I'm going to quote this in full, partly because you really need to read the whole thing to get the warp and woof of his argument, but mostly because it approaches, by the end, something like abstract art. From Reynolds' blog, called "Harold Reynolds Presents":

It's been real interesting in the last couple years as I've watched how the importance of statistics has taken over how to analyze a baseball game. I used to play for an old time manager named Dick Williams who used to tell me, "The situation will dictate what happens." He used to call me to his office and say, "I should never have to give you a sign. You should know this is a bunt situation, you should know this is a situation where you need to take a trike, you should know the situation calls for getting the man over. I should never have to give you a sign, the situation dictates what happens."

But what I've been witnessing while I've been a broadcaster is everyone using these stats to try and explain the game of baseball. Not all statistics work. Some do, some don't. And one of the stats that has become real popular is OPS. On-base plus slugging. All of a sudden, it's this stat that defines whether a guy is a good ball player or not. And the fact of the matter is, if you're a power hitter then the situation will dictate what a pitcher does with you - either walk you or pitch you real careful. So more than likely you're going to end up on base and therefore your on-base percentage goes up. This in my mind has become the stat the everyone thinks is the be all and end all. It is not. If you have a ball club that's a great offensive team then that changes everything. But if you have a guy like Adrian Gonzalez, for example, his OPS is going to be high - he's got a lot of home runs and walks a lot...because you're not going to pitch to him. Power guys like Giambi and Dunn have always had high OPS because no one wants to pitch to them. But it takes two hits to score them from first.

This is how the game has changed. Dick Williams is pulling his hair out. This is not something people have reinvented in the game. You can go all the way back to Dave Kingman. When Kingman was hot, you didn't pitch to him. If he wasn't hot, you pitched to him. Big power hitters swing and miss and strikeout. Or they hit home runs and walk. And at the end of the year their OBP is always going to be higher than most of the other guys on the team because they clog the bases.

A few years ago this stat grabbed my ear when someone said that Ichiro doesn't walk enough. So I said, "What do you mean?" And they said his OBP could be so much higher if he walked more. The guy gets 200 hits a season! And he scores over 100 runs. I think that speaks for itself.

So as the old, wise Dick Williams used to tell me, "I should never have to give you a sign. The situation dictates what happens."

The great Joe Posnanski was so discombobulated by this entry he was reduced to babbling about Andrew Dice Clay and the movie Awakenings. No joke.

I know how he feels. I'm not even sure where to begin. In the year of our Lord two thousand and nine, a respected baseball personage is taking to the Internets and criticizing players who "clog the bases." He is not talking about VORP or FRAA or any of those other newfangled acronyms that seem to amuse certain analysts so. He is talking about OPS, which I had figured was one front on which the jocks had conceded the point. I guess I was wrong. I hesitate to speculate, but perhaps Harold is a little miffed that the bulk of objective analysis now tends to devalue speedy ballplayers with a career OPS of .668, which is understandable and even a little sad. Reach out to him, statheads. Give the man a hug.

Enjoy it for what it's worth [Harold Reynolds Presents]
Bugging Harold Reynolds [Joe Posnanski]

But now Secaucus is home to Harold Reynolds, Mitch Williams, Al Leiter and a handful of other ex MLB players who've signed on to the network as analysts. NJ.com has a slide show of the fancy new offices. And, hey — Friday lunches are free!

To up the baseball geek factor they've also lassoed SI's Tom Verducci and Jon Heyman. And they've also signed on former NESN reporter Hazel Mae and former FSN-er Trenni Kusnierek, to keep your hot stove-loving hearts cozy all winter. Over/under on weeks before HR goes all handsy-uncle hug on them is at three.

******

Tonight: Go return some presents. It won't be that crowded this evening.

Tomorrow: More slow news day madness and Best Of round-ups to make the day go quicker.

Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin.

The place: The Tampa Bay ESPN 1040's "THE KILLER B'S" Marc Benarzyk & Bill Freitas. The subject: B.J. Upton, who Phillips criticized on ESPN TV for not digging it out to first base after hitting a ground ball. For those of you not audio inclined at the moment, here's the gist:

"I watched Steve Phillips the other night ... I wanted to slap the guy."

To be fair to Steve Phillips, he is the one who is actually still employed by ESPN. To not be fair to Steve Phillips, he is one of the worst GMs of the last 20 years. And Harold ... well, you all know about him. Either way, this can only end well for fans of slapfights.

The KILLER B's [ESPN1470]

Reynolds joins Dennis Eckersley as the new TBS analysts, and both will serve fill-in roles for regular-season broadcasts, and are negotiating to join the newtork's post-season coverage. "[I feel] like everything is behind me now. I'm moving on, and a lot of doors are opening," Reynolds told USA Today. Well sure: Recently settling your $5 million wrongful termination lawsuit against ESPN will tend to do that. "I stood on principle and never wavered."

My favorite part of the Harold Reynolds saga? It's too hard to chose; although the fact that he hired a private detective to dig up stuff on ESPN still makes me smile. But those days are gone forever I'm afraid. Welcome back, HR. I was beginning to think that I'd have to start watching MLB.com.

Harold Reynolds Returns As TV Baseball Analyst [USA Today]

Well, the trial of Harold Reynolds Vs. ESPN, scheduled for SOMETIME, finally settled last night. Terms were not disclosed, but Harold had originally sued for $5 million.

"This was a matter of principle," Reynolds, who now works for MLB.com, said in a statement. "I stood on principle and didn't waver. My goals were met. Now I can put this behind me and concentrate on the game I love."

ESPN said it stood by its decision to dismiss Reynolds. It said in a statement that the settlement was "economically compelling to ESPN," amounting to a "fraction of his demands and less than what it would have cost to litigate the case."

When we spoke to Reynolds last year, he reiterated the "principle" stand and expressed frustration that the process was taking so long. Now he can go back to working for MLB.com, and we can go back to listening to Eric Young on "Baseball Tonight." And we miss out on what would have been a rather amazing trial. Alas.

Reynolds And ESPN Settle Lawsuit [New York Times]
Our Interview With Harold Reynolds [Deadspin]

How long as this been meandering around? Here's the total case detail, from October 2006 to the present day. We've yet to notice a single thing that's happened. Something called a "MOT APPT COMMISSION" happened on Valentine's Day — Deadspin LLP, help us out here — and what's scheduled?

Individually Scheduled Court Dates
# Date Time Event Description Status
No Events Scheduled

This case will never get started, and once it does, it will never end. America!

Connecticut Case Detail
Our Interview With Harold Reynolds [Deadspin]

The guy's name is Paul Richardson, and he used to be at Universal McCann, whatever that is. The real point: Does he know how to handle a potential — oh, OK: inevitable — sexual harassment complaint better than James Dolan? It would seem so.

Richardson began his career 22 years ago as an attorney before transitioning to the human resources field. Since then, he has held executive human resource positions at a wide array of media companies, including those focused on television and film production, digital media development, publishing, marketing and sales and other media platforms. At Universal McCann, he was responsible for overseeing all human resource functions for 72 offices and approximately 3,000 employees worldwide.

Yes, but ... can he define what makes a leader? Keep those memos coming, Paul!

New ESPN Hire To Lay Down The Law [Awful Announcing]

But he saved his loudest admonitions for our pal Harold Reynolds; he says Harold has no business pleading innocence. What's LeBatard's case? Harold hit on his girlfriend.

"For Harold to be claiming that he was wrongfully fired.. I don't know how he says that with a straight face." ... "He creeped out two of my girlfriends ... I'm doubtful."

You can hear the whole audio at Leave The Man Alone. Personally, we're just creeped out that Dan LeBatard has had multiple girlfriends.

ESPN Is Filled With Sexual Harassment [Leave The Man Alone]
Our Interview With Harold Reynolds [Deadspin]

Friday afternoon, we accepted an invitation to MLB.com's offices in Manhattan for an interview with ... Harold Reynolds. This is the first SHOTY nominee we've interviewed — save for the imaginary conversations with Barbaro that go on in our head every day — and we talked for about an hour on a variety of topics, most of which involved ESPN and Reynolds' ongoing lawsuit against the company.

Reynolds couldn't get into detail on most aspects of the case, but he still had plenty to say. After the jump, dip inside the brain of the newest MLB.com employee. And we will say this: The man can hug.

———————————————-

Mr. Reynolds, we won't lie: We're pretty surprised to be talking to you right now.

Hey, you guys have been real good to me.

Really? We think we once called you "Handsy" Reynolds.

I've been called a lot worse.

We think that if your firing would have happened five years ago, you would have gone quietly into the night, ESPN would have just moved on and no one would have ever thought about it again. You'd have just been gone. But today, the way they're used to running their business doesn't work anymore. People hold them more accountable than they used to, and when they shroud something in mystery, people want to know what happened. The day after your firing, "Harold Reynolds" was the No. 1 most searched item on Technorati. No offense, but you're not Britney Spears. Were you surprised by the mass interest in what had happened to you?

First off, I'm glad I'm not Britney Spears. And certainly none of those searches were done by me. As for being surprised, yes and no. Yes, because to me, I'm just Harold. But no, because ESPN, it's a huge entity. It's a huge monster. The day I was let go, with nothing said, no comment but "he's just no longer with the network," that piqued a lot of curiosity. Because of that, people were trying to find out what was going on.

You did an interview with The New York Post the day after you were fired where you just sounded confused.

That was an ambush. I just answered the phone, and the guys says, "I hear it's sexual harassment." I was like, 'Excuse me, who is this?' I wasn't ready to do an interview; I was still trying to figure out what the heck's going on.

And at that point, you had no idea you'd been fired for sexual harassment?

I found out solely through newspapers and your site. They never specified this is what it is. In the vernacular of the paperwork, it's actually "Not Following The Direction Of Production." But they never said that publicly. They just let me hang out there and get slaughtered.

To this day, of all the people you worked for at ESPN, the people who fired you, you still haven't talked to any of them about why you were fired?

Nobody in upper management. I've talked very briefly with a few different people I used to work with. I've searched for information just like anybody else. I didn't know what was in the complaint. We sent the labor board to go get [my personnel file and complaint], and they were denied. The state attorney general subpoenaed ESPN, and they just didn't turn it over. Finally, we got in front of the judge, and the judge turned over the personnel file. And that was just May 18. May 18 was the first time I had ever seen my personnel file and what any of the complaints were against me. Through a court order.

Do you still talk with any of the guys from the show?

Kurkjian and Peter (Gammons) have called, and I speak with them a lot. Ravech has tried to contact me a couple of times. The main people I worked with were Peter, Karl, Krukie and occasionally Kurkjian, and everybody's contacted me except for Kruk. I'm not gonna sit here and slam him, though.

I think what has happened with most of the people at ESPN is, because of the lawsuit, a lot of people are afraid to get in touch with me. It's not that they don't like me. I understand.

You were there for a long time.

Eleven years. I knew everybody from the janitor to the president. I felt like that was home for me. I understand if people don't get back at you.

It was tough to leave, because I went across every portion of ESPN, with Little League, and College, and Major League Baseball. That means studio and remote side. I knew thousands of people. It's difficult not being in touch.

Was there a fear, once all this went down, that you'd never work again?

I had to think about it, before I filed the lawsuit, and I came to the point that I was like, "You know what? I'm just not working anymore." And that was fine with me. To me, it's always been about clearing my name. I don't, to this day, feel like I was fired properly. I was wrongfully terminated, it was rush to judgment, they did not do a proper investigation. Had they done this the right way, we would have never been in this situation. I stand by that. I built my life for 30 years as a professional, whether it's in baseball or broadcasting, and to have that torn down, in one statement, by one person, I wasn't gonna stand for. This was my only recourse. I wanted to meet, and I wanted to sit down, and I didn't get any answers.

We've seen the court papers of what has been filed against you, and, not to make you get into specifics, but when you look at what some other ESPN personalities have been accused of, or what they've even admitted to ... why you? If these were all just misunderstandings, they could have had stronger cases against other people, if they wanted to make an example out of someone.

I won't get into specifics, but when you look at some of the other stuff people have said about other people there, it's pretty obvious that this situation was not fair to me. I will say that. They can read between those lines as well as you can. That's one of the main reasons I think I've got such a strong case. I was not treated fairly in comparison to some of the other things that have gone on in that place.

Talk about the day all this went down. Was it just HR in the room with you? Oh, and by "HR," I mean "human relations," not, you know, you.

It was Norby Williamson, Marcia Keegan and Steve Anderson. That's who was in the room, and that's who fired me. They called me in, and told me I was fired.

After you were fired, did you look around for other jobs immediately?

I talked to just about everybody in the industry. The first people who came to the forefront were the Mariners; I've always got a job there. I met with everyone. And every single one of them was like, "Well, let's see what happens with this ESPN business first." That's another reason I'm so grateful for MLB.com, to step up and say, "we'll give you a job right now." They know interviews like this are gonna have to happen. But when I met with other executives at other networks, they'd always ask immediately about the ESPN thing. After I tell them what happened, they're like, "That's it?"

Have you ever talked to any of the women who made accusations against you since they made them?

No. These weren't relationships. They could stand in front of me right now, and I wouldn't know who they are.

Do you still watch "Baseball Tonight?"

A couple of times. But it's hard. I feel like I helped build that show. It's tough to turn it on and see the show and not see me on it.

Do you think, generally speaking, that ESPN is a difficult place for women to work?

Anytime you have women in a sports environment, it's going to be difficult to them. They're just outnumbered; they become a minority. I think you have to be extra respectful to them and their position. You have to be more sensitive to it, because you never know how people will react to something.

Did you ever have any sexual harassment training at ESPN?

Nope, never. They put out that there were concerns of five women with incidents of misconduct, but this isn't something that happened in one incident. I never had training, I was never asked to go to training, though I think everybody else in the building probably had it.

Everybody but you?

I'm sure I wouldn't slip through the cracks now, after me, but yeah: It was just never offered to me.

Do you think, generally speaking, that ESPN is too powerful?

They're a powerful entity, there's no doubt about that. But I couldn't worry about that. But I needed to file this suit to file my name. Whether it would have been ESPN or anybody else. It had to be done.

Before this whole business, we never got the impression that you were one of the least popular ESPN broadcasters; there wasn't a site called "Fire Harold Reynolds" or anything. People like Kruk and Berman get it a lot worse than you ever did.

Man, you guys just kill Chris. Leather? Is that what it is? You're with leather?

Something like that. We actually have no problem with leather. It's one of our favorite materials. Anyway, you'd never had that much negative about you in the media, and then, suddenly, everything in the media about you was negative. That must have been disconcerting.

The biggest eye opener for me was that I never had enemies. My whole life, I was the guy who loved everybody, hugged everybody, said hi to everybody. When something like this happens, they come out of the woodworks. I'm like, "Man, people hate me." That hurts, you know? That's probably the biggest shocker of it all. I really was naïve to that side of things.

Did people get quiet when you walked in the room?

Oh, yeah. I'd walk into restaurant, and my wife would always get the "Oh, poor girl" looks from everybody. That's hard. That's been the most difficult part of the whole thing was seeing my wife see all the hurt she had to go through. We're pretty upbeat people. To have night when you were crying and you don't have direction, it's real hard. But it's been good for us, it's forged our relationship closer. Hell, we'd just been married a couple of years. It was like, "Hello, marry me" and then BLAM. But we'll weather the storm. Forget jobs, forget if I'm gonna work again, forget about how people who don't know me perceive me. What matters is what's happening at home. I sat down with my wife, explained to her what was going on and she said, "Let's go forward with the lawsuit." She backed me up, no matter how darts were thrown our way.

Talk about this new MLB.com thing. Do you have a contact all set? Is part of this a deal with the new baseball network that's coming in a couple of years?

It's a two year contract, and, as for the baseball network, that's something that we'd all have to address down the line. They don't have it under the same umbrella. In my eyes, I see them co-existing, but it's up for MLB to set up the difference. I'll be on five days a week after the All-Star break, and then it'll be two days a week in the offseason. I'm not taking this job because I couldn't wait to work again; it's an unbelievable opportunity. The reach here is greater. I'm not Internet savvy, so it kind of blows me away what people can get to on the Web. In my heart of hearts, I love to teach baseball. If I can get in people's homes and teach the game, and educated people on it, this is where I need to be.

Do you still live in Connecticut?

Yep, in West Harford. I'll come into the city twice a week, and we'll have everything done that can be posted for the rest of the week. We want to be as current as possible.

Have you lost any friendships because of this whole thing?

Naw, people know me. People who have been around me have never wavered. They know that if I had done anything, I would have said so. The real people around me ... well, I don't want to get into anything too philosophical.

The Web doesn't handle philosophy well.

Exactly. I'll get killed when this runs.

So we were wondering if you would give us a hug.

I don't think my lawyers would like that too much.

We promise not to file a complaint.

Sorry. Probably not a good idea.

That's right: Your friend and ours, Mr. Harold Reynolds, out of a job since being fired by ESPN for now "official" reason in July, has been hired by MLB.com to work as a broadcaster. Here's the official press release.

After the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Reynolds will appear five days per week at 2 p.m. (ET) to bring his unique viewpoint of the game directly to fans around the globe. Reynolds will also interact with fans via weekly online chats and through his blog, giving MLB.com users unprecedented, round-the-clock access to one of baseball's most knowledgeable and popular personalities.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the Major League Baseball family," said Reynolds. "I look forward to being a part of the MLB.com team and taking full advantage of this chance to service baseball fans worldwide across Major League Baseball's array of multimedia platforms."

Wow, that's all Harold, all the time: Five days a week! We would ask ESPN their view on this ... but, as we all know, they refuse to admit Harold ever existed. Well, other than to respond to his lawsuits.

Welcome back, Harold. We're glad to have you. Just to be safe, though ... we think you know which restaurant chains to avoid.

Reynolds To Work At MLB.com [PDF]

"The thing that's amazing to me is how long the legal process takes," said Reynolds, who says depositions haven't yet been taken and the case isn't scheduled for trial until February of 2009. "I've never had any upper-management person tell me why I got fired," he said. "I'm not bitter, but I'm definitely angry. Had I had a chance to sit down and explain situations, we wouldn't have been in this."

We continue to find it amazing that still no one from ESPN has talked to Reynolds yet. And February 2009? Jeez, by then the case will be settled by President Kucinich.

Reynolds Returns [Seattle Times] (via Sports By Brooks)

We keep forgetting that TBS is going to be showing a ton of baseball games this year — along with the Division Series and the NLCS — and Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are going to be the main analysts. Gwynn and Chip Carey are the lead broadcasters, and Ripken's gonna be the studio guy with Ernie Johnson. We suspect he will dial it down somewhat from Charles Barkley.

Who's not listed here, by the way? Harold Reynolds! We were hoping Harold would find a spot on the roster, but apparently, he's been put in the Do Not Call list. We don't know about you, but having baseball back reminds us how much we kinda miss him.

TBS Lands Ripken, Gwynn [SI.com]

That's right, folks: It's time for a Harold Reynolds vs. ESPN update!. (Via The Smoking Gun, as always.)

Claiming that "no events" in his work history can be characterized as sexual misconduct, Reynolds, 46, refers to the "pimp daddy" incident, which apparently occurred in the network's Bristol, Connecticut cafeteria. As Reynolds tells it, the woman lodged her complaint because he offered to buy lunch for her and other employees. This was a courtesy, the court filing notes, "extended by the last person in line, especially when the last person was Mr. Reynolds." While the comment "may evidence racial stereotyping or bias on the part of the supposed complainant," wrote lawyer Joseph Garrison, "it is most certainly not 'sexual misconduct'" on Reynolds's part. "Most people, instead, would consider an offer to buy lunch as a kind or generous gesture."

OK, so, now, there's one of the "five women" stories taken care of; let's hurry and get to the other four! This is really becoming like "24;" one story defused, we have to find the other four before it's too late!

Harold Reynolds: "I'm No Pimp Daddy" [The Smoking Gun]

ESPN will present certain documents and information that should be protected against unrestricted use and dissemination, including documents and information related to concerns raised by five young women about [Reynolds'] sexual misconduct.

Well, first off, five is an impressive number. We're not sure that's the real reason ESPN wants it private, but they sure got that number five out there, didn't they?

ESPN: Five Women "Concerned" About Reynolds [The Smoking Gun]

That's right: It's an official ESPN contract. Reynolds was expected to make $4.875 million over a six-year deal, and the contract reveals what that entails. Reynolds was required to make three "personal appearances," call 12 on-site games (not counting the Little League World Series) and make a minimum 85 studio appearances. ESPN provides first-class air transportation to all games, and for days Reynolds is in Bristol, he gets a $48 per diem, which will provide for several full meals at Boston Market, even with sides of mashed potatoes.

So, nothing necessarily new in the lawsuit just yet ... but we suspect Deadspin LLP will find lots of fun tidbits in the contract language.

Harold Reynolds' Big Hit [The Smoking Gun]
Harold Reynolds Coverage [Deadspin]

(Originally, some guy was featured on the left of this picture, but he emailed us and — pretty rudely, we thought — demanded that we take crop him out of the photo, even though the photo is right here and pretty much everywhere else. So there you go, weirdo. Feel better?)

All right, here we are: It's time for the Final Four. We have our ESPN side of the bracket, and then our Masturbator Locator Vs. Horse side of the bracket. All four candidates are worthy. It's time for some tough decisions, people.

The polls for the semis will be open all the way through the holidays, until January 4, so feel free to take your time making up your mind. Because it's for all the marbles, as they say. And we mean marbles: We're going to send marbles to the winner. Here's the most recent bracket:

The matchup breakdown:

No. 1 Seed: Chris Berman
2006 Highlights
Changed the way you thought about pickup lines.
United Tony Kornheiser, Keith Olbermann, TRL, prime-time NBC programs and an awesome teenager who's "stupid, just stupid."
Spawned the first piece of Deadspin clothing.

No. 5 Seed: Harold Reynolds
2006 Highlights
Fired from ESPN for "undisclosed" reasons.
Hugged the wrong person at the wrong time.
Played awfully dumb.
Sued ESPN's ass.

So, go vote: Who is headed for the SHOTY Title Game?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

We return to the SHOTY Tournament, with the final two quarterfinal matchups, today and Thursday. Of all the Elite Eight matchups, we think this might end up the closest. (The first two have been runaways, though you can still vote.) First, a reminder of the bracket.

It seems strange that of the two people involved this week, Harold Reynolds is the one who doesn't work for ESPN anymore. In fact, he's suing them. And we can never figure out if Jay Mariotti would vote for himself in these tournaments; after all, it does make him more famous.

The matchup breakdown:

No. 4 Seed: Jay Mariotti
2006 Highlights
Brought together the Cubs and the White Sox.
Shrunk from Ozzie Guillen's manly challenge.
Inspired a loving fan site.
Reveled in all the fame.
Declared war on Wikipedia using the famous "whining" method.

No. 5 Seed: Harold Reynolds
2006 Highlights
Fired from ESPN for "undisclosed" reasons.
Hugged the wrong person at the wrong time.
Played awfully dumb.
Sued ESPN's ass.

So, go vote: Who is headed for the Final Four?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Ordinarily, the SHOTY tournament will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week, with that whole Thanksgiving business, we're going Monday-Tuesday this week. We hope your system can handle the shock.

Don't know if you've had a chance to look yet, but that Roethlisberger-Mikulik matchup? With more than 6,000 votes, Roethlisberger is up by four. That's four single votes. So if you haven't voted yet, go over there, because your vote will, in fact, count.

We've got another popular upset pick on the ballot today: ESPN outcast hugger Harold Reynolds takes on the legend that is Ned, the injured Florida International running back eager to hop on the field, crutches and all, and join the fight. It's a 5-12 battle, and we wouldn't be surprised if it's closer than you might think.

The tale ... of ... the tape!

No. 5 Seed: Harold Reynolds
2006 Highlights
Fired from ESPN for "undisclosed" reasons.
Hugged the wrong person at the wrong time.
Played awfully dumb.
Sued ESPN's ass.

No. 12 Seed: Ned
2006 Highlights
Had his teammates' back, totally.
Made it back out on the field.
Developed his own legend.

So, go vote: Who advances to the Elite Eight?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

One network executive told me that Reynolds' decision to sue ESPN could brand him a "troublemaker" in the industry. The exec said he would be reluctant to hire him. Still, another executive, who has spoken extensively with Reynolds since he was fired, said "time" and our "second-chance" nature will work in Reynolds' favor.

We're not so sure this is the case anymore, though; it might be older thinking. Whether they've noticed it up there or not, the long-awaited ESPN competitors are starting to pop up a bit; mock Versus all you want, but they're coming, not least of which TBS, which is pretty likely to hire Reynolds at some point. In fact, the notion of a major personality filing a high-profile suit against ESPN might have been unthinkable as recently as a year ago. But the air smells different now; a suit's more likely to embarrass ESPN than Reynolds, and that, friends, is a sea change.

Reynolds Vs. ESPN [New York Daily News]

"They have [sensitivity] classes at ESPN for things like this," Reynolds said. "But never in the 10 previous years I've been there have I ever had to go to one of those classes. The way they are, if they want to work with me on new interview techniques, if they want to show me a new studio, anything like that, they take me by the hand and walk me down the hall to the studio or the meeting room. You would think if they thought there was a problem, I would have had to go to one of those training sessions. But never, not one time ever, was I told to go to one of those classes."

Reynolds also said there never has been any language in his contract that warns about the consequences of inappropriate sexual behavior. Not even in the newest contract he signed in March.

"And there are guys who do have those things in their contracts," Reynolds said.

Oh, we're sure there are! We love — LOVE — the idea of different ESPN personalities having certain behavioral clauses written into their contracts. We suspect you can come up with some fun ones.

Reynolds Wants ESPN To Explain Its Actions [Seattle Times]
Why Your Hometown Columnist Sucks: Steve Kelley [Deadspin]