Fang's Bites

NHL Saw Greater Attention To The First Round of the Playoffs

This from the National Hockey League which crows about the national ratings in Canada and the United States, plus local TV ratings in several markets. And there’s talk about the record traffic online to NHL.com as well as to the NHL Shop. We have the press release from the NHL’s offices.

HISTORY WAS MADE: ROUND 1 OF 2011 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS CONTINUES LEAGUE MOMENTUM BY REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

CBC Scores Best Opening-Round Viewership in History
VERSUS Earns Best U.S. Cable Viewership in 17 Years
NBC Achieves Best Network First-Round Audience in Seven Years
NHL.com Sets All-Time Monthly Traffic Record in April

NEW YORK (April 29, 2011) – History was made, on and off the ice, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The National Hockey League, on the heels of announcing the most significant media rights deal in its history, continues to reach new heights across multiple platforms while earning praise from fans and critics alike.

One of the most exciting and compelling Conference Quarterfinal rounds in Stanley Cup Playoff history, highlighted by nine straight days of overtime games, four Game 7s (the most in the first round in 16 years), and 49 total games (tied for the most ever), led to ratings increases and milestones at both the national and local levels, along with record Internet traffic on NHL.com. The first round, which the New York Times hailed as a round “that had everything,” and a “tough act to follow,” also scored in-arena with every arena at 100 percent capacity, achieving an all-time record for average attendance for the first round.

VERSUS achieved the highest U.S. cable viewership for the first round in 17 years, dating back to the 1994 postseason, while on the broadcast side, NBC scored the best U.S. network opening-round audience in seven years. In Canada, CBC’s coverage recorded the best opening round viewership in history, ahead of the previous best in 2004 when five of the six Canadian teams made the playoffs.

Below are some of the first-round highlights:

NATIONAL TELEVISION MILESTONES
NBC: The network earned the best opening-round viewership in seven years, averaging 1.9 million viewers for its four games, a 12 percent increase over last year. The coverage was highlighted by last Sunday’s Game 6 Philadelphia-Buffalo broadcast, which was the most-watched NHL non-Conference Final game in the U.S. in 12 years. The game averaged 2.57 million viewers, up 44 percent over last year’s comparable telecast (Phoenix-Detroit, 1.78 million).

VERSUS: Coverage of the Conference Quarterfinals, which averaged 624,000 viewers, was the most-watched ever on VERSUS, up eight percent from last year’s first round (595,000) and the most-watched on cable in 17 years. It was also the most-watched Quarterfinals for key male demos in eight years, including the best among Men 18-49 in a decade (2001).

CBC: CBC recorded the highest average viewership in its history for the opening round of the playoffs with 2.148 million viewers for 22 first-round broadcasts, up 49 percent over last year. The total surpassed the previous best set in 2004 when five of six Canadian teams made the playoffs. The record was highlighted by the drama-filled Chicago-Vancouver Game 7 overtime classic, which scored the second-best Conference Quarterfinal viewership in 11 years, 3.827 million viewers.

RDS: Playoffs to date, RDS is averaging 616,000 viewers through 31 telecasts, up 10 percent from last year’s average (558,000 viewers). Average viewership for the Montreal vs. Boston series was 1,791,000 viewers for its seven games, an 18 percent increase over last year’s 7 games series against Washington.

REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK MILESTONES

• NESN’s coverage of the Boston Bruins’ Game 7 overtime victory over Montreal delivered a 17.7 local rating in Boston, a record for any Bruins playoff game on NESN. Overall, NESN’s first-round ratings were up 69 percent over last year.
• The three highest-rated Blackhawks games in Comcast SportsNet Chicago history occurred during the Blackhawks’ seven-game series against the Canucks. The highpoint was Game 7, which averaged a 13.5 rating locally (474,000 households).
• The deciding Game 7 against the Sabres was the highest-rated Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia history, delivering a 12.6 average rating (380,000 households).
• Fox Sports South’s coverage of the Nashville Predators’ Game 6 clinching victory posted a 3.6 local rating, marking the second-highest rating for a Predators playoff game ever on the network.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Game 7 clincher on Sunshine delivered a 4.5 local rating, the highest rating for a Lighting playoff game on Sunshine in eight years.
• The Capitals first-round series against the Rangers became the highest-rated Capitals playoff series in Comcast SportsNet Washington history, averaging 5.7 in the DC DMA (and a 2.6 Baltimore DMA average) for a combined average local audience of 165,000 households. The series also included the second-highest rated Caps game in Comcast SportsNet history.
• Buffalo led all markets by averaging an 18.8 locally on MSG (6 games) followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, which averaged a 16.5 on ROOT (7 games).

 

NHL.COM*
NHL.com also benefited from the on-ice excitement, with April scoring the most unique visitors in any one month in the site’s history, up 32 percent over April 2010 and up 47 percent over 2010-11 monthly average. Wednesday, April 27, earned the third most unique visitors to NHL.com with two Game 7′s being played.

For the playoffs, unique visitors have increased by 25 percent year-over-over while video starts are up 57 percent. U.S. traffic has increased by 25 percent, Canada by 24 percent. Finland leads all European nations in terms of traffic and has shown a 36 percent rise over 2010, followed by Germany (+36 percent) and Sweden (+26 percent). Interestingly, traffic from “down under” has shown significant growth with Australia up 36 percent.

In the U.S., some of the NHL markets with significant increases in unique visitors for the first round of the playoffs are: Tampa (+111 percent); Nashville (+81 percent); Atlanta (+38 percent); New York (+37 percent); Buffalo (+36 percent); Chicago (+36 percent); San Francisco/San Jose (+30 percent); Philadelphia (+28 percent); Los Angeles (+31 percent); Washington D.C. (+27 percent); and Detroit (+24 percent).

In Canada, five of the six NHL markets have achieved double-digit traffic growth.

*Source: Omniture

MERCHANDISE
For the first round of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, in-arena merchandise sales volume and per cap sales increased 19% compared to thefirst round of 2010 (equal # of games played – 49).

That’s it.

TBS Heads To The Bronx On Sunday

On Sunday, TBS will be in New York for the Toronto Blue Jays-New York Yankees. Brian Anderson will call the game for TBS and he’ll be joined by former Yankees pitcher David Wells and former Mets pitcher Ron Darling. Here are the details.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Features American League East Showdown Between the Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

“Sunday MLB on TBS” continues on May 1 when Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees host José Bautista and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium at 1 p.m. (ET).  Jesse Litsch is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays against the Yankees’ probable starter Ivan Nova.  Play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson will call the game alongside analysts Ron Darling and David Wells in the broadcast booth.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season.  The network also will exclusively televise the MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, July 3.  Additionally, beginning in October TBS will once again provide exclusive coverage of the four Division Series and the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

TBS has served as the exclusive home of Major League Baseball’s Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007, has broadcasted MLB games for more than 30 years and was home of Atlanta Braves from 1977-2007.

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:

Sun., May 1
1 p.m. (ET)	Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees
	Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and David Wells (analyst)

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Sun., May 8
2 p.m. (ET)	New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
	Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play) and John Smoltz (analyst)
Sun., May 15
1:30 p.m. (ET)	Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves
	Announcers: TBA (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst)

There you have it.

MLB’s 20 Greatest Games Reviews Game 6 of the 1986 World Series

On MLB’s 20 Greatest Games on Sunday, MLB Network reviews one of the strangest, bizarre, and zany games, Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Red Sox were one out and one strike away from winning their first World Championship since 1918 when the New York Mets came back to win on a ground ball that went through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner. This would haunt Red Sox fans every year until 2004. In MLB Network’s countdown, this is number 3. This game used to come back in nightmares, but of course, no longer hurts me, but it was quite painful for a while.

Co-hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci will talk with Buckner, and Mookie Wilson and Bob Ojeda of the Mets. We get some very interesting quotage.

The program airs Sunday night at 7.

BUCKNER, WILSON & OJEDA DISCUSS 1986 WORLD SERIES GAME SIX ON MLB’S 20 GREATEST GAMES ON SUNDAY, MAY 1

Game Ranked Third in Series Countdown of the Best Games of the Last 50 Seasons

Secaucus, NJ, April 28, 2011 – MLB Network’s MLB’s 20 Greatest Games continues on Sunday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET when Bill Buckner, Mookie Wilson and Bob Ojeda join series hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci to discuss Game Six of the 1986 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, which is ranked third in the series. In an legendary game that could’ve won the Red Sox’s first World Series in 68 years and instead saw momentum change to favor the Mets, Buckner, Wilson and Ojeda discuss the performance of a 24-year old Roger Clemens, key lineup changes that could have been made, and the fateful ground ball hit by Wilson in the bottom of the 10^th inning.

The final episodes of MLB’s 20 Greatest Games, which counts down the best games of the last 50 seasons, will air on May 8 and 22. A list of the rankings to-date is available here.

Highlights from the episode include:

Buckner on feeling pressure from Red Sox fans to win the series:
I hadn’t been in New England that long or with the Red Sox and I had no clue what was in those people’s minds and what they had been through and what they’re thinking. I was just out trying to have a good time and trying to win a championship but those people had a lot of other things on their mind.

Buckner on Clemens:
Roger was the best pitcher in baseball and I’d seen some of the things that he’d done that year, they were amazing. He always had a great arm but on top of that, he learned how to pitch. The 20-strikeout game, the whole package – I’d bet my bank account on that game.

Ojeda on pitching on three days’ rest:
Joe Garagiola said as far as [pitching on] three days’ rest, “This time of year, it means nothing,” and he was spot-on. It meant nothing to me. And at that time, no one knows, but I had two cortisone shots. Right after I threw the complete game in Houston [1986 NLCS Game 2], we came home – this is pre-9/11 – I went to the ballpark, I got the needles, I got the cortisone, put it in my pocket, went to LaGuardia, flew down to Washington, where [team physician] Dr. Parkes was. He shoots my elbow in the bathroom, I get back on a plane, fly back and I’m at the yard for [1986 NLCS Game 3] that night. So on the short rest, [Garagiola] couldn’t have been more correct. My arm was killing me, but I wasn’t gonna miss it. Everybody who gets to play in a World Series feels that same way.

On Calvin Schiraldi replacing Clemens in the 8^th inning:
Wilson: We’d been very confident so far and, to tell you the truth, Schiraldi was a Met and we all knew Schiraldi very well. And, I’ll tell you what, it was like Christmas. We thought that we could get to Schiraldi. We really did.

Ojeda: When Schiraldi came in – because they knew him as well as Boston knew me – they were fighting over the bat rack. No disrespect to Calvin Schiraldi, none meant, none intended, but these guys – getting Roger out and it happened to be Schiraldi – it was like the clouds had parted. They were ready.

On the lack of lineup changes in the 8^th inning:
Wilson: Not watching this game until now, you don’t think about all these things. Normally as players, we’re sitting there trying to figure out what the manager’s going to do but in this game, I don’t think that was the case.

Buckner: In McNamara’s defense, I was the best first baseman, defensively, that he had. Dave Stapleton, bless his heart, he wasn’t a great player by any means. He had his own issues. If I thought that Dave Stapleton was gonna do a better job than I was, then I’d have told McNamara. I wanted to win, so did everybody else. … I’d been in positions where my ankles were in better shape, where I could cover more ground but I wasn’t having an issue at this point. I was the best player we had to be out there. Was I Keith Hernandez? No. But I was the best that we had.

Wilson on batting in the bottom of the 10^th:
I don’t even remember feeling anything, I was numb. The crowd was so loud. I mean, it was just so loud. You stand on the ground and you could just feel it generating through your bones, that’s how loud it was. Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous. I only thought one thing, ‘Just don’t make the last out.’ That’s the only thing I was thinking.

Buckner on his reaction after losing Game 6:
The fans in Boston were great to me. … People ask me how I feel now about it, I feel very blessed. I played 21 years in the Major Leagues, I got to play in two World Series. Would I have liked it for things to change differently in the sixth game? Obviously. But it didn’t. Would I do it again, with the same results? Heck yeah.

I lived [in Boston] until 1993 and I moved to Idaho because that was a dream of mine since I was a little kid, since I watched “Bonanza” on TV. I wanted to buy a ranch in Idaho, which I did. People say I left Boston because of [Game 6]. That’s hardly the case.

I will actually watch this just to hear Buckner’s statements.

Going For Some Saturday Linkage

Time for some linkage on this Saturday.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter notes that NBC had its best opening round NHL playoff ratings in 7 years.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says ESPN’s NFL Draft ratings were down from last year while NFL Network saw a slight increase.

Mike notes that Root Sports has signed the Pittsburgh Penguins to a very long-term deal.

Mike talks about NASCAR hiring a new Vice President of Broadcasting to help the sport in the next media rights negotiation.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel says WrestleMania 27 had one million buys for its pay per view earlier this month.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks about MLB Network’s exploring of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series that tormented Red Sox fans until 2004.

In the New England Hockey Journal, Stan Fischler praises the NHL for its new deal with NBC/Versus.

David Jones from the Patriot-News can’t stand listening to homer announcers.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner talks about tonight’s NASCAR race.

Ed Miller of the Virginian-Pilot says former New York Giant and NBC Sports analyst Tiki Barber will receive a state honor tonight.

Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch has ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit talking Ohio State and its Jim Tressel troubles.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is being quite bombastic again.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times says now is a strange time for embattled Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to be courting the media.

Sports Media Watch has local ratings news for the Nashville Predators and Chicago Bulls.

SMW notes that the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs became the highest rated for TNT.

SMW says the first round of the NBA Playoffs also scored for ESPN.

Cork Gaines of the Business Insider’s Sports Page notes that ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. edges out charlatan Todd McShay in predicting their mock drafts.

And that’s going to do it for today’s linkage.

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia & NESN Announce Plans For Bruins-Flyers

Since I have info from both Comcast SportsNet Philly and NESN in regards to the same series, why not combine them into one press release post. The series starts today on NBC as it will air Game 1 and Game 5 next Sunday, if necessary. Versus airs Games 2 & 3 in their entirety, then joins four in progress and then 6 and 7, if necessary. With different exclusivity rules in place for the 2nd round of the NHL Playoffs, CSN Philly and NESN will be able to air Game 4, then 6 & 7.

Both networks have announced their plans and let’s begin with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

COMCAST SPORTSNET PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES FLYERS EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL ACTION

Flyers-Sabres Game 7 was Most Watched Hockey Game in Comcast SportsNet’s History

PHILADELPHIA (April 28, 2011) – Comcast SportsNet, the leader in local sports news, will have continuing coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers – Boston Bruins series throughout the Eastern Conference Semifinals both on-air and online at CSNPhilly.com.

Throughout the playoffs, Comcast SportsNet will have extensive coverage of the Flyers playoff run with reports from Lisa Hillary and Tim Panaccio. On-air, Hillary will have daily reports in “Daily News Live,” “SportsNite,” “Flyers Pregame Live” and “Flyers Postgame Live.” Pannacio will have game previews, post-game recaps and feature stories on CSNPhilly.com.

Tuesday’s Flyers-Sabres game was the most watched Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet’s history, averaging a 12.6 rating (383,000 households), with a peak delivery of 14.7 (446,000 households) at 9:45 p.m.

The Ultimate Goal
Comcast SportsNet’s Flyers playoff special “The Ultimate Goal” will air Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. John Boruk will host and be joined by hockey experts including Tim Panaccio, Bill Clement, Al Morganti, and Steve Coates. “The Ultimate Goal” will air throughout the playoffs.

Live Game Coverage
Comcast SportsNet will air three of the possible seven Flyers games during the conference semifinals of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The network will air “Flyers Pregame Live” and “Flyers Postgame Live” for all games, including nationally broadcast games. All Flyers playoff games broadcast on Comcast SportsNet will be available in high definition. Throughout the playoffs Jim Jackson and John Boruk will be hosting live chats during all Flyers games, “Flyers Pregame Live” and “Flyers Postgame Live” on CSNPhilly.com

Saturday, April 30 – Game One
2 p.m. Flyers Pregame Live from the AT&T Pavilion
3 p.m. Flyers vs. Bruins on NBC
5:45 p.m. Flyers Postgame Live
6:30 p.m. SportsNite
10 p.m. SportsNite
1 a.m. SportsRise

Monday, May 2 – Game Two
5 p.m. Daily News Live from the AT&T Pavilion
6 p.m. SportsNite
6:30 p.m. Flyers Pregame Live from the AT&T Pavilion
7:30 p.m. Flyers vs. Bruins on VERSUS
10 p.m. SportsNite
10:30 p.m. Flyers Postgame Live
1 a.m. SportsRise

Wednesday, May 4 – Game Three
5 p.m. Daily News Live
6 p.m. SportsNite
6:30 p.m. Flyers Pregame Live on The Comcast Network
7 p.m. Flyers at Bruins on VERSUS
10 p.m. Flyers Postgame Live on The Comcast Network
10 p.m. SportsNite
1 a.m. SportsRise

*Phillies Pregame Live will air on Comcast SportsNet at 6:30 p.m. followed by Phillies vs. Nationals at 7 p.m.

Friday, May 6 – Game Four
5 p.m. Daily News Live
6 p.m. SportsNite
7 p.m. Flyers Pregame Live
8 p.m. Flyers at Bruins on Comcast SportsNet
11 p.m. Flyers Postgame Live
11:30 p.m. SportsNite
1 a.m. SportsRise

* Phillies – Braves coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on The Comcast Network.

Sunday, May 8 – Game Five (if necessary)
2 p.m. Flyers Pregame Live from AT&T Pavilion
3 p.m. Flyers vs. Bruins on NBC
6 p.m. Flyers Postgame Live
10 p.m. SportsNite
1 a.m. SportsRise

Comcast SportsNet’s schedule for Games 6 and 7 will be announced as the series progresses.

Pre- and Postgame Coverage
In addition to live game coverage, Comcast SportsNet delivers pre and postgame coverage and analysis. Before every Flyers playoff game, viewers can catch the latest team developments, game previews and opposing team analysis on Flyers Pregame Live.

After every playoff game, fans get a game breakdown with stats and highlights, and a look ahead to the rest of the series on Flyers Postgame Live. Other features include coach Peter Laviolette’s press conference and reaction from the locker room. “Flyers Pregame Live” and “Flyers Postgame Live” are hosted by Michael Barkann with analysis provided by Steve Coates, Al Morganti, Rick Tocchet and Ian Laperriere.

CSNPhilly.com
Comcast SportsNet’s Flyers Insider Tim Panaccio will have daily coverage of the Flyers, including breaking news, extensive video and in-depth features. Fans can also follow all Flyers playoff games online with Comcast SportsNet’s live chats and “In-Game Live,” which allows fans to follow the game live with play by play, stats and Comcast SportsNet tweets. Fans can follow Comcast SportsNet on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CSNPhilly or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/csnphilly

Record Ratings on Comcast SportsNet
On Tuesday, the Flyers defeated the Sabres 5-2 to advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game was the most watched Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet’s history, delivering a 12.6 rating (383,000 households), with a peak delivery of 14.7 (446,000 households) at 9:45 p.m. Game 7’s ratings bested the previous high set on May 14, 2010 when the Flyers came back from a 3-0 deficit in the game, and in the series, to beat the Boston Bruins and advance to the Stanley Cup Conference Finals.

During the first round of the playoffs, Comcast SportsNet is averaging a 7.8 rating (237,000 HHs), topping last year’s first round by 47%. In 2010, the Flyers defeat of the New Jersey Devils scored a 5.3 rating for the series.

Fans also tuned in before and after Tuesday’s game, with Game 7’s “Flyers Pregame Live” delivering a 2.2 rating (67,000 HHs) and “Flyers Postgame Live” scoring a 2.9 rating (88,000 HHs).

And NESN says it will provide live pre and postgame coverage for all games even if it’s not airing the contest.

NESN’s extensive coverage of the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Playoff action will continue even on days when NESN doesn’t have game broadcast rights. NESN will produce live pre-game shows before every game and provide regular post-game coverage in and around NESN’s regularly scheduled programming throughout the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Live Pre-Game Shows Begin Saturday at 2:30 PM
Bruins game analyst Andy Brickley and reporter Naoko Funayama will be in Philadelphia to deliver regular reports, interviews and analysis beginning with a live pre-game show on Saturday, April 30 at 2:30 PM. Bruins Face-Off LIVE will be hosted by Kathryn Tappen from NESN’s studios in Watertown, MA with Barry Pederson and Gord Kluzak serving as studio analysts.

Post-Game Coverage from NESN’s Bruins Experts
After each game, NESN’s team of hockey experts will provide post-game reaction and interviews in and around NESN’s regularly scheduled Red Sox programming with additional nightly reports in NESN Daily. Bruins Overtime LIVE segments will be worked into NESN’s Red Sox pre and/or post-game programs depending on when each game ends.

And there you have it.

Fox Saturday Baseball With An Early Start, But Without Joe Buck

Fox Saturday Baseball returns this week with another early 1 p.m. East start time as NASCAR is being run at 7 tonight. So to avoid any possible runovers and conflicts, baseball goes early at 1. NASCAR fires off at 7 and fans of both sports are happy. Joe Buck is off again so that means he’s worked 3 out of a possible 5 weeks for baseball. Don’t know if this was scheduled or part of his battle with a virus that’s plagued his voice for the last month. MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian will work in Buck’s place.

Here’s the skinny on both baseball and NASCAR from Fox Sports.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

FOX Sports Presents MLB/NASCAR Twinbill Saturday

FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK at Special 1:00 PM ET Start Time
Cardinals and Braves Face Off in Atlanta * Angels and Rays Meet in St. Pete
* Mets and Phillies Battle in Philly

Saturday Night’s The Night for Racing at Richmond International Raceway
Coverage at 7:00 PM ET

PUJOLS AND CARDINALS FACE BRAVES ON FOX’S SATURDAY GAME OF THE WEEK – The  FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK returns to its special start time of 1:00 PM ET on Saturday, April 30 with live regional coverage of three matchups. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday lead a resurgent Cardinals offense as they travel to Atlanta to take on Brian McCann and the Braves. In a year where many didn’t expect much, Sam Fuld and the surprising Rays are playing well and in second place in the AL East. They host the Angels in central Florida. In Philadelphia, NL East rivals battle as Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies host Jose Reyes and the Mets.  The MLB on FOX pregame originates live from Citizens Bank Park, with host Chris Rose. Once game action begins, Rose joins the game crew including Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal as a field reporter.

For instant updates throughout the week and during games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX.  Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.myspace.com/foxsports.

St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, Kenny Albert & Mark Grace, going to 52% of USA
Turner Field – Atlanta, GA
MARKETS INCLUDE:  Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro, Greenville, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers:  TBA vs. Brandon Bechy, RHP (1-1, 3.68 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels at Tampa Bay Rays, Josh Lewin & Eric Karros, 25% of USA
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa
Probable Pitchers:TBA vs. James Shields, RHP (2-1, 2.35 ERA)

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal, going to  22% of USA
Citizen’s Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
MARKETS INCLUDE:  Baltimore, Buffalo, Fort Myers, Hartford, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Washington, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers:  Jon Niese, LHP (1-3, 5.10 ERA) vs. TBA

ROSENTHAL: BASEBALL CAN’T HAVE ITS CAKE AND EAT IT TOO – FOX Sports reporter and FOXSports.com senior MLB columnist Ken Rosenthal says Major League Baseball should think twice before expanding the playoffs.  “The problem with baseball is it wants all its different eggs in one basket:  162 game schedule, expanded playoffs, interleague play, you name it, they never cut back on any one area to make room for another.  If you want to shorten the postseason, the obvious solution is to go back to 154 games, but we all know that will never happen.  I understand baseball wants to have its cake and eat it too, but sometimes you can get too stuffed, a little too sugar overdosed and that’s what’s happening here.”

HAMLIN GOES FOR THE HOME WIN AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – 2010 was a career year for Denny Hamlin as he finished second in the Sprint Cup standings. However, 2011 hasn’t been nearly as successful. Fifty points off the pace, the Chesterfield, Virginia-raised Hamlin aims to turn his season around at the nearby Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, April 30 (7:00 PM ET). Coverage starts with the NASCAR on FOX prerace show hosted by Chris Myers, along with analysts Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond.  The show airs live from the infield with updates from the Hollywood Hotel, FOX Sports’ traveling prerace set providing updates from drivers, crewmen and officials shaping the day’s action. On this week’s show, the DW sits down with NASCAR driver/owner Tony Stewart.

Once the green flag drops, the voice of NASCAR Mike Joy is alongside analysts Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the twists and turns on the track while Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for reports on teams and pit stops.

WALTRIP BROTHERS JOIN FORCES FOR FIRST-EVER NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE FRIDAY ON SPEED – SPEED ushers in its first-ever exclusive NASCAR Nationwide Series race Friday, April 29 (7:00 PM ET) from Richmond International Raceway.  SPEED has simulcast two NASCAR Nationwide Series races and long supported the series, airing 44 practice and qualifying sessions last season alone.  For the first time ever, Darrell and Michael Waltrip provide analysis in the booth together for a Nationwide series race.  “Who would have thought Michael and I would get the chance to do something like this together?”  The Waltrip brothers are joined by race announcer Rick Allen with reports from pit road from Ray Dunlap, Hermie Sadler and Krista Voda.

That is it.

Some Friday Night Links

I’m not going to go crazy with a full set of links, but some that are topical. I was all over the place today and could not do the megalinks and I’m not in the mood to gather a full set tonight. It usually takes over two hours to do the megalinks so I’ll do some national and regional links.

Sean Leahy of USA Today notes that the ratings for the first round of the NFL Draft were down double digits from last year.

Mike McCarthy and Michael Hiestand of USA Today debate who’s the real NFL Draft Guru.

Jeff Pearlman feels one of the more dramatic moments on ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage on Thursday was more exploitation than real.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter notes that ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage on Thursday beat The Office on NBC.

Kevin Iole at Yahoo talks about how CBS became a major part of the Manny Pacquaio-Sugar Shane Mosley fight.

From Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds says the NBC Sports Group set ratings records for its NHL Playoffs 1st round coverage.

Mike says NBA TV received its highest ratings ever on Wednesday.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says stronger competition from the networks led to lower ratings for the NFL Draft this year.

From Every Day Should Be Saturday, Spencer Hall has this funny post on whether the late sportswriter Grantland Rice could ever work for the Captain Blowhard-led website, Grantland.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser notes that ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has deleted his Twitter account over harassment from Ohio State fans.

Jason Dachman of the Sports Video Group says NBC and Versus have become a one stop shopping for the NHL.

Sports Media Watch says the overnight ratings for the Lakers-Hornets series-clinching game finished lower than last year’s comparable game, but still was strong.

Puck The Media has Versus’ complete game ratings for the entire 1st round of the NHL Playoffs.

Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing reviews ESPN’s 1st night of NFL Draft coverage.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe speaks with NESN’s Jack Edwards.

Newsday’s Neil Best has the best of his blog in his sports media column.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick says YES’ Michael Kay isn’t getting the job done.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says there was no mention of the “L” word during the NFL Draft (and no, I’m talking about the Showtime TV series).

In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com looks at Daniel Snyder’s attempted lawsuit against the Washington City Paper.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at ESPN celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

David Neal of the Miami Herald says the late Jim Mandich was giving of himself whether it was as a player or as a broadcaster later in life.

Joe Rose of WQAM writes in his South Florida Sun-Sentinel blog about how much he misses his friend, Jim Mandich.

Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times has a Friday version of his sports media column.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press feels ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft goes on too long.

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer would like to hear radio coverage of NASCAR in the Queen’s City.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a look at the local sports radio ratings.

And Dan has a breakdown of the ratings.

Iowa Tube Talk notes that Versus’ website is now part of NBCSports.com.

John Maffei from the North County Times says it appears the San Diego Padres have a rights deal in principle with Fox Sports Net for the next 15 seasons.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star wonders how ESPN would have covered the Royal Wedding.

Jim says New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is making the media rounds.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says Major League Baseball cannot approve the Dodgers’ deal with Fox Sports Net because Jamie McCourt has not signed off on it.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News says a panel discussion on sportscasting careers will be moderated by a Hall of Fame announcer next month.

Tom says Fox’s role in the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the McCourt ownership mess goes way back.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders if Winnipeg will get left at the altar in its bid to get an NHL team.

That’s going to do it.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, April 30

Boxing
Fight Camp 360°: Pacquaio vs. Mosley – CBS, 8 p.m.
Fight Camp 360°: Pacquaio vs. Mosley – Showtime, 10 p.m.

College Baseball
Alabama at Georgia – ESPN2, 1 p.m.
Penn State at Michigan State – Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.

College Softball
Northwestern at Illinois – Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
Oklahoma at Texas – ESPN, 8 p.m.

College Lacrosse
men’s
Princeton vs. Cornell – CBS Sports Network, 12:30 p.m.
Notre Dame at Syracuse – ESPNU, 7 p.m.

women’s
Johns Hopkins at Penn State – Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.

Patriot League Championship, Hamilton, NY
Colgate vs. Navy – CBS Sports Network, 3 p.m.

English Premier League
Sunderland vs. Fulham – ESPN2, 9:55 a.m.
West Brom vs. Aston Villa – Fox Soccer Channel, 10 a.m.
Wigan Athletic vs. Everton – Fox Soccer Plus, 10 a.m.
Chelsea vs. Totteham Hotspur – Fox Soccer Channel, 12:30 p.m.
Blackpool vs. Stoke City – Fox Soccer Plus, 2 p.m. (same day coverage)

ESPN Sports Saturday
ABC, 4 p.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Avnet LPGA Classic, 3rd Round – Golf Channel, 4 p.m.
PGA Tour/New Orleans Classic, 3rd Round – CBS, 3 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
UFC 129: Preliminary fights – Spike, 8 p.m.
UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields – Pay per view, 9 p.m.

MLB
American League
Anaheim Angels at Tampa Bay – Fox, 1 p.m.
Texas at Oakland – Fox Sports Southwest/Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m.
Toronto at New York Yankees – Rogers Sportsnet/YES, 4 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland – Fox Sports Detroit/STO, 6 p.m.
Baltimore at Chicago White Sox – MLB Network/MASN2/WGN America, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City – Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Kansas City, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Boston – MLB Network/Root Sports Northwest/NESN, 7 p.m.

National League
New York Mets at Philadelphia – Fox, 1 p.m.
St. Louis at Atlanta – Fox, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at Washington – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/MASN, 4 p.m.
Florida at Cincinnati – Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Milwaukee at Houston – Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Houston, 7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona – Comcast SportsNet/Fox Sports Arizona, 8 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Colorado – Root Sports Pittsburgh/Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 8 p.m.
San Diego at Los Angeles Dodgers – Cox 4/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

Baseball Tonight – ESPN, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live – MLB Netowrk, 10 p.m.

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series/A Race Named After Two Guys 400 – Fox, 7 p.m.

NFL
2011 NFL Pre-Draft Show – NFL Network, 10 a.m.
2011 NFL Draft – NFL Network, 11:58 a.m.
2011 NFL Draft – ESPN, noon

NFL Total Access – NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.

NHL Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 1/Boston at Philadelphia – NBC/CBC/RDS, 3 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 2/Nashville at Vancouver – Versus/CBC/RDS, 9 p.m. (Vancouver leads series 1-0)

NHL on the Fly – NHL Network, 6 p.m.

Tennis
ATP Tour/Estoril Open, Semifinals – Tennis Channel, 9 & 11 p.m. (same day coverage)
WTA Tour/Estoril Open, Final – Tennis Channel, 7 p.m. (same day coverage)

Track & Field
Penn Relays – ESPN2, 8 p.m. (same day coverage)

Entertainment
5 Ingredient Fix: My Team is on Fire – Food Network, 10:30 a.m.
Walking the Great Wall – National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
White House Correspondents Association Dinner – C-SPAN, 8 p.m./MSNBC, 9 p.m.
Nick DiPaolo: Raw Nerve – Showtime, 9 p.m.
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon – BBC America, 9 p.m.
Doctor Who in America – BBC America, 10 p.m.
48 Hours Mystery: Last Chance for Justice – CBS, 10 p.m,
That Metal Show – VH1 Classic, 11 p.m.

Sunday, May 1

Arena Football
Orlando at Jacksonville – NFL Network, 3 p.m.

Australian Rules Football
Collingwood vs. Western Bulldogs – ESPN2, 2 a.m.

College Baseball
Oklahoma at Texas – ESPNU, 2 p.m.
Auburn at South Carolina – ESPN, 3 p.m.

College Lacrosse
men’s
Patriot League Championship, Lewisburg, PA
CBS Sports Network, 3 p.m.

women’s
Atlantic 10 Championship, Philadelphia, PA
CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.

English Premier League
Birmingham vs. Wolverhampton – Fox Soccer Plus, 7 a.m.
Liverpool vs. Newcastle – Fox Soccer Chanel, 7 a.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Avnet LPGA Classic, Final Round – Golf Channel, 4 p.m.
PGA Tour/New Orleans Classic, Final Round – CBS, 3 p.m.

MLB
American League
Detroit at Cleveland – Fox Sports Detroit/WKYC, 1 p.m.
Toronto at New York Yankees – TBS/Rogers Sportsnet/YES, 1 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Tampa Bay – Fox Sports West/Fox Sports Florida, 1:30 p.m.
Seattle at Boston – Root Sports Northwest/NESN, 1:30 p.m.
Baltimore at Chicago White Sox, MASN2/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 2 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City – Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Kansas City, 2 p.m.
Texas at Oakland – Fox Sports Southwest/Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m.

National League
San Francisco at Washington – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/MASN, 1:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Atlanta – Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports South, 1:30 p.m.
Milwaukee at Houston – Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Houston, 2 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Colorado – Root Sports Pittsburgh/Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 3 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona – WGN America/Fox Sports Arizona, 4 p.m.
Florida at Cincinnati – Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports Ohio, 4 p.m.
San Diego at Los Angeles Dodgers – Cox 4/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 4 p.m.
New York Mets at Philadelphia – ESPN, 8 p.m.

MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 5 p.m.
Baseball Tonight live from Philadelphia, PA – ESPN, 7 p.m.
MLB’s 20 Greatest Games: #3, 1986 World Series Game 6 – MLB Network, 7 p.m.
Quick Pitch Live – MLB Network, 9 p.m.
Plays of the Month – MLB Network, 10 p.m.

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 1/Boston at Miami – ABC, 3:30 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 1/Memphis at Oklahoma City – ABC, 1 p.m.

NFL
2011 NFL Pre-Draft Show – NFL Network, 1 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – NFL Network, 5:58 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – ESPN, 6 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – ESPN2, 8 p.m.

NFL Total Access – NFL Network, 10:30 p.m.

NHL Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 2/Tampa Bay at Washington – Versus/CBC/RDS, 7 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 2/Detroit at San Jose – NBC/TSN/RDS, 3 p.m.

NHL on the Fly – NHL Network, 6 p.m.

Tennis
WTA Tour/Estoril Open, Semifinals – Tennis Channel, 7 & 9 p.m. (Same Day Coverage)
WTA Tour/Barcelona Ladies Open, Final – Tennis Channel, 1 a.m. (Delayed)

Entertainment
CBS News Sunday Morning – CBS, 9 a.m.
The Minimalist: Soup & Sandwich – Cooking Channel, 10:30 a.m.
Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee: A Fine Fiesta – Food Network, 11:30 a.m.
60 Minutes – CBS, 7 p.m.
The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business: Too Many Cook in the Kitchen – CBS, 8 p.m.
Nature: Salmon Running the Gauntlet – PBS, 8 p.m.
Ninja Warrior 26 – G4, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Game of Thrones – HBO, 9 p.m.
Breakout Kings – A&E, 10 p.m,
The Killing – AMC, 10 p.m.
Treme – HBO, 10 p.m.
The Borgias – Showtime, 10 p.m.
In Plain Sight – USA, 10 p.m.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Baseball
Michigan at Ohio State – Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
TCU at BYU – the mtn., 9 p.m.

College Lacrosse
Patriot League Tournament, Lewisburg, PA
Semifinals
Army vs. Colgate – CBS Sports Network, 5 p.m.
Bucknell vs. Lehigh – CBS Sports Network, 7:45 p.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Avnet LPGA Classic, 2nd Round – Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m.
PGA Tour/New Orleans Classic, 2nd Round – Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

NASCAR
Bubba Burger 250 – Speed, 7:30 p.m.

MLB
American League
Anaheim Angels at Tampa Bay – Fox Sports West/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland – Fox Sports Detroit/STO, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Boston – Root Sports Northwest/NESN, 7 p.m.
Toronto at New York Yankees – Rogers Sportsnet/YES, 7 p.m.
Baltimore at Chicago White Sox, MASN2/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City – Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Kansas City, 8 p.m.
Texas at Oakland – KTXA/Comcast SportsNet California, 10 p.m.

National League
Florida at Cincinnati – Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Philadelphia – MLB Network/SNY/WPHL, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Washington – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Atlanta – MLB Network/Fox Sports Midwest/Peachtree TV, 7:30 p.m.
Milwaukee at Houston – Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Colorado – Root Sports Pittsburgh/Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 8:30 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona – Comcast SportsNet/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
San Diego at Los Angeles Dodgers – Cox 4/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

The Rundown Live – MLB Network, 3 p.m.

NBA Playoffs
Game 6/San Antonio at Memphis – ESPN, 9 p.m. (Memphis leads series 3-2)

NFL
2011 NFL Pre-Draft Show – NFL Network, 1 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – NFL Network, 5:58 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – ESPN, 6 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft – ESPN2, 8 p.m.

NFL Total Access – NFL Network, 10:30 p.m.

NHL Playoffs
NHL Live – NHL Network, 4 p.m.
NHL on the Fly Pregame – NHL Network, 6 p.m.

Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 1/Tampa Bay at Washington – Versus/TSN, 7 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game1/Detroit at San Jose – Versus/TSN, 10 p.m.

NHL on the Fly – NHL Network, 7 p.m.

Tennis
WTA Tour/Estoril Open, Semifinals – Tennis Channel, 7 & 9 p.m. (Same Day Coverage)
WTA Tour/Barcelona Ladies Open, Semifinals – Tennis Channel, 11 p.m. & 1 a.m. (Same Day Coverage)

Entertainment
Washington Week in Review – PBS, 8 p.m.
Main Street Mysteries: Buried Secrets – Investigation Discovery, 8:30 p.m.
Hooked: River Sharks – National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Ice Pilots: Deadly Winds – National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Camelot: Justice – Starz, 10 p.m.
FBI: Criminal Pursuit: Predator – Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Forensic Files – truTV, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.

ESPN Unveils Name of Captain Blowhard’s New Site and Roster of Writers

It’s been rumored for months regarding this new “secret” project that Bill Simmons a.k.a. “Captain Blowhard” has been working on. Over the last couple of months, we’ve heard of several writers who have been tapped like Katie Baker of Deadspin, Chuck Klosterman among others. Now we have official word from ESPN on the name of the site (Grantland, as in sports writing legend, Grantland Rice) and the roster of writers. This is going to be a mixture of sports and pop culture and whatever else the Blowhard wants on the site.

And in addition to articles, there will be podcasts featuring the writers from the site. This is Blowhard’s baby. We’ll see how this proceeds.

All-Star Roster of Writers and Editors to Join New ESPN Web Site

Grantland.com– Conceived by ESPN’s Bill Simmons – to Debut in June

Bill Simmons, in association with ESPN, announced the first wave of writer and editor hires for Grantland.com, the much anticipated sports and pop culture web site. Conceived and led by Simmons – the most popular writer on ESPN.com and host of the No. 1 podcast The B.S. Report – the site will be home to every Simmons column and podcast and feature an accomplished and diverse lineup of the Internet’s leading writers and editors. With Simmons as editor-in-chief, Grantland.com is scheduled to launch in June with a mix of original columns, long-form features, blog posts, and podcasts. The name of the site honors the legacy of Grantland Rice, the legendary sportswriter who helped elevate sports into American culture during the early 20th Century.

Working closely with Simmons will be Dan Fierman, most recently a senior editor of GQ and previously a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly. Fierman will be the lead editor and a contributor to Grantland.com, working with deputy editors Lane Brown (former editor of Vulture.com, New York magazine’s culture and entertainment site) and Jay Caspian Kang (an accomplished fiction writer and contributor to theAtlantic.com and theawl.com).

Consulting editors to the site will include:

• Chuck Klosterman, a best-selling author of books, a former columnist for Spin, Esquire and ESPN.com, and a feature writer for New York Times Magazine, Esquire, GQ and Spin. Chuck will be writing about sports and culture exclusively for Grantland.com;
• Malcolm Gladwell, the international best-selling author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers and a feature writer for The New Yorker since 1996;
• Dave Eggers, founder and editor of the independent publishing house McSweeney’s and bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist for his memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

In addition, Grantland.com will feature the following writers:

• Michael Weinreb, author of the much-acclaimed books Bigger Than the Game and Game of Kings, as well as a feature writer for ESPN.com’s E-Ticket and GQ;
• Katie Baker, a contributor to the New York Times Magazine, Deadspin, Gawker, and Mediaite.com, who worked for Goldman Sachs for six years before deciding to write full-time;
• Molly Lambert, a popular blogger and most recently the managing editor of This Recording;
• Chris Ryan, who has written about soccer for GQ, The Village Voice, and the Wall Street Journal;
• Robert Mays III, an award-winning feature writer, who most recently worked at the Boston Globe;
• Bill Barnwell, managing editor of Football Outsider and a statistical consultant for Major League Baseball, who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and ESPN The Magazine.
• Patrice Evans, creator of The Assimilated Negro (TAN) blog and author of the forthcoming book Negropedia. He has contributed to The New York Times, Gawker, EbonyJet.com and other major outlets.

Grantland.com will also feature a wide range of full-time writers, contributors and celebrity guest writers, who will be announced prior to launch.

“I grew up loving The National, Spy Magazine and Inside Sports,” said Simmons, who authored the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, The Book of Basketball, and was a co-creator of ESPN’s Peabody Award winning series 30 for 30. “Those three publications meant an inordinate amount to me, and I’m hoping that people will feel the same about this site.

“As we planned it over the last 18 months, my No. 1 goal was to figure out how to capture the spirit and creativity of 30 for 30 and transfer it to a website. We wanted original voices, and we found a bunch of them already. We’re going to take chances, come up with a few premises and ideas that you haven’t seen before, and be consistently entertaining day after day. You will never know what to expect when you come to the site – in a good way. That’s our ultimate goal.”

In addition to its content, Grantland.com will be set apart from information-rich sports and news sites with a simple and elegant graphic style designed by renowned magazine designer Walter Bernard. Said Simmons, “We will not throw up 100 posts every day. We’ve figured out a way to highlight the best things we publish and make it easier for people who might not have a chance to visit the site more than three or four times a week to find everything they want.”

And that is it. I restrained myself from writing something really nasty.

ESPN Taps Ian Darke and Julie Foudy As Lead Announcing Team For Women’s World Cup

This summer, ESPN’s voice of soccer, Ian Darke and Julie Foudy will call the FIFA Women’s World Cup from Germany. They’ll be the lead announcing team for ESPN. Two other teams will be announced at a later date.

Ian Darke and Julie Foudy Named ESPN’s Lead Commentator Team for 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Top soccer play-by-play voice Ian Darke will pair with analyst and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Julie Foudy as lead commentators for ESPN’s presentation of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup (June 26 – July 17). Darke and Foudy will kick off the three-week tournament Sunday, June 26, at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the event’s opening match – host nation Germany vs. Canada – on ESPN, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV, from the Berlin Olympiastadion. They will also provide commentary for the title match Sunday, July 17, at 2 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV, live from Frankfurt.

Darke, who joined ESPN full-time in September 2010 after his critically acclaimed performance during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will be making his ESPN Women’s World Cup debut in Germany. Foudy, a former U.S. Women’s National Team captain, is entering her second FIFA Women’s World Cup as ESPN’s lead match analyst. Germany 2011 marks her sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup overall as a player and television analyst. The other two match commentator teams will be announced at a later date.

“Ian’s experience as one of the best English-language soccer commentators, and Julie’s insight and history with the Women’s World Cup having played in four straight tournaments, make this an ideal pairing for the event,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, production.

Foudy was a midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1987 through 2004. In her 17-year national team tenure, the U.S. women won two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles (1991, 1999), captured two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004), and the silver medal in 2000, becoming one of the most successful national teams in the sport.

Foudy’s retirement, ending a remarkable international career with 271 matches – along with fellow women’s soccer legends Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett, marked the end of what has been called the “golden era” of women’s soccer in the United States. She was inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame in August 2007.

Germany 2011 will be ESPN’s fifth straight FIFA Women’s World Cup – and its most comprehensive presentation to date. All 32 matches will air live and in high definition on ESPN and ESPN2, as well as ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Additionally, all match telecasts will feature pre-match, halftime and post-match studio segments originating live from the host nation, including symbolic FIFA World Cup traditions – the teams walking onto the pitch, the national anthems and ceremonial handshakes.

All programming on ESPN and ESPN2 will also be available online through ESPNnetworks.com, which is accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

And that’s it for this post.

Game 7 of Bruins-Canadiens Sets Ratings Record For NESN

Earlier today, I sent an e-mail to NESN asking if the ratings for Game 7 of B’s-Habs was a record or close to it. Well, we now know it’s not just broken the previous ratings record of 14.1 set in 2009 for Game 7 of the Bruins-Hurricanes series, but it pretty much smashed it. The final rating for Game 7 of Bruins-Canadiens ended at 17.7, peaking at a whopping 26.6 in the final quarter-hour in which Nathan Horton scored the game-winning goal in overtime.

NESN says the entire 7 game series averaged an 11.9 rating which is also the highest-rated in its history. Here’s the press release.

NESN’S GAME 7 COVERAGE SETS NEW RECORD WITH A 17.7 RATING

Caps off Highest Rated Playoff Series in Network History

BOSTON, MA – NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, set a new single-game ratings record for Bruins hockey last night with a 17.7 average household rating in the Boston DMA. The game peaked at a 26.6 rating during the 10:00 PM quarter hour as Nathan Horton scored the game winner in overtime to propel the Bruins into the Eastern Conference Semifinals. NESN’s previous best-ever single-game hockey rating was a 14.1, set two years ago on May 14, 2009 in a Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

NESN’s ratings numbers in most of the key demographic categories also set new network records, including a 21.5 in Men 25-54, 18.3 in Men 18-49, and 15.6 in Adults 25-54.

Best Playoff Series in NESN History
NESN’s coverage of the Bruins-Montreal first round playoff series dominated the Boston television market over the past 2 weeks. NESN’s 7 telecasts averaged an 11.9 household rating, which made it the highest-rated Bruins playoff series in network history. NESN’s Bruins coverage was the top-rated program in the Boston DMA on 4 of the 7 nights. The previous ratings record for a series was set in 2009, when NESN garnered a 9.9 average household rating for the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playoff Pre and Post-Game Shows Also Enjoy Ratings Success
NESN’s ratings success extended beyond the games with impressive pre and post-game ratings throughout the series. Bruins FaceOff LIVE expanded to 60 minutes for the first round of the playoffs and averaged a 2.1 household rating during the series, including a 2.7 before last night’s deciding game. NESN’s post-game show, Bruins Overtime LIVE, averaged a 4.1 household rating that was highlighted by an 8.4 after the Bruins’ exciting Game 7 victory.

“The Bruins have captured the imagination of the region and are playing with an incredible amount of heart, which translates into great television,” said Sean McGrail, NESN President and CEO. “Even though the number of games we will televise in round 2 will decrease due to national network selections, we will continue to provide enhanced and expanded coverage around every Bruins playoff game.”

NESN is scheduled to deliver exclusive regional coverage of Game 4 along with Games 6 and 7 if necessary. Details on NESN’s coverage plans for the entire series will be announced tomorrow.

Amazing numbers for NESN and it continues the trend of record setting local ratings for the NHL.

The Thursday Linkage, Finally

Finally getting to some linkage. Had some work to do first and of course, that takes precedence. Lots of stuff to get to.

First from John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily, he reports that Monday Night Football reporter Michele Tafoya is leaving ESPN and most likely heading to NBC in an unspecified capacity.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today reports that ESPN.com has announced the name and roster for Captain Blowhard’s new sports and pop culture website. Kill me mow.

Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter says Fox has tapped a new man to lead Fuel TV.

At Multichannel News, Mike Reynolds says the NBA Playoffs on TNT are scoring in the ratings and with affluent viewers as well.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel notes that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia scored record ratings for Game 7 of the Buffalo-Flyers series.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek writes that TNT’s highest ratings in the playoffs are for teams from the two biggest markets.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life tells us that both the NBA and NHL are seeing red hot ratings for their postseasons.

Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal wonders what if ESPN covered the Royal Wedding.

Sheldon Spencer at ESPN Front Row talks with members of ESPN’s NFL blogging network on their approach to covering this year’s NFL Draft.

Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy goes over what ESPN was offering the NHL before NBC/Versus came and topped it.

We have the transcript of CNBC’s Darren Rovell interviewing embattled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt about Major League Baseball taking operation of the team.

Andy Fixmer and Beth Jinks of Bloomberg recap McCourt’s appearance on Bloomberg Television.

At the Biz of Baseball, the great Maury Brown has McCourt blasting MLB for meddling after Fox agreed to give him a $30 million advance as part of a 20 year media rights deal.

Back to Bloomberg, Laurel Brubaker Calkins writes that Golf Channel officials are denying any knowledge of a Ponzi scheme run by an indicted financier who paid money to the network for sponsorships.

Cam Martin of Sports Newser writes that a new play on the late Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, authored by Mitch Albom, will premiere tonight in the Motor City.

Cork Gaines of the Business Insider’s Sports Page reviews two nights of ESPN SportsCenter and breaks down how it covers sports news.

Emerson College Journalism Professor Mark Luccese writing in Boston.com discusses the surplus of sports coverage in Beantown.

98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston had an interview with NESN’s Jack Edwards in which he discusses the Canadiens, diving and a few other things.

Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com is not a fan of Jack Edwards.

Richard Sandomir from the New York Times says Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum now has a new name.

Newsday’s Neil Best says New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter isn’t too happy over a new book written about him.

Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News looks at the new voice of the Triple Crown on NBC.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has the TV schedule for the 2nd round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Pete also has the NBA Playoff schedule through this weekend.

Bob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune says the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed a new deal with Root Sports keeping the team on the network for at least 18 more season.

John Feinstein takes out his computer keyboard and proceeds to hit DC NFL Team owner Daniel Snyder over his head with it.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says the NBA’s ratings winning streak continues into the postsesaon.

Jim says NFL Draft coverage has turned into a marathon.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business says Comcast SportsNet ended its NBA and NHL postseason coverage with a bang.

Derrick Gold from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman refuted statements made by Houston Astros radio announcer Milo Hamilton.

Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal says extended NBA and NFL lockouts would have adverse effects on the local economy and advertising market.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times talks with NFL Network’s Rich Eisen about this week’s Draft coverage.

Fight Hype says ESPN.com boxing reporter Dan Rafael could be moving to HBO in a much different capacity.

Joe Favorito says US sports teams need to get on the ball with social media in a way that their European counterparts have totally embraced.

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs has a look at various local sports radio ratings.

And we’ll end it there for today.

Madden ’12 Cover Athlete Peyton Hillis On Late Show with David Letterman

Coming up tonight on the CBS Television Network, Cleveland Browns running Peyton Hillis will make an appearance to present the Top Ten list on the Late Show with David Letterman. Hillis was announced yesterday as the cover athlete of the Madden ’12 NFL video game. Today, he’s in New York to shoot the cover and to make a few publicity appearances including one at the Late Show. We have details plus what else will be on tonight’s show.

THIS JUST IN…
…from CBS Entertainment

CLEVELAND BROWNS STAR PEYTON HILLIS, THE COVER ATHLETE FOR THE “MADDEN NFL 12” VIDEO GAME, TO PRESENT THE TOP TEN LIST ON CBS’S “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN,” THURSDAY, APRIL 28

NEW YORK, April 28 – Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, the cover athlete for the new “Madden NFL 12” video game, will present the Top Ten List on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, April 28 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  Selected by fans in a special online vote, Hillis was announced Wednesday as the latest NFL star to grace the cover of the new edition of the popular EA Sports video game.  The “Madden NFL 12” video game will be released August 30.

Also featured on the LATE SHOW tonight will be self-help guru Dr. Phil McGraw, actor Chris Hemsworth and a performance from the new Broadway musical “Catch Me If You Can.”

The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated.  Barbara Gaines, Matt Roberts, Jude Brennan, Maria Pope, Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel and Rob Burnett are the executive producers.

Official CBS website:  http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/

That’s it.

Versus To Air IIHF World Championships

Starting Saturday, Versus will air the World Hockey Championships live from Slovakia. With the time difference, most of the games will take place in the morning here in the States. And it’s nice to see former ESPN2 nhl2nite host and former Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio co-host Bill Pidto being a studio host for Versus for the World Championships. He’ll be joined by Matt Loughlin who’ll also host. New Jersey Devils left winger Zach Parise will join them.

Versus will air as many as 11 games from Bratislava, the site of this year’s Championships. Versus will also carry every game involving the United States. Here’s what’s on tap for Versus as coverage begins Saturday morning.

VERSUS TO AIR THE 75TH ANNUAL MEN’S INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEGINNING APRIL 30

NEW YORK (April 27, 2011) — VERSUS will air at least eleven games during the 75th Annual Men’s International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships, beginning on Saturday, April 30, at 10 a.m. ET when team USA faces off against Austria in the preliminary round live from Bratislava, Slovakia. This will mark the first time VERSUS will televise the round-robin tournament.

The network will air a substantial amount of the games throughout the 16-day tournament, including four preliminary- round games, at least three qualification-round games and at least one quarterfinal game. The network will air every game the U.S. team plays if they advance past the first round, but regardless of how far they go, VERSUS will also televise both semifinal games on May 13 and the Gold Medal contest on May 15.

VERSUS will also produce pre, intermission and post-game updates from the network’s Stamford, Conn., studio, providing viewers with expert analysis of the games before, during and after the hockey action. Bill Pidto and Matt Loughlin will alternate as hosts for the studio show along with Zach Parise, current New Jersey Devils left winger and member of the U.S. Olympic Team that won the silver medal in Vancouver last February.

There are a total of 16 teams participating in the round-robin tournament which are placed in four groups to play in the preliminary round. The top three teams in each group will advance to the qualification round, while the last team in each group competes in the relegation round, where the top two teams will automatically qualify for the next year’s World Championships. Preliminary round groups:

Group A (Bratislava): Russia, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia

Group B (Košice): Canada, Switzerland, Belarus, France

Group C (Košice): Sweden, United States, Norway, Austria

Group D (Bratislava): Finland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Denmark

VERSUS’ preliminary round coverage of the 2011 World Championships is as follows (all times ET, subject to change):

Saturday, April 30 USA-Austria (Live) 10 a.m.

Monday, May 2 USA-Norway (Live) 10 a.m.

Tuesday, May 3 Canada-Switzerland TBD

Wednesday, May 4 USA-Sweden TBD

More stuff is on the way.

The NBA Playoffs on TNT Continue To Draw Viewers

From Turner Sports, we note that ratings for the NBA Playoffs are up 29% from last year and viewership is up 33% as well. TNT’s coverage is averaging 4.3 million viewers, up from 3.2 million in 2010. Here’s Turner’s press release.

TNT’S NBA PLAYOFFS COVERAGE OFF TO BEST START IN CABLE TELEVISION HISTORY
NETWORK AVERAGING A 2.7 U.S. HH RATING AND 4.3 MILLLION AVERAGE TOTAL VIEWERS, UP +29% AND +33%, RESPECTIVELY

TNT’s NBA Playoffs coverage delivering over 48% Growth in Affluent Viewers for P18-34, P18-49 and P25-54, Tops Among Professional Sports Leagues

Coming off its most watched and highest-rated season in its 27 years of airing NBA basketball, Turner Sports announced today that through Tuesday, April 26, its 2011 NBA Playoffs coverage on TNT is also delivering the most watched and highest rated postseason to date in cable television history. TNT’s first 19 games of coverage have averaged a 2.7 U.S. HH Rating, (+29%, 2.1 U.S. HH Rating last year), 4,259,000 Total Viewers (+33%, 3,194,000 last year) and 3,136,000 Households (+29%, 2,432,000 last year). TNT is also delivering strong double-digit growth across all key demos, including:

• A18-34 +39% (1,426,000 vs. 1,026,000)
• A18-49 +39% (2,456,000 vs. 1,774,000)
• A25-54 +34% (2,175,000 vs. 1,662,000)
• M18-34 +37% (1,009,000 vs. 739,000)
• M18-49 +40% (1,770,000 vs. 1,265,000)
• M25-54 +37% (1,551,000 vs. 1,136,000)

The NBA Playoffs on TNT to-date are also delivering significant double digit growth with affluent viewers with a household income of $100,000+ or +$125,000 across P18-34, P18-49 and P25-54. The growth for both affluent categories is the most of any professional sports league, playoffs or regular season. Data below is through Monday, April 25.

Affluent Household of $100,000+:

• P18-34 +78%
• P18-49 +60%
• P25-54 +48%

Affluent Household Income of $125,000+:

• P18-34 +98%
• P18-49 +78%
• P25-54 +60%

During its 52 games regular season, the NBA on TNT averaged a 1.6 U.S. household rating (+45% vs. 1.1 for last year’s corresponding coverage); 2,453,000 total viewers (+42% vs. 1,723,000); and 1,826,000 households (+39% vs. 1,315,000). In addition, this season’s audience is +30% larger than Turner’s second-best regular-season audience from 1995-96 (1,885,000). Also, TNT aired three of the top five all-time most watched NBA regular season games in cable television history this season.

And we’re done with this post.

NBC Sports Group All Over Kentucky Derby & The Triple Crown

Got this press release yesterday, but with everything going on, I did not have time to post it, but now I have some time. This is from The Group talking about Kentucky Derby coverage for next week. Some 14 hours will be aired on Versus and NBC starting on Thursday. NBC no longer shares Kentucky Derby Week with ESPN, it has the entire event to itself. Live coverage begins Wednesday with the Kentucky Derby draw and the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, then Versus will have preliminary coverage Saturday morning starting at 11. Then NBC takes over with three hours of coverage at 4 p.m.

As mentioned yesterday, Tom Durkin has stepped down as Voice of the Triple Crown. He’ll be replaced by Larry Collmus, the track announcer at Gulfstream and Monmouth Parks. And NBC will have mainstays Bob Costas, Tom Hammond, Gary Stevens, Bob Neumeier, Kenny Rice and Donna Brothers on hand.

Versus will have Laffit Pincay III, the son of legendary jockey, Laffit Pincay, Jr., host its coverage along with the multi-faceted Randy Moss. Unfortunately, one of the worst hosts in the history of television, Jenna Wolfe will be on hand. The always lovely Maria Menounos of Access Hollywood will conduct celebrity interviews as the beautiful people love to go to Churchill Downs. Look for features on mint juleps and the hats worn by the women.

We have your press release from the NBC Sports Group.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 14 HOURS OF KENTUCKY DERBY COVERAGE

Coverage From Churchill Downs Begins Wednesday, May 4 and Continues All Week on NBC and VERSUS
In All, NBC Sports Group Presents 27 Hours of Horse Racing’s Triple Crown
“Sunday Night Football” Producer Fred Gaudelli and Director Drew Esocoff Lead NBC Sports Group Production
Larry Collmus, Laffit Pincay III, Randy Moss, Jay Privman, Maria Menounos, Jenna Wolfe Added to Coverage

NEW YORK – April 27, 2011 – The NBC Sports Group will present 14 hours of Kentucky Derby coverage beginning on Wednesday, May 4 at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS and culminating with the 137^th running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday, May 7 beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

The expanded Kentucky Derby coverage, which includes eight hours on Derby Day on NBC and VERSUS, will include many new elements:

• Live coverage of the Kentucky Derby Draw, which will determine the post positions
• Additional commentators including a new race caller, Larry Collmus
• New production team
• 11 total hours on VERSUS, now part of the NBC Sports Group, including live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby Day races
• Three hours of “Derby Classics” (Smarty Jones, Barbaro, Mine That Bird) to air on VERSUS

27 HOURS OF TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE: The NBC Sports Group will present 27 hours of Triple Crown coverage this season from Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont, including additional “classics” from the Preakness and Belmont, live racing from all three tracks prior to the three Triple Crown races and post-race coverage of the Preakness and Belmont on VERSUS. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005.

COMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group coverage of the Kentucky Derby will once again feature co-hosts Bob Costas, a 21-time Emmy Award-winner, and veteran NBC Sports commentator Tom Hammond; three-time Kentucky Derby winner Gary Stevens; contributing analysts/handicappers Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier; reporter Kenny Rice and on-track reporter Donna Brothers.

Added for this year’s expanded coverage are race caller Larry Collmus, the track announcer at Gulfstream Park and Monmouth Park who replaces Tom Durkin; Laffit Pincay, III, son of Hall-of-Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., will host the coverage on VERSUS; veteran horse racing analyst Randy Moss; the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman; TODAY Show’s Jenna Wolfe will contribute features; and Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos will handle celebrity interviews.

PRODUCTION TEAM: The coverage on NBC will be produced by Fred Gaudelli and directed by Drew Esocoff, NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Sunday Night Football” production team. The VERSUS coverage will be produced by Rob Hyland, who has worked on the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001 and also produces NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football, and directed by “NHL on NBC” director Jeff Simon. The executive producer of NBC Sports and VERSUS is Sam Flood who has produced 11 Triple Crown races for the network.

FLOOD ON NBC SPORTS GROUP COMMENTATORS: “We have had the premier broadcast team for NBC Sports’ Triple Crown races in place for years with Bob, Tom, Gary, Mike, Neumy, Kenny and Donna. Now, as we significantly expand our coverage on VERSUS, we are fortunate to add Laffit, Randy, Jay, Jenna and Maria to the team, along with Larry, who is a tremendous race caller.”

FLOOD ON PRODUCTION TEAM: “Fred Gaudelli is one of the most talented and dedicated producers in television sports. He and director Drew Esocoff set the gold standard for NFL coverage and will bring that same passion to covering the Triple Crown. We are lucky to have them for the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.”

NBC SPORTS GROUP TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE (All Times ET):

KENTUCKY DERBY
Wed. May 4, Derby Classics – Smarty Jones, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Wed. May 4, Kentucky Derby Draw, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Thurs. May 5, Derby Classics – Barbaro, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Thurs. May 5, Live from Churchill Downs, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 6, Derby Classics – Mine That Bird, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 6, Kentucky Oaks, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 7, Live from Churchill Downs, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 7, Kentucky Derby, 4-7 p.m., NBC

PREAKNESS STAKES
Fri. May 20, Preakness Classics, 3-4 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 20, Black Eyed Susan Stakes, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 21, Live from Pimlico, 2:30-4:30 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 21, Preakness Stakes, 4:30-6:30 p.m., NBC
Sat. May 21, Preakness Wrap-up, 6:30-7 p.m., VERSUS

BELMONT STAKES
Fri. June 10, Belmont Classics, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. June 10, Live from Belmont, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. June 11, Live from Belmont, 3-5 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. June 11, Belmont Stakes, 5-7 p.m., NBC
Sat. June 11, Belmont Wrap-up, 7-7:30 p.m., VERSUS

NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is now the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.

KENTUCKY DERBY: In the 10 years that Churchill Downs and NBC Sports have been together the event has experienced remarkable growth. The Kentucky Derby is now seen by 7.4 million more viewers than the last Kentucky Derby broadcast by ABC in 2000 (16.5 million vs. 9.1 million, up 51 percent).

The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ to assemble the broadest possible audience led to the 2010 Kentucky Derby being the most-watched Kentucky Derby in 21 years, in addition to the year prior which was the most-watched Derby in 20 years. Last year’s Kentucky Derby averaged 16.5 million viewers, the most watched Kentucky Derby since 1989 when Sunday Silence won the Derby (18.5 million).

PREAKNESS STAKES: Since NBC Sports began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001, every Preakness telecast on NBC over that period attracted more viewers than any Preakness telecast on ABC in the previous seven years. Viewership for the Preakness is up an average of 69% in the 10 years on NBC compared to the previous seven years on ABC.

BELMONT STAKES: NBC Sports broadcast the Belmont from 2001-05, including three straight years in which the Belmont had a Triple Crown at stake. The 2004 Belmont featuring Smarty Jones racing for the Triple Crown was seen by 21.9 million viewers, the most for a Belmont broadcast since Seattle Slew captured the elusive Triple Crown in 1977.

Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 11 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage, Preakness (2002-03-05-06-08), Kentucky Derby (2007), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001). Additionally, NBC Sports has won three Eclipse Awards in the features category: 2002 on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), 2005 Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and 2009 Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast), and the 2005 and 2006 Preakness broadcasts were nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.
And that will do it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Baseball
Kentucky at LSU – ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Avnet LPGA Classic, 1st round – Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m.
PGA Tour/New Orleans Classic, 1st round – Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

MLB
American League
Seattle at Detroit – MLB Network/Root Sports Northwest/Fox Sports Detroit, 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Minnesota – Sun Sports/Fox Sports North, 1 p.m.
Toronto at Texas – MLB Network/Rogers Sportsnet/Fox Sports Southwest, 2 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore – NESN/MASN, 7 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees – MLB Network/Comcast SportsNet Chicago/YES, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland – Fox Sports Kansas City/STO, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Minnesota – Sun Sports/Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.

National League
San Francisco at Pittsburgh – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.
New York Mets at Washington – SNY/MASN2, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Houston – Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona – WGN America/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.

Baseball Tonight – ESPN2, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 10 p.m.

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game 6/Orlando at Atlanta – NBA TV, 7:30 p.m. (Atlanta leads series 3-2)

Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game 6/Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans – TNT, 8 p.m. (Lakers lead series 3-2)
Game 6/Dallas at Portland – TNT, 10:30 p.m. (Dallas leads series 3-2)

Inside the NBA – TNT, 1 a.m.

NFL
2011 NFL Pre-Draft Coverage – NFL Network, 1 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft, 1st round – NFL Network, 7:58 p.m.
2011 NFL Draft, 1st round – ESPN, 8 p.m.

NFL Total Access – NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.

NHL Playoffs
NHL Live – NHL Network, 4 p.m.
NHL on the Fly Pregame – NHL Network, 6 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 1/Nashville at Vancouver – Versus/CBC, 9 p.m.

NHL on the Fly – NHL Network, 7 p.m.

Olympics
Bud Greenspan Presents: Vancouver 2010 Stories of Olympic Glory – Showtime, 8 p.m.

Entertainment
The Big Bang Theory – CBS, 8 p.m.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – CBS, 9 p.m.
Bones – Fox, 9 p.m.
Nikita – The CW, 9 p.m.
Nuclear Nightmare: Japan in Crisis – Discovery, 10 p.m.
True Crime with Aphodite Jones: Twist of Faith – Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Private Practice – ABC, 10:01 p.m.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl – Showtime, 10:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.

CBC’s NHL Conference Semifinal Schedule

CBC will have coverage of two series in the NHL Conference Semifinal round. It’ll naturally pick up the Vancouver-Nashville series and its main team of Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will be up top with Glenn Healey sitting in between the benches. Scott Oake will be the on-site reporter for Hockey Night in Canada.

The other series that falls to CBC now that the Montreal Canadiens are out will be Boston-Philadelphia to be called by Bob Cole and Gary Galley with Elliotte Friedman reporting. One note, CBC will not air Game 2 of Boston-Philly, giving that to TSN while it covers the Canadian national elections on Monday. In exchange, CBC will air Game 2 of the Tampa Bay-Washington series on Sunday.

Here are the full details of CBC’s coverage.

VANCOUVER HEADLINES CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA 2011 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Canucks and Predators meet in Western Conference Semifinal beginning Thurs, April 28;
Philadelphia and Boston face-off in Eastern Conference Semifinal beginning Sat, April 30

After record breaking audiences for Round One, the top eight remaining teams get ready for Round Two as CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA continues to provide hockey fans with exclusive coverage of the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Starting on Thursday, April 28, CBC will carry the Vancouver (#1) / Nashville (#5) Western Conference Semifinal series and the Philadelphia (#2) / Boston (#3) Eastern Conference Semifinal series, beginning Saturday, April 30, excluding Game Two due to network coverage of the Canadian Federal Election. In its place, CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA will air Game Two of the Washington (#1) / Tampa Bay (#5) series on Sunday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.

The puck drops on Thursday, April 28 at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT with the Western Conference Semifinal series opener between Vancouver and Nashville. Play-by-play man Jim Hughson and analyst Craig Simpson will call the series with Scott Oake reporting from rinkside and Glenn Healy between the benches as Roberto Luongo and the Canucks look to continue their quest for the Stanley Cup versus Shea Weber and the Predators.

The Eastern Conference Semifinals get underway on Saturday, April 30, at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT as the Philadelphia Flyers and veteran Chris Pronger square off against the Boston Bruins and goaltender Tim Thomas. Bob Cole will call this Eastern Conference Semifinal best-of-seven series alongside analyst Garry Galley, while Elliotte Friedman reports from ice level. Hockey Tonight returns to CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA that night at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT to set up Game Two of the Canucks/Predators series.

Each night during Round Two, Ron MacLean hosts CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA coverage of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs along with Don Cherry, Mike Milbury, Kelly Hrudey and P.J. Stock. Cherry, Hrudey and Stock will join MacLean in-studio throughout the second round to provide insight and analysis of all the Conference Semifinal series.

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA continues to go live and interactive throughout the Playoffs on cbcsports.ca/hockey. Each CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA broadcast is streamed live and on-demand at cbcports.ca/hockey, where hockey fans can catch up to the minute news, features, previews, highlights and analysis for every game.

Hockey Night in Canada Radio on SIRIUS with host Jeff Marek will also offer comprehensive coverage of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs on SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Channel 97 airing Monday through Friday from 3 – 6 p.m. ET (encore presentation from 7-10 p.m. ET). As of Wednesday May 4 Hockey Night in Canada Radio on SIRIUS will be moving to Channel 157.

CBC’s exclusive Punjabi broadcasts continue in Round Two, featuring the Vancouver / Nashville series, live and on demand at CBCSports.ca. The Punjabi broadcasts will be available on Rogers – Channel 385, Telus – Channel 131, Shaw Cable – Channel 328, Shaw Direct – Classic 480 and Advanced 429. Viewers should contact their local service provider for more details. Harnarayan Singh will handle play-by-play duties while Amarinder Singh, will provide analysis.

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA: 2011 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
ROUND TWO – CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS BROADCAST SCHEDULE
All series best of seven.  Schedule subject to change

VANCOUVER (#1) VS. NASHVILLE (#5)
G1 - Nashville @ Vancouver, Thurs, April 28 @ 9 p.m. / 6 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G2 - Nashville @ Vancouver, Sat, April 30 @ 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G3 - Vancouver @ Nashville, Tues, May 3 – TBD, FULL NETWORK
G4 - Vancouver @ Nashville, Thurs, May 5 – TBD, FULL NETWORK
G5** - Nashville @ Vancouver, Sat, May 7 @ 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G6** – Vancouver @ Nashville, Mon, May 9 – TBD, FULL NETWORK
G7** - Nashville @ Vancouver, Wed, May 11 – TBD, FULL NETWORK

PHILADELPHIA (#2) VS. BOSTON (#3)
G1 - Boston @ Philadelphia, Sat, April 30 @ 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G3 - Philadelphia @ Boston, Wed, May 4 @ 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G4 - Philadelphia @ Boston, Fri, May 6 @ 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G5** - Boston @ Philadelphia, Sun, May 8 @ 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
G6** - Philadelphia @ Boston, Tues, May 10 – TBD p.m. ET, FULL NETWORK
G7** - Boston @ Philadelphia, Thurs, May 12 – TBD p.m. ET, FULL NETWORK

WASHINGTON (#1) VS. TAMPA BAY (#5)
G2 - Tampa Bay @ Washington, Sun, May 1 @ 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, FULL NETWORK
And we’re done.

2011 NHL Conference Semifinal Schedule

The NHL has just released the schedule for the Conference Semifinals. I have each series listed below. They’re complete with TV networks from both the US and Canada.

-  * denotes if necessary

That will do it.

Mike Mayock’s Last Mock Draft for 2011

Tonight, Mike Mayock had his own NFL Network special and provided his final mock draft for this year before the selections take place on Thursday night. Here’s his picks for the 1st round.

NFL NETWORK DRAFT EXPERT MIKE MAYOCK UNVEILS 2011 MOCK DRAFT

NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock unveiled his 2011 mock draft tonight on the first ever Mike Mayock’s 2011 Mock Draft special. Below is Mayock’s mock draft and a link to a story on NFL.com.

MIKE MAYOCK’S 2011 MOCK DRAFT

1.    Carolina Panthers                   Cam Newton               QB       Auburn

2.    Denver Broncos                      Von Miller                    LB        Texas A&M

3.    Buffalo Bills                             Marcell Dareus           DT       Alabama

4.    Cincinnati Bengals                  A.J. Green                  WR      Georgia

5.    Arizona Cardinals                    Patrick Peterson         CB       LSU

6.    Cleveland Browns                   Julio Jones                  WR      Alabama

7.    San Francisco 49ers               Blaine Gabbert            QB       Missouri

8.    Tennessee Titans                    Nick Fairley                 DT       Auburn

9.    Dallas Cowboys                      Tyron Smith                OT       USC

10.  Washington Redskins             Prince Amukamara    CB       Nebraska

11.  Houston Texans                      Robert Quinn              DE       UNC

12.  Minnesota Vikings                   Aldon Smith                DE       Missouri

13.  Detroit Lions                           Anthony Castonzo      OL       Boston College

14.  St. Louis Rams                       Corey Liuget               DT       Illinois

15.  Miami Dolphins                       Mike Pouncey             OL       Florida

16.  Jacksonville Jaguars              Ryan Kerrigan             DE       Purdue

17.  New England Patriots             Cameron Jordan         DE       California

18.  San Diego Chargers               J.J. Watt                      DE       Wisconsin

19.  New York Giants                    Mark Ingram               RB       Alabama

20.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers         Da’Quan Bowers        DE       Clemson

21.  Kansas City Chiefs                 Danny Watkins           OL       Baylor

22.  Indianapolis Colts                   Nate Solder                 OL       Colorado

23.  Philadelphia Eagles                 Gabe Carimi               OL       Wisconsin

24.  New Orleans Saints                Phil Taylor                   DT       Baylor

25.  Seattle Seahawks                   Marvin Austin              DT       UNC

26.  Baltimore Ravens                   Jimmy Smith              CB       Colorado

27.  Atlanta Falcons                       Adrian Clayborn          DE       Iowa

28.  ***(Patriots trade pick)            Jake Locker                QB       Washington

29.  Chicago Bears                        Jonathan Baldwin       WR      Pittsburgh

30.  New York Jets                        Akeem Ayers              LB        UCLA

31.  Pittsburgh Steelers                  Aaron Williams            CB       Texas

32.  ***(Packers trade pick)           Andy Dalton                QB       TCU

*** Mayock expects a team will trade into this spot to select a quarterback.

To view Mayock’s mock draft as well as his comments on each selection, visit NFL.com:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2011/mock-drafts/mike-mayock/60103

NFL Network/NFL.com’s live coverage of the three-day 2011 NFL Draft kicks off with Path to the Draft on Thursday, April 28 at 11:00 AM ET, followed by Total Access Pre-Draft Show 1:00 PM ET, providing full coverage from coast-to-coast with reports and analysis from Radio City Music Hall in New York, NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, and team facilities.

For the second year, NFL Network provides primetime coverage of the NFL Draft live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, beginning on Thursday, April 28 at 8:00 PM ET with round 1. Rounds 2 and 3 airs Friday, April 29 at 6:00 PM ET, with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 30 at 12 NOON ET.

And we are done.

Jack Edwards’ Puzzling Final Comments After B’s-Canadiens

NESN gave Jack Edwards the opportunity to make a final comment after the Boston Bruins win in overtime over the Montreal Canadiens to take the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series in seven games. Yet, I’m still trying to figure out what he’s saying. Jack not only looks nuts, but he’s mincing his metaphors comparing the Bruins win to the Boston Tea Party. At least I think he’s comparing the win to that. This is not the first time he’s compared a Bruins win to the American Revolution.

Anyway, you watch and try to figure this out.

Totally nuts.

And now we have the complete transcript of his nutty comments.

“As I was driving from the former seat of all NHL power, Montreal, through the free and independent states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts today, it struck me what an odd thing royalty is.

“Royalty in modern times is something that is perpetuated by those who didn’t actually make those great conquering achievements that established their reigns, but rather those who find themselves, because of a certain location in history and an accident of birth, to be in a position to ‘carry on a tradition.’

“Yet, those ‘royals’ sit there on their shiny thrones and primp in their hand mirrors and try to dictate morality according to them, about how you can dive, or how you should play, or how you shouldn’t run a player into the center glass.

“And the rest of us, those poor filthy masses, are just supposed to take it.

“Well, a couple of hundred years ago, a bunch of rowdy radicals charged out of some Boston bars, went down to the dock, and dumped the King’s tea into the salty sea.

“And in doing that, it struck a chord that rings true even today, that when confronted when imperious conceit, fighting the good fight is not only the right thing to do, it can be a heck of a lot of fun.

“And who has more fun than us?”

What?

CBC Gets a Double Viewing of Over 3 Million For Doubleheader On Tuesday

Here’s a press release from CBC on the stellar viewership it had for Bruins-Montreal and Blackhawks-Vancouver.

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA DRAWS 3.82 MILLION VIEWERS TO VANCOUVER/CHICAGO GAME SEVEN

Classic overtime game ranks as second largest Stanley Cup Round One Playoff game audience since 2000

Canadians from east and west couldn’t get enough of CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA on Tuesday night as the Game Seven overtime thriller between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks drew an average audience of 3.82 million viewers*, the second largest Round One Playoff audience on CBC since 2000, eclipsed only by Game Six of the Toronto/Ottawa series that drew 3.90 million viewers in 2004.

The audience for Vancouver-Chicago peaked at 5.08 million viewers.

The earlier match-up, Game Six between Boston and Montreal, scored with an audience of 3.02 million.

*Source: 2011 television audiences are BBM overnight, A2+ (PPM measurement).

That’s it.

Jack Edwards Yells At Roman Hamrlik Again

In Game 7 of the Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins series at the TD Garden, NESN’s Jack Edwards was in rare form once again as he yelled at Roman Hamrlik as he was checked and fell down. You may remember during Game 3 in Montreal, Edwards felt that Hamrlik took a dive and yelled at him to “GET UP!” This isn’t as classic as that, but it’s still another Jack Edwards gem.

Too funny.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 53 With Guest “Scooter” Vertino of NBA Digital

After a week off for Keith Thibault’s vacation, we’re back with another edition of the Sports Media Weekly Podcast. Today, our guest is Albert “Scooter” Vertino of Turner Sports’ NBA Digital division. Long-time NBA watchers know that name is familiar having heard Marv Albert give out his producer’s credit at the end of various TNT broadcasts. Scooter is now the Vice President of Content for NBA Digital overseeing NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com.

During our segment with Scooter, we discuss his responsibilities at NBA Digital. How his days are different now spending time in Atlanta as compared to when he was producing the NBA on TNT. In addition, we get one of Scooter’s favorite Marv Albert stories. We also look forward to how NBA Digital is handling the NBA Playoffs as well as what’s coming for the organization including the WNBA season and we find out how NBA Digital would handle an NBA lockout.

In the opening News of the Week segment, Keith and I talk about the NHL’s new 10 year agreement with the NBC Sports Group. We also touch on the NHL Playoff ratings, NFL schedule unveil, the Pac 12 rights bidding and the NBA ratings.

Subscribe to the podcast through iTunes by searching for Sports Media Journal. Of course, you can listen right here.

NFL Network’s Draft Programming & More

We have your NFL Network programming and NFL.com activities. Check it all out.

NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM PROGRAMMING NOTES (4/27 – 5/3)

MIKE MAYOCK UNVEILS HIS 2011 MOCK DRAFT TONIGHT AT 8:00 PM ET
Top 100: Players of 2011 Premieres Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 PM ET Following the 2011 NFL Draft
Total Access Pre-Draft Show Kicks Off NFL Draft Coverage Thursday, April 28 at 1:00 PM ET
Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin Joins Steve Mariucci on the Finale of Game Changers Tonight at 9:00 PM ET
Auburn DT Nick Fairley, NFL Network Analyst Mike Mayock, Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff & Actor Rob Lowe on ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ on NFL.com

NFL Network Draft Analyst Mike Mayock Unveils His 2011 Mock Draft on Mike Mayock’s 2011 Mock Draft TONIGHT AT 8:00 PM ET; NFL Network/NFL.com 3rd Annual Mock Draft
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock reveals his first and only 2011 mock draft tonight at 8:00 PM ET on Mike Mayock’s 2011 Mock Draft. Alongside Charles Davis, Mayock unveils his 32 first-round selections and his thoughts on each prospect during this 30-minute special.

Below is a video link to Mayock’s preview of his mock draft:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f80f9c/Mike-Mayock-s-2011-mock-draft

Early on Wednesday, Mayock mediated the 3rd annual NFL Network/NFL.com first-round mock draft in New York City. NFL Network and NFL.com personalities Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Charles Davis, Michael Lombardi, Brian Billick and Bucky Brooks each made their selections for the 32 first-round selections, with Mayock giving his thoughts on each pick.

Below is a video link to the segment.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f810e2/NFL-Media-Mock-Draft

NFL Network/NFL.com Live Coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft Kicks Off Thursday, April 28 at 1:00 PM ET with Total Access Pre-Draft Show; Round 1 Coverage in Primetime at 8:00 PM ET
NFL Network/NFL.com’s live coverage of the three-day 2011 NFL Draft kicks off with the Total Access Pre-Draft Show Thursday, April 28 at 1:00 PM ET, providing full coverage from coast-to-coast with reports and analysis from Radio City Music Hall in New York, NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, and team facilities.

Below are video links to some of the topics that will be discussed during the show:

- Comparison between of the 1983 and 1999 draft classes:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f77d0f/QB-Quandary-Class-of-83-vs-99

- Follow the up and down story of former Boise State wide receiver Titus Young:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f78af1/Titus-Young-360-The-backstory

- See how the quarterback position has evolved to become the most influential position in all of sports:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f77cc9/QB-Quandary-The-evolution

For the second year, NFL Network provides primetime coverage of the NFL Draft live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, beginning on Thursday, April 28 at 8:00 PM ET with round 1. Rounds 2 and 3 airs Friday, April 29 at 6:00 PM ET, with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 30 at 12 NOON ET.

NFL Network enlists a talented and informative roster of hosts, reporters and analysts to introduce viewers to the NFL’s next generation of talent, headlined by draft analyst Mike Mayock. In addition, NFL Network enlists the help of top college head coaches on Saturday – Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema, North Carolina’s Butch Davis, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and Alabama’s Nick Saban – to provide insight gained from playing against the top prospects.

Top 100: Players of 2011 Premieres Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 PM ET
After NFL Network’s live day three coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft, the latest series Top 100: Players of 2011 debuts on Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 PM ET. Brought to you by the award-winning producers at NFL Films, this 10-part series examines and counts down the top 100 NFL players in the game today, as voted on by the people who them the best: current NFL players. Following the debut on Saturday, the series continues in its regular time of Sundays at 8:00 PM ET, beginning May 8.

Every episode features 10 players, each of whom have a unique individual to introduce them and discuss their immense impact on the field. Based on the same concept as the critically-acclaimed series The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players, the producers of NFL Films polled and interviewed current NFL players, providing an answer to the lingering question: who is the best player in the NFL?

“There is no better group of individuals to assess the talent and ability of today’s NFL players than the players themselves. Players are the ultimate on-field experts.” – Mark Quenzel, NFL Network Senior Vice President of Programming & Production

Immediately following each episode at 9:00 PM ET will be Top 100: Players of 2011 Reactions, a one-hour show that offers a closer look at the players featured in each episode with discussion and analysis from NFL Network personalities. The reaction show also allows the viewers to voice their opinions through NFL.com, Facebook and Twitter where they can pose questions to the analysts, some of which will be read and answered during the show.

Tonight at 8:30 PM ET, the Top 100: Players of 2011 Preview Show airs, providing a sneak-peak of the series and a behind-the-scenes look at how the list was made.

Below are video links previewing the series:

- A look inside the numbers of the series:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2011/09000d5d81f7ddbd/Top-100-Inside-the-numbers

- Go behind-the-scenes to see how the players voted on the top 100 list:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2011/09000d5d81f7da8a/Top-100-Behind-the-scenes

- Who is the best quarterback in the game today?:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-top100-2011/09000d5d81f7d9e8/Top-100-Quarterback-debate

- Teaser #1:

http://www.nflfilmstv.com/NewMedia/Postings/Teaser1.mp4

- Teaser #2:

http://www.nflfilmstv.com/NewMedia/Postings/Teaser2.mp4

Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin Coaches Top WR Prospects A.J. Green (Georgia) and Greg Little (North Carolina) on the Series Finale of Game Changers Tonight at 9:00 PM ET; Series Finale of No Huddle: Path to Primetime Tonight at 9:30 PM ET
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin joins NFL Network analyst and host Steve Mariucci on the series finale of Game Changers tonight at 9:00 PM ET. Both Irvin and Mariucci put two of the top wide receiver prospects – Georgia’s A.J. Green and North Carolina’s Greg Little – through a sit-down interview, on-field workout and film study session.

For the past month, Game Changers has examined the top prospects at the quarterback, defensive line, defensive back, linebacker and wide receiver positions, providing viewers exclusive access into the lives of these athletes on and away from the football field.

Below are video links to segments from previous episodes:

- Current NFL Network analyst and former All-SEC cornerback Charles Davis works with Prince Amukamara and Aaron Williams on the practice field:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81f37537/Game-Changers-The-cornerbacks-hit-the-field

- The story of Mark Herzlich’s inspirational road to recovery:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81f57ead/Game-Changers-Herzlich-s-story

- Steve Mariucci takes quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder into the film room:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f00f86/Game-Changers-QB-film-study

- Marcell Dareus and Aldon Smith hit the practice field, with former All-Pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp as their coach:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d81f1a58e/Game-Changers-Dareus-and-Smith-hit-the-field

No Huddle: Path to Primetime wraps up tonight at 9:30 PM ET with a discussion of the wide receiver prospects in the draft. Former All-Pro wide receiver Torry Holt, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner, former head coach Steve Mariucci and former Pro-Bowl safety Corey Chavous examine the wide receiver class, headlined by Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones.

Below are video links to segments from previous episodes of No Huddle: Path to Primetime:

- Analysts Warren Sapp, Jamie Dukes, Charley Casserly and Corey Chavous discuss the best defensive end in the draft:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d81f7da8b/No-huddle-Best-DE-in-the-draft

- Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Charley Casserly and Corey Chavous debate what it takes for a quarterback to be successful in the NFL:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f78858/No-huddle-College-QB-vs-NFL-QB

- Can Cam Newton succeed in the NFL? No Huddle discusses:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d81f67eb5/No-Huddle-Can-Cam-succeed-in-NFL

- The No Huddle crew breakdown two of the top defensive tackle prospects in the draft: Alabama’s Marcell Dareus and Auburn’s Nick Fairley:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d81f67dbc/No-Huddle-Dareus-vs-Fairley

Auburn DT Nick Fairley, NFL Network Analyst Mike Mayock, Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff & Actor Rob Lowe Featured Guests on the Latest Edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ on NFL.com and iTunes
The latest edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ is now available for download at NFL.com and on iTunes. With the NFL Draft less than a day away, Eisen ramps up the latest edition of the podcast with a plethora of guests, beginning with a top defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Fairley, who appeared on Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access last week, talks about winning the BCS National Championship at Auburn, answers questions some NFL talent evaluators may have about his passion for the game, and who he patterns his playing style after. Next up, Eisen talks to someone who he will get to know quite well over the next few days: NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. As a key part of NFL Network’s coverage of all 254 selections in the 2011 NFL Draft, Mayock knows this year’s crop of players inside and out. Not only does Mayock discuss the top storylines heading into the draft – will Cam Newton go No. 1 overall?; who will the Denver Broncos select?; what about the quarterbacks? – he also recounts how he got started in the talent evaluation business, thanks to NFL Films president Steve Sabol. In order to gain an inside perspective on the draft, Eisen talks to Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff. While Dimitroff does not give any hints as to where he may go with the No. 27 overall pick, he does offer extraordinary insight into the process. Wrapping up this edition of the podcast is actor Rob Lowe, who talks about his new book, “Stories I Only Tell My Friends,” a must-read for anyone interested in pop-culture.

Below are quotes from this edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast:’

- “Leading by example. I’m not a vocal leader. I’m not the guy that’s going to stand up in the locker room at halftime and talk and try to give a pep talk. I’m going to go out there on the field and tell the guys, ‘Come on, jump on my back, let’s go get this W.’” – Nick Fairley on his best attribute

- “Whoever drafts me is going to get a great player, a hard worker, determined guy on the field and looking to bring joy to the community.” – Nick Fairley to NFL teams

- “The reality for me is any time a kid has one year of heavy production in college, you have ask why. There’s several kids that are potential top-ten picks that I would file under the ‘One-Year Wonder’ heading. He’s a one-year wonder, his quarterback [Cam Newton] is a one-year wonder. [Da’Quan] Bowers is a one-year wonder, [Robert] Quinn is a one-year wonder. And trust me, all of them – and we’re not picking on Fairley – they’re all under the microscope of NFL teams.” – Mike Mayock on Nick Fairley and other top draft prospects

- “All signs seem to indicate that. I’m not convinced yet that Carolina even knows exactly where they’re going to go yet, whether it’s Newton, [Marcell] Dareus or [Patrick] Peterson.” – Mike Mayock on whether the Carolina Panthers select Cam Newton with the number one overall pick

- “I would doubt it because I think Dareus is just such a perfect fit for them and they have such dire defensive necessities that they better just think that [Blaine] Gabbert or Newton is the reincarnation of John Elway, or John Elway shouldn’t pull the trigger there.” – Mike Mayock on the possibility of the Denver Broncos selecting a quarterback with the No. 2 pick

- “I’ve been doing this for awhile now, and every year there’s been one quarterback that I’ve kind of banged the table for. This year I don’t have one. I don’t have one where I would say he’s a guy that I am fully committed to paying $50 million to and he’s a franchise quarterback.” – Mike Mayock on the quarterback class

- “Draft week, you’re getting very, very close to having your board set. It should be set at the beginning of the week, and you basically ruminate on every one of your stacks day-in and day-out, hour-in and hour-out.” – Thomas Dimitroff on draft week from the perspective of a general manager

- “I think it’s an interesting spot to be in. I think again the ability to move up a number of spots or back is interesting to a lot of teams, and I think it’s just a good value spot in my mind. Now, it takes a little bit of patience to be there. Obviously in New England we were there quite a bit so I do have a little bit of a background that way in my comfort level with picking around there.” – Thomas Dimitroff on the Falcons drafting at No. 27

Orlando Predators Travel to Face Jacksonville Sharks on “Arena Football Friday” This Week, Televised on Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 PM ET
This week’s featured “Arena Football Friday” game between the Orlando Predators (4-2) and Jacksonville Sharks (5-1) will be televised Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 PM ET due to NFL Network’s coverage of the NFL Draft. Ari Wolfe provides the play-by-play while Brian Baldinger serves as game analyst. Anthony Herron provides sideline reports from Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The game will be played on Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 PM ET.

Last week on “Arena Football Friday,” the Kansas City Command defeated the Chicago Rush on the road, 58-51. Kansas City quarterback J.J. Raterink threw for 286 yards and five touchdowns – three to wide receiver Steven Savoy – while Chicago quarterback Russ Michna threw for 163 yards and four touchdowns.

The Predators will be looking to bounce back from a home loss to the Spokane Shock, while the Sharks come into the game riding a five-game winning streak.

This marks the second time this season the Sharks have appeared on NFL Network. The Sharks defeated the Tampa Bay Storm 54-30 back on April 1. This is the first time Orlando has appeared on NFL Network.

THIS WEEK ON NFL.COM – NFL.com Draft Chat THURSDAY, APRIL 28 From Noon – 3:00 PM ET

Thursday, April 28

• NFL.com Draft Chat: Steve Wyche, Gil Brandt & Bucky Brooks (12 NOON – 3:00 PM ET)

Friday, April 29

CHAT: Pat Kirwan (1:00 PM ET)

DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)

Wednesday, April 27
6:00 PM – Path to the Draft – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access
8:00 PM – Mike Mayock’s 2011 Mock Draft – PREMIERE
8:30 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011 Preview Show
9:00 PM – Game Changers: Wide Receivers
9:30 PM – No Huddle: Path to Primetime
10:00 PM – Path to the Draft
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access

Thursday, April 28
8:00 AM – Game Changers: Quarterbacks
8:30 AM – Game Changers: Defensive Linemen
9:00 AM – Game Changers: Defensive Backs
9:30 AM – Game Changers: Linebackers
10:00 AM – Game Changers: Wide Receivers
10:30 AM – Mike Mayock’s 2011 Mock Draft
11:00 AM – Path to the Draft – LIVE
1:00 PM – 2011 NFL Draft Total Access Pre-Draft Day 1 – LIVE
8:00 PM – 2011 NFL Draft: Round 1 – LIVE
11:30 PM – NFL Total Access Post-Draft Day 1

Friday, April 29
8:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Draft Trades
9:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Undrafted Players
10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Worst Free Agent Signings
11:00 AM – Path to the Draft – LIVE
1:00 PM – 2011 NFL Draft Total Access Pre-Draft Day 2 – LIVE
6:00 PM – 2011 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3 – LIVE
10:30 PM – NFL Total Access Post-Draft Day 2

Saturday, April 30
9:00 AM – Top 100: Players of 2011 Preview Show
9:30 AM – Madden NFL ’12: Road to the Cover
10:00 AM – 2011 NFL Draft Total Access Pre-Draft Day 3 – LIVE
12 NOON – 2011 NFL Draft: Rounds 4-7 – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access

***8:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011: #100-91 – PREMIERE***

9:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011 Reactions: #100-91
10:00 PM – NFL Total Access 2011 Draft Recap
11:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011: #100-91
12 MIDNIGHT – Top 100: Players of 2011 Reactions: #100-91

Sunday, May 1
9:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Pass Rushers
10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Undrafted Players
11:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: One Shot Wonders
12 NOON – NFL’s Top 10: Rookie Seasons
1:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Worst Free Agent Signings
2:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011: #100-91
3:00 PM – Arena Football Friday: Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks
6:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access 2011 Draft Recap
8:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011: #100-91
9:00 PM – Top 100: Players of 2011 Reactions: #100-91
10:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access 2011 Draft Recap

Monday, May 2
8:00 AM – Path to the Draft – Recap
9:00 AM – NFL Total Access 2011 Draft Recap
10:00 AM – NFL Total Access 2011 Draft Recap
11:00 AM – Path to the Draft – Recap
12 NOON – Sound FX: John Randle
12:30 PM – NFL Replay: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Arizona Cardinals – Week 8, 2010
1:45 PM – NFL Replay: Minnesota Vikings vs. New England Patriots – Week 8, 2010
3:00 PM – NFL Replay: Washington Redskins vs. Detroit Lions – Week 8, 2010
4:15 PM – NFL Replay: Tennessee Titans vs. San Diego Chargers – Week 8, 2010
5:30 PM – Sound FX: 2010, Week 8
6:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap: Monday
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access
8:00 PM – Game Changers: Quarterbacks
8:30 PM – Game Changers: Defensive Linemen
9:00 PM – Game Changers: Linebackers
9:30 PM – Game Changers: Wide Receivers
10:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap: Monday
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access

Tuesday, May 3
11:00 AM – Path to the Draft – Recap (Monday)
12 NOON – Game Changers: Quarterbacks
12:30 PM – Game Changers: Defensive Linemen
1:00 PM – Game Changers: Linebackers
1:30 PM – Game Changers: Wide Receivers
2:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap (Monday)
3:00 PM – 1994 San Diego Chargers
3:30 PM – 1994 San Francisco 49ers
4:00 PM – Game Changers: Quarterbacks
4:30 PM – Game Changers: Defensive Linemen
5:00 PM – Game Changers: Linebackers
5:30 PM – Game Changers: Wide Receivers
6:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap: Tuesday
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access
8:00 PM – Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL: 2010, Part 1
9:00 PM – Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL: 2010, Part 2
10:00 PM – Path to the Draft – Recap: Tuesday
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access

That’s it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Game 7 of Sabres-Flyers Is The Most Watched In CSN Philly History

Another amazing ratings record for the Comcast SportsNet regional networks. The Flyers Game 7 win over the Buffalo Sabres turned out to be the most watched hockey game in CSN Philadelphia’s history. We have the particulars in the press release that you’ll read below.

FLYERS-SABRES GAME 7 IS MOST WATCHED FLYERS GAME IN COMCAST SPORTSNET’S HISTORY

383,000 Households Tuned in for the Flyers 5-2 Defeat of the Sabres

PHILADELPHIA (April 27, 2011) – In last night’s Flyers-Sabres Game Seven of the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Flyers defeated the Sabres 5-2 to advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game was the most watched Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet’s history, delivering a 12.6 rating (383,000 households), with a peak delivery of 14.7 (446,000 households) at 9:45 p.m. Last night’s Game 7 ratings bested the previous high set on May 14, 2010 when the Flyers came back from a 3-0 deficit in the game, and in the series, to beat the Boston Bruins and advance to the Stanley Cup Conference Finals.

During the first round of the playoffs, Comcast SportsNet is averaging a 7.8 rating (237,000 HHs), topping last year’s first round by 47%. In 2010, the Flyers defeat of the New Jersey Devils scored a 5.3 rating for the series.

Fans also tuned in before and after last night’s game, with Game 7’s “Flyers Pregame Live” delivering a 2.2 rating (67,000 HHs) and “Flyers Postgame Live” scoring a 2.9 rating (88,000 HHs).

Throughout the playoffs, Comcast SportsNet will continue to have extensive coverage of the Flyers playoff run with reports from Lisa Hillary and Tim Panaccio. On-air, Hillary will have daily reports in “Daily News Live,” “SportsNite,” “Flyers Pregame Live” and “Flyers Postgame Live.” Panaccio will have game previews, post-game recaps and feature stories on CSNPhilly.com.

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be announced on Thursday.

The Ultimate Goal
Comcast SportsNet will air “The Ultimate Goal” on Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Thursday’s program will look back at the Flyers first round series against the Sabres and look ahead to their second round opponent. John Boruk will be the host and will be joined by hockey experts including Tim Panaccio, Steve Coates and Chris Therien.

CSNPhilly.com
Comcast SportsNet’s Flyers Insider Tim Panaccio will have daily coverage of the Flyers, including breaking news, extensive video and in-depth features. Fans can also follow all Flyers playoff games online with Comcast SportsNet’s live chats and “In-Game Live,” which allows fans to follow the game live with play by play, stats and Comcast SportsNet tweets. Fans can follow Comcast SportsNet on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/CSNPhilly or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/csnphilly.

And that will conclude this post.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Comcast SportsNet Chicago Sets Ratings Record For Blackhawks and Bulls Again

Comcast SportsNet Chicago set another ratings record on Tuesday for Game 7 of Blackhawks-Canucks and Game 5 of Pacers-Bulls. These are really good ratings. We’re talking a 13.33 for the Blackhawks which played late night and lost in overtime to Vancouver, 2-1. But for the Bulls who were victorious over Indiana and closed them out in five games, it was another record at 10.93. We have the press release from Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

NEW ALL-TIME BLACKHAWKS TV RATINGS RECORD & TOP MARKET RANKING FOR BULLS TELECAST DELIVERS (ONCE AGAIN) COMCAST SPORTSNET’S BIGGEST NIGHT IN NETWORK HISTORY

NEW All-Time BLACKHAWKS Ratings Record: 13.33 (#1 in Chicago market);
BULLS post #1 Chicago market ranking for its 10.93 rating;
Close to 900,000 Chicago TV homes watched CSN’s coverage of the Bulls,
Blackhawks & White Sox;
Network was also #1 in the Chicago market from 5:30 PM to 1:30 AM

Chicago, IL (April 27, 2011) – For the second time in five days, Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, White Sox and Cubs, posted its biggest night of television ratings in network history last evening (Tue, April 26) with its coverage of three, live pro events in one evening — Bulls/NBA Playoffs Round 1, Game 5 vs. Indiana, Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, Game 7 at Vancouver and a White Sox regular season telecast at New York Yankees on CSN+ — delivering a “combined” 25.62 household rating (approx. 897,366 Chicago TV households watching the three telecasts). The 25.62 “combined” rating eclipses the previous single night record for the network, set just last week when live coverage of the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox delivered a 25.30 “combined” rating.

In just the past five days, Comcast SportsNet posted its TOP 5 Highest-Rated games in network history:

1) 13.69 – Bulls at IND (Rd. 1, Gm. 3 on April 21)
2) 13.33 – Blackhawks at VAN (Rd. 1, Gm. 7 on April 26)
3) 12.45 – Blackhawks vs. VAN (Rd. 1, Gm. 6 on April 24)
4) 10.93 – Bulls vs. IND (Rd. 1, Gm. 5 on April 26)
5) 10.58 – Blackhawks at VAN (Rd. 1, Gm. 5 on April 21)

Last night’s historic evening on Comcast SportsNet was highlighted by a NEW ALL-TIME RATINGS RECORD for a Blackhawks telecast (13.33 household, which was #1 in the market from 9:00 PM – 12:15 AM) and a #1 market ranking for its Bulls telecast (10.93 household rating, game ran from 7:00 – 9:45 PM; it was the second highest-rated Bulls game in network history).

In addition, during the eight-hour time period of 5:30 PM – 1:30 AM, Comcast SportsNet was the #1 most-watched network in the Chicago market with an 8.43 household “average” during this time period, along with a 6.84 “average” for Adults 25-54 (also #1 overall in the market). This expansive, live, eight-hour time period included airings of “Chicago Tribune Live,” “SportsNet Central,” “Bulls Pre-Game Live,” the Bulls-Pacers game telecast, the Blackhawks-Canucks game telecast, “Jose Cuervo Blackhawks Post Game Live” and “SportsNet Central.” Source for all ratings information is provided by Nielsen Media Research. Please note the following record-breaking ratings highlights for Comcast SportsNet’s Blackhawks and Bulls telecasts last evening:

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1, Game 7 at Vancouver)
NEW ALL-TIME RATINGS RECORD on Comcast SportsNet: 13.33 household rating

For last night’s thrilling Round 1, Game 7 Blackhawks OT battle against the host Vancouver Canucks, Comcast SportsNet attracted approx. 466,897 households for the entire length of the game and posted a massive 18.35 peak rating during the 9:45 PM quarter-hour (approx. 642,727 households). The 13.33 single game Blackhawks ratings record on Comcast SportsNet beats the network’s previous all-time high set just last Sun, Apr. 24 for Game 6 of this series (12.45 household rating). NOTE: Comcast SportsNet set consecutive all-time Blackhawks ratings records in its last three Stanley Cup Playoff telecasts.

Comcast SportsNet was also the #1-highest rated television network in the Chicago market last night for all TV Households and EVERY key demographic, including Adults 25-54 (11.74 rating in this demo), for the entire length of the Blackhawks game (9:00 PM -12:15 AM). During the local news time period of 10:00-10:30 PM, Comcast SportsNet was again #1 in the market scoring a 15.51 household average.

Compared to last year’s first round playoff series vs. Nashville, Blackhawks first round playoff ratings on Comcast SportsNet this year posted significant ratings gains with a 47% FINAL overall increase for households and a 59% increase for Adults 25-54.

CHICAGO BULLS (NBA Playoffs: Round 1, Game 5 vs. Indiana)
SECOND HIGHEST-RATED BULLS GAME EVER on Comcast SportsNet: 10.93 household rating

For last night’s Round 1, Game 5 series-clinching Bulls win over the visiting Indiana Pacers, Comcast SportsNet attracted approx. 382,834 households for the entire length of the game and posted a solid 14.20 peak rating during the 9:30 PM quarter-hour (approx. 477,369 households). The 10.93 game rating ranks second to last week’s (Apr. 21) all-time network highest rated game – for any team – with a 13.69 (Comcast SportsNet Chicago launched on October 1, 2004). NOTE: Comcast SportsNet also set consecutive all-time Bulls ratings records in its last three NBA Playoff telecasts.

The Bulls on Comcast SportsNet last night was also the #1-highest rated television network in the Chicago market for all TV Households and for Adults 25-54 (7.78 rating in this demo) for the entire length of the Bulls game (7:00-9:45 PM).

Compared to last year’s first round playoff series vs. Cleveland, Bulls first round playoff ratings on Comcast SportsNet this year posted enormous gains with a 211% FINAL overall increase for households and a 279% increase for Adults 25-54.

Although the network will not carry any remaining Bulls playoff game telecasts, viewers can still look forward to extensive coverage on Bulls Post Game Live following every Bulls NBA Playoff game and nightly coverage on SportsNet Central, along with 24/7 Bulls coverage on CSNChicago.com featuring Bulls playoff news, highlights, game previews/recaps & blogs from Bulls “Insider” Aggrey Sam, along with exclusive video and much more.

And that’s all for now.

NHL Network Airs Game 7 of Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh Tonight

Last night, NHL Network aired CBC’s feed of Boston-Montreal as Versus was unable to pick the game up. Very good move. In a repeat, NHL Network will take Root Sports feed of tonight’s Game 7 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It will start at 8 p.m.

NHL NETWORK TO TELEVISE GAME 7 of LIGHTNING-PENGUINS SERIES TONIGHT

NHL NETWORK U.S. TO BROADCAST TAMPA BAY AT PITTSBURGH EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS GAME 7 TONIGHT
Deciding Game Will Send Lightning or Penguins to Conference Semis

NEW YORK (April 27, 2011) – NHL Network U.S. will telecast the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight from the CONSOL Energy Center.*

The Lightning are attempting to complete a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and advance to the Conference Semifinals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. The Penguins, Finalists in 2008 and Cup-winners in 2009, seek their fourth straight berth in the Eastern Conference Semis.

For both U.S. and Canadian audiences, live programming on the NHL Network each weekday begins with the new NHL® Live™, now at 4 p.m. ET, followed by NHL On The Fly Pre-Game at 6 p.m. ET and NHL On the Fly immediately following. With more content that fans crave, this schedule of daily live programming will feature the use of current and former NHL players as guest analysts and provide on-site coverage from arena via webcams, team cameras and content from local television rightsholders.

*Local blackout restrictions apply. Locally in Pittsburgh, viewers will be able to see the game on ROOT Sports. Locally in Tampa, viewers will be able to see the game on SUN Sports. The game is available in Canada on TSN. The game also will be joined in progress in the United States by VERSUS at the conclusion of its broadcast of Game 7 of the Montreal-Boston series. All broadcasts are available in HD.

That is all.

Unveiling The Mid-Week Linkage

Let’s do some linkage. Before I get into the stories of the day, you may have noticed that I have instituted a comment system using Intense Debate. If you were with me at my old Blogger site, you will know I used it over there, but then got rid of it as it was slowing down my site. Here with WordPress, it’s much faster and quicker. In addition, having an account with Intense Debate makes it easier to bring that here instead of using Disqus or another system. And for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, using WordPress’ comment system allowed for too many spammers to come in. Under Intense Debate, I can control that and also block people. You don’t have to create an Intense Debate account, you can sign in with your Facebook and Twitter accounts to comment. You can tell me I’m wrong and you can discuss posts, but one thing I don’t want is nasty, negative comments. No bashing of other commenters and don’t go overboard on negativity. So the comment system is up and feel free to talk about what I’ve posted.

To the links.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that NFL Draftniks have their choice of two channels for coverage starting Thursday night.

Anthony Kaufman of the Wall Street Journal looks at the new ESPN documentary on Steve Bartman.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says with TV solidly in bed with sports leagues, it can sometimes lead to some awkward moments when it comes to covering stories.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that ESPN and ABC’s NBA TV ratings are up significantly over last year.

Anthony Crupi from Adweek says the Fox Sports-owned Fuel TV is looking for a new Executive Vice President and General Manager.

At TVSpy, Andrew Gauthier says the lone remaining sports reporter at a Dallas TV station is leaving.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser has CBS’ Phil Simms slamming NFL Network. I think Phil is getting crotchety in his old age.

Toby Carrig at the Associated Press Sports Editors talks about the Washington Times re-establishing its sports section after dismantling it last year.

ESPN Front Row takes us behind the scenes at a Day In The Life of ESPN2′s SportsNation.

Jason Dachman at Sports Video Group says ESPN is taking a “less is more” approach at the NFL Draft.

To SB Nation where Puck The Media’s Steve Lepore wonders why NHL fans are cynical about the new TV contract with NBC/Versus.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell speaks with StubHub’s CEO about what’s next in sports ticketing.

Mary Ellen Fillo of the Hartford Courant says a couple of UConn stars attended the relaunch of the espnW website.

Newsday’s Neil Best has a review of the upcoming ESPN documentary on Chicago Cubs scapegoat Steve Bartman.

The New York Times’ Jeremy Egner speaks with the director of said ESPN doc.

Joe Drape of the Times writes about horse racing announcer Tom Durkin ending his career with NBC Sports.

The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty wants to know what’s going on with Versus’ NHL coverage for the Western Conference Semifinals.

Crowing Philadelphia Flyers fan Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette notes that the local Fox affiliate is moving a June NASCAR race to its secondary digital channel due to a local commitment.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says legendary Baseball and Basketball Hall of Fame Announcer Bob Wolff will be making a local appearance this week.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Tony Kornheiser has finally weighed in on the Dan Snyder lawsuit against the Washington City Paper. Kornheiser hosts a show on Snyder’s radio station.

And Dan talks about the departure of the DC NFL Team’s Editorial Director of Media.

Jeff Darlington and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald mourn the passing of former Miami Dolphins tight end Jim Mandich who became the team’s radio analyst and a beloved personality in South Florida. Mandich died Tuesday at the age of 62 after a battle with bile-duct cancer.

Greg Cote of the Herald says Mandich epitomized the Dolphins more than anyone.

Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says Mandich was a larger-than-life figure.

And the Sun-Sentinel has Mandich’s radio station, WQAM, paying tribute through some of best radio calls.

The Miami Dolphins website has tributes from former teammates.

Jimmy Burch at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Big 12 has scheduled Texas A&M for the Sunday night before Labor Day for Fox Sports Net.

Brandon Chatmon from the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN has moved an Oklahoma State football game to a Friday night in the fall.

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman talks with an ESPN.com NBA statistics expert.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley has Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy hating on the media.

Bob notes that the Brewers get a national showcase on MLB Network next week.

Larry Bohannan of The Desert (CA) Sun says the premiere of Golf Channel’s Big Break will occur in May.

David Reardon of the Honolulu Star Advertiser says the NFL Draft vs. the Royal Wedding is a true battle for our TV remotes. It’s really no contest and they won’t be on against each other to begin with.

Sports Media Watch says NASCAR on Fox set a six year ratings high for its coverage at Talladega.

SMW says Saturday’s NBA games fared really well on TNT.

Joe Favorito says Indy Car is looking to get more fans to the oval.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has the NHL Western Conference Semifinal schedule for CBC and TSN.

I think we’ll end it there.