Fang's Bites

ESPN To Mark The 40th Anniversary of Title IX with “The Power of IX”

Starting this month and running through June, ESPN will mark the 40th anniversary of the landmark Title IX law that gave women equal opportunity in college sports. When the legislation was introduced in Congress, sports was hardly mentioned, but when the bill became law in 1972, colleges applied it to athletic programs and 40 years later, the impact on women’s sports has been enormous.

ESPN will mark the anniversary with “The Power of IX”, a company-wide initiative to show the influence of Title IX throughout the last 40 years. There will be nine ESPN Films documentaries that will be produced with Title IX as the theme. espnW, the site devoted to women will kick off the initiative on March 26 with a Title IX microsite. ESPN the Magazine will have articles pertaining to the 40th anniversary and there will be other content that will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

Here’s the ESPN announcement.

ESPN to Spotlight 40th Anniversary of Title IX with Multiple Initiatives

That will do it.

It’s a Mid-Week Link Thing!

It’s Wednesday already? Goodness. Seemed like I was at the Rhode Island Convention Center just this week for an all-day seminar. Oh wait! I was. Anyway, let’s get to your linkage.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today feels that ESPN should pull Hank Williams, Jr. from Monday Night Football pronto.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that Williams gave ESPN one huge headache right from the start.

Brian Lowry from Fox Sports writes that the Hank Williams, Jr. mess shows that ESPN can’t handle controversy.

The great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has his Media Power List for October. A good list it is.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter writes that NBC Sports Group is now going all in on hockey as its new 10 year contract with the NHL begins on Thursday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says TBS is pulling a ratings rally as the MLB Postseason kicks into high gear.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has pictures of some of the female athletes who posed nude for ESPN The Magazine’s Body issue.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has a picture of curmudgeon Woody Paige as a young writer in the mid-1970′s.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the name of Michael Rubin should become familiar with sports fans very soon.

Darren mentions that Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers’ jersey is a high seller while Tim Tebow’s sales are crashing.

Comcast SportsNet New England’s Sean McAdam breaks the news that former Red Sox manager Terry Francona will be a guest analyst for Fox on the American League Championship Series.

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn writes that 98.5 The Sports Hub won the local sports radio wars in the latest ratings book.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with TBS analyst John Smoltz who has been hitting out of the park with his work on the Tigers-Yankees series.

Neil notes that ESPN’s E:60 is celebrating a milestone tonight.

And Neil says the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols isn’t a fan of the Yankees playing in primetime.

James C. McKinley, Jr. and Richard Sandomir of the New York Times report that Madonna is being considered as the halftime act for Super Bowl XLVI on NBC. Holiday! Celebrate!

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that the local AHL team will be carried on the ESPN Radio affiliate.

Ken reports that Versus aka NBC Sports Network will be airing Notre Dame hockey games this season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union is not a fan of TBS covering the League Division Series.

Pete has the college football TV schedule for this weekend.

Pete notes that this is the first NFL week with the dreaded “byes” in effect.

Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom asks if freedom of speech even exists in sports.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that Tony Kornheiser for the most part hates his radio station’s podcast policy. Don’t ever change, Mr. Tony.

Dan finds a 1997 magazine cover of two iconic DC sportscasters.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the newest addition to the Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic staff.

Jim notes that the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals rank among the bottom of the local MLB TV ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has the local weekend ratings.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a Wisconsin alum has been named as an executive with NBC Sports.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business says Big Ten Network would like to be known as something else.

Scott Dochterman of the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette previews NFL Network’s documentary on Kurt Warner.

Tom Hoffarth has some quotes from the NHL on NBC/Versus talking what else? The NHL!

Tom says Stephen Colbert had the right idea on the ESPN/Hank Williams, Jr. controversy.

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about a local sports radio host who has just gone public with his Parkinson’s Disease after keeping it quiet from family and friends for almost 10 years.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that CBC will have a lot of Winnipeg Jets games this season.

Sports Media Watch says the WNBA Finals saw a ratings uptick on ESPN2.

Craig Calcaterra of NBC’s Hardball Talk links to a video from Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina showing WFAN’s Mike Francesa having no clue about a Detroit Tigers pitcher.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth feels many reporters failed to get the job done as the Terry Francona story developed on Friday.

And I’m going to end it there today.

A Pre-Hurricane Friday Megalinks Edition

As the Northeast battens down the hatches for the impending hit of Hurricane Irene this weekend and it’s not a matter of if it’s coming, but when, I’ll probably won’t be blogging much over the next few days. I’ll do my best as long as I have power, but disaster preparation will be high on the priorities the next two days.

For those of you looking for a diversion from Hurricane Irene coverage either on the Weather Channel or local news, I do have the sports and entertainment listings in the Weekend Viewing Picks. If you’re in the projected path or far from it, this will help you find the program you’re looking for.

Let’s get to the links.

National

Bob Velin of USA Today says Floyd “Money” Mayweather is ready for his HBO close-up again as he takes part in another edition of 24/7.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy says ESPN golf analyst Paul Azinger took a jab at President Obama for playing golf on his vacation while people are out of work.

Mike McCarthy and Michael Hiestand debate the validity of the Longhorn Network.

Sean Gregory of Time says ESPN The Magazine’s story making Michael Vick a white man was wrong on several accounts.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic has secured the rights to ACC sports including football and basketball.

Multichannel News says soccer-centric Gol TV will air the start of Spain’s La Liga following the resolution of a player’s strike this week.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that MSG Varsity will produce local editions of its High School SportsDesk program.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid reports that sports media site SportsNewser will be closing up shop at the end of this month. Sad to see. The site was a very good resource for Fang’s Bites. Marcus Vanderberg and Cam Martin from SportsNewser have become good friends and I hope they land on their feet soon.

Wayne Friedman at MediaPost says the New York Jets have become an innovator in their use of social media.

Joe Favorito looks at how sports marketing powerhouse IMG redefined itself into a marketer for college sports.

John Daly in his Daly Planet blog says Hurricane Irene coverage on several local ABC stations may put a crimp for fans who want to watch NASCAR on Saturday.

EPL Talk reports that Fox will air some English Premier League matches including the Chelsea-Manchester United rivalry game live on Super Bowl Sunday.

Sports Business Daily looks at the probability of EPL games airing on Fox.

The Big Lead takes a look at ESPN’s plans for its annual all-day and all-night College Basketball Marathon coming in November.

Brady Green at Awful Announcing notes that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis did a stab at play-by-play in last night’s game against the DC NFL team.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe notes that fantasy sports can no longer be ignored by the mainstream media and he adds that Friend of Fang’s Bites Jen Royle is a candidate to fill one of three potential vacancies at NESN.

At SBNation Boston, Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch wonders which reporter is apologizing for Patriots defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Entourage tapped New York Giants owner Steve Tisch for an appearance on the HBO show.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is back from a brief vacation to hate everything in his path.

Justin Terranova of the Post speaks with CBS’ Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason on what they expect from New York’s NFL quarterbacks this season.

Justin has five questions for ESPN2 tennis analyst Brad Gilbert on the U.S. Open.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says due to Hurricane Irene, the Jets and Giants have moved the starting time of their NFL exhibition game to Saturday afternoon.

Pete says Marv Albert is happy to be calling NFL games on television once again.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette says Capital Region fans will have two opportunities to see the Jets-Giants on Saturday.

Ken talks with Versus horse racing host Laffit Pincay, Jr.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes about a former area high school athlete who’s doing overnight updates for WFAN in New York.

Richard Rys of Philadelphia Magazine blasts ESPN for airing every game ofthe Little League World Series.

Childs Walker, Jeff Zrebiec and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun says Mike Flanagan’s friends including MASN’s Gary Thorne are still coming to grips with his death.

David Zurawik of the Sun writes that WBAL-TV is standing by its report as to why Flanagan took his own life.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that an original Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic personality said goodbye last night.

Dan has the debut Geico spot featuring DC NFL Team linebacker Brian Orakpo.

Dan says last night’s Washington-Baltimore NFL preseason game set a ratings record in the nation’s capital.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will split its feed to air pregame shows of both the Baltimore Ravens and DC NFL Team during weeks when they’re programmed simultaneously.

South

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that while Verizon FiOS signed to carry the Longhorn Network, it won’t have tonight’s launch on its system.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says the Longhorn Network is having less than an auspicious launch.

David says despite the low viewership numbers at the start, the Longhorn Network’s staff remains upbeat about its future.

Gary Dinges of the Austin American-Statesman says most Texas fans will probably miss tonight’s Longhorn Network launch barring some miracle cable and satellite pickups.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman also writes about the Longhorn Network’s launch.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Time Warner Cable will air a slate of high school football games this fall.

Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star notes that ESPN is in town to air a couple of high school football games this weekend.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says NBC is going all out for the NFL regular season opener between the Saints and the Packers.

Ed Sherman has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Paul Christan at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says don’t confuse NFL Network with DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package.

Paul says the Minnesota Vikings without Brett Favre this season won’t be primetime darlings this season.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says don’t confuse BYUtv with the Longhorn Network.

John Maffei of the North County Times says if the NFL wants a Los Angeles franchise, it shouldn’t poach the Chargers.

T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times tells fans to stay home and watch the games on TV.

T.J. can’t believe the Dodgers are asking fans to evaluate Vin Scully’s performance as a broadcaster.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Fox Sports West will air one high school football game a week and stream a whole host of them online.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says buyer beware when it comes to Twitter.

That will do it for today. Be safe wherever you are this weekend.

A Wednesday Link Thing

Let’s do some linkage on this Wednesday. Trying to do this early instead of late.

Starting with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who tells us what ESPN has promoted Trent Dilfer among its NFL analysts and dropped Matt Millen although he remains on its college football coverage.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser is as confused as I am as to why and how Time magazine named the Bleacher Report as one of its top 50 websites of the year. This is not just sports, but every single website.

Marcus Vanderberg at Media Bistro speaks with former ESPN’er Josh Elliot about his current gig at Good Morning America.

Timothy Burke of SportsGrid has the video of ESPN’s Erin Andrews playing with puppies while guest-hosting on Regis & Kelly today.

David F. Carr of Information Week explains how Comcast SportsNet uses social media to its advantage.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that ESPN is placing two channels on Hong Kong’s Internet TV provider.

Andrea Morabito of Broadcasting & Cable says Showtime is picking up two more episodes of its MLB reality series, “The Franchise” as the San Francisco Giants’ season is hanging in the balance.

At the Sports PR Blog, Michael Speciale says the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speeches by Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders all had a common thread.

Rip Empson at TechCrunch notes that ESPN has a new company that’s managing its online video streams.

Domenic Poli of the Brattleboro (VT) Reformer says the late Atlanta Braves announcer Ernie Johnson, Sr. never forgot his Vermont roots.

In Press Box, DCRTV’s Dave Hughes writes about Brett Haber leaving WUSA-TV in Washington, DC.

Ileana Limón at the Orlando Sentinel writes that Conference USA and ESPN have settled the network’s lawsuit against the league after it said CUSA had breached its contract by signing a new rights deal with Fox Sports.

Brad Zimanek of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser says televising the local LPGA event live on Golf Channel this year will add a new element to this year’s tournament.

The Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader says Kentucky will be heavily featured on ESPN’s Super Tuesday SEC basketball schedule.

Kirk Bohls at the Austin American-Statesman says splitting up Texas and Texas A&M would be bad for college football, fans and TV.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Bengals preseason opener did well in the local ratings.

Steve Walentik of the Columbia (MO) Tribune wants to know why ESPN didn’t see something wrong with the Longhorn Network ahead of time?

Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star looks at Kansas State’s plans to start its own online TV network.

Austin Meek of the Topeka (KS) Capital-Journal says the launch of K-StateHD.TV was planned long before the latest Big 12 crisis.

The San Francisco Business Times reports that the America’s Cup has signed a deal with Versus.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail takes a shot at crosstown rival the Toronto Star for a misquote in an obituary for Winnipeg Jets center Rick Rypien who died Monday.

Speaking of the Star, Raju Mudhar speaks with the editor of ESPN The Magazine about the reaction to its story on the Toronto Blue Jays allegedly stealing signs.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has a guest column from Mark Milner of North of the 400 who wonders what’s going on with TSN Radio.

The Brothers Yoder at Awful Announcing go over Yahoo! Sports’ extensive investigation into the University of Miami’s football program that could lead to its very hard downfall.

The Football Girl speaks with ESPN’s new coordinating producer for Sunday NFL Countdown.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media wonders if the Stanley Cup Final rematch between Boston and Vancouver is going to be a lead-in for NBC’s NFL Wild Card Saturday playoff doubleheader.

And that’s going to do it for today.

Fresh Tuesday Linkage

Been working on a specification that’s taking way to long to finish, so I’m doing linkage while I can.

We’ll begin with the ESPN Poynter Institute Review blog which takes ESPN.com to task for not vetting a post that was done on Alabama football player Aaron Douglas just a couple of hours after his death.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says the appearance of Oklahoma City in the NBA Western Conference Finals may hurt ESPN’s postseason ratings.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today has ESPN’s Executive Vice President John Skipper denying the network has a “frat-boy” culture.

Tom Lowry of Variety says ESPN is telling advertisers not to give up on an NFL season just yet.

Jon Lafayette in Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN pulled out all the stops during today’s upfronts.

Michael Learmont of Advertising Age says digital properties are hoping to get a piece of the advertising pie if the NFL lockout spreads into the fall.

Also from Ad Age, Nat Ives writes that a lifestyle magazine that was to be devoted to the Miami Heat bombed after one issue.

Georg Szalai at the Hollywood Reporter looks at ESPN2′s fall afternoon lineup.

Lucia Moses of Adweek explains why ESPN The Magazine became a “one night only” play.

Bill Cromwell at Media Life Magazine touches on the record ratings for TNT’s Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

Ryan Berenz of Channel Guide speaks with James Andrew Miller, the co-author of “Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World of ESPN”.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser links to audio of legendary Cincinnati Reds Marty Brennaman taking shots at St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter. Marty has never been shy about expressing his opinions and also took shots at Chicago Cubs fans back in 2008.

Ken Kershbaumer from Sports Video Group writes about ESPN’s efforts to go split screen during NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

Newsday’s Neil Best says MLB’s TV partners were mostly on top of the Jorge Posada story over the weekend during the Red Sox-Yankees series.

Stuart Elliot of the New York Times recaps ESPN’s upfront presentation.

At the Schenectady Gazette, Ken Schott has a look at ESPN’s new policy to go split screen during ad breaks of NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase races.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg in the DC Sports Bog has Sports Illustrated’s Peter King explaining how he got caught with his proverbial pants down when he quoted from a radio interview that never took place.

To the Washington Examiner and Jim Williams who writes about TNT’s record NBA ratings.

Dustin Long at the Virginian-Pilot talks about Fox’s decision to go split screen on Sunday during the NASCAR race at Dover.

Mike London at the Salisbury (NC) Post writes about ESPN’s Mike Tirico as he was honored last night by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Doug Demmons of the Birmingham (AL) News writes about ESPN going split screen during the last half of its NASCAR schedule.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has NBA television analysts talking about Derrick Rose becoming the youngest MVP ever.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business feels America loves to watch a villain.

Phil Rosenthal in the Chicago Tribune writes that Heat-Bulls, Game 1 was a huge draw both nationally and locally.

Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star says thanks to the Big 12′s deal with Fox, Kansas State is allowing its athletics department to go alone and not be funded by the state.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times looks at ESPN’s NFL plans and its aggressive bid for the Olympics.

Jim Morris of the Canadian Press profiles the Green Men of Vancouver who started out as a joke and have become an international hockey sensation.

Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN is moving “Jim Rome is Burning” to ESPN2 in the fall.

SMW also has some various ratings news and notes.

Matt Sarzyniak in Matt’s College Sports Media blog explores what could happen with the upcoming TV negotiations for the Big East.

In Puck The Media, Steve Lepore says the ratings for the opening of both NHL Conference Finals were down from last year, but with good reason.

Joe Favorito looks at how the Jorge Posada story became a story and how the media covered it.

That will do it for today.

To The Wednesday Links!

Doing the linkage now after being all over the place this morning and tomorrow will be much worse as I’ll be out of the office for most of the day so don’t expect too many posts on Thursday. But before that, I can provide the linkage for today.

We’ll begin with Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand who tweets that Fox and the Big 12 Conference are expected to officially announce a long term rights deal today.

There’s plenty of outrage over a column written by Pittsburgh sports personality John Steigerwald in the Washington (PA) Observer Reporter, about the San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten into a coma by two Los Angeles gang members outside Dodger Stadium. Steigerwald said by wearing a Giants uniform into an opposing team’s stadium, 42 year old fan Bryan Stow was basically asking to get beaten up. I can link you to plenty of blogs and articles calling out Steigerwald from here to eternity. I was also outraged on Twitter yesterday. Yeah, the guy feels it’s not smart for a fan of a visiting team and a grown man to wear a baseball uniform, o.k., that’s understandable, but to say that Stow was asking for a beating is horrific.

To begin with, Steigerwald originally spelled the victim’s name wrong as Snow, not Stow and the headline originally had “Outgrow” instead of “Outgrown”, but that was not Steigerwald’s fault, but it only compounded the error and hate-filled column. And as outrage grew, the  Again, I can link you to plenty of articles, but I’ll just do a couple here.

First, Art Spander at Real Clear Sports, a former San Francisco newspaperman and an outstanding one at that, has his response to Steigerwald.

Jerrod Morris of Midwest Sports Fans has a very good post on Steigerwald’s column.

At his own blog, Steigerwald attempts to defend his writing.

Again, plenty of reaction to Steigerwald. I don’t think the uproar is going to be dying down anytime soon.

The Big Lead breaks news on Josh Elliot’s replacement at ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Deadspin has apparently found the reason why former 49ers radio analyst Gary Plummer was fired from his job. Over a sexually charged podcast that had nothing to do with football, no less.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says a group of sports television analysts have formed their own business group and will take part in an online webcast previewing the NFL Draft.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch notes that ESPN is simplifying its NFL Draft coverage.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says some insurance salesmen are angry at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s throwaway line in ESPN’s “The Brady 6″ documentary.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says golf and the NBA are particularly awash in foreign players.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News discusses ESPN’s big ratings for Sunday Night Baseball.

Mike Shields at Adweek says MSG Network will unveil a companion website for the New York Knicks run through the NBA Playoffs.

Louisa Ada Seltzer of Media Life says while the NHL Playoffs begin tonight, media watchers are keeping a close eye on who wins the league’s US TV contract.

Alex Weprin of SportsNewser notes that during its upfront presentation, truTV announced that it will keep up with its sports programming in the fall.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue model Kate Upton.

Tom Rotunno of CNBC notes that LeBron James has reclaimed the top spot in NBA jersey sales.

The Business Insider’s Sports Page notes that the new Editor-in-Chief of ESPN The Magazine might have been recruiting some new staffers via Twitter.

The always lovely Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says sports topped the ratings in the Hub on Sunday.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union advises ESPN to put Baseball Tonight back in the studio on Sunday nights.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record talks with the radio host of Army football about the late football coach Homer Smith.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says it appears Capitals/Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is at war with the local ESPN Radio affiliate, owned by DC NFL Team owner Dan Snyder.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that it will be technical city galore at the Phone Booth in DC as four different networks will be at Verizon Center for the Capitals-New York Rangers NHL series.

Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News talks about the Big 12 TV deal.

Rich Heldenfels of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about tonight being Joe Tait’s last game as Voice of the Cleveland Cavs.

Mike Popovich of the Canton Repository speaks with several broadcasters on their memories of Joe Tait.

The Ohio Media Watch also looks at Tait’s last call as Cavs voice tonight.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says one Packers preseason game has been selected for national viewing in August.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the Blackhawks need to some playoff success this season to build on last year’s championship.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune notes the new Editor-in-Chief of ESPN The Magazine is a Chicagoland native.

Blair Kerkhoff from the Kansas City Star says details have begun to leak out about the Fox/Big 12 TV deal.

Greg Braxton of the Los Angeles Times says CBS did not announce any alternative plans for two NFL preseason games in case of a lockout. It should be noted that ESPN and NBC did not either.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News says USC and Fox are trying to work out a deal on the school’s multimedia rights.

Daniel Brown from the San Jose Mercury News talks with former 49ers radio analyst Gary Plummer on why he thinks he lost his job.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail wants CBC’s Don Cherry to stick to the basics during the NHL Playoffs. Whatever, Bruce.

The Toronto Sports Media Blog says TSN Radio launched today.

Sports Media Watch notes that the NBA on TNT’s ratings remain strong.

The always hustling Steve Lepore at Puck The Media speaks with NHL Network Executive Producer Mark Preisler about the channel’s presentation of the game.

The Big Lead talks with ESPN’s NHL analyst Matthew Baranaby. That lucky dog, Barnaby.

Awful Announcing has part two of its interview with the great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated. In case you missed it, part one has plenty of good stuff too.

And that’s where we’ll leave things today.

ESPN The Magazine Announces Transition To Bristol Headquarters

After being based in New York since its inception, ESPN The Magazine is moving to the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT and is also bringing in a new Editor-in-Chief. Replacing Gary Belsky who has been in charge for the last four years will be Chad Millman, currently a senior deputy editor. And the move from New York to Bristol should be completed by this summer. We have the details of both moves in the following press release.

ESPN The Magazine Announces Transition Plan for New Editor-in-Chief

Chad Millman to become new EIC beginning June 15; Gary Belsky to assist with transition and remain with the magazine as editor-at-large through January 2012

ESPN Publishing General Manager and Editorial Director Gary Hoenig announced today that Chad Millman, currently a senior deputy editor for ESPN The Magazine, will become the magazine’s new editor-in-chief effective June 15, in conjunction with the impending relocation of the magazine’s editorial operations from New York City to the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn. this summer.

Gary Belsky, the magazine’s editor-in-chief for the past four years, will remain with the magazine as editor-at-large through January 2012, and will assist Millman during the transition period.

“Gary has been a tremendous steward for the magazine,” said Hoenig. “He has expertly managed the magazine’s transformation to single-topic, deep-dive editorial for each issue, and has successfully  challenged the staff to continually raise the level of journalistic excellence not only in the feature well, but in every section of the book, as evidenced by our three National Magazine Award nominations in the past two years.

“As we prepare for our move to Bristol, Gary’s preference was to remain primarily in New York, which we understand and appreciate. We’re fortunate to have a wonderfully talented successor already on our roster with Chad Millman, whose unique editorial vision and unparalleled knowledge of the sporting landscape we’re confident will give us a new energy and continue to make the magazine a must-read for sports fans. We appreciate their desire to work together in making this transition as seamless as possible.”

Millman, 40, began with ESPN The Magazine as an associate editor during its inaugural year in 1998. In addition to his work with the magazine, he has also written or co-authored seven books, including two New York Times bestsellers (Iceman: My Fighting Life with Chuck Lidell, and They Call Me Baba Booey) as well as two national best-sellers (The Odds, as well as The Ones Who Hit The Hardest, with Shawn Coyne). He also created the gambling beat for ESPN and will continue his weekly podcasts and columns and to make regular TV appearances about the culture of sports betting.

“I’ve been lucky to spend most of my professional career at The Magazine, learning from fantastic editors in John Papanek, Gary Hoenig and Gary Belsky,” said Millman. “They established a legacy of excellence that I’m hoping not to screw up.

“What I’ve loved most about being at ESPN is the abundance of opportunity that comes from working here. Any story we dream up in The Mag lives beyond our pages, and the move to Bristol will only strengthen the relationships we’ve built with our content partners throughout the Worldwide Leader.”

A native of Highland Park, Ill, he is a 1993 graduate of Indiana University.

More stuff coming up throughout the day. Keep your feeds updated.