Nadel revisits the whole ordeal in his latest column and doesn't back off from his original attack but concludes,"Obviously, the issue resonated. Why? Because it's interesting, and because it's about more than one columnist's opinion of one television celebrity's comportment."

Comportment. For some reason that sounds marginally erotic. Then again, so does "dishwasher" when plopped in a sentence about EA.

To prove how much the issue resonated, Nadel runs some of the emails (250+ overall) he received. Here are some of the noteworthy ones:

• "Ernie":"Well Mr. Nobody, you have your 15 minutes of fame. Enjoy it. It is pathetic that the highlight of your career is writing about a TV reporter's clothing."

• National sports columnist (a woman): "When you write a column like that, the majority of people will assume that's how all women behave in the locker room, and it just provides ammunition for them to say we shouldn't be there in the first place. I also disagreed with you about Erin's outfit, which was appropriate for TV."

• Dawn Eberle-Hanback, Allendale, N.J.: How would you like it if someone wrote an article about women laughing at your bald head? In short, sir, you have displayed not a whole lot of common sense or intelligence.

• Anonymous: "You are such a LOSER! You really suck or are gay. Or both."

Yep, those are Mike Nadel's readers. I believe that last one was from Jay Mariotti.

Erin, Mike and the Opinionated Masses [Rockford Register]

Today, Mariotti addressed the aftermath of the EA onslaught and came up with "Leave Erin Andrews Alone" as his column crank for the Chicago Sun-Times. Mariotti lights up Nadel and the others who've joined in the "caveman"-like bashing of his colleague in his own charming, woefully out of touch way. (For example: "she's known throughout the sports kingdom as an attractive woman — ``a hottie,'' in the vernacular — especially among Internet stalkers." Mr. Hip!)

Mariotti digs deeper into the problem and suggests that the resentment of Andrews is more pointed because she, LIKE HIM, is employed by ESPN. That also means HE actually knows the woman behind the creeping hemline. :

Full disclosure: I work for ESPN on a daily TV show. But that experience also allows me the perspective to know what Andrews is after. All she wants is the interview, the good sound clip. What do you want her to do, wear a burlap sack? A lot of male sportswriters I know are more insulting in their conflicts-of-interest on their beats. That's a bigger journalistic crime than her wardrobe.

There's an anti-ESPN backlash in my business, which smart people at the network laugh at and ignore. On top of it, more than a few male media people are resentful of women colleagues. Nadel came off as crusty and out of touch. But then, he did get himself some attention.

That means that Mike Nadel will finally get an idea of what it's like to be Erin Andrews. And Jay Mariotti.

Leave Erin Andrews Alone [Chicago Sun-Times]

Andrews also disputed Nadel's claims of her caressing Alfonso Soriano's bicep ( I was looking for the broken bone in his hand!), calling Aramis Ramirez "Rammie" (Wha?) and Lou Piniella's va-va-va-voomism (Happened, but he's, like, my dad...ya know?).

But just when you thought the provincial finger-wagging out of the Midwest's sports media was finished, it turns out some of Milwaukee's finest Brew Crew chroniclers were also rattled by la rush of Erin Andrewsness. Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com said he witnessed Andrews being a little handsy with Brewers players as well during last Wednesday night's game:

As for her "flitting" and "flirting," that was pretty much the same on the Brewers' side. Andrews came on the field while the Brewers were stretching and hugged centerfielder Mike Cameron, who I assumed is one of the few Milwaukee players she has met before, and spoke to a few other players while gathering information for the broadcast. When it comes to getting interviews, attractive women generally have an edge over dumpy men in Dockers pants. That's why it was a bit heartening when Ryan Braun turned down Andrews' request for an interview on the field and told her to ask him later. It was one of those "Welcome to our world" reactions.

Yeesh. Olson did a follow-up story Saturday when he wrangled in FSN Wisconsin's perky-pretty sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek to sound-off on Erin Andrews' professionalism and, of course, that dress.

"I understand that Erin Andrews isn't considered a "journalist" so the same rules that apply to writers and television reporters, do not apply to her. She (and ESPN remote game crews in general) gets better access to players and managers and the story lines Erin follows are often very different from what (Journal Sentinel beat writers) Tom Haudricourt or Anthony Witrado are going to write.

"With that said, I still think reporters should hold themselves to the highest professional standard. I found her dress to be inappropriate for the workplace. Even some Brewers players said that although she's great to look at, the dress wasn't appropriate for the ballpark.

...[A]s for Mike Nadel's column, it was refreshing to see someone hold her accountable instead of ogling her in print. It was obvious by the comments made by Lou Piniella and Cubs players that the outfit and behavior were unacceptable.

"And I know what all the guys out there are going to say, 'Trenni is just being catty because she's jealous.' Trust me when I say I'm not. Erin is a beautiful girl with a body I'd kill for. I know she's hotter than me. But, she'd still be better looking in a professional outfit, not just in glorified lingerie. As a female in the same business, I wish she'd realize how damaging it is to an entire gender when she carries herself in that manner. It sets us all back to a time where female sports reporters were all seen as husband hunters who were only in the business to catch a cheap glance.

For better or worse, this issue isn't going away anytime soon. It will be brought up again. And again. But the next time Erin engages in questionable journalistic-y behavior, it may not result in 1,000-word columns stealthily critiquing her every move while she's doing her job, but it'll be noticed. And it won't just by every shlumpy beat reporter forced to jockey for quotes without the aid of a hard body and an ESPN press pass. It'll be the players. The organization. The security staff. Maybe it won't be a big deal and the next time Erin does an ESPN game she'll be properly pantsuited, de-glamorized and less personable for the sake of "professionalism." But that'll give the impression that ESPN— regardless of Norby's impassioned defense — does think her behavior and wardrobe were, in fact, inappropriate for Wednesday night national baseball game coverage. We'll find out soon enough: Andrews is in Arlington this Wednesday to cover the Yankees/Rangers. Come Thursday morning, the outcome of the game will once again become secondary to how sensibly-attired she is and if somebody caught her asking Josh Hamilton if she could count his tattoos. I wonder: Is this still what she signed up for?

Erin Andrews: My overall reaction is it's really sad [Randball]
Fashioning a Ballpark Debate [OnMilwaukee]
A Female Journalist's Perspective on the Erin Andrews story [OnMilwaukee]