Sportslady News

Rather than dwell on the Red Wings heartbreaking overtime loss tonight, I've chosen to fill you in on some interesting news in the world of the Sportslady. Or in particular, news about Sports Ladies.

This morning, I found out that ABC has handed Monday Night Football sideline reporter Lisa Guerrero her walking papers. Thank goodness. Unlike her predecessor, Melissa Stark, Guerrero was an embarrassment to the worlds' Sports Ladies. She was a former soap opera actress-turned sports announcer. Previous to MNF, she was eye candy for Tom Arnold on "The Best Damn Sports Show Period." During one Monday night game, Guerrero did a sideline report about Brian Urlacher's budding relationship with Paris Hilton (seriously, she talked about how the two had been seen canoodling in a luxury box). Do men watch MNF for celebrity gossip? Not last time I checked.

Guerrero, by the way, will be replaced by ESPN basketball/football reporter Michele Tafoya, who actually has some credibility as a sports reporter. I hope she does well.

Of course, you're hearing this from a woman who actually said "You need a lot of stragedy to win a NASCAR race" on air today. Stragedy??? At least I caught myself and made a joke out of it... Ugh.

So the other interesting piece of Sports Lady news today came during the aforementioned Red Wings/Flames travesty. The ice-side reporter was none other than Erin Andrews, or as I like to call her, "the woman who has my career."

Let me explain. About four or five years ago, I started my first serious job search in television. I sent resume tapes to about half of the universe. I received some very nice rejection letters, which I framed and placed on the wall in my office to keep me humble. There was only one job that I really, really, really wanted: A sideline reporter position with the Tampa Bay Lightning for their cable broadcasts. How cool would that have been? Anyway, years later, I discovered that the woman who received the job was Erin Andrews, who by that point was working for Turner Sports as their studio anchor for Braves and Thrashers games.

Fast forward to 2003. Last year, Turner sent a letter to several sports reporters and anchors, looking for on-site reporters for their Braves broadcasts. Of course, I applied. No luck. On the first day of the season, there was Erin Andrews once again.

I'm aware that I've applied for hundreds of jobs in my time in sports broadcasting. I'm aware that nearly every one of those jobs have been offered to someone else (Generally someone more qualified and more attractive. This is television, after all). But Erin Andrews has held not one, but two of the jobs that I have applied for. That's why she's "the woman who has my career."

Now she's at ESPN, reporting from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dangit.