For a guy who frankly does not have a ton of it, there’s been a lot of attention paid to ESPN NFL reporter John Clayton’s hair over the last couple years. He’s been suspected of having a ponytail. He’s been suspected of having a mullet. The “truth,” however, is far more shocking. [The Big Lead]

OK, I get it. So SportsCenter isn’t really a “news” program. They like to do frivolous things on the air every once in a while (once in a while being every day), and the dog days of August present an expected lull in the sports news cycle. So with eight hours worth of SportsCenter to fill each day and nothing newsworthy really going on in the wide world of sports, the folks in Bristol needed to dig pretty deep today to fill air time. And since we know they just love celebrating birthdays, they couldn’t let Kobe’s go by without acknowledgement.

Maybe Urban Meyer is a changed man in some important ways – i.e. not letting his relentless drive to win utterly consume his entire life at the expense of everyone around him. Even if he is, though, know this: he’s the same coach he’s always been. Some proof of that after the jump.

We’re a forgiving sort, us Americans. We love a good redemption story. People overcoming their own mistakes and demons makes us feel like nothing is impossible. It inspires us. And the people who author such personal stories? We love them… but we’d better see them suffer first.

Alright guys, it’s done. Show’s over. Time to go home. Seems like the folks up in Bristol have finally given up.

Watching SportsCenter carrying live coverage of the Jets training camp can get a little plain at times… until Sal Paolantonio drops bombs on us like this. Video after the jump.

What you see at left is a tale of the tape from a very desperate SportsCenter. After the jump, see why I have such complicated feelings about this… and also anchor Kevin Negandhi imitating Chewbacca. Yes, things are slow out there.

Oh man, this is great, actually. I mean, I love Louis C.K. and all, but when everything you hear about masturbation is coming from one source, it’s a little much, you know? ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer’s “Stroke Principles” should be a welcome change. So let’s hear ‘em, Trent.

Matt Millen’s in a tough spot here. Let’s start with that.

Because he went to Penn State and played for both Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky, he finds himself able to offer a kind of insight into this scandal that none of ESPN’s other personalities can offer. He’s a Nittany Lion, through and through, so he’s been trotted out on SportsCenter this morning as their resident Joe Paterno apologist.

On this site, we’ve featured our share of fans trying to catch foul (or otherwise out-of-play) balls at baseball games, and the odd parenting situations it sometimes creates. This may be the oddest… and it even forced an ESPN anchor to apologize on the air.