His Cup runneth over with thanks

Emphasis on sweet.

We in the print business are supposed to be sour on the colossus that ESPN has become, the Bigfoot that tramples all other sports media beneath its mass and scope.

But I want to thank the folks who run ESPN for showing every match of the Women's World Cup.

In high definition, no less.

With really good commentary from J.P. Dellacamera, Julie Foudy and Tony DiCicco.

Yes, ESPN has been doing it on a budget, taking the feed from China and keeping its broadcasters in Connecticut. Makes no difference. Using the same glorious pictures I am seeing at home, the commentators are telling me what I need to know.

And, in these days of TiVo and DVRs, there has been no need to get up at 2 a.m. to watch. I've been putting on the coffee at 6 a.m. and playing what just finished recording.

Women athletes and their families and friends owe plenty of gratitude to ESPN for its commitment to events like this World Cup and women's college basketball -- among others. So do those of us who find women's sports just as thrilling as men's.

So, ESPN, now that I have given you this big, warm hug, do women's sports one more favor:

Get Nike to dump the idiotic commercial you are showing about 100 times per match, the one with the puffball guy mimicking Brandi Chastain's shirt removal from the 1999 World Cup. It is insulting to women and simply awful to watch.

Plus, if ESPN tells Nike where to stick it, we may find out who the real colossus in sports is.

Philip Hersh covers Olympic sports for The Times and the Chicago Tribune.