We'll be moving on to the first round of the Stephen A. Smith region shortly. But first, a few comments
KOBE BRYANT vs. CHAD JOHNSON: Two "me first" players in a team sport. Some people consider Chad Johnson's antics funny; to me, they're too narcissistic. But at least he's worthy on the field of the attention. And so is Kobe. However, with Kobe, ESPN takes it too far. His individual scoring performances are incredible, but the Lakers are irrelevant (in terms of serious title contention) with him as team leader. And I'd rather watch a team that deserves to be shown than be force-fed Laker basketball every other broadcast. Oh yeah, and please ignore his trade demands until his credibility rises back to at least zero. MY VOTE: Bryant
ROGER CLEMENS vs. PACMAN JONES: What can I say about Pacman Jones? We wouldn't even know him if he wasn't always in trouble. And I don't like ESPN exploiting him as the "scary thug of the moment." ESPN's coverage of Pacman to me is intentionally designed to piss off one segment of his audience, while also pissing off the other because the other side got pissed off. And neither side realizes or even cares that ESPN is exploiting them for ad revenue. Clemens, like Kobe, is one of ESPN's many examples of overkill. And stop friggin' indulging him by acting like his every utterance or appearance is golden. And while you're at it, why don't you give some attention to Greg Maddux? It's okay to give a damn every now and then about a baseball player with no connection to Boston or New York in general or the Yankees in particular. MY VOTE: Clemens
BRETT FAVRE vs. TONY PARKER: Favre is Clemens Lite to me. He's an aging legend intent on milking ESPN's Publicity Machine for all it's worth. But Favre's star has faded a bit since that infamous 2006 offseason (with daily updates on his not retiring) and because the Packers are (like the Lakers) irrelevant. But at least Brett Favre doesn't have to date and marry a Desperate Housewife to get his attention. I don't care who's dating who. I don't care who's hot and who's not. I just want sports. Leave the rest of that garbage for "Entertainment Tonight" and "Inside Edition" to sort out. There's a reason why we hated "ESPN Hollywood." MY VOTE: Parker
BRADY QUINN vs. DAISUKE MATSUZAKA: ESPN's coverage of guys like Dice-K and A-Rod make me truly wonder whether Scott Boras also works as an ESPN executive. Because his guys seem to dominate ESPN's baseball coverage lately. But Brady Quinn, in my opinion, has taken ESPN hype to astounding levels. ESPN's coverage of the 2007 NFL Draft went from truly surreal to downright offensive in a matter of hours. You'd think he was the only guy worthy of recognition. Meanwhile, the #1 pick in the draft, a quarterback who KICKED HIS ASS head-to-head, was nowhere to be seen or mentioned. Why? Because he didn't go to Notre Dame? Because he's not pretty? Because he's not a marketer's ultimate fantasy? And just because you say he should go third doesn't mean that NFL scouts and GMs are forced to agree with you. The fact that ESPN (and the media in general) turned him into the story of the draft because he didn't go where they thought he should have gone is one of the most supremely arrogant things I have ever seen in my life. Mel Kiper is not always right, you know. MY VOTE: Quinn
