The contenders from today:

I’ll take Reali. Really outdid himself this year. TV show host? Get out!

Goes without saying that nobody topped Woody going as Julia Child last year.

Nailed it my man! (Though a pronounced, disconcerting stoop would’ve be a nice touch.)

Larger photos of today’s costumes after the jump. Read more…

• Some exercising ladies in Utah are working out their chances to make pole dancing … er, “pole fitness” an Olympic sport.

(”London, here we come!“)

• What happens when an LSU student reporter visits the Tigers’ tailgate dressed in Alabama gear? Let’s watch.

• Them’s fightin’ words: Ex-Viking Troy Williamson would like to “duke it out” with current Viking coach Brad Childress.

• A 12-year-old British kid gets his life of hooliganism started early.

Read more…

Chris Mottram of THE SPORTING BLOG watches “Around The Horn” so we don’t have to. Turns my favorite rapper turned porn producer, Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg), appeared on the show this week, perched like a parrot on J.A. Adande’s clavicle.

To open the show, host Tony Reali “muted” a generally incoherent Broadus (granted, it was after he was done talking). Then we found out that apparently dain-bramaged Woody Paige is off the Lithium, as he unloaded a senseless verbal beatdown on recent fire damage victim.

If you’re in line at the DMV, or getting a head start on your taxes, you might enjoy the video (after the jump). Read more…

Interesting photo (with my goofy inset) of Erin Andrews I hadn’t seen before:

(‘Should’ve never told Tebow the interview was uncut and uncensored. Nuts!’)

Nice to see The Grip™ is back! And of course, The Grip™ takes on a whole different meaning depending on the context.

BTW, leave your own caption in the comment thread if you please.

From the I’m-Not-Making-This-Up-Dept.: SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY reports that Stats LLC today unveiled “a joint venture with Naveen Aranha, CEO of India-based Sportz Interactive, to create Stats Middle East.

“The operation will be headquartered in Dubai, and the move continues a marked global expansion for the sports data provider that last year opened a European operation and also has made significant inroads into India, China and Japan.”

STATS Middle East? That no doubt means President Bush is soon to be confirmed as the only man on the planet with a lower save percentage than Joe Borowski.

As you know, we’ve quite the homeless problem here on the westside of Los Angeles.

And then there’s the bums.

Oh man, DEADSPIN’s A.J. Daulerio today has a deconstructive dissertation that unloads on Rick Reilly - much like Rick Majerus after unscrambling Cinemax at the local La Quinta. Read more…

WOODY PAIGE’S LONG SHADOW CASTS PALL OVER BRISTOL: The MARTINSVILLE (IN) REPORTER-TIMES reports some shocking news today: ESPN reporter Dana Jacobson told a group of Indiana University students this week that lack of a makeup artist at ESPN’s Bristol studios is hurting the job she does on ESPN2’s ‘First Take’.

Excerpt: “With the mostly male cast, Jacobson said that as a woman, sometimes it was difficult to get simple things like makeup and her hair done. While the first incarnation of ‘First Take‘ - ‘Cold Pizza’ - was based in New York City, after it was reborn as ‘First Take’ in Connecticut, things changed.”

“In New York, she had her own hair and makeup people. During those two hours, she gained valuable prep time for upcoming interviews and segments on the show.”

We find Jacobsen’s confirmation of a lack of an on-set stylist curious considering the WWL sh**canned Woody Paige from the morning show some time ago (somewhere Woody is snickering into his 11am MT martini).

DOES ESPN HARASSEE HAVE STEPHEN A. IN HER CORNER? Rita Ragone is the makeup artist who recently filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against ESPN employees Woody “Bimbo Brigade” Paige and Jay Crawford.

Come to find out she has her own gorgeously-appointed website, which lists her resume and the “beautiful people” she has worked on. In her “TV Stars” photo section, Paige and Crawford shockingly aren’t shown, but current ESPNer Stephen A. Smith is pictured, right under another “TV Star” of similar stature: “The Great Throwdini“:

Her site also contains excerpts of a new book she is planning on releasing (no, it’s not about harmony in the workplace).Excerpt from her book, which was obviously inspired by working with Woody: “Magic is made every day- it is in a kiss, a look, a kind deed, a baby’s smile. I believe in magic, and all of the beauty it brings- through angelic intervention, miracles, spirituality, love and the beauty they bless us with. I hope my book helps you to embrace the beauty that is YOU!”

Our favorite part of Ragone’s online portfolio is the list of her “Special Talents”, which include “designing ‘comeback looks’ for celebrities whose careers have been compromised and need to re-capture their popularity with the public.”

That description is rather ironic, considering that Woody will probably be in the market rather soon.For the record, we’re longtime professional friends with Jay Crawford, having worked with him at WBNS radio and television in Columbus for several years. We never observed any abusive and/or inappropriate behavior towards women by Crawford at any time. He is one of the more competent and amiable gentlemen we’ve run across in the sports media biz over the years. His immediate, incredulous reaction tells me something may be a little fishy here.

But when it comes to Woody, we’re not so sure - considering his track record.