Man Vs. Food Invades ESPN's First Take

BRISTOL, CT. -- You might remember ESPN's 2004 reality series "Dream Job," in which contestants competed for the right to become a "SportsCenter" anchor.

Adam Richman was never a contestant on that show, but in some ways he has every food lover's  "dream job."

As host of The Travel Channel's "Man Vs. Food," Richman is America's chowhound. He visits restaurants, street vendors and every food outlet in between to sample the most decadent cuisine. At the end of every 30-minute episode, Richman tackles the most daunting food challenge in that particular city, whether that means digesting a 5-pound chili dog (with fries and fixins) in an hour or 50 oysters in 20 minutes.

As a guest on  ESPN's "First Take," Richman did not have to swallow a 10-pound steak against the clock. But the Brooklyn-born former restauranteur did have to compete with the appetites of show host Jay Crawford and NFL analysts Lomas Brown (pictured in chef's hat with Richman, left) and Kordell Stewart as they sampled an ideal Thanksgiving Day buffet.

Radio host Betty Rubble arrested, charged with disorderly conduct

BRISTOL, CT. -- ESPN Radio's Betty Rubble was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct by Bristol, Ct. police after an incident at an area nightclub, according to various reports.

Rubble, host of the radio network's "On The Bubble With Rubble" college basketball show, has been suspended with pay pending further investigation, ESPN director of communications Bill Jones said. Her show, which airs weekdays from 4-to-6 p.m. ET, will be replaced by various programming in her absence, Jones said.

The Bristol Press reported that Rubble, 30, was arrested after she allegedly spat at guests outside the Sports Rock nightclub.

"Betty has developed a great following for her college basketball expertise. We undertand that she has some personal issues that she must deal with, and we'll let her deal with them," said John Fever, ESPN Radio's director of programming.

Fever said that replacing Rubble's show would be difficult but that he has several ideas in mind. He declined to specify what the replacements might be.

Friend, journalist copes with IRL driver Dana James' death

The sudden death of IndyCar driver and journalist Dana James on Sunday shook Joe Smith to the core.

Smith is an auto racing editor with ESPN.com. He's also a good friend of James who died while practicing for the IRL circuit opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The footage of the tragedy aired on ESPN2 as part of the network's coverage of the Miami 250.

From the media tent beside the raceway, Smith witnessed the collision with driver John Doe that claimed James's life. Anxious and concerned for his friend, he immediately felt an impulse to run into the pits to somehow offer any help and support. But Smith also realized he had to start gathering information for the story he had to file.

"It was very tough to acknowledge my emotions and still be an objective journalist," said Smith, who had known Dana since they were students at Northwestern University in the late 1990s. James was a writer with AutoWeek before he began to pursue a career in racing recently.

"Dana was a great guy, an adventurer, a go-getter. Even though I was as shaken as everyone was by his death, I had a job to do, too. It was very difficult to conduct interviews with his distraught crew and competitors. But we all have jobs to do. I'm trying to do mine as tribute to his memory."

IRL officials decided to conduct the race, as scheduled, four hours after James' death. ESPN2 aired the race as it was contracted to do, said Bill Matthews, the network's director of communications said.

A veteran ESPN shooter's take on life without "Monday Night Football"

Todd Craft has weathered Buffalo blizzards, Miami monsoons  and Cleveland's Dog Pound in search of the perfect shot.

He's had his right knee torn in three places trying to keep his video camera focused as Michael Vick scrambled into him on the Philadelphia Eagles' sidelines. Somewhere in M&T Bank Stadium midfield grass, one of Craft's bicuspids rests after he took an inadvertant helmet-to-face shot from Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

For 16 seasons, Craft has given himself  -- literally -- to bringing the world some of the best camera angles ESPN's "Monday Night Football" has had to offer. When he learned the news Wednesday that Fox Sports had obtained the rights to the franchise that has been part of the ABC/ESPN family for more than 40 years, Craft felt he was losing a part of himself in the process.

"Change happens. That's part of life in the television business, I understand that," said Craft, who has roamed the sidelines in all 32 NFL stadiums and covered all 92 "MNF" regular-season games ESPN has aired.

"But something's not going to feel right next season when, after following all the games Sunday, I look forward to covering a game Monday night -- but I won't be doing so. Even as a spectator, I think it's going to feel odd not to hear the distinctive "duh, duh, duh, duh" Monday Night Football theme just before kickoff. ESPN and ABC, we built that product. Good luck to Fox, but they can't do it better."

Golf tourney scores $1.63M for Jimmy V Foundation research

Back in his Chicago home, actor Vince Vaughn has a collection of golf clubs that no longer serve their primary function.

Thanks to Vaughn's reaction to several shots that went awry, those drivers and putters have been manhandled and mangled beyond repair.

Wednesday at the Industry Hills (Calif.) Golf Club, Vaughn said he added another useless club to his collection. The star of comedies "The Breakup" and "The Dilemma" warped his 5-iron after a tee shot went awry.

"I took a few extra divots out of that club and the rest of the 5th hole," Vaughn said, chuckling, "but it's all for a good cause, so I'll live with it."

Vaughn is among the many sports and entertainment notables entered in the 10th Annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic at the Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms.  The Jimmy V Golf even, combined with the Don't Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction, raised $1.63 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Fourth Annual Multicultural Fair celebrates ESPN's diversity

BRISTOL, CT. -- For eight hours Wednesday, ESPN's campus green became an international bazaar.

Mexican Mariachi bands, Norwegian perfume purveyors, Morrocan Gyro vendors and Laotian interpretive dancers congregated on the lawn to give their fellow employees windows into their worlds. It was all part of the company's Fourth Annual Multicultural Fair.

Employees representing many cultures set up 24 booths providing everything from literature about the Central Connecticut area's growing Jamaican population to samples of Scandanavian dishes from local restaurants. More than 900 employees took breaks from their workdays to participate in the event.

For Michelle Martin, a graphics supervisor with ESPN for seven years, the Multicultural Fair is annual highlight.

"I've heard music and tasted food I otherwise never would have appreciated," said Martin between bites of French Canadian rattlesnake.

"And it's helped me learn more about my friends and colleagues. I never knew that Joe Smith, another graphics supervisor I've worked with for years, is originally from Belize and used to run a tour company there. I came here and now I know."

Drew Brees' drive stalls in "This Is SportsCenter" ad

BRISTOL, CT. -- As quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees is used to finishing drives successfully.

ESPN's Building 11's main entry gate proved to be a tougher than expected defense, however, for the Super Bowl champion. In a "This Is SportsCenter" ad filming on campus Wednesday, Brees attempts to drive a Mardi Gras float into the employee parking lot. The float proves to be too big for the gateway, however, and Brees has to contend with being "that guy" who suffers the insults from the drivers stalled behind him.

Brees and ESPN's production crew managed to capture the scene in a 16-hour shoot.

"On TV, it looks so easy. But getting my lines right was one of the hardest things I've ever done," said the Super Bowl XLIV MVP, who visited Bristol with his wife and young son.

"Driving this float was very fun, but I had to be real careful not to scratch it."

The float Brees driving is an authentic display vehicle used in the 2010 parade through New Orleans. It 4,000-pound craft was transported fully assembled in an 18-wheel truck.

Look for his "This Is SportsCenter" ad to air this fall.