I’ll give you some links today then do some work.
Before I get to that, I have some self plugs. First, if you have not done so, please join my Facebook blog network. Next, if you want keep up on my posts, you can do so on Twitter. I have my own site there. And finally, I have t-shirts and coffee mugs on sale at Zazzle. I don’t ask for much, and I do ask you to patronize my network, Twitter site and buy a t-shirt or mug if you can. I greatly appreciate it.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks about the 3-D element to Fox’s BCS National Championship Game on Thursday.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks about Boston College’s statements that it will fire football coach Jeff Jagodzinski if he interviews with the New York Jets. Go ahead and fire him, BC. Look at the coaches you get. Every one of them has used BC as a stepping stone. No one stays. It’s because Athletic Director Gene DiFilippo runs the program like Chairman Mao and wants credit for any success for any of the teams that do well. BC wants to be a major athletic program, but at the same time, wants to be like the Ivy League. If you want to be in the Ivy League, apply to be there, but don’t try to be something you’re not. Every once in a while, the basketball program gets to the NCAA Tournament, the hockey program is one of the nation’s elite and the football program has had a good string of success lately, but it’s not going to last. Just go to the Patriot League and you’ll be happy. I don’t mean to go on a rant on Boston College, but I think the fans are unrealistic about the program.
Darren writes that college football’s assistant coaches are the next to see big paydays.
Laura Nachman says Fox is assigning its number one team to the Eagles-Giants game.
Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post has some New Year’s wishes.
Old School fans will remember “The Superstars”, the ABC show that pitted athletes from different sports against each other in 10 different events. It was a big hit in the 1970’s in the mid 1980’s. ABC is now bringing it back in a different form as Michael Schneider of Variety tells us.
Here’s the opening to first ever “Superstars” program that aired on Wide World of Sports in 1973. Jim McKay was the host. After this, Keith Jackson was the play-by-play man for the program. The quality of the open was not good at first, but be patient to watch Jim explain the competition.
And here’s the swimming competition from the same program. The funny part is seeing Joe Frazier trying to swim. The keyword is try.
The Press-Register (AL) says the most powerful man in college football works at ESPN and feels the bowl system is going to remain intact for awhile.
Langston Wertz, Jr. of the Charlotte Observer writes that TNT’s Charles Barkley has made it hard for viewers to take him seriously after his latest incident.
From the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht has some stuff from Fox Sports’ Charles Davis who will be the analyst on the BCS National Championship Game tomorrow.
Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse has Rob Parker’s appearance on ESPN Radio this morning.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has his reaction to Rob Parker’s resignation from the Detroit News. And Tom lists the nominees for the 2008 Southern California Broadcasters’ Association Awards.
Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes that USC’s Rey Maualuga has apologized to ESPN’s Erin Andrews for his bump and grind dance before the Rose Bowl.
Diane Pucin of the Times warns NBA fans to get ready for Dick Vitale tonight on ESPN’s Miami-Denver game.
Also in the Times, Olympics writer Philip Hersh looks back at the lead players in the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan soap opera that began in the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships and continued through the Winter Olympics.
In Philip’s story, he links to a story that ABC’s Wide World of Sports did on the assault. Julie Moran is the narrator.
Mathew Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says a familiar Bay Area voice is becoming the new radio play-by-play man of the San Francisco 49ers.
Gary Washburn of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says former SuperSonics voice Kevin Calabro joins the ESPN Radio affiliate in April.
The Radio Business Report says ESPN Radio in New York is expanding its local afternoon programming.
William Houston from the Toronto Globe and Mail says the Gold Medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championships set a viewership record for TSN.
Christopher Byrne o
f the Eye on Sports Media hands out his award to Best Sports Information Department Blog.
The Sports Media Watch has the final weekend ratings. And the SMW says the Rose Bowl’s ratings were up from 2008. But the Sugar Bowl’s ratings were down.
The lovely Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says Fox won the ratings on Monday thanks to the Fiesta Bowl.
That’s going to do it for now. I’ll be back later.
