Fang's Bites

Your Mid-Week Linkage

Let’s do some links on this Wednesday. It’s going to be busy for me later on and I’ll be away from internet access for a bit this afternoon so I’m going to the links now.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at the circuitous path NFL Network RedZone host Scott Hanson took to getting to getting his national gig.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today talks with former ESPN’er Brian Kenny who jumps to MLB Network next week.

Kim Hart at Politico writes that smaller cable companies are digging their lines in the sand to battle ESPN after it signed its huge Monday Night Football megadeal.

Tom Van Riper at Forbes says the next mountain the NFL has to climb is getting more distribution for the NFL Network.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says Dan Patrick will host NFL Turning Point when it premieres on Versus tomorrow night.

Michael Smith at Sports Business Journal writes that Hyundai through IMG College has signed a deal to sponsor 24 universities.

At Variety, Rick Kissell says NBC used the NFL to roll to a primetime ratings victory last week.

Mike Reynolds at Broadcasting & Cable notes that ESPN’s opening week Monday Night Football doubleheader was down in the ratings from last year’s double dip.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says both CBS and Fox drew strong numbers for the opening Sunday of the NFL.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life discusses the higher ratings for the U.S. Open Men’s Final on CBS Monday.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid looks at a new book that claims that when she was a sports reporter, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin nailed Michigan’s Glen Rice at the Great Alaska Shootout tournament in the late 1980′s. There are many jokes here. You can insert them if you wish.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that a portion of the country never got to see the U.S. Open’s Men’s Final thanks to several local CBS affiliates not picking up the match.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the NFL Week 2 schedule.

From the Virginian-Pilot, Dustin Long writes about NASCAR races finally being made available online through the WatchESPN apps.

John Daly at the Daly Planet says it’s about time that NASCAR has made this move.

Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail talks with former coach Rich Rodriguez who’s now working with CBS Sports Network.

Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham (AL) News calls a conflict of interest penalty on ESPN for assigning Urban Meyer to this Saturday’s Auburn-Clemson game on ABC.

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN’s SportScience will feature the kickoff return of Green Bay Packer Randall Cobb this week.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says ESPN Radio Chicago is now on the street.

Ed says while Mike Ditka got a role in Entourage’s series finale, so did his agent.

Ed writes that Jay “The Rat” Mariotti has a new book, but it’s only available for the Kindle platform.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune talks with ESPN’s Ed Cunningham who will work this Saturday’s Utah-BYU game.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Jay Mariotti sent him a copy of his book.

Tom talks with CBS Sports Network sideline reporter Brooke Collins who’s picking up the pieces after her dream marriage was cut way too short.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing handicaps the race to get the rights to the first half of Thursday Night Football.

The Toronto Sports Media Blog has some late breaking local sports radio news.

Joe Favorito looks at NHL teams trying to find new revenue streams.

And that will do it for us 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.

Time For The Monday Linkage

After being in the Massachusetts office this morning and needing to run a few errands for the main RI office, I’m now ready to provide links provided I don’t get interrupted at work. You never know. And with the decision to eventually close the MA office due to the slow economy, I may be looking for work so if any blogging networks want to bring on a sports media blogger full-time, please contact me. I’m available any time.

Let’s get to your links.

We start with USA Today’s Michael Hiestand who looks at the Olympic bidding that began today.

Stephen Wilson of the Associated Press reports from Switzerland where the US networks are meeting with the International Olympic Committee, that in its bid, Fox has committed to airing four Olympiads (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020).

Sports Business Daily including reporter Tripp Mickle who’s on the ground in Switzerland looks at the Fox presentation to the IOC today.

While many observers are already handing the Olympics to ESPN or Fox, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal writes that new NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus isn’t coming into these Olympic negotiations cold and raw.

Tripp and John have a podcast at Sports Business Journal in which they predict the winner of the Olympic bidding. Their picks might surprise you.

Funny article from Spencer Hall at SB Nation saying it would be bad if Fox got the Olympics.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter also looks at the Fox bid.

Over at Geneva Lunch in Switzerland (I believe this is the first time I’ve linked to a publication from Switzerland), Ellen Wallace looks at Lausanne hosting three American networks for the Olympic Games bidding.

Lawrence Donegan of the London (UK) Guardian says there could be a changing of the guard for the US rights to the Olympics.

Anthony Crupi at Adweek notes that ESPN could very well come out on top of the Olympic bidding when all is said and done.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times handicaps the Olympic bidding.

To non-Olympic bidding stories now.

John Ourand at SBJ wonders how high is too high for sports rights fees.

Kudos to SportsbyBrooks which continues to investigate Mel Kiper Jr.’s relationship with NCAA-scrutinized 7-on-7 summer football camps and why ESPN has been covering it up.

Dwayne Dunham at Technorati speaks with The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre about his blog. Disclaimer: Fang’s Bites is a member of The Big Lead Sports blogging network.

Jason Fry writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center looks at the writing for free-writing for pay debate.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says it’s not a surprise that Tiger Woods has left agency IMG after his own agent left the company.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that hoops beat the Yankees and Mets head-to-head on two separate occasions.

Neil talks with ESPN Radio New York’s Michael Kay about his YES workload.

Neil says it’s time to go live around the clock with the Olympics.

Neil also reviews the Borg vs. McEnroe HBO documentary.

It’s like the old days when I used to have multiple links to Neil!

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post gives Shaquille O’Neal a backhanded compliment.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times enjoys Mike Milbury’s commentary.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle has a few thoughts on this week’s sports media news.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business wants the Big Ten Football Championship to be played out of doors.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post reviews HBO’s McEnroe/Borg documentary. I’ve seen the first half of the doc and it’s very good.

Ron Kantowski of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes the death of former Sporting News Radio host “Papa Joe” Chevalier. A couple of readers wondered why I didn’t do anything on him. First, I didn’t know he died and second, Sporting News Radio didn’t have an affiliate in Rhode Island so I never got the opportunity to hear him. From the story, he sounded like a good host. Never had the chance to listen.

I’m leaving the office now so I’ll have to end the links right here. I’ll be back later to finish up.

UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: Time for more links.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

Tom notes that Marv Albert is the latest addition to the NFL on CBS roster.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says we must pay attention to Captain Blowhard. I say no!

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says HBO won’t be putting a Canadian NHL team on 24/7 in anticipation of the Winter Classic.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is surprised that CBC did not set a ratings record on Saturday for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Sports Media Watch notes that NBC saw over a decade ratings high for the French Open men’s final.

Ben Koo at Awful Announcing can’t believe that Fox is in even in the discussion to get the Olympics.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has Charles Barkley feeling someone at ESPN or TNT would lose his job if Shaquille O’Neal is brought on board.

That’s all.

The Friday Megalinks Are Here! Hurray!

Time for some megalink action. This is turning out to be a busy day, but let me try to give you as many as I can. This being Memorial Day weekend, there’s plenty of sports action. Primetime viewing is kind of slim, but you can check out my Weekend Viewing Picks for the action.

Let’s get to the links. I’ll do as many as I can. I do have to leave early.

National

From yesterday’s Sports Business Daily, John Ourand speaks with outgoing NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer who is retiring at the end of the summer.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable also writes about Ken Schanzer’s retirement from NBC Sports.

Multichannel notes that Time Warner Cable will have a presence to promote the Speed 2 channel at the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte this weekend.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy and Michael Hiestand debate whether LeBron James as a villain is good for the NBA.

Mike McCarthy writes that former Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen caused an uproar on ESPN Radio this morning by saying LeBron James could be better than Michael Jordan.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center delves into the ESPN book.

Fox Sports notes that this week, Ken Rosenthal’s bowtie will honor our troops during this Memorial Day Weekend.

The Big Lead interviews New York Times NFL beat writer Judy Battista and talks about how she covers the lockout.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid notes that Nike tried to put the screws on TNT’s Charles Barkley to be nicer to LeBron James.

SportsbyBrooks says ESPN management told its hosts what to ask James Andrew Miller about the book he co-authored on the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has a review of “Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside the World of ESPN”.

Alyson Shontell of the Business Insider Sports Page says former Versus host Jenn Sterger is now working for an internet TV startup company.

Sports Media Watch says the NHL on Versus saw a ratings high for Boston-Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

SMW notes that the NBA Finals gets its earliest start in 25 years.

And SMW says the NHL Stanley Cup Final avoided conflicting with the NBA Finals.

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs has some complaints on broadcasters not providing the starting lineups when they’re supposed to.

Len Berman has his Top 5 stories of the day.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Mark Blaudshun of the Boston Globe reports that the Big East Conference has rejected ESPN’s “Best offer” to continue their 32 year relationship.

Chad Finn of the Globe says Bruins fans are finally getting the media coverage they’ve been yearning for.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette notes that the local minor league baseball team gets a new media distribution to fans and it’s not what you might think.

Fred Contrada at the Springfield (MA) Republican reports that ESPN.com writer Howard Bryant has been sentenced to probation stemming from a domestic assault case back in February.

New York Magazine talks with YES analyst David Cone about his use of advanced statistics on Yankees games.

Phil Mushnick from the New York Post wants to know what Mets owner Fred Wilpon knew about Ponzi scheme scumbag Bernie Madoff and when did he know it.

The Post has five questions for Fox Soccer Channel analyst Eric Wynalda about Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says soccer continues to try to gain a foothold in the American psyche.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes has his latest Baltimore-DC media roundup in Press Box.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg finds an interesting Tony Kornheiser-John Feinstein tidbit from the ESPN tome.

Dan also recaps a couple of interviews DC NFL team owner Daniel Snyder conducted on Thursday.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks about the retirement of NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer a week after his boss, Dick Ebersol resigned.

Jim speaks with Fox Sports’ Curt Menefee about hosting the UEFA Champions League Final on Saturday.

South

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson goes over some of the more interesting tidbits from the ESPN book.

Greg Augman of the St. Petersburg Times writes about ESPN’s Desmond Howard blasting black college athletes for a sense of entitlement.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel laments the probable end of the long-term relationship between Florida State University and Sun Sports.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Texas Rangers TV voice John Rhadigan was replaced Thursday and will return to hosting the pregame show on Fox Sports Southwest.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has his take on the ESPN book that has had the sports media talking.

In the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht talks with ousted Rangers voice John Rhadigan.

Mel notes the local ratings for the series-clinching Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.

Mel despite losing the series, the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook impressed ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy.

Midwest

Cincinnati Enquirer media writer John Kiesewetter says local sports talk show host Andy Furman is on the fast track for a possible new national gig.

John has a few more things on Furman in his blog.

The Waiting For Next Year blog loves Cleveland Browns voice Jim Donovan as do I.

Michael Zuidema at the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says ESPN/ABC is hoping some extra pomp and circumstance at the Centennial Indy 500 will draw viewers this year.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the Indianapolis 500 just ain’t what it used to be.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his usual winners and losers today.

Ed explains what Tiger Woods’ agent split from powerful IMG means for Tiger.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that ESPN/ABC is hopeful that the Indy 500 can finally beat NASCAR outright for the first time in over five years.

West

Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star talks with ESPN/ABC IndyCar analyst Scott Goodyear about Danica Patrick’s impact on this year’s Indy 500.

Jim reflects on Dick Ebersol’s tenure as Chairman of NBC Sports.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Jim Rome’s hiring in inaugural days of ESPN2 almost caused one network exec to quit.

Tom explains how ESPN/ABC will attempt to keep the Indianapolis 500 relevant with viewers.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail looks at how Gary Bettman decided to buck ESPN.

That’s going to do it. Finished it all in one shot!

Your Thursday Linkage

Ok, let’s do some links on this rainy Thursday in the Northeast. Time to look at what’s going on today.

First from the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Brian Hendrickson recaps a symposium in which Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio was frank in a panel discussion on the whole Brett Favre/Jenn Sterger story.

Philiana Ng of the Hollywood Reporter says Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose failed to show up in New York to film a cameo appearance on CBS’ “The Good Wife”.

ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael talks with HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg about 2010 being a weak year for the sport. 

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that ESPN 3D will air three Thanksgiving weekend college basketball tournaments later this month.

Mike says CBS College Sports is showcasing TCU-Utah this Saturday as part of a free preview.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the legacy of Mark McCormack, the man who founded sports agency giant IMG, will live on at the University of Massachusetts.

Noah Davis at SportsNewser says winning teams generate TV ratings.

Also from SportsNewser, Marcus Vanderberg shows us how ESPN’s Skip Bayless should not do the Dougie.

Improper Bostonian has an interview with ESPN’s Wendi Nix. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

Andy Barall of the New York Times ventures a guess at the Top 10 players in the NFL Network’s Top 100 program.

Page Six at the New York Post goes into detail on how the Bulls’ Derrick Rose stood up “The Good Wife” set.

Dan Steinberg in the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog transcribes the rant of ESPN Radio hack Colon Cowherd on Wizards guard John Wall’s pregame Dougie dance.

Dan says DC NFL team radio voice Larry Michael is also chiming in on the Donovan McNabb benching from last Sunday.

Leonard Shapiro of the Post talks with NFL Network’s Joe Theismann who starts his new gig with the channel next week. 

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner speaks with the producer of NFL Network’s “Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players” about tonight’s series finale.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times looks at a feud between ESPN and a local Tampa Bay Buccaneers blog.

The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel notes that CBS College Sports is being picked up by Comcast just in time for Saturday’s game against Memphis.

Jason Morton of the Tuscaloosa (AL) News writes about ESPN shooting a commercial in the local area.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle writes about the finale of NFL’s Top 100 series tonight.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says fans can talk with the Reds radio broadcasters about the Hot Stove starting next week.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that ESPN has made some additions to its college basketball announcing lineup.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says former Bears coach Mike Ditka was mostly responsible for bringing the 1985 Bears back together for the taping of a TV show this Friday.

Ed talks with the author of a new book that looks into how athletes like former Bears QB Jim McMahon became endorsement stars.

Ed says the White Sox’s new radio deal provides for a HD channel which it will program.

Ed notes that the Bulls will also be part of the White Sox’s radio HD channel.

Bill Zwecker and John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Bulls’ Derrick Rose isn’t talking about why he didn’t show up to the set of “The Good Wife” earlier this week.

The Salt Lake Tribune says overnight camping will be allowed on Friday for College Gameday’s appearance at the University of Utah’s campus this Saturday.

Olympics writer Alan Abrahamson says disgraced track star Marion Jones is not telling the truth in her interviews and in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary that aired this week.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at what Alan has to say.

Sports Media Watch has a few news and notes.

Allen Levin of Digital Sports Daily speaks with NBA TV’s Steve Smith.

Dave Kohl at Major League Programs notes that athletes are using TV and radio to bypass newspapers to get their messages out.

And we’ll end it there.

Doing The Sunday Links

Well, my day has been planned for me, but I don’t want to leave you without links so I got up early to provide some until I return home sometime after 6 tonight.

Without further ado, here are the links.

Tom Van Riper at Forbes cautions fans who are caught up in the Pac 10/12 media hype.

John Walters at Fanhouse says the Pac 10/12 has many obstacles to overcome including its TV contracts.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that fans are feeling their NFL game tickets are worth more this year than last.

Darren explains why IMG’s purchase of college sports syndicator ISP is good for the game.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that Outdoor Channel gets picked up by Comcast in Houston.

Jesse Quinlan of the Stamford (CT) Advocate talks with ESPN’s Steve Young. 

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reports that there will be no disciplinary action against ESPN writer Arash Markazi on his story about LeBron James’ Boys Night Out in Las Vegas that was eventually spiked.

Phil “Dr. Doom and Gloom” Mushnick of the New York Post now goes after NFL Commish Roger Goodell on last week’s Town Meeting in Green Bay. In Mushnick’s World, nothing is ever good enough for him.

Greg Connors of the Buffalo News notes that the Bills fans can follow their team through Twitter.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg in the DC Sports Bog notes that two local TV reporters attempted the same physical conditioning test that Albert Haynesworth failed twice for the DC NFL team. 

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that the DC NFL team will be well covered by the local media during the preseason.

David Walsh of the Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch talks with the Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner about his familiarity of The Greenbrier Resort, site of this weekend’s PGA Tour stop. 

Walsh adds that the TV exposure thanks to Golf Channel and CBS to The Greenbrier Resort is good for the local area.

The Miami Herald’s Dan LeBatard says ESPN spiked the LeBron James story for the right reasons.  Don’t forget LeBatard appears regularly on ESPN either on Pardon The Interruption or the Sports Reporters.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News has a quick blurb on why Mavericks owner Mark Cuban would be interested in buying the Texas Rangers.

Barry talks with Fox Sports’ Daryl Johnston about picking up a new gig with NFL Network.

Mike Heika of the Morning News reports that News Corp., parent company of Fox Sports and Fox Sports Net, is a bidder for the NHL’s Stars. 

MLB Network’s Trenni Kusnierek (and a Friend of Fang’s Bites) suggests we take a break from Facebook and Twitter every once in a while.

Melissa Harris of the Chicago Tribune notes that despite having a championship season, record breaking attendance and TV ratings, the Blackhawks still lost money. 

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times says Dish Network is taking shots at Comcast for keeping SportsNet Philadelphia off the satellite provider.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News loves a new website which alerts you to big things happening on TV.

Tom has more about the website in his blog.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says the Blue Jays may be out of the pennant race, but continue to do well in the ratings. 

Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun talks with Stacey Bieber who is one of the golfers taking part in this season’s Big Break Sandals Resort on Golf Channel.

Sports Media Watch has its weekend ratings predictions.

SMW has some ratings news and notes.

And SMW notes comments from ESPN’s John Skipper that I picked up in the Friday megalinks and bear watching that he feels ESPNews and ESPN Classic are not performing to par and could have an announcement on the two channels in the coming months.

Sox & Dawgs has the video of the Red Sox epic comeback against the Detroit Tigers yesterday.

And that will do it. Enjoy your Sunday.

The Day Is Shot For Me Links

Having had to take Dad to the eye doctor then being told that I can’t go to the Massachusetts office because he’s taking a client to lunch is really killing me. Not having a car is killing me. Not having my own schedule is killing me. And after today, the blogging schedule will be light over the next few days due to end of the month/beginning of the month stuff will kill me as well. Not a happy day. And if I get that spam from someone telling me to move to New Mexico, that person will be getting my wrath.

So having said that, it’s time to do some linkage while I can.

In a big move, Michael Smith of Sports Business Daily reports that IMG College is purchasing ISP Sports which means a shift in the multimedia rights of 60 colleges and universities.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says Big Ten Network is going to use archival footage, some never aired before, to produce a new 13 week series.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk writes that Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer and Daryl Johnston will be joining NFL Network as analysts, but will also remain at Fox in their current capacities. 

Media analyst Larry Gerbrandt writes in the Hollywood Reporter that professionals and manufacturers want to push 3-D TV as fast as they can.

Lacey Rose of Forbes speaks with Sony Pictures Television head Andy Kaplan who’s bullish on 3-D.

Dennis Waszak, Jr. of the Associated Press says the NFL’s New York Jets are ready to be in the spotlight this summer thanks to HBO’s Hard Knocks. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell explores Tim Tebow’s new endorsement deal with Jockey undergarments.

Lisa Backus of the New Britain (CT) Herald reports an unsealed arrest warrant provides new details on the charges against former ESPN analyst Jeremy Green, son of former NFL coach Dennis Green. Jeremy was arrested earlier this month in a motel near the ESPN headquarters on child pornography charges.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union tries to piece together the NFL regular season TV schedule for the Capital Region.

Jenny Vrentas of the Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger explores how HBO lured the Jets to take part in Hard Knocks.

In the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner writes that an East Coast media trip by Pac 10/12 football coaches is in reality, a ploy to increase TV rights fees for the conference.

In the Washington Examiner, Jim Williams looks at the stronger TV ratings for the Nationals.

The Washington Post’s Reliable Source blog looks at Erin Andrews going to Capitol Hill Tuesday to lobby for strong anti-stalking legislation.

Carol Vaughn of the Eastern Shore (VA) News writes that ESPN will be on Tangier Island to shoot an ad for ESPN3.com.

Dave Nicholson of the Tampa (FL) Tribune writes about a local girl who was featured on ESPN’s E:60 for her feat of throwing two perfect games in Little League.

In the St. Petersburg Times, Tom Jones says Sun Sports’ Dwayne Staats did not mention Matt Garza’s no-hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays until the final out.

Jeff Mosier of the Dallas Morning News cites an ESPN Outside the Lines report that mentioned the number of food safety violations at Cowboys Stadium.

An aside here. I saw that report on ESPN before heading out Sunday morning and it was an eyeopener. Very solid journalism from ESPN and Paula Lavigne. The story is still having an impact three days after it aired.

Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle says Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe can only look forward after a tumultuous summer that almost led to the disbanding of the conference.  

Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Brewers’ TV ratings are down this year compared to the same period a year ago.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes that a miscommunication between FSN Northwest and higher ups prevented the network from airing a confrontation in the Mariners dugout Saturday during a game against the Red Sox that NESN and Japanese network NHK had no problem in showing to viewers.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the noose may be tightening on cyclist Lance Armstrong over steroids.

More coming up. I’ll post these now.

A Monday Linkage Thing

Call me crazy, but I have both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon streaming video on my computer today. And thanks to backdoor sites, they are not taking up memory. I was watching the U.S. Open on NBCSports.com, but it was eating up my memory as the video player was slowing things down. I’ve also found a site that is streaming BBC’s Wimbledon coverage so right now, I’m in sports heaven on this back to work Monday. The streaming quality of both are good and there’s no lagging.

Let’s do your links for today.

Reid Cherner of USA Today writes that rain gave NBC an opportunity to mix in weather reports during the U.S. Open.

Four stories from Sports Business Journal today.

John Ourand writes that ESPN is using podcasts to expand its audio, online and print brands.

Daniel Kaplan says the new roof over Centre Court at Wimbledon makes its official debut today.

Terry Lefton reports on the new management team at Madison Square Garden overseeing the building’s renovation.

Liz Mullen & Jon Snow write that the powerful IMG agency is looking to buy all or part of Gaylord Management whose clients include Phil Mickelson.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell gives you some of the storylines he’s rooting for at today’s U.S. Open.

Michael Amon and Patrick Whittle of Newsday write about the beer policy being changed at the U.S. Open in the wake of drunk heckling on Saturday.

Neil Best of Newsday says while the Phil Mickelson charge at the Open is great for NBC, the network must be wondering what could have been if this had happened on Sunday.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is really reaching when he says NBC is apologizing for Tiger when he plays poorly.

Alan Pergament from the Buffalo News says the producers of the new version of “The Superstars” praise Terrell Owens for his cooperation during the series tapings.

Mark Kram of the Philadelphia Daily News previews HBO’s Real Sports piece on Lenny Dykstra which airs tomorrow.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says a Rafael Nadal-free Wimbledon raises more questions than answers about the tournament.

Jim says it’s a Manic Monday at the U.S. Open and that is so true as we’re watching Phil Mickelson tie for the lead at Bethpage Black.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times says NBC’s U.S. Open broadcasts were definitely marathons thanks to the rain.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News has a great video of Joanna Krupa swearing up a storm at Terrell Owens in a preview of “The Superstars”. Barry previews tonight’s “4th and Long” episode.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business recaps his encounters with the acused co-founder of the now-defunct Chicago internet sports radio station.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post writes that NBC was all wet throughout the weekend at the U.S. Open.

Artie Gigantino of the San Francisco Examiner talks about CBS/Golf Channel’s Nick Faldo being knighted and the debut of Joe Buck Live.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star gets on NBC for focusing on Tiger and Phil during the U.S. Open.

Peter Bart and Michael Fleming of Variety report that Columbia Pictures has scrapped the “Moneyball” movie based on the book about Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s.

LC at the 38Cliches blog tells us that former Red Sox announcer Jerry Trupiano has now started a podcast. You can find that podcast right here.

Wrap Around Curl at Puck The Media has some suggestions on how to improve the NHL Awards.

Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy says Commissioner Gary Bettman remains defiant on the NHL Players Association’s request to get games on ESPN.

That’s going to do it for the Monday links for now.

Tuesday Links

I’m dragging a bit today. I’m actually blogging from home today as I had to go to the doctor’s office to check on my ankle which I sprained about 12 days ago. I’ve chucked the crutches, but still need some physical therapy. Anyway, you don’t hear about me. You want links so let’s get to them.

Starting with Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, he says ESPN really didn’t provide much beef in its FavreCenter special on Monday.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN became FavreSPN on Monday.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call is sick of FavreSPN.

Neil Best of Newsday writes that the Dallas Cowboys are a natural subject for HBO’s Hard Knocks program and Neil gets a comment from Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones who even welcomes the attention throughout the regular season. In his blog, Neil tells us that WFAN and the New York Mets still have not hashed out a contract beyond this season. Neil says ESPN will become FavreSPN again at 2 p.m. ET. Finally, Neil has thoughts from “My Boys” Executive Producer Betsy Thomas about the current season of the series.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at the ratings from various weekend sporting events.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell assures fans that swimmer Michael Phelps will shave off his mustache before the Olympics begin. Phelps arrived in Communist China on Monday with facial hair, shocking many fans. And Darren shares his thoughts about two Olympic facilities, the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube.

Some Skip Caray-related stories from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Furman Bisher says the late Skip Caray defined baseball. Tim Tucker writes Caray died while feeding birds in his backyard, not while napping as originally reported. David O’Brien, traveling with the Braves, says players and broadcasters toasted Caray’s memory while in San Francisco. Carroll Rogers says the Braves broadcasting team had trouble saying goodbye to Skip last night.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union has ratings news from the YES Network.

Ray Frager from the Baltimore Sun enjoyed an exchange between MASN’s Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez during last night’s Orioles-Angels game.

Andy Tarnoff of OnMilwaukee.com talks with FSN Wisconsin host Craig Coshun.

The Sports Media Watch has some idle notes including the NBA Christmas Day game on ABC. And the SMW also has some ratings news as well.

Courtesy of Boston Sports Media Watch, Pink Hat Hell has a properly snarky review of the season premiere of NESN’s reality show abortion, Sox Appeal.

Deborah Crowe of the Los Angeles Business Journal says ESPN has purchased another website.

Spencer Hall of the Sporting News likes ESPN’s coverage of college football and I have to agree with him.

Bob Scott of the Lafayette (IN) Journal & Courier says the Big Ten Network will debut on Comcast in Indianapolis on August 15.

John Heuser of the Ann Arbor News says the University of Michigan will gain an additional $2 million a year with its new media rights deal with IMG.

I’ll end there for now.