I'm not entirely sure if calling someone a "jagoff" is extremely insulting or not. And furthermore, if it's even allowed on TV. But that's exactly what Kentucky Coach John Calipari called John Buccigross, after the ESPN anchor brought up Calipari's loss to Memphis in the National Championship....

At least the name calling was taken in stride, but I'm curious as to know why someone from Pittsburgh is a "jagoff". And what exactly is a jagoff? So many questions.

John Calipari Calls John Buccigross A Jagoff Live On ESPN (Buster Sports)

It's no secret that the Jonas Brothers are immensely popular, but it's usually 13 year-old girl who scream their heads of for them, not a 50 year-old NFL announcer set to call the Super Bowl in two weeks. That's exactly the case though as Jim Nantz admitted to Don Imus last Friday, even stating that he saw the J Bros. four times in concert last year....

The fact that Don Imus said that the Jonas Brothers suck, actual made me laugh out loud. And the biggest thing since the Beatles, Nantzy? Come on now! I'll give him a pass on attending the concerts because he has a daughter, but that's just poppycock.

Nantz: “Jonas Bros. Biggest Thing Since Beatles” (Sports by Brooks)

I almost didn't post this, because Sean Salisbury has been through enough these past few years, but I figured I had to for closure. After vehemently denying the claim that he photographed and mailed a picture of his "nether regions", he confirmed to USA Today what everyone already believed. He really did do it....

Other than its decidedly 21st-century angles, Sean Salisbury's story is timeless: Show spur-of-the-moment stupidity, deny it in hopes it will be forgotten — then find it follows you around instead.

"I was ashamed, and I didn't want to say anything," says Salisbury, who was an NFL quarterback for eight years and an ESPN NFL analyst for 12. "I thought it would go away and let my ego get in the way. Since then, I've beat myself up about it more than 10 baseball bats could. A stupid mistake can cost you, and this has really cost me. I should have been having this conversation a long time ago."

But what Salisbury, 46, is admitting simply substantiates what's already an urban legend on the Internet: that he took cellphone photos of his private parts and showed them.

Yuck. Salisbury says it only happened once — "a sophomoric mistake" in a Connecticut bar in 2006 — for which ESPN suspended him for a week for then-unspecified reasons.

Now, Salisbury feels better from having had anger-management therapy — "I needed help. I had a lot of inner anger for years." He says he's trying to champion the cause of accuracy in online reporting in a lawsuit against Deadspin that he insists is anything but frivolous.

"It was stupid —dumb!— but not malicious," he says. "How can it ruin a good career? … I've gone from being on six days a week to disappearing. And it's not like I wanted to disappear. … But it feels good getting it off my chest."

Well there you have it. Someone who went on the Internet to deny the claim, and wanted you to feel sorry for him, has no come out to say that all reports were true and he wants you to feel sorry for him. I wish Salisbury no ill will, but if you make your bed....you have to lie in it. There's always someone out there to replace you, and don't expect people to miss you when you're gone.

Salisbury aims to move on after admission (USA Today)

By now you've heard that Mark McGwire has copped to using steroids during his career, but more specifically when he broke Roger Maris' HR record in 1998. Shocking, I know. McGwire issued this admission to the Associated Press, but it will be MLB Network and Bob Costas that gets the first interview this evening....

MLB Network’s Bob Costas will have an exclusive in-depth television interview with Mark McGwire tonight on MLB Network live at 7:00 p.m. ET about McGwire’s admission of using performance enhancing drugs during his career. This is the first television interview granted by McGwire since he admitted using PEDs in a statement earlier today.

Following the exclusive interview, MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian, Mitch Williams, Joe Magrane, Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal will discuss their reactions to the conversation. Costas will provide reaction from location in California and MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds and Peter Gammons will also provide commentary.

I'm one of the many people that followed McGwire's every at-bat during that season, and while I don't necessarily blame him for using steroids, this is something that should have come out years ago. Hiding that fact just makes me think he's a scumbag. I'm hoping that Bob Costas conducts a better interview than Peter Gammons' sitdown with A-Rod last year, but I doubt much of what McGwire says is going to make me change my views on him.

It seems like just yesterday that Tom Brady completely shunned MNF sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, but it actually took place all the way back in Week One. The Patriots haven't back since then, but Suzy remembers the dis and plans on hunting the QB down following tonight's game against the Saints. Via The Huddle....

Brady hastily tried to dodge an on-field interview with Kolber after a Week 1 win against the Bills. A persistent Kolber ran with Brady off the field and finally cajoled him into answering a few questions.

Now with the Patriots due back on MNF again, Kolber is set for another postgame meeting. ESPN's Kenny Mayne jokingly had Kolber training with Tyson Gay, whose 9.69 100-meter dash is a U.S. record.

Kolber, in ESPN's Mayne Event this week, playfully set in a sprinter's starting block and said:

"I'm getting you this time, Brady."

Well that's good. I think she got him last time actually, but it's good that she can joke about it. Now the question is whether the Pats will win or not, so she has the opportunity.

As Tom Brady returns to 'MNF,' ESPN's Suzy Kolber says 'I'm getting you this time' (The Huddle)

(P.S.- Yes, there will be a live-blog tonight)

It's not often that a College has a guest speaker that is willing to answer questions about how he picks up chicks, but most guest speakers aren't Dick Vitale. The Sporting Blog has unearthed this insanely long question and answer period with Dickie V at Mercer College, and while most of the 30 minute interview is about Basketball, he does take time to address how he picks up chicks. Namely his wife....

Isn't Dickie V the best? Not only is he one of the nicest guys ever, he even gives kids dating advice!!!

Dick Vitale Knows How To Woo A Lady (The Sporting Blog)

Terry Bradshaw is obviously a very colorful character, and it's long been suspected that his "dumb southerner" routine is just an act. Well thanks to a chicken on the new (and god awful) Jay Leno show, we know that's not the case...

Your tale of the tape....

Chicken: Ravens over the Bengals (wrong), the Falcons over the 49ers (right), and the Patriots over the Broncos (wrong)
Bradshaw: Ravens over the Bengals (wrong), 49ers over the Falcons (wrong), and Patriots over the Broncos (wrong)

I mean obviously those were some tough games, and both Bradshaw and the Chicken did terrible, but a loss is a loss. Terry is officially dumber than a chicken.

I think people were split about whether they enjoyed the Gus Johnson call of Brandon Stokley's TD on Sunday, but the announcer himself went on the Dan Patrick Show today to defend his excitement. Via Sports Radio Interviews....

“I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. It was the most incredible thing. I’ve seen a lot of great things in sports. I started doing this in 1990, but I’ve never seen anything; not like in that in football. I mean wow.

Sometimes it’s kinda hard. Some people don’t like that, but in a moment like that, I can’t help but to let go. It’s a job, but c’mon we really don’t have jobs.”- Gus Johnson

Obviously the reason, I like Gus Johnson is because of that emotion, but he does have a tendency to blow things out of proportion. I mean, sure it was a great play, but a week one game between two teams that aren't making the Playoffs? I dunno.

Gus Johnson: “I’ve Never Seen Anything Like That Before In Football” (Sports Radio Interviews)

This whole Emmitt Smith as a rogue reporter, for various networks, is highly entertaining. He was last seen talking about tailgating on FOX Sports, but this Friday he's heading to the big time. Emmitt will be taking both the Today Show's, Matt Lauer and Al Roker, on a tour of the Cowboys' new stadium!

Not only will Emmitt be your tour guide this Friday, but Lauer will be interviewing Jerry Jones, and Roker will be hanging with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. The unintentional comedy of this event could be off the charts.

The first go around was eventful, to say the very least, and I'm sure HBO learned a lot about the direction that they want the show to go. Artie Lange was rumored to be a return guest for the second show, but it appears that Buck and HBO will try and pretend that blow up never even happened. Your guests for the September 22nd taping will be a slew of great NFL QBs, political hopeful Curt Schilling, and Owners Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones. They even want you to attend!

The second edition of Joe Buck Live features NFL Greats Joe Namath, Dan Marino and John Elway, Pitching Star Curt Schilling as well as Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Jerry Jones, Owner of The Dallas Cowboys. All our guests are scheduled to appear live on the stage of the Equitable Center with Joe Buck. Filming in front of our live studio audience in New York City, this new hour-long edition of the Joe Buck Live show will include live interviews, panel discussions and pre-recorded features. You won't want to miss what promises to be an engaging, informative and entertaining evening of TV.

To attend this exclusive JOE BUCK LIVE show on TUESDAY, SEPT. 22nd, YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE BETWEEN 8:30PM and 11:30PM. It will air on HBO simultaneously with repeat broadcasts at later dates. RSVP quickly as there are limited tickets for this event. YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OR OLDER TO ATTEND THE SHOW AND YOU MUST LIVE IN THE NEW YORK CITY AREA TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR TICKETS OR BE IN NYC DURING THE TAPING WEEK. TICKETS ARE COMPLIMENTARY.

If you are interested in being part of the JOE BUCK LIVE SHOW, please email us at joebucklive@broadwayvideo.com with the following information in both the subject line and body of your email:

1. Your full name
2. Your email addressOne which will not put our reply to you in your trash
folder and one which you check frequently.
PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR TRASH FOLDER JUST IN CASE!3. Your phone number(s)
4. Your age range (35-40, 18-25, 50-55 etc.)
5. Number of tickets — 2 tickets is the maximum number we can allow per
request. SINCE THIS IS A LIVE EVENT WE EXPECT THAT IF YOU ASK FOR TICKETS
YOU WILL BE USING THEM. Thanks.6. Do you consider yourself a big sports fan
— which sports (you can put this inthe body of the email)

If anyone wants to go, and be an on-site reporter for AA, let me know. I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be half as exciting as the first time though.

Joe Buck Live Lives (Deadspin)

Everything that can be said, has been said, about Erin Andrews being violated in her hotel room. Andrews, however, needed closure of her own and went on The Oprah Winfrey Show this past Friday to achieve it. Most of what was said in the interview, we knew ahead of time, but here is a short clip in case you missed it....

I can't imagine what her parents went through, let alone Andrews herself. Hopefully normalcy will come back to her soon, and she can feel comfortable in her own skin again. Thankfully she's great at her job, and she hasn't seemed to miss a beat since her return two Thursdays ago.

Erin Andrews has yet to appear since her "hotel incident", but according to Sports Illustrated, that will change on September 11th. The ESPN sideline reporter will be on a special episode of Oprah, that she taped last week, and will be the only time she does an interview on the matter....

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was secretly videotaped in the nude while alone in a hotel room, will discuss the incident on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Sept. 11, SI.com has learned.

The segment was taped last week and will be the only in-depth interview Andrews gives on the subject. The five-minute video, which appeared to be shot through a hotel room door peephole, was posted on the Internet last month and quickly taken down.

Andrews will be reporting from the sidelines Thursday when ESPN televises the college football season opener between South Carolina and host N.C. State. She last appeared on the network as part of its ESPY Awards broadcast July 19. Network officials, who will accompany her to N.C. State, said she had a scheduled vacation through September and was not off the air because of the taping incident. ESPN said it will not address the incident during the game broadcast. The entertainment show Inside Edition attempted to get credentialed for the game but was turned down.

It's amazing how far this situation has traveled. From a rumor, all the way to Andrews appearing on Oprah. What a long strange trip it's been, but hopefully this will bring her some closure.

Andrews to be on Oprah's show (Sports Illustrated)

Say what you will about ESPN's 60 Minutes copy, E:60, but they certainly are getting some high profile interviews as of late. It was Donte Stallworth last week, and this week Jeremy Schapp will be sitting down with recently sentenced, Plaxico Burress. Via ESPN PR....

Former N.Y. Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, will talk in detail with correspondent Jeremy Schaap in an exclusive E:60 interview, Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. ET, about the early morning hours of Nov. 29, when he accidentally shot himself in the leg with his own gun at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Midtown N.Y., and about the two-year jail sentence he now faces.

Burress pleaded guilty Thursday, Aug. 20, to the weapons charge and avoided what would have been a mandatory minimum sentence of three years for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He will head to prison when he is officially sentenced Sept. 22, and will be eligible for release after serving a little more than 20 months. The NFL has suspended Burress but will reinstate him once he completes his sentence.

Excerpts from the interview will debut Monday, Aug. 24, on SportsCenter at 6 p.m. ET and in subsequent editions of the show. The interview will air in full on E:60.

Another interesting get for ESPN, and the fact that they are choosing to air it on E:60 is even more interesting. I don't know if they're trying to improve ratings on the show, but given the show's actually numbers, it's probably not going to hurt. If there's anything exciting said, I will be sure to have the video up.

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)

I honestly haven't watched an episode of E:60 in over a year, but this might get me to actually tune in. Michael Smith will be interviewing Donte Stallworth, on the heels of his recent jailing, as a part of tonight's airing of the news show on ESPN....

Suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth, in an exclusive E:60 interview, will talk in detail with correspondent Michael Smith on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. ET, about the early morning hours of March 14, when Stallworth killed a man while driving under the influence in Miami.

A plea deal was reached in June, and Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail for DUI manslaughter. After serving 24 days of his sentence, Stallworth was released and is under an indefinite suspension from the NFL after meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Aug. 5. It is not known when Goodell will rule on Stallworth’s request to return to the NFL.

Critics have expressed outrage that Stallworth is just another example of a rich athlete buying his way out of hard time. E:60 will air the complete interview with Smith on Tuesday. Stallworth talks for the first time about the morning he killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes, lessons learned while in jail and how he hopes to make a positive impact in the future, on and off the football field.

Outside of Mike Vick, there hasn't been a case that has stirred up more controversy than this one, and it will be interesting to see the angle ESPN takes. Do they go the easy route, or do they go straight to Stallworth and ask him if a man's life is worth 30 days in jail? Tune in tonight at 7pm to find out.

I spent most of the night not paying attention to the All Star Game, but I made sure to record/watch Barack Obama's appearance in the booth, with Buck and McCarver. I honestly thought that the two Fox announcers would find a way to ruin it, but they and the Pres, actually made it enjoyable. The talk was loose and light, and focused on the game of Baseball, which is a welcome change from all the Politics that have crept into Sports as of late. Here's the appearance if you missed it....

Good stuff....now about that first pitch. Albert Pujols swears it didn't touch the ground, and there's talk of a Fox camera conspiracy, but I'm pretty sure he bounced it up there. The thing that everyone has to remember though, is that he threw it from the mound, which most people don't do. To throw it down the middle, and barely bounce it, is actually not THAT bad. In fact, I almost guarantee that half of the Nationals would have swung at that sinker.

Yesterday, I posted a video of Rampage Jackson humping an unsuspecting MMA reporter during an interview. There was no mention of her outlet, so I had no idea who she was. Well thanks to some excellent sleuthing from SI's Jimmy Traina, we now know that her name is Heather Nichols, and that she works for Cage Potato....

Jimmy Traina: What did you think when Rampage started, um, getting frisky? Did you think it was funny or did you take offense?

Nichols: At first I was just shocked when he grabbed me, and all I could think was, "Oh my gosh, what is he doing?!" Then I tried to play along a little bit because I knew he was trying to be funny, but after about the first 5-10 seconds, it was just plain awkward. I kept thinking, "What should I do? Knee him? Keep going?" So I decided to keep asking questions, assuming he would stop if I did that. So I asked another question, and he kept going. I asked ANOTHER question, and he kept going. At this point I was just freaking out, but still trying to be a professional and ask all the questions I was assigned to ask, and this has been interpreted by some viewers as me liking it and egging him on. This was definitely not the case. I was hired to do a job, which was to interview Rampage, so I decided to put up with his shenanigans and finish the interview.

So there you have it. Ms. Nichols can be seen in a Jimmy Johns or KFC commercial near you, and has some indy films coming out in the coming months. You can now go on with the rest of your lives.

Heather Nichols discusses awkward interview with 'Rampage' Jackson (SI)

It's no secret that I think Rampage Jackson is a gift to Sports Blogs, and today he continues to provide hilarious footage to dissect. Jackson was being interviewed by a currently unknown, yet very attractive reporter, when he randomly decided to grab her and begin thrusting while answer questions about a potential movie career. Via Sports Rubbish....

Too funny, and great job by the reporter to not miss a beat while a very large and dangerous man, grabbed her by the waist and pumped away. Rampage obviously has a screw loose, but I welcome his craziness on a slow news day like today.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Humps Interviewer: Video (Sports Rubbish)

Erik Estrada is being raked through the coals today for saying that, "he's seen my share of child pornography," and on the surface it seems like a terrible statement to say on-air. However, if you listen to the interview in context, he actually mentioned in conjunction with talking about a good cause.

With that said, he does take the time at the end to talk about Ron Jeremy's junk, and say he wanted to stick a fork in Traci Bingham's neck, so there's that....

I'm not quite sure why they were talking about a VH1 show, that took place about five years ago, but whatever gets the interview going I guess. While that was certainly entertaining, I hear it wasn't nearly as good as his rendition of the seventh inning stretch. If anyone has the video, let me know.

Erik Estrada's Awesomely Awkward 7th Inning Interview: "I've Seen My Share of Child Pornography." (Fan IQ)

Dan Steinberg, now of the Sporting Blog, sat down with Jon Miller recently and specifically asked him about the criticism that both he and Joe Morgan receive(d). Not only did Miller discuss blogs and the internet as a whole, but he specifically addressed the whole Fire Joe Morgan issue as well....

Hey, speaking of Joe, do you get irritated with some of the criticism?

Well, I figure for any of us in this business, the fact that there are critics, radio/TV sports critics, it’s all a positive for us. Because if you go back years ago, really before my time, Walter Winchell had the big column. In San Francisco, it was Herb Caen. I know here in Washington, in the Style section they’ve always had columnists. PR people are trying to get showbiz people and clients in those columns, so that they’re around town, getting their name in the paper. And now the sportscasters have these critics, and we get talked about.

What about the Internet stuff, do you read blogs?

Oh no, I don’t even understand what the point of it is. I mean, I know people are communicating, but it’s not interesting to me. I like the blogs that the beat writers have now. Henry Schulman with the Chronicle, in addition to whatever he’s writing for the paper, he’s got other stuff on his blog. And Bruce Jenkins is a great columnist for the Chronicle, he’s got other columns on the blog.

But for the rest of it, I don’t really care about it. I mean, for me, if there’s criticism, and it’s about something that I could do something about, or at least something that I could say that’s a good point, or no I disagree with that for this reason, well, that’s good. I mean, we all need feedback, and maybe somebody makes a good point. You know, I was a terrible English student in high school. I couldn’t probably diagram a sentence today. I mean, if somebody uses the phrase dangling participle, I’m going 'Huh?' I don’t have a clue what that is.

But over the years, people would send me letters, saying you said such and such, and that’s really improper usage, the proper way to say that would be this way. I'd say Eddie Murray awaits on deck, and the guy wrote me and said it would be awaits his turn on deck. You couldn’t say "'awaits' without 'his turn;' you have to say what he’s awaiting. So that was good, so I learned from that. A lot of stuff, that’s how I learned it. I thought that was very instructive.

But if somebody just says, this guy sucks, or he stinks? Well, that’s not interesting to me. You know, there’s nothing I can do with it. With Joe, you know, Joe knows a LOT about the game. Whether occasionally he mangles the language or says something that maybe comes out different from what he meant to say, like a million other ballplayers, that all could be. But they told me that there’s a Web site called FireJoeMorgan.com or something. Well, what’s the point of that? That’s just mean, mean-spirited. I mean, what is the actual point?

I guess Miller has a point. If someone doesn't "get" blogs, then there's really no point in trying to convince them over their validity or entertainment value. It's taken me awhile myself to understand the difference between an opinion, and something that is just "mean spirited" as Jon says, but I can understand how maddening it can get listening to certain people. Especially Dr. Joe Morgan.

Jon Miller on 300 Wins, Spanish Accents and FJM (The Sporting Blog)