American sports snobs, rejoice! Details, after the jump.

ESPN security and Indianapolis police had already been warned: keep an eye out for a certain man in his late 20s — we’ll call him Dave — who might try to approach the set of SportsNation. Filming live at Indianapolis’s Pan Am Plaza during the week leading up to last year’s Super Bowl, the show was far away from the confines of ESPN’s Bristol campus.

We get it, 1996 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien. Seeing former ESPNer Michelle Beadle in her new digs is odd. But is it this shocking? [Cosby Sweaters]

Hines Ward has joined NBC Sports as an analyst for Football Night in America and college football games. He’ll also appear on the NBC Sports Network. More, after the jump.

Yesterday, reports emerged that SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle would be leaving ESPN to sign a deal with NBC Universal. Now, more details of the reported deal are trickling out.

Versus never became the national competitor to ESPN that the channel hoped it would be when it rebranded back in 2006. Its parent company is hoping another name change will remedy that.

Tiki Barber stopped in for an afternoon chat on Mike Francesa’s number one rated New York sports talk show. That was his first mistake.

In perhaps the most out-of-nowhere news in the sports world today, legendary NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol stepped down today. Could his resignation mean the Olympics will have a new TV home?

After a nightmare start to the Players Championship, Tiger Woods is withdrawing due to leg injuries. That collective “Oh, shit” you just heard came from a boardroom at NBC headquarters.

The question is – what team might take the bait and bring Tiki Barber aboard? Most bloggers say their teams should stay away…except for one.