The new journalism

It’s a new low for the World Wide Leader.

As Jim Gray has told it, it was his idea to make LeBron James’ free agent plan an hour special. He took the idea to James’ marketing agent Maverick Carter of LRMR, who then worked with William Morris Endeavor to put the package together in front of ESPN executives.

ESPN didn’t play down one part of the business arrangement of the deal — that Gray, the former ESPN and NBC reporter who is now working on a freelance basis, was James’ preferred interviewer. But the network didn’t say, and now says they didn’t know, that Gray’s travel and payment for “The Decision” show was being paid by the entity set up by Team LeBron and not by ESPN, as CNBC has learned.

If they had a sense of shame, that might actually be embarrassing.

It’s probably giving Craig James a few ideas, though.

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If loving Chris Low is wrong, I don’t want to be Andrea Adelson-right.

There’s a pundit who’s going to have egg on his or her face at the end of the year about Georgia’s quarterback.  I just hope it’s not Chris Low, who ranks the Dawgs’ combo of Murray-Green-Ealey as the third best set of offensive triplets in the SEC.

3. Georgia: QB Aaron Murray, RB Washaun Ealey, WR A.J. Green

The skinny: It might be taking a slight chance to have the Bulldogs this high when their quarterback has never taken a snap in a college game. But his top target, Green, might be the most dynamic receiver in all of college football, and Ealey was one of the SEC’s most productive running backs the final month of the season a year ago. About the time Ealey got going last season, Green was injured. Look out with both of those guys healthy.

Kiffin watch: departure math

One is an anomaly.  Four is a trend.

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UPDATE: Now this is funny.

Hines Ward and an alternate reality

With the discussion about Coach Donnan here yesterday, I thought this clip made a timely appearance at Bernie’s blog.  Dial it up to the 1:25 mark and watch.

Remember that Donnan had a background with option offenses at Oklahoma.  Can you imagine what Georgia could have done running Hines Ward and Robert Edwards in some version of the Wildcat?  Or how about Florida’s spread option?

The only downside would have been that Donnan would have taken his best wide receiver off the field.

Summer means fun.

Do you ever get the feeling that college football coaches wish they could simply abolish the month of July?

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UPDATE: It’s always special to get your first arrest before your first reception.

Police have charged UT freshman Da’Rick Rogers, 18, with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, DeBusk said. Rogers is a 6-foot-3, 205 pound receiver out of Georgia.

Who knows, when it’s all said and done, we may owe the Nance family a thank you.