What a f***in' idiot

I know ESPN pays analysts to give strong opinions, but does ESPN pay them to be more than obnoxious blowhards?

If it does, it's not getting it's money's worth from Stephen A. Smith.

Called "Stephen A" often, it occurs to me that "A" stands for "Asshole." Make that, "ASSHOLE."

Smith is an epitome of the weaknesses of the national sports media. No performance except the most recent performance has relevance in the eyes of the "Steven A's" of the world. Saturday night and all day Sunday the Utah Jazz were a gritty bunch of scrappers, a team with admirable depth that is an impressive compliment to two young stars, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. But after Monday night's loss in Game 4 of the Western Finals, the Jazz were a two-man show, Boozer and Williams having been abandoned by the supporting cast.

Only the last performance . . . .

Granted the Jazz had a really rough patch Monday night. And, granted, the Spurs are likely to end the series with a win in San Antonio Wednesday. But if the Stephen A's of the national media would mix in a little less self-serving bombast and predictability the value of their opinions would more closely approximate the hill of cash ESPN insists on paying them.