Outside the Lines and SportsCenter offer looks back at an eventful 2013

From the issue of concussions in football, to baseball’s PED scandal, and the question of who really won Bobby Riggs versus Billie Jean King, Outside the Lines produced some of the most compelling investigative sports stories of 2013, part of which led to ESPN’s first Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award.

As the year comes to an end, OTL, hosted by Bob Ley, looks back at some of the headline grabbers that sparked national debate – like the Rutgers coach abuse scandal and athletes misusing charities – and put the spotlight on some of the biggest names in sports (debuts today, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2; see chart for other airings).

“It’s always a thrill to pick the pieces that run in the OTL year-in-review show,” said Senior Coordinating Producer, OTL and the Enterprise Unit Dwayne Bray. “This past year our work included coverage of football brain injuries, the Biogenesis scandal, the Mike Rice videotape, new information on the Riggs-King match and an investigation into the charitable foundations run by athletes. It was a terrific year to be an investigative sports journalist at ESPN.”

SportsCenter also will take a gander in the rearview mirror, albeit with a bit less serious tone.

Fun certainly ensues when fast-talking Dan Dotson of A&E’s “Storage Wars” encounters SportsCenter’s fast-paced highlights.

Dotson found himself at home in a “storage” area in ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Facility filled with SportsCenter memorabilia and SportsCenter’s Top 10 archives, setting the scene for his narration of the SportsCenter Top 50 Plays of the Year special debuting tonight (7 p.m., ESPN2).

“The idea hit me a few months ago to try this within our ‘Top 50’ show,” Coordinating Producer Tim McHugh said of contacting the star of A&E’s popular reality series. “We are always looking for new, creative new ways to capture the sheer volume and exceptional top plays we see every night.”

Dotson, founder of American Auctioneers, will rapidly talk fans through the Top 50 plays of 2013, selected by more than a dozen SportsCenter producers, while unearthing some “stored” gems.

“I had a blast with the producers at ESPN working on ‘SportsCenter’s Top Plays of 2013′,” said Dotson (@auctionguydan, on twitter), an ESPN and NFL fan, whose ties to the NFL include twin second cousins — Paul and Pat McQuistan. “The producers made it easy on me and were total professionals. There are many sports fans that are also ‘Storage Wars’ fans, and I’m sure they are going to get a kick out of me ripping through these Top Plays, #RingLeader-style.”