[Ed. note - In celebration of this week's theatrical release of The Muppets, here's our thing about Muppets. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat.]

We’re still a few months away from the release of The Muppets, starring and written by Jason Segel, but my excitement couldn’t be higher. Hold on, I’m receiving a breaking news message… *squirrel in a hot air balloon drops a note tied to an acorn on the table* … it appears that The Muppets also stars Rashida Jones and Mila Kunis, so I may have an awesome heart attack soon. In the meantime, it’s Friday and now I’m all Muppety, so what the hell can I do to resolve this?

Thankfully, while looking for something completely unrelated yesterday, I stumbled across the Muppets Wiki site and started perusing the history of the happiest shows of my childhood – The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Eventually I realized that a lot of athletes have been told how to get to, how to get to Sesame Street over the past 42 years, and it all started with Jackie Robinson in 1969. From there, children and adults who are still children at heart watched with glee as their favorite athletes stopped by to teach us about the alphabet, sharing, numbers, living in garbage cans, depression, being a giant bird, same sex partnerships with bottle cap enthusiasts, and building motor skills, among others.

After the jump, I’ve compiled an extensive history of athletes making appearances on Sesame Street and with the Muppets. If you don’t enjoy this or smile the whole way through, then I’m afraid we’ll never be friends. And that would make Big Bird very sad.

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This is one of the bigger stories of the day, you know, aside from the fact that the NFL starts tonight and Shakey hitting puberty: ESPN anchor Chris Berman has decided not to shave his upper lip. Personally, I love it. I’m of the mindset that if hair doesn’t grow on top of your head, you should grow it wherever you can. Lips, armpits. Wherever.

It won’t be long before some angry rights group comes out against mustaches, claiming that they’re oppressive against women or bad for the environment or cause cancer, so I say grow that sumb:tch out and showcase your manliness to the world. This might be the thing that gets me to fall in love with Berman all over again.

Or not.

via The Wiz Wit, Larry Brown Sports.

They’re putting the finishing touches onto Chris Berman’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame right now. Yeah, dude got a star. Apparently being balding, fat and unfunny is a commodity now (great news for me!).

So, just steps from the iconic corner of Hollywood and Vine, a few steps out from the Dillion’s Irish Pub and Grill, around the corner from the famous Capitol Records building, just West of the Pantages theatre and a little east of the Hollywood Cabaret (“Girls … Girls … Girls”!), the ironic ESPN anchor will be anchored in fame during a ceremony scheduled for Monday morning.

Tom Hoffarth of Inside SoCal also points out the nearest leather shop in the area. Well played, Tom. And really, I think I’m cool with Berman getting a star. It’s the perfect way to be recognized as somebody whose days of entertaining people are clearly behind him.

ESPN’s Chris Berman has re-signed with that network, and presumably used rumors of his defection to NFL Network to pump a little bit more money out of those Bristol coffers. Those rumors were circulated two months, and one could assertain that the large gulf of time between then and now indicates that the Swami didn’t get the money that he was looking for.

As annoying as Berman comes off to most people, I much prefer his antics to the quasi-European smugness of Trey Wingo or the “Word to yo mutha” ramblings of Stuart Scott, two people that were likely to replace him behind the NFL game-day desk. You know what you get with Berman: a little bit of cheese and a little less hair. I can handle him keeping his own seat warm while giving Scott a few more years to get hit by a bus. Not that I wish him any ill will; I just think he’s terrible at his job.

Who would you rather see running the point of ESPN’s NFL coverage? Besides Suzy Kolber, obviously…

There has been speculation about the contract situ with ESPN’s Chris Berman, he of the immodest combover and haughty swampass. In what we’d call a “walk year” for any athlete, Berman allegedly is being courted by the NFL Network and DirecTV. Uh huh.

Berman, right now, is The Man at ESPN. He’s been there forever, probably knows everyone, and seems to come and go as he pleases. His value, I’d argue, would be significantly less than it is at the network where he has worked over the last 30 years. Would he be willing to be The New Guy at an arguably less mature operation? I doubt it.

I chalk this up to smoke and mirrors; Berman wants more money from ESPN, who might finally be willing to reduce his on-camera role and make way for some of its younger talent. I don’t expect him to leave that anchor chair at NFL Prime Time unless he does so in the back of an ambulance.

Chris Berman is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. I’d be totally annoyed with this, but friggin’ Carrot Top has his own star. Chris Berman and Carrot Top together? Sounds about right. From the Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce, via Awful Announcing:

A new group of entertainers in motion pictures, television, live theater, and recording have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced today by the Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. These individuals were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held June 15, and ratified by the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

Berman will be inducted with 27 others in 2010. Really? We’re waiting a whole ‘nother year to do this? He could be dead by then. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a picture of good health but, you know, accidents happen.