In more ways than one, “The Book of Basketball,” the new book by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, proved fatter than a speeding bullet during Wednesday’s edition of SportsNation (weekdays, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Because of the book’s girth — 700 pages — the SportsNation gang wondered if Simmons’ wordsmithing could stop a bullet. While Simmons was a guest on the show, the curiosity was satisfied when Kevin Wildes, SportsNation co-creator, took the book to the local firing range.

With the book 25 feet away and Simmons watching by remote from the studio with hosts Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle, Ray, owner of the indoor firing range, fired one shot from a Smith & Wesson 9mm at the target.

Simmons said he was tense while watching, but that it was one of the most exciting moments of his life. “The Book of Basketball” stopped the progress of the 9-mm bullet on Page 642, and the bullet was found on Page 568.

Later, it was found that the book is not entirely bulletproof, as Ray shredded it with a .44 Magnum.

Kimbo Slice and Battlin' Beadle

MMA star Kimbo Slice was a guest on Thursday’s edition of SportsNation, and wasted no time getting to the shop talk.

Slice’s thoughts on his friend Shaquille O’Neal in the MMA: “Shaq would dominate. He has the height, the reach, he’s an athlete, he has everything going for him. He has what it takes to be the ultimate fighter.”

On how long it would take him to train SportsNation co-host Colin Cowherd to fight in the MMA: “Ten years, give or take.”

Slice teaches Michelle the rear naked choke move, guaranteed to quiet down Colin.

On whether he’s ever intimidated (after Colin admitted, “I think your beard could beat me up.”): “I walk into the room with the intention on looking for the biggest or the baddest guy.”

And, saving the best for last, Slice demonstrated for Michelle Beadle a move she could use to put Colin to sleep.

All of them!

Starting today, the new live studio show SportsNation (today, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN; midnight, ESPN2), with co-hosts Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd, will roll out a roster of Twitter followers at show’s end each Friday with the purpose of thanking Twitter Nation for participating in SportsNation.

The TV show, created by ESPN producers Jamie Horowitz, Kevin Wildes and Dave Jacoby, was developed with the idea that SportsNation would rely on fan input in a way no ESPN show has before. Producers expected content to be influenced by conversations on ESPN.com’s SportsNation Web page. What they didn’t expect was the immediate response from fans via Twitter.

Fans can contact the show and participate via Twitter, Facebook, phone calls and e-mails.In five weeks’ time, @SportsNation on Twitter went from 100 followers to more than 100,000.

Impressed by the fan response, the SportsNation team has decided to say “Thank You” to its Twitter legion. Taking a cue from Twitter’s “Follow Friday,” SportsNation will thank fans each Friday by displaying a roster of Twitter followers at the end of the live show.

(Note: SportsNation airs on ESPNEWS for the next two weeks, Aug. 31-Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET)

On Wednesday’s edition of SportsNation (weekdays, 4-5 p.m. ET, ESPN2), co-host Colin Cowherd was surprisingly passionate in his argument that newly annointed Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre has lost the luster that formerly made him synonymous with Wrangler Jeans.

SportsNation debated who is the better pitchman for Wrangler: Favre or NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr.

So passionate was Cowherd’s case (and impersonation of a whining celebrity), he went so far as to say that Favre is a former everyman and now more like Lindsay Lohan, unable to pick a side.

“Dale’s tough. Dale’s a guy’s guy,” he said. “Dale’s not a flippy, floppy guy. Brett Favre used to be everyman — he has literally turned off football fans.”

To Colin’s dismay, sports fans do not agree. SportsNation (and co-host Michelle Beadle) voted for Favre as the better Wrangler pitchman, 64% to Dale Jr.’s 36%. In the end, Colin attempted to show off his own appeal as a Wrangler man. View the segment of the show here.

Missed this? It’s worth a look and a listen. While making a live guest appearance recently on the set of SportsNation at ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios, Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard did a couple of his well-known impersonations, and the video is spreading ’round the Internet.

Most notable was the hilarious imitation of his coach, Stan Van Gundy:

D-Howard imitates Stan Van on SportsNation

Also, before the show, SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle had a little fun with Howard on Twitter, asking him in a tweet how it felt to be the No. 2 dunker on the team now that Vince Carter has arrived. No word on Howard’s reaction or response…

This week on SportsNation (weekdays, 4 p.m. and midnight ET, ESPN2), co-host Colin Cowherd deftly demonstrated the loss of concentration that is possible when in a hostile environment, much like that faced by the U.S. Soccer team in its 2-1 loss this week to Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Watch Colin’s professionalism dissolve.

Cowherd, who has previously denounced soccer as a sport for which he didn’t care, recently admitted that the U.S. Soccer team’s run to the Confederations Cup final turned him into a soccer fan overnight.

As if the fan-favorite live studio show SportsNation weren’t chuckle-worthy enough already, along comes a new segment (4 p.m. ET on ESPN2).

For every percentage hosts Colin Cowherd or Michelle Beadle are away from the correct SN poll result, that’s how many steps they’ll have to take down the plank in this time-sensitive segment.  More than 40 steps, and they’re swimming with the sharks.

For example, Michelle will have to guess the % of SN that thinks the Bills will win more games than the Cowboys. One step too far in her guess and she’ll be little more than tartar in a toothy, deep sea grin. While Michelle has professed her love for Shark Week, we’re not sure she loves the fishies that much.