Too bad, I liked that show and his interviews were refreshing, IMO.

:sas:

http://deadspin.com/sports/espn/has-quite-frankly-been-canceled-228343.php


That'll Be All For "Quite Frankly"

We haven't received any definitive confirmation, but there are rumors swirling this morning that, after last night's taping of "Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith," ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson -- Norby! -- informed the show's staff that the program has been canceled and will air its final episode tonight. The rumors are that Norby told all the swingers himself.

The show has been plagued by awful ratings since its ridiculously high-profile launch more than a year ago -- the reasons for the low ratings vary, ranging from the general unlikability of its host to the fact that no one can stand the guy whose name is in the show -- and Stephen A., a few months ago, seemed to acknowledge the show was close to shuffling off this mortal coil.

"I don't know [whether the show will make it to a second anniversary]. I don't know if I'm going to want to [continue]. ... For me it never has been about just being on TV. I'm about success."

We have no confirmation on this, and it could be bunk, but that's what we're hearing, anyway. A sad day. Totally. Seriously. Really.


(UPDATE: Synergy Sports has an email from a staffer saying the show is kaput. Here's what the staffer wrote:

"Hi, i work on the show and it just got shit canned today. No on knew until 5pm, we shot the last show before we knew it was the last show then they rounded everyone up and told them at the same time. I knew it was over shortly before it was announced when someone told me they were instructed to "change the locks" on certain equipment closets.")


(SECOND UPDATE: We now have official confirmation: The show's over, gang.)


(THIRD UPDATE: ESPN has sent out a press release about Smith's show ending, and it's after the jump. The show's not being canceled: Smith is "expanding his presence." Of course!)

> From: "ESPNPR"
> Date: January 12, 2007 2:11:42 PM EST
> Subject: NEW ROLE FOR ESPN'S STEPHEN A. SMITH
>
> For Immediate Release
> January 12, 2007
>
>
> NEW ROLE FOR ESPN'S STEPHEN A. SMITH
>
> Expanded Appearances on SportsCenter, NBA, ESPNEWS Plus Four Interview Specials; ESPN The Magazine & ESPN.com Opportunities; Last Quite Frankly Show Today
>
> Stephen A. Smith, ESPN's outspoken and insightful commentator, will expand his presence across numerous ESPN entities as part of a new role, it was announced by Norby Williamson, ESPN Executive Vice President, Remote and Studio Production. Smith will be featured more regularly and extensively on SportsCenter, NBA studio programming and on ESPNEWS, as well as host four TV interview specials surrounding big events. In addition, opportunities for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com columns will be explored. In turn, today will be the last episode of Quite Frankly, the weeknight interview program that Smith has hosted since its August 2005 debut.
> "Stephen A. connects with fans because he brings great energy, knowledge and strong opinions," Williamson said. "While Quite Frankly delivered strong interviews and discussion, this new role will provide a better showcase for Stephen A.'s impactful voice to be heard across numerous forms of ESPN media."
> In addition to the four interview specials, Smith will appear as a leading NBA voice for news, issues and analysis across all of ESPN's studio programming, including SportsCenter, NBA studio shows and ESPNEWS.
> Stephen A. Smith joined ESPN in 2003 as studio analyst on NBA Shootaround and NBA Fastbreak and as a reporter for other studio programming. Quite Frankly debuted in August 2005 as a 6:30 p.m. ET weeknight series, and was moved to the late-night time period (11 p.m. or following live events) in January 2006. Smith has been a sports writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer since 1994.
> Prior to ESPN, he covered news and sports at the New York Daily News (1993-94) and worked at the Greensboro News and Record (1992-93) and the Winston-Salem Journal (1991-92). Since 1999, he has also been active in television and radio, primarily in Philadelphia, but also on Fox Sports Net, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports Radio and CNN/SI, in addition to appearances on ESPN Radio.

I liked the yelling and screaming. He also did have good interviews and was not afraid to ask the tough questions.

he asked tough questions w/o being grotesque offensive. You gotta respect that. i hate jim rome type idiots going for the ratings boost.
_cqcLdz5llo

Got what he deserved.

I have always hated that loud mouth, all he does is speak loud. I hate that guy. In case you cant tell I am happy his show got canceled.

mixed feelings on screaming a, used to hate him, but now im pretty apathetic.

great clip by romey though (who i also used to hate). when did that happen? what happened from it?

Rome was notorious for calling Jim everett Chris Everett by accident, but decided to make it his motif as to call him a soft bitch. came to a head in that interview.

on his list of idiocy theres this too.

Rome also caused controversy when, in 1997, he challenged 69-year-old ex-hockey star Gordie Howe's plans to play a shift with the IHL's Detroit Vipers, which would have given "Mr. Hockey" the claim of having played professional hockey in six decades. Rome offered a bounty of $3,000 to any player on the team playing against the Vipers to take Howe out of the game permanently. Howe and his wife threatenedRome with a lawsuit, and the bounty went away.

Now this is acting.

Watch when he gets pushed away at the end, hilarious!

Pi3qCmTXpLc

omg that was awful

Wow, just lost some spek for him. Stick with the NBA man!!

http://www.maynardije.org/columns/dickprince/071015_prince/stevena.jpg


Smith Leaves Inquirer, Hires Top Lawyer

October 15, 2007

"Only One Reason" to Retain a Well-Known Litigator
Stephen A. Smith, the outspoken Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist who was reassigned against his will to the reporters ranks, has retained high-powered Florida trial lawyer Willie E. Gary and apparently resigned from the Inquirer, where he had worked since 1994.

Smith's name no longer appears on the Inquirer staff list published on its Web site.

"There's only one reason" people hire Gary, Tricia (C.K.) Hoffler, the lawyer handling Smith's case, told Journal-isms on Monday. "What we do for a living is trial work." Gary has secured "verdicts that most lawyers will never see in their lifetime. . . . We're his lead litigator," she said, speaking of Smith.

A story in the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post described Gary as "legendary" and a "multimillionaire litigator" whose firm has had 7,000 clients and 200 employees.

He has "won major civil cases against powerhouses Disney and Anheuser-Busch," Ron Harris wrote in the September issue of Ebony magazine. In 1999, he also founded the Black Family Channel, which has since shut down TV operations and moved online, Harris noted.

The firm, Gary, Williams, Finney, Lewis, Watson & Sperando, will continue to work with Smith's original lawyer, Johnine P. Barnes of Washington, Hoffler said.

"We're waiting to see what the lawyer says before we do anything," Henry J. Holcomb, an Inquirer reporter who is president of the the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia, told Journal-isms. The Guild had filed a protest on Smith's behalf when the Inquirer stripped Smith of his column in August. Left unsaid has been what grounds Smith has for legal action.

The New York native had parlayed the column into a radio and cable television presence, locally and nationally. However, the owners who bought the Inquirer and its sister paper, the Philadelphia Daily News, last year from the now-defunct Knight Ridder Inc. put a premium on local news.

As Smith continued a vacation from the paper, he was signed last month to host a national afternoon radio show on the ESPN the sports network.

The offices of Inquirer managers said they were unavailable for comment. Smith sent word through a friend that he had been advised by his lawyers not to comment. He has maintained a public silence about the Inquirer since management's decision to reassign him.

"Leaves Philly"

How far away can he go? Doesn't antartica need a sports reporter?

Hopefully he leaves Earth next.

I like SAS.

Booo you guys.

You know who just OWNS Stephen A?

http://static.flickr.com/92/253476741_890cb66ecc.jpg

Karl Malone?

...it's official. The people have spoken.

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2007/12/talk-about-credibility-stephen-smith.html

Steven A. Smith beat out Tony Kornheiser as the worst sports announcer on television, according to a bracket contest conducted by AOL Sports. (Al Michaels is the best, apparently).

Bill Walton was screwed.

I guess they include studio hanger-onners too, because unlike Stephen, Tony is actually at the games calling them.

No "love" for Bill Walton?
Walton may be profoundly mentally retarded, and he may cause cancer on the mic, but at least Walton gets a little dap for actually being a ball player long ago in a galaxy far away...

i truely hate Al michaels and hubie brown

Jalen Rose is AWFUL on Coast to Coast. Dude ruins highlights.

I think all the NFL guys are the worst. Salisbury, Mark Schlereth, and Golic especially (I do like Trey Wingo though).

Brent Musberger is *Walton voice* Terrrrrrrrrrible.

I'd take SAS over Al Michaels for hoops, if I had to choose the lesser of two evils.

ESPN/ABC usually have pretty good announcers when it comes to the NBA. Mark Jones, Mike Breen, etc. But yeah, I'd take SAS over Al Michaels when it comes to hoops too, only because you only hear from SAS at the half in the studio.

SAS is hilariously bad. Like make-up-your-own-drinking-game bad...you know, take a shot whenever he rhymes, and suddenly SAS will be your favorite person in the world. But Hubie Brown just gives me cramps listening to him ramble senselessly while important stuff is happening on the court.

Rod Allen should just call every game.

*Flip Murray hits a jumper in garbage time*
"HE DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bill Walton was screwed.

Agreed.


The only man who can stop Cliff Robinson is Cliff Robinson. The man is unstoppable even at 38.


This is a game of skill Shawn Bradley.


He was wondering how many steps he could take before they would call traveling

Rod Allen should just call every game.

*Flip Murray hits a jumper in garbage time*
"HE DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That's funny.

I'm sorry but I dont share the Bill Walton hate. In fact, I have man-love for Walton. He's clearly doing schtick with a smirk, he knows how over the top he sounds, and its hilarious. Those quotes above are genius.

"The only man who can stop Cliff Robinson is Cliff Robinson. The man is unstoppable even at 38." :lol:

THROW IT DOWN BIG MAN!!!!!!!!!

Does anybody know what happened to Tom Toolbert?

S.A.S. is HANDS DOWN the biggest prick I have ever met. I sat next to him last year in Cleveland for the ECF. the guy is a joke.

Did he have a bag of cheez doodles with him?

mmmmm, delicious cheez doodles

SAS can be really irritating but i at least find sound reasoning in a lot of what he says. (once you cut through the hysterical method of delivery). sometimes i HATE him.

but he can also be entertaining too in some ways. i would have to say dickie V, hubie brown, and bill walton are hands down THE WORST and most retarded of all announcers.

Dickie V is fucking horrible. Good call.

I don't mind if a sports commentator / announcer is insane. I really don't. Insanity doesn't bother me. Barkley actually entertains me a great deal, for instance. If someone is completely off base, at least it provokes thought and discussion.

However, I absolutely cannot tolerate people who talk simply just to hear their own voices. In that regard, Hubie and SAS are the worst of the worst. They're obviously so in love with themselves that they cannot imagine a situation in which someone wouldn't want to hear what they have to say. They interview athletes, and they focus way more on the cleverness of their own questions than the fact that the answer may be illuminating.

THROW IT DOWN BIG MAN!!!!!!!!!

Does anybody know what happened to Tom Toolbert?

yeah, what did happen to Tolbert? i actually liked him.

the best worst-commentator was Tim Hardaway. take a guy who's barely comprehensible and give him a mic. great idea.

I must say that I am excellent at giving a title to a thread.

Hubie Brown is one of the best players we have in our league.
Our league is of the best leagues we have in our league
He is the best annoucer at annoucing in our league
This is why Hubie Brown is one of the best we have in the league today
See, that right there is the reason Hubie Brown is the best that we have in this league.


And so concludes everything Hubie has to say about Hubie.

Hubie Brown is the only person I have ever heard talk in the 2nd person for an extended period of time, not counting people doing Hubie Brown impressions

I haven't watched this yet, but I'm posting it anyway. Any time Stephen A shows up on something that isn't ESPN, it's bound to be interesting.

utvxvWUpwFU

Stephen A knows nothing about politics. I dislike Rudy as well but he is not a dictator.

I often have trouble hearing Steven A. It seems like he's too shy to speak loudly enough for people to hear... like he's not sure his point is valid.

I have the exact same problem.


Oh, you were kidding?

Thank you Steven A Smiff, now we go to a commercial.

Cut/ Out.

WHO THE FUCK LINED UP STEVEN A SMIFF? YOU? BITCH! You'll never work in this town again! GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY SIGHT! Take you're guests back to WHORE ISLAND!!!
Hi this is Chris Mattews, welcome back.

exactly what I thought when he was so quick to speak after Stephen A Smiff called Rudy a dictator.

It was great to hear SAS subbing for Czaban this morning on FSR.

Even better to find out that he's starting his own FSR show next week.

He's good entertainment IMO.

I was glad to hear that SAS got his new show on FSR, but fuck me, they shitcanned Czaban to give it to him.

Not happy.

ESPN just re-hired him to write on .com and do radio work from NY & LA.

Life's been so much better to me since I cut down on my ESPN watching.

SAS and Skip are pretty good together. Just did 4 hrs on Mike/Mike and now are back on FirstTake.

He done stepped in it now.

What an idiot.

Thought that was your boy?

No more.

Although I do think the outrage is being ginned up quite a bit by those who dislike him. What he said was dumb, though.

#smh

http://www.tmz.com/2014/07/25/michelle-beadle-stephen-a-smith-domestic-violence-comments/

Made me smile.

https://twitter.com/stonebeauld/status/492802658026409984

http://www.tmz.com/2014/07/25/michelle-beadle-stephen-a-smith-domestic-violence-comments/
You think there would be this kind of outrage if it was Ron Jaworski making these comments?? Come on fam, I know y'all ain't that stupid...

Ha!

Dude on Twitter who said First Take iis the "Sports version of Maury" on Twitter hit the nail on the head

Does anyone here even bother with deadspin anymore???

Does anyone here even bother with deadspin anymore???

I read it everyday?

I read it everyday?

So cool.

Suspended one week.

As in most cases, Stephen A. Smith's biggest crime here is rambling.

If you don't want violence, don't go out with obviously-violent people.
Don't poke your finger in someone's eye and expect a lack of reaction.
Some drunken drug-needy people exhibit violence to those around them.

This is not rocket surgery.

lol

http://thebiglead.com/2014/11/17/stephen-a-smith-threatens-michael-carter-williams-in-bizarre-radio-rant/

That's a really good little piece there.

This is old but I don't remember seeing it in here but am too lazy to double-check:

http://deadspin.com/5943994/stephen-a-smith-thought-an-article-about-him-in-the-onion-was-real

Hate that guy so much.

This motherfucker's doing college broadcasts now??

I'd turn the Red Wings game on but I'm afraid he's on there, too.

I'd turn the Red Wings game on howeva I'm afraid he's on there, too.

iriuBlqfX-8

smh

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