Fang's Bites

A Friday Megalink Post

I’m going to try to post some of the Friday megalinks. This won’t be an entire post. Unless something happens, I should be able to get most of them in.

Of course, you can find the Weekend Viewing Picks for your sports and primetime programs.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand and Mike McCarthy debate whether ESPN’s harsh criticism over VCU’s selection to the NCAA Tournament was sour grapes over losing the games to CBS/Turner.

Mike McCarthy says ESPN has pulled NBA analyst Jalen Rose off the air following last month’s arrest on DUI charges.

Bob Velin of USA Today notes that boxing returns to network television on Saturday in the form of a new Showtime reality series on the Manny Pacquaio-Sugar Shane Mosley fight.

This being April Fools’ Day, we hearken back to 1985 and one of the greatest April 1 sports media pranks, The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, written by George Plimpton of Sports Illustrated which fooled many fans back in the day.

And Christopher Borelli of the Chicago Tribune has found the man who posed as Sidd Finch for SI, a retired Chicago-area schoolteacher.

Phil Orlins, coordinating producer of ESPN 3D, writes in ESPN Front Row about how watching The Masters^® in the third dimension is an experience unlike any other.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that SNY has been pulled by Dish Network in the latest dispute among regional sports networks and a content provider.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser says ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd has set his target again on Washington Wizards rookie guard John Wall.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if nutrition chain GNC is a good stock buy as it went public today.

Darren has an extensive look at how going paperless could change the ticket industry.

At Digital Spy UK, Andrew Laughlin says ESPN Classic has obtained the BBC Sport archives.

The Big Lead speculates on the replacement for Josh Elliot at the morning SportsCenter anchor desk.

The metgrrl blog is the latest to take MLB to task for catering to the lowest common denominator at its Fan Cave.

The Sports Media Watch has various ratings news and notes.

And SMW has some sports media news as well.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn talks with Red Sox radio announcer Dave O’Brien about signing a new multiyear contract extension.

At the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Bill Doyle interviews NESN Red Sox voice Don Orsillo.

ESPN Boston says it will be launching an internet radio show next Friday.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post for all intents and purposes calls Kentucky’s John Calipari and UConn’s Jim Calhoun crooks.

George Willis of the Post remembers former boxing trainer and CBS/MSG/HBO analyst Gil Glancy who died this week.

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says YES and DirecTV have a midnight deadline to keep the regional sports network on the satellite provider.

Pete says baseball should embrace technology to help make calls and speed up the game.

Tim Schooley of the Pittsburgh Business Times looks at FSN Pittsburgh making the transition to a new name.

Gary Haber of the Baltimore Business Journal says radio host Jen Royle is suing a competing radio station for defamation.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com also looks at Royle’s lawsuit as well as other DC-Baltimore sports media news.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Nationals were the butt of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue last night.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus about this year’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament.

Jim says MASN is making a couple of programming changes.

South

Mitch Vingle of the Charleston (WV) Gazette says the ESPN lawsuit against Conference USA bears watching.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recaps the Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports that took place in South Florida this week.

Laken Litman at the Dallas Morning News says ESPN will air Texas’ spring football game this weekend.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle talks with CBS Sports director Bob Fishman about the Final Four’s he called from the production truck.

David has a story on ESPN’s lawsuit against Conference USA.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman talks about the expanded announcing crews at the Final Four thanks to CBS/Turner collaboration for the NCAA Tournament.

Midwest

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal says STO is ready to air the Cleveland MLB team’s season opener today.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press has CBS/Turner’s crew surprised about the VCU run during the NCAA Tournament.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says this year’s Final Four will be called by a three man booth as opposed to two over the last 29 on CBS.

Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel says MLB has unveiled an unconventional epic ad campaign.

Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes about the Twins going all-cable this season and for the foreseeable future.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Fox Sports Midwest screwed up the Cardinals’ Opening Day ceremonies for the second year in a row.

Evan Binns from the St. Louis Business Journal says the Cardinals season opener was the most watched ever on Fox Sports Midwest.

West

Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune has CBS/Turner’s Steve Kerr excited about calling his first Final Four tomorrow.

John Maffei of the North County Times says MLB’s national TV partners aren’t giving the Padres any respect.

Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star writes that this year’s NCAA Tournament has been a different viewing experience.

Jim has his sports media notebook which includes news about ESPN’s Josh Elliot’s departure for Good Morning America.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News gets comments from other announcers on the great Vin Scully.

Tom also handicaps the Pac 12 media rights negotiations.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News says the Pac 12′s rights are now up for grabs as the conference let its exclusive window to negotiate with Fox expire last night.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says FSN Northwest may have changed to Root Sports, but will be found on the same place on the cable dial.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says TSN has fired its first shots in its new sports radio war with Rogers.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog also talks about the TSN/Rogers Sportsnet radio war.

And that is all for today.

Some Frakking Linkage

Ok, I’ve been accumulating links when I finally got ready to provide them for you and I have enough that it’s time to bring them to you now.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand goes into two sports specials which are Pittsburgh-heavy.

Austin Karp at Sports Business Daily notes that for the more part, college football ratings were down this season. 

Fox Sports’ Brian Lowry feels ESPN failed to find Cam Newton’s flaws during the Heisman Trophy presentation. 

Fanhouse’s Milton Kent says the star of tonight’s MLB Network rebroadcast of Game 7 from the 1960 World Series is the restored Kinescope that was recently found in Bing Crosby’s archives.

Rupal Parekh of Advertising Age writes that Pizza Hut will make its first Super Bowl ad.

David Goetzl of Mediapost says for NBC to retain the Olympics, new owners Comcast have to show that they love the games just as much as or more than previous owner General Electric.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk notes that NBC garnered record ratings for Sunday night’s Eagles-Cowboys game.

Noah Davis at SportsNewser notices that ESPN is a featured player in Sports Illustrated’s annual Year in Sports Media issue.

Andrew Wallenstein of paidContent says ESPN is refuting a study that shows as many people watch programs online as they do on TV.

In the Hollywood Reporter, Eriq Gardner reports that a rabbi is suing ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel for using his YouTube video without permission in a comedy bit about LeBron James.

Todd Spangler of Multichannel News writes that Best Buy is seeing poor sales for 3-D TV sets.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life Magazine says the NFL appears to be on its way to setting a record Super Bowl viewership.

The Hartford Business Journal reports that ESPN will be donating $5 million to a development project. 

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at MLB Network’s reairing of the deciding game of the 1960 World Series.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says expect plenty of swearing in tonight’s premiere of 24/7 Penguins/Capitals.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner speaks with HBO Sports head honcho Ross Greenburg about the 24/7 series on the Penguins and Capitals.

The Florida Times-Union’s Gary Smits notes that the Gator Bowl has a new sponsor.

Sarah Talalay at the South Florida Sun Sentinel says the history of South Florida sports dating back to 1966 is the subject of a new documentary.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the local CBS affiliate is already making alternative plans for Sunday not confident that the Bengals will sell out by Thursday.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says NFL TV audiences are growing by leaps and bounds.

Bob tells us that fans do not like the new Division names in the Big 10.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business delves into why “Legends” and “Leaders” were chosen for Big 10 division names instead of “East” and “West” or “North” and “South”.

Phil Rosenthal at the Chicago Tribune says Comcast SportsNet has given an expanded role to one of its hosts.

Chris Dignan of Chicago Now feels with increased coverage of Michael Vick, ESPN should increase its coverage of dogs.

The San Diego Union-Tribune notes that the Chargers avoided a blackout for Thursday night’s game against the 49ers.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says Canada is harping on a molehill about the Winter Olympics opening ceremony instead of another issue.

Paulsen at Sports Media Watch lists his Worst of Sports Media 2010.

Paulsen has the Weekend Overnight ratings as well.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy has a producer of the HBO series 24/7 Penguins/Capitals talk about the swearing in tonight’s episode.

We’re going to end it there.

Some Press Releases that Should Have Been Posted on Friday

I have some releases to give you that I should have posted last night. So let’s do them now. Then I hope to do some linkage.

Here’s CBS Sports touting that Lesley Visser has been named as the best female broadcaster of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.

CBS SPORTS’ LESLEY VISSER VOTED NO. 1 FEMALE SPORTSCASTER BY AMERICAN SPORTSCASTERS ASSOCIATION

CBS Sports’ Lesley Visser was voted the No. 1 female sportscaster by the American Sportscasters Association.

Visser, who returned to CBS Sports in 2000, was chosen from 36 finalists, which included Andrea Kremer, Robin Roberts, Michele Tafoya and Hannah Storm.

“I am so thrilled and appreciative of this honor,” said Visser. “I am equally proud of the other women.”

“Lesley is a pioneer among women in sports broadcasting,” said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. “Her career and accomplishments as an insightful journalist and intrepid reporter are a testament to not only being recognized as the No. 1 female sportscaster, but one of the best in the industry.”

Visser’s long and trailblazing career includes many firsts as the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2006; the first woman assigned to “Monday Night Football” and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl.

Visser first joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, Major League Baseball, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on THE NFL TODAY. In 1992 she became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.

Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football. In 2009, Sports Illustrated named the Boston Globe Sports staff (1975-80) the best sports section of all time.

The ASA Board of Directors is made up of Chairman Dick Enberg, Lou Schwartz, Jon Miller, Jim Nantz and Bill Walton.

Terrell Owens was a guest on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday. This is what he had to say.

MLB Network has a special on Rickey Henderson that will air on Sunday.

MLB NETWORK TO PREMIERE MLB PRODUCTIONS’ RICKEY HENDERSON: LEADOFF LEGEND ON SUNDAY, JULY 19 AT 9:00 P.M. ET

July 17, 2009 – MLB Network will televise the premiere of Rickey Henderson: Leadoff Legend, a documentary from MLB Productions, on Sunday, July 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET, one week prior to Henderson’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. MLB Network will also televise the 2009 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony live from Cooperstown, New York on Sunday, July 26.

Narrated by Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who is from the Oakland area and idolized Henderson growing up, the documentary focuses on how Henderson’s record-breaking career redefined the leadoff position. The film contains footage from Henderson’s exclusive two-hour interview for the project and showcases why he is considered one of baseball’s most entertaining characters and most dominant players. Several former MLB players, teammates and journalists are also featured, including MLB Network’s Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter and Barry Larkin, John Franco, Tony Gwynn, Torii Hunter, Dave Parker, Wally Joyner, Carlton Fisk, Tim Raines, Bert Blyleven, Vida Blue, Doug Glanville, Vince Coleman, Steve Stone, Dwayne Murphy, Rick Rizzs and Ed Randall.

Michael Phelps will be seen on NBC Sports and Universal Sports for the World Aquatics Championships.

Unprecedented Coverage of Championships Includes Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water and Synchronized Swimming Events

LOS ANGELES – July 17, 2009 – NBC Sports and Universal Sports, in cooperation with the International Swimming Federation (FINA), present more than 50 hours of coverage of the 2009 FINA World Aquatics Championships taking place July 17 – August 2 in Rome. The U.S. team is led by Michael Phelps, who won seven gold medals at the 2007 Championships in Melbourne along with teammates Ryan Lochte, Dara Torres and Aaron Peirsol. Coverage of the 13th FINA World Championships covers all disciplines governed by FINA, including swimming, diving, water polo, open water and synchronized swimming events.  The planned coverage on Universal Sports and NBC more than triples the amount of broadcast hours for any international aquatics event outside of the Olympic Games.

COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: NBC Sports will air six hours of competition over two weekends beginning July 26 from 12-2 p.m. ET and continuing August 1 and 2 from 12–2 p.m. ET.  Highlighted races include the men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relays, pitting the U.S. against top rivals from France and Australia on July 26; the men's 100m buttery on August 1, featuring Olympic champion and recent world-record setter Michael Phelps; and the women's 50m freestyle on August 2, with 42-year-old Dara Torres continuing to defy her age.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports will feature a two-hour primetime show at 7 p.m. ET every night of the Championships, beginning tomorrow. The network will also run a daily, two-hour live program during the swimming finals, beginning noon ET from Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31.  The men's and women's water polo teams hope to climb one step higher on the podium after earning silver medals at the Beijing Games, while the U.S. diving team challenges China's dominance of the sport.  Notable swimming races on Universal Sports include the women's 200m individual medley on July 2 featuring Beijing silver medalist Christine Magnuson; the men's 100m freestyle on July 30; and the 200m backstroke showdown between Lochte and Peirsol on July 31.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will provide live streaming coverage of the entire swimming competition, from heats through finals. Live webcasts begin today at 11:30 a.m. ET with the men's 1m diving final.

NBC Sports' Olympic swimming broadcast team, featuring three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, Emmy Award-winning host Dan Hicks, and reporter Andrea Kremer, will provide commentary for the swimming event, while Emmy Award-winning host Ted Robinson and former Olympic diver Cynthia Potter will cover the diving competition.  Coverage on both networks is hosted and produced by the NBC Olympics production team, led by NBC Sports and Olympics Executive Producer David Neal.

"This is unprecedented coverage of the 2009 FINA World Championships, the most any network has ever dedicated to aquatics across all the disciplines, providing viewers with more than 50 hours of television coverage, as well as robust online offerings," said Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports.  "Collectively, NBC Sports, Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com, will deliver world-class, wall-to-wall coverage of these exciting World Championships to millions of fans."

A full TV schedule is available at UniversalSports.com/tvschedule, and a detailed competition schedule, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos, breaking news and more will be available at Universal Sports' swimming channel at UniversalSports.com/swimming.

TEAM USA: Top contenders include 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps competing in the 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly; Dara Torres competing in the 50m freestyle; Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke; and Ryan Lochte competing in the 200m and 400m IM and 200m backstroke. Aaron Peirsol set two world records at the USA Swimming National Championships (100m fly and 200m backstroke), while Phelps set the world record in the 100m fly. 

And ESPN gets ready to begin its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage next weekend.

ESPN BEGINS NASCAR SPRINT CUP COVERAGE AT INDIANAPOLIS

SportsCenter, NASCAR Now Among Multimedia Platforms Surrounding Brickyard

ESPN begins its coverage of the final 17 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the 400-mile race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET. ESPN’s multimedia platforms will surround the race telecast on television, radio and online.

The telecast from Indianapolis begins with an expanded, 1 hour, 45 minute NASCAR Countdown pre-race show that will include multiple features and interviews highlighting the significance, history and pageantry of the race and venue. The green flag flies at 2:19 p.m.

“Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most famous and storied racing venues in the world and is certainly a fitting place for us to launch our NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “As the speedway celebrates its centennial, we want to convey to our viewers how special the track and the race are with a spectacular and interesting telecast that focuses on the race itself and its importance to competitors and fans.”

Five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN’s coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Dr. Jerry Punch in the booth. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, with host Allen Bestwick and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.

ESPN will use 76 high definition cameras in the telecast, including the first usage in NASCAR of BatCam. The camera on a cable, which was used by ESPN in telecasts of the last two Indianapolis 500 races, will fly over the speedway’s frontstretch and pit road at more than 80 miles per hour to give viewers a dramatic look at the setting and action.

NASCAR Countdown will include a segment with actress/television host Kelly Ripa, who interviews her occasional Live with Regis and Kelly co-host Jeff Gordon. The interview in a New York City park focuses not only on Gordon’s racing career, but also on how he was the first NASCAR driver to move into the entertainment spotlight. Ripa also will delve into how becoming a father has changed Gordon’s outlook on his racing career.

Other features for NASCAR Countdown include Tony Stewart and A.J. Foyt, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup point leader and his idol discuss their passions for racing, their love for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and their similar, volatile personalities. Also, a dramatic recap of the 2008 Indianapolis race and the tire debacle is told through the voices of various people involved; ESPN captures the essence of why racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so special to stock car drivers; and ESPN racing champions and personalities Jarrett, Petree, Wallace, Evernham, Brewer and Daugherty enter a boxing ring to “duke it out” in a wild and dramatic debate about what will happen at the Brickyard and why.

The telecast’s opening segment is a cinematic look at four gladiators ready to do battle at the Brickyard once again: Jimmie Johnson, who has dominated this track in recent years; Stewart, the hometowner who returns as owner/driver in the legendary No. 14; Kyle Busch, who wins almost everywhere but has yet to win on the sport’s biggest stages; and Gordon, who has the chance to make history by being the only 5-time winner at the 100-year-old track.

ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis also includes a live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 25, at 10 a.m., and telecasts of two practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars on the famed 2.5-mile track, all on ESPN2. The first practice session airs Friday, July 24, at 2 p.m., while final practice airs Saturday at 3:30 p.m. All programming airs in high definition.

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will originate from Indianapolis for four episodes with Bestwick as host. A one-hour episode airs Thursday, July 23, at 5 p.m., with a half-hour show on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Now airs Sunday at 10 a.m. with a preview of the race, while a weekend wrap-up edition airs at midnight Monday, July 27 (late Sunday night). NASCAR Now co-host Nicole Manske and lead reporter Marty Smith will contribute to the on-site Indianapolis coverage.

Other ESPN Platforms

In addition to the live telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2, the Indianapolis event will receive multiplatform coverage on other ESPN outlets:

ESPN International’s networks and syndication of the NASCAR event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will reach more than 83 countries and territories and more than 94 million households worldwide. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy vessels at sea can watch via the American Forces Network.

ESPN.com will provide surround coverage from the Brickyard with veteran motorsports writers Terry Blount, Ed Hinton, David Newton, Marty Smith, Ryan McGee, Angelique Chengelis and editor K. Lee Davis leading coverage. The crew will chat live Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the first NASCAR race of the track’s Centennial Era as well as maintain a live blog on race day. Jayski.com’s Mark Garrow will keep fans up to date with his regular podcasts as well as informative fantasy chat and a team-by-team breakdown from the garage the morning of the race. In addition, ESPN’s team of on-air announcers will contribute from the weekend’s festivities.

As part of the 2009 NASCAR on ESPN marketing campaign, ESPN.com is launching the “ESPN Virtual Pitwall” on July 22. Fans will be able to write personalized messages for their favorite drivers that will be posted to the pit wall (espn.com/pitwall). Fans also will be able to look through all the messages by driver to make sure no other driver has more support than their favorite.

SportsCenter at the Brickyard – ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Indianapolis on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Bestwick will host the program, with Jarrett, Wallace, Evernham and Daugherty as analysts.

Among features in the program will be Jarrett and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson playing a round of golf and discussing racing and life, and ESPN analysts who have tasted victory at the Brickyard (Jarrett, Evernham and Andy Petree) discussing their favorite memories.

In addition to the special, extensive reports, interviews and highlights will air on regular editions of SportsCenter and on ESPNEWS. Post-race driver news conferences will air on ESPNEWS.

Feel Your Heart Race – ESPN2 will air Feel Your Heart Race, a half-hour look into why and how NASCAR attracts the most devoted fans in the country. The program airs Thursday, July 23, at 6 p.m. Produced and directed by noted documentary filmmaker Doug Pray and Oil Factory, the program allows viewers to take a look inside the hearts and minds of drivers and fans to reveal NASCAR as a sport that is honest, real, complex, beautiful and fueled by passion. The story is told directly and entirely by top NASCAR drivers and their fans without narration or commentary and contains scenes of life at the track, colorful fan interviews and surprisingly honest testimony from drivers themselves about what it really feels like to be behind the wheel.

ESPN Classic will re-live four classic Brickyard 400 races during the four days leading up to the first day of track activity on July 24. The inaugural NASCAR event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 is widely credited with helping elevate the popularity and status of NASCAR racing. Highlights of that event, won by Jeff Gordon, air Monday, July 20, at 6 p.m.

Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, put his stamp on the Brickyard 400 the next year, and ESPN Classic airs highlights of the 1995 race on Tuesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. The 2000 edition of the race airs Wednesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. The four-race run on ESPN concludes Thursday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. with the 2007 race.

ESPN Radio’s Saturday RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, with an hour of news, previews and analysis. ESPN Radio also provides auto racing fans the comprehensive Sunday RaceDay (6-7 a.m. Sundays), which covers the auto racing world.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S., will televise the Indianapolis race on a delayed basis, airing the event at 4 a.m. on Monday, July 27. ESPN Deportes auto racing commentators Andres Aguilla and Alex Pombo will provide lap-by-lap commentary and analysis in Spanish.

Schedule for Indianapolis Week on ESPN Networks (all times Eastern)

Mon., July 20	5 p.m.	NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable	ESPN2
Mon., July 20	6 p.m.	1994 Brickyard 400	ESPN Classic
Tue., July 21	5 p.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Tue., July 21	6 p.m.	1995 Brickyard 400	ESPN Classic
Wed., July 22	5 p.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Wed., July 22	6 p.m.	2000 Brickyard 400	ESPN Classic
Thu., July 23	5 p.m.	NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)	ESPN2
Thu., July 23	6 p.m.	Feel Your Heart Race	ESPN2
Thu., July 23	6:30 p.m.	2007 Brickyard 400	ESPN Classic
Fri., July 24	2 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup practice	ESPN2
Fri., July 24	6:30 p.m.	NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)	ESPN2
Sat., July 25	6 a.m.	Saturday RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Sat., July 25	10 a.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying	ESPN2
Sat., July 25	12:30 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series final prac.	ESPN2
Sat., July 25	3:30 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice	ESPN2
Sat., July 25	4:30 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying	ESPN2
Sat., July 25	7 p.m.	SportsCenter at the Brickyard	ESPN
Sat., July 25	7:30 p.m.	NASCAR Countdown	ESPN
Sat., July 25	8 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series at ORP	ESPN
Sun., July 26	6 a.m.	Sunday RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Sun., July 26	10 a.m.	NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)	ESPN2
Sun., July 26	12:30 p.m.	NASCAR Countdown	ESPN
Sun., July 26	2 p.m.	Brickyard 400	ESPN
Mon., July 27	Midnight	NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)	ESPN2
Mon., July 27	4 a.m.	Brickyard 400	ESPN Deportes
Mon., July 27	5 p.m.	NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable	ESPN2

Finally, ESPN Radio’s auction for The V Foundation raised $1 million for cancer research.

ESPN Radio’s “ Don’t Give Up “ V Foundation Auction Raises More Than $1 Million

Nearly $2 Million Raised During ESPY Week

The fifth annual ESPN Radio “Don’t Give Up“ V Foundation Auction raised $1,035,512 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a 415 percent increase from the inaugural event’s total of $201,000 in 2005. More than 275 items and experiences were auctioned off either online or as part of an on-air radiothon Wednesday, July 15.

The auction, combined with the Celebrity Golf Classic, raised nearly $2 million.

Two featured auction offerings were a new 2010 Range Rover luxury vehicle, and ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning broadcasting from a listener’s home. The Range Rover attracted a winning bid of $102,100, while Mike & Mike’s broadcast and ESPN2 simulcast raised $51,100.

The radio auction was one of Team ESPN’s corporate outreach initiatives, which coincided with the ninth annual Celebrity Golf Classic. Held at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms in Industry Hills, Calif. on Tuesday, July 14, the 2009 Celebrity Golf Classic raised $950,000 in net proceeds for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

I do have one more press release, but that will stands alone.

A Couple of Releases On This Saturday

I’ll be around throughout the day. I have NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open on. And this is the way things should be. Saturday morning golf. A rest day from work. What could be better? Don’t answer that.

Anyway, a couple of releases that came in late Friday. Let’s give them to you.

First, CNBC’s Darren Rovell conducted an interview with Tiger Woods’ agent for his live special from the U.S. Open last night. Let’s read the transcript of the interview together, shall we?

CNBC EXCLUSIVE: CNBC TRANSCRIPT: CNBC'S DARREN ROVELL SAT DOWN WITH  TIGER WOODS' AGENT, MARK STEINBERG, IMG'S SENIOR CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT & GLOBAL MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GOLF ON "CNBC REPORTS: LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN"

WHEN: FRIDAY, JUNE 19th AT 8PM ET

WHERE: "CNBC REPORTS: LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN" 

Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with Mark Steinberg, IMG's Senior Corporate Vice President and Global Managing Director of Golf and agent to Tiger Woods. The rare interview aired Friday night on "CNBC Reports."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darren: How long have you been with Tiger and what is it like?

Steinberg: I've been his agent for 11 1/2 years. Every day is different. Tiger is an enormous piece of my business life. He affects just about everything that goes on in the game of golf, so there's a lot of focus and attention with Tiger and rightly so.

Darren: How many endorsement pitches are you getting weekly?

Steinberg: There's something we get everyday. Literally dozens and dozens every day, but they are important to people that are sending it, so wee need to take it seriously and pride ourselves on getting back to each one.

Darren: Plenty has been made of the idea of a "Tiger Tour." That seems to be real fantasy. But every time Tiger is in the hunt on Sunday there is to this day to this year double digit ratings increases (on TV). How have you explored or do you explore additional points of compensation beyond Tiger winning that event and the fact that he boosted purses over the years?

Steinberg: Never had one conversation about it. Tim Finchem and I or any of the other commissioners have never had a conversation about it. Tiger is on record as saying that he's not bigger than the game of golf. I don't think that's the right way to go.

Darren: David Falk, Michael Jordan's agent, kind of started the idea of a 10-year deals in terms of endorsements. You have done something unique in that you have brought the licensing model which is typical to the shoe and apparel industry and brought it to his recent Gatorade deal, where tiger gets a piece of the pie. How many other deals do you see that happening with in terms of that being a future model for you and Tiger?

Steinberg: I think it's hard to say right now. The world is kind of changing everyday, as we know it. A part of his Nike deal is licensing, a part of his EA Sports deal is licensing, part of his Upper Deck deal is licensing, Gatorade is strictly a licensing deal. Do I think we could engage in any further licensing only deals?  I do. I could see that growing internationally in years to come but right now we're pretty content with our group of partners that we have right now.

Darren: A couple of years ago Tiger decided to get into golf course design like Jack Nicklaus, like Greg Norman -- the Dubai course, North Carolina and the one in Mexico. Dubai is delayed at least six months, that's just part of the economy and nothing with Tiger. But what is the potential with golf courses and whats the goal, is it 10 or is it 100?

Steinberg: Tiger is enjoying it. He always said he knew he'd get involved in the golf course business at some point. But he always said he wanted to see as much as he could around the world prior to getting involved in that side of the business. Most importantly, Tiger needs to be involved with a fabulous piece of property, something that's going to represent him very well. So the business is growing to grow from three. But you're not going to be seeing three per year. Tiger is going to be hands on, he's going to be doing the way he does everything else in his life, so he's going to do it only in a way that he can balance

Darren: One metric is the four majors behind Jack. The other metric is the billon dollar man. Many in the media have said that Tiger is going to hit that somewhere in 2010. Where, if you could share with me, our we on that track or does Tiger care?

Steinberg: We don't even talk about it. Eighteen majors. That's what we talk about. The billion dollar athlete doesn't even register.

Darren: There's no tally? There's no word document?

Steinberg: I don't have a corkboard in my office ticking things off.

Darren: You might not know exactly where we are?

Steinberg: I don't know where we are.  He's doing well.

Darren: Phil Mickleson said he mentioned to (PGA Tour commissioner) Tim Finchem the idea of, in order to make sure that the sponsors get their value and we can sell tickets better in these cities, committing earlier potentially instead of the required short period of a couple weeks. What are the pros and cons of that?

Steinberg: Certainly Phil hits on the pros there. Certainly letting the local marketplace know that certain players are going to be there, the stars are going to be there, it allows for ticket sales, it allows last minute hospitiality packages to be sold. The downside is a lot of players, they change their schedules, whether it's health reasons, it's injuries, fatigue and it's not right to the local communities, its not right to the 501C3's. It's not right to the people running the events. It's just not right for a player to commit, not be sure if he's going to play and then pull out. It's almost like you're pulling one over.

Darren: There was a point in time a couple of years ago where IMG decided the representation business in some sports was getting a little out of hand with players trying to get real cut rate percentages, with marketing gurantees, stuff like that.  In golf and tennis, that has not been true. The company is as strong as ever. Why is that?

Steinberg: We made a corporate decision to get out of the representation on the team sports side -- basketball, baseball, football and hockey. Golf and tennis is not that way. Golf and tennis have been the backbone of our company. They are also individual sports versus team sports, and golf and tennis in particular are very focused on the marketing side of it our business. We're not negotiating deals with PGA tour, we're not negotiating deals with teams and leagues. It's much more of a marketing and endorsement type friendly atmosphere, which is kind of where we broke ground 50 some years ago."

And ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live had the first network appearance of the Los Angeles Lakers since the team won the NBA Finals.

In their first late-night talk show appearance together, members of the 2009 NBA Champion L.A. Lakers visited “Jimmy Kimmel Live” tonight. Lakers team captains Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher along with many of their championship winning teammates including Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Josh Powell, Didier “DJ” Ilunga-Mbenga and Adam Morrison answered some hard-hitting questions from host Jimmy Kimmel.

Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza talk with Jimmy Kimmel

L.A. Lakers Part 2

“What does it feel like to be the first African American MVP?” Kimmel jokingly asked Bryant. “It is a tremendous honor,” Bryant answered with a smile. Kimmel later threw to Fisher, questioning the report that “off the record you said you should have been named MVP.” Fisher and Bryant both just looked at each other and laughed.

The teammates cleared up various gossip which emerged from the NBA Finals, while simultaneously ribbing each other, as Kimmel asked such questions as:

Do they get to keep the coveted trophy?

No. The Lakers confirmed that they have to return the trophy to NBA headquarters, although Derek Fisher revealed that they could purchase a mini version.

Did the Lakers have to turn off their cell phones for the entirety of the Finals?

If they were, they didn’t get the memo. Derek even admitted to Tweeting during that week – just not during the games.

Did the Lakers really go to a team movie in Orlando?

Yes, Coach Phil Jackson took the team to see “The Taking of Pelham 123” after they lost Game 3. “We would have rather seen The Hangover,” joked Bryant. “True, a hostage movie is not the best way to relax a team,” said Kimmel.

“What happens when you get back to Spain? Will the women there be enthusiastic and making love to you?” Jimmy Kimmel directed at Gasol. “Not quite sure!” laughed Pau.

Jimmy then turned it over to Ariza. “You played for the Orlando Magic. Does (winning) make it more or less fun?” “To beat them, especially on their home floor, it was indescribable feeling,” Ariza glowed.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” airs weeknights on ABC at 12:05 am ET/PT

That will do it for the releases on this Saturday.

Friday’s Press Releases and Then Some

Ok, we have quite a few press releases for a Friday. Lots of stuff going on. Let’s get to them without any delay. I hope to get to the megalinks before the afternoon ends.

ESPN says viewership for the NBA Finals continues strong through Game 4.

NBA Finals Continue to Deliver for ABC in Primetime

Game 4 Earns 10.9 Overnight

The NBA Finals – exclusively broadcast on ABC – delivered a 10.9 overnight rating, the highest yet for the series, for a thrilling overtime game in which the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 99-91. The 2009 Finals continue to provide the highest-rated and most-viewed programs of the night in primetime. If the 10.9 overnight rating holds, it will propel the 2009 Finals to outpace the 2008 Finals in viewership.

The 10.9 overnight rating (9 p.m. ET-12:30 a.m.) was up five percent over last year’s Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers (10.4 overnight rating). This year’s Game 4 was the second overtime game of this year’s Finals; the first time a Finals has seen two overtime games since 1984.

The game registered a 27.3 rating in Los Angeles, the highest-rated NBA broadcast locally since Game 5 of the 2008 Finals. In Orlando, the game earned a 26.7 rating.

The Lakers hold a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 of The Finals, an elimination game for the Magic, will be broadcast Sunday, June 14, at 8 p.m. on ABC, ABC HD and ESPN Radio.

However, the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand tweets: “Good NBA Game 4 overnights. But it’s the 2nd lowest rated Lakers’ Finals Game 4 in the last decade, after 00, 01, 02, 04, but above 08.” Nice to have some numbers crunching to go with the release.

Here’s quotage from the TNT Inside the NBA guys on NBA TV.

Notes from NBA TV’s Pre and Postgame Coverage of the NBA Finals Game #4 – Thursday, June 11, 2009

NBA TV’s coverage of the NBA Finals continues on Sunday, June 14 with pre-game coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Post-game coverage will follow Game #4 between the Los Angeles Lakers @ Orlando Magic.

**** **** **** **** *****

NBA Tip-off

Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith

Barkley on claims that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is fatigues following Game #3: “Kobe Bryant just had a bad second half. He’s human. He’s not going to dominate the game every night.”

Barkley on the importance of Orlando winning Game #4: “This is the biggest game of the series. Orlando has a good chance of being back in the series after tonight. If Orlando wins tonight, I think this series is up for grabs.”

**** **** **** **** *****

Inside the NBA

Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith

Barkley on the Magic’s loss in Game #4: “Orlando gave this game away.”

Smith on Magic center Dwight Howard’s performance in Game #4: “A superstar needs to dominate in three areas. Dwight (Howard) was only able to dominate in two; defense and rebounding. He couldn’t get the third thing in this game and that was scoring.”

Barkley on Magic guard Mickael Pietrus: “Mickael Pietrus is becoming one of my favorite players.”

Smith’s response to Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy saying experience doesn’t play a role in the Finals: “I disagree (with Stan Van Gundy) about experience. There is a reason not many rookies have led their team to an NBA Championship. Experience is a big part in playing a basketball game. It’s composure, not panicking, belief, and trust.”

Barkley: “I disagree. Missing free throws and leaving a player open to make a three-pointer doesn’t have anything to do with experience. The bottom line is the Orlando Magic blew this game.”

Barkley on Stan Van Gundy’s decision not to foul late in the game, which led to overtime: “I think Stan Van Gundy missed it. (Lakers head coach) Phil Jackson was right and Van Gundy was wrong. Phil Jackson was right when he said they (the Magic) had a foul to give.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Magic guard Mickael Pietrus following the game

Pietrus on his thoughts going into Game #5: “It’s going to be tough. The Lakers are going to play hard. I think we just need to relax and play basketball the way we’ve been playing.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Magic guard Jameer Nelson following the game

Nelson on losing to the Lakers in Game #4: “We played well enough to win the game, but we made some mistakes.”

To Jimmy Kimmel Live and what transpired on its Game Night show before the NBA Finals last night.

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night #4

Thursday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night,” Jimmy’s guests included Jack Black and Michael Cera, (who got stuck in the elevator and spent the whole show talking to Jimmy via security camera), a cameo appearance from Paula Abdul and a hidden camera segment with Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade conspiring with Jimmy’s Cousin Sal to torture unknowing autograph seekers.

Here is the link to Dwyane Wade and Cousin Sal’s hidden camera segment:

Additional clips from tonight’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night:”

Guillermo Interviews Kobe Bryant

Stan Van Gundy as a Greek Restaurant Manager

Be sure to join Jimmy throughout the NBA Finals as he delivers primetime specials airing every night of the NBA Finals at 8 pm ET/MT and following the NBA Finals PT/MT on ABC. In each 30 minute episode, Kimmel welcomes celebrity guests such as Denzel Washington, Magic Johnson and 50 Cent, in addition to signature comedy pieces including a Jimmy’s parking lot security guard Guillermo interviewing such NBA Finals 2009 notables as Phil Jackson, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton of the L.A. Lakers, and Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” primetime specials to air:

Sunday, June 14 at 7pm ET/CT and following the game PT/MT

Tuesday, June 16 at 8pm ET/CT (if necessary) and following the game PT/MT

Tuesday, June 18 at 8pm ET/CT (if necessary) and following the game PT/MT

Over to TBS and its coverage of the Mets-Yankees this Sunday.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Features a Battle in the Big Apple

Mets @ Yankees face off in interleague play starting at 1 p.m. ET

“Sunday MLB on TBS” continues on Sunday, June 14th at 1 p.m. ET with an interleague showdown featuring David Wright and the New York Mets of the National League heading across town to battle Mark Teixeira and the New York Yankees of the American League at the new Yankee Stadium. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets against Yankees probable starter A.J. Burnett. Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) will call the action from the broadcast booth.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season. The network will also exclusively televise the MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, July 5. Additionally, beginning in October TBS will once again provide exclusive coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

TBS has broadcast MLB coverage for more than 30 years serving as the exclusive home of the MLB Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007 and home of Atlanta Braves coverage from 1977 to 2007.

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:

Sun., June 14

1 p.m. New York Mets @ New York Yankees

Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst)

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Sun., June 21

1:30 p.m. Atlanta Braves @ Boston Red Sox

Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst)

Sun., June 28

1:30 p.m. Boston Red Sox @ Atlanta Braves

Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst)

MLB Network brings back “Studio 42 with Bob Costas” for a talk with former St. Louis Cardinals Bob Gibson and batterymate Tim McCarver about their teaming up for great success in the 1960′s. Plus MLB Network will re-air the original broadcast of Game 1 of the 1968 World Series following the Costas interview.

MLB NETWORK’S BOB COSTAS TO HOST Q&A WITH HALL OF FAMER BOB GIBSON AND TIM MCCARVER ON JUNE 15

Interview to discuss ’64, ’67, ’68 World Series and feature interviews with Jim Bouton, Willie Horton, Al Kaline & Jim Lonborg

Following the interview, MLB Network will air Game One of the 1968 World Series, featuring Gibson’s record-setting 17 strikeouts

June 12, 2009 – MLB Network’s Studio 42 with Bob Costas will host a conversation with former St. Louis Cardinals teammates Hall of Famer Bob Gibson and Tim McCarver that will air on June 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET on MLB Network. The conversation includes interviews with players from the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series, including former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton, former Detroit Tigers left fielder Willie Horton, former Detroit Tigers right fielder Al Kaline and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg.

Following the interview, MLB Network will air Game One of the 1968 World Series at 8:00 p.m. ET, in which Gibson threw a record-setting 17 strikeouts. NBC’s TV announcers for the original game were Harry Caray, Curt Gowdy and George Kell.

Highlights of the interview include:

GIBSON ON SEGREGATION DURING SPRING TRAINING IN 1958:

“I went up to the desk and I said ‘My name is Bob Gibson, I’m with the Cardinals and you’re supposed to have a place for me.’ And the guy looks at me and says, ‘Yeah, we have a place for you, just go through that door there.’ I went through the door and I opened the door and it was outside and there was a cab sitting out there. I got in the cab, took me to a house where the black players stayed.”

MCCARVER ON TRYING TO SLOW DOWN GIBSON ON THE MOUND:

“When I went out to the mound, Bob looked at me in that Gibsonian glare that we came to love and admire over the years. He looked at me and he said, ‘What are you doing out here?’ He tilts his head to the side, ‘What are you doing out here?’ he said, ‘Get on back behind the plate, the only thing that you know about pitching is that it’s hard to hit.’”

MCCARVER ON GAME ONE OF THE 1967 WORLD SERIES:

“At Fenway Park, for Game One, the one thing that I remember more than anything was all the white shirts in center field. And I thought, going out there I said, ‘Man, you know, if they think Gibson is tough from a hitting standpoint with a dark background, think about trying to hit him with white shirts in centerfield,’ because they didn’t have a batters eye at the time. Well not only was Bob tough to hit that first day, but so was Jose Santiago. You couldn’t see the ball. And that made him doubly, doubly tough.”

To view the on-air promo for this episode of Studio 42 with Bob Costas, please click here.

One more note from MLB Network.

MLB NETWORK TO AIR SPECIAL DON DRYSDALE SEGMENT ON MONDAY, JUNE 15

Bob Costas to voice special segment on Drysdale’s sixth straight shutout game on the night of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination

June 12, 2009 – MLB Network will air on Monday, June 15 a special feature narrated by Bob Costas about Don Drysdale’s sixth straight shutout game, pitched in 1968. The game, held on June 4, 1968 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, coincided with Robert F. Kennedy’s victory in the 1968 California primary. In the first words of his acceptance speech, Kennedy congratulated Drysdale; moments after the speech, Kennedy was assassinated. Four days later, on June 8, Drysdale broke a 55-year old record for consecutive scoreless innings and wore a black arm band to honor Kennedy’s memory.

The piece includes original interviews with Drysdale’s former teammates former Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker and Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, Drysdale’s widow Anne Myers and Kennedy’s speechwriter Jeff Greenfield.

“Baseball’s past is incredibly important to today’s fans and this feature shows how baseball intersects with all aspects of our country’s history,” said Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive Officer of MLB Network. “We feel a responsibility to baseball fans to describe and relive these key moments.”

The piece will first air between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. ET and re-air throughout the night on MLB Tonight and Quick Pitch.

MLB.com set a record for hits during the MLB Draft.

DRAFT TRAFFIC ON MLB.COM SETS NEW STANDARDS

NEW YORK, June 12, 2009 – MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, announced today that its live coverage of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft drew 332.5 million page views and 29.8 million visitors over the three-day event, shattering traffic records for the comparable draft time period. The total page views represents a 75 percent increase over the 2008 mark of 189.5 million, while visitors were up more than 30 percent year-to-year.

In addition to the live broadcast of the first round on MLB Network and MLB.com, this year’s round-the-clock coverage on MLB.com included the integration of Twitter into the live interactive media application, Draft Caster, and the real-time searchable database of every draft-eligible player, Draft Tracker. Fans embraced being part of a Draft-related online conversation while following the Draft live on MLB.com as the designated hashtag “#mlbdraft” consistently ranked among the most popular ‘Trending Topics’ on Twitter.com.

The complete recap of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, searchable by round, player name, position, MLB Club, school, home state and country, can be found here.

A quick note from NESN on its ratings for the just-completed Yankees-Red Sox series.

The Red Sox swept the Yankees at Fenway Park this week and Red Sox fans were watching on NESN in near record numbers. NESN averaged a 16.7 HH rating in the Boston DMA for the three games, the network’s best 3 game series since August of 2007 (16.8). NESN’s season average continues to rise (9.4 HH) as the Red Sox travel to Philadelphia to take on the defending World Series Champion Phillies this weekend.

Golf Channel will have Christina Kim miked once again during its coverage of the LPGA Championship today.

Gregarious LPGA professional Christina Kim, who entertained GOLF CHANNEL viewers Thursday mic’d for sound during the network’s Round 1 telecast of the LPGA Championship, wants to repeat the experience and has agreed to be mic’d up for Friday’s second round, including her preparation. Live coverage of the second round of the LPGA Championship will air on GOLF CHANNEL Friday beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Kim, paired with Michelle Wie and Shanshan Feng, will tee-off at 1:20 p.m. ET.

Below is a link to the segment from Thursday’s telecast featuring Kim’s entertaining post-round interview with host Brian Hammons and analyst Dottie Pepper, and a funny exchange with Wie:

Christina Kim Mic’d Up

Universal Sports which is still not on DirecTV will have coverage of Michael Phelps in the pool this weekend.

MICHAEL PHELPS HEADLINES AS UNIVERSAL SPORTS PRESENTS LAST STOP OF USA SWIMMING GRAND PRIX

Live Coverage of Finals Begins this Friday at 8 p.m. ET

Series Concludes With the Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix Featuring Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and More

LOS ANGELES – June 11, 2009 – Fourteen time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps joins Olympians Ryan Lochte, Katie Hoff and Aaron Peirsol as Universal Sports, in cooperation with USA Swimming and SwimNetwork.com, presents live television and online coverage of the final stop of the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series, the Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix. Live television and online coverage of the Santa Clara International Grand Prix finals begins this Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports Olympic swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines and NBC Sports’ Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ted Robinson will provide commentary for the event, with Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders reporting live from Santa Clara.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, available in 45 million homes, presents live coverage of the Santa Clara International Grand Prix Finals. In addition, UniversalSports.com will live stream each event. More information, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos, breaking news and more available at Universal Sports’ swimming channel at UniversalSports.com/swimming.

June 12 SANTA CLARA DAY 1 (LIVE) 8 – 10 p.m.
June 13 SANTA CLARA DAY 2 (LIVE) 8 – 10 p.m.
June 14 SANTA CLARA DAY 3 (LIVE) 8 – 10 p.m.

ABOUT THE EVENT: The Santa Clara International Grand Prix is the final stop on the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series and the last major competition before the 2009 USA Swimming National Championships next month. The swimmer with the most points at the end of the series will be the winner of the $20,000 grand prize. Michael Phelps was the winner of the 2007-2008 Grand Prix Series and received the first-ever $20,000 grand prize offered for the event.

Phelps made his return to the pool this year at the Charlotte UltraSwim event, where he won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke events. Going into the final competition, swimmer Mary Descenza is in first place with 19 gold medals, Ryan Lochte is in second with 10, and Chloe Sutton is in third place with nine gold medals.

And here’s an upcoming program of interest from National Geographic Channel on “Iran and The West”. There are videos for you to preview as well.

IRAN AND THE WEST

Monday, June 22 at 9PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/iran-and-the-west-3337/Overview

Called “documentary-making at its best” by The Economist, this landmark special takes viewers inside the top-secret meetings and public declarations that shaped the last three decades of the complex relationship. What were the forces at play that led to the current volatile state of affairs? How did this nuclear-seeking Middle East nation evolve into a strong supporter of Islamic terrorists in the region? And why is Iran so crucial to Western interests and world stability today? Using first-person testimonials to present comprehensive and compelling perspectives on Iran’s turbulent relationship with the West and what may lie ahead, the two-hour special includes fascinating historical footage and more than 40 rare, thought-provoking interviews. Viewers will hear directly from the key officials on both sides, including former Iranian Presidents Rafsanjani and Khatami; former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; former Vice President Walter Mondale; former Secretaries of State George Shultz, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell; other high-level U.S., European and Iranian officials; and notable Iran experts and foreign policy specialists.

“Birth of Hezbollah” – A look at the circumstances surrounding the founding of Hezbollah.

Video “Confusion Over Iran” – In 1978, the shah of Iran receives an ambiguous message from the United States on how to respond to the revolution.

Video “Iran and Diplomacy” – European leaders attempt to negotiate a compromise with Iran that the U.S. won’t support.

Video “Albright in the U.N.” – Madeline Albright tells of sitting face-to-face with a representative of Iran’s government at the U.N. — but who is he?

Certainly looks like an interesting program. I hope to review this program for you before it airs.

Back later with the megalinks.

Last Night’s Press Releases And More

I was going to post these releases last night, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I’m still feeling down over losing a friend, but I’ll have to go on. And to cheer up, I had a nice chat with the former producer of “Whatever” with Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Hutt, the always lovely Chrissy McIntyre who does her own podcast with right wing nut, Brian. So I’m trying to do work today, but find myself dragging a bit, but you’ll see the regular features here today so I’m not stopping my blog.

The NFL lists the players who are taking part in the 3rd annual NFL Broadcast Boot Camp.

NFL PLAYERS TO TAKE PART IN THIRD

“NFL BROADCAST BOOT CAMP” JUNE 22-25

Top NFL Producers & Talent to Instruct Players

CBS’ James Brown to Serve as Host Joined By Paul Burmeister, Ron Jaworski, Curt Menefee, Dick Vermeil & Solomon Wilcots

Twenty-four current and former NFL players including PRIEST HOLMES, MAURICE JONES-DREW and MATT LIGHT will take part in the annual NFL Broadcast Boot Camp at NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, it was announced today.

The program, which runs from June 22-25, is directed by the NFL Broadcasting Department and covers a wide range of topics with instructors from each of the NFL’s broadcast partners – CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, NFL Network, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Westwood One Radio, plus local radio and TV. It will include hands-on work in areas such as tape study, editing, show preparation, radio production, control room operation, studio preparation, production meetings, field reporting and game preparation. Each player will tape segments as a studio and game analyst and take part in a networking session with television executives. Each player also will serve as a live radio host on SIRIUS NFL Radio.

Of the 40 players who took part in the Broadcast Boot Camp in 2007 and 2008, 21 have already earned broadcasting jobs as a result of their participation in the program.

“We continue to look for ways to help players develop skills to enhance their NFL and post-NFL careers. Many of last year’s participants used this program as a career springboard and two have returned (DEREK RACKLEY and ROSS TUCKER) to help this year’s class,” said NFL Vice President of Labor Policy and Player Development ADOLPHO BIRCH.

“The support of the NFL’s broadcast partners will provide our players with a foundation for understanding the sports broadcasting business,” added CHRIS HENRY, NFL Director of Player Development.

“The NFLPA will continue to develop strategic alliances that will lead to the creation of programs like the Broadcast Boot Camp. These programs provide players the opportunity to gain valuable experience and help to prepare them for life after football,” said STACY ROBINSON, director of player development for the NFL Players Association.

The NFL Broadcast Boot Camp is part of an ongoing NFL-NFLPA initiative to assist players in preparing for their post-playing careers. Over the past four years, more than 470 players have participated in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program. Each offseason, with the support of team and league player development departments, more than 100 NFL players independently enroll in college courses as they work towards Master’s or Bachelor’s degrees while more than 130 others pursue career development opportunities.

Enrollment criteria for the Broadcast Boot Camp include previous participation in NFL Player Development programs, prior media experience, essays, and NFL playing experience.

Following are the NFL players enrolled in the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp (most recent team in parentheses if player is a free agent):

Player	Team		Player	Team
Kyle Brady	Retired (NE, JAX, NYJ)		Bryant McFadden	Arizona
Danny Clark	NY Giants		Dave Moore	Retired (TB, BUF, MIA)
Terry Cousin	(Cleveland)		Jerrell Pippens	Retired (SD, CHI)
Oliver Gibson	Retired (CIN, PIT)		Antwaan Randle-El	Washington
La’Roi Glover	(St. Louis)		Adam Seward	Indianapolis
Gibran Hamdan	Buffalo		Tony Stewart	Oakland
Cortez Hankton	Tampa Bay		Andrew Walter	Oakland
William Henderson	Retired (GB)		Jimmy Williams	(Houston)
Priest Holmes	Retired (KC, BAL)		Thomas Williams	Jacksonville
Maurice Jones-Drew	Jacksonville		Damien Woody	NY Jets
Joe Jurevicius	(Cleveland)		Tony Wragge	San Francisco
Matt Light	New England		Renaldo Wynn	Washington

With more than 400 years of broadcasting experience, following are the NFL broadcasting talent and production staff who will lend their expertise to the program:

Name	Network		Name	Network
Glenn Adamo	NFL Films		Tiffany Montgomery	NFL
Brian Baldinger	NFL Network		Bud Morgan	ESPN Media Consultant
Bill Brown	FOX		Nick Pavlatos	SIRIUS Radio
James Brown	CBS		Mike Quick	Eagles Radio
Paul Burmeister	NFL Network		Derek Rackley	Comcast
Mark Champion	Radio Play-by-Play		Mike Rosenstein	NFL Films
Greg Cosell	NFL Films		Jay Rothman	ESPN
Howard Deneroff	Westwood One		Gerry Sandusky	WBAL-TV
Fred Gaudelli	NBC		Adam Schein	SIRIUS Radio
Rob Gill	NFL Films		Vai Sikahema	WCAU-TV
Dave Hagen	SIRIUS Radio		Ray Smaltz	FOX
Ron Jaworski	ESPN		Molly Solomon	NBC
Howard Katz	NFL		Ross Tucker	SIRIUS Radio
Curt Menefee	FOX		Dick Vermeil	NFL Network
Steve Menzel	NFL Films		Solomon Wilcots	CBS/NFL Network
Larry Michael	Redskins Media		Mark Wolff	CBS

Here’s what happened last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night.

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night #3

Tuesday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night,” Magic Johnson, former Los Angeles Laker, triple NBA MVP and five-time NBA Championships winner, sat down with host Jimmy Kimmel and talked about the Orlando Magic stealing his name, his rivalry with Kobe Bryant for Championship rings, and his alma mater Michigan State.

Magic Johnson appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” June 9

Additional clips from “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night:”

Guillermo interviews Phil Jackson

Golden State Warrior’s NBA Player Corey Maggette’s Dream Ad

Be sure to join Jimmy throughout the NBA Finals as he delivers primetime specials airing every night of the NBA Playoffs at 8 pm ET/MT and following the NBA Playoff games PT/MT on ABC. In each 30 minute episode, Kimmel welcomes celebrity guests including Jack Black, Paula Abdul and Michael Cera, in addition to signature comedy pieces including a hidden-camera segment featuring Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Jimmy’s Cousin Sal at a fake autograph signing and Jimmy’s parking lot security guard Guillermo interviewing such NBA Finals 2009 notables as Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton of the L.A. Lakers, and Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic.

Dwyane Wade airs on “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” June 11 at 8pm ET/MT

“Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” primetime specials to air:

Thursday, June 11 at 8 pm ET/CT and following the game PT/MT

Sunday, June 14 at 7pm ET/CT and following the game PT/MT

Tuesday, June 16 at 8pm ET/CT (if necessary) and following the game PT/MT

Tuesday, June 18 at 8pm ET/CT (if necessary) and following the game PT/MT

And CBC will air the 2009 NHL Awards from Las Vegas next Thursday.

CBC TELEVISION HITS THE LAS VEGAS STRIP WITH HOCKEY’S BRIGHTEST STARS FOR THE 2009 NHL AWARDS

Armani and Gucci will replace shoulder pads and skates when the NHL’s brightest stars clean up and head to Las Vegas, on Thursday, June 18, for the 2009 NHL Awards. It will be a full-house as the world’s hockey elite descend upon The Pearl Concert Theatre inside the Palms Hotel for the awards show, airing on CBC Television, at 8:30 p.m. / 9 p.m. NT in High-Definition. The broadcast will also be available live, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, on CBCSports.ca.

Taking centre stage during the show will be performances from award-winning multi-platinum recording artist Robin Thicke, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chaka Khan and the NHL Awards house band, led by Saturday Night Live band leader Katreese Barnes. The legendary Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy in professional sports, will also make a guest appearance along with members of the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

The 2009 NHL Awards also sports a cavalcade of celebrities in attendance, including hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg, crooner Michael Bublé, William Fichtner (Prison Break, Blades of Glory), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galatica, Burn Notice) and Colin Ferguson (Eureka).

CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’s Kelly Hrudey will be on hand to pass out the hardware, along with Pat Burns, Tony Esposito, Sergei Fedorov, Doug Gilmour, Pat LaFontaine, Igor Larionov, Brian Leetch, Reggie Lemelin, Mark Messier, Stan Mikita, Andy Moog, Glenn Anderson, Jarome Iginla, Luc Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick.

Rounding out the 2009 NHL Awards’ exciting lineup are the ultimate stars of the night—the NHL players. Hart Memorial Trophy finalists Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk, along with Norris Trophy finalists Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, Mike Green and Vezina Trophy finalists Tim Thomas, Chris Mason and Niklas Backstrom will be among the hockey royalty in attendance.

The eight awards to be presented during the 90-minute broadcast include the Calder Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Rookie), Frank J. Selke Trophy (Outstanding Defensive Forward), Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player to His Team), Jack Adams Award (Outstanding Coach), James Norris Memorial Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman), Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct), Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA) and Vezina Trophy (Outstanding Goaltender).

All voting for the 2009 NHL Awards was conducted at the conclusion of the 2008-09 regular season. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association votes for five trophies (Hart, Norris, Selke, Calder and Lady Byng), the NHL Broadcasters’ Association selects the Jack Adams Award recipient, NHL General Managers vote on the Vezina Trophy and the NHLPA votes for the Lester B. Pearson Award.

That’s it for now. Primetime and Late Night Viewing Picks coming up.

Thursday’s Update

Let’s give you a few links this afternoon.

First, Neil Best of Newsday lets us know that the Watchdog blog got a redesign. And Neil has the press release from Sports Illustrated about Dan Patrick joining the SI team.

The Ventura County Star’s Jim Carlisle blogs that the Anaheim Angels have changed their flagship radio station.

Emiliana Sandoval of the Detroit Free Press gives Detroit residents a few sports bars that have the Big Ten Network. In addition, the Ohio State-Michigan game will air on ABC on November 17 and not the Big Ten Network.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News blogs that the banning of Jimmy Kimmel from Monday Night Football shows that ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser has a thin skin.

ESPN is partnering with Kellogg’s cereals to form a sports website for kids.

Wayne Friedman of TV Watch says NFL Week 6 saw record high TV ratings and record low TV ratings.

Tom Feran of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the American League Championship Series’ TV ratings are outpacing last year’s.

Sports Illustrated’s John Donovan isn’t in favor of TV controlling the start times of the MLB postseason games.

Two press releases from ESPN. First is on the features that will run on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. And the second is on a new afternoon drive time show that will premiere on ESPN Radio next week.

That will do us for now. I might have an update later tonight so keep it here.

Jimmy Kimmel Responds to ESPN

Earlier today, Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reported that ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel would not be returning to Monday Night Football after he made a comment referring to the fired Joe Theismann. For his part, Theismann was amused by the comment, but was not watching the game at the time Jimmy was on.

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated managed to get in touch with Kimmel earlier today and for his part, Jimmy was actually surprised that ESPN went that far to ban him from the MNF booth. In Deitsch’s story, Kimmel is quoted as saying, “I was on for twice as long as I was expecting to be on,” Kimmel said. “There was no set time on how long I was supposed to be in that booth and they could have removed me without me even knowing there was a problem.”

Having read the comments and not hearing them directly, I don’t think the comments were all that bad.

And Deitsch writes that and ESPN spokesperson did not rule Kimmel from returning to MNF in the future so we’ll see. For his part, Jimmy is handling this well and he’ll probably make reference to the whole thing on his show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” tonight on ABC. It will make for interesting viewing.

Your Wednesday Afternoon Links

A few links for you this afternoon before I head out for the day.

Phil Swann of TV Predictions says DirecTV picked up two more FSN regional sports channels in HD as of today.

Neil Best of Newsday blogs about the problems between Stephen A. Smith and his former employer, the Philadephia Inquirer. And Best says St. John’s has signed a contract with WFAN and WBBR to carry its basketball games.

Anthony Crupi of Mediaweek reports that MLB playoff games steered TBS to the top of the cable primetime ratings for the week ending October 14.

Fox finished second last night in the overnight network ratings and first in the 18-49 demographic thanks to Game 4 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and Indians.

CBS Sports says the Patriots-Cowboys game on Sunday was seen by 29.1 million viewers.

ESPN tells us its networks will carry 150 Women’s College Basketball games.

Alex Weprin of Broadcasting & Cable magazine reports that ESPN Deportes will air 60 Winter League Baseball games from Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic starting tomorrow.

Jon Lafayette of TV Week says ESPN will be part of Nielsen’s program to measure the interaction of digital platforms and regular TV viewing.

FoxSports.com gleefully picks up the story that ESPN has banned ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel from Monday Night Football, as first reported by Richard Sandomir of the New York Times.

Chuck Landon of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail writes that Marshall University is concerned about a small crowd for Sunday’s game against Southern Mississippi which will be aired on ESPN.

Two things from the Washington Post. First, Barry Svrluga in his Nationals blog points out that even though the team has renewed its radio deal with Bonneville Broadcasting, new deals with the radio or TV announcers have yet to be announced. And Leonard Shapiro writes while it’s admirable that ESPN premiered its E:60 newsmagazine last night, will the network to be willing to do hard reporting on events it airs like The Masters or The Breeders’ Cup? Very good question. Only time will tell.

That’s it for now. I may have an update later tonight. Check back when you can.

A Wednesday Morning Linkage Thing

Here we go, time for some links. I’ve been doing some work since I got in, but during a break, I’ll give you some linkage.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand tries to go inside the ratings for the National League Championship Series on TBS. Neil Best of Newsday wrote a small blurb on the LCS ratings (scroll down) and in his blog, he says the ratings are very minute. Still, the fact that comparing the ratings on cable to over the air TV are two completely different things. Apples and oranges.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times does the same thing, comparing the total number of viewers for the NLCS to network programming. Please. And Sandomir reports that Jimmy Kimmel’s appearance on Monday Night Football which included a reference to the fired Joe Theismann will be his last.

The Sports Media Watch blog properly compares the ratings of the NLCS to other sporting events on cable. Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune says the low ratings can be attributed to the sweep and the late starts. Tim Lemke of the Washington Times writes that there are a few factors to the low ratings.

Charles Elmore of the Palm Beach (FL) Post says the long layoff in between the League Championship Series and the World Series could hurt Fox’s ratings.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle in his Four DVRs, no waiting has Comcast apologizing for the channel switch that left viewers of TBS in the dark leaving them without the the last few innings of Game 4 of the NLCS.

Tracy Turner of the Columbus Dispatch writes about a local company that manufactured giant bobblehead dolls which stand outside Jacobs Field in Cleveland and other parks to promote the MLB postseason on TBS.

Darren Rovell of CNBC writes about Tiger Woods and Gatorade making a deal for a new sports drink.

John Beague from the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News writes that Comcast will be raising its rates, but its lineup will still not include the Big Ten Network. From the Penn State student newspaper, the Daily Collegian, Tom Brolley writes that volleyball is not getting exposure from BTN.

David Hendricks of the San Antonio Express-News writes that sports fans should be in Time Warner Cable’s corner in its fight with the NFL Network.

Ray Frager from the Baltimore Sun’s Medium Well blog has a problem when someone complains about a reporter or broadcaster having “not played the game.”

John Altavilla in today’s Hartford Courant reports that the cancellation of the UConn-Tennessee women’s basketball game blew away big plans for ESPN which was scheduled to air the event.

ESPN will announce a new agreement with the Nielsen ratings service. Katy Bachman of Brandweek also has the story.

Kristian Pope and Kevin Tresloni of the Wilmington (DE) News-Journal report that ESPN’s Outside the Lines is taping a feature on why there isn’t a Delaware-Delaware State rivalry.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News talks about Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football and TBS’ coverage of the postseason.

Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Big East likes playing football games on Thursday night and so does ESPN.

Lots of links for today. I’ll be back later with an update.