No Mo Mo'ne

OK, the Mo'ne story is cute. Cool. She's talented. Composed. And currently plays on the best, most-successful team in Philadelphia (take that 76ers, Phillies, Flyers, Eagles).

But to listen to ESPN's commentators tell it, we have been exposed to her and her fellow Gods at the Little League World Series this year.

Which is the same thing their commentators said about the participants in the X Games. And the Winter 'X' Games. And the World Cup.

Enough, ESPN. Let the event speak for itself. If you have to tell me it's great, it probably isn't. Let the action on the field speak for itself. I'll decide what's great. You just describe what's happening, tell us who the participants are and supply background stats.

***

Mo'ne was the cover girl on SI this week, and likely deservedly so. But then she got hit with the SI cover jinx, as so many have before her. She got rocked early and got little support against Las Vegas and the Young Philadelphians bowed out of the event.

If only they'd taken Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin and Rick Sutcliffe with them. Normally, I like all those guys, but not the way they slathered all over themselves telling me how great the Rhode Island coach was (he wasn't).

He was hardly inspirational, as they claimed. I watched him time and again delay games so as distract opposing pitchers and get them off stride against his hitters. His language, tone and actions were unsportsmanlike, discourteous and loud.

At ESPN, they call that inspirational. I call it, time to look for my remote.

***

ESPN isn't the only sports media outlet regularly committing a faux pas. Mo'ne on the cover of SI speaks for itself. This, the same magazine that gives us Kate Upton on the cover. Not complaining about that, but hoping SI isn't thinking like that about Mo'ne. Unless ESPN the Magazine is for its "Body" issue. Oh lord.

I suppose SI could've given us Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer on the cover, side by side, awaiting Cleveland Browns management and coaches to decide their fates. Not that it's going to make the Browns a better team.

Amazingly, the media treated the Browns' QB story as if the whole world was waiting on this decision, by the Browns third head coach in the last three years. The Cleveland Browns suck. Two winning records, one playoff appearance in the 15 years since they were reincarnated. They don't deserve to exist. They don't deserve the fancy stadium Cleveland built for them at the lakefront. They don't deserve Jack.

But they've got Johnny. Football. On the bench.

***

You know it's coming. Five years from now, here comes Mo'ne, showing up at her beloved UConn to play basketball for Geno and the Lady Huskies, accompanied by the media trail of replays from this year's Little League World Series.

She deserves to live her own life, not the media replay of it.