Durant: Skip Bayless Doesn't Know Shit About Basketball

Let me state for the record: ESPN analyst Skip Bayless is entertaining and tolerable in small doses. He's the kind of guy you knew growing up - the guy who knew his was smart, and made sure everyone else know that he was the smartest person in the room. His personality rubbed many of his peers the wrong way, and was probably the social pariah for being such a smug, know-it-all prick. He can also be Johnny-on-the-spot on a few topics in sports, like LeBron James choking in big-game moments, on this year's Super Bowl XLVI champs, and on Tiger's psyche being shot to hell. That said, Bayless is a loudmouthed, arrogant douchebag, knows he is a loudmouthed, arrogant douchebag, and gets off on it for the sake of being a Trending Topic on Twitter and for high ratings. One of Bayless's favorite targets has been Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. Almost every single day, Bayless hammers the point home that Westbrook is about "me first", that he's a cancer in the lockerroom, etc. And it looks like Kevin Durant has had just about enough of hearing Skip bash his fellow teammate.

"That guy doesn't know a thing about basketball," Durant said of Bayless before the Thunder faced Memphis on Monday night...I'll stick up for all my guys, especially against a guy that I have never seen at an NBA game before. It just starts to get sickening when you hear somebody talk about your teammate like that almost every day. So I'll stick up for him every single day."

Always nice to see someone tell Bayless to back off.

"The Worldwide Leader In Sports" takes a huge step backward

Remember a while back when the Count said about LeBron James and "The Decision" on ESPN where this was the point of no return for us all, with "King" James and his overblown ego taking out a one hour special to announce whether or not he's staying with the Cavs? Remember when I said that the Count was wrong, that Justin Bieber releasing a concert movie was the tipping point?

Well, we were both wrong.

Monday was the tipping point, the point of no return for our country.

As you've heard by now, the Broncos have traded Tim Tebow to the New York Jets, in attempt to steal headlines from last year's Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The Jets actually held a press conference for a back up quarterback on that day - a feat which has never been done before. I thought that would be the worst of it. But ESPN2's co-host of First Take, Tebow-apologist, and all-around obnoxious sports analyst Skip Bayless managed to go one step further: whilst ESPN was covering the Tebow presser, they actually had a split screen of Skip Tweeting his thoughts and reactions to what was going on!!!!!

We've come to it, folks. Forget the current political and social issues of the day, we ain't comin' back from ESPN letting a egotistical loudmouth do the equivalent of pleasuring himself on national television, especially for a QB that is so inconsistent it makes one wonder just how in God's good name is he getting the kind of national coverage he's getting.

Saturday Sports Thread

Lots of  groovy stuff today and tonight. Yes I said Groovy.


Really rooting for Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl because their fans were great. Really the best visiting team fans I have ever interacted with. But right now Temple is kicking their ass 14-0 and getting ready to score again. Hope Wyoming can turn this around. Uh my TV just shut off on it's own.

Nice prevent defense there by Wyoming to allow a 65 yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the half. 28-7 Temple at half. Wyoming leaving some nice Christmas turds on the field.

37-15 Temple final score. Real disappointed in Wyoming today.  Now it's almost time for Frank's boys to play.

Nebraska sleeps their way through the first 35 minutes before pulling away from Alcorn State 60-46 in the final 5. And...

Congratulations To The Ohio Bobcats and Frank Solich on the schools first ever bowl victory!

Sounds like Carl Froch got skull fucked. Break out the big book of British boxing fans excuses. It's located next to the big book of Mexican boxing fans excuses.

In a game with some of the worst special teams play I have ever seen not to mention some of the worst center play, Louisiana Lafayette defeats San Diego State 32-30 on a last second 50 yard field goal. The kick was originally 55 yards (and would have been good from there) but SDSU was penalized 5 yards for illegal stemming (shouting signals to make the other team jump off) It's almost never called but it was pretty obvious on replay.

So what have we learned? 2 of the 3 bowls played today were down to the wire entertainers. Too few bowls? Pish Posh! We need more of the things!

And is there anybody who still believes either Boise State or TCU belongs in a BCS game? 

Oh yeah the Dallas beat Tampa Bay 31-15. So Romo is a God this week.

A get well soon to Celtic Guard Jeff Green who was found to have an aortic aneurism. Thankfully they found it in the physical and he will have heart surgery but is expected to be 100% next season. Obviously he'll miss this season. Had they not found it in the Physical it would have a tragic disaster.

A tale of two sports radio hosts

A while back, I said that I liked Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle's show on ESPN2, and I still do. But listening to some clips from Cowherd make me realize that I like him less on the radio, after hearing him rip Star Wars geeks and the New York Mets.



I've heard this rant on Star Wars nerds before. Jim Rome did it last year when Dodger stadium did "Star Wars night" at the Revine while the team was in the middle of the Division race.



Cowherd just comes off as a Van Smack wannabe and to be honest, it's a little irritating.

Jim Rome getting manhandeled by Jim Everett

A classic example of what happens when you piss off an athlete one too many times.

Open Thread: Favorite Sports Commentators

When watching baseball or college football, who do we turn to for sports analysis and commentary and who can't we stand? Here are some of my favorites:

Jim Rome - Dad and I have been listening to Rome's radio show before Jim Rome Is Burning on ESPN and before he was syndicated. His swagger is infectious and he's usually spot-on with his takes.

Michelle Beadle and Colin Collinsworth - These two go well with one another on SportsNation. That, and it also helps that Colin's both funny & accurate and Michelle's easy on the eyes.

Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton (local) - Every afternoon, he boasts & brags that the first 15 min. of his radio show are the best 15 min. on sports radio. He delivers on that promise, bringing up everything that's going on in the world of sports for the listeners to comment on.

Joe Buck - The Count will hate me for this, but he's not all that bad of a commentator. I don't understand all the hate he gets.

Dick Ensburg - He's one of the great veterans of sports announcers. Everyting he does - from football to his new home, calling games for the Padres - you feel like you're listening to someone who's been around the world many times over and has amazing stories to tell.

Who I can't listen to:

Skip Bayless - God, he's so fucking annoying. Everytime when he'n on ESPN 2's 1st and 10, I want to grab some duct tape and wrap it around his fucking mouth.

Scott Van Pelt - The guy's just boring.

Frank Calliendo (sp?) - Its always hit-or-miss with him on Fox NFL Sunday when he's making his picks and spoofing someone at the same time. Ok, its mostly him missing a good part of the time. Bring back Jimmy Kimmel.

EDIT From The Count:

Edit From The Count:
Sadly good sports personalities are a dying breed. Of Jonathan's list I do not agree with Rome or Buck. Buck because of his BS faux morality and the fact he thinks he's better than you and Rome just because he thinks he's better than you. BTW I used to love the rome show until he got political in 2000 and was campaigning for G.W. Bush on his show.

I like Michelle Beadle but not really for sports reasons. As Jonathan said she's easy on the eyes and she's really quite good on the show. She like many of her male colleagues make no secret about the fact that she dreams of someday replacing Deanna Farve but at least she is honest about it.

How does Skip Bayless still have a job? After he wrote a book claiming that Troy Aikman was gay? Who is Bayless blowing in Bristol to stay employed? You can add almost every sports writer on Around The Horn to my can't stand list except maybe Bob Ryan and Jackie McMullen. McMullen for sure is not on my hate list. Great sports writer.

As for announcers. I grew up with Howard Cosell on Monday Night football and I loved the guy. Most people did though they wouldn't admit it. In fact most people claimed to hate him. Yet why has MNF never had anywhere close to the same ratings since he left? The guy was opinionated but more often than not he was right.

There are also legends like Dick Stockton and as Jonathan mentioned Dick Enberg who are reaching the end of their careers.

For College Football To me the best announcer is ABC's Brad Nessler. CBS's Vern Lunquist use to be really good but his time has past. Sean McDounugh sp? is another solid guy for College Football.

Speaking of needing to retire there is no sadder tale than that of Ron Franklin. That guy was one of, if not the best play by play guys ever he was always better than the more celebrated Kieth Jackson. Now he's just pathetic. All he does is bitch about games being too long about being awake and yell for players to be thrown out of games. He also misses a ton of calls and doesn't seem to do any homework anymore.

Pat Summerall who used to be a part of what many considered to be the best NFL announce team of all time in Summerall and Madden only works one game a year Now the Cotton Bowl in his home town of Dallas. But he too struggles now even in limited duty.

Brent Musburger has his fans, lots of them in fact, but I think he is one of the absolute worst announcers ever. And the further the game goes and the drunker he gets the worse he gets. "Big Game Brent" is awful.

There are 2 Mike Terico's. The one who doesn't have a rooting interest is pretty solid. The one who calls games involving Michigan teams is pathetic. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM for his call of the 2005 Alamo Bowl. A professional network announcer openly rooting for Michigan and actually crying on air when Michigan lost.

Play by Play guys pretty much all suck! ok there are a few decent ones. In College Todd Blackledge, Gary Danielson (sometimes) Matt Millen (yes he really is a pretty good on tv) in the NFL Troy Aikman is surprisingly good and I don't mind Chris Colinsworth as much as many do.

College Basketball and NBA announcers are really bad. Many in College basketball like Dick Vitale and even Bill Raftery to some extent are more about themselves then they are about Basketball and are just horrid. Vitale especially BABY!

NBA is just full of testicle lickers. Last night ABC's crew of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson better know as the Kobe Bryant Ball Washing Committee spent 10 minutes ripping Derick Fisher for a foul that cost the Lakers the game against Portland before Breen FINALLY pointed out Kobe committed the foul. Then they went back to bashing Fisher for Kobe's fuck up. The Best NBA guy maybe Dr. Jack Ramsey on the radio for ESPN. I miss Bill (Horrrrrrrrrrrrrrible) Walton on tv. He was the Cosell of his time.

That brings me to the worst announcer currently on TV and this guy is absolutely loved. Gus Johnson

Enthusiasm is one thing screaming the entire game is another. Making matters worse is now that Johnson has hit the big time for his screaming style he screams even more. A typical Gus Johnson call will often sound like this:

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD HE JUST BURIED A 3 WITH 2 SECONDS LEFT OH MY GOD OH MY GOD THAT BRINGS GONZAGA'S LEAD TO 87-49

As for local guys we use to have Jim Rose on football and Randy Lee on Basketball. Rose was Godawful. I mean one of the worst announcers ever and he was mocked statewide for his incompetence.




He kept his job by constantly pimping for his boss AD Steve Pederson. When Pedey was fired Rose had a nervous breakdown (Not making this up) and was replaced with the very solid Greg Sharpe who still has the gig today.

Randy Lee on the other hand was really good so of course they fired him and replaced him with Kent Pavelka who was well know for his play by play here for years in football and basketball and for the most part well loved. But Pavelka too is now making a lot of mistakes (some say he always did) and his play by play guys after to cover for him.