August 22nd, 2007 2:56 pm

Two hilarious stories wrapped up in one post? It must be Christmas! Check out how Stephan A. Smith got demoted and what else Matt Murphy is selling besides the infamous 756 ball.

Via Deadspin and Phawker it has been confirmed that Stephen A. Smith aka Mr. “AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED” has been offered a demotion.

From Phawker:

Inquirer sports columnist Stephen A. Smith has been stripped of his column and has been offered a job as a general assignment reporter in the Inquirer’s sports department, according to sources inside both the Inquirer and the Daily News. Things reportedly came to a head during a meeting last Friday, when Smith was told of his re-assignment. Smith reportedly told his bosses he would give them an answer when he gets back from vacation in two weeks.

Is anyone actually surprised by this? I really don’t know of many people that can stand the guy.  He was on ESPN Radio for a whole week after Dan Patrick left. It took about 5 minutes on that Monday for me to change stations. When I returned to the station the following Monday I could still hear him screaming.

R.I.P Stephan A.

In other sports news, the douche that caught Barry Bonds’ 756th home run ball has announced he will sell the ball.

His claim is the “tax man” is making him sell it as there have been many a hypothetical that as soon as he caught the ball he was going to be taxed on it.

In the interview he says:

“I most likely would have kept it,” Murphy said in his thick Queens accent, two days after returning from a beach combing and female-admiring excursion to Australia’s Gold Coast. “But it would have cost money to keep something I already had. I’m not poor, but I don’t have $100,000 or $200,000 lying around.”

Huh. If he’s not poor, then why was he going to the trouble of selling the hat and unwashed jersey he caught the home run ball in? Both items started at $100. For some strange reason, the auctions ended without either item selling.

Wait, I’m not done.

In his jersey auction he wrote:

This is the real Jersey, I will be putting the hat that I wore to the game up for bid also. There are a lot of fakes floating around……i promise you this is authentic. For me to autograph the jersey will be at the buyers request.

So, not only did this douche think someone would have wanted his signature on his ketchup-stained, sweaty jersey, he also wanted the buyers to beware of all the “fakes” floating around.

By the way, check out his photo:

Given his awesome look, I have a feeling that’s not the only piece of dirty laundry he’s got lying around.

• Sports