8:07 PMAdam Schefter on a possible destination for Larry Johnson: "When Larry Johnson left Penn State, the one team he wanted to most play for was the Steelers. If he clears waivers, he'd love Pittsburgh." Wait, is Mike Tomlin qualified enough for L.J.?
7:36 PMFrom this report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, it certainly appears that the NFL will hold league office-enated punishment from the Randy Hanson incident over the head of Raiders Coach Tom Cable unless he gets counseling. As the league should, good move.
7:18 PM AOL's Jeff Fletcher reports tonight, "(Dodgers GM Ned) Colletti, on Joe Torre: "He's expressed a serious interest in coming back (beyond 2010). We'll talk about it and see where it goes." Perhaps Torre anticipating an ownership change? Know something we don't, Joe?
Being a sideline reporter isn’t exactly the hardest job in the world, nor is it really that necessary. I mean, when a player gets injured and then heads to the locker room, they show it on the broadcast. There really is no need to go to Suzy Kolber and ask her for news on it when all she is going to say is “He’s gone back to the locker room for further evaluation.” We know, we saw it.
Still, networks know that a nice way to keep that male demographic they cherish so much watching is by putting some eye candy on the screen. It’s why Erin Andrews is so popular, but at least in Erin’s case she actually knows what she’s talking about. The same cannot be said for Fox sideline reporter Danyelle Sargent. She interviewed new San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary before the game - and before Singletary’s epic undressing of Vernon Davis - and let’s see if you can figure out where she went wrong.
One of the nice parts of being a sports blogger is that you can work from your parent’s basement home, and you can do all your writing in your underwear if you like. It’s great, I’m naked right now.
Other jobs in sports media tend to require a lot of travel, which if you have a family, can be pretty rough on you. One person who’s had enough of all the wandering around the country is Michele Tafoya. Tafoya works for ESPN as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football and the NBA, while doing a weekly gig with Mike Tirico on ESPN Radio. Well, Michelle has decided she’d rather spend more time with her husband and son than interviewing Doc Rivers about his halftime adjustments, which is why she’s dropping her NBA assignment.
Pittsburgh Steelers radio sideline commentator Craig Wolfley found out the hard way that you do not mess with the Canadians when it comes to approved wireless transmission devices. The PITTSBRUGH POST-GAZETTE reports that he was banned from working the sidelines of the Steelers vs. Bills exhibition game in Toronto on Thursday night after official found that his equipment, while FCC-approved, did not meet the presumably much-tougher Canadian broadcasting laws. Either that, or it wasn’t able to be powered via maple syrup and Moosehead, as is required of all electronics in Canada.
Wolfley wound up working the game from the press box, which kind of negates the point of having a “sideline” reporter. I can promise you this wouldn’t have been a problem with the Dudley Do-Right that kicked Wolfley to the bleachers if Erin Andrews would have been working the game. I’m sure they would have found a way to keep her on the sidelines the whole game - after a long, intensive “security” pat-down to make sure that her, ahem, “devices” are fully approved (as seen above).
As the NFL Combine gets into full swing, practices are also starting up for some indoor football squads. And one female sports reporter is getting an in-depth look of the lesser-known leagues - by suiting up with a team.
The COLUMBUS (GA) LEDGER-ENQUIRER has the story on Rachel Baribeau, a reporter for local radio station WEAM 1580, who’s been banging with the big boys out on the practice field. Read more…
ERIN ANDREWS ONLY SCHEDULED FOR ONE BOWL GAME: AWFUL ANNOUNCING has sad news for all you ESPN football viewers this month - sideline siren Erin Andrews will only be covering one bowl game.
In compiling a list of field reporters for the Worldwide Leader’s bounty of bowls broadcast, Erin will only grace us with her gridiron presence at the Alamo Bowl.
So, no more sideline shots of Erin eating a sandwich:
Or painting noses:
Or just standing there in all her glory:
However, there’s good news for all you Rob Stone groupies out there, as the chili-eating, soccer-snuggling stud is scheduled to show up for 4 bowls - the Poinsettia, Emerald, Outback and GMAC.
• STEROID NATION finds stories about Barry Bonds’ personal doctor very interes-Ting.• BIG TEN TAILGATE scans the globe for signs of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Latest stop: Machu Picchu.
