Unexpected Bonus “E:60”: Michael Vick’s Dogs, O.J. Mayo, Kimbo Slice And More

ESPN announced it will air a special edition of its sports newsmagazine series E:60 Dec. 11 at 7pm ET. The series will resume its regular run in the spring. Features on Tuesday’s special edition:

The Vick Dogs With Michael Vick serving time in federal prison ahead of his sentencing on Dec. 10 for conspiracy to operate a dog fighting enterprise, the fate of his dogs is also up in the air. E:60 correspondent Jeremy Schaap explores what happened to the surviving 48 pit bulls and 12 other dogs seized from Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia. The dogs include nine beagles and two rottweilers that rescue workers have named after Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The pit bulls remain in federal custody, awaiting a ruling on their fate, which could include adoption or euthanasia. The other dogs, including the beagles, show no signs of having been used in fights and are being considered for adoption to private owners. E:60 cameras follow some of the dogs as they are placed in new homes.

Kimbo Slice His real name is Kevin Ferguson. That may be the only indisputable fact known about the man called Kimbo Slice, who overnight is catapulting from a B-list bare-knuckle backyard brawler to mixed martial arts phenomenon. “Kimbo is going to be an international star,” says Gary Shaw, president of Elite XC, a talent agency which has signed Kimbo to a long term contract to appear in professional mixed martial arts fights. “He is going to be the guy that we took from the Internet, from a computer on my desk, into stardom.” Kimbo Slice says he started fighting at age 13 in his hometown of Miami. He later parlayed his job as a bouncer into fighter-for-hire, appearing in underground backyard brawls. When his fights began showing up on Internet sites, a star was born. E:60 correspondent Rachel Nichols sits down – and spars – with Kimbo Slice.

O.J. Mayo When O.J. Mayo entered the University of Southern California this fall as the hottest name in the 2007 college basketball freshman class, he brought along myths that date back to his breakthrough season in seventh grade. Mayo’s myths include that his emergent career has been steered, sometimes off course, by a series of mysterious adult males, none of which is his father; that the USC shooting guard has a history of on- and off-court incidents; that he recruited himself to play for USC and his mother then refused to sign the letter of intent; and that he is expected to bolt for the NBA as soon as he finishes his obligatory freshman season – a scenario top NBA scouts think is likely from the number who cover his games. E:60 correspondent Lisa Salters talks to Mayo and those close to him, including his mother Alisha, about the extraordinary rise of a basketball protégé.

Camp Death “Write a letter to your family explaining that you have died BASE jumping.” So Tom Aiello tells his hand-picked students at his week-long class on BASE jumping in Twin Falls, Idaho. BASE is an acronym for buildings, antennae, spans and earth – all fixed objects from which one can jump. BASE jumping is an emerging sport where participants leap from one of those four fixed objects in a freefall as long as possible before opening their parachutes. “It is very likely that you will be hurt BASE jumping if you continue to BASE jump over the long term,” says Aiello. “It is also very likely that you will see someone die.” Correspondent Tom Farrey reports as E:60 cameras follow Aiello and a group of campers through a free course that includes jumps off the Perrine Bridge, which sits just 486 feet above Idaho’s Snake River and gives the jumpers about three seconds to successfully pull their chutes.

Plus: “The Sports Guy” Bill Simmons attempts to win a car for an L.A. Clippers fan by attempting a half-court shot during halftime of a Clippers game. E:60 visits with 2008 NEXT athlete and N.Y. Yankees rookie pitcher Joba Chamberlain, covers a day in the life of “The Most Exhausted Man in Sports” Dana John and introduces us to wheelchair skateboarder Aaron Fotheringham.

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.