Nice. Very nice.

ESPN launched a beta version of their website, unveiling a much cleaner and more efficient version of The Worldwide Leader's web presence. I'm pleasantly shocked at how they were able to take so much information and move it around in a way that looks so friggin' great. From the scoreboard to the columns to the top stories, they kept many of the same elements but simply improved.

(Note: the screen shot at left didn't grab the SportsNation poll and put the ESPN footer in the middle of the page. Those are not design flaws.)

Some new additions/changes of note:

- Addition of 'My Headlines' along with the normal Headlines, allowing fans to customize based on their interests.

- A panoramic version of the Top Stories and an addition of Top Videos tab.

- Improved tab and section headers.

- Stacked approached to the whole front page look, nicely separating out the columns and such.

- Minimal ads. Impressive.

No word on when they'll make the changeover, but for a company that is battered repeatedly, they deserve some applause. This site looks awesome. It makes the ol' normal site kinda lame, no?

Josh Nason - josh [at] smallwhiteball [com] - is the publisher and main writer of Small White Ball, an all-encompassing sports blog that began in 2007. You can also read on mixed martial arts, boxing and pro wrestling at brother site RopesRingandCage.com. If you're using any part of this post, please link back to www.smallwhiteball.com. Thank you!