guys most of this is funny as hell, but it is also wasted energy negative energy, on this 1 i will make an exception, lol i went to sleep last night early and i was laughting for about 15 minutes thinking about this class act poster we have in here names casinoman "the man in the know"
here is a full copy to SHUT-THE-FUKK-UP
A. SHUTTHEFUCKUP
I dig this time of the NBA season. The trading deadline brings both trades and the prospects thereof. In a way, the business of sports is as interesting to me as the action on the field/court/pitch.
This time around, a lot of big names were moved: Webber, Baron, Van Horn, Big Dog, Antoine, etc. It was exciting right down to the last minute. In the next few days, we’ll see these guys sporting new unis and playing with new teammates. Way cool. That first dish from AI to C-Webb will be sweet. (Iverson does occasionally pass the ball, right?) Often, a new set of surroundings inspires athletes to reach a higher level of performance. I’d imagine that may happen with a few of this year’s traded pawns, too, much like what happened with Rasheed Wallace after he was dealt to the Pistons.
But there’s one guy who can put a damper on much of this. And I’m sorry to say he pissed on a bit of the excitement this week as well. If I offered the hint of “ESPN,” many hoops fans would immediately say “Stephen A. Smith.” Yep — you got it.
Google his name and you immediately get mixed reactions from around the ‘Net, which admittedly include some positive ones. Personally, I had enough of him about the second time I saw him on the air, originally on Fox Sports Net. Describing him as cocky is like describing Shaq as being tall: a huge understatement. No surprise the suits at ESPN snatched him up for themselves with his ALL CAPS way of speaking in that exaggerated Philly accent. I guess he thinks that street talk gives him more cred with NBA fans. Whatever.
I’m quite amazed at those who find SAS entertaining, probably the same crowd who stands up and cheers when hockey players fight and NASCAR drivers crash. The actual nuances of sports are lost on those guys. In the same way, I guess the entertainment factor is heightened to that type of TV viewer when a guy like Smith yells and carries on in his cock-of-the-walk style. Why just say what you’re thinking when you can SHOUT and tilt your head in an arrogant manner? Thankfully he’s usually behind a desk of some sort so we don’t have to see him grabbing his crotch when he pontificates.
Smith acts like he was born with his extensive NBA knowledge and you’re just by-God clueless if you don’t see things as he does. I often find myself saying something like “go **** yourself” just as I’m reaching for the remote to turn him off. It’s not that I necessarily disagree with what he’s saying, it’s that he’s so full of **** that it’s impossible to watch and I have to bail out of SportsCenter and come back later. Hell, I flip channels enough as it is.
Which brings me back to the NBA trade deadline coverage. I tuned into the mid-evening SportsCenter last night and heard the breaking news of Webber’s trade to the Sixers. Everything was going just great when all of a sudden here comes Smith and his big-ass head in a split screen analysis segment with SC anchor Suzy Kolber.
Was Sacramento giving up on the season by trading Webber and getting some also-rans in return? Kolber asked. “Of course!” was Smith’s cocky-ass reply.
Of course? The Kings are 14 games over .500 and are certainly headed to the playoffs. They still have Bibby and Miller and Peja and a damn good coach in Rick Adelman, not to mention the deep pockets and kick-ass business sense of the Maloof brothers as owners. The team also played pretty damn good last season when Webber was hurt. “Of course” they’re bailing on the season? Unfortunately, that’s a typical example of SAS bypassing logic for hyperbole. I got the feeling that Kolber probably cringed or rolled her eyes at the extreme BS factor as soon as she was off camera.
Why give a **** about a guy who would likely explode on camera if he were any more full of himself? Because ESPN has him on just about every show they can possibly shoe-horn his big-ass head into. ”SportsCenter,” “NBA Fast Break,” ”NBA 2night,” ”Dream Job,” “Pardon the Interruption” and more that I probably don’t remember just because I avoid watching him like Lara Flynn Boyle avoids The Food Channel. And if that’s not enough, he’s getting his own show on ESPN later this year.
I’d imagine a lot of his “appeal” — not to mention the apparent obsession he enjoys from the Disney suits — stems from the current popularity of what I like to call “argument television.” Put a couple of people on the same show with dissenting viewpoints, toss in a hunk of raw meat in the form of the Issue of the Day in between them and, in the mind of many, you’re on your way to TV ratings gold. And Smith is someone who can definitely throw down the made-for-Argument TV rhetoric and inflame the conversation. He does not merely pour gas on the fire, he crashes into it with a tanker truck. Every time. And that **** gets old.
I saw SAS guest host “PTI” a while back, a show that’s nothing but arguments on sports-related topics. Well, I guess they picked the right guy because he pretty much just yelled for the short time I could stand watching the show, about two minutes of airtime, while barely letting the other co-host get a word in edgewise. Ugh. Absolutely unwatchable. That dude could argue for hours with his own shadow without even realizing no one else is present.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the target audience ESPN is looking for. In fact, it’s safe to say, mine is an age group they prolly couldn’t give two shits about. So the fact that I can’t stand (or figure out) Stephen A. Smith should be no surprise to them or me. But I can’t help but think that someday their style-over-substance, anything-to-increase-revenue set of priorities will finally come crashing down on Smith and the ESPN suits.
At least he’s not an actual game analyst. That would be 2½ hours of TV I’d have to miss. When is hockey coming back, anyway
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arty: 
