M-I-C-K-E-Y E-S-P-N!!!

Remember how MTV used to be about music?  Remember how you could put the TV over there and actually see videos?

Pretty much the same thing has happened to ESPN.  More and more I hear sports fans grumbling about the lack of sports on a sports network – competitive eating, Stephen A. Smith or spelling bees anyone?

And I swear if I hear the “F” word uttered over there again…you know the one – “Favre!” They already had their heads up his nether regions so far they could tell you what he had for breakfast even before he retired, unretired, retired, unretired, retired and unretired again.  (Did I miss one of those?)  Now that he’s back…or not back…or back..whatever!!!…they are all about some Favre!

Well, not only can you get that fed to you for about 25 to 29 hours per day, you can also get some dumbed-down sports news spoon fed to you anytime on their Disney-ized website.

Monday, Matt Mosley must have had the wheels turning a bit.  Normally, I like the stuff he writes.  This time, however, I think his cheese slid off his cracker.

He thinks there could be a chance that Steve Smith could be traded to the Cowboys.  WHAT??

"There have been rumblings out of Panthers camp that club officials are fed up with Smith’s actions (not just the latest incident) and are at least considering the idea of dealing him to another team. The idea of trading one of the best receivers in football seems far-fetched, but Smith has become a divisive force on the team. One Panthers source said that several defensive backs were walking around after the recent incident saying that if management didn’t discipline Smith, they would. This isn’t exactly the best way to begin a season. All that to say that I know an owner in the NFC East who has spent the last four months coveting another star wide receiver. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones struckout with Chad Johnson, the Lions’ Roy Williams and Anquan Boldin, but behind closed doors, he’s still pining away for someone to play opposite Terrell Owens. This roster already includes T.O., Tank Johnson and Adam Jones. What’s one more player with a few dings on his resume? You think I’m reaching on this one? Well, I just talked to someone in Oxnard, Calif., site of Cowboys training training camp, and Smith’s name has already come up in conversations. But something tells me we won’t see this discussion on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” on Wednesday. I’ll talk to Yasinskas and we’ll get back to you soon."

Rumblings?  What rumblings?  Who talked to you over there?  John Fox?  Marty Hurney?  Jerry Richardson.  A fan?

Alright, this appeared to me to be a case of a blogger looking to do one thing – ring up as many hits on his blog as possible.  It works for them, apparently.  Just key in on the word “rumblings” here for just a minute.

It sounds like he has a source inside the organization, right?  Instead, he’s relying on the opinion of Pat Yasinskas.  That’s right, the opinion of a reporter who didn’t exactly leave behind the best reputation in the world in Charlotte.

It also got a response from Yasinskas who Mosley spoke to about this piece of blogging.  Carolina fans remember Yasinskas fondly…not really.

"Colleague Matt Mosley posted an item earlier where he speculates about the possibility of Carolina receiver Steve Smith getting shipped to the Cowboys.Makes sense from a Dallas perspective since owner Jerry Jones seems to like wide receivers who get into trouble. But, from Carolina’s perspective, I don’t see this happening.Smith is Carolina’s best player and the Panthers have a lot invested in him financially and emotionally. Smith is a favorite of owner Jerry Richardson, although it’s probably fair to guess Richardson was disappointed about Smith’s fight with teammate Ken Lucas on Friday. The team has suspended Smith for the first two regular-season games and you can bet Richardson and Smith have had a long talk.It wasn’t their first, but Richardson had been pleased with Smith’s maturity for several years and I don’t think the owner is ready to give up on the receiver. Smith may be down to his last chance with the Panthers. But he’s going to get that chance. If he squanders it, then the Panthers might be ready to talk to the Cowboys."

Let’s also point out that Mosley made a connection between Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones and Steve Smith.  That’s right!  He did!  Sorry, Matt, but to compare them is ludicrous.  Steve did something wrong but nothing he has ever done has ever led to anyone being paralyzed for the rest of their life!!!  Now, you’ve crossed a line.

It’s perfect, really.  A network and a website owned by Disney.  No wonder they seem so Mickey Mouse.  They are!