Oh man, does this ever have the potential to be the biggest trainwreck in the history of television. The always emotional Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be switching jobs with her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, for a day. Seriously.

Elisabeth will be appearing on NFL live at 4pm on Tuesday, January 19th, while Tim will be co-hosting "The View" on Thursday, January 28th at 11am. Via ESPN PR....

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s “The View,” and her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, are changing jobs – for one day.

Elisabeth will spend the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 19 on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., where she will appear in Tim’s place on ESPN programs, including NFL Live (4 p.m. ET), to discuss the NFL playoffs and other sports topics.

Tim will complete the job swap Thursday, Jan. 28, at the ABC studios in New York, where he will occupy Elisabeth’s seat on “The View” (11 a.m., ABC) alongside co-hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters. The former NFL quarterback will share his perspective and match wits with the all-female panel as they discuss the latest news, celebrity gossip and events of the day.

“We think fun and sports should go together, and the job swap will be fun for our viewers and for fans of ‘The View’ who will get the chance to see and hear from Elisabeth and Tim in completely different settings,” said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, who oversees NFL Live.

“So many times we ask, ‘How did work go today?’ ” said Elisabeth. “Undoubtedly we will be finding out the hard way as we switch jobs. The question then will be, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ "

Added Tim: “Hopefully I can pull this off because I see her preparation on a regular basis each week – reading, and watching cable news shows, other television programs and upcoming movies. I will enjoy this because I know they will have fun with me at ‘The View’ and, of course, when I get back to work at ESPN. I’m sure I’ll have a greater appreciation for what she does on a day-in and day-out basis.”

I'd love to get Trey Wingo's reaction on this idea. Obviously it's a little kitschy, but it could turn out to be fun. Tim will be trying to fend off the cackles of Whoopi and Barbara Walters, while Elisabeth cries on NFL Live over the Cowboys Tony Romo choking away a Playoff win for the Cowboys.

While Mark McGwire was lying to Bob Costas on MLB Network about taking steroids to recover from injuries, ESPN was trotting out random people to comment on the subject. They had Tony LaRussa on earlier in the day, and then brought out the foremost expert on the topic of PEDs. Wait, it was Bobby Knight? And he compared steroids to Gatorade? Naturally.

Lost within all of this, is the fact that Bob Knight is a close personal friend of Tony LaRussa and was possibly just on to defend Mark McGwire's former manager (and current boss). I mean, by the true definition of "performance enhancing" I guess Gatorade would fall into that category, but that's just a tad bit of a stretch there Bobby.

Bob Knight compares steroids to Gatorade on ESPN (Chicago Sun Times)

I don't know if you were watching the NBA pregame show on ESPN last night, but both Jamaal Mashburn and Avery Johnson handed out gifts to various NBA teams for a bit (The Spurs got anti-aging cream....SO CLEVER!). Well ESPN is doing the same thing for Baseball, but they're amping it up a little bit by bringing you Santa Kruk multiple times throughout next week.

Among the ingenious gifts that Kruk will giving teams during Sports Center segments included (but are not limited to):

Chicago Cubs gift – a goat catcher (akin to a dog catcher), since the goat is to blame for no World Series win since 1908
New York Mets – power tools; the Mets had the least homers in majors last season
Kansas City Royals – umbrella and lots of rain, so Zack Greinke can pitch every game
Pittsburgh Pirates – tickets to a Sister Sledge concert, to return to the glory days of "We Are Family"
Washington Nationals – eight clones of Ryan Zimmerman
Los Angeles Dodgers – cooking lessons with Giada, so she can teach them how to whip up a recipe to beat the Phillies
Houston Astros – a NASA rocket scientist, to figure out what's gone wrong

I don't want a lot for Christmas, but if you the reader want to give me one thing....make it this lovely Hallmark/ESPN ornament! Via the Boston Herald....

Who knew Santa had time during his busy night to bring us the top 10 video highlights from the world of sports?

With the SportsCenter theme just a button push away, Santa sits at the SportsCenter anchor desk with a script ready and coffee in an ESPN mug nearby in a new holiday ornament from Hallmark Keepsake. ($16.50) When the audio button at the base of the ornament is pressed, the show’s theme music plays and Santa says snippets of his sports report.

Score! The only thing that would make it better would be if Santa was actually Chris Berman and he was asking for some "Deux Deux Deuxs" for Christmas.

Santa the highlight of new ornaments from EPSN and Hallmark (Boston Herald)

Not that the Colin Cowherd hosted show doesn't already piss you off, but apparently ESPN is going to make it completely unwatchable for a day. The afternoon show will be going for the Guinness World record, for the most mentions of the name....Brett Favre. Seriously....

ESPN hopes to hype records for its Green Bay-Minnesota game Monday night. Literally. ESPN, says spokesman Mike Soltys, will announce that on next Monday's broadcast of its ESPN2 SportsNation (5 p.m. ET), it will try to set a record for the most mentions of Brett Favre on a TV show — with Guinness World Records now looking for the current record. Some records should never be broken.

First of all, you don't really even need to hype the game. It's basically guaranteed to become the most watched cable program of the year, by a long shot. Second....really? REALLY ESPN?!?! I understand that you think you're being cute, but this is just a terrible, terrible idea.

Spice Rack (USA Today)

One of the more stressful things to deal with, when it comes to Fantasy Football, is when you are away from your computer right before 1pm. I know everyone has called a friend to change their lineup, and I've even ran into a random library or two in my day. Well, ESPN has a solution for you if you use their fantasy services. Yes, ESPN is starting a "help desk", that runs from 8am to 1am seven days a week, and will actually change your lineup for you. Via 12SD....


While that seems like a great idea, it seems equally creepy. Obviously Fantasy Sports are a huge business nowadays, but this might be taking it too far.

The Leader: You Never Call Anymore (12 Step Drop)

With every angle exhausted on Brett Favre, ESPN (and Scoop Jackson) have turned to the next logical slant when it comes to the flip-flopper....


What if Brett Favre were a woman? (ESPN: Scoop Jackson)

I actually enjoy Lou Holtz on ESPN, I really do. I think he's funny, and up until now, I thought he had knowledge of current teams. Apparently I was dead wrong. I'll give you one guess as to who Holtz has picked to win the National Championship....

Yeah, Lou....one tough game against USC. Sure they are returning every player on offense, but that was the same offense could barely beat Navy.

There are certain monikers that stick with a team/player, and every time you hear some one utter the phrase, it makes you think of them and them alone. One of the more famous ones, "America's Team" has been associated with the Dallas Cowboys since 1979, and one that's unmistakable. Well that is until ESPN gets their hands on it. The "Leader" posted an article yesterday titled "The Great Debate: 'America's Team'", and is trying to make cases for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots (!), as the heirs to the title. Seriously....

It's time to rescind the Cowboys' honor and turn it over to the Patriots. The Cowboys are known for wanton spending and attention-mongering with zero results. The Patriots are widely regarded as the NFL's most efficiently run organization. Their owner, Robert Kraft, was a season-ticket holder who aspired to buy the team one day -- and did. The American dream and capitalism all in one.

What's more, the Patriots were formed in Boston, a.k.a. "The Cradle of Liberty" and crucible for the American Revolution.

They were an original member of the American Football League, which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year.

They changed their name to New England to reflect their meaning to a region where Pilgrims landed. Some teams, such as Minnesota and Arizona, claim a state. The Patriots claim six.

The Patriots wear red, white and blue. When they score, Minutemen line up behind the end zone and fire their muskets into the air.

They're loved. They're despised. They give a nation of sports fans plenty to talk about. They win.

They're called the Patriots, for crying out loud.

What's more American than all of that?

The thing that's so dumb about this isn't just that they've had the term since the 70s, but rather that they're just using Football teams. Shouldn't you consider the Yankees (perhaps more fans out there), the Red Wings (the American working man's team), and/or the Celtics?

As much as I hate the Cowboys, that nickname is theirs and theirs alone.

The Great Debate: 'America's Team' (ESPN)

Well that time of year is upon. Yes, the 2009 ESPY Awards are here, and will air Sunday, July 19th at 9pm, with Samuel L. Jackson as your host. And get this....there are a whopping 37 categories this year! The voting has begun so be sure to cast your vote for some of these nominees....

BEST MALE ATHLETE

Kobe Bryant, NBA
LeBron James, NBA
Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing
Michael Phelps, Swimming

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE

Natalie Coughlin, Swimming
Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics
Maya Moore, NCAA Basketball
Candace Parker, WNBA
Serena Williams, Tennis

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Olympic Beach Volleyball

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnastics
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

BEST RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE

Usain Bolt, Olympic Sprinter
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer

BEST UPSET

Mine That Bird wins the Kentucky Derby
Oregon State stuns then #1 USC
Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series
US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals

BEST GAME

Federer vs. Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final
Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Syracuse vs. Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

BEST MOMENT

Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech
Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500
US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay

BEST PLAY

Ovechkin vs. Rangers
Pacquiao KO’s Hatton
Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs. Texas

BEST TEAM

Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers
North Carolina Men’s Basketball
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Morgan was called out last week about a tale he told during Sunday Night Baseball, and last night he decided to clarify the whole thing. Well per Morgan's usual "misremberings" of his Baseball career, he dug himself into an even bigger hole. From Deadspin via Larry Brown Sports....

Morgan: "Jon [Miller], I want to correct something that I said last week — you weren’t here so you weren’t involved — but last week we were talking about Don Wilson pitching a no-hitter and I remember talking to him about Hank Aaron and saying it wouldn’t be the worst thing if he walked him. And he said ‘get away’ and he went out and struck him out. Well it happened in the dugout, not on the field. I got it mixed up with an incident I had with Al Hollins, who in a similar situation was pitching with me at the Giants, so I had the two confused."

Joe claims he mixed up the Wilson and Holland stories — that Holland was pitching "in a similar situation" in 1981 or 1982, meaning, presumably, that he had a no-hitter going late in the game, and that Joe sauntered over from second and suggested he walk a big bat, etc. Let's have a look at the record, shall we? Surely there are some computer numbers out there that might help us.

Holland was a relief pitcher, a decent one for a time, and he recorded only 11 starts over his 10-year career, 10 of them with the Giants. Only once did he throw more than four innings of no-hit ball. That would've been Sept. 29, 1981, against Cincinnati; Johnny Bench hit a solo shot in the fifth to break it up. Now, I suppose it's conceivable that Joe would've proposed walking Bench at that point, even if his old teammate was then in the winter of his years. But consider: Holland didn't just have a no-no through four-and-a-third. He had a perfect game.

It's obviously a tad bit nit-picky to call out an announcer for not getting a story, that happened thirty plus years ago, exactly right. But Dr. Morgan doesn't even come close when it comes to recapping certain moments during his playing days. Everyone is always up in arms when blogs pick on Joe, but maybe now you have a little insight into why we do so.

Oh and I would also like to refer you to Major League Jerk, for Exhibit B....

Adam (Joplin, MO): What is the hardest thing to deal with throughout a MLB season?

Joe: I don’t know if there’s one, but two things that are very difficult are physical and mental fatigue. A lot of times you’ll play a night game and fly some place for a day game. There aren’t as many days off. For every day players, the grind of playing every day. Facing tough pitching. The grind works on you mentally. I used to get more mentally tired than physically tired. I would think it’s the same with the players today.

Adam: What’s the hardest part about the baseball season?

Joe: I don’t know if it’s one thing so I’m going to narrow it down to every single possible thing ever: the mental and the physical. I’m not sure if that includes the ether that the world floats in or the space between our cells but I would say that everything in the entire universe that could serve as a reason is my answer. But mostly it’s everything.

Joe Morgan Lies Again When Clarifying Previous Lie on Sunday Night Baseball (Larry Brown Sports)
Joe Morgan Clarifies One Fib, Possibly Tells Another (Deadspin)
Fire Joe Morgan Already (Major League Jerk)

ESPN has run-ins with athletes and coaches all the time (see: Sutcliffe, Rick), and you can add another one to the list. A week ago, ESPN ran with a report from two "sources" that said the Vikings had given Brett Favre a deadline to announce his intentions, but according to Childress....someone made it up.

If the Minnesota Vikings have given Brett Favre a deadline to come back, it's news to team's head coach.

"Absolutely not," Brad Childress told radio station KFAN in Minneapolis when asked about ESPN's report that the team had given Favre a deadline of this week to decide on his return. "Maybe by Deanna (Favre) or somebody like that, but certainly not from me. Not even — not even close. (I) don't know where that dropped out of the sky from. ...

"I don't know how you guys in that industry go about your sourcing," Childress added. "'A source that a source said.' I don't know. It's questionable. Very questionable."

ESPN reported the deadline on Monday, citing two unidentified sources.

Childress also said he's spoken with quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels about the situation and that he's not concerned the Favre saga will distract them.

While it appears that ESPN made up the deadline, they're not the only ones making things up. Rosenfels and Jackson have to be distracted by this, and if Childress and the Vikings don't give Favre a deadline, it could be the beginning of the end for the Vikings in 2009.

Oh and one more thing. It was definitely a great idea to hire Adam Schefter, because maybe now someone can get a report right (*ahem* Mortensen *cough*)

Childress blasts ESPN's report of Favre deadline (FOX)

A-Rod has dealt with a lot of gossip over the past few months. While most of it has been justified, some of it has been pure speculation. One of those rumors appears to be the possibility that Rodriguez tipped/tips pitches to teammates, and at the forefront of those rumors is ESPN's Rick Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe recently said that he believed A-Rod was sending signals to Mark Teixeira, and the two decided to confront the analyst last night. Via Newsday....

Hours before they were to do battle with the Red Sox Tuesday night, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were involved in different type of confrontation, this one inside the Yankees' clubhouse.

Upset with an accusation made by ESPN's Rick Sutcliffe two weeks ago, the two players approached the former Cy Young winner to discuss the situation.

Sutcliffe said on the air that A-Rod had been feeding Teixeira verbal signs from the on-deck circle, giving his teammate a heads-up on the catcher's location before the pitch was delivered. Teixeira and A-Rod pulled Sutcliffe aside when they saw him in the clubhouse last night, expressing their displeasure with his charges.

"Me, Alex and him talked about it," Teixeira told the Daily News, confirming that the conversation took place. "No doubt it's disappointing when someone makes an accusation like that. Whatever. I can't control what they say."

I would caution any person to take what Sutcliffe says seriously, because he's borderline crazy, but they have every right to defend themselves. Sutcliffe also needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, especially if he's making accusations like this.

Accusations bring A-Rod, Mark Teixeira to tipping point (Newsday)

I mentioned last week that ESPN planned to stalk Michael Vick as he left Leavenworth today. Well apparently Vick used his once elusive Football skills, to escape the "Leader's" (and every other media outlet) cameras. Here is Hannah Storm talking about just that with on-site reporter Kelly Naqi. Via Fang's Bites....

How funny is that? On the surface you would think it'd be virtually impossible to leave undetected, but that's obviously not the case. All that work for a shot of a random reporter standing in the wind outside of a prison. Good times.

In Case You Missed Vick's Release (Fangs Bites)

Michael Vick is being released from Levanworth on May 20th, and ESPN has released the details about who they are sending and where. Three reporters will be spread out from Leavenworth, Kan, to Hampton, Va, and Atlanta, and the network will air specials throughout the day. There will even be a one hour special that Tuesday. Via ESPN PR....

Michael Vick to be Released From Prison

Michael Vick will be released from Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas on May 20, then head to Hampton, Va. where he will be under home confinement. ESPN will provide live coverage from Kansas, Virginia and Atlanta, detail NFL reaction, and present a one-hour special Tuesday night.

On-site coverage (Tuesday, Wednesday)
In Leavenworth, Kan: Kelly Naqi
In Hampton, Va.: George Smith
In Atlanta: Darren Lyn

NFL Reaction (debut on Tuesday SportsCenters)
Reporter Ed Werder’s piece with reaction from a variety of NFL-related personalities speculating on Vick’s NFL future.

SportsCenter Special (ESPN2, Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Bob Ley will anchor a one-hour SportsCenter special with Mark Schlereth, Trent Dilfer, Herm Edwards, and Chris Mortensen.

ESPN.com’s Lester Munson will take an in-depth look at Michael Vick’s depleting finances and the people that targeted them, and interview Tony “Dogman” Taylor, one of the dogfighting associates who pleaded guilty and served time for the incident. John Clayton will also take a look at the five most likely landing spots for Vick when he returns to the NFL. The NFL Blog Network will also open up a discussion for debate on whether Vick should keep an open mind to switching positions. Additional columns and reactions from Len Pasquarelli and Pat Yasinskas will also be available on ESPN.com.

I guess the situation warrants the special, but to follow the guy halfway across the country is a little much. I also wonder exactly many people care that he's getting released. I'm guessing it's not as many as ESPN thinks.

You Thought Brett Favre Coverage was Overboard? Wait for Michael Vick... (Fang's Bites)

I can't stand sifting through draft grades, because they're even more pointless than mock drafts. You don't know what the criteria is (Did the team fill needs? Did the team draft the best player in that spot?), and teams drafting for defense always seem to score lower (see: Skins, Red). Well ESPN has taken such grading to a whole new level. They are grading the graders.

ESPN took a handful of people from various publications (USA Today, CBS Sportsline, etc), and averaged out their grades, to give each team a "GPA" for the draft. The Eagles scored the highest, while the Raiders failed miserably. There's only one problem....they didn't take the time to look closely at each grader's work. Larry Weisman's piece from the USA Today is from 2008. Heck he even has a photo up top of Glenn Dorsey, Chris Long and Matt Ryan....


Don't you think they would have noticed that Wiesman gave the Raiders a "C"? Well, FoxSports.com's John Czarnecki gave them one too, but you know what I mean. Plus, now all of the GPAs are completely off. Such a shame too.

Consensus NFL Draft Grades (ESPN)

(Thanks to reader JP for the tip)

ESPN debuted a new feature on Sports Center this morning called "Blog Buzz", and after looking at some of the screenshots at The Sporting Blog....I just don't get it. "Blog Buzz" is a simple concept. You take the Top Five stories on blogs, make a fancy graph, and then add in some quotes. In fact, it's really just using the Sports Media Challenge's Buzz Manager .

While I understand that ESPN is embracing the medium that they once shunned, there is one problem with the new feature....it has nothing to do with blogs. Let's take a look, shall we?


So let me get this straight. ESPN takes the top five stories as provided by the SMC, and then adds quotes from the Sun Sentinel, and one from their own blogger. Ummm, that's not exactly taking into account what "Blogs" are saying, but good try.

ESPN's 'Blog Buzz' Segment Fails Miserably (The Sporting Blog)

"Mini-mercials" are the latest craze to hit television, and ESPN will begin airing them this May. You probably have noticed the little spots during PTI breaks to keep you glued to the ads, but these will be different. Instead of the hosts jumping back on randomly, digital billboards will appear for certain companies before segments. Via the New York Times....

Beginning May 15, Coors will begin a two-month campaign of the new 10-second billboards, called mini-mercials, that will run during evening “SportsCenter” segments on ESPN. Miller Lite will begin its campaign in mid-July.

MillerCoors will be the most extensive user of mini-mercials, but will not be the first. Asics, the manufacturer of sports shoes and sports apparel, began a short flight on last Friday evening’s “SportsCenter” that will run through the end of this month.

TV ad buying for both MillerCoors and Asics is handled by the media agency Initiative, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. MC Media is a dedicated agency for MillerCoors that was created last fall and is a partnership between creative agency Draft FCB and Initiative.

The goal of the mini-mercial on ESPN is to bring more action to the traditional TV billboard that leads into “SportsCenter” segments. Typically, billboards leading into a program simply show the logo of the sponsor of that segment.

I think I saw the one they were referring to that aired yesterday, and needless to say, it's pretty awkward. All of a sudden an anchor appears after an ad, and they're right into the next highlight. I really didn't think there was a way to fit in more advertising and distractions to Sports Center, but I guess I was wrong.

MillerCoors and Asics Bring Action to Ads on ESPN (New York Times)

Yesterday, it was a NASCAR commercial with drivers talking about accidents immediately after reporting on Nick Adenhart's passing, and today it's this. Via NQTC....


I'm not even going to comment on that one.

Pick "A" For Awful Taste (Not Qualified To Comment)

This has been building up for almost a year, but Rick Reilly finally spent some time on the B.S. Report yesterday. The two feuding writers decided to put all of their differences aside, and talk about everything that had been said over the last year. Just kidding. They actually didn't address anything, and the only time they came close to getting in an argument is when the name "Obama" came up. Here's a small clip....

Ah yes. Good use of the word "allegedly". Of course they were never feuding! So sad. In the span of a week and a half, Bill Simmons has mended the fences with his bosses and Rick Reilly. I couldn't be more depressed right now.

Rick Reilly (The B.S. Report)