The Roundup: Swapping His Wife for NBA Finals Tix
Boxing, Golf, Jason Whitlock, NFL, Olympics, Politics, Soccer, Television June 12th. 2008, 8:00am
Marko Jaric of the T-Wolves got all highbrow and took Adriana Lima to the Lincoln Center in NYC, presumably for some Opera … another photo after the jump … so Red Wings fans live in Pittsburgh? … good take on the use of anonymous sources in journalism … blogger sneaks into Belmont press area without a press pass … say it ain’t so: Vida Guerra and this douche? … do granite counters mask our emptiness? … does Fox News even know what baby mama means? …
A weirdo on Craigslist is offering his wife up for NBA Finals tickets. (Lion in Oil)
Kobe’s response to Curt Schilling: Go Yankees. Oddly, though, he doesn’t dispute any of it. (Sox and Dawgs)
Foreman to Merryweather: Stop wasting money. (All Day)
How about an Obama/Bill Bradley ticket? (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
Brace yourself for Wayne Rooney’s marriage this weekend. (Kickette)
That LeCharles Bentley signing by Cleveland never really worked out. (Cursed Cleveland)
Bill Curry’s leaving ESPN to take over a football program at Georgia State. (AJC)
JD Drew’s finally living up to the Buzz Bissinger “Mickey Mantle” hype. (Bottomless Chips)
The pairing of Tiger and Phil will be a logistical nightmare. (Hungry Journalist)
We’ve never seen the show Mad Men, but here’s how it relates to the NFL. (Fox Sports)
Whitlock wonders why ESPN isn’t doing more to look into this Donaghy mess. (KC Star)
Can you imagine if a US president ripped the national soccer team? Happened in Peru. (Beautiful Game)
Olympics, shoes and rice. (NYT)
106 Responses to “The Roundup: Swapping His Wife for NBA Finals Tix”
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June 12th, 2008 at 8:07 am
i bet Vida Guerra has seen his human torch…
June 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
How could you not like Chris Evans from “not another teen movie”..
June 12th, 2008 at 8:14 am
@Guiness- Baby’s got back – hunch that is.
Bombs away.
No not her.
She’s got paint on her overalls!
Who does that?
/seen that movie a lot
June 12th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Having a hard time hating Kobe over the Schilling comments. MJ was from the looks of it, worse. And I don’t think there was any hate for him.
Whitlock is just telling us what we already know. We don’t even have to go back to 2002 or 2006 to see it. We only have to look at this years playoffs to see it. Basketball officiating isn’t as subjective or difficult as the analysts or NBA would like us to believe. There are a set of rules, they are actually written down in black and white. It’s not like there’s a force out rule or tuck rule. Most of the rules apply the logic: if contact alters the shot or player it’s a foul. All this contact and banging in the paint was never ever meant to be a part of the game.
The game was meant to showcase shooting a ball in a basket. That’s it. All this leaning on players, hand checking and haq-a-shaq was never ever supposed to be part of the game. You can actually play defense without touching the other player. It just means that score will be up. In the end higher score bring in more fans, higher ratings and more money.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:16 am
oh yeah, fuck all those floppers…
GO MAGIC!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
In order to believe the games are influenced all you have to do is look at Game 3. As soon as Game 2 ended we all knew the Lakers would win Game 3 and shoot more free throws than the Celtics. Same thing tonight.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Great Howard Stern stuff happening now … one of the chicks from the bowling league is all about Artie … she has a boyfriend, but she said she’s interested in Artie, and he just happens to be going on Letterman tonight, so he’s got all this hilarious material on why she should come and hang with him and not Gange (a guy who works on the Stern show)
June 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
not getting the hate on Chris Evans. Other than staring at Jessica Alba for a couple hours, he was the only redeemable thing in Fantastic 4.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:22 am
CRM, my favorite part of that was of course Molly Ringwald…
June 12th, 2008 at 8:25 am
i believe he used to date Jessica Biel. Reason enough for me.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Clown likes to freak people out with his avatar.
RexKramer runs the McIntyre photoshop bit into the ground.
Kornheiser is a self-deprecating “yodeller”.
Nick P. is an over-the-top racist.TBL posts shitty Roundup pics, with these being inexplicably dominated by some dude.
We get it. It’s all schtick…
June 12th, 2008 at 8:29 am
i will click on the Whitlock link later, but I would suspect it is because ESPN is in bed with the exclusive NBA tv rights. as opposed to baseball, which they will go after without remorse.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Loved this line from Whitlock:
I’ve never beat on ESPN for how they cover sports becasue, in all honesty, I have enjoyed a lot of their programming: Sportscenter, ESPNRadio, PTI, etc. Lately, I have started to notice all of the circumstantial evidence piling up concerning their favoritism towards leagues that have contracts with/make them the most money.
I don’t know that it’ll actually change any sports viewing habits for me, but I will be increasingly annoyed by their analysis.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:31 am
^^ probably didn’t make any sense whatsoever
June 12th, 2008 at 8:33 am
@mizerle06 – That made perfect sense. Its just that most people said that 5-10 years ago.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Rex likes to bang cougars.
/schtick continued
June 12th, 2008 at 8:34 am
@CRM: I’m a slow listener
June 12th, 2008 at 8:35 am
mizerle06 – It’s not like any of us stopped watching. We just started blogs and bitched a lot more.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I don’t know that it’ll actually change any sports viewing habits for me, but I will be increasingly annoyed by their analysis.
I try not to watch too much of the analysis part of the Sports Center. I am more of a ESPN News viewer. Get to see more highlights, more live interviews with the actual participants. I still checkout PTI, because Wilbon and Kornheiser aren’t dopes.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:36 am
damn rexdragonfucker. not even 9 and you are talking out of your ass
great article by Whitlock
June 12th, 2008 at 8:36 am
So does that mean I have to start a blog now? Or can I just start bitching here more?
June 12th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Not another teen movie is one of the greatest movies EVER
June 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Whatever is easier for you.
@Conultant2DangerSeeker – You’re nobody until you have a schtik. That’s why Chris Berman is the biggest name in sports casting.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
bitch away
June 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
On a side note, great news for spencer
June 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
JD Drew only plays well during leap years, or at least every 4 years.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Buddy, are you backed up? Take a load off, sit back, and relax. Life is good. Solid posts coming all day.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Whitlock:
before i read the column — and i am looking forward to it as usual — to confuse bspn with journalism is like confusing marvel comics with the kansas city star. bspn is in bed with the nba. they are not going to bite the hand that feeds them (i.e. playmakers; i.e. usc football/bush; i.e. ron mexico). the disney mice will see to it that nothing more than lip service is paid to investigating this.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Mizerle, I can’t believe you used the term “lately”. One need only look to the abrupt end of the 11 episode Playmakers run back in ‘03 to find something the complete opposite of circumstantial.
That BS with the NFL sycophants, the death of Sportscenter, coupled with the rise of really bad ESPN Radio, and the abject, rose-colored glasses pimping of the sports they are contractually beholden to and the idea of circumstantial is replaced by evidence that even OJ couldn’t beat in court. Just look at what Sportscenter does with sports they no longer are in bed with. A brief mention later in the rundown.
Where is Arlen Specter whe we need him? (I kid. maybekindasorta)
/rack me.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:42 am
forget JD Drew. Fantasy team killer.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:42 am
RexReedBlogCommenter isn’t backed up, he chatted up sportsgal yesterday. He can barely type right now.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:43 am
damnit! stern’s best stuff happens after 8 a.m.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Even TBL makes fun of sexyRexy for being so old. That’s hilarious!
June 12th, 2008 at 8:45 am
All great points by everybody so far. CRM, you were much more succinct than I.
TBL, I kid. Every once and I while you have to throw Guiness and Sportsgal a roundup bone (of sorts). Oh, and I’m up before noon, which is freakin’ me out.
Irish, you’re right. Clown’s avatar isn’t schtick. He’s just that disturbing.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
the sooner people realize there is monumental more sports information/journalism out there to read/watch/research than what sportscenter shows the better off we will all be.
the fact people still tune to sportscenter to get well-rounded in-depth sports news demonstrates how well the disney mice have brainwashed america.
honest to god, i haven’t watched a full hour of sportscenter since june 2004.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
That’s not an avatar – it’s a glance into his soul.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
@clown- you going to comment on a post today or peoples comments ?
June 12th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Of course Fox News knows what a baby mama is – they are simply pandering to their audience.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Whitlock’s logic doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. ESPN won’t investigate the NBA because they have a contract with the league, but they’ll go hard after Barry Bonds because they … have a contract with MLB too?
And I remember a certain Mike Vick story being the “lead news” on SC for like a month straight. ESPN has broadcast rights to Monday Night Football, correct?
Sorry Whitlock, not this time.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
irish: both, most likely
June 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
The Best Damn Sports Show agrees…
June 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
@nomo- you know where the site is if you want to leave garbage comments
June 12th, 2008 at 8:51 am
@Mike: see Whitlock quote I highlighted above. ESPN pounds the people that don’t make them a lot of money and picks apart individual athletes participating in sports that do make them a lot of money. In my opinion, you just made Whitlock’s point.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:52 am
@Jimmy
Sports Center started going down for me when the anchors filling the void of Kilborn and Olbermann all tried to be like Kilborn and Olbermann.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I agree MikeNYC, and besides, no one really cares at this point and there is nothing to investigate. None of the refs are going to talk, the NBA has virtually no comment, what exactly does he want them to do? Does he want a 10 minute piece breaking down every foul from that game, thats entertaining. The NBA sometimes influences games, great, tell me something I haven’t known since I was 10.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:52 am
yeah, after virtually every other two-bit sports outlet was covering this did bspn decide to jump on the bandwagon (out of embarrassment?) and then the WWL was all over the subject like a blanket.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:53 am
MikeNYC, those are perfect examples of ESPN not wanting to face the wrath of their Ombudsman. If more comes out of the NBA story, such as massive, competing media coverage, you’ll see the four letter jump on the bandwagon, but probably not until then.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:53 am
so because people won’t talk (for now) the subject should be dropped?
June 12th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I watch ESPN for college football and college basketball season (more so just the actual games for college bball and not the analysis), but otherwise I hardly turn on the channel at all. I like PTI but I’m not home in time to watch it. Their college football stuff is great and always has been, but the rest I could care less about.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:54 am
@MikeNYC
ESPN does not have exlusive rights with MLB like they do with the NBA. MLB has games on TBS, and on Fox, and the LCS and WS are on Fox. 90% of NBA is on ESPN, most notably the Finals.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:55 am
what jimmy said…
irish, wanna split a pot of coffee? your treat.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:55 am
How can Artie not be rolling in poon? I’m starting to think something is seriously wrong with the dude.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:55 am
i never was a craig stillborn fan (but i very much was an olbermann fan) you are pretty much correct. when sportscenter decided to go with schtick over substance is when it began to crumble.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Dan Patrick’s Kilborn impression and anecdotes > Craig Kilborn
June 12th, 2008 at 8:58 am
SportsCenter was way better when Tom Mees was anchoring.
/throwing this nostalgia machine into full gear
June 12th, 2008 at 8:59 am
as much as i rag on bspn for just about everything, i have to be fair: it’s coverage of college football is outstanding. i really don’t know how they can improve on their college football coverage.
you might be able to quibble bspn covets one or two teams in college football but generally those one or two teams are strong and warrant the coverage. i know of no college football show better than college gameday. it’s daily college football show from august through the end of the season is superior.
bspn’s coverage of college basketball is pretty good; not as solid as its college football coverage. does bspn jizz all over duke and north carolina? sure. aside from that, it does a good if not great job.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:00 am
nobody was better than Patrick. no doubt.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am
is the summer heat getting to everyone? can’t recall such a firedup group of commenters before 9 am …
June 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Going back to a previous comment, are there actually any good alternatives in the realm of tv sports news coverage? Makes me long for the days of CNN-SI (unless it never actually existed and was all a dream (see: Duffy, Patrick or Ewing, Bobby). Foxsports blows across all levels with The Best Damn Sports Show and the rest being 20 hours of Top 50 Greatest Competitive Eating Moments. George Michael and his SportsMachine died 18 yrs ago. What’s left?
June 12th, 2008 at 9:03 am
SportsCenter had a chance for another golden age, but they foolishly passed on Ron Burgundy?
June 12th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I wish SportsCenter was more like the weekend sports review on WTAP.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am
maybe less big 10 coverage?
/sec guy
June 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am
whitlock sums it up in one sentence:
June 12th, 2008 at 9:05 am
@Rex – I think it’s obvious…TBL needs to start his own network. He could have those fitness shows on the beach in the wee hours of the night, videos of hot girls running on a constant loop, a 6pm “TBL SportsWorld” show…
June 12th, 2008 at 9:05 am
@clown,
cheers to you for mentioning Mees.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:07 am
cnnsi was great wasn’t it?
sure, there are alternatives but you have to hunt for them a bit.
yahoo sports springs to mind as does on occasion si.com.
i rarely tune to bspn for highlights, not even BSPNews. i either go to league or team websites or league-specific networks (nfl, nhl network) which not only offer significantly more highlights but more well-rounded analysis.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:07 am
TBL, I think everyone’s less funny and more, dare I say, “on topic” because of the roundup pic. Nothing soothes the savage beast like a beauty. Ms. Lima (lingerie shot for you cubicle dwellers), sans the dude.
/that was a craaaazy gaaame of poooooker, i lost it aaaaall
June 12th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Jaric looks like an Acme anvil just landed on his head
June 12th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Why investigate it myself when I can cherry-pick ragging on ESPN for not finding dirt that may not exist
Look, I know we all think Whitlock is the man, but the NY/LA Times are investigating, I’m betting ESPN is, and NO ONE HAS ANYTHING. If there is something to report they will, until then do we really want daily stories of “no comment” and running the same 10 second clips over and over.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am
is the summer heat getting to everyone? can’t recall such a firedup group of commenters before 9 am …
Bill Simmons, Around the Horn, the downfall of SC, the dropping of Playmakers, mention these things in regards to WWL, that will get anyone here fired up.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am
So they pound people that don’t make them money and pick apart individuals that do? Not to be a dick, but that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
They pounded/picked apart Bonds, Clemens, Tejada, Palmeiro, McGwire, Canseco, etc. In other words, some of MLB’s greatest players.
The Kobe Bryant trial.
SpyGate. How the hell did I forget about that one? The debate should really stop here.
Mayo/Reggie Bush. You know ESPN loves them some USC.
Seriously, what am I missing? They interviewed Delaney yesterday, asked “permission” from the NBA to speak w/ Bavetta, and tried tracking down the other ref from that game — what should they be doing right now that they’re not?
June 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am
What just happened?
/snapped out of it Frank the Tank style
June 12th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Jimmy, I guess you’re right. TV, as we knew it just a couple of years ago, is dead. The downfall probably started when “Yes, Dear” was cancelled…
June 12th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Exactly.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:17 am
So it’s official, Mike NYC is Tony Reali. Mystery solved.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:17 am
if i didn’t know better kramer, i’d swear you are norman chad.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:19 am
The Kobe Bryant trial.
they reported on this a lot, but how could you not. one of sports biggest sports stars was on trial for rape. but they actually did a good job of just reporting and introducing us to Roger Coscack.
SpyGate
It doesn’t get as big as it was if not for them going 19 and, oh yeah, 18-1. They reported way too much on it, but nothing damning. Also, they may have MNF, and a Super Bowl on ABC every 4 years. But the golden TV ticket for NFL still belongs to CBS and Fox.
They are just brushing off the Donaghy allegations, just like David Stern is. Yet they were all over Brian McNamee’s claims.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:23 am
SpyGate started after Week 1, Sparty — Week 1.
Because there was nothing “damning” to report? If I remember correctly, the Boston Herald had the really damning part … which turned out to be a flat-out lie.
ESPN pays more for MNF in one year than they probably pay for five years of the NBA. The NFL is their meal ticket.
Not to mention — it’s been TWO days since the Donaghy allegations. Sheesh, I know you crazy libs* love your conspiracy theories, but give it a little time to play out.
* term of endearment, relax.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Actually, I’m really Old Man Smithers from down at the haunted amusement park. Damn you, meddling kids!
June 12th, 2008 at 9:29 am
That’d be the one millionth time the word douche has been used on this here quality sports blog. Pick up your prize at the back door.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Mike NYC = Stat Boy ?
He was asking me yesterday who i thought Reali was on here. So i guess i can pat myself on the back and say i beat Stat Boy on a bet. Take that Anthony Lisa Lipps Reali
June 12th, 2008 at 9:38 am
The brilliant minds on Deadspin’s boards were trying to figure that out as well. I really don’t care. But, I’m pretty sure Mike NYC has posted while ATH and PTI are on the air. Unless they are taped, which I don’t think they are.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I thought it was PurdueMatt
June 12th, 2008 at 9:42 am
@KC- i believe they are taped. I remember reading the Reali interview that TBL had posted last week. Who knows, it would be cool as hell if it is true
June 12th, 2008 at 9:47 am
PurdueMatt is Matt Drudge, dummy.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:47 am
TBL knows who Reali is, but he says we have to click more ads before he tells us.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I heard that it will only take 15000 clicks to pay for the new clutch on the Mazda
June 12th, 2008 at 9:53 am
well it would also make sense if it was Nick P. He is known for his love of stats and Reali is known as Stat Boy.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I heard one of the spinners is frozen so that’s going to be another 873 clicks.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:54 am
@irish: shhhhh
June 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
i don’t really care who MikeNYC is, but both shows are taped in mid- to late-afternoon.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I know Stat Boy. I’ve partied with Stat Boy. And Nick P. is no Stat Boy.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Ha. Yes, I am Stat Boy. I comment on TBL seven hours per day and make sure that at least half the commenters on here can’t stand me.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:06 am
From what I saw yesterday this NBA ref thing was all over Sportscenter and their radio shows. What more are they supposed to be doing?
June 12th, 2008 at 10:19 am
You can bet your ass Fox knew exactly what they were doing with that baby mama remark.
Never heard the Buzz Bissinger Drew-Mantle hype before,but it just makes him even more senile.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:50 am
A lady on Fox News compared Obama doing a dap with his wife to something a terrorist might do. Just as ridiculous as the crap Olbermann spews.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
If anyone has any special phrases, I will work it in Reali style this weekend!
June 12th, 2008 at 11:17 am
StatBoyTony > SportsBoyTony
By the way, Olbermann is running a promo that he topped O’Reilly for the first time. What demo was that in and is this a big deal?
June 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am
cursed, I don’t think breaking out “king kong biscuits” will be appropriate when you’re covering the Parkersberg Pogo Stick Championships
June 12th, 2008 at 11:32 am
@cursed: I nominated “sunt” as Reali’s word for the week. See if you can work that in.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:39 am
whaddya know… can’t comment in the erin andrews post but you can post here.
it’s not the espn producers who are sick of erin andrews, it’s the wordpress gods.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Clown, actually we have a show called “Breakfast and a Vintage Monster Movie.” I think I could actually work that in.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
ESPN is butchering their US Open coverage. They keep going back to the Andy North and Ravech, all the while, they’re missing shots from the Woods and Mickelson. What the hell is going on here?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Bill Curry is leaving ESPN? What will Mike and Mike do when they need him to tell them how to live their lives, or comment on lives issues that have nothing to do with football?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
no kidding.
“mike, we don’t know what to think about this. let’s ask bill curry he would know.”
those two act as if he’s a priest or rabbi or something.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I guess this means that the NBA is to ESPN as Jeff George is to Whitlock. So, the questions are: Who has less credibility, the NBA or Jeff George, and who did the harder ball riding, ESPN for the NBA or Whitlock for Jeff George?