If this was yesterday, I would almost certainly think that this was an April Fool's joke, but alas....it is not. Greg Gumbel is suing a company called Encore because they used his likeness in informercials, instead of what was agreed upon. Apparently his voice was supposed to support a line of educational products, but instead was used for time shares, and get this....magnet therapy. Via the Huff Po....

CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel claims in a lawsuit a television producer tricked him into hosting a series of Internet infomercials.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale. The suit claims Paul Douglas Scott, owner of Deerfield Beach-based Encore Television Group Inc., told Gumbel he would be announcing introductions for educational programming. Instead, Gumbel says his introductions were used in infomercials for time-shares, magnet therapy and other products.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and to have the videos taken down.

Gumbel's attorney would not comment on the suit. A telephone number listed on Encore's Web site had been disconnected.

That's just crazy, but seriously though....what's wrong with magnet therapy? I mean, I don't exactly know what it is, but money is money. In fact, if Greg doesn't want his voice on the infomercials, I know someone who needs the work. His brother, Bryant.

Greg Gumbel says he was tricked into infomercials (Huffington Post)

Jim Calhoun sat down with Jim Nantz, in an interview that aired at halftime of the UNC-GT game today, and addressed his feelings following his run-in with a reporter questioning his salary. While the interview basically went the way you would think (Calhoun didn't apologize), it was the reaction of Seth Davis following the piece that caught my attention. Davis stated that he thought that Calhoun should have apologized for the way he handled it, which brought out a tremendous rebuttal from Greg Gumbel. Here's the clip....

"I don't mind the way he handled it, because if your mission is to go out there and be a jerk, and someone recognizes you as such, I don't see a problem with saying you're a jerk."- Greg Gumbel

Well said. Obviously he should have handled it better, but there's no reason for an apology.

Ed Reed, contemplating the ways he'll try to pick off Kerry Collins on the rare occasion he does drop back to pass.

I can't get excited about today's at all, so it's open threads. It's not fair to say that because this first one will be a defensive struggle, and that's still good football, but it's not anything I can say is worth live-blogging and I'd like to watch the games today like you guys without looking over my shoulder at the computer and join you all in the comment thread from time to time. I'll be live-blogging both of tomorrow's games. Now, watch as one of these two turns into the barn-burner of the playoffs.

Game: AFC Divisional Playoff #1
Teams: Baltimore Ravens (11-5, 2nd in AFC North) vs. Tennessee Titans (13-3, AFC South Champs)
Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN
Start Time: 4:30 PM EST
Announcers and Network: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf, CBS
Miscellany: Vince Young mentions, talk about the rookie QB Joe Flacco, Jeff Fisher's longest active tenure in the NFL with one team, Albert Haynesworth going from face-stomper to insanely dominant nose tackle, and of course, Ed Reed.
Favorite: Titans (-3)
S2N's Pick: Baltimore. This goes against the rookie QB rule, but why do I have the sense that the Titans are limping in and won't be able to run as well on the Ravens? I just do.

I don't know if it was because of costs or what but having the Studio Team in New York for the Final Four was a bad move by CBS. Without being in the arena the team of Gumbel, Kellogg, Davis, and Donovan just seemed bored and unenergized throughout the pregame and hafltimes of both games last night.

The cameras were off all night (as evidenced above and in the video below) and Billy Donovan actually frightened me multiple times during the telecast. No analyst should ever be that demonstrative. He seemed like the studio version of Billy Packer at times.

I don't know if it's too late to send the trio (sans Donovan) to San Antonio for Monday night but you should definitely look into CBS. I think just being in the Alamo Dome will make a world of difference in the presentation. Oh and fix Clark's head before you go....

I commented how I really liked the Foo Fighters intro earlier in the Tournament, but these "I Am Legend" ones are starting to bother me. I know your ratings are down CBS and you have to make up money however you can, but you've used the exact same clip for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.

How many different ways can Greg Gumbel introduce his partners by calling them "legends"? The answer is two. At least change the movie to "There Will Be Blood" or something for next weekend. You could even show Tyler Hansbrough with the bloody nose! I'm a marketing genius.

I know people refer to all of these things as "Clarkisms", but I just call them stupid. Here are a pair of clips via The Sporting Blog in which Kellogg not only calls Xavier's Drew Lavender "ippodish", but he says Danny Green has "the versatility of baking soda".....

"How versatile is baking soda?"- Greg Gumbel

Actually now that I rethink these two they actually make some sense. Baking soda is versatile as far as household products go and the I-Pod thing perfectly describes Lavender. My bad Clark.

Clark Kellogg Reinvents the English Language Daily (TSB)
All Your Questions About Clark Kellogg Answered (TSB)

Hi folks. Here's an open thread for Bolts-Colts, as you watch the douchebag Philip Rivers, LDT, and the greatness that is NORV! take on Peyton & Co. in the RCA Dome. (I think I've already made it very clear who I'm pulling for.) Your announcers today are the CBS 2nd team: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf; while much more tolerable than Nantz and Simms, they are capable of doozies and some nice cliches.

Things worth counting/drinking to, if you are so inclined:
1) NORV! Face
2) Manning Face
3) LDT stewing in the corner of the Chargers bench
4) Peyton ads during the game
5) Mentions of Shawne Merriman's size without noting his roid use

I'll be around in the comments and I'll see you for the Giants-Cowboys live blog. Also, enjoy this fine animated parody of the Manning ads with the douchebag Rivers. (Hat tip to KSK's Christmas Ape.)

Onto the 2nd Round Folks, and just like we predicted Buck and Aikman to Dallas and Nantz and Simms to New England.

Saturday, January 12

Seattle at Green Bay, 4:30 p.m. (FOX)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Jacksonville at New England, 8 p.m. (CBS)- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Sunday, January 13

San Diego at Indy, 1 p.m. (CBS)- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
NY Giants at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. (FOX)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Think again.....

CBS will air the Pro Bowl for the first time in 35 years this Saturday, and it will be a grand ole' time!

Your Announcers....

The Booth: Three man team....Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf, and Phil Simms
The Sideline: One man...one mouth.....Shannon Sharpe

NOOOOOOOOOOO! On SBL they asked me what my ideal team to call the Super Bowl would be.....well this would be the opposite. I couldn't pick a worse team if my life depended on it.

Shannon Sharpe on the sidelines should be fun right? Him interviewing Belichick at halftime would be awesome.

Sharpe: Flabbity Flab Flab Flab Flabbiddy Flab
Belichick: (silence)
Sharpe: Flab.........Flabbers........Flab Flab Flab
Belichick: I think both teams played hard.
Sharpe: Flab....thaflabnks coach.....flabbers