Evidently, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Peter King has other interests outside of polishing Brett Favre’s marbles. He also has time — despite what would appear to be a 40-hour-a-week job (those marbles have a luster you just don’t see from part-time polishing) — to point out that Warren Sapp is a loud-mouthed crank. Ironical.

You see, Sapp, recently retired NFL defensive lineman, will be one of the new faces on “Inside the NFL,” which, after a long run on HBO, will premiere on Showtime this season with a mostly new cast. A cast, by the way, that won’t include King, who appeared on the show for six years.

So what set King off? From MMQB:

Read more…

Dan Patrick & Keith Olbermann - together again, Sundays this fall on NBC!

• Brian Bosworth is back in the news, and it’s for a noble deed indeed.

• Those appearing on Showtime’s new version of “Inside the NFL”, please step forward. Whoa, not so fast, Dan Marino.

• Chipper Jones apparently isn’t well known in “American Idol” circles.

• Lou Holtz’s friendship with the dearly(?) departed Jesse Helms may have cost the coach his Arkansas job.

• Jason Peter’s new book details a football life of drugs, hookers and attempted suicide - which makes for some great summer reading!

Read more…

Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY reports that Dan Marino is out as panelist on Showtime’s new version of “Inside The NFL.”

The new roundtable of the former NFL show will instead feature Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and host James Brown. Read more…

• GOING FIVE HOLE is glad that the Penguins won Monday night, so they can continue with their Sidney Crosby Playoff Beard Watch.

• WITH LEATHER tosses along fun video of an acrobatic throw-in resulting in a face full of soccer ball.

• When it comes to the ladies, Shannon Owens of the ORLANDO SENTINEL wants to know who’s the bigger player - Derek Jeter or Lance Armstrong.

• PRO FOOTBALL TALK changes channels, as former HBO stalwart “Inside The NFL” will soon be showing up on Showtime.

Read more…

HBO today announced that it cancelled our favorite show that people stopped watching back in the late ’80s, “Inside The NFL.” HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg: “Inside the NFL has been a hallmark program for three decades on HBO. It has been a terrific franchise. But the television landscape has changed quite a bit over the last 30 years.”

The show, which has aired for the past 31 years, had many great moments (at least that’s what Mr. Greenburg tells us). But this is our personal favorite, featuring a particularly perturbed Dan Marino.

Of course, the clip would not be of any use to us if it weren’t for the faux fear from Nick Buoniconti. Well played, Mr. Perfectville.