Bringing Out Some Wednesday Links For You

Time for some linkage in this mid-week and last day of the 2012 MLB regular season. Lots of things to get to.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand analyzes the new MLB TV deals with Fox and Turner.

Nate Davis of USA Today’s Game On blog previews tonight’s NFL Network “A Football Life” documentary.

John Ourand and David Broughton of Sports Business Journal report on this season’s local MLB TV ratings.

Eriq Gardner of the Hollywood Reporter has a Fox Sports executive being very bullish on soccer.

Alex Ben Block of the Reporter goes over the MLB contracts with Fox and Turner.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable writes that the American Cable Association, which hates everything, is railing against the MLB TV deals.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News also delves into the new MLB deals.

Mike says Monday night’s Chicago Bears-Dallas Cowboys game garnered cable’s third biggest audience of the year.

Kristian Dyer at Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog notes that Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones has apologized for an unintentional insensitive tweet responding to the paralyzed Eric LeGrand.

Spiracle Media through Storify harnessed some tweets from athletes who watched the extremely fascinating 30 for 30 documentary, “Broke” on ESPN.

Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report anticipates Fox’s next move to create an all-sports cable channel.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group looks at PGA.com’s video coverage of the Ryder Cup.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell explores the NFL financial advisory program in hopes of preventing athletes from going broke.

NFL referee Ed Hochuli is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe explores the latest Arbitron ratings for the city’s sports radio stations.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the new MLB TV deals.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 6 college football TV schedule.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that ESPN’s and former DC sports reporter Lindsay Czarniak celebrated the Nationals on SportsCenter.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the new MLB TV deals.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says last Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma State game registered huge local ratings.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mark Dawidziak tells us that former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel will be joining a local TV station as a weekly contributor. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a local sports anchor will not face charges stemming from a domestic violence case.

Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine profiles Trenni Kusnierek, now of Comcast SportsNet New England, on her battle with depression.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago writes that the Bulls have renewed their Spanish radio rights (scroll down).

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch has a full story on the Bulls’ renewal.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the new TV deals with Fox and Turner gives MLB plenty of stability into the next decade.

James Mirtle of the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CBC’s Don Cherry is blasting the Maple Leafs for their treatment of one of their players.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Globe and Mail notes that the MLB Postseason will have teams from both small and big markets.

Cork Gaines at the Business Insider Sports Page has some memorable quotes from last night’s 30 for 30 “Broke” documentary.

John Daly at the Daly Planet explores the possibilities for the much discussed, but unconfirmed Fox Sports 1.

Joe Favorito says College Radio Day is a very good thing for aspiring broadcasters.

The legend of Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke is growing thanks to a new animated gif showing her warming up in the rain. This has nothing to do with sports media. Just me linking to Michelle Jenneke.

And that is all.

Your Tuesday Linkage

Let’s do some Tuesday links.

We’ll start with Matt Hayes of AOL Sporting News and he writes that the BCS is looking for a $5 billion TV deal over a decade for its new college football playoff.

In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley says the new college football playoff still can be improved.

Eric Fisher and John Ourand of Sports Business Journal write that the Washington Nationals and MASN continue to be at odds over what the team’s TV rights are worth.

Maury Brown in Baseball Prospectus goes inside the Nats/MASN TV rights dispute.

Mark Buteau and Alex Duff of Bloomberg report that NBC has signed a long-term extension to lock in the Tour de France.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter says CBC and CTV are dropping their joint bidfor the 2014/2016 Olympic Games.

Charlie Warzel of Adweek says the PGA and Turner Sports are parting ways as the golf association will handle its digital rights in-house and no longer outsource it to Turner.

Tim Baysinger from Broadcasting & Cable writes that Ion will provide the WWE with a third night of programming.

In Multichannel News, Tim has an article about NFL Network’s NFL AM show.

Media Life Magazine notes that a Spanish language ad ran during ABC’s NBA Finals broadcasts.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead says CBS’ Jim Nantz is now pimping his own wine label. Surprised it’s not called “Hello, Friends.”

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the amazing video of Mike Tyson on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption giving a preview of his new one-man Broadway play.

Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that the KHL has officially announced plans to play in the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn while trashing New York’s Madison Square Garden in the process.

The ESPN Front Row blog fires a shot at the new upstarts CBS Sports Radio and NBC Sports Radio Network on behalf of ESPN Radio.

Ben Lee at Digital Spy UK says Wimbledon’s primetime coverage on BBC2 drew over a million viewers.

Tara Pringle Jefferson at Loop 21 has six questions for ESPN’s Sage Steele.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says NBA Draft prospect Anthony Davis has trademarked his unibrow.

Darren wonders if US Olympic 100 meter sprinter Justin Gatlin can be marketable once again after sitting out a four year ban for steroids.

Sports Video Group notes that NESN has signedanother content sharing agreement with a third New England TV station, this time in Vermont.

All Access interviews a radio industry analyst who feels the new CBS Sports Radio will do well for the parent company.

Ian Bethune at Sox & Dawgs has the funny video of NESN’s Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy entertaining the viewers during a Red Sox rain delay last night.

Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston writes about the Red Sox being in no rush to replace their late public address announcer Carl Beane.

Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reports that a positive FCC ruling for Tennis Channel in its carriage dispute against Comcast could lead to more viewers for the network and make it more attractive to potential buyers.

Bob’s Blitz has WFAN’s schedule for Sunday when it celebrates 25 years as the Nation’s first sports radio station.

Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday notes that E! will air a special on New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow.

Neil Best of Newsday looks at ESPN’s start-to-finish coverage of Wimbledon.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has MLB Network’s live game schedule through the end of July.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call profiles a former local sports anchor who’s making his mark in Detroit.

Laura Nachman says a part-timer at Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia is now part of the regional sports network’s starting team.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that Washingtonian magazine readers aren’t enamored with the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times chastises readers who complained about weather alerts about Tropical Storm Debby that cut into sports action.

At the Miami Herald, Barry Jackson looks at anti-Heat media comments almost a week after the team won the NBA Championship.

Marc Weiszer of the Athens (GA) Banner-Herald writes that ESPN is producing a documentary on the 2008 SEC Tournament game between Alabama and Mississippi State that was interrupted by a tornado that ripped through Atlanta.

Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that the Hornets will have the soon-to-be Fox Sports New Orleans to call their home. Fox Sports NO will replace Cox Sports which is getting out of the pro sports business.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says NFL Network will air clips of a Brett Favre interview all week long.

Danny Ecker of Crain’s Chicago Business says the local Comcast SportsNet affiliate will launch a new trivia game show.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a clip of Frank Deford’s appearance on last night’s Colbert Report.

Simon Houpt and Steve Ladurantaye of the Toronto Globe and Mail look at CBC and CTV ending their joint bid for the 2014/16 Olympics after two prices were rejected.

Ann Dempsey from the Toronto Star also has a story on the CBC/CTV disbanding.

Bill Harris in the Toronto Sun says Olympic viewing in Canada after this year is up in the air.

Monika Warzecha of Toronto Life wonders if Canadians will be stuck watching NBC for the 2014/16 Olympics.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes TSN did well in showing the NHL Draft and EURO 2012.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says NBC and Shazam have teamed up to provide interactive coverage of the London Olympics.

And that’s going do it for our linkage.

Winners of the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards

Throughout the day, I will be posting various press releases from the networks touting their Sports Emmy Awards. Last night, I posted the winners as they were handed out. Now, we have the official press release from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences which holds the annual ceremonies.

These include the names who were involved in each category. Congratulations to all of the winners this year.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 33^rd ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

Jack Whitaker Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

New York, NY – April 30, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the winners of the 33^rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards at a special ceremony tonight at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.  Winners in 33 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst were honored.

The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports figures and television personalities including Cris Collinsworth (sports analyst for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Harold Reynolds (MLB Network studio analyst); Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”); Al Leiter (studio analyst, MLB Network); Mike Mayock (game analyst, NFL Network); Melissa Stark (reporter, NFL Network); Shaquille O’Neal (studio analyst, “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Joe Buck (sportscaster, FOX Sports); Curt Menefee (sportscaster and host, “FOX NFL Sunday”); Tracy Wolfson (sportscaster, CBS Sports); Gary Danielson (commentator, CBS Sports); Mary Carillo (correspondent, HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”); Sage Steele (anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); Bob Papa (HBO Sports Broadcaster); Ernie Johnson (host of “Inside the NBA on TNT”); Chris McKendry (co-anchor, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”); and Steve Levy (journalist, ESPN’s “SportsCenter”).

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jack Whitaker, sports commentator and essayist, by  Jim Nantz, play-by-play announcer of “The NFL on CBS,” NCAA college basketball and golf on CBS.

“We are honored to be presenting Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”

In addition, NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell was honored with the Chairman’s Award representing the networks and their patriotic coverage of the historic 10 year anniversary of September 11^th last year.

The Sports Emmy® Award recipients were chosen by a Blue Ribbon Panel of industry peers.  The awards recognize outstanding achievement by individuals and programs broadcast throughout the 2011 calendar year.

A detailed listing of all awards is below as compiled by the independent accountancy firm of Lutz and Carr, LLP. A list of winners for the 33^rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards is also available on the National Television Academy’s website at www.emmyonline.tv.

Awards by Network Group

NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com)	9
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com)	6
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV)	5
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED)	5
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com)	4
HBO Sports	3
MLB Network	3
NFL Network	2
PGA.com	1

Nominations by Network

NBC	8
FOX	4
TNT	4
ESPN	3
HBO Sports	3
MLB NETWORK	3
SHOWTIME	3
ESPN2	2
NFL NETWORK	2
CBSSPORTS.COM	1
ESPN 3D	1
NBA TV	1
PGA.COM	1
SPEED	1
VERSUS	1

And the list of award winners are after the jump.

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2012 Sports Emmy Awards Live Blog

The Sports Emmy Awards are being handed out in New York tonight. Through various sources at the event, I’ll be able to update this post as awards are being doled to the various winners. And no, I’m not there, but I can provide the winners as soon as they become available.

For the full list of nominees, go here.

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW — WEEKLY
Inside The NBA — TNT

OUTSTANDING LIVE EVENT SOUND
MLB on Fox — Fox

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
America’s Cup Highlight Show — Versus

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN
Sunday Night Football — NBC

OUTSTANDING SHORT FEATURE
(tie)
“Together”-E:60 — ESPN
“Time Out of Mind”-Outside The Lines — ESPN

OUTSTANDING EDITING
24/7 Pacquaio/Marquez — HBO

OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT — EPISODIC
(tie)
2011 Stanley Cup Final — NBC
A Game of Honor — Showtime

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY — SPORTS REPORTER
Michele Tafoya — NBC

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN
Sport Science — ESPN

OUTSTANDING SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
A Game of Honor — Showtime

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO
MLB Tonight — MLB Network

OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE
NFL Wild Card Saturday — NBC

OUSTANDING CAMERA WORK
2011 Ironman Triathlon — NBC

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SPECIAL
Joplin: City of Hope — ESPN2

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION DIRECTION/LYRICS
Men of Mettle-Ed Sabol’s Last Football Movie — NFL Network/NFL Films

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT — INSTITUTIONAL
NBA on TNT: Shaq Get Ready — TNT

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY — STUDIO HOST
Bob Costas — NBC/MLB Network (of course)

OUTSTANDING NEW APPROACHES SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE
PGA Championship LIVE on PGA.com — PGA.com

OUTSTANDING OPEN/TEASE
NBA on TNT: Live Forever — TNT

OUTSTANDING POST PRODUCED AUDIO/SOUND
Sound FX: All Access — NFL Network

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY — SPORT EVENT ANALYST
Cris Collinsworth — NBC

THE DICK SCHAAP WRITING AWARD
24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the Winter Classic — HBO

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY — STUDIO ANALYST
Charles Barkley — TNT

OUTSTANDING NEW APPROACHES SPORTS PROGRAMMING
A Game of Honor — Showtime

OUTSTANDING EDITED SPORTS SERIES/ANTHOLOGY
The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants — Showtime/MLB Productions

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR SPORTS
Jack Whitaker — CBS/ABC Sports

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW — DAILY
MLB Tonight — MLB Network

OUTSTANDING LONG FEATURE
Outside The Lines: The Man in the Red Bandana — ESPN

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM REMOTE
(tie)
MLB on Fox — Fox
Winter X Games 15 — ESPN 3D

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SERIES
Sunday Night Football — NBC

OUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: The College Bowl Game Money Trail — HBO

OUTSTANDING LIVE EVENT TURNAROUND
Inside The Headsets — Speed

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPORTS SPECIAL
The World Series — Fox

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY — PLAY-BY-PLAY
Joe Buck — Fox

That concludes the Awards for tonight.

33rd Annual Sports Emmy Nominations Announced

We have the nominations, all 170 in 33 different categories, for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards. They just came out today. There are some surprises like massive hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire nominated in the Sports Reporter category and for some really strange reason, Skippy Bayless of ESPN2′s First Take was nominated for Best Studio Analyst. What analysis does he do besides yelling and having massive manlove for Tim Tebow?

There are some of the usual suspects are nominated, Bob Costas for Best Studio Host, Al Michaels in Play-by-Play, Cris Collinsworth for both Studio and Game Analyst.

Some of the nominations I agree with include Mike Mayock for Best Game Analyst, College GameDay and Football Night in America as Best Studio Shows and all of the movies in the Sports Documentary category. Sports documentaries were strong this year and I have trouble picking one although Catching Hell, the ESPN Films effort on Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs might be the weakest of the bunch, but the doc was still very good.

Ok, get ready to scroll, the entire list is below. We do need a page break so the list of nominees will after the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences press releases.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 33^RD ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

Winners to be Honored During the April 30^th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jack Whitaker to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

New York, NY – March 20, 2012 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 33^rd Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.

More than 170 nominees were announced in 33 categories including outstanding live sports special, live series, sports documentary, studio show, promotional announcements, play-by-play personality and studio analyst.  The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on April 30^th, 2012 in New York City.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Sports will go to the Sports Commentator and Essayist, Jack Whitaker.

“This is an outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences,” said Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmys resulted in a record 175 nominees, illustrating the quality of these entries.  We are also honoring Jack Whitaker with our Lifetime Achievement Award.  I had the pleasure of working with Jack for eighteen years at CBS, and Jack is a sports icon and a class act.”

In addition to Jack Whitaker, many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities and television professionals will be in attendance as presenters at the event.

The networks of ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D & espn.com) lead the nomination totals with 55, the NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel & nbcsports.com) garnered 32, CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) entries received 26 nominations, while Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com & truTV) have 22.

A complete list of all nominees is attached below.

33^rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group

ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN 3D, espn.com) – 55
NBC Sports Group (NBC, Versus, Golf Channel, nbcsports.com) – 32
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBSSports.com) – 26
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NBA.com, truTV) – 22
HBO Sports – 19
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED) – 16
NFL Network – 12
MLB Network – 8
DIRECTV – 2
MLB Advanced Media (MLB.com, MLBAM) – 2
NFL.com – 2
NCAA.com – 1
PGA.com – 1

33^rd Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network

ESPN – 36
NBC – 22
HBO Sports – 19
CBS – 15
FOX – 15
TNT – 15
ESPN2 – 14
NFL NETWORK – 12
SHOWTIME – 10
MLB NETWORK – 8
VERSUS – 7  
TBS – 3
ABC – 2   
DIRECTV – 2
ESPN 3D – 2
GOLF CHANNEL – 2
NBA TV – 2
NFL.COM – 2
CBSSPORTS.COM – 1
ESPN.COM – 1
MLB.COM – 1
MLBAM – 1
NBA.COM – 1
NBCSPORTS.COM – 1
NCAA.COM – 1
PGA.COM – 1
SPEED – 1
truTV – 1

BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM/SERIES NOMINATIONS

Program/Nominations/Network

24/7: 8 -  HBO
E: 60: 7 – ESPN2
A Game of Honor: 5 – Showtime/CBSSports.com
MLB on FOX: 5 – FOX
NASCAR on FOX: 5 – FOX
NBA on TNT: 4 – TNT
NBC Sunday Night Football: 4 – NBC
FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – ESPN/ESPN2
Outside the Lines: 3 – ESPN
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: 3 – HBO
SportsCenter: 3 – ESPN
The Army/Navy Game: 3 – CBS
The Franchise: 3 – Showtime
Winter X Games 15: 3 – ESPN/ESPN3D
2011 Open Championship: 2 – ESPN
2011 Stanley Cup Final: 2 – NBC/Versus
ESPN Monday Night Football: 2 – ESPN
Football Night in America: 2 – NBC
Grand Slam Tennis on ESPN: 2 – ESPN2
Inside the NBA on TNT: 2 – TNT
Joplin: City of Hope: 2 – ESPN2
McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice: 2 – HBO
MLB Tonight: 2 – MLB Network
NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: 2 – CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV
NFL Films Presents: 2 – NFL Network
NFL GameDay Morning: 2 – NFL Network
NFL on FOX: 2 – FOX
Sports Science: 2 – ESPN/ESPN.com
Sunday NFL Countdown: 2 – ESPN
Unguarded: 2 – ESPN

And after the page break, all of the nominees for the 33rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards which will be handed out April 30 in New York City.

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Some Monday and Other Leftover Press Releases

The morning is wrapping up, but already, we have some good release action for you this morning. I’ll do the Monday releases first, then post a few releases leftover from last week that can still be posted. So let’s get to them and then I’ll do linkage for you.

First, TNT and PGA.com will offer coverage of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf this week.

TNT and PGA.COM will Provide Live Coverage of the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf

Major Champions Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Y.E. Yang will be Highlighted On-air and Online during Oct. 20 and 21 Event

TNT and PGA.COM tee off the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf as four of the world’s best professional golfers hit the greens at the Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda to determine who’s the best of the best in the 36-hole event. To compete in this elite tournament golfers must be a major championship winner and this year’s field features Angel Cabrera (2009 Masters and 2007 U.S. Open winner), Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (2009 Open Championship), and Y.E. Yang (2009 PGA Championship). TNT’s coverage will air on Tues., October 20 from 4 – 7 p.m. ET/PT and Wed., October 21 from 5 – 9 p.m. ET/PT, with exclusive early round coverage on both days of the tournament on PGA.COM.

TNT’s event coverage will feature veteran golf announcers in the booth, including 1991 British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch (analyst), Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Billy Kratzert (course reporter) and Jim Huber (essayist/reporter) who will provide on-air analysis and commentary.

PGA.COM, the official site of The PGA of America, will offer comprehensive online coverage of the event including a hole-by-hole course tour, player profiles, live scoring, photo galleries, daily on-demand highlights and video flyovers. In addition, PGA.COM will offer Bermuda Shorts, a daily feature offering quick, fun nuggets of information on both the tournament and the atmosphere surrounding the event to give fans an insider’s look at the Grand Slam from both inside and outside the ropes.

PGA.com’s Facebook fans and Twitter followers will have the opportunity to interact with the PGA Grand Slam of Golf participants. On both Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday, Oct. 21, fans can use both social media sites to submit questions for Cabrera, Glover, Cink or Yang. One question each day will be selected as the PGA.com Fan Question of the Day and asked by Huber at the conclusion of each round on TNT.

The picturesque Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda will serve as the home of the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, marking the inaugural year the event will take place at the resort.

Soccer fans, especially those who are regular watchers of the English Premier League will like the fact that ESPN has hired famed announcer Martin Tyler of Sky Sports for its World Cup coverage.

UK Soccer Commentator Martin Tyler to Join ESPN in the U.S. for 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Martin Tyler, one of the most accomplished and respected television play-by-play commentators in the United Kingdom for over 35 years, will join ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa. Tyler, who has called matches in every FIFA World Cup since 1978, will be the lead play-by-play voice for ESPN’s exclusive English-language coverage in the United States, which will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN360.com and ABC. He will make his ESPN telecast debut Friday, June 11, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. ET, the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Voted the “FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade” in 2003 by fans and a panel of football experts, Tyler has been with the London-based Sky Sports network since its launch in 1991. His arrival at Sky Sports coincided with the formation of Premiership football and Sky’s acquisition of the league’s broadcast rights. Tyler has led Sky’s critically-acclaimed soccer commentary team, calling some of the Premier League’s best matches.

“Martin Tyler is one of the top English-language soccer commentators in the world; his experience, authentic style and in-depth knowledge of the game will help elevate ESPN’s presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, informing and entertaining our viewers in the United States,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, event production.

Tyler added: “As a regular visitor to the USA, I am well aware of the quality and tradition of ESPN, and I am delighted to be part of their World Cup coverage. My Sky Sports colleague Andy Gray talks warmly about his time on ESPN during Euro 2008 and I hope to be able to meet the challenge as well as he did.”

Martin Tyler biographical background:

Tyler graduated from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and started in journalism, working on Marshall Cavendish’s Book of Football in 1971.

In 1973 Tyler moved into television working behind the camera on LWT’s “The Big Match,” ITV’s first popular soccer program in the UK. He started commentating for ITV’s Southern TV region and later served Yorkshire TV, Granada and the ITV network. Tyler called his first television match on ITV on Dec. 28, 1974, at The Dell, a second division clash between home team Southampton FC vs. Sheffield Wednesday.

Tyler’s profile at the different ITV channels increased as he earned professional acclaim for his play-by-play role. He was named to the network’s 1978 FIFA World Cup broadcast team and four years later, he led ITV’s coverage of the World Cup, calling all of the England team’s World Cup matches and the final – a 3-1 Italy victory over Germany in Madrid.

Throughout the 1980s, Tyler continued to establish himself as a prominent television voice in soccer, working the 1984 and 1988 European Championships and the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In 1990, he joined the British Satellite Broadcasting’s (BSB) sports channel, which became Sky Sports in 1991. Following Sky’s acquisition of the Premier League rights, Tyler, alongside analyst Andy Gray, a former Scottland National Team and English First Division player, have spearheaded what has become the generation’s standard for live soccer television commentary.

Tyler and Gray are also the voice-over commentators for the popular EA Sports FIFA video game series on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Tyler has also vast experience of broadcasting outside the USA covering the last five World Cups and European Championships and many of the major European Club Finals for SBS Australia.

This is what ESPN is covering in motorsports this week.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goes Short Track Racing Live on ABC

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins its final five races this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on NASCAR’s smallest track, the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, for 500 laps on Sunday, Oct. 25. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race and will air on ABC. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 1:43 p.m.

ESPN’s coverage of the final 11 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule airs on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. ESPN’s coverage from Martinsville also includes NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m., practice on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. and same-day coverage of final practice on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., all on ESPN2.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Also this week, ESPN Classic airs an episode of the signature series SportsCentury featuring NASCAR star Tony Stewart on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 a.m.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live From Memphis on ESPN2

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend as the series races at Memphis Motorsports Park. The live, flag-to-flag telecast airs Saturday, Oct. 24, beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with the green flag at 3:45 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.

Also airing on ESPN2 will be coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice on Friday, Oct. 23, at 4:30 p.m. and qualifying on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.

Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie. Reporting from the pits will be Jack Arute, Rick DeBruhl and Mike Massaro.

Evernham, LaJoie, Said on NASCAR Now Roundtable

NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham, Randy LaJoie and Boris Said will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 5 p.m., and then Nicole Manske hosts the program the rest of the week. Episodes air Thursday at 5 p.m. and then Friday at 6 p.m. following NASCAR Nationwide Series practice at Memphis.

Manske will be joined by Said for the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 10 p.m. Sunday. Marty Smith will report from the speedway for both programs. .

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

NHRA Programming Airs on ESPN Classic

Drag racing fans will have several hours of programming airing Monday, Oct. 26, on ESPN Classic. Highlights include the 2004 Mile-High NHRA Nationals from Denver at noon ET, featuring the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Two half-hour episodes of The American Dragster air back-to-back beginning at 5 p.m., and then at 6 p.m. the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series will be in action from Texas.

HBO Sports is producing its first 24/7 documentary series outside of boxing and doing it on NASCAR as driver Jimmie Johnson prepares for the Daytona 500. As usual, I’m sure it’ll be quite good.

HBO SPORTS PRESENTS 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA, A FOUR-EPISODE ALL-ACCESS SERIES CHRONICLING HIS PREPARATION FOR THE DAYTONA 500, LAUNCHING IN JANUARY 2010, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

CHARLOTTE, Oct. 15, 2009 – HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured seven Sports Emmy^® Awards, will debut its first non-boxing series with 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA, an all-new, four-episode, all-access series chronicling the driver and his team as they prepare for the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of auto racing, it was announced today by Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports. Debuting TUESDAY, JAN. 26 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), the four-week series spotlights one of racing’s biggest stars, reigning three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and gives viewers an inside look at the driver and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as they prepare for the biggest race of the year.

Noted Greenburg, “Taking our reality series ‘24/7’ behind the scenes in the world of NASCAR is like a dream come true. The ‘24/7’ franchise thrives on larger-than-life personalities, engaging storylines and unrestricted access. With Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team, we have all of those ingredients, and more. We look forward to presenting a compelling television program that takes race fans deeper inside NASCAR than they’ve ever been before.”

Ensuing episodes of 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA will debut on subsequent Tuesdays – Feb. 2, 9 and 16 – in prime time. The Feb. 16 series finale will debut two days after the race, with cameras tracking all the drama and excitement surrounding Johnson and his team on race day. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand.

24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access, along with in-depth interviews with Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus, team owner Rick Hendrick and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as they prepare for the 2010 Daytona 500.

Johnson says that getting his wife Chandra on board with the idea of cameras following them around was not difficult, since they had seen earlier “24/7” shows. “Chandra and I were big fans of the ‘24/7’ series with Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, and that’s kind of how this all came about,” says Johnson, who along with his wife founded the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which has raised more than $2 million for various charities since its inception in 2006.

“We thought HBO did a great job of showing what goes into a big-time event and capturing the personal side of each fighter and his camp,” he continues. “It just seemed like the perfect outlet to let the fans see what our team goes through and what better place to showcase that than our biggest race – the Daytona 500.

“This is something we’ve really never allowed with our race team before, an all-access look into how we operate. We’ve had some people that have followed us around on a limited basis, but no one has ever had the access like HBO will have. Personally, I’m really looking forward to it. This is a great chance for the fans to really see me and the race team and what makes us tick, especially away from the track.”

Making his HBO reality series debut, Johnson is currently competing in his eighth season at NASCAR’s highest level and is regarded as one of the biggest names and best drivers in racing. He has won the sport’s marquee races, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, and currently ranks second on NASCAR’s all-time win list for active drivers with 45. In November 2008, Johnson won his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, solidifying his status as a bona fide superstar. The southern California native is leading the 2009 Chase for the Cup as he seeks a fourth consecutive title.

24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA is HBO Sports’ first reality foray into the world of racing and the first non-boxing installment of the acclaimed “24/7” franchise that began in 2007 with “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7” and “Mayweather/Hatton 24/7.” The series continued in 2008 with “Calzaghe/Jones 24/7” and “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7,” and resumed in 2009 with “Pacquiao/Hatton 24/7” and “24/7 Mayweather/Marquez,” which will be followed by “24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto,” debuting Oct. 24.

Newsday.com has observed, “HBO’s ‘24/7’ series is the best sports program on television. Bar none.”

With seven Sports Emmy^® Awards, “24/7” is the most honored sports series of the past two years. At the 2009 Sports Emmy^® Awards, “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7” was honored in the category of Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthologies, while “Calzaghe/Jones 24/7” was honored in the categories of Outstanding Edited Sports Special, Outstanding Editing and Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound. At the 2008 Sports Emmy^® Awards, “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7” was honored in the category of Outstanding Edited Sports Special, while “Mayweather/Hatton 24/7” was honored in the categories of Outstanding Camera Work and Outstanding Writing.

The executive producers of 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; coordinating producer, Dave Harmon; Liev Schreiber narrates. NASCAR Media Group, the leading producer of NASCAR on television, will provide production support for HBO Sports.

Versus plans a full boxing card around the return of Bernard Hopkins in December.

BERNARD HOPKINS RETURNS TO FIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA FOR "BROAD STREET BRAWL" ON DECEMBER 2 AT THE LIACOURAS CENTER

THE LEGENDARY "EXECUTIONER" TO FACE ENRIQUE ORNELAS LIVE ON VERSUS AT 8 P.M. ET

NEW YORK, N.Y. (October 15, 2009) - Long synonymous with the fighting city of Philadelphia, future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins' remarkable career will continue in his hometown on Wednesday, December 2, when "The Executioner," who will be fighting in Philly for the first time since 2003, faces hard-hitting Enrique Ornelas at the Liacouras Center at Temple University. The 12-round light heavyweight bout will be televised live on VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country, at 8 p.m. ET.

In addition to fighting for his fans, Hopkins will be fighting for charity as he has committed to donating one dollar from each ticket sold to three select charities.  Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley, to which Hopkins will donate in memory of Shaun Negler, one of his biggest fans, whose last wish was to attend Hopkins' fight against Joe Calzaghe before succumbing to brain cancer in late 2008 at the age of 18, will be one beneficiary. The second recipient of the fight's proceeds will be The Hero Thrill Show, an annual day of events designed to raise money for the education of relatives of deceased police and fire personnel killed in the line of duty while protecting Philadelphia. Finally, one dollar will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. in memory of Hopkins' deceased mother Shirley who suffered from breast cancer and in recognition of all those who are currently battling the disease.

"I'm thrilled about the opportunity to once again bring a fight to the city of Philadelphia," said Hopkins, the former middleweight champion who owns a perfect 10-0 record in Philly. "A lot has changed in my career since I fought here six years ago and I want to give my fans the chance to see me fight again at home. To top it off, a portion of the proceeds from this fight will go to three charities that are extremely important to me. December 2 is going to be a great night for boxing and a great night for Philadelphia."

"Fighting Bernard Hopkins is an honor and I thank him for the opportunity," said Ornelas. "But once the bell rings, I'm going to do everything in my power to beat him and show the world what I can do when the spotlight is shining brightest."

"Broad Street Brawl": Hopkins vs. Ornelas is presented by Golden Boy Promotions East and will be televised live on VERSUS beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

A man who needs no introduction to fight fans, Philadelphia native Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO's) already assured himself a spot in the boxing Hall of Fame with his more than 10-year reign as champion atop the middleweight division with a record 20 successful title defenses. Never one to rest on his laurels, in 2006 Hopkins moved up in weight and recorded a huge win over Antonio Tarver to win the light heavyweight title. With his subsequent win over Winky Wright and his destruction of the younger and then undefeated Kelly Pavlik in his most recent bout in October of 2008, Hopkins is showing the world that life begins at 40. Now 44 years young, Hopkins is back in action and eager to continue to show the young guns how it's done.

Hard-hitting, Enrique Ornelas (29-5, 19 KO's) has emerged from the shadow of his older brother, super middleweight contender Librado Andrade, and carved out his own niche in the fight game with his aggressive style and fight-ending power.  Fresh off of a fourth round stoppage of Roberto Baro in July, the 29-year-old Los Angeles based native of Leon, Mexico is eager to put his mark in the history books by becoming one of the few fighters to own a win over Bernard Hopkins.

Despite being home to such legendary fighters such as Joe Frazier, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Jeff Chandler and Tommy Loughran, Philadelphia may be known to fight fans mainly for the great middleweights it has produced over the years, including Bernard Hopkins, Bennie Briscoe, Willie 'The Worm' Monroe and Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts. These 160-pound warriors made their names in such storied venues as the Blue Horizon and the Spectrum and with their never surrender attitude in the ring, they let the world know just what it meant to be a "Philly Fighter". Hopkins is modern day Philadelphia boxing's link to that tradition and will look to prove it on December 2 in front of his hometown fans in what could be his last fight in the City of Brotherly Love.

A full slate of exciting undercard bouts will be announced shortly. 

And we move on to linkgathering next.

Turner Sports’ Notes from the PGA Championship

Two press releases from TNT/Turner Sports regarding the PGA Championship. First, we have quotage from the 3rd round.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club – Round Three – Friday, August 15, 2009

TNT’s coverage of the PGA Championship will continue with final round coverage on Sunday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET

Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ian Baker-Finch, Bill Kratzert and Jim Huber

Baker-Finch on Tiger Woods leading the field after the second round: “We basically gave (Tiger Woods) the Wannamaker Trophy (to Woods) yesterday afternoon with that four shot lead coming up the 18th. It’s going to be really hard to beat Tiger Woods, he’s plotting his way around, he turned an over-par round into an under-par round with some brilliant putting. He didn’t seem to really have his touch yesterday, but he certainly has his game face on and knows what he’s doing. He’s actually driving the ball very nicely and that’s an ominous sign for the rest of the field. When Tiger is driving the ball well it seems in the past to be the only thing that holds him back, but it’s certainly not holding him back here.”

Baker-Finch on Phil Mickelson changing his putting technique: “It seems strange doesn’t it, that someone can win 39 events and three majors and then decide to change his putting. (Mickelson) is the second best player in the world for the last decade and he’s going to go change his putting, it’s hard to get confident (after doing that).”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink prior to his round

Cink on tweeting about a party he had last night with the Claret Jug: “Yeah, I got together my closet team; my caddie, my trainer, my mental coach, Butch Harmon and my agent. We had a private room, a celebration and we sipped some champagne out of (the Claret Jug), told some good stories and had a great steak. It was a great.”

Cink on how is life has changed since winning the Open Championship: “My life hasn’t changed at all, obviously I was a little busy right after the Open Championship. But I’m 36 and I’ve been doing this a long time, it’s not changing a whole lot. Inside the ropes I feel like I’ve changed a little bit. The crowd support has been phenomenal and I really like that. I feel little more confident as a player, but other than that I’m the same old guy and hopefully I’ll pick up a few more majors.”

Baker-Finch on the advantage of playing a round early in the day: “That’s the advantage of playing early, the balls stops quickly (on the greens). You play early and there is still some moisture in the greens before the wind and the sun bakes it out and gets it crusty and dry by the end of the day.”

Baker-Finch on golfers using long putters: “One thing we don’t talk about is the long putter. People go to the long putter when they don’t feel comfortable and they feel like their wrists are breaking down a little bit. But no one has won a major championship yet with a long putter, so it’s not automatic that you’re going to go to a long putter and become a good putter, you just may feel a little more comfortable.”

Kratzert: “If you go to a long putter you’re just trying to avoid the bad one. You’re trying to do something to clear your mind and perform in the other areas that you need to perform in. I’m going to put the putting to the side, the long putter is going to take care of it and now I can concentrate on other areas.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed Graeme McDowell prior to his round

McDowell on being eight shots off Tiger Woods’ lead before he started his third round: “I think historically (Tiger Woods) has been a pretty good front runner, let’s be honest, but you really can’t let that bother you. I’ve got to play my own game today and try to get myself back in position. I guess the way I look at it is I’m four shots out of second. If I can play my own game, if I can go low today and get myself in position…Tiger’s going to do what Tiger’s gong to do. Let’s hope he makes a few mistakes but he doesn’t do that very often.”

Johnson on noted outdoorsman Boo Weekley: “I guarantee you Boo (Weekley) was looking onto Lake Hazeltine and wondering, ‘what can I catch here?’”

Baker-Finch on what golfers with late tee times are learning from watching the early rounds: “They are learning the greens are a lot more receptive. A lot depends on the severity of the sun and the wind and if the greens bake out a little bit, but there’s certainly an advantage being out there. (The balls are) holding, the putting looks a lot easier. A lot depends on the temperature this afternoon and if we get a little bit of rain as well.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed defending PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington prior to his round Harrington on not playing with Tiger Woods in the third round: “It would be nice, I’m disappointed I’ve not shot better. It would be nice to play with Tiger and keep an eye and see what’s happening. It’s not great to be watching the leaderboard because you can never really tell how players are playing with the scores going up. I’ll just mind my own business for two days and do my own thing, play my game. I’ve got to be a little more aggressive or at least a little more trusting when I am being aggressive. The first day I was good and yesterday I got a little bit cautious in the wind.”

Baker-Finch on Woods hitting from the rough of the 15th hole in the second round: “That’s like being caught in Rory McIlroy’s hair there.”

And Turner says PGA.com set another viewing record for online streams of the PGA Championship for the second round on Friday.

PGA.com Posts Best Day in Site’s History for Second-Round Coverage of the 2009 PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club

Site Sets Single-Day Unique Users, Page Views and Live Video and On-Demand Video Records

Turner Sports, which has exclusive first and second-round coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship in Chaska, Minn., announced today that PGA.com delivered its best day in-site, history-setting, single-day records in traffic, page views and video streams. PGA.com set a single-day site record on Friday with 1.7 million unique users, topping its record-setting day from first-round coverage the previous day when it recorded 1.4 million unique users. In addition, it also recorded a record 66 million page views, topping its previous best from the second-round of the 2007 PGA Championship (57.1 million page views). Overall, Turner Sports’ online golf portfolio, which includes PGA.com, Yahoo! and PIP streams, delivered 1.1 million live player streams (+209% from 2008) and delivered a single-day, record-setting 1.3 million live player and on-demand video streams.

For the second straight day on television, TNT saw dramatic increases in its overnight metered market ratings for its six hours (2 – 8 pm ET) of exclusive second-round coverage, enjoying a 110% increase over last year (2.1 metered market rating vs. 1.0 in 2008). First-round coverage on TNT on Thursday saw a 43% metered market rating increase (1.0 vs. 0.7 in 2008).

TNT’s coverage continues into the weekend on Saturday (11 am – 2 pm ET) and Sunday (11 am – 2 pm ET), as Ernie Johnson hosts alongside analysts Ian Baker-Finch and Billy Kratzert with contributions from Jim Huber (essayist/interviewer).

PGA.com will feature two marquee groups during the final two rounds, marking the first time the site will follow more than one group for four days of the event. In addition, PGA.com will also provide up-close footage of golfers’ play on challenging Par 3’s on holes #4, 8, 13 and 17.

Looking forward to more quotage tomorrow.

Various Press Releases To End the Work Week

These are releases that have flown into the Fang’s Bites inbox today and should be posted before the night is out. So I’ll do these now to give me the rest of the night free so I can sleep later on.

First, ESPN is really happy about their ratings for Thursday’s Monday Night Football exhibition season opener.

Monday Night Football Preseason Opener:

ESPN’s Most-Viewed Non-Monday Preseason Game Since 1994

Thursday night’s opening preseason telecast of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, earned a 3.6 rating, representing an average of 3,567,000 households (4,755,000 viewers – P2+). It was ESPN’s most-viewed non-Monday preseason game since 1994 (42 total non-Monday games since Dallas-New Orleans on Aug. 25, 1994 — 4,280,000 HHs).

ESPN’s game was the most-viewed program of the day (cable or broadcast) among all key male demos. Additionally, ESPN was the No. 1 network for the night (cable or broadcast) among all key male demos, P18-34, and P18-49; ESPN ranked 2nd for the night among households and viewers.

ESPN’s new commentator team of Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden made its debut during the Steelers’ 20-10 victory. In addition, the telecast included breaking news coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles signing Michael Vick, which was reported by ESPN’s senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

THIS WEEK ON MNF

ESPN’s MNF preseason schedule continues Monday, Aug. 17, with the Carolina Panthers visiting the New York Giants at 8 p.m. ET. The telecast will be preceded by a one-hour Monday Night Countdown pregame show.

CBS College Sports and CBS Sports combine for two releases on new announcing crews, new shows and SEC programming schedules.

PHILLIP FULMER, JASON SEHORN, RANDY CROSS, AKBAR GBAJA-BIAMILA AND DAVE RYAN JOIN CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK 2009 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAM

Former University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer, former New York Giants and University of Southern California defensive back Jason Sehorn, CBS Sports’ Randy Cross, former San Diego State and NFL defensive tackle Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and veteran play-by-play announcer Dave Ryan, join CBS College Sports Network’s announcer line-up for the 2009 college football season. The announcement was made today by Steve Herbst, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS College Sports Network.

“We’re thrilled to be adding top-level talent, who are well-known to fans across the nation, and bring exceptional experience and credibility,” said Herbst. “Our new announcers join an already outstanding veteran team for our most compelling college football programming schedule ever.”

Ryan and Sehorn become the announce team for the new slate of Army home games, as CBS College Sports Network and the Army Athletic Association recently announced an exclusive five-year agreement.

Fulmer joins as studio analyst on the Network’s various college football shows, including the new SEC TAILGATE show and SEC POST-GAME SHOW.

In addition, CBS Sports analyst Randy Cross and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila join CBS College Sports Network as analysts. Cross will call the Network’s slate of Navy games as well as serve as studio analyst on the weekly show INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Gbaja-Biamila serves as game analyst for various Mountain West Conference and Conference USA games.

Former Notre Dame and NFL offensive lineman Aaron Taylor returns to the Network as game and studio analyst on INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Taylor is paired with veteran play-by-play announcer Tom Hart, who enters his fifth season with the Network, to call Mountain West Conference and C-USA action.

Studio programming will be anchored by Adam Zucker, who is now in his seventh year with the Network, and CBS Sports’ Sam Ryan, who joins CBS College Sports Network for the college football season. Former University of Texas and NFL linebacker Brian Jones returns as a studio analyst, and teams with Fulmer to provide expert analysis and insight every Saturday throughout the season. Fulmer first debuted on the Network’s 2009 College Football Signing Day Show.

# # #

CBS SPORTS AND CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK COVER SEC FROM GAME OF THE WEEK TO TRADITIONS AND TAILGATING

CBS SPORTS BROADCAST OF “SEC GAME OF THE WEEK” BRACKETED BY CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK’S ON-SITE

SEC TAILGATE SHOW AND SEC POST-GAME SHOW

CBS Sports and CBS College Sports Network offer extensive coverage of SEC football each Saturday during the 2009 season. Beginning, Saturday, Sept. 19, CBS Sports showcases the top conference match-up, from the most celebrated conference, during its broadcast of the “SEC Game of the Week.” Kicking off coverage is CBS College Sports Network’s SEC TAILGATE. The live pre-game show originates from the site of CBS Sports’ “SEC Game of the Week.” After the game, SEC POST-GAME SHOW on CBS College Sports Network concludes the day.

CBS Sports kicks off the season with Tennessee at Florida (3:30 PM, ET). Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, along with Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sidelines, serve as CBS Sports’ lead college football announce team. COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, CBS Sports’ pre-game, halftime and post-game studio show, leads off the day each week with host Tim Brando and analyst Spencer Tillman.

SEC TAILGATE captures all the excitement, traditions and festivities from the various campuses and stadiums across the SEC, as well as previews the match-ups, providing highlights and news from games in-progress. SEC veteran announcer, Dave Baker, joins CBS College Sports Network to host the coverage from the site of the games. Baker will be joined each week by a local SEC legend, including players, celebrity alumni and radio and television personalities, bringing fans a fast paced and authoritative look at football and life in the SEC. CBS Sports’ Sam Ryan anchors coverage from New York with former Tennessee Head Coach Phillip Fulmer and Brian Jones serving as analysts.

Following the conclusion of the “SEC Game of the Week,” Ryan, Fulmer and Jones take over with SEC POST-GAME SHOW (7:00 PM, ET), providing an all-encompassing look at the day’s action, highlights and headlines from around the SEC.

Attached are the SEC programming schedules for CBS Sports and CBS College Sports Network.

* * * * *

CBS SPORTS AND CBS COLLEGE SPORTS SEC PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

Sept. 12, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Sept. 19, SEC Tailgate, 11:00 AM, ET – CBS C
Sept. 19, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Sept. 19, TENNESSEE at FLORIDA, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Sept. 19, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Sept. 26, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Sept. 26, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Sept. 26, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Sept. 26, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Oct. 3, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 3, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 3, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Oct. 10, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 10, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK #1, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 10, SEC Tailgate, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Oct. 10, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK #2, 8:00 PM, ET- CBS
Oct. 10, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 11:30 PM, ET – CBS C

Oct. 17, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Oct. 17, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 17, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 17, SEC POST GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Oct. 24, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Oct. 24, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 24, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 24, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Oct. 31, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Oct. 31, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 31, GEORGIA-FLORIDA, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Oct. 31, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Nov. 7, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Nov. 7, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 7, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 7, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Nov. 14, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK #1, 12:00 NOON, ET – CBS
Nov. 14, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK #2, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 14, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Nov. 21, SEC Tailgate, 2:00 PM, ET – CBS C
Nov. 21, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 21, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 21, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 7:00 PM, ET – CBS C

Nov. 27, ALABAMA at AUBURN, 2:30 PM, ET – CBS

Nov. 28, SEC Tailgate, 12:00 NOON, ET, CBS C
Nov. 28, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 28, SEC GAME OF THE WEEK, 3:30 PM, ET – CBS
Nov. 28, SEC POST-GAME SHOW, 8:30 PM, ET – CBS C

Dec. 5, SEC Tailgate, 12:00 NOON, ET – CBS C
Dec. 5, COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, 3:00 PM, ET – CBS
Dec. 5, SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, 4:00 PM, ET – CBS

All “SEC Games of the Week” will be announced six-to-12 days prior to their broadcast date.

The next two releases deal with golf. PGA.com could not have asked for better numbers for hits to its website for the PGA Championship.

PGA.com Posts Record-Setting for First-Round Coverage of the 2009 PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club

Site Sets Single-Day Unique Users, Live Video Streaming and On-Demand Video Records

Turner Sports, which has exclusive opening-round coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship in Chaska, Minn., announced today that PGA.com’s traffic set a single-day site record with 1.4 million unique users.

The site featured full-round live streaming coverage of first-round leader Tiger Woods and his playing partners Padraig Harrington and Rich Beem. In addition to the record for unique users, PGA.com also delivered the second-highest total of single-day page views in its history, with 53 million. This trails only the second round of the 2007 PGA Championship (57.1 million page views).

On television, TNT’s overnight metered market ratings for its six hours of exclusive round one coverage (2 – 8 pm ET) enjoyed a 43% increase over last year (1.0 metered market rating vs. 0.7 in 2008). Overall, Turner Sports’ online golf portfolio, which includes PGA.com, Yahoo! and PIP streams, delivered 848,000 live player streams (+153% from 2008, +110% from 2007) and delivered a single-day, record-setting 1.1 million live player and on-demand video streams.

TNT returns to the airwaves today for an additional six live hours of exclusive, second-round coverage (2 -8 pm ET), including the entire round of Woods, Harrington and Beem. Ernie Johnson hosts alongside analyst Ian Baker-Finch, with reports from the course by Billy Kratzert (on-course reporter) and Jim Huber (essayist/interviewer). TNT’s coverage continues into the weekend on Saturday (11 am – 2 pm ET) and Sunday (11 am – 2 pm ET).

PGA.com will feature two marquee groups during the final two rounds, marking the first time the site will follow more than one group for four days of the event. In addition, PGA.com will also provide up-close footage of golfers’ play on challenging Par 3’s on holes #4, 8, 13 and 17, as well as a TNT Simulcast for the first two rounds.

PGA.com’s coverage continues today with four video streams, three live, exclusively through PGA Championship LIVE. Once again today the site will follow the threesome of Woods, Harrington and Beem (2:45 p.m. ET tee off), while fans chose through an online vote the second group of Anthony Kim, Adam Scott and Ryo Ishikawa (8:45 am ET).

The PGA Championship LIVE streams include:

· Marquee Group Follow – During all four rounds PGA.com will follow select groups during their rounds; on Thursday and Friday the first group will be selected by PGA.com, while fans can vote on a PGA.com poll to pick the second group. PGA.com announcers will include Marc Fein (play-by-play), Michael Breed (analyst) and Brian Katrek and Craig Sager (reporters).

· Par 3 – Watch the world’s best golfers play the challenging Par 3’s as PGA.com isolates #4, 8, 13 and 17 throughout the Championship.

· TNT Simulcast – A simulcast of the TNT television production will air on Thursday and Friday with an hour of bonus coverage from 1-2 p.m. (ET) followed by TNT coverage from 2 p.m.–5 p.m. (ET), allowing fans to follow along before they get home from work.

· Inside the Ropes – PGA Professional Michael Breed will be joined by Hazeltine National’s PGA Head Professional Mike Schultz to give hole-by-hole analysis of how players must play the course in order to win the coveted Wanamaker Trophy.

And here’s what you will see next week on Golf Channel.

COMING UP ON GOLF CHANNEL… Aug. 17 – 23, 2009

Golf in America Turns Spotlight on Justin Timberlake and Mirimichi

Solheim Cup Week on GOLF CHANNEL

Original Programming Premieres and Highlights

(All times eastern)

Golf in America

Video Preview: Golf in America – Justin Timberlake

Time: Tuesday, 10 -10:30p.m. (Special Time)

Host: Anthony Anderson

The eighth episode of the 10-week series will feature:

• Justin Timberlake / Mirimichi – Entertainment superstar Justin Timberlake has been making a name for himself in the golf business. He is tournament host for the Justin Timberlake Shriners for Hospitals Children Open, a PGA TOUR Fall Series event in Las Vegas. In July, Timberlake opened Mirimichi Golf Course – the first certified “Green” course in the U.S. – for play, near his hometown of Memphis, Tenn. Golf in America’s Brandel Chamblee visited with Timberlake and his parents during the construction of Mirimichi to discuss his passion for golf, the story behind their purchase of Mirimichi and future plans for the course where he learned to play golf and now owns.

· Turf Kids– The Oakland Turf Education Initiative (OTEI) is an outreach program designed to give inner city youth first-hand knowledge of the golf industry through the classroom, field trips and internships. Golf in America’s Jaymee Sire details the success stories through the program and visits with the youth and organizers at Metropolitan Golf Links near downtown Oakland, OTEI’s headquarters.

· Flight 1549 – On their way to an annual golf vacation in Myrtle Beach, S.C., a group of family and friends were aboard U.S. Airways Flight 1549 – the flight that landed in the Hudson River. Golf in America’s Todd Lewis visits with the group as they return to the site of the landing for the first time since the incident, and spends time with the group in Myrtle Beach for their vacation. The vacation was two months later than originally intended, but the group is closer than ever after the experience changed their lives forever.

Golf in America takes viewers coast-to-coast to discover never-before-told stories, larger-than-life characters and inspirational people in capturing the spirit of the game of golf. The series, hosted by film and television actor Anthony Anderson, chronicles stories in stunning HD from celebrities, such as Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump to everyday people across the country that are unified by the sport.

Playing Lessons from the Pros – PGA Champions

Time: Monday, 10 – 10:30 p.m.

“Hercules” star Kevin Sorbo joins PGA TOUR winner Chris Riley for a round of golf at Dragon Ridge Country Club in Las Vegas, Nev. Riley will show Sorbo how to increase length off the tee and will provide tips to lowering golf scores.

Golf’s Amazing Videos (New)

Time: Monday, 9 – 9:30 p.m.

Golf’s Amazing Videos returns with a new episode featuring Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Sergio Garcia and Lorena Ochoa. The episode also will feature amazing shots from the water, a tight lie from the roof of a skyscraper, a lesson on how to throw a club, bad celebrations and the best and worst dancing performances on the green.

Solheim Cup Week – News and Talk Show Programming Highlights

Live From the Solheim Cup

Live Airings: Tuesday, 2 – 3 p.m. (News Conferences)

Wednesday, 2 – 4 p.m. (News Conferences)/6 – 8 p.m.

Thursday, 1 – 2 p.m./1 – 1:30 a.m.

Friday, 7:30 – 8 p.m.

Saturday, 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Sunday, 10:30 – 11 a.m./4:30 – 6 p.m./12 – 1 a.m.

Surrounding GOLF CHANNEL’s 26 hours of live tournament coverage will be 14 hours of wrap-around news coverage throughout the week. Live From The Solheim Cup will provide viewers with all of the news from the first tee-shot to the last putt, including live reports, inside analysis and compelling features.

Solheim Cup Opening Ceremony

Time: Thursday, 6 – 7:30 p.m. ET

Host: Rich Lerner

Live coverage of the 2009 Solheim Cup Opening Ceremony from Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. Sunday’s Live From the Solheim Cup news coverage at 4:30 p.m. ET will include The Solheim Cup Closing Ceremony.

Golf Central

Live Airings: Monday – Tuesday, 6 – 6:30 p.m./11:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Golf Central will recap the news and storylines from the previous week on all of the tours and preview The Solheim Cup, the Wyndham Championship and the JELD-WEN Tradition.

The Golf Fix

Time: Monday, 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Host: Michael Breed

GOLF CHANNEL’s fast-paced interactive instructional show will highlight call-ins and emails from viewers during the show and preview The Solheim Cup. GolfChannel.com also will include a bonus segment following the conclusion of the live show on Monday.

The Approach with Callaway Golf

Time: Tuesday, 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Host: Kraig Kann

Panelists: Alex Miceli/Andrew Magee

Highlighting the top storylines in golf from different perspectives, analysts from The Approach with Callaway Golf will recap the PGA Championship and preview The Solheim Cup and the Wyndham Championship in an entertaining and informative manner.

Grey Goose 19^th Hole

Time: Wednesday, 8:30 – 9 p.m.

Host: Vince Cellini/Analysts John Hawkins and Jeff Rude

Guest: Annika Sorenstam

Grey Goose 19^th Hole, the network’s fast-paced half-hour talk show will feature debates on the hot topics in golf coming out of The PGA Championship and will preview The Solheim Cup. Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam will join the show in-studio as a special guest to preview The Solheim Cup and break down the U.S. and European Teams.

That’s going to do it for tonight. I’ll be back with links tomorrow.

An Actual Post with Links!

After spending most of yesterday and this morning at the home office, I’m now at my regular place of work and can give you some links. It always throws me off when I’m at the home office and have to behave.

A couple to tell you in the interim. I almost was a guest on Fox News yesterday as Shepard Smith was covering the whole Rick Pitino abortion mess that finally broke on Tuesday. FNC was looking for New England reaction. Unfortunately, just as I about to accept their invitation, Fox News booked another guest. Perhaps down the road, I’ll have another chance to go on. If I do, you’ll be the first to know.

I’m also trying to listen to the on-air stream for Boston’s new sports radio station, WBZ-FM, 98.5 The Sports Hub. As scheduled, the stream went on just before 1 p.m. today, but because so many people are trying to listen to the debut, the server crashed and I missed the first minutes of Michael Felger & Tony Massarotti’s debut. Around ten minutes in, the stream came back, but it cut in and out. I’m not a fan of Michael Felger, but perhaps this can be a good alternative to the 800 lb. sports radio gorilla, WEEI. We shall soon see.

Now, let’s give you some links.

Tripp Mickle of the Sports Business Daily talks about NBC extending its rights deal with USA Gymnastics.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says LeBron James has not been worth the money Nike paid him.

Darren points out that the backboard at which Michael Jordan shot his last shot with the Chicago Bulls is now up for auction.

Darren looks at the creative way the New Jersey Nets are marketing opposing players.

Last thing from Darren. In this video, Darren looks at the sign of the economic times, a local NFL game blackout in San Diego due to slow ticket sales.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks about YES expanding its in-market streaming of live games to Verizon Fios. Yankees games were first streamed on Cablevision systems.

Neil says Mike Francesa and Chris Russo have completed one full year without the other.

Thomas Grillo of the Boston Herald looks at the beginning of WBZ-FM.

Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe writes about today’s debut of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Ben Collins of the Globe talks about one of the bigger stories in New England to happen last night, the return of Jerry Remy, albeit a short one, to Fenway Park and the NESN booth.

Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says one of the battles for Remy this season has been with depression following his cancer surgery.

Ian Browne of MLB.com says Jerry still plans on returning to NESN this season, but is not sure exactly when.

The Sports Media Journal’s Keith Thibeault has another interview in his series of talks with NFL play-by-play men. The latest installment is with Buffalo Bills playcaller John Murphy.

Laura Nachman gives us the Eagles Television Network announcing crew.

A few articles from new Friend of Fang’s Bites, Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner.

He says the TNT and PGA.com will be all over the PGA Championship this week.

Jim says Ravens fans will be able to watch tonight’s game against the Redskins on MASN2 and WBAL.

And Jim writes that Redskins fans will also have two outlets to watch the game tonight.

Joey Johnston of the Tampa Tribune talks about former Buccaneers coach Jon Grudin making his ESPN debut tonight.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer enjoyed watching Hard Knocks.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business explores the consolidation of the Tribune Company’s sports departments in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Ed says Chicago Comcast subscribers now have access to ESPN360 online.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that the USFL is actually attempting a comeback.

Chris Dufrense of the Los Angeles Times says the Pac 10 Conference is close to an agreement with the Alamo Bowl.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star tells Canadians that English Premier League games can still be seen on Setanta Sports Canada.

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media talks with an associate commissioner at the SEC about its new media and ticket holder policy.

Christy Hammond of the Sports PR Blog says it appears the SEC will tweak the media policy after some backlash.

The Sports Media Watch notes that the T.O. Show saw another increase in viewing last week.

SMW says Tiger Woods helped the Bridgestone Invitational’s ratings on Sunday.

And the SMW has some idle news and notes.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball says now that baseball won’t be in the Olympics in 2016, MLB is now focusing on the World Baseball Classic.

The lovely Kristine Leahy has The Five on WEEI.com.

Ok, you’ve missed the links long enough. I’m done for now.

PGA Championship Press Releases

Here are some more press releases for you, this dedicated to the PGA Championship.

First, TNT outlines its plans for four round coverage of golf’s last major tournament of the year.

TNT to Present 18 Hours of Televised Coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship

PGA.com to feature extensive complementary online coverage August 13 – 16

Turner Network Television (TNT) will provide 18 hours of televised coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. The network will air exclusive coverage of the first round from 2 - 8 p.m. ET on Thurs., August 13 featuring coverage of Phil Mickelson’s group including PGA Championship winners Paul Azinger (1993) and David Toms (2001) who tee of at 2:45 p.m. ET. Exclusive coverage continues with the second round from 2 - 8 p.m. ET on Fri., August 14 featuring coverage of Tiger Woods’ group including PGA Championship winners Padraig Harrington (2008) and Rich Beem (2002) who tee off at 2:45 p.m. ET. Coverage continues with the third and fourth rounds from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET on Sat., August 15 and 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET on Sun., August 16.

In addition to extensive television coverage, Turner Sports will host PGA Championship LIVE, a high resolution video player that features picture-in-picture for fans to watch multiple live streams at once directly from the tournament. The site will host three channels of the PGA Championship that will feature streaming content including a simulcast of the TNT telecast on Thursday and Friday, including an hour of bonus coverage. During all four rounds PGA.com will also follow select groups during their rounds; on Thursday and Friday the first group will be selected by PGA.com, while fans can vote on a PGA.com poll to pick the second group, as well isolated coverage of Par 3 holes #4, 8, 13 and 17 throughout the tournament.

91^st PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: TNT AND PGA.COM SCHEDULE

TNT SCHEDULE
Show Title	Thursday (8/13)	Friday (8/14)	Saturday (8/15)	Sunday (8/16)
PGA Championship on TNT	2-8 p.m. ET	2-8 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET)
PGA.COM SCHEDULE
Show Title	Thursday (8/13)	Friday (8/14)	Saturday (8/15)	Sunday (8/16)
TNT Simulcast	1-5 p.m. (ET)	1-5 p.m. (ET)	N/A	N/A
Marquee Group Follow	9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET)	9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)
Par 3′s	2-8 p.m. ET	2-8 p.m. ET	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)

This release is about TNT and PGA.com combining for multiplatform coverage of the PGA Championship.

TNT and PGA.com Hit the Links with Multiplatform Coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club from Aug. 13–16

Turner Sports and Digital Ad Sales to Unveil Several High Profile Sponsorships Around Advanced Coverage

Turner Sports will tee up its coverage of the 91^st PGA Championship from Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. from Aug. 13–16 with 18 hours of exclusive television coverage on TNT, complemented by four video streams of live coverage exclusively through PGA Championship LIVE on PGA.com, the official home of the PGA Championship. For the first two rounds, PGA.com will follow the threesome of Tiger Woods, defending champion Padraig Harrington and 2002 PGA champion at Hazeltine Rich Beem (9:35 a.m. ET Thursday/2:45 p.m. ET Friday), while fans will be able to vote on a second group that PGA.com will showcase through a poll on the site. PGA.com will also feature two marquee groups during the final two rounds, marking the first time ever the site will follow more than one group for four days of the event. In addition, PGA.com will also provide up-close footage of golfers’ play on challenging Par 3’s on holes #4, 8, 13 and 17, as well as a TNT Simulcast for the first two rounds.

TNT will exclusively air six hours each of first and second round coverage (2–8 p.m. ET) on Thursday, Aug. 13 and Friday, Aug. 14. The network’s first round will feature the threesome of former PGA Championship winners Phil Mickelson (2005), David Toms (2001) and Paul Azinger (1993) beginning at 2:45 p.m. (ET) Thursday, along with the grouping of the 2009 major winners including Masters champion Angel Cabrera, U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover and British Open champion Stewart Cink (2:35 p.m. ET Thursday). TNT’s second round coverage will showcase Woods, Harrington and Beem as well as top-ranked golfers such as Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim and Paul Casey, and former major winners Jim Furyk, Mike Weir and Retief Goosen. TNT will continue to follow the event during the weekend, airing three hours each of third and final round coverage on Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16 (11–2 p.m. ET).

TNT’s announcing team will feature two-time Emmy^® award-winning Ernie Johnson, who will joined by Ian Baker-Finch (analyst), Billy Kratzert (analyst) and Jim Huber (interviewer/essayist) in calling the Championship. This is the 19^th consecutive year, and 11^th straight on TNT, that Turner Sports will air the event.

“The PGA Championship is the crown jewel of golf’s major championships as players compete for a win at the year’s final major, and both TNT and PGA.com will be on-hand to give fans inside the ropes access on television, online and via their mobile devices, creating a truly remarkable multiplatform experience.” said Lenny Daniels, executive vice president, chief operating officer, Turner Sports.

In its fourth year of providing live video coverage, PGA.com will host four channels of PGA Championship content on a new, high resolution video player that features picture-in-picture for fans to watch multiple streams at once. This high-profile experience marks the first time ever this platform is sold out. The PGA Championship LIVE streams will include:

· Marquee Group Follow – During all four rounds PGA.com will follow select groups during their rounds; on Thursday and Friday the first group will be selected by PGA.com, while fans can vote on a PGA.com poll to pick the second group. PGA.com announcers will include Marc Fein (play-by-play), Michael Breed (analyst) and Brian Katrek and Craig Sager (reporters).

· Par 3 – Watch the world’s best golfers play the challenging Par 3’s as PGA.com isolates #4, 8, 13 and 17 throughout the tournament.

· TNT Simulcast – A simulcast of the TNT production will air on Thursday and Friday with an hour of bonus coverage from 1-2 p.m. (ET) followed by TNT coverage from 2 p.m.–5 p.m. (ET), allowing fans to follow along before they get home from work.

· Inside the Ropes – PGA Professional Michael Breed will be joined by Hazeltine’s head PGA Professional Mike Schultz to give hole-by-hole analysis of how players must play the course in order to win the Wanamaker Trophy.

Turner Sports and Digital Ad Sales will unveil several key sponsorships both on-air and across digital platforms supporting the PGA Championship.

91^st PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: TNT AND PGA.COM SCHEDULE

TNT SCHEDULE

Show Title	Thursday (8/13)	Friday (8/14)	Saturday (8/15)	Sunday (8/16)
PGA Championship on TNT	2-8 p.m. ET	2-8 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET)
PGA.COM SCHEDULE
Show Title	Thursday (8/13)	Friday (8/14)	Saturday (8/15)	Sunday (8/16)
TNT Simulcast	1-5 p.m. (ET)	1-5 p.m. (ET)	N/A	N/A
Marquee Group Follow	9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET)	9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)
Par 3′s	2-8 p.m. ET	2-8 p.m. ET	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)	11 a.m.-7 p.m. (ET)

Turner Sports will also utilize three of the most popular social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, which will be integrated into the PGA Championship LIVE player on PGA.com, allowing fans to interact with each other and react to the tournament. In addition, all TNT and PGA.com announcers, along with local PGA Professionals, will also utilize Twitter to provide commentary leading up to and throughout the year’s final major. The tweets will be featured on PGA.com’s @PGA_com Twitter feed and will be made available on PGA.com.

Fans on the go can also follow the action using the PGA Championship App available on the App Store. The PGA Championship App for iPhone and iPod touch will provide live video and instant updates to golf fans, with customizable push notifications that will provide users with instant alerts with unique sounds for hole-by-hole scores, completion of rounds, leader changes and other breaking news. Fans can also access the PGA.com mobile WAP site, available on all mobile devices, that will offer a live leaderboard, scorecards and news.

Next, Sirius XM has coverage of the PGA Championship.

2009 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP TO AIR NATIONWIDE ON SIRIUS XM RADIO

Live hole-by-hole coverage airs Aug. 13 – 16 from Chaska, Minn.

NEW YORK – August 12, 2009 – SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will broadcast the 91^st PGA Championship, golf’s fourth and final major championship of 2009, this Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 16, on XM channel 146 and SIRIUS channel 209 with the “Best of XM” programming package.

SIRIUS XM’s live coverage, from Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., will feature host Bob Stevens and analyst John Maginnes, with hole-by-hole updates from roving reporters Mark Carnevale, Fred Albers, Larry Rinker and Chuck Garbedian.

On-course coverage will start Thursday and Friday at 10 am ET and Saturday and Sunday at 11 am ET and will continue until the conclusion of each day’s play. Play-by-play will immediately be followed by a wrap-up of the day’s action on PGA Championship Replay, which will include a recap with highlights, analysis and interviews with players. Following Sunday’s live coverage, the final three hours of the final round will be rebroadcast from 8 – 11 pm ET.

Hazeltine previously hosted the PGA Championship in 2002, with Rich Beem defeating eventual four-time PGA Champion Tiger Woods by one stroke. Padraig Harrington is the defending champion of the event, having won at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan last year. This year’s field includes Woods, who is seeking his 15^th major championship victory, and Phil Mickelson, winner of the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

In addition to the live play-by-play, listeners will hear daily talk and analysis by SIRIUS XM’s expert hosts each day of PGA Championship Week.

Chris DiMarco, the runner-up in the 2004 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, hosts a new edition of his weekly show, oPINionated. The show, co-hosted by Greg Warmoth, airs today at 11 am ET and again at 11:30 am ET.

Playing Thru, hosted by T.J. Rives, airs live Monday – Friday from 8 – 10 am ET. On Thursday morning, Playing Thru will have bonus play-by-play coverage, including Tiger Woods’ opening round. Making the Turn with Peter Kessler airs live from 10 – 11 am ET Monday through Wednesday and on Saturday and Sunday.

The PGA Championship Preview Show, hosted by Bob Stevens and John Maginnes, airs today from 3 – 5 pm ET, and will feature complete analysis with predictions and player interviews.

For more information on SIRIUS XM’s golf coverage, visit www.xmradio.com/pgatour.

And we’re done with this portion of press releases. There are more. Plus I still have to do links for you. We’re busy tonight. Lots of catching up to do.

Press Releases That I Should Have Posted

Here are two press releases that have been lingering in the Fang’s Bites inbox. Totally forgot to post them yesterday.

First, PGA.com is putting out an iPhone app for the PGA Championship this week.

PGA.com Announces 2009 PGA Championship App Available on App Store

New App Offers Customizable Push Notifications and Live Video Streaming for iPhone and iPod touch

PGA.com today announced the availability of the PGA Championship App on the App Store. The PGA Championship App for iPhone and iPod touch will provide live video, live scoring and instant updates to golf fans during the 2009 PGA Championship from Aug. 13–16.

“PGA.com has raised the bar for major golf coverage on the iPhone and iPod touch with the PGA Championship App,” said Matthew Hong, Turner Sports Vice President and General Manager of Sports Digital. “The launch of the PGA Championship App gives on-the-go fans live access, updates and insight from instructional professionals that they have come to expect from PGA.com.”

The PGA Championship App, the first to utilize features of the iPhone OS 3.0 software update for coverage of a major golf tournament, provides customized push notifications so fans can receive instant alerts about their favorite players’ progress. Additionally, the app will offer live video of marquee groups for all four days of play and live video streaming of the Par 3 holes at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Push notifications will provide users with instant alerts for hole-by-hole scores, completion of rounds and other breaking news. The Breaking News feature will provide frequent updates to storylines and news, and five additional notifications correspond with individual players selected by fans to follow including: Round Beginning, Round Completion, Double Bogeys (and higher), Birdies & Eagles and Hole-by-Hole Updates.

The PGA Championship App will also offer a customizable leaderboard with live scoring in an easy to use front nine/back nine format, video highlights, player information, course information, news and updates. In another first for a major golf tournament, the app will also include a real-time Trends function to highlight notable leaderboard climbs, drops and streaks.

The PGA Championship App is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

PGA.COM is also exclusively making course insights and instruction videos available from PGA Professionals and Instructors.

And here’s what you will see on Golf Channel starting on Monday.

COMING UP ON GOLF CHANNEL… Aug. 10 – 16, 2009

Golf in America Turns Spotlight on Entertainment Mogul Jerry Weintraub and The First Tee;

PGA Championship Week on GOLF CHANNEL

Original Programming Premieres and Highlights

(All times eastern)

Golf in America

Video Preview: Golf in America Episode 8

Time: Tuesday 8 – 8:30 p.m. (Special Time)

Host: Anthony Anderson

The eighth episode of the 10-week series will feature:

• Jerry Weintraub: Golf and Hollywood – Jerry Weintraub is one of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific producers in the music and film business. Before turning to films, he managed legendary acts including John Denver, The Moody Blues and Frank Sinatra. Most recently, Weintraub produced the remake of Ocean’s Eleven, along with Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13. Golf in America’s Jim Gray will visit with Weintraub to discuss his storied career and his passion for golf, including his most memorable rounds with the stars and his involvement in the development of the ultra-exclusive Madison Club in La Quinta, Calif.

· Prison View Golf Course–Prison View Golf Course in Louisiana is the only golf course situated inside the walls of a prison facility in the United States. At the facility, inmates learn real-world trades such as landscape architecture and horticulture.

· The First Tee – The First Tee is an organization whose mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Host Anthony Anderson visits The First Tee headquarters in St. Augustine and its CEO, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., son of legendary boxer Joe Louis.

Golf in America takes viewers coast-to-coast to discover never-before-told stories, larger-than-life characters and inspirational people in capturing the spirit of the game of golf. The series, hosted by film and television actor Anthony Anderson, chronicles stories in stunning HD from celebrities, such as Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump to everyday people across the country that are unified by the sport.

Playing Lessons from the Pros – PGA Champions

Time: Monday 10 – 10:30 p.m.

Host: Stephanie Sparks

PGA Champions Padraig Harrington, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Nick Price and David Toms will share tips on shaping shots off the tee and from the fairway, as well as short game strategies. Stephanie Sparks hosts.

PGA Championship Week – News and Talk Show Programming Highlights

Live From the PGA Championship

Live Airings: Tuesday 12 – 1 p.m. (News Conferences)/6 – 8 p.m.

Wednesday 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. (News Conferences)/6 – 8 p.m.

Thursday – Friday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m./8 – 10 p.m.

Saturday – Sunday 9 – 11 a.m./7 – 9 p.m.

Live From the PGA Championship, produced in high definition, will take viewers inside the ropes at Hazeltine National Golf Club with 26 hours of live news reports, inside analysis and compelling features to deliver comprehensive, wrap-around coverage of the men’s final major championship of 2009.

Golf Central

Live Airings: Monday 6 – 6:30 p.m./11:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Golf Central will recap the news and storylines from the previous week on all of the tours, preview the upcoming tournaments and deliver news and insight.

The Golf Fix

Time: Monday 8 – 8:30 p.m.

Host: Michael Breed

GOLF CHANNEL’s fast-paced interactive instructional show will highlight call-ins and emails from viewers during the show and preview the PGA Championship in a fast-paced format. GolfChannel.com also will include a bonus segment following the conclusion of the live show on Monday.

The Approach with Callaway Golf (On-site at PGA Championship)

Time: Tuesday 8:30 – 9 p.m. (Special Time)

Host: Kraig Kann

Panelists: Alex Miceli/Andrew Magee

Highlighting the top storylines in golf from different perspectives, analysts from The Approach with Callaway Golf will recap the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and preview the PGA Championship in an entertaining and informative manner. The show will commence from Hazeltine National Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship.

Grey Goose 19^th Hole (On-site at PGA Championship)

Time: Wednesday 8:30 – 9 p.m. (Special Time)

Host: Vince Cellini/Analysts John Hawkins and Jeff Rude

Guest: 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem

Grey Goose 19^th Hole, the network’s fast-paced half-hour talk show will feature debates on the hot topics in golf coming out of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and will preview the PGA Championship. 2002 PGA Champion Rich Beem will join the show as a special guest to preview the PGA Championship and discuss his 2002 victory at Hazeltine National. Grey Goose 19^th Hole will take place on-site at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

There you go. Back on Monday.

Thursday’s PGA Championship Press Releases

These all deal with the PGA Championship next week.

First, CBS Sports talks about its coverage of Golf’s Final Major of the season.

CBS SPORTS BROADCASTS SEASON’S FINAL MAJOR — THE 91st PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FROM HAZELTINE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB ON AUGUST 13-16

Late Night Highlights of First Two Rounds Broadcast on Thursday, August 13 and Friday, August 14 on The CBS Television Network

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington will defend his 2008 title at the season’s final major against the strongest field in golf when the PGA Championship is contested for the second time at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., this August. Harrington won his third major championship at Hazeltine with a two-stroke margin over Sergio Garcia, becoming the first European in the modern era to win the British Open and PGA Championship in succession. For the 19th consecutive year, CBS Sports will be on-hand to cover the next chapter in PGA Championship history.

Jim Nantz, the 2008 Emmy Award Winner for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play” and 2008 National Sportscaster of the Year, serves as anchor of CBS Sports’ 2009 PGA Championship golf coverage. Sir Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships and more than 40 tournaments worldwide, serves as lead analyst. Peter Oosterhuis calls the action at the 17^th hole, Gary McCord at the 16^th hole and Ian Baker-Finch at the 15^th hole. David Feherty and Peter Kostis serve as on-course reporters.

Lance Barrow, Coordinating Producer, Golf, will produce along with David Winner. Jim Rikhoff serves as videotape producer. Steve Milton and Bob Matina will direct. Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

CBS Sports’ cameras will capture the action at all 18 holes of Hazeltine National Golf Club with live coverage of the third and final rounds on Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16 (2:00-7:00 PM, ET; both days). In addition, CBS Sports will broadcast highlights of early-round action with Nantz and Feherty immediately following the LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN on Thursday, Aug.13 and Friday, Aug. 14 (12:35-1:05 AM, ET/PT; both nights). Bob Mansbach will produce the highlight shows. Chris Svendsen will direct.

The 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club was contested by the strongest field of any major championship with 93 of the top 100 world-ranked players. In addition, last year’s PGA Championship featured a Championship-record 64 international players representing 22 countries. Since 1994, the PGA Championship has led all other major championships with the most world-ranked players.

The PGA Championship’s cable partner, TNT, will use social networks to reach fans throughout the tournament. Good idea. And unlike ESPN, no restrictions!

Turner Sports and The PGA of America Get Social on PGA.com with Announcers, PGA Club Professionals Tweeting Throughout “Glory’s Last Shot”

Fans Also Able to Weigh In Through Live Chat on PGA.com Via Their Twitter, Facebook and MySpace Accounts

Turner Sports and The PGA of America announced that beginning today and throughout the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Aug. 13 – 16, all of TNT’s television announcers and PGA.com on-camera talent, as well as local PGA of America Club Professionals, will use the Twitter social networking platform to provide commentary leading up to and throughout the year’s final major. The tweets will be featured on PGA.com’s @PGA_com Twitter feed and will be made available on the PGA.com homepage, the site’s new live video player, and at twitter.com/PGA_com, and will receive on-air promotion on TNT.

Those tweeting will include TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Ian Baker-Finch, Billy Kratzert and Jim Huber, as well as PGA.com’s Marc Fein, Craig Sager, Michael Breed and Brian Katrek. The PGA of America will also enlist local PGA Club Professionals who will provide expert instruction and insight throughout the tournament as the action unfolds in Chaska, Minn.

PGA.com will also get fans involved in the game by utilizing three of the most popular social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, on its PGA Championship LIVE player to allow users to interact with each other as well as react to the tournament action, making PGA.com the first official golf site to integrate all three of these platforms, as well as the first to make them available to users during a live golf event. Using the Gigya Socialize API, the three platforms will seamlessly aggregate into a single chat area available on PGA.com’s video player, allowing fans to interact with their friends and other golf fans while watching PGA.com’s extensive live video coverage of the PGA Championship.

“Using social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to engage and inform a more diverse audience fits perfectly with The PGA of America and PGA.com’s strategy to bring younger people closer to the game,” said Matthew Hong, Turner Sports vice president and general manager of sports digital. “What better venue to get involved in social media than at the PGA’s premier event of the year?”

TNT will provide 18 exclusive hours from all four rounds of the 91^st PGA Championship, live from Hazeltine National Golf Club. It is the 19^th consecutive year, and 11^th straight on TNT, that Turner Sports will air the event. TNT will televise 12 hours of exclusive live first and second round coverage (Thursday and Friday, 2-8 p.m. ET) and an additional six hours of early third and final round coverage (Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.). In addition, Turner Sports will offer PGA Championship LIVE on PGA.com, the official site of The PGA of America. PGA Championship LIVE will offer viewers nearly 100 hours of bonus coverage of the year’s final major championship from the course via multiple broadband channels.

Here’s Golf Channel’s plan for coverage of “Glory’s Last Shot”.

GOLF CHANNEL has the PGA Championship Covered

26 Hours of Coverage from Hazeltine National Golf Club

ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2009) – GOLF CHANNEL’s Live From the PGA Championship, produced in high definition, will take viewers inside the ropes at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. with 26 hours of live news reports, inside analysis and compelling features to deliver comprehensive, wrap-around live news coverage of the men’s final major championship of 2009.

Live From the PGA Championship kicks off Tuesday at noon ET when Kelly Tilghman will host coverage of pre-tournament news conferences from Hazeltine National GC. Later, Steve Sands will be joined by the network’s team of reporters and analysts from 6 – 8 p.m. ET to wrap-up the day’s activities. Wednesday’s Live From the PGA Championship will feature news conferences from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by a two-hour preview show at 6 p.m. ET.

Thursday and Friday at 11 a.m. ET, and at 9 a.m. ET on the weekend, Live From the PGA Championship will preview each round complete with player interviews and analysis.

Prime-time coverage will air at 8 p.m. ET Thursday and Friday, and at 7 p.m. ET on the weekend. Each prime-time Live From the PGA Championship will re-air throughout the night all week.

Throughout the week’s coverage, Michael Breed, host of GOLF CHANNEL’s The Golf Fix, will interact with players on varies subjects concerning their game.

The Live From the PGA Championship team will include Tilghman, Sands, Breed, Vince Cellini, Rich Lerner, Frank Nobilo, Brandel Chamblee, Alex Miceli, John Feinstein, Jim Gray, John Hawkins, Tim Rosaforte, and Rex Hoggard.

In addition, GolfChannel.com’s team of writers will contribute to the popular Shag Bag blog with entries and posts throughout the week, along with daily columns, news articles features and breaking news. Hoggard, Jay Coffin and Randall Mell will report on-site from the PGA Championship throughout the week.

Live From the PGA Championship TV Times (all times ET)

Tuesday, Aug. 11: Noon – 1 p.m. & 6 – 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 12: 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. & 6 – 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 13: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 8 – 10 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 14: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 8 – 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15: 9 – 11 a.m. & 7 – 9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16: 9 – 11 a.m. & 7 – 9 p.m.

That concludes this post. We have one more press release post, oh yes we do. We had a lot of press releases come into the Fang’s Bites inbox today.

Where to Watch the 2009 Open Championship Online

I’ve noticed that people are looking to find places to watch this week’s Open Championship online as it starts early for the U.S. fans.

I’m happy to tell you that there’s free online coverage at PGA.com. Today and Friday, it will webcast the world feed from 4 – 7 a.m. ET, then offer TNT’s coverage for the first two rounds from 7 a.m. Eastern to about 2:30 p.m. Eastern. In addition, it will offer coverage of holes 9 through 11 at Turnberry as well as offer a feature called “Inside the Ropes” that runs throughout the Open.

On Saturday, online streaming begins at 5 a.m. with the world feed, then PGA.com takes TNT’s coverage from 7 – 9 a.m. Then on Sunday, coverage starts at 6 a.m. ET.

ABC’s coverage does not appear to be available online.

To get to the online coverage, you can click on this link.

Nice to have TNT’s coverage available all four days of the tournament.

A Slew of Wednesday Press Releases

A whole bunch of releases are in the Fang’s Bites inbox. Let’s get started.

The NFL Network has its programming set through next week.

NFL NETWORK PROGRAMMING NOTES (7/8-7/14)

LIONS QB MATTHEW STAFFORD IN-STUDIO

ON NFL TOTAL ACCESS TUESDAY

“Best in the Biz” Series Continues on

NFL Total Access with Top 5 Wide Receivers,

Offensive Linemen, Quarterbacks

Debut of NFL’s Top 10 Gunslingers

Friday at 8:00 PM ET

NFL’S TOP 10 GUNSLINGERS – Friday at 8:00 PM ET

Sammy Baugh, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and others are debated Friday at 8:00 PM ET as NFL’s Top 10 Gunslingers profiles quarterbacks the shotgun and play-action pass were made for.

NFL’s Top 10 provides a look at some of the most intriguing subjects in the NFL, creating and debating a top ten list for each category. Each 60-minute episode counts down from No. 10 to the top ranking in each category.

THIS WEEK ON NFL TOTAL ACCESS: Chargers LB Shaun Phillips, Former Broncos WR Rod Smith, Saints players Marques Colston, Roman Harper and Usama Young & Lions QB Matthew Stafford in-studio

Wednesday, July 8

• ‘Best in the Biz’- Top 5 Wide Receivers
• Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Jamie Dukes and Steve Mariucci debate the pros and cons of an extended regular season schedule
• ’32 Teams in 32 Days’ – #10 Atlanta Falcons
• Around the League with Jason La Canfora

Thursday, July 9

• Chargers LB Shaun Phillips guest analyst
• ‘Best in the Biz’ – Top 5 Offensive Linemen
• ’32 Teams in 32 Days’ – #9 Atlanta Falcons
• Around the League with Jason La Canfora

Friday, July 10

• ‘Best in the Biz’ – Top 5 Quarterbacks
• ’32 Teams in 32 Days’ – #8 Minnesota Vikings
• Video diary of Seattle Seahawks WR Nate Burleson
• Around the League with Jason La Canfora

Monday, July 13

• Former Broncos WR Rod Smith guest analyst
• Saints WR Marques Colston, SS Roman Harper, CB Usama Young in-studio
• ’32 Teams in 32 Days’ – #7 Baltimore Ravens

Tuesday, July 14

• Lions QB Matthew Stafford in-studio
• ’32 Teams in 32 Days’ – #6 Tennessee Titans

NFL.COM CHAT SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 9

• 12:00 PM ET – NFL.com writer Bucky Brooks
• 4:30 PM ET – NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp

Friday, July 10

• 2:00 PM ET – NFL.com writer Pat Kirwan

DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET):

Wednesday, July 8

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

11:00 PM – America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens (HD)

12 MIDNIGHT – America’s Game: 2006 Indianapolis Colts (HD)

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Thursday, July 9

1:00 PM – NFL Films Presents: History Making Backs

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 1997

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 1998

3:00 PM – America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens (HD)

4:00 PM – America’s Game: 2006 Indianapolis Colts (HD)

5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Team Turnarounds

6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Follies

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 1

9:00 PM – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 2

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

11:00 PM – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 1

12:00 MIDNIGHT – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 2

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Friday, July 10

1:00 PM – NFL Films Presents: Feeling the Heat

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 1999

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 2000

3:00 PM – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 1

4:00 PM – NFL Film Session: 1998 QB Challenge – Part 2

5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Players Not In The Hall Of Fame

6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Backfield Tandems

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Gunslingers

9:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Comebacks

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

11:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Gunslingers

12 MIDNIGHT – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Comebacks

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Saturday, July 11

1:00 PM – Game of the Week: Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots (2001 AFC Divisional Playoff) (HD)

2:00 PM – Game of the Week: New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers (2002 NFC Wild Card) (HD)

3:00 PM – America’s Game: 2000 Baltimore Ravens (HD)

4:00 PM – America’s Game: 2006 Indianapolis Colts (HD)

5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Comebacks

6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Gunslingers

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Week in Review (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL Classic Games: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants (December 18, 2004) (HD)

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Week in Review (HD)

11:00 PM – NFL Classic Games: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants (December 18, 2004) (HD)

Sunday, July 12

9:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Weather Games

10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Passing Combinations

11:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Gunslingers

12:00 NOON – NFL’s Top 10: Top 10 Comebacks

1:00 PM – NFL Replay: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

2:30 PM – NFL Replay: New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

4:00 PM – NFL Replay: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

5:30 PM – NFL Replay: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Replay: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

8:30 PM – NFL Replay: New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

10:00 PM – NFL Replay: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

11:30 PM – NFL Replay: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

1:00 AM – NFL Replay: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

2:30 AM – Starting 11: Week 17 (HD)

Monday, July 13

7:00 AM – NFL Replay: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

8:30 AM – NFL Replay: New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

10:00 AM – NFL Replay: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

11:30 AM – NFL Replay: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

1:00 PM – NFL Replay: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

2:30 PM –NFL Replay: New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

4:00 PM – NFL Replay: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

5:30 PM – NFL Replay: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (Week 17, 2008) (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – Super Bowl Classics: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XIII)

11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

12 MIDNIGHT – Super Bowl Classics: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XIII)

Tuesday, July 14

11:00 AM – Super Bowl Classics: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XIII)

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 2001

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 2002

3:00 PM – Road to the Super Bowl: 2005 Seattle Seahawks

4:00 PM – Road to the Super Bowl: 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

5:00 PM – Year in Review: 2001

5:30 PM – NFL’s Greatest Games: Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots (2001 AFC Divisional Playoff) (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – Game of the Week: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2004 AFC Divisional Playoff) (HD)

9:00 PM – Game of the Week: New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl XXXIX) (HD)

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

11:00 PM – Game of the Week: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2004 AFC Divisional Playoff) (HD)

12 MIDNIGHT – Game of the Week: New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl XXXIX) (HD)

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Comcast SportsNet New England will carry the Rasheed Wallace press conference live on Thursday.

THE CELTICS NETWORK COMCAST SPORTSNET TO CARRY RASHEED WALLACE PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE AT 4 PM ON THURSDAY

BURLINGTON, MA – Comcast SportsNet will host live coverage of the Rasheed Wallace press conference on Thursday, July 9, starting at 4 p.m. Gary Tanguay will anchor coverage from CSN’s Celtics studios and Greg Dickerson will be on-site for post press conference reaction.

Comcast SportsNet will also stream the entire press conference at CSNNE.com beginning at 4 p.m.

Following the press conference, Michael Felger and Tanguay will have full analysis and Dickerson will have an expected one-on-one with Wallace on Sports Tonight at 6:30 p.m. The Boston Globe’s Marc Spears will breakdown the signing on the Late Edition of Sports Tonight at 10 p.m.

To some golf-related releases now. TNT and PGA.com will team up to stream the Open Championship live from Turnberry next week.

TNT and PGA.com Tee Off Coverage of Golf’s Final Two Majors with Multiplatform Offerings for The Open Championship and PGA Championship

Extensive Live Television and Complementary Online Coverage of The Open Championship Available July 16 – 19

TNT and PGA.com will hit the links to provide extensive television and online coverage of golf’s final two majors for The Open Championship (July 16 – 19) and the PGA Championship (August 13 – 16). In addition to TNT’s exclusive coverage of the first and second rounds and early coverage of the third and final rounds of both tournaments, PGA.com, managed by Turner Sports, will also provide extensive online offerings and live video coverage to give fans an all-access pass to two of the most prestigious events in golf.

The 138^th Open Championship will take place on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland. TNT’s 28 hours of television coverage will take place from Thursday, July 16 to Sunday, July 19. The Open Championship LIVE video player on PGA.com will broadcast live feeds directly from the tournament with three channels available for the first and second rounds including:

• Channel #1 will tee off at 4 a.m. ET with a World Feed followed by a TNT Simulcast until the rounds are complete.

• Channel #2 offers Close Up Coverage beginning at 4 a.m. ET to follow groups at holes #9, 10 and 11 in a produced feed.

• Channel #3 offers Inside the Ropes access featuring on-demand video of highlights from the day, footage from past Open Championships and instruction from PGA professionals.

• Online coverage of the third and final rounds will also be available with the TNT Simulcast and Inside the Ropes channels (see times below).

“The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious golf events in the world and Turner Sports is pleased to offer multiple ways for fans to follow their favorite golfers both on television and online,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “We will continue to work with our partners at The R&A and the PGA of America to provide the most innovative and comprehensive golf coverage possible.”

TNT’s telecast of The Open Championship will feature an expert panel of announcers including two-time Emmy® winning host Ernie Johnson who will be joined by 1991 British Open Champion winner and TNT analyst Ian Baker-Finch. Analyst/course reporter Bill Kratzert will also be a part of the coverage along with Jim Huber who will provide interviews and essays. TNT will once again partner with ABC to share coverage of the tournament, with ABC airing the duration of the third and final rounds.

The network earned an Emmy® Award for its coverage of the British Open in 2005, which included Jack Nicklaus’ farewell to major championship golf from the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.

2009 British Open Championship on TNT Programming Schedule

Thurs., July 16, 6:30 a.m. ET/PT – Preview Show

Thurs., July 16, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET/PT – First Round Coverage

Fri., July 17, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET/PT – Second Round Coverage

Sat., July 18, 7 – 9 a.m. ET/4 – 6 a.m. PT – Third Round Coverage

Sun., July 19, 6 – 8 a.m. ET/3 – 5 a.m. PT – Final Round Coverage

Open Championship LIVE Schedule: Thurs., July 16 and Fri., July 17

Channel #1: 4 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET – World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #2: 4 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET – Close Up Coverage: Holes 9, 10 & 11

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

Sat., July 18

Channel #1: 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET – World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

Sun., July 19

Channel #1: 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. ET – World Feed & TNT Simulcast

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

With many golfers flying across the Atlantic Ocean to get ready for the Open Championship, there’s a depleted field for this week’s PGA Tour event on CBS Sports.

KENNY PERRY DEFENDS TITLE AS CBS SPORTS TEES UP

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC ON JULY 11 &12

Kenny Perry is aiming for his third PGA TOUR victory this year after winning in his previous start at the Travelers Championship on CBS two weeks ago. Perry, currently No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings, defends his title in what historically is a haven for first-time PGA TOUR winners. CBS Sports broadcasts third- and final-round coverage of the JOHN DEERE CLASSIC on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET; both days) live from TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

Last year, Perry, Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson battled back-and-forth in the final round and eventually ended in a playoff with Perry winning on the first extra hole. The JOHN DEERE CLASSIC once again hosts a strong field as Perry defends his title against 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, David Duval, Davis Love III, Aaron Baddeley, Rich Beem, Chad Campbell, Tom Lehman, Jesper Parnevik, Mark Calcavecchia, Brandt Snedeker, Scott McCarron, J.J. Henry, Steve Elkington, Adamonis, Williamson, along with past champions John Senden (2006), Mark Hensby (2004), J.P. Hayes (2002) and J.L. Lewis (1999), as well as.

CBS Sports’ announce team of Bill Macatee and Ian Baker-Finch in the 18^th tower, David Feherty on the 17^th hole, and Bobby Clampett on the course reporting, call the action.

NBC Sports will have the 3rd major for Women’s Golf, the U.S. Women’s Open from Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA.

NBC SPORTS BROADCASTS LIVE COVERAGE OF U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

NBC’s Pepper on the Open: “This is the best event in women’s golf; there’s nothing even close.”

NEW YORK – July 8, 2009 – NBC Sports will broadcast live coverage of the most prestigious event in women's golf, the U.S. Women's Open from Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course in Bethlehem, Pa., Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. ET.

Dan Hicks will host NBC's coverage alongside Johnny Miller and Dottie Pepper, who competed in 19 U.S. Opens in her illustrious career. They are joined by tower reporter Gary Koch, and course reporters Roger Maltbie and former LPGA players Jane Crafter and Kay Cockerill.

"This is the best event in women's golf; there's nothing even close," said Pepper. "An Open will challenge you in every way – the length, slope, speed of greens. You'll hit shots that you've never hit before. You need to be mentally rested coming into it. You have to be patient, know you're not going to be perfect."

Inbee Park looks to defend her title, challenged by past champions Christie Kerr (2007), Birdie Kim (2005); Laura Davies (1987); Julie Inkster (1999, 2002); Meg Mallon (1991, 2004); Se Ri Pak (1998) and Karrie Webb (2000, 2001). Other top competitors include Lorena Ochoa, Kristy McPherson, Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer.

Saucon Valley is hosting its sixth USGA Championship including U.S. Senior Opens in 1992 and 2000. The Old Course regularly ranks among the top 100 courses in Golf Magazine.

And NBC and Universal Sports team up to carry the U.S. National Swimming Championships featuring a star-studded field.

MICHAEL PHELPS AND DARA TORRES COMPETE THIS WEEKEND AT USA SWIMMING NATIONALS ON NBC SPORTS

NEW YORK- July 8, 2009- More than 20 U.S. Olympians, including Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, Ryan Lochte and Aaron Peirsol, are competing at the USA Swimming National Championships this week from the Natatorium in Indianapolis. NBC Sports will provide coverage Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Top swimmers in each event will be awarded spots on the 2009 U.S. World Championship Team that will compete at the FINA World Aquatics Championships broadcast on NBC Sports and Universal Sports at the end of this month from Rome, Italy.

Among the main storylines are 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, competing in the 100m and 200m freestyle and 100m and 200m butterfly; Dara Torres competing in the 50m freestyle event; two-time defending Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol competing in the 100m backstroke; and Ryan Lochte competing in the 400m IM, an event in which Michael Phelps holds both the world and American records.

Ted Robinson, alongside three-time Olympic gold medalist swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines will provide commentary, with Alex Flanagan reporting poolside.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will provide a live webcast each evening of the Swimming National Championships finals, from July 7-11, at 6 p.m. ET.  Two-time Gold Medalist Mel Stewart will be hosting a 30 minute preview show at 5:30 p.m. ET before each day of competition only online.  More information, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos and breaking news is available at UniversalSports.com/swimming.

And that will finish this post. I have more press releases if you can believe that. Of course you can.

Monday’s Press Releases

I have quite a few releases to post tonight so let’s get to them and hopefully, I won’t fall asleep with the computer on.

I’ll begin with Fox Sports which says it will be Tweeting during the All-Star Game on July 14th.

FOX SPORTS ALL A-TWITTER AT 80^TH MLB ALL-STAR GAME

MLB on FOX Plans Extensive Coverage via Tweets from St. Louis;

Reporter/Insider Rosenthal to Answer Questions In-Game

New York – There’s no way to be 100% sure without checking each of MLB on FOX’s 10 prior MLB All-Star Game broadcasts, but it’s unlikely you’d find the words “Twitter” and “tweet” anywhere in the coverage. That’s about to change.

As communication via Twitter continues to grow, MLB on FOX plans extensive coverage of the 80^th MLB All-Star Game via the Internet-driven messaging service, it was announced today by FOX Sports president, Ed Goren. FOX Sports’ coverage of the Mid-Summer Classic begins at 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, July 14, live from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. In addition to “tweets” generated by the MLB on FOX on-air team and FOXSports.com in the days and hours leading up sports’ most-popular all-star event, MLB on FOX reporter and FOXSports.com MLB Insider extraordinaire Ken Rosenthal answers Twitter-submitted questions from fans as the game progresses.

“There’s no denying that Twitter is a communications phenomenon that continues to grow, and our hope is that those who follow us on Twitter will use it to deepen their enjoyment of the All-Star Game broadcast,” said Goren. “Ken is the best connected writer following the game today, and he’s been our biggest single tweeter. Our hope is that fans will have fun tweeting with him during the game, which in turn will make their All-Star Game experience more enjoyable.”

“I’m all about reaching fans with the information I gather, be it on-air, through FOXSports.com, via Twitter or our Facebook and Myspace pages,” added Rosenthal. “I’m sure time will permit me only a few on-air opportunities during the game, so this gives me a forum to answer as many questions from fans as possible and report more of what I learn and observe.”

Initiated as a complement to MLB on FOX on-air coverage to engage viewers more deeply, www.twitter.com/mlbonfox has broken news, provided in-game observations and insights, guided fans to exclusive columns at FOXSports.com, sent out dozens of exclusive photos and issued programming alerts and tune-in information. The twitter.com/mlbonfox page was launched at 12:52 PM ET on April 7, 2009 with a link to Rosenthal’s 2009 predictions, and since then over 9000 fans have become followers, with access to over 400 updates issued. A prolific contributor, Rosenthal is responsible for generating over 100 tweets, thus far this season. Besides Rosenthal, also contributing from St. Louis throughout All-Star festivities will be play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, game analyst Tim McCarver and dugout reporters Eric Karros and Chris Rose, who also serves as pre-game host.

Twitter reportedly has more than 10 million followers around the world at present, doubling its number over the last few months. Users exchange messages of no more than 140 characters, instantaneously.

Next, HBO Sports debuts Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 in August leading up to the Floyd Mayweather/Juan Manuel Marquez fight in September.

HBO SPORTS’ MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7,

A FOUR-EPISODE ALL-ACCESS SERIES LEADING UP TO THE PAY-PER-VIEW SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TWO BOXING SUPERSTARS,

DEBUTS AUG. 29, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

NEW YORK, June 29, 2009 – With the intriguing showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez rescheduled for Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured seven Sports Emmy^® Awards, will premiere MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 on SATURDAY, AUG. 29 (10:15-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), it was announced today by Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports. The all-new, four-episode, all-access series spotlights a host of intriguing storylines, with Floyd Mayweather, the sport’s most irrepressible superstar, returning after a year-and-a-half absence to face Juan Manuel Marquez, one of boxing’s most accomplished performers, as they prepare for their September pay-per-view showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Noted Greenburg, “Now that the fight has been rescheduled, we are excited to resume production. This latest edition of ‘24/7’ features all the ingredients that we look for in greenlighting the ‘24/7’ franchise: big-time boxing stars, engaging storylines and in Floyd’s case, a larger-than-life personality that is tailor-made for reality television.” Episodes two and three of MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 debut on subsequent Saturdays – SEPT. 5 (10:00-10:30 p.m.) and 12 (10:00-10:30 p.m.) – while the finale debuts FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 (9:30-10:00 p.m.), just one night before the fight. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand.

MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access, along with in-depth interviews, as these determined warriors prepare for their mega-fight. This is Mayweather’s third “24/7” appearance, while Marquez is making his HBO reality series debut. Regarded as the best boxer of his era, the undefeated Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) is back after a brief self-imposed retirement. A training camp injury forced the fight date to be reset to Sept. 19.

Marquez is a dynamic fighter (50-4-1, 37 KOs) from Mexico City who shares at least one thing with his flashy opponent: They’re both willing to fight anybody in the sport, regardless of division. Marquez is moving up from the lightweight ranks to challenge boxing’s most provocative star.

Storylines for this fast-paced series will include the interaction between Mayweather and his uncle/trainer, Roger Mayweather, and Marquez’s rock-solid relationship with his longtime trainer Ignacio Beristain.

MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 is the latest installment of the widely acclaimed “24/7” franchise that began in 2007 on HBO with “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7” and “Mayweather/Hatton 24/7.” The series continued in 2008 with “Calzaghe/Jones 24/7” and “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7,” and resumed in 2009 with “Pacquiao/Hatton 24/7.”

Newsday.com has observed, “HBO’s 24/7 series is the best sports program on television. Bar none.”

At the 2009 Sports Emmy^® Awards, “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7” was honored in the category of Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthologies, while “Calzaghe/Jones 24/7” was honored in the categories of Outstanding Edited Sports Special, Outstanding Editing and Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound. At the 2008 Sports Emmy^® Awards, “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7” was honored in the category of Outstanding Edited Sports Special, while “Mayweather/Hatton 24/7” was honored in the categories of Outstanding Camera Work and Outstanding Writing.

On Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), HBO Pay-Per-View presents “Mayweather vs. Marquez,” live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The executive producers of MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; coordinating producer, Dave Harmon. Liev Schreiber narrates.

ESPN previews the next webisode of Mayne Street.

Fresh Mayne Street Hits the Web(Tues. 9 a.m.): Kenny Experiences the Economic Wrath

This week, ESPN.com’s original scripted series Mayne Street (Tuesdays at 9 a.m.) features Kenny and his crew dealing with the current recession. Fans also learn the fate of Kenny’s boss Evan Mintz. ESPN personality Kenny Mayne stars as himself in a fictionalized version of life at a sports television network.

Mayne, known for his dry wit and offbeat sensibilities, maneuvers through each of the three- to five-minute Webisodes, six overall, in the clever and entertaining style that has made him one of ESPN’s most popular personalities. Mayne’s reoccurring foils consist largely of his fictional production crew, which includes his producer Sarah (Alison Becker); Video Cowboy (Jon Glaser); production assistant Chris (Chris Smith); network executive Evan Mintz (Ben Schwartz), as well as ESPN personalities Jeremy Schaap, Linda Cohen and others.

Mayne Street joins a lineup of video that is among the most popular online. ESPN.com captures nearly 50 percent of the total minutes spent by users viewing online sports video. In April, ESPN.com came in No. 1 in the Sports category with 72.3 million total streams, 59 percent more than the closest competitor for the month.

Golf Channel previews the tournament action you’ll see this week.

GOLF CHANNEL TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

June 29 – July 5, 2009

AT&T National

Dates: 7/2 – 7/5

Venue: Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Md.

Airtimes (Eastern):

Thursday 3 – 6 p.m. (Live)/ 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. (Prime Replay)

Friday 3 – 6 p.m. (Live)/ 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. (Prime Replay)

Saturday 1 – 2:30 p.m. (Live) / 8 – 9:30 p.m. (Replay)

Sunday 1 – 2:30 p.m. (Live) / 8 – 9:30 p.m. (Replay)

GOLF CHANNEL On-Air Talent:

Kelly Tilghman (Play by Play)

Nick Faldo (Analyst)

Peter Oosterhuis (Tower)

Frank Nobilo (Tower)

Bobby Clampett (On Course)

Billy Ray Brown (On Course)

Steve Sands (Reporter)

Broadcast Notes: Thursday – Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET, PGA TOUR Primetime will re-air the opening rounds of the AT&T National with special bonus coverage not seen during the live telecast… In addition to Thursday and Friday’s coverage, GOLF CHANNEL will air live early round action on the weekend beginning at 1 p.m., and will re-air CBS Sports’ live tournament coverage at 9:30 p.m… Mutual of Omaha Putting Line powered by Aimpoint, a graphics technology that predicts the break of a putt and suggests where a player must aim to hole out, will be used during the telecast on holes No. 9 and 17 at Congressional Country Club… GOLF CHANNEL reporter Steve Sands is a native of Washington D.C. and will cover his hometown event.

Open de France ALSTOM

Dates: 7/2 – 7/5

Venue: Le Golf National, Paris, France

Airtimes (Eastern):

Thursday 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Live)

Friday 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Live)

Saturday 8 – 11 a.m. (Live)

Sunday 8 – 11 a.m. (Live)

PGA.com and noted golf instructor Hank Haney are teaming up for some instructional videos.

Hank Haney and PGA.com Sign Development Deal for Exclusive Golf Instruction Series

One of golf’s top instructor to provide tips on all facets of the game in webisode series on the Official Site of The PGA of America

PGA.com, the Official Site of The PGA of America, announced today a development deal to air an exclusive online series of golf instructional segments from world renowned golf coach and 25-year PGA member Hank Haney. As part of this Hank Haney-branded instructional platform, this webisode series is expected to begin production in the next few months and will include golf tips on all aspects of the game, both mental and physical.

Haney, the 1993 PGA Teacher of the Year, is the golf coach to the world’s #1 player Tiger Woods. He has taught golf since 1976 and given over 40,000 lessons around the world. Haney has also given instruction to over 200 touring professionals from the PGA TOUR to the LPGA, Champions, European, Japanese, Australian and Asian Tours. Haney, who is represented by Octagon, also has his own television series on The Golf Channel called “The Haney Project” which, in its inaugural season, featured his personal insight and golf instruction to NBA legend and TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley.

“PGA.com is a leading resource for golf instruction and I am excited to incorporate some of the tips and practice methods I use on a daily basis into their site,” said Haney. “I am really excited about this partnership as the instructional content we will be releasing will help golfers of all ages and abilities with many aspects of their game.”

“Hank is a great motivator with a great work ethic,” said Barkley. “He has helped me understand my swing better and I’m confident his online lessons will do the same for many other golfers of all ages.”

“PGA.com is proud to partner with a teacher as accomplished and well-respected as Hank Haney, one of the world’s pre-eminent golf instructors and a long-time PGA Professional,” said Matthew Hong, vice president and general manager of sports digital at Turner Sports. “The addition of instructional video from Hank to the existing industry-leading content at PGA.com will continue to make the site a premier destination for golfers of all levels looking to improve their game.”

ESPN previews its week in motorsports on its family of networks.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series on ESPN in Prime Time from Daytona

A high-speed, Friday night shootout in prime time is expected when the NASCAR Nationwide Series makes its second visit of the season to Daytona International Speedway this weekend. ESPN will have a live, high definition telecast of the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday, July 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Saturday, July 4, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at noon on ESPN Classic.

Also this weekend, live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying airs Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2, while coverage of final practice airs Thursday, July 2, at 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by Jarrett and Brad Daugherty, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

In other NASCAR-related programming this week, ESPN Classic airs the 1995 Save Mart Supermarkets NASCAR Cup race from California’s Infineon Raceway on Monday, July 6, at 6 p.m. In addition, ESPN Classic will air an episode of the award-winning series SportsCentury earlier that day at 8 a.m. The episode features NASCAR star Tony Stewart.

Craven, LaJoie, Newton on NASCAR Now Roundtable

ESPN NASCAR analysts Randy LaJoie and Ricky Craven and ESPN.com reporter David Newton will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, July 6, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro slides into the host role for a half-hour episode of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday, June 30, at 5 p.m., while Nicole Manske hosts the remainder of the week, with shows Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. Manske also hosts the one-hour weekend edition that airs Saturday, July 4, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Craven will join Manske on the set, while Massaro and Angelique Chengelis will report from the track.

NASCAR Now originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

IndyCar Series Races at Watkins Glen Live on ABC

The IndyCar Series goes road course racing at one of America’s historic venues this weekend when it competes Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. ABC will have live coverage of the event on Sunday, July 5, at 1 p.m. ET.

Watkins Glen has hosted the IndyCar Series annually since 2005, when Scott Dixon won the inaugural event and went on to win three consecutive years. Ryan Hunter-Reay scored an upset victory last year.

Marty Reid will call the race for ESPN on ABC’s coverage with analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear. Reporting from the pits will be Jack Arute, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch.

NHRA Programming Includes Classic Sonoma Event, Sportsman Series

Four hours of NHRA drag racing programming will air on ESPN Networks this week, including a classic event with the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and three hours of action with the Lucas Oil Sportsman Series.

ESPN Classic airs highlights from the 2003 Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Monday, July 6, at 1 p.m. ET.

Action from the recent event at Norwalk, Ohio, will be featured in an hour-long program of Lucas Oil Sportsman Series competition on Saturday, July 4, at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

ESPN Classic airs two hours of Sportsman competition on Monday, July 6, at 2 p.m. The first hour features action from Baytown, Texas, while racing from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway airs at 3 p.m.

Featuring race vehicles that range from 5-second Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars to 15-second Stockers, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is the premier Sportsman series in drag racing. Eight categories are included in the series, which is showcased at select NHRA national events. ESPN’s Dave Rieff will anchor the coverage from Norwalk.

And Comcast SportsNet New England is asking fans to predict which young athlete will be the next big thing in Boston.

PREDICT WHICH BOSTON YOUNG GUNS WILL BE THE NEXT “GREATS” BY RATING THE TOP 20 UNDER 25 AT CSNNE.COM

BURLINGTON, MA – The general managers of the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots pride themselves on player development and the results – 6 combined league titles – speak volumes. Some next generation players like Dustin Pedroia and Vince Wilfork are well on their way to prolific careers, while an even younger crop is quickly rising to the big leagues.

Comcast SportsNet asks fans to rate its select list of the “Top 20 Under 25” to predict which players are the next hall of famers, all-stars, consistent starters, role players or busts. Fans can rate CSN’s Top 20 Under 25 at CSNNE.com through Thursday, July 2. The results will be unveiled that night on the 6:30 and 10 p.m. editions of Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight.

The Top 25 Under 25:

Name Age Stats

Clay Buchholz, Red Sox 24 5-1, 1.9 ERA, 80.2 IP (Pawtucket 2009)

Kendrick Perkins, Celtics 24 5.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.3 BPG (career)

Laurence Maroney, Patriots 24 30 G, 1,673 YDS, 4.3 AVG, 13 TD (career)

Justin Masterson, Red Sox 24 8-7, 3.36 ERA, 147.1 IP, 118K (career)

Matt Hunwick, Bruins 24 66 GP, 6 G, 22 A (career)

Kevin O’Connell, Patriots 24 2 G, 23 YDS, 3.8 AVG/ 0 TD (career)

Daniel Bard, Red Sox 23 0-0, 3.44 ERA, 17 SO (career)

Patrice Bergeron, Bruins 23 303 GP, 80 G, 148 A (career)

Glen Davis, Celtics 23 5.58 PPG, 3.5 RPG (career)

Rajon Rondo, Celtics 23 9.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 1.7 SPG (career)

Jerod Mayo, Patriots 23 16 G, 128 TT, 100 SOLO (career)

David Krejci, Bruins 23 144 GP, 28 G, 72 A (career)

Junichi Tazawa, Red Sox 23 7-4, 71 K, 2.92 ERA, 77 IP (Minor career)

Blake Wheeler, Bruins 22 81 GP, 21 G, 24 A (career)

Michael Bowden, Red Sox 22 3-4, 3.11 ERA, 49 SO (Pawtucket 2009)

Tuukka Rask, Bruins 22 5 GP, 3-1, 2.46 GAA, 1 SO

Lars Anderson, Red Sox 21 .257 AVE, 7 HR, 35 RBI (Minor career)

Phil Kessel, Bruins 21 222 GP, 66 G, 60 A (career)

Bill Walker, Celtics 21 3 PPG, 1 RPG, (career)

Milan Lucic, Bruins 21 149 GP, 25 G, 44 A (career)

CSN’s list of Top 20 Under 25 was complied from the collective expertise of CSN’s on-air and on-line contributors including hosts Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger, producer Kevin Miller, and Wicked Good Sports contributors Rich Levine and Jason Levine.

That’s going to do it for the press releases. Back tomorrow.

Press Releases That Should Be Read

I have a few releases for you to read today.

First, the MLB Network has released its Grapefruit and Cactus League schedules. Overall, it will show 61 games, 45 of them live. This, I like. I do believe it will pick up the local broadcast of the games.

MLB NETWORK TO BROADCAST 61 SPRING TRAINING GAMES

Broadcast Schedule Features 45 Live Games, and Includes All 30 MLB Clubs

Highlights Include First Exhibition Game at New Yankee Stadium and Second at CitiField

Secaucus, N.J. – MLB Network today announced its Spring Training broadcast schedule, which will feature 61 games — 45 of which will be live — featuring all 30 Major League clubs and including three World Baseball Classic exhibition games. MLB Network’s Spring Training schedule begins on Wednesday, February 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET with San Francisco at Cleveland live from Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz. All games will be simulcasts of local broadcasts, including local announcers. MLB Tonight will air for one hour every night, containing news, analysis and highlights.

Highlights of the broadcast schedule include:

· Feb 28, 1:00 p.m. ET: Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies (2008 World Series rematch)

· March 1, 5:00 p.m. ET: Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers (first game at Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the new Spring Training home for both teams)

· March 3, 1:00 p.m. ET: Team USA @ New York Yankees (World Baseball Classic exhibition game, also Derek Jeter’s first career game played against the Yankees)

· April 3, 7:00 p.m. ET: Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees (first ever game at new Yankee Stadium)

· April 4, 1:00 p.m. ET: Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (second game ever at CitiField)

“We’re all excited for the start of baseball season, and we wanted to give fans as many Spring Training games as possible, featuring every single club,” said Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive Officer of MLB Network. “We’re also happy to be able to give a national audience its first look at the new Mets and Yankees parks, as well as an early look at some of the World Baseball Classic teams through those exhibition games.”

The full MLB Network Spring Training broadcast schedule appears below.

MLB NETWORK SPRING TRAINING BROADCAST SCHEDULE

*Indicates live broadcast

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

Games will be blacked out in local markets only where necessary

February 25 3:00 p.m.* San Francisco Giants @ Cleveland Indians

7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins

February 26 4:00 p.m. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Cleveland Indians

February 27 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

5:00 p.m. San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians

February 28 1:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies

5:00 p.m. Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees

March 1 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins

5:00 p.m. Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers

9:00 p.m. Houston Astros @ New York Mets

March 3 1:00 p.m.* USA @ New York Yankees (WBC Exhibition)

5:00 p.m. Canada @ Toronto Blue Jays (WBC Exhibition)

March 4 9:00 p.m.* Australia @ Seattle Mariners (WBC Exhibition)

March 5 4:00 p.m.* Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs

March 6 1:00 p.m.* Washington Nationals @ Baltimore Orioles

March 7 3:00 p.m.* Oakland Athletics @ San Diego Padres

March 9 1:00 p.m.* Baltimore Orioles @ New York Mets

March 14 4:00 p.m.* Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox

March 15 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies

8:30 p.m. Kansas City Royals @ San Francisco Giants

March 16 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Detroit Tigers

7:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Pittsburgh Pirates

March 17 1:00 p.m.* Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox

March 18 1:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets

March 19 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Rays

7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Cincinnati Reds

March 20 1:00 p.m.* Cincinnati Reds @ Houston Astros

5:00 p.m. San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs

9:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Dodgers @ Kansas City Royals

March 21 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Florida Marlins

5:00 p.m. Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox

March 22 1:00 p.m.* New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays

5:00 p.m. Cleveland Indians @ Colorado Rockies

March 23 1:00 p.m.* Florida Marlins @ Houston Astros

5:00 p.m. Milwaukee Brewers @ Colorado Rockies

March 24 1:00 p.m.* New York Mets @ Houston Astros

7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees

March 25 1:00 p.m.* Detroit Tigers @ New York Mets

7:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals

March 26 4:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Cleveland Indians

10:30 p.m.* Chicago Cubs @ San Francisco Giants

March 27 1:00 p.m.* Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves

9:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ Texas Rangers

March 28 1:00 p.m.* Philadelphia Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates

5:00 p.m. Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies

9:00 p.m. New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves

March 29 1:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ Detroit Tigers

5:00 p.m. Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners

March 30 1:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Minnesota Twins

7:00 p.m.* San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians

March 31 4:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago Cubs

10:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ San Diego Padres

April 1 1:00 p.m.* Florida Marlins @ Baltimore Orioles

5:00 p.m. Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

9:00 p.m. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers

April 2 3:00 p.m.* Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee Brewers

10:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Los Angeles Dodgers

April 3 7:00 p.m.* Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees

April 4 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets

6:00 p.m.* Baltimore Orioles @ Washington Nationals

10:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Next, PGA Tour.com is going to provide extensive coverage of Tiger Woods’ return tomorrow at the Match Play Championship.

PGATOUR.COM Tees Off Exclusive Coverage of Tiger Woods’ Return to the PGA TOUR Beginning on Wednesday, February 25 During Match Play Championship

Comprehensive online hole-by-hole video, audio, scoring and editorial coverage available exclusively on PGATOUR.COM

PGATOUR.COM, the online home of the PGA TOUR, will offer comprehensive live coverage of Tiger Woods’ return to the PGA TOUR this week during his first tournament in eight months at the World Golf Championships – Match Play Championship beginning on Wednesday, February 25. For the first time, the event is scheduled to feature all 64 of the world’s top-ranked players. For the benefit of fans, PGATOUR.COM will unveil a ‘Tiger Returns’ microsite to provide real-time updates and exclusive online video content highlighting Woods’ first event since the 2008 U.S. Open. The site will be the only online destination with hole-by-hole video coverage, a live scorecard, a live swing-by-swing blog from a PGATOUR.COM writer, live tournament bracket scoring, live audio streaming coverage and all of Woods’ news conferences throughout the tournament.

“Tiger Woods is one of the world’s premier athletes and his return to the PGA TOUR is newsworthy and captivating to all sports fans,” said Matthew Hong, vice president and general manager of sports digital for Turner Sports. “Fans rely on PGATOUR.COM for the most comprehensive tournament coverage and we continue in our mission to offer the best live experience, delivered in the most innovative package, for all the sport’s biggest news and events.”

Exclusive features of PGATOUR.COM’s coverage include:

Hole-by-hole video wrap-ups allows fans to watch highlights of every hole online during Woods’ opening match(es) with video posted shortly after completion of each hole.

• Live scorecard highlights Woods’ performance during the exciting match-play event and tracks all the matches.
• Live, inside the ropes blog provides up-to-the-minute coverage from PGATOUR.COM’s T.J. Auclair who will write first hand accounts of the event’s golf action as well as the atmosphere of the tournament, giving fans an inside-the-ropes experience from their computers.
• Live tournament bracket scoring tracks the winners of each round and indicates their next opponent.
• Highlights and interviews recap each day of the tournament and offer the perspective from Woods himself on his day’s performance.

And Sirius XM’s PGA Tour Radio is also going to cover Tiger’s return.

SIRIUS XM RADIO COVERS TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO ACTION ON THE PGA TOUR NETWORK

PGA TOUR Network offers live hole-by-hole coverage of this week’s World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship in Arizona

Daily talk shows will feature analysis and discussion on Tiger’s first tournament since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery last June

NEW YORK – February 23, 2009 – SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will offer comprehensive coverage of Tiger Woods’ return to PGA TOUR action at this week’s World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship on The PGA TOUR Network, the only radio channel dedicated to covering the PGA TOUR 365 days a year. The PGA TOUR Network is available nationwide on XM channel 146 and on SIRIUS channel 209 with the “Best of XM” programming package.

Woods, who announced last week that he would return for the match play event, has not competed in a tournament since winning the U.S. Open last June. Eight days after defeating Rocco Mediate in a dramatic playoff to capture his 14^th major championship and 65^th PGA TOUR title, Woods underwent reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. His first competitive stroke after more than eight months off the TOUR will come this Wednesday when he faces Brendan Jones of Australia in the first round at the Ritz Carlton Golf Course, Dove Mountain, in Marana, Arizona.

Woods, who won this event for the third time last year, is one of a field of the top 64 ranked players in the world that includes Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and many other distinguished golfers from around the globe. Unlike the more common stroke play events on the calendar, the WGC-Match Play Championship features dramatic head-to-head match play in a five day bracket-style tournament that culminates in a two-player final on Sunday, March 1.

The PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM will feature live coverage of the Match Play Championship, hosted by Brian Katrek alongside lead analyst, former PGA TOUR member John Maginnes, with hole-by-hole updates from on-course reporters Dennis Paulson, a 10-year TOUR veteran, veteran broadcaster Fred Albers and former professional caddy Michael Collins. Live coverage starts Wednesday through Friday at 12:00 pm ET and Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 am ET and runs through the conclusion of each day’s play. Each day’s live on-course coverage is immediately followed by a wrap-up of the day’s action on PGA TOUR Replay.

In addition to the live tournament coverage, The PGA TOUR Network offers a daily lineup of talk shows featuring compelling golf talk and expert analysis. In the wake of Tiger’s announcement, speculation about the state of his game is high and SIRIUS XM’s hosts will cover the discussion from every angle, monitoring Tiger’s performance in practice and on the course, interviewing players and others associated with the game, and offering a forum for fans to express their opinions on the return of the world’s #1 golfer.

Every Tuesday morning (7:30 am ET) is the premiere of a new edition of oPINionated, the weekly talk show hosted by popular PGA TOUR member Chris DiMarco and broadcaster Greg Warmoth. This week’s show, which replays several times throughout the week, will feature DiMarco’s thoughts on Tiger’s return and its impact on the game and his fellow competitors.

Every weekday morning (8:00-10:00 am ET), T.J. Rives hosts Playing Thru, which this week will feature a daily discussion on Tiger and other headlines from the world of golf, plus one-on-one interviews and e-mails from listeners around the country.

Talk of the TOUR, the weekly show hosted by John Swantek, debuts Tuesday (7:00 am ET) and re-airs several times, and will preview the Accenture Match Play Championship field and the first day’s match-ups.

Those are all of the press releases I see in my inbox. If I get more, I’ll post them.

Edited to add: Fox has just sent over a release stating its NASCAR race on Sunday was the most watched sporting event of the weekend.

AUTOCLUB 500 ON FOX IS WEEK’S HIGHEST-RATED, MOST-WATCHED SPORTS EVENT

Race Ranks with Top-Rated Prime Time Shows

New York — FOX Sports’ coverage of the AUTOCLUB 500 on Sunday evening (2/22) was the top-rated, most-watched sports event of the week and was one of the highest-rated prime time programs among several popular demographic categories, including adults 18-49.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the race posted a 6.0/10 national household rating/share, with 10.2 million viewers watching, by far the highest-rated and most-watched sports event of the week. Placing a distant second was Sunday’s final round of the Northern Trust Open on CBS (3.7/7, 4.8 million viewers).

Out of 80 prime time programs televised on the four major broadcast networks last week, the AUTOCLUB 500 on FOX placed fifth among men 25-54 (5.8), seventh among men 18-49 (4.4) and 14^th in the important adults18-49 category (3.7). Among men 25-54, the AUTOCLUB 500 beat well-known shows such as Lost and Two-and-a-Half Men; among men 18-49, the race out-distanced Heroes and Survivor: Tocantins; and among adults 18-49 the race out-rated Biggest Loser and Criminal Minds.

Sunday’s AUTOCLUB 500 coverage also fared well opposite expected stiff competition from the Academy Awards. FOX’s 5.9/9 prime time household average on Sunday fared +28% better than FOX’s recent performance versus the Oscars (4.6 average from 2004 to 2007), and +13% better among adults 18-49 (3.6 vs. 3.2). Last year’s NASCAR race opposite the Academy Awards show was delayed by rain and pre-empted the planned prime time lineup, so it was excluded from this comparison. The 2009 Academy Awards on ABC averaged a 20.6/36.

Now I think we’re done.

EDITED TO ADD: We’re not done. MLB Network will have the Mets’ David Wright to talk about the World Baseball Classic tonight.

DAVID WRIGHT INTERVIEWED AS PART OF MLB NETWORK’S WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ROSTER SPECIAL TONIGHT AT 6:00 P.M. ET

Mets Third Baseman and World Baseball Classic USA team member David Wright was interviewed as part of MLB Network’s World Baseball Classic Roster Special, which will air at 6:00 p.m. ET tonight. Wright talked with Victor Rojas and Harold Reynolds about gearing up to play in his first World Baseball Classic, which begins March 5. MLB Network will televise 16 World Baseball Classic games along with a nightly studio show titled World Baseball Classic Tonight, dedicated to the world’s premier international baseball tournament.

Highlights of the interview include:

ON HIS FIRST WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC:

“I can’t wait. I got down here to Spring Training a little bit early to try to get started a little bit earlier and try to face some live pitching to get ready because when you put that USA across your chest, to me, there is really no bigger honor as a baseball player to go represent your country. Obviously, wearing the uniform is something I am going to be very proud of and looking over to your left seeing Derek Jeter and some of those guys who are teammates just sitting around and talking baseball. I’m going to soak it up, try to learn as much as possible, and hopefully come away with a few wins.”

ON THE WBC INTERFERRING WITH 2009 PRE-SEASON PREPARATIONS:

“I think it will help with the development of getting ready for the regular season because you’re talking about playing in meaningful games, big at bats, trying to get runners over, get runners in. We were talking today with our manager Jerry Manuel and he likes the idea of a lot of us going to play in the classic because it puts us in those real life game situations where every at bat counts, being unselfish, trying to do things for the good of the team, and hopefully that will put us in a position where we are ready come first week of April.”

ON PLAYING WITH RIVAL PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES DURING THE WBC:

“Well hopefully for the few weeks together we’ll have a little truce (smiling). We’ll stop the war of words for at least a couple of weeks and as much as we obviously don’t get along with them all that well we respect them and we congratulate them obviously on their championship and I think we can learn a lot from a team like that.”

ON JOKING WITH FELLOW METS TEAMMATES AND WBC COMPETITION:

“Oh I told Jose [Reyes] ‘I’m coming in hard and you better watch out!’ (laughs and smiles) because if I get a chance to break up a double play I’m coming in hard.”

ON MENTAL PREPARATION FOR THE WBC:

“We’ve got a lot of guys on the team this year that participated in that first World Baseball Classic and obviously they are let down so we’re going to look to those guys to lead the team and prepare us for the expectations going into it because it’s a different kind of format. It’s a different style of play where obviously every game is huge and one game you could be going home so we’re going to look to those guys to kind of lead us and hopefully the young guys can provide some energy.”

ON WANTING SOMETHING MORE THAN A WBC CHAMPIONSHIP:

“Maybe a World Series. How about both of them? I’ll take that one (smiles and laughs). We’ll put both of them up there on kind of the same level.”