Lots of things to get to today. Couldn’t do the links yesterday. Going to do a big megalink edition for you.
Let’s get cracking, but first, there’s the Weekend Viewing Picks complete with a link to the busy College Basketball Viewing Picks which will be updated throughout the weekend.
National
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with Oscar-winner and ESPN college football analyst Ed Cunningham.
Sports Illustrated issued a statement standing by its feature story this week by George Dohrmann on UCLA’s troubles.
Yesterday, Captain Blowhard, a.k.a Bill Simmons of Grantland interviewed President Obama for his podcast. I haven’t listened to it nor read the transcript as I don’t want to be bothered. Dan Levy of Bleacher Report did and had some problems with it.
Tony Manfred of the Business Insider’s Sports Page lists some writers who were most likely jealous over Simmons’ sitdown with the President.
Sports Business Daily says Captain Blowhard threw a hissy fit this week after Duke refused to issue a credential to one of Grantland’s writers for Saturday’s game against North Carolina.
Tim Baysinger at Broadcasting & Cable writes that NFL Today and Inside the NFL host James Brown will become a special correspondent for CBS News.
Gabriel Beltrone of Adweek writes that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is pitching Sprint phones.
Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life says thanks to Super Bowl XLVI, NBC won the February sweeps, marking the third straight year that sports has steered the month.
Ryan Berenz of Channel Guide Magazine writes that NBC Sports Network will be all over a French bicycle race this month.
Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball says while we know MLB will announce expanded Wild Card Playoff games today, we don’t know which network will air them.
Sam Mamudi of Marketwatch.com writes that the competition among mainstream sports websites is very intense.
Pam Modarelli-Hegner at Sports TV Jobs writes about the types of personalities and egos journalists encounter when interviewing athletes.
Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder writes in Puck Drunk Love about ESPN’s failure to cover the NHL.
In his regular site, Matt says CNBC’s Darren Rovell assigned his baby daughter several social networking accounts on her first day on earth.
Brady Green at AA has video of the Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia’s very funny impression of ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian that aired on Baseball Tonight.
John Daly at the Daly Planet looks at Showtime’s Inside NASCAR program taking the spring and summer off after one episode this week.
Barry Petchesky over at Deadspin notes that ESPN came up with another potentially racist headline for an Asian-American athlete.
Rachel Margolis at ESPN’s Front Row PR blog talks with college basketball analyst Brooke Weisbrod who has a rather interesting day job that keeps her busy during the work week.
Joe Favorito says President Obama is courting sports fans through the Captain Blowhard podcast.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media reviews the new hockey movie, “Goon.”
Sports Media Watch has some of the ratings from last week’s sports action.
SMW says Jeremy Lin is helping to move the ratings needle for ABC and TNT.
The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says a San Diego sports anchor’s criticism of Danica Patrick shows that sexism still exists in sports.
Also in the National Sports Journalism Center, Ronnie Ramos laments how social media has watered down traditional sports journalism.
East and Mid-Atlantic
The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan talks with ESPN’s college basketball analyst Doris Burke. High praise and I agree. Doris is one of the best.
Chad Finn of the Globe says despite having his original role reduced, Dale Arnold is remaining at WEEI.
Chad has some advice for rookie ESPN MLB analyst Terry Francona.
Boston Sports Media Watch’s Bruce Allen writing in SB Nation Boston says Bill Simmons has had a meteoric rise to stardom.
Bill Doyle at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette says it was the Worcester Sharks’ radio voice who came up with the idea to have popular New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski spike a puck before a game last month.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks back at the 50th anniversary of one of the major milestones in sports that barely was covered by the media at the time.
Newsday’s Neil Best says two ESPN’ers will speak at their high school alma mater next week.
Neil says the Nets are not drawing well on YES.
Neil notes that CBS Sports Network utilizes a husband & wife team for its college hockey games.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick mocks the bracketologists handicapping the NCAA Tournament field.
The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for NHL on NBC voice Mike Emrick.
Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY says MSG Network continues to score with Knicks games.
Jerry reports that former WNBC-TV sports anchor Len Berman is back on TV in NYC.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that NBC Sports Network will air the America’s Cup next year.
Pete says YES is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says NBC Sports Network is adding NHL games to its schedule for the playoff drive.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that a local service provider has snagged the rights to an incoming minor league hockey team.
DCRTV’s Dave Hughes has the latest developments in Baltimore-Washington, DC sports media at Press Box.
South
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle writes that a local sports anchor is recovering from a stroke he suffered last year.
David has a little more on the story in his blog.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks with Fox Sports Oklahoma NBA studio analyst Stephen Howard.
Mel has more here with Stephen Howard.
Mel says NBA TV is marking the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a game.
Midwest
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Kiesewetter says a movie script has been written about a deaf mute Reds player who changed the way umpires made calls.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders if another network will join Fox and TBS in airing the MLB Postseason this year.
Bob says ESPN still leads the way in cable subscriber fees, meaning how much cable and satellite providers are required to pay ESPN per subscriber.
Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.
Ed says a Big Ten Network profile of former Indiana University coach Bob Knight will mostly focus on his achievements and hardly touches on his tumultuous exit.
Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin notes NBA TV’s documentary on Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says not many Missourians will be able to see local teams in conference tournaments next week.
West
Dan Caesar of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that BYU is better off an a football independent rather than share money and TV time with other teams when it was part of the Mountain West.
John Maffei at the North County Times says local prep basketball games will be harder to find on local TV this weekend.
Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says who knew that product placement would be the big winner during Fox’s airing of the Daytona 500.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says CBS and MSG Network are considering buy the Dodgers in separate bids in order to get their TV rights.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at how the media covered (barely) Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game 50 years ago today.
Tom has some news and notes this week.
Canada
Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says CBC premieres part two of the movie on Don Cherry’s life this weekend.
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail can’t believe how well NHL Trade Deadline coverage does in the ratings.
Bruce says social media has changed sports reporting forever.
And that will do it. Enjoy your weekend.
