Fang's Bites

Some Really Quick Wednesday Links

I’m going to try to do some Wednesday linkage here. Also have a lot of end of the month/beginning of the month crap to do at work some I’m balancing the two off.

Here are the links that I have for now.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at NBC’s plans to provide live online coverage of the 2012 London Olympics.

At MediaPost, Erik Sass looks at the New York Giants integrating Twitter into its NFL preseason broadcasts.

David Goetzl at MediaPost notes that Fox has had a 51% majority stake in Big Ten Network since last year.

The Associated Press reports that Versus is adding a whole host of original programming to its weeknight lineup.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter also writes about Versus’ new original programming.

Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg at the Reporter report that HBO has given the green light for a drama based on boxer Mike Tyson.

George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable writes that Turner Sports is expanding the exclusive content offerings at NCAA.com.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says CBS Sports Network will air a documentary on the first black college football game played in New York.

To Adweek where Anthony Crupi chronicles how NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus lured former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol back to the company just mere months after he left.

Bill Cromwell at Media Life Magazine discusses how NBC is going to provide everything from track & field to archery live at 2012 London Olympics.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid looks at the sad tenure of Fred Hickman’s days at ESPN.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has the video preview of NFL Films’ documentary on Patriots coach  Bill Belichick.

On this final day for SportsNewser, let me link to a few stories. Marcus Vanderberg writes that former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand will be joining the school’s football broadcasts on radio. You may recall LeGrand was paralyzed last year and hopes to make a full recovery.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser says fans will vote on the next nominee for the Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Broadcaster Award.

Back to Marcus, he writes that Southwest Airlines will stream live MLB games to its passengers thanks to its in-flight internet provider. Now back to me.

Now back to SportsNewser where Marcus looks at Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl picks.

Ok, that’s it for the SportsNewer links. The site will be missed.

Nat Ives of Advertising Age notes that a month-long sponsorship starting tomorrow, will allow the New York Times to open up five sections (including sports) in its iPad app from behind the dreaded paywall.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell couldn’t be more thrilled to be getting his own weekly show on Versus.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette talks about ESPN releasing its Big East and Big Monday basketball schedules.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog talks with former Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic original Russ Thaler about his new gig with Versus/NBC Sports Network.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that the U.S. Open will be well covered on TV and online.

Josh Robbins from the Orlando Sentinel says the Magic’s Gilbert Arenas has shut down his Twitter account.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman notes that a pair of Eastern transplants top the local sports radio ratings.

Mel says NFL preseason again led the local TV ratings.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer has a preview of tonight’s HBO/NFL Films 10 year retrospective on Hard Knocks.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that ESPN’s Jon Gruden isn’t a fan of the new NFL replay rule.

Bob says the digital Sporting News Today has ceased publication.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the city’s high school football and basketball championships are moving to a new TV home.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says all of the Dodgers’ announcers are coming back for 2012.

Ed Tait and John White of the Winnipeg Free Press says the new Jets have signed a 10 year deal with TSN for both TV and radio.

Sports Media Watch says Hurricane Irene coverage on many local ABC stations cut into NASCAR’s ratings on Saturday.

Deadspin shows a picture of HBO’s Bryant Gumbel being “beaten up” by UFC’s Chuck Liddell and Fox’s Jay Glazer.

Joe Favorito says the hiring of former Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl by a grocery company is a good marketing move.

And we’ll end it there for today.

HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tonight With An Interview With Plaxico Burress

The Emmy Award-winning Real Sports returns to HBO tonight with three new stories and an update from 2008. The main attraction is an interview that host Bryant Gumbel conducted with New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress. It’s already getting some mileage and I’ll have a video preview in this post. First, the text preview of the stories you’ll see on Real Sports tonight.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JETS RECEIVER PLAXICO BURRESS; EXAMINES THE DECLINE OF PROFESSIONAL TENNIS IN THE U.S.; TAKES A REVEALING LOOK AT DRUGS IN SURFING; AND REVISITS THE DANGERS OF HORSE EVENTING WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS AUG. 16, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 173rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, AUG. 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Aug. 16 (1:55 a.m.), 17 (10:30 a.m., 6:15 p.m.), 20 (11:30 a.m.), 22 (2:00 p.m., 11:50 p.m.), 24 (9:00 p.m.), 25 (2:30 p.m., midnight) and 28 (10:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Aug. 21 (1:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 23 (10:00 a.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 27 (3:00 p.m.), and Sept. 13 (5:30 p.m.) and 16 (12:30 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  Aug. 22-Sept. 12

Segments include:

*Plaxico.  Over the last few years, several prominent athletes have overcome major setbacks to reemerge as stars once again.  Plaxico Burress, who returned in June from a two-year stint in a New York prison, is the latest to get the chance to rewrite his own legacy.  The 34-year-old wideout pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon after he illegally carried a firearm into a Manhattan nightclub on the night of Nov. 28, 2009 and accidently shot himself in the leg.  He now looks to return to form in the same city where he ascended to stardom and won a Super Bowl with the Giants, but his homecoming will be in a New York Jets uniform.  In the first TV interview to feature both Plaxico and his wife, Tiffany, since Burress signed with the Jets, REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel reviews the incident that led to Burress’ imprisonment, the new path that he has forged and his outlook on playing for the Jets.

Producer:  Chapman Downes.

*Holding Court.  The dreadful showing by Americans at Wimbledon earlier this summer gave more ammunition to critics who charge that tennis is in steep decline in the U.S.  The glory days of Ashe, King, Connors, Evert and McEnroe, who gave the U.S. a towering presence, are long gone.  Add the retirement of Sampras and Agassi, and injuries to the Williams sisters, and the scene is ripe for new stars to emerge.  But why is American tennis sputtering?  And what can be done to revive it?  As the USTA prepares to host the US Open in Flushing Meadows, correspondent Jon Frankel examines the issue in this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration.  Queens natives Patrick and John McEnroe lead the discussion about what should be done to promote tennis to America’s youth while explaining their contrasting approaches to the revival.

Producer:  Lisa Bennett.

*Riding the High.  Most surfers would say the rush from high-risk surfing is almost incomparable.  Away from the tides, some still chase that high through illegal drug use, and say their passion for big waves and dependence on drugs stem from the same adrenaline-seeking impulse.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel looks inside the world of surfing and its disturbing subculture of drug use, which has been around for decades, and speaks with former users about the steps being taken to raise awareness and aid in rehabilitation.

Producer:  Maggie Burbank.

*Danger in the Saddle.  The exhilarating and glamorous sport of equestrian eventing, when horse and rider compete in dressage, jumping and cross-country, is not just the ultimate test of horsemanship, but is also extremely dangerous.  Every year, riders are seriously injured when horses trip over jumps or balk during competition, vaulting jockeys to the ground.  When HBO first covered this story in 2008, REAL SPORTS discovered that a troubling number of riders and horses were killed participating in this sport.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford reconnects with the some of the riders who brought attention to this issue and details what steps have been taken to improve rider safety.

Producer:  Zehra Mamdani.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.  In May, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for August 2010’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.  Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys^® in 16 years.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

And here’s the video of Bryant Gumbel’s interview with Plax.

That’s all.

Going For Some Monday Linkage

Let’s do the linkage on this busy Monday where it appears the NFL will be back this week as the league and the NFL Players Association appear to have come together on a collective bargaining agreement that would last 10 years with no opt-out. We’re just waiting official word on everything.

I’ll provide linkage until I get the joint press release from the NFL and NFL Players Association.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that TV analysts are predicting the first few weeks of the NFL year will be extreme chaos.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the NFL’s TV partners are ready to broadcast football.

Awful Announcing is down to the Final Four of its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament.

In SportsNewser, Cam Martin has the official trailer for “Haywire” starring MMA babe Gina Carano. Yes, starring. And you won’t believe the cast of stars in the film.

Joe Favorito says with this being the 25th anniversary of the downfall of the USFL, it’s time for a league to explore playing spring football again.

To SportsGrid where Timothy Burke condenses this morning’s five hours of media overgushing on Brett Favre into 60 seconds. I hate Brett Favre.

Canadian sports network TSN provides 12 reasons for Canada to watch the 2012 Olympics.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the fantasy football business is hoping for a quick recovery now that the lockout is over.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post hates Yankees voice John Sterling.

Neal Zoren from the Delaware County Times notes a Comcast SportsNet Philly reporter will be taking part in a celebrity bicycle race.

In the Washington Post’s Reliable Source column, it looks at Lindsay Czarniak planning a move to ESPN and a wedding at the same time.

From the Centreville (VA) Patch, Mary C. Stachyra talks with Lindsay about leaving the DC area and working at ESPN.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times chronicles an on-air argument between Tampa Bay Rays TV broadcasters DeWayne Staats and Brian Anderson.

Mike Herndon of the Mobile (AL) Press-Register says the Longhorn Network has thrown a monkey wrench into the Big 12′s wheels.

Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Longhorn Network isn’t worth the time or the trouble.

David Barron of the Chronicle provides some thoughts on the departure of Ross Greenburg from HBO Sports and a few other news and notes.

Jeff Potrykus from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the media has given its picks for Big Ten division champs. Leaders and Legends. Are you serious?

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business has a new appreciation for the Park formerly known as New Comiskey 20 years after it opened.

The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star says Time Warner Cable will put Big Ten Network on its standard service tier after the channel threatened to play hardball with Cornhusker games in the wake of originally being put on a digital sports tier.

Blair Kirkhoff of the Kansas City Star has Texas coach Mack “Big Daddy” Brown hopeful that the Longhorn Network can air state high school football games.

Andrew Logue of the Des Moines (IA) Register writes that the Longhorn Network has many Big 12 schools concerned about the conference’s future.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says HBO’s Bryant Gumbel’s commentary on the US Women’s soccer team certainly gave him some food for thought.

Jeff Call of the Deseret (UT) News says ex-Brigham Young players are ecstatic about the school’s new contract with ESPN.

Bruce Dowbiggin in the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBS/Golf Channel analyst David Feherty is now the face of golf. Big, big, big stretch.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star tries to make sense of the ESPN suspension/non-suspension of Bruce Feldman.

And that will do it for our links today. The players have unanimously ratified the NFL collective bargaining agreement meaning we have football once again. Thank goodness.

And I’ll be off Twitter, Facebook and Google + for the foreseeable future so this is where you’ll have to come to get the latest from me.

The Complete Friday Megalinks

Friday’s have become maddening. I was out of the office earlier today and expect to be out again later, but I’m doing the Megalinks early so I can be done with them and be free for other stuff tonight.

As always, check out the Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertaining programming.

National

We’ll begin with Andy Staples from Sports Illustrated who writes that the Longhorn Network has suddenly created a big problem for Big 12 Conference schools not named “Texas.”

Gavin J. Blair of the Hollywood Reporter says one of Japan’s networks will begin airing women’s soccer in the wake of the country’s win in the Women’s World Cup last week.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Network will celebrate Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend with a marathon of Halls of Fame specials.

Jessica Shambora of Fortune says ESPN succeeds where other cable channels don’t.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that NFL Players Association Executive DeMaurice Smith snuck up on ESPN reporters George Smith and Chris Mortensen during a live shot on Thursday.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser has former Howard Stern Show castmember Artie Lange confirming that he’s in talks to do a Fox Sports Radio show.

Karen Hogan of the Sports Video Group mentions that ESPN Films will premiere a new documentary on famed Georgia running back Herschel Walker in September.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell tells us that he’s going to sing the national anthem before a selected MLB game next month.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media waxes poetic about Mike Emrick’s departure as Voice of the New Jersey Devils.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the site’s next matchup in its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament, Joe Buck vs. Jim Gray. That’s a tough choice.

Ryan Yoder from AA says ESPN is taking a chance on airing live poker.

Joe Favorito asks who really benefits from the World Cup?

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs has a review of the week in sports media.

Dom Cosentino of Deadspin notes that San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller is still bitter about his firing by ESPN.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with Sunday Night Baseball analyst Bobby Valentine about his first year in the broadcast booth.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir talks with Mike Emrick about his decision to leave the New Jersey Devils.

Newsday’s Neil Best writes that the Derek Jeter 3,000 hit chase has put a famous memorabilia company into the spotlight one again.

Neil talks about New Jersey announcers departing their teams after long runs.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post admits that he loves to hate WFAN’s Mike Francesa.

Justin Terranova of the Post writes about Hall of Fame announcer Mike Emrick leaving the New Jersey Devils after 21 seasons.

Justin has five questions for ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with an NBC Sports executive about how its summer horse racing series from Saratoga came to fruition.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that one Baltimore TV station is cutting back on its sports coverage.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg revels in an on-air argument on one of the local sports radio stations in the DC Sports Bog.

South

At the Houston Chronicle, Brent Zwerneman writes that Texas A&M officials are very concerned about the Longhorn Network and what it means for the future of the Big 12 Conference.

The Chronicle’s David Barron has statements from Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe and Longhorn Network owner ESPN about the conference’s temporary cease-and-desist order on airing high school football games and a Texas conference game.

David says the Longhorn Network saga could make for good reality TV.

David says while Longhorn Network is prevented from airing high school football for now, Fox Sports Southwest will have an NFL Red Zone Channel-like high school football block on Friday nights.

Suzanne Halliburton of the Austin Statesman-American says Longhorn Network programming is currently in limbo.

From the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht writes that ESPN will document the Oklahoma football program as it prepares for the 2011 campaign.

Midwest

John Erardi of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that ESPN’s Barry Larkin is coming back to the Queen’s City this Sunday.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that a local TV sports director is back on the job after corrective neck surgery.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has this week’s winners and losers.

Roman Augustoviz says WNBA star Maya Moore will give viewers an inside look at the WNBA All-Star Game tomorrow.

West

John Maffei at the North County Times says there’s too much money being left on the table for an extended NFL lockout.

Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times writes that court documents show MLB was very skeptical of how Fox’s money for an extended rights deal could have helped the Dodgers remain competitive.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Minnesota Twins analyst Bert Blyeven credits Dodgers voice Vin Scully for helping him to become a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Jeff Faraudo of the San Jose Mercury Times reports that ESPN Deportes now has an affiliate in the Bay Area.

Jon Wilner of the Mercury Times tries to handicap what will happen next with the Pac-12 Network.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail looks at Bryant Gumbel’s closing comments on the US Women’s soccer team on HBO’s Real Sports.

And that’s going to do it. Stay cool on this scorcher of a day.

Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports Closing Commentary On Women’s Soccer

Bryant Gumbel is never one to mince words and he does so again tonight on Real Sports in his closing comment. Says it’s time to stop coddling the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #172
AIRS TONIGHT (7/19) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, can we stop coddling women in sports? Are we now so fearful of being labeled sexist that we can’t objectively assess the efforts of female athletes? Those are both valid questions that have come to the fore in the wake of the patronizing reactions that have followed the USA’s loss to Japan in the Women’s World Cup soccer final.

For the record, in the final, a very determined but unheralded Japanese team won the championship, upsetting a U.S. team that was heavily favored and ranked number one in the world of Women’s Soccer. En route to the loss, the American women failed to cash in on a wealth of early scoring chances, twice blew late leads with sloppy mistakes, and then got badly outclassed in penalty kicks.

Had a men’s team turned in a similar performance, papers and pundits nationwide would have had a field day assailing the players, criticizing the coach, and demanding widespread changes to a men’s national team that flat out choked. Yet the common reaction to this ladies’ loss were simply expressions of empathy for the defeat of the unfortunate darlings and pride in their oh-so-heroic effort.

Look, I have no desire to see anyone assail the women’s game or their athletes unfairly. But if the definition of true equality is treating folks honestly, without regard for race or gender, then it’s time we started critiquing women athletes in the same way we do the men. I’m sure some won’t like it, but blind praise is worthless in the absence of fair criticism.”

He has a point, but I’m not calling it a choke and I would feel the same way if the US Men’s Soccer Team did the same. Newsday’s Neil Best has his reaction to Gumbel’s comments.

Real Sports airs at 10 p.m. East and West on HBO.

HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel is Back On July 19

This Tuesday, the Emmy Award-winning Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns with three new stories and an update. Let’s check out what they have in store for us.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE HARBAUGH FOOTBALL FAMILY; TELLS THE STORY OF INJURED WAR VETS PLAYING COMPETITIVE SOFTBALL; TAKES A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS; AND RECONNECTS WITH GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER ASHRITA FURMAN WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JULY 19, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 172nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JULY 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  July 19 (3:20 a.m.), 21 (5:00 p.m., midnight), 24 (9:00 a.m.), 26 (10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.), 28 (1:00 p.m., 1:45 a.m.) and 30 (10:30 a.m.), and Aug. 4 (8:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  July 23 (6:30 p.m.), 25 (1:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 29 (5:00 p.m.), and 31 (12:30 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (11:00 p.m.) and 5 (11:30 a.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  July 25-Aug. 15

Segments include:

*All in the Family. Manning. Griffey. Ripken. These are some of the multi-generational families in sports that are household names. But a new family is set to make history, not as players, but in coaching. The Harbaugh boys, John and Jim, have followed in their father’s footsteps and are the first brother act to serve simultaneously as head coaches in the NFL. Jack Harbaugh coached college football for 45 years and taught his only sons the ins-and-outs of the game from an early age. His eldest son, John, is the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach and has led the team to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons at the helm. Jim, after a successful NFL career as a quarterback, reenergized the Stanford University football program and was hired in January to take over the underachieving San Francisco 49ers. And later this year, when most families will be gathered around the TV watching Thanksgiving Day football, the brothers are set to face-off at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, correspondent Andrea Kremer joins the family on vacation to find out what makes them tick and why they have so much to be thankful for.

Producers:  Joe Perskie, Josh Fine.

*Wounded Warriors.  Often the hardest part of an athlete’s career is battling back from injury, but nothing can compare to challenges faced by members of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team.  All of these men have endured near-fatal injuries and excruciating rehabilitation to return to the ball field from the battlefield.  The current team is made up of 15 Army and Marine vets who suffered leg, foot or arm amputations while heroically serving their country. Despite their individual handicaps, they face able-bodied teams and have a .500 record.  In this feelgood comeback story, REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford goes on location with the Wounded Warriors Softball Team to show that they are the same focused, physically capable men they have always been.

Producer:  Nick Dolin.

*The Original Extreme Sport. Hundreds of years before skateboarding, BMX biking and water skiing, the original extreme sport was the running of the bulls, wherein people test their bravado by racing bulls through barricaded streets to a corral at the end of the course.  According to Spanish lore, the custom originated in Spain around the 14th century, and it was made world-famous by American author Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, “The Sun Also Rises.” With extreme sports comes extreme danger, however, and since record-keeping began in the early 1900s, 15 people have died, while scores are injured every year. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo travels to the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona to meet some of the top runners and provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of the most dangerous events on earth.

Producer:  Tim Walker.

*Record Breaker.  In Oct. 2009, REAL SPORTS profiled Ashrita Furman of Queens, NY, who held the Guinness World Record for holding the most world records, with 245 records overall and more than 100 simultaneously. He finds spiritual fulfillment through the constant pursuit of physical challenges and world records, which is why he continues to hold on to his title. Furman has set 355 world records since 1979 and currently holds 130. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg reconnects with Ashrita Furman, who has set exactly 100 new records since the last time they got together.

Producers:  Zehra Mamdani, Tim Walker.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.  On May 2, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for last August’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.  Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys^® in 16 years.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That will conclude this post.

Bryant Gumbel Slams The USGA In Tonight’s Real Sports

Tonight on HBO’s Real Sports, host Bryant Gumbel blasts the United States Golf Association for making the Congressional Country Club course in Bethesda, MD way too easy for the recently completed U.S. Open. Now Bryant is an avid golfer and was Johnny Miller’s original partner when he joined NBC Sports, so Gumbel has good knowledge of the sport. However, Bryant admits he buys into a conspiracy theory that the USGA made the course easier in attempt to get ratings. It’s definitely food for thought.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #171
AIRS TONIGHT (6/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, the U.S. Golf Association should be ashamed of itself. The same folks who like to claim they’re the caretakers of the game took a national championship that has always been revered, and this past weekend, made a mockery of it. Instead of setting up a U.S. Open course, as they always have, to identify the best player. They seem to have sought only to identify the most viewers.

Yes, the course they laid out was nominally long, but as even those who regularly shill from the game noted, they played the tees up, they thinned the rough, and they placed many of the pins in bowls that allowed many balls that were hit to a green to simply funnel to the hole from all directions.

In no way does this discredit the impressive and likeable Open winner, Rory McIlroy. That he finished with a score of 16-under par is remarkable, but that so many made it look like a local pitch-and-putt is an embarrassment. On Sunday, 20 golfers finished this U.S. Open under par. Twenty! That’s as many golfers that have finished under par in the last 12 Opens combined.

Look, as a rule, I don’t buy conspiracy theories. I don’t subscribe to suspicions about Roswell, the grassy knoll, and fake lunar landings. But I do believe USGA honchos sold out this weekend. Knowing the absence of Tiger Woods would cost them audience, I believe they decided to try to make up for it by enabling anyone who teed it up to go low in the hopes that lots of birdies would mean lots of viewers. That their Open plan instead generated lousy TV ratings that were down 26%, suggests that karma’s alive and well in the world of golf.”

There you have it.

Real Sports Is Back on HBO Featuring An Interview With Tiki Barber

On Tuesday, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns. There are three new stories and one update. One story of interest is one on former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber who is attempting a comeback to the NFL. The story also chronicles Barber’s bout with depression after losing his NBC gig following the end of his marriage and subsequent stories in the tabloid press. Here’s a preview from HBO Sports.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS TIKI BARBER’S FIRST EXTENDED TV INTERVIEW SINCE HIS COMEBACK ANNOUNCEMENT; TELLS THE STORY OF FORMER NO. 1 NBA DRAFT PICK LARUE MARTIN; REPORTS ON SAADI QADDAFI’S STINT IN PRO SOCCER; AND RECONNECTS WITH BOXING TRAINER ANN WOLFE WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JUNE 21, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 171st edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  June 21 (2:45 a.m.), 23 (9:30 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 25 (10:00 a.m.) and 28 (noon, 8:00 p.m.), and July 3 (8:15 a.m.), 7 (5:00 p.m., midnight) and 11 (2:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  June 22 (11:00 p.m.) and 26 (7:45 a.m., 9:30 p.m.), and July 1 (1:00 p.m.), 5 (7:00 p.m., 2:25 a.m.) and 16 (12:30 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  June 27-July 18

Segments include:

*Tiki. Rarely does a great athlete walk away from competition at the peak of his abilities, but in 2006, after ten seasons with the New York Giants, Tiki Barber hung up his cleats to pursue a career in network TV.  The Virginia native landed at NBC as a sports analyst and “Today Show” correspondent, but after his TV career fizzled and his marriage fell apart in public, Barber was transformed from prince of the city to tabloid casualty. Now, at age 36, he’s seeking redemption with a return to the gridiron next season. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Armen Keteyian goes one-on-one with Tiki Barber in his first extended TV interview since announcing his NFL comeback.

Producer:  Nick Dolin.

*The Big Bust. There is an exclusive club reserved for first overall picks in the NBA draft, including names like Magic, Shaq and LeBron. LaRue Martin, another member of the club, is famous for being the biggest bust in draft history. Selected first by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1972 draft, the former Loyola University (Ill.) center averaged a disappointing five points a game and retired after only four years in the league. Martin began drinking heavily and struggled for years with shame and depression on his rocky path to redemption. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel returns to De La Salle High School in Chicago, where he and Martin were schoolmates, to tell the story of how LaRue Martin went from dejected basketball retiree at age 26 to successful UPS executive.

Producer:  Maggie Burbank.

*Saadi Qaddafi. As the turmoil continues in Libya, REAL SPORTS chronicles the strange quest of Saadi Qaddafi, third son of Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi, to become an international soccer player.  Although his skills were limited, Saadi used his family’s wealth and power to buy his way onto some of the world’s best soccer teams.  Sparing no expense, he recruited a team of professionals that included everything from a nutritionist to a physiotherapist, but nothing could transform him into a pro-caliber athlete.  After a failed drug test, he eventually returned to Libya and now serves as commander of special forces in his father’s regime. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel travels to Italy, where Saadi Qaddafi played on several clubs, to tell this bizarre story.

Producers:  Chapman Downes and Josh Fine.

*Ann Wolfe. Ann Wolfe dominated women’s boxing for almost a decade after turning pro in 1998, holding world titles in four different weight classes simultaneously.  However, she suffered devastating blows outside the ropes, including a stretch of homelessness.  When HBO’s cameras previously caught up with Wolfe, she was about to become the first woman in boxing history to train a man for a world title.  Those plans were derailed when her fighter, James Kirkland, went to prison for 18 months.  When Kirkland returned from his stretch behind bars, he hired a new trainer, but in April was knocked out in shocking fashion, suffering the first loss of his pro career.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer reconnects with Ann Wolfe, who is back in James Kirkland’s corner, as they set out to make history together.

Producers:  Zehra Mamdani, Nick Dolin and Chapman Downes.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.  On May 2, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for last August’s report revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.  Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys^® in 16 years.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That will do it.

Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments For Real Sports, May 17, 2011

Tonight on the latest edition of Real Sports, Bryant Gumbel gives out praise to two sports figures who recently spoke out about homosexuality. Let’s take a look.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #170 AIRS TONIGHT (5/17) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, did you ever feel like not making a big deal out of something, because it shouldn’t be, but you mention it anyway?  That’s kind of how I feel right now in extending some praise to Sean Avery, when I doubt he even wants it.  Avery is a veteran hockey player who recently recorded an endorsement for the legalization of same sex marriage, which in the macho world of pro hockey, proved to be a very big deal indeed.

Avery’s stand, combined with the recent announcement by Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts that he’s gay has me wondering just when such news items in sports will become commonplace.  It’s 2011.  Folks in politics, entertainment, business, education and every other aspect of life have already moved past dramatically caring about someone’s sexual orientation, so why is the sports world still lagging when the law says it needn’t be and logic says it shouldn’t be?

Look, I know it’s easy for me to sit here and hope for the day when someone else sticks their neck out, but amid estimates that perhaps two-to-six percent of all guys are not heterosexual, it is sad and absurd to think of just how many athletes today might be feeling compelled to essentially hide in plain sight at games we all enjoy – simply because of their sexual orientation.

Jocks don’t like to talk about homosexuality and when they do it’s often in crude terms.  That could have changed long ago, but so far it hasn’t and it’s time it should. Which is why Sean Avery is to be applauded for showing some courage on this issue and for not making a big deal out of something that shouldn’t be.”

That’s all.

Real Sports Returns To HBO on Tuesday, May 17

Real Sports has four segments, three new and one update. One of particular interest will be a profile on Milwaukee Brewers radio voice Bob Uecker. Uecker is one of the funniest men in baseball and of course, known for his role in the Major League movies (announcer Harry Doyle). The update will be Donald Trump’s efforts to build a golf course on the Scottish coastline. We take a look at what’s on tap for the newest edition Real Sports.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PROFILES LONGTIME MILWAUKEE BREWERS VOICE BOB UECKER; TELLS THE MOVING STORY OF BRIDGET JOHNSON; EXPLORES SMOKELESS TOBACCO IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL; AND REVISITS DONALD TRUMP PRIOR TO HIS SCOTTISH GOLF COURSE DEDICATION WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS MAY 17, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 170th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, MAY 17 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability:  May 23-June 13

Segments include:

*Bob Uecker. No one else in the history of sports broadcasting has done it quite like Bob Uecker, who was dubbed “Mr. Baseball” by Johnny Carson and guested on “The Tonight Show” nearly 100 times. Uecker also starred in the famous Miller Lite commercials of the ‘70s and ‘80s, famously spoofed himself in the “Major League” movies and was one of the headliners of a hit network sitcom (“Mr. Belvedere”). Today, despite two major heart surgeries last year, the effusive and modest radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers shows no sign of taking it easy.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg goes one-on-one with the 76-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster as he navigates his 41st year in the booth.
Producer:  Lisa Bennett.

*The Other Side of a Rivalry. The rivalry of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is perhaps the bitterest in all of sports, but in a moment of tragedy they banded together like true comrades for someone in need. Last summer, Bridget Johnson, 11-year-old daughter of Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson, was riding her horse, Rhonda, when they were struck by a car. The young girl’s left leg was severed and her horse had to be put down. The Red Sox immediately chipped in to help with the family’s mounting bills, and Ron Johnson’s longtime friend, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, led a charge inside the New York clubhouse by rallying players to raise money for Bridget’s care as well.  In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Frank Deford learns more about the heart-wrenching event that changed the rivalry, if just for a moment, and Bridget’s inspiring recovery.
Producer:  Maggie Burbank.

*Smokeless Tobacco. Commonly referred to as “chaw,” chewing tobacco is one of the oldest ways to consume tobacco, which may be why it is grandfathered into the game of baseball. While Major League Baseball prohibits players from smoking or drinking alcohol on the field, they can use smokeless tobacco, and the habit is far from uncommon. But chewing tobacco is a known carcinogen that has been proven to cause different forms of oral cancer. REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel sets out to learn why this controversial custom is permitted, why so many players use when the risks are well documented, and how its popularity among the game’s elite affects the players of tomorrow.
Producer:  Tim Walker.

*Trump. Donald Trump is no stranger to the headlines and certainly no stranger to controversy.  In 2008, the high-flying New York tycoon embarked on a mission to build one of the greatest luxury golf resorts in the world – along with hundreds of homes and condos, plus a hotel and conference center – near the city of Aberdeen on the historic northeast coast of Scotland.  The project sparked serious opposition from locals who felt the venture would spoil their pristine coastline, but Trump broke ground in July 2010.  Now, the would-be Presidential candidate is looking forward to a grand opening. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg reconnects with casino magnate extraordinaire and unveils his exquisite development across the Atlantic.
Producers:  Jill Klapper, Tim Walker.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.  On May 2, the program received the 2010 Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism for last August’s revealing report demonstrating the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.  Overall, REAL SPORTS has collected 22 Sports Emmys^® in 16 years.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That will do it.

NFL Network Announcing Teams Since 2006

The upheaval in the NFL Network Thursday Night Football booth has been well documented. Now that Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock are officially the new announcing team, we look at the people NFL Network have assembled over the years. Let’s hope that this team can remain in place through the end of the current NFL TV contract.

2006 – Bryant Gumbel/Cris Collinsworth
2007 – Bryant Gumbel/Cris Collinsworth
2008 – Bob Papa/Cris Collinsworth
2009 – Bob Papa/Matt Millen
2010 – Bob Papa/Matt Millen/Joe Theismann/Alex Flanagan
2011 – Brad Nessler/Mike Mayock/Alex Flanagan (I’ll say Alex returns this year)

So you can see there has been hardly any consistency in the booth with changes coming practically every year but 2006-07. Here’s hoping that this year’s version of Thursday Night Football will work for NFL Network. I’m rooting for Brad and Mike.

Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Commentary on Tonight’s Real Sports

I did not see this press release until just now and I’m going to post it in advance of tonight’s ending of Real Sports which I have yet to see. Here’s what Bryant has to say about college football and the corrupt state the sport is in currently.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #169
AIRS TONIGHT (4/19) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight a few words about statutes and statues.  The fact that so many sports figures these days are running afoul of the former has me wondering why some are in such a hurry to erect the latter.

In case you’ve missed it, it seems southerners, in particular, have gone bronze bonkers of late.  In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, they’ve unveiled a statue of Nick Saban, after just 43 wins there.  In Gainesville, Florida they’ve unveiled a statue of their 23-year-old hero Tim Tebow and in Auburn there’s one now planned for 21-year-old Cam Newton – even though he played all of one controversial and highly suspect season at their school.

It used to be you had to serve a lifetime and die for your country or some noble cause to be immortalized.  Now, it seems, all you have to do is generate some cheers and win a few football games for those who live and breathe for such things.  If nothing else, you’d think they’d wait at least awhile to see how events play out because recent sports history has taught us that yesterday’s hero might quickly become tomorrow’s outcast.

You’ll recall that it wasn’t that long ago that the trusting citizens of Cleveland might have considered a LeBron James statue, or those in the Bay Area were eager to immortalize Barry Bonds.  How stupid would a Roger Clemens monument look outside Fenway Park look right about now?  And how many Tiger Woods likenesses will ever see the light of day, even though they once seemed certain to dot golf’s varied landscape?

Look, everyone’s got the right to honor who they wish and how they want.  But as with everything else in these days of instant gratification, perspective and timing should count for something, shouldn’t it?  I mean if someone’s truly deserving of a lasting monument, what’s the rush?

And that’s our show for this evening.  For all the good folks here at Real Sports, I’m Bryant Gumbel, thanks so very much for being with us and good night.”

That’s it.

HBO’s Real Sports Returns April 19

On Tuesday, HBO’s sports newsmagazine, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns with an all-new edition. It also marks the return of investigative reporter Armen Keteyian to the show. Three new segments plus an update. Let’s look at what stories Real Sports will provide this month.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PROFILES PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ALL-STAR SHORTSTOP JIMMY ROLLINS; EXAMINES THE NEW JERSEY-BASED HEALTH ORGANIZATION P.A.S.T.; EXPLORES THE LITTLE-KNOWN WORLD OF MINI-CHEERLEADING; AND RECONNECTS WITH TWO-TIME PARALYMPIC TRACK CHAMP MARLON SHIRLEY WHEN THE EMMY®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS APRIL 19, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 169th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, APRIL 19 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability: April 25-May 16

Segments include:

*Jimmy Rollins. At 5’7”, Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies may be one of the most unassuming stars in Major League Baseball. Called “J-Roll” by teammates, he’s a three-time National League All-Star, former league MVP and one of the best defensive shortstops of his generation. And since the Bay Area native’s arrival in the big leagues in 2001, the Phillies have gone from mediocrity to being one of baseball’s top franchises. Rollins boldly stated that Philadelphia would conquer its division in 2007, and has since led them to four straight division titles, two N.L. pennants and a World Series crown. Now, after all these accomplishments, the 32-year-old faces the greatest challenge of his career: proving he’s still an elite player after two injury-plagued seasons. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo goes one-on-one with the Phillies’ undisputed leader and talks to his mother and wife, who helped him get where he is today.

Producer: Chapman Downes.

*Broken Pros. When an athlete’s playing days are over, the paychecks may stop, but the ailments accrued over the years never cease. After seeing a REAL SPORTS story about former pro football players who struggled with formidable mental and physical challenges after their careers ended, Dr. William Focazio of Clifton, NJ, started the innovative program P.A.S.T. or Pain Alternatives, Solutions & Treatments, assembling a staff of top medical specialists from across North Jersey to treat former players on a pro-bono basis. In his first assignment since rejoining REAL SPORTS, correspondent Armen Keteyian meets with Dr. Focazio, his team of doctors and the former players he is helping, and shows what progress is being made in their care.

Producer: Nick Dolin.

*Mini-Cheerleaders. Competitive cheerleading is a grueling physical sport, testing the limits of even the most dedicated athletes. So imagine pre-pubescent girls, ages five to eight, tumbling, dancing, stunting and flying through the air on the national stage in true competitive fashion. Just like the big girls, they don lipstick, glitter and miniskirts, too. Leading up to the United States finals, REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer explores the lesser-known world of mini-cheerleading.

Producer: Maggie Burbank.

*A Story of Triumph. Marlon Shirley is no stranger to adversity. Born to a prostitute and her pimp, he was placed in foster care at age five and subsequently lost his left foot in a lawn-mower accident. After years in the foster care system, Shirley finally found a family in Utah who helped him work through his traumas and opened the door to a world of opportunity. He beat the odds and went on to win two Paralympic gold medals in the 100-meter competition. REAL SPORTS first told his remarkable story in 2007. Now, correspondent Frank Deford reconnects with the San Diego resident, who overcame a life-threatening illness just weeks before competing in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games.

Producers: Zehra Mamdani/Beein Gim.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 13 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. On March 22, the program received four Sports Emmy^® Award nominations for the 2010 programming season, including two in the category of Outstanding Sports Journalism. The winners will be announced May 2.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

And there you have it.

NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football Announcing Teams

Here’s how NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football announcing teams have looked since 2006:

2006 – Bryant Gumbel/Cris Collinsworth
2007 – Bryant Gumbel/Cris Collinsworth
2008 – Bob Papa/Cris Collinsworth
2009 – Bob Papa/Matt Millen
2010 – Bob Papa/Matt Millen/Joe Theismann/Alex Flanagan
2011 – Gus Johnson/Mike Mayock (speculated, not confirmed)

You can see there hasn’t been much consistency for NFL Network and even its production crew has turned over a couple of times in the process. To say NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football has been a work in progress would be an understatement, but it needs some consistency and a team that can be its signature as Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth have been for NBC’s Sunday Night Football in the last two seasons.

On The Next Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel….

As I’ve been dealing with a Denial of Service attack that hit the server where this site is hosted, I try to provide some things and hope things get back to normal. I thank you for your patience.

This is from HBO Sports and concerns Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel which airs Wednesday and will deal with college sports as its theme. Among the people you’ll see is former CBS bitter curmudgeon college basketball analyst Billy Packer, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock, former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez and others. We have details what these men will be doing on Real Sports.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, DEVOTING AN ENTIRE HOUR TO THE STATE OF COLLEGE SPORTS IN AMERICA AND FEATURING A ROUNDTABLE PANEL WITH BILLY PACKER, RICH RODRIGUEZ, JASON WHITLOCK AND JEFF ORLEANS, RETURNS ON A SPECIAL NIGHT AND TIME WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Winner of 21 Sports Emmys^® in 15 years, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL departs from its traditional format to present a special hour-long edition dedicated to the state of college sports in America.  Presented three days before the men’s NCAA Final Four tip off in Houston, the show will present an entertaining and substantive dialogue on the current state of big-time athletics in college sports, addressing hot-button issues and offering practical solutions to current problems.  Available in HDTV, the 168th edition of REAL SPORTS debuts WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  March 30 (4:55 a.m.) and 31 (4:15 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), and April 1 (8:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 2 (11:00 a.m., 3:05 a.m.), 3 (3:30 p.m.), 4 (2:30 p.m., 12:30 a.m.) and 6 (7:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  April 3 (11:00 p.m.), 5 (8:00 a.m., 7:00 p.m.), 7 (noon, 2:30 a.m.), 9 (3:00 p.m.), 10 (8:00 a.m.) and 14 (1:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  April 2-25

Two long-form segments anchor the program, setting the stage for an extended roundtable panel hosted by Bryant Gumbel and featuring former University of Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez, outspoken college basketball commentator Billy Packer, print journalist Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com and former Ivy League Athletics Commissioner Jeff Orleans.  The group will address a host of issues relating to the NCAA and the regulation of its 1,055 member schools.

Segments include:

*The Money Trail. Every year, thousands of talented young student-athletes sign letters of intent and obtain full-ride athletic scholarships (tuition and board) from the biggest, wealthiest programs in America, effectively giving up all rights to revenue generated by their participation, including TV rights fees, merchandising and ticket sales.  But with a dramatic increase in revenue from top programs and athletes’ growing awareness of their contribution, many are starting to ask if there should be financial compensation.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg examines the notion of student-athletes remaining untainted amateurs while generating pro-type revenue for their schools.  Are they getting a fair shake?

Producer:  Joe Perskie.

 

*Pay to Play. Should athletes at Division I programs be financially compensated?  And would that curb the headline-grabbing stories of inappropriate payments and benefits?  More and more standout athletes in top programs are seemingly putting their education on the back burner to focus on what’s really important – the money.  Those destined for the NBA and NFL face the moral dilemma of dealing with “advisors” and “street agents” who can deliver the funds and material items they desire while in school in exchange for a promise of future reciprocation when they reach the pros.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer delves into the controversial and complex subject of premium college-bound athletes receiving benefits that are prohibited by the NCAA.

Producer:  Tim Walker.

 

Immediately following the March 30 presentation of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL, at 11:00 p.m. (ET), viewers can log on to hbo.com/realsports for an exclusive “overtime” webcast segment, in which the roundtable panel will continue the discussion and answer questions from viewers.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 13 times, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That’s all for now.

Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Commentary on Tonight’s Real Sports

This is the 5th post on tonight’s Real Sports which I think is a record. We have Bryant Gumbel’s comment in which he becomes totally cynical. Sounds like he’s becoming curmudgeony.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL EPISODE #167 AIRS TONIGHT (2/15) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, in closing, I have to admit that I don’t know what to say or what’s even worth of comment anymore.  I know that sounds like a copout, but I’m missing the days when the sports world represented a relief from the madness of real life.  Now, sadly, that is no longer true and the stores are spinning too fast for monthly reflection.

As we sit here, we’ve got pro basketball leaders seemingly bent on creating a work stoppage for no other reason other than to break their players’ union.  And we’ve got pro football owners filing a complaint against their union with the national labor relations board even though they’re the ones intent on a lockout.

As spring training gets underway, we’ve got baseball’s best hitter demanding more than a quarter billion dollars by Wednesday or he’ll call off talks.  And we’ve got one of the most respected men in hockey wondering about his involvement with the sport because the league’s leaders are so inept.

In golf we’ve got the guy who was the world’s best golfer immersed in a spitting scandal.  We’ve got the world’s most celebrated cyclist trying to fend off drug probes for the umpteenth time.  And we’ve got those running the world’s most popular sport being charged with incompetence while they conduct probes on the possibility of fixed games.

Are we that much worse off than ever before?  Or are we just learning more than we ever wanted to know about games and our athletes?  I confess I don’t know, but right now it does seem that the same viral world that’s driving events on the front page is taking all the fun out of the back pages we used to enjoy.”

There you go.

Video Previews of Tonight’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel

Over the weekend, I gave you a press release previewing what you’ll see on tonight’s Real Sports. Now, I have some clips from the three new segments on the show. Last night, we received a partial transcript of Jon Frankel’s profile of a reflective Mike Tyson. Let’s take a look at a brief clip of tonight’s segment.

In addition to the interview with Mike Tyson, Bernard Goldberg sits down with the disgraced head of BALCO, Victor Conte who is now returning to training athletes. You remember that BALCO was named in the investigation into Marion Jones and Barry Bonds. Now Conte speaks with HBO Sports about the time that changed drug testing in sports and how he’s doing things the right way.

And we have a preview of Andrea Kremer’s segment on Deadspin and its editor, A.J. Daulerio.

Finally, an update on a 2008 profile that Jon Frankel did on NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson and what he’s doing to get ready for the 2011 season.

There you have it. I hope to do this again next month.

Real Sports Returns on Tuesday, February 15

I haven’t been able to blog at all today as I’m at work and my weekend has been planned for me behind my back once again. Looks like links won’t be forthcoming until Monday. My apologies to you on that.

Anyway, this is what’s coming on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on Tuesday. I look forward to the feature on Deadspin and A.J. Daulerio.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL EXPLORES VICTOR CONTE’S RETURN TO ATHLETIC TRAINING; PROFILES THE CONTROVERSIAL WEBSITE DEADSPIN.COM; GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP MIKE TYSON; AND RECONNECTS WITH FIVE-TIME NASCAR SPRINT CUP CHAMP JIMMIE JOHNSON WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS FEB. 15, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 167th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, FEB. 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 15 (3:30 a.m.), 18 (7:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.), 21 (9:30 a.m.), 23 (1:30 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), 25 (6:30 p.m.), 26 (11:30 a.m.) and 28 (10:30 p.m., 3:05 a.m.), and March 6 (8:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 18 (8:00 p.m.), 20 (11:00 p.m.), 22 (3:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.) and 24 (8:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m.), and March 1 (6:00 p.m., 5:00 a.m.), 12 (noon) and 20 (6:10 a.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  Feb. 21-March 14

Segments include:

*Victor Conte. When the BALCO steroids scandal rocked the sports world in 2003, many people blamed Victor Conte, who would eventually be convicted of dealing performance-enhancing drugs, for ruining the treasured record book of America’s national pastime.  After the FBI raided his lab and shut him down, Olympic records were erased and careers destroyed.  Now, nearly five years removed from his prison sentence, the architect of the BALCO scandal is a free man and back doing what made him famous:  training big-time professional athletes.  This time, Conte says he is committed to doing things the right way and helping a new wave of top-tier athletes compete drug-free. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg goes one-on-one with the symbol of the BALCO scandal to find out what he’s learned.

Producer:  Maggie Burbank.

*Deadspin. The gossip column in the daily newspaper used to be the most dreaded place for major sports figures to see their names in bold – until Deadspin.com emerged with the motto “Without access, discretion, or favor.”  By adhering to its mission, the site has carved out a unique niche in the digital media landscape.  Enormously popular, Deadspin has become a significant newsmaker by demonstrating a willingness to post the most personal material about sports headliners.  One national publication recently described Deadspin as “the raunchiest, funniest and most controversial sports site on the web,” and the list of sport stars it’s embarrassed continues to grow, with little sign of slowing down.  Correspondent Andrea Kremer visits Deadspin’s editors to see if anything is out-of-bounds for a website that has helped re-shape the sports media landscape.

Producers:  Tim Walker, Chapman Downes.

*Tyson. He hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, but Mike Tyson, 44, is still big news.  One of the most recognizable sports figures of the last quarter-century, he was labeled the “baddest man on the planet” during his controversial and prolific heavyweight career, forging such a dark persona that Madison Avenue largely shunned him during his 1986-1996 championship run. But after declaring bankruptcy and leaving the ring, Tyson has reinvented himself, finding a niche as a Hollywood actor and taking life one day at a time.  Now, with his own cable TV series devoted to his love of pigeons, he’s back on the national stage.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel sits down with “Iron Mike.”

Producer:  Nick Dolin.

*Jimmie Johnson. With another Sprint Cup championship performance in 2010, Jimmie Johnson continues to make racing history by becoming the first driver to win five consecutive titles.  Named 2010 Driver of the Year, Johnson and his No. 48 car and crew are clearly the sport’s best, though they continue to hear criticism from unsatisfied fans and press.  First covered on REAL SPORTS in 2008 and then the subject of a “24/7″ reality series on the network in 2010, Johnson has raised his national profile while continuing to excel.  In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Jon Frankel reconnects with Jimmie Johnson as he prepares for the start of the 2011 season at Daytona.

Producer:  Jill Klapper.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 13 times since 1995, and is the first and only sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism by Columbia University.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

I hope to sneak in one or two more posts today.

Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comments on Real Sports, 01/25/11

Tonight’s closing comment on Real Sports is dedicated to the late exercise guru, Jack LaLanne who died at the age of 95 on Sunday.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

EPISODE #166

AIRS TONIGHT (1/25) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, a brief fond farewell to Jack LaLanne, who died two nights ago at the age of 96. Jack never really played any major sports, and for the better part of his life, he was admittedly more showman than athlete. But if you care at all about sports, health and fitness, you have to admire LaLanne’s efforts.

LaLanne began talking about the values of weightlifting and proper diet in an era when pro athletes openly ignored the former and routinely mocked the latter. Back when baseball and football players routinely spent off-seasons out of shape and wearing rubber suits to lose pounds, LaLanne was preaching the joys of the gym to any and all who’d listen.

All those individual pursuits that today’s X-Gamers and fitness fanatics like to think are so cutting edge pale in comparison to the swims, exercises and feats of strength in which LaLanne routinely engaged in an effort to spread his gospel of health. And all those modern food labels promoting what’s light or low-fat – they didn’t hit your local shelves until years after LaLanne grew fond of saying, “If a man made it, don’t eat it.”

Long before the shake weight, LaLanne was designing pulley devices and extension machines. Long before Jane Fonda and Billy Blanks, he had a TV fitness show that ran for 34 years. Long before self-help books came into vogue, he was writing workout manuals. And long before fitness centers, LaLanne was opening a nationwide string of gyms and spas. Was he eccentric? Yes. Was he extreme? Absolutely. In the end his efforts still weren’t enough to stem the rising tide of American obesity – but boy he sure did try.”

That is it.

On The Next HBO Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel

This Tuesday, HBO’s Emmy Award-winning Real Sports returns with its first edition of 2011. It’ll have four NFL-related stories including profiles on Fox Sports’ Troy Aikman who will be on the Super Bowl and Sports lllustrated’s Peter King. Here’s what you’ll see on Tuesday.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL TALKS TO HALL OF FAME QB AND FOX SUPER BOWL ANALYST TROY AIKMAN; EXPLORES THE FINANCIAL TROUBLES FACING FORMER NFL PLAYERS; PROFILES PETER KING, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S NFL GURU; AND REVISITS THE HEALTH CONCERNS OF SUPERSIZED NFL LINEMEN WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS JAN. 25, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 166th edition kicks off the show’s 16th season in HD, TUESDAY, JAN. 25 (10:00- p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability:  Jan. 31-Feb. 21

Segments include:

*Troy. On the eve of FOX Sports’ telecast of Super Bowl XLV from Arlington, Tex., REAL SPORTS spotlights Troy Aikman, the network’s top football analyst, who knows a thing or two about winning championships in Dallas. It’s not often an NFL quarterback with three Super Bowl championships achieves similar success in a second career, but he’s forging a Hall of Fame-caliber career as a game analyst, having gone straight from a storybook NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys to the booth after retiring in 2001.  Now in his tenth year with FOX Sports – where he and Joe Buck are preparing to work their third Super Bowl together – Aikman is the consummate professional.  REAL SPORTS host Byrant Gumbel goes one-on-one with the former Super Bowl MVP prior to calling the game of the year in his own backyard.

Producer:  Nick Dolin.

*Short-Changed.  Young NFL players often find themselves rich beyond their dreams, making the kind of money that could make them financially secure for the rest of their lives — if they invested wisely.  Instead of thinking long-term, however, many succumb to the urge to purchase expensive cars and multiple houses, and put their money in risky investments.  And with the careers of even the luckiest players lasting only a few years, many athletes must soon fend for themselves with no income or other job skills, and become destitute.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford talks to former players who’ve found themselves in this predicament.  Interviews include:  Chidi Ahanotu (former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end); Luther Ellis (former Detroit Lions defensive tackle) and his wife, Rebecca; Reggie Wilkes (former Philadelphia Eagle and now a Philadelphia-area financial advisor); and current New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott.

Producer:  Chapman Downes.

*Peter King. In the 21st century, innovations such as live blogging and Twitter make it increasingly difficult to excel as the NFL’s premier supplier of inside information, yet Peter King of Sports Illustrated continues to distinguish himself.  The New England native graduated from Ohio University in 1979 and got his journalism start at the Cincinnati Enquirer covering college and professional sports, becoming a full-time NFL beat writer at Newsday before settling in at Sports Illustrated in 1989.  Perhaps the most respected NFL writer today, King has authored five football-themed books and built an unparalleled camaraderie with the game’s biggest stars and power brokers.  In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo goes behind the scenes with King to see how he compiles his must-read Monday Morning Quarterback column and explores what drives him to be on top of the news around the clock.  Interviews include:  Bill Parcells; Don Banks (SI writer); and Terry McDonell (SI managing editor).

Producer:  Lisa Bennett.

*Supersized Linemen. Aside from talent, NFL linemen need sheer mass to be successful, but the weight they pile on can have life-threatening repercussions.  In Jan. 2003, REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel sat down with Frank Warren just days before the adverse effects of his playing days took his life, while Norman Hand, another prominent player featured in the piece, has since died from weight-related issues.  In reaction to these deaths, some former NFL heavyweights now strive to lose weight in order to better – or simply save – their lives.  REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel reopens the book on this troubling story and connects with a transformed and health conscious Nate Newton (former Dallas Cowboys star) and fitness guru Mackie Shilstone.  Other interviews include:  Frank Katch (health consultant) and Curtis Rouse (former NFL player).

Producers:  Joe Perskie, Lauren Gaffney.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 12 times in its 15 years, and is the first and only sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism by Columbia University.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That will do it.

The Last Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel of 2010 Airs Tuesday

I almost forgot to post this press release from the great people at HBO Sports. This is about the final new edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel for 2010. Bryant will talk with his band of correspondents about the year and the stories they covered. Here’s what will be coming up.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PRESENTS A ROUNDTABLE REVIEW OF 2010 WHEN IT RETURNS DEC. 21, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Winner of 21 Sports Emmys^® in 15 years, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents a special roundtable review of 2010 on its 165th edition, debuting TUESDAY, DEC. 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) and available in HDTV, exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 22 (1:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m.), 24 (12:05 a.m.), 25 (4:50 a.m.) and 28 (10:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m.), and 31 (10:00 a.m., 5:15 a.m.), and Jan. 6 (7:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.) and 9 (7:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 26 (8:00 a.m.) and 29 (10:30 a.m., 9:30 p.m.), and Jan. 4 (2:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 10 (7:00 p.m., 2:00 a.m.) and 15 (11:30 a.m.)

HBO On Demand availability: Dec. 28-Jan. 18

Departing from the show’s regular format, host Bryant Gumbel leads correspondents Mary Carillo, Frank Deford, Jon Frankel, Bernard Goldberg and Andrea Kremer in a spirited roundtable discussion of 2010, touching on everything from favorite stories of the year to the interviews and pieces that had the greatest impact on them.

Segments covered include: the exclusive TV report demonstrating the link between brain injuries and the onset of ALS; the stories of three transgender sportswriters and the tragic consequences for one of them; the bizarre and largely unknown world of women’s bodybuilding; the inspiring story of the young kings and queens of chess from the border town of Brownsville, Tex.; and the examination of the stringent Olympic drug testing process prior to the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February. Individuals profiled on REAL SPORTS this year who will be revisited include: Marc Buoniconti, Erik Compton, Gareth Thomas, Pete Carroll, Lane Kiffin, Mike May and the late Arturo Gatti.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 12 of the last 15 years, in addition to being the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That is all.

HBO’s Real Sports Returns Tuesday

The last original edition of Real Sports airs this Tuesday on HBO. December’s edition is usually a year-ender. Let’s give you the stories that you’ll see on sports television’s best news magazine.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL EXAMINES THE ANCIENT SPORT OF FALCONRY; PROFILES UCONN’S LADY HUSKIES HOOPS COACH GENO AURIEMMA; REVEALS THE PRACTICE OF HAZING IN COLLEGIATE MARCHING BANDS; AND RECONNECTS WITH THE REMARKABLE HOYT FAMILY WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS NOV. 23, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 164th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, NOV. 23 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability:  Nov. 29-Dec. 20

 

Segments include:

 

*Falconry.  Dating back more than 2,000 years to ancient Mongolia, falconry is one of the oldest sports in world. When the budding sport reached Europe, it quickly caught on with kings, queens, knights and emperors, evolving into a symbol of the nobility. In modern falconry, practiced by just a few thousand people around the world, a falconer trains raptors to make airborne kills and return to the falconer with the prey. REAL SPORTS host Byrant Gumbel travels to Falkenstein, Austria to attend one of the biggest falconry meets of the year and uncovers the rich tradition and history of this visually stunning spectacle.

Producer:  Tim Walker.

 

*Coach Geno.  In 1985, Italian-born Geno Auriemma took the reins as head coach of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, which had previously posted just one winning season. Today, UConn is a national powerhouse and breeding ground for future WNBA stars. While sometimes viewed as brash and demanding, Auriemma’s seven NCAA women’s basketball championships are evidence of the accomplishments. Entering a new season marked by the usual high expectations and constant media scrutiny, the 56-year-old coach owned a 78-game winning streak that has continued to grow. Auriemma has an all-time-best .858 winning percentage as head coach and the Lady Huskies are just one title short of the Lady Vols of Tennessee and their legendary head coach Pat Summit. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Frank Deford goes one-on-one with the top women’s head basketball coach in America today.

Producer:  Zehra Mamdani.

 

*Hazing. Marching bands at historically black universities in the South are held in such high regard that their performances are sometimes more eagerly anticipated than the football games at which they perform. A host of these top bands conduct tryouts and grant scholarships in the same manner as the football programs they accompany. Unfortunately, as these elite programs have grown in scope and recognition, hazing has become a major problem. REAL SPORTS correspondent Frank Deford examines this troubling issue in the wake of a series of incidents that have resulted in serious injuries and criminal charges.

Producers:  Josh Fine, Nick Dolin.

 

*Labor of Love. Introduced to REAL SPORTS viewers in Mary Carillo’s Sports Emmy^®-winning 2005 segment, New Englanders Dick Hoyt and his son Rick have given new meaning to the term “family bond.” Rick was born in 1962 after a complicated labor in which a coiled umbilical cord cut off oxygen to his brain. Rejecting doctors’ recommendation to institutionalize him, the Hoyts were committed to raising their son as normally as possible, believing Rick had a healthy mind despite his physical handicaps. With the help of Tufts University, which developed cutting-edge technology allowing Rick to communicate through head movements, the Hoyts discovered he was a natural sports fan. In 1977, Dick pushed his son’s wheelchair through a five-mile benefit run and found the race gave Rick the miraculous feeling of being able-bodied. Dick subsequently dedicated his life to giving his son the feeling as often as possible, and the two have been regulars at road races and triathlons ever since. REAL SPORTS correspondent Mary Carillo returns to Massachusetts to update their incredible story.

Producers:  Joe Perskie, Lauren Gaffney.

 

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 12 times in its 15 years, and is the first and only sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism by Columbia University.

The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That’s going to do it for tonight. You had plenty of stuff posted today.

Preview of HBO’s Real Sports Interview With Former NFL Agent Josh Luchs

Tonight on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, correspondent Bernard Goldberg will head a feature on disgraced NFL agent Josh Luchs who told Sports Illustrated this month about his payoffs to potential clients while they were in college. Some of those Luchs named are big time NFL stars today. While some of whom Luchs named have denied his story, others have said, yes, they received money from the him.

We have a highlight of the interview.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH SPORTS AGENT JOSH LUCHS IN A TV EXCLUSIVE; WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS TONIGHT, OCT. 26, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 163rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 26 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT) on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability:  Nov. 1-22

Segments include:

*Money Man.  

Following his explosive first-person account in Sports Illustrated, former certified NFL agent Josh Luchs sits down with HBO for his first extended TV interview. At age 19, armed with only a high school diploma, he was certified as an NFL agent by the NFLPA for a mere $300 application fee. In the SI piece, Luchs admitted to subsequently making cash payments to 30 college football players in hopes of signing them as clients when they became eligible for the pro draft. He left the player representation business in 2008 after a dispute with his former employer led to his suspension by the NFLPA. Luchs’ headline-grabbing account has reignited the debate over whether to protect student-athletes from preying agents, or simply permit college players to share in the revenues they help generate. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg goes one-on-one with Luchs for his take on the debate and delves further into his account of nearly 20 years in the business.

            Producer:  Joe Perskie.

EXCERPTS:

Luchs’ stance regarding the Sports Illustrated report:

HBO’s BERNIE GOLDBERG: “You were paying players under the table, against every rule in the book. And as a result, you were getting clients when they went to the pros.”

JOSH LUCHS: “Absolutely. I did it. Did it time and time again, over an extended period of time, and I never got caught doing it. Not once.”

Luchs addresses what motivated him to the unethical practice of giving college players money and jeopardizing their eligibility:

JOSH LUCHS: “I wanted so badly to make something of myself.”

BERNIE GOLDBERG: “That you were willing to..

JOSH LUCHS: “I was willing to do almost anything.”

BERNIE GOLDBERG: “Did you feel bad about it at any point?”

JOSH LUCHS: “Well, when they’d stiff me, I felt horrible.”

Luchs on his mentor Harold “Doc” Daniels, and NFL agent, who had a reputation for paying and giving gifts to college athletes:

JOSH LUCHS:  “Doc (Harold Daniels) put  his arm around me, and said, ‘Son,  this is not the way to do this. I’m going to show you the way.’ And he taught me. Taught me the right way to do the wrong thing. He said, ‘You give these guys cash, you give it to ‘em up front in one lump sum, you got nothing, you know. You need to give it to them in smaller increments over a period of time, so you’re buying yourself the in and the opportunity to have that relationship.’ And it made all the sense in the world to me, because suddenly, they’re calling me back, ’cause they know next month’s rolling around, and they’re coming back for some more candy. They get hungry, they’re going to eat, and I’m feeding them.”

An exchange in response to his suspension by the NLFPA over an allegation that he improperly kept a commission check:

JOSH LUCHS: “I accept responsibility for what I did. But I will not accept responsibility for something that I didn’t do.”

BERNIE GOLDBERG: “But that’s the irony, isn’t it? That you got nailed. You got nailed for something you say you didn’t do. And nobody touched you for all the things that you did do that were wrong.”

JOSH LUCHS:  “Ain’t that a kick in the teeth.”

Former USC wide receiver R. Jay Soward (1996-99) talking about the agent-player relationship that exists in College Football today:

BERNIE GOLDBERG: “Do you suppose Josh Luchs is the only sports agent around– see you’re smiling already. So I think you– you know where I’m going with this.”

R. JAY SOWARD: “Yeah.”

BERNIE GOLDBERG: “That was paying college kids while they were playing?”

R. JAY SOWARD: “Not at all. Not at all. I mean people are probably doing it everywhere. Somebody’s probably taking some money right now. You know, we should do a statistic on that. Every five minutes a college kid is taking money from an agent.” 

Former USC Trojan wideout R. Jay Soward, a first round draft choice of Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000, talking about life as a cash-strapped college student, who could barely make ends meet :

SOWARD: “Funny story, me and my roommates, we had – some pizza guy just happened to be lost. And one of my roommates went up to the car and started talking to him. And I went around and I took the pizza.”

GOLDBERG: “You took the pizza to be wiseasses or …”

SOWARD: “We took the pizza cause we were hungry.”

GOLDBERG: “So Josh Luchs comes along and says, ‘I got money.’ You say?”

SOWARD:  “Let me have some. I could really use it right now. Let’s show R. Jay a little bit of love.”

Wow. Interesting. I’m looking for a video preview of this segment and I don’t see one up on HBO’s YouTube channel.

Real Sports airs tonight at 10 ET/PT on HBO.

Preview of Real Sports For October 26

This Tuesday, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns with an all-new edition. Among the topics, disgraced NFL agent Josh Luchs sits down for his first TV interview since admitting to Sports Illustrated that he paid college players and the Florida Marlins’ embarrassing plea for public financing for a new ballpark after leaked documents to Deadspin showed the team making a rather huge profit. Let’s take a look at what’s in store on the latest edition of Real Sports that airs on HBO on Tuesday, October 26 at 10 p.m. East and West.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PROBES THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE NEW FLORIDA MARLINS STADIUM; GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH SPORTS AGENT JOSH LUCHS IN A TV EXCLUSIVE; PROFILES AN INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP 25 YEARS AFTER A LIFE-CHANGING FOOTBALL COLLISION; AND RECONNECTS WITH DENVER NUGGETS HEAD COACH GEORGE KARL WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS OCT. 26, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

            REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 163rd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 26 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

            HBO On Demand availability:  Nov. 1-22

            Segments include:

            *Miami Ballpark. The Florida Marlins, two-time World Series winners since their launch in 1993, are the latest Major League Baseball team to build a ballpark of their own. Scheduled to open in 2012, the stadium is a 37,000-seat, retractable-roof venue costing $642 million and largely paid for by Miami-Dade County. A public outcry erupted in August after leaked financial reports indicated the ballclub turned a $50-million profit at the same time they were seeking public financing. REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel heads to South Florida to cover this hot-button story and examine the concerns raised by public officials who say their viewpoint has changed in light of this new information.

            Producer:  Chapman Downes.

            *Money Man.  One week after his explosive first-person account in Sports Illustrated, former certified NFL agent Josh Luchs sits down with HBO for his first extended TV interview. At age 19, armed with only a high school diploma, he was certified as an NFL agent by the NFLPA for a mere $300 application fee. In the SI piece, Luchs admitted to subsequently making cash payments to 30 college football players in hopes of signing them as clients when they became eligible for the pro draft. He left the player representation business in 2008 after a dispute with his former employer led to his suspension by the NFLPA. Luchs’ headline-grabbing account has reignited the debate over whether to protect student-athletes from preying agents, or simply permit college players to share in the revenues they help generate. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg goes one-on-one with Luchs for his take on the debate and delves further into his account of nearly 20 years in the business.

            Producer:  Joe Perskie.

     *A Remarkable Journey.  On Oct. 26, 1985, Citadel linebacker Marc Buoniconti stopped East Tennessee’s Herman Jacobs short of first down on a crucial third-and-one. The collision left Buoniconti, son of former Miami Dolphins great Nick Buoniconti, paralyzed from the neck down.  Though he has spent the last 25 years in a wheelchair, Buoniconti has brought a “never give up” attitude to his role as president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world’s largest and most comprehensive spinal research facility. Meanwhile, the incident left Jacobs, at the time an NFL prospect, consumed by remorse and unable to return to football with the same passion. His life was in a downward spiral until he reunited with an unlikely friend. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo profiles both men 25 years after their life-changing collision, and shows how their friendship has endured tragedy.

     On the day of that life-changing collision on the football field, Herman Jacobs says:  “When they came back off the field and they said that word – paralyzed – my uniform was on but my spirit, my soul was gone.”

     Twenty years would pass before the two reconnected during a reunion weekend at The Citadel. Says Marc Buoniconti: “He needed to know that everything was really all right. Everything was all right and I was doing good. Not only that, I really wanted him in my life and turn something really tragic into a great friendship. And that weekend, we had more time to talk and I just asked him a simple question, ‘What were his dreams?’ “

            Producer:  Lisa Bennett.

            *Team Karl.  In 2005, Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl and his son, former Boise State hoops star Coby Karl, shared a common bond no father and son could imagine:  a diagnosis of cancer. Though they conquered the illness together, George Karl survived another bout of the disease, this time affecting his neck and throat, after beating prostate cancer. Following up REAL SPORTS’ 2007 report, correspondent Jon Frankel reconnects with the accomplished 59-year old coach to reflect on his successful battles off the court as he prepares for another challenging season on the hardwood.

            Producer:  Jill Klapper.

            The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

As always, Real Sports has fascinating stories and we’ll be watching.

Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports Commentary on College Football

In his closing commentary on Real Sports tonight, Bryant Gumbel goes after the NCAA and then some. To say this is scathing is an understatement.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

EPISODE #162 AIRS TONIGHT (9/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, a few words about crime and punishment. I’m no legal expert, not by a long shot, but I do believe that driving drunk, robbing a convenience store, and hitting your girlfriend are all worse offenses than dealing with an agent. Most people would agree with that I think except, it seems, the folks in charge of college football.

How else to explain the fact that the USC Trojans are currently on NCAA probation while the Florida Gators are not, even though Florida’s program has seen 27 different players arrested during the short tenure of Coach Urban Meyer. That’s right, by NCAA standards, 27 arrests merit not so much as an official reprimand. But dealing with a prospective agent prematurely, as former Trojan Reggie Bush did, gets your program punished for four years.

It’s not just about USC. NCAA investigations are ongoing at the Universities of Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina for the same kind of premature conversation with agents that Bush had. And it’s not just about Florida. Players at Pittsburgh, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Southern Mississippi, UCLA and elsewhere have also been arrested this year. But all of those programs are, by NCAA standards, in full compliance.

Look, no one’s naïve enough to think football’s ever going to be played by a bunch of choirboys. It’s not. But you’d think that NCAA officials could, at the very least, give coaches and athletic directors a reason to be as diligent about illegality as they are about eligibility – and right now they don’t. Until and unless they do, the NCAA’s idea of institutional control is anything but.”

Nice to see some commentary in TV sports. It’s sorely missing except for Real Sports and the Sports Reporters.

Real Sports Returns Tuesday, September 21

Here’s a preview of what you can expect in the next edition of Real Sports on HBO this coming Tuesday.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL PROFILES YANKEES ACE CC SABATHIA; AND RECONNECTS WITH TEXAS RANGERS SLUGGER JOSH HAMILTON WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS SEPT. 21, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

                                                                   

            REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 162nd edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, SEPT. 21 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

            HBO On Demand availability:  Sept. 27-Oct. 18

            Segments include:

            *CC Sabathia.  Standing as tall as the skyscrapers of New York City, six foot seven New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia is one of the game’s most intimidating figures on the mound, but an introspective person off the field.  The fireballing southpaw is on track to win his second Cy Young Award, and perhaps his second World Series championship ring.  Most everybody who follows the game knows something about the hurler, who previously played in Cleveland and Milwaukee, but not much is known about the 30-year-old husband and father of four away from the diamond.  He’s a son who was able to forgive his late father’s unfortunate past and unexplained absence in order to cherish their final years while his dad battled HIV and terminal cancer.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel goes one-on-one with the Vallejo, Cal. native to find out more about this quiet family man and his voyage to the bright lights of the Big Apple.

            Producer:  Nick Dolin.

            *Back in the Game.  The Tampa Bay Devil Rays made Josh Hamilton the number-one overall pick in the 1999 MLB amateur draft, with the second-year expansion team expecting him to be their star of the future.  Although he received a $3.96 million signing bonus from the club, the outfielder never played a Major League game in a Tampa Bay uniform.  For six years Hamilton battled injuries and substance abuse, receiving a 2004 suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy that nearly derailed his career for good.  Despite the setbacks, he finally made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and has become one of baseball’s most feared sluggers in his three seasons with the Texas Rangers.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel revisits the three-time American League All-Star, who first talked to HBO in 2006, and reflects on his hard-fought journey to conquer his demons.

            Producers:  Zehra Mamdani, Mike Sullivan.

           

            REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 12 times in its 15 years, and is the first and only sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism by Columbia University.

            The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

I hope to get started on the megalinks soon. Things at work have prevented me from getting started on them.

NFL Network’s Announcing Teams Since 2006

Since NFL Network started airing live games in 2006, its broadcast booth has been a bastion of inconsistency. Since Bryant Gumbel left in 2007, there have been changes every year. Let’s take a look at the combinations.

2006 – Bryant Gumbel & Cris Collinsworth
2007 – Bryant Gumbel & Cris Collinsworth
2008 – Bob Papa & Cris Collinsworth
2009 – Bob Papa & Matt Millen
2010 – Bob Papa, Matt Millen & Joe Theismann

It would behoove NFL Network to keep the booth consistent for next season. Even if the Theismann move is unpopular, the changes make the booth look topsy-turvy.

Bryant Gumbel’s Commentary On Dean Smith

This was the commentary that Bryant Gumbel gave at the end of the last edition of Real Sports. As usual, it’s thought provoking. Bryant talks about wanting to do a story on former North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith and finding he has a neurological disorder.

This commentary gets an A.

The other segments on Real Sports, one on ALS gets an A, another on infamous White House Gate Crashers, the Salahis, a B and a revisit on the shooting of Robbie Tolan, another A.

Average grade, A.

Here’s a preview of this month’s edition if you didn’t see it.

Real Sports airs throughout the month on HBO.

The Ten Most Influential Sports Series on American Television

This is going to be a wide ranging post. Unlike the last post on Best Announcers of All-Time, I will explain my reasons for choosing them. It’s quite an interesting list.


10. The American Sportsman – ABC Sports (1965-1986)

Hosted by Curt Gowdy, the show started from a segment in ABC’s Wide World of Sports, a series that will be higher in this list. It gave viewers a look at hunting, fishing, gaming in the great outdoors and also showed animals in their natural habitat. Done on film, the beauty of the series brought viewers to exotic locations all over the United States. Celebrities often joined Curt having fun in the outdoors.

9. Inside the NFL – HBO/Showtime/NFL Films (1977-present) 

The show began in the infancy of the cable era and continues today. Originally started as a highlights show using NFL Films footage, Inside the NFL evolved to features, interviews and discussion. The show went from HBO to Showtime, but it’s influence on highlights remain today.

8. This Week in Baseball – MLB Productions (1977-1999 version)

We’re talking about the syndicated version and not the program that airs on Fox Sports before its MLB coverage on Saturday afternoons. Fed up of seeing TV stations air NFL Films syndicated programming, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered MLB Productions start a program of their own and This Week in Baseball was born. Before ESPN, it was the only way to see baseball highlights from outside the local market. Narrated by Mel Allen until his death in 1996 and canceled in 1999 until Fox brought it back in 2000 with the highlights drastically cut. In its heyday, TWIB was one of the most successful league-owned programs. And it also led MLB Productions to other programs including “The Baseball Bunch” which was geared towards children.


7. Hockey Night in Canada – CBC Sports (1952-present)

While not seen in the United States until the NHL Center Ice pay-per-view package and now aired on NHL Network, this series had a great impact on how hockey is aired in the United States. HNIC set the standard for television production of the NHL and play-by-play announcer Foster Hewitt proved that radio announcing would work in calling the sport on TV. The ratings of HNIC continue to dominate in Canada and the NHL’s US TV partners have to strive to equal or surpass CBC’s production.

6. SportsCenter – ESPN (1979-present)

When ESPN launched in 1979 in the little town of Bristol, CT, then-President Chet Simmons decided that a nightly show devoted to sports highlights would be the network’s signature show. SportsCenter was the first show aired on ESPN and since then, over 30,000 editions have been produced. The show has made sports highlights on newscasts obsolete. It brought Chris Berman, Tom Mees, Bob Ley, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Craig Kilborn, Linda Cohn, Robin Roberts and so many others into national prominence. While other networks have tried to imitate the formula, SportsCenter has beaten back its competitors to the point where it’s expanded into a second ESPN channel.

5. Real Sports – HBO Sports

The sports version of 60 Minutes, Real Sports did not bring serious journalism into television sports, but it has moved the mountain to the point where it was once the only game in town. Now ESPN has its own sports journalism magazine, E:60 and also has a daily show, Outside The Lines. But neither program would be alive were it not for Real Sports. Hosted by Bryant Gumbel since its inception in 1995, the show has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Journalism. Its reporters are among the best in the business and continue to bring stories to the forefront. Gumbel has said he may be long to host the show, Real Sports is expected to continue for years to come.

4. The NFL Today – CBS Sports (1974-1994, 1998-present)

While CBS tinkered with a pregame show dating back to the early 1960′s, the origin of the NFL Today and other shows that have followed on NBC, ESPN, Fox and CBS again, can date back to 1974 when the Tiffany Network began a live show with co-hosts with reports from game sites. In 1975, the format we have come to know with a host, analyst and a reporter began with Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross and then prognosticator Jimmy The Greek who joined in 1976. NBC followed with its own show, Grandstand in 1975, then NFL ’77. But it was always following CBS’ lead and ratings. Until CBS lost the NFC package in 1994, the NFL Today constantly slaughtered NBC’s pregame show in the ratings. CBS also created the live halftime and postgame show with highlights and updates. fans knew that the NFL Today was the show to watch. And while Fox updated the format in 1994, networks have to tip their hat to the NFL Today.

3. Major League Baseball Game of the Week – ABC Sports/CBS Sports/NBC Sports (1953 – 1989)

Started by ABC, then bought by CBS and finally wrested away by NBC, this was one of the first regular sports series to air on network television. Until the series’ demise in 1989 when Major League Baseball inexplicably killed the series in a money grab with CBS, this was the only way for fans to see teams outside of their local markets. In addition, it was a big deal when the networks came into town to televise a game to a national audience. Called by great broadcasters such as Jack Buck, Dizzy Dean, Curt Gowdy, Joe Garagiola, Bob Costas and Vin Scully, the Game of the Week was a fixture every Saturday afternoon. Fox has its own version, but with cable showing so many games during the week, it’s only natural that Fox’s ratings have gone down. But old school fans yearn for the days when the Game of the Week was the only game in town.

2. Monday Night Football – ABC Sports/ESPN (1970-present)

It’s now hard to believe that there were some television executives who felt that primetime football would not work. Now, there are three NFL primetime packages and there’s primetime college football as well. MNF proved that not only could football work in primetime, but big ticket sporting events as well. Before cable, a Monday Night Football game was a huge event. The ABC Sports team of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith was treated like rock stars. And with the Halftime Highlights narrated by Cosell, its was the way to see the other games played from the weekend. The series on ABC continued to have a big game feel with Al Michaels, Gifford and Dan Dierdorf, but lost some appeal when ESPN began to tinker with the announcing teams and the production in the late 1990′s, and in the first two years when MNF moved to cable. However, MNF appeared to have regained some stability when Jon Gruden joined Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski last season. MNF may have lost the spotlight with NBC taking over Sunday Night Football, but games on Monday Night continue to have some luster.

1. Wide World of Sports – ABC Sports (1961-1998)

The show that brought us events like cliff diving, barrel jumping, Evel Knievel jumping over buses also gave America its first look at Wimbledon, Muhammed Ali, the ACC Tournament, gymnastics, figure skating, the Little League World Series, and the Indianapolis and Daytona 500. Through it all, Jim McKay was our teacher and host. Executive Producer Roone Arledge spanned the globe to find sports to televise and gave us Up Close and Personal profiles of athletes we may not have wanted to know, but found ourselves caring about by the end. And the way ABC shot sports, it set the standard for how NASCAR, the Olympics and other sports are produced. In its prime in the 1970′s, ABC aired Wide World on both Saturdays and Sundays, killing the NBA on CBS and the NHL on NBC. The series forced CBS and NBC to air similar shows, but Wide World was still the original sports anthology show and the best. Unfortunately, the show was killed in 1998. ESPN Classic has aired various Wide World events over the years, but not in the program’s original format.

Those are my choices for Most Influential Sports Series. What are yours?

Bryant Gumbel Bids Farewell … To Shaq … Maybe

This is Bryant Gumbel’s final commentary on tonight’s Real Sports on HBO.

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL EPISODE #158 AIRS TONIGHT (5/18) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT, 9:00 PM CT

“Finally tonight a few words about Shaquille O’Neal. When the Cleveland Cavaliers got bounced from the NBA playoffs last week, so much attention was focused on the future of LeBron James that few stopped to consider that the game may have also marked the last in the career of Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal says he’d like to keep playing, but in light of his age and seriously diminished effectiveness, there figure to be few takers…and that’s unfortunate because for 19 seasons O’Neal has been an enormously engaging presence in a league sadly lacking in charisma. Petty and petulant at times, O’Neal has also been in every way, personable and professional.

Although he’d no doubt argue the point, the truth is Shaq will never rank among the game’s most elite centers. His four championships pale in comparison to Bill Russell’s 11. His scoring marks are a far cry from those posted by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And his dominance never even approached that of Wilt Chamberlain. Still, Shaq’s headed for his sport’s hall of fame with a ton of money in tow and his good name to boot…and in light of the times, that’s no small achievement.

In our YouTube, TMZ, gotcha world it’s hard for athletes to hide…especially one who’s been as big in every way as Shaq has been…and yet there’s no evidence to suggest that Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal has ever been anything other than an exemplary citizen. That’s why I thought it a shame last week that while everyone was gawking at the latest star to be at center stage, a bigger man was quietly slipping out the side door for perhaps the last time. If it was his farewell, he deserves more applause than he got.”

I’m out right now. I’ll be back later.

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