Just a few short months after the program debuted, NBC Sports Network is completely shaking up its early-evening show “The Crossover,” according to The Big Lead.

Dave Briggs, who joined NBC Sports from Fox News in January specifically to host the program, is being removed as co-host. Starting Monday, the show will have a new set, and Michelle Beadle will host alone, joined by a rotating cast of regulars. Briggs is expected to get hosting duties on another NBCSN program.

“The Crossover” was one of NBCSN’s highest-profile launches in recent memory, as Beadle was poached from ESPN (which wanted badly to keep her) and Briggs came from “Fox & Friends” weekend edition, which, while not as popular as the weekday edition, still does very well for FNC.

There are few things newspaper editors like more than to write about troubled TV. Antenna envy, a former news director of mine used to call it. For the past few months the New York Daily News, which, earlier this year, hired former News of the World editor Colin Myler as its chief, has had its sights set on NBC’s “Today” show.

In an un-bylined story in today’s New York Daily News, there’s a report claiming “Today” “is on the verge of losing its general.” That would be show EP Jim Bell, who also produced the London Olympics for NBC. The story goes that Bell will move back, and up, at NBC Sports.

There’s nothing new in this piece that wasn’t reported by Reuters a month ago. TVNewser reaches out to “Today” quite regularly following up on this chatter. Recently, Bell told us, “I am very happy here. If you are a producer, it truly doesn’t get any better than working on the TODAY show and the Olympics.”

Could something change in the future? Of course. But nothing’s imminent.

This is the second story in as many days in the Daily News regarding the “Today” show.

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Radio host Paul Finebaum, a former columnist for al.com who last year wrote that Vanderbilt should be kicked out of the SEC for not being competitive in football, is joining SI.com as a columnist. He reported the news on Twitter, saying his first column will run Thursday. Perhaps his first piece will address the ongoing story involving USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, who recently went on Finebaum’s radio show claiming to know who paid Cam Newton‘s father, Cecil, so that the 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner would attend Auburn. Sheridan has refused to name the alleged “bag man,” claiming his source within the NCAA would lose their job. The NCAA, for their part, says Sheridan’s claims are without merit.

Finebaum’s popular radio show is syndicated throughout the southeast and can also be heard on Sirius XM Radio (Channel 91).

The Red Sox and the Yankees begin another series in their hate-filled rivalry tonight, so that means it must be time for another Alec Baldwin-John Krasinski video from New Era. In this installment — the fifth in a six-video campaign — Baldwin, a diehard Yankees fan, and Krasinski, a diehard Red Sox fan, are communicating via Skype when Baldwin decides he’s going to burn a handful of tickets to Red Sox home games. Why does he do this? Because doing so is supposed to make a Red Sox fan like Krasinski apoplectic. In burning the tickets, Baldwin inadvertently burns down his apartment building (which is supposed to be hilarious), and then has to go on the lam, so he goes to Krasinski’s apartment to hide out. I think Yankee fans would have rather seen Baldwin burn Curt Schilling’s bloody sock.

After back-and-forth rumors, Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest will compete in the 13th season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Artest is still interested in playing for Cheshire Jets of the British Basketball League. If Artest really can’t dance like he claims, he will be free to play basketball by Oct. 1.

He will be joined by David Arquette, Chaz Bono, Elisabetta Canalis, Kristin Cavallari, Nancy Grace, Rob Kardashian, Carson Kressley, Ricki Lake, J.R. Martinez, Chynna Phillips and Hope Solo on the season premiere Sept. 19.

So much for getting those A-listers.

With the NFL right around the corner, ESPN has gone on an analysts hiring spree, signing Eric Mangini, Hugh Douglas and Damien Woody.

It appears the Worldwide Leader has their eyes set on at least one more big name, according to USA Today:

“ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys says ex-coach Bill Parcells is still “likely” to be added as an analyst, primarily to appear on big-event coverage like the the postseason and NFL Draft and making occasional regular-season appearances rather than taking on a weekly schedule.”

ESPN has had a better offseason than the Philadelphia Eagles.

If I had to chose between no football or more slobbering by the media over Brett Favre, I think I would choose no football.

An excellent video montage of Brett Favre references from Monday morning.

I can’t take another August of Favre coverage. Please go away for good.

[H/T SportsGrid]

Gina Carano is so good looking that watching her compete in mixed martial arts is akin to watching a Hollywood actress dirty up to win an Oscar. Given that, it’s no surprise that Hollywood would eventually come calling for Carano, who’s starring in Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh‘s upcoming film Haywire. Here’s the IMDB description of the movie, which is being released in January: “A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.”

OK, not exactly a stretch for Carano. But considering the principals involved in the film, including Soderbergh, Michael Douglas, Ewen McGregor, Bill Paxton and Antonio Banderas, Haywire will probably be better than Barb Wire with Pamela Anderson.

Mike “Doc” Emrick is ending his career as the New Jersey Devils play-by-play announcer to take a full-time position with NBC/Versus.

Emrick let New Jersey fans know Thursday via a letter posted on the Devils’ website:

To the marvelous fans of the New Jersey Devils:

A good friend advised me several years ago that before any major decision, you should look in the mirror and look at your birth certificate.

Since my contracts with MSG, VERSUS, and NBC all expired late this spring, this was another of those times. I discovered that the birth certificate couldn’t be changed and it showed me to be 65 in a few days. Read more

The Pac 10 is no more; long live the Pac 12. Today, July1, the athletic conference officially welcomed two new member schools, Colorado and Utah, pushing the league total to a dozen universities. The conference last expanded in 1978, when Arizona and Arizona State came aboard and joined California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington and Washington State.

“This is a very exciting day and a historic moment for our conference, for college athletics and for Colorado and Utah,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. “Our conference was built on a pioneering spirit and through innovation that has contributed to some of the most valuable advancements in this country and the world. Colorado and Utah share those core values and instantly enhance the strength of our conference both academically and athletically.”