I’m going to try to post some of the Friday megalinks. This won’t be an entire post. Unless something happens, I should be able to get most of them in.
Of course, you can find the Weekend Viewing Picks for your sports and primetime programs.
National
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand and Mike McCarthy debate whether ESPN’s harsh criticism over VCU’s selection to the NCAA Tournament was sour grapes over losing the games to CBS/Turner.
Mike McCarthy says ESPN has pulled NBA analyst Jalen Rose off the air following last month’s arrest on DUI charges.
Bob Velin of USA Today notes that boxing returns to network television on Saturday in the form of a new Showtime reality series on the Manny Pacquaio-Sugar Shane Mosley fight.
This being April Fools’ Day, we hearken back to 1985 and one of the greatest April 1 sports media pranks, The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, written by George Plimpton of Sports Illustrated which fooled many fans back in the day.
And Christopher Borelli of the Chicago Tribune has found the man who posed as Sidd Finch for SI, a retired Chicago-area schoolteacher.
Phil Orlins, coordinating producer of ESPN 3D, writes in ESPN Front Row about how watching The Masters® in the third dimension is an experience unlike any other.
Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that SNY has been pulled by Dish Network in the latest dispute among regional sports networks and a content provider.
Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser says ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd has set his target again on Washington Wizards rookie guard John Wall.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if nutrition chain GNC is a good stock buy as it went public today.
Darren has an extensive look at how going paperless could change the ticket industry.
At Digital Spy UK, Andrew Laughlin says ESPN Classic has obtained the BBC Sport archives.
The Big Lead speculates on the replacement for Josh Elliot at the morning SportsCenter anchor desk.
The metgrrl blog is the latest to take MLB to task for catering to the lowest common denominator at its Fan Cave.
The Sports Media Watch has various ratings news and notes.
And SMW has some sports media news as well.
East and Mid-Atlantic
The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn talks with Red Sox radio announcer Dave O’Brien about signing a new multiyear contract extension.
At the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Bill Doyle interviews NESN Red Sox voice Don Orsillo.
ESPN Boston says it will be launching an internet radio show next Friday.
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post for all intents and purposes calls Kentucky’s John Calipari and UConn’s Jim Calhoun crooks.
George Willis of the Post remembers former boxing trainer and CBS/MSG/HBO analyst Gil Glancy who died this week.
Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg.
Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says YES and DirecTV have a midnight deadline to keep the regional sports network on the satellite provider.
Pete says baseball should embrace technology to help make calls and speed up the game.
Tim Schooley of the Pittsburgh Business Times looks at FSN Pittsburgh making the transition to a new name.
Gary Haber of the Baltimore Business Journal says radio host Jen Royle is suing a competing radio station for defamation.
In Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com also looks at Royle’s lawsuit as well as other DC-Baltimore sports media news.
Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Nationals were the butt of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue last night.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus about this year’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament.
Jim says MASN is making a couple of programming changes.
South
Mitch Vingle of the Charleston (WV) Gazette says the ESPN lawsuit against Conference USA bears watching.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recaps the Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports that took place in South Florida this week.
Laken Litman at the Dallas Morning News says ESPN will air Texas’ spring football game this weekend.
David Barron from the Houston Chronicle talks with CBS Sports director Bob Fishman about the Final Four’s he called from the production truck.
David has a story on ESPN’s lawsuit against Conference USA.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks about the expanded announcing crews at the Final Four thanks to CBS/Turner collaboration for the NCAA Tournament.
Midwest
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal says STO is ready to air the Cleveland MLB team’s season opener today.
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press has CBS/Turner’s crew surprised about the VCU run during the NCAA Tournament.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says this year’s Final Four will be called by a three man booth as opposed to two over the last 29 on CBS.
Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel says MLB has unveiled an unconventional epic ad campaign.
Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes about the Twins going all-cable this season and for the foreseeable future.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Fox Sports Midwest screwed up the Cardinals’ Opening Day ceremonies for the second year in a row.
Evan Binns from the St. Louis Business Journal says the Cardinals season opener was the most watched ever on Fox Sports Midwest.
West
Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune has CBS/Turner’s Steve Kerr excited about calling his first Final Four tomorrow.
John Maffei of the North County Times says MLB’s national TV partners aren’t giving the Padres any respect.
Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star writes that this year’s NCAA Tournament has been a different viewing experience.
Jim has his sports media notebook which includes news about ESPN’s Josh Elliot’s departure for Good Morning America.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News gets comments from other announcers on the great Vin Scully.
Tom also handicaps the Pac 12 media rights negotiations.
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News says the Pac 12’s rights are now up for grabs as the conference let its exclusive window to negotiate with Fox expire last night.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says FSN Northwest may have changed to Root Sports, but will be found on the same place on the cable dial.
Canada
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says TSN has fired its first shots in its new sports radio war with Rogers.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog also talks about the TSN/Rogers Sportsnet radio war.
And that is all for today.
