ESPNs

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says Knicks missed out on Tyrese Haliburton

By Jaime E. Love 2 weeks ago

Boisterous ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is blasting his beloved New York Knicks for passing on Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Smith made his opinion very clear during Wednesday’s episode of “SportsCenter with Stephen A. Smith.” Smith said the Knicks should have drafted Haliburton with the No. 8 pick instead of Obi Toppin, and did so in trademark Stephen A-style during a segment entitled “Oh, No You Didn’t!”

“Rookie Tyrese Haliburton, who the New York Knicks should have drafted instead of Obi Toppin, dropping 15 points in the fourth quarter last night, hitting a late-game dagger to help win the game for the Sacramento Kings,” Smith said, referring to a recent win over the Chicago Bulls. “That’s Tyrese Haliburton. This brother can ball. Shooting about 50 percent from 3-point range. The brother is special. That’s who the New York

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ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt tests positive for COVID-19, will miss next few ‘SportsCenter’ episodes [Video]

By Jaime E. Love 1 month ago

Popular ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt will be sidelined for the next few midnight episodes of “SportsCenter” after testing positive for COVID-19, he revealed through Twitter on Thursday.

Van Pelt disclosed that while he feels fine, he has lost his senses of smell and taste, which first prompted him to get tested. It’s unclear how long Van Pelt will be out.

Van Pelt joins a list of ESPN personalities including Matthew Berry, Doris Burke, Todd McShay and Dan Dakich to test positive for the virus. He later added that his dog

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Fort Hays State gets shout-out from ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt

By Jaime E. Love 2 months ago

Proof that Fort Hays State doesn’t get mentioned all that often on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” could be seen Tuesday on the scroll as Scott Van Pelt narrated the highlights to the Tigers’ 81-68 win over K-State.

“Fort Hays State is a Div. II school.”

That was helpful information for many viewers who may have wondered about the school that pulled the stunning upset.

The scroll also said Fort Hays State had a 0-3 record. Those losses have come against MIAA foes Washburn, Emporia State and Nebraska-Kearney.

The Tigers won despite head coach Mark Johnson and associate head coach Jeremy Brown not being on the bench because of COVID-19 concerns. Assistant coach Todd Johnston took over in their place, and got to take part in the postgame celebration in the locker room:

While discussing the Tigers’ victory, Van Pelt noted the “Icelandic basketball stylings” of forward Bjarni Jonsson, who

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Chicago Bears QB Nick Foles says he didn’t criticize Matt Nagy’s play-calling after ESPN’s Brian Griese ignites questions. But Foles and Nagy have plenty to iron out this week.

By Jaime E. Love 3 months ago

Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles had a lot to answer for about his play on the field after the Los Angeles Rams’ 24-10 victory Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

There was the pass he forced into double coverage on Darnell Mooney that Taylor Rapp intercepted in the end zone in the third quarter. And there was the missed deep shot in the third to Mooney, who had beaten Jalen Ramsey and had 75 yards of open field in front of him.

But Foles also was answering questions late Monday about a conversation off the field he had with ESPN announcer Brian Griese as the broadcast crew prepared for the game. Griese spoke of the conversation late in the fourth quarter, shortly after the Rams pass rush disrupted yet another Foles throw.

“We were talking to Nick Foles yesterday,” Griese said, “and he said: ‘You know, sometimes play calls come

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