If you really want to make your head spin, check out all the stuff that’s been written about Sarah Phillips and ESPN.com.

Deadspin started it all with a 5,000-word opus, revealing a scammer using a fake identity who landed a column on sports gambling for ESPN.com.

The story has exploded from there, making my head spin even more. Fang’s Bites has compiled a nice digest of the reports if you have three hours to waste.

Frankly, I have little use for scammers. It happens in all walks of life, including journalism. Remember Janet Cooke of the Washington Post winning a Pulitzer Prize for a fictional story?

However, this story underscores the dangers of knowing exactly who you are dealing with in this often wacky Internet age. You could be sure at the WWL headquarters there will be a complete review of the hiring process here, and that changes will be forthcoming.

This whole episode is embarrassing to ESPN. And it should serve as a warning to other outlets that it also could happen to you.