Blogrolling: Economic Worries Can Only Be Destroyed By Dancing MS Paint Bears

Moondog weighs in on something I've been pimping for awhile, i.e., the effect of the economic slowdown on our little sports sandbox. His focus is domestic, but it's kind of intriguing to see everything at once, and he's also done some good research on individual sport attendance numbers and naming rights. (Oh, and if you're wondering about the health of your specific sport's advertising, here's a simple test. If infomercials are shown during the telecast. Instead of, say, liquor and gambling.)

Great in-depth piece as to why the NFL Network sucks. Some of the descriptions of the network are a little over the top -- I've seen enough of their programming to know that they really aren't all that great, if only because when you hire Bryant Gumbel and Deion Sanders, you are not getting the whole hang of this journamalism thing. But if the distribution issue had been dealt with, they'd be just an ordinary thing, rather than an active embarrassment. Anyway, go, pack a lunch, wallow, and if it's behind a registration firewall that you'd rather not deal with, feel good about having lots of free time back in your life. Why not click on some ads, Mr. Free Time Guy?

Major sports go for liquor and gambling ads. Worry about them when you start seeing Shamwow ads, folks.

Nick Underhill wallows in the misery that is the last 20 years of Pirate baseball. It's an important counterpoint for this next week of Steeler Happiness.

Busted Coverage collects 14 priceless moments from Mark Cuban's, well, troublesome relationship with cameras. The fact that the man showed up on "The Simpsons" a few weeks ago more or less proved to me that both entities are permanently over the shark.



And finally, PSAmp.com, your go-to site for Pittsburgh Steelers and Mini Ponies (yes, I'm serious) with this spectacular ode to Yinzer Supremacy. It will take, if not quote your breath, well, *something* away...