I just got a note from Jessica Camerato from WEEI.com telling me to get to sleep so I’m going to finish this quickly and go to bed. Funny how people just know my schedule thanks to Twitter. So as I listen to Sophie B. Hawkins on iTunes, let me finish this post up.
NBC and Universal Sports team up for coverage of the Swimming World Championships and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will be there.
PHELPS HEADLINES NBC SPORTS LIVE COVERAGE OF SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WHICH BEGINS SUNDAY
Universal Sports Live Coverage Continues Monday - Friday
NEW YORK ? July 22, 2009 ? Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in U.S. history with 14 gold medals and 16 total medals, leads the U.S. team as they battle the world's best swimmers as NBC Sports presents six hours of live coverage of the Swimming World Championships over the next two weekends. Coverage starts this Sunday with a two-hour program at Noon ET. Coverage will continue throughout the week on Universal Sports with a live two-hour program beginning at Noon ET each day Monday-Friday. Joining Phelps, who won seven gold medals at the 2007 championships in Melbourne, will be teammates Ryan Lochte, Dara Torres, Aaron Peirsol, Peter Vanderkaay and Rebecca Soni.
NBC Sports' Olympic swimming broadcast team, featuring three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, Emmy Award-winning host Dan Hicks and reporter Andrea Kremer, will provide commentary for all of the swimming events on both NBC Sports and Universal Sports. Coverage on both networks is hosted and produced by the NBC Olympics production team, led by NBC Sports and Olympics Executive Producer David Neal and Director Drew Esocoff. Esocoff, who is also the director for "NBC Sunday Night Football," directed the swimming coverage at the Beijing Olympic Games.
COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: NBC Sports will air six hours of competition over two weekends beginning this Sunday from Noon-2 p.m. ET and continuing August 1 and 2 from Noon - 2 p.m. ET. Coverage highlights include:
This Sunday: Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final (Torres)
Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final (Phelps)
Saturday, Aug. 1: Men's 100m Butterfly Final (Phelps)
Women's 4x100 Medley Relay Final (Torres)
Sunday, Aug. 2: Men's 50m Backstroke Final (Peirsol)
Men's 400 Individual Medley Final (Lochte)
Women's 50m Freestyle Final (Torres)
Men's 4x100 Medley Relay Final (Peirsol, Phelps)
COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports will run a daily, two-hour live program during the swimming finals, beginning noon ET from Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31. Coverage highlights include:
Monday Men's 100m Backstroke Semis (Peirsol)
Men's 200m Freestyle Semis (Phelps)
Tuesday Men's 200m Freestyle Final (Phelps)
Men's 100m Backstroke Final (Peirsol)
Wednesday Men's 200m Butterfly Final (Phelps)
Thursday Men's 200m Individual Medley Final (Lochte)
Men's 200m Backstroke Semis (Peirsol, Lochte)
Friday Men's 200m Backstroke Final (Peirsol, Lochte)
Women's 200m Breaststroke Final (Soni)
Men's 100m Butterfly Semis (Phelps)
Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay (Phelps, Lochte, Vanderkaay)
COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will provide live streaming coverage of the entire swimming competition, from heats through finals, with live webcasts everyday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
A full TV schedule is available at UniversalSports.com/tvschedule, and a detailed competition schedule, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos, breaking news and more will be available at Universal Sports' swimming channel at UniversalSports.com/swimming.
NBC SPORTS, UNIVERSAL SPORTS AND THE WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Throughout the entire World Aquatics Championships (July 17-August 2), Universal Sports and NBC Sports will present more than 50 hours of coverage, more than triple the amount of broadcast hours for any international aquatics event outside of the Olympic Games.
Here’s what else NBC Sports is covering this weekend.
DEW TOUR CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND WITH SKATE OPEN, ISF SKATEBOARDING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ON NBC
NEW YORK ? July 22, 2009 ? The world titles in street and vert skateboarding will be decided this weekend during NBC Sports' coverage of the Dew Tour Skate Open, International Skateboarding Federation Skateboarding World Championships from the TD Garden in Boston. This is the first time in its five-year history that the Dew Tour has stopped in Boston. NBC Sports' live coverage of the skate park finals airs Saturday and taped coverage of the skate vert finals airs Sunday, at 4-6 p.m. ET both days.
Athlete analysts Paul Zitzer and Chris Miller will join host Kenan Harkin and correspondent Tiffany Simons from Boston.
The sport's best athletes will be competing for the world titles in street and vert skating including street legend Eric Koston, 2009 Maloof Money Cup champions Chris Cole, Alex Perelson, Ryan Sheckler, 2008 Skate Park Dew Cup champion Chaz Ortiz and Massachusetts-natives Andy Macdonald and Nick Dompierre.
Complete 2009 Dew Tour Schedule:
Date/Event/Site ? Venue
Aug. 13 - 16: Wendy's Invitational, Portland, Ore., Rose Quarter
Sept. 17 - 20: Toyota Challenge, Salt Lake City, Utah, Energy Solutions Arena
Oct. 15 - 18: PlayStation Pro, Orlando, Fla., Amway ArenaIRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, SATURDAY, 2:30 PM ET
NBC Sports presents an encore presentation of the 2008 Ironman World Championship from Hawaii. Al Trautwig hosts.
Created in 1977 in Honolulu, the Ironman is one of the most challenging competitions in all of sports. Competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and end with a 26.2 mile marathon. Athletes compete through rough terrain that includes harsh ocean waves and lava covered concrete, characteristics of beautiful Kona, Hawaii.
I did not mean for this to be NBC Universal-centric, but this release promotes a new CNBC documentary on Ultimate Fighting that airs next week.
CNBC PRESENTS ULTIMATE FIGHTING: FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
CNBC DOCUMENTARY TAKES A NEW BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP-THE BIGGEST BRAND IN BRAWLINGOne-Hour Special Reported by CNBC's Scott Wapner to Premiere on Wednesday, July 29th at 10PM & 1AM ET on CNBCENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 22, 2009-It's a hit business like no other, a violent and growing sport that's attracted controversy, millions of fans, and some deep pockets. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has battled its way to the top of mixed martial arts, continuing to dominate the competition and thrive in a troubled economy when other sports are faltering.
On Wednesday, July 29th at 10PM & 1AM ET, CNBC presents "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars," a CNBC special reported by CNBC's Scott Wapner that takes a new behind-the-scenes look at Ultimate Fighting Championship- the biggest brand in mixed martial arts, one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The documentary builds on earlier reporting, first aired in 2007, with new interviews and coverage throughout.
Wapner travels to Germany for the UFC's first-ever event in mainland Europe, and goes inside the Octagon with Dana White, the controversial front man who's helped raise the brand to new heights with a shrewd business sense and a style shaped more in the gym than the corporate suite. CNBC also speaks with wealthy backers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, and profiles a stable of standout fighters -- including star Rich Frankin -- who have helped the league grow from a dying franchise to a global sensation in less than a decade.
The program explores the early days of UFC, when it played to meager crowds and was banned from television. Today, the UFC has established a formidable presence in the sporting world and on the landscape of popular culture, and Madison Avenue has taken notice. In 2007, marquee brands were reluctant to advertise with a league that had a dubious, no-holds-barred past. Though some controversy remains, the UFC has gone mainstream, and Fortune 500 companies like Budweiser and Harley-Davidson have become big-time backers.
With a reported $275 million in revenues last year, the UFC's success has not gone unnoticed, and a number of would-be competitors have emerged. Wapner interviews billionaires Mark Cuban and Donald Trump, who are working together to present mixed martial arts events, promising top fighters and revenues to match. Dana White tells Wapner that they are just another in a long list of competitors he is ready to take to the mat.
CNBC also takes a look at the range of promotions, endorsements and movie deals tied to the sport, as well as at TapouT, the successful apparel company created by three hardcore fans who turned their passion for mixed martial arts into a $100 million dollar business.
For more information including video clips and slideshows log onto: ufc.cnbc.com.
CNBC's "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars" will re-air on Friday, July 31st at 1AM ET and Sunday, August 1st at 10PM ET.
Mitch Weitzner is the Executive Producer of "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars." Alison O'Brien is the Producer.
ESPN previews “Homecoming” hosted by Rick Reilly with guest Arizona Cardinals QB Rick Reilly.
Iowa’s Son Kurt Warner Receives an ESPN HomecomingTwo-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner is featured in the next installment of ESPN’s original series –Homecoming with Rick Reilly. Hosted by 11-time Sportswriter of the Year Rick Reilly, the show challenges that old adage “you can’t go home again.” In mid June, Warner welcomed Reilly to his hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA for the episode to be televised July 23, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Roughly 1,000 people were in the audience to hear the star recount his humble journey to the top of the NFL that started in a local grocery store,
moved to the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and finally culminated at Super Bowl XXXIV. Reilly also chatted with Warner’s former coaches including high school coach Jim Padlock, previous head coach of the University of Northern Iowa, Terry Allen, past head coach of the St. Louis Rams, Dick Vermeil and current head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt. Other highlights of the episode include Warner giving Reilly a tour of his childhood neighborhood and building a house with Habitat for Humanity, only one year after a tragic flood hit the state.Excerpts from the Kurt Warner episode:High School coach Jim Padlock on playing Warner “…At that point our quarterback selections were pretty small and Kurt was pretty tall for a ninth grader.”Former head coach of the St. Louis Rams Dick Vermeil on Warner “…For some reason I don’t think he ever gets the deep respect that he deserves…You know, players win games not coaches. He’s heard me say that. The reason I have this ring on is because of him, not me.”Warner on his future in the NFL “I know it’s coming to an end, I know it’s getting closer. I signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals, and I definitely want to play that out…and at this point in time, I am thinking that that’s probably it.”
Finally, this is what you can expect to see on E:60 when it returns for a five week run on ESPN starting next Tuesday.
E:60 Returns Tuesday, July 28
E:60, ESPN’s primetime news magazine program, returns Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. on ESPN, the first of five shows to be aired weekly, July 28 – August 25. Tuesday’s program includes:
- Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young – an exclusive profile of Young, including his first sit-down interview since September 2009 where he talks about concerns of suicide, hopes for 2009 and mentor Steve McNair’s tragic death
- LPGA pro and model Anna Rawson – reporter Tom Farrey reports on her dual career
- Cheese rolling – the tradition spans hundreds of years and reporter Jeremy Schaap searches for the fascination behind the annual one-day event in Gloucester, England
- Motocross champion James Stewart – known as the Tiger Woods of motocross, Stewart prepares to make his X Games debut in Los Angeles
That’s going to do it. I’m going to bed now, Jessica. LOL.
