AN ESPN VP Joins The Olbermann-Simmons Pillow Fight

ESPN Executive VP and Editor John Walsh snarks back at Keith Olbermann in today's SportsBusiness Daily, and suddenly the Olbermann-Simmons feud has become one of those great Greek tragedies full of incest and bloodshed and men with stately white beards.

Earlier this week, Olbermann mentioned that he'd received e-mails from "some of Mr. Simmons' bosses," complaining that the Sports Fella had now become "the most uncontrollable, unmanageable talent in the history of ESPN." Now Walsh — the guy who brought David Halberstam and Hunter S. Thompson to ESPN.com and who is largely responsible for that small piece of ESPN that isn't yet the journalistic equivalent of a cymbal-clanging monkey toy — tells John Ourand:

We at ESPN are happy that Keith retains an interest in the hiring procedures at our company. We have fond memories of his collegiality and counsel for executive decision-making. But alas, we have moved on from the KO Era. His colleagues at MSNBC no doubt appreciate Keith's management talent.

Olbermann's response? He writes in an e-mail:

Does Walsh notice that amid the beautiful shapes and sounds of his words, he didn't deny any of it?

ESPN's John Walsh Weighs In On Olbermann-Simmons Feud (sub. required) [SportsBusiness Daily]