Stephen A Smith

A former aide to Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of misusing a $65,000 federally backed small-business loan. Stephen A. Smith, a 46-year-old college professor and business partner of current Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, could get up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine in connection with the charges, which stemmed from the government's Whitewater investigation.

There is nothing like listening to Stephen A. Smith drop names, places and other various references to his many friends in the sporting world when he's on ESPN's First Take morning program or breaking down the NBA on various other broadcasts. A lot of people don't like his shtick, but let's face it, most of the big-time personalities on sports television mimic talk radio these days: the louder and more emphatic you say it, the better. You don't have to be right. Or wrong.

There is nothing like listening to Stephen A. Smith drop names, places and other various references to his many friends in the sporting world when he's on ESPN's First Take morning program or breaking down the NBA on various other broadcasts. A lot of people don't like his shtick, but let's face it, most of the big-time personalities on sports television mimic talk radio these days: the louder and more emphatic you say it, the better. You don't have to be right. Or wrong.

    In the fourth part of Kobe Bryant's conversation with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, the Lakers guard talked about Dwight Howard and leadership. Bryant said he's looking for something out of Howard beyond hitting a higher percentage at the line. "We had a game that we lost against Indiana where I had 40 points," Bryant said. "But I hurt the team because I had 10 turnovers. That's my responsibility. I don't care what anybody else does or what Dwight shot from the free throw line, I didn't do my job to the best of my ability, and I take that to heart.

Actually heard on ESPN on Tuesday afternoon: "As reported earlier on SportsCenter, sources close to O'Neal say he called Bryant twice this summer and in fact Kobe never returned his phone calls." Stay tuned for further developments in this breaking news story. Such as: Did Kobe really get a smaller piece of Phil Jackson's birthday cake than Shaq? And did that, in turn, cause Kobe not to invite Shaq to spend the night up in his backyard treehouse?

BRISTOL, Conn. - In the bid to build the perfect sports talk show, competition abounds - from the Web, talk radio and, most important, from established ESPN shows such as "Pardon the Interruption. " And yet within this crowded field, ESPN2's sports-debate show "First Take" - a daily two-hour program that alternates between rancor and depth - has flourished. Featuring the commentator Skip Bayless and a rotation of guests that includes pundit Stephen A. Smith, the show with a mix of hectoring and (sometimes)

NBA Commissioner David Stern and sports talk personality Jim Rome got into a heated exchange Wednesday on Rome's nationally syndicated radio show after a question regarding the integrity of the NBA draft lottery. After about a minute of small talk, Rome brought up the fact that the league-owned New Orleans Hornets received the top pick in the draft and asked Stern: "Was the fix in for the lottery?" First the commissioner got offended, telling Rome, "Shame on you for asking.

A former aide to President Clinton during his first term as Arkansas governor was sentenced to a year of probation and fined $1,000 for conspiring to misuse a $65,000 loan cited in the Whitewater trial of Gov. Jim Guy Tucker and two other defendants. Stephen A. Smith, 47, pleaded guilty in June 1995 to reduced charges in return for testimony against Tucker and James and Susan McDougal, all of whom were convicted May 28.

BRISTOL, Conn. - In the bid to build the perfect sports talk show, competition abounds - from the Web, talk radio and, most important, from established ESPN shows such as "Pardon the Interruption. " And yet within this crowded field, ESPN2's sports-debate show "First Take" - a daily two-hour program that alternates between rancor and depth - has flourished. Featuring the commentator Skip Bayless and a rotation of guests that includes pundit Stephen A. Smith, the show with a mix of hectoring and (sometimes)

A former aide to Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of misusing a $65,000 federally backed small-business loan. Stephen A. Smith, a 46-year-old college professor and business partner of current Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, could get up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine in connection with the charges, which stemmed from the government's Whitewater investigation.