over selecting a new LED television. The scene unfolds through a discussion between Favre and a member of the Sears Blue Electronics Crew (actor Brad Morris from "The Second City" comedy club in Chicago). The two banter as Favre is undecided on his decision about a Samsung LED TV. In one scene, Morris describes Sears "real time price checks - no regrets"(SM) - as a way to help guys who have a tough time making decisions. "You know the type, right?" Morris says. "Yeah, I hate those guys," Favre quips.

"This commercial uses humor to communicate messages about what differentiates Sears and the Sears Blue Electronics Crew from the competition," said Karen Austin, president of home electronics for Sears. "From our real time price checks to selection of top brands to our expert sales consultants, financing options and installation, there are very compelling reasons to choose Sears for your next TV or electronics purchase. And Brett is a terrific sport in having fun with the topic of choosing a TV. Brett embodies the excitement and passion that our customers feel as they anticipate the start of football season and that comes through in the commercial."

I guess Sears doesn't realize that just about all of America is sick of Brett Favre. I mean, I would have personally gone with something along the lines of the salesman punching him in the face after he went back and forth for the twentieth time, but whatever you think works.

Back when the U.S. National Football Team upended Japan at the 2007 IFAF World Championship, few people even realized there was such a competition. Well Lou Holtz isn't just a regular person or coach, so the former Notre Dame coach decided to challenge the gutsy Japanese team to a game. Their national team versus a collection of Notre Dame alums.

Now you would think this wouldn't fair with names like Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Reggie Brooks, Raghib Ismail and Rick Mirer, but none of those "youngins" are involved in the contest. Well Reggie Brooks and Tim Brown are coaches, but that doesn't count. No, Holtz thinks he can beat the Japanese with elder statesmen like, QB Tony Rice (41), WR Bobby Brown (32) and RB Ray Zellars (36). Via the AP....

TOKYO – Lou Holtz expects his players to uphold the Notre Dame football tradition when they face Japan in the Notre Dame Japan Bowl.

Holtz will coach a selection of alumni from the Notre Dame college team against Japan's national American football team and expects a tough game from the hosts.

"Their football has improved tremendously," Holtz said Friday at Tokyo Dome. "They've looked at film, they understand the game ... if we have an advantage it's in the lines, but they are quicker and in better shape so I'm a little worried about the second half."

The Fighting Irish alumni had only six practice sessions to prepare for the game and Holtz said avoiding injuries will be a key challenge.

"It's been a zoo," said Holtz. "When you get older players its tough but we're ready to go. It's Notre Dame football and we'll play the way Notre Dame is supposed to play."

If Lou Holtz gets out a samurai sword for his motivational speech, someone HAS to get tape of that to me IMMEDIATELY! The kickoff is this Saturday night at 4pm (3am in the States), but unfortunately it won't be aired live. However, you can see the game at 10pm, on August 10th, on CBS' College Sports Network. Check your local listings, and good luck, Lou!

A month ago, NBC blacked out a semifinal match featuring Roger Federer, to show a taped match between Fernando Gonzalez and Robin Soderling. Well today they've done the same thing by replaying Federer's straight set dismantling of Ivo Karlovic, while Andy Roddick battles former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt. Via Fang's Bites....

NBC is currently showing the Roger Federer-Ivo Karlovic match which finished before 10 a.m. ESPN2 was not allowed to show this match. And it joined the Tommy Haas-Novak Djokovic match in progress, but not after showing the Williams sisters in doubles and James Blake in a doubles match as well.

This was quite maddening to tennis fans who wanted to see the Federer match which he won easily in three sets, 6-3, 7-5 and 7-6 (7-3). Yes, I'm spoiling the results because this is what NBC deserves for short changing fans once again. And not only is NBC showing it on tape delay at 10 a.m. in the East, it's going to do it at 10 a.m. in all time zones so by the time the West Coast sees the match, it will have been more than three hours old.

And while NBC is preventing ESPN2 from showing certain matches as it calls exclusivity not only today, but for the rest of the week, it is streaming matches from Centre Court and Court No. 1 live on NBCSports.com. So while the network is screwing with viewers on TV, it's saying, "Come over to our website and watch the match on a small player." It's not the same as watching it live on your TV whether it be in sparkling clear high definition or in old school standard def.

Providing the feed is certainly helpful, but to take fans of Roddick on a ride like this is just wrong. Not a single person in America can watch the match on television. You'd like NBC to think of the fans when things like this happen, but this happens in every major tournament the air. They won't be changing the practice anytime soon, so it's best to just get used to it.

Update: It appears the online feature is a bit of a pain as well. Via The Business Insider....

On the NBC Sports site, we clicked the nice big WIMBLEDON LIVE! link. And we got a big popup saying we needed to upgrade Silverlight.

We pushed the buttons we were supposed to, and we downloaded some things, and we refreshed our browser like we were supposed to, and then we pushed the button again like we were supposed to. And we got another big popup saying we needed to upgrade Silverlight.

[Repeat until you want to shoot yourself].

So now we're back to watching the ancient-history Haas-Djokovic tape delay, praying that the Roddick Hewitt shootout will still be going on at 1PM ET when the TV rights revert back to ESPN. (It probably won't be. Roddick just took a 5-2 lead in the breaker and is already up a set).

NBC is Effing with Tennis Fans Again (Fangs Bites)

The NBA Draft is tonight as you know (and yes there will be a third annual live-blog), and teams are thinking of various ways to let the public know of their picks as they come in. Well according to Sports Business Daily, one the ways that won't be allowed however, is tweeting.

The NBA has notified its teams to not disclose on Twitter picks made in tonight’s Draft before they are announced on stage. The league has traditionally prohibited teams from using any sort of local or club media outlet, particularly digital forums such as an official Web site, from tipping off their selections in advance. A notice recently sent to clubs reminding them of that provision was expanded to include the wildly popular microblogging service. Several picks in the NFL Draft in April were leaked out by clubs to their Twitter followers.

The NBA, meanwhile, plans an extensive rollout of social networking-based content for the Draft, focusing primarily on behind-the-scenes content such as candid photos, offbeat interviews with draft selections and other similar material. Extensive sharing of content is also planned between the league’s feeds on Facebook and Twitter and those of the individual teams. “The guiding idea is to use social media and be complementary to what’s happening on ESPN, on NBA.com, and so forth,” said NBA Dir of Marketing Dan Opallo. “We’re not using Twitter, for example, to simply tweet pick by pick. That’s not what this is about for us. We want to supplement that traditional coverage and get into some additional places where fans haven’t been.”

Considering that every player, and NBA exec is already on Twitter, it seems like a bad move for the NBA to use the social networking platform. Also, it doesn't really seem like a big deal to me, as long as teams what until the selection is announced on ESPN, but whatever works for the NBA.

NBA Warns Teams Not To Announce Draft Picks On Twitter (Sports Business Daily - $)

Everyone in and around the World of Hockey knows that you absolutely DO NOT touch the trophies after winning the Conference Championship. Well yesterday, following the Penguins sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes, Sidney Crosby did the unthinkable by picking up the Prince of Wales Trophy and skated it over to his teammates. Here's the clip....

I'm just as superstitious as the next person, but when you are looking at facing the Red Wings in the Finals for a second year in a row, you mind as well try something different. In fact, that's exactly why Crosby said he touched it.

Sidney Crosby accepts the Prince of Wales trophy (Blitz Corner)

Versus has been doing some great things as of late, and I've enjoyed their Hockey coverage during the Playoffs, but their latest idea has fail written all over it. Former ESPN "Dream Job" runner-up, Zach Selwyn, will host a show called "Fanarchy" which features seven fans talking Sports, via webcam. At the end of each show, Selwyn will kick two off, and the next week two new "panelists" will be in their place. Via Sports Business Journal....

“It’s like nothing that’s out there,” said Versus President Jamie Davis. “We said early on that Versus’ original shows were not going to be made up of guys sitting at a desk with a plasma screen behind them giving news and data.”

The show debuts June 7 at 11 p.m. ET, just after a WEC mixed martial arts event, which typically draw some of Versus’ highest ratings.

Eventually, it will settle into the Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET slot, following Versus’ other original program, “Sports Soup.”

“These shows are true and unique to the Versus brand: to super-serve sports fans,” Davis said. “We never wanted to be a network that preached to you. Now, we are developing a community.”

Thanks to “Fanarchy,” part of that community will be developed online, Davis said. Versus is devoting part of its Web site to the series (versus.com/fanarchy). That’s where would-be contestants can upload their audition videos. The site’s visitors then will vote on the contestants that should be considered to appear on the show.

While Sports Soup, the other original program on the network, has succeeded after some early bumps....this has trainwreck written all over it. However, if the panelists are half as insane as those on Sky Sports' Fancast, then it might be worth a viewing.

Like A Good Argument? (Sports Business Journal)

I forget the program I was listening to the other day, but an interesting point was raised about the Super Bowl. The radio host was talking Boxing and pay-per-view, and mentioned that he thought that within ten years the Super Bowl would be moved to that format. While that's certainly discerning, it's definitely years away. Unlike the reality that the Super Bowl could be played in London soon.

Roger Goodell has been denying stateside for months that the Super Bowl could be played overseas, but the BBC is saying something completely different....

The NFL has had "substantive talks" with officials in London about holding the Super Bowl in the city, a senior league official has told BBC Sport.

While commissioner Roger Goodell has previously admitted an interest in bringing the game to London, this is the first confirmation of discussions.

"We've spoken on what it would take to host and for us to bring it over," said events vice-president Frank Supovitz.

"The city has all the facilities needed, and in great quantity."

Supovitz was talking in New York City where the NFL Draft will take place this weekend.

"We have had very substantive conversations with the city of London. We've got to the point of exploring the bid document," he added.

Call me an "Ugly American", but I think the majority of the country would be really upset if the Super Bowl went to England. I certainly think it would be a success, and that the event would instantly sell out, but the Super Bowl is an American icon. The only good thing that could come about this, is that the game would be starting at 2 or 3pm here, instead of six something. The wait is the worst part.

NFL in talks on London Super Bowl (BBC)