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There are two names that rule the airwaves when it comes to sports morning shows.
The first is ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. The second is his former colleague and current Fox Sports 1 star Skip Bayless.
Bayless and Smith spent years firing barbs back and forth at one another on ESPN’s “First Take” before the former took his talents to a different network.
He then teamed up for Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe on FS1 morning show, “Undisputed.”
Bayless and Sharpe produced a number of memorable segments, bolstered by what appeared to be genuine distaste for one another at times.
Sadly, their television marriage fell apart recently with Sharpe leaving the network.
“I’m gonna cry in the car but I’m not gonna cry now,” Sharpe said on his final episode of the show. “The opportunity you gave me to become what I became, I’m forever indebted to you. I’ll never forget what you did for me. You’ve helped me grow more than you’ll ever know. All I ask is when you lay your head on that pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had.”
While Bayless wished him farewell.
“I want to thank you for never taking a sick day,” he said. “I wanna thank you for preparing as hard as you could every single day for every single topic. I wanna thank you for competing as hard as you did. The greatest compliment I can give you is you were a worthy adversary. I wanna thank you and tell you I love you for everything you have done for me. I’m gonna miss our Diet Dew bets, our LeBron battles, our Cowboy arguments. In the end, you made possible a very special time in my career. I look forward to your next great achievement, but tonight I will toast you with a Diet Mountain Dew.”
Rumors swirled initially around Fox Sports 1 personality Lesean McCoy replacing Sharpe. But now it seems there’s another favorite.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports Keyshawn Johnson could land in Sharpe’s old seat. Johnson was laid off Friday following a number of years at ESPN.
“The news isn’t all bad for Johnson as only a year ago, he signed a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $18 million – and he will be able to collect all of it,” Marchand said. “Johnson also may become a top candidate to replace Shannon Sharpe as Skip Bayless’ debater on FS1’s “Undisputed.”
Talk about falling up.