After a day in which it was difficult to get linkage in, I’ll do it today. So much is going on that it’s tough to ignore the stories that have surfaced in the last two days. Let’s get to the links.
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand held a live chat on sports TV yesterday. I wish I had known.
Mike notes that the Stanley Cup Final’s ratings on Sunday beat both the Indianapolis 50 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.
CNN’s Larry King talks with Sports Illustrated’s Maggie Gray about his interview with LeBron James that airs on Friday.
The Sports Business Daily says ESPN is looking at average 9.0 rating for the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
SBD’s Brian Helfrich talks with Cleveland Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst about covering the team and the LeBron James Watch.
The Sporting News picks up an article from sister publication Sports Business Journal and Michael Smith who looks at TNT taking over NASCAR from Fox this week.
The Sporting News also picks up Eric Fisher’s article in the Sports Business Journal about MLB Network trying to turn the MLB Draft into a TV event.
Also in the Sporting News, On The DL’s Dan Levy looks at what the purchase of The Big Lead means for sports blogs down the road.
Dan Shanoff says he’s excited about The Big Lead being purchased by Fantasy Sports Ventures.
The Nielsen Wire blog says more people watched the 2006 World Cup than you may have thought.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell says its name might be mud, but BP is still sponsoring the Cubs-White Sox crosstown series.
Darren says Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may not win races, but he’s still a winner in marketing his name.
Jeff Pearlman calls Fox Sports NFL Insider Jay Glazer “a joke” for his relationship with current players.
Everyone in sports and apparently in news is talking about last night’s blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game against Cleveland. Well, Twitter caught fire with “Things Jim Joyce ruined” which is laugh out loud funny. Some of my tweets on the subject are there. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann chimes in saying the call should be overturned and there is precedent in baseball for it.
Keith adds that there was a meeting at the MLB Commissioner’s office this morning on the Joyce call.
James Hibberd of the Hollywood Reporter says WWE wrestler Chris Jericho will host an ABC game show this summer.
Ben Grossman of Broadcasting & Cable writes that MLS might be looking at Versus as a new TV partner as league officials come off impressed at how the network treats the NHL.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that former Versus CEO Gavin Harvey is taking a similar position at the Sportsman Channel.
Mike says ESPN2 will have 24 hours of World Cup programming leading up to the first game next Friday.
Anthony Crupi at Mediaweek says despite ratings declines for the NBA Western Conference Finals, TNT still won the cable primetime ratings last week.
The Boston Herald’s Jessica Heslam notes that while most of the city’s media outlets have sent reporters out west to cover the Celtics-Lakers, one station has not.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about a rather unusual doubleheader taking place this Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Richard also writes how Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz is not his father’s son when it comes to managing the team.
Richard notes that this year’s French Open men’s semifinals should be live thanks to accommodations made by NBC preventing the tape delay shenanigans of last year.
David Jones in the Patriot-News (PA) says with the success of the NHL on Versus this season, it’s time for the Big Ten to form a hockey conference so the Big Ten Network can air games.
David Zurawik from the Baltimore Sun says a local news anchor will host a nationally syndicated weekly sports show.
Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post lists his Top 10 DC sports radio personalities of all time.
Monte Dutton of the Gaston (NC) Gazette waxes poetic about the old ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
Walt Belcher in the Tampa Tribune says the local NBC station will move the French Open men’s final to another station as it airs a telethon all day Sunday.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has comments from ESPN/ABC’s NBA Finals announcing crew on the start of the Celtics-Lakers series tonight.
Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer talks with ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy about the Cavaliers coaching vacancy for which he is allegedly a candidate.
Doug Zaleski of the Muncie (IN) Star Press writes that a local native gets the call from ESPN to
do play-by-play for a NASCAR Nationwide race this Saturday.
Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune tells us that the NHL Stanley Cup Final has never aired in its entirety on US network TV.
Phil adds last night’s Game 3 of this year’s series did monster ratings locally.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says this year’s World Cup should be US viewer-friendly.
Bob Mayhall in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat looks at the early Big 12 TV schedule on its various media partners.
Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star feels the Pac 10 conference would be better served by expanding its TV deal instead of its number of teams.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says both the Lakers and Celtics have had their share of movie roles in the past few years.
Diane Pucin over at the Los Angeles Times notes that ESPN/ABC NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy is more than just a basketball guy.
Diane says we all switched to MLB Network to watch the Armando Galarraga perfect game bid.
Peter Yoon of the LA Times looks at pro beach volleyball’s new sponsorship deal and media rights partner in which the tour can finally turn a profit this year.
Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register’s Anaheim Ducks blog has three ways to improve Stanley Cup Final broadcasts.
The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin speaks with Florida Marlins voice Dave Van Horne who has called three perfect games.
Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy has the video of the annual 8 minute confrontation between CBC’s Ron MacLean and the diminutive NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
The Sports Media Watch looks at the Weekend Overnight Ratings.
SMW takes a real close look at the ratings for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and notes they’re not as good as we originally thought.
But SMW notes that Game 2’s ratings were very good for the NHL.
SMW says the Indy 500 hit an all-time ratings low.
And SMW tells us that the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 is spiraling downward too.
We are done.
