I’m trying to do some links, but you know when you have an employee who talks to you and won’t shut up? That’s what I have in my office. He comes over to me and I can never get any work done, but he’s a good worker. But he won’t shut up. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get any work done with him around. Whenever he’s out of the office, I have peace and can get things done. But right now, I’m trying to get the links out while I can.
New York Daily News Bob Raissman writes that New York Giants defensive lineman Michael Strahan has a future on TV because he can weasel with the best of them.
The Sports Media Watch blog looks at the weekend ratings.
My employee is finally leaving. It look one hour for me to get those two links. Of course, it takes you less than 30 seconds to read the above.
Ok, let’s get to the rest of your links today. Michael McCarthy of USA Today has a story on NFL owners urging fans to dump their cable service in favor of satellite to get the NFL Network. And Michael Hiestand of the Nation’s Newspaper looks at the ratings of selected weekend events.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says the Pats-Colts game set a TV ratings record, but that number also includes the Houston ratings for the Texans-Raiders game. The Boston Globe looks at the national numbers as well as the ratings for Boston and Indianapolis. Greg Gatlin of the Boston Herald says the ratings for the Patriots-Colts in Beantown beat out the Academy Awards as well as the first five games of the American League Championship Series. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says the game was a ratings winner. Wayne Friedman of the Media Daily News writes that Pats-Colts pulled “American Idol”-like ratings. Clay Travis of CBSSports.com says the game should have been televised in primetime, not Sunday afternoon.
Dave Del Grande of the Oakland Tribune says Jim Nantz should have challenged Phil Simms when he was analyzing a replay during Pats-Colts. That has been the knock on Nantz, that while he’s a good play-by-play man, he doesn’t challenge his analysts whether they be Simms, Billy Packer or Nick Faldo. I do agree with that. Nantz is non-controversial and doesn’t want to stir things up. Al Michaels, Dick Stockton and Joe Buck do challenge their analysts when necessary which is why they’re among the best play-by-play men.
Another story from Del Grande about KNTV-NBC 11 sports director Raj Mathai being one of the beneficiaries of the San Francisco Giants moving to the station.
Judy Battista of the New York Times writes that the NFL has cleared the Indianapolis Colts of pumping in extra noise in the Hoosier Dome on Sunday saying it was the sound came from CBS’ production truck.
Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune says the Bears-Seattle game originally scheduled for primetime on November 18 has been banished to the afternoon slot. Alan Pergament and Gene Warner of the Buffalo News write that NBC’s John Madden had a role in moving the Patriots-Bills into Sunday Night Football.
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel seems to be only sports media writer not to have a story on the Patriots-Colts ratings. He talks with Fox Sports’ Troy Aikman about Brett Favre and the Packers’ 7-1 record.
The Houston Chronicle picks up a wire story about the Texas State Legislature considering the cable vs. NFL Network dispute. And from Illinois, there’s a story from the Peoria Star-Journal about a state legislator who wants an arbitrator to settle the dispute that prevents the NFL and Big Ten Networks from being on cable.
Another story from Alan Pergament from the Buffalo News. He talks about a new sports channel from Time Warner that will launch later this month.
Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail says Thursday’s Louisville-West Virginia game on ESPN is going to be shown in three movie theaters in West Virginia and three in Louisville. This is nothing new to us in New England. NESN and Showcase Cinemas have put HD feeds of Red Sox games in their theaters.
Etan Horowitz of the Orlando Sentinel has an enterprise story on the Bright House Cable/FSN dispute that has fans locked out from 35 Orlando Magic games.
From the Baltimore Sun’s “The Flip Side” column comes this look at the Dan Patrick-Rick Reilly trade of barbs.
John Smyntek of the Detroit Free Press says sports radio station WDFN has fired its local morning show in favor of carrying syndicated fare from Fox Sports Radio.
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that viewers are complaining about the Big Ten Network’s production of the Wisconsin-Ohio State game.
Kelly McGettigan from TV Guide has a story on the premiere of Dennis Miller’s new show on Versus.
Rhiannon Potkey of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that the lack of exposure for the BYU Cougars due to the Mountain West Conference’s TV contracts with Versus and the mtn. have hurt the school.
After my employee left, I was able to give you these links in a short amount of time. See how things work out? Anyway, let’s end this for now. I’ll be back later.
