I hate how I haven’t been able to do the Friday megalinks for most of this month. Work has gotten in the way and while it’s good to get paid, I feel I’ve been behind for most of January. And knowing what’s coming next week, it appears I won’t be able to do them next week either. I hope to get to them the week after next. We’ll see.
In the meantime, we have some releases to post and they have to do with weekend programming. First, CBS has what’s on tap for college basketball.
DUKE-GEORGETOWN HIGHLIGHT CBS SPORTS’ COLLEGE BASKETBALL LINE-UP ON SATURDAY, JAN. 30 AND SUNDAY, JAN. 31CBS Sports’ college basketball schedule continues on Saturday, Jan. 30 (1:00-3:00 PM, ET) with national coverage of *No. 8-ranked Duke taking on No. 7-ranked Georgetown. On Sunday, Jan. 31 coverage features regional action as Minnesota plays *No. 20-ranked Ohio State and Florida battles *No. 14-ranked Tennessee.Verne Lundquist joins CBS Sports’ lead college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg to call the action from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. for the Duke-Georgetown game. Bob Dekas, CBS Sports’ coordinating producer for college basketball, produces and Suzanne Smith directs.Sunday, Kevin Harlan is joined courtside by both Bill Raftery and Kellogg at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio for the Minnesota-Ohio State contest. Vic Frank produces and Mark Grant directs. For the Florida-Tennessee match-up Gus Johnson and Greg Anthony handle the call from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.AT THE HALF, CBS Sports’ halftime studio show, hosted by Ian Eagle along with Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis, provides all the day’s news, scores and highlights live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Vin DeVito produces and Jim Cornell directs. Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.*AP Poll as of 1/25/10
CBS News gets a jump on the Olympics with a profile of gold medal-winning snowboarder Shaun White.
GOLD MEDALIST SNOWBOARDER SHAUN WHITE, PREPARING FOR THE VANCOUVER OLYMPICS, TELLS “60 MINUTES” IT’S SOMETIMES LONELY AT THE TOPSnowboarding champion Shaun White acknowledges how lonely it can be when you’re the best in a 60 MINUTES profile before he competes for more gold in the Winter Olympics next month. The 23-year-old Olympian spent time with Bob Simon – including a moment hanging over the correspondent’s head – for the profile to be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 31 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT).Simon’s report traces the life of the flame-haired snowboarder, from his infancy when he needed heart surgery, to his boyhood skateboarding collision that nearly ended his career to the lofty heights he currently occupies as snowboarding’s grand trickster and richest endorser. He’s gotten so good, so successful, he realizes it’s hard to really be a part of the snowboarding fraternity anymore. His competitors have said he’s off on his own doing his own thing apart from them.“I definitely found it a bit lonely someti
mes,” he tells Simon. “I don’t think you can have really good friends that you go and compete…with…beat them at the hill…I totally understand [his competitors’ attitude about him],” he says. “If you and I were competing on the hill I don’t think I’d want to hang out with you afterward while you’re shining your medal…that would be a bummer,” says White.The segment contains lots of footage of White at work, including him practicing his tricks at his own private half pipe in Colorado’s backcountry. Viewers will learn how White got started on a snowboard, what his predictions are for his upcoming Olympic performance and get a look at his ride when he takes Simon out on the road for a short but fast spin in his Lamborghini.White likes the view from the top; he’s gotten comfortable there – like when he was able to fly over Simon’s head on cue. “There’s just this amazing moment when you’re not going up anymore, but you’re not coming down…you’re just flying. Yeah, it’s just the best feeling,” he tells Simon.
NBC will air the Detroit-Pittsburgh matchup as part of its NHL Game of the Week on Sunday.
STANLEY CUP FINAL REMATCH THIS SUNDAY ON NBC SPORTS WHEN DEFENDING CHAMPION PENGUINS HOST RED WINGS“It would not surprise me to see both of these teams back in the Stanley Cup Finals.” – NBC’s Olyczyk
Tampa Tribune (1/18): NBC Sports’ hockey coverage “picked up where it left off last season – among the best sports coverage on television.”
NEW YORK - Jan. 25, 2010 -Pittsburgh and Detroit will meet for the first time since the Penguins defeated the Red Wings, 2-1, in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on the NHL “Game of the Week” this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports.
Mike “Doc” Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty, hosting NBC’s studio show alongside analyst Mike Milbury on site at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh and Detroit have met for the last two Stanley Cup Finals with the Red Wings winning in 2008 and the Penguins capturing the Cup in 2009. The Penguins are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with 65 points, while the Red Wings (58), who have suffered through a number of injuries, are tied for eighth in the Western Conference.
OLCZYK ON DETROIT AFTER THEY REGAIN THEIR INJURED PLAYERS: “They will be a dangerous team, tough medicine for any team that might take them on in the Western Conference. It would not surprise me to see both of these teams back in the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year.”
EMRICK: “Because they have reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous two seasons, these have been two of the busiest teams in the history of the sport, playing so many games. But it doesn’t show in their performances. Both teams leave it all out there.”
TAMPA TRIBUNE (1/18) ON NBC SPORTS’ HOCKEY COVERAGE: “[It] picked up where it left off last season - among the best sports coverage on television.”
CLOSE GAMES: All of NBC Sports’ NHL games this season have been decided by one goal and two needed extra time to determine a winner. Yesterday, the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, on a power-play goal by Matt Cooke with 1:47 remaining. In NBC’s inaugural “Game of the Week” on Jan. 17, the Chicago Blackhawks needed a shootout to beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in Detroit. The Boston Bruins needed overtime to defeat the Flyers, 2-1, at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.
OLYMPIANS IN THE GAME: Sunday’s game features 12 players who will compete for their respective Olympic teams in Vancouver in February.
USA
Pittsburgh, D Brooks Orpik
Detroit, D Brian Rafalski
CANADA
Pittsburgh, F Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh, G Marc-Andre Fleury
FINLAND
Detroit, F Valtteri Filppula
RUSSIA
Pittsburgh, D Sergei Gonchar
Pittsburgh, F Evgeni Malkin
Detroit, F Pavel Datsyuk
SWEDEN
Detroit, F Henrik Zetterberg
Detroit, F Tomas Holmstrom
Detroit, D Nicklas Lidstrom
Detroit, D Nicklas Kronwall
Here’s what else NBC Sports is airing this weekend.
U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM MEMBERS LYSACEK, WEIR, NAGASU, BELBIN & AGOSTO THIS SUNDAY IN SKATE FOR THE HEART ON NBCOlympic Gold Medalist Shaun White Featured In World of Adventures Sports
NEW YORK- Jan. 28, 2010 - NBC Sports presents taped coverage of the Silk Soy Milk Skate for the Heart this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
This event is packed with skating powerhouses and current U.S. Olympic Team members including 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, reigning World Champion Evan Lysacek, three-time National Champion Johnny Weir and current U.S. silver medalist and 2008 National Champion Mirai Nagasu.
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks headlines an evening of contemporary music with Olympic and world-class skaters in a show that provides awareness for the prevention of heart disease. Also providing music is 16-year-old singing sensation Charice Pempengco and pop groups Honor Society and KSM.
WORLD OF ADVENTURE SPORTS, SATURDAY, 2 PM ETThe new season of the World of Adventure Sports will kick off this Saturday on NBC Sports with Red Bull Project X, one of the most progressive snowboard sessions in history. In preparation for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, Oly mpic gold medalist Shaun White teamed up with Red Bull to create a private halfpipe nestled in the backcountry of Silverton Mountain, Colo. It was there that Shaun would create a series of new tricks that would change the sport forever.
Pat Parnell hosts.
PBR, SATURDAY, 4:30 PM ETNBC Sports presents taped coverage of the Professional Bull Riders’ Tecate Light Invitational on Saturday from Anaheim, Calif. The event will feature experienced riders including reigning World Champion Kody Lostroh (Longmont,Colo.), Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil), LJ Jenkins (Texico, N.M.), and Josh Koschel (Greely, Colo.).
NBC’s Craig Hummer, Justin McKee, Ty Murray, Donna Brothers and Justin McBride call the action.
INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW, SUNDAY, 3 PM ETNBC Sports will present a one-hour broadcast of the International Auto Show this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The show will give you a look at some of the most intriguing new vehicles that were on display at the NAIAS 2010 in Detroit. Coverage features the finest production and concept vehicles with a focus on smaller fuel efficient vehicles and automotive design, as well as technical advancements for vehicles of the future.
NBC Sports Commentators Bill Weber, Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, and Phil LeBeau will give you a close up look at some of the world’s most incredible vehicles.
And that’s going to do it for the weekend programming releases. I have stuff for next week coming up.
