Cheers for Glazer, Spears for Patrick

CBC reporter Erin Paul's interview of Hope Solo caused quite a commotion in the States. Courtesy of the CBC

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1. Erin Paul, CBC Sports reporter: Negotiating through the postgame muck at Hangzhou-Dragon Stadium following the U.S. loss to Brazil at the Women's World Cup, Paul's questions produced one of the profound sound bites of the year: Hope Solo's criticism of U.S. soccer coach Greg Ryan. Since the CBC had a tape-sharing agreement with ESPN, Solo's comments quickly appeared over American airwaves."Everybody attributed the story to ESPN," says Paul, whose blog offers a behind-the-scenes look at the story. "They cropped our microphone so you couldn't see it -- which I thought was a bit cheesy -- but that's the business, I suppose." One interesting postscript: Paul ran into Solo at the airport as both were departing for home. "I thought, Oh, God, what do I do?," Paul says. "So I went up to her and said, "Hope, I'm Erin and I'm the reporter that started all of this. I just want to say I'm sorry for the repercussions and what happened to you." She said, "It's okay. I just really thank you for giving me a chance to talk." I thought, "That's a pretty classy response for somebody who has been ostracized by the team."

2. Jay Glazer, Fox Sports: If Bill Belichick had hired someone as circumspect as Glazer, he might still be getting away with his Robert Ludlum-like escapades. In a plum early-season scoop, Glazer obtained a copy of the now-famous videotape the NFL confiscated from the Patriots showing Jets coaches on the sidelines signaling defensive calls.The Boston Globe and ESPN reported that the NFL is conducting an internal investigation on how he obtained his tape but Glazer tells SI.com that "I've never heard from the league." As for his insider rivals, Glazer says ESPN's Chris Mortensen texted him that day with a message that read: GOOD JOB, A------.

3. Charley Casserly, CBS Sports: Here's a headline from the May 1, 2006 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: TEXANS FAILURE TO DRAFT BUSH RANKS WITH ALL-TIME BLUNDERS. One year later, it looks like Casserly might not have been such a dolt for drafting Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. The Texans' former GM has proven to be a valuable edition for The NFL Today, including a nice scoop about the league sending a memo warning teams not to use their cheerleading or dance squads to distract opponents.

4. Bill Madden, New York Daily News: There are few things worse than losing your cell phone, though root canal and the final season of The O.C. come close. Upon traveling to Fenway Park last month, Madden, a longtime baseball columnist for the News, discovered a cell phone in the back seat of his cab. He asked the cab driver who the previous occupant was and was told it was a Red Sox player with a long name that began with the letter "P." The owner? Closer Jonathan Papelbon. "The clubhouses weren't open yet when I got to Fenway so I went up to the press box to start setting up my computer when the phone rang," Madden tells SI.com. "I answered and said, "Is that you, John?" The voice on the other end said, "Yeah, who's this?" I replied: "This is Bill Madden, the baseball columnist with the New York Daily News. As you by now have figured out, I have your cellphone. You left it in the cab that I got into after you were dropped off. Papelbon replied: "No way! He was very appreciative, and no, I didn't take all his numbers out of it. He was doubly lucky in that respect because I am entirely computer illiterate. I did think of the repercussions later if A-Rod had left his his cellphone in a car and it was found by a New York sports writer."

5. Mike Tirico, ESPN jack-of-all-trades: The Tirico Brand now extends to radio after the longtime staffer was chosen (along with Scott Van Pelt and occasionally Michelle Tafoya) to replace Dan Patrick in the afternoon. It's a safe choice and one that affiliates will support given Tirico's high-profile gig on Monday Night Football and as a golf anchor. While there's no questioning Tirico's credentials and experience, it's bears watching whether the network's lead play-by-play person (someone given exclusive access to coaches prior to games) can be critical of said coaches in the talk-show format. Tirico's biggest challenge will be overcoming the perception from some critics that he's too vanilla.

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