For a cable network that is far and away the leader in sports television -- so much so that they've called themselves "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" for over 30 years now -- ESPN seems to be quite the tight-assed organization.

Despite forging a reputation for opinionated sports coverage via TV, radio, and internet, they have issued an edict to their employees to not say anything critical about fellow ESPNers, under threat of suspension or other finger-wagging punishment. Bill Simmons has chafed the most under these regulations, but Tony Kornheiser isn't far behind.

So when Kornheiser opened his radio show last week by criticizing the semi-revealing outfit 'SportsCenter' anchor Hannah Storm wore that morning, you knew something was coming. Sure enough, ESPN has suspended Kornheiser from 'Pardon the Interruption' for an indeterminate period of time, according to FanHouse.

(S08E11) Ah, the wonders of corporate synergy. ABC has produced Scrubs since day one, but since it aired for seven years on NBC, an episode like tonight's would have probably never gotten made. Actually, it would have gotten made, but SportsCenter would only be referenced, not shown in extended sequences airing on the break room TV. And we wouldn't have gotten an opportunity to see extended shots of Hannah Storm wearing her sexy outfits (she's in her late 40s, a mom, and a respected journalist, but she still rocks those tiny dresses, doesn't she?).

This was an odd episode. Very light in tone, without a lot of guffawable moments. But the dramatic moments were spot on, and the nice easy-going vibe of the episode really reminded me of ones I used to see very early in the show's run. I mean first-season early.

I hope Hannah Storm enjoyed sleeping late since she's been off the CBS Early Show because her new gig will be on the AM shift once again. And she'll be back talking sports. ESPN is going to announce tomorrow that Hannah Storm will anchor a new, revamped SportsCenter morning edition. SportsCenter is already on every morning, so you have to assume that by adding Storm to the mix, the folks at Disney (ESPN's parent company) are looking to pump up the old format and maybe bring in some new viewers -- like maybe those who used to watch Hannah on CBS.

Of course, there's already two other competing morning shows on the ESPN family of channels, Mike & Mike in the Morning which stars Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, and First Take (formerly known as Cold Pizza) with Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson.

On the heels of news that Rene Syler will be leaving CBS' The Early Show on December 22 (it has since been reported that Syler will also undergo surgery in January) comes news that Russ Mitchell will be joining the show as the newsanchor. The show hasn't had a real newsanchor for a while now. The news duties are usually split between the hosts (Harry Smith, Syler, Hannah Storm, and Julie Chen). Mitchell will continue as anchor of The CBS Evening News on Sundays.

Looks like they're really starting to change things up at the show. It's my guess that in January or February we'll see a major overhaul to the show, meaning new hosts and a tweaked format. Rumors continue to swirl that everyone from Anderson Cooper to Campbell Brown might be the new hosts.

I didn't even know that Syler was a host of The Early Show. How could he be the host of a daily morning talk show on CBS and go around the country, cutting open people's heads and stealing their superpowers?

Actually, it's Rene Syler, one of the 34 co-hosts they have over at The Early Show (last time checked it was Syler, Harry Smith, Hannah Storm, and Julie Chen) is leaving the show to pursue other projects, including a book that will be released this spring. Her last day on the show will be December 22.