You might just know Skip Bayless as the blowhard on ESPN who says outrageous statements just to get attention. (Versus, basically, every other personality on ESPN who does exactly the same thing.) Among his greatest hits are his on-going hatred of LeBron James and his belief that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were boycotting a golf event because it was sponsored by Mercedes.

(ESPNer Bayless reiterated stand on Aikman’s sexual preference)

So you might be surprised - shocked, even - to learn that Bayless used to be more than a talking head seeking out controversy: he used to be a writer seeking out controversy. THE STARTING FIVE has Part One of an exhaustive interview with Bayless about his columns and books, focusing on his expose “Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the’Win or Else’ Dallas Cowboys,” which created a scandal for allegedly “outing” Cowboys QB Troy Aikman. And Bayless isn’t backing down. Sort of.

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• The Florida Panthers are on the prowl for some new Ice Dancers.

• A minor league hockey player scores a hat trick of rude behavior on a flight, and gets a 527,040-minute penalty.

• If the Rays win the World Series, free pizza for the whole wide world!

• A trio of Cubs fans brutally beat a fan of a rival team. This is not a repeat.

• This is the only way people will pay attention to a Pirates game: West Virginia basketball players in the stands fighting with police.

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Law & Order reruns will suffice (for me, anyway) if nothing else is on. So to say that I’m open minded to new shows would be an understatement. However, as for The Closer and Saving Grace - well, TNT beat their ads into my skull too much to even give them a chance.

Unless … what’s that you say, talking box? A gun-slinging version of Barry Switzer might show up as Holly Hunter’s gun-slinging sidekick to save the show from certain cancellation?!?

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Never mind Jessica - not even *Homer* Simpson could have helped Tony Romo’s wrangling Wrigley rendition of the 7th inning stretch.

• Kim Kardashian cut together a “private” calendar for Reggie Bush - and wouldn’t you know it, some of the photos have leaked out to the public!

• Were the Atlanta Hawks secretly loaded up with extra liquor the night before Game 7 vs. the Celtics?

• Think we’ll skip out on the peanuts & Cracker Jack next time we’re out at the ol’ ball game.

• Dog gone! A curious canine gets crushed on a Turkish F1 track.

• John Challis, the high school baseball player fighting terminal cancer, got to meet Mario Lemieux & Ben Roethlisberger at Sunday night’s Penguins game. He even had time to toss a quick zinger at the Pirates.

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Mike Fisher of Scout.com reports that Barry Switzer said last week that Brett Favre’s first move out of the pocket may be to join the Fox NFL studio show.

That’s why FOX included Switzer on its studio show last year, pairing him as a “Grumpy Old Man’’ with long-time friend/nemesis Jimmy Johnson. But Switzer told me on Friday that while the network is still negotiating with him about a role, FOX may replace him on its totem pole with another legendary name.
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