Back Porch FanHouse

HausCast 37: NFL Week 11, Simmons' Twitter Ban and Long, Lost Uga

Ryan Wilson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, College Sports, Sports Media, Podcast, NFL, Twitter

The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.

Hauscast returns this week and Will and Ryan talk about the Browns' perpetual death spiral, the Steelers' record-setting special teams, and how Panthers offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson is actually more detrimental to the team than Jake Delhomme.

The conversation then turns to crazy NFL owners, why ESPN decided to suspend Bill Simmons from Twitter, and the passing of Uga VII.

Talking after the jump.

And while you're at it, give the gift that keeps on giving: Subscribe via iTunes.

HausCast 37: NFL Week 11, Simmons' Twitter Ban and Long, Lost Uga originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Simmons' Twitter Suspended: ESPN Put in Him in Timeout for 2 Weeks

Will Brinson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, Sports Media, Current Events, Twitter

Bill Simmons, ESPN's most popular Twitter personality, once shunned the medium but now clocks in at well over 1,000,000 followers. But it looks like he'll be seeing significantly less Twitter action over the next two weeks: he's had his Tweeting privileges yanked by ESPN for some aggressive remarks he made to ESPN-affiliated radio station WEEI in Boston.

Well, kind of -- he's still apparently allowed to tweet about his book tour, which has only one stop remaining in Las Vegas for early December.

You can still see the offending Tweets here and here, but in case Simmons has banned you from following him too, here's what he said:

Hey WEEI: You were wrong, I did a Boston interview today. With your competition. Rather give them ratings over deceitful scumbags like you.

Additionally, Simmons referred to Dennis and Callahan The Big Show with the Big O and Glenn Ordway (update via the comments and this site) as "washed-up athletes" and "fat" while stating that he heard they were bashing him. TBL was asking rhetorical questions (and combing through Tweets) yesterday, and ESPN's Editor-in-Chief Rob King has since confirmed that Simmons has been punished, via this blog post that he linked to on his personal Twitter account.

We have internal guidelines designed to inform how we discuss the topic of sports media. These guidelines are important us, because they help maintain the credibility with which ESPN operates.

No one knows the guidelines better than Bill Simmons, and he customarily works within these standards. He also understands, as does everyone else at ESPN, that we regard these guidelines as being equally important when participating in social media.

While it's unfortunate - and sometimes painful - that not everyone outside of ESPN chooses to play by such rules, we choose to hold ourselves to higher standards. Regardless of the provocation, Bill's communication regarding WEEI fell short of those standards. So we've taken appropriate measures.

Those measures being the two-week suspension, which is kind of like a parent putting their honor roll kid in timeout for 15 minutes because he called a promiscuous female classmate a "strumpet." Or something. The point wasn't that Simmons was being offensive or even rude, it's that ESPN had to take some kind of action, otherwise they were opening the door for other employees to abuse social media and then having to dole out what might be perceived as unfair punishment.

Bill Simmons' Twitter Suspended: ESPN Put in Him in Timeout for 2 Weeks originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brooke Hundley Uses Facebook to Call Out ESPN

Will Brinson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN

Brooke Hundley, having not spoken outside of Good Morning America since news of her affair with Steve Phillips went public, broke her "media silence" last night. On Facebook of all places.

The former ESPN employee apparently answered friend requests from multiple bloggers in an affirmative fashion and -- perhaps coincidentally -- shortly thereafter launched into a mini-tirade against the World Wide Leader for not returning the personal and work items from her cubicle in Bristol.

Her Facebook status as of Wednesay morning at 10:29 AM ET:

ESPN has decided to take all my work from the season, my 20 yrs old collector's edition SI, all my baseball media guides w/ contacts & my yankees stuff hostage

Hundley added: "it's pretty obvious [ESPN is] just trying to prevent me from getting another job by hiding all the pieces I cut all season and all my contacts in the industry."

This is a pretty aggressive statement, even if it's made by an ex-employee via a social media site. ESPN has declined to comment on the situation.

Sources tell FanHouse, however, that ESPN Human Resources cleared out Hundley's personal items and sent them to her. Whether Hundley received said items is impossible to confirm since the only way to determine that information is through Hundley herself.

In related news: she didn't accept my friend request for comment.

Brooke Hundley Uses Facebook to Call Out ESPN originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Erin Andrews Harassed by Rutgers Fans

Will Brinson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, College Sports

Erin Andrews is a celebrity. And she has been since her sideline-sandwich-eating was made famous by various sports blogs. But then, as everyone knows by now, her fame took a dark turn in the past few months, if I may understate the whole "super-creepy-peephole-stalker" angle.

After that, America collectively (despite the continued evil nature and inherent Lucifer-esque quality of sports blogs) got its act together and decided to stop ogling Andrews in the open. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Rutgers fans that EA is now off-limits -- in the video after the jump, you'll see where some kid in the stands decided that screaming "ERIN!!!!" and "MARRY ME!!!" was the classy thing to do (maybe he thought he was at a Jonas Brothers concert or something).

All potshots at New Jersey aside, it obviously wasn't. Fortunately for Andrews, she got to interview "Lil' Jovi" after the game.

Like I said, classy. Almost as classy as Lil' Jovi giving what appears to be a pretty aggressive symbol to the ESPN camera. But I'm sure that's just a "really popular Jersey/Jovi dance move." Uh-huh. Right.

Erin Andrews Harassed by Rutgers Fans originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Simmons Talks About Porn Star Encounter at LA Book Signing

Ryan Wilson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, NBA

Bill Simmons has gone from humble Boston-area blogger to the voice of ESPN.com in about a decade. And now his second book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, is atop the New York Times bestseller list.

He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week (Simmons briefly left ESPN to write for Kimmel's show) to discuss the book and during the seven minute interview we learned a lot. Like the fact that Simmons used crystal meth, sports a weave, and had a 10-year sexual relationship with his father. At least to hear Kimmel explain it.*

Simmons also talked about an interaction he had with one hardcore fan during his recent Los Angeles book signing. Moving pictures details after the jump.

"She left me DVDs and pictures and one of the DVDs was signed 'Let's get nasty together' for me and my wife. My wife was not excited for the invitation."

And while we're on the topic of being naked for a living, in the second part of the interview Simmmons talked to Kimmel about hashing out all his problems with Isiah Thomas at a topless outdoor hotel bar while Gus Johnson brokered the peace. And, yeah, this took place Vegas.

* pretty sure that was a joke

via HuffPo

Bill Simmons Talks About Porn Star Encounter at LA Book Signing originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brooke Hundley Interview on 'Good Morning America': Her Side of the Story

Ryan Wilson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, MLB

The World Wide Leader fired production assistant Brooke Hundley late last month after news broke that she had an extramarital affair with ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips.

Hundley made her first public appearance Thursday to tell her side of the story. In an interview with Good Morning America, the 22-year-old explained that she wasn't stalking Phillips, and that she didn't mean to intentionally hurt Phillips' wife by sending her a letter detailing the illicit relationship.

Hundley admitted during the interview that, "When not only tabloids were covering [this story] but legitimate news was covering it, when Jay Leno was using my looks as part of his opening monologue, to get a cheap laugh ... a person has their breaking point. That was my breaking point."

You can see the entire GMA interview after the jump.

Related: ESPN Fires Phillips | ESPN Addresses Phillips Affair
Phillips Enters Sex Addiction Rehab

Brooke Hundley Interview on 'Good Morning America': Her Side of the Story originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Legend of Jimmy the Greek: A Great Story, Well Told

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN

I loved Jimmy the Greek. I was 4 or 5 when I became obsessed with football and saw in Jimmy the Greek -- whom I watched each Sunday on The NFL Today -- a fellow obsessive. I was 11 when he was fired in 1988 after a bizarre, rambling television interview in which he assuredly explained that "The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way."

ESPN's new documentary, The Legend of Jimmy the Greek, doesn't dwell on those infamous comments. Instead, the documentary, which debuts Tuesday, offers a full picture of the man, for better or for worse.

The documentary tells us how Jimmy -- who was born Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1919 -- became a gambling success story, picking underdogs, making money, and always being sure to let everyone know just how much big a winner he was. It was a stroke of genius for CBS to hire him to pick football games, even though it was also a controversial decision, as not everyone was ready to come home from church on Sunday morning and hear a gambler -- a gambler once convicted on a felony gambling charge -- offer his picks on the day's games.

The Legend of Jimmy the Greek is at its best when it simply reflects on that great NFL Today pregame show. All three of Jimmy's co-hosts -- Brent Musberger, Irv Cross and Phyllis George -- gave interviews for the documentary, and all three seem to have some affection for him, even as they recall him as a man who so alienated his co-workers that they eventually had to tape his segments separately.

Where the documentary goes wrong is in hiring an actor to narrate the piece as if it's being narrated by Jimmy himself. The intent of the narration is to make us feel like Jimmy himself is a part of the film, but the effect is the exact opposite: We're all too aware that we're hearing someone trying to mimic The Greek's famous voice, and it takes us out of the story.

Fortunately, that misstep isn't enough to sink the film. When we're not hearing the actor's voice, we're hearing from Jimmy's family, friends, colleagues, and many clips of Jimmy himself. We see, of course, that painful moment when he made a fool of himself and got fired for it, but we see much more than that. We see a full picture of a self-made man who achieved huge success and threw it all away. The story of Jimmy the Greek is a great one, and in The Legend of Jimmy the Greek, it's well told.

The Legend of Jimmy the Greek: A Great Story, Well Told originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Tribble, Friend of Len Bias, Works to Rehabilitate His Image

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, TV and Movies

One of the fascinating things about Without Bias, the ESPN documentary about Len Bias that debuts Tuesday night (review here), is the frank, matter-of-fact way that Bias's friend Brian Tribble talks about the night that Bias died. Some people said Tribble killed Bias by providing him with the cocaine that he overdosed on, but Tribble was acquitted when he went on trial for charges relating to Bias's death. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, later, Tribble talks openly about that night.

Tribble did a live chat on ESPN.com Tuesday in which he said he shouldn't be in any way blamed for Bias's death. Tribble's comments included:

You always have to live with being accused of supplying (the) cocaine that killed him. Still to this day, that stigma is attached to me. ...

I felt like it was just (tragic) and I didn't have a lot of time to grieve, because I was going through an attack of not just the justice system, but the media. It was a terrible time to go through in my life. I couldn't imagine what his family was going through.

Several years after Bias died, Tribble was sentenced to 10 years in prison for dealing cocaine, but he now says he's a changed person who has put his drug-related mistakes behind him and gotten a second chance in life. How sad that Len Bias never got that second chance.

Brian Tribble, Friend of Len Bias, Works to Rehabilitate His Image originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Simmons Appears on Colbert Report

Will Brinson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, TV and Movies, Sports Media

Bill Simmons is becoming like Brett Favre in the sense that ESPN is shoving him down our throats.

(Except in Simmons' case, it's for his new book, not for his annual coming-out-of-retirement announcement. Unlike Simmons, however, Favre doesn't block random bloggers from following his Twitter account. Moving on...)

And last night he landed on the Colbert Report to talk about his new 700-page basketball book with the world's favorite "fundit."

What resulted was a pretty fantastic interview, particularly when you consider that Simmons managed to stop Colbert in his Air-Bud-mentioning tracks with an "I've got two pages comparing Teen Wolf to Kobe Bryant" line. You could even tell that Colbert was asking if that was real as they cut away, and he somehow managed to let the interview run long, which almost never happens.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bill Simmons

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Religion

Now, I know that he's doing most of these public appearances simply for book publicity, but having seen Simmons on television roughly 8,432 times in the last week, I'm going to go ahead and refuse to stop stating that ESPN will -- after he gets some post-book-tour rest -- give him his own show on ESPN Boston.

Bill Simmons Appears on Colbert Report originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Limbaugh Calls Goodell 'Total Weasel,' Would Like to Have Beer With McNabb

Ryan Wilson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media, NFL

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was on the Hill Wednesday talking to Congress about "Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries." So, naturally, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) used the forum as an opportunity to grill Goodell about Rush Limbaugh's interest in becoming part owner of the St. Louis Rams.

Video after the jump, but here's all you need to know: After King warmly welcomed the commissioner he got right down to business.

"...Your position on owners have the right image, and I would direct it to your statement on the 13th of October where you said, 'I think it's divisive comments, or they are not what the NFL is all about. I would not want to see those kinds of comments from people who are in responsible positions within the NFL, no, absolutely not.' Now, I take you as a man of your word. But I would point out that you have a couple of owners that have performed lyrics in songs that are far more offensive. In fact, I don't think anything that Rush Limbaugh said was offensive, but with Fergie and with J. Lo, they have, between the two of them, alleged that the CIA are terrorists and liars, they've promoted sexual abuse of women, they've used the N-word, verbal pornography, recreational drug use, et cetera, and they are owners of the Dolphins..."

Goodell, whose father was a U.S. Senator (and a Republican!), is a savvy politician, but he seemed blindsided by the question. He did manage to defend Donovan McNabb's honor against the evils of Limbaugh ("I think Donovan McNabb is an outstanding young man. He's an outstanding quarterback, and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin..."), which prompted Limbaugh to respond on his radio show.

Of course, Goodell's a total weasel. He had no answer about the Dolphins' owners so wouldn't even address the question, and he got on his high horse about how McNabb is a fine player and a fine person and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin, when I (a) never said he was not a fine person; (b) never said he was a bad QB -- just that he was overrated (which no one should deny); and (c) said the MEDIA was obsessed with the color of his skin (which is also undeniable), not that I was.

I respect Donovan McNabb, as I do all the elite athletes qualified to play in the NFL. I'd love to have a beer with him and discuss football. My job on the ESPN pre-game show was to disagree with the panel when I did. The production meeting the day before the show featured two segments on McNabb and the Eagles. The focus of BOTH segments was, "What's wrong with McNabb?" My thought was that not that much was wrong, that the Eagles defense was not getting sufficient credit, and that I thought the media was hyping McNabb for my stated reasons.

Yes, a beer. That would fix everything. Maybe invite Bart Scott and Mathias Kiwanuka, too.

via sportsBYbrooks

Limbaugh Calls Goodell 'Total Weasel,' Would Like to Have Beer With McNabb originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Simmons' Book Can Stop A Bullet

Bruce Ciskie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media

In case you've had your head under a rock the last couple weeks, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons has a new book out. The Book of Basketball is some 700 pages, which makes it quite a large (and expensive) read.

Since this is kind of a big deal for Simmons, he's been all over the place promoting the book. Besides his tour and an bit with Kenny Mayne that Mike Francesa didn't like, Simmons also stopped by ESPN2's SportsNation Wednesday afternoon. It was there that his book was put through a rather, um, unique test.

Not sure how I'd feel if I had to sit on a television show while someone shot a bullet through my book. Then again, if the book was actually thick enough to stop it, perhaps it's something worth shouting to the world.

Bill Simmons' Book Can Stop A Bullet originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The FanHouse Intern on the Bill Simmons Book Tour

Michael Katz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media

WASHINGTON -- No one covers book signings. There is probably a reason for this. But with the second Bill Simmons book tour commencing in Washington on Monday, it seemed like a good enough idea. At the least, 15-year-old, Page 2-gobbling me would be quite delighted.

I called a friend of mine to inform him of my ever-bloggable plan. "You mean like Deadspin did for his first tour?" came the reply. Pause. Google search. Well, then.

Despite this inauspicious start, I buckled up and headed out with another buddy. The Sports Guy was waiting.

As we approached ESPN Zone, a man walked out sporting a green "Believe in Boston" T-Shirt and Sox cap. Yup, we were at the right place. Stepping in, we were met by a wall of people, which funneled into somewhat of a line toward the front. We walked past.

Inside, Simmons was milling around, waiting to cut the ribbon on the Book of Basketball. He typed voraciously on his cell. It was now past the scheduled start time. I cursed my parents for not blessing me with an iPhone. What was he tweeting? Well, apparently this:

Simmons had his game face on. The champ waiting to face down an endless line of adoring fans, armed only with six pens. I counted.

I was sitting with a friend at a table a short distance away, scheming on how to cut the absurd line that continued to swell on the other side of the main floor. This was a Harry Potter opening with Celtics jerseys in lieu of wizard cloaks. I was beginning to doubt that I'd ever meet my once and former sportswriting idol.

Then, I got a text. It was my lady. "Good luck at the book signing! You'll be great!" Inspiration! That'll make for a decent anecdote, I thought. Then I got up, walked over to Simmons, and shook his hand. "I'm Mike Katz, FanHouse intern. Mind if I stick my Flip Cam in your face for a minute?"

This was the wrong question. Now, I'm writing from memory, but what followed was approximately this conversation:

"Can't do any video on the tour, ESPN rules," Simmons said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you don't know who you can trust," he continued. "You seem trustworthy, but still."

"I'm a nice guy," I said. "Look, I wear glasses. Nice guys wear glasses."

"Yeah, just can't be sure. Don't want anything in the wrong hands."

I looked down at my hands. They looked OK to me.

We continued to talk for a few minutes until the Redskins lined up for an onside kick in the waning minutes of the Monday Night Football game. Simmons had the Eagles, and was more interested in his money than he was me. Understandable.

He wished me luck in my career. I walked back to my seat thinking, "Well, I've met Bill Simmons. Now I can die in peace."

But the night was not done. After careful scoping of the premises, and eying of the security guards, my friend and I were able to cut all but twenty or so people in line. Heroic effort.

I paid the $30 for the book (ed. note: JESUS!), and sighed as the man behind the table forked it over.

"It's heavy," I exclaimed.

"Ha ha, I guess it is heaven," he replied. Sure. Same difference.

Soon it was time to get the book signed. I asked Simmons if he could write a doctors' note to my FanHouse bosses, excusing me for not having any video. He chuckled (score!) and obliged.

Michael Katz is a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland and childhood worshiper at the Temple of Simmons. He is also in the running for FanHouse Intern of the Year.

The FanHouse Intern on the Bill Simmons Book Tour originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Simmons' Mansion Makes Mike Francesa Very Unhappy

Ryan Wilson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, Sports Media, Twitter

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons is currently on his book tour (more on that here), but on Monday, he and his Beverly Hills mansion were featured on "Mayne Street."

Kenny Mayne has made a career out of his deadpanned quirkiness. That, along with the fact that Simmons doesn't have much of an acting resume, figured to make for an uncomfortable four or five minutes that included me wincing as Simmons stumbled through his lines while Mayne got all the laughs.

Didn't happen. In fact, Simmons stole the episode. Jenn with two n's, the Doug Christie Clippers jersey, Stacy Keibler calling Mayne "Lenny", business associate Scott -- all hilarious. Well, to everybody but Mike Francesa, who was railing about Simmons' performance on his radio show.

(UPDATE: "Mayne Street" segment, Francesa's comments,and Simmons' response all after the jump.)

Via Hot Clicks' Jimmy Traina's Twitter feed:

Just thinking out loud here, but I'm pretty sure that's not really Simmons' mansion. I thought the 50,000 square feet would be a dead giveaway. Or the two girls in bikinis obsessively offering to make out with each other as Simmons' ordered them to fill up the mud pit and "use the good stuff." Then again, maybe I'm just being naïve.

Whatever, Simmons responded via Twitter:

Or just explain to Francesa that the segment was a joke. You know, because he's a funny blogger.

Bill Simmons' Mansion Makes Mike Francesa Very Unhappy originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Without Bias': Basketball Career Cut Short Still Resonates Today

Michael David Smith — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN

Len Bias has now been dead longer than he was alive, and yet his life and death don't feel like an old story in Without Bias, the documentary that will debut on ESPN on Tuesday. Instead, the story of Bias, who died of a cocaine overdose at age 22 less than 48 hours after being drafted by the Boston Celtics, feels like something that is still unfolding.

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That's largely because the documentary, directed by Kirk Fraser, relies so heavily on contemporary interviews with the people who knew Bias -- including his mother, father and siblings, and the friend, Brian Tribble, who was with Bias the night he died. Without Bias takes a long view of who Len Bias was and how his shocking death changed America.

And make no mistake, it did change the country: Bias's death was used to justify harsh prison sentences for drug users, as bills known as "Len Bias Laws" were passed in Congress and in many state legislatures. Without Bias suggests that the desire to do something to react to Bias's death resulted in bad public policy.

But while Without Bias is a tragedy, it's also a celebration of an athlete whose career, though far too short, was spectacular. The early part of Without Bias focuses on just how great a player Bias was, and if it starts to feel like overkill when Michael Wilbon mentions comparisons of Bias to Michael Jordan, maybe it shouldn't: Wilbon insists, "For those of us who watched Len Bias night after night, it wasn't unbelievable."

It's heartbreaking to see footage from a 1986 event at which sportscaster James Brown handed Bias a player of the year trophy and told him, "We look forward to seeing you in the pros."

But while Bias surely thought he had a long NBA career ahead of him, he also seemed to know that he was living on borrowed time, talking about the need to live each day like it was his last, and to be thankful for his gifts.

"I think I've been really blessed by the Lord," Bias said in an interview shown early in the film. "I just thank him for all the times that I've had."

'Without Bias': Basketball Career Cut Short Still Resonates Today originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Tirico Survives Mosquito Attack

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media, NFL

I'm not a Redskins or Eagles fan, but I watched the Monday Night Football telecast because, like most people, I wanted to see how a guy who was calling bingo games a month ago might do as a play-caller. Turns out, better than you might think. But as ESPN's Ron Jaworski reminded us every 15 seconds: IT'S MORE ABOUT THE EXECUTION THAN THE PLAY CALL.

Duly noted, sir.

Anyway, as Jaws, Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico came on the air to preview the game, I noticed what looked like a fly on Tirico's head. And thanks to Hot Clicks, that was apparently the case.

Video after the jump.

That's some fancy camera work there. More impressive: Tirico's resolve in the face of a lone mosquito attack. On national television, no less. Unlike, a common house fly or a gnat, mosquitos actually bite, and that usually triggers a reflex in the victim to do something about it. That Tirico was able to not slap himself in the head is a testament to his professionalism.

Finally, some good news out of Bristol.

Mike Tirico Survives Mosquito Attack originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former ESPN Analyst Steve Phillips Enters Sex Addiction Rehab

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, MLB

ESPN fired baseball analyst Steve Phillips Sunday after learning of his affair with 22-year-old production assistant Brooke Hundley (who was fired a day later).

Phillips, who had a history of infidelity dating back to his days as the Mets general manager in the late 1990s, has now entered sex addiction rehab treatment facility, according to his agent.

Steve Lefkowitz, who represents Phillips, told the New York Daily News that "This was planned in advance. It has nothing to do with him getting fired. He's trying to save his marriage."

Related: ESPN Fires Steve Phillips | Brooke Hundley Fired
Analysis: Potential Legal Issues for Deadspin?

Lefkowitz continued:

"Obviously, he has a problem and he fell off the wagon," Lefkowitz said. "Even though [Marni Phillips] filed for divorce, they're trying to work it out."

He compared Phillips' condition to that of other celebs who have been treated for sex addiction. "It's the same thing as alcohol addiction," Lefkowitz said.

The past few days have been "very tough," but the axed analyst is determined to get through it, the agent said. "He's trying to get better first."

Phillips' wife filed for divorce Sept. 14, two months after her husband's affair had ended and but not before Hundley revealed intimate details of the relationship in a letter to Marni.

"She just needs peace. She just needs this to go away for her children's sake," a neighbor and old friend of the long-suffering spouse told the Daily News.

Former ESPN Analyst Steve Phillips Enters Sex Addiction Rehab originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brooke Hundley Out at ESPN After Steve Phillips Affair

Ryan Wilson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media, MLB

In less than a week, the news of the Steve Phillips-Brooke Hundley affair broke, ESPN issued a public statement on the matter, and today both Phillips and Hundley no longer work at the World Wide Leader.

Via the Associated Press: "An ESPN spokesman says the production assistant whose affair with Steve Phillips led to the baseball analyst's firing is no longer with the sports network.

Spokesman Mike Soltys said Monday that Brooke Hundley doesn't work at ESPN anymore. He declined to say whether she quit or was fired. Hundley did not immediately return a phone message Monday."

Related: ESPN Fires Phillips | ESPN Addresses Phillips Affair
ESPN/Deadspin Legal Issues

According to her cached LinkedIn.com page, Hundley, a 2008 Ithaca College graduate, interned at HBO, and "Jimmy Kimmel Live", and served as a production assistant for NBC during the 2008 Summer Olympics before landing at ESPN in September, 2008.

Meanwhile, a representative for Phillips announced that the former Mets general manager was entering a treatment facility "to address his personal issues."

Brooke Hundley Out at ESPN After Steve Phillips Affair originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Phillips Fired by ESPN

Ryan Wilson — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:45:00 EST

Filed under: ESPN, Sports Media

On Wednesday word broke that ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips had an affair with 22-year-old production assistant Brooke Hundley. ESPN addressed the allegations later that day, and Phillips took "an extended leave of absence." And Sunday night Phillips is out at the World Wide Leader.

Via ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz's Twitter feed:

More Coverage: ESPN Addresses Phillips Affair
Whitley: Fatal Attraction II | ESPN/Deadspin Legal Issues

"Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN. His ability to be an effective rep of ESPN has been significantly & irreparably damaged."

That didn't take long. Perhaps ESPN truly felt that Phillips' ability to represent the network had been "significantly & irreparably damaged." Or maybe they're making an example of Phillips and sending a clear message to everybody else that such behavior will be addressed swiftly and severely.

Meanwhile, I can't help but think that Phillips might still have a job if Deadspin hadn't gone insane in the membrane on ESPN last Thursday.

Steve Phillips Fired by ESPN originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Promised, Sean Salisbury Files Lawsuit Against Deadspin

Ryan Wilson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:45:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, Sports Media

Sean Salisbury might not be particularly adept at banging out e-mails on an iPhone, but through the misspelled missives and unhinged diatribes he kept his word. This week Salisbury filed a lawsuit against Deadspin for causing him to lose his ESPN job, and later a Dallas radio gig, and damaging his reputation in the process.

Salisbury left ESPN in February 2008, and he was fired from 105.3 The Fan last month.

A few weeks later, Deadspin posted a lengthy e-mail exchange with Salisbury, who vowed legal action: "I just want u to know ur guys lies and carelessness about CBS and espn stories has not only ruined my reputation but has cost me jobs so prepare urself for a lawsuit so big I will own deadpan ..."

And that's exactly what happened. Via the McKinney Courier-Gazette:

Salisbury's attorney, Jeffrey Tillotson of the Dallas law firm Lynn, Tillotson, Pinker & Cox, said in the petition that Deadspin has waged a "long-running smear campaign" against his client since January of 2007. ...

"Unburdened by the truth or any pretense of journalistic standards, Deadspin ignored the facts and instead repeated the malicious lie that Mr. Salisbury 'allegedly' engaged in 'sexting,' which prompting his firing," the petition read. "In the weeks since Mr. Salisbury's departure from The Fan, Deadspin has continued to taunt Mr. Salisbury in emails from Deadspin contributors and has even mockingly asked Mr. Salisbury why he has not filed suit. Deadspin now has its answer."

The Courier-Gazette also reports that "Tommy Craggs, a senior writer for Deadspin, said he could not comment on the lawsuit at this time."

It's been a tough week for Deadspin. A Friday afternoon lawsuit somehow seems fitting.

As Promised, Sean Salisbury Files Lawsuit Against Deadspin originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: ESPN's Kate Lacey Confirms Relationship With David Berson

Will Brinson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, Sports Media, Current Events, Backporch Features

Kate Lacey (or Katie Lacey, according to the post), a Senior VP at ESPN, was one of the names that Deadspin dropped earlier this week when they examined, using reader-submitted rumors, the "sexual depravity" within Bristol. ESPN responded yesterday with a statement calling that examination both "despicable" and "rumor mongering."

Turns out, AJ Daulerio's editorial commentary in this instance was actually spot on: the New York Post confirmed Friday morning in a story titled "2 ESPN Execs Playing Around" that Lacey is indeed in a relationship with co-worker David Berson.

"I'm in an ongoing and known relationship with a peer," Lacey told The Post.

Berson, whom Business Week ranks as the 73rd most powerful man in sports, finalized his divorce from his ex-wife Jane in March, a source said. Lacey and Berson first found romance together two years ago, the source said. A separate ESPN source confirmed Berson and Lacey had been dating for a long time.

Confirmation of the Deadspin rumors serves to do a couple things.

First, while everything that Daulerio published has yet to be confirmed, he was spot-on in his post about Lacey and Berson.

Additionally, and more importantly, Lacey's willingness to admit her inter-office affair removes any possibility that ESPN could file suit for this specific instance (the legal ramifications were, of course, one of the biggest concerns of the entire issue) and also explains why ESPN's comment yesterday contained no denials.

These two issues -- motive and outcome -- are still up in the air. And considering how quickly things are developing in the Phillips Affair turned Media Flame War, this could almost go any direction at this point.

Report: ESPN's Kate Lacey Confirms Relationship With David Berson originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Promised, Sean Salisbury Files Lawsuit Against Deadspin

Report: ESPN's Kate Lacey Confirms Relationship With David Berson