It’s postseason baseball on TBS these days, which means we get to enjoy yet another season of Craig Sager wandering around on our television in his eye-scalding multi-colored horrorcoats, asking athletes and coaches tough questions like “How’s that going out there?” or “Is this game important to you?” But there’s something you probably didn’t know about him: he has a son - also named Craig - on the Georgia football team. As in the SEC. And Spawn of Sager is a little unsettling.

(SAGER SMASH!)

You’re probably wondering why you hadn’t heard of a Craig Sager on such a high-profile program like the Georgia Bulldogs. The SEC was made for celebrities, after all! Turns out, he’s a walk-on and on Georgia’s scout team. He, um… he may not have been very highly recruited, as it turns out.

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• Nothing sums up the NBA All-Star Weekend like the Shaqawockeez.

• Of course, there were other wondrous sights to be seen in Phoenix, such as Snoop Dogg, Japanese reporters, and mascots abducting children.

• The bad economy is even putting the squeeze on Little League Baseball.

• Mike Tomlin was quite the wideout for William & Mary.

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Hey readers! It’s time for another enthralling SbB Clever Caption Contest!

Today, we bare witness to a true All-Star moment, as the ever-fashionable Craig Sager chats it up with Sunday night’s co-MVPs Kobe & Shaq.

What fun stories, anecdotes & legal advice could this happy-go-lucky trio be sharing? Submit your suggestions into the comments section linked below. Winner will be announced in the end-of-the-day recap.

Good luck & good writing!

If the Boston Red Sox were a TV show, they would have been canceled long ago, because everyone would agree that the plot twists have just gotten to zany, too unrealistic, too unbelievable. Basically, they would be the second season of Lost or Heroes (or for you uber-nerds, the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

I mean, you expect me to believe that they came back from seven runs down with seven outs remaining in their season? Please. Next thing you’ll tell me the Smoke Monster is David Ortiz.

But, here it is Friday morning, and I’ll be damned if we aren’t going to have some baseball played this weekend. Rarely has a team taking a 3-2 lead back home for the final two games of a series looked so beaten.  But that’s what happens when you’re the Tampa Bay Rays and you blow a 7-0 lead and a chance to close out the series.

It’s like they had been under hypnosis since Game 2 and had told that they were the Murder’s Row Yankees. Then suddenly someone snapped their fingers in the seventh inning and woke them up, causing them to realize that they were, in fact, the Tampa Bay Rays, and what the hell are they doing seven outs from the World Series?

Now…if you had told Rays manager Joe Maddon before the start of the series that they be up 3-2, needing to win one of two games at home to go to the World Series, I’m sure he would have taken that offer. But watching Craig Sager conduct the interviews/postmortems  in the Rays’ locker room after the game, I have no reason to believe that Tampa Bay has any chance. They looked so shell shocked, it’s going to be a victory just getting on their uniforms on Saturday without putting their jerseys on backwards.

Here’s some other interesting stories from the sports world last night. You’ll excuse me while I try to talk the Fox network executives off of the ledge and convince them it’s safe to come back inside now:

• SPORTS CULTURE is starting its own poll, this time for college cheerleaders. First set of cheerleaders under review is the Oregon Ducks, but I’m confused since all these girls shave their armpits, which I’ve never seen in Oregon.
• Wow, a trap game that’s actually a trap: TCU crushes BYU 32-7, makes the fact that the Cougars’ game against Utah will be shown on a network no one gets a decidedly moot point.
• The TELEGRAPH reports that the French have replaced the checkered flag at the French Grand Prix with a white flag, as financial woes have forced promoters to cancel the race next year.
• AWFUL ANNOUNCING blasts out news that ESPN has hired Avery Johnson as an analyst. I think this will be “a very” nice move. Ha ha ha, see what I did there! Professional blog writer, people..
• The CHICAGO TRIBUNE notes that apparently four games into the season is enough for the Chicago Blackhawks to pull the trigger on Denis Savard as their coach.
• The SACRAMENTO BEE says that David Stern has no interest in busting up the high stakes poker games on team flights. As long as the referees aren’t dealers.
• THE BIG LEAD’S assessment of the new Sports Soup show on Versus? Not so good.
• In case you’ve missed it, FREE DARKO is in the midst of previewing every NBA game this season. Not just some games or the big games. All 1,230 games.
• The LOS ANGELES TIMES wants Lakers fans to get ready for a protracted contract mess involving Andrew Bynum.
• And AOL FANHOUSE says that no, no matter how much you pray, TBS won’t stop airing those FrankTV ads.

• MOUTHPIECE SPORTS sits down with Craig Sager, and the fashionable sideline reporter shares a fun story about Ted Turner changing planes ’cause he was Fonda Jane.

• RANDBALL hears the editor-in-chief of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES’ saying that Jay Mariotti will be missed - but “not personally, of course“.

• BUGS & CRANKS learns that Kenny Rogers is no fan of instant replay in baseball, and the perturbed pitcher blames A-Rod for it’s introduction.

• THE SLANCH REPORT wishes PEOPLE magazine would have chosen a better photo to announce Misty May-Treanor’s appearance on this season’s “Dancing With The Stars“.

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• Some Packers fans feeling burned by Brett decided to hold a Favre-B-Q.

• The Spanish Olympic basketball team poses for a photo mocking Chinese people. Wonder if they apologized by saying, “Me so solly!”

• Bruce Springsteen may be doing the E Street Shuffle all the way to Tampa to perform in this year’s Super Bowl.

• Michael Vick could have post-prison employment waiting for him with Mark Cuban’s startup football league.

• Swimmer Jason Lezak helps Michael Phelps (oh, and the U.S., too) capture another gold medal, all while silencing those French taunters.

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TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager is probably best known for his intriguing fashion choices, but he’s also quite the lover of ladies. I mean, more than you might expect from someone who seems to draw inspiration from Liberace.

Dan Steinberg of the WASHINGTON POST’s SPORTS BOG caught up with Sager in Beijing where he’s working for NBC covering Olympic hoops. Naturally, the conversation turned to the off-court goings-on, particularly the, um, talent:

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You wouldn’t think of Golden State’s Baron Davis to be offended by someone wearing his team’s colors and stopping him for a quick word on his way to the locker room.

Then again, you wouldn’t think Craig Sager had stolen his sideline wardrobe from Shakes The Clown, either. See the outfit and Davis’ awesome reaction after the jump. Read more…

• Spencer Hall of THE SPORTING BLOG snaps a shot of Vols coach Bruce Pearl practicing for his post-coaching job as army recruitment poster model:

• In honor of Bob Knight’s arrival at ESPN, INTENTIONAL FOUL whips out a clip of Comcast Sportsnet’s Michael Jenkins doing his best impression of Bobby behind the desk.

• 100% INJURY RATE wipes down another case of Steve Nash nabbing Craig Sager’s trusty hankie.

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