Let’s give you some releases this morning and then I’ll do some links in about an hour.
Starting with TBS and some quotage from yesterday’s MLB On Deck pregame show.
Notes from Sunday MLB on TBS – September 27, 2009
Sunday MLB on TBS concludes on Sunday, Oct. 4, with a game to be announced. TBS’ coverage will begin with a 30-minute pre-game show prior to the game with its exclusive coverage of MLB’s Division Series beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
MLB on Deck
Announcers: Host Ernie Johnson with analysts Cal Ripken, Dennis Eckersley and David Wells
Ripken on the teams battling for a spot in the Postseason: “This is the coolest part of the game, and I thought we weren’t going to have these kinds of races down the stretch. Minnesota comes back and they are playing really well. Colorado, I still can’t figure out Colorado; they are just riding out the momentum. This is more pressure and more fun than the playoffs.”
Eckersley on the pressure being on the team that is leading the standings: “I was never in that position all that much coming down to the last week, to only have a two or three game lead. The pressure I think is definitely on the team that’s leading, if you don’t win, you choked the last week of the season. The pressure is definitely on Colorado and Detroit.”
Wells on the Colorado Rockies: “The thing about Colorado is that anything can happen anytime. These guys are so notorious for coming back and making a playoff run. They did it a few years ago against San Diego. Are they going to be able to do it again? We’ll find out, but the thing about them is they play better at home.”
Wells on the San Francisco Giants problems producing runs: “I was working the (Giants) game a few weeks ago and talking to (manager Bruce) Bochy. I said, ‘Bochy, what happened to you guys?’ And he threw up his hands and said, ‘we just can not score.’ I said, ‘there’s a new invention called trying to manufacture runs.’ When you’re in that situation with the type of pitching you have, they’ve got guys that can pitch and win 1-0 ball games. And they’ve got guys who can hit, but you want to talk about going in the tank, they are the definition of going in the tank.”
Eckersley on how the Yankees and Red Sox are the two best teams in baseball by far: “My pick is the New York Yankees, and I follow the Red Sox all year, and I think they are a close second. As far as the National League, that’s an inferior league, that’s like Triple A. Come over to the American League East and try to win some ball games.”
Wells on Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain: “I had no clue what they were doing with (Joba Chamberlain) to begin with when he was a reliever. He was setting up Mo (Mariano Rivera) very nicely, it was the (John) Wetteland, Rivera one-two punch. Then they had Joba and Rivera, but they tried to make him a starter because they didn’t have any starting pitching and they were tinkering with that. This guy was so good at his position and now he’s lost. I think they have the Joba rule, 70 pitches no matter how many innings you go. What does that do to a guy’s mental state of mind?”
Ripken on three teams to watch during the Postseason: “(The Yankees) are the better team, I love the team chemistry this year as an intangible. They are on the same page; winning does that. The Red Sox are an awfully dangerous team; the experience, they have, the nasty factor that we talk about. But keep your eye on the Angels. I have no real reason why, they’ve lost the last two years in the playoffs, but I think they’ve been pushed a little bit more this year and I think they might be due.”
TBS analysts rank the best National League teams:
Wells: “Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis and Philadelphia.”
Ripken: “The Cardinals first, I like Philly second and the Dodgers third.”
Eckersley: “St. Louis first, and number two is the Dodgers, and who cares after that?”
Sunday MLB on TBS
St. Louis Cardinals (3) @ Colorado Rockies (4)
Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (analyst) and Marc Fein (field reporter)
Martinez on Rockies manager Jim Tracy taking over mid-season: “When you’re a manager taking over a team mid-season, guys like (Todd) Helton are invaluable. (Manager) Jim Tracy talked about the biggest asset he had in the dugout he said Helton, (Brad) Hawpe, (Aaron) Cook, they are all veterans who really validated his presence.”
Martinez on Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan’s pitching philosophy: “When you throw a lot of strikes it keeps you in the ballgame. The Cardinals’ starters have pitched a ton this year, when you’re out on the field pitching into the seventh and eighth inning you always have a chance to win. (Cardinals pitching coach) Dave Duncan has always been a proponent of throwing strikes. As a pitching coach, you convince your pitchers to throw it over, challenge the hitters to put it in play, plus, you always keep the defense on their toes.”
Martinez on throwing breaking balls high due to the dry air in Colorado: “That will happen to pitchers because of dry air, you don’t get a real good grip on a breaking ball and it will slip out of your hand from time to time.”Johnson, Ripken, Eckersley and Wells called the bottom of the fifth inning and a portion of the sixth inning.
Wells on watching the scoreboard during a game to see how other teams are doing: “Every inning (I watched), you’ve got to adjust to the scoreboard. Those guys just won, now that puts us in a predicament, and as a pitcher, now I’ve got to make smart pitching and I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. You try not to put pressure (on yourself), but I know when I get in situations I’ve got to be smart.”
Ripken on preferring to face an established pitcher over a new player: “Towards the end of the season I didn’t like facing new guys. Sometimes when you face a spoiler team and they are going to spot start a guy, and it felt like it took until the third at-bat to get to know him a little bit. I’d rather face a guy I know even if it means playing the tougher competition. There are all kinds of tricks you can do (to a rookie), but I would always rather know what I’m expecting because the advantage goes to the pitcher.”
Wells on Royals starter Zack Greinke pitching seven innings to help secure a victory against the Minnesota Twins who are trying to make it to the Postseason: “(Royals Zack Greinke) is playing the role of spoiler and that’s what you want to do. When you get an opponent to go out and spoil someone’s postseason, that’s almost like winning a postseason game because you’ve done the job and you’re gong to make some people mad and some people happy. But he’s going to go out and do the job because he’s a Cy Young candidate with the way he’s been throwing the ball.”Martinez on Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s second error of the game on a bad throw to first baseman Todd Helton: “I don’t know why (Troy) Tulowitzki throws it on the run and handcuffs Helton. (Helton) is a Gold Glover, but you don’t want to put him in this position.”
Eckersley on the Tigers allowing it to become a race with the Minnesota Twins: “I keep thinking about Detroit, th
inking they have messed up. They could have taken it, they should have won this thing long before the last week of the season.”Wells: “No question. When you have an opportunity to capitalize and you don’t…if you’re pitching falls. The Tigers only have a couple of guys in the lineup doing it (with scoring), and that’s (Miguel) Cabrera, (Brandon) Inge has been in and out, so you don’t know what you’re going to get, but you have to do it.”
Golf Channel tells us that they’re airing this week.
COMING UP ON GOLF CHANNEL… Sept. 28 – Oct. 4, 2009
Meet the Cast of Big Break Disney Golf
Dr. J and Billy Andrade Headline Playing Lessons from the Pros
Original Programming Premieres and Highlights
(All times eastern)
Big Break Disney Golf: Preview Show
Time: Tuesday, 10 – 10:30 p.m.
Hosts: Vince Cellini, Stephanie Sparks
Tuesday’s Big Break Disney Golf preview show will introduce the contestants, offer a glimpse of the upcoming challenges and provide an inside look at the drama that will ensue in the series. Big Break Disney Golf will premiere Oct. 13 at 10 p.m. ET and will showcase a field of 12 men – collectively the most talented cast in series history, but individually at different stages in their careers – battling for the opportunity to fulfill the desire to play professional golf at the highest level. Competitors range from an Olympic gold medalist to those merely chasing a dream.
Playing Lessons from the Pros – “Dr. J” Julius Erving and Billy Andrade
Time: Monday, 10-10:30 p.m.
NBA Hall-of-Famer “Dr. J” Julius Erving will join PGA TOUR professional Billy Andrade for a round of golf on Playing Lessons from the Pros. Taking place at Celebrity Golf Club International in Atlanta, Ga., Andrade will provide tips on bunker shots, chipping around the green and golf course management.
Top 10: Fred Couples Highlights
Time: Tuesday, 9-9:30 p.m.
Host: Lauren Thompson
The only thing smoother than Fred Couples’ disposition is his fluid golf swing. Host Lauren Thompson will count down the top 10 Fred Couples highlights, featuring his Presidents Cup successes and his par-3 miracle in capturing the 1992 Masters. Top 10 will include insight and interviews from fellow PGA TOUR professionals and noted sports journalists, including Couples’ college roommate at the University of Houston, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz.
Golf’s Amazing Videos: Hole-in-One Spectacular
Time: Monday, 9 – 9:30 p.m.
Golf’s Amazing Videos returns with a new episode showcasing some of the most remarkable holes in one ever recorded, both on the professional tours and in the amateur ranks, including aces by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Natalie Gulbis and Vijay Singh. Nick Faldo will give a step-by-step lesson on how to make an ace, and viewers will witness two amateurs hit million dollar aces.
Quest for the Card
Time: Wednesday, 7:30-8 p.m.
Host: Jerry Foltz
Quest for the Card will recap the 2009 Albertsons Boise Open and the WNB Golf Classic. The half-hour show also will profile Nationwide Tour players as they continue their quest to earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2010 season.
News and Talk Show Programming Highlights
Golf Central
Live Airings: Monday – Wednesday, 6-6:30 p.m./11:30 p.m.-12 a.m.
Thursday – Sunday, 6-6:30 p.m./12:30-1 a.m.
Golf Central will recap the news and storylines coming out of THE TOUR Championship and preview upcoming tournaments on all of the various tours, including the Turning Stone Resort Championship and the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship – a major on the Champions Tour.
Golf Central Pre Game
Live Airings: Thursday – Sunday, 12:30-1 p.m.; 3:30-4 p.m.
Golf Central Pre Game will prepare viewers for all of the action at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by a second Pre Game show at 3:30 p.m. ET previewing the Turning Stone Resort Championship and all of the tournaments on the various golf tours with news, interviews and analysis.
The Golf Fix
Time: Monday, 8-8:30 p.m.
Host: Michael Breed
Hosted by Michael Breed, GOLF CHANNEL’s fast-paced, interactive instructional show will highlight viewer call-ins and e-mails and provide drills that viewers can practice both on and off the golf course. GolfChannel.com also will include a bonus segment following the conclusion of the live show on Monday.
The Approach with Callaway Golf
Time: Tuesday, 8-8:30 p.m.
Host: Vince Cellini
Panelists: Alex Miceli/Andrew Magee
Highlighting the top storylines in golf from different perspectives, analysts from The Approach with Callaway Golf will recap THE TOUR Championship and preview the upcoming tournaments on the various tours in an entertaining and informative manner.
Grey Goose 19th Hole
Time: Wednesday, 8-8:30 p.m.
Host: Vince Cellini/Analyst Jeff Rude
Grey Goose 19th Hole, the network’s fast-paced half-hour talk show, will feature debates on the hot topics in golf coming out of THE TOUR Championship and will preview the upcoming tournaments on the various tours.
From the NBA and ESPN, we have this new collaboration on NBA.com’s Fantasy Basketball.
ESPN and NBA Digital Team Up for ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball
Distinctive Collaboration includes Official Game on both ESPN.com and NBA.com, Multi-Platform Content and Co-Promotion
NBA Digital and ESPN announced today a unique multi-year agreement that will make ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball, the official commissioner-style fantasy basketball game for both ESPN.com and NBA.com. The collaboration between NBA Digital and ESPN means that fantasy sports players on two of the leading NBA destinations online will now have a single, integrated game and access to the very best fantasy basketball content online and on mobile devices. The companies will also develop cross-platform promotions through a multitude of ESPN and NBA Digital platforms.
“This collaboration takes NBA Digital’s multi-platform philosophy to unprecedented levels,” said Bryan Perez, senior vice president and general manager, NBA Digital. “By marrying the TV, internet and wireless assets of ESPN and NBA Digital, fantasy sports fans will be able to engage in the game and related content in more ways than have ever been offered in the fantasy arena.”
“Working together with NBA Digital on ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball builds upon the great, multi-faceted relationship we have with the NBA and will provide fans with the very best fantasy basketball game and content available,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “Fans will benefit this season and in seasons ahead from new innovations and an enhanced interactive experience, while advertisers will get more value than ever before from their connection to a best-of-breed multi-platform game and content experience.”
The game is available now on NBA.com and ESPN.com and on ESPN and NBA mobile Web sites. Fans will be able to manage their teams with the latest information on their players, check scores and set their lineups. Following a record-setting season for the free commissioner-style fantasy game on ESPN.com (including nearly 40 times the growth in participation from the previous season) ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball will allow players to create leagues and teams, schedule drafts, conduct mock drafts and more. Other features include:
- Integrated access to all the leading NBA Digital and ESPN Fantasy news, analysis and information including video, podcasts, columns, features and more;
- NBA TV and ESPN studio personalities competing in the game throughout the season;
- Mobile companions allowing team management through the ESPN and NBA mobile Web sites, as well as a downloadable Draft Kit mobile application developed by ESPN;
- A co-branded and cohesive marketing campaign featuring 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz), three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls).
As part of the agreement, ESPN and NBA Digital will cross promote the game and the Fantasy Draft Kit across their multiple media platforms. ESPN and NBA Digital will work together to develop new features throughout the 2009-10 NBA regular season (begins Tuesday, October 27) and in seasons ahead, including the integration of video from the NBA Digital and ESPN libraries. In addition, ESPN and NBA Digital will jointly develop sponsorship packages and co-marketing initiatives around ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball.
And ESPN has its motorsports schedule for the week.
Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from Kansas on ABC
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 400 miles on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race will air on ABC. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 2:15 p.m.
ESPN’s coverage of the final 11 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will air on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. ESPN’s coverage from Kansas includes NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. and a same-day telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 6:30 p.m., both on ESPN2.
Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Kansas on ESPN2
ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend as the series races at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. The live, flag-to-flag telecast airs Saturday, Oct. 3, at 3 p.m. ET, with the green flag at 3:46 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.
Coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice airs Friday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
Evernham, Said, Craven on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham, Boris Said and Ricky Craven will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Mike Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. following ESPN2’s coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice at Kansas Speedway.
Massaro will be joined by Said for the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 10 p.m. Sunday. Nicole Manske and Terry Blount will report from Kansas for both programs.
NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.
Countdown to 1 Continues in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues its Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series visits Memphis Motorsports Park for the NHRA Mid-South Nationals this weekend. ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action, with qualifying airing Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations action airs Sunday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., with a re-air Monday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. on ESPN Classic.
The tour’s annual stop in “the birthplace of the Blues” is being contested for the third straight season in what should be cooler climes from its previous late-August date. For the teams still in the Countdown to the Championship for NHRA Full Throttle world titles, this is the halfway point of the Countdown to 1, the third of six events that will determine the world champions.
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.
Other NHRA programming airing on ESPN Networks this week includes highlights from the 2004 Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, airing Monday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. on ESPN Classic. In addition, action from the recent Sportsman Series event in Dallas airs Sunday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Traxxas TORC Series Action on ESPN2 Sunday
Action from the Traxxas TORC Series returns to ESPN2 on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. ET with highlights of the event held in Perris, Calif. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action is appearing on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.
The 2009 season features eight total rounds of racing. ESPN2 will air five rounds with three to appear on ABC. Marty Reid, lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and selected NASCAR races, will call all of the TORC Truck Series events on ESPN2 and ABC. Joining Reid will be long-time extreme sports announcer Tes Sewell and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler as pit reporter.
That’s it. Links are coming up.
