NBC Sports has three events for this weekend. Let’s go over them chronologically.
First, NBC Sports has the Houston Open, the last PGA Tour stop before The Masters.
ERNIE ELS GOES FOR THREE IN A ROW AT SHELL HOUSTON OPEN ON NBC SPORTS THIS WEEKEND“This tournament has been transformed.” – NBC Sports’ Mark Rolfing on the Shell Houston Open
NEW YORK - Ernie Els, who has won the last two PGA TOUR events he has played, will attempt to win three consecutive at the Shell Houston Open from the Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course in Humble, Texas to be broadcast on NBC Sports this Saturday from 1-5 p.m. ET and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. ET.
Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 11th season together as NBC’s lead golf team, will anchor the coverage from the 18th hole tower. They are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch and Mark Rolfing; course reporters Roger Maltbie and Dottie Pepper; and interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts.
ROLFING ON THE TOURNAMENT: “This tournament has been transformed because of its date the week before Augusta and because of the way the course is maintained. They actually mow the rough to the same exact height as Augusta. They shave down a lot of the areas around the greens. It’s a perfect event this time of year.”
The field includes winners of eight of the 14 PGA TOUR events this year, including Els, who has won the last two events he has played - the WGC-CA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. It also includes the 2003 Shell Houston Open champion Fred Couples, who returns to the PGA TOUR after winning three consecutive tournaments on the Champions Tour. Forty international players and the winners of 16 majors round out the field.
ROLFING ON WHAT TYPE OF PLAYER HAS THE ADVANTAGE: “It’s a big hitters course. It favors the international players because the ball has to be played on the ground more than most American courses. That’s what the players in Europe are used to.”
THE PLAYERS Championship: Following the Shell Houston Open, NBC Sports’ coverage of the PGA TOUR returns the weekend of May 8-9 with THE PLAYERS Championship from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla, from 2-7 p.m. ET on both Saturday and Sunday (all times ET):
THE PLAYERS Championship - Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Saturday, May 8 2-7 p.m.
Sunday, May 9 2-7 p.m.
Today, NBC has two Kentucky Derby prep races.
“ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY” SERIES CONTINUES THIS SATURDAY FROM LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORKSanta Anita Derby and Wood Memorial to Air Live on NBC Sports
New Televised Kentucky Derby Prep Race Series Continues Over the Next Two Saturdays on NBC Sports
Play CNBC’s “Call the Close” for a Chance to Win a Trip for Two to the 2010 Kentucky Derby and a $100,000 Derby DreamBet
NEW YORK - NBC Sports’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” continues this Saturday with two graded stakes races featuring Thoroughbred horses vying for a spot in the Kentucky Derby (Saturday, May 1, 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports). Live action from the Santa Anita Derby in Arcadia, Calif., and the Wood Memorial in Jamaica, NY, begins Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBC Sports.
The hour-long broadcast will originate from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and is hosted by Tom Hammond alongside three-time Derby winner Gary Stevens, who won the Santa Anita Derby a record nine times. The NBC Sports broadcast team also includes handicapper Mike Battaglia, reporters Kenny Rice and Donna Brothers from Santa Anita. NBC Sports handicapper Bob Neumeier and horse racing analyst Jessica Pacheco provide additional coverage and analysis live from the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, NY.
STEVENS ON SANTA ANITA DERBY: “Looking at Lucky is the obvious pick, but it was interesting listening to Bob Baffert this week saying that he just wants to get through this race and that the horse (Looking at Lucky) is much better on dirt than synthetic. It almost sounds like if he gets beat that he is not worried about it. He’s looking forward to the Kentucky Derby. Having said that, Sydney’s Candy is a speed horse who can actually take it wire-to-wire. I also like the gelding Caracortado. He’s only lost one race.”
STEVENS ON HIS RECORD NINE WINS AT SANTA ANITA: “It’s huge for me to have won nine times at Santa Anita. I never would have thought that possible. When I was tied with the great Bill Shoemaker with eight wins apiece I was pretty happy with that. But to be able to break his record is something that I am very proud of.”
STEVENS ON WOOD MEMORIAL: “Eskendereya is an absolute standout. If there is going to be an upset Schoolyard Dreams could possibly do it but it’s going to be tough to beat Eskendereya.”
ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBYThe newly launched “Road to the Kentucky Derby” television series, produced in partnership by NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Incorporated, began last Saturday with the Louisiana Derby and Lane’s End Stakes and continues the next two consecutive Saturdays with live coverage of four more Derby prep races, key competitions to earn a coveted spot in the Kentucky Derby’s 20-horse starting gate.
The series will also give viewers at home a sense of the spectacle surrounding a day at the races, including snapshots of the fashion, food, famous faces and racing’s real “characters” - the fans - to draw viewers into the social scene that makes racetracks the ultimate source for entertainment. The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ led to the 2009 Kentucky Derb y being the most viewed Derby in two decades with a 26 percent increase in viewers since this strategy was launched in 2007.
The remaining broadcast schedule for the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series is as follows:
THIS SATURDAY (NBC Sports, Santa Anita, 5-6 p.m. ET):· Santa Anita Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Santa Anita
· Wood Memorial, 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct
SATURDAY, APRIL 10 (NBC Sports, Keeneland, 5-6 p.m. ET):· Arkansas Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Oaklawn Park
· Blue Grass Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, Keeneland
KENTUCKY DERBY DREAM BET
“CALL THE CLOSE” AND YOU MIGHT BE OFF TO THE RACES: Each day, CNBC viewers compete and test their stock market expertise by playing “Call the Close,” a popular interactive game on CNBC.com and on CNBC Mobile in which participants guess where the Dow Jones Industrial Average will close. Starting today, “Call the Close” participants will have the chance to enter for a chance to win a trip for two to the 2010 Kentucky Derby and a $100,000 Derby DreamBet.
To play the daily “Call the Close” Game and be entered into the “Call the Close” $100,000 Derby DreamBet Sweepstakes, participants must register online or on a mobile device and submit their “call” from 4:30 pm ET until 1:00 pm ET the following Trading Day. Contestants can enter once daily through Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Each day, a Game winner will be selected and at the end of the promotion period one Sweepstakes winner will be selected at random.
The Sweepstakes winner will receive a trip for two to the 136th Kentucky Derby. The Sweepstakes winner will also have the opportunity to direct the placement of a $100,000 win wager on the horse they think will win the Derby and keep any resulting winnings. The DreamBet is sponsored by Churchill Downs Incorporated. NBC Sports may even feature the Sweepstakes winner and their DreamBet in NBC Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 136th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1 starting at 4 p.m. ET.
To play the daily “Call the Close” Game participants can utilize CNBC.com’s vast financial resources such as extended after-hour quotes, charts and news for all 30 stocks in the Dow to help make the best prediction and see what's moving the markets. Throughout each Game, the leader board is recalculated every five minutes as Dow pricing changes. The daily Game winner is the one who makes the ‘call’ closest to the .00 decimal. In the event of a tie, Game winners are determined by whoever comes closest to guessing the S&P 500. Each daily Game winner will have his/her name published online and/or on-air. Participants have the ability to track their daily history and gauge their performance against the index.
Registration in both the “Call the Close” Game and the $100,000 Derby DreamBet Sweepstakes is free and can be accessed at http://calltheclose.cnbc.com. For official sweepstakes rules, and alternate method of entry for the Sweepstakes visit http://calltheclose.cnbc.com/rules.html.
“ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY” DREAM BET: While viewers take in the action at home, on-track fans will have the chance to enjoy the “DreamBet” of a lifetime. Churchill Downs Incorporated will sponsor a special promotion at each of the broadcast host tracks for the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, allowing on-track patrons to enter a drawing for the opportunity for a free $10,000 wager on the broadcast host track’s race. A winning fan will be drawn at random during the course of the racing program at each broadcast host track. Churchill Downs will then place a $10,000 “win” wager on the horse the winning contestant at each host site selects in the following races:
· Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park this Saturday.
· Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course on April 10.
Viewers at home can watch to see if the contestant wins big as the race unfolds. For more information and to review official rules for each “DreamBet,” Sweepstakes visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/dreambet.
On Sunday, NBC has the Detroit Red Wings-Philadelphia Flyers matchup for its NHL Game of the Week.
RED HOT RED WINGS TRAVEL TO PHILADELPHIA TO BATTLE THE FLYERS ON NBC SPORTS’ “NHL GAME OF THE WEEK” SUNDAY AT 12:30 PM ET
“I expect this game to be played with a playoff fever pitch.” – NBC Sports’ Eddie Olczyk on Red Wings-Flyers
All Eight of NBC Sports’ NHL Games in 2010 Decided by One Goal
NEW YORK - The Detroit Red Wings, who have won nine of their last 10 games, visit Philadelphia to take on the Flyers in the only meeting between the two teams this season on Sunday, April 4 at 12:30 pm ET on NBC Sports.
Mike “Doc” Emrick (play-by-play), who is nominated for a 2010 Sports Emmy Award, 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 Wachovia Center.
Playoff positions will again be on the line Sunday. The Red Wings have climbed to the sixth spot in the Western Conference due in part to a current six-game winning streak and 9-1 record in their last 10 games. A crucial two points are on the line for the Flyers, who are currently tied for the sixth position in the Eastern Conference with Montreal and Boston.
OLCZYK ON DETROIT: “There hasn’t been a team to come out of the Olympics cleaner and more thorough than the Red Wings. Their recent performance is not a surprise now that they are healthy. On the backend, their one-to-four is as good as any team in the league. Everything starts with those guys.”
OLCZYK ON PHILADELPHIA: “Goaltending injuries have made it very difficult for the Flyers to have any breathing room. It really tests your depth and ability to deal with adversity. It’s desperation for sure. I expect this game to be played with a playoff fever pitch.”
CLOSE GAMES: All eight of NBC Sports’ NHL games this season have been decided by one goal, and five needed extra time to determine a winner. The Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers, 2-1, on Sunday, March 21 on the strength of an impressive performance by goalie Tuukka Rask.
On Sunday, March 14, the Washington Capitals defeated the host Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, in overtime. Washington was trailing 3-0 in the final period before scoring three unanswered goals and ultimately winning the game with a fourth in OT. The Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks in Chicago, 5-4, on March 7 on the strength of five second-period goals. On Feb. 7, the Capitals defeated the Penguins, 5-4, in overtime on Mike Knuble's goal. In the game, Sidney Crosby scored twice for Pittsburgh and Alexander Ovechkin registered a hat trick for Washington.
The week prior, on Jan. 31, the Penguins were on the winning end when they defeated the Red Wings in a Stanley Cup Final rematch, 2-1, via an overtime shootout. On Jan. 24, 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 Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day in the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com will again offer “Star-cam” this season, tracking a player from both teams throughout each of their shifts. Following the game, NBCSports.com will present bonus material, including “Star-cam” and “Net-cam” and bonus analysis from NBC Sports commentators.
FLEX SCHEDULING: The Sunday, April 11, Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals game has been flexed as NBC Sports’ “Game of the Week” and will be played at Verizon Center at Noon ET.
Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, already the two-time defending Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner, is again challenging for the League lead in goals. Ovechkin (46 goals) currently sits one behind Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (47) and one ahead of Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning (45) in a race that promises to go down to the final day of the season.
Leading the defense looking to stop Ovechkin and his Capitals teammates will be Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. The tallest player in the League at 6’ 9”, Chara won the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman last season over Washington’s Mike Green, who finished second.
We’re done here.
