I’m currently at the home office and it’s been quite difficult to blog with the boss constantly over your shoulder, but I’m doing my best. In between reports, phone calls and meetings, I’m trying to bring you some links. I may have to do this in two parts, but I’ll try to get this completed in one shot. Let’s do it.
First, you can check out your Weekend Viewing Picks for the college basketball, NFL, golf and other sports going on plus primetime TV.
Now to your links.
National
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says the All-American Bowl gives fans the opportunity to see where the next generation of college football stars will play.
Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily says this just-completed NFL regular season was the most watched since 1990, almost 20 years, which is rather impressive.
Glen Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable looks at ESPN’s plans for ESPN 3D’s productions which start in earnest later this year.
R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News writes about the cancellation of the highly anticipated Manny Pacquaio-Floyd Mayweather fight which many observers felt would have broken all pay per view records.
Rick Porter of zap2it.com says the BCS Championship Game on Thursday ruled the network primetime ratings.
Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina talks with Baltimore Ravens fan Stacy Keibler and Patriots fan Maria Menounos about this Sunday’s Wild Card playoff game.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes that “The Blind Side” should give actress Sandra Bullock her biggest payday ever.
Matt Ginella of Golf Digest talks with ESPN’s Jon Gruden about his excitement for golf and wish to win golf’s Grand Slam.
The Sports Media Watch is not happy with sportswriters who stereotype the NBA and other leagues.
SMW notes that ESPN’s Dick Vitale will be back calling the NBA for one game this season.
Maury Brown in the Biz of Baseball gives his predictions for MLB and its TV partners in 2010.
Joe Favorito says pro soccer is hoping Philadelphia can give the sport a shot in the arm in both the men’s and women’s game.
Russell Scibetti in the Business of Sports has ten sports business stories to watch in 2010.
Steve Lepore of Puck The Media writes the real star of the NHL Winter Classic was the NHL Network.
Steve lists the regional sports networks and cable stations carrying the AHL All-Star Game later this month.
Len Berman provides his top five stories of the day.
East and Mid-Atlantic
From the Boston Globe, Chad Finn looks at ESPN’s ESPN 3D channel which launches in June.
Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram writes about NESN’s Tom Caron who will be calling the two outdoor college hockey games at Fenway Park today.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News isn’t thrilled to have Joe Theismann on NBC’s Wild Card playoff coverage.
Phil Mushnick in the New York Post is coming out guns ablazin’ today.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union raises an excellent point about one issue ESPN/ABC missed during the late stages of the BCS Championship Game.
Pete also looks at whether we should run out and buy a 3-D TV after we just purchased an HDTV.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says the national sports spotlight fell on DC this week.
South
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that NBC will use some new, but quite familiar voices for the first NFL Wild Card playoff game this Saturday.
Jon Solomon of the Birmingham (AL) News was happy to have ESPN/ABC producing the BCS National Championship Game instead of Fox.
Ray Buck in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Fiesta Bowl involvingTCU-Boise State was a ratings winner in the Metroplex and nationally as well.
Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says Brent Musburger misjudged the severity of Colt McCoy’s injury during last night’s BCS Championship Game.
Barry and Cowboys radio analyst Babe Laufenberg held a live chat today.
Barry says ESPN/ABC’s Kirk Herbstreit helped to curse the Texas Longhorns during last night’s BCS National Championship Game.
The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron says when ESPN takes over the BCS next year, viewership could be hurt as not as many homes have cable.
David also has the national and local ratings for the BCS National Championship Game.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman l
ooks at NBC’s “B” team for the NFL Wild Card playoffs tomorrow.
Mel says the Big 12 kicks off conference play in a big way on Saturday.
Midwest
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer recaps Cris Collinsworth’s appearance on what appears to be one of the last Jay Leno Shows in primetime.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press talks to a former local sports anchor who’s looking for a job out of the market.
Trenni Kusnierek of MLB Network lists her new decade resolutions in OnMilwaukee.com.
Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his sports business and media winners and losers.
Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes that the Green Bay-Arizona NFL Wild Card playoff game will provide some intrigue for viewers.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dan Caesar writes that a former local sports radio talk show host left the Gateway City without taking shots at his former employer.
I’ll end it there for now. I will complete the megalinks tonight.
