I was out of the office yesterday which prevented me from doing linkage. And I had to catch up on paperwork today so I’m giving you linkage for the first time during this work week. You’re owed big time so let’s get right to them.
Writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times says the Tiger Woods interviews on ESPN and Golf Channel were ways for Team Tiger to show it can still control the media.
The Nielsen ratings Wire blog notes that web talk regarding Tiger Woods is leaning back towards golf instead of his sexual conquests.
Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable reports that MLB Network is pursuing Fox Sports host Chris Rose. I still see Rose as a co-host of Best Damned Sports Show Period and not a serious studio host.
Alex Weprin of B&C looks at the networks and sports leagues trying to follow the success of baseball and college basketball in streaming live games.
Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News explores the increasing amount of high school sports available on local and even national cable TV.
Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life Magazine says while ratings for the NCAA Tournament on CBS are down slightly from last year, online views on March Madness on Demand are way up.
Toni writes that ambush marketers won big at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver last month.
Also from Media Life, Diego Vasquez says minor league hockey is becoming red hot for family entertainment.
Diego also looks at a guerrilla marketing campaign conducted by DirecTV for its NFL Sunday Ticket pay per view package.
Mike Shields at Mediaweek says 6 million people checked out March Madness on Demand for the first four days of the NCAA Tournament.
BusinessWeek picks up an Associated Press story from Tali Arbel which states that March Madness can actually improve office morale and is seen as a positive by company bosses.
Anthony Crupi of Mediaweek writes about ESPN launching a major research viewing initiative regarding this year’s World Cup.
Karlene Lukovitz of Mediapost says Jim Beam will be sponsoring a new ESPN web series starring Scoop Jackson that launches next month.
Jean DePlacido of the Salem (MA) News talks with Comcast SportsNet New England anchor Chris Collins who’s happy to come over from sister network New England Cable News.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the contrasting styles of Tiger interviewers Kelly Tilghman and Tom Rinaldi.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News spreads hate for an expanded NCAA Tournament by claiming lower ratings for smaller colleges.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the ESPN family of networks’ schedule for the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament.
Pete also has the Thursday NCAA Tournament schedule on the local CBS affiliate’s main and secondary channels.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette also has Friday schedule for the same CBS affiliate.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that Lehigh got some nice exposure during its game with Kansas last week.
Laura Nachman wonders who will replace Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia anchor Leslie Gudel.
From the Washington Post, Leonard Shapiro feels Kelly Tilghman should not have been assigned to interview Tiger Woods.
To the Dallas Morning News, Barry Horn has the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen TV schedule for the Metroplex.
Barry also has the local ratings for the NCAA Tournament.
Barry says the Manny Pacquaio-Joshua Clottey fight was a pay per view hit.
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will be in Houston this weekend.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the entire Reds schedule on Fox Sports Ohio will be seen in crystal clear, 21st Century HDTV.
Alan Babbit of the Holland (MI) Sentinel speaks with native Jim Kaat who’s been nominated for a Sports Emmy for his work on the MLB Network.
To the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel where Bob Wolfley says perpetually angry ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb was critical of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.
Kelly Beaton of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (IA) Courier says Northern Iowa got a lot of national attention on Monday for their upset of Kansas over the weekend.
Vlae Kershner of the San Francisco Chronicle says MLB Network didn’t give much love to the Oakland A’s last night.
Lori Gilbert of the Stockton (CA) Record profiles a Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/California reporter who’s happy to be working close to home.
Pai
ge Dickerson of the Peninsula (WA) Daily News looks at one of the contestants to host a reality show on Comcast SportsNet Northwest.
Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star notes that college basketball just doesn’t play in Canada.
William Houston of Truth & Rumours says a new cable TV regulatory decision on distribution fees leaves CBC out in the cold.
Milton Kent of Fanhouse says CBS’ NCAA Tournament studio analysts Greg Anthony and Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis could not be more enthused about the start to March Madness.
Sports Media Watch says the ratings for the NCAA Tournament are down from last year, but CBS still won each of the four nights the games were on.
SMW says ratings were flat for the PGA Tour’s Transitions Championship on NBC.
And SMW says Sunday’s New York Rangers-Boston Bruins game drew a season low for the NHL on NBC.
Sox & Dawgs has the video of the new ESPN Sunday Night Baseball promo featuring Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz and Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher.
Joe Favorito explores the cost of growing a college sports brand.
We’ll end it there. We came back with the links with a vengeance today.
