I have to be at a jobsite this morning, but I’ll give you a few links before going out.
Mike McCarthy at USA Today says Tiger Woods took hits from golf analysts and reporters for dropping out of the Players Championship.
At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry tells bloggers to look inside the numbers when it comes to web traffic.
John Ourand, Michael Smith and Terry Lefton from the Sports Business Journal says after losing FedEx as a sponsor, ESPN has obtained a new one for the Orange Bowl.
John writes that while MLB Network is getting critical praise, the channel’s ratings have not followed suit.
Terry Lefton chronicles how Anheuser-Busch returned as the official beer sponsor of the NFL.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if rugby can become part of the American sports lexicon.
Darren talks with UFC President Dana White.
Darren says teams that offer free tickets in exchange for bad play is sports marketing of the future.
Kent Gibbons of Multichannel News writes that Time Warner Cable will pick up Speed’s new broadband channel.
The great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has his Media Power Rankings for April.
The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir reviews Bill Madden’s book on Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
To Phil Mushnick of the New York Post who says the Mets’ baserunning blunders made no sense, but received no second guessing on TV.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Curt Menafee will once again replace Nick Charles on Showtime Boxing.
Tim Lemke says a negative Boston Globe article may have led to a Scottish soccer team pulling out of a planned US summer tour.
Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Tiger Woods is unsure that he would be able to defend the AT&T National crown this year.
Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times looks at how Sun Sports treated Sunday’s perfect game pitched by Oakland’s Dallas Braden against the Tampa Bay Rays.
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin will be part of the MLB Network announcing team calling this Saturday’s Civil Rights Game in the Queen’s City.
Gene Myers of the Detroit Free Press conducted the final interview with Ernie Harwell last year and was published this week. Here’s part one. Part two is here. Part three will be posted on Tuesday.
In Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman writes that Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz is not a fan of Versus.
Kansas City sports radio station WHB is reporting that the Big Ten is extending invitations to four schools including two Big 12 teams, Notre Dame and Rutgers.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says Ernie Harwell made quite the impression on him.
Los Angeles Times TV critic Robert Lloyd reviews ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, “Straight Outta L.A.”
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this week’s sports calendar in SoCal.
Tom also reviews “Straight Outta L.A.”
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says hockey could learn a thing or two from soccer.
Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star writes that CBC’s Bob Cole has found the play-by-play magic once again.
William Houston in Truth & Rumours has some Canadian sports TV ratings news and notes.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that Dan Patrick will host NBC’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals, something that Dan has been talking about on his radio show.
Steve also does a takedown of William Houston who has become a bitter little hedgehog since leaving the Toronto Globe and Mail.
The Sports Media Watch says ABC garnered strong ratings for the two NBA playoff games it carried this weekend.
SMW says Yankees-Red Sox failed to live up to its past ratings on Fox. Don’t forget that the game finished on FX due to rain delays and a NASCAR commitment.
SMW notes that Fox did do well with the Southern 500 on Saturday.
And SMW says a Tiger Woods-less Players Championship on Sunday led to a huge ratings drop for NBC.
Over at Boston Sports Media Watch, I post a couple of hockey notes including one regarding the ratings for the NHL on Versus in Boston.
EPL Talk has BBC Sport’s very good promo for the World Cup.
And now are done with all of the links for Monday.
