Last year, when ESPN let Sean Salisbury go, execs finally realized he was a self-smitten windbag. Salisbury confirmed their position by releasing this statement:

"I have grown as much as I can at ESPN and decided to expand my horizons. I have created a brand and it's time to expand into other opportunities in TV, radio, Internet, publishing, movies and public speaking, among others. My resume speaks for itself as a football analyst, and I believe I can talk all sports with the best of them."

Brand Salisbury hasn't been heard from since. And while no one wanted to kick Salisbury when he was down and out, his bloated departure message made that impossible.

Same thing with Stephen A. Smith. What had been abundantly clear among ESPN's TV and radio audiences from the start -- that Smith was a self-promoting, race-based gasbag with almost no discernible sports credibility beyond maudlin genuflecting at the feet of big shots -- had finally become clear to ESPN's shot-callers.

After 5½ years of blowing every opportunity ESPN handed him, Smith was not renewed; he's out effective Thursday. And who wants to kick him when he's down?

But last week Smith begged for it. He went on Atlanta's 790-Radio sports station to provide a highly public reminder, in a long, self-absorbed speech, as to why ESPN no longer could indulge him. Some highlights:

"I just looked in the mirror, fellas, and I said, 'You know, I'm 41 years of age, I've got a little cash stashed away. ... I'm a proud single daddy, no question about that, but it's just one those things, man, where I reached a point where at age 41 with about 20 to 25 years left in this business, me doing my public-speaking engagements around the country, me representing the communities, especially the African-American community, throughout this county, being one of the preeminent voices out there.' ...

"If this is where I stop, then at age 41, I'm not growing anymore, and I couldn't live with that."

Geez, he was just dumped for being a self-promoting, self-aggrandizing, self-congratulatory, race-hustling, blowhard and sports know-nothing and he still was unable to subjugate his bombast long enough to allow you a minute to feel sorry for him.

Yep, despite all ESPN's media platforms, it no longer had room for a wildly popular, in-demand fellow who's one part Martin Luther King and one part Daniel Webster (but mostly like Sean Salisbury). Smith's so delusional he'd insult those he considers his greatest admirers. He apparently feels that black Americans find him less full of it than everyone else.