This morning, the Big 12 Conference officially announced a 13-year media deal shared between ABC/ESPN and Fox. But the news had already been reported earlier, yesterday afternoon, by ESPN.com college football reporter Brett McMurphy. That meant, given ESPN's attempts to keep its programming and editorial departments…

One of the toughest jobs of a publicist is learning how to lie. It's the one thing about my career that keeps me awake at night. I'm not looking for sympathy—I chose this profession. But as some of you know, it can be a dangerous circle, telling lies to keep other lies intact.

I'm a publicist, and I've worked with high-profile athletes for nearly 15 years. Olympic gold medalists, NFL All-Pros and Super Bowl champions, MLB All-Stars and World Series champions, even an NBA player on a championship team once. I'm not really a nightlife guy, but there are times when I need to accompany clients…

Go read Doug Bailey's piece in Boston magazine, because any time a media strategist for one of the most media-dysfunctional franchises in sports starts telling tales out of school, it's well worth your time. Especially when Bailey's former employer is reportedly furious about it.

Perhaps you've seen "Ultimate Batting Practice" around this week; it's a full fledged viral video now. You'll recognize it by the egregious sodomy of physics, and the prominently-displayed dual Easton logos. It's a "dude" making magic with four pitchback rebounders, and that's all the info that comes with it.

We received an email from Cal Ripken Jr.'s publicity team at Random House, which will release his three-CD audiobook, HOTHEAD, next Tuesday. HOTHEAD (the caps are apparently intentional) is about a Babe Ruth League shortstop named Connor Sullivan and is "loosely based on challenges Ripken himself faced as a young…