Fang's Bites

MLB Network Receives 8 Sports Emmy Award Nominations

Receiving the first of the Sports Emmy Awards nominations press releases. MLB Network celebrates eight nods including two for Bob Costas (Outstanding Studio Host and Outstanding Play-by-Play), two for MLB Tonight (including Outstanding Daily Studio Show), one for Harold Reynolds (Outstanding Studio Analyst) and another Studio 42 with Bob Costas. So the MLB Network has its share of Emmy nominations. Let’s check out the press release from the fine people at MLB Network.

MLB NETWORK RECEIVES EIGHT SPORTS EMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

MLB Tonight Receives Two Nominations, Including Outstanding Daily Studio Show
Harold Reynolds Nominated for Outstanding Studio Analyst
20-Time Emmy Award Winner Bob Costas Nominated For Outstanding Sports Play-By-Play Personality and Outstanding Studio Host

Secaucus, N.J., March 22, 2011 – MLB Network has earned eight Sports Emmy Award nominations, as announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. MLB Tonight, MLB Network’s signature nightly studio show, garnered two nominations including Outstanding Daily Studio Show and Outstanding Technical Team Studio.

Harold Reynolds earned a Sports Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Analyst category. Bob Costas, winner of 20 Emmy Awards, earned nominations for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-By-Play for his work on MLB Network and once again earned a nomination for Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Host for his work with both MLB Network and NBC. MLB Network’s Studio 42 with Bob Costas also garnered a nomination in the category of Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly.

MLB Network’s Ballpark Cam received a nomination for the prestigious The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award. Featured throughout MLB Network’s programming lineup, Ballpark Cam is a series of more than 50 robotic cameras placed throughout ballparks across the league and controlled by operators at MLB Network’s headquarters in Secaucus, N.J.

“We are honored to receive eight Sports Emmy Award nominations in our second year,” said Tony Petitti, MLB Network President and CEO. “We appreciate the recognition that our production team and on-air talent have received as we continue to work toward our goal of providing the most comprehensive baseball coverage to fans across the country.”

The 32^nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards will be presented on Monday, May 2 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Below is a list of the MLB Network Nominations:

Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly: MLB Network’s Studio 42 with Bob Costas

Outstanding Studio Show – Daily: MLB Tonight

Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Host: Bob Costas (MLB Network/NBC)

Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play: Bob Costas

Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Analyst: Harold Reynolds

Outstanding Technical Team Studio: MLB Tonight

Outstanding Graphic Design: MLB Network Studio Graphics

The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award: Ballpark Cam

That will do it. One more release from the networks coming up.

Attempting The Friday Night Megalinks

I’m going to try to finish off the megalinks tonight while watching the NCAA Tournament. This is not guaranteed to work, but I’ll do my best.

The Weekend Viewing Picks have everything you need for your TV planning.

Let’s get to your links.

National

USA Today’s Dueling Mikes return, Michael Hiestand and Mike McCarthy argue whether a player-less NFL Draft would make for good television.

Mike McCarthy notes the ratings for the first real day of NCAA Tournament action on the networks of CBS/Turner.

Mike says CBS broke into the NCAA Tournament to air the President Obama statement on Libya today.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch says CBS/Turner will likely change Charles Barkley’s role for next year’s NCAA Tournament.

The St. Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans, writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, says the March Madness on Demand app is not without its glitches.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter notes that Damon Wayans will play the lead character in a sitcom based on ESPN Radio hack Colon Cowherd.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS local affiliates are sad they can’t air schools from their local markets, but they understand the new TV landscape.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes the increase of visitors to the NCAA’s March Madness on Demand platforms this year.

Mike also looks at the increased ratings for the opening day of the NCAA Tournament, their highest in 20 years.

Alex Frutkin of Mediaweek says Speed has set its summer schedule in stone.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid notes that CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament sideline reporter Jaime Maggio has caught the eye of many viewers.

Dan has the great video of Gus Johnson’s call of the frantic ending of George Mason-Villanova. Great call from Gus.

Matthew DeGeorge of SportsGrid says a San Diego sports anchor almost got run over during a live shot in Arizona.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser talks with MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds.

Marcus says an MMA blog has been banned from an upcoming UFC event for leaking photos of a Playboy photo shoot of ring girl, Arianny Celeste.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes that Gus Johnson has trademarked his own catchphrase.

Darren questions the annual story that the NCAA Tournament hurts work productivity.

Puck The Media’s Steve Lepore isn’t too happy about NBC’s NHL decisions.

Gossip Sports lists the Top 10 Gus Johnson moments in college basketball. These are totally great moments.

Jim Weber of Lost Letterman explains why despite Gus Johnson’s popularity, he won’t call the Final Four as long as Jim Nantz is at CBS Sports.

The Sports Media Watch says the MLS season opener did quite well for ESPN.

SMW says ESPN received record ratings for Championship Week.

And SMW notes that ESPN had a very good week for the NBA.

Ken Kerschbaumer from Sports Video Group says ESPN’s E:60 will produce 3-D features for the ESPN 3D audience which totals about 25.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn celebrates 30 seasons of Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn as TV voices of the Celtics.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks about a Brave New World for airing the NCAA Tournament.

Newsday’s Neil Best discusses how this year’s CBS control room was more relaxed for the NCAA Tournament as compared to past years.

Neil says a YES analyst is expected to return this season after a year’s absence.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is wary of athlete apologies.

The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for ESPN NBA analyst Jon Barry.

From Fishbowl NY, Jerry Barmash reports that long time WCBS-AM Sports Director Jared Max is leaving the station.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says a local radio has the NCAA Tournament covered.

Pete looks at the combined ratings for CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV on the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

Pete asks why not have a Red Zone Channel for the NCAA Tournament?

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog looks at Donovan McNabb working as a college basketball analyst.

Cindy Boren of the Post’s Early Lead says NFL Films President Steve Sabol will undergo surgery for a brain tumor. Let’s hope all goes well.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner takes a look at the American LeMans racing series airing races live on ESPN3.com, then having its races air in condensed format later.

South

To the Miami Herald and Barry Jackson who looks at the local sports radio scene.

The St. Petersburg Times’ Tom Jones talks with CBS’ Ian Eagle who has to really do his homework for the four games he called Thursday for the NCAA Tournament.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle writes that the staggered tip times have helped the early ratings of the NCAA Tournament on CBS/Turner.

David talks about how CBS/Turner handled the President Obama statement on Libya during its NCAA Tournament coverage.

Jenni Carlson of the Daily Oklahoman says the NCAA Tournament is tempting fans to stay home and watch the games instead of attending them in person.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer instructs readers how to find NCAA Tournament games on Saturday.

Michael Zuidema from the Grand Rapids (MI) Press looks at some of the sports media oddities to arise from this year’s college basketball postseason.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel loves the way CBS/Turner is handling the NCAA Tournament.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune says an ESPN Chicago host who was arrested on DUI charges has entered rehab.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch likes the CBS/Turner collaboration on the NCAA Tournament.

Dan says former Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace has bought a piece of two local sports radio stations.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says CBS is big into BYU’s Jimmer Fredette.

And Scott says the Utah women will be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday.

John Maffei from the North County Times has San Diego Padres and San Diego State University basketball voice Ted Leitner amazed at the ride he’s been calling this season.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News talks with CBS/Turner’s Steve Kerr about working the NCAA Tournament.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders if TSN can make a dent in the local sports radio scene.

The Canadian Sports Media blog critiques TSN’s first year of handling the NCAA Tournament.

And we are done with the megalinks.

MLB Network To Review 2010

If you want to avoid the bowl games or if the NHL Winter Classic is in a weather delay which is highly possible, MLB Network gives you some counterprogramming with various season reviews such as a look at the American League, National League, pitching, the season awards and other shows. Bob Costas will be a big part of it along with insider Tom Verducci. Other MLB Network personnel to take part include host Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams.

Here’s the MLB Network announcement.

2010 MLB SEASON-IN-REVIEW SHOW FEATURED DURING MLB NETWORK’S NEW YEAR’S DAY PROGRAMMING

Prime 9 Marathon Begins December 31 at 11:00 p.m. ET

Secaucus, NJ, December 30, 2010 – As 2011 begins, MLB Network will recap the 2010 Major League Baseball season on New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET. MLB 2010: Year in Review will review the AL and NL regular seasons, the Postseason and World Series, as well as the 2010 MLB award winners and stat leaders. MLB Network’s Bob Costas and Tom Verducci will also provide analysis and commentary on the “Year of the Pitcher,” including the six no-hitters that were thrown and the emergence of Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg; the breakout rookie years of San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward; the retirements of 13-time All-Star Ken Griffey Jr. and World Champion managers Bobby Cox, Cito Gaston, Joe Torre and Lou Piniella; and the passing of Hall of Famers and baseball legends, including Bob Feller, Robin Roberts, George M. Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard. MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds, Mitch Williams and Matt Vasgersian will also reveal their “all MLB team,” selecting the top player at each position from the 2010 season.

Leading up to MLB 2010: Year in Review, MLB Network will air a marathon of MLB Productions’ Prime 9 beginning on Friday, December 31 at 11:00 p.m. ET through January 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET, ranking the all-time top nine in a variety of categories, including the best managers, bloopers, trades, centerfielders, and rotations.

And that will do it.

Your Back To Work Tuesday Links

It was a three day weekend for most of you. It wasn’t for me as I worked all three days, but you don’t want to hear my complaints, you want to see the linkage so I’ll do that. Plenty of stuff to get to.

Sean Leahy of USA Today surveys all 32 NFL teams and looks at the possibility of TV blackouts in each market for this season.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand notes that Versus will launch a new show starring Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.

Rick Kissell at Variety says it appears Monday’s Boise State-Virginia Tech did well for ESPN. 

At Sports Media Journal, Southeastern New England media mogul Keith Thibault announces a site hiatus. It also affects the Sports Media Weekly which Keith and I co-host. I’ll have an announcement on a new podcast coming up.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk discusses the looming local NFL blackouts this season.

Mike writes that NFL Network’s Rich Eisen has agreed to a new contract with the channel which is very good news. 

Jon Lafayette at Broadcasting & Cable says Big Ten Network is primed to have a successful season.

Over to Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News who looks at Versus premiering the new show with Ochocinco and T.O.

Mike says NFL Network is making its Thursday Night Football package into a three man booth.

I’ve written a post for Press Coverage on two sports media stories that broke over the holiday weekend.

Andrew Laughlin of Digital Spy UK says ESPN UK is getting ready to air Monday Night Football in England.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick gets on ESPN/ABC’s Matt Millen for not telling the whole story about Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

Newsday’s Bob Glauber looks at Dan Hampton’s apology after making light of Hurricane Katrina on Pro Football Weekly. 

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says he won’t be watching the new T.O./Ochocinco show.

Keith Groller in the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the radio voice of a local minor league baseball team has been very busy over the last three seasons. 

Washington Post Ombudsman Andrew Alexander weighs in for a second time on the Mike Wise suspension for posting a fake tweet.

The Post’s Dan Steinberg in the DC Sports Bog has DC NFL team coach Mike Shanahan lecturing the media.

Completing a WaPo trifecta, Sally Jenkins says the late Vince Lombardi lives on through books, movies and a new Broadway play.

Vito Stellino of the St. Augustine (FL) Record says this Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Denver Broncos will be sold out and avoid a local TV blackout (scroll down). Thanks to J.P. Kirby at the506.com for the link.

Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times says a blackout is a distinct possibility for Tampa Bay Buccaneers home opener against the Browns.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business has a Bears official responding to a negative Forbes article on the team.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times says while the NFL is enjoying higher TV ratings, it wants some of those fans to experience the games in person. 

In the Huffington Post, Brian Frederick of the Sports Fan Coalition says Comcast and Cablevision are screwing fans in Philadelphia and in New York.

Brady Green at Awful Announcing says ESPN’s Robert Flores made a “rippin’ and the tearin’” reference on SportsCenter. If you don’t know what that means, the post will on AA will explain. Oh, the humanity.

The Be Your Own Fan site gets a tour of the MLB Network facilities from Harold Reynolds.

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann writes in his MLB blog about how he came to dislike Buck Showalter’s intimidation methods.

We’ll end it there.

MLB Network’s Live Game Schedule For This Week

I’m amazed how quickly MLB Network can pick up games. In a snap of a finger, it can air a game and this week, MLB Network will carry five games including the Civil Rights Game in Cincinnati on Saturday. That game will be an MLB Network production featuring Matt Vasgersian, former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin and Harold Reynolds. Here’s the entire schedule for MLB Network this week.

MLB Network Live Game Schedule for May 12-15 Features Civil Rights Game with St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds on May 15

Secaucus, N.J., May 10, 2010 – MLB Network today announced its live game schedule for May 12-15, which includes its telecast of the Civil Rights Game featuring the NL Central first-place St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds on May 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET. MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds and Barry Larkin, the 12-time Reds All-Star, will call the game live from Great American Ballpark as part of the 2010 Civil Rights Game Weekend, a series of events developed to pay tribute to all of those who fought on and off the field for equal rights for all Americans. The game, which will be blacked out in the Cardinals’ home television market, will be available on MLB Network nationally, including in the Reds’ home television market.

The remainder of MLB Network’s live game schedule for the week includes two editions of MLB Matinee starting with the NL East first-place Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. ET and the New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers on Thursday, May 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Later that day, the New York Mets will face the Florida Marlins in an NL East matchup on Thursday Night Baseball at 7:00 p.m. ET. On Friday, May 14, MLB Network will air the Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers at 8:00 p.m. ET.

MLB Tonight, MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning signature nightly studio show, will air live at 6:00 p.m. ET on May 10-12, as well as before and after Thursday Night Baseball on May 13 and the Phillies at Brewers matchup on May 14. MLB Tonight airs every weeknight until the final MLB game of the night ends, featuring live look-ins of games in progress, updates, highlights, reporting and analysis.  

For May 12-14, game telecasts will be carriage of local telecasts, including local announcers, and games will be blacked out in each team’s home television territory. Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming.

MLB Network’s live game schedule for May 12-15, 2010 appears below.

MLB Network’s May 12-15 live game schedule:

Date               Time               Game

May 12         3:00 p.m.      Philadelphia at Colorado

May 13         1:00 p.m.      New York Yankees at Detroit

                      7:00 p.m.      New York Mets at Florida*

                      8:30 p.m.      Washington at Colorado (only in Mets & Marlins markets)

May 14         8:00 p.m.      Philadelphia at Milwaukee

                      7:00 p.m.      Boston at Detroit (only in Phillies & Brewers markets)  

May 15         7:00 p.m.      St. Louis at Cincinnati, Civil Rights Game – Matt Vasgersian, Barry Larkin & Harold Reynolds *

                   7:00 p.m.      New York Mets at Florida (only in Cardinals market)

* Indicates game produced by MLB Network

All times ET and subject to change, check MLBNetwork.com for updates

Unless otherwise announced, games will be blacked out in each club’s home television territory

One more press release post coming up.

1st Ever Fang’s Bites MLB TV Awards

With baseball ending its season with the World Series, it’s time to do the 1st Ever Fang’s Bites MLB TV Awards. This follows the 1st Ever Fang’s Bites Tennis TV Awards, the 1st Annual NHL TV Awards, the College Football TV Awards and the NFL TV Awards. I hope to do a College Basketball TV and Radio Awards down the line as well.

Let’s do this. Some of the choices may be obvious, others may not. Some may surprise you, others may not, but again, remember, this is just the Best and Worst, it’s not a competition, so please, no betting.

Starting with the top:

The Vin Scully Award for Best Play-by-Play: Named after the best play-by-play voice in baseball, bar none, this year’s award goes to Dan Shulman of ESPN and ESPN Radio. He’s no nonsense and really, one of the best multisport announcers as he also calls college basketball and the NBA quite well. Dan doesn’t yell, he doesn’t depend on catchphrases, he just does his job which is welcomed. He really should be ESPN’s number one announcer ahead of Jon Miller who seems to have slipped some this year.

Honorable Mention: Dave O’Brien, ESPN

Best Game Analyst: This is slim pickings as you have Tim McCarver, Joe Morgan, Rick Sutcliffe, Eric Karros and others as candidates. I’m going to choose Orel Hershiser of ESPN out of default. He doesn’t offend me as the other analysts and he does a pretty decent job. With Steve Phillips out of the picture at ESPN, I expect Orel to get more assignments whether on Monday Night or Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN.

Honorable Mentions: Ron Darling, TBS and Jim Kaat, MLB Network

Best Debut: With the advent of league-owned TV networks such as NFL Network, NBA TV and NHL Network, it was only a matter of time for Major League Baseball to start one of its own and finally on New Year’s Day, MLB Network debuted, although not as smoothly as hoped. But once it got the glitches out of its system, MLB Network made splashes through big hires, coverage of breaking stories, live game coverage, going head-to-head with ESPN, and using its power to pick up live games whenever possible. In just 10 short months, MLB Network has become the Network of Record for Major League Baseball coverage, wresting the title from ESPN. Whether it be its signature show, MLB Tonight or being able to do live cut-ins at a moment’s notice, MLB Network has become a welcome addition to baseball fans.

Best Studio Show: MLB Tonight. The show is able to do live extended cut-ins unlike its ESPN counterpart, Baseball Tonight. There are cases as during a no-hitter when ESPN can cut-in, but those are only in special circumstances. Plus, whether the show is hosted by Victor Rojas or Matt Vasgersian, it moves quite well, although being on the air live for 6 hours can sometimes lead to some unfortunate comments, but for the most part, MLB Tonight has risen to the occasion to become the best studio show.

Honorable Mention: Inside MLB, TBS

Best Studio Host: In the past, it was Karl Ravech of ESPN, but he’s been overtaken by Victor Rojas of MLB Network. Victor is the answer to a nice trivia question. Who was the first person to be seen when MLB Network debuted and that answer is Victor Rojas. The former radio announcer to the Texas Rangers joined MLB Network and made a very good transition to studio host. While Matt Vasgersian and Greg Amsinger do most of the hosting for MLB Tonight, Victor is the best host the network has and should have been given a bigger role for MLB Network’s World Series coverage. And not only is he an excellent host, he’s also one of the funnier people on Twitter so follow him and also read his blog at MLB.com.

Honorable Mention: Karl Ravech, ESPN and Ernie Johnson, TBS

Best Studio Analyst: This is a tie between Harold Reynolds and Mitch Williams of MLB Network. HR is a known commodity from his work at ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. But Mitch came over from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and he’s fast becoming a star as a regular on MLB Tonight. HR explains baseball very well and can spot trends. Mitch can give perspective as a pitcher and is very funny. His one liners can break up the studio at a moment’s notice. Both HR and Mitch should be paired together during the 10-midnight hours of MLB Tonight.

Honorable Mention: Al Leiter, MLB Network

Best Game Coverage: Say what you will about its announcing crews, MLB on Fox does a very good job in its production of the games. Director Bill Webb does do a lot of crowd cutaways, but he and producer Pete Macheska do a bang-up job in finding right facts, pictures and replays to cover the stories that pop up during the 9 innings of a game. Very impressed by their work.

Honorable Mention: Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN

Most Valuable Network: Yeah, MLB Network. Yes, ESPN has Sunday and Wednesday Night games. Fox has coverage of the All-Star Game, LCS and World Series. TBS has Sunday afternoon games on the entire LDS, but in just less than a full season, MLB Network has shown it can juggle programming, add games, use the vast MLB historical archive and develop programming that can rival or surpass any of the league-owned channels. Color me impressed with MLB Network.

Best Move: MLB Network hiring Bob Costas away from HBO Sports to do play-by-play of the sport he loves and to host a regular interview show. It was only natural that Costas join MLB Network. I remember asking an MLB spokesman last year if the network was going to hire Costas and telling him it would be a natural fit. Sure enough, Costas came on board in February this year and made an immediate impact on the Alex Rodriguez steroids story. Hopefully, Bob will call more than just five or six games for MLB Network next season.

Honorable Mention: Fox hires Ozzie Guillen for the World Series

Worst Play-by-Play: Earlier this week during the Sports Media Weekly podcast, Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner gave praise to Chip Caray of TBS for his work during the MLB Postseason. From what I can tell, Jim is the only sports media writer to give Chip some love. I cannot. While I won’t take shots like some others have, I found Chip to be very annoying. His constant “FISTED” references plus miscalling plays early in the postseason led fans to go nuclear on Twitter and Facebook. Chip has done good work for the Cubs and the Braves, but he’s not worthy of being a number one announcer and shouldering the responsibility of leading a major broadcast. I hope TBS reconsiders and uses another announcer for next year. His work gave some fans a new appreciation for Joe Buck.

Worst Game Analyst: In a sport that has so many candidates, there’s only one who “wins” this award hands down. And it goes to Joe Morgan of ESPN. Morgan is dry, humorless, unwilling to see any team better than the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds, no manager better than Sparky Anderson, no middle infielder better than him and adds nothing to the game. In an effort to spice up the Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts, ESPN brought in Steve Phillips to add another voice. It really didn’t work as Morgan continued to bore people at home. Why ESPN chose him to be its number 1 analyst and continues to use him in this capacity is beyond me. One of the worst analysts in sports television, period.

Dishonorable Mention: Rick Sutcliffe, ESPN and Tim McCarver, ESPN

Worst Game Coverage: World Baseball Classic, MLB Network. During March, MLB Network relied on the world feed for the games it was airing from Puerto Rico and Mexico. It resulted in pictures never matching what the announcers were saying and there were times when complete plays were missed. Replays were often the same angle that we had just seen on TV and some of the production was disjointed. For what was supposed to be a showcase for baseball on the world stage, viewers deserved better.

Dishonorable Mention: None

Worst Studio Host: Greg Amsinger, MLB Network. When I read he was hired, I thought it was would be as a backup to Matt Vasgersian and Victor Rojas, but for some reason, the former CBS College Sports host was given a prominent role during World Series coverage. He really doesn’t deserve it. Greg sounds like he smokes 60 packs of cigarettes a day. He raises his voice unnecessarily and he tries too hard to be funny. Leave the humor at home. I ask MLB Network to put Greg on its Quick Pitch show instead of MLB Tonight.

Dishonorable Mention: Chris Rose, Fox Sports

Worst Studio Analyst: Orestes Destrade, ESPN. What is that? Seriously. Why is he even on my TV?

Worst Way to End a Career: I don’t need to rehash the Steve Phillips affair. You all know what happened. But I have a feeling we won’t be seeing the end of Steve.

Worst Disappearing Act: TBS Hot Corner. I can go ad nauseum on how much I enjoyed TBS’ online coverage of the MLB Postseason when it began in 2007, but Hot Corner has gone from online studio show in 2007 to in-game reports last year, to virtually nothing this year. While we can see alternate angles, I wish TBS would go back to the online studio show it shared with MLB.com two years ago. And I would love to go back and forth with Beau Estes of Turner Sports once again. Please TBS, bring back the online show and a Friend of Fang’s Bites, Heather Catlin.

That concludes our first ever MLB TV Awards. We’ll back same time, next year with the 2nd Annual Awards.

MLB Network To Air Midseason Roundtable Friday

MLB Network will air a special on Friday to discuss the midway point of the 2009 season.

MLB Network to Air Midseason Roundtable with Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian and Tom Verducci on Friday, July 3 at 5:00 p.m. ET

Panel to discuss the All-Star Game, Interleague Play, Donald Fehr, small-market teams and the impact of performance-enhancing drugs on the Hall of Fame

MLB Network to air a special MLB Tonight All-Star Edition on Sunday, July 5

July 2, 2009 – MLB Network will air a special midseason roundtable discussion with Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian and Tom Verducci on Friday, July 3 at 5:00 p.m. ET covering the All-Star Game, Donald Fehr’s legacy, interleague play, the economics of baseball and the impact of performance enhancing drugs on the game. This is the first roundtable MLB Network has conducted outside of its live, nightly studio show MLB Tonight, which will immediately follow the roundtable at 6:00 p.m. ET and include live look-ins of games in progress, updates, highlights and analysis.

On Sunday, July 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET, MLB Network will air a special MLB Tonight All-Star Edition, simulcast on MLB.com, hosted by Victor Rojas, Dave Valle and Mitch Williams at 6 p.m. (EDT). The hour-long edition will discuss the 2009 All-Star roster, announced earlier in the day on the MLB All-Star Selection Show on TBS at 1:00 p.m. ET, as well as the players on the 2009 All-Star Game Final Vote ballot for the last spot on each League’s 32-man roster.

Highlights from the roundtable include:

ON THE ALL-STAR GAME’S EFFECT ON WORLD SERIES HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:

“I’ve always viewed the All-Star Game as an exhibition, whether I was a kid or whether I was a player … To have the stakes of the World Series Game 7 on the line is too much.” – Harold Reynolds

“You say it’s ridiculous that there is something of importance of a World Series home field advantage on the line. I don’t think it’s anymore ridiculous than how it was before. Odd year, American League gets it. Even year, National League gets it.” – Tom Verducci

ON PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS AND THE HALL OF FAME:

“There are big name players who put up big numbers. Does Cooperstown still accommodate them?” – Matt Vasgersian

“As baseball writers, we kind of feel like a bunch of St. Peter’s working the pearly gates in terms of having a validation, and that’s what it is – an endorsement on somebody’s career. So I have made the decision that if I know that someone has used steroids or performance-enhancing drugs, I’m not voting for him” – Tom Verducci

“That was like using an aluminum bat instead of a wood bat – there was an advantage … Throughout the history of baseball and other sports, people have always tried to get an edge … But there is a difference between a slingshot and a bazooka.” – Bob Costas

ON SMALL-MARKET TEAMS

“How can the game help the small market teams without whacking the knees of the Red Sox and Yankees?” – Matt Vasgersian

“If your team is not winning, you can’t use money as an excuse, you have to look at the front office” – Tom Verducci

MLB Network has plenty of first-run programming for you over the weekend.

A Friday Megalinks Thing

We’re here with the Friday megalinks and plenty of stuff to go over today. Let’s start it off with the Weekend Viewing Picks.

College Basketball is in the midst of some great matchups with conference action, but starting tonight, the mid-major conferences take precedence as the ESPN family of networks will air a total of 13 games involving mid-major teams jockeying for position for the NCAA Tournament. One of the marquee matchups will be Butler at Davidson at noon on ESPN. But ESPN’s feature game will be Oklahoma at Texas Saturday night at 9. For a full schedule of games, check out the College Basketball Viewing Picks.

For the first time, CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada will be widely available in the United States via the NHL Network. It begins at noon on Saturday and all six Canadian teams will be involved in three games, Ottawa at Montreal at 3 p.m., Vancouver at Toronto at 7 p.m. then Calgary at Edmonton at 10 p.m. CBC will be live mostly from New Campbellton, New Brunswick and from various sites all over Canada to celebrate the country’s national pastime.

NBC’s NHL Game of the Week will have Pittsburgh taking on the Washington Capitals, Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

The NBA will have one feature game on Sunday on ABC with the defending champions Boston Celtics taking on Phoenix at 2:30 p.m., then ESPN has a doubleheader with Miami at Orlando and Detroit at Cleveland starting at 5 p.m.

The PGA Tour’s last event before Tiger Woods’ return is the Northern Trust Open and CBS has coverage starting at 3 p.m. Saturday.

NASCAR’s second race of the season is the Auto Club 500 on Fox, Sunday at 5 p.m.

NBC has coverage of the American Cup gymnastics event at 4 p.m.

Spike will have taped coverage of UFC 95 from London, Saturday night at 9.

And Tour of California featuring Lance Armstrong concludes Sunday on Versus at 5 p.m.

The full Weekend Viewing Picks can be seen here.

Now to your links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks about ESPN2′s Bassmaster Classic which airs this weekend.

The Big Lead has an interview with ESPN.com Editor-in-Chief Rob King who has some interesting comments about Bill Simmons.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell thinks Amgen’s sponsorship of the Tour of California is a misguided idea. Darren says TNT’s Charles Barkley made the right kind of apology and should be a role model for Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez. Darren has Sports Illustrated’s explanation as to why it airbrushed Danica Patrick’s tattoo in this year’s Swimsuit issue, when it left it on last year. And Darren has some of the best Alex Rodriguez nicknames to date.

Playboy has some of the sexiest international sportscasters. Very hot.

Ed Meza of Variety writes that Swiss-based Sportfive has won the bid for European media rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, taking over for long-time Olympics partner, the European Broadcasting Union.

Daniel Frankel of Variety says the NBA All-Star Game on TNT saw a 20% rise in the ratings from last year.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News looks at ESPN’s new rights deal with the Sun Belt Conference.

Jon Lafayette of TV Week says Golf Channel is all over Tiger Woods’ return to the PGA Tour.

I have an article at Digital Sports Daily on the PGA being very, very happy over Tiger’s return.

The Sports Media Watch says Tiger’s announcement that he was coming back made the PGA extremely happy.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says NBC actually made a decent choice for its flex NHL game on March 22.

Awful Announcing says Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk site got hacked. And AA has the video of Charles Barkleys apology on TNT.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes that NESN/NBC/CBC’s Mike Milbury is not shy behind the mike.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette profiles NESN’s SportsDesk anchor (and charlatan) Cole Wright and his big head.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the Sports Museum of America is closing after less than a year of operation.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick says Bud Selig is the true shame of baseball, not Alex Rodriguez. I actually see Mushnick’s point.

Justin Terranova of the Post talks with ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla about the Big East conference. And Justin has five questions for SNY’s Mets analyst Ron Darling.

The bitter and bombastic Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says Brian Cashman has become the spokesman for the New York Yankees.

Neil Best of Newsday says “The Wrestler” got a rave review from WWE wrestler Mick Foley. Neil says Foley and Kevin “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” James were high school classmates. Neil talks with Tennis Channel head honcho Ken Solomon about his desire to get picked up by Cablevision.

Phil Januck of the Schenectady Gazette talks with Albany River Rats analyst John Hennessy about the bus accident yesterday that injured five players. Thanks to Ken Schott of the Gazette for updating me on the story.

Laura Nachman says Reading Phillies radio voice Steve Degler is moving to the TV side.

Stacy Brown of the Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune notes the trend of the shrinking sportcast on local TV news.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says Jim Rome ranks tops in the sports category among a survey of the top 250 radio talk show hosts. Ray talks a little more about that list in his blog.

South

Roger van der Horst of the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer says ESPN’s Outside the Lines will look at college basketball recruiting package deals.

Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald writes that TNT’s Charles Barkley showed true remorse in his return last night.

Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the best sports scenes in non-sports movies.

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle discusses the cancellation of a local sports TV show.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says one sports radio show is not moving from its current home. Barry has a preview of his Saturday column.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks with Dick Vitale who with Dan Shulman will call Saturday’s Oklahoma-Texas game for ESPN. Mel has more with Dick on the Sooners.

Midwest

Marc Katz of the Dayton Daily News has a story on a former college basketball coach who presevered to get a shot on ESPN.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Charles Barkley did not shy away from his DUI arrest on TNT last night.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business talks about ESPN launching a Chicago-centric sports website. And Ed says the Cubs are turning up the screws on ticket sales.

Ted Cox of the Chicago Daily Herald isn’t too enthralled about watching HBO’s documentary on the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.

Paul Christian of the Rochester Post-Bulletin cannot believe the amount of coverage that will be devoted to the NFL Scouting Combine on NFL Network this weekend.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the high amount of sports programming doesn’t necessarily translate to high ratings. Dan also has the ratings for sports in the Gateway City last week.

West

Scott Pierce of the Deseret (UT) News says the mtn’s basketball coverage has improved over last year.

Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune says NASCAR on Fox is set to take on the Oscars this year.

John Maffei in the North County Times talks with MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds.

Jim Carlisle writes in the Ventura County Star about ESPN’s upcoming Los Angeles-produced 1 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter premiering in April.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times says Charles Barkley’s apology on TNT was typical Charles.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has preliminary results of his reader’s Best Sportscaster poll. In his weekly column, Tom looks at the Best and Worst of Los Angeles sports analysts (best line in Tom’s column is from Tony Reavis… scroll to the bottom… unbelievable). In his blog, Tom has a bit more on his column and of course, has extensive news and notes. Tom asks for readers’ votes in the analyst category. And Tom says Jim Rome has a streak of Rex’s going.

John Ryan in the San Jose Mercury News writes that the San Francisco 49ers will unveil their new uniforms on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in April.

That does it for the megalinks today.

Quotes from MLB Network Conference Call

Today, the MLB Network held a conference call with reporters involving its new talent and President/CEO Tony Petitti.

Here are the highlights.

Quotes from MLB Network On-Air Talent Conference Call, 11/12

Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive Officer, MLB Network

On The New Talent:
“One of things we’re most excited about here is they all have great versatility. What we were looking for in analysts were guys who could play the game at the highest level, but also those who are really comfortable talking about it and bring great experience. In Hazel and Trenni’s case, they followed local clubs and are able to function both as hosts and also as reporters. We have a great, diverse team.”

On Preparations for the January 1 Launch:
“Lots of preparations underway here — we’re building our program schedule, we’re building out our facility, everything is right on track and we think that today is a good indication of the type of quality we are going to bring to the screen with the quality of people we have here.”

On Programming:
“We’re going to be doing an unprecedented amount of programming with our MLB Tonight Show, which will be our main show. It will be something that I don’t think people have seen before in the way we are following the game.”

“We’re going to launch with an unprecedented amount of live hours for a new 24/7 sports network. We think we will be somewhere north of 1,400 live hours, led by the MLB Tonight Show, [which] will be on six to seven hours a night in season.”

“Baseball is unique. We think the history of baseball is incredibly important to people, and fans relate to it. So you will see some shows out of the archives of the game. We have shows that are in production now that will be ready to launch over time in the first few months that we come on. Obviously in January, there will be less live programming and as we get closer to the start of the season the amount of live programming will increase.”

Matt Vasgersian, Studio Host, MLB Network

On Getting Started:
“I can’t wait to get started. I was intrigued by this concept when I heard about MLB starting their own network, and everything I heard about business plan, about the facility, about the operation and specifically about the people involved got me more and more excited.”

On His Role:
“I’m looking forward to starting. I fashion myself as the David Mead of the MLB Network. First pick for the expansion team, I’ll make very little impact in my career and then fade into obscurity after two or three seasons at the big league level.”

Harold Reynolds, Studio Analyst, MLB Network

On Getting Started:
“I’m very excited and honored to be a part of this whole thing. I think it will be incredible – with the opportunity, with the reach – to be apart of the Network.”

On the Fan-Focus of MLB Network
“I think I speak for all of us that this is about serving the fan. There is no greater vehicle in sports right now that is going to be able to do what we’re doing in servicing the fans in and out of games with a long extended show with analysis, programming and different things of this sort.”

“It’s time for baseball to have a 24-hour network. If you’re a baseball fan, you’re going to love it. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Al Leiter, Studio Analyst, MLB Network

On Getting Started:
“For me, being a retired player for only a few years and having worked with the Yankees, I know what the prospect is, and looking forward to working with Tony and some of his staff and the people he’s put in place. A lot of players that are recently retired, they’re excited, they’re intrigued.”

“Having met Tony and pondered the opportunity and the possibilities – this is the future stuff. To be a part of a ground floor operation, with Major League Baseball and its backing… We’re going to be able to do analysis and cut-ins and in-depth programs. I’m really excited, and I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to covering a sport.”

Hazel Mae, Reporter, MLB Network

On Getting Started:
“I am over the moon to be a part of the inaugural on-air talent here at MLB Network. It’s a special opportunity for me to leave New England and Boston, where they live, eat and breathe baseball, so I am beyond thrilled and very humbled that I am here.”

On Her Role:
“The great thing about MLB Network is we have a lot of versatility with on-air talent. The great thing about this job is that I’ll have my hand in a little bit of everything.”

On Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees Rivalry:
“We are still going to be a part of [the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry] but I will be a little bit more objective. We’re not going to choose, but we’ll still be involved in the rivalry that may not be as intense the last couple of years, but every time the Yankees and the Red Sox get together it’s always a big event.”

Trenni Kusnierek, Reporter, MLB Network

On Getting Started:
“I think when you get into this business, your dream is to always work at the highest level and this for me is a dream come true. It was going to take a lot for me to leave my hometown of Milwaukee and being able to cover a team I grew up watching.”

“I grew up a huge baseball fan and to come to New York and to have the opportunity to work with Matt and Al and Harold and Hazel, I have never been more excited for an opportunity in my career and I really look forward to be a part of the beginning of what I believe will be a really successful network.”

Nice to see quotes from Hazel Mae who became a favorite among Red Sox fans and Trenni Kusnierek.

Two Baseball-Related Press Releases

Since I’m truly in baseball mode, let me give you two baseball-related press releases.

The first is from TBS and its plans for the American League Championship Series.

TBS Announces MLB ALCS Telecast Team and Schedule

Exclusive coverage gets underway on Friday, October 10

TBS announced today the telecast schedule for its exclusive American League Championship Series (ALCS) coverage presented by KIA Motors. The excitement gets underway on Friday, October 10 with the network’s pre-game show, TBS MLB On Deck presented by Sprint at 8 p.m. ET featuring Ernie Johnson (host), Cal Ripken (analyst), Dennis Eckersley (analyst) and Harold Reynolds (analyst). The show will be followed by the AL East Division Champion Tampa Bay Rays hosting the AL Wild Card winner Boston Red Sox at 8:30 p.m. ET in Game #1 of the ALCS. Chip Caray (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Buck Martinez (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) will call the action throughout the ALCS. TBS will conclude the day’s action with the post-game show Inside MLB presented by Captain Morgan also featuring Johnson, Ripken, Eckersley and Reynolds.

Beginning with Game #3 of the ALCS, the pre- and post-game show will hit the road and the crew will move on-site to Fenway Park and Tropicana Field respectively. See schedule below for full coverage details.

In addition to its television coverage, TBS will expand its broadband content with TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com (www.mlb.com/tbshotcorner), the official website of Major League Baseball. This multimedia platform gives fans unprecedented live and on-demand access to the Postseason online, including live streams from a variety of unique on-field camera angles and live statistics to track playoff teams and players. TBS Hot Corner will also present live and on-demand segments, highlighted by live streams from exclusive pre-game shows and online companion coverage to the TBS broadcasts.

ALCS ON TBS SCHEDULE

DAY/DATE

TIME (ET) EVENT

Fri., October 10

8 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Ernie Johnson (host), Cal Ripken (analyst), Dennis Eckersley (analyst) and Harold Reynolds (analyst)

8:30 p.m. Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, Game #1

Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Buck Martinez (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Sat., October 11

7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

8 p.m. Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, Game #2

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Mon., October 13

4 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

4:30 p.m. Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox, Game #3

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Tue., October 14

7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

8 p.m. Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox, Game #4

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Thu., October 16

7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

8 p.m. Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox, Game #5*

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Sat., October 18

4 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

4:30 p.m. Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, Game #6*

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

Sun., October 19

7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

8 p.m. Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, Game #7*

Announcers: Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside MLB

Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst)

* = If Necessary

And it’s never too early to think about the World Baseball Classic which the ESPN family of networks will carry starting in March. The first WBC actually drew decent ratings against March Madness in 2006 and with more familiarity in 2009 and more promotion from the Alleged Worldwide Leader, the network hopes for even better ratings the second time around.

ESPN to Offer Multimedia Coverage of 2009 World Baseball Classic

Coverage Across ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile Properties & More

Up to 39 Games via ESPN International

ESPN will present multimedia coverage of the 2009 World Baseball Classic including coverage across ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International, ESPNEWS, ESPNEWS HD, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile Properties and more.

World Baseball Classic coverage highlights include:

• Up to 39 games via ESPN International distribution;
• ESPN and ESPN2 combining to televise 23 games in the U.S. beginning March 5, 2009;
• The semifinals – Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22 – and final, Monday, March 23, from Dodger Stadium;
• All ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts simulcast via ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV;
• ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language network in the U.S., televising 23 games;
• 23 games (ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts) available in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands; 23 games available on ESPN Deportes in Puerto Rico.

“ESPN looks forward to working with the World Baseball Classic to build on what we started in 2006,” said Len DeLuca, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. “We have more games for ESPN, a deeper multimedia offering, and wider international rights. We look forward to collaborating to make this the best global championship in March.”

“ESPN has the proven ability to convey the excitement and national pride that the World Baseball Classic generates among the players and fans,” said Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball President and Chief Operating Officer.

“‘Baseball Spoken Here’ is our motto, and so we’re delighted that once again we are partnering with ESPN to bring the world the games, and the thrills, of the second World Baseball Classic,” said Gene Orza, MLBPA Chief Operating Officer. “No one ‘speaks baseball’ better than ESPN.”

Additional World Baseball Classic coverage will include:

• ESPN Radio broadcasting the semifinals and final, along with three additional games;
• Comprehensive highlights within SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and ESPNEWS;
• Extensive ESPN.com content featuring highlights, news and information.

ESPN International will televise up to 39 games in Africa, Australia, Europe (via NASN, which will become ESPN America on Feb. 1), Latin America, the Middle East and New Zealand.

That’s it for now.

Late Friday Night Links

I’ll give you a few late night links before heading to bed. I watched Manny Ramirez’s first at-bat on FSN Prime Ticket and listening to Vin Scully is like enjoying the best red wine out of your cellar. The man is 80 years old and about to turn 81 and he still has it.

Let’s give you some links.

Paul J. Gough of the Hollywood Reporter has NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol saying his division will not shy away from covering breaking news at the Olympics. We’ll see.

Newsday’s Neil Best breaks some news that Cablevision will not be carrying the 2,200 internet hours that NBC will carry live from the Olympics in Communist China, saying it’s too expensive.

Linda Moss of Multichannel News says CNN and sister publication, Sports Illustrated will team up to cover the Olympics.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that ESPN is getting ready for its new live SportsCenter morning block which premieres later this month.

The Sports Media Watch has the weekend ratings predictions.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the New York Giants’ exhibition opener has been relegated to the local NBC affiliate’s digital channel and won’t be seen on the main channel.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette writes that golfer Laura Diaz is still angry at NBC/Golf Channel analyst Dottie Pepper for comments she made at last year’s Solheim Cup.

The Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record’s Ken McMillan says the explosion of Little League Baseball games on TV continues as MSG Network and NESN will co-produce games next week.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is airing a special on Washington Redskins Hall of Fame wide receiver Art Monk this weekend.

Bruce Allen of the Boston Sports Media Watch has a look at Charley Pierce calling out the Boston media for its behavior during the Manny Ramirez debacle.

Awful Announcing finds that another writer has gotten into trouble for plagiarism.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball looks at Hazel Mae, formerly of NESN, and Harold Reynolds, formerly of ESPN, as being possible hires at the new MLB Network.

That’s it until tomorrow.

Harold Reynolds and Dennis Eckersley to Join TBS MLB All-Star Game Selection Show

Here’s the press release from MLB.com:

07/01/2008 3:05 PM ET

TBS announced today the addition of two-time All-Star Harold Reynolds and six-time All-Star and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Eckersley to its studio team for the network’s exclusive coverage of the MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevy at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 6. Reynolds and Eckersley will join TBS studio host and two-time Emmy® award-winner Ernie Johnson and TBS MLB studio analyst Cal Ripken, a 19-time All-Star, two-time All-Star Game MVP (1991, 2001) and 2007 Hall of Fame inductee. Immediately following the show TBS will air the Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals at 3 p.m. ET, with Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) calling the action.

“We are excited to add analysts to our studio show with the on-air credentials and on-field experience of the caliber of Harold and Dennis,” said Jeff Behnke, SVP and executive producer for Turner Sports. “We look forward to providing their insights and opinions as fans and players around the country learn who will be representing their teams in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game.”

During the telecast, TBS will exclusively reveal the All-Star Game starters elected by fan voting, as well as the player selections and manager picks to round out this year’s AL and NL squads. Throughout the hour-long telecast Reynolds, Eckersley and Ripken will provide in-depth review and analysis.

Reynolds, who currently serves as a baseball commentator for MLB.com and an analyst for SportsNet New York (SNY), played 12-seasons in the Major Leagues, spending time with the Seattle Mariners (1983-92), Baltimore Orioles (1993) and California Angels (1994). Along with his two All-Star appearances (1987 & 1988), Reynolds won three Gold Gloves (1988 – 1990), led the American League in steals with 60 in 1987 and received MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award (1991) for his community service work. Reynolds previously served as a studio analyst on ESPN’s Emmy® award-winning Baseball Tonight.

Eckersley currently serves as a studio analyst for select Boston Red Sox games on New England Sports Network (NESN). The AL 1992 Cy Young award and MVP winner, Eckersley enjoyed success as both a starter and reliever and is one of only two pitchers to have both a 20-win season (1978) and a 50-save season (1992) in a career. Affectionately known as “Eck,” the pitcher played 24 years in the big leagues for the Cleveland Indians (1975-77), Boston Red Sox (1978-84, 1998), Chicago Cubs (1984 – 86), Oakland Athletics (1987-95) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-97), winning a World Series championship with the A’s in 1989.

TBS is the exclusive home of all four MLB Division Series as well as the 2008 American League Championship Series. This season the network launched Sunday MLB on TBS, featuring 26 consecutive Sunday afternoon match ups with Chip Caray providing play-by play, alongside analysts Ron Darling and Buck Martinez throughout the season.

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television’s top-rated comedy network. It serves as home to such original comedy series as My Boys, The Bill Engvall Show, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, 10 Items or Less and Frank TV; hot contemporary comedies like The Office, Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, King of Queens, Seinfeld and Friends, with My Name Is Earl joining the line-up in 2008; specials and special events, such as Funniest Commercials of the Year and The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

Turner Sports, Inc., a Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports’ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Good move for TBS to tab Eck as he is NESN’s strongest studio analyst. Harold Reynolds getting a national gig after what happened to him at ESPN is a very good thing. Hopefully, TBS will hire H.R. for the playoffs.

Sunday Linkage

After running some errands this morning, I’m back and it’s time to give you some links.

We start with Richard Sandomir of the New York Times who talks with Harold Reynolds who did a stint with SNY this weekend. And Richard says unlike the Kentucky Derby where he feels NBC Sports dropped the ball in the Eight Belles tragedy, the network did a good job covering the issue in its coverage of the Preakness Stakes.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says Mets’ closer Billy Wagner’s weekly interviews on 1050 ESPN Radio are must listens.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post writes that the Mets aren’t learning their lessons from last year.

Neil Best from Newsday has a review of YES Yankees analyst Bobby Murcer’s new book. And Neil has a bit more about the book in his blog.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at a documentary on an 87 year old surfer who’s still riding the waves and has lived a rather interesting life. And Tom has more on Dorian Paskowitz and his family.

David J. Warner of the AOL Fanhouse blog has word that ESPN may convert ESPN Classic into an “ESPN3″ channel devoted to soccer and international sports.

Mark Haselden of South Carolina Now profiles Rosalyn Durant, the recently named Vice President and General Manager of ESPNU.

Here’s a chat former WBZ-TV sports anchor Bob Lobel did for Boston.com.

Joe Favorito writes that the WNBA season is starting off strong.

That will do it.

A Megalink Friday

It’s time for the megalinks. Let’s get into them, but first, let’s look at the viewing menu for this weekend.

The NFL Draft is the Viewing Pick of the weekend. Both ESPN and the NFL Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the Draft starting Saturday at 3 p.m. and continuing through Sunday. This year’s draft is starting later, but there will be less time in-between picks so the first round should go quicker than the unbelievably long six hours of last year. Both ESPN and the NFL Network will have a four hour pre-draft show at 11 a.m. Chris Berman, Mel Kiper, Jr., Todd McShay and Steve Young will be among the hundreds of analysts who will be seen on the Alleged Worldwide Leader. Rich Eisen anchors the coverage for the NFL Network.

Both the NBA and NHL Playoffs are in full swing. The NHL has just begun the Conference Semifinals while the NBA is still in the midst of the first round. NBC will have Game 2 of the Detroit-Colorado series on Saturday with the New York Rangers visiting Pittsburgh on Sunday. Versus will carry Philadelphia at Montreal on Saturday night and Dallas at San Jose on Sunday.

ABC, ESPN and TNT will all have coverage of the NBA playoffs this weekend.

Fox has its usual regionalized coverage of Major League Baseball on Saturday featuring the Yankees at Cleveland. WGN carries the White Sox hosting Baltimore, Saturday night and the Cubs at Washington on Sunday afternoon. TBS’ Sunday Afternoon Baseball will cover the Yankees-Cleveland and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball will be in Detroit to cover the Angels-Tigers at 8:05 p.m.

Motor racing fans will have plenty of stuff to watch this weekend. The Formula 1 circuit will be in Spain for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Speed Channel will pick up that race at 7:30 a.m., Sunday.

The Indy Racing League will be in Kansas City for the Roadrunner Turbo Indy 300 on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m Sunday.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention NASCAR. The Nationwide Series’ Aaron’s 312 airs on ABC Saturday at 3 p.m. The Sprint Cup Series’ Aaron’s 499 airs on Fox Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The PGA Tour is in Irving, TX for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Golf Channel has the 2nd round coverage at 3 p.m. today. CBS picks up coverage on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The entire sports TV listings can be seen at USA Today.

Now let’s get to your links.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about the NFL Draft having its own language.

Now I’ll start in the East, then go west, then fill in the country in the middle.

East and Mid-Atlantic

David Scott of the Boston Sports Media Watch reports that the Boston Globe is playing hardball with Gordon Edes’ buyout application.

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe has a column remembering legendary sports anchor Don Gillis who called play-by-play for just about every sports team in Boston during his career. Gillis died this week at the age of 85. Martin Pave of the Globe looks back at Gillis’ long career.

Also from the Globe, Nancy Marrapese-Burrell talks with Boston Celtics’ TV voice Mike Gorman about calling the playoffs.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says Harold Reynolds gets to reunite with his old college roommate, Mets’ GM Omar Minaya. H.R. was hired yesterday to work as a studio analyst during selected Mets games on SNY.

Newsday’s Neil Best also writes about Reynolds going to SNY and briefly goes into HR’s wrongful termination lawsuit against ESPN that was settled last week. In his blog, Neil talks more about Harold. Neil also expands on another item in his Friday column which was about the increased ratings for Versus for the NHL playoffs.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post reviews some of the things that irritated him on TV and Radio this week. Mushnick reports that Harold Reynolds will start his new gig at SNY tonight. The Post’s Justin Terranova talks with YES Network’s David Cone about the Yankees’ struggling starting pitcher Ian Kennedy. And Terranova has five questions for ESPN’s Ron Jaworski about the NFL Draft.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says the NFL Draft will be covered gavel-to-gavel this weekend.

Jim Williams of the DC/Baltimore Examiner talks with ESPN’s Floyd Reese about what goes on in an NFL Draft War Room.

West

From the Deseret (UT) Morning News, Scott D. Pierce says if the Utah Jazz reach the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals, fans will have to be prepared not to watch the games on KJZZ-TV.

The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jay Posner says less will be more in the NFL Draft telecasts on ESPN and the NFL Network this year. Posner has two recommendations for sports viewing this weekend. And Jay has the ratings from San Diego last weekend.

Interesting that the North County Times’ John Maffei also goes into the “less is more” theme in his column about the NFL Draft on ESPN.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star writes about a new NBC Sports special which will show some of its archival material on Sunday. It’s probably worth TiVoing.

John Scheibe of the Los Angeles Times also does the “less is more” thing talking about the NFL Draft coverage in the Sound and Vision column.

From the Los Angeles Daily News, Tom Hoffarth also discusses the NFL Draft on ESPN. Hoffarth also has his media notes in his Farther Off the Wall blog.

Midwest

Over to the Akron Beacon Journal, George M. Thomas says the NFL Draft rules the viewing weekend.

Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with ESPN’s Merril Hoge who will be involved in the NFL Draft coverage for the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bob Wolfley says once the NFL Draft is over, look out for Snap Judgment Monday.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that the NFL Draft may be shorter, but there will still be plenty of time for analysis.

Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is happy to see less talk at the NFL Draft.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes that the NFL Draft has become a made-for-TV event.

Heading over to the Chicago Tribune, Teddy Greenstein talks to the reporters who were on hand for the infamous meltdown by Cubs manager Lee Elia some 25 years ago. And Teddy has his weekend viewing picks.

The Kansas City Star’s Jeffrey Flanagan talks with former Royals second baseman Frank White who will make his FSN debut tonight.

South

Mel Bracht in the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN plans faster coverage for the NFL Draft. Mel’s notebook includes the discussion of Bob Costas’ live show next Tuesday on HBO. And Mel tells us what to watch this weekend.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hopes that mental illness will not scare NFL teams from drafting Texas Christian Defensive End Tommy Blake whose story has been the subject of an E:60 profile.

Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle talks with Rockets broadcasters Jim Foley and Gene Peterson who will both retire at the end of the season.

Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel writes about the live Town Hall meeting Bob Costas will conduct on HBO next Tuesday.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the NFL Draft plans to pick up the pace this year.

But despite the NFL Draft dominating the weekend, Doug Nye of The State says the NBA playoffs provide more excitement.

Canada

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment wants to expand its programming.

Blogs

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at some of his favorite college football trading cards.

The Big Lead has the video of WFAN’s Mike Francesca’s non-reaction to David Letterman’s comments about him when partner Chris Russo appeared on the Late Show earlier this week.

Awful Announcing says Tom Hammond and Chris Collinsworth are the voices of the new Madden ’09 video game which the blog says pretty much confirms them as the new NFL Network announcing team.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Basketball blog reports on the excellent ratings for TNT during the NBA playoffs.

And that will do it for today. Primetime and Late Night Viewing picks coming up later.

Time for Your Thursday Links

Time to do the links on this Thursday.

Newsday’s Neil Best has breaking news for us. Former ESPN MLB analyst Harold Reynolds has been hired as a part-time studio analyst at SNY. Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says H.R. will continue to be an analyst at MLB.com. Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball blog also writes about the hiring of Reynolds by SNY.

Maury has the new “This is SportsCenter” ad featuring the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

The Baltimore Sun’s Ray Frager writes about Scott Van Pelt getting an increased role at ESPN Radio.

Ryan White of The Oregonian says the NHL appears to be finding an audience.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that CBC is happy to have the Montreal-Philadelphia series in its traditional Saturday night timeslot.

Chris Zelkovich from the Toronto Star profiles the head of CBC Sports, Scott Moore.

Paul McDougall of Information Week says traffic to NHL.com has increased during the playoffs.

Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Game 7 of the Calgary-San Jose series scored in the ratings for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

Don McKee of the Philadephia Inquirer writes that Game 7 of the Philadelphia Flyers-Washington Capitals series was the most watched program in the city on Monday night (scroll down).

While hockey TV ratings are up in various US cities, the first round NHL playoff series were down all over Canada for both CBC and TSN.

NBC Sports talks about the two NHL playoff games it will cover this weekend including Colorado-Detroit.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that three local TV stations will broadcast the funeral services of a local soldier who was killed in Iraq pre-empting all sports on Sunday afternoon.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes in his Open Mike blog that local TV sports anchors are jumping on the Magic playoff bandwagon.

Laura Nachman has a story about Phillies announcer Chris Wheeler giving back to his alma mater (scroll down).

Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune writes that former Cubs manager Lee Elia is selling a contrite message, 25 years after his infamous tirade. And here’s the original Tribune story from April 30, 1983.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in his blog about ESPN’s Kenny Mayne writing a new book.

The Awful Announcing blog has the video of Mike Fratello wondering if TBS’ Bill Engvall is funny.

The 38Cliches blog finds someone who doesn’t like Dale Arnold filling in on the Red Sox radio broadcasts.

That is all for now.

Your Mid-Week Links

Let’s do your links for this Wednesday which will probably won’t as busy as yesterday, but let’s see.

Starting with USA Today’s Michael Hiestand who talks about the growing popularity of the always lovely Erin Andrews. The next story broke late yesterday. ESPN and former Baseball Tonight analyst Harold Reynolds have settled his wrongful termination lawsuit and USA Today’s Hiestand and Bob Nightengale say both sides are claiming victory.

Friend of Fang’s Bites, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has his weekly installment of his Media Circus including his support for Tom Hammond to replace Bryant Gumbel on the NFL Network.

Getting caught up with some Neil Best linkage. He was quite busy Tuesday writing for his Watchdog blog at Newsday.com. Neil says the final numbers for the views at March Madness on Demand set a new record. Neil mentions that Charles Barkley was not happy with the media treatment of Isiah Thomas. Apparently, tonight’s Nets game bumped from YES because of Red Sox-Yankees, will be bumped from WWOR-TV as well because of Flavor Flav’s new show.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the new Citi Field will have a tribute to the late Jackie Robinson. And Sandomir also writes about the settlement between ESPN and Harold Reynolds.

Joe Favorito also looks at the Jackie Robinson tribute at Citi Field and how he has been embraced by MLB.

From CNBC’s Darren Rovell, he says Candace Parker could become the new face of the WNBA. And Darren says the real winner of The Masters was not Trevor Immelman, but Nike.

George M. Thomas from the Akron Beacon Journal has the last word on the ratings for The Masters.

The Sports Media Watch has the TV ratings for most of the weekend’s events. The blog notes that while the ratings for Yankees-Red Sox on Sunday were good for ESPN, they weren’t as high as in the past. And Paul Sen has some thoughts on the new NFL schedule.

Rush & Malloy of the New York Daily News write that ESPN has put the kybosh on a planned Bill Simmons podcast with Senator Barack Obama.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News looks at last night’s Real Sports interview with Senator Barack Obama. Ryan also has a story on the Golden State Warriors filing suit against Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

There are Red Sox bars on the West Coast, especially in the Los Angeles area for transplanted New Englanders, but did you know there’s a bar for Montreal Canadiens fans in SoCal? Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a video on the Habs hangout from NHL.com in his Farther Off the Wall blog.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle posted an entry in his Four DVRs, no waiting blog from the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit in Chicago.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that despite the Raptors’ disappointing season, the TV ratings for the team are up and Houston reports that NBC is about to sign a two year extension with the NHL.

The Sports Media Journal has an interview with Maury Brown from the Business of Sports Network websites. Maury has the announcing lineup for TNT’s coverage of the NBA playoffs. And Maury is asking you to get educated on autism. On Monday, I linked to his very personal blog entry about his son being diagnosed with autism. Maury is one of the good people on the net and please do what you can to support the Autism Society of America.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says TNT’s Charles Barkley feels sorry for the Bucks organization.

Julianne Smolinski of TV Week reports that ESPN and the NBA have collaborated on a playoff-themed ad campaign.

ESPN has announced the field for December’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge which includes North Carolina vs. Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit.

Apparently ESPN has come out with another cell phone in its second attempt to appeal to sports fans.

The Fort Mill (SC) Times says the NFL Network and Time Warner Cable are still far apart on a carriage agreement.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says the Cowboys will remain in its traditional 4:15 p.m. ET slot on Thanksgiving Day on Fox after rumors it would be moved to the night slot for the NFL Network.

John Consoli of Mediaweek talks about the NFL Network starting its TV schedule earlier in the season.

That’s all for now.

ALCS Live on FoxSports.com

Fox Sports.com and MLB.com have teamed up for an online pregame show for the American League Championship Series, just like TBS and MLB have for the past two weeks for the League Division Series and the NLCS.

For “ALCS Live”, Fox Sports has tapped Chris Myers to host. The man is a pro having done work with ESPN and hosted NASCAR for Fox. MLB has provided the great Harold Reynolds and Jim Leyritz for analysis. Fox also has Ken Rosenthal for interviews. I didn’t see the first day as I was quite busy running home from work. In the first ten minutes, I already like what I see.

Fox has plenty of experience in producing good shows and this works well. Fox has everyone at Fenway Park where TBS has the Hot Corner crew in Atlanta. Anytime you have HR as part of your crew, you already have won half the battle. The man has won Emmy Awards for studio analysis so this is old hat to him.

Plus, Ken Rosenthal is the heir apparent to Peter Gammons for Best Information Reporter in all of Baseball. He’s a good writer and has good contacts, plus he interviews well.

The show flows well and HR and The King, Jim Leyritz have a good chemistry. It’s not like HR and John Kruk from Baseball Tonight, but it’s still pretty good.

Perhaps Fox can do this every Saturday before its MLB coverage. But to rival TBS’ promos for Frank TV, Fox has to give us promos for The Alternative with Jay Mohr. Jay can be funny, but his Fox Sports.com “columns” (I put them in quotation marks because … well, you’ll see) are horrible and notice I won’t link to them. Anyway, asides from Mohr, the Fox online show is good and works well. There’s no need for me to do another post on the pre-game show, but I will probably do one on the postgame sometime around 11 p.m. ET. Check back later.

Late Friday/Early Saturday Links – Thank you, Chris Pursell

You might be wondering why I’m thanking Chris Pursell. He’s the Deputy Editor of TV Week and has just recently started a blog on the sports media. I’ve linked to him since he began his “Pressbox” blog and he has linked to this site in his latest entry defending the right of Tiki Barber to state his opinions on NBC regarding his former team. I thank him for the kind words and I welcome those of you who are visiting Fang’s Bites for the first time. I hope you enjoy your visit here. And if you notice my ever-growing links on the right, Chris’ blog has been added. He’s had good interviews with some of the sports TV industry’s heavy hitters. Once again, the kind words from him are much appreciated.

Ok, to the other links for today.

ESPN Ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber looks at the good, bad and the ugly in the network’s Michael Vick coverage.

Richard Sandomir in today’s New York Times reports that Harold Reynolds alleges that race played a role in his firing from ESPN.

In his Farther Off the Wall blog, the LA Daily News’ Tom Hoffarth has an extensive media notes entry which includes stuff on NBC’s Football Night in America, Monday Night Football and the lack of availability for the Versus channel which picks up the BYU-UCLA game later today.

The Sports Media Watch blog notes that Thursday’s NFL season opener on NBC was down slightly from last year, but still won the night. The site also gives its usual weekend ratings predictions.

Even though the NFL game between Indianapolis and New Orleans was down in the ratings compared to last year, it still gave NBC a big win in the key demographics.

Newsday’s Neil Best had a column in the can while he’s on vacay and his latest one is on Kenny Albert who’s about to enter his 14th NFL season on Fox. 14th?

The Grands Rapids Press says viewers are beginning to find more options to get the Big Ten Network. Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Big Ten Network is forcing people to use their imaginations when it comes to games. What? Ron Greeson of the Daily Advocate (OH) says there’s no progress in talks between BTN and Time Warner Cable. John Jarvis of the Lancaster (OH) Eagle-Gazette writes that bars and restaurants with satellite dishes are benefiting from the BTN-Time Warner dispute. Jeff Richgels of the Capital Times (WI) writes that there’s still no progress with Charter Communications as well. And from the San Antonio Express-News, Jerry Garcia writes that BTN gained some more viewers thanks to its deal with Dish Network.

The Dallas Morning News’ Barry Horn looks at the increased amount of personnel in the NFL studio shows on CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a story on Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer premiering the Grumpy Old Coaches segment on Fox NFL Sunday.

David Scott of the Boston Sports Media Watch looked at a 5 p.m. Friday “special announcement” made on WEEI which turned out to be much ado about nothing. Nothing new on the Dennis & Callahan front by the way.

In his Four DVR’s, no waiting blog at the Houston Chronicle site, David Barron talks about one victim in the city’s sports radio morning show wars.

That’s it for now. Sunday links coming up early Sunday (of course!) and Videos of the Week further down the line. Once again, thanks to Chris Pursell of TV Week for the nice words.

Wednesday Afternoon Updates

Here are a few more links for you before I head home.

The Sports Media Watch blog says ESPN will continue to cover David Beckham like a rock star. Heavy hitters Bob Ley (who did play-by-play for the World Cup in the 1980′s for ESPN) and Lisa Salters have been added to Thursday’s LA Galaxy-Chivas USA game.

Jeffrey Marcus who writes the New York Times soccer blog has an interview with Fox Soccer Channel’s Christian Miles.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has some advice for the Big Ten Network which is still in a minority of cable-eligible homes. Inside Indiana Business reports that a state legislator is getting involved in the Comcast-BTN dispute.

The Orbitcast satellite radio blog has a recap and pictures of the taping of XM Satellite Radio’s Baseball Confidential show with Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable magazine writes about the rebranding of the CBS Sportsline website into CBS Sports.com.

The Biz of Baseball blog links to an article in the Portland Tribune that the court date for Harold Reynolds’ wrongful termination lawsuit against ESPN has been set for early 2009.

Sister site, the Biz of Basketball, has a rundown of the NBA’s cable and network TV contracts dating back to the 1950′s.

Following up on a story that we first gave you last week, the NFL Network has signed a deal with MyNetworkTV to produce an exclusive edition of NFL Total Access on Saturday nights during the regular season. Broadcasting & Cable’s Marisa Guthrie has the story.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times says viewers in the Baltimore/DC area could see Saturday’s Redskin-Ravens game on as many as four channels.

This morning, I gave you the link to USA Today’s story about ESPN’s plans to air a 25 hour pregame show for the LSU-Mississippi State game later this month. Here’s ESPN’s press release outlining its plans. Talk about overkill.

NBC Sports gives you its programming schedule for the next month and a half.

That’s it for now.

HR Talks to Deadspin

To be honest, this was not one of the stories I was following today, but when a guy like Harold Reynolds speaks to Deadspin, I have to provide a link.

First off, nice of HR to speak to Editor-in-Chief Will Leitch at the MLB.com offices and second, this shows that HR actually gets the internet:

HR: Man, you guys just kill Chris. Leather? Is that what it is? You’re with leather?

I liked Harold before this, but I like him even more now. It’s a very good interview and Will even provides a picture of him and HR together. Will, you have this very strange look on your face. You gotta cut that out. LOL. Back later.

Friday Links

I’ll do as many links as I can this morning. I do have to leave work today so I’ll give you as many as my time permits.

First, USA Today, Fox and ESPN are talking with Major League Baseball about expanding their coverage when Barry Bonds gets closer to the all-time home run record. You may recall both networks went all out for the single season record in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were close so expect similar coverage here. No matter what you think about Bonds, whether you feel he did steroids or you feel he was railroaded, this is a major story.

Also from the Nation’s Newspaper, Steve Wieberg has a story on Kevin Weiberg (note the spellings) leaving his post as Big 12 Commissioner and heading to the Big Ten Network.

Michael Hiestand says the TV networks need to get creative to boost NBA TV ratings.

Dave Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch has his usual Friday column. He’s really good and I enjoy his stuff. Today, he’s mildly surprised at some intelligent talk coming out of WEEI in Boston, plus he discusses the blogging policy of the major sports leagues in the wake of the NCAA stopping real-time blogging of a reporter out of Louisville.

Susan Bickelhaupt of the Boston Globe says the just completed NBA Finals lacked competition and did not showcase the best of the league. She also has a blurb on WBZ-TV renewing its “5th Quarter” postgame Patriots show for three more years.

I always laugh when I read Phil Mushnick in the New York Post. He always rails against something, but lately, I find myself agreeing with him. Today, he goes against ESPN for not showing any live golf in the first ten minutes of its US Open coverage yesterday and takes Chris Berman to task for being a woefully poor play-by-play announcer.

Bob Raissman looks into the hiring of Harold Reynolds by MLB.com. Raissman correctly asserts that MLB must have done its homework in bringing HR into the fold especially in the wake of his firing by ESPN last year for alleged sexual harassment.

In Newsday, Neil Best’s Friday column focuses on a new law in New York banning ticket scalping. He wonders if this lead to increasing ticket prices or if ticket re-sellers like StubHub will get more busines.

Laura Nachman of the Philly Burbs papers profiles Michael Bradley of WPEN who is in the second month of his morning show.

Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines that sideline reporters don’t serve much purpose on a telecast. I’ll agree with that somewhat, but there are times when they’re needed. One definitely, not two in some cases, especially on Monday Night Football when ESPN uses both Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya.

In the Baltimore Sun, Ray Frager discusses Johnny Miller and the US Open and looks deeper into the ratings of WHFS for Orioles radio broadcasts.

Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel urges his readers to watch the US Open.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune likes to keep track of Mike North of sports radio WSCR and he writes about North’s contentious interview with White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper.

Judd Zulgad in this morning’s Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a story about Twins owner Carl Pohlad purchasing an FM station leading to speculation that the team might be changing stations when its current deal with KSTP runs out.

Bob Wolfey in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes about the city’s AHL team moving stations.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle tells us what programs are beating the NBA Finals. It’s not pretty, let me tell you.

John Maffei of the North County Times says the University of San Diego has hired Padres announcer Andy Masur as its basketball play-by-play man for this season. And Maffei previews the US Open TV coverage.

Larry Stewart has his usual two stories in the Los Angeles Times. First one is on the poor ratings of the NBA Finals. Second is on the US Open.

Tom Hoffarth of the LA Daily News feels like me on the subject of Chris Berman and golf. Get him off my TV!!

Wednesday Links

It’s the middle of the week. Let’s take a look at the links today.

Quick Links

I’ll give you a couple of links this morning. Work issues, you know the drill. Anyway, here are a few to tie you over for now.

Red Sox fans know that Manny Ramirez is not speaking to the media this season so it came as a surprise when Man-Ram did a video piece with Fang’s Bites fav, Tina Cervasio of NESN. David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch writes about the piece which focused on Manny getting a haircut from “Lmonstro”. Watch the video labeled ” Manny talks hair with LMonstro” and you’ll see how bizarre it is. Words cannot do it justice. Laugh you will (as he does his Yoda voice).

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times gives a mostly positive review to ESPN/ABC’s production of the Belmont Stakes, but has some scathing words for Brent Musburger.

Bob Raissman in today’s New York Daily News, is already sick of the Roger Clemens hype.

Michael Hiestand looks into the weekend sports TV ratings in this morning’s edition of USA Today.

After a year away from television due to legal problems with ESPN (never really explained), Harold Reynolds returns thanks to MLB.com and will most likely work on the upcoming MLB Network.

The Sopranos series creator, David Chase, sat down with Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger. Actually, he sat down with Sepinwall before the season began, but at least he explained the final scene. To be honest, he really didn’t explain it, but he did say you’ll see what you’ll want to see in the last scene of the series. Well, it’s not what I wanted, but at least you get it out of his mouth. If you want to read the entire column without having to click through four pages, here’s the printable version.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back later.