Let's make one thing clear up top: Norby invited me. That would be Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president of production. I have the email right here. Sent from TalentOffice@espn.com at 4:09 p.m. on Aug. 5. Subject line: "2011 'State of the Union' Talent Meeting - Sent on Behalf of Norby Williamson." It reads…

After a bout of questioning from ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson, Deadspin's Tommy Craggs has been released from Bristol headquarters and sent on his way back to New York. Despite having invited Craggs to the company's state-of-the-union event and having given him a temporary employee badge, ESPN was…

In continuation of Deadspin's tradition of extremely close-up coverage of the elephant that is ESPN, we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a series of live transmissions from a reporter stationed at ankle level inside the Worldwide Leader's annual all-company meeting. That's Chris Berman kicking back in …