Ron Jaworski might have started something after all.  Check out this sports report from Erin Hawksworth on Seahawks Gameday from the Seattle Fox station.  She's obviously very excited about the great mood Seahawks fans are in, maybe a little too excited.  Nothing like seeing a polished TV reporter just plow through dropping an F-bomb like it didn't even happen.  Beast mode.

[h/t Hot Clicks]

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It's Friday, Friday, gettin dow... sorry, I had a relapse for a second.  It's Friday, so it's time for Screengrab Snafus, where we pull together the best and funniest screwups of the week.  Thanks to our pal Jimmy Traina at SI for featuring our roundup of graphical gaffes in Hot Clicks last week.  This week's collection is our biggest one yet thanks to your e-mails and tweets to AA.  To kick us off, Jimmy passed along the following from NFL Network.  With the way Cleveland's defense played against Tennessee last week... perhaps 4,039 tackles isn't out of the question for D'Qwell Jackson.

Onto college football, where Notre Dame is averaging almost 100 points in the first quarter per game this season according to the following ESPN graphic.  Amazing to think they're still an incredibly mediocre football program in spite of those numbers.  Thanks to reader Mike Keeley for the snafu...

UCLA must have seen that snafu and been motivated to really light up the scoreboard against Stanford.  Kegs 'N Eggs had the pic of ESPN's Bottom Line showing a 99-0 lead through six minutes AND they were at the Stanford 1 yard line!  I wonder if the bottom line's scoring system went according to Rick Neuheisel Football for the NES.  CLEAN SNAP TROPHIES FOR EVERYONE!!! 

Reader Jim Jackson noticed this snafu from Sports Illustrated's Truth & Rumors.  Can you spot what's the matter with this picture?  Aside from Theo looking like he just realized he owes John Lackey 45.75 million dollars over the next three years that is...

From Darren Rovell's award winning Twitter account comes this unfortunate typo involving All-Star Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, which is actually his second appearance in the snafus.  Poor guy.  I think Castro would prefer the "Starling" misspelling of his name than the "Stalin" version.  At least it's better than Hitler Castro...

Grantland's typos are so numerous they have their own running gag on Deadspin.  Matt Gamber sent us the following from Simmonstopia and their feature on the Arizona Diamondbacks.  You would think a smart, intelligent, site like Grantland would at least be wise enough to correctly list a bullpen staff.  Believe it or not, there is no Daniel Rodriguez on the D'Backs roster.  Instead, Grantland is likely looking to list David Hernandez... the same guy listed a few lines down in the article.  Did Mike Francesa write this???

And finally, it was just last week that ESPN has spelled Oklahoma, "Oaklahoma."  Last.  Week.  This week during a tribute to the late Lee Roy Selmon, the worldwide leader tried to spell Oklahoma once again.  They FAILED once again.  This kind of thing would never happen to Texas... (h/t Bubbaprog)

That was your week in screengrab snafus, next time be careful out there!

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That whole Hank Williams Jr. firing was bound to lead into some heated debates.  Whenever you mix political, cultural, and racial differences with a controversial firing and a Hitler reference... things get messy.  Bomani Jones of Around the Horn, syndicated Alabama radio host Paul Finebaum (no stranger to controversy), and writer Dave Zirin (no stranger to taking on fiery political issues) came together for an OTL panel to discuss Hank Jr's demise.  Given the personalities involved, the discussion was always going to become heated.  Bomani Jones' stunned facial expressions only add another layer to the discussion.  Here's the video of the segment from Guyism...

The formula is predictable - grab outspoken people from opposite ends of the political spectrum to bicker with each other.  Bomani Jones tried to add some rational, good points to the argument, but any sense and perspective was drowned out with a lot of yelling.  Here's the thing, I get where each of these guys is coming from.  Unfortunately though, rational discourse is an endangered species these days.

[H/T Guyism]

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The coverage of postseason baseball on TBS has seen some improvements this year.  John Smoltz has been a standout analyst with his ability to predict the future and quote Dumb & Dumber.  Talented play by play men like Brian Anderson and Victor Rojas are getting a chance to shine on the national stage.  Joe Simpson and Bob Brenly are solid analysts as well.  However, there are still some elements of TBS's MLB coverage that leaves viewers with a massive headache.  Their astonishing ability to ram one annoying thing down your throat is truly mystifying.  Now, WRITTEN IN THE STARS can join Frank TV and Dane Cook in MLB postseason infamy.  However, it is the announcing assignment of Dick Stockton that has perhaps drawn the most ire from fans.  Stockton was once a top announcer.  Nobody questions that fact.  However, it's 2011 and not 1986.  Dick Stockton just doesn't have a clue anymore, as noted by scores of observant fans on Twitter.  The good news for me personally is Dick will also be announcing this week's Saints game.  Happy, happy, joy, joy.  As always, these are Real Tweets from Real People...

whygavs  "The Phillies squeeze in a run here. Not with a squeeze, but with a pitch getting away." Dick Stockton, everyone.
TrippingOlney  DICK STOCKTON WOULD LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING
dennisdoddcbs  Dick Stockton is the worst play-by-play guy ever. Lazy. Basic. Colorless. MLB/TBS went safe route.
ericsjarinko  #AwfulAnnouncing Dick Stockton "LaRussa gets a birthday present a day late w/ this win." That means he got a loss on his birthday
RoadtoHomePlate  Dick Stockton almost called them the Sillies. Appropriate.
AnthonyAdams33  I feel like I owe it to my country to become a sports broadcaster so that one day the sports world will be free of morons like dick stockton

IronyNOW  It's a shame that Dick Stockton gets more excited about squirrels than anything happening in the baseball game.
phuturephillies  If there is ever an alien invasion, my top 2 choices to commentate the event are Gus Johnson and Dick Stockton
TweetaSkalina  Evidently Dick Stockton cannot count.
CleverBaseblog  Does anyone else think Dick Stockton just always sounds like he has a mouthful of pennies?
jsharp23  Dick Stockton just said Victorino committed an era. Must've been a long play. @AwfulAnnouncing
nbaliva  @awfulannouncing show list of MVPs with Howard, Rollins and Pujols. Stockton says 2 of them are in our game today. #facepalm
AdamStBear@awfulannouncing  You can't take a minute off with Stockton on air. The guy's a goldmine.
TheFanManifesto @awfulannouncing  Stockton should be on the AA Rushmore. Time to right the wrong.

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Today, ESPN officially removed Hank Williams Jr. from their Monday Night Football broadcasts.  Hank Jr. won multiple Emmys for his role in the Monday Night Football open, becoming a signature voice for fans of the broadcast since he began his role in 1991.  But of course, any time you compare the current president to Hitler, bad things are bound to happen to your employment.  Apparently, that little one-game suspension wasn't enough.  First, here's Hank Jr.'s initial apology after he was sat for a game... 

“I have always been very passionate about Politics and Sports and this time it got the Best or Worst of me. The thought of the Leaders of both Parties Jukin and High Fiven on a Golf course, while so many Families are Struggling to get by simply made me Boil over and make a Dumb statement and I am very Sorry if it Offended anyone. I would like to Thank all my supporters. This was Not written by some Publicist.”

-Hank Williams Jr. 

Just this morning, the other shoe dropped and ESPN officially cut ties with the man known as Bocephus with this statement today:

"We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams, Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years.  The success of Monday Night Football has always been about the games and that will continue."

-ESPN 

And just to add further to the confusion, according to this tweet from SportsGrid, Hank Williams Jr. says he made the decision to part ways, not ESPN...

Updated: Here's the full Hank Williams Jr. statement to ESPN as read on First Take this morning...

"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision.  By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You [ESPN] stepped on the Toes of the First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE.  It's been a great run."

Whatever the case may be (and we all know ESPN doesn't exactly have the best history recently with short, terse statements), it looks like Hank Jr. now joins the list of people like Jimmy the Greek, Al Campanis, Ruch Limbaugh and Don Imus as prominent figures who have said stupid things and lost jobs.  Didn't Marge Schott teach us anything about invoking the name of Hitler?  One thing's for sure, Faith Hill needs to watch what she says until the heat dies down.  As for Bocephus, well, I guess he has plenty of time to have his rowdy friends over tonight...

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The only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL are the Packers and the team featured on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated. Both play in the NFC North and both have the prime time games this week. The 4-0 Packers play in Atlanta on SNF in a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Playoff game and the 4-0 Detroit Lions play on MNF for the first time since 2001 against the Bears, a game that was sold out minutes after they went on sale back in August. It's about to get weird!

We'll also have a live blog for the MNF game so make sure you visit AA Monday night.  

Week 5 also marks the first week of the byes, so there will be three less games than there were in the 1st four weeks. 

Byes: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins

Broadcast maps courtesty of The 506.

Sunday October 9:

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (CBS 1PM) Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts (CBS 1PM) Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
Cincinnati Bengals @ Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS 1PM) Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker
Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans (CBS 1PM) Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings (FOX 1PM) Chris Myers Tim Ryan
Seattle Seahawks @ New York Giants (FOX 1PM) Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers (FOX 1PM) Dick Stockton, John Lynch
Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills (FOX 1PM) Sam Rosen, Brian Billick, Laura Okim

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers (FOX 4PM) Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
New York Jets @ New England Patriots (CBS 4:15PM) Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos (CBS 4:15PM) Marv Albert, Rich Gannon

Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons (NBC 8:20PM) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya

Monday October 10

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions (ESPN 8:30PM) Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski

Today on WFAN in New York, radio host Mike Francesa had one of the more embarrassing moments in recent memory after he was asked about Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque. Just watch this first clip that comes to us via Jimmy Traina...

Al Alburquerque is someone that Francesa should certainly be familiar with. In the regular season, he had an impressive K/9 of 13.9 with an ERA of 1.87 as a rookie and also memorably got plunked in the dome during a batting practice in Baltimore where he suffered a concussion. The other reason he should certainly be familiar with him is the fact that he's been an absolute gas can of a pitcher for the Tigers this series against New York. He's the one who gave up the grand slam to Cano in Game 1 and got rocked in Game 4. His ERA is 81.00 this postseason.

But the main reason Francesa should be familiar with Al Alburquerque is the fact that he might possibly have the most hilarious name in all of baseball! Al Alburquerque completely laps Frank Francisco, in my opinion. Anyways, someone on the show must have slapped Francesa and pointed out that his name is indeed Al Alburquerque. At this point, most would probably admit their mistake and have a laugh about it. Francesa instead decided to double down on his stupidity in this clarification again thankfully recorded by Jimmy Traina of SI...

Ahh, yes. If the caller would have said "Alberto Jose" then Francesa would have known exactly who he was talking about. Of course, everyone who follows baseball closely would not have any idea who the hell this Alberto Jose is because he has never been called that once this season - just Al Alburquerque.

Like Bugs Bunny, Alburquerque must have confused Francesa as well.

[H/T Jimmy Traina]

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This morning on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith entered the realm of the gladiators to verbally joust with Skip Bayless.  Normally, this would cause any sane human being to reach for the remote faster than Usain Bolt.  However, as part of my duties at AA, I had to tune in to this matchup of titans.  When I discovered the lead story of discussion was Brett Favre's comments on Aaron Rodgers, I knew it would be a hideous train wreck I couldn't take my eyes from.  What added to the twisted enjoyment watching this debate was Skippy and Stephen A. on split screens as Smith was joining the show via satellite in Los Angeles.  We've captured the actual facial expressions from both Stephen A. and Skippy during that one debate that depict disgust, anguish, disbelief, and perhaps even a bit of constipation.  Quite frankly, it's precisely what viewers across the country were feeling at the same time...

A bit of surprising news out today involves the indomitable MLB on Fox partnership of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.  It was announced today that former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona will replace McCarver for the first two games of the ALCS on Fox.  From CSN New England...

"Francona has been hired by FOX to serve as a color commentator for the network's coverage of the American League Championship Series. Francona, who parted company with the Red Sox last Friday, will be replacing Tim McCarver, who is sidelined with a medical issue. McCarver is expected back by Game 3 of the ALCS, meaning Francona will likely work only the first two games of the telecasts with play-by-play announcer Joe Buck."

McCarver will miss Games 1 & 2 due to a minor heart procedure according to Dan Bell of Fox.  We certainly wish Tim the best of health.  Yea, he's on AA's Mount Rushmore, but we are compassionate human beings first and foremost. 

As for analyzing the hiring of Francona - it's a risky, but bold move by Fox.  To install Francona as the sole analyst for these games places a lot of pressure on someone that is new to the enviornment and will have to work as a solo analyst.  It's surprising Fox didn't replace McCarver with Francona and one of their present analysts like Eric Karros.  However, Francona's addition has the potential of being a home run.  Fox has found some success in the past bringing in analysts either still in or just out of baseball - Al Leiter's work in the Cubs/Marlins NLCS stands out off the top of my head.  Other managers like Jeff Van Gundy and Jon Gruden were able to add interesting insights in their early days as broadcasters being just removed from coaching as well.  For the World Series, Fox is also adding White Sox catcher slash pro wrestler slash knucklehead AJ Pierzynski to their studio team.

Whatever you think of McCarver or Francona, you have to give Fox credit for at least trying something new.  We've noted Fox's stale baseball presentation in the past, so the addition of a new voice like Francona is a welcome move.  Sure, he may be Brett Favre in the end, but it's encouraging to see a network willing to take a high profile gamble in this situation.  If Francona works out, it wouldn't surprise me to see him stick with Fox throughout the rest of the postseason.

[H/T CSN New England]

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Ratings are once again down for the MLB playoffs. There are many ways to spin the various stats or attribute them to specific variables like weather, scheduling, and match ups, but the fact is that it's a gloomy start of October on the ratings front.

"The audience has dropped significantly over the first four days of the 2011 postseason for Turner Sports. Through 10 telecasts on TBS and TNT, ratings declined 28% to a 2.1 from a 2.8 average in 2010, while viewership decreased 25% to 3.32 million from 4.45 million, according to Nielsen."

Monday night's head to head showdown between ESPN's MNF and TBS's Yankees and Tigers game three served as a telling exhibit of ESPN's gravitational pull away from other competitive programming. Per TV By The Numbers, MNF squashed the playoff game by a comfortable 2-1 margin in the 18-49 demographic. 

Let's think about this for just a second. A pivotal playoff game featuring two great television markets and star pitchers that was close throughout up against one of the worst Monday night draws this season. Furthermore, the MNF game featured a winless team, two modest sized television markets, and very little national appeal.  It won out by a huge margin.

There are many ways to frame the television matchup. Football vs. baseball, fantasy sports and gambling vs. playoff drama, and of course TBS vs ESPN.

For the sake of discussion, let's say you flip the games and MNF for that one night is on TBS and Tigers/Yankees is on ESPN, how would those ratings be affected?

I'll venture a guess that MNF is somewhere near a four rating and Game 3 potentially moves up to a three rating. Maybe that is overstated, but for the last week or so it's been eye opening how viewers migrate to ESPN by habit. Below is a recap of examples of this type of gravitational pull...