Fang's Bites

Some Sunday Linkage

Ok, I have some free time to do some linkage now. I was hoping to get this posted in the morning, but recently, weekends have become busier than my workweek. I really don’t understand how this happened. However, with the next few hours free, I should be able to give you some good posts here.

Edvard Pettersson of Bloomberg notes that Fox Sports has objected to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ hiring of a firm to help the team  gain a new cable TV rights deal. Fox agreed to a long term deal with the Dodgers and lent money to the team which has led to MLB taking over the operations.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News notes that the Pac-12 will be adding channels to your cable and satellite universe in 2012.

Mike says NFL Network and NFL.com received record numbers for free agent frenzy last week.

Craig Harris at the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism talks about the importance of sports business reporting.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser says universally hated Mike Lupica will now target 8-12 year olds as he will write books for that age group.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post sets his hate on in-game reporters Kim Jones of YES and Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that the Buffalo Bills won’t be heard on local radio this season.

Pete discusses Curt Smith’s new tome on baseball announcers.

Pete wonders why NFL Network dumped live Arena Football and CFL action for free agent frenzy programming.

David Walsh of the Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch talks with Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman about her visit to the Greenbrier Classic this week.

Jim Kleinpeter of the New Orleans Times-Picayune talks with ESPN’s Desmond Howard about the season opening LSU-Oregon game.

The Cleveland-centric Waiting For Next Year blog says Sportstime Ohio, the home of the Indians and Browns could be sold to one of two potential suitors.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times writes about Fox Sports attempting to block the Dodgers of hiring a firm to help secure a new cable TV rights deal.

John Daly at The Daly Planet writes about Allen Bestwick’s return to the NASCAR broadcast booth this weekend after being screwed over by NBC seven years ago.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing looks at some of the grammatical and typographical errors on ESPN last week.

Sports Media Watch looks at the big ratings increase for last week’s Canadian Open on CBS.

SMW has some various ratings news and notes.

SMW has a few more notes.

That will do it.

NFL Network Gets Ready For Hall of Fame Week

This week, NFL Network has been in Free Agent Frenzy mode, but starting on Monday, it’ll change gears as it will transition into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductions in Canton, OH next Saturday night. And NFL Network will air a series of documentaries focusing on each of the inductees. It’ll begin on Monday when a new doc airs honoring NFL Films founder Ed Sabol. Others on Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharpe will air throughout the week. You’ll have the schedule in full posted below. Lots of programming and plenty of features you’ll see all next week. We have your announcement from NFL Network right here.

NFL NETWORK HEADS TO CANTON, OH FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF 2011 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME ENSHRINEMENT CEREMONY

“Inside Training Camp” — Continuous LIVE Coverage From All 32 Teams With Breaking News & Reports Leads Up to Hall of Fame Programming
Four Specials Profiling 2011 Enshrinees Ed Sabol, Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders Debut on NFL Network Beginning Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM ET
12 Hours of Original Hall of Fame-Related Programming Begins Monday, August 1 & Concludes with Seven Hours of Live Coverage on Enshrinement Saturday
Hall of Fame Programming & Content Take Over NFL.com with Personal Home Pages for All Seven Inductees

NFL Network returns to Canton, OH for one of the greatest traditions in sports when Pro Football’s greatest players welcome in a new class with the 47^th Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony. NFL Network delivers seven hours of live, high-definition coverage on Enshrinement Saturday, August 6 beginning at 4:00 PM ET. NFL Network’s broadcast team includes Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Kara Henderson and 2007 Hall of Fame enshrinee Michael Irvin.

NFL Network is live this week with more than 90 hours of breaking free agency news and interviews with players and team executives.  NFL Network will continue with “Inside Training Camp” specials this weekend and all next week, which feature comprehensive live coverage from the 32 team training camps.

Hall of Fame weekend’s festivities are a family affair for NFL Media as the accomplishments of NFL Network’s own Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders, as well as NFL Films founder Ed Sabol are immortalized in Pro Football history. In addition, NFL Network analyst Sterling Sharpe will also be in attendance during Hall of Fame weekend, presenting his brother Shannon for enshrinement into the Hall’s Class of 2011.

NFL Network’s Hall of Fame-related programming begins Monday, August 1 with the debut of four shows profiling Faulk, Sanders, Sabol and Sharpe.

• Monday at 8:00 PM ET, Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies offers an entertaining look into the history of NFL Films and its founder Ed Sabol. Making his way from an overcoat salesman to filmmaker, King of Football Movies includes never-before-seen home movies and stories behind the birth of the follies film, Ed’s relationship with Vince Lombardi and George Allen and his most important Films hires – John Facenda, Sam Spence and son, Steve Sabol.
• On Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET, Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton, gets up close and personal with the life and career of 2011 enshrinee Shannon Sharpe. The emotional one-hour program examines the life and career of Shannon, who with his former All-Pro brother Sterling, return to their small hometown of Glennville, GA where they remember the loving family and the crushing poverty that drove them to success. Includes interviews with Shannon, Sterling, former NFL head coach Dan Reeves and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.
• Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET, Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton traces Faulk’s life and career from his childhood in New Orleans through his retirement from the NFL in 2007.  Highlights of the show include a look at Faulk’s phenomenal college football career, followed up by a breakout NFL rookie season in 1994 that earned him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Additionally, interviews with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, former Colts head coach Jim Mora, former Rams head coaches and players Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Kurt Warner, Torry Holt and Marshall himself give viewers an inside look into the talent and intelligence that rose Faulk to one of the greatest running backs in Pro Football history and his influence on the careers of other NFL greats. The program also includes an intimate film-study session between Marshall and Martz, where the two explain and illustrate the running back’s role in the explosive St. Louis Rams offenses that were dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf.”
• Immediately following at 9:00 PM ET Wednesday, Deion Sanders: Canton goes Primetime tackles the elusive and often misunderstood Sanders and examines his golden touch that revived the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys upon his arrival, how he revolutionized the cornerback position with his raw talent and athleticism and the ‘Primetime’ image that excited fans on and off the field. Canton goes Primetime features interviews with notable names for football and entertainment including Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Jerry Glanville, Andre Rison, MC Hammer, Bobby Bowden and Ice Cube.

To view a sneak peek of footage from these original programs, please visit the following links:

“I became the player, I became the person, I became the man that I am today because of that 1,000 square foot cinder block home.There’s no question in my mind I wouldn’t be where I am, sitting in this seat had it not been for her.” – Shannon Sharpe on his grandmother, Mary Porter

• Shannon, along with his older brother Sterling take an emotional look back on the moment Shannon got the news on his Hall of Fame induction and reflect on their grandmother Mary Porter, who raised them: http://ftp2.nflfilmstv.com/filmsint/ftp-inet/flashplayer.html?s_video=Preview/seg_6_rc_7_27_600ws.flv

“I’ll be indebted to him forever.” – Peyton Manning on Marshall Faulk

• A look how the preparation of Marshall Faulk helped mold Peyton Manning into the player he is today: http://ftp2.nflfilmstv.com/filmsint/ftp-inet/flashplayer.html?s_video=Preview/faulk_show_segment_3_preview_600ws.flv

“There’s only been one shutdown corner that I’ve ever seen and that was Deion Sanders.” – Troy Aikman

• Players, media, entertainers and athletes reflect on the talent, personality and dominance of Deion Sanders: www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d821003e4/Sneak-peak-Canton-goes-Primetime

NFL Network’s Total Access from the Pro Football Hall of Fame  begins Friday, August 5 at 7:00 PM ET with NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame. Saturday’s coverage begins at August 6 at 4:00 PM ET with NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame Pre-Ceremony, leading into the 2011 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at 7:00 PM ET.

Special features within the pre-ceremony include:

• Scheduled on-set appearances by former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil.
• 1-on-1 interviews with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson and former Rams WR and teammate of Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt.
• Steve Mariucci gives his All-Hall of Fame offensive and defensive teams
• In memoriam: A video reflection on the NFL greats who we have lost in the past year
• The best trash talkers of all-time: Where does 2011 inductee Shannon Sharpe rank among the most vocal players on the field? We look back with an entertaining montage of wired sound from the league’s most vocally expressive personalities over the years.
• Highlights from Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies, Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton, Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton and Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime

NFL.com will also be live on the ground in Canton, OH and offers a variety of new elements honoring the Hall’s Class of 2011 during the week’s festivities including personalized home pages for each of the seven enshrinees at with videos, photos and written content specific to each honoree. Other features on NFL.com include:

• Online chat with Marshall Faulk: The newest running back joining Canton’s cast of greats chats live on NFL.com with fans Monday, August 1 at 1:00 PM ET.
• Podcasts hit the road: ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ and ‘The Dave Dameshek Football Program’ go on location in Canton, OH during Hall of Fame weekend. Rich Eisen looks to feature interviews with some of Pro Football’s greatest, while Dameshek, alongside NFL.com’s Adam Rank conquer Canton, OH from a fan’s perspective that includes their own ‘road to Canton,’ experiencing the week’s festivities and interviews with former players and fans.
• Hall of Fame-themed ‘Pick Six’ from Adam Rank all week

• Daily instant debates: NFL.com’s analysts debate where members of this year’s class belong among the ranks of the all-time greats.

• Video clips from the original Network programming

• Blogs, photo galleries and original video features from Canton Thursday through Sunday

A one-hour NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame Post-Enshrinement Show reviews highlights of the ceremony, along with scheduled live appearances by newly enshrined Hall of Famers Faulk and Sanders.

NFL Media 2011 Hall of Fame Week Programming Schedule:

(schedule is subject to change)

Monday, August 1
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)
8:00 PM – Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies (HD) – DEBUT
9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1985 Chicago Bears (HD)
10:00 PM – Top 10 Football Divas: – DEBUT

Tuesday, August 2
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)
8:00 PM – Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton (HD) – DEBUT
9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1998 Denver Broncos (HD)
10:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Players Not in the Hall of Fame

Wednesday, August 3
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)
8:00 PM – Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton (HD) – DEBUT
9:00 PM – Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime (HD) – DEBUT
10:00 PM – America’s Game: 1995 Dallas Cowboys (HD)

Thursday, August 4
6:30 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)
10:30 PM – The Rich Eisen Podcast: Hall of Fame special

Friday, August 5
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame (HD) – LIVE from Canton, OH

Saturday, August 6
10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Players Not in the Hall of Fame
11:00 AM – America’s Game: 1998 Denver Broncos (HD)
12 NOON – Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton (HD)
1:00 PM – Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton (HD)
2:00 PM – Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies (HD)
3:00 PM – Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime (HD)
4:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame Pre-Ceremony (HD) – LIVE from Canton, OH
·         Rich Eisen hosts, alongside Michael Irvin, Steve
Mariucci and Kara Henderson live from Canton, OH.
7:00 PM – 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Presented by Jeep (HD) – LIVE from Canton, OH
10:00 PM – NFL Total Access at the Hall of Fame Post-Induction Show Presented by Jeep (HD)

Sunday, August 7
7:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Players Not in the Hall of Fame
8:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Things That Changed the Game
9:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Return Aces
10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Football Divas (HD)
11:00 AM – 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (HD) – ENCORE

That does it for the press release posts today.

No New Hard Knocks This Season, But A 10th Anniversary Special Coming In August

Both HBO Sports and NFL Films announced that due to the NFL lockout, there won’t be a Hard Knocks series for this season, but to help fans get their reality training camp fix, both companies have said that there will be a 10th anniversary show that will air in August. The show has featured the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys (twice), Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets over its previous incarnations. To be honest, several teams had turned down having cameras in their locker rooms this season and I think the season would have had to had been canceled anyway, but the lockout is a nice excuse. We have this joint press release from HBO Sports and NFL Films.

HARD KNOCKS UPDATE: 10th Anniversary Special Set for August 31

HBO Sports^®  and NFL FILMS have announced that the five-episode Hard Knocks reality series will not be presented this summer. The uncertainty of the NFL’s summer schedule and the incredibly expedited timetable this month made it impractical for a team to commit. The series is scheduled to return for 2012 training camp.

However, a special 90-minute edition of Hard Knocks, celebrating the past ten years of the seven-time Emmy^®-Award-winning series will premiere Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on HBO.

“We know football fans are hungry for compelling NFL programming and we think they’ll love the 10th anniversary special,” said Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports.

Said Steve Sabol, President of NFL FILMS, “The first 10 years of Hard Knocks has been the ultimate fly-on-the-wall NFL training camp experience. We look forward to taking a look back at those shows and reintroducing the fans to those characters who made the decade of Hard Knocks so memorable.”

The special will combine flashbacks to memorable moments from the Hard Knocks seasons that featured the Baltimore Ravens (2001), Dallas Cowboys (2002 & 2008), Kansas City Chiefs (2007), Cincinnati Bengals (2009) and the New York Jets (2010); a “Where Are They Now?” element; and never-before-seen out-takes and new interviews.

Additional details and the show’s title will be announced in August.

That’s it for this post. One more press release is coming your way.

Sunday Afternoon MLB on TBS Heads To Chicago

On Sunday, “MLB on TBS” will be at the park formerly known as New Comiskey for the Battle of the Sox, Red vs. White, Boston vs. Chicago. Ernie Johnson Jr. will call this game and he’ll be paired with Hall of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley. The game will start at 2 p.m. ET on the network formerly known as The Superstation. Here’s the announcement from Turner Sports.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Features the Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox on Trade Deadline Day

“Sunday MLB on TBS” continues on July 31, MLB’s trade deadline day, with an American League match-up featuring Paul Konerkoand the Chicago White Sox hostingDavid Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox at 2 p.m. (ET) at U.S. Cellular Field. Andrew Miller (4-1) is scheduled to start for the Red Sox against the White Sox probable starter Mark Buehrle (8-5). Play-by-play announcer Ernie Johnson will be joined by analyst Dennis Eckersley in the broadcast booth.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season. 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 the Atlanta Braves from 1977-2007.

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:

Sun., July 31
2 p.m. (ET)	Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox
	Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play) and Dennis Eckersley (analyst)

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Sun., August  7
1 p.m. (ET)	Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets
	Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst) and David Wells (analyst)
Sun., August  14
1 p.m. (ET)	Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees
	Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Dennis Eckersley (analyst)

I have more releases for you. Yes, I do. Keep it here for updates.

CBS Sports’ PGA Tour Stop is in West Virginia This Weekend

Today and tomorrow, CBS Sports continues its coverage of the PGA Tour with The Greenbrier Classic live from the Old White course in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Jim Nantz is back on board after a week off and he’ll lead the action along with analyst Nick Faldo. We have your press release from CBS Sports.

CBS SPORTS BROADCASTS GREENBRIER CLASSIC FROM “OLD WHITE” COURSE IN WEST VIRGINIA, JULY 30-31

The PGA TOUR moves to White Sulphur Springs in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia this week for the GREENBRIER CLASSIC. CBS Sports will be on-hand with third- and final-round coverage of the Greenbrier Classic from the venerable Old White course on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET, both days), live on the CBS Television Network.

Stuart Appelby shot a final-round 59 last year to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic, becoming just the fifth player in history to reach the magic number on his way to a 22-under par score of 258 for the win. Appelby had nine birdies and an eagle on the Old White course to take the win.

Jim Nantz, two-time Emmy Award Winner for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play” and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, serves as anchor of CBS Sports’ golf coverage. Sir Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships and more than 40 tournaments worldwide, serves as lead analyst. Ian Baker-Finch calls the action at the 17^th hole and Peter Kostis at the 16^th hole. David Feherty serves as on-course reporter.

Kenny Perry from nearby Kentucky should be a gallery favorite, along with Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson, who will be paired together with Appelby. Other fan favorites scheduled to play together in the early rounds include Sergio Garcia, John Daly and Davis Love III. Players with local ties include J.B. Holmes from Campbellsville, Kent., Johnson Wagner and Brendon de Jonge who both attended Virginia Tech. They will be part of an impressive field that includes Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Jeff Overton, Andres Romero, Retief Goosen, Rocco Mediate, Ricky Barnes, Ryuji Imada and Rich Beem.

The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort and a National Historic Landmark in the picturesque Allegheny Mountains. Sam Snead, World Golf Hall of Famer and the winningest player in PGA TOUR history, was the resort’s pro for 29 years and served as Golf Professional Emeritus from 1993 until his death in 2002.

Lance Barrow is Coordinating Producer and Steve Milton is Director of CBS Sports’ golf coverage. Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

That does it for this post. More stuff is on the way.

Two NBC Sports Group Press Releases

I’ll post two press releases that pertain to The Group, one for NBC Sports and the other for Versus. One has to do with the U.S. Senior Open and the other to the second installment of Summer at Saratoga. You can guess which event goes where.

Here’s NBC Sports’ release on what it’s airing today and tomorrow.

U.S. SENIOR OPEN THIS WEEKEND ON NBC

Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Fuzzy Zoeller and Bernhard Langer Highlight the Field
Dale Douglass Set to Break Arnold Palmer’s Record

NEW YORK – July 27, 2011 – Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Fuzzy Zoeller and returning champion Bernhard Langer lead an impressive field at the 2011 U.S. Senior Open from the historic Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, this Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. ET live on NBC.

The golf legends return to Inverness for the first time since 2003 for the most prestigious senior event. Host Dan Hicks and analyst Gary Koch anchor coverage from the 18th hole tower. They are joined by tower reporter Mark Rolfing and course reporters Roger Maltbie and Dottie Pepper. Golf Channel’s Dave Marr will also be on site reporting for Golf Central throughout the week.

Langer will defend his title against an impressive field, including Toledo native, John Cook, who has already won three events this year (Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Montreal Championship). Cook is looking to claim his first title on his home turf.

Dale Douglass will break a record this weekend when he tees off in his 26^th consecutive Senior Open. Douglass is currently tied with Arnold Palmer with 25 straight appearances.

This is the U.S. Senior Open’s second trip to Inverness Club, marking the club’s ninth major championship. In addition to two U.S. Senior Opens (2003, 2011), Inverness has also hosted four U.S. Opens (1920, 1931, 1957, 1979), a U.S. Amateur Championship (1973) and two PGA Championships (1986, 1993) since it was established in 1903.

NBC SPORTS/U.S. SENIOR OPEN (all times ET):

Saturday
Third Round Live 3-6 p.m. NBC

Sunday
Final Round Live 3-6 p.m. NBC

And the next one is form Versus regarding the Summer at Saratoga series.

NBC SPORTS GROUP COVERAGE OF “SUMMER AT SARATOGA” SERIES CONTINUES TODAY, 5 P.M. ET ON VERSUS

Seven Straight Weekends of Coverage from Saratoga Continues Today on VERSUS With the Diana and Jim Dandy
Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed Expected to Run in Jim Dandy

NEW YORK – July 27, 2011 – The NBC Sports Group’s seven straight weekends of “Summer at Saratoga” live horse racing from Saratoga Race Course continues this Saturday, 5-6 p.m. ET on VERSUS with coverage of the Diana and Jim Dandy.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Diana, run at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, is expected to draw a stellar field including graded stakes winners Aruna, Aviate, and Giants Play, while the 1 1/8 mile Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy, Saratoga’s steppingstone to the August 27 Travers (on NBC), expects to draw Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed, graded stakes winners that ran second and third in the prestigious Belmont Stakes, respectively, along with Peter Pan winner Alternation.

COMMENTATORS: Saturday’s coverage will be hosted by Laffit Pincay, III alongside analyst Randy Moss. They will be joined by handicapper Mike Battaglia and reporter Kenny Rice. VERSUS will take the race call from the Saratoga track announcer, the legendary Tom Durkin.

ABOUT THE BROADCAST: In addition to the two grades stakes races (Diana and Jim Dandy), coverage will include a feature on Stay Thirsty and his owner Mike Repole.

NBCSports.com will feature highlights and features from every race, plus online-only features by NBC Sports and VERSUS’ on-air talent.

In May, The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the NBC Sports Group announced a partnership to broadcast “Summer at Saratoga,” the most extensive live national television coverage of racing from Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., over seven weekends this summer beginning this Saturday and including the famed $1 million Travers Stakes on August 27.

NBC SPORTS GROUP SUMMER AT SARATOGA REMAINING COVERAGE (All Times ET)

Today, Diana and Jim Dandy, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 6, Whitney and Test, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 7, Vanderbilt and Honorable Miss, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 13, Sword Dancer, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 20, Alabama, 5-6 p.m., NBC
Aug. 27, Travers and King’s Bishop, 5-6 p.m., NBC
Sept. 3, Woodward and Forego, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Saratoga Race Course was named one of the world’s top 10 venues of the 20^th century by Sports Illustrated. From late July through Labor Day, many of the sport’s top owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses gather in Saratoga Springs for the premier thoroughbred racing meet in the country. First held in 1863, the Saratoga meet now draws more than 20,000 passionate racing fans to the track on a daily basis.

A couple of more press release posts are next.

NFL Network Had Huge Ratings Spike For End of Lockout Coverage

I’m waiting to go to work and with my computer in my briefcase, I’ll blog from the iPad.

Posting this press release from NFL Network about its ratings for the end of the lockout this week. Compared to the same point last year when NFL Network was just covering training camps, the ratings were up triple digits. Yup. Here’s the release.

NFL NETWORK VIEWERSHIP TRIPLES & NFL.COM TRAFFIC DOUBLES AS FANS FLOCK TO FREE AGENT FRENZY

NFL Network & NFL.com set single-day records on Thursday
Wall-to-wall coverage continues this weekend & from training camps next week

Fans got “Back to Football” this week tuning in and logging on to NFL Network and NFL.com in record numbers since the list of 2011 free agents was released on Monday night.

NFL Network’s coverage of free agency, trades and cuts from Tuesday to Thursday posted a 288 percent increase in average total day viewership over the same time period last year with an average of 186,000 fans tuning in. NFL Network had live coverage from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM ET each day.

In primetime, NFL Network averaged 290,000 viewers over the three days – a 202 percent jump over 2010.

The NFL’s digital media platforms — including NFL.com, NFL Mobile Only From Verizon and other NFL mobile products — posted a 143 percent increase in unique users over last year as 5.7 million fans logged on from Monday through Thursday.

Both properties also set single-day records for Thursday’s coverage. NFL Network averaged 427,000 primetime viewers on Thursday – its best-ever primetime viewership outside of NFL Draft and game coverage. NFL digital media drew 2.6 million unique viewers – its highest single-day traffic ever in July.

Coverage continues on NFL Network with NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy, providing continuous news reports through midnight and possibly later. Live coverage continues this weekend beginning at 9:00 AM ET Saturday with Back to Football: Free Agent Frenzy, followed by NFL Total Access at 7:00 PM ET. NFL.com provides round-the-clock free agency coverage all weekend.

NFL Network’s live daily training camp coverage continues next week (Aug. 1-5) with live look-ins beginning at 9:00 AM ET. Then at 1:00 PM ET each day, NFL Network presents 7 hours of live blanket coverage with reports and interviews from all 32 team sites.

That’s it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fang’s Bites’ Visit to ESPN

On Thursday, July 28, I had the opportunity to go to ESPN to take part in a mini-focus group involving several producers and executives from the network. Along with your humble blogger, also invited to take part were Rachel Cohen of the Associated Press who has written many sports media stories and Pete Dougherty, full-time sports media writer for the Albany Times Union. All three of us had the opportunity to give our opinions and get some input from the producers and executives. That meeting with the producers was off the record, so I cannot provide details of what went on inside the walls of our meeting, but suffice to say it was very enlightening.

The meeting took over an hour to complete and from what I could gather, the producers were quite happy to meet with us. Following that meeting, ESPN allowed Rachel, Pete and I to have an on the record interview with Norby Williamson, the network’s Executive Senior Vice President of Studio and Event Production. We were able to ask several questions during a 22 minute discussion. The topics included “The Decision” which I feel remains a sore subject within ESPN. While Williamson says he would air the program if he had the opportunity to do it all over again, there would be different parameters and more editorial control retained by ESPN.

Norby commented on whether he’s sensitive to criticism and whether ESPN is biased more towards the East Coast. He also discussed ratings for ESPN and how they’re interpreted based on the competition on other networks.

And in this cut, I asked Norby if ESPN was taking events from ABC and the reaction by the network affiliates to not having as much live sports as they used to.

The interview will be heard in its entirety on the Sports Media Weekly Podcast next week. At that time, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I will discuss my visit to Bristol, CT and my reactions to what Mr. Williamson said. I thank ESPN’s Josh Krulewitz to extending an invitation which led to my brief two hour stay within the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Fox Saturday Baseball Returns With Both Joe Buck & Tim McCarver In Tow

Fox Saturday Baseball is back with three more games being aired across the country and split three ways. And as the network airs the Cubs at St. Louis, it’s a home game for Joe Buck so he returns after a week off, he’s back and teamed with Tim McCarver who also took last week off. So one would think both would be refreshed after their one week vacation from calling baseball. With Buck back for this week, it means he’ll have called 11 games out of a possible 18 games thus far.

There are two other games as well and the regional splits are kind of strange. Take a look at what Fox has in store for the viewing public on Saturday and once again, no Yankees, Mets or Red Sox on the schedule.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Latest on Trade Deadline Deals from Rosenthal & Morosi: Beltran’s Deal to Giants is Imminent

MIDWEST RIVALS SQUARE OFF – The FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK concludes its July slate with three intriguing matchups on Saturday, July 30 (4:00 PM ET). Two of baseball’s oldest rivals meet in St. Louis as Albert Pujols and the Cardinals host the Cubs. Fresh off Ervin Santana’s no-hitter this afternoon, the Angels look for another strong pitching performance, this time from Dan Haren as they travel to Detroit to take on the Tigers. In Seattle, rookie All-Star Michael Pineda is scheduled to take the hill as the Mariners host Evan Longoria and the Rays.

The MLB on FOX pregame show originates live from the Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO with host Chris Rose. Once game action begins, Rose joins Joe Buck, 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.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, Joe Buck, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal, going to 50% of USA
Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Greensboro, Greenville, Houston, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Diego, St. Louis, Tulsa, Washington
Probable Pitchers:  Rodrigo Lopez, RHP (2-2, 3.49 ERA) vs. Kyle McClellan, RHP (7-6, 4.15 ERA)

Anaheim Angels at Detroit Tigers, Dick Stockton & Jose Mota, sent to 26% of USA
Comerica Park – Detroit, MI
MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Buffalo, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco
Probable Pitchers: Dan Haren, RHP (10-6, 3.01 ERA) vs. TBA

Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners, Kenny Albert & Mark Grace, going to 23% of USA
Safeco Field – Seattle, WA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Baltimore, Boston, Fort Myers, Hartford, Jacksonville, Miami, New York, Orlando, Portland, Providence, Seattle, Tampa, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers: Alex Cobb, RHP (3-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda, RHP (8-7, 3.64 ERA)

WHO’S GONNA PULL OFF THE BIGGEST DEAL? – The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, begging the question ‘which GM will pull off the biggest deal?’  MLB on FOX reporter and FOXSports.com senior MLB columnist Ken Rosenthal says keep an eye on the Phillies’ Ruben Amaro Jr.  “If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Amaro, it’s that he’s fearless,” said Rosenthal. “Fearlessness, in an increasingly cautious trading environment, is the new market inefficiency. Phillies owner David Montgomery seemingly has removed Amaro’s one restriction — the luxury-tax threshold — telling the Philadelphia Inquirer, ‘We will do whatever it takes.’” So at this point, it’s probably just a matter of which player Amaro wants most.  It could be the Astros’ Hunter Pence. It could be the White Sox’s Carlos Quentin, one of the Padres’ relievers, or another player entirely. Rest assured, it will be someone, maybe even two someones.”

To read Rosenthal’s full column, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3l3dk45

DAVID WELLS RESERVES CHEAP SEATS FOR VERNON WELLS – Each Wednesday (1:00 PM ET), former MLB All-Star pitcher David Wells hosts The Cheap Seats on FOXSports.com. This week, Wells sits down with former teammate Vernon Wells. Find out what the current Angel thought of his then Blue Jays teammate.

To watch the show click here: http://msn.foxsports.com/video/shows/cheapseats

And that will do it for this post.

Fang’s Bites Mention on The Dan Patrick Show

During a live look-in on The Dan Patrick Show, show blogger Andrew Perloff, a.k.a. McLovin was protesting how Dan gave credit to Director of Operations Seton O’Connor credit for breaking the Chad Ochocinco to the New England Patriots story on Twitter. Throughout the show, Dan was riding McLovin that Seton was the new NFL “Outsider” for the show, a role that had been McLovin’s. So of course, McLovin had been sulking throughout the program. While Dan was chiding McLovin, he asked Seton and Executive Producer Paul Pabst the name of a website that had suggested to follow their Twitter accounts. Well, that website was Fang’s Bites in the People You Should Follow on Twitter, Part 7. Notice how in that installment, I never suggested McLovin. At the time, I thought I should include him and Guest Booker Todd Fritz, but after watching his attitude in this video, I’m glad I did not include McLovin.

Here’s the video.

So happy I got mentioned. Never even expected it. Thanks to Dan, Seton and Paulie for the mention.

Trying To Do A Friday Megalink Session

I’m hoping to get this entire Megalink session finished in one sitting. It’s been a crazy day thus far. Of course, all of your weekend sport and entertainment programming are featured in the Weekend Viewing Picks.

Let’s get to the linkage now.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today speaks with noted baseball announcing author Curt Smith who has written another book about the subject.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy has ESPN’s Desmond Howard criticizing the current college athletics system which does not allow for students to get paid.

Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about the details of the conference’s new TV networks.

Mike Barnes of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Golf Channel and CBS will have the honors of airing Tiger Woods’ return to golf next weekend.

Michael Malone at Broadcasting & Cable criticizes WPRI-TV in Providence for recreating golf highlights and passing it off as it actually happened.

Thomas Umstead from Multichannel News says boxing is still a big part of HBO Sports.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel says ESPN will redesign its live streaming site for Xbox 360 users.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the video of Dan Patrick joining old SportsCenter partner Keith Olbermann on Current’s Countdown program to talk about casting the potential ESPN Movie.

Marcus Vanderberg at SportsNewser notes that ESPN’s John Clayton still hasn’t grasped this Twitter thing yet.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser writes that Rory McIlroy called out a BBC golf commentator and had quite the Twitter battle.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Knicks and Rangers fans will have the opportunity to see their team’s players go from the court/ice to the locker room and vice versa.

The Big Lead speaks with actor Dan Lauria about bringing his Broadway role of coach Vince Lombardi “home” to Green Bay this weekend.

Sports Media Watch says viewership declined for the last week of Copa América on Univision as glamor teams Brazil and Argentina lost before the semifinal round.

SMW notes that the ratings jumped for the WNBA All-Star Game on ABC last weekend.

Joe Favorito says Baseball’s governing body is now using social media to its advantage.

Bob’s Blitz has an interesting story of a former cameraman and ESPN director who got a lucky cell phone and has been living the life of a celebrity.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing notes that the Pac-12 Networks will further fragment sports on cable.

Overseas, this is big news. John Plunkett of the London Guardian says BBC Sport is letting go of most of its Formula 1 contract and satellite provider Sky Sports will pick up a lion’s share of races starting next year. That would be as if Fox decided to allow DirecTV to take over most of the NASCAR contract.

Ben Gallop of BBC’s motorsports division explains why the decision was made.

East & Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe feels melancholy over the loss of HBO’s Hard Knocks, a victim of the NFL lockout this season.

At SB Nation, Kat Hasenauer Cornetta says women are still trying to get a foothold in the Boston sports media.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Derek Jeter finally opened up a bit in the HBO documentary that premiered this week.

At the New York Post, Phil Mushnick warns to be careful what you wish for in wanting replay review in baseball.

Mike Battaglino of the Post notes that there will be no edition of Hard Knocks this season.

Justin Terranova writes that the NFL TV’s partners were never worried about losing games to the lockout.

A couple of more stories from the Post. Tim Bontemps from the Post says Derek Jeter agreed to do the HBO documentary on his quest for 3,000 hits so his future children could see him at work.

Justin has five questions for the producer of the HBO Jeter documentary.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union writes that the premiere of NBC’s Summer at Saratoga series did quite well.

On Thursday, Pete, the lovely Rachel Cohen of the Associated Press and your humble blogger were invited to ESPN to talk to several of the network’s production staff and then interview Norby Williamson, the network’s Vice President of Studio and Event Production. Pete has a story on that visit.

Pete Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News writes about the contentious relationship between NFL Network and NFL Films.

To the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog and Dan Steinberg who notes that local talk show host John Riggins isn’t optimistic about DC NFL team coach Mike Shanahan’s chances this year.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says MLB Network will be all over the Trading Deadline this weekend.

South

Jared Hunt from the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail profiles CBS golf producer Lance Barrow as he helms the network’s broadcasts of the Greenbrier Classic this weekend.

Cindy Watts of The Tennessean talks about country star Kenny Chesney writing and performing the theme song for a new ESPN series.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says NFL Films founder Ed Sabol is deservedly getting the NFL Films treatment in a new documentary celebrating his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

David talks about the lack of a Hard Knocks series this season.

Rick Cantu and Kirk Bohis of the Austin (TX) American-Statesman says ESPN approached several high schools about putting their games on the Longhorn Network.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman talks with ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit about the upcoming season.

Mel finds the real reason why Herbstreit chose to move his family away from his native Columbus, OH to Tennessee.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema from the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks with former NFL’er and current TV analyst Ray Bentley about the 1987 NFL strike.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel finds some interesting Brewers anecdotes in the new Curt Smith book.

Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune interviews ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.

Over to the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin where Paul Christian notes that ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher coaches keep finding their way to television.

West

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune says former Utah Jazz player Matt Harpring has made the successful transition to the TV booth.

John Maffei of the North County Times understands why Mexican government ads must be played on a local sports radio station, but it doesn’t mean he has to like them.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the new batch of ESPN Films documentaries that will be released later this year.

Tom has Fox Sports/MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal still being wary of Twitter.

Tom talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about his whirlwind tenure that has left the league with a pocketful of riches.

Tom has more on the Pac-12 Network announcement aftermath.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the father of new Blue Jay Colby Ramus is using the local media to blast St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.

And that will do it for today.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, July 30

Golf
PGA Tour: Greenbrier Classic, 3rd round — Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.
U.S. Senior Open, 3rd round — NBC, 3 p.m.
Women’s Open Championship, 3rd round — ESPN, 10 a.m.

Horse Racing
Summer at Saratoga
Diana Stakes & Jim Dandy Stakes — Versus, 5 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson — Showtime, 10 p.m.

MLB
American League
Baltimore at New York Yankees — MASN/YES, 1 p.m.
Texas at Toronto — Fox Sports Southwest/Rogers Sportsnet, 1 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Detroit — Fox, 4 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Seattle — Fox, 4 p.m.
Baltimore at New York Yankees — MLB Network/MASN2/YES, 7 p.m.
Boston at Chicago White Sox — NESN/WGN America, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland — Fox Sports Kansas City/WKYC, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Oakland — Fox Sports North/Comcast SportsNet California, 9 p.m.

National League
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — Fox, 4 p.m.
Florida at Atlanta — Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South, 7 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Washington — WPIX/MASN, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia — Root Sports Pittsburgh/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Cincinnati — MLB Network/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Colorado at San Diego — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Cox 4, 8:30 p.m.
Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox Sports Arizona/KCAL, 10 p.m.

Trade Deadline Special Live — MLB Network, 11 a.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live — MLB Network, 10 p.m.

MLS
Vancouver vs. Los Angeles — Fox Soccer, 7:30 p.m.
Kansas City vs. New England — Comcast SportsNet New England, 8:30 p.m.

NASCAR
Nationwide Series: Kroger 200 — ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

NFL
Back to Football — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
NFL Total Access: Back to Football — NFL Network, 7 p.m.

Soccer
U20 World Cup
Colombia vs. France — ESPNU/Galavision, 8:45 p.m.

World Football Challenge
Barcelona vs. Manchester United — ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Swimming
FINA World Championships, Shanghai, Communist China
Swimming & Water Polo — NBC, 1 p.m.

Tennis
U.S. Open Series
ATP Tour: Farmers Classic, semifinals — Tennis Channel, 5 p.m./ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.
WTA Tour: Bank of the West Classic, semifinals — ESPN2, 12:30 a.m. (tape delayed)

WNBA
Phoenix at New York– NBA TV, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Aarti Party — Food Network, 9 a.m.
Giada at Home: Garden Variety — Food Network, 1:30 p.m.
Kelsey’s Essentials: Veggie Bliss  — Cooking Channel, 2:30 p.m.
JFK — AMC, 8 p.m.
Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story — ESPN Classic, 8:30 p.m.
Outcasts — BBC America, 9 p.m.
From Spain With Love: Olive Oil: Liquid Gold — Cooking Channel, 9:30 p.m.
The Graham Norton Show — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Outnumbered (series premiere) — BBC America, 11 p.m.
Friday Night Dinner (series premiere) — BBC America, 11:30 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

Sunday, July 31

Formula 1
Hungarian Grand Prix — Speed, 7:30 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour: Greenbrier Classic, final round — Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.
U.S. Senior Open, final round — NBC, 3 p.m.
Women’s Open Championship, final round — ESPN, 9 a.m.

Horse Racing
Haskell Invitational — ABC, 5 p.m.

MLB
American League
Anaheim Angels at Detroit — KCOP/Fox Sports Detroit, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at New York Yankees — MASN/YES, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland — Fox Sports Kansas City/STO, 1 p.m.
Texas at Toronto — Fox Sports Southwest/Rogers Sportsnet, 1 p.m.
Boston at Chicago White Sox — TBS/NESN/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 2 p.m.
Minnesota at Oakland — Fox Sports North/Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Seattle — Sun Sports/Root Sports Northwest, 4 p.m.

National League
San Francisco at Cincinnati — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Ohio, 1 p.m.
Florida at Atlanta — Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South, 1:30 p.m.
New York Mets at Washington — WPIX/MASN2, 1:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia — Root Sports Pittsburgh/WPHL, 1:30 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Wisconsin, 2 p.m.
Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 4 p.m.
Colorado at San Diego — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Cox 4, 4 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — ESPN, 8 p.m.

Trade Deadline Special Live — MLB Network, 11:30 a.m.
MLB Tonight Live — MLB Network, 5 p.m.
Baseball Tonight live from St. Louis — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Quick Pitch Live — MLB Network, 8 p.m.
Trade Deadline Recap Live — MLB Network, 9 p.m.

MLS
FC Dallas vs. Chivas USA — Galavision, 7 p.m.

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series: Brickyard 400 — ESPN, 1 p.m.

NFL
Back to Football — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
NFL Total Access: Back to Football — NFL Network, 7 p.m.

Soccer
U20 World Cup
Costa Rica vs. Spain — ESPNU/Galavision, 3:45 p.m.
Australia vs. Ecuador — ESPNU, 6:45 p.m.

Swimming
FINA World Championships, Shanghai, Communist China
Swimming & Water Polo — Universal Sports, 10 a.m. & 8 p.m. (tape delayed)

Tennis
U.S. Open Series
ATP Tour: Farmers Classic, singles finals — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
ATP Tour: Farmers Classic, doubles final — Tennis Channel, 10 p.m. (same day coverage)
WTA Tour: Bank of the West Classic, finals — ESPN2, 3 p.m.

WNBA
Minnesota at San Antonio — NBA TV, 3 p.m.
Los Angeles at Indiana — NBA TV, 6 p.m.

Entertainment
CBS News Sunday Morning — CBS, 9 a.m.
10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa D’Arabian: Taking on Tex Mex — Food Network, 9 a.m.
Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction: California Coasting on the Grill — Food Network, 11 a.m.
60 Minutes — CBS, 7 p.m.
Big Brother 13 — CBS, 8 p.m.
Great White Invasion — Discovery, 9 p.m.
American Ninja Warrior — G4, 9 p.m.
True Blood — HBO, 9 p.m.
Ice Road Truckers — History Channel, 9 p.m.
Russia’s Toughest Prisons — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Breaking Bad — AMC, 10 p.m.
Jaws Comes Home — Discovery, 10 p.m.
American Ninja Warrior — G4, 10 p.m.
Top Gear — History Channel, 10 p.m.
In Plain Sight — USA Network, 10 p.m.
Curb Your Enthusiasm — HBO, 10:05 p.m.
Entourage — HBO, 10:35 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

Golf
PGA Tour: Greenbrier Classic, 2nd round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
U.S. Senior Open, 2nd round — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Women’s Open Championship, 2nd round — ESPN, 9 a.m.

Minor League Baseball
Cape Cod League All-Star Game — Comcast SportsNet New England, 7 p.m.

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

National League
New York Mets at Washington — SNY/MASN2, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia — MLB Network/Root Sports Pittsburgh/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Cincinnati — MLB Network/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Florida at Atlanta — Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis — WGN America/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.
Colorado at San Diego — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Cox 4, 10 p.m.

Trade Deadline Special Live — MLB Network, 1 p.m.
The Rundown Live — MLB Network, 3 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live — MLB Network, 10 p.m.

MLS
Philadelphia vs. Colorado — Fox Soccer, 7:30 p.m.

NFL
Back to Football: Free Agent Frenzy — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy — NFL Network, 6 p.m.

Soccer
U20 World Cup
Argentina vs. Mexico — Galavision, 6:20 p.m.
Brazil vs. Egypt — Galavision, 9:50 p.m.

Swimming
FINA World Championships, Shanghai, Communist China
Swimming & Water Polo — Universal Sports, 11 a.m. & 8 p.m. (tape delayed)

Women’s World Water Polo Championships: Semifinal — Universal Sports, 2 p.m. (tape delayed)

Tennis
U.S. Open Series
ATP Tour: Farmers Classic, quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 3 p.m./ESPN2, 7 p.m.
WTA Tour: Bank of the West Classic, quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 5 p.m. & 9 p.m./ESPN2, 11 p.m.

Track & Field
Diamond League, Stockholm, Sweden — Universal Sports, 11 p.m. (same day coverage)

WNBA
Indiana at Washington — NBA TV, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Flashpoint — CBS, 8 p.m.
Dateline NBC — NBC, 9 p.m.
20/20 — ABC, 10 p.m.
Torchwood: Miracle Day — Starz, 10 p.m.
Stone Temple Pilots: Live from Chicago 2010 — VH1 Classic, 10 p.m.
Hard Rock Calling 2011 — VH1, 11 p.m.
Femme Fatales: Visions, Part 1 — Cinemax, 11 p.m.
Young Broke and Beautiful — IFC, 11 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

Quickie Thursday Links

Today, I’ll be at a secret location in CT. It has to do with sports. It’s at a company that has four letters and is located in the central part of the state. The company was the subject of a recent book and a movie on it is in the option stage. Besides that, I can’t say anything more. Maybe later I can say where I am and what I’m doing there, but for now, it’s all on the DL. That’s not to be confused with Dan Levy’s On the DL, ok?

To the links.

A couple of big stories regarding college sports. The Pac-12 announced the formation of 6 regional and 1 national sports network that will air some 500 events including football, basketball and Olympic sports. So far, four cable providers have jumped on board. We’ll hear of more to come later.

And the Big 10 Network has announced a “TV Everywhere” mobile app. Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers have already signed up. More are expected to follow as well.

We’ll start the links with those two stories.

First, the Pac-12 networks.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times explains what all this entails.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says the key content of the networks will be all conference football games that the national networks don’t air.

Jon Wilner from the San Jose Mercury News has details of the cable partnership and what will be seen on the channels.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the six regional Pac-12 networks.

Diane Pucin in the Los Angeles Times says the channels will be accessible to almost 50 million viewers.

Michael C. Lewis from the Salt Lake Tribune says Utah fans will see plenty of inventory thanks to the regional networks.

Kyle Ringo at the Boulder (CO) Daily Camera says the regional networks will offer hyper-local content.

Jeff Metcalfe at the Arizona Republic says the networks will launch in August of 2012.

Now the Big Ten Network “BTN2Go” TV Everywhere app.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News has details of the new app.

Now to the other links.

ESPN.com’s Ed Hinton pays loving tribute to his late wife.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser says the Los Angeles Times have laid off two very good writers.

SportsGrid’s Glenn Davis writes that suspended/not suspended ESPN.com writer Bruce Feldman is back writing for the sports behemoth.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that the lockout will make the NFL even more popular with fans now.

Kristi Dosh, the lovely Sports Biz Miss has an interview with Texas A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne about the impact of the Longhorn Network on college sports.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union looks at the extensive and comprehensive ESPN college football schedule.

Dustin Long of the Virginian-Pilot has focus group comments about NASCAR’s TV coverage.

Strange story coming out of South Florida. David J. Neal at the Miami Herald says former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, fired for making comments about Jews in the media, will be the new voice of Florida International University football.

Scott Travis from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that Sanchez will be working the games for free.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has an interesting story noting that ESPN is in an unenviable position of being a partner with the University of Texas on the Longhorn Network, but on the other hand, it suing the school in an open records case.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman looks at Fox Sports unveiling its college football announcing teams for this season.

Mike Martindale and Doug Guthrie of the Detroit News report on ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose getting jail time for a DUI conviction.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel can’t believe the Pittsburgh Pirates are getting some national TV love.

Baxter Holmes at the Los Angeles Times says ESPN’s X Games continue to grow into a huge global entity.

Barry Janoff of The Big Lead talks with an Olympic marketer about the London Games changing the size of the medals. They’re as big as your chest now.

Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing suggests different scenarios for the upcoming ESPN movie.

Sports Media Watch has some news and notes on sports media personalities.

Dave Kohl of the Major League Programs blog looks at the week in sports media.

And that will do it for the links today. I hope I will be able to explain what I’m doing at the secret location later.

Big Ten Network Offers “BTN2Go” Mobile App

This just in from the Big Ten Network, a.k.a. “BTN”, a new “TV Everywhere” service that selected cable and satellite subscribers that will offer the authenticated channel on the internet, iPad and iPhone. Thus far, three cable and satellite providers have signed up for the service. This will launch just in time for the 2011 football season. Take a look at the press release from the Big Ten Network.

BTN TO LAUNCH ‘BTN2Go’ IN TIME FOR 2011 FOOTBALL SEASON

Live BTN Games Headline an Extensive Slate of Programming Offered to Authenticated Subscribers

CHICAGO – BTN2Go, a live 24/7 multi-platform extension of BTN, is scheduled to kick off at the start of the 2011 college football season, BTN President Mark Silverman announced today.

BTN2Go features a live feed of all BTN linear network programming, including more than 40 football games, over 100 men’s basketball games and hundreds of other live events, as well as Extra Football Game Channels, on-demand programming and archived content.

BTN2Go will be offered exclusively through BTN’s participating cable, satellite and telco distribution partners as an authenticated digital service to subscribers who already receive BTN as part of their video subscription.

Once their provider agrees to carry the service, fans will be able to access BTN2Go on three platforms: the Internet; iPad and iPhone. Specific launch dates for each platform will be forthcoming.

“We’re tremendously excited to launch BTN2Go because, as mobile technology has advanced, this is something fans are asking for,” Silverman said. “Big Ten fans are frequently on the go, and would like to watch BTN while away from home. BTN2Go gives fans that option at no additional cost to them.”

“BTN2Go will deliver an innovative new experience to passionate Big Ten fans, reinforcing the conference’s and network’s desire to improve access to and exposure for all Big Ten sports,” said Michael Calderon, vice president, digital and interactive media.

BTN2Go viewers also will have on-demand access to BTN’s deep video archive, including all current season games. Original series such as The Journey, Big Ten Icons, Big Ten’s Best and The Big Ten’s Greatest Games, as well as game highlights and coaches’ shows, will be available.

There you have it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Football
Big Ten Football Media Day — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
College Football Media Days — ESPNU, 11 a.m. & 4:30 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour: Greenbrier Classic, 1st round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
U.S. Senior Open, 1st round — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Women’s Open Championship — ESPN, 9 a.m.

MLB
American League
Anaheim Angels at Detroit — Fox Sports West/Fox Sports Detroit, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Boston — Fox Sports Kansas City/NESN, 1:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Oakland — Sun Sports, 3:30 p.m.
Baltimore at Toronto — MASN/Rogers Sportsnet, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Texas — Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Southwest, 8 p.m.

National League
Florida at Washington — MLB Network/Fox Sports Florida/MASN, 12:30 p.m.
New York Mets at Cincinnati — MLB Network/SNY/Fox Sports Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee — WGN America, 2 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta — MLB Network/Root Sports Pittsburgh/Fox Sports South, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Philadelphia — MLB Network/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Houston at St. Louis — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.

The Rundown Live — MLB Network, 3:30 p.m.
Derek Jeter 3K — HBO, 9 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live — MLB Network, 10 p.m.

Soccer
World Football Challenge
Juventus vs. Chivas USA — ESPN2, 8 p.m.

WNBA
Los Angeles at Atlanta — NBA TV, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Wipeout: Boss and Employee — ABC, 8 p.m.
Expedition Impossible: Leap of Faith — ABC, 9 p.m.
Big Brother 13 — CBS, 9 p.m.
Futurama — Comedy Central, 10 p.m.
Wilfred — FX, 10 p.m.
Ugly Americans — Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 65 — Curt Menefee, Fox NFL Sunday

Ah, another podcast where we get another heavy hitter in the world of sports media. Our guest this week is Fox NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee.

Before we get to Curt, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed the news of the week. We talked about the end of the NFL lockout and it being overhyped by the media as we never really lost football during that time period.

We also talked about the Pac-12 establishing six regional networks and one national network with the help of a consortium of four cable providers, Bright House, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. We also looked at what this means for college sports.

Keith and I also talked about the one year mark to the 2012 Olympics and previewed who we could see when NBC begins its coverage in London on July 27, 2012.

Then we discussed 20th Century Fox optioning a script for the ESPN book and speculated who could play Erin Andrews (Scarlett Johansson, yes?).

With Curt Menefee, we pointed out that it was his sixth year on Fox NFL Sunday, fifth as solo host. We also talked the end of the NFL lockout and how Fox didn’t have to do any reporting on it while ESPN and NFL Network staked out the entire story.

In addition, we discussed his love for soccer and hosting the Champions League Final for the last two years. I also asked Curt about his refusal to wear socks in warm weather cities and we also brought up his recent foray into Twitter. By the way, Curt’s account was just verified so he got the Twitter checkmark rather quickly.

I enjoyed listening to Curt and I think you will too. You can subscribe to the Sports Media Weekly podcast by going to iTunes and searching for “Sports Media Journal.” Or you can go

NFL Network’s Programming For The Next 7 Days

We have what’s on tap for NFL Network as Free Agent Frenzy continues from now until the first exhibition games are played next week.

NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM PROGRAMMING NOTES (7/27 – 8/2)
FREE AGENCY FRENZY FRIDAY ON NFL NETWORK – LIVE COVERAGE FROM MORNING TO MIDNIGHT
More Than 90 Hours of Live News Coverage on NFL Network This Week Through Sunday

Hall of Fame Specials Next Week:
Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies (Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM ET)
Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton (Tuesday, August 2 at 8:00 PM ET)
Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton (Wednesday, August 3 at 8:00 PM ET)
Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime (Wednesday, August 3 at 9:00 PM ET)
Live on NFL.com – Jacksonville Hosts Orlando in First Round of AFL Playoffs

Free Agency Frenzy – Live Coverage Every Day Beginning at 9:00 AM ET Through Sunday

With a new collective bargaining agreement reached, NFL Media gets fans “Back to Football” with more than 90 hours of live coverage – over five times as many live hours of programming as compared to this week in 2010 – providing all of the latest news and reports from around the league.

When free agency officially opens on Friday, July 27 at 6:00 PM ET, NFL Network is there with NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy, providing continuous news reports through midnight and possibly later on the players shaking up the free agency market. Live coverage continues Saturday & Sunday beginning at 9:00 AM ET with Back to Football: Free Agent Frenzy, followed by NFL Total Access at 7:00 PM ET.

Reporters Albert Breer (@albertbreer), Jason La Canfora (@jasonlacanfora), Michael Lombardi (@michaelombardi), Scott Hanson (@hansonscott), Steve Wyche (@wyche89), Michelle Beisner (@beisnermichelle) and Stacey Dales are stationed around the league with the latest information, while network personalities Rich Eisen (@richeisen), Fran Charles, Kara Henderson (@karahenderson), Paul Burmeister, Jamie Dukes (@jamiedukes), Warren Sapp (@qbkilla), Mike Mayock, Charles Davis (@cfd22) and more bring fans full circle with team and player analysis leading up to the kickoff of the 2011 season.

NFL Network and NFL.com is the source for NFL news with live Back to Football specials all week starting at 9:00 AM ET, followed by NFL Total Access at 7:00 PM ET.

For fans away from their television, NFL.com also provides breaking news updates from an enhanced home page offering easier navigation, personalization and social media plug-ins. NFL.com’s Back to Football coverage also features a revamped Free Agency Tracker featuring a “Rumor Central” section that keeps users up to date with all the latest chatter on where the league’s top free agents may land.

In the opening week of the 2011 league year, NFL Network has been busy, interviewing numerous players, coaches, front office executives and media personalities on Back to Football. From the No. 1 overall pick of the Carolina Panthers Cam Newton to Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, undrafted free agent linebacker Mark Herzlich to Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, NFL Network provides fans an inside look into their favorite teams and players as training camps open.

Below are video links to interviews on NFL Network this week:

- NFL.com’s Steve Wyche sits down for a one-on-one interview with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-interviews/09000d5d82100ac7/Newton-s-law

- Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy discusses the team’s mentality heading into the 2011 season:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d820ff7b9/McCoy-on-the-state-of-the-Eagles

- Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez talks about the trade for wide receiver Julio Jones and the potent Atlanta offense:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-training-camps/09000d5d820fdb13/Gonzalez-gets-back

- Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis appears via Bengals Cam to discuss Carson Palmer and the future of the team with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d820feed6/Lewis-anxious-to-start-Dalton-era

Hall of Fame Week Specials: Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies on Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM ET; Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton on Tuesday, August 2 at 8:00 PM ET; Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton on Wednesday, August 3 at 8:00 PM ET & Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime at 9:00 PM ET

Hall of Fame Week on NFL Network kicks off with four documentaries profiling four members of the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

On Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM ET, Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies premieres, detailing the immeasurable impact the founder of NFL Films has had on the history of the NFL. Through the use of video and exclusive on-field sound from players and coaches, Sabol has provided football fans unprecedented in-depth access to the game of football for almost 50 years.

On Tuesday, August 2 at 8:00 PM ET, Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton profiles tight end Shannon Sharpe’s 14-year playing career with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. With the help of his brother – former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Sterling Sharpe – Sharpe Focus tells the inspirational story of how a seventh-round draft pick from Savannah State became a Hall of Fame tight end.

The final two specials premiere on Wednesday, August 3. At 8:00 PM ET, Marshall Faulk: Rush to Canton chronicles Faulk’s career with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams, which included a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV and a league MVP award in 2000.

At 9:00 PM ET, Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime looks back on Sanders’ 14-year career with five different teams, and the incredible impact that he had as both a defensive back and punt returner.

Below is a sneak peak of Deion Sanders: Canton Goes Primetime:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d821003e4/Sneak-peek-Canton-goes-Primetime

Jacksonville Sharks Host Orlando Predators in First Round of AFL Playoffs on Friday, July 29 at 8:00 PM ET Live on NFL.com

The road to ArenaBowl XXIV begins with an American Conference playoff matchup between the Orlando Predators and the Jacksonville Sharks live on NFL.com Friday, July 29 at 8:00 PM ET. The game will air on NFL Network on tape delay on Saturday, July 30 at 12 Midnight ET due to the special NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy.

This will be the first time an AFL game has been shown live on NFL.com.

Paul Burmeister provides the play-by-play while Charles Davis serves as game analyst. Anthony Herron provides reports from the sidelines of Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

With a 14-4 record in the regular season, Jacksonville claimed the top playoff seed in the American Conference. Orlando earned the fourth seed in the playoffs, finishing with an 11-7 record in the regular season.

Jacksonville defeated Orlando in its two meetings this season. On April 30, the Sharks defeated the Predators, 76-55, in Jacksonville; on June 11, the Sharks won 68-67 on the road in Orlando.

This weekend’s game is a rematch of last season’s quarterfinals, in which Orlando defeated Jacksonville on the road, 73-69.

Latest Edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ Features Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff & Marshall Faulk Interview with Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders on NFL.com/iTunes

The latest edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ is available for download on Thursday, July 28 on NFL.com and iTunes.

This week, Eisen talks with the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, Thomas Dimitroff. With the league year off to a fast and furious start, Dimitroff discusses the Falcons’ free agency plans as the team looks to improve upon a 2010 season in which they fell to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the players. Dimitroff also looks back on the draft-day trade for wide receiver Julio Jones and the impact the rookie will have as training camp opens.

Also on this edition of the podcast, 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk catches up with the Hall of Fame running back for the Detroit Lions, Barry Sanders, at the EA Sports Madden event in New York City.

Additionally, Eisen spends time with his former colleague Dan Patrick.

Tonight at 12 Midnight ET, last week’s edition of ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast’ featuring Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and star of the critically-acclaimed television show “Breaking Bad” Bryan Cranston debuts on NFL Network.

Free Agency Edition of the ‘Cover Two Podcast’ Available for Download on NFL.com/iTunes

The latest edition of the ‘Cover Two Podcast’ is now available for download on NFL.com and iTunes.

With the 2011 league year underway and training camps opening throughout the league, the ‘Cover Two Podcast’ brings fans all of the latest news and reports on what has proven to be a wild start to free agency. NFL.com’s Steve Wyche and Bucky Brooks have their fingers on the pulse of everything that is happening around the league.

Wyche speaks with the Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer, Joe Person, to break down all of the Panthers’ moves thus far, how the team was not as bad as its 2-14 record seemed to indicate and how Cam Newton will transition from college to the NFL.

Wyche and Brooks also discuss all of the major transactions to occur so far, including the trade of Donovan McNabb to Minnesota, Matt Hasselbeck agreeing to terms with the Tennessee Titans, the Kevin Kolb sweepstakes and the reports of Kyle Orton being linked to the Miami Dolphins.

To download this edition of the ‘Cover Two Podcast,’ visit:
http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/07/27/cover-two-podcast-rookies-going-into-storage/

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

Wednesday, July 27
9:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
12 MIDNIGHT – The Rich Eisen Podcast
12:30 PM – Sound FX: Super Bowl XLV

Thursday, July 28
9:00 AM – Back to Football – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy Preview – LIVE

Friday, July 29
9:00 AM – Back to Football: Free Agent Frenzy – LIVE
6:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Free Agent Frenzy – LIVE

Saturday, July 30
9:00 AM – Back to Football – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football – LIVE
8:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Worst Free Agent Signings
9:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
10:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Draft Steals
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
12 MIDNIGHT – Arena Football: Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks [Tape Delay]

Sunday, July 31
9:00 AM – Back to Football – LIVE
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football – LIVE
8:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Things We Miss About Football
9:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
10:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Undrafted Players
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Back to Football
12 MIDNIGHT – Canadian Football League: Edmonton Eskimos vs. Calgary Stampeders [Tape Delay]
3:00 AM – Canadian Football League: Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Montreal Alouettes [Tape Delay]

Monday, August 1
6:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Super Bowls
7:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Teams That Didn’t Win the Super Bowl
8:00 AM – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: Episode #1
9:00 AM – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: Episode #2
10:00 AM – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: Episode #3
11:00 AM – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: Episode #4
12 NOON – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: Episode #5
1:00 PM – NFL Films Presents: Reunion in Canton
2:00 PM – NFL Films Presents: Class of 2005
3:00 PM – Jerry Rice: Catching History
4:00 PM – Road to Canton: Michael Irvin
5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Greatest Hands
6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Things That Changed the Game
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access
8:00 PM – Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies – PREMIERE
9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1985 Chicago Bears
10:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Football Divas
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access

Tuesday, August 2
12 NOON – America’s Game: 1997 Denver Broncos
1:00 PM – America’s Game: 1985 Chicago Bears
2:00 PM – 1972 Washington Redskins
2:30 PM – 1999 St. Louis Rams
3:00 PM – 1997 Denver Broncos
3:30 PM – 1998 Denver Broncos
4:00 PM – Ed Sabol: King of Football Movies
5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Return Aces
6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Most Feared Tacklers
7:00 PM – NFL Total Access
8:00 PM – Sharpe Focus: Journey to Canton – PREMIERE
9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1998 Denver Broncos
10:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Players Not in the Hall of Fame
11:00 PM – NFL Total Access

That’s it.

Pac-12 Conference Announces Formation of Pac-12 Networks

Once again, you must credit Pac-12 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott for thinking outside the box. Instead of signing one company to run a Pac-12 Network, Scott gets four companies on board to create six regional sports networks that will offered inside the conference and a national network to be offered outside the league’s West Coast footprint. We’re talking Bright House, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. For now, I’ll post the press release. Later, we’ll analyze what this all means.

PAC-12 CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF PAC-12 NETWORKS IN HISTORIC JOINT DEAL WITH COMCAST,TIME WARNER CABLE, COX COMMUNICATIONS AND BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS

Deal to bring 850 Pac-12 events annually to almost 40 million cable TV households nationwide
Agreement also includes six regional networks across Pac-12 footprint

NEW YORK –In an innovative arrangement providing unprecedented exposure for its athletic and academic programs, the Pac-12 Conference announced today the creation of Pac-12 Networks, which will include a national network and six regional networks, in conjunction with four of the nation’s largest cable operators: Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks.

In addition to broadly distributing the Pac-12 Networks, the four cable operators are utilizing iN DEMAND to provide certain production and operations services to the Pac-12 Networks, which will continue to be wholly owned by the Pac-12 Conference.

This transformative arrangement, set to begin in August 2012, marks the first time a U.S. collegiate conference or any other programmer has launched a collection of networks across a variety of platforms rather than a sole network. And it includes “TV everywhere” rights, permitting the networks to be viewed outside customers’ homes on any digital device, such as smartphones and tablet computers, creating a virtual “Pac-12 Everywhere.”

Expressing his excitement with the new agreement, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said, “As we explored the potential for a Pac-12 network, it became clear that we could customize programming towards local interests and provide our students, alumni, and many fans the widest possible range of events with the best opportunity to see the schools they care about most.”

Scott praised Melinda Witmer as Chairman of iN DEMAND for bringing iN DEMAND and its potential to the discussions. “This is an example of how innovative organizations can collaborate to create something that is entirely original and that willserve the college sports fan better than anything that has existed before,” he said. “We look forward to taking advantage of our cable partners’ vast production, marketing and advertising resources to serve our fans both through the regional networks and the national network.”

Ms. Witmer, who is also Executive Vice President and Chief Video and Content Officer for Time Warner Cable, said: “iN DEMAND is proud to be part of this groundbreaking plan to bring millions of Pac-12 fans a unique blend of national and regional programming. This innovative deal demonstrates the strengths of the cable platform, and the unique ability we have to provide deep local, regional and national programming on multiple platforms and multiple devices – giving our customers the ability to watch their favorite teams anywhere. We are pleased to be associated with these leading universities, and look forward to working with them and the Conference to make this innovative arrangement a success.”

The six regional networks will be established in Northern California, Southern California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Mountain regions.

The deal complements a major national broadcast and cable agreement announced in May. At that time, the Conference announced the creation of Pac-12 Media Enterprises, the first step in creating the TV networks that are being announced today. Pac-12 Media Enterprises is also expected to eventually announce distribution arrangements covering satellite and telco transmission.

Regional and National Network Programming
Under the agreement announced today, Pac-12 Networks eventually will telecast a total of 850 live events annually – 350 on the national feed and 500 on the regional feeds — including every football game and every men’s basketball game that isn’t carried by national telecast partners. Additional events will include spring football, and every sport played by Pac-12 programs including all conference championships. Pac-12 also will be working to launch additional content on broadband.

The agreement will provide unprecedented exposure for women’s sports, as well as exposure for both men’s and women’s programs that have been traditionally underserved on television.  This includes extensive coverage of Pac 12 athletes in Olympic sports, where the Pac-12 has had more success than any other U.S. conference. Over 200 Pac-12 athletes competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and if the Pac-12 were its own country it would have finished sixth in the total medal count.

Pac 12 Networks will feature extensive educational, academic and lifestyle programming from the Pac-12 Institutions, some of the most renowned and recognizable higher education institutions in the world. Programming will extend beyond athletics to other subjects of interest to students, faculty, alumni and fans of the Pac-12 universities.

Through this agreement Pac-12 Networks will be available nationwide to almost 40 million cable customers. Within the Pac-12 Conference’s six-state footprint, Pac-12 Networks will be broadly distributed and available to Pac-12’s far-flung alumni and fans across the country.

Terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

More on this later and this will be discussed on the Sports Media Weekly podcast which will be recorded tonight.

Highlights of ESPN’s College Football Schedule

We have this release which discusses ESPN’s extensive and comprehensive 2011-12 college football schedule. I still can’t believe there will be over 400 games across ESPN’s platforms, but that’s the day and age we live in. Let’s take a look at the highlights of ESPN’s schedule. If you want a complete look at ESPN’s extensive and comprehensive college football schedule, go here.

ESPN 2011 College Football Game Schedule

More Than 400 Games; All Five BCS Games on ESPN; First Year of New Agreements with ACC & BYU

ESPN’s 2011 college football schedule will include more than 400 regular and postseason games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, ESPN 3D, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN GamePlan.

In addition to game telecasts, the second year of the ESPN Goal Line network will offer unlimited live cut-ins and highlights from numerous top college football games every Saturday beginning at noon.  Goal Line is currently available to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV customers.

Viewers can also watch live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com and ESPN Goal Line game action on smart phones or tablets through the WatchESPN app. The service – available to customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV – gives fans the ability to watch ESPN’s live networks, no matter where they are.

Schedule highlights include (the majority of game selections will generally be made 12 or six days before the date as the season progresses):

• BCS & bowls: ESPN outlets will present all five of the BCS games, highlighted by the BCS National Championship, as part of its schedule of 33 bowl games.
• ACC: The first year of a 12-year agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference providing ESPN extensive rights to games for Saturday, Thursday and Labor Day telecasts across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
• BYU: The first year of an eight-year agreement for exclusive rights to BYU home football games across multiple ESPN platforms.
• Prime-time action: ESPN will offer Saturday night action across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU and weekly ESPN and ESPNU Thursday prime-time telecasts.
• Reverse mirror: As many as 12 Saturday afternoon windows will offer “reverse mirror” coverage in which two games from ABC’s split national telecasts are televised regionally on ESPN or ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, providing fans with coverage of both games on one of the outlets.
• ESPN 3D: The first 3D network to launch in the industry will offer a schedule of regular-season games (schedule to be determined).
• Live games online: ESPN3.com will stream more than 400 games, a record for the broadband network, including at least 50 exclusive contests.
• More platforms: Additional ESPN platforms offering games include a weekly broadcast on ESPN Radio; ESPN Mobile TV simulcasts; ESPN Regional Television syndication; and an extensive schedule on ESPN GamePlan, ESPN’s outermarket pay-per-view service.

The season will begin with the fourth annual Kickoff Week Sept. 1-5, featuring extensive studio programming and 32 games in five days, concluding with Miami at Maryland in a Labor Day telecast Monday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.com. 

Regular-season coverage will conclude Saturday, Dec. 3, highlighted by the ACC Championship Game on ESPN and ESPN3.com at 8 p.m. and two Big 12 intrastate showdowns: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State and Texas at Baylor, both on ABC at either 3:30 p.m. or 8 p.m.

For the fifth consecutive year, ESPN will be the only network to offer coverage of home games from all six of the BCS automatic qualifying conferences (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) in addition to the MAC, Sun Belt and WAC. ESPN will also televise road games featuring Notre Dame, Navy, Army and teams from the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA.

Weekly Windows
The networks will offer an extensive schedule of games each Saturday, as well as matchups every Thursday and Friday and select Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Highlights include:

• ESPN on ABC: ESPN on ABC’s Saturday Night Football, broadcast television’s only weekly college football prime-time series, will showcase showdowns between top programs every Saturday (except Sept. 10 and Oct. 15) at 8 p.m. beginning Sept. 3 with Oregon vs. LSU in the Cowboys Classic. ABC will continue to broadcast top matchups every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and select Saturdays at noon involving teams from the ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.
• Saturdays on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU: On most Saturdays, ESPN or ESPN2 will offer a prime-time doubleheader as well as a noon telecast across both networks. On nights without a doubleheader ESPN will generally televise a 7:45 p.m. game and ESPN2 a 7 p.m. telecast. ESPN or ESPN2 will continue to offer a “reverse mirror” of ABC’s 3:30 p.m. split national broadcast, while ESPNU will offer four telecasts generally at noon, 3:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
• Thursdays: ESPN and ESPNU will both televise a Thursday night game every week, generally at 8 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. For the fourth consecutive year, ESPN’s popular weekly Thursday night series will feature a team from one of the six BCS automatic qualifying conferences in every game. The schedule will be highlighted by UNLV at Wisconsin (Sept. 1), LSU at Mississippi State (Sept. 15), California at Oregon (Oct. 6), Virginia at Miami (Oct. 27), Florida State at Boston College (Nov. 3) and Texas at Texas A&M (Nov. 24).
• Weekdays: In addition to a weekly Friday prime-time series on ESPN or ESPN2, the networks will offer games on select Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the season.

College Football on Additional ESPN Platforms
ESPN will provide extensive, multiplatform coverage in addition to regular time slots on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

• ESPN3.com: In addition to at least 50 exclusive games, ESPN3.com will offer live simulcasts and on-demand re-airs of every ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC split national telecast, and every GamePlan game.
• ESPN Radio: ESPN Radio, ESPN’s national radio network – with more than 700 non-duplicative stations – will broadcast a weekly Saturday game, two Thursday night matchups and 23 postseason bowl games, highlighted by all five BCS matchups.
• ESPN Mobile TV: For the fifth year, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN’s first 24/7 channel for wireless platforms available on multiple carriers via MobiTV, will simulcast approximately four games a week from ESPN and ESPN2.
• ESPN Regional Television: The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming will produce games from the SEC, BIG EAST, MAC and WAC.
• ESPN GamePlan: ESPN’s outermarket pay-per-view service will offer season-long action, including up to 12 games each week.

Examples of Top Matchups (from games already selected)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Sat, Sep 3	8 p.m.	Cowboys Classic: Oregon vs. LSU (from Arlington)	ABC / ESPN Radio
	8 p.m.	Kickoff Game: Boise State vs. Georgia (from Atlanta)	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Mon, Sep 5	8 p.m.	Miami at Maryland	ESPN / ESPN3.com / ESPN Radio
Fri, Sep 9	10:30 p.m.	Missouri at Arizona State	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Sat, Sep 10	3:30 p.m.	Alabama at Penn State	ABC
	8 p.m.	Notre Dame at Michigan	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Thu, Sep 15	8 p.m.	LSU at Mississippi State	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Sat, Sep 17	Noon	Auburn at Clemson	ABC
	7:30 or 8 p.m.	Oklahoma at Florida State	ESPN or ABC ***
	7:30 or 8 p.m.	Ohio State at Miami	ESPN or ABC ***
	9:15 p.m.	Utah at BYU	ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Sat, Sep 24	TBA	LSU at West Virginia	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
	10:15 p.m.	USC at Arizona State	ESPN or ESPN2 / ESPN3.com
Sat, Oct 1	8 p.m.	Nebraska at Wisconsin	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
Thu, Oct 6	9 p.m.	California at Oregon	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Sat, Oct 8	Noon	Oklahoma vs. Texas (from Dallas)	ABC / ESPN Radio
Sat, Oct 22	8 p.m.	Wisconsin at Michigan State	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
Wed, Oct 26	8 p.m.	Connecticut at Pittsburgh	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Fri, Oct 28	8 p.m.	BYU vs. TCU (from Arlington)	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Sat, Oct 29	8 p.m.	Wisconsin at Ohio State	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
	8 p.m.	Stanford at USC	ABC
Thu, Nov 3	8 p.m.	Florida State at Boston College	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Thu, Nov 17	8 p.m.	North Carolina at Virginia Tech	ESPN / ESPN3.com / ESPN Radio
Sat, Nov 19	8 p.m.	USC at Oregon	ABC
Thu, Nov 24	8 p.m.	Texas at Texas A&M	ESPN / ESPN3.com
Fri, Nov 25	Noon	Iowa at Nebraska	ABC
	3:30 p.m.	Boston College at Miami	ABC
	TBD	Pittsburgh at West Virginia	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
Sat, Nov 26	8 p.m.	Notre Dame at Stanford	ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 ***
Sat, Dec 3	3:30 p.m. or 8 p.m.	Oklahoma at Oklahoma State	ABC
	8 p.m.	ACC Football Championship Game (from Charlotte)	ESPN / ESPN3.com / ESPN Radio

*** Game on ESPN or ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN3.com

Every Corner Covered through ESPN and ABC Outlets
In addition to game coverage, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV will provide news and features throughout the season, including on popular studio programs College GameDay, the daily College Football Live, College Football Final, College Football Countdown and BCS Countdown. ESPN’s multiple media outlets – ESPN.com, ESPNEWS and ESPN The Magazine – will also offer extensive season-long coverage.

And that does it.

ESPN’s Extensive and Comprehensive 2011-12 College Football Schedule

There was a time when ESPN had less than 100 college football games a season. But with ESPN programming itself, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, Big East Network, SEC Network, ESPN Plus MAC games and ESPN3.com, the total has risen to more than 400 games across its vast network of platforms. We have the list of games. It’s very long. Get ready to scroll.

2011 ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Radio College Football Schedule (As of July 21)

Note: All ABC split national, ESPN and ESPN2 games will be simulcast on ESPN3.com.
(ESPN Mobile TV schedule will be determined as season progresses; schedule subject to change; windows will be added as the season progresses)

* Part of reverse mirror in which ABC’s split national telecast is televised regionally on ESPN or ESPN2 and ESPN3.com to markets receiving another game on ABC
** Game will be televised at 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2; If on ABC, to be determined game on ESPN will begin at 7:45 p.m. and ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
*** Game on ESPN or ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN3.com

2011 COLLEGE FOOTBALL POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

Bowl Championship Series

Additional Postseason Games

I told you this was long.

Fox Sports Announces 2011 College Football Announcing Teams

This just in from Fox Sports Media Group, the six announcing teams for college football this season. Of course, they’re led by Gus Johnson and Charles Davis on FX. Craig Bolerjack moves from CBS Sports to Fox Sports Net where he’ll inexplicably be lead Pac-12 announcer and Joel Myers will call both the Big 12 and Pac-12 for FSN. As reported by Michael Hiestand of USA Today, Fox will utilize sideline analysts like ex-Minnesota coach Tim Brewster who will be teamed with Gus and Charles. Petros Papadakis will be the sideline analyst for Pac-12 games with Bolerjack and new analyst Joel Klatt. Former Colorado Buffalo and Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom will be a sideline analyst on Conference USA games that will be called by Rod Thulin and JC Pearson.

Notice that Brian Baldinger, a former NFL on Fox analyst, will be on both the Big 12 and Pac-12 teamed mostly with Joel Myers.

Here is the announcement from Fox Sports. We don’t have a full schedule of games on FX and FSN. When that comes in, I will post it here at Fang’s Bites. Take a look at who will be calling games for the Fox Sports platforms for Conference USA, Big 12 and Pac-12 games.

FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP ANNOUNCES 2011 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAMS

Gus Johnson Teams With Veteran Analyst Charles Davis & Former Univ. of Minnesota Head Coach Tim Brewster On FX Game Of The Week
More Than 60 Premier Big 12, Pac-12 & C-USA Match-Ups Showcased on FSN
Mike Pereira Debuts as CFB Rules Analyst on FX

New York, NY – FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG), today unveiled its lineup of announcers for national telecasts of the upcoming 2011 college football season on FX, FOX Sports Net (FSN), and Fox College Sports (FCS).  The details were announced today by Eric Shanks, President, FSMG and FOX Sports and Doug Sellars, Executive Vice President, Production and Executive Producer, FSMG.

FX, Fox Network Group’s popular entertainment basic cable network as seen in more than 99 million households, teams with FSMG in 2011 to carry a major college football game of the week featuring a 14 game schedule highlighted by premier conference matchups from the Big 12, PAC-12 and Conference USA beginning Saturday, September 3, with one game televised weekly.  This game of the week matchup is called by perhaps the most exciting play-by-play broadcaster in the business, Gus Johnson.  Johnson is alongside University of Tennessee standout and veteran college football analyst Charles Davis in the booth with former University of Minnesota head coach and University of Illinois standout linebacker Tim Brewster, rounding out the broadcast team as an on-field analyst.  Additionally, Johnson, Davis and Brewster call one of FOX’s two conference football championship games (PAC-12 or Big Ten) and the 2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

FSN, which reaches over 85 million homes through its owned and affiliated networks, will televise a selection of more than 60 Pac-12, Big 12 and Conference USA football games in 2011.

Pac-12 games on FSN are called by veteran college football play-by-play announcer Craig Bolerjack.  Bolerjack is joined by FSN college football analyst and former University of Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt with FOX Sports Radio personality and former USC fullback Petros Papadakis reporting from the sidelines. For Big 12 conference football telecasts on FSN, Klatt is joined by Big 12 football play-by-play voice Joel Meyers with FSN Southwest sportscaster Jim Knox contributing as a sideline reporter. Additionally, Meyers teams with analyst Brian Baldinger and Knox for select Big 12 matchups on FSN.  During Conference USA college football contests on FSN, football announcers Ron Thulin and Jeremy Bloom are joined by analyst JC Pearson. Pearson joins play-by-play voice Thulin in the booth with Bloom serving as an on-field analyst. FSN Southwest’s broadcast team led by play-by-play broadcaster Bill Land, college football analyst Dave Lapham and sideline reporter Emily Jones cover both Big 12 and Conference USA matchups for FSN this season.

“Led by Gus, Charles and Tim, our roster of college football talent is very experienced, knowledgeable and deep on all levels of production,” said Sellars. “This is the widest array of college football ever broadcast on our family of networks and we look forward to giving fans informative and entertaining coverage of their favorite college teams all season long.”

FOX NFL SUNDAY rules analyst Mike Pereira now adds college football to his television resume and will be available live during each college football game of the week broadcasts on FX. Just like his NFL debut last season, this is believed to be the first time in history that a rules official has commentated during a weekly college football game broadcast.

In addition, FCS will televise a minimum of six Big 12 football contests and will feature Kansas State alum Steve Physioc calling play-by-play and former USC football staff member Yogi Roth as game analyst.

Additionally, for the first time in its history, FOX Sports boasts exclusive coverage of college football’s inaugural PAC-12 Conference Championship Game on Friday, December 2followed by the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, December 3 from Indianapolis.

Following are the pairings for college football on FSMG in 2011:

Fox College Football (FX package)
Play-by-Play – Gus Johnson
Analyst – Charles Davis
Sideline Analyst – Tim Brewster

PAC-12 on FSN
Play-by-Play – Craig Bolerjack
Analyst – Joel Klatt
Sideline Analyst – Petros Papadaikas

BIG 12 on FSN
Play-by-Play – Joel Meyers
Analyst – Joel Klatt/Brian Baldinger
Sideline Reporter – Jim Knox

BIG 12 on FSN
Play-by-Play – Joel Meyers
Analyst – Brian Baldinger
Sideline Reporter – Jim Knox

CUSA on FSN
Play-by-Play – Ron Thulin
Analyst – JC Pearson
Sideline Analyst – Jeremy Bloom

BIG 12 on FSN/CUSA on FSN
Play-by-Play – Bill Land
Analyst – Dave Lapham
Sideline Reporter – Emily Jones

That is all.

Nominate Me In Blogs With Balls Untitled Sports Media Awards Project

Very rarely do I ask you to do anything. I am now. Blogs with Balls has announced its inaugural Untitled Sports Media Awards Project or #USMAP for short. There are several categories and I would like your help in getting nominated as a finalist. I’ll help you narrow it down so you don’t have to wonder where you should cast your vote.

Best Sports Site – Writing Quality

This category highlights the best sports website in terms of the quality of writing. The site may focus on news, commentary, statistics, humor or all of the above, as long as all nominees focus primarily on sports. There is no limit to the number of writers involved in the site, but it must be a sports site and not just a news or entertainment website with a sports column.

Nominee Name: Ken Fang
Nominee URL: http://fangsbites.com
Nominee Twitter: @fangsbites

Best Sports Site – News Breaking

This category highlights the best sports website in terms of news breaking. Notice the wording is not “breaking news” as in the best site to cover news once it has broken. This award should honor the best site for actually breaking the news the other sites then try to cover.

Nominee Name: Ken Fang
Nominee URL: http://fangsbites.com
Nominee Twitter: @fangsbites

Best Sports Media Tweeter

Twitter has changed the way we consume news and analysis. This category highlights the best tweeter in sports media. Anyone who works in sports or has the majority of his or her tweets about sports can be eligible.

Nominee Name: Ken Fang
Network Affiliation: Fang’s Bites
Nominee Twitter: @fangsbites

I just ask for your nomination in three categories. If you wish to put me in other categories, you can certainly do so. Just don’t put me in the “Best Old Sportswriter (Over 65)”. I’m not that old.

Thank you in advance.

Unveiling The Wednesday Links For You

On Tuesday, I did the links in the evening, but today, the linkage is coming out early. Let’s get to them.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that Fox plans to use its college football sideline reporter more as an analyst on the field, rather than give injury updates.

To the Wall Street Journal where Sam Schechner and Alexandra Berzon write about poker programming falling off TV due to the recent Fed crackdown of offsite gambling sites.

The Sports Biz Miss, Kristi Dosh, writes in Forbes that the settlement of the NFL lockout does not bode well for the NBA players in their dispute with the league.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser notes that former Access Hollywood and Insider host (and Betsy admirer) Pat O’Brien returns to CBS as the host of a new poker series. Pat used to be NBA, MLB and Olympics host for CBS Sports a long, long time ago. I think he’s better known now for his entertainment work than his sports career.

Cam writes that BBC Sport has posted a rather extensive online viewing guide for the 2012 London Olympics.

Ben Grossman of Broadcasting & Cable has Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban being bullish on cable saying it’s the best way to distribute video rather than the internet.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says Universal Sports, which is now available on DirecTV, is airing “One Year To Go” programming as we’re now a year away from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Ki Mae Heussner from Adweek says ESPN’s Erin Andrews was among those taking part in an event hosted by Marie Claire magazine.

Tim Nudd at Adweek looks at the State of MLS as it hits its All-Star Game tonight.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the video of the controversial ending between the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th inning.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group notes that ESPN.com has reworked its video player to stream 720p clips.

At Yahoo’s From the Marbles blog, Jay Busbee has ESPN’s NASCAR crew telling Dale Earnhardt, Jr. that it’s time to be a man.

The Big Lead notes that ESPN is all over football right now even though baseball is approaching one of its busier times of the season.

Awful Announcing is now at the finals of its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament. Finalists might surprise you.

All Access says ESPN Deportes Radio has picked up another affiliate, this time in South Florida.

Richard Sandomir from the New York Times the victims of Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme are now focusing on the Mets ownership and what they knew of Madoff’s shenanigans and when they knew it.

Tom Spousta of the Times notes that Texas’ rivals in the Big 12 are seeing more than burnt orange in regards to the Longhorn Network.

Pete Tobey at the Glen Falls (NY) Post-Star says local native Dave Strader is leaving his Phoenix Coyotes post to work for the NHL on NBC/Versus.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says CBS Radio is making a hard charge at the Pittsburgh Pirates rights as Clear Channel tries to hold onto them.

Fox Sports Southwest has formally announced that Friday nights will be devoted to high school football programming.

Brent Zwerneman at the Houston Chronicle notes that the Big 12 has called a meeting on what to do about the Longhorn Network.

Steve Watkins of the Cincinnati Business Courier says Fox Sports Ohio is offering some online features as a companion to its Reds game broadcasts.

Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago says NBC Chicago has hired the replacement for the late Daryl Hawks on its sports staff.

Vahe Gregorian at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Big 12 hierarchy is feeling that the issues surrounding Longhorn Network can be fixed.

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star says a switching error caused the Royals-Red Sox extra inning game to go off the air on Fox Sports Kansas City late Monday night and a streetball program to go on briefly its place.

Chris Dufrense of the Los Angeles Times says Pac-12 schools remain euphoric about their $3 billion media rights contract with ESPN and Fox, but there are still some issues that hang over the conference.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News caught up with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and spoke with him about several issues facing the league.

Robert Collias of the Maui (HI) News reports that NBC golf analyst Mark Rolfing is sounding off after being dropped as the Executive Director of a PGA Tour stop.

Susan Krashinsky of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that Rogers Sportsnet has purchased Setanta Sports Canada and will rebrand the channel under the Sportsnet name.

Erik Spanberg from Scene Daily has ESPN being hopeful that the upward trend on NASCAR’s TV ratings continue as it takes over the Sprint Cup schedule for the rest of the season.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

The Business Insider Sports Page has its suggestions as who should be cause in the ESPN Book movie.

And I’m done with the links for now.

Universal Sports Debuts Full-Time on DirecTV Today!

After being teased with a one month trial back in September of 2009 when Versus was pulled from DirecTV, Universal Sports is now on the satellite provider full-time as of today. The channel will be in the provider’s Sports Pack on channel 625. Universal has been in the midst of providing coverage of the World Swimming Championships from Communist China and in late August, the network owned by NBC Universal will air exclusive coverage of the IAAF World Championships from Daegu, South Korea. It’s about time Universal Sports has hit DirecTV and this provides the channel with access to as many as 19 million subscribers. From now until September, all DirecTV viewers will be able to see the Universal before it goes behind the Sports Pack tier. We have the giddy press release from Universal Sports.

Universal Sports Debuts Today on DIRECTV in Over 19 Million Homes Network Will Air on Channel 625

Los Angeles, CA – July 27, 2011 — Universal Sports is making its DirecTV debut today on channel 625. For the first time ever, DIRECTV’s 19.4 million U.S. customers will be able to watch the world’s top athletes competing in championship events from around the globe. including the Swimming World Championships currently underway in China, the IAAF Track and Field World Championships in late August, and the third and final Grand Tour of the summer cycling season, the Vuelta a España (starting August 20).

Universal Sports will also begin its new “Countdown to London” multi-platform programming today with one year to go before the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The day of programming, entitled “Countdown to London, One Year to Go”, will give fans a special look back at the greatest moments from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as, primetime coverage from the 2011 Swimming World Championships in Shanghai. The network’s 2008 Olympic Games retrospective will include the highlight series, “Pieces of 08”, and a re-airing of the captivating 2008 Opening Ceremony.

Beginning in September, DIRECTV viewers will be able to check out on both Universal Sports and DIRECTV pay-per-view the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where host New Zealand, England, South Africa and the U.S. will compete for the sport’s quadrennial world championship.

On June 15, 2011, Universal Sports and DIRECTV announced a multi-year, multi-platform distribution agreement, the first between the two companies. In the deal, the network agreed to launch on a free preview basis to all DIRECTV customers on July 27, before moving to DIRECTV’s SPORTS PACK and other select packages on October 1, 2011. Also, Universal Sports’ ownership of full digital rights to its content will allow DIRECTV’s customers to enjoy the network’s programming on the Internet, mobile devices and tablets as DIRECTV rolls out its multiplatform offerings in the near future.

I’m working on the links right now. I hope to have them finished before lunchtime on the East Coast.

ESPN2 Airs MLS All-Star Game Tonight

If you’re looking to get a soccer fix after the Women’s World Cup earlier this month, there’s the MLS All-Star Game being played in Harrison, NJ tonight. ESPN2 will carry the game and it will have plenty of international stars including David Beckham and Thierry Henry playing for the MLS All-Stars as they go up against English Premier League Champion Manchester United, easily the world’s most popular club team in the sport and the most corrupt (I’m a Chelsea fan). Anyway, the game marks the time the MLS All-Star Game will have been played at Red Bull Arena. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Calling the game for ESPN2 will be Adrian Healey and John Harkes.

2011 MLS All-Star Game Wednesday on ESPN2

David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Omar Bravo Lead MLS’s Best vs. Barclays Premier League Champion Manchester United

ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will show live the 2011 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 27, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET from the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. – the first MLS All-Star event at the state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium. The special telecast, available in high definition, will feature MLS All-Stars, led by Los Angeles Galaxy’s David Beckham, New York Red Bull Thierry Henry, and Sporting Kansas City’s Omar Bravo versus Manchester United, the most successful club in English football with a record 19 league titles and 11 FA Cups.

This will mark the second consecutive MLS All-Star game between the U.S. league’s best players and Manchester United. This year, the MLS All-Star roster includes players with more than 10 combined appearances on FIFA World Cup teams – Beckham (1998, 2002, ’06), Henry (1998, 2002, ’06, ’10), Kasey Keller (1998, 2002), Omar Bravo (2006) and Faryd Mondragón (1998). Tonight’s All-Star Game is also the first time Beckham will face his former team Manchester United in the U.S.

Manchester United is coming off its 19^th league title after winning the 2010-2011 Barclays Premier League season. Led by Sir Alex Ferguson, who is entering his 25^th season as the club’s manager, Manchester United’s roster is stacked with some of the top-tier players in the world. Former Welsh national team captain Ryan Giggs, England’s Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, Portugal’s Nani, French international Patrice Evra, Serbian national team star Nemanja Vidic, Mexico’s Javier “Chícharito” Hernández, South Korea’s Ji-Sung Park, and others return from last season’s Premier League title winners.

Adrian Healey and John Harkes, ESPN’s primary MLS commentator team, will call the action, with Rob Stone as sideline reporter.  Max Bretos, Alexi Lalas, Steve McManaman and Taylor Twellman will host the studio coverage including pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from Red Bull Arena.  Coverage will also include live, in-game interviews with select coaches and/or players.

ESPN International
The All-Star game will be broadcast via ESPN International networks to over 39.3 million television home in 104 countries and territories across the world.

We’re done here.

Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Consortium Preliminary Broadcasting Lineup For 2012 Games

On this one year to the 2012 London Olympics, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium has released the hosts for CTV/TSN/RDS/Rogers Sportsnet/V and some of the announcers/analysts for selected sports. Of course, the main host for CTV will be Brian Williams, of course, not be confused with NBC’s Brian Williams. Canada’s Brian Williams is that country’s version of Mr. Olympics as he has hosted the Games dating back to 1984 on CBC. CTV’s midday hosts will be James Duthie and Jennifer Hedger both of TSN and speed skating gold medalist Catriona Le May Doan will be a host on CTV’s coverage as well.

The Consortium borrowed many analysts from CBC’s 2008 Summer Olympic coverage and we have the list for you right here.

Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium Announces First Names to Broadcast Team for the London 2012 Olympic Games

– Brian Williams leads all-star roster of broadcasters, including Alain Crête, Darren Dutchyshen, James Duthie, Brad Fay, Chantal Machabée, Claude Mailhot, Don Taylor, and more –
– Olympic medallists Alexandre Bilodeau, Nathalie Lambert, Catriona Le May Doan, Marnie McBean, Kyle Shewfelt, Bruny Surin, Barney Williams, and more join broadcast team –
– The Consortium poised to deliver the greatest Summer Games experience with more than 5,000 hours of multi-platform coverage –

Toronto, ON (July 26, 2011) – On the eve of the one-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium announced today its initial broadcast team for its presentation of the next Olympic Games. Led by veteran sports and Olympic host Brian Williams, the team is poised to bring Canadians the greatest Summer Games experience ever. The list also includes some of the most impressive Canadian Olympians of all time, such as Catriona Le May Doan, Nathalie Lambert, Marnie McBean, and Kyle Shewfelt. Alexandre Bilodeau, the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil also joins the RDS team as Collaborator for the Opening Ceremonies. The Olympians announced thus far as part of the Consortium’s broadcast team have an impressive 18 Olympic medals among them.

In addition to Williams, RDS’ Chantal Machabée, V’s Jean Pagé, TSN’s Darren Dutchyshen, and Rogers Sportsnet’s Brad Fay host the prime time slots on their respective channels. With the best broadcasters and athlete commentators in the country, the Consortium team is positioned to bring Canadians the dynamic storytelling that anchored its coverage of Vancouver 2010, on the world’s grandest stage for amateur sports. Viewers can also expect the return of the Consortium’s hugely-popular and dynamic features “Superbodies”, “How Tough Are These Sports”, and “Rick Hansen’s Difference Makers”, all of which are currently in production.“At the Consortium, we have both the responsibility and the privilege to share the stories of London 2012 with all Canadians,” said Adam Ashton, President, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. “Our diverse and experienced broadcast team are prepared to deliver the extraordinary stories of the world’s best, with the care and accuracy they deserve.”

To date, the broadcast team confirmed for London 2012 is:

CTV Hosts

OLYMPIC PRIME TIME – Brian Williams
OLYMPIC DAYTIME – James Duthie, Jennifer Hedger
OLYMPIC MORNING – Dave Randorf, Catriona Le May Doan

RDS Hosts

OLYMPIC PRIME TIME – Chantal Machabée
OLYMPIC DAYTIME – Alain Crête
OLYMPIC MORNING – Claude Mailhot

RDS Collaborator – Opening Ceremonies
Alexandre Bilodeau

RDS Special Reporter
Nathalie Lambert

V Hosts

OLYMPIC PRIME TIME – Jean Pagé
OLYMPIC DAYTIME – Frédéric Plante
OLYMPIC MORNING – Yanick Bouchard

Rogers Sportsnet Hosts

OLYMPIC PRIME TIME – Brad Fay
OLYMPIC DAYTIME – Daren Millard
OLYMPIC MORNING – Don Taylor

TSN Hosts

OLYMPIC PRIME TIME – Darren Dutchyshen
OLYMPIC DAYTIME – Michael Landsberg
OLYMPIC MORNING – Jay Onrait, Dan O’Toole

Play-By-Play Announcers and Analysts – English Broadcast Team

Athletics
Gord Miller (play-by-play)
Dave Moorcroft (analyst)
Michael Smith (analyst)

Canoe/Kayak/Rowing
Rob Faulds (play-by-play)
Larry Cain (analyst)
Barney Williams (analyst)
Marnie McBean (studio analyst, rowing)

Gymnastics
Rod Black (play-by-play)
Kyle Shewfelt (analyst)

Swimming/Diving
Rod Smith (play-by-play)
Joanne Malar (analyst)
Blythe Hartley (analyst)

Play-By-Play Announcers and Analysts – French Broadcast Team

Athletics
Pierre Houde (play-by-play)
Richard Garneau (analyst)
Jean-Paul Baert (analyst)
Bruny Surin (analyst)

Canoe/Kayak/Rowing
David Arsenault (play-by-play)
Maxime Boilard (analyst, canoe/kayak)
Daniel Aucoin (analyst, rowing)

Diving
Félix Séguin (play-by-play)
Annie Pelletier (analyst)

Gymnastics
Claudine Douville (play-by-play)
Bernard Petiot (analyst)

Swimming
Denis Casavant (play-by-play)
Yannick Lupien (analyst)

Synchronized Swimming
Claudine Douville (play-by-play)
Marie-Pierre Gagné (analyst)

Water Polo
Michel Y. Lacroix (play-by-play)
Ann Dow (analyst)

More broadcaster names will be announced in the coming months.

That is it.

NBC’s One Year To The 2012 Olympics Video

At 8 p.m. Eastern time, all of NBCUniversal’s 20 networks will air this video as a way to inform viewers that one year from today, 366 days from now (2012 is a leap year, don’t forget), that NBC will launch its 17 days of coverage of the London Olympics. There are a lot of scenes from 2008 in Communist China and a reminder that NBC will be America’s Olympic Network for many years to come.

And I’ll see if I can post other videos from CTV and BBC as they start their one year pitches as well.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Football
Media Days — ESPNU, 1 p.m.

MLB
American League
Anaheim Angels at Cleveland — Fox Sports West, noon
Seattle at New York Yankees — Root Sports Northwest/YES, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago White Sox — Fox Sports Detroit/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 2 p.m.
Baltimore at Toronto — MASN/Sportsnet One, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Boston — Fox Sports Kansas City/NESN, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Texas — Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Southwest, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Oakland — Sun Sports/Comcast SportsNet California, 10 p.m.

National League
Florida at Washington — Fox Sports Florida/MASN2, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Cincinnati — SNY/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta — Root Sports Pittsburgh/SportSouth, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Philadelphia — ESPN/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee — Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Houston at St. Louis — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Arizona at San Diego — Fox Sports Arizona/Cox 4, 10 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/KCAL, 10 p.m.

The Rundown Live — MLB Network, 2 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 10 p.m.
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants — Showtime, 10 p.m.

MLS
MLS All-Star Game, Harrison, NJ
MLS All-Stars vs. Manchester United — ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.

Soccer
Asia Trophy
Aston Villa vs. Blackburn — Fox Soccer, 6 a.m.

Audi Cup, Munich, Germany
Third Place Match
Internacional vs. Milan — Fox Soccer, noon

Final
Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich — Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.

CONCACAF Champions League Soccer
Preliminary Round, 1st leg
Toronto vs. Real Esteli — Fox Soccer, 8 p.m.

Entertainment
Big Brother 13 — CBS, 8 p.m.
America’s Got Talent — NBC, 9 p.m.
Mob Money: Murders and Acquisitions — CNBC, 9 p.m.
Primetime Nightline: Celebrity Secrets, Hollywood Moms — ABC, 10 p.m.
Damages — Audience Network/DirecTV, 10 p.m.
Rescue Me — FX, 10 p.m.
Locked Up Abroad: Teenage Drug Smuggler — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark — Sho2, midnight

People You Should Follow On Twitter, Part 8

Man, this has gone on much longer than I thought. When I started this whole series, I thought I could do it all in one sitting, but boy, was I wrong. It’s now spanned eight installments and will actually have a ninth on Wednesday. But I can assure you it will be the last one. The next time I do this, I will assign it to an intern to gather all of the information and then I’ll write it. Of course, the next time I hire an intern will be the first, but anyway.

If you want to look at previous posts in this series, go here, here, here, here, here, here and here. I’ve suggested 128 accounts thus far. We’ll have much more than that when all is said and done.

Tonight will focus on tennis and Sports TV public relations. Let’s get to it.

TENNIS

womenstennis — Marija Zivlak of the Women’s Tennis Blog does a tremendous job on her site. Maintaining the blog from her native Serbia, Marija keeps track of the entire WTA Tour and keeps readers on top of fashion, the latest news on the players plus videos showing their personal side. I’ve communicated off and on with Marija since 2007 and I’m pleased to see her site grow from a small site to one that is widely read. Marija’s account is mostly an RSS feed with an occasional personal tweet. She has 1,420 followers. Follow her to keep track of the WTA Tour.

thetennistimes — Another good site for you to visit, The Tennis Times based in Australia and the UK follows not just one tour like the Women’s Tennis Blog, but all tours, the ATP, WTA, the Grand Slams and all news that deals with tennis. The Twitter feed is mostly a clearinghouse for posts, but it also keeps you up to date on when the site is updated. The Tennis Times has 3,574 followers.

Clijsterskim — The official of champion Kim Clijsters, this is how an athlete’s Twitter account should be maintained. Kim provides news, reaction and interacts with her followers. It’s really a well done account. Just like Kim, it’s classy and every once in a while, she talks about being a mom. Kim has 109,252 followers.

radiowimbledon — The team of Radio Wimbledon prove year-in and year-out that tennis on the radio can work and work rather well. All of the broadcasters are British and they work other radio jobs, but when the fortnight rolls around, they work for two weeks calling all matches through the Finals. This year, Radio Wimbledon blew up on Twitter and the broadcasters read tweets in between points not only from the UK, but from all over the world. Radio Wimbledon has 1,776 followers now, but at its peak during the tournament, that total was much higher.

DjokerNole — This is the account of World’s #1 men’s tennis player and current Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic. This is done in both Serbian and English. There’s plenty of humor in the tweets and that is welcomed on this end. Djokovic provides plenty of personal tweets, pictures, retweets and heavily interacts with his followers. Very good account to follow if you’re a tennis fan. This has 243,898 followers.

carowozniacki — For the World’s #1 women’s tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki tweets in her native Danish, English, German and just about any other language she knows. Quite multilingual. And there is plenty of good stuff in this account. Caroline has 162,434 followers.

Jon_wertheim — Jon Wertheim is the tennis writer extraordinaire from Sports Illustrated. His account is chock full of information on tennis news plus offers links to his latest stories. Jon will live tweet matches that he’s covering. In addition, his weekly mailbag is one of his best features on SI.com. He’s extremely connected within the tennis world. Jon has 9,362 followers.

PatrickMcEnroe — This is for the ESPN tennis analyst who not only loves his tennis, but all sports. P-Mac will interact with his followers as well. He’s more than just a tennis guy and his Twitter account reflects that. He has 23,103 followers and you can be one of the tweeps that brings him closer to 25,000. I do enjoy Patrick’s tweets especially when he’s covering a Grand Slam tournament for ESPN2.

SPORTS TV PUBLIC RELATIONS

jksports — There is no reason for ESPN PR maven Josh Krulewitz to have the default Twitter egg at this point. He’s been on Twitter for long enough to have something else in its place, but I digress. Josh is the go-to guy for any statements, pictures of ESPN personalities and all-around information on the Mothership. Josh has 2,108 followers.

b_hofheimerespn — Bill Hofheimer is the ESPN contact for Monday Night Football and the World Cup. He also tweets about the World Series of Poker and is very quick with programming updates on ESPN. One of the more conscientious PR people I’ve met, Bill is constantly updating his Twitter account on all things ESPN. He has 6,332 followers.

MsPotts_ESPN — The lovely Keri Potts was once the PR contact for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, but now is part of the college football PR team at the Alleged Worldwide Leader. Another person who’s tweeting about ESPN, but sometimes provides other information. While she’s no longer following me, I still follow Ms. Potts for the entertaining back and forth she has with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch. Keri has 3,221 followers.

ESPNFrontRow — ESPN Front Row is the blog for ESPN’s PR department, this provides the posts for the site. There’s no interaction with any followers, this is just the feed for the blog. There are some posts that make for interesting reading. Overall, follow this site just to keep up to date on the blog. There are some posts that have made it into the linkage. This account has 4,520 followers.

NBCSportsPR — This provides any and all information pertaining to NBC Sports and the entire NBC Sports Group. The account will retweet sports media reporters and bloggers if it includes references to one of NBC Sports’ properties. I like how it does this. This account will also tweet ratings information which comes in handy. NBC Sports PR has 4,659 tweeps.

danpbell — This is for Dan Bell, Vice President of Communications for Fox Sports. Like the ESPN accounts, Dan provides anything and everything pertaining to the Fox Sports Media Group. He’ll tweet about the NFL on Fox, MLB on Fox, Fox College Football, NASCAR on Fox and he will defend Fox Sports personalities if he feels a tweep has gone too far. Dan has 769 followers.

FoxSportsLily — If you’ve watched Fox NFL Sunday, you may have gotten a glimpse of Lily sitting at the computer, maintaining the Twitter account for Fox Sports. She is one of the more delightful tweeps whom I follow. She tweets about the Fox Sports properties as well as retweeting Fox personalities. Outside of Fox, Lily has her own website highlighting her personal photography. It’s very well done. FoxSportsLily has 1,061 tweeps and she should have much more than that.

CBSSportsGang — We have the official PR Twitter account for CBS Sports. It’s not updated as much as it should, but it is a good follow for ratings info plus for any press releases that are provided from CBS Sports. This has 4,791 tweeps.

TurnerSportsPR — The official account of Turner Sports, this provides any press releases and announcements of the entire Turner sports portfolio. This is very good to keep track of if you’re into sports media. This account is followed by 2,738 tweeps.

TVvince — This is for former Fox Sports PR man Vince Wladika. Now that he’s free from having to spin numbers for any network, Vince has taken off the shackles and talks about anything. He’s not afraid to give his opinion and he’s quite interesting. Vince has 262 followers, but that should be way higher. Do your part by giving Vince a follow.

InsideNFLMedia — This is for NFL Network PR guy Dennis Johnson. Dennis is a good follow for the fact that he responds to followers, retweet others, and he can tweet with the best of them. I have come to appreciate his work promoting NFL Network from the West Coast. This has 11,049 followers and for good reason.

brennareneenfl — Our final account for tonight, Brenna Webb provides press releases on NFL Network programming. Brenna updates her account with NFL Network news plus she’ll retweet those she’s following. A good account to follow and it currently stands at 3,914 tweeps.

So with 20 new tweeps tonight, it means you have a total of 148 accounts for you to consider. That’s all.