Fang's Bites

ABC To Air Its 48th Indianapolis 500

This Sunday, ESPN will produce the annual Indianapolis 500 race on ABC. It marks the 48th time the race will be on the network. Coverage will begin at 11 a.m. with a prerace show. Then at noon, the coverage starts. Brent Musburger will host. Marty Reid calls the race while Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever will be the analysts.

There will be plenty of innovation as ESPN says. You can check everything below.

ABC Bringing Innovation, New Technology to Indianapolis 500 Telecast

ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 for the 48^th consecutive year on Sunday, May 27, and is bringing innovation and new technology to its coverage of one of the world’s historic and iconic sporting events.

A one-hour preview show airs from Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 11 a.m. ET, with the race telecast at noon. The green flag is at 12:12 p.m. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” has aired on ABC every year since 1965.

ESPN’s production will utilize more than 80 cameras to televise the premier event of the IndyCar Series, including four onboard cameras per car in at least nine of the 33 cars competing in the race. ESPN will make use of dual-path technology for the first time in an IndyCar Series telecast, permitting views from two onboard cameras on the same car at the same time.

Also for the first time, viewers of the ABC telecast will be able to enhance their experience with a choice of live streaming video from the onboard cameras on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network. ESPN3 will carry the feeds exclusively through WatchESPN and on Indycar.com to fans who receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. Viewers will be able to choose which driver’s onboard cameras they want to watch from among the available cars. ESPN3 also will have replays of the ABC telecast following the event. ESPN3 is available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members.

ESPN will continue its Indianapolis use of “Batcam,” a camera that provides unique views running on a cable over pit road and the frontstretch and can move at more than 80 mph. Views and replays will be enhanced by the first Indianapolis 500 use of Ultra Hi Motion cameras located in the short chutes at each end of the 2.5-mile track as well as at the fourth turn exit.

Marty Reid will call the race with analysis by former IndyCar driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Brent Musburger will host the telecast while pit reporters will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.

ESPN’s Indianapolis 500 coverage will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg. James Shiftan will produce the race telecast and Bruce Watson will direct, while Jeff Ingalls will produce the pre-race show with Chip Dean directing.

The opening tease looks at the event through the eyes of the driver in a first-person experience with Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, Will Power and JR Hildebrand. The piece shows a driver’s life as a sensory overload with the noises of the cars, radios and fans and follows the cadence as drivers strive to shut it all out and see only the finish line with total focus.

Among the special features that are planned for the pre-race show or in SportsCenter’s Indianapolis 500 coverage:

• Dan Wheldon: A Champion’s Story — interviews with drivers, owners and family members celebrating the life and championships of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner who died in a racing accident in October.
• JR Hildebrand: 799 Correct Turns and 1 Wrong Turn – A first-person feature about the heartbreaking finish of the 2011 Indy 500 for Hildebrand, who crashed with the checkered flag in site.
• James Hinchcliffe – The driver who has captured IndyCar fans with his sense of humor as well as his ability behind the wheel does a parody of the Danica Patrick/GoDaddy.com commercials.
• Dario Franchitti Museum Tour – The multi-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion takes a private tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, exploring the history of the race and his desire to win his third.
• Charlie Kimball: Inspiring Others — Kimball, the first diabetic driver to finish the Indy 500, has inspired a 12-year-old girl from Kansas to believe she can do anything, despite living with diabetes.
• ESPN Sport Science takes a detailed look at the new DW12 IndyCar chassis that debuted this year and details the changes from previous chassis.
• Memorial Day — The story of a mother who sacrificed a great deal when her son Ben lost his life fighting for his country. She visits Arlington National Cemetery to tell her story.

Other ESPN Platforms

In addition to the live telecast on ABC, the Indianapolis 500 will receive ESPN multiplatform coverage on the following outlets:

ESPN International’s network and joint ventures’ reach is more than 212 million homes in 136 countries and territories. Add to that syndication (46 countries and 53.3 million homes), ABC’s U.S. reach of 114,700,000 and television distribution exceeds 380.5 million homes in 182 countries worldwide. In addition, U.S. troops serving overseas and on Navy vessels around the world will watch live via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network, bringing the total to 213 countries and territories around the world.

ESPN.com will provide surround coverage of the Indy 500 with senior motorsports writers Ed Hinton and Terry Blount, IndyCar correspondent John Oreovicz and motorsports editor K. Lee Davis for the 96th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The site has already been previewing and preparing for the event. ESPN.com staff will cap off the coverage on race day with Racing Live! Indianapolis 500 on ESPN.com as the writers, editors and fans interact on every aspect of the race. In addition, anchor Marty Reid and analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever will provide exclusive digital coverage leading up to and after the race.

On television, extensive reports, interviews and highlights will air on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS.

ESPN Classic will present a week-long tribute in honor of the 96^th running of the Indianapolis 500. All week long beginning Monday, May 21, ESPN Classic will air classic Indy 500 races and SportsCentury programming. The special programming continues after the May 27 running with A.J. Foyt tributes on May 29 and 31 and a Gordon Johncock tribute on May 30.

ESPN Radio’s Saturday RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. with an hour of news, previews and analysis. ESPN Radio also provides auto racing fans the comprehensive Sunday RaceDay (6-7 a.m. Sundays), which covers the auto racing world.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S., will cover the Indy 500 via SportsCenter, the network’s flagship news and information program. The network’s motorsports expert Andres Agulla and former professional driver Alex Pombo, will provide special reports and interviews with the racers directly from Indianapolis. In addition, ESPNdeportes.com will provide comprehensive coverage with previews, qualifying, photo galleries, videos and live chats with Agulla and Pombo. ESPN Deportes also will provide the SAP for the ABC telecast of the race, with Agulla and Pombo providing the commentary.

More coming up. Keep it here.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

Arena Football
Jacksonville at Orlando — NFL Network, 8 p.m.

Australian Rules Football
Richmond Tigers vs. Hawthorn Hawks — Fox Soccer Plus, 11:30 p.m.

College Baseball
ACC Tournament, Greenboro, NC
Virginia vs. Georgia Tech — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports, 11 a.m.
Florida State vs. Clemson — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/Sun Sports, 3 p.m.
Miami vs. Wake Forest — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona Plus/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South, 7 p.m. (Sun Sports, 10:30 p.m.)

Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, OH
Ohio State vs. Nebraska — Big Ten Network, noon
Michigan State vs. Ohio State or Nebraska — Big Ten Network, 3:30 p.m.
Purdue vs. Indiana — Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.

Mountain West Tournament, Las Vegas, NV
San Diego State vs. UNLV/New Mexico — the mtn., 6 p.m.
TCU vs. UNLV/New Mexico — the mtn., 10 p.m.

SEC Tournament, Hoover, AL
LSU vs. Mississippi State — CSS, 4 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt/Florida — CSS, 7:30 p.m.

College Softball
NCAA Division I Championship
Super Regionals
Norman, OK
Game 1: Arizona vs. Oklahoma — ESPNU, 2 p.m.

Tuscaloosa, AL
Game 2: Alabama vs. Michigan — ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.
Game 3: Michigan vs. Alabama — ESPN, 7 p.m. (if necessary)

Tampa Bay, FL
Game 1: Hofstra vs. South Florida — ESPNU, 7 p.m.

Austin, TX
Game 1: Oregon vs. Texas — ESPN, 9 p.m.

Tempe, AZ
Game 2: Arizona vs. Louisiana-Lafayette — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Game 3: Louisiana-Layette vs. Arizona — ESPNU, 11:30 p.m. (if necessary)

Golf
Champions Tour: Senior PGA Championship, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, noon
European PGA Tour: PGA Championship, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, 9 a.m.
PGA Tour: Colonial Invitational, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

IndyCar
Indianapolis 500 Carb Day — NBC Sports Network, 11 a.m.
Indy Lights: Freedom 100 — NBC Sports Network, noon
Indianapolis 500 Carb Day– NBC Sports Network, 1 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
Bellator Fighting Championships 70 — MTV2, 8 p.m.
The Ultimate Fighter Live: Determination, Discipline, Excellence — FX, 10 p.m.
UFC Primetime — FX, 11 p.m.

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

National League
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh — Comcast SportsNet Chicago Plus/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Cincinnati — MLB Network/Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
San Diego at New York Mets — Fox Sports San Diego/WPIX, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Miami — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
Washington at Atlanta — MASN/Peachtree TV, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at St. Louis — Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Milwaukee at Arizona — Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
Houston at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 3 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, midnight

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Final
Game 6: New York Rangers at New Devils — NBC Sports Network/CBC/RDS, 8 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Pregame — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Live Postgame — NBC Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.
NHL Toinght: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Postgame — NHL Network, 10:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
CNBC Sports Biz: Game On! — NBC Sports Network, 11, p.m.

Tennis
ATP Tour: Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, Semifinals — Tennis Channel, 2 & 4 p.m. (same day coverage)
WTA Tour: Brussels Open, Semifinals — Tennis Channel, 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.

Entertainment
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (20th Anniversary Re-Edit) — Spike, 8 p.m.
Deadliest Catch: Social Reload — Discovery, 8 p.m.
The Ricky Gervais Show: The English — HBO, 9 p.m.
House Hunters Coast to Coast: Southern Style — HGTV, 9 p.m.
America’s Most Wanted — Lifetime (The Network That Hates Men), 9 p.m.
Primetime: What Would You Do? — ABC, 9:01 p.m.
Mystery Diners: Bringing Down the Haus — Food Network, 10 p.m.
20/20 — ABC, 10 p.m.
Dateline NBC — NBC, 10 p.m.
Motives & Murders: Deadly Snow (season finale) — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
The Dead Files: Deadly Attraction — Discovery, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: San Juan, Puerto Rico — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
The Who (Live at the Isle of Wight) — VH1 Classic, 10:30 p.m.
Femme Fatales: 16 Minutes of Fame (season premiere) — Cinemax, 11 p.m.
#1 Cheerleader Camp — The Movie Channel, 11 p.m.

Some Very Quick Friday Morning Sports Media Thoughts

I’m going to down a few quick thoughts as I’m going to busy during the day so I don’t know if I’ll be able to post much. I’ll give you some thoughts to tie you in the interim.

• I was saddened to hear that USA Today laid off reporters in its sports section. Those cut included media and business writer Mike McCarthy who became a friend to your humble blogger, Tom Weir of the extraordinary Game Om! blog and Tom Pedulla who described his surreal experienceof losing his job to Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report.A piece of disclosure here. Fang’s Bites is part of the USA Today Media Group, but is an independently-owned blog. I was not aware of the layoffs until they were reported. I certainly hate to see anyone lose a job, especially in this economy. Here’s hoping Mike and Tom W. will find new positions soon.
• The move by the New Orleans Times-Picayune to reduce printing its newspaper to three days a week this fall stinks to high heaven. I know we’re in a digital age, but journalism is not about how many clicks you can attract. It’s about serving the community and acting as a check on local government. I hope the Times-Picayune can find a balance that keeps the organization alive.
• With NBC announcing the amount of hours it will provide on its various platforms for the London Olympics it’s a step in the right direction. With some 272½ hours on the main network, plus another 5,262½ hours on cable and online combined, we’ll see a plethora of Olympic coverage this summer. I hope NBCUniversal will step up. I’m still dreading seeing Ryan Seacrest while looking forward to seeing Michelle Beadle in London.
• I heard through a couple of sources that Friend of Fang’s Bites Jen Royle was approached by ESPN for an unspecified role. Not sure if it means TV or radio. She nor ESPN are officially talking. I’ll let you know if anything develops.
• And congratulations to Steve Lepore of Puck The Media. He’s moved his site to SB Nation where he’ll continue to provide his quality work.

And that will end the thoughts. Enjoy your Friday.

Sunday Night Football Ranks #1 Among All 2011-12 Primetime Programs

This in from the National Football League. With the 2011-12 TV season ending on Wednesday, Sunday Night Football becomes the first sports series to be ranked first in average viewership with 21.5 million for the entire schedule and 20.9 million for the 2011-12 primetime season. American Idol finished second in viewership.

SNF on NBC also ranked first among all primetime programs in household ratings as well as key adult and male demographics.

So the NFL came into this season off a record viewing year in 2010-11 and sets another huge milestone in the 2011-12 television season.

Certainly something to crow about for the NFL. We have the National Football League press release below for you.

Sunday Night Football first sports series to rank as most-watched primetime show for full TV season

With the conclusion of the 2011-12 television season last night, NBC’s Sunday Night Football topped all primetime entertainment programming to become the first sports series to finish the full fall-spring TV season as the most-watched show in primetime, according to The Nielsen Company.

Sunday Night Football averaged 21.5 million viewers and 20.9 million viewers for its games during the official TV season which ran from Sept. 19, 2011 through May 23, 2012. American Idol ranked second.  Sunday Night Football was also the top-ranked primetime program for the television season in household rating, and all key adult and male demographics.

Additional TV highlights from the 2011 NFL season:

• Super Bowl XLVI on NBC was the most-watched program in U.S. television history.
• The AFC and NFC Championship Games accounted for the most-watched Championship Sunday in 30 years.
• Divisional Playoff weekend was the most watched ever, with Giants-Packers on FOX ranking as the most-watched Divisional Playoff game in history.
• The Steelers-Broncos playoff game on CBS was the most-watched Wild Card game ever.
• FOX posted its most-watched NFL season ever.
• CBS posted its second-most watched NFL season since acquiring the AFC package.
• ESPN’s Monday Night Football was the most-watched series on cable for the sixth consecutive year.
• NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football posted its most-watched season ever..

Congratulations to the NFL on this feat. More later

Let’s Get To Some Linkage

Before the day is through, let’s do some linkage for you.

Steve Berkowitz from USA Today looks at the Pac-12′s TV contract which is the richest in college sports (for now).

Speaking of USA Today, Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report says the newspaper is restructuring its sports department and about a dozen staffers have been laid off. That includes Friend of Fang’s Bites Mike McCarthy and Game On! blogger Tom Weir. Very sad to see this. I met Mike a few years ago when we covered an event at ESPN. Good reporter and writer. I hope to be linking to him again soon.

Ed also writes about ESPN holding onto the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

ESPN Ombudsman Jason Fry of the Poynter Institute watches ESPN’s interviewing guru critique the questioning style of some of its reporters.

Marisa Guthrie at the Hollywood Reporter looks at NBCUniversal’s plans to offer some 5,500 hours of coverage on the Olympics.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says Golf Channel will have live coverage of U.S. Open qualifying on June 4.

Tim Baysinger at B&C recaps last night’s Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily’s Sports Business Awards.

Rich Thomaselli from Advertising Age says the NHL’s social media and traditional ad campaigns have helped bring casual fans to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After being disrespected by its own local media last week, the Los Angeles Kings made this infographic giving a brief history on its logo, names of players and number of times the team has been in the postseason. This season, the Kings have stepped its social media campaign and website to provide fans with a very humorous, but also informative experience. Keep it up, Kings. You guys rock!

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times, writing in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, notes the difficultly for women to find a proper role in sports television.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton’s past is preventing collectors from lining up at his doorstep.

Congratulations to Steve Lepore of Puck The Media who has become SB Nation’s NHL Media writer. Steve is a hard worker who has created a very good niche for himself. And his first column for SB Nation is about the ratings for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final clincher.

Steve also writes about the controversy over NHL on NBC charlatan Pierre McGuire’s withholding of information over an incident between the benches during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Jerry Barmash of Fishbowl NY says MSG Network will air two specials on the upcoming Belmont Stakes in which I’ll Have Another will go for horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says in addition, MSG Plus will air some horse races this summer.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union writes that ESPN has expanded its 3-D coverage of Wimbledon.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says Al Jazeera will be launching two soccer channels this summer.

Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call looks at ESPN on ABC’s plans for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says former ESPN’er Dave Feldman is leaving the local market to go home to his native Northern California.

Dan says former DC NFL Team running back and sports radio host John Riggins will be hosting an outdoors show next year.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says a deadline is fast approaching in which the Nationals will find out how much MASN will be paying them for TV rights.

Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times says the Rays are paying tribute to Fox Sports MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal by wearing bow ties.

Tom Jones of the Times says MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams ripped Tropicana Field.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle looks at the proposed uses for the abandoned Astrodome.

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer says Fox Sports is on the Reds’ bandwagon.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that MLB Walking, Talking Conflict of Interest Bud Selig is holding firm to his retirement date.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch says the Big Ten Network has helped to expand the league and in part, raise Northwestern’s profile.

Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune says even though the Utah Jazz bought the sports radio station where he works, he’ll remain an independent voice.

Chris Jenkins from the San Diego Union-Tribune says Fox Sports San Diego’s Mark Sweeney is a natural fit as Padres analyst.

Tim Sullivan of the Union-Tribune says he enjoys listening to the Padres on the radio.

The Los Angeles Daily News’ Tom Hoffarth can’t believe he’s seeing a farmers dating service ad on NBC Sports Network.

Laura Stone of the Toronto Star writes that a new feature by CBC for the NHL Stanley Cup Final has some hardcore female sports fans hopping mad.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin looks at the Twitter police for college sports programs.

Sports Media Watch notes the increased ratings for the series-clinching game of the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Final on NBC Sports Network.

Joe Favorito examines the right way and the wrong way to attract Twitter followers.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth marvels at the LA media for getting the Kings logo and players wrong during local newscasts.

And I’ll end the linkage there for now. Enjoy the rest of your day.

NBC Begins French Open Coverage This Weekend; Still Pulling Tape Delay BS

NBC Sports begins coverage of its one and only remaining Grand Slam tennis tournament, the French Open on Sunday. Last year, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club awarded the rights for Wimbledon exclusively to ESPN after NBC pulled another year of tape delay BS. Well, NBC is expanding its coverage of the French Open to include the very first day of play, this Sunday at noon ET after ESPN2 and Tennis Channel begin their coverage in the morning.

Then NBC will have coverage the following weekend, Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3 starting at noon ET both days. It will return with the Men’s Semifinals, most likely picking up the second one in progress at 11 a.m. live on the East Coast and airing in ALL TIMES ZONES AT 11 A.M.!!!! Once again, NBC is pulling tape delayed BS giving the West Coast a match that will mostly likely be over when it begins to air at 11 a.m. PT.

NBC does point out that it will stream its coverage of the Men’s Semifinals live across the country on NBCSports.com so those stuck in time zones with a tape delay can see it in real time on their computers.

Ted Robinson, John McEnroe and Mary Carillo call the matches for NBC as well as for Tennis Channel.

Here’s the NBC announcement.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S EXPANDED FRENCH OPEN COVERAGE BEGINS THIS SUNDAY ON NBC

20 Hours from the 2012 French Open on NBC Culminates with Live Coverage of the Woman’s Final on Saturday, June 9 and the Men’s Final on Sunday, June 10
This Marks NBC’s 30^th Consecutive Year as the Broadcast Home of the French Open
“He has a chance to basically say, ‘I’m the best ever.’” – NBC’s John McEnroe on Nadal
“Rafael Nadal will go down in history as the greatest-ever clay-courter, eclipsing the luminous Bjorn Borg, but Roger Federer continues to dominate the ‘greatest ever’ dialogue.” – NBC’s Mary Carillo
“It’s amazing that he still has that hunger and passion. It sort of reminds me of what I see with Kobe Bryant.” – McEnroe on Federer

NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBC’s 20 hours of 2012 French Open coverage begins this Sunday, 12 noon ET, with live opening-round coverage, and culminates with the Women’s Final on June 9 and the Men’s Final on June 10. In all, NBC will broadcast 20 hours from Roland Garros, including coverage on the first Sunday of play for the first time.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal has won six French Open titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011). With a win this year he will surpass Bjorn Borg for the most men’s French Open championships in the Open era.

COMMENTATORS: Host Ted Robinson anchors NBC’s coverage, joined by analysts John McEnroe and Mary Carillo. McEnroe and Carillo teamed to win the mixed doubles title at the 1977 French Open. This is NBC’s 30^th consecutive year televising the event.

MCENROE ON NADAL’S PLACE IN TENNIS HISTORY: “He still has the chance to be the best player in history. So that alone is something pretty major. I’ve long considered Roger Federer to be the greatest in history, but Nadal sort of knocked on the door with a winning record over Roger. (Rod) Laver was my other guy and then (Pete) Sampras. Those are the four best.”

MCENROE ON NADAL’S STANDING ON CLAY: “This is sort of a historic event, because my buddy and rival Bjorn Borg won six out of eight and only lost twice at the French Open. Nadal’s won six and lost only once, so he has a chance to basically say ‘I’m the best ever.’”

CARILLO ON NADAL-FEDERER: “Rafael Nadal will go down in history as the greatest-ever clay-courter, eclipsing the luminous Bjorn Borg, but Roger Federer continues to dominate the ‘greatest-ever’ dialogue. A second French Open title from Roger would cement his superiority over Laver, Sampras…even Rafael, until and unless the Spaniard racks up more Wimbledons and U.S. Open titles.”

MCENROE ON NADAL-FEDERER: “Nadal-Federer is something that we’ll look back on and realize that this is one of the all-time great rivalries.”

MCENROE ON FEDERER’S DRIVE: “It’s amazing that he still has that hunger and passion. It sort of reminds me of what I see with Kobe Bryant. He’s someone who’s getting on an age but still seems to want it just as badly as in the very beginning of his career.”

MCENROE ON DJOKOVIC: “Don’t forget about Djokovich trying to win four-in-a-row (majors). That’s pretty historic as far as that goes, because that hasn’t happened since Laver did it when he won the Grand Slam.”

MCENROE ON HIS PICK FOR THE MEN’S FINAL: I’d like to see Djokovic-Nadal to see if Djokovic has it in him to be able to beat Rafa for three out of five (sets) on clay.”

CARILLO’S FINAL FOUR PROJECTIONS:
Men: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych
Women: Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Li Na, Samantha Stosur

FRENCH OPEN ON NBC: Following is the schedule for NBC’s coverage of the 2012 French Open, which culminates with live coverage of the Women’s (June 9) and Men’s (June 10) Finals:

FRENCH OPEN ON NBC
Sunday, May 27	Noon – 3 p.m. ET	First Round (Live)
Saturday, June 2	Noon – 3 p.m. ET	Third Round (Live)
Sunday, June 3	1 p.m. – 4 p.m. ET	Fourth Round (Live)
Friday, June 8	11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (all time zones)	Men’s Semifinals (Live ET, tape delayed everywhere else)
Saturday, June 9	9 a.m. – Noon ET	Women’s Final (live)
Sunday, June 10	9 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET	Men’s Final (Live)

FRENCH OPEN ON NBCSPORTS.COM: Tennis fans can go online to watch a live simulcast of each day of NBC’s coverage including the Men’s and Women’s Finals, and live streaming coverage, across the country, of the Men’s Semifinals on Friday, June 8. NBCSports.com will also provide daily video highlights online-only analysis for NBC’s tennis commentators.

NBC AND THE FRENCH OPEN: In 1975, NBC became the first American television network to provide coverage of the French Open when the network signed a three-year deal with the French Tennis Federation. The tournament was covered by CBS from 1980-82 and returned to NBC in 1983, where it has remained since.

That’s it.

ESPN Keeps Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest For Five More Years

Truly one of the most gluttonous events ever to be seen on television, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest, a staple of ESPN’s July 4th programming will remain on the network through 2017. Now you may find the contest disgusting, but it gets ratings. Last year, almost two million people watched the program live as it happened and ESPN says a total of 9 million viewed all of the airings that day (overall three times on July 4, 2011).

ESPN has televised the previous eight Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests and to very good numbers.

Paul Page, Major League Eating President Rich Shea and sideline reporter Renee Herlocker return to cover this year’s event. This also gives me an excuse to post this picture of Renee again.

With the new agreement, ESPN will air the Hot Dog Eating Contest at a later time, 3 p.m. ET. It had previously aired at noon ET.

Here’s the press release.

ESPN Extends Agreement with Major League Eating to Televise Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Through 2017

2012 Contest to be Televised July 4 on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET

ESPN has reached an agreement with Major League Eating, in conjunction with Nathan’s Famous, Inc., that provides the network exclusive rights to televise a live, one-hour show of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest each year through 2017.

The agreement is a five-year extension of an existing contract between the entities. The event consistently generates powerful ratings and has become a holiday viewing tradition for millions of Americans. Last year’s July 4^th telecast set a viewership record with 1.95 million live viewers and nearly nine million viewers total on July 4, including two re-airs.

This year’s event will be televised live on ESPN on Wednesday, July 4, at 3 p.m. ET, following ESPN’s exclusive live coverage of the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Quarterfinals. The show will include in-depth analysis of the eating competition by motorsports broadcaster Paul Page and Major League Eating’s Richard Shea, with reporting by television host Renee Herlocker. The one-hour telecast will also include coverage of the Women’s Championship, live from Coney Island. This year will be the ninth consecutive year ESPN has televised the event.

George Shea, MLE chairman, will host the stage show for the historic contest, which has been held in Coney Island, NY, for decades and attracts top eating talent from around the world.  The current world hot dog eating record is held by Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., who consumed 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and who will seek his sixth straight title this year. The 100-pound eating phenom Sonya Thomas, who consumed 40 hot dogs and buns last year, will defend her title as female eating champion of the world.

“This telecast has always been a huge success for ESPN and so we are thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with MLE and Nathan’s Famous serving fans this annual holiday treat,” said Jason Bernstein, Sr. Director, Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN. “We’ve never had a bigger appetite for this annual world championship event.”

“The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a critical part of the July 4 holiday in America and beyond,” said David Baer of MLE. “It is an honor for MLE and Nathan’s Famous to be associated with ESPN and the quality programming it produces.”

The 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest will take place at the corners of Surf and Stillwell avenues near Coney Island’s historic boardwalk. More than twenty-five eating athletes from around the world will compete for the respective Men’s and Women’s July 4^th Hot Dog Eating World Championship Belts.

In addition to the ESPN telecast, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest will also be available on ESPN3, streaming live on WatchESPN, and will re-air at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

That’s it.

ESPN Names Its Analysts For Euro 2012 Tournament

Some familiar names from ESPN’s soccer coverage will be coming over to call the EURO 2012 soccer tournament starting next month in Poland and the Ukraine. Combined with the play-by-play men already unveiled, the announcing teams will be quite strong for EURO 2012.

Lead analyst for ESPN2′s English Premier League coverage, Steve McManaman will be teamed with lead announcer Ian Darke.

Robbie Mustoe who was on ESPN’s World Cup coverage in 2010 will pair with Adrian Healey. MLS analysts Taylor Twellman and Kasey Keller will alternate working with ESPN UK announcer Derek Rae.

ESPN has also named those analysts working EURO 2012 on ESPN Deportes.

We have the announcement below.

ESPN’s English and Spanish Language Analysts for UEFA EURO 2012 Matches

ESPN today announced the match analysts for its presentation of the UEFA European Football Championship 2012 (June 8 to July 1) in Poland and Ukraine.

The English-language analysts will be led by Steve McManaman, a Liverpool FC legend and former England National Team player who had his best performances representing his country at the UEFA European Football Championship 1996.  McManaman’s inspired play propelled England to its only semifinal appearance in the UEFA European Championship. McManaman will be paired with the lead play-by-play commentator and his English Premier League booth partner Ian Darke as the primary team.

Other English-language match analysts include former Premier League midfielder Robbie Mustoe, former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller, and former New England Revolution and U.S. Men’s National Team striker Taylor Twellman. Mustoe, a match analyst for ESPN International who was part of ESPN’s award-winning presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, will be paired with ESPN’s Major League Soccer voice Adrian Healey. Keller and Twellman will split match analyst roles working with ESPN UK’s Derek Rae, while also contributing studio analysis.

On ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language booth analysts include Hernan Pereyra, former Mexican National Team players Rafa Puente and José Antonio Noriega.

Pereyra, who has covered several FIFA World Cups, the Mexican soccer league, and other marquee international sporting events, will be paired with Jorge Ramos. Puente, the former Mexican Men’s National Team goalkeeper who later coached Mexican first division clubs such as Pachuca, Club Atlante and Tecos UAG, will work with veteran commentator Fernando Palomo. Rounding out the team is former Mexican Men’s National Team midfielder Noriega, who will be paired with Ricardo Ortiz.

From Friday, June 8, through Sunday, July 1, three ESPN television networks – ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes – will combine to present more than 200 hours of live coverage of the UEFA EURO 2012 including all 31 matches live on English-language networks and 27 on the Spanish-language sports network ESPN Deportes. This will mark the most comprehensive presentation ever of the quadrennial European championship in the United States.

Brief bios:

• Keller – Currently the record holder as the most-capped goalkeeper in the U.S. Men’s National Team with 102 appearances, Keller started two of three matches in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and played all matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. His professional career took him to two of Europe’s best leagues – German Bundesliga and English Premier League – before returning to the U.S. to play three seasons for the Seattle Sounders FC. An analyst for Sounders matches on local television, Keller is also a studio analyst for ESPN’s MLS and U.S. National Team matches.
• McManaman – After earning critical acclaim for his work on ESPN’s 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage, McManaman joined the company as the analyst for Premier League matches and studio analyst for key international events such as FIFA World Cup and U.S. Men’s National Team matches. One of England’s best players in his prime, McManaman is a legend at Liverpool FC after nine seasons and 364 appearances for the club. He was the first English player to win the Champions League with a non-English club while playing for Real Madrid FC.
• Mustoe – He played for 12 seasons in the midfield for Middlesbrough FC (1990-2002). Following his retirement from professional soccer, Mustoe moved to the United States and began coaching soccer. He primarily works on ESPN International’s coverage of top soccer leagues such as Spain’s La Liga, German Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League, and more.
• Noriega – played professional soccer with various clubs in the Primera Division de Mexico from 1988–2004 and was a member of the Mexican national soccer team from 1993-2002. In 16 professional seasons, Noriega played for six Mexican clubs, most notably, UNAM (1988-1992), Monterrey (1992-96), Santos Laguna (1997-99) and Morelia (2000-02). Currently works for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes, where he mostly appears on Fuera de Juego.
• Pereyra – a veteran Spanish-language radio and television commentator for soccer, Pereyra has covered numerous FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002 and 2010). He is cohost of the weekday afternoon show Jorge Ramos y su Banda, where he is paired with Jorge Ramos on ESPN Deportes Radio (simulcast on ESPN Deportes). Ramos (commentator) and Pereyra (co-commentator) will replicate their on- and off-air chemistry commentating on UEFA EURO 2012 matches for ESPN Deportes.
• Puente – a former goalkeeper for the Mexican National Team and for several Mexican first division clubs who serves as an analyst for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International, including co-host role on Fútbol Picante and Los Capitanes studio programs. Prior to becoming a TV broadcaster, Puente also coached several Mexico first division clubs such as Pachuca, Club Atlante and Tecos UAG.
• Twellman – a former Major League Soccer MVP and New England Revolution’s most prolific scorer who serves as the lead match analyst for MLS on ESPN and U.S. Men’s National Team. His career highlights include leading the Revolution during its most-successful era – four MLS Cup appearances in six years. Twellman played 30 matches for the U.S. senior team after emerging as one of the stars of the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria.

More stuff coming up.

NBC Sports Network is Soccer-Heavy This Weekend

NBC Sports Network is slowly transitioning to its summer schedule as the number of NHL games it has left to air is dwindling to single digits (one or two more games in the Eastern Conference Final, then Games 3 & 4 of the Stanley Cup Final).

This weekend, NBCSN will carry two MLS games and one International Friendly match between the US Men’s Soccer Team and Scotland.

It also marks the return of veteran soccer play-by-play man JP Dellacamera to the national stage as he’ll call the Sporting KC vs. San Jose Earthquakes game on Sunday.

The main MLS on NBC soccer team of Arlo White and Kyle Martino will call the US vs. Scotland match Saturday night from Jacksonville.

And also on Saturday, NBC Sports Network will air the MLS Cup rematch between Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy.

We have the details below.

THREE SOCCER GAMES – INCLUDING USA FRIENDLY AGAINST SCOTLAND – HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEKEND’S COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

USA vs. Scotland in Primetime Saturday at 8 p.m. ET
Rematch between 2011 MLS Champion LA Galaxy against Houston Dynamo Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET
San Jose at Kansas City Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET
“These guys take massive pride in representing their country. I think Scotland will feel the full force of that in Jacksonville on Saturday.” – Arlo White on USA Team

NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBC Sports Network’s soccer coverage will expand this weekend to include coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Team against Scotland in a ‘friendly,’ live from EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be seen as a litmus test for each team’s overall performance as the countdown to the World Cup Qualifiers inch closer.

Additionally, two MLS games will air this weekend beginning Saturday with a 2011 MLS Cup rematch between Houston and 2011 MLS Champions LA Galaxy at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by Sunday’s game in Kansas City as Sporting KC host the San Jose Earthquakes at 4:30 p.m. ET.

COMMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group’s lead soccer commentary team of Arlo White (@arlowhite, play-by-play), and Kyle Martino (@kylemartino, “Between the Benches” analyst) will call the game in Jacksonville. Veteran soccer commentator JP Dellacamera (play-by-play) and former MLS player Brian Dunseth (analyst) will call the MLS coverage with Ivan Carter, from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, joining them on Sunday to host pre-game, halftime and post-game segments live from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

Steve Busfield The Guardian sports blogger on Arlo White: “Arlo is fantastic. My Seattle friends all miss him, but you can’t blame NBC for picking him up.”

WHITE ON THE USA TEAM: “This is a tremendous thrill for us. We can’t wait to show the U.S. National team as they prepare for the start of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann has some star names to call upon against Scotland. Clint Dempsey has become a massive star in the English Premier League, Landon Donovan is an MLS Champion with LA, and Tim Howard is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. Then there are the young players like Terrence Boyd and Juan Agudelo who are desperate to make an impact and launch their international careers. The battle for international caps is intense. These guys take massive pride in representing their country. I think Scotland will feel the full force of that in Jacksonville on Saturday.”

MARTINO ON THE MATCH: “It’s business time. Only three games left for the United States before World Cup Qualifying begins. Scotland will prove to be a great test for Klinsmann and his side as they make their final preparations.”

UPCOMING MLS GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK: (All Times ET, Home Team Listed First)

Sun., June 17, Chicago vs. New York, 5 p.m.
Sun., June 24, New York vs. D.C, 7 p.m.
Fri., June 29, Kansas City vs. Chicago, 8 p.m.

And I’ll have another soccer-centric post coming up.

Winners of 2012 Sports Business Awards

Last night in New York, industry publications Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily handed the annual Sports Business Awards. They go to leaders in various categories such as Sports Executive, Sports Team, Sports League, Best in Sports Media, Best in Sports Television, Best in Digital Sports Media, etc.

Fox Sports, ESPN and Major League Baseball won multiple awards in the categories in which they were nominated. Nice to see the Boston Bruins win as Sports Team of the Year.

Also former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to sports and his work in the National Football League, leading it into an extremely profitable period.

We have the list of winners from Sports Business Daily/Sports Business Journal.

MLB, Amway Center And Roger Goodell Among The Winners Of The 2012 Sports Business Awards

Boston Bruins Honored as the Sports Team of the Year
Paul Tagliabue Recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award

New York, N.Y. – The best in sports business were honored Wednesday night with the fifth annual Sports Business Awards, which included the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Paul Tagliabue, former commissioner of the National Football League.

The awards, which recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the sports industry for the period from March 1, 2011 through February 29, 2012, were presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, the two leading publications on the business of sports. The Sports Business Awards were presented at a live ceremony held Wednesday, May 23 at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.

“We are pleased to honor the leaders and visionaries who are driving the sports industry with our fifth annual Sports Business Awards,” says Richard Weiss, publisher of the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. “The winners and nominees being honored tonight represent the individuals, companies, agencies and media at the forefront of the sports industry.”

Awards were presented in 15 categories. Winners were chosen by a committee of outside panelists and members of the editorial staff of the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. Selected from 77 nominees, the winners included:

Lifetime Achievement – Paul Tagliabue
Sports Executive of the Year – Roger Goodell, National Football League
Athletic Director of the Year – Mark Hollis, Michigan State University
Sports Team of the Year – Boston Bruins
Sports League of the Year – Major League Baseball
Sports Event of the Year – 2012 Humana Challenge
Best in Sports Media – Fox Sports
Best in Sports Television – Fox Sports
Best in Digital Sports Media – ESPN Digital Media
Best in Talent Representation and Management – Wasserman Media Group
Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services – The Marketing Arm
Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services – IMG
Best in Sports Event and Experiential Marketing – Major League Baseball/Fan Cave
Sports Sponsor of the Year – Bridgestone
Sports Facility of the Year – Amway Center
Best in Sports Technology – ESPN’s WatchESPN

Please visit the web site for articles on the winners and nominees – www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/05/21/Events-and-Attractions/2012-SBA-Nominees.aspx

Lifetime Achievement Award – Paul Tagliabue

The commissioner of the NFL for 17 years (1989-2006), Paul Tagliabue presided over an extended period of labor peace and revenue growth. Under his leadership, the league grew from 28 to 32 teams and revised its divisional alignment. At that time, it secured the largest television contracts in entertainment history. More than 20 stadiums were constructed under his watch and he expanded the NFL’s global reach.

With a commitment to diversity, inclusion and education, Tagliabue enacted the Rooney Rule, named in honor of former Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. The rule requires each team to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and key front office vacancies.

Following his retirement from the NFL, Tagliabue lead and independent panel to review the governance of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is currently a partner at the law firm of Covington and Burling.

Tagliabue received his Lifetime Achievement Award from former Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. In 1975, Rooney was named president of the Steelers, taking over the reins from his father. In 2000, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining his father Art to form only the second father-son tandem to be inducted. Over the years, he played key roles in the league’s labor deals and its diversity initiatives.

Previous recipients of the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Lifetime Achievement Award are tennis great and women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King in 2011; and longtime sports business executive Peter Ueberroth in 2009.

That’s it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Baseball
ACC Tournament, Greensboro, NC
Virginia vs. Clemson — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports, 11 a.m.
North Carolina vs. Miami — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports, 3 p.m.
NC State vs. Wake Forest — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.

Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, OH
Nebraska vs. Penn State — Big Ten Network, noon
Michigan State vs. Indiana — Big Ten Network, 3:30 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Purdue — Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.

SEC Tournament, Hoover, AL
LSU vs. Mississippi — SportSouth, 10:30 p.m.
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky — SportSouth, 2 p.m.
Vanderbilt vs. Auburn — CSS, 5:30 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Florida — CSS, 9 p.m.

College Softball
NCAA Tournament
Super Regionals
Tuscaloosa, AL
Game 1: Michigan vs. Alabama — ESPN2, 8 p.m.

Tempe, AZ
Game 1: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Arizona State — ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Cycling
Giro d’Italia: Stage 18 — Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.

Golf
Champions Tour: Senior PGA Championship, 1st Round — Golf Channel, noon
European PGA Tour: PGA Championship, 1st Round — Golf Channel, 9 a.m.
PGA Tour: Colonial Invitational, 1st Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

Hockey
Memorial Cup
Tiebreaker
Shawinigan vs. Edmonton — NHL Network, 7 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
MMA Uncensored — Spike, 11 p.m.

MLB
American League
Detroit at Cleveland — Fox Sports Detroit/STO, noon
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox — Fox Sports North/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Seattle — Fox Sports West/Root Sports Northwest, 10 p.m.

National League
Atlanta at Cincinnati — SportSouth/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
San Diego at New York Mets — Fox Sports San Diego/SNY, 7 p.m.
San Francisco at Miami — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at St. Louis — MLB Network/WPHL/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 2 p.m. (new time)
MLB Tonight: On Deck-Circle — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 11 p.m.
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, midnight
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 12:30 a.m.

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 6: Miami at Indiana — ESPN, 8 p.m. (Miami leads series, 3-2)

NHL
NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Conference Final Edition — NHL Network, 10 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.

Tennis
WTA Tour: Brussels Open, Quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 8 a.m., 10 a.m. & noon

Entertainment
Perez Hilton All Access: Lady Gaga — The CW, 8 p.m.
Geo Bee 2012 — National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
Undercover Boss Abroad: FedEx Canada — TLC, 8 p.m.
Cold Blood: Dreams That Kill (season finale) — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
World’s Dumbest …: World’s Dumbest Thrillseekers 6 — truTV, 9 p.m.
Men at Work (series premiere) — TBS, 10 p.m.
Rookie Blue (season premiere) — ABC, 10 p.m.
Kathy — Bravo, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Battambang, Cambodia — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Men at Work — TBS, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Girls of Sunset Place — Showtime, 11:30 p.m.

NBC To Offer 800 Million Hours of Olympic Coverage

Ok, maybe that’s being facetious, but NBCUniversal between its cable, over the air and online platforms will offer over 5,500 hours of coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, or known to the International Olympic Committee as the XXX Olympic Summer Games.

For NBC, it’s the seventh consecutive Summer Olympics dating back to 1988 in Seoul, Republic of Korea and the seventh consecutive Olympiad it will broadcast Winter or Summer since 2000 in Sydney. It seems to be forgotten that CBS aired all three Winter Olympiads in the 1990′s.

The 5,535 combined hours to be offered this year surpass the number from the Communist China Games of 2008 which totaled 3,600. Here’s a breakdown of what the platforms of NBCUniversal will offer.

• NBC will air a record 272½ hours including daytime coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET on weekdays, as early as 5 a.m. on weekends. Expect to see the glamor events that traditionally do well on NBC like Gymnastics, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field (a.k.a. Athletics) and Beach Volleyball. Hosts will be Bob Costas (primetime), Mary Carillo (late night), Al Michaels (daytime) and Dan Patrick (weekend & daytime).
• Bravo will carry 56 hours of tennis from the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon. Pat “You are so f&*kin’ hot!” O’Brien hosts.
• CNBC will provide 73 hours of men’s and women’s boxing coverage from the preliminary fights to the medal round. Fred Roggin is the host.
• MSNBC will offer 155½ hours of coverage with Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman as the host.
• NBC Sports Network will get the bulk of the cable coverage airing a total of 292½ hours focusing on basketball, soccer and other U.S. team sports. Hosts have not been announced, but expect to see NHL on NBC’s Liam McHugh and Bill Patrick to be part of the coverage.
• NBCOlympics.com will stream every event including medal rounds totaling 3,500 hours. Events to be aired on NBC in primetime will be archived after they air on the network.
• Telemundo will provide 173 hours focusing on boxing, swimming and soccer.
• NBC will also provide specialty channels on basketball and soccer to cable and satellite providers. And there will also be coverage in 3-D.

Got that? There will be a test later. Here’s the 2,555-word press release that adds to my 367-word wraparound.

NBCUNIVERSAL TO PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE OF 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

Record 5,535 Hours across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, Two Specialty Channels & 3D
NBC to Broadcast 272.5 Hours, Most-Ever for an Olympic Broadcast Network

NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBCUniversal will provide 5,535 hours of coverage for the 2012 London Olympics across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours. It was also announced today that NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of coverage, the most ever for an Olympic broadcast network, largely attributable to an increase in daytime coverage.

“We are only able to provide this level of coverage to U.S. viewers because of the unmatched array of NBCUniversal assets,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Whether on television or online, on broadcast or cable, in English or in Spanish, NBCUniversal has the London Olympics covered, providing the American viewer with more choices than ever to watch the Games.”

Following are highlights of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2012 London Olympics (some of the following information has been previously announced):

· NBCUniversal is presenting its 13^th Olympic Games and seventh consecutive, both the most by any U.S. media company. ABC is second with 10 and four (twice), respectively.

o London will be NBCUniversal’s seventh consecutive Summer Games, having presented each one since Seoul in 1988.

· The 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage are the most ever and surpass Beijing’s coverage (3,600 hours) by nearly 2,000 hours.

o The 5,535 hours more than double the total amount of coverage of every Summer Games combined prior to Beijing (2,562 hours from 1960 Rome on CBS to 2004 Athens on NBC).

o The 5,535 hours are the equivalent of 231 days of coverage.

o NBCUniversal will average 291 hours of coverage per day over London’s 19 days (including two days of soccer competition prior to the Opening Ceremony).

· The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of all 32 sports and all 302 medal competitions.

· NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008.

o Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following NBC News’ TODAY, which is originating from London.

o On weekends, NBC’s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT.

· NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming – an average of more than 14 hours per day – the most-ever for an Olympic cable network.

· MSNBC will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days.

· CNBC will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days — from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals.

· Bravo will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer, televising 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage from July 28-August 3.

· NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals.

o NBCOlympics.com will live stream NBCU cable channels NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo, which will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

o Two apps – one focused on live streaming, one on short-form highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more – will be available for mobile and tablet users. The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

· NBCUniversal announced the most extensive Spanish-language Olympic coverage in the company’s history, offering more than 173 hours of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics on Telemundo, “The U.S. Home of the Olympic Games in Spanish.”

o The 173 hours of Spanish-language coverage by Telemundo nearly equals the total coverage broadcast by NBC for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (176.5).

· Specialty channels for basketball and soccer are available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage.

· Panasonic Corporation of North America and the NBC Sports Group announced in January that they will partner to make the London 2012 Olympic Games available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco — nearly 100 percent of the multichannel industry.

o The effort will produce 242 hours of coverage and mark the first time that the Olympic Games will be distributed in the U.S. in 3D.

NBC

NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days this summer, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008. Swimming — including Michael Phelps’ quest to become the most decorated Olympian ever — track and field, gymnastics, diving, and beach volleyball, among other sports, will serve as the centerpieces of NBC’s coverage, which begins with the Opening Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, July 27.

Olympic coverage on NBC will again be divided into three day parts: daytime, primetime and late night. NBC’s primetime program, featuring the traditional, award-winning Olympic storytelling coverage that viewers have come to expect, will air 8-11:30 p.m. or Midnight ET/PT on most nights.

Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following TODAY, which is originating from London. On weekends, NBC’s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT. A one-hour late night show will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the primetime program. Primetime will be replayed following the late-night show.

It was announced in April that Bob Costas, a 22-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, returns as the primetime host for NBC’s coverage. For Costas, London marks his 10^th Olympic broadcast assignment and his ninth as the primetime host (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City, 2002, Athens 2004, Turin 2006, Communist China 2008, Vancouver 2010).

Al Michaels, who hosted daytime coverage at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, and Dan Patrick, making his Olympic hosting debut, will host NBC’s weekday and weekend daytime coverage, and Mary Carillo will once again host the NBC late night show.

Additionally, top TV broadcaster Ryan Seacrest, tennis legend John McEnroe, famed gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, and Carillo, broadcasting her 11^th Olympic Games, will serve as Olympic correspondents during primetime coverage on NBC.

The majority of the following information about NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, NBCOlympics.com and Telemundo, has been previously announced:

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming – an average of more than 14 hours per day – the most-ever for an Olympic cable network. Coverage will begin on Wednesday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m. ET, two days before the Opening Ceremony, when Team USA takes on France in women’s soccer, live from Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

NBC Sports Network coverage, originating from Olympic Park in London, will air up to 20 medal rounds and 22 Olympic sports, including Team USA basketball, women’s soccer and field hockey.

NBC Sports Network, distributed in nearly 80 million homes – an increase of three million homes in the last year – will also carry soccer qualifying on Thursday, July 26. There will be no coverage on July 27 as there are no events scheduled on the same day as the Opening Ceremony. Coverage will conclude on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, August 12, the final day of competition. On most days, coverage will air from 4 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET, which covers the live Olympic day in London.

MSNBC

MSNBC, NBCUniversal’s 24/7 cable news channel that is fully distributed in roughly 100 million homes, will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days. The channel will air up to 18 medal rounds and 20 Olympic sports, from badminton to basketball to soccer to wrestling.

NBCUniversal’s 2012 London Olympic coverage begins on MSNBC on Wednesday, July 25 – two days before the Opening Ceremony — when Great Britain faces New Zealand in women’s soccer, the first official competition of the Games, live from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

The channel will also carry soccer qualifying on Thursday, July 26, but there will be no coverage on July 27 as there are no events scheduled on the same day as the Opening Ceremony. Coverage will conclude on MSNBC on August 12, the final day of competition.

On most weekdays, coverage will air from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET. There will be longer programming windows on Saturdays and Sundays.

Longtime Golf Channel commentator Kelly Tilghman will serve as MSNBC’s Olympic host, with London being her first-ever Olympic assignment. MSNBC has aired Olympic coverage for every Summer Games since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

CNBC

CNBC — NBCUniversal’s fully distributed cable business channel — will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days — every day from July 28-August 12 — from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals. Same-day coverage will air from 5-8 p.m. ET during the week, with six hours of live coverage airing each day on the weekends. This marks the fourth consecutive Summer Games that CNBC has featured Olympic boxing.

Fred Roggin, the longtime lead sports anchor at NBC’s owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles, KNBC, will reprise his Beijing role as Olympic boxing host. This will be his seventh Olympics working for NBC and fourth working on Olympic boxing in some capacity.

BRAVO

Bravo, NBCUniversal’s fully distributed lifestyle cable channel, will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer. The channel will televise 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage over seven days, from July 28-August 3. Live coverage will air from early morning until mid-afternoon (ET) on most days.

Pat O’Brien, a veteran of five Olympic Games as a commentator, will serve as host. London will be O’Brien’s fourth Olympics for NBC and sixth overall. He last worked for NBCUniversal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the same year Bravo last carried Olympic competition.

NBCOLYMPICS.COM

NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals. By comparison, NBCOlympics.com live streamed 25 sports and 2,200 hours for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The site will also feature rewinds of all event coverage, a steady stream of athlete profiles, event highlights, a tour of London as the host city, and more.

NBCOlympics.com will live stream the Olympic content that airs on the four NBCU cable channels — NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo. In addition, two apps – one focused on live streaming, one on short-form highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more – will be available for mobile and tablets users. The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

In another first, NBCOlympics.com will provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track and field (each event), and tennis (up to five courts). For example, during a session of track and field, instead of viewing only a single feed that moves from event to event, a user can choose to watch a stream dedicated to a specific event, such as the long jump or javelin.

TELEMUNDO

NBCUniversal announced the most extensive Spanish-language Olympic coverage in the company’s history, offering more than 173 hours of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics on Telemundo, “The U.S. Home of the Olympic Games in Spanish.” Telemundo’s comprehensive coverage will feature marquee disciplines such as boxing, swimming, basketball and soccer, which will be a major broadcast highlight.

Telemundo will deliver a complete 360° Olympic experience across its multiple platforms including its broadcast network, www.NBCOLYMPICS.COM.com/TELEMUNDO and its cable network mun2, which will offer a daily half-hour special featuring behind-the-scenes from the Games. Also, for the first time in the network’s history, Telemundo will offer live streaming of broadcast coverage together with exclusive digital-only content of Olympic events, news, announcements and information via www.NBCOLYMPICS.COM/TELEMUNDO, totaling more than 200 hours of digital content.

Deportes Telemundo’s Olympic team, headed by internationally acclaimed sportscaster Andrés Cantor, will include Jessi Losada, Mónica Noguera, Sammy Sadovnik, Edgar Lopez, René Giraldo, Karim Mendiburu, Kaziro Aoyama, Oscar Guzmán, Leti Coo and Verónica Contreras, as well as several former Olympic champions.

Coverage will be live from both London and the network’s studios, bringing the stories of Hispanics participating in the Olympics and the main events both on the field and around the Games to the homes of millions of U.S. Hispanic viewers. With soccer being one of the biggest passion points for U.S. Hispanics, the Olympics’ soccer tournament will represent a major focus of Telemundo’s broadcast, as already-qualified Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Honduras vie for the gold.

Features and storytelling will be a centerpiece of Telemundo’s Olympic programming, detailing the journey of Hispanic athletes on their quest for Olympic glory. Some of the top Hispanic hopefuls include Mexican diver and 2009 world champion Paola Espinosa, Cuban American multi-medal threat gymnast Daniel Leyva, Mexican American female boxer Marlén Esparza and Argentine NBA basketball player Manu Ginobili.

SPECIALTY CHANNELS

Specialty channels for basketball and soccer are available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage. More information about these channels will be released soon.

3D

Panasonic Corporation of North America and the NBC Sports Group announced in January that they will partner to make the London 2012 Olympic Games available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco — nearly 100 percent of the multichannel industry. The effort will produce 242 hours of coverage and mark the first time that the Olympic Games will be distributed in the U.S. in 3D. Panasonic is NBC’s exclusive Flat-Panel HDTV and Blu-ray Disc Player advertiser for the London Olympic Games.

Last year, Panasonic Corporation, a long time Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category, announced it would partner with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to make the London 2012 Olympic Games the first ever 3D Olympic Games.

The 3D broadcasts, which will be produced by OBS and shown on next-day delay, will span multiple competitions throughout the London 2012 Olympic Games, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, gymnastics, diving and swimming. OBS will produce more than 200 hours of 3D coverage during the London 2012 Olympic Games by utilizing Panasonic’s state-of-art 3D production technologies including the AG-3DP1, a P2HD professional fully-integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camera recorder. Cable, satellite, and telco providers who receive the Olympics package may distribute the 3D broadcast via the Comcast Media Center.

That is all.

ESPN & ESPN2 To Air NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship

It seems like Memorial Day Weekend has crept up on us. Maybe it’s the cooler than normal temperatures in the Northeast this Spring. Maybe it’s due to the fact that days are running together for me. Maybe it’s me. Who knows?

Anyway, ESPN and ESPN2 will air the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship live from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Saturday and Monday. The event has grown in leaps and bounds every year and whether the Championship is played in Baltimore or Foxboro, the Lacrosse Semis and Championship draw good crowds.

The semifinals will be aired on ESPN2 this Saturday and in the first game, Notre Dame will take on the top seed, Loyola (MD) at 2:30 p.m. ET with ACC rivals Maryland and Duke squaring off in the second game at 5 p.m.

On Monday, the Championship Game will be played at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Calling the games will be Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich with Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines.

Here’s the ESPN announcement for you.

2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Semifinals Set

National Championship Game to be Played Monday, May 28, at 1 p.m. on ESPN & ESPN3

The last four teams remain as the field is set for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship  championship weekend – Saturday, May 26 and Monday, May 28, from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The semifinals commence Saturday on ESPN2 and ESPN3 with No. 4 Notre Dame facing top-seeded Loyola (Md.) at 2:30 p.m. ET and Maryland against No. 3 Duke at 5 p.m. The 2012 season will culminate with the National Championship Monday at 1 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.

ESPN has covered 29 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships since 1980 and 2012 marks the 18^th consecutive year of televising the National Semifinals and Championship Game.

Commentators

• Eamon McAnaney will be calling his first-ever championship weekend games as the play-by-play announcer
• Quint Kessenich will join McAnaney in the booth and sideline analyst Paul Carcaterra is a newcomer on the field for the biggest weekend of the season

Studio

• Host Anish Shroff and analyst Mark Dixon will cover the National Semifinals from ESPNU’s Charlotte, N.C. headquarters
• The duo will be on site in Foxborough for the National Championship on Memorial Day with pregame and halftime reports
• In addition,  Shroff and Dixon will anchor  the NCAA Lacrosse Championship Post Game Show on ESPNU and ESPN3, immediately following the title game, which will include game reaction, postgame celebration, trophy presentation and net cutting
• Bill Tierney, head coach at Denver and six-time NCAA Championship coach at Princeton, will join Shroff and Dixon in studio for the coverage of the semifinals

Game Features

• A series of bumps and full-length teases that combine Native American narrative with current day life from the Onondaga Nation in upstate New York
• Microphones will be worn by all three game officials during the semifinals and championship, providing on-field dialogue throughout the telecast with periodic switches to each official
• The telecast will use nine cameras, plus the SkyCam and Super Slo Motion camera,  which will allow viewers to experience a visually enhanced presentation

ESPN Digital

• All three games from Gillette Stadium simulcast on ESPN3
• Full coverage of the postgame celebration, trophy presentation and the net cutting on Monday on ESPN3
• Fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV or Comcast Xfinity will also have access to WatchESPN for live coverage online at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets, in addition to ESPN3’s multi-screen offering

ESPN.com

• ESPNBoston.com will cover all the weekend’s action from Gillette Stadium

Sports Science Lab

Former Johns Hopkins All-American and current Boston Cannon star Paul Rabil put his skills to the test at the ESPN Sport Science lab, demonstrating why some call him the world’s greatest lacrosse player. Using state of the art technology, John Brenkus and his team analyze Rabil’s immensely powerful shot, which can exceed 100 miles per hour, plus record his speed, power and accuracy. The team also breaks down the art of the lacrosse shot with one of the game’s finest players ever.

ESPN International

• The semifinal games will be shown live on ESPN PacRim, ESPN2 Australia and ESPN2 Caribbean, and next day delay on ESPN America
• The title game will air live on ESPN America, ESPN PacRim and ESPN2 Caribbean
• Same day/next day airs for the championship game will be available on ESPN Africa, ESPN2 Australia, ESPN Israel, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Brazil HD and ESPN Latin America

ESPN’s Coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship
(Subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network(s)
Sat, May 26	2:30 p.m.	Semifinal #1: No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Loyola (Md.) (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.) Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN2/ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Semifinal #2: Maryland vs. No. 3 Duke (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.) Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN2/ESPN3
Mon, May 28	1 p.m.	National Championship: Semifinal winners (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.) Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN/ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	NCAA Lacrosse Championship Post Game Show Anish Shroff & Mark Dixon	ESPNU

That will do us.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Baseball
ACC Tournament, Greensboro, NC
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports North/Fox Sports South, 11 a.m.
NC State vs. Miami — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/NESN, 3 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Wake Forest — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Arizona Plus/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.

Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, OH
Nebraska vs. Michigan — Big Ten Network, noon
Penn State vs. Ohio State — Big Ten Network, 3;30 p.m.

SEC Tournament, Hoover, AL
Mississippi vs. Arkansas — SportSouth, 10:30 p.m.
LSU vs. Mississippi State — SportSouth, 2 p.m.
Auburn vs. Georgia/Vanderbilt — CSS, 5:30 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Georgia/Vanderbilt — CSS, 9 p.m.

Cycling
Giro d’Italia: Stage 17 — Universal Sports, 8:30 a.m.

MLB
American League
Boston at Baltimore — NESN/MASN, 12:30 p.m.
Toronto at Tampa Bay — Rogers Sportsnet/Sun Sports, 1 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Oakland — Fox Sports West/Comcast SportsNet California, 3:30 p.m.
Texas at Seattle — Fox Sports Southwest/Root Sports Northwest, 3:30 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland — Fox Sports Detroit/STO, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at New York Yankees — Fox Sports Kansas City/YES, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox — Fox Sports North/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.

National League
New York Mets at Pittsburgh — SNY, 12:30 p.m.
San Francisco at Milwaukee — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Cincinnati — SportSouth/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Miami — Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 7 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia — ESPN2/MASN/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Houston — WGN America/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Diego at St. Louis — Fox Sports San Diego/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona — KCAL/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 2:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 11 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 12:30 a.m. (Thursday)

MLS
New York vs. Chivas USA — Univision/MSG Plus, 7 p.m.
Toronto vs. Vancouver — Sportsnet One, 8 p.m.
Chicago vs. Dallas — WMAQ 5.2/Fox Sports Southwest, 8:30 p.m.
Seattle vs. Columbus — KONG/Fox Sports Ohio, 10 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. San Jose — KDOC/Comcast SportsNet California, 10:30 p.m.

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 6: Boston at Philadelphia — ESPN, 8 p.m. (Boston leads series, 3-2)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Final
Game 5: New Jersey at New York Rangers — NBC Sports Network/CBC/RDS, 8 p.m. (Series tied 2-2)

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network. 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Pregame — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Live Postgame — NBC Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Postgame — NHL Network, 10:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
Sportfolio — Bloomberg, 9 p.m.

Entertainment
The Middle (season finale) — ABC, 8 p.m.
Income Property: Diana — HGTV, 8 p.m.
UFO Files: The Day After Roswell — H2, 8 p.m.
I (Almost) Got Away With It: Got to Run to Costa Rica — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
Priest — Starz, 9 p.m.
Men In Black — More Max, 9 p.m.
Don’t Trust the B!$&@ in Apartment 23 (season finale) — ABC, 9:30 p.m.
Restaurant: Impossible: University Grill — Food Network, 10 p.m.
Locked Up Abroad: Black Palace of Horrors — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Brave New World with Stephen Hawking: Environment — Science, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Berlin — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Sports Media Weekly No. 103 — Ed Sherman, The Sherman Report & Michelle Beadle, NBCUniversal

This was quite the action-packed podcast. Very newsworthy as Michelle Beadle, soon-to-be departing ESPN and soon-to-be joining NBCUniversal is one of our guests. The other is Ed Sherman, formerly of the Chicago Tribune and still writing for Crain’s Chicago Business, but now is the editor and lead writer for the Sherman Report. Ed is still based in Chicago and bases the Sherman Report from the Windy City.

Ed joined Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I for our news segment.

We began talking about Michelle Beadle and her impending departure from ESPN2′s SportsNation for NBCUniversal and what her role will be with the Peacocks.

That transitioned to Erik Kuselias becoming primary host of NBC SportsTalk on NBC Sports Network.

Then we discusssed Pam Ward being taken off ESPN’s college football coverage.

That led to a discussion of ESPN extending its contract with the ACC and subsequently sublicensing ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 games to CBS plus the upheaval in the conferences for money and where it could lead.

Keith, Ed and I moved to baseball and TBS picking up the new Wild Card playoff games while giving two League Division Series games to MLB Network. And we wondered if MLB Network’s penetration would leave fans in local markets out in the cold without access to the games when the postseason rolls around.

Then focused on NBC’s extensive coverage of the Olympics and then talked about Chicago as a market to cover.

Our second guest, Michelle Beadle came on to talk about signing her deal with NBCUniversal where she will work both in sports and entertainment.

We asked Michelle about why she decided to leave ESPN and what opportunities NBC provided to lure her away from the Alleged Worldwide Leader. And Michelle reviewed the speculation on her decision from blogs and newspapers.

Then Michelle told us about what she’ll be doing at NBC Sports and Access Hollywood plus being based in New York for NBCUniversal.

This was a quite fun podcast and once again Beadle gave us a lot of laughs. You can find it on iTunes under “Sports Media Journal” or you can

ESPN 3D To Air Last Five Days of Wimbledon Including All Final Matches

ESPN 3D, a network about 64 people across the country have, will air the last five days of tournament action from the hallowed grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club also known as SW19 also known as Wimbledon.

Now that ESPN has the full rights to the entire tournament beginning this year, ESPN 3D gets into the act for the second consecutive year and with an expanded schedule that includes both the Ladies and Gentlemen’s Finals.

ESPN 3D begins its coverage with the Gentlemen’s Quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 4. All of the action that will be aired on ESPN 3D will be live.

Here’s the announcement.

ESPN 3D to Televise Final Five Days of Wimbledon Live, including Finals

Cliff Drysdale: “It’s like you are on the court!”

ESPN 3D, which presented the first televised 3D tennis last year at Wimbledon, will expand its schedule for the upcoming Championships with live telecasts for the final five days of the tournament – Wednesday, July 4, through the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Finals on Saturday, July 7, and Sunday, July 8. All the matches aired on ESPN 3D will be competed on Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court, and will be reaired that night at 9 p.m. ET.

“On the dawn of new era of Wimbledon for fans with ESPN’s exclusive and all-live multi-platform approach, it is only appropriate that ESPN 3D be there providing a unique view of Finals and the critical matches leading to them,” said Bryan Burns, ESPN vice president, strategic business planning. “We are proud to continue ESPN’s heritage as a leader in technical innovations and that the ESPN 3D schedule is filled with top-level Championship events from around the world.”

Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, said, “ESPN 3D adds to our depth of coverage with a compelling new look at ESPN’s top events. It joins our long list of Emmy Award-winning innovations, including in-car cameras, the 1^st and Ten line, the K Zone, tennis’ ShotSpot and the Virtual Playbook.”

Last year at Wimbledon, ESPN 3D aired one Gentlemen’s semifinal live (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Novak Djokovic), plus the other semi and both Finals on a delayed basis. Cliff Drysdale, who has been with ESPN since the network’s first tennis telecast in 1979, worked that first ESPN 3D telecast with Brad Gilbert. Drysdale says, “The picture is spectacular. You get a whole different view. It’s like you are on the court and it comes right at you. It’s amazing.”

ESPN 3D at Wimbledon 2012

Date	Time (ET)	Event
Wed, July 4	8 a.m.	Two Gentlemen’s Quarterfinals	LIVE
	9 p.m.	Two Gentlemen’s Quarterfinals	Reair
Thur, July 5	8 a.m.	Two Ladies’ Semifinals	LIVE
	9 p.m.	Two Ladies’ Semifinals	Reair
Fri, July 6	8 a.m.	Two Gentlemen’s Semifinals	LIVE
	9 p.m.	Two Gentlemen’s Semifinals	Reair
Sat, July 7	9 a.m.	Ladies’ Final	LIVE
	9 p.m.	Ladies’ Final	Reair
Sun, July 8	9 a.m.	Gentlemen’s Final	LIVE
	9 p.m.	Gentlemen’s Final	Reair

And that will do it.

MLB Network Announces Live Game Schedule Through June 30

This in from MLB Network, we have the live game schedule from June 4 through June 30. The schedule includes 15 Interleague games.

Among the highlights are Bob Costas and Jim Kaat calling games on consecutive days in New York, first the Tampa Bay Rays at the Yankees on Thursday, June 7 and then the Mets and Yankees on Friday, June 8.

MLB Network also announces that its live daytime show, The Rundown, co-hosted by Matt Yallof and Lauren Shehadi will begin an hour earlier at 2 p.m. ET starting on Tuesday, May 29. It had previously started at 3 p.m.

The rest of the programming schedule remains the same, The Abortion Known as Intentional Talk at 5 p.m. ET, then MLB Tonight at 6 p.m. and Quick Pitch.

Here’s the press release from MLB Network.

15 INTERLEAGUE PLAY MATCHUPS FEATURED IN MLB NETWORK’S LIVE GAME SCHEDULE THROUGH JUNE 30

Bob Costas & Jim Kaat and Matt Vasgersian & John Smoltz to call MLB Network Showcase Games Featuring Nationals, Rays, Marlins, Rangers, Yankees and Mets
The Rundown to Air Live One Hour Earlier at 2:00 p.m. ET Starting Tuesday, May 29

Secaucus, N.J., May 22, 2012 – Fifteen Interleague Play matchups will be featured during MLB Network’s live game schedule from Monday, June 4 through Saturday, June 30, including games with every division leader in action.

The schedule features Bob Costas and Jim Kaat calling MLB Network Showcase games on consecutive days, starting with an AL East showdown between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees on Thursday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET live from Yankee Stadium, followed by the New York Mets, who are led by David Wright’s MLB-leading .415 batting average, visiting Derek Jeter, who has a .381 lifetime average against the Mets, and the crosstown rivals Yankees on Friday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The action continues when Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals host the Yankees on Friday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET with Matt Vasgersian and John Smoltz calling the game. Costas and Kaat will call Interleague Play at Fenway Park when the Boston Red Sox match up against the Miami Marlins, who hold the NL’s best all-time Interleague record at 137-118 (.537), on Thursday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Led by outfielder Josh Hamilton’s 18 home runs and 47 RBI’S, the Texas Rangers will take on the Detroit Tigers’ powerful combination of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera on Tuesday, June 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET with Vasgersian and Smoltz calling the game live from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Sam Ryan will report from three of the five MLB Network Showcase games, with Tom Verducci serving as the on-field reporter on June 7 and June 21.

The remainder of the schedule features the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday, June 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET, plus four Saturday afternoon games, including the Kansas City Royals battling the NL Central first-place St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, June 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET. During the last week of June, MLB Network will feature the AL Central first-place Cleveland Indians visiting the AL East first-place Baltimore Orioles on Friday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

As previously announced, the MLB Network Showcase schedule will feature a rematch of the 2011 NLDS between the Phillies and Cardinals this Thursday, May 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET with Costas and Verducci calling the game live from Busch Stadium. The start of Memorial Day weekend will feature the Tigers hosting the Yankees on Friday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET with Costas and Smoltz in the broadcast booth at Comerica Park.

Starting Tuesday, May 29^th, MLB Network’s live weekday studio programming will begin one hour earlier as The Rundown, hosted by Matt Yallof and Lauren Shehadi, moves to 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by Intentional Talk with Chris Rose and Kevin Millar at 5:00 p.m. ET. The Emmy Award-winning studio show MLB Tonight and Quick Pitch, MLB Network’s regular season highlights show of record, will continue to air seven days per week.

MLB Network’s complete game schedule for the remainder of May is available here. Games will be blacked out in each team’s home television territory unless otherwise announced. Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming.

MLB NETWORK LIVE GAME SCHEDULE FOR JUNE

Game Date	Time (ET)	Primary	Alternate
Fri., June 1	7:00 p.m.	Yankees @ Tigers* Booth: Costas & Smoltz	Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays
Sat., June 2	1:00 p.m.	Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays	Oakland Athletics @ Kansas City Royals (2 p.m.)
	10:00 p.m.	Texas Rangers @ L.A. Angels of Anaheim
Mon., June 4	1:00 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets
Tues., June 5	7:00 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies	Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees
Thurs., June 7	1:00 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies	New York Mets @ Washington Nationals
	7:00 p.m.	Rays @ Yankees* Booth: Costas & Kaat	Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox
Fri., June 8	7:00 p.m.	Mets @ Yankees* Booth: Costas & Kaat	Detroit Tigers @ Cincinnati Reds
Sat., June 9	4:00 p.m.	Washington Nationals @ Boston Red Sox	Texas Rangers @ San Francisco Giants
	10:00 p.m.	Oakland Athletics @ Arizona D-backs
Tues., June 12	7:00 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves	Boston Red Sox @ Miami Marlins
	10:00 p.m.	L.A. Angels of Anaheim @ Los Angeles Dodgers	Houston Astros @ San Francisco Giants
Thurs., June 14	8:00 p.m.	Arizona D-backs @ Texas Rangers	Chicago White Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals
Fri., June 15	2:00 p.m.	Boston Red Sox @ Chicago Cubs
	7:00 p.m.	Yankees @ Nationals* Booth: Vasgersian & Smoltz	Colorado Rockies @ Detroit Tigers
Sat., June 16	1:00 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Washington Nationals	Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
	10:00 p.m.	Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers	San Francisco Giants @ Seattle Mariners
Tues., June 19	7:00 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals @ Detroit Tigers	Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees
Wed., June 20	1:00 p.m.	Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees	Toronto Blue Jays @ Milwaukee Brewers (2 p.m.)
Thurs., June 21	7:00 p.m.	Marlins @ Red Sox* Booth: Costas & Kaat	Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillies
Fri., June 22	7:00 p.m.	Atlanta Braves @ Boston Red Sox	New York Yankees @ New York Mets
Sat., June 23	2:00 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals @ Kansas City Royals	Toronto Blue Jays @ Miami Marlins (1 p.m.)
	10:00 p.m.	Chicago Cubs @ Arizona D-backs	Seattle Mariners @ San Diego Padres
Tues., June 26	8:00 p.m.	Tigers @ Rangers* Booth: Vasgersian & Smoltz	Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota Twins
Wed., June 27	1:00 p.m.	Cleveland Indians @ New York Yankees	Brewers @ Reds (12:30 p.m.) Available in Reds market
Thurs., June 28	7:00 p.m.	Detroit Tigers @ Tampa Bay Rays	Arizona D-backs @ Atlanta Braves
Fri., June 29	7:00 p.m.	Cleveland Indians @ Baltimore Orioles	Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees
Sat., June 30	1:00 p.m.	Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees	Royals @ Twins Available in Twins market
	10:00 p.m.	Boston Red Sox @ Seattle Mariners

Games subject to local blackout unless otherwise announced.
* Denotes an MLB Network-produced game.

That’s it.

You Need Linkage On That Wall….

Yes you do. It’s overdue. I thought being on unemployment would give me more time for doing the site. Instead, I have less. I don’t know how that’s happened.

Anyway, here are some links for you.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand has soon-to-be NBC’s Michelle Beadle saying even she’s sick of the coverage on where she’s going next.

Michael takes a look at the Weekend TV ratings.

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today says Laurie Fine, wife of ex-Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, has officially filed her libel lawsuit against ESPN.

At Sports Business Journal, John Ourand and Michael Smith report that the Southeastern Conference, in the midst of restructuring its media rights deal with CBS and ESPN, could be resurrecting its plans to start an SEC Channel.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News goes over the “trade” between TBS and MLB Network giving the young network its first postseason action this season.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN 3D will air the last five days of Wimbledon later this summer.

David Mercer of the Associated Press says citing low ratings, the Big Ten Network will drop academic non-sports programming in order to air higher rated sports.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek talks about GM pulling out of advertising in Super Bowl XLVII.

Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs tells aspiring sports TV anchors how to thrive in local markets despite the shrinking amount of time in newscasts.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid has video of TNT’s Charles Barkley admitting to America that he waxes his eyebrows.

Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid has this funny video of Saturday Night Live’s Jay Pharoah getting Stephen A. “A is for Acrimonious” Smith down pat.

From the New Haven Register, David Borges talks with long-time Red Sox radio voice and Connecticut native Joe Castiglione about his career and his new book.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette talks about CBS Sports sublicensing some college basketball games from ESPN.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has the French Open TV schedule.

Pete says the overnight ratings for the Preakness Stakes dropped double digits from last year.

Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com says NBC Sports Network will tap some familiar names to call MLS action this weekend.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun says NBC got the job done in its Preakness Stakes production.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is on the RGIII train.

The increasingly bitter Thomas Boswell of the WaPo feels MASN should pony up for the Washington Nationals media rights.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner writes that outgoing NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora is looking forward to working and writing for CBS.

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times says two writers from the newspaper including sports media writer Tom Jones will co-host a new morning show for the local sports radio station. Jones will now stop covering sports radio to avoid a conflict of interest.

Iliana Limón Romero of the Orlando Sentinel says the Big East is hopeful of finding a suitable TV suitor for the league.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has some sports media observations.

Mel Bracht at The Oklahoman writes that TNT’s Charles Barkley is looking forward to visiting Oklahoma City for the NBA Western Conference Finals.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds gave local radio station WLW a big ratings win last month.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the local weekend ratings.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a technical glitch forced Cardinals fans to watch Fox Sports San Diego’s feed of last night’s Redbirds-Padres game and listen to Dick Enberg which is not a bad thing at all.

Bryce Miller of the Des Moines Reigster says Iowan and Olympics hurdler Lolo Jones is on a media blitz.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers will honor long-time Spanish radio voice Jaime Jarrin next month.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has video of NBC Sports Network’s Doc Emrick ripping diving in soccer.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says ratings for the NHL Conference Finals on the NBC Sports Group are down.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has some of Pam Ward’s “Greatest” hits over her years calling college football.

That will do it for now.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

Cycling
Giro d’Italia: Stage 16 — Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.

Golf
2002 U.S. Open, Final Round — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.

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

National League
Atlanta at Cincinnati — MLB Network/SportSouth/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Miami — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Pittsburgh — SNY/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia — MASN/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Houston — Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Francisco at Milwaukee — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
San Diego at St. Louis — Fox Sports San Diego/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona — KCAL/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 3 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, midnight
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Wednesday)

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 5: Indiana at Miami — TNT, 8 p.m. (Series tied 2-2)

Inside the NBA — TNT, 10:30 p.m.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Western Conference Final
Game 5: Los Angeles at Phoenix — NBC Sports Network/CBC/RDS, 9 p.m. (Los Angeles leads series, 3-1)

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Pregame — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 8 p.m.
NHL Live Postgame — NBC Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final Postgame — NHL Network, 11:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
E:60 — ESPN2, 8 p.m.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel — HBO, 10 p.m.

Entertainment
Fight Club — IFC, 8 p.m.
Groundhog Day — VH1 Classic, 8 p.m.
Civilization: The West and the Rest with Niall Ferguson — PBS, 8 p.m.
America’s Got Talent — NBC, 9 p.m.
Deadliest Catch: I Don’t Want to Die — Discovery, 9 p.m.
American Ninja Warrior: Southwest Regional Finals — G4, 9 p.m.
Dateline NBC: 20th Anniversary Special — NBC, 10 p.m.
Frontline: Cell Tower Deaths — PBS, 10 p.m.
No Kitchen Required: New Mexico — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Amish: Out of Order: Mending Fences — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Gold Coast, Australia — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

A Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts Trifecta

Let’s provide you with three thoughts on this Tuesday. You know the drill.

• After learning that her contract was expiring, leading to speculation that she was about to leave, seemingly leaving, then indeed she was leaving, we finally got the official wordfrom NBCUniversal that Michelle Beadle was joining the company.It’s a good move for her. She’ll still have a hand in sports with a show on NBC Sports Network and appear on big events like the Olympics, NFL Kickoff, the Triple Crown and down the road, the Super Bowl. In addition, Michelle will be the New York-based correspondent for Access Hollywood. If you read the NBC press release, you’ll notice that there was plenty of mentions of her past entertainment work as well as her sports resumé.I know I said sports wasn’t in Beadle’s future and I was partly right in my thoughts. It will be interesting to see if her NBC Sports Network show will be weekly or monthly. I think the show won’t be a daily series, but you never know. Michelle will be a guest on an upcoming edition of Sports Media Weekly with Keith Thibault and I and we’ll be asking her what her role at NBC Sports will be. And I’m sure she’ll continue to be a Friend of Fang’s Bites.
• Before NBC’s Beadle announcement, the big news on Monday was the surprising development that ESPN had removed Pam Wardfrom its college football coverage. Since 2000, Ward had a weekly assignment starting with noon ET Big Ten games on ESPN2. While there’s no arguing that she was a trailblazer, becoming the first woman to regularly call football on a major television network, there was certainly no argument that she was polarizing among viewers.The original Awful Announcing site under original editor, Brian Powell named its Worst College Football Announcing Awards, The Pammies, after Ward. While some media writers like Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star were squarely in her corner, your humble blogger found Ward’s play calling to be sorely lacking. For four years running, she was the “winner” of Worst Play-by-Play in my annual College Football TV Awards and had it named after her last year. Even with her not calling college football this year, the award will still be named in her dishonor.

  Beth Mowins is the lone female on ESPN still calling college football and I think she’s much better than Ward.

• And another Monday development, CBS announced that it was sublicensinga package of ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 basketball games from ESPN. It’s something CBS had to do to continue airing marquee conference matchups during the regular season. While CBS dominates the college basketball postseason, it’s ESPN that carries the load of the regular with new contracts in tow with the three aforementioned conferences. It’s kind of like doing business with the Devil, but knowing you have to do it in order to survive. While that analogy is certainly a stretch, it’s not too far off as ESPN is the 800 lb. gorilla that has most, if not all the bananas in its possession.Let’s not cry for CBS here, it has contracts of its own with the Big East, Big Ten and SEC, but it needed a sublicense agreement with the Alleged Worldwide Leader to continue to air a diversified college basketball portfolio. I wonder if we’ll see similar arrangements for other sports with ESPN down the line.

We’re done for now.

Preview of HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Episode 182 — Lolo Jones

On Tuesday, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel will air a feature on Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones and her attempts to get back to the Games. You may remember in the 2008 Communist China Olympics that Jones was leading the women’s 100 meter hurdles and was the heavy favorite to win the gold medal when she hit the next to last hurdle, then fell to the track and lost the race. Now, she’s attempting to get back to the Olympics for her shot at redemption.

Mary Carillo interviewed Lolo and we have some clips from the show that will air on Tuesday. And the subject matter is rather fascinating.

First, Jones talks about how she got the name “Lolo”.

Here, Lolo tells Mary what it takes to train to get to the Olympics.

And in this clip, Lolo explains to Mary why she decided to remain a virgin until she marries.

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel airs Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT on HBO with various replays throughout the next three weeks.

After A Weekend Off, NBC Sports Network Airs The NHL Conference Finals

Tonight, the NBC Sports Network returns to airing the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Final tonight. It’ll be Game 4 between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils

NEW YORK RANGERS SHUT OUT NEW JERSEY DEVILS, 3-0, IN GAME 3 ON SATURDAY TO TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 41
Game 4 of New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils, Tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network

NEW YORK – May 21, 2012 – Day 41 – The NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 NHL Conference Finals continues tonight on NBC Sports Network with Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. The #6 New Jersey Devils host the #1 New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET (Rangers lead series 2-1). With two of the three games in the series ending in a Rangers shutout, the team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play) and Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-glass’ analyst) will call the action from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET withNHL Live.

Continuing through the Stanley Cup Final, all Stanley Cup Playoff games will air exclusively on NBC and NBC Sports Network. Following is the schedule for the remaining Conference Finals games (all times ET and subject to change):

Monday, May 21
8 p.m.	#1 New York Rangers @ #6 New Jersey Devils (Game 4)	NBC Sports Network
Tuesday, May 22
9 p.m.	#8 Los Angeles Kings @ #3 Phoenix Coyotes (Game 5)	NBC Sports Network
Wednesday, May 23
8 p.m.	#6 New Jersey Devils @ #1 New York Rangers (Game 5)*	NBC Sports Network
Thursday, May 24
9 p.m.	#3 Phoenix Coyotes @ #8 Los Angeles Kings (Game 6)*	NBC Sports Network
Friday, May 25
8 p.m.	#1 New York Rangers @ #6 New Jersey Devils (Game 6)*	NBC Sports Network
Saturday, May 26
8 p.m.	#8 Los Angeles Kings @ #3 Phoenix Coyotes (Game 7)*	NBC Sports Network
Sunday, May 27
8 p.m.	#6 New Jersey Devils @ #1 New York Rangers (Game 7)*	NBC Sports Network

* If Necessary

CHANNEL FINDER

With all 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games airing nationally for the first time, the NBC Sports Group created a channel finder to help fans find NBC and NBC Sports Network in their area by simply entering a zip code.

Click here for the channel finder.

PRE-GAME & POST-GAME COVERAGE

NHL Live, NBC Sports Network’s NHL pre-game show, will air every game night before the puck drops. NHL Post-Game will air 30 minutes following the conclusion of game coverage every night of the playoffs.

GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR

For the first time in the 95-year history of the NHL, every Stanley Cup Playoff game will be televised nationally. The NBC Sports Group is providing unprecedented access to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in April, May and June, televising as many as 91 playoff games and possibly more than 262.5 hours of programming. Games will be presented on NBC, the NBC Sports Network, the NHL Network, and NBCUniversal’s business channel CNBC in primetime.

NBC Sports Network	Forty Five*
CNBC	Thirteen
NBC	Twelve
NHL Network	Six

* Includes Devils-Panthers Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 that was joined in progress

Done

NBC Officially Announces Michelle Beadle Joins Sports and Access Hollywood

NBCUniversal announces that Michelle Beadle, leaving ESPN2′s SportsNation at the end of this month, will be hosting a show for NBC Sports Network as well as being a New York-based correspondent for Access Hollywood.

This fits Michelle as she’ll have a role in sports and be seen on some of NBC’s big events such as the Olympics, the Triple Crown and the NFL Kickoff game.

NBC says Michelle will be seen on various NBCUniversal platforms. We have the announcement from the network.

NBCUNIVERSAL ANNOUNCES NEW MULTI-PLATFORM AGREEMENT WITH SEASONED BROADCASTER MICHELLE BEADLE

Beadle to Contribute to “Access Hollywood” and Several NBC Sports Group Platforms Including a Role at the London Olympic Games

NEW YORK – May 21, 2012 – NBCUniversal and former ESPN personality Michelle Beadle have forged a new multi-platform agreement that includes on-air duties for “Access Hollywood” and the NBC Sports Group.

Beadle, who will be based in New York, will serve as a correspondent for the nationally syndicated entertainment news program, “Access Hollywood,” which is anchored by Billy Bush. Beadle will cover all major red carpet events, including movie premieres and fashion week, plus report on all breaking Hollywood news. Beadle will also serve as a correspondent for NBC Sports Group’s big-event properties including this summer’s London Olympic Games, which she will also be covering for “Access Hollywood.” Beadle will also have a role in the 2012 NFL Kickoff and Horse Racing’s Triple Crown, as well as other NBC Sports Network programs. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will develop new programming for NBC Sports Network featuring Beadle.

“Michelle Beadle is a perfect fit for ‘Access Hollywood’. She is a tremendous broadcaster, smart, clever with a terrific sense of humor,” said Rob K. Silverstein, Executive Producer of “Access Hollywood.” “Michelle’s sensibility will help Access to continue to separate itself from the pack.”

“I am thrilled to join the NBCUniversal family and to have the opportunity to work alongside many of the most talented and accomplished individuals in the business,” said Beadle. “This gig is the perfect blend of the two things I am most passionate about – sports and pop culture. I look forward to getting back to New York City and immersing myself into a myriad of NBCUniversal platforms, while trying to kick ass and have some fun along the way.”

“Similar to the agreement with Ryan Seacrest, this is another great example of attracting a talent who can contribute across multiple NBCUniversal platforms,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group

“Michelle’s energy and enthusiasm, coupled with her love and knowledge of sports, make her a perfect fit for the NBC Sports Group,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “She has a likability that pops through the screen, and we are excited to be able to feature her across multiple properties and events.”

Beadle joins NBCUniversal from ESPN where she most recently served as co-host of the studio show “SportsNation” on ESPN2, appeared on 1050 ESPN New York as the New York “SportsCenter” anchor for ESPN Radio’s “The Michael Kay Show,” and co-hosted “Winners Bracket” for ESPN Sports Saturday on ABC.

Prior to ESPN, Beadle worked on-air for YES Network, where she served as the pre- and post-game reporter for New Jersey Nets basketball telecasts, and as a studio anchor, reporter and host on shows such as the Emmy Award-winning “Ultimate Road Trip;” “SportsLife NYC;” and “Yankees on Deck.”

In addition to her work at YES, Beadle was hired in 2007 by People Magazine and People.com, where she hosted the online feature What You Missed over the Weekend, and served as a Red Carpet reporter for the Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, SAG Awards and the Tony Awards.

Beadle hosted the Major League Baseball Production’s magazine show “Cathedrals of the Game,” and was a feature reporter for the NFL Films syndicated program “NFL Under the Helmet.”

Beadle previously was a primary host and anchor for College Sports Television (CSTV), where she co-hosted the network’s flagship program, “The #1 College Sports Show,” in addition to CSTV pre- and postgame sports shows and specials.

Also, she hosted the Animal Planet series “Animal Planet Report;” co-hosted the Travel Channel’s Beach Week series; hosted the Discovery Channel reality series “Get Packing” and the network’s one-hour specials “Inside Orlando’s Resorts” and “Outrageous Room Service;” and hosted “I Want Your Job,” an original series on the Fine Living Network.

The deal for Beadle was brokered by Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

That’s it.

Tennis Channel Announces French Open Coverage Plans; New Start Time

As the primary cable TV rightsholder for the French Open, Tennis Channel will carry the bulk of the action live from Roland Garros and the red clay in Paris.

Ted Robinson, Ian Eagle and Brett Haber will be call matches as will Mary Carillo. On the analysis will be John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Justin Gimblestob and Rennae Stubbs. Bill Macatee will be the host during live action as well as French Open Tonight which airs nightly at 7 p.m. ET.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim will be the insider for Tennis Channel’s coverage.

For the first six days of the tournament, Tennis Channel will hit the air at 10 a.m. ET and lasting until the final match is concluded. During the first weekend of play, Tennis Channel will be on all morning starting at 5 ET and going until NBC starts its coverage.

Then in the second week, Tennis Channel’s coverage will be on Monday (June 4), Tuesday (June 5) and Friday (June 8).

We have Tennis Channel’s plans for you.

TENNIS CHANNEL’S FRENCH OPEN COVERAGE BEGINS MAY 27

McEnroe, Navratilova, Davenport, Carillo, Macatee, Robinson, Eagle, Haber, and Others Headed to Paris for Network
More than 250 Hours of Overall Tournament Coverage to Run from May 27-June 10, with 59 Live-Match Hours, 36 First-Run Hours of French Open Tonight and 12 Hours of Daily French Tennis Federation Highlights
At Least 300 Live-Match Hours Available for Free on www.tennischannel.com

LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2012 -Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, will offer close to 60 hours of live matches and more than 140 match hours overall during its sixth year of French Open coverage, from Sunday, May 27, to Sunday, June 10. The network will air almost two dozen hours of encore men’s and women’s singles semifinal and championship telecasts as part of a programming format that will see the channel’s 24-hour schedule almost entirely dedicated to the world’s most prestigious clay-court competition for two weeks.

A typical day’s French Open schedule on Tennis Channel this year will feature live matches from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, followed by four hours of encore coverage of the tournament’s best competitions, regardless of whether they first ran on Tennis Channel or broadcast partners NBC or ESPN2 (a complete schedule follows, below). At 7 p.m. ET French Open Tonight, hosted by Bill Macatee, will showcase three hours of interviews, analysis, highlights, encore match segments and special reports, set on a stage above the tournament’s central Musketeer Plaza. In all, Tennis Channel will air 36 first-run hours of the nightly prime-time show (with 114 hours overall). Following two consecutive French Open Tonight encores, at 4 a.m. ET daily tournament highlights of the French Tennis Federation (the governing body of the event) will run for an hour before a new day of coverage runs on ESPN2 from 5 a.m.-10 a.m.

Tennis Channel and ESPN2 have worked together since 2007 to bring viewers virtually non-stop, 24-hour coverage of the French Open. Each network cross-promotes the other’s schedule while using its own on-air talent, with Tennis Channel producing all telecasts for both channels.

On-Air Talent

As it has done since its first year of French Open coverage in 2007, Tennis Channel will field an all-star team of on-air talent this year in Paris, with Hall of Famers John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova taking the helm as lead analysts for the sixth consecutive year. The lineup also features Grand Slam-champion Lindsay Davenport and sportscaster Mary Carillo who, through her heartfelt special reports for numerous networks and refreshingly candid demeanor, is one of America’s most popular television sports presences today.

“It’s always great to get back to Paris with John, Mary, Bill, Lindsay and the rest of the Tennis Channel team,” said Navratilova. “It will be interesting to see if the two thirty-somethings – Roger Federer and Serena Williams – will be able to stay the in-form players and win on what is their least favorite and favorable surface.”

Household television-sports names Ted Robinson, Ian Eagle and Brett Haber will handle play-by-play responsibilities during Tennis Channel’s 2012 French Open coverage, with assists from analysts and former players Justin Gimelstob and Rennae Stubbs. Sports Illustrated‘s voice of tennis Jon Wertheim will add his expert opinion throughout the two-week event, while Tennis Channel Court Report host Cari Champion will maintain increasingly expanding social media duties. Macatee, as host of French Open Tonight, will once again interview the players, coaches, industry executives and others who will write the storylines at this year’s tournament.

Broadband Coverage

This year during the French Open more than 300 hours of live matches will be available for free on Tennis Channel’s Web site, www.tennischannel.com, an increase of more than 100 hours over 2011. Also new, online streaming will run from 5 a.m. ET through the end of the day’s play, marking the first time broadband matches will be available live regardless of whether or not Tennis Channel’s television-coverage window is taking place. Viewers can access up to five courts at the same time during live windows the first week of the tournament and then view on-demand archived matches after play has stopped each evening. The site will also feature daily highlights, interviews, features and segments from French Open Tonight, along with real-time scoring, interactive tournament draws, sweepstakes information, photos and the network’s “Racquet Bracket” tournament prediction game. Digital offerings also include regular updates from veteran tennis reporters Steve Flink, Joel Drucker and Matt Cronin, in addition to posts from tennis blogger Erwin Ong.

Tennis Channel’s Live 2012 French Open Match Schedule
(Men’s/Women’s Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)

Date                                        Time (ET)                  Event                                     

Sunday, May 27                      10 a.m.-3 p.m.             First-Round Action

Monday, May 28                    10 a.m.-3 p.m.             First-Round Action

Tuesday, May 29                    10 a.m.-3 p.m.             First-Round Action

Wednesday, May 30               10 a.m.-3 p.m.             Second-Round Action

Thursday, May 31                   10 a.m.-3 p.m.             Second-Round Action

Friday, June 1                         10 a.m.-3 p.m.             Third-Round Action

Saturday, June 2                     5 a.m.-Noon                Third-Round Action

Sunday, June 3                        5 a.m.-1 p.m.               Round-of-16 Action

Monday, June 4                      10 a.m.-3 p.m.             Round-of-16 Action

Tuesday, June 5                      8 a.m.-1 p.m.               Quarterfinals

Friday, June 8                         7 a.m.-11 a.m.             Men’s Semifinal

Tennis Channel will also offer same-day replays of singles quarterfinal and semifinal matches, and encore coverage of the men’s and women’s championships after the close of play on the final Sunday (ET):

Wednesday, June 6 – 1 p.m.-7 p.m.: men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals

Thursday, June 7 – 1 p.m.-7 p.m.: women’s singles semifinals

Friday, June 8 – 5 p.m.-midnight: men’s semifinals

Sunday, June 10 – 2 p.m.-6 p.m. and 8 p.m.-midnight: men’s final; 6 p.m.-8 p.m.: women’s final

Tennis Channel’s French Open Tonight Schedule

French Open Tonight airs Sunday, May 27-Thursday, June 7. Most nights the program airs from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (all times ET), and is repeated twice upon conclusion, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. and 1 a.m.-4 a.m. There are two exceptions during the tournament’s middle weekend. Saturday, June 2, French Open Tonight will first run from 3 p.m.-6 p.m., followed by three-straight encores: 6 p.m.-9 p.m., 9 p.m.-midnight, 12 a.m.-3 a.m. The schedule on Sunday, June 3, is similar but begins one hour later, with a 4 p.m.-7 p.m. premiere, and 7 p.m.-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-1 a.m. and 1 a.m.-4 a.m. repeats.

That will do it.

CBS To Sublicense ACC, Big 12 & Pac-12 Basketball Games From ESPN

Reported earlier today by USA Today’s Michael Hiestand, CBS Sports has signed a four year deal with ESPN to get a package of college basketball games consisting from the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences. While CBS won’t be airing Duke-North Carolina anymore, rest assured that the network will still get some decent matchups.

The deal calls for 26 appearances by conference teams per year except in the 2012-13 season when the contract will provide 20 appearances.

No financial terms were disclosed. Overall, it provides CBS with some top-tier regular season games leading to the NCAA Tournament in March.

We have the announcement from CBS Sports.

CBS SPORTS REACHES MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH ESPN TO BROADCAST MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMES FROM THE ACC, BIG 12 AND PAC-12 CONFERENCES

CBS Sports, college basketball’s leading network broadcaster, has acquired the rights to broadcast men’s college basketball games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences through an agreement with ESPN. The multi-year agreement begins with the 2012-13 college basketball season.

The deal provides for 26 appearances per year, except for the first year which calls for 20 appearances, from top tier teams across the various Conferences, including six ACC appearances during the first-year of the deal and then 12 ACC appearances through the remainder of the agreement. In addition, CBS Sports will broadcast the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game for the length of the agreement and the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship game in 2013.

CBS Sports broadcasts an extensive regular-season schedule of college basketball, including conference championships from the Big Ten, and Conference USA. CBS Sports and Turner Sports combine for exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, providing live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

That will do it.

ESPN2 Announces French Open Coverage Plans; New Start Time

Starting Sunday, the second Grand Slam tournament on the Tennis calendar begins in Paris. Officially known as “Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros”, the French Open will go for two weeks. ESPN2 will have live tennis action for the first 6 days of the tournament starting at 5 a.m. ET and will last until 10 a.m. ET. During the second week, ESPN2′s start time will differ as the network has live coverage of the Round of 16 through to the Women’s Semifinals. For the previous four years, ESPN2 had begun its coverage at noon ET and went until 5 p.m. or until the conclusion of its matches.

Now as ESPN2 and Tennis Channel enter a new phase of joint Grand Slam coverage, ESPN2 which is the secondary rightsholder for this tournament will kick off the day with Tennis Channel picking things up from 10 a.m. ET until the conclusion.

Chris Fowler and Chris McKendry will share host duties. Fowler will be the main announcer as well. Chris Evert, Patrick McEnroe, Darren “Killer” Cahill, Brad Gilbert, Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver will all be on hand for ESPN2. Cliff Drysdale will skip Roland Garros and will be back for Wimbledon.

We have ESPN’s schedule of coverage.

ESPN at the French Open: New TV Schedule Live Every Day; Evert’s ESPN/Paris Debut

Djoker-Slam for Novak? Are Azarenka, Serena & Maria a New Big Three?
Action on ESPN2 HD & ESPN3 Starts Sunday, May 27; Women’s Semis Live June 7

The best tennis players in the world are headed for a collision on the red clay of Paris:  Roland Garros, the 2012 French Open starting on ESPN2 HD and ESPN3 on Sunday, May 27.  ESPN2’s new schedule of live action every day – starting at 5 a.m. ET most days – continues weekdays through Thursday, June 7, culminating with the women’s semifinals. ESPN3 will provide up to seven screens of action on the days ESPN2 is on the air, totaling 320 hours.

Chris Evert, who won the French Open a record seven times among her 18 Major singles championships, will work the event for ESPN for the first time. She joined the ESPN tennis team at last year’s Wimbledon.

The Storylines

Both sides of the draw present intriguing storylines, as challengers to the “trivalry” of Djokovic/Federer/Nadal (winners of 27 of the last 28 Majors) seem to be closing and the previously wide-open women’s field seems to be coalescing around a new “Big Three.”

Defending and six-time champ Rafael Nadal is ranked No. 2, after beating top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the finals in Rome on May 21.  The Serb has won the last three Majors and is seeking a historic “Djoker Slam,” but has never reached the final in Paris.  Roger Federer, a finalist a year ago, has the best record on the tour since the US Open.  After that, No. 4 Andy Murray had a career-best semifinal appearance last year and a slew of contenders are threatening to break up the Fab Four – local favorites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic, Juan Martin Del Potro and 6-9 American John Isner who recently cracked the Top 10 in rankings for the first time.

On the women’s side, Victoria Azarenka, who recently ascended to the world’s top ranking, enters Paris off a tremendous early season including an Australian Open title but also recent losses to Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.  The trio seems to have separated themselves from the field in creating a new triumvirate at the top of the women’s game.  No. 2  Sharapova, the Aussie runnerup and winner last week in Rome, would love a French title to complete a career Grand Slam, and Williams, the 2002 champion, is playing far better than her No. 5 ranking.  In addition, the field includes four other former champions (Ana Ivanovic, Li Na, Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova) plus Venus Williams continues her comeback and enters her first Major since her sudden withdrawal from the US Open.

TV Coverage

After the opening day, ESPN2’s schedule will continue with an all-live telecast starting at 5 a.m. each day through Friday, June 1 and again on Monday, June 4.  The network will air live quarterfinal action Tuesday, June 5, at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, June 6 at 8 a.m.  ESPN2 will air the women’s semifinals live Thursday, June 7 at 8 a.m.  All the action on ESPN2 is also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.

Chris Fowler and Chris McKendry will again share host duties on ESPN2, with Fowler also calling matches. They will be joined by Evert, along with returnees Darren Cahill, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver. Cliff Drysdale will rejoin the team next month for ESPN’s first-ever exclusive start-to-finish coverage of Wimbledon.

For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN2 is working with Tennis Channel to bring viewers an almost around-the-clock tournament experience, with each channel cross-promoting the other’s schedule. Tennis Channel will produce all coverage for both channels, with each making use of its own on-air team.

ESPN3

ESPN3’s French Open schedule totals 328 hours with a multi-screen offering of up to seven courts and ESPN2’s coverage and is available on the days the network is televising.  ESPN3 will begin each day early in the morning with the first ball in the air and continue to the last shot of the day.  Matches will also be available after they take place via replay. Additionally, ESPNPlay in Latin America and the Caribbean will provide customers with extensive live coverage with multiple windows totaling over 500 hours in both English and Spanish on broadband platforms in addition to televised coverage throughout the regions.

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a 24/7 destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online via WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members.  It is currently available to 73 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.  The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.

Other ESPN Platforms

Fans will have a variety of ways to follow the French Open with live action and updates on an array of ESPN platforms wherever they are and regardless of whether there is live television offered.

ESPN.com will provide comprehensive coverage before, during and after the French Open, highlighted by an enhanced Courtcast section that – for the first time – will feature all the live action from ESPN3. As always, it will also include real-time scoring from all courts, plus continuous live polling with results revealed immediately in ESPN2’s telecasts. In addition to all the results, news, analysis, schedules and more, ESPN.com will provide live blogging throughout the tournament so fans can follow the action even when there is no live television coverage. Also, fans can watch Digital Serve daily with ESPN2 commentators discussing the latest action and previewing key matches. Other highlights include:

• The Latest Dirt – a daily notebook roundup of all the day’s action;
• Center Court – a tennis video show featured each week on all the major news from Roland Garros;
• Quest for the Quad – a daily look at Novak Djokovic via previews, match reactions, blogs and more as he attempts to complete the “Djoker Slam” for winning four straight majors;
• Slam Central – comprehensive coverage of everything that transpired each day;
• What We Learned – ESPN.com senior writer Greg Garber and others will highlight the day’s news and notes with quick video snippets on the overlooked storylines.

The WatchESPN App – for fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV or Comcast Xfinity – will provide access to for ESPN2’s live coverage online at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets, in addition to ESPN3’s multi-screen offering.

ESPN Mobile TV will have 51 hours of live coverage, simulcasting all of ESPN2’s live programming, highlighted by the women’s semifinals Thursday, June 7.

ESPN Interactive TV, exclusive to DIRECTV, will present the French Open showing ESPN2 or Tennis Channel’s live coverage along with five other courts available with commentary.  Other features include interactive data, the tournament draw, up-to-date scores, and daily order of play.

ESPN International will present up to 130 hours of the French Open to more than 60 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean on a variety of regional networks.  Matches will be chosen based on local interest and commentary will be offered in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place

Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended added in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012.

ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.

In addition, broadband network ESPN3, now in nearly 72 million homes, carries thousands of hours of tennis annually, including all four Grand Slam events, plus ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments and WTA Premier Events, and season-ending championships for both tours. Also, ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and the sport receives extensive coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.  ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at Wimbledon in 2011.

2012 French Open on ESPN2 & ESPN2 HD

Date	Time (ET)	Event
Sun, May 27 – Fri, June 1	5 – 10 a.m.	Early Round Action	Live
Mon, June 4	5 – 10 a.m.	Round of 16	Live
Tue, June 5	1 – 7 p.m.	Quarterfinals	Live & Same-day action
Wed, June 6	8 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Quarterfinals	Live
Thur, June 7	8 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Women’s Semifinals	Live

2012 French Open on ESPN3

Date	Time (ET)	Event
Sun, May 27 – Fri, June 1	5 a.m. – 3 p.m.	Early Round Action	Live
Mon, June 4	8 a.m. – 7 p.m.	Round of 16	Live
Tue, June 5	8 a.m. – 7 p.m.	Quarterfinals	Live
Wed, June 6	5 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Quarterfinals	Live
Thur, June 7	5 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Men’s Doubles Semis Women’s Semifinals	Live

That will do it.

DEVELOPING: Pam Ward Removed From ESPN College Football Coverage

This being reported by Sports Illustrated’ Richard Deitsch, Pam Ward is being taken off ESPN’s college football coverage. No reason is being given for the change.

Ward became the first woman to regularly call college football on television starting in 2000. She began calling Big Ten football games on ESPN2, but more recently had been calling contests on ESPNU.

It leaves Beth Mowins as the only female calling the sport for ESPN.

A network spokesman tells Deitsch that Ward will continue to call other sports for ESPN.

More on the story as it develops.

A Busy Week in Motorsports on ESPN/ABC

The Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Nationwide Race in Charlotte, NC headline ESPN/ABC’s motorsports coverage this week.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

Indianapolis 500 Airing for 48^th Year on ABC

ABC will air the 96^th running of the Indianapolis 500 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 27, continuing one of the longest-running relationships between a sporting event and a TV network with the race on ABC for the 48^th straight year. A one-hour pre-race show airs at 11 a.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 12:12 p.m. For the first time, viewers will be able to watch streaming views from onboard cameras on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen, live sports event network.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid; analysts Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever.

Host: Brent Musburger

Pit reporters: Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch

NASCAR Nationwide Series at Charlotte on ABC

The NASCAR Nationwide Series races this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the History 300 airs live on ABC on Saturday, May 26. NASCAR Countdown airs at 2:30 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 3:01 p.m.  Also from Charlotte, ESPN2 airs NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Announcers:

Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake.

NASCAR Now Schedule

The one-hour weekend edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will air on Sunday, May 27, at 10 a.m. ET with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Michael Yam will host, joined by analyst Ricky Craven with reporters Mike Massaro and Ryan McGee at the track. NASCAR Now will review the race at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 28.

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Tue., May 22	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Jonathan Coachman	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Wed., May 23	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Jonathan Coachman	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri., May 25	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Michael Yam	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., May 27	10 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Michael Yam	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Mon., May 21	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Allen Bestwick	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Global Rallycross Charlotte Action Airs on ESPN2

The high-octane world of Global Rallycross, which mixes the energy of motorsports with the attitude of action sports, is kicking off its 2012 season with an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the famous track’s NASCAR weekend. The event, which will be contested on a 0.750-mile Rallycross course built along the frontstretch and pit road of the 1.5-mile superspeedway, will air on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 26, at 8 p.m. ET.

In addition, the event will air on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network, starting at 7 p.m.

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on ESPN2

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, but NHRA fans can watch action from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on Saturday, May 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The telecast will feature highlights from the recent event in Topeka, Kansas.

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms

ESPN.com — RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, May 27, RacingLive! Charlotte will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. ESPN.com motorsports writer David Newton will be on hand at Charlotte.

ESPN Radio — Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from the site of that weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.

That’s it.

HBO’s Real Sports Returns May 22

The Emmy Award-winning monthly HBO Sports newsmagazine Real Sports returns Tuesday with three new stories and an update.

Among the stories you’ll see will be a look at why Korean golfers thrive on the LPGA Tour, a profile of Olympics hurdler Lolo Jones, another profile on the nephew of legendary boxer Micky Ward and the update will be on a New York City fireman who was a top-notch accident, but after an accident and losing his leg became a top-notch athlete again.

We have the preview of this month’s program from HBO Sports. Check it out.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
LOOKS AT SOUTH KOREAN DOMINANCE ON THE LPGA TOUR;
GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH US OLYMPIAN LOLO JONES;
TELLS THE INSPIRING STORY OF RAY GREENHALGE, MICKY WARD’S NEPHEW;
AND RECONNECTS WITH NEW YORK CITY FIREMAN MATT LONG WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MAY 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 182nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MAY 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: May 22 (5:00 a.m.), 25 (1:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 27 (8:00 a.m.), 29 (8:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) and 31 (4:00 p.m., 3:45 a.m.), and June 2 (9:30 a.m.) and 6 (11:00 a.m., 12:25 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: May 24 (7:00 p.m.), 26 (1:40 p.m.), 28 (10:00 p.m.) and 30 (10:00 a.m., 11:00 p.m.), and June 3 (11:30 a.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m., 1:45 a.m.) and 11 (3:30 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability: May 28-June 18

Segments include:

*Seoul Sisters. Home to 50 million people, tiny, mountainous South Korea has little room for golf courses, but no other country in the world has more women in the upper ranks of pro female golfers. An astounding 145 of the top 500 female golfers in the world are from South Korea, including four of the top ten, while the nation is responsible for 17 of the top 50 LPGA earners in 2012 to date, the most of any country. The path to success on the links can begin early, with some young South Korean women – on the advice of their parents – sacrificing traditional schooling to dedicate more than 40 hours a week to their craft. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel travels to South Korea to find out how a country roughly the size of Indiana and making up less than one percent of the world’s population has come to dominate a sport.

Producer: Nick Dolin.

*Lolo Jones. Entering the Women’s 100M Hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lori “Lolo” Jones was the favorite to capture gold, but she tripped while attempting to clear the penultimate hurdle, finishing seventh. While this stumble was a huge blow to her career, it was also just another adversity to overcome. Jones’ difficult childhood included stretches of homelessness, thanks to a father who was in and out of prison and a mother who struggled financially. But she went on to win three NCAA titles, earn 11 All-American honors at LSU and capture gold medals at the World Indoor Championship. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo sits down with the 29-year-old to talk about then and now, as she prepares for what could be her last shot at Olympic gold.

Producer: Chapman Downes.

*Ray Greenhalge. When Ray Greenhalge was born seven weeks prematurely, doctors said he would never walk or talk as a result of the debilitating muscle disorder cerebral palsy, as well as severe fluid on the brain. Now, 26 years later, he’s probably more talkative and physically active than most his age – an age many feared he wouldn’t reach. The nephew and godson of retired boxer Micky Ward, best known for his historic trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti in 2002 and 2003, Greenhalge has a unique passion for boxing, which gives him a sense of direction. He also proves to be every bit as tough as his uncle, with whom he spars ten rounds every Saturday, as well as engaging in two- to three-hour daily gym workouts. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Massachusetts to hear Greenhalge’s inspirational story.

Producer: Michael Tolajian.

*Matt Long. On a frigid 2005 winter morning in midtown Manhattan during a transit strike, New York City fireman, marathoner and Ironman triathlete Matt Long was riding his bike to work when a private bus made an illegal turn and literally ran him over. Given a one-percent chance of survival, he spent five months in the hospital and underwent 40 surgeries to repair his crushed right leg and impaled organs. The 46-year-old credits his great physical condition for being able to stave off infection and survive the ordeal. The 9/11 veteran persevered and trained passionately for two years to become a top-notch athlete again. In 2008, Long completed the New York City marathon in just over seven hours, and eight months later completed an Ironman Competition within the 17-hour time limit.

Since the original story aired in 2009, Long has gotten married and expects to become a father in June. He was also involved in another car accident, this time during a charity bike ride in Florida, but escaped with just a broken wrist. While the injury derailed his quest to qualify for this summer’s London Paralympics, REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo learns that Long is doing better than ever.

Producers: Jake Rosenwasser, Lisa Bennett.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 15 times and has received 23 Sports Emmy^® Awards overall. It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. In January, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for a series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the August 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS. Last month, the show received the Emmy^® in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism for Bernard Goldberg’s 2011 report on the college bowl games money trail.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That’s all from here.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

Cycling
Giro d’Italia: Stage 15 — Universal Sports, 11 a.m.

Golf
Big Break Atlantis: Abandon Ship — Golf Channel, 9 p.m.
Feherty: Donald Trump — Golf Channel, 10 p.m.

MLB
American League
Boston at Baltimore — NESN/MASN2, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at New York Yankees — Fox Sports Kansas City/YES, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Tampa Bay — Sportsnet One/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Oakland — Fox Sports West/Comcast SportsNet California, 10 p.m.
Texas at Seattle — Fox Sports Southwest/Root Sports Northwest, 10 p.m.

National League
Atlanta at Cincinnati — ESPN/SportSouth/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Miami — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Pittsburgh — SNY/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia — MASN/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Houston — Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Francisco at Milwaukee — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
San Diego at St. Louis — Fox Sports San Diego/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Los Angeles at Arizona — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 3 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, midnight
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Tuesday)

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 5: Philadelphia at Boston — TNT, 7 p.m. (Series tied 2-2)

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 5: Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City — TNT, 9:30 p.m. (Oklahoma City leads series, 3-1)

Inside the NBA — TNT, midnight

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Final
Game 4: New York Rangers at New Jersey — NBC Sports Network/CBC/RDS, 8 p.m. (Rangers lead 2-1)

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Eastern Conference Final Pregame — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Live Postgame — NBC Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.
NHL Tonight: Eastern Conference Final Postgame — NHL Network, 10:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation: 44 Jeers of April — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
SEC Storied: Lolo Jones — ESPNU, 7 p.m.

Tennis
ATP Tour: Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Final-Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal — Tennis Channel, 6 a.m.

Entertainment
America’s Got Talent — NBC, 8 p.m.
House (series finale) — Fox, 8 p.m.
World’s Wildest Police Videos — Spike, 8 p.m.
Undercover Boss Abroad: npower — TLC, 8 p.m.
Top Gear — BBC America, 8:30 p.m.
American Ninja Warrior: Finals Region 1 — NBC, 9 p.m.
Undercover Boss Abroad: Toga Hospitality — TLC, 9 p.m.
Wild Justice: California 911 — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World — CBS, 10 p.m.
Richard Hammond’s Crash Course: Salvage Yard — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Fatal Encounters: Fueled by Hate — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Witness: Joplin Tornado — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Hotel Impossible: La Jolla Cove Suites, La Jolla, CA — Travel Channel, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Gothenburg, Sweden — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.