Let’s do some links on this Monday.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game has become a showcase for upcoming NBA talent.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that NBC Sports Network will get a lion’s share of coverage for the London Summer Olympics.
Brian Stelter of the New York Times reports that no-talent hack Ryan Seacrest has signed a new contract with NBCUniversal that also gives him a role on NBC’s Olympic coverage. I shudder at the thought.
Chris Ariens at TVNewser says NBC is putting former Today Show co-host Meredith Viera on the Olympics Opening Ceremony with Bob Costas and Matt Lauer.
Joe Posnanski talks about leaving Sports Illustrated for a new venture with MLB Advanced Media and the USA Today Sports Group. Disclosure: Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned site affiliated with USA Today Sports Group and had no prior knowledge of Posnanski’s move nor of the joint venture with MLBAM.
ESPN.com’s Kristi Dosh, a.k.a. The Sports Biz Miss handicaps the upcoming MLB TV rights deal negotiations.
King Kaufman at the Bleacher Report explains why the site will never do April Fools’ parodies.
Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has some readers’ suggestions for CBS’ Jim Nantz to close out tonight’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship including one from yours truly.
The great Maggie Hendricks of Yahoo’s Cagewriter has some suggestions on how FX and the UFC can improve the new Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. You may know a parent, a friend, a relative or a neighbor who is affected by Autism in one way or another. Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball writes in his SportsBash site on how he has been personally affected.
My good friend (despite her being a Yankees fan) Alison Faye in Tales of a Rocket Scientist also writes about her experience with her son who has Autism.
And Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that he’ll be wearing a bowtie to benefit Autism Speaks.
Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group notes that CBS’ courtside cameras give the network some signature shots for the Men’s Final Four.
Brandon also looks at CBS’ studio set and Super Slo-Mo cameras at the Superdome for the Final Four.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the new Broadway play focusing on Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post mourns the passing of New York Cosmos great Giorgio Chinaglia.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that the Final Four received its best ratings on CBS in a decade.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that the local cable news network will cover Union in the NCAA Frozen Four this week.
Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says a local radio station will cover high school sports.
Jim Wiliams of the Washington Examiner talks with Jim Nantz about his unique double of calling the Final Four and The Masters® in successive weeks.
Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.
Tom also talks with the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew.
Sam Pennington of Suthern Gameday remembers the late Hall of Fame voice of the Kentucky Wildcats, Caewood Ledford.
David Barron from the Houston Chronicle notes two personnel moves at one local sports radio station.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explores the average age of those watching various sporting events.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says the first week in April is a literal smorgasbord for the sports fan.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News explores the reasons why MLB clubs are so gung-ho on regional sports network rights fees.
Tom has your sports calendar for this week.
Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star has what writers outside of Canada are saying about the Blue Jays.
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail was amused by a verbal sparring match aired in Canada over the weekend.
Barry Petchesky at Deadspin looks at one April Fools newspaper column that went published without being properly vetted.
Sports Media Watch says ratings for the NBA on ABC saw big increases.
Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the NHL on NBC also had a good number.
And Joe Favorito says Fenway Park is ready to celebrate its Centennial.
We’re done.
