Poor Erin Andrews; she looked so uncomfortable and dumbfounded by Sherman's outburst.

Just minutes after clinching the NFC title against the San Francisco 49ers to go to the Superbowl, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wanted everyone to know that he wasn't going to play by the rules of good sportsmanship:

It wasn't enough for him to make a choke sign after his dazzling play that led to Seattle's game-clinching interception, an immature move that parents and coaches all over the country will gladly use as an example of "What not to do – or else."

No, Sherman had to go and diss San Francisco receiver Michael Crabtree in a postgame interview with Fox's Erin Andrews, then give a similar, though slightly more restrained version, of his rant about an hour later.

"I was making sure everybody knew Crabtree was a mediocre receiver. Mediocre," Sherman said, enunciating the repeated word so there would be no doubt. "And when you try the best corner in the game with a mediocre receiver, that's what happens. "

Alrighty then.

Granting that my hometown team lost, it is still a shock to see such a sore winner in Sherman. Certainly, he had earned the right to crow a little with their win against the Niners, but to scream like a thug like that? Classless, and a terrible example of sportsmanship.

He's also guaranteed that he will be asked about Crabtree over and over again for the next two weeks. Let's hope that the Stanford grad in Communications will learn how to represent his team better than he did last night.