Aaron Rodgers hates on Skip Bayless

Aaron Rodgers took to his weekly radio show on 540 ESPN Milwaukee to talk about the media member that makes his, and just about everyone else's blood boil.

Skip Bayless.

Rodgers had this to say:

“I just think it just goes to the point that you can’t take a whole lot of what those people say too personally because they’re shock experts on ESPN and NFL Network. A lot of them are just going for the shock value of what they’re saying, as is typified by that guy on ESPN, I don’t want to even say his name. He works for “First Take.”

“All he does is say things that are so ridiculous just for the shock value. So everybody who was saying stuff about our team this offseason about not getting together for workouts, there hasn’t been a lot of talk about that. The different people who said stuff about whatever player they are talking about over the years, I think sometimes people forget about the human element to our story.” “We take stuff personally at times. We get upset if somebody says something real negative about us, but more than that, our families do, our friends do, and they feel like they need to tell you. So, I think that stuff just reminds you that you can’t take yourself too seriously, and you can’t take the pundits too seriously.”

Movers and shakers: Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock calling NFL Network games

NFL Network has begun its string of Thursday night games, and will showcase Tim Tebow and the Broncos battling Mark Sanchez and the Jets tonight. Yuck. What an ugly QB matchup. 

Anyway, the network has decided to change up its broadcast booth, bailing on the Bob Papa, Matt Millen and Joe Theismann experiment. 

Instead, Brad Nessler will be calling the game with the network's own Mike Mayock doing the color commentary. 

Nessler is more famously known for doing college football on ESPN and Mayock as a draft analyst. 

I'm interested to see what the duo will bring to the table. Mayock also is a TV Analyst for NBC on their Notre Dame football broadcasts. I've checked out those games a few times. 

Gotta admit, pleasantly surprised with Mayock in the booth. 

John Fox: Tebow would be "screwed" running a regular offense

As Tim Tebow gets ready to take the field against the New York Jets tonight, in the back of his mind has to be the comments made by his head coach, John Fox, earlier this week. 

Though Tebow has led the abysmal Broncos to three wins thus far in 2011, Fox's lack of faith in his signal caller is becoming more and more evident by the day. 

Fox had this to say about Tebow on Tuesday (via Yahoo! Sports): 

"Do whatever the hell it takes," he laughed. "I mean, what the hell? You don't get points for style in this league. Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense. You know what I mean?

"If we were trying to run a regular offense, he'd be screwed."

I don't disagree with Fox's comments whatsoever. Tebow would, in fact, be screwed if he were running a true NFL offense designed for accurate quarterbacks to spread the ball around the entire field. 

What I have a problem with is Fox publicly criticizing his own starting quarterback, knowing that anything that is said about Tebow instantly becomes news. 

How can Fox possibly act as if he feels Tebow is the right guy now? Even if he doesn't, it's all but in his job description as a head coach to fake it. 

Come on, Fox. Think about it. 

Chris Bosh gets ripped again... and again

Shaquille O'Neal used his new book as a platform to take part in America's favorite hobby: ripping Heat forward Chris Bosh.

Shaq's comments, in a nutshell, echoed many of the same things that have been said about Bosh since his decision to join the Miami Heat.

According to Shaq, Bosh is not an elite player, cares more about numbers than winning and has more undeserved stardom than just about anyone.

Right. Bosh cares only about his numbers, which is why he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, knowing his numbers would plummet (which they did), for the simple reason that winning a championship would be a near guarantee.

Remember, Shaq is the same guy who called Bosh the "Rupaul of big men."

Come on, man.

Bosh shook it off. And somehow, someway, he'll likely be criticized for doing so.

Weighing in on the week that was the Penn State Scandal

Photo courtesy: LA Times

On my radio show Saturday morning, my producer/co-host Joe and I had our first chance to talk about the Penn State child sex abuse scandal on the air.

Plenty is discussed in this opening segment, which can be found below, but above all, I found it astounding that Joe Paterno became so big, that the entire culture surrounding the program became centered around him. It's a toxic culture. And it led to plenty of children's lives being harmed. 

Listen to some of my Penn State thoughts HERE. 

Paterno's front-lawn press conference

Photo courtesy: Cherokee Tribune

Due to the fact that Penn State cancelled Joe Paterno's weekly press conference on Tuesday, the media is yet to formally hear from the PSU legendary head coach.

However, when hundreds of fans gathered outside of his house on Tuesday night, Paterno briefly stepped outside of his front door and addressed the herd of fans and media that had been otherwise limited to images of him peeking out of his window.

Take a look at what Paterno, in the wake of perhaps the biggest story and most disgusting scandal in sports history to recent memory, had to say:

It's so hard to be mad at the guy, because of his demeanor, but the scope of this entire thing is just too great for me to go to a place of compassion for the winningest head coach in Division I college football history.

The facts remain that Paterno had knowledge of his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky molesting, raping and abusing children from 1998 onward, and as recent as last week, Sandusky was on the Penn State campus.

Paterno was an enabler. He enabled a sick man to harm and potentially ruin the lives of a great number of young boys.

And perhaps as disappointing as his lack of action on the matter is the reaction from the Penn State fans camped outside of his residence.

Did you ever think that a man who turned a blind eye to a child sex offender would walk out of his house to hundreds of screaming fans cheering, chanting his name, calling for him to remain their football coach despite reports that he will be forced to step down?

I'm a huge football fan myself. But this is not a football issue. This is a morality issue.

Last I checked, the academic standards at Penn State weren't exactly the lowest, but this particular group of college students is down-right stupid.

Should they be blamed? Paterno has been the coach of their university more than twice as long as many of them have been alive. Many are likely born to parents who went to Penn State when Paterno was coaching. Hell, their grandparents may have even been fresh out of high school when Paterno took over.

Regardless, it displays a complete lack of perspective. Shame on them.

And somehow, someway, Paterno can make reference to the Nebraska game on Saturday. As if a football game even matters right now. Unbelievable.

More Penn State reaction from LaVar Arrington

LaVar Arrington was a two-time All-American linebacker at Penn State University, and has spent the majority of his time on air this week reacting to the Jerry Sandusky scandal, both as a guest and as a host. 

Photo courtesy: Sports Illustrated

Arrington now hosts a radio show in Washington D.C., where he played out the majority of his NFL career with the Washington Redskins. 

He is extremely passionate about the subject and reacted to the scandal on his radio show, "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes" on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. 

CLICK HERE to listen to LaVar's response on the situation. 

Matt Millen breaks down on ESPN

In the wake of the aforementioned Jerry Sandusky scandal, Penn State alumni have been making appearances all over the media. None of which are defending their university, as it's simply impossible to do so.

All of them ashamed, heartbroken, angered, disgusted, etc.

ESPN didn't have to go very far to get a former Nittany Lion as their own Matt Millen, more famously known for being one of the worst General Managers the NFL has seen, is now an analyst for the mothership.

Millen played under soon-to-be former Head Coach Joe Paterno, and spoke about the situation on SportsCenter yesterday with Chris McKendry.

As you can see below, he couldn't keep it together. It's tough to go to a place of compassion when you're dealing with the raping of children and a decade-long coverup that ensued, and I give Millen some credit for attacking his fellow Penn Staters.

I found the entire interview (CLICK HERE) to be pretty gripping television. Apparently, "ROBinALASKA" finds it a laughing matter.

The 23-page Grand Jury document on the Jerry Sandusky scandal

Beware, the Grand Jury's findings on the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal will make your stomach churn. 

That being said, the document is a worthwhile read for anybody who has been following this story. Inside are first-hand accounts of multiple incidents with up to nine victims.

They're detailed. They're upsetting. They're further evidence why Penn State needs to clean house right now. 

Click here to read. 

 

Where doing play-by-play for the Lingerie Football League gets interesting...

Alright sports play-by-play buffs. I give you the television call of a Lingerie Football League play in which this curvaceous ball carrier gets exposed to those lucky enough to be in attendance.

"She got her pants pulled down, and she still kept going! Down to the four yardline!" 

You don't get that call too often in the NFL. Nor would you want to. 

Remember when "pantsing" used to be a thing in school? No? Oh, come on! 

Eagles DL Jason Babin condemns NFL rule-makers via Twitter

More gold from the Twitter universe, this time via the account of Philadelphia Eagle's defensive lineman Jason Babin.

Babin, clearly bothered by the $15,000 fine he received for his hit on San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith last Sunday, had this to say early today:

@JasonBabin93Jason Babin 

Attn:Guy at the NFL that decides on who and how much players get fined Stop being a puppet, if you want to protect QB's, get better linemen

Not the worst thing to come out of the Twitter of an NFLer.

Sure, talking poorly of NFL brass will likely not go over well in the league office, but when asked about his Tweet, Babin claimed it to be sarcastic and then elaborated on the issue of players being fined for hits, pointing out its inconsistency. 

"Oh, I'll call that one 15, I'll call that 40," Babin said, according to the Inquirer. "There's no blueprint, there's no grid system to say 'Okay, this is how it works, let's plug it in'." 

The guy has got a point. The NFL as a league has been so good, so progressive in terms of determining what is right and wrong, changing rules, developing systems, etc. It does seem a bit silly to think that -  while the rules determining what an illegal hit are clear - there is no definitive way to determine dollar amounts to different typed of blows.

Nice job, Babin. He thought it. He tweeted it. He meant it. And he made sense while doing so.

Cromartie stands by Brady comments nine months later

Photo: Huffington Post

Antonio Cromartie made news last January as the Jets and Patriots readied for their AFC Divisional Playoff matchup, calling New England QB Tom Brady an ass-----, and adding "f--- him!"

That of course was in response to Brady's finger pointing at the Jets sideline in their regular season meeting in which the Patriots humiliated the Jets 45-3. 

Now, nine months later, Cromartie was asked if he still stands by those remarks. 

"My feelings are the same," Cromartie said on Wednesday. "I'm not going to change what I said last year about Tom Brady. Do I respect him? Yes. He has three [Super Bowl] rings. But other than that, when we're on the football field I really don't give a damn." 

Noise from Jets camp is a frequent thing, and this week is no different as Santonio Holmes has gotten into his own spitting match with Jets legend Joe Namath as well as taken shots at the Patriots defense. 

But the Patriots being affected by it? That would certainly come as a surprise. Though Tom Brady did not stoop so low as to retaliate with harsh words of his own towards Cromartie, he was bothered enough to call it quits to his press conference (VIDEO HERE) about a minute in. 

"I really don't care what he says," said Brady just prior to walking out. "Thanks guys." 

No, thank you Tom, for showing us that it is, in fact, possible to pull the prototypical ass---- move of walking out of a press conference without coming off as an ass---- at all. 

Seriously, it's like he can just give us a chuckle a smile and be on his merry way, heading home to bang his Giselle. 

Brady is truly golden. 

As for Cromartie, expect him to be a target on Sunday as he so often is, considering he plays opposite of the best cover cornerback in the league in Darelle Revis. 

Cromartie has had his fair share of struggle this year but to make him feel better, we dig up more dirt from his past and give him something to feel good about. 

The Jets and Patriots square off Sunday at 4:15 in Foxborough. With the new bevy of trash talk coming from Jets camp, and considering the organizations are polar opposites, bitter rivals and two likely playoff teams squaring off for AFC East supremacy, it's a can't miss. 

Movers and Shakers: Francona to join Fox playoff booth

A week ago, Terry Francona was still the manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Photo: AP

Now, after calling it quits following an epic September collapse, Francona is already slated to make his broadcasting debut. 

Fox Sports announced yesterday that Francona will replace analyst Tim McCarver in the TV broadcast booth for games one and two of the ALCS. 

McCarver will be able to return for Game Three, but will miss the first two contests of the ALCS while recovering from a minor heart procedure. 

For Francona, it is just two games but is an opportunity for plenty more exposure, not that he needed much added attention after departing from the Sox. 

Francona is expected to return to managing in 2012 but should he decide to take some time off from manning the dugout, broadcasting would seem a perfect fit for him to kill time until the right opportunity presents itself. 

The ALCS will feature the Rangers and the winner of tonight's contest between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. 

I, for one, would love to see the former Red Sox skipper call a Yankee game. Something about that excites me. 

Sports anchor goes gangsta, spews f-bomb on Seattle Gameday

So Seattle Seahawks fans are fired up and Q13FOX's Erin Hawksworth holds nothing back when quoting fans in a chat.

Check out the anchor on the left. If only the clip could carry on a little longer. I got a feeling that guy completely lost it.

And yes, the guy on the right is the Aaron Levine, in case you were wondering. You know, the runner up on ESPN's "Dream Job" show back in 2003.

As is the case with almost every telecast blooper, the awkwardness of knowing what just happened yet trying to hold it together is what makes it great.

Not to mention the fact that Hawksworth failed to recognize the f-word as something she should not read directly from a piece of paper in front of her.

Chris Cooley no holds-barred on Tony Romo

Chris Cooley has at least one thing in common with the majority of Americans: he loves to watch Tony Romo choke.

The Redskins tight end joined the LaVar and Dukes show (LISTEN HERE) in Washington, and talked about the rival Cowboys choking away a 24-point second half lead to lose to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

He pulled no punches.

"It's so good," said Cooley of Romo's choke-job. "I was watching the scoreboard in St. Louis and I didn't see that they'd lost really until the end, I thought they blew them out so I kind of stopped paying attention. It's amazing, amazing to watch him choke like that."

Ouch. I mean, America's new favorite hobby is to revel in the failures of the Dallas Cowboys, but Cooley takes it to a whole new level. He wasn't done yet.

Via the Washington post:

"I'm just saying, if I'm up 24 points in the third quarter, If I'm the head coach I feel like I can probably just take a knee the rest of the game, punt it away and there's no way Detroit's gonna drive on you that many times," Cooley continued.
"It's hilarious to watch him throw pick sixes too, back-to-back. I loved it but it wouldn't be as good as my cage fight." 

Wait, what? Cage fight? That's right, Cooley was asked to speculate about what would happen if he and Tony Romo entered the octagon for a good old fashioned death match.

"I would probably try to incorporate my wrestling ability, like when I was in high school. Obviously it's been a while but I didn't like to beat people fast," Cooley explained. "I like to embarrass them a little bit. Like take a 24-point lead, and then just play with them a little bit."

ZING!

Cooley is on fire. My God, talk about kicking a guy when he is down.

On behalf of all of America, we appreciate your honesty Chris Cooley. It's quite refreshing.

That's got to be the best thing to come out of Washington since.... well.... since Cooley was forced to get psychiatric help for exposing himself on the Internet?

Come to think of it, does Cooley have any right to be saying these things?

Ehh, who cares. Awesome nonetheless.

Brett Favre surprised it took Aaron Rodgers so long to win Super Bowl

Brett Favre is in the elite company of athletes who can say absolutely anything and have it become news.

Photo: Getty Images

So naturally, on the week the Packers ready to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, Favre went on 790 The Zone in Atlanta (LISTEN HERE) and, whoa-la, news was made. 

Favre was asked what he was thinking when watching current Packers QB Aaron Rodgers lead Green Bay to a Super Bowl last year.

"I'm going to be honest, I was not surprised. The biggest surprise to me would be that he didn't do it sooner," Favre said.

Que the media - which is rapidly falling in love with Rodgers - backlash.

"Sooner? What, his third year as a starter wasn't soon enough?! Damn you Favre, you bitter old man!"

Wait, wait, wait. Context.

Thanks to the fine people at Sports Radio Interviews, I am not so ready to slam Favre for his slight at my man crush because when reading the entire transcript I realize it was much more a compliment to both Rodgers and the Packers as a whole.

Favre's tone was far from malicious, and the focal point of his response was actually more of an "I told you so" about the fact that he was not crazy when he told the media two years ago that the Packers had the most talent he had ever seen.

That talent is a credit to Ted Thompson, the Packers General Manager who made the decision to go in the direction of Rodgers as opposed to waiting around for Favre.

Also, some comments made by Favre that are lost by many who are looking for an excuse to jump all over him include:

"[Aaron] watched, he learned and when he got a chance to play he brought in his ability, which obviously is very good otherwise they wouldn't have drafted him in the first round."

"[Aaron's] got tremendous talent, he's very bright, and he got a chance to watch and see successful teams do it right."

Things will likely always be a bit off kilter between Favre and Rodgers. However, after listening to Favre talk about his retirement, admit that he should have hung it up two years earlier, and compliment the current state of the Packers, "the 'ole gunslinger" seems quite at peace with his retirement.

A collective sigh of relief. All is well in Titletown. Sleep easy, cheeseheads, for soon Favre will have his number retired and the ugly divorce will be a thing of the past.

Hank Williams Jr. gets the boot for comparing Obama to Hitler

To nobody's disappointment, Hank Williams Jr. will not be on ESPN's Monday Night Football open tonight asking the age old question "are you ready for some football?" 

In fact, he may not be on Monday Night Football at all in the future, due to his comparison of President Obama to Hitler (via CBS Sports). 

His ill-advised comments were made on "Fox and Friends" and were enough to convince ESPN to drop him for, at the very least, tonight's game between the Colts and Buccaneers. 

When talking about his displeasure with House Majority Leader John Boehner playing golf with Obama, Williams said:

 "Come on, come on, that would be like Hitler playing golf with [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. In the shape this country is in?" 

He elaborated by calling Obama and Joe Biden "the enemy" and referring to them as the "Three Stooges." That's right, the two of them are the three stooges.

Sayonara, HWJ!

Brett Favre makes broadcast debut

Future NFL Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre made his football broadcasting debut this past weekend as part of the Rice vs. Southern Mississippi CSS TV broadcast. 

Favre, who played for Southern Mississippi from 1987 to 1990, did not commit to a career in broadcasting but said he wanted to "check out the view from the pressbox."

I never really pegged Favre as the type to get involved in sports broadcasting and in this small sample size, I would say that he's got some work to do. At the very least, he could work on selling us on the fact that he is excited to be there. 

Regardless, Favre was a hall of fame playing talent which means if he wants to be a part of ESPN's 42-man NFL Countdown crew, he will be. 

By the way, the ridiculously overstaffed NFL Countdown pales in comparison to the best Sunday morning NFL pre-game show there is: NFL Matchup. 

Matchup happens to air on the same network, unbeknownst to all because it airs at seven in the freakin' morning. 

Gotta' love ESPN. Burying one of their few really good, insightful shows with probably their two best analysts Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski. 

Dan Shaughnessy eats his words, curses Sox Nation

So in typical Red Sox fan fashion, the fact that Boston lost 20 of its 27 games in September, blew a lead to the Orioles in the ninth, only to watch Evan Longoria slug the Rays into the post-season minutes later is being blamed on Bill Buckner.

It's a curse. It has to be. No way the $160 million plus payroll could have bought a team that won't even compete in the post-season. Can it?

Damn Bill Buckner, appearing on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm in early September, sending the Sox into a tailspin.

Sadly, there are those who truly believe that Buckner making a television appearance did impact the club.

I call BS. Mainly because that was an incredible episode in what was a hilarious season of Curb.

Instead, I point the finger at Dan Shaughnessy.

Minutes before the Rays walk-off to win the American League wild-card, Shaughnessy said that the Rays would not win the American League wild-card.....

All sports media members eat it every now and then, but Shaughnessy's unfortunate prognostication yielded another curse.

Damn him. It's all his fault.

Miami's Wade weighs in on lockout, charity hoops

Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat's "Big Three" will be playing basketball in Miami come October...

... For charity. The NBA lockout remains a mystery to most and in the meantime, Wade, along with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and a bevy of other NBA superstars, plan to play a game Oct. 8 at FIU. 

Wade joined Boomer and Carton  on WFAN in New York to talk about the lockout, playing for charity and more. 

The Marlins are a joke and their President is laughing

Marlins President Larry Beinfest joined Jorge Sedano this morning on 790 The Ticket in Miami to talk about the recent happening with the debacle that is the soon-to-be Miami Marlins.

Photo: MLB.com

Beinfest did not shy away from joking about the team's recent issues including the fact that their former closer "Leo Nunez" is not in fact Leo Nunez but an illegal immigrant who forged documents and an identity in order to pitch in the United States, that their 80-year old manager is retiring and the fact that they are a baseball team that is not good at baseball:

"Just another quiet Tuesday morning here for the Fish, nothing really going on. Hah. Hah. Our closer is sitting at home, our manager is retiring, rumors are swirling all over the place, we can't win a game and to stick it to us one last time, another rain delay last night. Other than that, pretty quiet"

Sedano asked him about the recent rumor - though it seems more like a foregone conclusion now - that Ozzie Guillen would become the Marlins next manager: 

"We're working through the process. We've already started that process in terms of evaluating and talking to candidates. I think it's fair to say that Ozzie, now that he is free to be spoken to, is someone of strong interest to us and I'm sure that he will be put in that [interview] process as well."

Evan Cohen goes national

A bit of congratulations are in order for ESPN760's Evan Cohen as he is moving and shaking this sports radio season.

Cohen, the afternoon drive (4-6 p.m.) host of ESPN760, has taken a position as the morning host (6-10 a.m.) at Sirius/XM's Mad Dog Radio.

Sirius/XM is based out of New York City, however, in taking on this new opportunity, Cohen will remain as the 4-6 p.m. host at 760 as well.

Thank God for technology. And for frequent flyer miles.

Whether it be from New York or West Palm Beach, he'll be doing two shows a day, five days a week.

Yikes. That's a lot of work.

For Cohen, it's worth it, seeing as he grew up listening to WFAN, idolizing Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, whom he now works for/with. Not to mention he grew up a Mets fan and his co-host is former Mets General Manager Steve Phillips.

That's just the surface of what is actually a really interesting story about how a childhood dream fell into place.

So those of you who are loyal listeners to Evan's show at 760, you now have the pleasure of paying $12.95 a month to hear him for 20 more hours per week.

I made the investment. Four days in, gotta say it's worth it.

Congrats Evan!

Chad Henne swears he has confidence, playmakers but does anyone believe him?

The situation the Miami Dolphins (0-2) find themselves in is unprecedented. The once loyal fan base has grown completely disinterested due to being subjected to years of football irrelevance and there is close to no confidence in any of the four power positions in a professional football franchise (owner, GM, head coach and QB). Not to mention little job security aside from Stephen Ross.

Photo courtesy of the Palm Beach Post

Chad Henne, however, still has faith that the Dolphins can salvage the 2011 season that seems destined to be a disaster.

"We expect to win and we will in these next couple of weeks," Henne said with Joe Rose on WQAM in Miami. 

Not so fast, Henne. 

The Dolphins are about to embark on a three game road trip and yes, this Sunday's date with the Browns certainly seems winnable but has this team shown anything that makes anyone believe that they can beat the Chargers in San Diego and show up for a prime time contest with the Jets in New York after their bye week?

That would leave them at 1-4 through the first five games and if Greg Cote's sources are correct, they'd also have an interim head coach.

Henne also said the team has "a lot of playmakers, a lot of great players."

Great. Where are they?

Time to show up.

Otherwise Tony Sparano will be unemployed, Henne will be bound to hold a clipboard the rest of his career and GM Jeff Ireland will rejoin his pal Bill Parcells on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown to tell the millions watching exactly how to build a winning NFL franchise.... 20 years ago.