Let’s finish our press releases with a mishmash of subjects. Lots of stuff to post and they all don’t fit under one particular theme.
As we get closer to the start of the NHL season, ESPN tells us that analysts Barry Melrose and Matthew Barnaby will return to talk puck on SportsCenter.
Barry Melrose & Matthew Barnaby Return for NHL Season
ESPN NHL analysts Barry Melrose and Matthew Barnaby return to the air of ESPN studio programming Wednesday, Sept. 30, the night before the opening puck drop, to provide a preview of the 2009-10 season.
Throughout the regular season, Melrose, in his 14th year with ESPN, will offer insight and analysis every Tuesday and team up with Barnaby every Wednesday. Then Barnaby, entering his second season with ESPN, will appear solo on Thursdays. The analysts will review and preview games and talk X’s and O’s on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com and other platforms.
Barnaby and Melrose selected teams to watch and made their preseason Stanley Cup predictions:
Teams to watch
Melrose: “The usual suspects, such as Washington and Pittsburgh, will be good, but Philadelphia has really changed by adding Chris Pronger.”
Barnaby: “Washington and the New York Rangers are the teams to look for this season. The Rangers have added help on the power play with Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal.”
Stanley Cup predictions
Melrose: “I am picking Chicago vs. Philadelphia.”
Barnaby: “I think in the Finals we will see San Jose vs. Washington.”
ESPN.com says its popular web series, Mayne Street returns next month.
Keibler, Kimmel among Guest Stars on New Mayne Street Webisodes on ESPN.comESPN.com’s original scripted series Mayne Street returns with six new webisodes Tuesdays at 9 a.m. starting Oct. 13. On Mayne Street, Mayne stars as himself in a fictionalized version of life at a sports television network. His reoccurring foils revolve largely around his fictional production crew, as well as other ESPN personalities. The new webisodes feature guest stars Stacey Keibler, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Simmons and Ben Stiller.
Showtime announces that Fox Sports’ Curt Menafee will host and call its ShoBox: The Next Generation series while regular host Nick Charles recovers from cancer.
NFL STUDIO HOST CURT MENEFEE TO JOIN
SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ANNOUNCE TEAM
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The Versatile Veteran Sportscaster To Sub For Nick Charles
Beginning With Live ShoBox Telecast, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
NEW YORK (Sept. 28, 2009)–Veteran sportscaster Curt Menefee will join the ShoBox: The New Generation announce team, substituting for Nick Charles, the perennial host and play-by-play announcer who is currently battling bladder cancer.
Menefee will anchor the remaining ShoBox telecasts in 2009, joining color analyst Steve Farhood, beginning Friday, Oct. 2, when top-ranked super middleweight contender Allan Green (28-1, 20 KOs) takes on late replacement Tarvis Simms (25-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Also working the announce booth on Oct. 2 will be former light heavyweight kingpin Antonio Tarver who will be serving as guest commentator for his third stint on ShoBox.
“It’s an honor to be offered this role and to join the SHOWTIME Sports family,” Menefee said. “As a boxing fan, I feel as though I just scored a knockout victory. After watching the network for decades, I am honored to be a small part of the tireless and talented SHOWTIME Sports team.”
While Menefee is excited for the opportunity, he wishes Charles the best and hopes for a speedy recovery and return to ShoBox.
“I started as an intern at CNN in Atlanta in 1984 when Nick (Charles) and Fred Hickman were the hosts,” Menefee said. “It is difficult to hear what Nick is going through. I am pulling for him in this fight.”
Menefee is best known as studio host for FOX NFL SUNDAY alongside co-host Terry Bradshaw and studio analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan.
An avid sports fan, Menefee began his career at FOX Sports in 1997 as a sideline reporter, and later moved to the game booth to call play-by-play for NFL and NFL Europe League coverage on FOX Sports and FSN. Through his work at WNYW FOX5 and MSG in New York, Menefee established himself as one of the city’s most popular sportscasters.
Menefee has boxing broadcast experience, having provided ringside commentary for three international feeds for Top Rank, and is excited to work with Farhood.
“To have the opportunity to work on the ShoBox series with a historian like Steve Farhood is like taking a masters degree course from the professor who wrote
the text book,” Menefee said. “I can’t wait to get started.”
The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley and Bernard Dunne.
And Golf Channel gets ready for the next edition of Big Break.
It Will Take More Than Magic to Win Big Break Disney Golf
View preview of Big Break Disney Golf
http://video.thegolfchannel.com/temp_download/gc_bbdc_trailer_090809_16x9.wmv
(L- R) Andrew Giuliani, Andres Huber, Mike Perez, J.R. Reyes, Sean Kalin, Blake Moore, Gipper Finau, Kevin Erdman, Tony Finau, Vincent Johnson, Kevan Maxwell, Ed Moses
ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2009) – GOLF CHANNEL’s popular Big Break series returns for a 12th season to a magical setting that will make one contestant’s dream of playing on the PGA TOUR come true. Premiering Oct. 13 at 10 p.m. ET, Big Break Disney Golf will showcase a field of 12 men – collectively the most talented cast in series history, but individually at different stages in their careers – battling for the opportunity to fulfill the desire to play professional golf at the highest level.
Shot mainly at both the Magnolia and Palm Courses at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla., the winner of Big Break Disney Golf will receive an exemption to compete in the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic on the PGA TOUR. The series marks the first time that a Big Break winner will compete in a TOUR event on the same course in which the series was filmed.
Utilizing unique venues throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, Big Break Disney Golf’s challenges also will take place at Main Street U.S.A., Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and the Walt Disney World Speedway. Intertwined into several episodes will be cameos by PGA TOUR players and memorable moments from the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.
And that’s it for tonight. See you in the morning.
