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The Thursday Linkage All Tied Up In A Nice Red Bow

Let’s do the Thursday linkage and there are a few stories to get to.

First, this broke late last night, Joe Flint at the Los Angeles Times confirmed that the number two man at NBC Sports, Ken Schanzer is following his boss Dick Ebersol and leaving the company.

John Ourand from Sports Business Journal also writes about Schanzer’s departure from NBC Sports.

Mike McCarthy at USA Today talks with Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton who will be hosting a show on MSG Network this summer.

Reid Cherner at USA Today has the first ad in the Women’s Tennis Association’s new campaign “Strong is Beautiful”.

Etan Vlessing at the Hollywood Reporter writes about CTV/TSN getting figure skating back for ten years after having it on CBC previously.

Husna Haq of the Christian Science Monitor looks at the tome, “Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside the World of ESPN.”

My podcast partner, Southern New England media mogul Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal reviews the ESPN book.

Lev Grossman of Time also reviews the book.

And Robert Siegel of NPR’s All Things Considered interviews ESPN book co-author James Andrew Miller.

For a longer interview, you can hear the latest Sports Media Weekly podcast with Jim Miller right here.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser has video of memorial services for Chicago TV sports anchor Daryl Hawks who died while covering the Bulls-Atlanta Hawks series.

Over to SportsGrid where Dan Fogarty notes that South Park skewered the NCAA in last night’s episode.

We have a press release from Hannah Storm’s production company about her new documentary that will be part of ESPN’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has a report on the man who bought 49% of the Mets.

Richard Sandomir and Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times report on the new minority owner of the New York Mets.

The Buffalo News says Buffalo Sabres TV voices Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale will work a reduced schedule next season.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that KFC is now the official fried chicken of the DC NFL Team.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at the three bids for the US TV rights for the 2014/16 Olympics.

Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel writes that ESPN Radio is organizing a relief drive throughout the SEC to help Alabama tornado victims.

Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the voice of the Cleveland Browns, WKYC-TV sports anchor Jim Donovan will be undergoing a procedure to battle leukemia. He’ll also take a leave of absence from his TV work for a while. Jim has been battling leukemia for ten years.

WKYC also provides video of Jim making the announcement that he’ll be leaving for the time being.

Jim has been in the Cleveland area since 1985 and became the voice of the Browns when the team returned to the NFL in 1999. He and Doug Dieken have formed a very good broadcast team and I hope he’ll be back when the NFL season gets underway, whenever that is.

The Nebraska State Paper says the Cornhuskers game against Iowa will be seen on ABC the day after Thanksgiving.

Awful Announcing has video of Dan Patrick and ESPN book author Jim Miller going back and forth on various subjects.

I’ll leave it there for now.

ESPN Family All Over Big East & SEC Softball Championships As Well As Softball Selection Show

This weekend in addition to airing college lacrosse, the ESPN Family of Networks airs college softball conference tournaments. Then on Sunday, ESPNU will have the Selection Show for the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Let’s look at the releases from ESPN.

College Softball Tournaments on ESPN Networks

The SEC and BIG EAST will crown its softball champion this weekend on ESPN networks, including full coverage of the SEC Tournament. The SEC Tournament eight-team field, beginning with the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 12 and wrapping up with the title game on Saturday, May 14, will be played at the Ole Miss Softball Complex in Oxford, Miss. The entire tournament will be televised in high definition on ESPN networks. The three quarterfinal games and the semifinals will be on ESPNU HD, while the fourth quarterfinal game will air on ESPN2 HD and the championship game will be televised on ESPN HD.

Calling the games will be ESPN’s softball crew: Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Jessica Mendoza and Cara Capuano.

The BIG EAST Championship title game will air Saturday, May 14, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 HD. Justin Kutcher and Amanda Scarborough will call the game.

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, May 12	Noon	SEC Quarterfinal Game 1 (Oxford, Miss.): No. 3 seed Tennessee vs. No. 6 seed Kentucky Cara Capuano & Michelle Smith	ESPNU HD
	2:30 p.m.	SEC Quarterfinal Game 2 (Oxford, Miss.): No. 2 seed Florida vs. No. 7 seed Auburn Cara Capuano & Michelle Smith	ESPNU HD
	5 p.m.	SEC Quarterfinal Game 3 (Oxford, Miss.): No. 4 seed LSU vs. No. 5 seed Georgia Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU HD
	7:30 p.m.	SEC Quarterfinal Game 4 (Oxford, Miss.): No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 8 seed Mississippi State Beth Mowins & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN2 HD
Fri, May 13	3 p.m.	SEC Semifinal Game 1 (Oxford, Miss.) Beth Mowins, Michele Smith & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU HD
	5:30 p.m.	SEC Semifinal Game 2 (Oxford, Miss.) Beth Mowins, Michele Smith & Jessica Mendoza	ESPNU HD
Sat, May 14	5 p.m.	BIG EAST Championship Game (Louisville, Ky.) Justin Kutcher & Amanda Scarborough	ESPN2 HD
	8 p.m.	SEC Championship Game (Oxford, Miss.) Beth Mowins, Michele Smith & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN HD

And as mentioned, ESPNU will carry the Selection for the NCAA Softball Tournament when all the conference action is said and done.

NCAA Softball Selection Show on ESPNU

ESPNU HD will air the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Show on Sunday, May 15, at 10 p.m., unveiling of the 64-team field.  The one-hour show will include tournament predictions, analysis of the bracket and phone interviews with some of the top head coaches in the nation.

Beth Mowins will host with analysts Jessica Mendoza and Michele Smith. Both accomplished softball players, Mendoza was a four-time All-American at Stanford and won Olympic Gold (2004) and Silver (2008) medals, while Smith was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma State and earned two Olympic Gold Medals (1996 & 2000).

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV will provide extensive coverage of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship — up to 55 games May 20-June 8. It will mark ESPN’s 30th consecutive year covering the event.

ESPN networks will feature complete coverage of three Regional sites May 20-22 and will combine to televise every game from the eight best-of-three Super Regional series May 26-29. Each Super Regional winner will advance to the Women’s College World Series. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile will combine to televise all of the Women’s College World Series games June 2-8.

We’ll end it there.

The ESPN Family All Over NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament

Starting Saturday, the networks of ESPN will air the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Beginning with the first round this weekend and then lasting through Memorial Day with the National Final. We have the release from ESPN.

Complete Coverage of NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship on ESPN Networks

For the fifth straight year, ESPN networks will provide exclusive coverage of all 15 games from the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Coverage will be in high definition across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU beginning Saturday, May 14, and concluding with the national title game on Monday, May 30. ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile will also carry select games.

Highlights:

• ESPNU will televise six first-round and two quarterfinal games May 14-22;
• ESPN2 will televise one first-round game and two quarterfinals, plus the national semifinals Saturday, May 28, at 4 and 6:30 p.m.;
• ESPN will cover one first-round game and the championship game Monday, May 30, at 3:30 p.m.;
• ESPN3.com will simulcast the two first-round games that will air on ESPN and ESPN2 and every game from the quarterfinals through the title game;
• An exclusive SkyCam vantage point of the championship weekend games will be on ESPN3.com.

Telecasts will include a deep roster of experienced and knowledgeable lacrosse analysts: Paul Carcaterra (All-American at Syracuse and a member of 1995 National Championship team), Mark Dixon (former Johns Hopkins midfielder), Jack Emmer (former Army head coach and the NCAA’s winningest Division I head coach), Quint Kessenich (All-American at Johns Hopkins), Stephen McElduff (former North Carolina defensemen), Matt Ward (former Virginia attackman and 2006 Tewaaraton winner), Jamie Munro (All-American at Brown and former Denver head coach). Play-by-play announcers include Joe Beninati, Mike Corey, Ben Holden, Eamon McAnaney, Sean McDonough and Anish Shroff.

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Sat, May 14	Noon	First Round: Hofstra at No. 3 seed Johns Hopkins Eamon McAnaney & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN2 HD / ESPN3.com / ESPN Mobile
	2:30 p.m.	First Round: Penn at No. 4 seed Notre Dame Anish Shroff & Stephen McElduff	ESPNU HD / ESPN Mobile
	5 p.m.	First Round: Delaware at No. 5 seed Duke Joe Beninati & Jamie Munro	ESPNU HD / ESPN Mobile
	7:30 p.m.	First Round: Hartford at No. 2 seed Cornell Mike Corey & Mark Dixon	ESPNU HD
Sun, May 15	1 p.m.	First Round: Maryland at No. 8 seed North Carolina Eamon McAnaney & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN HD / ESPN3.com / ESPN Mobile
	3 p.m.	First Round: Bucknell at No. 7 seed Virginia Joe Beninati, Jamie Munro & Jack Emmer	ESPNU HD / ESPN Mobile
	5:15 p.m.	First Round: Villanova at No. 6 seed Denver Ben Holden & Matt Ward	ESPNU HD / ESPN Mobile
	7:30 p.m.	First Round: Siena at No. 1 seed Syracuse Mike Corey & Mark Dixon	ESPNU HD
Sat, May 21	Noon	Quarterfinal (Hempstead, N.Y.): Game 1 Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Mark Dixon	ESPN2 HD / ESPN3.com
	2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal (Hempstead, N.Y.): Game 2 Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Mark Dixon	ESPN2 HD / ESPN3.com
Sun, May 22	Noon	Quarterfinal (Foxboro, Mass.): Game 3 Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Mark Dixon	ESPNU HD / ESPN3.com
	2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal (Foxboro, Mass.): Game 4 Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Mark Dixon	ESPNU HD / ESPN3.com
Sat, May 28	4 p.m.	National Semifinal (Baltimore, Md.): Game 1 Sean McDonough, Quint Kessenich & Eamon McAnaney	ESPN2 HD / ESPN3.com
	6:30 p.m.	National Semifinal (Baltimore, Md.): Game 2 Sean McDonough, Quint Kessenich & Eamon McAnaney	ESPN2 HD / ESPN3.com
Mon, May 30	3:30 p.m.	National Final (Baltimore, Md.) Sean McDonough, Quint Kessenich & Eamon McAnaney	ESPN HD / ESPN3.com/ ESPN Mobile

There you have it.

Bringing You Some Mid-Week Links

On this Wednesday, it’s time to provide some linkage. Some stuff to get to. Let’s not delay any further.

Steve Wieberg of USA Today writes that the NCAA spent a lot of money to protect the March Madness™ trademark.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today looks at Gus Johnson leaving CBS for Fox Sports.

Eben Novy-Williams at Bloomberg News delves into Gus’ departure from CBS.

The great Maggie Hendricks at Yahoo’s Cagewriter says while Gus is leaving CBS, he will remain at corporate sibling Showtime to call boxing and MMA.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says while fans are cheering the Lakers’ exit now, they’ll regret it later.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that TNT scored an across-the-board ratings win in key demographics for Game 4 of the Miami-Boston NBA Playoff game.

Mike Farrell of Multichannel says Disney’s CEO is saying that the Olympics could help ESPN get more money from cable providers.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says Disney’s CEO isn’t too worried about an NFL lockout hurting ESPN.

Crupi writes a weak field in the Kentucky Derby offset NBCUniversal’s heavy promotion for the Run for the Roses.

Tony Fitzgerald of Media Life also looks at the lower ratings for the Derby on NBC.

Sean Martin at Golfweek says college golf could see more airtime with the new megarights deals with the Pac-12 and University of Texas.

Cam Martin of SportsNewser notes that ESPN will air the MLS Cup against Sunday Night Football again (provided there is an NFL season).

Cam has video of ESPN’s Barry Melrose comments about gays on NHL teams which really has to be seen to be believed.

Stephen Douglas a.k.a. Cousins of Ron Mexico at The Big Lead shoots down point-by-point, a guest column written by celebrity-wannabe Rob Kardashian in ESPN.com’s Page 2 section.

Speaking of ESPN.com, the Et tu, Mr. Destructo blog has a review of the soft launch of Captain Blowhard’s Grantland site. The review is almost as long as the two articles that launched the site.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says he got to meet a star before she become one.

Darren says Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is hoping to fill a void in fantasy camps.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has a story on Jack Edwards signing an extension with NESN to call Bruins games.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about Gus Johnson moving to Fox Sports.

At the DC Sports Bog at the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg wonders if Captain Blowhard is recruiting Tony Kornheiser to write for Grantland.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says Maryland and Miami will open the ACC football season in primetime on ESPN.

Joe Reedy at the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Bengals have renewed their radio rights deal with Clear Channel Radio.

The South Bend Tribune reports that ESPN/ABC may put a November Notre Dame road game in primetime.

Anthony Schoettle from the Indianapolis Business Journal says IndyCar officials are talking about placing more of their races on ABC in the next TV contract.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that HBO’s Real Sports will profile Brewers voice Bob Uecker.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says a suspended sports talk show host returns to the air today.

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune suggests the International Olympic Committee should take NBC’s overbid for the 2010/12 Games into account for the bid for the ’14/’16 Olympics.

Dom Izzo at WDAY-TV in Fargo, ND says Twins fans are being shut out from a number of games thanks to a dispute between Fox Sports North and the local cable provider.

Scott D. Pierce in the Salt Lake Tribune doesn’t understand why ESPN did not choose Real Salt Lake for its MLS TV schedule.

In the Phoenix Business Journal, Patrick O’Grady writes that the Pac-12 Network could find it difficult to gain carriage into Arizona homes.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times discusses Gus Johnson signing with Fox to become its main college sports announcer.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the controversy over Sean Avery’s support of gay marriage and the condemnation by Uptown Hockey has opened a Pandora’s Box.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog feels Uptown Hockey and NHL agent Todd Reynolds should not have gone there.

Lost Letterman wonders if ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla could be headed back into coaching.

Matt Sarzyniak at Matt’s College Sports Media analyzes the ESPN/ABC Pac-12 schedule.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Dan Patrick will host NBC’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, more specifically, the later games.

Sports Media Watch has some various NHL ratings news and notes.

And that will do it.

Some Additional Wednesday Links

Let’s provide you with some more links.

Stephen Wilson of the Associated Press says the International Olympic Committee hopes to have the US TV rights for the 2014/16 Olympics and possibly the 2018/20 Games awarded by mid-June.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand notes that without UConn in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game, ESPN did not suffer much of a ratings dropout last night.

Sports Illustrated tennis writer Jon Wertheim answers readers questions and frustrations about Tennis Channel.

Marcus Vanderberg from SportsNewser has the video of former sports anchor and boxing announcer Nick Charles talking to his former employer, CNN about his last stages of life. As you may be aware, Nick has incurable cancer and probably doesn’t have long to live. What a very poignant video.

And here’s the story from CNN.com on Nick Charles from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk says ESPN is bringing back Jon “This Guy” Gruden’s QB camp.

ESPN’s First Take gives you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring a show together.

Sheldon Spencer at ESPN Front Row explains what the ESPN Car Wash means.

Robin Berger at TV Technology says ESPN wants to change the way baseball is brought into your home.

The Atlantic 10 Conference has announced that it has extended a rights agreement with ESPN for two more seasons. CBS Sports remains the main rightsholder.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports that 98.5 The Sports Hub has reupped its afternoon drive team.

The Inside Track girls at the Boston Herald talk about Patriots running back Danny Woodhead’s visit to ESPN yesterday.

Barry Janoff of NY Sports Journalism speaks with CBS/Turner’s Clark Kellogg.

Celeste E. Whittaker of Cherry Hill (NJ) Courier Post enjoyed watching CBS/Turner’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament.

To the Baltimore Sun where Steve Gould says MASN is seeing significant ratings spikes for the Orioles in the young season.

Scott Claire of the Naples (FL) Daily News says ESPN’s Dick Vitale will be making an appearance at a local youth basketball league.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says this year’s viewership for the NCAA Tournament was up from last year.

Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Sean Casey made a triumphant return to the Reds last night as a member of Fox Sports Ohio.

Kari Petrie of the St. Cloud (MN) Times says Charter Communications does not have an agreement to pick up 45 extra Minnesota Twins games that will be aired on Fox Sports Net. Those 45 games came from over the air rightsholder WFTC.

The Grand Forks (ND) Herald says ESPN will have cameras at a University of North Dakota viewing party for cut-ins during its coverage of the NCAA Frozen Four on Thursday.

Anthony Gimino from the Tucson Citizen says this September’s Oklahoma State-Arizona game will be moved to a Thursday night to accommodate ESPN.

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times talks Lakers with ESPN/ABC’s Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy.

Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News who has been doing a bang up job covering the Pac 12 rights negotiations says it appears the conference is seeking to sign a very lucrative deal and NBC/Comcast seems to be the frontrunner.

Kevin Lynch at the San Francisco Chronicle talks with new 49ers radio analyst Eric Davis.

Cory Wolfe of the Saskatchewan Star Phoenix talks with new TSN Sportscentre anchor Natasha Staniszewski.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog looks at the implications in the Quebec TV market if the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers pack up and leave for Canada for the 2012-13 season.

The Sports Media Watch notes that the overnight ratings for NASCAR on Fox dipped again on Sunday.

Wendy Parker notes that there are plenty of outlets for women’s basketball coverage.

And that’s where we’ll end it for linkage. I think you have plenty for now.

March Madness on Demand Sees Increased Traffic

The March Madness on Demand app and website saw plenty of visits during the first real day of action during the NCAA Tournament. Some 7.6 million visits were counted through the multiple platforms. That’s a 22% increase from last year. Of course, March Madness on Demand was powered by CBS last year and now run by Turner Sports exclusively for the NCAA.

We have this press release.

NCAA March Madness on Demand Sees 22-Percent Increase in Total Visits across Multiple Platforms for the First Day of Round Two of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

MMOD delivers 7.6 million total visits across online and mobile app live products

Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA announced today that NCAA March Madness on Demand delivered a 22-percent increase in total visits across online and mobile apps for the first day of its second round coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.  In total, there were 7.6 million visits across platforms and there were 3.3 million total hours of live streaming video consumed across broadband and mobile apps.

In addition, NCAA.com and MMOD combined, delivered 4.1 million daily unique visitors online and 774,000 unique users on the mobile apps.

NCAA March Madness on Demand provides live streaming video of every game of the new 68-team tournament as they are broadcast for the first time this year nationally in their entirety on four networks: TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

On Thursday, the NCAA March Madness on Demand app which is free to users across all platforms, including on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch (over Wi-fi and 3G) quickly rose to the #1 spot in the App store. For 2011, the MMOD app offers new features for fans to view the games including improved live viewing with richer quality and larger format streams, a personalizable channel lineup feature, and live stats and social companion views.

2011 sources – Omniture (online traffic – uniques/streaming/duration), Conviva (mobile streaming/duration), Bango (mobile visits/uniques)

And that is all.

Some Tuesday Linkage

Not sure how much I’ll be able to get done today so I’ll do as many links as I can. I expect to get interrupted in the middle so don’t be surprised if there are just a few links here.

Brian Lowry at Fox Sports says you’re now in control of what you watch at the NCAA Tournament.

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated says you had better get used to the NCAA Tournament’s FIRST FOUR^® from now on.

Paul Bond of the Hollywood Reporter looks at the effects of an NFL lockout on TV both in terms of ratings and ad revenue.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age tries to see where the ad dollars would go if the NFL lockout went long.

Diane Mermigas of MediaPost writes that the NFL lockout could mean a boom in alternative programming.

To All Things Digital where Peter Kafka has ESPN scoffing at reports of cord cutting.

At Women’s Wear Daily, we find that ESPN The Magazine will be doing an all-encompassing “Style” issue. There was the “Body” issue. Now there’s the “Style” issue. (scroll down)

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has ESPN’s Jay Bilas harping on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s makeup.

Glenn has video of David Letterman busting on CBS/Turner’s Charles Barkley.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says Versus scored with the Mountain West Championship Game on Saturday.

Diego Vasquez from Media Life discovers why the NCAA Tournament is red hot this year.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser says beloved Indiana Pacers radio analyst Bob “Slick” Leonard is recovering from a heart attack.

Greg Bishop of the New York Times talks with CBS’ Gus Johnson about his popularity especially during March Madness.

The Times put together some of Gus’ best calls from both the NCAA Tournament and from his time with MSG Network.

Richard Sandomir of the Times looks at the Brave New World with CBS and Turner airing the NCAA Tournament.

Newsday’s Neil Best says fans who are used to submitting their NCAA Tournament brackets for online contests can still do so at least for this year.

Neil adds that CBS/Turner would rather have you submit your brackets starting on Tuesday instead of Thursday.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has the College Basketball Invitational Tournament TV schedule.

Pete says truTV won’t be in HD in time for the NCAA Tournament in the Capital Region.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record looks at Marist College’s schedule in the NCAA Women’s Tournament on the ESPN family of networks.

Conor Orr of the Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger says CBS College Sports is tapping Rutgers coach Mike Rice as a guest analyst.

Evan Weiner from the New Jersey Newsroom asks where’s the fan outrage with the NFL lockout?

Mke Vorkunov of NJ Newsroom goes behind the scenes with ESPN at the Big East Tournament.

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post says sports teams and leagues are now in the business of making their own news.

Dan Steinberg of the WaPo’s DC Sports Bog explains why the local NFL team forced the Post to take its name off the paper’s blogs.

And Dan writes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will be using DC NFL team QB Donovan McNabb as an NCAA Tournament analyst this week.

Chuck Carlton from the Dallas Morning News says Fox and the Big 12 are close to a lucrative cable rights contract.

Jake Trotter of the Daily Oklahoman writes that the new Big 12 deal would triple the value of its current contract with Fox Sports.

Kyle Nagel of the Dayton Daily News discusses truTV’s role in the NCAA Tournament.

Chris Easterling of the Massillon (OH) Independent says the local airwaves are filled with sports radio talk shows.

Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press says ESPN is filming the Michigan high school basketball team that is coping with the death of one of its players.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says truTV will be in HD on one local cable system.

Bob says another major cable provider might add truTV in HD as well.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says it’s no coincidence that the NCAA sent Purdue and Notre Dame to Chicago to help Tournament ticket sales.

David Hanners of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that NBA referee Bill Spooner is suing an Associated Press reporter for tweeting about alleged makeup calls during a game involving the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times says the NFL’s TV partners, particular the over the air networks, might have big programming holes to fill in case of a lockout.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News says a big Big 12 rights deal might bode well for Pac 12 football.

Matt Sarzyniak who does the great Matt’s College Sports on TV site, looks at the Big 12 and Fox getting together for some big money.

Paulsen of Sports Media Watch notes that the ratings for the NBA on ABC went down due to not showcasing one of the league’s Big 3 on Sunday.

SMW says the NHL on NBC was also down from a year ago.

And SMW says the NCAA Tournament Selection Show sunk to an all-time low.

Ben Koo at Awful Announcing has the video of when the Perpetually Angry Doug Gottlieb’s phone went off live on SportsCenter.

Emmett Jones from Sports Business Digest says MLB Network has picked up a major cable provider.

And that will do it for now. Got the entire set of links in. I’m happy.

Our Thursday Linkage

Let’s do the Thursday links. Been up since 4 a.m. and I’m already dragging, but you don’t care. You want links so let’s provide them.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy has ESPN’s Mel Kiper really down on NFL quarterback prospect Cam Newton.

Mike says ESPN and Sunday NFL Countdown analyst Cris Carter are negotiating a new contract.

Louisa Ada Seltzer at Media Life Magazine says college basketball is the main attraction on TV this week.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser notes that Apple TV picks up two sports out of market packages.

Jesse Lawrence at the Business Insider’s Sports Page says Madison Square Garden and New York are back as the Mecca of Basketball.

Multichannel News says Big Ten Network is running a sweepstakes tied to the Big Ten Tournament.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid has audio of WFAN’s Mike Francesa going ballistic after the Rutgers-St. John’s game which had an absolutely bizarre ending.

Brad Cohen of SportsGrid says a Philadelphia sports radio host unwittingly threw on “F” bomb on live TV.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the once harmonious NFL labor talks have now gotten stuck over financials.

Darren writes that a Miami bar owner is losing money over the Heat’s current six game losing streak.

Darren explains why Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel should have been fined more for covering up NCAA violations.

Newsday’s Neil Best raves about ESPN Films’ new documentary on Michigan’s Fab Five.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has CBS’ Gus Johnson and Clark Kellogg talking about Penn State’s chances to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s 76ers sideline reporter Meredith Marakovits about her first season on the job.

Keith Gabriel of the Philadelphia Daily News says the MLS’ Union is talking with Comcast SportsNet Philly to put most of its games on the regional sports network.

John Smallwood of the Daily News wonders if Charles Barkley will make CBS and Turner regret using him on the NCAA Tournament.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Turner’s Marv Albert who gets to call the NCAA Tournament again after a nearly 30 year absence, although Marv did call college basketball with NBC throughout the 1980′s.

The Pee Dee (SC) Morning News says ESPN wants people to attend a live appearance of Mike & Mike in the Morning when it comes to Myrtle Beach next month.

Gary Smits of the Florida Times-Union says a relaxation of PGA Tour rules on groupings has allowed for a marquee trio to appear on Golf Channel today and tomorrow.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the local sports radio talk show host who was arrested on DUI charges last week has now been suspended by his station.

Ed says the Big Ten Network has finally unveiled who’s the top Conference icon of all-time.

Lewis Lazare of the Chicago Sun-Times says the local host has been suspended for the rest of the week.

Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says CBS-owned WCCO-AM has lost the rights to University of Minnesota sports after a 7 decade relationship.

The Canadian Press says CBC has a new executive director for its sports properties.

And the Canadian Press says a former head of CBC Sports now has a position with the Commonwealth Games.

The Canadian Sports Media blog goes over the controversial comments made by a Toronto sports radio host in regards to International Women’s Day.

The Toronto Sports Media blog looks at more lineup changes at one local sports radio station.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing looks at the migration of sports from free TV to cable.

New York Sports Journalism feels online viewing of March Madness will surge this year.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says Domino’s Pizza has signed an endorsement deal with the NCAA.

Sports Media Watch has some various NBA ratings notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Versus had another good ratings month for the NHL.

Joe Favorito says there’s plenty of sponsor value to be had in March Madness.

And we are ending it there.

Bringing Out The Wednesday Links

Too many things going on today both at work and in sports media. Trying to figure out a balance. I’ll do my best. We have some linkage for you.

From Wayne Friedman of MediaPost, he hears from an ESPN executive who’s optimistic the network will have enough programming to survive a potential NFL lockout.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy writes about TNT’s Charles Barkley holding court during yesterday’s joint CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament media day.

Mike says there will be collateral damage to businesses that benefit from the NFL if a lockout occurs.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports says March Madness can also mean March Mediocre.

Jon Weisman of Variety says a new era in broadcasting the NCAA Tournament is about to begin.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable looks at the Library of Congress obtaining a portion of the vast Miley Collection of sports broadcasting archives.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News writes that the premiere for Mike Tyson’s reality show on Animal Planet did not do well.

Dave Kindred at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center has 25 do’s and don’ts for aspiring and current sports journalists.

Carolyn Braff of Sports Video Group says the new CBS/Turner consortium for the NCAA Tournament is going to take some time getting used to.

Jason Dachman of SVG says the new CBS/Turner Sports production will be a combined effort.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid explains what ESPN’s Jalen Rose meant when he said Duke recruited “Black Uncle Tom’s.”

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has the winner of his Best New Ballpark Food vote.

At Fishbowl New York, Jerry Barmash says video provider CineSport has signed a new contract with the New York Post.

Newsday’s Neil Best catches up with CBS’ Screamin’ Gus Johnson.

Neil has TNT’s Charles Barkley promising to be as candid on the NCAA Tournament as he is during NBA coverage.

And Neil has more with Charles in his blog.

Newsday’s Bob Glauber is saddened to see that former New York Giant and NBC NFL analyst Tiki Barber unretire and return to the football field.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union wonders if truTV which is part of the CBS/Turner Sports consortium will be seen in HD in time for the NCAA Tournament.

Pete is looking forward to the high comedy from the Turner crew during the NCAA Tournament that is usually seen on Inside the NBA.

Pete notes that BYU’s Jimmer Fredette is being praised highly by the CBS/Turner announcers.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says three games in the early MLB on TBS schedule will be blacked out in the local area.

From the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner discusses how the NFL’s TV partners have a vested interestin a potential lockout.

Also from the New Jersey Newsroom, Mike Vorkunov talks with ESPN’s Jay Bilas about his other job.

John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Charles Barkley is warming up for college basketball.

Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning News writes that this Sunday’s Texas Rangers-San Francisco Giants exhibition game has been moved from Fox Sports Southwest’s main channel.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says truTV won’t be seen in HD on local cable systems.

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer says Friday’s A-10 quarterfinal featuring Xavier will be seen locally.

John notes that Friday’s SEC Tournament game with Kentucky will also be seen live in the local area.

Rick Bozich from the Louisville Courier-Journal feels ESPN’s Bob Knight was being a hypocrite in not criticizing Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel over his covering up NCAA violations.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says truTV is not in HD locally.

Bob says the Brewers get their turn on MLB Network this Sunday night.

Lewis Lazare of the Chicago Sun-Times says a local sports talk show host who was arrested on DUI charges over the weekend apologized on the air on Tuesday.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the host feels lucky to still have his job.

Ed says the Bulls are setting ratings records on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Dave Brauer of MinnPost says WCCO Radio has lost one of its legacy sports properties.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune has CBS’ Jim Nantz not counting out BYU despite it suspending one of its star players.

Shad Powers of The Desert Sun (CA) is covering the players at this week’s BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament through Twitter.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that ESPN’s resident “bracketologist” is not being kind to USC.

Dawn C. Chmielewski of the Los Angeles Times has an ESPN exec being bullish even if an NFL lockout takes place.

From the Corvallis (OR) Statesman Journal, we learn that two Oregon University fans who stole the Lee Corso mascot head when ESPN’s College GameDay visited the area last year have pleaded guilty in court.

Geoffrey C. Arnold from The Oregonian writes that the MLS’ Portland Timbers will have all of their games televised.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders if TV would attempt to televise a civil trial involving two hockey players.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that NBC has announced its first NHL playoff telecast dates.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Deadspin says TMZ Sports looks like it’s dead.

We’re going to end it there.

Turner Sports Declares March 14 As National Bracket Day

As part of its new partnership with the NCAA, Turner Sports is hoping to fill the void with the day in between NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday on March 13 and the FIRST FOUR® games which begin on March 15 (Tax Deadline Day©, by the way), by declaring Monday, March 14 as “National Bracket Day™”. Notice how I can now add symbols like ®, © and ™ into my posts, something I couldn’t do when I was at Blogger? Anyway, let’s see what Turner Sports© has in store for National Bracket Day as there will be events both online and on campuses all over the country. Check it out.

TURNER SPORTS AND NCAA MARCH MADNESS® SWEEP THE COUNTRY TO CELEBRATE FIRST EVER NATIONAL BRACKET DAY™ ON MONDAY, MARCH 14 WITH INTEGRATIONS PLANNED ON CAMPUSES AND IN MAJOR MARKETS

New NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Format Gives Fans Only One Day to Fill Out Their Brackets before Round One Tips-Off

Turner Sports, in conjunction with the NCAA, announced today the launch of a series of interactive initiatives to promote the first-ever National Bracket Day™ on Monday, March 14. The day is designated to celebrate the upcoming NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and urge fans to fill out their brackets before the first round of the tournament begins on Tuesday, March 15 on truTV.

The nationwide National Bracket Day™ outreach will feature a deployment of street teams distributing brackets in major markets and on key college basketball campuses around the country, expert tips on a live one-hour bracket special on March Madness on Demand (MMOD) on NCAA.com and a larger-than-life Bracket Lounge inside New York’s Time Warner Center that will serve as the epicenter for National Bracket Day™. Brackets and expert breakdowns of each region will also be available online via NCAA.com, SI.com and CBSSports.com.

“National Bracket Day™ is a rallying cry to fans of one of the most exciting and participatory sporting events of the year to use their time on March 14 wisely before the celebration of March Madness® tips off the following day,” said Christina Miller, senior vice president of Turner Sports strategy, marketing and programming.

“Creating a day where fans can debate the fate of their teams as they complete their brackets and celebrate the 68 schools and student-athletes who made it into the tournament is a great way to kick off March Madness,” said Greg Shaheen, interim executive vice president for championships and alliances.

National Bracket Day™ Activities include:

• Major Market/College Campus Street Teams: Street teams will be dispatched in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and on college campuses including Duke University, University of Kansas, San Diego State University and The Ohio State University.
• MMOD Live Show on NCAA.com: A live one-hour show (Noon – 1 p.m. ET) with host Jason Horowitz, analyst Marques Johnson and social media correspondent Kaylee Hartung previewing the tournament and its match ups with special guest analysts to join.
• Bracket Lounge at Time Warner Center in NYC: Opening on Monday, March 14 – and continuing until the conclusion of the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 25– the Bracket Lounge will serve as a hub for fans to follow the tournament. The lounge will feature four large screen TVs showing the tournament, eight computer kiosks for access to NCAA.com, March Madness On Demand and bracket games, updated brackets, interactive basketball shooting games and photo opportunities with virtual images of CBS Sports and Turner announcers.

Also on National Bracket Day™, the Bracket Lounge will host a special celebrity panel featuring a cross-section of people with college basketball interests including HLN’s Jane Valez-Mitchell, who will serve as the host, along with Turner Sports and CBS Sports studio analyst Charles Barkley, among others. This group will converge to discuss their thoughts on the tournament and tips for fans in attendance on filling out brackets.

Through a new 14-year agreement with the NCAA, beginning in 2011 Turner Sports and CBS Sports will make available live in their entirety every game from the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.  The tournament field will be announced exclusively on CBS’s NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show on March 13 at 6 p.m. (ET) and the tournament will begin with the FIRST FOUR airing in primetime on Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16 on truTV.

The NCAA strongly believes college sports should be appreciated for the benefits related to the participation of student-athletes, coaches and institutions in fair contests, and not the amount of money wagered on the outcome of the competition.

That’s it for now. I’ll be doing links for a while.

CBS Sports Airs An NCAA Special on Saturday

Every three months or so, CBS Sports airs a one hour special on the Championships of the NCAA. The special focuses on sports not only in Division I, but II and III as well. In addition, we get heartwarming stories of athletes that overcome adversity as well as injuries. They’re normally well done. This is what’s in store on Saturday’s show.

CBS SPORTS TO AIR NCAA FALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SHOW DEC. 18

INDIANAPOLIS — For the ninth consecutive year, all 88 NCAA championships will receive television exposure, including 14 fall championships being featured in a one-hour special.

CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA will air at 1 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, Dec. 18, on CBS Sports. Highlights and stories from cross country, field hockey, soccer, water polo and volleyball will be featured in the program. For the 2010-11 academic year, CBS Sports will feature more than 50 of the NCAA’s 88 championships in its three seasonal shows.

As individuals and teams pursue their ultimate goal to become an NCAA champion, some of the feature stories include:

·     The only undefeated team in Division III Men’s Soccer is Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Its leader, on and off the field, is senior Brian Miller. Miller suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm in May 2009 that left him in a brain coma for 10 days. After sitting out the entire 2009 season, Miller made it back to the soccer field this season and led Wisconsin-Oshkosh to the final four of Division III Men’s Soccer. Standing in the way of both he and his team’s quest for an undefeated season and national championship is perennial power Messiah College in the national semifinals.

·     It’s undefeated versus undefeated in Division III Women’s Soccer. Hardin-Simmons (24-0) matches up with perennial power Messiah College (24-0) in a championship game that has all the storylines of a Hollywood blockbuster. Hardin-Simmons looks to capture the first team championship in any sport as a Division III member. Standing in their way are the Cowgirls of Messiah, riding a record 76-game unbeaten streak.

·     Division II Harding University’s freshman Taylor Lively spent his entire childhood in and out of doctor’s offices, suffering from a variety of illnesses, as well as excruciating pain during and after races. But despite countless doctors visits and the unbearable pain Taylor was experiencing, it never subsided.  It wasn’t until two years ago that Taylor and his family finally learned what the cause of his endless pain during and after running was, and how much more incredible his achievements are while carrying his life-threatening condition.

·     Division III Middlebury College Head Coach Terry Aldrich announced he would be retiring after the 2010 cross country season. Coach Aldrich has led the men’s and women’s programs since their inception 36 years ago. In that time, the women have won five national championships and 10 conference titles. The women’s team, ranked No. 1 all season long, hopes to send its coach off with yet another Division III cross country national title. Middlebury’s men’s team is making its first appearance in the NCAA championships.  Also in the men’s championships, Richy Bikko, a senior from Eastern Mennonite University, who at a young age experienced a painful loss; however, through his loss Richy was able to gain perspective and find purpose.

·    Twins Lucy and Holly Van Dalen are on a quest to capture the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Championship. Natives of New Zealand, they came to the United States and enrolled at Stony Brook University. They’ve blossomed into two of the best runners in America on a Stony Brook team with a number of international student-athletes.

·     Samuel Chelanga of Liberty University repeated his individual title in the Division I Men’s Cross Country Championships; while the Cowboys of Oklahoma State took the team honors from Terre Haute, Ind.

·     In St. Louis at the Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, the host and defending champion Washington University Bears look to defend their title on their home court, while the New York University Violets make their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2005.>

·     At the Division II National Championships Festival in Louisville, Ky., the UMass-Lowell River Hawks look to cap off a perfect season in Women’s Field Hockey after coming up short in the championship game every year since 2007. And at the Women’s Volleyball Championships, two-time defending champion Concordia-St. Paul looks to defend its title for a third straight year, while we also meet Head Coach Deanne and senior setter Meghan Scanlon, a mother/daughter duo from Grand Valley State.

CBS Sports’ Sam Ryan will serve as host of the CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA. The fall highlight show was produced by Mark Burghart, with Sarah Rinaldi, Alanna Campbell, Brian Seeling and Lindsay Goward serving as the feature producers.

CBS Sports has aired 24 seasonal shows from the three NCAA sports seasons (fall, winter, spring) over the last eight years. The Dec. 18 show is the 25^th edition of CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA. Each seasonal show features highlights and unique NCAA student-athlete stories from a variety of NCAA Division II and III championships.

For more information about NCAA championships, log on to www.NCAA.com.

And that should do it for now. Time for bed. Back tomorrow.

Some Mid-Week Links

Let’s do some links on this Wednesday. I may do more this evening.

First, Sports Business Daily points out that Monday Night Football received the 5th highest audience on cable this year.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks about ESPN’s plethora of bowls and discusses Captain Blowhard doing commentary on an NBA game this Friday.

Barry Bloom at MLB.com writes that former Montreal Expos voice and current Florida Marlins radio play-by-play Dave Van Horne has won the Ford C. Frick Award and will be inducted into the broadcaster’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Milton Kent of Fanhouse says Monday Night Football doesn’t have that special feeling like it used to.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks with NCAA President Mark Emmert about not paying student athletes.

Anthony Crupi at Mediaweek discusses Monday Night Football’s ratings.

As Howard Cosell, Richard Sandomir in the New York Times remembers Don Meredith.

To Newsday and Neil Best who writes how Frank Gifford helped to transition Don Meredith from the football field to the TV booth.

Neil notes that Frank and Dandy Don actually acted in a play together.

Neil wondered why Fran Tarkenton was in the Monday Night Football booth the night that John Lennon was shot 30 year ago.

Neil reviews HBO’s documentary on the late Vince Lombardi.

Neil wonders why we’re seeing a lot of Vince Lombardi lately.

This is like the old days when I used to link to Neil a lot. Glad that Newsday.com is open for a month.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that ESPN has created yet another college basketball event.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit who’s happy that the BCS is back in the Alleged Worldwide Leader’s fold.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News is disappointed Texas Rangers voice Eric Nadel did not win the Ford C. Frick Award.

Barry has NBC’s Rodney Harrison singing the praises of Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett.

I’ll finish the linkage later tonight. This should tie you over.

Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports Commentary on College Football

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

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turner Sports To Take Over All NCAA Digital Properties

In a related move to its new contract with the NCAA to air part of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Turner Sports has signed a separate 14 year deal to operate the NCAA’s Digital Properties and include sites encompassing all 88 collegiate championships. This deal is separate from the NCAA Tournament which allows Turner Sports to take over the March Madness On Demand next season.

Eric Fisher of Sports Business Journal says Turner expects to take over operation of NCAA.com starting early in 2011.

Here’s the press release from Turner and the NCAA.

Turner Sports and NCAA® Announce the Formation of NCAA Digital

Agreement to include broadband, mobile web and apps, connected devices, social media and more for all 88 NCAA championships

Turner Sports and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) jointly announced today the formation of NCAA Digital, a 14-year agreement in which Turner will manage and operate the NCAA’s digital portfolio and strengthen coverage of all 88 NCAA championships.  NCAA Digital encompasses NCAA.com and additional NCAA digital platforms including mobile web and applications, as well as other connected devices. Turner will enhance editorial coverage and the technology behind live video streaming, stats, highlights and social media interactivity, as well as manage ad sales for NCAA digital platforms.

Turner will focus its efforts for NCAA Digital on all 88 NCAA Championship tournaments across 23 sports (men’s and women’s) in all three divisions, with a commitment to increased original programming, studio shows, enhanced selection shows, live video for those events and related features. Turner Sports plans to re-launch NCAA.com during the first quarter of 2011.

The length of the deal coincides with the NCAA’s announcement earlier this year with Turner and CBS for a new 14-year television, internet and wireless rights agreement to present the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship beginning in 2011. As part of the agreement, the tournament will air across Turner’s television networks, TBS, TNT and truTV and CBS. The joint agreement also includes Turner’s operational oversight of NCAA March Madness® on Demand (MMOD) on broadband, as well as March Madness mobile assets. Turner and CBS will also jointly share sponsorship sales responsibilities for MMOD and its mobile assets.   

“Turner Sports is a perfect fit to manage the NCAA’s digital assets,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA interim executive vice president for championships and business strategies. “The agreement will enable Turner and the NCAA to enhance the coverage of all 88 NCAA championships across multiple digital platforms. NCAA Digital will provide fans, student-athletes and their families with reliable, in-depth resources to engage with NCAA championship events both live and on demand. In addition, NCAA.com will showcase the tremendous, everyday accomplishments of NCAA student-athletes on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”

“We are pleased to further extend our relationship with the NCAA to manage their digital portfolio of assets,” said Lenny Daniels, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Turner Sports. “Turner’s aggressive digital strategy has established a leadership position for the company in branded sports content on emerging platforms. We look forward to working with the NCAA, and using the knowledge, resources and digital expertise we’ve gained by managing some of the most popular league sites on the internet, to create a truly exceptional online fan experience on NCAA.com and its companion digital extensions.”

The new agreement does not include NCAA.org, the Association’s public and administrative website, or all aspects of the NCAA’s digital archival video rights. Turner Sports currently manages an impressive portfolio of digital assets including official league sites NASCAR.COM, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com, and jointly manages NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com, and WNBA.com. Additionally, Turner Sports oversees the operation of SI.com, and provides live video to and exclusively sells the Yahoo! Sports NASCAR, NBA, professional golf and MLB sections.

This gives Turner Sports another feather in its digital cap. As you see from above, Turner has many league sites under its portfolio and having NCAA March Madness as well as NCAA.com gives it a pretty big arsenal.

Our Back To Work Monday Linkage

Ok, let’s get some linkage done as most of us return to work from the weekend. Plenty of stuff to go over.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says it may be early, but the NFL TV analysts were in mid-season form on Sunday.

The National says former ESPN’er Molly Qerim is joining Versus to become a co-host for The Daily Line.

In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry writes about the power of the pen and notebook.

Georg Szalai at the Hollywood Reporter talks about TBS’ branding of the New York City subway system for the MLB Postseason.

George Winslow at Broadcasting & Cable writes that the NCAA and AT&T have launched a new iPhone social networking app.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life Magazine says advertisers can get their messages across at college basketball Midnight Madness.

Phil Swann at TV Predictions says ESPN will be producing its DC-based talk shows like Pardon The Interruption in HD starting next week.

Joseph Plambeck of the New York Times profiles the controversial Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitock. Thanks to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch for the link.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post says tough talk in college football has to be tempered with some disclaimers.

Ken McMillan from the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record says WGN America will air 15 Chicago Bulls games this season.

Mike Kerwick at the Bergen (NJ) Record reviews ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on the Steinbrenner family. 

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that John Riggins’ DC NFL team postgame show on MASN gets some added radio punch.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times reviews the weekend in TV sports.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says Bill Cowher’s name will come up for the Dallas Cowboys job in 3…2….

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says the Big Ten Network only stands to get bigger.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says thanks to the lowly Buffalo Bills, CBS did not send its top announcing team to Lambeau Field yesterday.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says Rockies fans weren’t happy over a local TV blackout on Saturday.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has this week’s sports calendar for Southern California.

CBC Sports announces that it has hired former NHL enforcer Brad May as its analyst for AHL games. This comes from Hockey Night in Canada Radio host Jeff Marek.

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star explains how the erroneous reports on Pat Burns’ death started.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail decides he’s going to lecture the media on the Pat Burns story.

Sports Media Watch says the NFL Today beat Fox NFL Sunday in Week 1 of the season.

SMW says MLB on Fox bounced back with a good rating on September 11, but is still below a 2.0 seasonal average.

Jordan Kobritz in the Biz of Baseball says Ines Sainz is a case of a “poor” journalist actually making a good case for the law.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid looks at the new book on ESPN.

Stephanie Wei of Wei Under Par talks with Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz about the network’s announcing experiment at the Nationwide Boise Open on Saturday. 

We’ll end it there for now. Expect ratings info on the NFL, a couple of media moves and maybe a Fang’s Bites announcement throughout the day.

Some Thursday Links

Been busy this week shuffling between two offices and while I’m trying to tie up a few things from last month, I’ll do a few links for you.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says ESPN is pulling out the stops to cover this week’s Open Championship.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch has his Media Power Rankings for June/July.

Jason Whitlock at Fox Sports has his facetious take on “The Decision.”

Fox Sports’ Brian Lowry feels All-Star Games in every sport need some punching up.

John Ourand and Terry Lefton of the Sports Business Journal have a good feature story on the rivalry between ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and MLB Network’s MLB Tonight.

Tripp Mickle of the SBJ says World Cup sponsors are pleased by the early results of their activation.

Tripp and John look at the short-term and long-term effects of the high World Cup TV ratings.

Mark Walsh in MediaPost says both ESPN and Univision saw increases in online viewing for the World Cup.

Sommer Saadi in Bloomberg Businessweek writes that while the TV ratings were good, neither ESPN nor Univision made money from the World Cup.

Lauren Goode of the Wall Street Journal says the World Cup helped to bring viewers to ESPN’s Mobile TV, but the numbers are small compared to other media. 

Shira Ovide of the Journal writes that Turner Sports is ready to take on ESPN on the web.

Writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, the St. Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans says ESPN’s “The Decision” blurs the line between promotion and journalism.

Milton Kent of Fanhouse looks at the anemic All-Star Game ratings.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age speaks with the agent who helped to bring the LeBron James Decision into live TV fruition. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says LeBron James did not take as much of a hit on his brand from “The Decision” as you would think.

Darren also looks at the New York Islanders signing a new cupcake deal.

Ben Grossman of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN’s World Cup coverage gave the International Olympic Committee notice that it could cover an international event.

Glen Dickson of B&C looks at the company that provided worldwide streams of the World Cup for various media outlets.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says DirecTV has increased its coverage of the Open Championship for subscribers.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel writes that ESPN and Univision saw their biggest-ever audiences for the World Cup. 

Todd Spangler in Multichannel tells us to get ready for another cable retransmission fight, this one between Time Warner and Disney which includes ESPN.

Katy Bachman of Mediaweek writes that Michael Irvin will begin a new syndicated radio show on July 25.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine looks at the precipitous ratings drop for this year’s MLB All-Star Game.

Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe says the LPGA Tour is being mistreated by its TV partners.

Dan Shaughnessy from the Globe mourns the passing of Jack Craig who was the nation’s first sports media TV and Radio critic for the newspaper.  

Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette laments the loss of the Open Championship from over the air TV. 

Ken Belson and Richard Sandomir of the New York Times look at the Yankees’ plans to honor former public address announcer Bob Sheppard and owner George Steinbrenner this weekend.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says it was hard to root for Steinbrenner based on his past and how he treated people.

From the New York Daily News, Bob Raissman says a big part of Steinbrenner’s legacy is the YES Network.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says the four NCAA Tournament play-in games will be aired on truTV under the new CBS/Turner contract.

Pete puts the MLB All-Star Game ratings drop squarely on the shoulders of Walking, Talking Conflict of Interest Bud Selig.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com talks to John Riggins whose show returned to MASN this month. 

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post says “The Decision” calls ESPN’s integrity into question yet again. 

Dan Steinberg in the Post’s DC Sports Bog says Verizon Fios will be adding MASN2 in HD.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with an ESPN exec about its first start-to-finish coverage of the Open Championship.

Dustin Long of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot says ESPN’s NASCAR analyst Rusty Wallace has apologized for calling driver Kyle Busch “a dumbass” after last week’s Nationwide race in Chicago. 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says Michael Irvin’s syndicated radio show will be heard in South Florida later this month.

Sarah Talalay in the South Florida Sun Sentinel says Dolphins owner Steve Ross could be the beneficiary of some tax breaks … in New Jersey.

Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel profiles Erin Andrews’ sideline replacement on ESPN’s Thursday night college football package, Jenn Brown.

Corrie MacLaggan from the Austin American-Statesman says a local ESPN Radio host has been off the air since May due to his candidacy for the State legislature. 

In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bob Wolfley talks about the Brewers’ ranking in a poll naming their favorite baseball team and the All-Star Game TV ratings.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf had a unique relationship with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune writes that the US Olympic movement owes a huge debt of gratitude to George Steinbrenner.

Bob Mayhall in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reports that Missouri Tigers football voice Mike Kelly will call Kansas City Chiefs exhibition games next month.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the Cardinals will be all-cable next season. 

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News previews the second season (what?) of Shaq Vs.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says Sunday’s World Cup Final cleaned up in the ratings for CBC.

Sports Media Watch looks at the 50 most watched sports programs on broadcast and cable TV through the half year.

I don’t follow the ESPY’s and have never watched them, but The Big Lead did and has a nice roundup of red carpet pictures of the various hot chicks who were in attendance.

Joe Favorito says Netball is approaching its Centennial and could be finding a global audience and more importantly, some sponsors.

Matthew Coller at the Biz of Hockey has the NCAA Frozen Four locations for 2013 and 2014.

Dave Kohl at the Major League Programs blog says having Michael Irvin start his syndicated radio show in Miami is a good fit for both parties.

SportsbyBrooks found ESPN hottie Michelle Beadle (and a candidate to appear in this year’s Five Women Who Can Make Me Stop the Remote) in a bar after the ESPY’s.

And we’ll end it there.

ESPN’s Networks Cover the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament

ESPNU and ESPN360 will have coverage of the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament starting on Friday. Plenty of games for college hockey fans and it will lead to the Frozen Four in April. It all begins with the regional semifinals and we check out the schedule for this weekend.

I have more on ESPN’s coverage coming up after the jump.

Here is what ESPN is saying about the announcers for this weekend’s action.

Commentators include play-by-play announcer John Buccigross and analyst Barry Melrose (NHL) at the East Regional in Albany, N.Y.; Matvick and Jim Paradise (Colorado College) at the West Regional in Saint Paul, Minn.; Dan Parkhurst and Damian DiGiulian (Hamilton College) at the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.; and Ben Holden and Ritchlin (Michigan) at the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind., while the ESPNU studio will be anchored by Lowell Galindo and Bob Norton (Rutgers).

And this is what ESPN is talking about regarding its coverage in general.

NCAA Div. I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, Frozen Four to Receive Extensive Live Coverage on ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN and ESPN360.com

ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will combine to present all 15 games live from the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, Friday, March 26-Saturday, April 10. ESPNU will telecast eight regional games exclusively, while ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports network, will supplement the coverage by offering seven games live, including the Frozen Four. Select regional games on ESPN360.com may also be available via local syndication.

The Frozen Four, live from Ford Field in Detroit, will be presented in high definition on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, as well as ESPN360.com.

ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com will showcase the Frozen Four live from Detroit, with the first national semifinal Thursday, April 8, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com and the second national semifinal at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2 HD, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile. The national championship will air Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m. on ESPN HD, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile.

Frozen Four telecasts will feature Gary Thorne (play-by-play), Barry Melrose (analyst), Clay Matvick (ice-level reporter) calling all the action from Detroit. At regional semifinals and finals, commentators include play-by-play announcer John Buccigross and analyst Barry Melrose (NHL) at the East Regional in Albany, N.Y.; Matvick and Jim Paradise (Colorado College) at the West Regional in Saint Paul, Minn.; Dan Parkhurst and Damian DiGiulian (Hamilton College) at the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.; and Ben Holden and Ritchlin (Michigan) at the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind. Also during coverage of the regional rounds, the ESPNU studio will be anchored by Lowell Galindo and Bob Norton (Rutgers).

Frozen Four, Ford Field, Detroit

Date	Time (ET)	Event	Network
Thu, Apr 8	5 p.m.	National Semifinal #1	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
	8:30 p.m.	National Semifinal #2	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
Fri, Apr 9	7 p.m.	Hobey Baker Award	ESPNU HD
Sat, Apr 10	7 p.m.	National Championship	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile

And that does it for us tonight.

Some Required Linkage for Late Night Wednesday

There are just too many stories that cannot be ignored until Thursday so let’s get to them.

First, after waiting two days, ESPN finally acknowledged the Ben Roethlisberger story. Gregg Rosenthal from Pro Football Talk is all over it.

Newsday’s Neil Best says ESPN decided to hit back at the New York Post for publishing pictures from the creepy Erin Andrews video.

Kate Nocera of the New York Daily News says ESPN is now investigating whether one of its own employees shot that video.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star feels the internet should be regulated in the wake of the Erin Andrews video. I wouldn’t go that far.

David Whitley of Fanhouse plays the blame game.

Chris Byrne in the Eye on Sports Media says CBS is being hypocritical when it comes to the Erin Andrews story.

Chris tells you how to keep track of the SEC Media Days this week.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that the NCAA is facing another lawsuit.

Darren talks with Mrs. Andy Roddick, better known as Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

The Sports Media Journal’s Ray Frager writes about shrinking sports coverage in newspapers.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union goes over the ESPN family of networks’ college football schedule.

To Ken McMillan of the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record and his story on Army moving its home football games to CBS College Sports from ESPN’s platforms.

Steven Goff of the Washington Post has an update on the efforts to get the US-Mexico World Cup qualifying match on a network that most Americans can access.

The Sports Media Watch has some news and notes.

That’s it for now. I have some press releases to post next.

Lots o’ Press Releases

I have a bunch of press releases to post. Since this is a holiday weekend, the networks’ sports PR departments want to get things out early and be on Cape Cod by Friday at 3 p.m. so the fine people at ESPN, CBS, CNBC and Fox churned stuff out today. It leaves you the Fang’s Bites visitor with plenty to read and a lot to scroll. Let’s get cracking.

ESPN leans on Dick Enberg to remember his first ” Breakfast at Wimbledon” 30 years ago and his first “Supper at Wimbledon” on Monday.

Under the Lights: The First “Supper at Wimbledon”

Thirty years after he was part of the first live broadcast of the Gentlemen’s Final from Wimbledon, (“Breakfast at Wimbledon” — Roscoe Tanner vs. Bjorn Borg, 1979), Dick Enberg was again part of history, calling ESPN2′s quarterfinal match in which Scotsman Andy Murray outlatsted Stanislaus Wawrinka of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 — the first match played completely under the new retractable roof of the famed Centre Court (Monday, June 29). With rain falling, the roof had been closed earlier in the day in the middle of the Dinara Safina-Amelie Mauresmo quarterfinal, and it stayed closed as Britain’s latest favorite son, the #3 seed, took on the surprising #19 seed. Illuminated by lights for the first time in history, the sacred sod saw play continue to the latest time in Wimbledon history — 10:39 p.m. locally (5:39 p.m. ET) after 3:46 of back-and-forth action. (The previous record, when competition was limited by the setting sun, was 9:49 p.m. in 2006.)

As for the first-ever “Supper at Wimbledon,” Enberg says, “Of all the changes made here over the years, I was pleased to be part of another piece of Wimbledon history. The quality of the match and the atmosphere made for a ‘tennis dessert’ to the first Supper at Wimbledon. It felt like a championship.

“For generations the long-suffering British tennis fans have anquished over the fate of their male players, with Tim Henman the latest to tease and come close but not end the drought of a British title holder that dates to Fred Perry in 1936. Now they pin their hopes on Andy Murray, who is bigger, faster and stronger…yet still has the flair for dramatic theatre for which London and Wimbledon are famous.”

ESPN goes over what’s up for bid for the “V Foundation Auction”.

“Don’t Give Up V Foundation Auction” to Include 2010 Range Rover and Mike & Mike in the Morning from a Listener’s Home

Online Items and Experiences July 5-15; Day Long ESPN Radio On-Air Auction July 15

A new 2010 Range Rover luxury vehicle – the Autobiography specification valued at over $100,000* — and ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning broadcasting from a listener’s home highlight the more than 275 items and experiences available for bid in the fifth annual “Don’t Give Up V Foundation Auction” July 5-15. Net proceeds from the auction benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

The majority of the experiences and items will be available through an online component via espnradio.com or ebay.com (July 5-15) – including the Range Rover, donated by Land Rover North America, and Mike & Mike in the Morning — while 26 fan “experiences” will be auctioned in an 18-hour radiothon across ESPN Radio’s six national shows on Wednesday, July 15 beginning at 6 a.m. ET.

Bidding for the Range Rover, the first vehicle ever available in the auction, will begin at $50,000. The 2010 Range Rover Autobiography – the Land Rover flagship vehicle — will feature a series of enhanced elements, including updated exterior revisions providing a more contemporary detailing to the classic Range Rover design; a new 510 bhp supercharged engine; advanced interior technologies, including a virtual instrument panel; and active safety aids highlighted by Adaptive Cruise Control, Emergency Brake Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring and a surround camera system.

For the second consecutive year, the Mike & Mike in the Morning experience will open at $0.99. Last year’s experience, marking the first time it was offered, garnered a winning bid of $57,100, the largest for any item. The morning program is hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. ET on ESPN Radio, ESPN2 HD and espnradio.com.

ESPN Radio’s “experiences” will range from special access ticket packages to sporting events and trips to handing Lee Corso the mascot head from behind the College GameDay set to various events at ESPN’s headquarters. Listeners call 1-800-4JimmyV to make bids with the highest bidder at 59 minutes past each hour winning the experience. Items available online will include autographed jerseys, footballs, basketballs, baseballs, guitar, golf club and balls, helmets, books, collector’s player cards and photos. Details of the other auction and online items and experiences are available on espnradio.com.

The fourth annual ESPN Radio “Don’t Give Up V Foundation Auction” set a record by raising $1,130,314 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a 323% increase from the inaugural event’s total of $201,000 in 2005. The event has raised more money each year ($435,770 in 2006 and $851,036 in 2007).

The event is one of Team ESPN’s corporate outreach initiatives which will coincide with the ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic on July 14 and the ESPYs July 15 (televised Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN HD).

* Vehicle details: The winner shall receive a 2010 Range Rover Autobiography, inclusive of all standard Autobiography content, standard color and trim options, as well as the Surround Camera System. Additional charge color and trim options may be specified at the auction winners expense.

ESPN will tug at your heartstrings again this year when it brings back “My Wish” next week.

SportsCenter ‘My Wish’ Series Returns July 5-9

ESPN to Chronicle Five Children’s Unique Sports-Themed Experiences Granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®

For the fourth straight year, ESPN will present its critically acclaimed SportsCenter’s “My Wish” series, which chronicles sports-themed wishes granted to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Stephanie Druley, senior coordinating producer, ESPN, and David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer, announced today that the series will air Sunday, July 5, through Thursday, July 9,.

As part of the series, ESPN will help grant sports-related wishes with leading sports figures to five children referred through the world’s largest wish-granting charity, Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each wish will be the subject of one SportsCenter feature segment.

Similar to previous years, the SportsCenter segment will feature the story behind the wish, interviews with the youngsters and their families and a behind-the-scenes look at the wish fulfilled, including the interaction between each child and his or her favorite athlete. Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly will again host, and each SportsCenter “My Wish” segment will be taped.

“Sports have a unique way of connecting people to one another, from athlete to fan, and the ‘My Wish’ series continues to share that bond through one-of-a-kind experiences and stories,” Druley said. “The feedback from participants and viewers has been extremely positive year after year and we find that there are always more compelling stories to be told.”

“The ‘My Wish’ series has generated incredible interest in the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s mission during the past three years,” Williams said. “The stories genuinely reflect what Wish children experience every day – from the daunting challenges of a life-threatening medical condition to the unforgettable joy of having their heartfelt wishes granted. We truly appreciate the support of ESPN, The Walt Disney Company and the athletes who give their time to make the children’s wishes such amazing moments.”

ESPN.com will offer additional and complementary content related to the five wish-granting experiences.

With more than 20 original episodes in three years, “My Wish” has offered an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the wish-granting experience and featured the Wish children participating in sports-related activities with their favorite athletes or teams, including: Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, Ben Roethlisberger, Todd Helton, Michelle Kwan, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Tedy Bruschi and NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson.

DW! Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Fox Sports NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip has been nominated for the Inaugural Class at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

BOOGITY! BOOGITY! BOOGITY!

Racing Legend Darrell Waltrip a Nominee for Inaugural NASCAR Hall Of Fame

New York, NY – Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR Champion and the lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX, is among the first nominees vying for a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class, it was announced today on NASCAR.com. It was also revealed today that Waltrip’s long-time rival Bobby Allison is also a nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s first class. Additional nominees, a pair each day, will be identified tomorrow and Thursday, July 2, before the rest are announced Thursday night during an hour-long special on SPEED at 8:00 PM ET.

Long before flourishing in his current role as the cornerstone of NASCAR on FOX’s broadcast team, Waltrip became one of the sport’s most legendary drivers. Upon retirement in 2000, Waltrip recorded 84 career wins (3^rd all-time) and was Winston Cup Champion in 1981, 1982 and 1985. Clearly, Waltrip’s most memorable victory was the 1989 Daytona 500, his sole career win at the Great American Race.

“My whole career, I‘ve always thought it was cool that other big league sports would refer to their guys as ‘Hall of Famers,’” said Waltrip from his home in Franklin, TN. “I hoped that one day someone would refer to me that way. It‘s the greatest honor a driver can receive, to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It means you must have been pretty good at what you do. I am humbled and excited that my name, Darrell Waltrip, would be under consideration for a spot in the Hall.”

Thursday’s SPEED special will be hosted by long-time NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier, and immediately following the program, NASCAR.com will provide a gallery of all 25 finalists and will open registration for a fan vote. Nominees were determined by a 21-person Nominating Committee consisting of officials from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, plus owners and operators of major speedways and historic short tracks. The list will represents many who helped build the sport, including drivers, owners and promoters.

Waltrip twice copped the Most Popular Driver Award (1989-90) and was the proud recipient of the prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence in 2000, honoring his lifetime of achievements on the race track. In 2003, Waltrip was elected into the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, an honor followed by an induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. Through his 29 year racing career, DW captured 59 Cup poles (4^th all-time) and remains the only five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 (1978-79, 1985, 1988-89).

The great Darren Rovell of CNBC hosts a new special on the network about the struggles of NASCAR and what it has to do to rebound.

CNBC PRESENTS “INSIDE TRACK: REFUELING THE BUSINESS OF NASCAR”

ORIGINAL CNBC SPECIAL TAKES AN UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT NASCAR, THE ONCE SEEMINGLY UNSTOPPABLE AND FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN AMERICA

One-Hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Sports Business Reporter, Darren Rovell, to Premiere on CNBC on Thursday, July 9th at 9PM, 10PM & 1AM ET

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 30, 2009-Every weekend from February to November fans show up to see their favorite driver go bumper to bumper at 180MPH toward the checkered flag. The sport fills some of the largest venues in the world...its a Super Bowl every week.  

On Thursday, July 9th at 9PM, 10PM & 1AM ET, CNBC presents "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR," reported by CNBC's Emmy-Nominated Sports Business Reporter, Darren Rovell. CNBC takes viewers inside the world of NASCAR, once the fastest growing sport in America, NASCAR is now threatened by an imploding car business and loss of the corporate dollars that are its very lifeblood.

Unlike any other sport, everything in NASCAR is controlled by one family...the France family. They have maintained an iron grip on a sport where television ratings, corporate sponsorship and the number of fans have seemingly defied gravity. But, after a race to the top, attendance and television ratings are starting to decline and the car manufacturing business, for decades the foundation of the sport, is crumbling. Rovell goes one-on-one with NASCAR chairman & CEO Brian France to discuss how he plans to weather the storm.

Win on Sunday, buy on Monday...once rang true of NASCAR fans, but the Wall Street crisis has changed everything and the companies that pay top dollar to have their logo emblazoned on the hood of cars are carefully watching their investment. Is NASCAR sponsorship  paying off? Is the sport still a good fit for corporate America? Rovell speaks with the key people behind the iconic American brands that have stuck with this sport that was born more than five decades ago.

The program also takes viewers inside the garage of driver-turned-owner, Tony Stewart. When Stewart, the fiery, two-time Sprint Cup champion, isn't racing, he's Tony Stewart-the businessman-and he is just as competitive off the track.  For years, Stewart has owned racetracks, open wheel teams and a remote control car outfit-owning 13 businesses in total. Rovell interviews Stewart about his successful rookie season as a driver-owner and the Stewart-Haas team, which according to Forbes magazine, is worth $80 million dollars.

This hour also features a look at the future of NASCAR and the ways in which the sport is trying to broaden its fan base, add foreign automakers and going green.

Rovell also speaks with NASCAR super stars Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards ,  movie star Kevin Costner; Marcus Smith who runs Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Julie Geary, the ultimate NASCAR fan.

Jeff Pohlman is the Executive Producer of "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR." Tom Rotunno is the Producer, Nick Stantzos is the Editor and Tyler Mathisen is CNBC's Managing Editor. Ray Borelli is the Vice President of Strategic Research, Scheduling and Long Form Programming.

For more information including web extras, slideshows and extended video clips, log on to nascar.cnbc.com.

"Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR" will re-air on Sunday, July 12th at 10PM ET and Monday, July 13th at 10PM ET on CNBC.

Sirius XM, mostly XM Satellite Radio will have the MLB Futures Game on Sunday.

SIRIUS XM RADIO TO AIR EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST OF ALL-STAR FUTURES GAME JULY 12

Longtime major league pitcher Jim Kaat will be the game analyst; SIRIUS XM’s Scott Graham will call play-by-play

Futures Game features top minor league prospects from U.S. and abroad

NEW YORK – June 30, 2009 – SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will offer baseball fans an exclusive radio broadcast of the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 12, two days before the 2009 MLB All-Star Game. The All-Star Futures Game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and features top minor league prospects from the U.S. and abroad.

Veteran major league pitcher Jim Kaat will be the game analyst for the broadcast, which will air live starting with the pre-game at 2:00 pm ET on XM channel 175. Scott Graham, host of SIRIUS XM’s Baseball This Morning talk show, will be the play-by-play voice.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher and longtime broadcaster Jim Kaat, also known as “Kitty,” won 283 games during his 25-year career in Major League Baseball. Best known for his time with the Minnesota Twins, the southpaw won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1962-1977. Following his retirement after the 1983 season, Kaat moved to the broadcast booth, covering three World Series for CBS from 1990-1992, and becoming an analyst for New York Yankees baseball from 1995-2006, where he won seven Emmy Awards. Kaat is now a color commentator for MLB Network’s Thursday Night Baseball series.

Scott Graham has spent over 20 years as a radio and television sportscaster. His work has covered Major League Baseball, the NFL, college football and basketball, and a variety of other sports from golf to volleyball. He has been a play-by-play broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies, ESPN, FOX, CBS and a number of national and regional television and radio networks.

The All-Star Futures Game showcases the brightest talent currently in the minor leagues. Rosters include up to two players from each MLB farm system who are assigned to U.S. and World teams based on place of birth. The World team defeated the U.S. team 3-0 in last year’s All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. This year, Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith will manage the U.S. team and his former Cardinals teammate, Jose Oquendo, now the third base coach for St. Louis, will manage the World team.

On July 4th, CBS airs its NCAA Spring Championships special.

CBS SPORTS TO AIR NCAA SPRING SEASONAL SHOW ON SATURDAY, JULY 4

INDIANAPOLIS — For the seventh consecutive year, all 88 NCAA championships will receive television exposure, including 17 spring sports being featured in a one-hour special. CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA will air at 2 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, July 4, on CBS Sports. Highlights and stories from NCAA baseball, golf, rowing, softball, tennis and outdoor track & field will be featured in the program. For the 2008-09 academic year, CBS Sports will feature half (44) of the NCAA’s 88 championships in its three seasonal shows.

The show focuses on the aspirations of several NCAA student-athletes pursuing their individual and team paths to various national championships, including:

· Division III Rowing – Williams senior Meg Conan overcomes stress fractures in her spine to help defend her teams’ title.

· Division III Men’s Track & Field – The intense rivalry between Abilene Christian and St. Augustine.

· Division I Rowing – Yale senior Christina Person, a member of last years National Championship Varsity Eight Grand Final boat, will pursue a career in the Marines after graduation.

Through the NCAA-CBS 11-year bundled rights agreement, CBS Sports has aired 20 seasonal shows from the three NCAA championship seasons (fall, winter, spring) over the last seven years. Each seasonal show features highlights and unique NCAA student-athlete stories from a variety of NCAA Division II and III championships.

CBS Sports’ Seth Davis will host this edition of CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA. For the fifth consecutive year, the spring program was produced by Deb Boulac. Jonathan Segal, Kimani Morales, Julie Landa and John Paquet served as feature producers. This year’s spring show will again be broadcast entirely in High Definition.

And let’s look at the next episode of National Geographic Channel’s Hooked. Video clips are included.

HOOKED: MONSTER FISH OF THAILAND

Monday, July 6, 2009, at 10 PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hooked/4320/Overview

The giant freshwater stingray is a megapredator, a true-life Loch Ness monster that can kill with a swipe of its tail! Amazingly, the elusive leviathan was discovered only 20 years ago and already it’s on the vulnerable list. Fish biologist, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan is on a mission to find these remarkable creatures as part of the Megafishes Project, a five-year study supported by the National Geographic Society. He’ll head to Thailand, one of the last places on Earth where the freshwater stingray thrives, to see some with his own eyes, and reel them in for a closer look. Hogan will dive into the murky water to learn more about their mysterious behavior—where they roam, how many there are and which areas need protection.

Be there for the milestone moment when Hogan hooks the biggest stingray he’s ever seen. Measuring more than 11 feet long, it takes 12 men to lift the monster ashore. Based on the dimensions, Hogan believes it could possibly be a world record–breaking fish.

CHACHOENGSAO, THAILAND: Zeb Hogan holds giant freshwater shrimps, the giant stingray’s favorite food. (photo credit © Zeb Hogan)

SAMUTSONGKHRAM, THAILAND: Zeb Hogan with the recaptured giant freshwater stingray. (photo credit © Zeb Hogan)

Video “Giant Food for Giant Fish” – Zeb is in Thailand to find a giant stingray — and by the looks of the local shrimp, he’s in the right place.

Video “Swimming with Stingrays” – Zeb’s getting in the pool with a giant hungry stingray. Now that’s dedication.

Video “Giant Stingray” – Zeb has finally caught a giant stingray, but time is running out to get her weighed for the record books.

There you have it. That’s it for tonight.

Making The Friday Megalinks Count, Part II

As I have the Red Sox-Phils on NESN on my TV and Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 from CBC on my computer, I’m finishing up the Megalinks so I can go to bed early and head for NYC tomorrow for the Blogs With Balls conference.

Let’s update some of our earlier links.

National

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says vacating games is just plain silly.

The Eye on Sports Media’s Chris Byrne wonders if the NCAA is making the right decision if it rules to eliminate printed sports guides.

Joe Favorito says NASCAR making a media stop in New York is a good move for the sport.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media plays “One of These Things Is Not Like The Other”.

Stuart Levine of Variety says the NBA Finals propelled ABC to a ratings win in both primetime and late night.

Keith Thibeault of the Sports Media Journal laments no real internet access from Blogs with Balls.

The Nielsen ratings Wire blog tells us that a Game 7 is an automatic ratings winner no matter the sport.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette talks about the Rose Bowl moving to ESPN in 2011.

The Washington Examiner’s Jim Williams says Mets-Yankees headlines the national baseball broadcasts.

Jim notices that Sirius XM radio will have international events like the 24 Hours of LeMans and cricket this weekend.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has some suggestions for ESPN.

Ray Buck from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Joe Buck will get to show his comedic touch on HBO.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News looks at MLB Network’s new reality series premiering this weekend.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle writes that today’s digital conversion will help the MLS’ Dynamo.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says the long streak of Texas Rangers voice Eric Nadel came to an end earlier this month. Mel also has his news and notes.

Midwest

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Joe Buck doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel for his new HBO show.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business lists his winners and losers in sports business and media this week.

Ed says the Chicago internet sports station is in trouble.

Carol Slezak of the Chicago Sun-Times hopes Frank Thomas’ return to the Windy City as a broadcaster means some healing for him and the White Sox.

Paul Christian of the Rochester Post-Bulletin says Game 7 is what sports are all about.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says local resident Joe Buck is ready to go on HBO.

West

Jay Posner in the San Diego Union-Tribune says Padres fans will be able to watch the team’s road games on the big screen at Petco Park.

John Maffei of the North County Times feels the new MLB Network reality series might be Must See TV.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star reviews Curt Smith’s book on Vin Scully.

Jim looks at Joe Buck’s new HBO show.

Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times writes about the Rose Bowl moving to ESPN in 2011.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with ESPN/ABC’s Mark Jackson about what this next move will be. Tom has more with Mark in his blog. Tom has his usual extensive media notes. Tom reviews the week in blogging.

The San Jose Mercury News’ John Ryan says the Oakland A’s are adjusting to a new TV home.

Canada

John Doyle of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the financial problems with the UK’s Setanta Sports could affect the Canadian version of the channel.

And we’re done. I’ll be back on Sunday. I’ll Tweet from the Blogs with Balls conference and I may be able to get a mobile post here from my iPhone. I’ll see how it goes.

Thursday’s Link Stuff

Now that I’ve finished my work for the day and walked five laps around my office building, I’ll do the links. I’ve found that I’m more productive in my new office than the last building. Perhaps it’s the setting, perhaps it’s the honeymoon I have with the new landlord, perhaps I just have found this new place to feel like home, whatever it is, I’m doing more work here than I ever did. And I’m finding the time to blog here as well. I hope I can keep up this production.

Anyway, here’s your links for today.

USA Today’s Michael McCarthy writes about ESPN The Magazine now doing ESPN The Nude Issue meaning athletes will be posed “tastefully” in the buff. Whatever.

The lovely Christine Brennan of USA Today appeals for viewers for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Chris Littman of the Sporting News says Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury actually foresaw ESPN The Nude Issue 13 years ago.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has his list of athletes who he thinks will pose for ESPN The Nude Issue. Darren likes the fact that this year’s viewership for the NBA Finals is beating last year’s.

BBC News reports that ESPN is saying it has no plans to buy the cash-strapped Setanta Sports.

Ainsley Thompson of the Dow Jones News Service writes that ESPN does not ruling out buying Setanta’s rights to the English Premier League, however.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that the Mets are discounting tickets for this week’s key series against the Phillies. Neil says the New Jersey Nets still plan to break ground for their proposed arena in Brooklyn. Neil writes that NBC Sports is gearing up for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that local viewers will be able to see John Smoltz do a rehab start for the Pawtucket Red Sox later this afternoon.

Laura Nachman will miss listening to Philadelphia’s Channel 6 on the FM dial due to the digital TV conversion.

Chico Harlan of the Washington Post’s Nationals Journal blog says fans tuning to MASN2 on certain Comcast systems had trouble watching last night’s Reds-Nats game.

Dan Steinberg of the Post’s DC Sports Bog chronicles what exactly happened as the game was suddenly pulled off Comcast.

Paul Farhi of the Post talks about CBS Radio’s plans to challenge Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra group of sports radio stations.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times delves into the Nationals’ negotiations with draft pick Stephen Strasburg. Tim also looks at the Nationals TV issues with Comcast last night.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the local ABC affiliate will delay its digital conversion until after Game 4 of the NBA Finals is complete.

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune writes about Frank Thomas talking with his former White Sox teammates for Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a former Packer is taking part in the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says former Rams coach Mike Martz will be on NFL Network today and tomorrow.

Barry Horn from the Dallas Morning News feels the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash is doing a great job as an NBA Finals reporter for David Letterman.

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times says it’s a taste of TNT’s Inside the NBA on NBA TV.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News wonders what Mark Jackson’s next move will be after calling this year’s NBA Finals on ABC.

John Ryan from the San Jose Mercury News likes one NFL Network Top 10 program with one exception.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times gets into the debate over reporters vs. bloggers, especially in the wake of the Raul Ibanez controversy that began in the Midwest Sports Blog.

As a follow up, Jerod Morris of the MSB has what he hopes are his final thoughts on the whole thing.

The CBC says Hockey Night in Canada analyst Marc Crawford goes back to coaching next season with the Dallas Stars.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine writes that an advertiser actually got its message across by unfurling a huge banner at a Brazilian soccer game.

Ryan Berenz of Channel Guide Magazine talks with Joe Buck in advance of his new HBO show which premieres on Monday.

The Sports Media Watch says TNT also saw a ratings drop for NASCAR last Sunday. SMW has a quarter-hour breakdown of the ratings for the NBA and NHL from Tuesday.

Chris Byrne’s Eye on Sports Media says the Boxing Writers Association of America will webcast their annual awards on Friday. Chris says CBS’ Tim Brando will be honored by college Sports Information Directors. And Chris feels the NCAA’s new rules on social network go beyond any logic or common sense.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball says MLB.com has delayed the wait for archived games by double the time as requested by its TV partners.

Some good video from Sox & Dawgs, two of which I forgot to post yesterday. First, there’s a video of a woman slapping her ass during NESN’s Red Sox montage from Tuesday’s Red Sox-Yankees game. Also from Tuesday’s game, NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley admits he’s clueless. One of the reasons why Eck is so refreshing in the booth. And here’s a screengrab from last night’s Yankees-Red Sox game showing a woman laughing at Nick Swisher for failing to make a catch.

Dave Kohl of the Major League Programs blog looks into the Celtics possibly streaming their games online.

Tim Conneally of BetaNews.com says a group of smaller cable providers is asking Congress to
limit ESPN’s cost for its broadband 360 site.

CBSSports.com has an excerpt of Jim Nantz’s book, “Always By My Side”.

Plenty of links. I have a press release post coming up.

Thursday Midday Linkage

I’ll once again provide a few links today, then do a full-scale update tonight.

Newsday’s Neil Best says while he was at a screening for ESPN’s documentary on the 1958 NFL Championship Game, he met a Colts fan who happened to be at the theater and got a chance to meet his heroes. And Neil talks with former Giants wide receiver and Monday Night Football announcer Frank Gifford about the Plax mess.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says high definition is driving sports TV ratings.

I think CNBC’s Darren Rovell is smitten with supermodel Marisa Miller in the same way I’m smitten with Bridget Regan.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says despite a government bailout, Citigroup will keep its name on the new Mets stadium.

Crain’s Chicago Business’ Ed Sherman says sports TV has a new toy to use.

The Sports Media Watch says Saturday Night Football continues to do well for ABC. The SMW tells us that the Washington Capitals are continuing their ratings gains from last season.

Steve Lepore’s Puck The Media provides us with the link to Nielsen Ratings’ blog which states that NHL ratings are up nationwide.

Ben H. Rome of the We Love DC blog talks with the host of NHL.com’s Hockey Show, Carrie Milbank. If you watch The Hockey Show, Carrie does a very good job on the webcast.

Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press writes that CBS and the NCAA were at Ford Field for last night’s North Carolina-Michigan State game to see how the building could handle the Final Four next April.

That will do it for now. Expect full updates tonight.

Thursday Linkage or Getting Close to The Weekend

It’s getting close to the weekend and I’m always glad that the weekend is close. Let’s do your links.

Awful Announcing has a great story on Hank Williams comparing ABC’s Monday Night Football to ESPN’s Monday Night Football and Hank says there’s no comparison.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says Monday’s Eagles-Cowboys game broke last year’s Patriots-Ravens record for the most watched program on cable.

Geoff Colvin of Fortune Magazine talks with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about a bunch of subjects including the future of TV rights to the league.

Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser says the location for the set for ESPN’s College Gameday has been finalized at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Rick Kaipust of the Omaha World-Herald says the University of Nebraska has benefitted from three pay-per-view football broadcasts this season.

Brian Christopherson from the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star also looks at the success of the pay per view broadcasts for Nebraska.

Don Reid of the Coldwater (MI) Daily Reporter says the town’s board of public utilities has approved the Big Ten Network for carriage.

Newsday’s Neil Best gets answers from network public relations people to questions he could not answer in his live chat yesterday.

Maury Brown in the Biz of Baseball has the TBS roster of announcers for the MLB Postseason and it includes NESN’s Don Orsillo and Dennis Eckersley.

Jim Williams of the DC Examiner says MASN plans an all-HD channel and it’s hoped that the SEC will be part of that programming.

Joe Favorito looks at a vote for the Best Minor League Baseball promotion.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has ESPN’s coverage schedule from the Ryder Cup this weekend.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune looks at the Ryder Cup.

The great Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media blog warns fans that the NCAA could make some changes to its men’s basketball tournament due to the credit crunch.

Laura Nachman says the Phillies are grabbing great ratings in Philly.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley recaps an appearance at Marquette University by Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford.

Evan Weiner of the New York Sun talks about owners not just buying teams, but stakes in regional sports networks and other entertainment properties.

Chris Soghoian of CNET says ESPN is playing favorites with Internet Service Providers.

The Gloucester County (NJ) Times reports that ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning will broadcast live from the Battleship New Jersey this Friday.

That will do it for now.

Some More Tuesday Links

Before I focus on doing something else other than blogging, let me provide you with some more links.

From the Sports Business Journal, John Ourand has a very good article on the fallout from the SEC/ESPN deal from last week.

John Ourand teams up with Eric Fisher for a story on Major League Baseball looking to stream live games into local markets next season. Currently, you cannot watch your local team online even if you buy the MLB.TV package.

Then John co-writes another story, this one with Terry Lefton, on the NFL going into the wild frontier of live online streaming among some of its new deals for this season.

John Show of the SBJ says the LPGA may end up owning a fourth tournament on the tour.

Newsday’s Neil Best has the name of Mike Francesa’s show on WFAN.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has reader’s reaction to his story on the NCAA paying athletes for jersey sales.

The great Sox & Dawgs blog is moving and should be back up in a few days.

The Red Sox Monster’s Dan Lamonthe has video of the lovely silver medal winning gymnast Alicia Sacaramone visiting Fenway Park on Sunday.

ESPN Classic and NBA TV will simulcast the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this Friday nght.

Kent Bush of the Augusta (KS) Daily Gazette feels ESPN is exploiting a high school football game this Friday.

SportsbyBrooks is not a fan of the new “Dr. Lou” segment on ESPN.

That’s all for now.

The Mid-Week Linkage

It’s Wednesday and time to get some linkage today.

I forgot to link to this last night. Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch wrote a very good piece about Spygate and the behavior of the national media during the whole scandal.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about the return of ESPN’s Rick Sutcliffe and CBS’ David Feherty who both had to deal with medical issues.

Newsday’s Neil Best has comments from SNY’s announcers in response to Mets manager Willie Randolph’s comments that the network is trying to make him look bad. In his blog, Neil says Willie Randolph has fueled talk shows in New York. Neil talks about the newest inductees to the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union says the NBA’s TV ratings are up halfway through the Playoffs.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times has the Best and Worst jobs in sports.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says CBS’ Jim Nantz will be in town to promote his book.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says Detroit is going to have to deal with conflicts on Saturday and Monday nights when the Red Wings and the Pistons play at the same time in key postseason games.

Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman talks with New Orleans Hornets analyst Gerry Vaillancourt about the team’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Wayne Friedman of Mediapost Publications says the NBA’s ratings are way up on ABC and ESPN.

Multichannel News reports that the NBA Playoffs are pacing TNT to its third straight win in the cable primetime ratings.

The Hollywood Reporter says TNT is now hosting chats online during the NBA Playoffs.

Sarah Hoye of the Tampa Tribune says ESPN filmed the College Gameday intro at the University of South Florida campus this week.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS and the NCAA have teamed up to create CBS College Sports Media.

Rick Kissell of Variety says Fox won the season crown in the TV ratings being paced by the Super Bowl and the NFL.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says NASCAR’s ratings on Fox are red hot as well.

Patrick Cloonan of the McKeesport (PA) Daily News says the local media has jumped all over the Pittsburgh Penguins bandwagon.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says CTV/TSN/Rogers Sportsnet are about to name their announcing assignments for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Dan Lamothe from the Red Sox Monster blog on MassLive.com talks with three women involved with the great Sexy Sox Girls website.

That will do it for now.

The First Anniversary Friday Megalinks

Today marks the 1st Anniversary of Fang’s Bites. Unbelievably, today also marks the first anniversary of Neil Best’s Watchdog blog. I would not in any way compare my blog to Neil’s, but thanks to him, he’s been able to provide me with plenty of links for you to read. And there are plenty of people to thank including you. Coming up later today, I’ll have the Top 5 Media Stories of the last 12 months. Look for it tonight.

Before we do the links, let’s go over the weekend viewing.

Weekend Viewing Picks

The 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, will be run in its traditional first Saturday in May slot. NBC Sports will have live coverage from Churchill Downs in Louisville. The announcing crew will include blog hater Bob Costas, Tom Hammond, Tom Durkin, Bob Neumeier and a cast of thousands. One of the worst ideas ever, a red carpet show hosted by Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush will begin NBC’s coverage at 4 p.m. The race will be run sometime after 6 p.m. ESPN will have coverage of the racing undercard beginning at noon ET. If you can’t be near a TV, ESPN Radio has coverage and Sirius Satellite Radio picks up the Run for the Roses on channel 120.

Oscar De La Hoya will be fighting once again on Saturday. He’ll fight a former “Contender” contestant, Steve Forbes, live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing Saturday night at 10 p.m. Jim Lampley, Emanuel Steward and Larry Merchant will have the call.

The NBA Playoffs schedule is up in the air for Sunday, but we do know that TNT will have a Saturday night doubleheader as Detroit takes on Orlando at 7:30 and San Antonio visits New Orleans at 10 p.m.

In the NHL, Versus has coverage of Game 5 of the Philadelphia-Montreal series Saturday night at 7:30. NBC will have Game 5 of the New York Rangers-Pittsburgh series Sunday at 2 p.m. Any other playoff games this weekend depends on tonight’s action.

Baseball continues into its second month of action. Fox Sports has its usual three games on Saturday which includes rivalry games of the Chicago Cubs at St. Louis. On Sunday, WGN will have the Chicago White Sox at Toronto at 1 p.m., TBS carries the New York Mets at Arizona at 4 p.m. and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball has the Cubs-Cards at 8:05.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series is in Richmond, VA for the Dan Lowry 400. Fox has it at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The PGA Tour’s Wachovia Championship will be on CBS Sports Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

And the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship will be on ESPN2 this Saturday night at 7.

If you want to check out the national sports listings, head on over to USA Today.

Now to your links.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the red carpet may become a staple of live sports coverage.

Now we’ll go to the links across the country.

East and Mid-Atlantic

David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch tries to clean up the Buzz Bissinger mess on Costas Now and the Yahoo blogging mess.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes that there will be plenty of Access at the Kentucky Derby.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels the New York Lottery is playing games. Mike Puma of the Post writes about YES analyst Bobby Murcer returning to the broadcast booth tonight.

Bob Raissman from the New York Daily News writes that Yankees manager Joe Girardi is not showing a prowess with the media.

Neil Best in today’s Newsday covers a bunch of subjects in today’s column including the Costas Now program, MLB showing vintage games on its new MLB Network, media speculation involving the Yankees’ Phillip Hughes and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. In his blog, Neil says ESPN Classic will run a bunch of sports documentaries this weekend. And Neil links to video of Howard Cosell interviewing Mickey Mantle.

Ray Frager from the Baltimore Sun talks about the Kentucky Derby on NBC and how MASN will pick up some minor league baseball games this summer.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times says hockey is finally making waves in the TV ratings. And in his blog, Tim makes excellent points on the Buzz Bissinger fiasco on Costas Now.

Midwest

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal says Big Brown is the talk of the Kentucky Derby.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune has a bunch of subjects in his column including White Sox players who want to buy the microphone in which Lee Elia made his now-famous tirade.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the Costas Now segment in which Buzz Bissinger came out swinging.

Michael Zuidema from the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says the NHL and NBA playoffs are just plain good TV.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin talks with NBC Sports’ horse racing handicapper Mike Battaglia about Big Brown’s chances in the Kentucky Derby.

Judd Zulgad in today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune says KSTP-TV is looking to go in a different direction as its main sports anchor is leaving.

South

Doug Nye of The State wonders when the NCAA will turn to a college football playoff.

From the Miami Herald, Barry Jackson writes that the media is dancing around the Bill Parcells/Jason Taylor situation.

Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel talks about the Kentucky Derby on NBC Sports.

Ray Buck from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the NFL Network has closed the gap on ESPN on NFL Draft coverage.

Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman says ESPN/ABC NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy is liking his job more and more. Mel has his media notebook which includes the Sports Emmys. And Mel has his viewing picks.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) Morning News wonders why TV networks forget about the Mountain Time Zone.

John Maffei in the North County Times says ESPN and NBC are taking different approaches to their Kentucky Derby broadcasts.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star discusses NBC’s coverage of the Run for the Roses.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has Vin Scully clarifying his retirement comments. John Scheibe has the Sound and Vision column.

Tom Hoffarth from the LA Daily News says Oscar De La Hoya wants to put boxing back on free TV. It would definitely help the sport. Tom has his extensive media notes in his Farther Off the Wall blog.

Canada

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail talks about the Bissinger blasts on Costas Now.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star has stuff on an anchor at The Score.

Blogs

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media blog looks into the possible impropriety of a U.S. Marshal arranging limo service for Fox Sports at the 2007 World Series.

Joe Favorito in his Sports Marketing and Public Relations blog says the Arena Football League is a marketing success.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks with super agent David Falk. And Darren talks about the packaging of Under Armour shoes.

That’s it. More later.

Your Sunday Links

Last night, my computer went on the fritz again, but I have it back for now, but I wonder just for how long? I’m backing it up on Carbonite, but it’s a rather long process. I just hope I can back up everything before the computer dies for good.

A personal note before we get started. If you were at a sports bar or at home watching the Yankees-Red Sox game on Fox, you know that the game had a two hour and 11 minute rain delay at Fenway Park. As the game was encroaching on Fox’s NASCAR window, announcer Joe Buck mentioned that the game was going to be moved to FX while the main network would show the start of the Subway Fresh Fit 500. However, as I was watching at a sports bar in Seekonk, MA, this announcement was not heard as music was playing and another sporting event’s volume was up. All of a sudden, the game switched. People yelled, the bartender tried to find FX and by the time she did, the game was over. People were angry. So what happened?

Neil Best of Newsday has a story in today’s paper. But he has a better explanation in his blog. As Neil writes, Fox should have given further advance notice with on-air graphics instead of a verbal warning. By the time the game had been switched, the final out had been made. Granted, it was not as bad as NBC switching the Jets-Raiders game in 1968 to the movie, “Heidi” and missing out on two touchdowns, but fans were not served by Fox in this situation. And Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch shares his frustration over the switch.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning Show is nothing but a four hour infomerical for ESPN. Did Phil just come to this conclusion?

This won’t make Phil happy at all as American Forces Network will pick up Mike & Mike for the troops stationed overseas.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says the New York Yankees should point the finger at themselves for scheduling a night game last Monday night before traveling to Kansas City the following day for a day game.

Mark Scott of the Manhattan (KS) Mercury says Cox cable subscribers will not be getting the full compliment of Kansas City Royals games this season. Mitch Sherman of the Omaha (NE) World-Herald says Cox’s move is leaving fans frustrated.

The Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus says the TV program known as “NCAA on Campus” will be coming to Mount Olive College to tape a segment on the school’s baseball team.

Lindsay Jones of the Palm Beach Post says the allure of the University of Florida’s Spring Football game brought 61,000 fans and ESPN.

Ray Melick of the Birmingham News says Alabama coach Nick Saban is trying a new approach to reach potential recruits’ homes.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe talks with ESPN NFL draftnik Todd McShay.

Alan Blondin of the Myrtle Beach (SC) Sun News says The Masters is opening up a little bit, but not enough so you can join Augusta National.

Loran Smith of the Athens (GA) Banner-Herald writes that CBS’ Verne Lundquist is a tradition at The Masters just like the Azeleas.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that FSN premieres a new show this weekend.

William Kerns of the Lubbock (TX) Avalanche-Journal writes about a songwriter who’s getting some notice for his satirical sports songs.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail is amazed at the 81 year old Red Fisher who continues to cover hockey for the Montreal Gazette.

That will do it for now.

Quick Wednesday Linkage

Some links for you here.

From his blog, Neil Best of Newsday says “The Odd Couple” is not eligible for his “Best Sports-Themed TV Show” column. And like me, Neil is watching the Par 3 Contest at The Masters on ESPN and notes the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman is caddying for Arnold Palmer.

Speaking of The Masters, Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times-Union is at Augusta and he’s a bit leery of statements that ESPN leaving Chris Berman out of its coverage was a network decision.

From Justin Terranova of the New York Post, ESPN will bring Buck Showalter back to Baseball Tonight and use Hall of Famers as guest analysts on occasion.

Wayne Friedman of Mediapost’s TV Watch blog speculates that Olympic advertisers might be helped with the negativity surrounding the torch run.

The Sports Media Watch has some idle notes on this Wednesday.

The NHL has launched its NHL Network Online with seven channels and I must say it looks good.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the schedule for Versus and NBC for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says the CBC will provide a call in Mandarin Chinese for the Boston-Montreal series.

The Boston Sports Media Watch continues its Approval Ratings series and today’s candidate is the lovely Hazel Mae of NESN.

Awful Announcing has the video of Dick Vitale breaking down during his interview with Jim Nantz after being officially named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ira Teinowitz of TV Week says college presidents are appealing to the NCAA to reduce the number of alcohol ads during the Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Todd Wallack of the Boston Globe writes about the increased TV ratings for the Celtics on Comcast SportsNet New England.

The Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch reports that the movie, “We Are Marshall” has been nominated for a fan award at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival later this month.

Don Coble of the Florida Times-Union says ESPN’s coverage of a NASCAR is controlled chaos.

I might have an update tonight. Keep your RSS feeds updated.