Archive for November, 2012
Nov
30
College Basketball Viewing Picks For 12/01 & 12/02/2012, All Times Eastern
Men’s Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports
Saturday, December 1
SEC/Big East Challenge
Mississippi State at Providence — ESPNU, noon
Rutgers at Mississippi — ESPNU, 2 p.m.
Alabama at Cincinnati — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Villanova at Vanderbilt — ESPNU, 6 p.m.
John Wooden Classic, Anaheim, CA
San Diego State vs. UCLA — ESPNU, 10 p.m.
noon
Nicholls State at Michigan State — Big Ten Network
women’s — Mississippi Valley State at Kansas State — Fox Sports Midwest
12:30 p.m.
Baylor at Kentucky — CBS
1 p.m.
Illinois at Louisville — Big East Network
Brown at New Hampshire — Fox College Sports Atlantic
2 p.m.
Miami (FL) at UMass — CBS Sports Network
Vermont at URI — Cox Sports RI
Delaware at Duke — Fox Sports Net-regional (Arizona Plus/Florida/North Plus/San Diego/South/Prime Ticket)/Comcast SportsNet/NESN
2:15 p.m.
Xavier at Purdue — Big Ten Network
4 p.m.
Michigan at Bradley — ESPNU
Wisconsin-Green Bay at Virginia — Fox Sports Net-regional (Arizona Plus/Florida/North Plus/San Diego/South/Wisconsin/Prime Ticket)/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/NESN
Texas-Arlington at Texas — Longhorn Network
women’s — Georgetown at George Washington — Comcast SportsNet New England/Mid-Atlantic Plus
4:30 p.m.
Northern Kentucky at Iowa — Big Ten Network
6 p.m.
UAB at North Carolina — ESPNU
6:30 p.m.
Texas A&M at Houston — Fox Sports Net-national
Sam Houston State at Northern Arizona — Fox Sports Arizona Plus/Fox College Sports Pacific
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Oregon — Pac-12 Network
7:30 p.m.
Coppin State at Indiana — Big Ten Network
8 p.m.
Arizona at Texas Tech — ESPNU
8:30 p.m.
Sacramento State at Arizona State — Pac-12 Network
10:30 p.m.
Portland at Washington State — Pac-12 Network
Sunday, December 2
BB&T Classic, Washington, DC
Manhattan vs. George Washington — MASN/Fox Sports Net-national/Fox College Sports Atlantic, noon
George Mason vs. Maryland — MASN/Fox Sports Net-national, 2:30 p.m.
noon
Clemson at South Carolina — ESPNU
1 p.m.
women’s — North Carolina at Tennessee — Fox Sports South
1:30 p.m.
women’s — Central Michigan at Purdue — Big Ten Network
2 p.m.
South Carolina Upstate at Kansas State — Fox Sports Midwest/North Plus/Prime Ticket/Fox College Sports Central
women’s — Xavier at Cincinnati — Fox Sports Ohio
3 p.m.
women’s — Marist at Oklahoma — Fox Sports Oklahoma
women’s — Houston at TCU — Fox Sports Southwest
4 p.m.
Cal at Wisconsin — Big Ten Network
4:30 p.m.
Valparaiso at Saint Louis — Fox Sports Midwest/Fox College Sports Central
5 p.m.
Denver at Stanford — Pac-12 Network
6 p.m.
women’s — Kentucky at Louisville — ESPNU
7 p.m.
Cal State-Fullerton at Washington — Pac-12 Network
Nov
30
NFL Radio Games For Week 13 of the 2012 Season
All Times Eastern
Sunday, December 2
12:30 p.m.
Compass Media Networks
Indianapolis at Detroit
New England at Miami
Dial Global Radio
Seattle at Chicago — Kevin Kugler/Mark Malone
Sports USA Radio Network
Minnesota at Green Bay
3:45 p.m.
Compass Media Networks
Cleveland at Oakland — Greg Papa/Tom Flores
Dial Global Radio
Pittsburgh at Baltimore — Tom McCarthy/Tony Boselli
4 p.m.
Sports USA Radio Network
Cincinnati at San Diego
7:30 p.m.
Dial Global Radio
Philadelphia at Dallas — Dave Sims/James Lofton/Scott Kaplan
Monday, December 3
8 p.m.
Dial Global Radio
New York Giants at Washington — Kevin Harlan/Boomer Esiason/Tony Boselli
Nov
30
Cranking Out The Friday Megalinks
Wasn’t able to do any posts yesterday as I was away for most of the day. Tough to get anything done when you’re out of range for any internet or even 3G. First World Problems.
Anyway, time for some Friday megalinks. Been doing well with the links, except for Thursday, but let’s continue doing them today.
No Weekend Viewing Picks yet. When they’re done, I’ll insert them here.
Let’s get cracking on the linkage.
National
We begin with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who talks with CBS’ Gary Danielson about the SEC Championship.
Ed Sherman with The Sherman Report has AOL’s David Whitley’s response to criticisms about his column about 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos.
Ed has CBS’ Verne Lundquist discussing SEC fatigue.
Ed has Gary Danielson’s preview of the SEC Championship.
And Ed analyzes the local ratings for the NFL.
Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk has Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein baffled at the NFL’s censoring of an interview featuring Bradley Cooper over a movie Weinstein produced that referenced gambling and adds that some team owners actually liked the flick.
Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter notes that U.S. Olympic diving gold medalist David Boudia will join a new ABC celebrity diving show as a judge. Yes, Greg Louganis will also be a judge.
Will Ashworth of Investor Place wonders if now is the time for Disney to sell ESPN.
Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has video of San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich shooting down TNT’s Charles Barkley during an in-game interview against the Miami Heat.
Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing says this weekend is a big test for Fox College Football.
Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth notes that CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network need to step up their games.
Sports Media Watch talks about the ratings for Notre Dame-USC.
Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com says Notre Dame’s resurgence is good news for its TV rights.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell feels NBA Communist Sympathizer David Stern is wrong for threatening to sanction the San Antonio Spurs for sending their major players home last night.
Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says traditional media is clashing with new rules surrounding live tweeting of games.
From earlier in the week, John Koblin of Deadspin writes about ESPN admonishing its staff for crediting a story to SportsbyBrooks.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn from the Boston Globe says some big name announcers got their start at Boston College’s student radio station.
Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant writes that the Big East Conference has to recover from its latest blows while negotiating a new TV contract.
Charles McGrath of the New York Times profiles WFAN’s Steve Somers who’s been schmoozing s-p-o-r-t-s for 25 years on the nation’s first all-sports radio station.
Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY’s New York Jets postgame show does not pull any punches.
Neil has the Jets’ Tim Tebow being fine with the New York media.
Neil has an ESPN executive embracing debate.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates the Knicks’ style of play.
Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has New York’s Capital Region’s Week 13 NFL TV schedule.
Pete says ESPN executives are doing backflips over Notre Dame playing in the BCS National Championship Game.
Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says next week’s Army-Navy game will be aired nationally on radio.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that Louisville made the right sales pitch to get invited to join the ACC.
South
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman notes that three local college football teams all get national telecasts at the same time on Saturday.
Midwest
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says while the Tigers may not have a rights fee as high as major market teams, they are still happy with their relationship with Fox Sports.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recaps a GQ article that profiles some of the NFL replacement referees.
Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business discusses Groupon’s new relationship with MLB.
Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Missouri football and basketball games will remain on a Gateway City radio station for several years.
Dan wonders where a local sports radio talk show host will surface after losing his job for making racial comments.
Greg Palermo of the Creve Coeur (MO) Patch says a local sports radio host said goodbye to his listeners today.
West
The Idaho Statesman says ESPN Radio has picked up a new affiliate in Boise.
John Maffei of the North County Times is frustrated that most local fans can’t watch this weekend’s high school football championship games.
Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says tonight’s Pac-12 Championship on Fox gives UCLA and Stanford a chance to wipe their slate clean for the postseason.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times catches up with Dodgers voice Vin Scully as he turns 85.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers are about to hit the motherlode whether it’s with Fox or another company.
Tom has some items that didn’t make his newspaper media column.
And that’s going to do it for now.
Nov
30
NFL Viewing Picks For Week 13, 12/02/2012
All Times Eastern
Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 8:30 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fantasy Football Today — CBS Sports Network, 11 a.m.
Fantasy Football Now — ESPN2, 11 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon
NFL Red Zone Channel — DirecTV Channel 703, 12:55 p.m.
NFL RedZone — Check your local listings, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, noon
1 p.m.
CBS
Houston at Tennessee — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Indianapolis at Detroit — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Jacksonville at Buffalo — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
New England at Miami — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
FOX
Arizona at New York Jets — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Carolina at Kansas City — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink
Minnesota at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
San Francisco at St. Louis — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Chicago — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
4:05 p.m.
FOX
Tampa Bay at Denver — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
4:25 p.m.
CBS
Cincinnati at San Diego — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Cleveland at Oakland — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Pittsburgh at Baltimore — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
8:30 p.m.
NBC
Philadelphia at Dallas — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya
DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments
Nov
30
College Football Viewing Picks For Week 14, 12/01/2012, All Times Eastern
Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports
Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from the SEC Championship, Atlanta, GA — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
This Week in SEC Football — CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.
College Football Countdown — ABC, 3 p.m.
College Football Championship Saturday — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3:30 p.m.
Big Ten Football Championship Pregame — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 7 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
College Football Saturday — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
Big Ten Football Championship Game — Big Ten Network, 11:30 p.m.
Inside College Football: Championship Saturday Special — CBS Sports Network, midnight
College Football Final — ESPN2, midnight
ACC Championship, Charlotte, NC
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech — ESPN, 8 p.m. (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)
Big Ten Championship, Indianapolis, IN
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin — Fox, 8 p.m. (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis)
Conference USA Championship
Central Florida at Tulsa — ESPN2/ESPN 3D, noon (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
SEC Championship, Atlanta, GA
Alabama vs. Georgia — CBS, 4 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)
noon
Oklahoma at TCU — ESPN (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Shannon Spake)
Oklahoma State at Baylor — FX (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Darius Walker)
2:30 p.m.
Kansas at West Virginia — Fox Sports Net (national)/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain)/WLVI/WMCN/KICU/Fox College Sports Central (Steve Physioc/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
Nicholls State at Oregon State — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)
3:30 p.m.
Boise State at Nevada — ABC (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
Cincinnati at UConn — ABC (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at South Florida — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Quint Kessenich)
8 p.m.
Texas at Kansas State — ABC (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)
Nov
30
Friday’s Viewing Picks
College Basketball
Men’s
SEC/Big East Challenge
Tennessee at Georgetown — ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
Georgia at South Florida — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Syracuse at Arkansas — ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
DePaul at Auburn — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Northwestern State at Oklahoma — Fox Sports Oklahoma/Fox College Sports Central, 8 p.m.
Women’s
Cal at Old Dominion — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, 7 p.m.
Mississippi Valley State at Kansas State — Fox Sports Midwest, 8 p.m.
College Football
MAC Championship, Detroit, MI
Kent State vs. Northern Illinois — ESPN2, 7 p.m. (Carter Blackburn/Rod Gilmore/Jemele Hill)
Pac-12 Championship, Palo Alto, CA
UCLA at Stanford — Fox, 8 p.m. (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis)
CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Lemming Report — CBS Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Hockey
Boston College at Boston University — NBC Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
UMass-Lowell at New Hampshire — Fox College Sports Atlantic, 7:30 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan State — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Vermont at Maine — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
Nebraska-Omaha at Minnesota — Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.
Wisconsin at Denver — NBC Sports Network, 10 p.m.
College Soccer
Women’s
NCAA College Cup, San Diego, CA
Semifinals
Penn State vs. Florida State — ESPN3, 8:30 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Stanford — ESPN2, 11 p.m.
Golf
Nedbank Golf Challenge, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, 9:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
World Challenge, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
Hockey
OHL
Windsor Spitfires at Kitchener Rangers — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
Mixed Martial Arts
Bellator Fighting Championships 82 — MTV2, 8 p.m.
The Ultimate Fighter: Fight the Perfect Fight — FX, 10 p.m.
MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
MLB Network Countdown: Biggest Blasts of 2012 — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
MLB Network Countdown: Top 25 Unbreakable Records — MLB Network, 9:30 p.m.
MLB Network Countdown: Top 40 Individual Seasons — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
NASCAR
NASCAR Awards Ceremony: Sprint Cup Series — Speed, 8 p.m.
NBA
Washington at New York — NBA TV, 7:30 p.m.
Denver at Los Angeles Lakers — ESPN, 10:30 p.m.
NBA GameTime — NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.
NFL
NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
NFL Films Presents: Too Much Fun — NFL Network, 4:30 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.
Playbook NFC — NFL Network, 8 p.m.
Playbook AFC — NFL Network, 9 p.m.
Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain), 9 a.m.
Hot Stove — MLB Network, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
SVP & Russillo — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines — ESPN, 3 p.m.
The Whistle — NBC Sports Network, 3:30 p.m.
The Best of The Dan Patrick Show — NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Has Infectious Diseases Highly Questionable — ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
The Nick & Artie Show — Audience Network (DirecTV), 10 p.m.
Lead Off — CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE — ESPNU, 1 a.m. (Saturday)
Tennis
100 Greatest of All Time: 10-1 — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.
100 Greatest of All Time: Classic Match
Entertainment
Facing Evil With Candice Delong: Victim of Love — Investigation Discovery, 8 p.m.
Undercover Boss: Diamond Resorts: Take 2 — CBS, 8 p.m.
Nikita — The CW, 8 p.m.
Gold Rush: Pay Dirt: The Ultimatum — Discovery, 8 p.m.
Raised Wild: Bird Boy of Fiji — Animal Planet, 9 p.m.
Gold Rush: Game Changer — Discovery, 9 p.m.
Deadly WomenEternal Revenge — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
Ghost Adventures: Death By Wild West — Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
100 Greatest Kid StarsHour 3 — VH1, 9 p.m.
Dateline NBC — NBC, 10 p.m.
Hunted — Cinemax, 10 p.m.
Jungle Gold: Mad Scramble — Discovery, 10 p.m.
Countdown to Apocalypse: Countdown to 12/21/12: Hopi Blue Star — H2, 10 p.m.
Wives With Knives: Fourth Times a Charm — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
The Dead Files: The Soul Collector – Parkersburg, West Virginia — Travel Channel, 10 p.m.
20/20 — ABC, 10:01 p.m.
Health Inspectors: Pizza Scare — Food Network, 10:30 p.m.
House Hunters International: Copenhagen, Denmark — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Skin to the Max: Cape Town, South Africa; Athens, Greece — Cinemax, 11 p.m.
Listening to You: The Who at Isle of Wight — VH1 Classic, 11 p.m.
Nov
30
Sports Media Weekly No. 127 — Jen Royle, Sports Reel Boston
Another week and it means another podcast with my friend and podcast partner, Southern New England media mogul Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal.
As usual, Keith and I discuss the news of the week. We began with the news about ESPN buying the rights to the new college football playoff for 12 years beginning in January 2015.
In a related note, Keith and traded thoughts on Notre Dame’s impact on ESPN’s ratings for the BCS National Championship Game.
Continuing our football theme, we transitioned to the Thanksgiving NFL games and their high viewership.
We both looked at the new CBS Sports Radio morning show to be hosted by Brandon Tierney, Dana Jacobsen and Tiki Barber.
And we completed this segment with a discussion on the increase of fresh morning programming in sports television.
Our guest this week is Jen Royle who’s launching a new Boston-based website, Sports Reel Boston.
Jen tells us what led her to start the site. She lets us know some of the ex-Major League Baseball players and executives who will be contributing to the site. Jen gave us some background on her strategy for the website and the sponsors.
Some great stuff and Jen gives good insight on launching a site. You can download the podcast by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or you can go to download and listen right away by
.
Nov
29
Thursday’s Viewing Picks
College Basketball
Men’s
SEC/Big East Challenge
Kentucky at Notre Dame — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
South Carolina at St. John’s — ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.
Marquette at Florida — ESPN2, 9 p.m.
Seton Hall at LSU — ESPNU, 9:30 p.m.
UNH at UConn — Big East Network, 7 p.m.
Manhattan at Fordham — YES, 7:30 p.m.
Western Illinois at South Dakota — Fox College Sports Atlantic, 8 p.m.
Southern Utah at TCU — Fox Sports Southwest/Fox College Sports Pacific, 8 p.m.
Tennessee-Martin at Memphis — Fox Sports South/Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports San Diego, 8 p.m.
Texas-San Antonio at Oregon — Pac-12 Network, 9 p.m.
Women’s
Virginia at Minnesota — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Northwestern at Oklahoma — Fox Sports Oklahoma, 8 p.m.
College Basketball Live — ESPNU, 3 p.m.
College Football
Louisville at Rutgers — ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
ESPNU Recruiting Nation — ESPNU, 5 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Golf
Nedbank Golf Challenge, First Round — Golf Channel, 9:30 a.m. (same day coverage)
World Challenge, First Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
LPGA Awards — Golf Channel, 7:30 p.m.
Golf Central: PGA Tour Q-School — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.
Mixed Martial Arts
MMA Uncensored Live — Spike, 11 p.m.
MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
NASCAR
NASCAR Awards Ceremony: Nationwide & Camping World Truck Series — Speed, 8 p.m.
NBA
San Antonio at Miami — TNT, 8 p.m.
Denver at Golden State — TNT, 10:30 p.m.
Inside the NBA — TNT, 1 a.m. (Friday)
NFL
New Orleans at Atlanta — NFL Network, 8:20 p.m.
NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Thursday Night Kickoff — NFL Network, 6 p.m.
Thursday Night Football Postgame — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL Total Access: Thursday Night Football Postgame — NFL Network, midnight
Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain), 9 a.m.
Hot Stove — MLB Network, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
SVP & Russillo — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Quickly Sinking Highly Questionable — ESPN2, 4:30 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, 7 p.m.
Lead Off – CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight
Tennis
100 Greatest of All Time — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.
Entertainment
The Big Bang Theory — CBS, 8 p.m.
Last Resort (The Final Shows) — ABC, 8 p.m.
Apollo Live — BET, 8 p.m.
Return to Lonesome Dove: The Passing — Encore, 8 p.m.
Wicked Tuna: Hooked Up: First Frenzy (series premiere) — National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
Beauty and the Beast — The CW, 9 p.m.
The First 48: Killer Debt; House of Rage — A&E, 9 p.m.
The Will: Family Secrets Revealed: The Estate of LaTanya Haggerty, 9 p.m.
Moneyball — Starz, 9 p.m.
Mysteries at the Museum: Prophet Of Oak Ridge; Human Scalp; Mothman — Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
100 Greatest Kid Stars: Hour 1 — VH1, 9 p.m.
Person of Interest — CBS, 9:01 p.m.
Symon’s Suppers: Clambake Party — Cooking Channel, 9:30 p.m.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — FX, 10 p.m.
Very Bad Men: A Killer In Disguise — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Rock Center with Brian Williams — NBC, 10 p.m.
Panic 9-1-1: I Need You to Put the Gun Down (series premiere) — A&E, 10 p.m.
Shocking Family Secrets: Debutante in Distress — Discovery Fitness & Health, 10 p.m.
100 Greatest Kid Stars: Hour 2 — VH1, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Dubai — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
The League — FX, 10:31 p.m.
Dave’s Old Porn — Showtime, 11 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Reality Show: Fired-Up — Showtime, 11:30 p.m.
The Teenie Weenie Bikini Squad — Cinemax, 11:45 p.m.
Next Stop for Charlie (season premiere) — Showtime, 12:30 a.m. (Friday)
Nov
28
Fox Goes Back-to-Back With Pac-12 & Big Ten on Consecutive Nights
For the second consecutive year, Fox goes back-to-back with the Pac-12 and Big Ten Conference Championship Games on consecutive nights. It also marks the second straight year that Gus Johnson and Charles Davis will call both games. This year, sideline reporters Julie Alexandria and Petros Papadakis will join them on the double dip.
The Pac-12 Championship will be played Friday night in Palo Alto, CA as the Stanford Cardinal host the UCLA Bruins at 8 p.m. ET.
The Big Ten Championship Game will be at Lucas Oil Stadium as the Wisconsin Badgers takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, also at 8 p.m.
Fox will have pregame coverage both nights starting at 7:30 p.m. with Erin Andrews, Eddie George and Joey Harrington.
Here’s what Fox is saying about its Championship Weekend.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
FOX Sports Calls Double Coverage on Championship Weekend
UCLA Battles Stanford for Pac-12 Football Championship Friday at 7:30 PM ET
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska for Big Ten Football Championship Saturday at 7:30 PM ETFOX SPORTS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PRIMETIME FRIDAY & SATURDAY – Championship weekend on FOX Sports is here and it kicks-off in primetime. FOX Sports proudly presents exclusive coverage of the Pac-12 Conference Football Championship as the 16th-ranked UCLA Bruins travel to Palo Alto, CA to face the 8th-ranked Stanford Cardinal Friday, Dec. 1. On Saturday, Dec. 2 the Big Ten Conference Football Championship game is featured on FOX as the Wisconsin Badgers take on the 12th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in Indianapolis, IN. Pulling double-duty, FOX’s lead broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, analyst Charles Davis and reporter Julie Alexandria are joined by on-field analyst Petros Papadakis to call the action from Stanford Stadium, in Palo Alto and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The two stadiums are 2,279 miles apart.
Coverage for both championship events begins at 7:30 PM ET with the FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL pregame show hosted by Erin Andrews. Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Eddie George and former Oregon All-American quarterback Joey Harrington partner with Andrews to provide highlights and analysis of all the day’s action. The Pac-12 edition on Friday night includes a special look at Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor as he approaches becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher. Friday’s show also includes BEING: Joseph Fauria, an off-the-field look at UCLA’s senior tight end over the last few weeks of the Bruins’ season. Saturday’s Big Ten pregame show puts the spotlight on quarterback Taylor Martinez, Nebraska’s all-time leader in total offense and BEING: Montee Ball offers an in-depth look in a day in the life of the Wisconsin running back and college football’s all-time touchdown leader.
For instant updates during the week and games from the entire CFB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CFBONFOX.
DAVIS ON THE PAC-12: MORA MUST GET TEAM TO FOCUS ON FRIDAY, NOT LAST WEEK – This Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game opponents don’t need to think too hard about the last time they faced each other as the Bruins and Cardinal squared-off at The Rose Bowl just one week ago. Lead analyst Charles Davis sees the key to a UCLA victory is being able to forget last week’s loss while still learning from their mistakes. “Jim Mora needs to make sure he doesn’t harp on last week’s loss to Stanford and I don’t think he will,” said Davis. “Last week’s game gets totally wiped out with a win this week. Stanford played their game last week and UCLA needs to make sure that doesn’t happen on Friday. Stanford is going to run the football for four quarters. If they press the run game the way they have, Stepfan Taylor’s chances for success will be high and the challenge again is on UCLA’s defensive front line and linebackers to be physical early or they are going to have a problem.”
DAVIS ON THE BIG TEN: KEY TO NEBRASKA WIN IS STOPPING BADGERS RUNNING GAME — Cornhusker standout running back Rex Burkhead missed four games because of a knee injury earlier this season but is now back in Nebraska’s lineup and ready to go in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday. Lead analyst Charles Davis looks at what Burkhead’s presence brings to Nebraska and what weapons Wisconsin brings to this championship showdown: “Rex Burkhead’s return means everything to Nebraska – confidence in the huddle and confidence on the sidelines. He does everything you want on the football field. After three ACL surgeries, Wisconsin quarterback Curt Phillips finally gets his shot on the big stage. Despite his procedures, he moves around the pocket well enough and is finding his stride. He competes every second he’s out there and I expect him to play well. The wild card in Saturday’s championship game will be Wisconsin’s offensive line and what Nebraska’s defense can do to protect against the Badger’s remarkable running game.”
DATE TIME GAME OUTLET Play by Play Analyst Sideline Friday, November 30 8:00 PM Pac-12 Champ Game:
UCLA at StanfordFOX/FOX Deportes Gus Johnson Charles Davis Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis Saturday, December 1 8:00 PM B1G Champ Game (from Lucas Oil Stadium):
Wisconsin vs. NebraskaFOX/FOX Deportes Gus Johnson Charles Davis Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis
That’s it.
Nov
28
ESPN is All Over MLS Cup 2012
This Saturday, ESPN will air the final game of the MLS season, MLS Cup 2012 live from Carson, CA as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo.
Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman will call the game on ESPN. Monica Gonzalez will work the sidelines. Max Bretos will host the broadcast with analysts Alexi Lalas, Kasey Keller and Alejandro Moreno of Chivas USA.
As this game marks the end of David Beckham’s career with the Galaxy, ESPN will air an interview with the long-time soccer star conducted by Julie Foudy.
ESPN will give MLS Cup 2012 big game coverage 19 cameras and 12 on-site commentators.
Here’s a preview from the Alleged Worldwide Leader.
MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN HD and WatchESPN
Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET
David Beckham’s Last Competitive Match with Los Angeles Galaxy; SportsCenter Conversation with BeckhamESPN’s 17th season of televising Major League Soccer action will conclude with the live presentation of MLS Cup 2012 featuring three of the league’s best known stars – David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane – leading the Los Angeles Galaxy/strong> vs. Houston Dynamo, led by Brad Davis, on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 4:30 p.m. ET, from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will also be available on WatchESPN.
MLS Cup will be David Beckham’s last competitive match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The former England National Team captain joined MLS and the Galaxy in July 2007. He will try to go out on top for the third time after leading Manchester United and Real Madrid FC to league titles in his final seasons in England and Spain, respectively. Beckham sat down this week for a one-on-one interview with ESPN’s Julie Foudy that will air on several editions of SportsCenter, beginning Thursday, Nov. 29, at 9 a.m.
Other MLS Cup 2012 Storylines:
- MLS Cup 2012 is a rematch of last year’s Cup in a 1-0 Galaxy victory over the Houston Dynamo;
- The Dynamo and the Galaxy are two of four Major League Soccer (MLS) teams with multiple championships;
- Los Angeles, in its record eighth MLS Cup, is seeking to be the second team with four MLS titles (joining DC United) and the third team to win consecutive MLS Cups (DC in 1996 and 1997; and Houston in 2006 and 2007);
- Alexi Lalas was Galaxy president and GM when Beckham arrived at the club from Real Madrid in 2007 – the first move by AEG (Galaxy’s parent company) to turn the Galaxy into what Lalas calls the “SuperClub;”
- ESPN’s lead match analyst Taylor Twellman, in his first MLS Cup TV booth role, was a leading MLS striker in the 2000s. Twellman and the New England Revolution played in the MLS Cup four times (2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007) – losing two times each to the Galaxy and Dynamo;
- Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena is seeking his fourth title after becoming the only manager in the MLS to win three championships last year;
- Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear will join Arena with his third title if Houston wins on Sunday.
English-language Commentators:
- In the booth: Adrian Healey (play-by-play) and Taylor Twellman (analyst), both making their MLS Cup debut;
- Sideline reporter: Mónica González;
- Studio (from site): Host Max Bretos with analysts Alexi Lalas and Kasey Keller, joined by Chivas USA striker Alejandro Moreno.
MLS Cup 2012 TV highlights:
- 19 cameras, including two super slo-mo cameras, a steadicam, a Jib cam, two POV cameras, and the Goodyear blimp;
- Offside Line, which displays a virtual line affixed to the last defender on replays to show viewers whether the referee’s offside decision is accurate;
- On-site studio set with Bretos, Lalas, Keller and guest analyst Moreno;
- A David Beckham conversation – The former England captain and one of the most-popular stars in soccer sat down this week for an in-depth interview with ESPN’s Julie Foudy. Excerpts from the conversation will air pre-game;
- 12 commentators – In all, ESPN will have 12 commentators at the MLS Cup: Bretos, Gonzalez, Healey, Keller, Lalas, Moreno, Steve Nicol and Twellman (English); and Richard Mendez, Hernan Pereyra, Elmer Polanco, Jorge Ramos and Giovanni Savarese (Spanish)
ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Deportes Radio will provide live coverage of MLS Cup 2012 on Saturday, Dec. 1, beginning at 4 p.m. ET with a one-hour pre-match program. Soccer experts Jorge Ramos (play-by-play) and Hernan Pereyra (analysis) will call the match from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Elmer Polanco and Noe Vasquez will report pitch-side. Ramos and Pereyra will kick off coverage on Friday, Nov. 30, with a special Jorge Ramos y Su Banda live show from the stadium at 4 p.m.
SportsCenter
On Thursday, Nov. 29, beginning with the 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET edition, SportsCenter will air a conversation with David Beckham – the former England National Team captain’s first extensive, one-on-one television interview since he announced last week that Saturday’s MLS Cup will be his last competitive match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The interview was conducted by ESPN’s Julie Foudy, former U.S. Women’s National Team Captain and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic Gold winner.
Beginning Friday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m., through kickoff on Saturday, Dec. 1, all editions of ESPN’s flagship news program SportsCenter (ESPN and ESPNEWS) will feature MLS Cup 2012 segments – matchup previews, interviews with key players, et al – including reports and analysis from Carson, Calif., by booth commentators Healey and Twellman, as well as contributions by the studio team of Bretos, Lalas, Keller and Moreno.
ESPN Deportes Studio
ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language network will provide surround studio coverage of MLS Cup 2012. Highlights:
- ESPN Fútbol Center: ESPN Deportes’ program which provides in-depth “game around the game” reports, previews and analysis of marquee international soccer events, will feature MLS Cup 2012.
- ESPN Deportes SportsCenter: The flagship news, highlights and information program will present post-game analysis of MLS Cup 2012.
Additional Coverage:
- ESPNFC Press Pass (ESPNEWS, weekdays at 2 a.m. ET overnight): The ESPN international soccer debate and opinion program will feature a special MLS Cup edition on Friday. International versions of the program will also air on ESPN International networks across several regions.
- ESPN Deportes’ NACION ESPN, Spanish-language specific version of SportsNation, and Cronometro, the Spanish-language version of Around the Horn, will feature MLS Cup 2012 branded segments.
ESPN International
ESPN International will televise MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN networks in 120 countries and territories covering more than 47.8 million television homes including coverage Africa, Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, South America and the United Kingdom. The game will also be simulcast on ESPN’s international broadband platforms in the U.S., Australia, Brazil and Latin America.
ESPN Deportes’ MLS Spanish-language commentators Richard Mendez and Giovanni Savarese will be on-site to provide match commentaries for the MLS Cup 2012 on ESPN International’s Latin America networks. Other highlights:
- ESPNFC Press Pass Special – “Beckham’s Goodbye to Hollywood” (ESPN UK, Friday at 10 p.m. GMT): ESPN UK will air a one-hour special examining the midfielder’s six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Adrian Healey will host with former New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol, and guest appearances by Twellman, Lalas, and others. (The special will also air in more than 100 countries);
- International Studio Programming: Several ESPN International programs Capitanes en ESPN and SportsCenter (Latin America), ESPN Radio Formula (Dos Mexico), will provide coverage.
ESPN Digital Media
- ESPNFC.com soccer writers Jeff Carlisle and Roger Bennett will anchor the site’s coverage featuring key MLS Cup 2012 stories, including match previews, player profiles, matchup analysis and “Cover it Live” during the MLS Cup match. The digital service will also provide users with highlights and analysis, using the Match HQ as the definitive digital destination for the live event.
And that’s it.
Nov
28
NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football Returns With New Orleans-Atlanta
After taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football returns with an NFC South blood rivalry game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons live from the Georgia Dome. Back in Week 11, the Saints ended the Falcons drive for an defeated season at the Superdome.
Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock will call the game live on NFL Network. Alex Flanagan will be on the sidelines throughout the broadcast.
Rich Eisen will host the pre and postgame shows from the Georgia Dome field along with analysts Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Deion Sanders and Kurt Warner.
Here are the NFL Network particulars.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT ATLANTA FALCONS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 AT 8:00 PM ET ON NFL NETWORKNew Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees Interview with Michael Irvin on Thursday Night Kickoff Pregame Show at 6:00 PM ET
NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football continues this week when quarterback Matt Ryan and the first-place Atlanta Falcons host quarterback Drew Brees and the division-rival New Orleans Saints in an NFC South matchup Thursday, November 29 at 8:00 PM ET. Play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler and Emmy-nominated analyst Mike Mayock have the call, while Alex Flanagan provides reports from the sidelines of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
Two hours before kickoff, NFL Network’s Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show is live from the stadium starting at 6:00 PM ET, taking viewers right up to kickoff with analysis and the latest reports. Host Rich Eisen joins Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, and former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci. Reporters Stacey Dales and Alex Flanagan provide pregame news reports from the locker rooms, as well as interviews with players and coaches.
Featured on the Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show this week:
- New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees interview with Michael Irvin
Feature on the similarities between the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves teams from the early 1990s. Includes interviews with Falcons head coach Mike Smith, quarterback Matt Ryan and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, and former Braves pitcher John Smoltz and third baseman Terry Pendleton- Interview with Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez on the Prekick Show
- Footage of Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin and Stacey Dales participating in the NBA Skills competition during halftime of the Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Bobcats game. Hosted by Hall of Famer Dominque Wilkins
Eisen, Faulk, Sanders, Irvin and Mariucci provide additional analysis on the Halftime Show and the Postgame Show.
Following the game, hosts Chris Rose and Lindsay Rhodes as well as analysts Willie McGinest and Shaun O’Hara will deliver a postgame edition of NFL Total Access live from NFL Network’s studios in Los Angeles.
TEAMS: SAINTS (5-6) FALCONS (10-1) ANNOUNCERS Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (game analyst); Alex Flanagan (sideline) PREGAME (6:00 PM ET) Thursday Night Kickoff
In Atlanta: Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Stacey Dales, Alex FlanaganPRE-KICK (8:00 PM ET) Prekick Show
Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Steve MariucciHALFTIME Halftime Show
Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Stacey Dales, Alex FlanaganPOSTGAME Postgame Show
Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Stacey Dales, Alex Flanagan NFL Total Access Postgame Show
In-studio: Chris Rose, Lindsay Rhodes, Willie McGinest, Shaun O’HaraWHERE TO WATCH DirecTV – Channel 212 (SD/HD), DISH Network – 154 (SD/HD)
Verizon FIOS – Channel 88 (SD) 588 (HD), AT&T U-Verse – Channel 630 (SD) 1630 (HD)Check your local cable listings
NFL.com LIVE – live “look-ins” at select moments of game
NFL Mobile Live on Verizon WirelessLOCAL OTA SIMULCAST* FOX Ch. 8 (WVUE) CW Ch. 69 (WUPA)
That’s all.
Nov
28
Fox Sports Media Group’s College Football Games For Week 14 Including Announcing Assignments
For the second straight year, Fox Sports has a double conference championship game weekend. And once again, Gus Johnson and Charles Davis will pull the double, calling the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday in Palo Alto, CA and then taking the red eye east to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game to call that game on Saturday. Fox will use Julie Alexandria and Petros Papadakis on the sidelines for both games.
Fox also has two Big 12 games on FX and Fox Sports Net at noon and at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
We have the games that will be aired on the Fox Sports Media Group for the final week of college football before we get to the Bowl games.
November 30-December 1
All times Eastern unless otherwise indicated
DATE TIME GAME OUTLET Play by Play Analyst Sideline Friday, November 30 8:00 PM Pac-12 Championship Game:
UCLA at StanfordFOX/FOX Deportes Gus Johnson Charles Davis Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis Saturday, December 1 8:00 PM B1G Championships Game (from Lucas Oil Stadium):
Wisconsin vs. NebraskaFOX/FOX Deportes Gus Johnson Charles Davis Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis Saturday, December 1 12:00 PM Oklahoma St. at Baylor FX Craig Bolerjack Joel Klatt Darius Walker Saturday, December 1 2:30 PM Kansas at West Virginia FSN (National) Steve Physioc Brian Baldinger Jim Knox
There you have it.
Nov
28
ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 14 Including Announcing Assignments
This week marks for all intents and purposes, the final week of conference play in college football. There are conference championships in the ACC, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Pac-12 and SEC. ESPN platforms will carry four of them either through TV or radio.
The ESPN family of networks also will air the regular season finales in conferences that don’t have championship games including the Big East, the Big 12 and Mountain West.
And with the Football Championship Subdivision in the midst of the second round of its playoffs, ESPN3 will be carrying games online from across the country.
We have the schedule for Week 14 across ESPN’s platforms.
Football Championship Week Highlighted by Games with Conference Championship & Bowl Bid Implications
ESPN’s college football “Championship Week” schedule will include games with conference championship and bowl bid implications, highlighted by five matchups in which the winning team will win the conference title.
- ESPN’s Thursday prime-time telecast on November 29 will pit Louisville at Rutgers in a BIG EAST matchup at 7:30 p.m. Rutgers will win the conference with a victory over Louisville. ABC will also televise Cincinnati at Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m. If Louisville and Cincinnati win and create a four-way tie for the championship, the higher-ranked team in the BCS Standings between Louisville and Rutgers will receive the conference’s BCS berth. The highest-ranked team in the BCS Standings between Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse will receive the BCS bid with a Louisville and Connecticut victory.
- ESPN2 and ESPN Radio will each offer a conference championship game on Friday, Nov. 30:
- ESPN2 will televise the MAC Football Championship, No. 21 Northern Illinois vs. No. 17 Kent State in a showdown of one-loss teams at 7 p.m. ET.
- ESPN Radio will broadcast No. 16 UCLA at No. 8 Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game at 8 p.m.
- The lineup for Saturday, Dec. 1, will include ACC and Conference USA championship games and a matchup between the top two teams of the Sun Belt:
- ESPN’s prime-time telecast will feature No. 13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game at 8 p.m.
- ESPN2 and ESPN 3D will televise Central Florida at Tulsa in a matchup of 9-3 teams in the Conference USA Championship Game at noon.
- ESPN3 will carry Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State in a matchup for the Sun Belt Conference title at 3 p.m. Both teams have an 8-3 overall and 6-1 in conference record.
- Additional games with conference and bowl implications on Saturday, Dec. 1:
- No. 6 Kansas State will host No. 18 Texas on the ABC Saturday Night Football broadcast at 8 p.m. One-loss Kansas State will clinch the Big 12 title and the conference’s automatic BCS berth with a win or a No. 11 Oklahoma loss. ESPN will televise Oklahoma at TCU Saturday, Dec. 1 at noon.
- ABC will also broadcast No. 20 Boise State at Nevada at 3:30 p.m. Boise State can clinch a share of the Mountain West Conference title with a win.
- ESPN3 will carry eight games from the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 1.
ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule
Date Time (ET) Game / Commentators Network Thu, Nov 29 7:30 p.m. Louisville at Rutgers
Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha SteeleESPN Fri, Nov 30 7 p.m. MAC Football Championship: No. 21 Northern Illinois vs. No. 17 Kent State (from Detroit)
Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele HillESPN2 8 p.m. Pac-12 Championship Game: No. 16 UCLA at No. 8 Stanford
Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe SchadESPN Radio Sat, Dec 1 Noon No. 11 Oklahoma at TCU
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon SpakeESPN Noon Conference USA Championship Game: UCF at Tulsa
Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn BrownESPN2 & ESPN 3D Noon No. 23 Oklahoma State at Baylor
Dave Lamont, Tom Ramsey, Ian FitzsimmonsESPN Radio 2 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: New Hampshire at Wofford ESPN3 2 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion ESPN3 2 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Central Arkansas at Georgia Southern ESPN3 2 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Illinois State at Appalachian State ESPN3 3 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State
Brock Bowling & Cole CubelicESPN3 3:30 p.m. No. 20 Boise State at Nevada
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine EdwardsABC & ESPN3 * Cincinnati at Connecticut
Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria TaylorABC & ESPN3 * 4 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: South Dakota State at North Dakota State ESPN3 4 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Cal Poly at Sam Houston State ESPN3 6 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Wagner at Eastern Washington ESPN3 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at South Florida
Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Quint KessenichESPN2 7 p.m. FCS Championship Second Round: Stony Brook at Montana State ESPN3 8 p.m. No. 18 Texas at No. 6 Kansas State
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly RoweABC 8 p.m. ACC Championship Game: No. 13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (Charlotte)
ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox
Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe SchadESPN & ESPN Radio * Local blackout may apply
And the Fox Sports Media Group’s college football games for Week 14 will be posted next.
Nov
28
Notre Dame-USC Becomes The Most Watched Regular Season College Football Game on ABC Since 2006
This from the people at ESPN, Notre Dame at USC which pulled a huge overnight rating over the weekend, now becomes the most watched regular season college football game on ABC since 2006. In addition, it’s the 5th most watched regular season game on ABC dating back to 1991. And ESPN points out that this is the most watched game involving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on any network dating back to 1991.
Last Saturday’s game in primetime received a final rating of 9.4 and averaged a viewership of 16.059 million. Birmingham led all local markets for the game with a 24.8 rating. Do you think Alabama fans were interested in Notre Dame-USC?
Here’s the ESPN press release.
Fifth Most-Viewed Regular-Season Game Since 1991
ABC’s Most-Viewed Saturday Night Football Game Ever
Most-Viewed Game Involving Notre Dame Since 1991
ABC’s Four Notre Dame Games in 2012 Average Nearly 9 Million Viewers
ABC Wins Saturday Night Across All Networks
ABC televised the two most-viewed and highest-rated college football games of the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 24, led by the Saturday Night Football broadcast of No. 1 Notre Dame defeating USC 22-13.
The matchup averaged 16,059,000 viewers; 10,707,000 households; and a 9.4 rating, making it the most-viewed regular-season college football game on ABC since November 18, 2006, when No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State averaged 21,037,000 viewers; 14,479,000 households; and a 13.0 rating. Additional highlights of the telecast:
- The broadcast is also the fifth most-viewed regular-season college football game among all networks since at least 1991 (ratings prior to 1991 are not available) and the most-viewed game not involving a matchup between the nation’s top two teams.
- NBC’s No. 1 Florida State at No. 2 Notre Dame averaged 22,019,000 viewers, 15,072,000 households and a 16.0 rating on November 13, 1993.
- ABC’s No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State averaged 21,037,000 viewers; 14,479,000 households; and a 13.0 rating on November 18, 2006.
- CBS’s No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama averaged 20,011,000 viewers; 13,134,000 households; and an 11.5 rating on November 5, 2011.
- CBS’s No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama in the SEC Championship game averaged 17,969,000 viewers; 12,755,000 households; and an 11.1 rating on December 5, 2009.
- The game is ABC’s most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season Saturday night college football telecast since 1991.
- Led by Saturday’s broadcast, ABC has televised the three most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season games involving Notre Dame since NBC’s matchup against Florida State in 1991. The other two games were also against USC:
- November 25, 2006: 14,647,000 viewers; 10,048,000 households; and a 9.0 rating.
- November 30, 1996: 10,847,000 viewers; 7,246,000 households; and a 7.5 rating.
- ABC televised four games involving Notre Dame this season, averaging 8,839,000 viewers, 6,100,000 households, and a 5.3 rating.
- Led by Saturday Night Football, ABC has been the most-viewed network of the night across all of television among households, viewers, and all key male and persons demos for three straight weeks.
- Birmingham was the highest-rated metered market for the telecast with a 24.8 rating followed by Columbus (20.4), Indianapolis (19.4), Dayton (16.3) and Atlanta (15.3).
In addition, ABC posted the second most-viewed and highest-rated college football game of the weekend, averaging 8,466,000 viewers; 5,802,000 households; and a 5.1 rating for its Saturday afternoon broadcast of then-No. 4 Florida defeating then-No. 10 Florida State 37-26. Jacksonville was the highest-rated metered market with a 25.2 rating followed by Columbus (18.8), Orlando (17.1), West Palm Beach (16.5) and Fort Myers (15.9).
The final rating for ABC’s noon telecast of Michigan at Ohio State will be available Friday morning. The 109th meeting between the storied programs, won by Ohio State 26-21, averaged a 6.3 metered market rating. Ohio had four of the top five markets: Columbus with a 47.5 rating followed by Dayton (32.8), Cleveland (25.0), Detroit (22.8) and Cincinnati (14.2).
That’s all.
Nov
28
NFL Games Go 1-2-3 in Thanksgiving Week Viewership
Thanks to having three games on Thanksgiving Day as well as Sunday in Week 12, the NFL had three of the most watched programs on television for the week ending Sunday, November 25. The most watched program was the Thanksgiving afternoon DC NFL Team-Dallas Cowboys game on Fox that generated an average of 28.7 million viewers making it the number one show as far as viewership for the 2012 fall season.
Coming in at number two was CBS’ Thanksgiving Day game between Houston and Detroit that went into overtime. That game had an average of 27.3 million people watching.
And in the third spot was the Fox late afternoon game featuring the San Francisco 49ers at the New Orleans Saints which brought in just under 25 million viewers.
The Sunday night game on NBC between the Green Bay Packers and New York Football Giants that saw a 20.9 million average viewership making that the number one program among all primetime shows.
So football did rather well during the holiday week. The NFL is smiling. In addition, NFL games finished number one in 29 of the league’s markets. Not too shabby.
NFL TOPS ON TV THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
FOX’s Redskins-Cowboys Thanksgiving Day Game Most-Watched Show of Fall TV Season
Games Rank as Three Most-Watched Shows of Week & Top Two Shows in Primetime
Highest Avg. Thanksgiving Day Viewership Since 1999The Thanksgiving tradition of family, food and football continued this past weekend as fans tuned into NFL games in huge numbers.
The FOX Thanksgiving game (Redskins-Cowboys) was watched by an average of 28.7 million viewers topping all programs for the week (Nov. 19-25) and ranking as the most-watched show of the fall TV season.
The CBS Thanksgiving game (Texans-Lions) was the second most-watched show of the week with an average of 27.3 million viewers — the fourth consecutive CBS Thanksgiving game to top 25 million viewers.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football (Packers-Giants) was the week’s most-watched primetime show averaging 20.9 million viewers with NBC’s Patriots-Jets Thanksgiving night game ranking second in primetime with an average of 19.2 million viewers. NBC’s Thanksgiving night viewership is tops all-time among primetime Thanksgiving games and the most-watched Thursday night program on any network since the Summer Olympics.
The three-game Thanksgiving Day average of 25.6 million viewers is the highest Thanksgiving Day average since 1999 (27.1 million for Bears-Lions and Dolphins-Cowboys).
The FOX Sunday national telecast (mostly 49ers-Saints) was the third most-watched show of the week with an average of 24.9 million viewers.
Thanksgiving week visits to NFL Digital media mobile properties (mobile web, apps, and mobile browser on desktop) including NFL Mobile, were up 67 percent over 2011 Thanksgiving week.
Locally, NFL games topped ratings in 29 NFL markets. Following is the list of NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of Nov. 19-25:
Week of 11/19-25
HH
HH
RTG
Market Game Date
RTG
SHR
Rank
New Orleans 49ers at Saints 11/25/2012
51.3
69
1
Milwaukee Packers at Giants 11/25/2012
43.8
61
1
Pittsburgh Steelers at Browns 11/25/2012
41.2
69
1
Baltimore Ravens at Chargers 11/25/2012
37.9
54
1
Indianapolis Bills at Colts 11/25/2012
36.2
60
1
Boston Patriots at Jets 11/22/2012
34.9
61
1
Denver Broncos at Chiefs 11/25/2012
34.4
68
1
Cleveland Steelers at Browns 11/25/2012
34.2
62
1
Kansas City Broncos at Chiefs 11/25/2012
32.3
60
1
Minneapolis Vikings at Bears 11/25/2012
31.7
63
1
Buffalo Bills at Colts 11/25/2012
30.7
51
1
Chicago Vikings at Bears 11/25/2012
29.9
58
1
Seattle Seahawks at Dolphins 11/25/2012
27.1
56
1
Detroit Texans at Lions 11/22/2012
27.0
57
1
Houston Texans at Lions 11/22/2012
26.5
61
1
Dallas Redskins at Cowboys 11/22/2012
24.7
56
1
Atlanta Falcons at Bucs 11/25/2012
24.3
44
1
San Fran-Oakland 49ers at Saints 11/25/2012
22.7
53
1
St. Louis Rams at Cardinals 11/25/2012
22.6
38
1
Washington, DC Redskins at Cowboys 11/22/2012
22.4
62
1
Phoenix Rams at Cardinals 11/25/2012
22.2
44
1
Nashville Titans at Jaguars 11/25/2012
22.0
38
1
New York Packers at Giants 11/25/2012
18.9
28
1
Cincinnati Raiders at Bengals 11/25/2012
16.9
32
1
Charlotte 49ers at Saints 11/25/2012
17.7
29
1
San Diego Texans at Lions 11/22/2012
16.6
36
1
Tampa 49ers at Saints 11/25/2012
15.8
27
1
Philadelphia Texans at Lions 11/22/2012
15.6
37
1
Miami Seahawks at Dolphins 11/25/2012
15.0
33
1
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
That will do it.
Nov
28
It’s A Wednesday Link Thing
Let’s do some linkage for you as we hit mid-week.
Once again, a shameless plug. Here are some Quick Wednesday Sports Media Thoughts which were written very early this morning.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with former ESPN’er Dana Jacobsen who will be part of CBS Sports Radio’s morning show when the network launches in January.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN will donate $1 million to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research.
Brian Steinberg at Advertising Age looks at which marketers have bought time for Super Bowl XLVII on CBS.
E.J. Schultz of Ad Age says ad agency powerhouse Wieden & Kennedy has won the right to produce Oreo’s Super Bowl spot.
Michael Bradley in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says regional sports networks need to spend big money for rights to local teams otherwise they’re stuck without programming.
At Fangraphs, the always lovely Wendy Thurm looks at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ megadeal with Fox plus displays what all of the MLB teams generate in local rights fees.
Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report says the Dodgers’ contract with Fox proves that the rich just get richer.
Ed looks at this year’s National Sporscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame ballot.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the disturbing news that ESPN2′s First Take will be expanding to Saturday mornings after college football season.
Matt has a look at Fox Sports 1.
Bob Kennedy of the Stamford (CT) Advocate says NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus will receive a local honor next week.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times delves into why the late Marvin Miller is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Keith Olbermann pays tribute to Miller.
In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has his weekly Baltimore-DC media column.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes that while the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV rights are about to be settled, the Nationals’ through MASN still remains up in the air.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks about Marvin Miller’s impact on baseball.
Ragan Robinson of the Gaston (NC) Gazette says local entrepreneurs got the seal of approval from ESPN for their golf gadget.
Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald has the comments from TNT’s Charles Barkley on the Heat.
Jacques Couret of the Atlanta Business Chronicle says Fox Sports South and its affiliated regional sports networks have hired a new Executive Producer.
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman has a look at the local weekend TV ratings.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that audio of Bengals QB Andy Dalton will be aired on two national mid-week NFL shows tonight.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers apologizing to fans on his weekly radio show.
Danny Ecker from Crain’s Chicago Business notes that the Bulls practice facility could get a lot of money for its naming rights.
The Peoria (IL) Journal Star reports that four Illinois State basketball games will be picked up by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that one weekend late night sports TV show tops the local ratings.
Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN’s Monday Night Football suffered a ratings decline for Panthers-Eagles earlier this week.
Adam Guillen, Jr. of SB Nation’s MMA Mania reports that Fox is hoping to sign a UFC event for Super Bowl XLVIII weekend in February 2014.
Tony Manfred at the Business Insider’s Sports Page has women’s soccer star Hope Solo blaming the media for reporting on her husband’s domestic violence issues. Hope is a nut.
And I managed to squeeze out some good linkage today. Enjoy your Wednesday.
Nov
28
Two Blowouts in New Jersey Still Generate Ratings For NFL Games on NBC
Two Thanksgiving Weekend games at the new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey led to two blowouts on NBC, but they still generated viewership. With no real competition on Thanksgiving Night, NBC managed to draw the highest rated and most watched NFL game in primetime on the holiday. Of course, the previous games had been on NFL Network which until the last couple of years, had carriage issues.
But overall, NBC can crow about its ratings and viewership. On Thanksgiving Night where the New England Patriots laid a 40 burger on the New York Jets in a 49-19 drubbing, NBC had a 10.1 rating with a 20 share. And the game had an average of 19.2 million viewers, all of which are highs for the Thanksgiving Night game. In addition, NBC says it was the most watched Thursday night primetime program on any network since the London Olympics.
For NBC’s regularly scheduled Sunday Night Football game, a New York Giants 38-10 blowout of the Green Bay Packers managed to surpass last year’s Week 12 game in both ratings and viewers. The game received a 12.6/19 up 2% from last year and viewership averaged 20.9 million viewers, up 3% from 2011.
Here’s the NBC Sports press release.
“SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” ON NBC IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW
For Second Straight Season, SNF on NBC is No.1 among Viewers, Household Rating and All Key Adult and Male Demographics
Sunday Night Football on NBC and Thanksgiving Night Game on NBC are Top Two Primetime Programs of the Week
SNF on NBC: Packers-Giants Draws 20.9 Million Viewers, up 3% from SNF Week 12 Game in 2011
Packers-Giants Marks 8th Time This Season That an SNF Game Topped 20.5 Million Viewers; More than Any Other Season
Thanksgiving Night Blowout on NBC is Most-Watched Primetime Thanksgiving Game Ever, and is Most-Watched Thursday Night Program on ANY Network Since the London OlympicsNEW YORK – November 28, 2012 – Sunday Night Football on NBC remains the No. 1 show of the primetime television season among viewers, households and all key adult and male demographics. Additionally, SNF ranks No. 3 among all primetime programs for women 18-34. This marks the second consecutive season that Sunday Night Football is the No. 1 show of the primetime television season. Last season marked the first time a sports series was the No.1 show of the primetime television season.
Source: Nielsen Media Research Live + Same Day 9/24-11/25/12
NOTE: The primetime television season began on Monday, Sept. 24 and does not include NBC’s Wednesday night opening game or the first three Sunday Night Football games of the season. Those four games averaged 23.5 million viewers.
SNF AND THANKSGIVING NIGHT GAME TOP NIELSEN CHARTS FOR THE WEEK: Sunday Night Football on NBC was the No. 1 primetime show of the week among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 and total viewers, and between NBC’s Thursday and Sunday NFL coverage, the network accounted for the week’s No. 1 telecast on those networks in adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, total viewers, households and teens 12-17.
SNF THROUGH 12 WEEKS: Through 12 weeks, Sunday Night Football on NBC has surpassed 20.5 million viewers a record eight times. By comparison, through 12 weeks last year and in 2010, this was achieved 7 times.
NBC’s 12-week (14 games) household rating of 12.5/20 and 20.8 million viewers is just two percent below 2011 (12.8/20, 21.2 million) and 2010 (12.8/21, 21.3 million).
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC THROUGH 12 WEEKS:
YEAR Viewers 2+ HH Rating/Share 2012 20.8 million, 12.5/20 2011 21.2 million, 12.8/20 2010 21.3 million, 12.8/21 2009 19.5 million, 11.8/19 2008 16.3 million, 10.1/16 2007 16.6 million, 10.4/17 2006 17.5 million, 11.2/18 PACKERS-GIANTS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Sunday’s blowout game on NBC, in which the Giants defeated the Packers, 38-10, drew 20.9 million viewers, up 3% from last year’s Week 12 SNF game (20.3 million for Steelers-Chiefs). The household rating of 12.6/19 for Sunday’s game is up 2% from last year’s Week 12 SNF game (12.3/19). Both the viewership and rating make this game the second-best Week 12 game in the seven-year history of Sunday Night Football on NBC.
- The Packers-Giants Sunday Night Football broadcast on NBC easily won the night facing original network programming. NBC led the night among viewers 2+ in primetime with 18.1 million viewers (7:30-11 p.m. ET), topping the 11.4 million for second-place Fox, which was aided by an NFL overrun by 59%. NBC also defeated CBS (10.1 million) by 80% and ABC (6.6 million) by 175%. NBC additionally won the night among the major broadcast networks in households and all key demographics.
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PACKERS-GIANTS:
1. Milwaukee 43.8/61 2. New York 18.9/28 3. Memphis 17.8/24 4. Minneapolis 17.5/28 5. Norfolk 17.1/26 6. Denver 16.7/27 7. Indianapolis 16.5/25 8. Richmond 15.9/24 9. Las Vegas 15.6/24 10. Albuquerque 15.3/23 PATRIOTS-JETS THANKSGIVING NIGHT GAME ON NBC:
NBC’s first ever Thanksgiving night game, in which the Patriots defeated the Jets in a 49-19 blowout, drew a 10.1/20 household rating/share and 19.2 million viewers, the highest-rated and most-watched Thanksgiving night game ever.
- The household rating of 10.1 and 19.2 million viewers is up 91% and 79%, respectively, from last year’s primetime Thanksgiving night game on NFL Network (5.3/10, 10.7 million viewers).
- The Patriots-Jets broadcast easily won the night against the broadcast-network competition. NBC led the night among viewers 2+ in primetime with 17.8 million viewers (8-11 p.m. ET), topping the 9.5 million for second-place Fox, which was aided by an NFL overrun, by 86%. NBC also beat CBS (6.8 million) by 159% and ABC (4.2 million) by 333%. NBC additionally won the night among the major broadcast networks in households and all other key demographics.
- The Thanksgiving night game was the most-watched Thursday night program on any network since the Summer Olympics.
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PATRIOTS-JETS:
1. Boston 35.2/61 2. Providence 31.5/50 3. Hartford 17.5/31 4. Buffalo 15.2/26 5. Richmond 15.0/25 6. Ft. Myers 14.6/26 7. San Diego 14.3/37 8. New York 14.2/27 9. Denver 14.0/32 10. Baltimore 13.5/25
That will do it.
Nov
28
Wednesday’s Viewing Picks
College Basketball
Men’s
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Virginia at Wisconsin — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Purdue at Clemson — ESPNU, 7:15 p.m.
Michigan State at Miami (FL) — ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech at Illinois — ESPN2, 9 p.m.
Boston College at Penn State — ESPNU, 9:15 p.m.
Ohio State at Duke — ESPN, 9:30 p.m.
George Washington at James Madison — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
George Mason at URI — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arizona State — Pac-12 Network, 8 p.m.
Montana vs. BYU at Salt Lake City, UT — BYU TV, 9 p.m.
Mercer at New Mexico — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain), 9 p.m.
Northern Arizona at Arizona — Pac-12 Network, 10 p.m.
Seattle at Stanford — Pac-12 Network (Bay Area), 10 p.m.
Idaho at Washington State — Pac-12 Network (Washington), 10 p.m.
Cal State-Northridge at UCLA — Pac-12 Network (Arizona/Bay Area/Los Angeles), midnight
Saint Louis at Washington — Pac-12 Network (Oregon/Mountain/Washington), midnight
Women’s
Maryland at Nebraska — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
College Football
CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Tackling the Trends — CBS Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
English Premier League
Chelsea vs. Fulham — Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.
Everton vs. Arsenal — Fox Soccer Plus, 2:38 p.m.
Manchester United vs. West Ham — ESPN2, 2:55 p.m.
Stoke City vs. Newcastle United — Fox Soccer, 5 p.m. (same day coverage)
Southampton vs. Norwich City — Fox Soccer Plus, 7 p.m. (same day coverage)
Golf
Golf Central: PGA Tour Q-School — Golf Channel, 8 p.m.
MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m
Baseball: Shadow Ball — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
NASCAR
Inside NASCAR — Showtime, 11 p.m.
NBA
Houston at Oklahoma City — NBA TV, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Los Angeles Clippers — NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.
NFL
NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Special — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
Inside the NFL: Week 12 — Showtime, 9 p.m.
NFL Turning Point: Week 12 — NBC Sports Network, 10 p.m.
Sound FX: Week 12 — NFL Network, 10:30 p.m.
Soccer
Women’s
International Friendly
United States vs. Republic of Ireland — Fox Soccer, 10 p.m.
Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain), 9 a.m.
Hot Stove — MLB Network, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
SVP & Russillo — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 6 p.m.
Sportfolio — Bloomberg, 9:30 p.m.
Jim Rome on Showtime — Showtime, 10 p.m.
Lead Off — CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight
Tennis
100 Greatest of All Time: 40-21 — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.
Entertainment
Baggage Battles: Man on Fire — Travel Channel, 8 p.m.
A Charlie Brown Christmas — ABC, 8 p.m.
Survivor: Philippines — CBS, 8 p.m.
Christmas in Rockefeller Center — NBC, 8 p.m.
Arrow — The CW, 8 p.m.
Return to Lonesome Dove: The Legacy — Encore, 8 p.m.
My Grandmother’s Ravioli: Manee Soohoo – Getting To Know You — Cooking Channel, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live: SNL Christmas — NBC, 9 p.m.
The Hour (season premiere) — BBC America, 9 p.m.
Restaurant: Impossible: Rohrer’s Tavern — Food Network, 9 p.m.
Combat Countdown: Heavy Haulers — Military Channel, 9 p.m.
Border Wars: War on the Streets — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Extra Virgin: The Heart Of Florence — Cooking Channel, 9:30 p.m.
Suburgatory — ABC, 9:31 p.m.
Sweat Equity: Easy Equity Kitchen — DIY Network, 10 p.m.
The Devil You Know: Against All Odds — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — CBS, 10 p.m.
Restaurant Stakeout: Little Place, Lotsa Drama — Food Network, 10 p.m.
American Horror Story: Asylum — FX, 10 p.m.
Hell on the Highway: Highway Heroes — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
Sweat Equity: Garage Gym — DIY Network, 10:30 p.m.
House Hunters International: Tamarindo, Costa Rica — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
I Want That: Nest Thermostat — DIY Network, 11 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
I Want That: Holiday Special — DIY Network, 11:30 p.m.
Jimmy Kimmel Live — ABC, midnight
Nov
28
Some Quick Wednesday Sports Media Thoughts
Tuesday was an early Christmas for your humble blogger. Thanks to some Black Friday sales, I’ve been setting up a new iPad and a new laptop computer, so the posts were rather slim on Tuesday. To make up for that minimal posting, I’ll write some sports media thoughts and unlike the last sports media thoughts post where I expanded on things, I’ll do some quick hits. As usual, they come to you in bullet form.
- CBS Sports Radio appears to be on its way to providing a full 24 hour weekday schedule when it launches on January 2. I’m happy to see that former ESPN’er Dana Jacobsen will be part of the morning drive show along with Brandon Tierney and Tiki Barber. I’m not sure if Tiki will be able to provide much based on his past performance on NBC, but with Tierney and Jacobsen doing most of the heavy lifting, the show could be successful. I’m looking forward to hearing the first few weeks.
- On Tuesday, the rumors of Fox Sports potentially purchasing regional sports network Sports Time Ohio surfaced once again. Since last year, there have been rumblings that STO would be bought out by Fox. STO currently owns the TV rights to the Cleveland MLB team, but hasn’t been able to expand upon that portfolio. Ohio Media Watch’s Twitter account was burning up with speculation on STO. Should this come to fruition, this could be the third MLB team that Fox Sports could secure after the New York Yankees last week and reportedly the Los Angeles Dodgers which could close this week. We’ll keep you posted on this story.
- Still wondering when DirecTV will begin carrying Pac-12 Network and Comcast SportsNet Houston. Thus far, the satellite provider has remained stubborn in its refusal to pick up either channel. While DirecTV felt the pressure to pick up Time Warner Cable SportsNet for Los Angeles Lakers games, it appears to be in no hurry to carry Pac-12 Network or CSN Houston despite fan complaints. In these disputes, the fans are always caught in the middle.
- MLB Network’s Hot Stove new morning show format is a welcome addition to sports television. Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds are good as co-hosts. Neither have worn suits and ties as MLB Network tries to be less formal with the show. Alana Rizzo has been good as the update anchor. Having insider Ken Rosenthal on the show is a nice touch. And during Thanksgiving Week, it was good to see Keith Olbermann co-hosting the show with fellow former ESPN’er Brian Kenny. Here’s hoping that MLB Network could make this a permanent addition during the MLB season, perhaps under a different name.
- After ESPN saw the ratings for Notre Dame-USC on Saturday, you knew network executives were chomping at the bit thinking about the potential ratings for the BCS Championship Game. As Notre Dame will face the winner of the SEC, the numbers for the college football championship come January will be huge. Then again, I’m probably telling you something you already know.
Ok, I’ll end it there. Time to finish things for the night.
Nov
27
Going For Some Tuesday Links
Let’s bring you some linkage. Two days in a row! This is something!
Shameless plug department: I wrote Some Long Overdue Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and make sure you give it a gander. Many thanks.
Sam Gustin of Time writes that News Corp.’s purchase of a minority stake in YES could help Fox challenge ESPN down the road.
Alicia Jessop at Forbes notes how the NFL successfully marketed to women to the point where they are now 44% of the league’s fan base.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports on the potential megadeal between Fox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In part two of his interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa, Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report goes into the relationship the Mad Dog radio host has with his boss, Chris Russo.
Salvej Schou of Entertainment Weekly says a Hollywood movie executive is angry at NFL Network for censoring at the last minute, a Rich Eisen interview with actor Bradley Cooper.
John Koblin of Deadspin speaks with some media professionals on the plagiarism issues plaguing ESPN.com and writer Lynne Hoppes.
Media Rantz looks at the impending launch of Fox Sports 1.
Les Carpenter of Yahoo! has a profile on former New Orleans Saints quarterback turned popular sports radio talk show host, Bobby Hebert.
Carl Marcucci of Radio & Television Business Report writes about CBS Sports Radio’s new morning show.
Newscast Studio looks at CBS Sports Network’s new college football studio.
Fox Soccer may have lost the English Premier League rights in the US, but Fox Sports in Australia has retained the rights to all of the EPL’s games Down Under.
The New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming talks with NBC’s Michelle Beadle.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says NBC Sports Network has added a college hockey game to its schedule.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that there’s no change to the NFL schedules in the next few weeks.
Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Network will be re-airing a host of Army-Navy football games next week.
Dave Hughes in Press Box notes that Baltimore’s CBS-owned sports radio station will drop all ESPN Radio programming in favor of CBS Sports Radio in January.
Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says TNT is once again comparing the Wizards to the hapless Harlem Globetrotters whipping team, the Washington Generals.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the local weekend ratings for Thanksgiving weekend.
Scott Wright at The Oklahoman says Fox Sports will air three high school championship games on its Oklahoma Plus channel.
The Detroit Free Press summarizes an ESPN The Magazine interview with controversial Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.
Sports Media Watch notes that Fox Sports drew close to the rear in the college football ratings for Week 13.
SMW says an Iron Bowl blowout did not help the SEC on CBS’ ratings.
And SMW looks at college football TV ratings on ESPN, ABC and NBC.
Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing delves into the Fox/Dodgers deal.
Joe Favorito likes how the Green Bay Packers have embraced Movember.
Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs says the future is very bright for sports broadcasting.
That is going to wrap up our links for today.
Nov
27
Tuesday’s Viewing Picks
College Basketball
Men’s
ACC/Big East Challenge
Minnesota at Florida State — ESPN2, 7:15 p.m.
Iowa at Virginia Tech — ESPNU, 7:15 p.m.
NC State at Michigan — ESPN, 7:30 p.m.
Maryland at Northwestern — ESPN2, 9:15 p.m.
Nebraska at Wake Forest — ESPNU, 9:15 p.m.
North Carolina at Indiana — ESPN, 9:30 p.m.
Holy Cross at Providence — Big East Network, 7 p.m.
Howard at Pittsburgh — Big East Network, 7 p.m.
Vermont at Harvard — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Texas — Longhorn Network, 8 p.m.
Fairfield at DePaul — Big East Network, 9 p.m.
Texas Southern at Colorado — Pac-12 Network, 9:30 p.m.
College Football
The Experts — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
The Tony Barnhart Show — CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m.
English Premier League
Aston Villa vs. Reading — Fox Soccer, 3 p.m.
Golf
PGA Tour Q-School Heartbreaks — Golf Channel, 7 p.m.
Big Break Greenbrier: Hot Spell — Golf Channel, 9 p.m.
Chasing the Dream: The Birdie Machine — Golf Channel, 10 p.m.
Our Longest Drive: Road’s End — Golf Channel, 10:30 p.m.
MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball: A National Heirloom — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
NBA
Dallas at Philadelphia — NBA TV, 7 p.m.
NBA GameTime — NBA TV, 10 p.m.
NBA Coast to Coast — ESPN2, 11:15 p.m.
NFL
NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.
Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain), 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
SVP & Russillo — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Bombastic and Bellicose Highly Questionable — ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 6 p.m.
Jim Valvano’s ESPY Speech — ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNews/ESPN Classic, 7 p.m.
Lead Off — CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight
Tennis
100 Greatest of All Time: 70-41 — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.
Entertainment
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas — ABC, 8 p.m.
NCIS — CBS, 8 p.m.
Hart of Dixie — The CW, 8 p.m.
Rambo — AMC, 8 p.m.
Return of Lonesome Dove — Encore, 8 p.m.
Kitchen Crashers: Festive Firehouse Kitchen — DIY Network, 9 p.m.
New Girl — Fox, 9 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles — CBS, 9 p.m.
Alaska: The Last Frontier: Life According to Otto — Discovery, 9 p.m.
Mankind The Story of All of Us: Survivors — History Channel, 9 p.m.
Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: A Beautiful Shade of Death — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
Doomsday Preppers: The Time of Reckoning — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Rizzoli & Isles (season premiere) — TNT, 9 p.m.
House Crashers: Holiday Party Headquarters — DIY Network, 9:30 p.m.
Man Fire Food: Coast to Coast Cookout — Cooking Channel, 10 p.m.
I Hate My Bath: Rose Colored Glasses — DIY Network, 10 p.m.
Chef Race: U.K. vs U.S.: If You Can Make It Here… — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Killer Instinct: Homicide, With a Twist — Biography Channel, 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy — FX, 10 p.m.
Underemployed — MTV, 10 p.m.
Leverage (season premiere) — TNT, 10 p.m.
I Hate My Kitchen: Improving the Flow — DIY Network, 10:30 p.m.
House Hunters International: Strasbourg, France — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Renovation Realities: The Ratliff Job — DIY Network, 11 p.m.
Million Dollar Rooms — HGTV, 11 p.m.
Flashpoint: Below the Surface – Ion, 11 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Jimmy Kimmel Live — ABC, midnight
The Italian Job — The Movie Channel, midnight
Nov
27
Some Long Overdue Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts
I’ve been bottling up some sports media thoughts from the last time I wrote a similar post. You’re due for some more. Let’s provide you with some. They’re below in bullet form as always.
- We’re getting closer to seeing Fox Sports 1 coming to fruition. While Fox is not saying anything official, behind the scenes, it’s working very hard to show that it is very serious about making this a true alternative to ESPN. In this week’s Sports Business Journal (subscription required), John Ourand writes that Fox has already trademarked “Fox Sports 1,” purchased a dot-com to host a Fox Sports 1 website, developed a logo, and has showed a video to several professional league and college conference officials that displays what the network is all about.
Ourand cites sources who have seen the video that Fox is looking to launch the network in August of 2013, rebranding the existing Speed channel, and then making a big platform launch during Super Bowl XVIII week in February 2014 which will air on the Fox mothership.
While many sports media observers were watching NBC Sports Network to see if it was going to be the challenger to ESPN, Fox has quietly been working to sign long term contracts with existing partners MLB, NASCAR, UFC as well as the Big 12 and the Pac-12 to help establish programming on Fox Sports 1. When the network finally launches next summer, Fox Sports 1 will be in very good position and hit the ground running with some major sports programming, something that NBCSN has been unable to achieve.
And with the NBA and English Premier League coming up for bid in 2015 and the Big Ten in 2016, Fox Sports 1 could make a very good destination for all three.
We’ll be monitoring this story well into 2013.
- In a related note, Fox’s parent company, News Corp., made huge news last week with its purchase of 49% of the YES Network plus reportedly being close to retaining the rights to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a staggering $280 million annually.
Through buying into YES and keeping the Dodgers, News Corp. would have the rights to three of the four MLB teams in the nation’s two largest markets. And with the option to increase its ownership of YES to 80% within three years, Fox is in a very good position to maintain its position in MLB through local rights.
I would not be surprised if Fox goes after ownership stakes in NESN in Boston, co-owned by the Red Sox and Bruins, and Altitude in Denver, partners with the Avalanche and the Nuggets. I don’t think News Corp. is done with its spending spree. It will have a lot of cash to spend as it’s spinning off its publishing unit and focusing solely on television and movies.
By positioning the Fox Sports Nets with long term contracts with several MLB, NBA and NHL teams, Fox ensures the survival of its regional sports networks for many years to come.
- ESPN’s 12 year contract to air the college football playoff plus the Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls shows that the Alleged Worldwide Leader has faith in the sport and wants maintain its firm control of the postseason.
We saw that when it placed all of the Bowl Championship Series on cable in 2010, that ESPN was very serious about controlling the postseason. And while ABC is given major college football games during the regular season, it carries just a few bowl games, most are aired on either ESPN or ESPN2.
When your humble blogger went to ESPN last year to talk with Executive Senior Vice President of Studio and Event Production, Norby Williamson, he told me that ESPN was the perfect destination for the BCS as the network could provide fans with programming surrounding the games not just pre and post, but through coverage in the days leading up to the Championship Game. I’m sure his feeling has not changed now that ESPN has obtained the rights to the playoffs.
While there’s no doubting that ESPN does college football well, its control of all of the BCS Automatic Qualifying conferences is disturbing. By guaranteeing control through long-term contracts that go well into the next decade, ESPN will continue airing games for the foreseeable future without interruption.
- Whenever I eat dinner at my parents’ house, one program they like to watch while dining is Inside Edition. While the show has its positive qualities, one huge negative is its coverage of celebrities, Lindsay Lohan in particular. It seems every move she makes is extensively covered, no matter how big, no matter how small. One night, as the show was in its 3,608th consecutive day of covering Lindsay Lohan, I said out loud, “This is like ESPN with Tim Tebow,” and it suddenly hit me that Inside Edition’s obsession with Lohan is just like ESPN’s with Tim Tebow.
Now is this so far off? Inside Edition goes to court whenever Lohan violates her probation whether it be drunk driving or stealing a necklace (allegedly). ESPN went to New York Jets training camp to cover Tebow.
Inside Edition went into battle mode when handlers called 9-1-1 when Lohan failed to wake up for a call on set of the Lifetime movie, “Liz and Dick”. ESPN made sure we all celebrated Tim Tebow’s birthday via SportsCenter.
Inside Edition covered Lohan’s snub of ABC’s Barbara Walters. ESPN asked actor Liam Neeson about Tim Tebow even though he was hardly familiar with the QB.
Inside Edition can’t seem to go one day without mentioning Lohan. Doug Gottlieb admitted to Dan Patrick that ESPN management told him to mention Tebow on his radio show.
These are just a few instances, but again, I ask is this so far off to make the analogy that Lindsay Lohan is to Inside Edition as Tim Tebow is to ESPN?
I’m sure I’ll hear from ESPN’s extensive public relations machine on this, but they can’t convince me that Tebow isn’t their Binky.
- I’ve seen all of season 3 of Downton Abbey except for the Christmas Special that will air on ITV in the UK on Christmas Day (naturally). While I won’t give any spoilers, I will give some news that has already been reported. Shirley MacLaine gives some great energy to the first few episodes playing Elizabeth “Cora Grantham” McGovern’s mother, visiting from the United States. The season begins in 1920 with Robert in financial difficulty and Downton’s future in doubt, Mr. Bates in jail and Matthew and Lady Mary engaged.
What transpires next is the usual drama, comedy and plot twists that make the series great. There will be joy and there will be sadness, but you’ll have to see what happens when the third season premieres on PBS on January 6.
I’m giving away nothing. If you want spoilers, buy me a few drinks and I’ll tell you.
We’re done. Enjoy your Tuesday.
Nov
26
SEC/Big East Challenge Highlights ESPN’s College Basketball Games This Weekend
With college football winding down, college basketball is revving up. Starting on Thursday, the ESPN Family of Networks will be all over the SEC/Big East Challenge that lasts through Saturday.
In addition, there will be plenty of interconference games involving the ACC, A-10, the Big Ten, Big 12, Ivy League, Pac-12 and other leagues.
We have the schedule of games involving all ESPN platforms and announcing assignments. Take a look at what’s in store for college basketball on the ESPN Family below. It’s all in black and white for you.
Check it out.
Men’s College Hoops: Schedule Includes 12 SEC/BIG EAST Challenge Games Thursday-Saturday
ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball schedule of 25 games from Thursday, Nov. 29, to Sunday, Dec. 2, is highlighted by all 12 games of the 2nd annual SEC/BIG EAST Challenge. The three-day event includes three top-eight teams: defending national champion No. 8 Kentucky at Notre Dame, last season’s BIG EAST regular-season champion No. 6 Syracuse at Arkansas and Marquette at No. 7 Florida in a showdown of each conference’s 2012 second place finishers. The BIG EAST won the inaugural Challenge eight games to four.
In addition, ESPNU will televise four games involving at least one ranked team Saturday, Dec. 1: No. 3 Michigan at Bradley at 4 p.m., No. 14 North Carolina against UAB at 6 p.m., No. 9 Arizona at Texas Tech at 8 p.m. and No. 23 San Diego State vs. UCLA in the Wooden Classic at 10 p.m.
Date Time (ET) Game / Commentators Network Thu, Nov 29 7 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: No. 8 Kentucky at Notre Dame
Dan Shulman & Dick VitaleESPN2 7 p.m. New Hampshire at Connecticut
Bob Picozzi & Tim WelshESPN3 & BIG EAST Network 7:30 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: South Carolina at St. John’s
Mike Crispino & Kara LawsonESPNU 9 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Marquette at No. 7 Florida
Dave Pasch & Fran FraschillaESPN2 9:30 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Seton Hall at LSU
Tom Hart & Bob ValvanoESPNU Fri, Nov 30 6:30 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Tennessee at No. 20 Georgetown
TBD & Bob KnightESPN 7 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Georgia at South Florida
Rich Hollenberg & Carolyn PeckESPNU 8:30 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: No. 6 Syracuse at Arkansas
Dave O’Brien & Jimmy DykesESPN 9 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: DePaul at Auburn
Doug Bell & Stephen HowardESPNU Sat, Dec 1 Noon SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Mississippi State at Providence
Mike Crispino & Kara LawsonESPNU 1 p.m. NJIT at St. John’s ESPN3 2 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Rutgers at Ole Miss
Joe Davis & Joe DeanESPNU 2 p.m. Pennsylvania at Penn State
Dave Leno & Nate RossESPN3 2 p.m. No. 15 Oklahoma State at Virginia Tech
Booker Corrigan & Cory AlexanderESPN3 3 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Alabama at No. 17 Cincinnati
Jon Sciambi & LaPhonso EllisESPN2 3 p.m. St. Joseph’s at No. 11 Creighton
Cory Provus & Mac McCauslandESPN3 4 p.m. No. 3 Michigan at Bradley
Jim Barbar & Bruce PearlESPNU 5 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Challenge: Villanova at Vanderbilt
Bob Picozzi & Len ElmoreESPN2 6 p.m. UAB at No. 14 North Carolina
Clay Matvick & Jay WilliamsESPNU 7 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
Tim Neverett & Mark AdamsESPN3 8 p.m. No. 9 Arizona at Texas Tech
Roxy Bernstein & Stephen BardoESPNU 10 p.m. Wooden Classic: No. 23 San Diego State vs. UCLA (Anaheim)
Dave Flemming & Sean FarnhamESPNU TBD UT Arlington at Texas
Kevin Dunn, Reid Gettys & Kat KellyLonghorn Network Sun, Dec 2 Noon Clemson at South Carolina
Dari Nowkhah & Dino GaudioESPNU 2 p.m. Mercer at Florida State ESPN3
That is it for this post.
Nov
26
NFL Won’t Flex in Week 14 Nor in Week 15 of the 2012 Season
In one of the most boring seasons as far as flexing is concerned, the National Football League has announced that there won’t be any changes to the Sunday schedules in Week 14 and Week 15 for this season. There has only been one flex, a move of the Indianapolis-New England game from 1 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. in Week 11 and that was to accommodate CBS.
And we haven’t seen any flexes of the primetime games so NBC has had its schedule remain intact through Week 15. We’ll see if there are any changes in Week 16. We expect a bunch of changes for Week 17, but well worry about that when we cross that bridge.
Week 14 has only three games in the late windows, but in Week 15, we get five which is pretty cool.
So here are the schedules for Weeks 14 and 15 for the National Football League.
WEEKS 14 & 15 FLEX SCHEDULING:
NO CHANGES TO ORIGINAL SCHEDULES;
LIONS-PACKERS REMAINS WEEK 14 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT GAME;
49ERS-PATRIOTS REMAINS WEEK 15 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT GAMEThe final Week 14 and Week 15 NFL schedules were announced today with the originally scheduled Week 14 Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers and Week 15 San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots games remaining in place on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Following are the final Week 14 and Week 15 NFL schedules:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 (WEEK 14)
DENVER AT OAKLAND
8:20 PM (ET)
NFLN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
ST. LOUIS AT BUFFALO
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
ATLANTA AT CAROLINA
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
DALLAS AT CINCINNATI
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
KANSAS CITY AT CLEVELAND
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
TENNESSEE AT INDIANAPOLIS
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
N.Y. JETS AT JACKSONVILLE
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
CHICAGO AT MINNESOTA
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
SAN DIEGO AT PITTSBURGH
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
PHILADELPHIA AT TAMPA BAY
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
MIAMI AT SAN FRANCISCO
4:05 PM (ET)
CBS
NEW ORLEANS AT N.Y. GIANTS
4:25 PM (ET)
FOX
ARIZONA AT SEATTLE
4:25 PM (ET)
FOX
DETROIT AT GREEN BAY
8:20 PM (ET)
NBC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 10
HOUSTON AT NEW ENGLAND
8:30 PM (ET)
ESPN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 (WEEK 15)
CINCINNATI AT PHILADELPHIA
8:20 PM (ET)
NFLN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16
N.Y GIANTS AT ATLANTA
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
DENVER AT BALTIMORE
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
GREEN BAY AT CHICAGO
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
WASHINGTON AT CLEVELAND
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
INDIANAPOLIS AT HOUSTON
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
JACKSONVILLE AT MIAMI
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
TAMPA BAY AT NEW ORLEANS
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
MINNESOTA AT ST. LOUIS
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
DETROIT AT ARIZONA
4:05 PM (ET)
FOX
SEATTLE AT BUFFALO (TORONTO)
4:05 PM (ET)
FOX
CAROLINA AT SAN DIEGO
4:05 PM (ET)
FOX
PITTSBURGH AT DALLAS
4:25 PM (ET)
CBS
KANSAS CITY AT OAKLAND
4:25 PM (ET)
CBS
SAN FRANCISCO AT NEW ENGLAND
8:20 PM (ET)
NBC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 17
NEW YORK JETS AT TENNESSEE
7:30 PM (ET)
ESPN
That will do it. We’ll wait two week for the next potential flex.
Nov
26
Breaking Out The Monday Linkage
It’s been a while since I’ve done linkage. I’ll provide some on this Cyber Monday.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today says having Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game will bring in some monster ratings for ESPN.
Chris Chase of USA Today’s Game On notes that the NFL had Rich Eisen and NFL Network pull an interview segment with actor Bradley Cooper due to NFL gambling references.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with Turner Sports’ Chris Webber and reviews the weekend in sports television.
Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life writes that Notre Dame is as close to a guaranteed ratings success for college football as anything.
Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter says the NHL’s TV partners are caught trying to fill programming holes due to the lockout.
Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report has the first of a two part interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa.
Brad Gagnon of Awful Announcing writes that the Sunday NFL pregame shows are dramatically losing viewers this season.
The Big Lead notes that ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer had to apologize for doing the “Hook ‘Em Horns” sign upside down.
Bruce Allen at Boston Sports Media Watch throws some cold water on some silly agendas by the Hub’s sports writers.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says don’t expect too many changes to YES with News Corp. buying a minority stake in the channel.
In the New York Post, Phil Mushnick says Rutgers’ move to the Big Ten is all about the money. Tell me something I don’t know, Phil.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks with John Gilchrist who played Mikey in the iconic Life cereal commercials.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the college football TV schedule for Week 14.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with Eastern PA native Lisa Salters about returning home for ESPN’s Monday Night Football tonight.
It’s official. David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun hates CBS.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner feels Maryland’s move to the Big Ten makes sense.
Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times has his review of the weekend in sports television.
Over to Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News who has a profile of ESPN’s Ed Werder and his daughter’s successful battle to beat a nasty brain tumor.
David Barron looks at a few items in his regular sports media column.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has ESPN’s Trent Dilfer commenting on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line.
Paul M. Banks at the Chicago Sports Media Watch notes the high overnight rating for Notre Dame-USC.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says compares the current Broncos radio analyst to the very first one.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.
And Tom has the five things he learned from this weekend.
Sports Media Watch says the move of the Thanksgiving Night game from NFL Network to NBC paid off in spades this year.
SMW says the Thanksgiving afternoon game on Fox suffered a drop from the year before.
SMW notes that the early Thanksgiving Day game on CBS had the best ratings of the three games on Turkey Day.
Joe Favorito says Atlantis in the Bahamas is fast becoming the place for premiere college basketball teams.
Adam Herman at the New York Rangers Blog says the NHL instructed NBC Sports not to air a charity hockey game this past weekend.
That’s going to do it for now.
Nov
26
CBS Sports Radio Unveils Its Morning Drive Show
It was originally broken by SportsbyBrooks and it’s now been confirmed by CBS.
CBS Sports Radio has announced its morning drive show that will launch when the network premieres on January 2, 2013. It will consist of Brandon Tierney, Tiki Barber and former ESPN’er Dana Jacobsen. The show will air weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET.
Brandon Tierney currently co-hosts a show in San Francisco. He previously hosted shows in New York on ESPN Radio and on SNY TV.
Tiki Barber is a known quantity from his time with the New York Giants and brief stints on NBC’s Football Night in America and the Today show. Of course, there’s the infamous affair with an NBC intern that ended his marriage.
Dana Jacobsen comes from ESPN having hosted Cold Pizza which turned into First Take. A versatile host, she’ll also contribute to CBS Sports Network.
With these hirings, all CBS Sports Radio has left to fill is the 6-10 p.m. timeslot. CBS Sports Radio previously announced John Feinstein as its 9 a.m.-noon host, Jim Rome to fill the noon-3 p.m. hole, Doug Gottlieb as its 3-6 p.m. host, Scott Ferrall to be its 10 p.m.-2 a.m. host and Damon Amendolara as its overnight man.
Here’s the CBS Sports Radio press release.
TIKI BARBER, BRANDON TIERNEY AND DANA JACOBSON TO HOST CBS SPORTS RADIO’S WEEKDAY MORNING SHOW
Dynamic Broadcast Team Solidifies CBS RADIO’s National Sports Radio Lineup;
Highly Anticipated Network Debuts On Wednesday, January 2, 2013CBS Sports Radio today announced it will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 with an exciting triumvirate of media veterans as hosts of morning drive. Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson will anchor the program live from the brand new radio network’s New York City studio in Tribeca. The program will be broadcast weekdays from 6:00-9:00AM.
“CBS Sports Radio has been able to attract some of the most renowned names in the business, and Tiki, Brandon and Dana are just the latest example of the network’s star-power,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO. “We’ve assembled an impressive group of professional athletes and accomplished broadcasters to bring fans unrivaled sports commentary, and the most entertaining lineup in all of sports radio.
“The launch of CBS Sports Radio provides an additional way for us to use our content, debuting original programs to millions of listeners across the country on day one. The network’s reach in the major markets is unsurpassed, and the marketplace has taken notice of our depth and broad range of offerings.”
CBS Sports Radio will offer around-the-clock national sports coverage and programming, harnessing the power and resources of CBS RADIO and the award-winning CBS Sports. High-profile personalities from CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will play a prominent role on CBS Sports Radio which will reach more than 10 million listeners when it debuts. Original programs across multiple weekday and weekend time periods will feature expert sports commentary and interviews with major sports figures along with listener calls and fan interaction. Cumulus Media Networks serves as the exclusive syndicator and sales partner for CBS Sports Radio.
Several Top 50 markets will showcase CBS Sports Radio’s Morning Show, including WIP-AM (Philadelphia), WFOM-AM (Atlanta), WXYT-AM (Detroit), WJZ-AM (Baltimore), KFNZ-AM and KJQS-AM (Salt Lake City), and WSJZ-FM (Orlando).
Following is the complete weekday lineup for CBS Sports Radio:
6:00-9:00AM: Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson
9:00AM-Noon: John Feinstein
Noon-3:00PM: Jim Rome
3:00-6:00PM: Doug GottliebScott Ferrall serves as host of evenings with his FERRALL ON THE BENCH program broadcast weekdays from 10:00PM-2:00AM on CBS Sports Radio, and Damon Amendolara will provide commentary overnights from 2:00-6:00AM.
Tiki Barber is a 1997 graduate of the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce (Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society), with a concentration in management information systems. At UVA, Barber excelled both academically and athletically – football and track and field. He left the Cavaliers as their all-time leading rusher and began a 10-year NFL career with the New York Giants.
Barber joined Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the only players in NFL history with at least 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving in a career. He retired ranking third all-time in yards per carry (4.7) and 10th all-time in yards from scrimmage (15,632; rushing and receiving). Additionally, Barber holds almost every NY Giants rushing record – total yards, rushing yards, rushing attempts and is second in rushing touchdowns. In January 2011, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, located in Portsmouth, Va.
In 1998, Barber began his broadcasting career working for Sports Radio WFAN in New York, which led to stints at WCBS-TV, Sirius Satellite Radio, the YES Network and Fox News Channel. Upon retiring from the NFL, he signed a contract to work as a correspondent for NBC News and Sports, primarily for The Today Show and Football Night in America, but also covering the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing for MSNBC.
Active in the community, Barber is a board member of the Fresh Air Fund, the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the Board of Managers of the University of Virginia Alumni Association. He is also a member of the Leadership Council for the Robin Hood Foundation.
Brooklyn native Brandon Tierney makes a return to his hometown in joining CBS Sports Radio. He currently hosts The Drive with Tierney and Bucher, broadcast weekdays in San Francisco on 95.7 The Game. Prior to moving west, Tierney was a popular staple at 1050 ESPN Radio in New York City for nearly nine years.
In addition to his hosting duties at ESPN Radio, Tierney also anchored New York Knicks pre-game, half-time and post-game shows for three seasons and occasionally served as play-by-play announcer for the station’s Knicks broadcasts. His game experience also includes serving as lead analyst for St. John’s basketball for six seasons.
His broadcast career also includes experience in radio and television including the syndicated Sports Fan Radio Network, Sports Radio 1130 The Fan in Detroit, SportsNet New York’s (SNY) The WheelHouse, and Red Storm Report with St. John’s head coaches Steve Lavin and Norm Roberts. In addition, he was a frequent contributor to ESPN’s Outside the Lines.
Tierney is a New York Emmy award-winner and was named to the first annual Heavy Hundred of Sports Talk by the editors of Talkers Magazine. He was graduated from Marist College with a degree in journalism while also lettering in baseball.
Dana Jacobson is an award-winning anchor and reporter. In addition to her role at CBS Sports Radio, Jacobson will contribute to studio programming for CBS Sports Network, the cable home of CBS Sports, debuting in January. She is best known for the versatile roles she filled during nearly a decade of work at ESPN. Jacobson began her ESPN career as an anchor on SportsCenter, and later went on to anchor and host ESPN First Take (originally known as Cold Pizza), Outside the Lines, and College Football Live.
Jacobson also has served as sideline reporter for ESPN’s Sunday Night NBA showcase game and became a well-known part of ESPN’s Summer and Winter X Games, hosting the event’s nightly wrap up show: XCenter. Additionally, Jacobson has written for ESPN.com and filled in as a radio host on both The Dan Patrick Show and Mike and Mike.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, Jacobson took her first job in television broadcasting as an assignment editor at the CBS station in her hometown of Detroit. She also worked in Traverse City, Mich. and Sacramento, Calif. where she was honored with National Headliner and Regional Edward R Murrow Awards for sports reporting. It was in Northern California that she also first gave sports radio a try, co-hosting an NBA show on the Sacramento Kings flagship station, CBS RADIO’s KHTK 1140.
Working on links for you. Those will be up soon.
Nov
26
Monday’s Viewing Picks
College Basketball
Men’s
Chicago State at Notre Dame — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Oakland at Tennessee — Fox Sports Net-regional (Arizona/Detroit Plus/Midwest/North/San Diego/South/Southwest/Sun Sports), 7 p.m.
Jackson State at Texas Tech — Fox Sports Net-regional (Southwest/Fox Sports North Plus/West)/Fox College Sports Atlantic, 7 p.m.
Maryland-Baltimore County at Marquette — Big East Network, 8 p.m.
San Jose State at Kansas — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Northwestern State at Texas A&M — Fox Sports Net-regional (North/South/Southwest/West/Sun Sports)/Fox College Sports Central, 9 p.m.
College Football
CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
Final Verdict — ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.
ESPNU BCS Countdown — ESPNU, 6 p.m.
Best of College Football 2012 — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
Golf
2012 PGA Championship Highlights — Golf Channel, 7 p.m.
MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Behind the Seams — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
Studio 42 with Bob Costas: Andre Dawson, Ferguson Jenkins and Ryne Sandberg — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
NBA
New York at Brooklyn — TNT, 7:15 p.m.
NBA Tip-Off — TNT, 7 p.m.
Inside the NBA — TNT, 9:30 p.m.
NBA GameTime — NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.
NFL
Carolina at Philadelphia — ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
NFL PrimeTime — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 3 p.m.
NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
NFL Monday Quarterback — CBS Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
NFL Total Access: Monday Night Football Preview — NFL Network, 7 p.m.
NFL Total Access: Monday Night Football Postgame — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 8 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain), 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
SVP & Russillo — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Insanely Jealous Highly Questionable — ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 6 p.m.
Lead Off — CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight
Tennis
100 Greatest of All Time: 100-71 — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.
Entertainment
A Boy Named Charlie Brown — ABC Family, 7 p.m.
How I Met Your Mother — CBS, 8 p.m.
Bones — Fox, 8 p.m.
Blood, Lies & Alibis: The Abducted Atheist — Investigation Discovery, 8 p.m.
Untold History of the United States: The Bomb — Showtime, 8 p.m.
Top GearUncovered — BBC America, 8:30 p.m.
House Crashers: Chic Hawaiian Master Retreat — DIY Network, 9 p.m.
Intervention: Kelly — A&E, 9 p.m.
Witness: Rio (season finale) — HBO, 9 p.m.
I Didn’t Do It: Clarence Elkins – Smoking Gun — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
The Layover with Anthony Bourdain: Paris — Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
The Cast of A Christmas Story: Where Are They Now? — TV Guide Channel, 9 p.m.
The Mob Doctor (The Final Shows) — Fox, 9:01 p.m.
House Crashers Top 10: Top 10 Builds on a Budget — DIY Network, 9:30 p.m.
Kitchen Crashers: Space Is in the Details — DIY Network, 10 p.m.
Hawaii Five-0 — CBS, 10 p.m.
Intervention: Nick — A&E, 10 p.m.
Richard Hammond’s Crash Course: Cattle Rancher — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Disappeared: The Soldiers’s Wife — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Revolution — NBC, 10:01 p.m.
Bath Crashers: Adult Escape — DIY Network, 10:30 p.m.
House Hunters International: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Catfish: The TV Show: Kim & Matt — MTV, 11 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura: The Ozarks — truTV, 11 p.m.
Invention USA: Get the Fork Outta Here — A&E, 11:02 p.m.
Jimmy Kimmel Live — ABC, midnight
Nov
25
Sunday Night Football Halftime Commentary For Week 12 of the 2012 NFL Season
Bob Costas talked about the Giants in his halftime commentary. Other subjects were broached as well. We have what was discussed below.
And that is it.
ON GIANTS
Bob Costas: “It’s been said that momentum is among sports’ biggest mysteries. And, perhaps, no franchise in football has demonstrated how much, and how quickly, fortunes can change more than Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants.
“In two separate seasons, they’ve had a five-game winning streak immediately followed by a four-game losing streak. Another year, they started 11-1, but then lost four of their last five, including their lone playoff game. And, of course, they’ve won the Super Bowl twice — as a Wild Card five seasons ago and last year after just a 9-7 regular season that included a four-game losing streak at just about this time of year.
“This season, again a November dip, which tonight, it looks like they’re about to snap and in a big way. They have more than enough momentum, so far, leading 31-10 at the half.”
Hines Ward: “This is bad for the NFC contenders. They do not want to see a hot New York Giants team at this point in the season because they’ve proven what they can do when they get hot at the end of the year.”
ON 49ERS
Tony Dungy on Colin Kaepernick: “Jim Harbaugh, the coach, he drafted Colin Kaepernick in the second round last year. He expected this. He’s watched him practice for two years, and turned him loose. He got just what he expected. He’s got a great player.”
Rodney Harrison: “And as a defense, I want to face Alex Smith because you can play your base defense. You don’t have to worry about him running and beating you with his legs. With Kaepernick, you have to completely change your defensive game plan. He threatens the entire defense.”
That is all.
Nov
25
NBC’s Football Night in America Quotage For Week 12 of the 2012 NFL Season
Let’s finish our Sunday NFL pregame show quotage with NBC’s Football Night in America. Lots of things said on this show as you can plainly see below.
“FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA” NOTES & QUOTES – WEEK 12
“If they play like this, they won’t win another game.” – Tony Dungy on the Steelers
“This team should be taken seriously.” – Rodney Harrison on the Bengals
“The Colts are going to the playoffs.” – Dungy
“Your season is on the line. Somebody needs to make a tackle.” – Harrison on fourth-and-29 play at the end of Ravens-ChargersNEW YORK – November 25, 2012 – Following are highlights for Football Night in America. Bob Costas opened the show live from inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where the Giants are hosting the Green Bay Packers. Costas was joined on-site by Sunday Night Football commentators Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst), and Hines Ward, the former Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP.
Dan Patrick co-hosted the program from Studio 8G at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios and was joined by Football Night in America analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, and NFL insiders Peter King of Sports Illustrated and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Alex Flanagan reported from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, La., on the 49ers-Saints game.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America:
ON STEELERS
Michaels on Ben Roethlisberger: “I don’t think there’s anybody as important to his team as Ben is to his right now in the National Football League.”
Collinsworth on Steelers-Browns: “It was bizarre watching that game. I think every running back on the roster had a fumble in the game. Just very un-Steelers-like football right now. A little bit of panic, who knows? It just doesn’t look good.”Harrison: “I’m not saying it’s all on Charlie Batch, but he has to take the majority of the blame. I know he’s the third-string quarterback, but he’s a 15-year veteran. When he comes in and gets that opportunity, he has to come in and perform.”
Dungy: “I kind of disagree with that, because, to me, the Steelers formula is: run the ball, play defense. You know your backup quarterback is not going to be as good as Roethlisberger, but if every back you have fumbles the ball, every lineman you have holds, and your receivers drop every pass…”
Harrison: “They were packing the pocket with eight or nine guys because they have no threat or no fear that he’s going to make them pay.”
Dungy: “They have to run the ball and play defense even when Ben Roethlisberger gets back. If they play like this, they won’t win another game.”
Dungy: “The Pittsburgh Steelers are in trouble. Not only are they down to their third quarterback, they’re playing bad football—interceptions, fumbles, and penalties in bunches.”ON 49ERS
Patrick on Colin Kaepernick’s performance: “Let the controversy begin.”
Harrison: “It’s over.”Kaepernick to Alex Flanagan on if he expects to be the team’s starter: “That will be coach’s decision. We’ll see what happens.”
Dungy on Kaepernick’s ability to run: “This is what he brings that Alex Smith doesn’t. He throws the ball well from the pocket, but this dimension of the quarterback running is really going to make San Francisco tough.”
Patrick to Dungy: “I’m going to make you Jim Harbaugh. You have a quarterback controversy?”
Dungy: “I don’t. I’m playing Colin Kaepernick.”
Harrison: “San Francisco has found their starting quarterback, and they’re the most physical team in the league.”ON saints
Dungy: “They blew a big opportunity today.”
ON BRONCOS
Dungy on Peyton Manning: “For some reason, he doesn’t have his ‘A’ game against (Chiefs head coach) Romeo Crennel…One thing the Broncos are learning, even when he’s off, even when he’s confused a little bit early, you don’t give up on Peyton. You don’t take the ball out of his hands. He’s going to make the plays you need to win it. When they needed the big throws, he made them.”
ON COLTS
Dungy on Andrew Luck: “Just like Peyton (Manning), when he’s a little bit off, and a little bit confused early, it doesn’t bother him. That’s what I love about this young man. When they need the big throws, he still wants the ball in his hands; he wants to make the play… He is the reason they are in playoff contention.”
Dungy: “The Colts are going to the playoffs. I said it last week. They’re definitely going. Andrew Luck is going to be the Rookie of the Year.”
ON FALCONS
Collinsworth: “When Julio Jones plays, that’s a different football team. He’s the closest thing to Calvin Johnson right now in the league — big, strong, fast, physical. Even on a bad ankle he was too much for them today.”
ON BENGALS
Harrison: “The Bengals are really good. Now they’re playing like a complete team because they’re running the football…This team should be taken seriously.”
ON BEARS
Patrick: “Cutler coming back, a whole different aura about that offense.”
Harrison: “Cutler gives this offense a different dimension because he can do so many different things.”ON SEAHAWKS
Patrick: “They’re very good at home, very bad on the road.”
Dungy on controversial roughing-the-passer call: “This is running into the quarterback, not roughing the quarterback…He (Seahawks S Earl Thomas) was trying to avoid it. He didn’t even hit him (Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill) hard, barely touched him.”NOTE: An interception thrown by Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill was negated by a roughing the passer call against Seahawks S Earl Thomas. The Dolphins scored a touchdown on the next play.
ON CHARGERS
Patrick on today’s loss: “For San Diego, at 4-7, we say goodbye.”
Dungy: “And maybe thankfully goodbye. That was awful.”Harrison on Ravens RB Ray Rice converting on fourth-and-29 play: “Your season is on the line. Somebody needs to make a tackle.”
ON COACHING CHANGES
Florio: “As we get closer to the end of the regular season, I spoke to a general manager this week who said, look for unprecedented amount of change with coaches, and also general managers and starting quarterbacks, once the 2012 season ends.”
King: “Add these three to your list in the coming months: look for very impatient ownership both in Buffalo and Carolina to have short leashes on Chan Gailey with the Bills, Ron Rivera with the Carolina Panthers; and Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona may not be safe. He has not gotten that quarterback position straightened out.”Click here for a video: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/49959478#49959478
There you have it.
Nov
25
NBC Previews Football Night in America’s Interviews For Week 12 of the 2012 NFL Season
Tonight on Football Night in America, Bob Costas will talk with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb and New York Football Giants coach Tom Coughlin in advance of tonight’s Sunday Night Football game on NBC.
Football Night in America airs at 7 p.m. ET on NBC. Take a look at the partial transcripts of the interviews that will air tonight.
BOB COSTAS INTERVIEWS GIANTS HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN & PACKERS WR RANDALL COBB
“When people ask me the question about last year, I simply say, ‘It didn’t finish too badly.’” – Tom Coughlin on his team’s rollercoaster seasons
“We’ll take out that vengeance on the field.” –Randall Cobb on last year’s playoff loss to the GiantsNEW YORK – November 25, 2012 – Bob Costas interviewed New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin and Packers WR Randall Cobb for tonight’s Week 12 edition of Football Night in America, which will preview Packers-Giants, and will also include highlights, analysis and reaction to earlier Week 12 games.
Football Night In America, the most-watched pre-game studio show in sports, airs each Sunday at 7 p.m. ET with Costas hosting the program live from inside the stadium. He will be joined on site by Sunday Night Football commentators Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) as well as NBC NFL analyst and former Steelers WR Hines Ward for reaction to the afternoon games and to preview tonight’s match-up.
Dan Patrick co-hosts Football Night from Studio 8G at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios and is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, Peter King of Sports Illustrated and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com.
INTERVIEWS: Below are excerpts from Costas’ interviews with Coughlin and Cobb.
TOM COUGHLIN WITH BOB COSTAS
On if he has a theory about his teams start well and then slump and then experience a late surge: “I really never have sat down and said, ‘Look, this is a major major issue for us.’ Because when people ask me the question about last year, I simply say, ‘It didn’t finish too badly.’ But, that doesn’t disregard the fact that this does take place. Why does it take place? That is a very good question. I can throw some things at you after 10 games. Were we a little bit stale? Where we injured? Were we fatigued? No, I think they are all excuses and we don’t make excuses around here. So, we just didn’t play as well as we are capable of playing.”
On still having confidence this season despite recent losses, and whether they will come out on top: “We will. There is not any question about that Bob. We’ve been through this before. It’s unfortunate, but it does go a bit like that on occasion, so we have a lot of things that, we are trying to work and improve upon. But we know we’ve been here and we know we have been able to pull ourselves out of these kind of things before.”
On what was going through his mind during David Tyree’s famous ‘Helmet Catch’ during Super Bowl XLII: “The Tyree thing, first I’m looking out there and Eli is trapped, I mean, they’ve got him. Then he throws it down the middle of the field, and I’m like ‘Oh my God it’s down the middle of the field.’ Because a lot of times you overthrow the ball in the middle of the field and good things don’t happen. He’s got the ball pinned to his helmet, and he can’t hang, there’s no way he can hang on to the ball falling on the ground like that, especially with a guy that was hanging over him (Rodney Harrison). He did.”
On Tom Brady’s Hail Mary during Super Bowl XLVI, putting the ball right in the end zone: “The last play of the game. You know we left a little bit of time on for this guy and we know, we didn’t want Tom Brady to have any time. He hits a fourth-and- seventeen for crying out loud, are you serious? He doesn’t loft the ball, he throws a rocket, and its coming right at its coming down like this and you teach your guys to knock the ball down, and they can’t knock it down because he’s throwing where those 6’ 7” guys are. I can still see Kenny Phillips up as high as he could go and there’s a bunch of hands up there, and I’m worried if the ball is going to tip off their hands to the back line, because they’re are starting to be in position there. In reality, Antrel Rolle and (Rob) Gronkowski are going for the ball low like its right here. All the sudden it’s on the ground and I’m thinking ‘Wow we’re World Champions.’”
RANDALL COBB WITH BOB COSTAS
On his first game in the NFL in 2011 against the New Orleans Saints where he ran an amazing 108 yards for a touchdown: “I felt something inside of me, telling me it was time to bring it out. I trusted my instincts and I made that move and the rest is history.”
Costas: ‘It’s like a version of the basketball thing where the coach thinks the guys is taking a bad shot, ‘No, no, no, yes!’: “Yes, Yes!”
On earning the trust of QB Aaron Rodgers, who recently commented on Cobb saying, ‘He does so many things on the field. ‘He’s so smart. He knows progressions and timing and when he has to get open’: “It does and that is something that I really wanted to work on this off-season. Understanding when I’m the No. 1 read and when I’m the No. 3 read and understanding how to use my leverage as a receiver. It was a good off-season for me being able to build that chemistry with him.”
On being a tough receiver despite his height: “You have to as a receiver. They’ve made the game a lot safer for the receivers. I really don’t agree with some of this stuff, because I like the physicality, I like the toughness in football. That’s one of the reasons that I like the game. I always was a fearless kid. I wanted to play with my older brother so much. My older brother was seven years older than me, my cousins, they all played football out in the street. Tackle football out in the street. On the concrete and they wouldn’t let me play. The older I got, the more I wanted to play. I think that drove me, that passion of just being tough and physical.”
Costas: ‘They played tackle football on concrete? Without helmets I’m guessing? No pads, street clothes I’m guessing? This is insane, you know that?’: “No helmets. No pads. Just street clothes. Yes it is (insane).”
On whether the Packers loss to the Giants during the playoffs last year at Lambeau Field still stings: “Oh yeah, it definitely does. When you go 15-1 and are projected to win the Super Bowl. When you let a team come into your house, and knock you off the throne, that’s something that’s going to stay with you. I think that’s something I use as motivation. When you think about that, it’s in the back of your mind. You don’t forget those kinds of games and I think that’s something that all of us have been thinking this week in practice. I think that we’ll take out that vengeance on the field.”
That’s going to do it. The next post should be the FNIA quotage from tonight.
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