Fang's Bites

ESPN Crows About Open Championship Ratings

This from ESPN, the network is doing handstands, well, network executives are doing handstands over the numbers this weekend from the Open Championship. This being the second year since the network picked up exclusive four round coverage, ESPN saw significant improvement from the year. With Tiger Woods in contention into the Final Round and Ernie Els winning the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham as Adam Scott collapsed with four holes to play, ESPN saw huge double digit increases on the ratings from a year ago.

Saturday’s third round averaged a 3.1 rating with 3.545 million viewers, up 48% from 2011. On Sunday, ESPN averaged a 3.6 household rating with just under 4.3 million viewers up 38% from last year.

Check out the full press release from ESPN.

ESPN Scores Its Highest Open Championship Ratings

With a star-laden leaderboard and compelling on-course drama over four days, ESPN scored its highest ratings since it began airing The Open Championship for the event that concluded Sunday at Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lancashire, England.

ESPN’s Saturday (9 a.m. ET) and Sunday (8 a.m.) telecasts were the highest-rated Open Championship telecasts on cable and both saw large ratings gains over last year, including double-digit growth in younger demographics. And many of ESPN’s digital platforms saw double-digit increases over 2011, with WatchESPN and ESPN3 up 140 percent.

Coverage of Sunday’s final round from 8 a.m. – 1:55 p.m. on ESPN earned a 3.6 household coverage rating, averaging 4,227,000 viewers, according to Nielsen fast nationals, with the rating up 38 percent over last year’s 2.6.

Saturday’s telecast from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. earned a 3.1 rating, averaging 3,545,000 viewers, up 48 percent from last year’s 2.1 rating.

ESPN’s telecasts of the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday also saw double-digit increases, with Thursday’s 7 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. telecast earning a 1.2 rating and averaging 1,343,000 viewers, the rating up 71 percent from last year’s 0.7 for the same time period. Friday’s 7 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. coverage saw an even larger increase, earning a 1.6 rating, up 78 percent from last year’s 0.9, and averaging 1,771,000 viewers.

Overall for the four days, ESPN’s Open Championship coverage was up double digits in younger demographics, including up 80 percent in Males ages 18-34, 66 percent in Persons ages 18-34 and 57 percent in males ages 18-49.

Saturday and Sunday’s encore presentations airing on ABC from 3-6 p.m. were also up in metered market ratings, with Saturday’s telecast earning a 1.3 metered market rating, up from a 1.0 last year, and Sunday earning a 1.6, up from a 0.9 last year.

Across ESPN digital platforms – including ESPN.com, the mobile Web Golf section, ScoreCenter, Fantasy Golf, ESPN3 and WatchESPN – The Open Championship logged an average minute audience of 46,400, up 40 percent compared to the previous year. The ESPN.com Golf section averaged 728,000 daily unique visitors and 5.6 million total daily minutes over the four days of the event, up 27 percent and 5 percent, respectively.  Additionally, a total of 2.6 million video views to golf content is up 36 percent compared to last year. On the ESPN mobile Web, the Golf section generated 685,000 average daily unique visitors (up 11 percent) and an average of 5.8 million minutes per day (up 16 percent). Live coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN3 and WatchESPN generated 61.5 million minutes across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox, up 140 percent compared to the event in 2011.

Still more is ahead. You can’t stop me!

The Pre-Olympic Linkage

The Olympics get started tomorrow with women’s soccer action and while the Games don’t officially begin until Friday with the Opening Ceremony (live in most countries except the United States), today is really the calm before the Olympic storm. Starting tomorrow and going through August 12, this site will be awash in Olympics sports media coverage as it was in 2008 for Beijing and 2010 in Vancouver. While I’ll be covering other sports media news, I’ll be focusing on NBC’s coverage, the business of the Olympics and other news out of London. I hope you’ll continue to visit.

Ok, let’s do the linkage. It’s time to bring it back. I was doing so well last week, six straight days of links, then last Friday, I got bogged down with family stuff and wasn’t able to do what I wanted to. Sometimes that happens. Time to take life back now.

Starting with the great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, he has his Media Power List for July.

Ed Sherman of the Sherman Report talks with Big Ten Network’s President about doing an about-face and covering the Penn State story wall-to-wall on Monday.

Ed talks with NBC Olympics Executive Producer Jim Bell who takes the reins from his mentor, former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol, for London.

Sports Business Journal interviews the President of the Jacksonville Jaguars about stadium technology and the NFL Blackout policy.

Daniel Frankel of paidContent says the next sports network carriage dispute will be between the Pac-12 Networks and the two major satellite TV providers.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says NBC will provide an Olympics “Red Zone Channel” that will be online-only.

Shira Ovide of the Wall Street Journal says NBC will delay the Olympics Opening Ceremony and it won’t be seen live on cable or online.

The Big Lead says ESPN lured Brett McMurphy away from CBSSports.com to become one of its college football insiders.

Gabriel Beltone of Adweek looks at some of the best Olympic ads thus far.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says CBS Sports Network will piggyback on CBS’ coverage of the PGA Championship and US Open tennis.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age writes that the Penn State scandal could hurt the school’s marketability down the road.

David Goetzl at MediaPost says McDonald’s has begun its Olympic marketing campaign.

Steve McClellan at MediaPost writes that the Olympics help brand awareness.

Evan Weiner of Examiner.com says the International Olympic Committee should honor the Israeli athletes who were massacred during the 1972 Munich Games.

Sports Video Group notes that the MLB At Bat mobile and tablet app had its 5 millionth download.

Merrill Knox of TVSpy says a former Washington DC sports anchor returns home to the Bay Area.

Excellent story from Jason Schwartz of Boston Magazine on the hard fall of Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios. Nothing to do with sports media, but very good reporting.

The Boston Bruins announced Monday that it has signed an extension with radio flagship WBZ-FM.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir says you’ll be able to see all of NBC’s live Olympics streams, provided you sign up.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks about Sports Illustrated coming to TV.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union says the Open Championship received its highest overnight rating in four years.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record writes that NBC’s Olympic specialty channels will be picked up locally.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Comcast will be all over the Olympics on its cable platforms.

David Selig of the Baltimore Sun says an Orioles pitching prospect will be featured on tonight’s premiere of Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that the area’s sports radio stations are getting ready for the Robert Griffin III era in DC.

Dan notes that Maryland’s field hockey coach Missy Meharg who will be an Olympics analyst for NBC.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci who will be a part of the magazine’s TV premiere tonight.

KSAT-TV in San Antonio named Jessica Ghawi an honorary member of its sports department. She was one of the 12 victims killed in the Aurora, CO movie theater massacre.

Jerry Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News writes about the KSAT honor for Jessica.

Paul M. Banks of Chicago Sports Media Watch says MLB Advanced Media is bad for baseball.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says NBC’s Olympic coverage begins and ends with the Holy Diminutive One, Bob Costas.

Ben Fong-Torres of the San Francisco Chronicle profiles Ron Barr and his Sports Byline USA network which keeps plugging along from the Bay Area in a world dominated by ESPN Radio.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing says Big Ten Network got the job done in covering the Penn State sanctions on Monday.

Sports Media Watch has some various ratings news and notes.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says ESPN should air TSN’s SportsCentre to gain street cred with hockey fans.

Tony Manfred of the Business Insider’s Sports page notes that the Olympics helped to transform one of London’s seedier neighborhoods into a showcase.

And that’s going to do it.

Let’s Do Some Wednesday Linkage

Time for the links on this Wednesday. Let’s check out what we have.

Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about the Olympics, Jerry Sandusky and being short. That’s right.

Daniel Kaplan from the Sports Business Journal writes that the NFL will not sign a telecommunications partner this season and will see how the Wi-Fi experience goes at five stadiums before deciding.

Owen Gibson of the London (UK) Guardian reports that BBC has scored the rights to the Olympics through 2020.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson blogs about the Beeb keeping the UK rights to the Olympics.

I have the BBC press release on the new Olympics contract.

Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly says ESPNU will have its own late night entertainment/talk show premiering in late August.

Also from EW, Dan Snierson says disgraced former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose will get his own TLC reality show. The question is, who doesn’t have a TLC reality show?

Brian Moran at Broadcasting & Cable says World Team Tennis will get live national coverage this weekend on Tennis Channel and the Comcast SportsNet regional affiliates.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life writes that ratings for the Home Run Derby were up while the All-Star Game took a hit.

The SportsCasters

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders why SI passed on printing an excerpt of Posnanski’s book.

Ed notices that the promotional video for the Paterno book has been removed from YouTube.

Ed talks with an ESPN executive on the network now using its own cameras instead of relying on the BBC to cover the Open Championship.

Reinhardt Krause of Investor’s Business Daily look at how cable providers are finding ways to drive up sports rights fees.

The Tampa Bay Times’ Eric Deggans in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center talks with Real Sports’ Frank Deford about his updated piece on marching band hazing at historically black colleges.

SportsGrid’s Eric Goldschein has video of Los Angeles Dodgers voice Vin Scully scolding the team for its failure to execute a rundown play.

Patrick Burns at Deadspin says the Joe Paterno story dominated ESPN’s news coverage last week.

Deadspin’s John Koblin notes that Sports Illustrated is beginning to use the photo sharing site, Instagram.

The London (UK) Mirror provides 100 bizarre facts about the Olympics.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s Paul Azinger about the Open Championship.

Brandon Marcello of the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger says the SEC Storied documentary series will produce a film on a former Mississippi State football coach.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman notes that with the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, USA basketball vs. Brazil on ESPN drew very well locally.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders what exactly will the new TLC Pete Rose reality show be about?

John says a local internet service provider will add ESPN3 in August.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times looks at ESPN paying the Rose Bowl $80 million per year starting in 2015.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has a preview of tonight’s “The Franchise” episode on Showtime which will show the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton going under the knife.

Joe Flint of the Times has Comcast appealing to the government to butt out of its programming decisions i.e., Tennis Channel.

Sports Media Watch notes that TNT’s NASCAR season finale saw increased ratings.

SMW has some ratings news and notes.

Chinwe Nwadike at Chinwe’s Corner wonders why some in the media are angry at Fox’s Erin Andrews.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says the WWE has established a social media hub for investors.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing has a screengrab of the Longhorn Network taking one final shot at Texas A&M before it leaves the Big 12 for good.

Jason Boog at Galleycat says an NBC Sports producer has published a children’s book on the Olympics.

That will do it for today.

Let’s Break Out Some Monday Linkage

Here’s the Monday linkage wrapped in a nice bow for you.

From Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand and Michael Smith, they report that ESPN will pay an average of $80 million per year to air the Rose Bowl. That more than doubles the current contract which pays $30 million.

Liz Mullen of SBJ says a noted movie studio is forming a sports talent agency further melding Hollywood and athletics.

Also from Sports Business Journal, Chris Botta notes that Brooklyn is ready and waiting if the New York Islanders can’t find a new home on Long Island

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says Bill Walton returns to national TV through ESPN as he’ll become the network’s analyst for Pac-12 basketball games.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that the early sign up numbers for NBC’s Olympic apps are encouraging.

Mike says NBCUniversal is looking to make the 2012 London Games a truly digital experience.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about turning 60.

Talkers Magazine, the so-called Bible of Talk Radio, lists its 2012 Heavy 100 of Sports Talk. I agree with Mike Francesa and Dan Patrick in the Top 3, the rest I have issues with including a few in the New England area, plus why is Joe Morgan on the list? And there are only two women.

Lisa O’Carroll of the London (UK) Guardian says Britain’s oldest and largest black newspaper has been denied credentials to the Olympics Stadium for the track & field events.

George Winslow from Broadcasting & Cable notes that it’s expected that social media will be heavily used for the Olympics.

Matt Rudnitsky of SportsGrid notes that ESPN’s Captain Blowhard and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are engaging in the next Great Twitter feud.

Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs wonders how NFL Network’s new morning show can sustain fresh content over a four hour period every day.

Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com tackles the question over whether the Boston Red Sox should fire advisor Bill James over his comments on ESPN Radio about Joe Paterno and the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

If it’s Monday, then it must mean that the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick is in a bad mood about something.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that Syracuse has negotiated an early exit to the ACC from the Big East Conference.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette notes that ESPN is starting its weekday coverage of the Open Championship earlier than previously announced.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes writing in Press Box talks about the friendship that has developed between MASN’s Washington Nationals studio team of the great Johnny Holliday and Ray Knight.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog noticed that Democratic gargoyle strategist James Carville wore a Nats t-shirt on MSNBC over the weekend.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times has a look back at the weekend in sports television.

Mike Herndon of the Mobile (AL) Press-Register writes about the SEC releasing its early-season football TV schedule.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks back at the ten years since the failed US Olympic bids for the 2012 Games.

David imagines what if Houston had been awarded the 2012 Olympics.

Dusty Saunders from the Denver Post says the Penn State scandal has been the talk of the town.

Matthew T. Hall at the San Diego Union-Tribune wants to organize a fan protest on the lack of movement on getting Padres games on local TV.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News has your weekly sports calendar.

Sports Media Watch looks at Bill Walton making his return to ESPN.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media suggests how the NHL Network can stop the inexorable amount of game reruns during the summer.

Cork Gaines from the Business Insider’s Sports Page says MLB Advanced Media gave a hollow apology for a system-wide outage preventing fans from watching MLB.TV online Friday.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest says truTV has given the go to a Shaquille O’Neal-fronted viral video show.

This is where we’ll end the links for today.

ESPN’s Weekday Open Championship Coverage To Begin A Half-Hour Earlier

Announced this morning by ESPN, it will hit the air a half-hour earlier on Thursday and Friday morning to provide full coverage of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on both days. Originally, ESPN said it would start at 5 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. Now that the tee times for Tiger and Lefty have been released, ESPN has decided to go 30 minutes earlier so early risers in the Eastern part of the country and night owls in the West can see the start of both men’s rounds.

Here’s the blurb from ESPN.

Open Championship Gets 30 Minute Earlier Start on ESPN

ESPN’s telecasts of the first and second rounds of The Open Championship on Thursday and Friday, July 19-20, will now start at 4:30 a.m. ET, 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled, so that viewers can see the complete rounds of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods tees off at 4:42 a.m. Thursday while Mickelson starts his round at 4:31 a.m. Friday. ESPN has live, four-round coverage of 152^nd renewal of golf’s oldest major from Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lancashire, England.

Coming up next, a couple of SEC football announcements.

Some Rare Sunday Linkage

It used to be that I would be able to provide linkage all seven days of the week, but my schedule has been crazy lately especially on the weekends. My apologies for not being able to provide more weekend content.

But as I’m free right now, let’s not dilly-dally any longer and here are some links for you on this Sunday.

Christoper S. Stewart of the Wall Street Journal looks at NBC’s massive undertaking to provide online content for NBCOlympics.com.

Eddie Kim of Variety says it’ll be consumers, not the television networks who will decide how second screen usage in sports viewing will evolve.

Michael Malone of Broadcasting & Cable writes that NBC’s owned-and-operated will be sending reporters to cover the 2012 Olympics in London.

At The Sherman Report, Ed Sherman says ESPN Radio and Big Ten Network failed in covering the Louis Freeh report on Penn State and Joe Paterno.

Ed hears from fired San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan who landed on his feet in Louisville.

The excellent ESPN.com college basketball writer Dana O’Neill has a response to those who feel female sportscasters must be hot in order to be on television, knowledge in sports be damned. Thanks to Trenni Kusnierek of WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee for the link.

The Associated Press has announced its Olympic coverage plans.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Ronnie Ramos looks at some of the more interesting ideas in sports and social media.

Sports Video Group has looks at the Olympic venues that we’ll be seeing over the 16 days of competition starting on July 27. Actually a couple of days earlier if you count the Soccer Tournament. Here’s Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Joe Favorito looks at the return of the New York Cosmos.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe notes that despite a .500 season, NESN still drew viewers in the first half of the 2012 campaign.

Chad also has the Boston radio ratings for the Spring Arbitron book.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about baseball stadia increasingly putting out the welcome mat for soccer exhibition games to generate new revenue.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says the Freeh Report on Penn State shows that football was above the law.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that the local NBC affiliate has a conflict with the Olympics and the New York Giants preseason opening game.

Pete has NFL Network’s extensive preseason game schedule.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says Giants fans will have to do a little searching for the team’s preseason games in August.

Ken has the Olympic Basketball Tournament viewing schedule.

Greg Connors of the Buffalo News looks forward to hearing the dulcet tones of Peter Alliss on the Open Championship this week.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner recaps the local reaction to the release of the Penn State report.

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times wonders if the future of talk radio lies with sports rather than politics.

Stephen F. Holder of the Times writes that the Buccaneers will adhere to the new NFL TV blackouts bucking what the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans had already announced.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Sentinel writes that the MLB All-Star Game received its lowest local ratings since 2005.

Back to Ed Sherman, he has an article in today’s Chicago Tribune on NBC’s new thinking about presenting every Olympic event live online.

Eric Zorn of the Tribune remembers a blind sportscaster who did his job so well, many listeners had no idea he was sightless. Thanks to Ed Sherman for the link.

The Reno Gazette-Journal talks with ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that reports of Heather Cox replacing Erin Andrews on the sidelines for Saturday Night Football may be premature.

Sports Media Watch has a look at Fox’s primetime MLB ratings over its eight week span.

SMW says Detroit leads all local markets in the MLB ratings.

Paul M. Banks at the Sports Bank wonders if it’s time for Matt Millen to leave ESPN.

Media Rantz looks at the NFL teams deciding not to adhere to the new TV blackout rules.

EPL Talk has the schedule for some of exhibition soccer games on TV over the next few weeks.

And that’s going to complete our links for today. I hope to have another post for you later. I hope time will allow me to do so. It’ll be good, I promise.

ESPN Covers The 152nd Open Championship

While ESPN doesn’t have rights to the PGA Tour anymore, it has quietly gotten the rights to air three of the four major tournaments on the tour. We know about The Masters^® and the U.S. Open, but in both cases, ESPN provides just weekday coverage while handing off to CBS and NBC respectively for the final rounds. But in the case of the Open Championship, ESPN has total control and airs all four rounds.

Starting next Thursday, July 19, ESPN will have complete coverage starting at 5 a.m. ET for the weekday coverage. Then on Saturday, July 21, the coverage will begin at 7 a.m. with the golf hitting the air for the last round on Sunday, July 22 at 6 a.m.

Mike Tirico will be in his traditional spot as host and at the 18th green. Scott Van Pelt and Terry Gannon will also serve as host and interviewers during the coverage and they’ll be hole announcers. Sean McDonough will also call some golf from Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Curtis Strange, Paul Azinger, Andy North, Judy Rankin, Tom Weiskopf, the legendary Peter Allis, Billy Kratzert, Olin Brown and Tom Rinaldi will round out the ESPN crew calling the action.

Here’s the long ESPN press release.

ESPN at The Open Championship

The 152^nd renewal of golf’s oldest major, The Open Championship, will air live across ESPN platforms July 19-22 from Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lancashire, England. ESPN will present 35 hours of live four-round television coverage as well as prime time and afternoon encores for 72 total hours on TV.

For the first time, ESPN Radio will broadcast live action from The Open Championship with 24 total hours over the four days of the event. More than 140 hours of digital platform coverage also will appear on computers, tablets and mobile devices.

ESPN, ESPN3 and WatchESPN will have 10 scheduled hours of live play from each of the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, July 19-20, from 5 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET. The third round on Saturday, July 21, will air live from 7 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with the final round on Sunday, July 22, airing live from 6 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

The Best of The Open Championship, an edited encore presentation, will air on ESPN in prime time Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 7-10 p.m. and 9 p.m. – midnight on ESPN2 Sunday night for golf fans unable to watch the live play earlier in the day. Highlights of each day’s play also will air in The Open Championship Today from 3-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday on ESPN and Saturday and Sunday on ABC. The Open Championship has appeared on ABC every year since 1966.

ESPN’s flagship news and information program, SportsCenter, will originate from the site of the championship with a one-hour special SportsCenter at The Open Championship program on Wednesday, July 18, at 2 p.m. as well as with extensive reports throughout each day.

Mike Tirico will host ESPN’s live telecasts from The Open Championship for the 17^th consecutive year, with Scott Van Pelt and Terry Gannon also serving as hosts during the four days of the event. ESPN’s team will include two-time U.S. Open champions Curtis Strange and Andy North, 1993 PGA champion Paul Azinger, 1973 Open Champion Tom Weiskopf and World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Rankin. The BBC’s legendary golf announcer Peter Alliss will join ESPN each day.

In addition to their host roles, Van Pelt and Gannon will work as hole announcers, as will Strange and Sean McDonough. Azinger, Weiskopf and Alliss will join the hosts for analysis. On-course reporters will be North, Rankin, Bill Kratzert and Olin Browne, while reporter Tom Rinaldi will conduct player interviews. ESPN.com national columnist Gene Wojciechowski also will contribute to ESPN’s television coverage.

ESPN will introduce “Virtual Aerial,” a new technical feature, at The Open Championship. With wind being such a factor in links golf, Virtual Aerial will be able to demonstrate for viewers the different conditions for golfers around the course with a live aerial view of wind direction in one part of the course as opposed to another.

ESPN also will continue the use of Flight Tracker, adding the element to more holes this year. The feature tracks drives from behind and in front of the shot with a virtual line on the screen, allowing viewers to see the flight path of the ball from the time it leaves the tee.

Actor Ian McShane, one of the stars of the current hit movie Snow White and the Huntsman, again lends his voice to ESPN’s opening teases, penned by ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine senior writer Wright Thompson.

SportsCenter at The Open Championship

A special one-hour SportsCenter at The Open Championship will have an extensive preview of the event on Wednesday, July 18, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. The program will originate from Royal Lytham & St Annes. Scott Van Pelt will host with analyst Andy North and reporter Tom Rinaldi.

Regular editions of SportsCenter will have reports from The Open Championship beginning Monday of tournament week.

ESPN Radio’s Four-Round Open Championship Coverage

ESPN Radio’s inaugural coverage of The Open Championship tees off Thursday, July 19, with a six-hour live broadcast at 7 a.m. ET from Royal Lytham & St Annes. Daily coverage will continue Friday (7 a.m.-1 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) and Sunday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.). The broadcasts also will be available on ESPNRadio.com and TheOpen.com.

Commentators contributing to ESPN Radio’s live coverage will include Doug Bell, Dennis Paulson, Bill Rosinski, Bob Wischusen and Tom Weiskopf.

The Open Championship on ESPN Digital Platforms

WatchESPN

All Open Championship programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from affiliated providers Bright House Networks, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon FiOS TV.

ESPN.com

• News, blogs and columns from ESPN.com national columnist Gene Wojciechowski and senior golf writers Farrell Evans and Bob Harig.
• “Digital Drive,” an exclusive ESPN.com program hosted by ESPN the Magazine columnist Rick Reilly, will be produced each day.

• “CoverItLive” live chat with Michael Collins throughout the championship.
• “Red Light/Green Light” with Collins each day, examining pin placements on selected holes.
• The ESPN Golf Cast application, which offers an easy-to-use interface with scoring, “CoverItLive,” video and social media elements.
• Best Ball Majors, the latest installment of the ESPN Best Ball Challenge.
• Interactive leaderboards and live scores.
• Extensive video content, including highlights, analysis, clips from SportsCenter and press conferences.
• Photo galleries, podcasts, live chats, SportsNation polling.
• Mobile WAP site.
• Spanish-language highlights and coverage on ESPNDeportes.com.

ESPN3

ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network will carry ESPN’s telecast of all four rounds of The Open Championship. An additional feed will have live coverage of the 1st & 18th Holes, plus player interviews from the practice range, highlights and features. Trey Wingo and Jim Kelly will share the host role, with analysts Jane Crafter and Kim Thomas and reporter Mark Donaldson. Former Open Championship winner David Duval, who is competing in the event, also will serve as an analyst while not on the course.

ESPN3 also will have a Spanish-language feed with ESPN Deportes golf announcers Francisco Aleman and former LPGA pro Silvia Bertolaccini as well as the International View from the BBC/World coverage and alternating coverage of holes 8, 9 and 10.

ESPN Mobile

Live mobile video simulcasts of ESPN’s Open Championship telecasts on Thursday-Sunday will appear on ESPN Mobile TV. The Best of The Open Championship programs for the first, third and final rounds and Thursday’s The Open Championship Today programs also will be simulcast.

News, highlights and a leaderboard will appear on the ESPN mobile Web and there will be Open Championship Insider content, news and columns, scoring alerts for top players and video shot packs for select golfers.

Additional coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN platforms:

ESPN International

Coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN platforms will reach some 74 countries and more than 112 million international households, with coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Latin America and Asia territories will offer HD coverage and streaming via ESPN Play simulcasting live TV and ESPN3 exclusive feeds. ESPN Extra in Latin America will offer The Open Championship Mix interactive TV experience for all four rounds available on DirecTV. ESPN in the UK will air four 1-hour highlight programs Thursday-Sunday in HD.

ESPNEWS

SportsCenter on ESPNEWS will offer all the latest Open Championship news beginning Monday, July 16, with interviews, pre- and post-round news conferences and analysis.

ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic will feature a tribute to The Open Championship in the days leading up to ESPN’s live coverage of the event with 65 hours of special programming. The tribute begins Monday, July 16, at midnight ET with an airing of highlights of the 1986 Open Championship won by Greg Norman and will run straight through until 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 19, when ESPN’s live coverage begins. In addition to highlights from individual years, the tribute also will include airings of classic interview programs with legendary golfers Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.

ESPN the Magazine

The “Body Issue” of ESPN the Magazine, on newsstands July 13, contains a preview of The Open Championship with ESPN golf host Scott Van Pelt and former Open Championship winner David Duval, who won the last time the event was held at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2001. The preview focuses on the 206 bunkers on the course, the most of any venue in the event rotation, and how they affect the players.

ESPN on Demand

Available to approximately 38 million television households, ESPN On Demand will offer exclusive Open Championship content, including official films from past Championships at Royal Lytham in 2001 (won by David Duval), St Andrews in 2000 and Royal Liverpool in 2006 (Tiger Woods) and a compilation of Tom Watson’s years in the event. Viewers will also be able to watch a 2011 Open Championship highlight film.

Interactive Television

The four-screen Open Championship Experience will air on DirecTV (channels 701-705) for all four days of the championship. One of the channels will have live coverage of the 1st & 18th Holes, plus player interviews from the practice range, highlights and features. Trey Wingo and Jim Kelly will share the host role, with analysts Jane Crafter and Kim Thomas and reporter Mark Donaldson. Former Open Championship winner David Duval, who is competing in the event, also will serve as an analyst while not on the course. The other three channels will carry the live ESPN television coverage, the International View with the BBC/World coverage and alternating coverage of holes 8, 9 and 10.

The Open Championship – Royal Lytham & St Annes, Lancashire, England
(all times U.S. Eastern)

Day/Date	Program	Start	Network
Wed., July 18	SportsCenter at The Open Championship	2 p.m.	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Thu., July 19	First Round	5 a.m.	ESPN, ESPN3, WatchESPN
Thu., July 19	First Round	7 a.m.	ESPN Radio
Thu., July 19	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	ESPN, WatchESPN
Thu., July 19	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri., July 20	Second Round	5 a.m.	ESPN, ESPN3, WatchESPN
Fri., July 20	Second Round	7 a.m.	ESPN Radio
Fri., July 20	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	ESPN, WatchESPN
Fri., July 20	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat., July 21	Best of The Open Championship	4 a.m.	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat., July 21	Third Round	7 a.m.	ESPN, ESPN3, WatchESPN
Sat., July 21	Third Round	9 a.m.	ESPN Radio
Sat., July 21	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	ABC
Sat., July 21	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	ESPN, WatchESPN
Sun., July 22	Best of The Open Championship	3 a.m.	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., July 22	Final Round	6 a.m.	ESPN, ESPN3, WatchESPN
Sun., July 22	Final Round	8 a.m.	ESPN Radio
Sun., July 22	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	ABC
Sun., July 22	Best of The Open Championship	9 p.m.	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Mon., July 23	Best of The Open Championship	Noon	ESPN2, WatchESPN

That’s it.

Some Thursday Linkage

Being out of the office certainly kills any momentum for blogging and I’ve been out for most of the morning and trying to catch up ever since. Let’s get some linkage in as tonight will be busy for me as I do the Friday morning features the night before.

The big story for today, Hall of Fame hockey voice Mike “Doc” Emrick announcing he’s leaving the New Jersey Devils and focusing on calling national NHL games for NBC/Versus. We have several links.

First, Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy gives his thoughts on Doc’s departure from the Devils.

Joe Yerdon of Pro Hockey Talk writes that Doc will work full-time for NBC/Versus in hopes of cutting down his travel schedule.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette says Doc is a true friend of hockey.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union notes that NBC/Versus now has two full-time play-by-play announcers for the NHL.

On to other links. Stuart Levine of Variety speaks with ESPN Executive Vice President of Content John Skipper who says the Alleged Worldwide Leader is in a buying mode for events.

To Ben Kercheval of College Football Talk who says ESPN’s Longhorn Network may have committed an NCAA violation.

In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Dave Kindred says sports newsrooms are usually the last to break down racial and gender barriers.

Marcus Vanderberg says the NBA 2K12 video game has gone massively retro for its covers.

Dave Levy of SportsGrid says an academic study of bloggers vs. sports journalism was published with plenty of hidden agendas.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has scored another endorsement deal.

From ESPN Front Row, Taylor Henriques looks at the very first intern hired at ESPN who’s now working in the network’s public relations department.

Also at Front Row, Bill Hofheimer goes behind-the-scenes at the shoot for this season’s Monday Night Football open once again featuring Hank Williams, Jr.

At Deadspin, Tommy Craggs got his hands on the ESPN Editorial and Advertising Guidelines. Quite interesting.

To Tech Crunch and Leena Rao who tells us that there’s a new mobile app that allows anyone to become a sports reporter.

Over to the Boston Globe and character assassin Dan Shaughnessy who thinks after five years, Twitter is just a fad (scroll down to the paragraph starting with “Pardon me if I sound like Larry King ….”). Shaughnessy or as all of New England calls him, “CHB” is a hack. Thanks to Tony Manfred of the Business Insider Sports Page for the link.

To Richard Sandomir of the New York Times who writes that the Open Championship’s ratings fell for the third year in a row.

Richard goes over the ESPN Ombudsman’s critique of how ESPN handled the Bruce Feldman affair.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says NHL fans will have to wait until next month to find out the national TV schedules.

At the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that ESPN’s Michael Wilbon has fired back at Wizards star JaVale McGee in round 2 of their Twitter fashion feud.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the planned high school football broadcasts on Longhorn Network are off for now pending talks with the NCAA and the Big 12 Conference.

Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star Telegram suggests that Texas A&M launch its own sports channel instead of whine about the Longhorn Network.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says there’s no need to cancel the NFL Hall of Fame Game just yet.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News is angry at San Diego Padres fans who want Dick Enberg out from calling their games because he’s not a homer.

Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that Dave Van Horne may be known as the voice of the Florida Marlins, but he was Voice of the Montreal Expos long before that. Dave is going to be inducted into the Broadcasters Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.

Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press reports that TSN has won the rights to air the Jets games this coming season. Thanks to Steve Lepore at Puck The Media for the link.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog notes that TSN will air coverage of the Rugby World Cup later this year.

Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

Awful Announcing continues its Joe Morgan Memorial Tournament and today’s matchup is Colin Cowherd vs. Skip Bayless. Oh that’s a tough one.

I’ll end it there.

Sunday Was A Big Day On ESPN

Sunday was the type of day ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen had to be dreaming about when he created the all-sports network back in 1979. It started with the final round of the Open Championship from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Then transitioning to the Women’s World Cup Final between the USA and Japan, the epic game that ran until just about 5:30 p.m. And it was all capped off by Sunday Night Baseball between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, a 16-inning marathon that ended at 1:57 a.m. early Monday.

Thanks to the fine people at ESPN for getting me the numbers for what turned out to be an epic sports day. We have the ratings and the viewership

Open Championship, Final Round: 8 a.m. — 1:36 p.m.: 2.6 rating/3.2 million viewers

Women’s World Cup Final, USA vs. Japan: 2:30 p.m. — 5:30 p.m.: 7.4 rating/13.458 million viewers

Sunday Night Baseball, Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays: 7:59 p.m. — 1:57 a.m.: 2.0 rating

Average rating: 2.8 rating

Average viewership: 3.861 million viewers

Overall, a busy day for ESPN and you can also factor in that World Cup Live postgame for USA-Japan also received an astonishing 5.9 million viewers so people stuck with the network for the aftermath.

Thanks to Bill Hofheimer at ESPN’s public relations department for helping me with the ratings and viewership.

A Full Tuesday Linkfest! Finally!

For the last week, I haven’t been able to do a full set of links. Work has been crazy, but I hope to give one today. It’s either going to the other office or heading out with the boss to various work sites or head to meetings, but today should be calmer.

I’ve started a series on People You Should Follow on Twitter in response to Sports Illustrated’s list published last week. Part 1 was posted Monday night and Part 2 came out Tuesday night. Look for more installments throughout the week.

Let’s get started.

First, ESPN Ombudsman Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute writes about the ESPN/Bruce Feldman suspension/non-suspension and for some reason, doesn’t do full due diligence on the story.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing does an excellent point-by-point takedown of the Ombudsman’s acceptance of ESPN’s company line on the Feldman suspension.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has graphic evidence of ESPN Radio Hack Colon Cowherd being a complete idiot.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand notes that ESPN is about to fully embrace Twitter and social media.

In the Business of College Sports, Kristi Dosh has a fascinating post on which sports turn a profit for BCS schools and which ones don’t.

Mike Reynolds from Mulitchannel News writes about the Women’s World Cup Final resonating with viewers.

Mike says a marketing firm is looking to package two pre-World Cup Western Hemisphere qualifying tournaments to networks.

Emma Bazilian of Adweek looks at Ross Greenburg’s departure from HBO Sports.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life Magazine goes inside the Women’s World Cup’s stellar ratings.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry writes about the marriage between sports and Twitter.

Vinnie Iyer of AOL Sporting News has HBO being optimistic that a new edition of Hard Knocks will be filmed this summer. Thanks to Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser for the link.

Jonathan Wall of Yahoo’s Devil Ball blog critiques ESPN’s coverage of the Open Championship.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is suing sports apparel manufacturer Champion for dropping him from endorsements after his tweets about Osama bin Laden last month.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe delves into the Boston Celtics buying a large stake into Comcast SportsNet New England.

Roger Catlin at the Hartford Courant says ESPN came out as the real winner of the Women’s World Cup Final.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir says ESPN produced a fair and compelling Women’s World Cup Final broadcast.

Richard Huff at the New York Daily News looks at ESPN premiering a Spanish language-edition of E:60.

Michael Blaustein of the New York Post writes that ESPN’s miniature cameras at the World Series of Poker are giving competitors an interesting advantage.

At Fishbowl New York, Jerry Barmash reports that Len Berman is dropping his sports reports on a local radio station and will be replaced by the same man who replaced him at WNBC-TV.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Open Championship final round ratings.

Evan Weiner at the New Jersey Newsroom wonders what the UK phone hacking scandal could mean for News Corp.’s sports partners here in the US.

From the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg notes that NFL Today host James Brown didn’t like how DC NFL team coach Mike Shanahan handled QB Donovan McNabb.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at the ratings for the Women’s World Cup Final.

Travis Sawchik of the Charleston (SC) Post & Courier says lucrative TV contracts have helped to make college football a big business.

Candace Carlisle of the Dallas Business Journal says Fox Sports Southwest has hired a veteran writer from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to beef up its online coverage.

Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle says Texas A&M Regents are concerned over Texas’ Longhorn Network and what it means for the future of the Big 12 Conference.

Ryan Sharp of the Daily Oklahoman writes that Big 12 Conference schools can’t be too happy over the Longhorn Network’s airing of Texas high school football games.

Steven Matthews of the Dayton Daily News says the Western & Southern Open will have plenty of new looks including extensive TV exposure this summer.

Tim Prahl of the Muskego (WI) Patch talks with former MLB Network reporter Trenni Kusnierek about returning home to Milwaukee to co-host a radio show.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business notes two games scheduled for the Chicago Bulls that may never get played.

Kyle Ringo of the Boulder (CO) Daily Camera says the University of Colorado is in a unique position where it can sell the TV rights to its games this season.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times goes over some of the changes in the proposed NFL collective bargaining agreement including a new TV package.

Steve Zeitchik of the Times looks at Ross Greenburg leaving HBO.

Elizabeth Salaam of the San Diego Reader says a recent Facebook poll wasn’t kind to Padres TV voice Dick Enberg.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has some thoughts on various topics.

Sports Media Watch has some news and notes.

And we have some more news and notes from SMW.

Joe Favorito looks at who will benefit when the NFL lockout finally comes to an end.

And there is your full set of links.

Golf Channel Is All Over The Open Championship

Tomorrow begins the oldest major championship in golf, The Open Championship at the fabled Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England and the first outside Scotland to ever host the tournament. This is the 14th time St. George’s will be holding The Open and of course, ESPN is the rightsholder to the event providing four round coverage beginning Thursday morning at 3 Eastern time. But that doesn’t mean other outlets will be standing in the United States watching. Golf Channel will have extensive coverage of the Quest for the Claret Jug with all types of programming.

Here’s the press release from Golf Channel.

Golf Channel Has The Open Championship Covered

More than 25 Hours of Live News Coverage From Orlando and Royal St. George’s
Morning Drive Expands Coverage Thursday-Friday
David Feherty Returns as Contributing Analyst
Wall-to-Wall Coverage on GolfChannel.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 12, 2011) – Golf Channel will deliver more than 25 hours of comprehensive news coverage of this week’s Open Championship from Royal St. George’s, featuring live news reports, inside analysis, player interviews, special guest appearances and compelling features of the men’s third major championship of 2011.

More than 25 Hours of News Coverage: Golf Channel’s news coverage of the Open Championship will be headlined by Live From Royal St. George’s, the network’s signature news program from golf’s major championships. Wednesday, Live From Royal St. George’s will air a two-hour pre-tournament news conference show at 2 p.m. ET, followed by a two-hour prime-time show at 6 p.m. ET. Thursday-Sunday, Live From will provide two-hour shows in prime time after tournament play. Morning Drive, the network’s live, weekday morning show, will expand to four hours Thursday-Friday (7-11 a.m. ET), featuring pre-event news conferences, phone interviews and leader board updates from Royal St. George’s. The Grey Goose 19^th Hole also will air at a special time on Wednesday (8:30-9:30 p.m. ET) featuring Golf Channel analyst David Feherty and LPGA Tour Professional Christina Kim as guest panelists.

Live From Royal St. George’s: Live From Royal St. George’s will originate both on-site from Sandwich, England, and from the network’s Orlando Studios, featuring player interviews and analysis, leader board updates and daily features from Golf Channel’s team of anchors, reporters and contributors. (Complete airtimes appear at the end of the release)

Live From Royal St. George’s Broadcast Team: David Feherty will return as a contributing analyst for Golf Channel’s Live From coverage throughout the week from the network’s Orlando studios. Joining Feherty on the broadcast team from Orlando will include Kelly Tilghman, Rich Lerner, Kraig Kann, Todd Lewis, Brandel Chamblee, Charlie Rymer and John Hawkins.

Reporting from Royal St. George’s will include Steve Sands, Frank Nobilo, Tom Abbott, Tim Rosaforte, Alex Miceli, Rex Hoggard, Jay Coffin, Jason Sobel, Randall Mell and Ken Schofield.

Live From Royal St. George’s Scheduled Features:

• Don Cheadle Voices Open Championship Moments – Academy-award nominee Don Cheadle will voice a number of “Open Championship Moments” that will air throughout the week.
• Mark Roe 2003 Open Championship Heartbreak – Tom Abbott visits with former European Tour Professional Mark Roe to reflect on his 2003 Open Championship disqualification at Royal St. George’s.
• Charl Schwartzel Feature – Tim Rosaforte will sit down with 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel in a personality profile feature.
• Peter Alliss, Reflects on the Open Championship – Abbott will visit with longtime BBC golf commentator Peter Alliss.
• Rory McIlroy – Kelly Tilghman takes a closer look at the sudden rise of Rory McIlroy.

Morning Drive Expands Coverage Thurs-Fri: Thursday-Friday, Morning Drive will expand to four hours (7-11 a.m. ET) featuring leader board updates and phone interviews from on-site at Royal St. George’s. Steve Sands, Tim Rosaforte, Rex Hoggard, Jason Sobel and Ken Schofield will contribute from Royal St. George’s throughout the week for Morning Drive. (Complete airtimes appear at the end of the release)

Wall-to-Wall Coverage on GolfChannel.com: GolfChannel.com will feature expanded editorial content and interactive capabilities with fans timed to the Open Championship, including:

Blogs & Live Chats

• Jason Sobel will blog each day of the competition to keep fans up to date as the action unfolds.
• John Hawkins will chat with fans live following the conclusion of play each afternoon.

Editorial Coverage

• Jason Sobel, Rex Hoggard, Randall Mell, Jay Coffin and Ryan Ballengee will contribute to the newly formed GolfTalkCentral blog, along with daily columns, news articles, features and breaking news on GolfChannel.com.
• Hoggard and Coffin traveled to Northern Ireland in advance of the Open Championship, where they filed a runninig blog for three days on their travels, including preview stories from their time at Holywood Golf Club, where Rory McIlroy grew up and learned the game.

Exclusive Online Video Content

• Updates from Golf Channel’s Live From team will be available each day at GolfChannel.com.

Open Championship Week Programming (all times ET)

Wednesday, July 13
Live From Royal St. George’s 2-4 p.m. (news conferences)
Live From Royal St. George’s 6-8 p.m.

Thursday-Friday, July 14-15
Morning Drive 7-11 a.m.
Live From Royal St. George’s 7-9 p.m.

Saturday, July 16
Live From the Royal St. George’s 7-9 p.m.

Sunday, July 17
Live From Royal St. George’s 1:30-2 p.m.
Live From Royal St. George’s 7-9 p.m.

That will do it.

ESPN Airs The Open Championship

Next week, ESPN will have live four round coverage of the Open Championship, the third major tournament on the men’s golf calendar. This year’s Open takes place at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Scotland.

Mike Tirico will head up ESPN’s coverage and he’ll be joined by analysts Tom Watson, Paul Azinger, Curtis Strange, Andy North and Tom Weiskopf. Also calling the action will be the BBC’s legendary announcer Peter Allis and Sean McDonough. Scott Van Pelt and Terry Gannon will host from the anchor desk.

ESPN will sign on at 4 in the East on Thursday and Friday morning for the first two rounds, then at 7 a.m. East on Saturday and finally 6 a.m. East on Sunday. ABC gets scraps on the weekend with taped highlights.

Another long press release from ESPN so get ready to scroll for a while.

All Rounds of The Open Championship Live on ESPN Platforms

All-Star Analyst Team Includes 14 Major Golf Championships

ESPN will present complete live four-round coverage from golf’s oldest major tournament, The Open Championship, at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England, with 37 hours of live television on July 14-17. ESPN’s all-star lineup of analysts and commentators, who hold a combined 14 major golf championships, will anchor 68 total hours of TV and extensive multiplatform coverage.

Serving sports fans with live programming despite the time zone differences, ESPN, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV will have 11 scheduled hours of live coverage of each of the first two rounds of the 151^st anniversary tournament on Thursday and Friday, July 14-15, from 4 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Saturday’s third round will have live coverage from 7 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and Sunday’s final round will air live from 6 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Golf fans unable to watch the live coverage will be able to see The Best of The Open Championship, an edited encore presentation, on ESPN in prime time each night from 7-10 p.m. (on ESPN2 on Sunday). Highlights of each day’s play also will air in The Open Championship Today from 3-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday on ESPN and Saturday and Sunday on ABC. The Open Championship has appeared on ABC every year since 1966.

ESPN’s flagship news and information program, SportsCenter, will originate from the tournament site with a one-hour special SportsCenter at The Open Championship program on Wednesday, July 13, at 2 p.m. as well as extensive reports throughout each day.

For the 15^th consecutive year, Mike Tirico will host ESPN’s live telecasts from the Open Championship. ESPN’s team will include five-time Open Championship winner Tom Watson (eight major titles), two-time U.S. Open champions Curtis Strange and Andy North, 1993 PGA champion Paul Azinger and 1973 Open Champion Tom Weiskopf. The BBC’s legendary golf announcer Peter Alliss also will contribute to ESPN’s coverage.

Scott Van Pelt and Terry Gannon also will serve as hosts, with Van Pelt, Strange and Sean McDonough working as hole announcers. On-course reporters will be North, Bill Kratzert and Olin Browne, while reporter Tom Rinaldi will conduct interviews and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly will present essays.

ESPN’s technology for The Open Championship will include “Perfect Path,” which tracks drives on five holes from behind and in front of the drive, and “Putt Zone,” which shows the path the player needs to hole a putt. Putt Zone will be used on the 4^th, 9^th and 13^th holes. ESPN will have 42 dedicated cameras to complement the world feed and will utilize announcer touch screens for scoring information, course maps, and weather as well as ORAD, an enhanced telestrator for analysis.

Actor Ian McShane, one of the stars of the forthcoming Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, again lends his voice to ESPN’s opening teases.

Among features that will be presented during ESPN’s coverage of The Open Championship is an ESPN Sport Science piece on playing golf in the wind, a factor that all competitors in the event have to deal with. Other features will focus on U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy as well as the engraver of the Open Championship’s famous Claret Jug trophy. In addition, ESPN will air a tribute to three-time champion Seve Ballesteros, who died earlier this year.

The Open Championship on ESPN Online
In addition to television coverage, there will be extensive Open Championship offerings for fans online and via mobile platforms across ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, espnW.com and ESPNnetworks.com.

ESPN.com 

• Columns/articles by national columnist Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com golf writer Bob Harig and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly.
• In-depth feature by Wojciechowski on U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy, written after spending time with McIlroy in London and with family/friends in McIlroy’s native Northern Ireland.
• Harig feature on Ben Curtis, the unlikely winner of the last Open Championship held at Royal St George’s
• “Digital Drive,” an exclusive ESPN.com program hosted by Rick Reilly, produced each day Tuesday-Sunday of the tournament.
• Extensive video content, including highlights, analysis, clips from SportsCenter and press conferences each day during tournament week.
• ESPN.com GolfCast application featuring live scoring, social media integration and CoverItLive analysis daily with ESPN’s golf team.
• A golf-themed fantasy game – the third installment of the ESPN Best Ball Challenge
  

ESPN3.com
In addition to the simulcast of ESPN’s live coverage of all four rounds of The Open Championship, ESPN3.com, ESPN’s signature broadband sports network, will offer several unique views for golf fans. Viewers can watch action on the 1^st and 18^th holes at Royal St George’s Golf Club on ESPN3.com as well as action on the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th holes. ESPN3.com also will offer a Spanish-language telecast and an international view of the championship via BBC telecast.

espnW.com
ESPN’s first dedicated content and digital business designed to serve, inform and inspire female athletes and fans, espnW.com will preview The Open Championship with writings by golf contributors Lewine Mair and Mick Elliott. In addition to daily reports, planned items include:

• A signature of espnW – the Top 5 storylines to watch at The Open Championship
• Players to watch, and who could surprise
• A comparison of fans at the Open Championship with galleries in America
  • The extreme weather possibilities and how conditions have affected the Open through the years.
    

  ESPNnetworks.com
  All Open Championship programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will also be available on computers, smartphones and tablets through ESPNnetworks.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

  Additional coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN platforms:

  ESPN International
  Coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN platforms will reach some 70 countries and more than 112 million international households, with coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Latin America will also offer HD coverage and streaming via ESPN Play (broadband) simulcasting live TV and ESPN3.com exclusive feeds and ESPN Extra will offer The Open Championship Mix interactive TV experience for all four rounds available on DirecTV. ESPN in the UK will air four 1-hour highlight programs Thursday-Sunday in HD.

  ESPNEWS
  ESPNEWS will offer all the latest Open Championship news beginning Wednesday, July 13, with interviews, pre- and post-round news conferences and analysis.

  ESPN Classic
  ESPN Classic will feature 35 consecutive hours of classic Open Championship golf films leading into live coverage of the first round of the event on ESPN. The Open Championship Golf Marathon begins Tuesday, July 12, at 4 p.m. and runs through Thursday, July 14, at 4 a.m. Included will be a three-hour tribute to the late Seve Ballesteros, three-time champion, starting at 9 p.m. on July 12.

  ESPN on Demand
  Available to approximately 38 million television households, and on approximately 10 million mobile handsets, ESPN On Demand will offer exclusive Open Championship content, including official films from past Championships at St Andrews in 2005 (Tiger Woods), 2000 (Woods) and 1995 (John Daly). Also available will be official film of Woods’ victory in 2006 at Royal Liverpool. Viewers will also be able to watch a 2011 Open Championship highlight film beginning July 19.

  ESPN Mobile TV
  ESPN Mobile TV will offer live simulcasts of ESPN’s live telecasts and encore presentations along with news and highlights on the ESPN mobile website with a leaderboard, Open Championship Insider content, news, and columns.

  Interactive Television
  The four-screen Open Championship Experience will air on DirecTV (channels 701-705) for all four days of the championship. One channel will carry the live ESPN television coverage, while another will offer a different view with the BBC/World coverage. The other two channels will offer alternating coverage from the opening and closing holes and alternating coverage of holes 14, 15 and 16.

  The Open Championship – Royal St George’s Golf Club, Sandwich, England

  Day/Date	Program	Start	End	Network
  Wed., July 13	SportsCenter at The Open Championship	2 p.m.	3 p.m.	ESPN2
  Thu., July 14	First Round	4 a.m.	3 p.m.	ESPN. ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV
  Thu., July 14	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	6 p.m.	ESPN
  Thu., July 14	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	10 p.m.	ESPN
  Fri., July 15	Second Round	4 a.m.	3 p.m.	ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV
  Fri., July 15	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	6 p.m.	ESPN
  Fri., July 15	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	10 p.m.	ESPN
  Sat., July 16	Best of The Open Championship	4 a.m.	7 a.m.	ESPN2
  Sat., July 16	Third Round	7 a.m.	2:30 p.m.	ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV
  Sat., July 16	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	6 p.m.	ABC
  Sat., July 16	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	10 p.m.	ESPN
  Sun., July 17	Final Round	6 a.m.	1:30 p.m.	ESPN, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV
  Sun., July 17	The Open Championship Today	3 p.m.	6 p.m.	ABC
  Sun., July 17	Best of The Open Championship	7 p.m.	10 p.m.	ESPN2
  Mon., July 18	Best of The Open Championship	1 p.m.	4 p.m.	ESPN2

That will conclude this post.

ESPN Crowing About A Combined 52 Sports Emmy Nominations

When you combine the Sports Emmy Award nominations for ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN.com, the sports behemoth has a massive 52 nods. It doesn’t mean that they’ll win them all, but that’s a very big number. In case you’re wondering, ESPN has 22 nominations, ABC with 13, ESPN2 has 9, and both ESPN Deportes and ESPN.com with 1.

Some of the notable nominations include Chris Berman and Scott Van Pelt for Outstanding Studio Host, Tom Jackson and Kirk Herbstreit for Outstanding Studio Analyst, Jon “This Guy” Gruden in the Outstanding Game Analyst category, last year’s World Cup, Monday Night Football, College GameDay, E:60, The Two Escobars, among others.

Let’s take a look at this long press release which has every of the ESPN family of networks and platforms 52 nominations.

ESPN, Inc. – Industry Leading 52 Sports Emmy Nominations

FIFA World Cup – Most-Honored Entrant; E:60 & NFL Also Lead the Way;
First Nomination for ESPNU; Debut of ESPN 3D Cited for Technical Achievement

ESPN, Inc. earned 52 Sports Emmy Award nominations, the most of any submitting company for the 10^th time in 11 years, it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  The winners will be announced Monday, May 2.

ESPN’s nominations were led by 12 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, more than the number earned by any other single production effort from any entrant.  Fittingly, as the largest commitment to a single event in ESPN’s 31-year history, it also earned the most nominations for any single entity ever for ESPN.  The nominations ranged from Outstanding Live Special for the final on ABC to ESPN Content Development’s I Scored A Goal in Edited Special to a variety of technical categories, including Technical Team Studio, Camerawork, Graphics and Music (two).

NFL programming garnered five nominations: Chris Berman (Studio Host), Tom Jackson (Studio Analyst, won in 2009), Monday Night Football (Live Series), Jon Gruden (Event Analyst, second nomination in his two years on MNF), and “ESPN NFL Unmasked” (a behind-the-scenes player profile regularly on Sunday NFL Countdown, in Production Design/Art Direction).

ESPN’s two critically acclaimed news magazine programs focusing on issues and personalities in sports combined for 10 nominations. E:60 totaled six (Edited Series, Journalism, three in Long Feature and Short Fetaure) while Outside the Lines earned four (Documentary, two for Long Feature and Short Feature).

NBA content drew four nominations.  The NBA Finals on ABC were cited in Live Special, Jeff Van Gundy earned a second straight nomination in Event Analyst; and the NBA Draft received two nominations (Open/Tease and Production Design/Art Direction).

ESPN Content Development also received four nominations.  In addition to I Scored a Goal, two “30 for 30” films were cited — “June 17, 1994” in Documentary and Editing and “The Two Escobars” in Documentary for its premiere on ESPN Deportes.

Among ESPN commentators, in addition to Berman, Jackson, Gruden and Van Gundy; Kirk Herbstreit, the 2010 winner, was again nominated in Studio Analyst; Orel Hershiser was a first-time nominee in Event Analyst; and another first-timer, Scott Van Pelt in Studio Host.

Other notable nominees:

• Three nominations combined in the two categories for Promotional Announcements:  “30 for 30” and The Open Championship in Episodic Promos, and “Is it Monday Yet?” in Institutional Promos.
• Two nominations for Technical Achievement:  ESPN 3D (debuted June 2010) and “Enhanced Visual Accompaniment,” a virtual studio technology used in a variety of ways, including Center Circle (soccer), Ultimate Uplink (NBA), and Virtual Pitch (MLB).
• ESPNU’s first nomination, for College Football Whiparound in Graphic Design
• The Breeders’ Cup World Championship in Live Special
• ESPN College Football in Live Series
• College GameDay in Weekly Studio Show (won in 2008 and 2010)

Overall, ESPN has won 135 Sports Emmy Awards in 23 years of eligibility.  ABC Sports won 160 from 1980 – 2008.

ESPN’s nominations by category (all are ESPN, except as noted):

Live Special
Breeders Cup World Championship
2010 FIFA World Cup (ABC)
The NBA Finals (ABC)

Live Series
College Football
Monday Night Football

Live Event Turnaround
World Series of Poker Final Table

Outstanding Playoff Coverage
2010 FIFA World Cup

Edited Special
I Scored a Goal (ABC)

Sports Documentary
June 17, 1994
Outside the Lines: Robben Island:  A Greater Goal (ESPN2)
The Two Escobars (ESPN Deportes)

Edited Series
E:60 (ESPN2)

Studio Show/weekly
College GameDay

Studio Show/daily
Pardon the Interruption
SportsCenter

Journalism
E:60 – Children of Bhopal (ESPN2)

Short Feature
E:60 – A League of her Own (ABC)
Outside the Lines: Santa Anita, A Dark History

Long Feature
E:60 – Josiah’s Time (ESPN2)
E:60 – Survival 1 (ESPN2)
E:60 — Unbreakable
Outside the Lines – Asian Carp
Outside the Lines – The Power of Dylan

Open/Tease
2010 FIFA World Cup (ABC)
NBA Draft

New Approaches – Short Format
Sport Science (ESPN.com)

Studio Host
Chris Berman
Scott Van Pelt

Studio Analyst
Kirk Herbstreit
Tom Jackson

Event Analyst
Jon Gruden
Orel Hershiser
Jeff Van Gundy (ABC)

Technical Team Remote
Winter X Games 14 (ESPN/ESPN2)

Technical Team Studio
2010 FIFA World Cup (ESPN/ABC)

Camerawork
2010 FIFA World Cup (ESPN/ABC)

Editing
2010 Scripps Howard Spelling Bee (ABC)
June 17, 1994

Writing
2010 FIFA World Cup (ESPN/ABC)

Music
2010 FIFA World Cup: Day One Tease (ESPN/ABC)
2010 FIFA World Cup: U2 7 Soweto Gospel Choir (ESPN/ESPN2/ABC)

Graphic Design
2010 FIFA World Cup
ESPNU College Football Whiparound (ESPNU)
Sports Science

Prod.Design/Art Direction
2010 FIFA World Cup (ESPN/ESPN2/ABC)
NBA Draft
“ESPN NFL Unmasked”

Technical Achievement
ESPN 3D (ESPN 3D)
“Enhanced Visual Accompaniment”

Promo – Institutional
“Is it Monday Yet”

Promo – Episodic
ESPN Films: “30 for 30”
The Open Championship

That’s it.

Sirius XM Extends Agreement with The PGA Tour

We learned just before the end of 2011, Sirius XM came to an agreement with the PGA Tour to keep PGA Tour Radio and coverage of golf on the satellite radio provider. From all accounts, this was pretty close to not happening and having all golf events removed from Sirius XM. But things came out ok and Sirius XM is announcing that it will have the entire PGA Tour 2011 season as well as the four majors, The Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

SiriusXM Announces Comprehensive Coverage of 2011 Golf Season

SiriusXM will broadcast more live play-by-play than any other TV or radio broadcaster, offering the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship and PGA Championship, plus PGA TOUR events including THE PLAYERS

Sirius and XM listeners get expert analysis on PGA TOUR Network channel

NEW YORK, NY – January 5, 2011 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that it will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2011 golf season, offering more live play-by-play than any other TV or radio broadcaster and giving listeners nationwide access to the full schedule of events featuring the world’s best golfers. 

SiriusXM will broadcast live play-by-play of the 2011 PGA TOUR season, featuring THE PLAYERS Championship (May 12-15 from TPC Sawgrass, FL), and all four major championship events – the Masters (April 7-10 from Augusta National Golf Club, GA), the U.S. Open Championship (June 16-19 from Congressional CC, MD), The Open Championship (July 14-17 from Royal St. George’s GC, Kent, England) and the PGA Championship (August 11-14 from Atlanta Athletic Club, GA).

SiriusXM’s coverage will also include the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup: The Barclays (August 25-28 from Plainfield CC, NJ), Deutsche Bank Championship (September 2-5 from TPC Boston, MA), BMW Championship (September 15-18 from Cog Hill GC, IL) and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola (September 22-25 from East Lake GC, GA).

Sirius and XM listeners will have access to hole-by-hole coverage every day of tournament play for each event, as well as expert analysis on the PGA TOUR Network channel, the only radio channel dedicated to professional golf.

Live tournament coverage and the PGA TOUR Network channel are available to all XM subscribers and to Sirius subscribers who purchase the “Best of XM” programming package, and are available nationwide on XM channel 146 and Sirius channel 209.

Play-by-play coverage of the U.S. Open Championship will air on ESPN Radio, Sirius channel 120 and XM channel 140.

Sirius and XM listeners will also be able to access live tournament play-by-play and the PGA TOUR Network channel online at www.sirius.com and www.xmradio.com as well as on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Android-powered mobile devices using the SiriusXM Premium Online App.

For more information, please visit www.xmradio.com or www.sirius.com.

That is all.

The First Fang’s Bites Mailbag

Time to answer your sports media questions. Thanks to all who sent e-mails. Let’s make this a regular feature and I hope to do this every two or three months. And down the road, I hope to offer DVD’s, books and other swag. I don’t have anything for this mailbag, but I hope to have stuff in line for the future. Let’s get to your questions.

Hi John. From what I’ve heard, CBS and Turner will decide on announcing teams sometime soon. I suspect that you’ll see the four regional final teams for CBS, Jim Nantz-Clark Kellogg; Gus Johnson-Len Elmore; Dick Enberg’s replacement-Jay Bilas; and Verne Lundquist-Bill Rafery. Who Turner will hire is anyone’s guess. Ian Eagle who did work on TNT this past NBA postseason might move over to Turner as would Kevin Harlan who’s TNT’s NBA guy anyway. I doubt Marv would call tournament games, but you never know.

As far as the ACC Sunday Night Hoops are concerned, I know the coaches all hated the Sunday night games. They have told ACC Commissioner John Swofford as much. Under the new ESPN contract that takes effect in 2011-12, ESPNU gets a Sunday game, but I think it will be earlier in the afternoon, although ESPN could call for it to be played at let’s say, 4 p.m. ET. And unless ESPN decides to sell a few games, Fox Sports Net is done after this coming season.

No, up until the BCS and Open Championship, ESPN would have ABC in mind to compliment coverage. But as we have seen in the last two years, ESPN has decided to keep events for itself (BCS and Open Championship) and this year, chose to cut the number of NASCAR Sprint Cup races on ABC from 11 to 3. However, ABC affiliates are screaming over the lack of sports on the network and this may force ESPN’s hand in the future especially with the Olympics, MLB and NBA bidding all coming up. The ABC affiliates are the ones that are keeping ESPN in line and preventing the Alleged Worldwide Leader from hoarding everything. In addition, the NBA and MLB would still want to have their finals on network TV as opposed to cable. But the day of a major final on cable is coming.

A related question to the one from Scott. I agree that having those events on cable prevented casual fans from finding them. In addition, I was still used to turning on ABC early Sunday morning for the final round of the Open Championship this year, but I’ll be weaned off that next year. Having no suspense hurt the Open more than being on cable. NASCAR’s ratings have been down all year so even had the event been on ABC, not much more could be done on viewership. Certainly being on cable did not help the ratings.

- Do you have a favorite sport to watch on television? What about a favorite broadcaster? Favorite non-sports show?

Steve G.
North Kingstown, RI

A Rhode Island homey! And from North Kingstown to boot! Well, let me answer the questions in order.

My favorite sport to watch is baseball and Vin Scully is my favorite broadcaster. And he’s done more than baseball. Old school fans will remember he called the NFL for CBS and also did the PGA for both CBS and NBC.

With 24 and Lost gone, my favorite non-sports shows currently are Mad Men, My Boys and the Amazing Race.

The biggest misconception. That’s a tough one. One misconception is that some reporters are as passionate as the fans. That’s not true. It’s a job. Another is that people in the sports media don’t have agendas. Even I have an agenda, but I’m not telling what that is.

And I agree that the commentary shows like Around the Horn and even the Sports Reporters have gone over the top. You have columnists and sports writers mugging for the camera. Now that could be the program over the personality, but Skip Bayless and Woody Paige have become totally unwatchable and unlikable. I used to enjoy reading them, but after seeing and hearing them, I don’t anymore.

Pittsburgh

Hi Mike. Thanks for the question. You can do a little of both. You can find one of the hosts or producers and start exchanging e-mails and if he doesn’t blow you off, tell him the blog you write for, let him know you’re available as a guest. You can also let people know on your blog that you’re available to go on radio shows to talk about your team. I don’t know what it’s like in Pittsburgh if sports radio shows depend on bloggers as guests, it’s not the case here in New England. Certainly sending an e-mail doesn’t hurt. The least the host or producer can do is say no. But if you get a positive response, you have something to build on.

This only loosely touches sports media, but I was wondering if you could shed any light on the upcoming Minnesota-Texas college football series that was canceled due to a dispute over video rights. Curious what specifically the schools would have not seen eye-to-eye on (especially after agreement had already been made)? Is this related to Texas trying to start its own network and Gophers not wanting game to be aired on that, Horns wanting a cut of BTN or ESPN money, or what?

Thanks!
Tim C.

There’s no doubt that Texas which now has control of its TV rights thanks to its increased power in the Big 12 wanted a bigger piece of the pie when the series was to be played at TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota. In college football, the home team or conference controls the rights. For the game at Minnesota, the rights revert to the Big Ten Network. At Texas, rights revert back to the Big 12. In 2016, who knows if Texas’ own network, ESPN or Fox Sports Net will have control of that game. But there’s no doubt that TV rights money was a huge part of the cancellation. Texas probably wanted a bigger payoff plus Minnesota wasn’t willing to part with a bigger payout and lose TV rights at the same time. You may see more of this with Big 12 schools down the line.

Late Night Megalinks Oops…. Now the Saturday Links

Again, the shuffling between two offices prevented me from doing the megalinks today. Combine that with me getting my new iPhone 4 and you have me doing the megalinks at night. Better late than not at all.

You can find the Weekend Viewing Picks complete with sports schedule and entertainment programs right here.

Let’s get to the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes that ESPN will begin showing defensive fielding stats on Sunday Night Baseball.

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated looks at the new book on ESPN that was penned by the same team that wrote a comprehensive tome on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Fanhouse’s Milton Kent looks at the media scrum between Dave Kindred and Mitch Albom with some Jason Whitlock thrown in.

Ok, that is how far I got into the links when I fell asleep. Let me go on. I’ll do a combination of selected Friday media links as well as Saturday.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks into the dwindling attendance numbers at Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies.

Darren talks with the man in charge of one of the most iconic signs in American sports. 

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Dave Kindred admits that there have been times when he has been wrong.

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn talks about WEEI changing the format of its Red Sox pregame show midstream and without any warning. 

In the New York Daily News, Bob Raissman notes that SNY analyst Bob Ojeda ripped the Mets this week.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that MLB Network will have the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies tomorrow.

Greg Connors in the Buffalo News writes that Disney and Time Warner Cable are drawing their respective lines in the sand.

Laura Nachman says Vince Papale will host a Philadelphia Eagles-centric TV show during NFL season. You may remember Vince was the subject of the movie “Invincible“.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says the first place Texas Rangers have translated to increased TV ratings.

Barry writes with the Rangers in first place, he notes a few things about their broadcasters.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says a Texas sports talk show host has had to stay off the air while he runs for the Texas House of Representatives.

Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Brewers announcer Bob Uecker returned to work Friday against doctors’ orders.

Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel is happy to have Uecker back in the booth.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says an outspoken Gateway City personality returns to the local airwaves next week.

Dan says there’s heated competition for the Cardinals radio rights.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has his extensive media notes.

The Sports Media Watch notes that final round aside, the ratings for the Open Championship were not all that bad.

SMW says Versus is seeing a ratings rise for IndyCar.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media says the NHL Network will carry the official NHL Winter Classic press conference next week in Pittsburgh.

That will do it for now.

Our Thursday Links

Let’s do some linkage. I can’t understand why I can’t get anything done today. Anyway, let’s get going.

USA Today’s Jorge L. Ortiz profiles ESPN/San Francisco Giants voice Jon Miller who’s going into the Broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.

Andrea Domanick from Broadcasting & Cable says a new award focusing on sports media marketing on TV and other platforms is launching this year.

Mike Reynolds in Multichannel News tells us that a couple of Disney Channel characters take over Dodger Stadium tonight.

Mike also talks about CBS College Sports renewing its rights deal with Conference USA through the 2016 season. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks about how SpongeTech is a warning to all sports teams which look for stadium sponsors.

Bill Wilson of the BBC reports that EA Sports has signed a unique deal with the English Premier League becoming the soccer league’s first technology partner. 

Michael Ozanian in Forbes says ESPN and the PGA Tour were big losers in last weekend’s Open Championship blowout. 

Susan Shan who is fast becoming a Friend of Fang’s Bites, feels Versus’ Jenn Sterger is a disgrace to women in sports for her comments about Danica Patrick.

Susan also talks about her feud with Sterger and her upcoming work with the St. John’s Red Storm with the One Great Season blog.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed this yesterday in our podcast. SB Nation is buying the Sporting Blog from Sporting News. Chris Littman talks about the blog’s future. 

Michael Grotticelli from Broadcast Engineering goes over the 10 things learned from ESPN’s research of World Cup viewing.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says a local DC NFL team beat reporter is changing radio stations.

Dave McKenna from the Washington City Paper says MASN’s Rob Dibble doesn’t care about the criticism that he’s too much of a homer. 

Janie Campbell from NBC Miami explores the Miami Herald deleting the bitter farewell blog post from the Florida International sports beat writer this week.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that the Miami Heat’s Three Kings uniforms  are top sellers as expected.

Pete Alfano of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram talks about how ESPN chose Sundance Square as its headquarters for Super Bowl XLV.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN is ready to rev up its NASCAR coverage this weekend. 

John Erardi from the Cincinnati Enquirer speaks to former Reds closer Rob Dibble about his broadcasting gig with the Washington Nationals. 

Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Fox Sports Wisconsin will be going commercial-free to benefit charity for a Brewers game next month.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says the Blackhawks remain a hot commodity and mentions that Comcast SportsNet honors Andre Dawson this weekend.

Dan Moore at SB Nation St. Louis notes that the entire Globe-Democrat sports staff has walked out.

Charles Rouse III of the Kansas City Examiner looks at ESPN’s Big Monday Big 12 schedule.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with long-time broadcaster Paul Olden who has now replaced Bob Sheppard as Yankees public address announcer.

Tom is amused by Fox Sports’ Jimmy Johnson going on Survivor.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says ESPN’s David Amber is returning home to Canada to work on the Raptors game broadcasts.

Chris writes that CBS plans to feature plenty of Canadians in the Canadian Open this week, but is dismayed at the fewer hours of coverage. 

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail suggests now is a good time for TSN to launch a radio network in Canada. 

Joe Favorito talks about the creative ways Captain Morgan Rum has become a part of sports marketing.

That’s going to do it for now.

Let’s Get the Friday Megalinks Done

Ok, this shuffling between two offices is just killing me. No time to do anything, work or blogging. Let’s do some linkage now.

For the weekend viewing picks, you can go here.

Now the links from all over the country and Canada.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says more big sports events will be migrating to cable from network TV.

USA Today Travel writer Barbara De Lollis reports that ESPN’s Erin Andrews is suing the hotel chains that gave out information to her stalker that allowed him to videotape her without her knowledge. 

Milton Kent of Fanhouse writes an open letter to ESPN Dictator George Bodenheimer.

Librardo Cardona and Frank Bajak of the Associated Press report that a Colombian TV network will not air ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, “The Two Escobars” based on a complaint from the family of Andres Escobar, the soccer player who was killed after the 1994 World Cup.

The head of Fox Sports public relations, Lou D’Ermilio writes an appreciation of former Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard.

Glen Dickson at Broadcasting & Cable says Fox Sports has renewed a deal with Sportsvision to digitally enhance its NFL, MLB and NASCAR broadcasts through 2014.

Diego Vasquez at Media Life Magazine discovers that sponsors really get their money’s worth with the U.S. Open in New York.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Tiger Woods’ sponsors need him to win and win now.

Joe Favorito says Spain has reaped the benefits of hosting the World Cup (1982) and the Summer Olympics (1992).

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest is counting the days until the NBA Lockout.

The Sports Media Watch says Fox Saturday Baseball hit the 2.0 rating mark last Saturday for the first time since May.

SMW feels ESPN granting LeBron James one hour of airtime wasn’t the worst thing the network has done.

And SMW has some ratings news and notes.

SportsbyBrooks wonders why Versus’ Jenn Sterger is taking shots at Danica Patrick.Nothing like a sports catfight.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says NESN has finally found a vehicle for anchor Jade McCarthy.

The Bristol (CT) Press editorializes that ESPN bringing 125 Magazine jobs to the local area is good for the economy.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir writes that the Yankees’ limited partners have nothing but praise for George Steinbrenner.

Mike Hale of the Times reviews MLB Network’s new reality show, “The Club.”

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News depicts the give-and-take relationship between George Steinbrenner and Yankees announcer Suzyn Waldman.

Bill Madden of the Daily News writes that contrary to TV reports, no Yankees player attended the funeral services of former public address announcer Bob Sheppard. 

Frank DiGiacomo of the Daily News reports that YES announcer and ESPN Radio New York host Michael Kay has become engaged to former NBC News anchor Jodi Applegate in what seems to be a very mismatched pair.

Phil Mushnick in the New York Post feels ESPN didn’t provide enough live coverage during its live coverage of the Open Championship.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union how we watch sports continues to evolve even in this day of high definition TV.

Ken McMillan from the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record says Time Warner will air the Empire State Games next week.

In the Baltimore-centric Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV notes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will launch a Charm City sports news website next week.

Ryan Sharrow of the Baltimore Business Journal also looks at the new Comcast Baltimore website. 

South

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson says expect to see the Heat on national TV the maximum amount as allowed by the NBA.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says Sun Sports will re-air the Miami Heat’s welcome of LeBron James and Chris Bosh three more times.

Tom Jones in the St. Petersburg Times writes that TBS will honor George Steinbrenner through Seinfeld episodes next week.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Texas Rangers PA announcer Chuck Morgan got to work next to the Yankees’ Bob Sheppard for one game.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has a news and notes column today.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman also has some news and notes.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that local sports radio host Andy Furman will host a weekend Fox Sports Radio show.

John says the MLB All-Star Game was a hit in the Queen’s City.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press is not a fan of the ESPY’s.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains why the World Cup did not fare well in Suds City.

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

Dan Caesar in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals are mulling over two very strong proposals for its radio rights.

West

Scott D. Pierce in the Deseret (UT) News says the World Cup definitely brought in the viewers.

John Maffei in the North County Times talks about ESPN’s start-to-finish coverage of the Open Championship. John has an error in his column stating that Mark May will do play-by-play of ESPN’s Thursday night college football series. Rece Davis will be calling games, not Mark May.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says SoCal is on the hook for the lowest All-Star Game ratings in history.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times says an Entourage storyline of the NFL offering L.A. a team is far-fetched in reality.

Dawn Chmieleski of the Times writes that the dispute between Time Warner and Disney could have sports fans reeling.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at Fox’s spin on the All-Star Game ratings.

Tom has his look at the week and adds some news and notes as well.

Gary Lycan of the Orange County Register says local radio sportscaster Chuck Madden has passed away.

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times says 3-D TV is the future of sports television.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says the All-Star Game ratings are symptomatic of MLB’s problems.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star notes that a local sports radio station has hired a host to shake things up.

And we’re done with the megalinks.

Some Thursday Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And we’ll end it there.

Sirius XM Airs Coverage of the Open Championship

Sirius XM continues its coverage of golf’s Grand Slam with the Open Championship starting early Thursday morning.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP TO AIR NATIONWIDE ON SIRIUS XM RADIO

Hole-by-hole coverage from The Old Course at St. Andrews airs July 15-18

SIRIUS XM will carry more than 45 hours of live on-course play-by-play Thursday through Sunday

NEW YORK – July 13, 2010 – SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will air the 2010 Open Championship live nationwide this Thursday, July 15, through Sunday, July 18, on XM channel 146 and on SIRIUS channel 209 for subscribers with the “Best of XM” programming package.

SIRIUS XM will provide listeners with hole-by-hole coverage of the Open Championship, provided by IMG, live from the renowned Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland as well as live updates and analysis from SIRIUS XM’s Fred Albers and Matt Adams.

Live coverage will start Thursday and Friday at 3:00 am ET and Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 am ET and will continue until the conclusion of each day’s play. On-course coverage will be immediately followed by a wrap-up of the day’s action along with highlights, analysis, and player interviews on Open Championship Replay, hosted by SIRIUS XM’s Fred Albers and Matt Adams, who will be on site at St. Andrews. Following Open Championship Replay, SIRIUS XM will rebroadcast the day’s play-by-play during the afternoon drive time and evening hours until live coverage begins the next morning.

In all, listeners will have access to more than 45 hours of live play-by-play from Thursday through Sunday plus comprehensive replays that will cover all the day’s highlights and the performances of the tournament leaders.

The Open Championship, celebrating its 150^th anniversary this year, is the oldest of golf’s four major championships and St. Andrews is one of the tournament’s most storied venues. The Old Course, revered as the very home of golf, has hosted 27 of the Open Championships dating back to 1873, most recently in 2000 and 2005 when Tiger Woods captured the prized Claret Jug both times. 

That’s it.

Coverage of the 2010 Open Championship

Let’s go over the coverage for this year’s Open Championship and it’s different than in the past. No more live weekend coverage on ABC. Instead of cable partner TNT, ESPN has taken over four round coverage with taped highlights on ABC on Saturday and Sunday. Not good for those used to seeing this great tournament on over the air TV. Anyway, here’s ESPN’s plans for the tournament which takes place at Old St. Andrews.

ESPN to Present Complete-Round Coverage of The Open Championship from St. Andrews

Production in High Definition for First Time; Includes New Technology

Unprecedented Digital Media and International Coverage

Montgomerie and Mediate Join Coverage Team

For the first time, ESPN will present live complete-round coverage of The Open Championship, celebrating its 150^th anniversary, from St. Andrews Royal & Ancient Golf Club in Fife, Scotland, July 14-18. ESPN’s live Open Championship coverage will be televised Thursday, July 15, and Friday, July 16, from 4 a.m.-3 p.m. ET; Saturday, July 17, from 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 18, from 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m.  Live coverage will also be available via ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.  ESPN Deportes will televise The Open Championship Thursday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

ESPN’s coverage kicks off on Wednesday, July 14 at 10:30 a.m. ET with live coverage of The Open Champions’ Challenge on ESPN, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.  The four-hole exhibition will feature 27 of the 32 living champions including Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Tom Watson.  SportsCenter at The Open Championship preview show follows at 1 p.m.

Overall, ESPN will televise 93 live hours of the Championship – all available in high definition for the first time – over six days, July 14-19, including Wednesday’s Champions Challenge and SportsCenter preview show, all four rounds (Thursday through Sunday), six hours of encore highlights over the weekend on ABC and the Best of The Open Championship presented by Golf Galaxy shows airing in primetime on ESPN (final round primetime encore airs on ESPN2). The Open Championship Today on Thursday and Friday from 3-6 p.m. will bring viewers up to speed on the morning’s action and conclude with the day’s highlights.

Coverage of The Open Championship will include content across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN International, ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN.com, ESPNDeportes.com and interactive television.  ESPN’s production will include more than 40 cameras that will supplement the world feed.  ESPN will also provide special coverage of the famed 17^th hole at St. Andrews, the “Road Hole,” with live use of “Perfect Path,” which will track the players’ drives.

ESPN’s commentating team will include some of the most notable names in golf that together have amassed 14 major championships. Tom Watson, winner of five Open Championships (eight majors), will join Curtis Strange and Andy North (both two-time winners of the U.S. Open), and Paul Azinger (winner of the ‘93 PGA Championship and 2008 Ryder Cup Captain). Open Champion Tom Weiskopf, the BBC’s Peter Alliss and the 2008 U.S. Open runner up Rocco Mediate will also serve as analysts.  European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie will also join ESPN’s announce team.

Mike Tirico will anchor the telecasts with Scott Van Pelt, Terry Gannon and Sean McDonough serving as hole announcers. North, Bill Kratzert, World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Rankin and Mediate will work as on-course commentators. Tom Rinaldi and Wendi Nix will provide interviews and essays and Rick Reilly will contribute commentary.

Technology

• All programming from St Andrews will air in HD;
• 40 dedicated ESPN Cameras to complement the world feed;
• “Perfect Path,” which tracks drives on the “Road Hole” from behind and in front of the drive;
• “Putt Zone,” showing the path the player needs to hole the putt;
• Strada Crane Camera, the world’s tallest camera crane providing spectacular aerial shots from 10 stories high;
• Touch screens for scoring information and course maps;
• New graphics and animations;
• Enhanced telestrator for analysis.

Features

• Two-time Open Championship winner Seve Ballesteros’ battle with cancer;
• Nick Faldo, 20 years after winning The Open Championship, at St Andrews;
• Five-time Open champion Tom Watson looking back at the 2009 Open Championship, which he lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink;
• The Bunkers at St Andrews;
• The Road Hole.

Digital

• ESPN.com’s coverage will include live analysis from Jason Sobel, expert opinions from writers Bob Harig and Gene Wojciechowski, and features from Wright Thompson. “Digital Drive” will offer exclusive video clips with host Tom Rinaldi and ESPN.com’s golf experts;

• In addition to editorial content, ESPN.com will offer extensive video highlights and analysis, live leaderboards and scoring, the Best Ball Challenge fantasy game, Open Championship Golden Moments films and podcasts.
• ESPN3.com will offer live coverage of all live television windows in addition to four bonus channels including Holes 1 and 18, the 17^th Road Hole, International View.;
• ESPN Mobile TV will provide full coverage, including simulcasts of all television windows, updated leaderboards, extensive video highlights and player hole-by-hole performance, and alerts on the mobile Web and ESPN ScoreCenter applications.
• ESPN will produce The Open Championship Experience, an interactive TV offering available through DirecTV (channels 701-705).  Channels will include ESPN’s live coverage, Holes 1 and 18 and the 17^th Hole (the Road hole) and the International View.  For the first time ever, the U.S. audience will get the opportunity to view English commentary from the BBC produced world feed as part of the International View channel.
• The Virtual Open Championship, a World Golf Tour gaming experience which allows golf fans the opportunity to “play” The Old Course at ESPNArcade.com and Opengolf.com.
• ESPN On Demand will offer official Open Championship films including from the last three Championships from St. Andrews.

International

• Live coverage of all four rounds of The Open Championship will be available on ESPN networks in Latin America (also available in HD), the Caribbean, Israel, Canada and Asia.  In Latin America, the Portuguese announce team will include Marco Antonio Rodrigues and Ricardo Melo; the Spanish announce team will be comprised of Silvia Bertolaccini and Francisco Aleman;
• Live broadband coverage will be available in Latin America on ESPN Play including a simulcast of ESPN’s Latin American television network, Holes 1 and 18, 17th Hole and International View;
• ESPNDeportes.com will provide real-time scores, stories, columns, video highlights and analysis.
• ESPN Extra will offer The Open Championship Mix interactive TV experience for all four rounds available on DirecTV in Latin America.
• ESPN UK will air The Open Highlights nightly at 11 p.m. local, the only highlights show of the championship  available in the UK in high-definition.

That’s it for ESPN’s coverage. More coverage plans coming up after the break.

And we have Golf Channel’s coverage plans.

More than 15 Hours of News Coverage

Live From St. Andrews

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 12, 2010) –Live From St. Andrews, airing this week on Golf Channel, will take viewers inside the ropes at the 139^th Open Championship with more than 15 hours of news reports, inside analysis and features to deliver comprehensive, wrap-around live news coverage of the men’s third major championship of 2010.

Originating from one of golf’s most revered sites, as well as from the network’s Orlando studios, coverage will begin Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET with pre-tournament news conferences.  News conferences will continue Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, followed by preview shows each evening.  Following tournament coverage Thursday-Sunday, Live From St. Andrews will feature player interviews, highlights and analysis from the team’s panel of reporters and expert analysts.

The Live From St. Andrews broadcast team reporting from a set overlooking The Road Hole will include Steve Sands, Frank Nobilo, Tom Abbott, Ken Schofield, Alex Miceli, Rex Hoggard and Tim Rosaforte.  Todd Lewis, Scott Walker and Charlie Rymer will host the news conferences shows from the network’s studios in Orlando Tuesday and Wednesday.  Kelly Tilghman, Kraig Kann, Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee, Peter Oosterhuis, Walker, Lewis and Rymer will anchor the network’s coverage from Orlando Thursday-Sunday, joined by the broadcast team on-site at St. Andrews.  Rymer will use the network’s virtual golf simulator to examine the key holes at St. Andrews, and Lewis and Walker will utilize the network’s touch screens to preview the course.  Nobilo will break down the key shots and moments on-site at St. Andrews each day, and Lerner will deliver his signature essays and several St. Andrews feature stories throughout the week.

GolfChannel.com’s team of writers and the broadcast team will contribute to the network’s popular blogs – Tiger Tracks, Shag Bag and Punch Shots – with entries and posts throughout the week, along with daily columns, features and breaking news.  Rex Hoggard, Jay Coffin and several members of the broadcast team also will post twitter updates throughout the week, which will be re-posted on Golf Channel.com’s twitter feed.

A sampling of scheduled Live From St. Andrews features include:

·         Nobilo Takes on St. Andrews: Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo scouts the holes at St. Andrews prior to the start of the tournament in segments that will air throughout the week.

·         Tiger Woods at St. Andrews – Golf Channel will examine Woods’ record-breaking victory at the 2000 Open Championship, when he won by eight shots.

·         Lerner and St. Andrews – Rich Lerner will go in-depth for several feature stories on historic St. Andrews throughout the week. 

Live From St. Andrews TV Times (all times ET)

Tuesday, July 13:                    2-4 p.m. (News Conferences)

                                                6-7 p.m. (Golf Central)

Wednesday, July 14:               2-4 p.m. (News Conferences)

                                                6-8 p.m.

Thursday, July 15:                   7-9 p.m.

Friday, July 16:                       7-9 p.m.

Saturday, July 17:                   7-9 p.m.

Sunday, July 18                      1:30-2 p.m.

                                                7-9 p.m.

And we’re done.

The Thursday Links

O.k. working from home, but the point is working. Here are some links for you.

The Nielsen Wire blog 1/3rd of all American viewers are watching the World Cup.

Anthony Crupi at Mediaweek says people watching at sports bars and restaurants boost the viewership numbers for World Cup games on ESPN/ABC.

Milton Kent from Fanhouse talks about Stephen A. “A is for Acrimony” Smith leaving the Philadelphia Inquirer. Again.

Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter writes about the NFL Network picking up 14 regular season CFL games starting with tonight’s season opener.

Ryan Berenz of Channel Guide has the World Cup quarterfinals schedule.

Steve Elling of CBSSports.com looks at CBS’ 60 year association with the PGA Tour. 

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk recognizes the one year anniversary of his partnership with NBC Sports.

Martin Kaufmann of Golfweek says current golfer Rocco Mediate will be an on-course analyst for ESPN for the Open Championship at St. Andrews this month.

Jill Seward of NESN.com says NESN and Fox Soccer Channel will air an exhibition soccer game at Fenway Park later this month.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir talks about what having LeBron James would mean for the Knicks or the Nets and their respective TV networks.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union looks at the CFL going to the NFL Network for this season.

Gus Sentementes of the Baltimore Sun says former ESPN Zone workers are saying their rights were violated when the sports-themed restaurant shut down in June. 

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says University of Maryland sports has a new radio home in the District. 

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner writes that former Baltimore sports talk radio host Anita Marks is part of a new Sirius XM channel.

Ryan Wood in the Charlotte Observer profiles an ESPN Regional Television employee who went back to his native South Africa to help cover the World Cup for the Mothership. 

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says Miami and South Florida are getting ready for NBA free agency.

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the local CBS affiliate will air two Bengals primetime games this fall.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business talks with a long-time Sun-Times reporter who’s retiring this week.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune reports that Comcast SportsNet will air all of the Blackhawks postseason victories including the Stanley Cup clincher this summer.

The Springfield State Journal-Register notes that Comcast and Fox Sports Midwest have agreed for the cable company to carry the full slate of St. Louis Cardinals games for customers in Central Illinois.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Green Bay Packers have been ranked high an ESPN the Magazine list of all pro sports teams.

Bob Mayhall of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat writes that tomorrow’s Cardinals-Brewers game will be televised to Missouri National Guard troops stationed in Afghanistan.

Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star is enjoying the World Cup TV coverage. 

The Des Moines Register says Iowa State’s first three football games will be aired on TV.

Hap Fry of the Coloradoan tells us ESPN will be profiling a local high school athlete whose story touched a town earlier this year.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star looks at the CFL getting U.S. exposure on the NFL Network.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball talks about the amount of food that will be consumed at next week’s MLB All-Star Game.

Allison Waldman of TV Squad lists the most annoying hosts and that includes Bob Costas.

We’ll end it there for now.

Sports Shifted From Network TV to Cable By ESPN

These are events that used to be on network TV and have been or will be placed on ESPN:

Monday Night Football – ABC from 1970 – 2005. Since 2006, cable exclusive.

The Open Championship – Weekend coverage formerly on ABC for over 50 years. All four rounds on ESPN starting in 2010.

NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup – All 10 races formerly on ABC and 11 out of 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races on ABC (2006-2009). Nine out of ten Chase races will be on ESPN in 2010. ABC will have just three Sprint Cup races in 2010.

Bowl Championship Series -  All four bowl games and the BCS Championship Game to ESPN in 2011 after being on Fox and ABC.

I wonder if there will be more down the road. I know this doesn’t seem to be much, but I can certainly see more sports going all-cable, not just by ESPN, but perhaps other entities, especially if Comcast’s purchase of NBC goes through.

A Few Sunday Links

Well, with the entire fam getting together for the first time since Christmas time, I won’t be around much today so I’m trying to sneak a blog post in.

Just a reminder that there is some breaking news on the Boston sports radio front and head to the Fang’s Bites page at Boston Sports Media Watch.

Starting with Neil Best of Newsday (and those webmasters have got to get an RSS feed going for his blog), he writes that SNY’s announcers have had to deal with a pretty bad Mets team this season.

Neil writes that last week was a bad week in the sports media.

Neil did a podcast interview with the Fanhouse’s Ryan Wilson.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times spent some time with former broadcaster Tony Kubek who’s being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today.

Richard says the Hall often has to undergo scavenger hunts to find items related to their inductees.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News writes that Kubek is deserving to go into the Hall. I’ll agree with that.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick gets on the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs for something, my eyes glazed over.

Ken McMillan of the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record says Versus is close to finalizing a pretty decent college football schedule.

John Steigerwald writing in the Tarentum Valley (PA) Dispatch wonders what if the Ben Roethlisberger story is true.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies and soccer are among the highlights for viewing this weekend.

Jim talks with the ESPN NASCAR announcing team about today’s Brickyard 400.

The Greensboro (NC) News-Record talks with ACC Commissioner John Swofford in advance of the conference Media Days.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times talks about the backlash over the Erin Andrews and Ben Roethlisberger stories for ESPN.

George Robinson of the Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle says African American athletes will wonder if they will get the same protection from ESPN after what the network did for Ben Roethlisberger last week.

Barry Horn from the Dallas Morning News says Cowboys WR Patrick Clayton is an unlikely media star for ESPN.

Mark J. Konkol of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the investors into the now-defunct Windy City internet sports radio station are now suing the owner based on his alleged faulty business practices.

Todd A. Mayes of the Los Angeles Canyon News feels ESPN’s coverage of the Open Championship was under par.

Artie Gigantino from the San Francisco Examiner is sickened by the whole Erin Andrews affair.

Nick Peters of the Sacramento Bee profiles former Bee writer Nick Peters who goes into the Sportswriters Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame today.

USA Today picks up an AP story about former Kansas City Chiefs RB Priest Holmes who is now going into a second career as a broadcaster.

Joe Favorito writes about Nathan’s building its brand thanks to the annual Competitive Eating contest.

The Sports Media Watch looks at who could be the successor to Erin Andrews. The SMW has its weekend ratings predictions.

Ray Frager in the Sports Media Journal has one of the more reasonable takes on the Erin Andrews saga.

The Rookies blog noticed that Shaun Phillips was actually looking for the Erin Andrews tape. Not smart. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

No matter what you think of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann’s politics, one cannot dispute his love for baseball. He’s in Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies today and he’s writing about his experience in his MLB.com blog.

That’s going to do it for now.

The Last Ever TNT Quotage from The Open Championship

I’m going to miss getting TNT quotage from the Open Championship seeing that this is the last year for Turner Sports at Golf’s Oldest Major until at least 2014. Thanks to the fine people at TNT for getting this out so quickly not just today, but throughout the four days of the Open.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the Open Championship from the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland

Final Round – Sunday, July 19, 2009

Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ian Baker-Finch (analyst), Bill Kratzert (analyst) and Jim Huber (reporter)

Baker-Finch on the chances of Tom Watson winning the Open Championship: “I think the chances are very good (for Tom Watson to win). I think if he continues to do what he’s doing…he’s driving it great, he’s making a lot of birdies, everything he’s doing is just fantastic. The thing I think about Tom is he has more experience than anyone else. He’s done this five times before, he’s been playing here since 1975, he’s only missed a couple. I think he’s got the world behind him, all of Scotland is behind him. Scotland has always taken Tom as their own, he’s won four of his five titles here. I don’t see any reason why he can’t keep doing it. He’s putting well and it’s only the putter that lets him down on occasion and the putter hasn’t let him down this week. He’s 59 years of age, but he’s been winning on the Champions Tour in the U.S. and won the Senior Open Championship three times as well. It’s not like he’s been away from the game, he’s been competitive and winning.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed former Open Champion Mark Calcavecchia and his wife Brenda, who serves as his caddy.

Brenda Calcavecchia on being her husband Mark’s caddy: “I can’t lie, it is physically tough. But even when I’m not carrying the bag we talk throughout the round and I give him encouragement. This is a way for me to be out with him full-time and it works for us. He did throw one club one time at the TOUR Championship. It almost hit my ring, I said, ‘if you break the diamond you buy a bigger one,’ and that was the end of that.”

Kratzert on the weakness in Ernie Els’ game: “The obstacle (Ernie Els) has to overcome it just trying to put it in play in competition.”

Baker-Finch: “Yeah, he’s just lost his mojo. It’s self-belief that you need. The swing is there, it’s not like he’s lost his swing. It’s just you work on it and you try to find a feel. Some days he just doesn’t feel like he’s out there, doesn’t understand why.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed Ernie Els prior to his round.

Els on the possibility of Tom Watson, at 59 years old, winning a record tying sixth Open Championship: “Unbelievable, in the history of the game this could be it (the greatest feat). I know there have been great stories along the way in our sport; Bobby Jones winning the Grand Slam, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, a lot of great stories. Man, at 59 to win the Open Championship, that had to be a 10,000 to 1 shot that that’s ever going to happen, and it could happen today. He’s been unbelievable to watch and a hero of mine. Great links player, probably the best of our generation, so he’s got a great change to win.”

Kratzert on why he loves the Ailsa Course at Turnberry as an Open Championship site: “The addition of 22 bunkers, the added yardage 247 yards, it now plays over 7200 yards. You have a great mixture, you have a long Par Three (on hole) six, you look out there on the 11th and that short Par Three, that is a spectacular hole, the views are just unbelievable. It’s the Pebble Beach of Europe. I think with the changes they’ve made, visually it’s more pleasing. And we saw on the first day, if the wind doesn’t blow it’s a golf course you can go out and pretty much shoot the grass off it. (If there is weather), it becomes a very difficult challenge and that’s what I like.”

Baker-Finch on the success of Steve Marino, who had a strong showing in his first links course and Open Championship ever: “It’s created another American player (Steve Marino) coming over from the PGA TOUR, the first time ever on a links golf course on this stage. He’s just going to have a love affair with it now and it will last forever.”

Johnson on John Daly’s hounds tooth pants: “Put these pants on with a Bear Bryant hat and you are stylin’.”

Baker-Finch on amateur golfer Matteo Mannasero: “Matteo Mannasero, just always remember this name, this kid can really play and he’s a great putter. You’ll see him at next year’s Masters, he’s still only going to be 16.”

Kratzert on Ernie Els’ ability to pitch the ball: “Is (Ernie Els) not the best? Is he not one of the top five pitching the ball? Unbelievable. You know he’s accelerating through the shot, but it’s not visually detectable that he’s accelerating. It’s just so smooth through that there has to be that minimal amount of acceleration, otherwise he wouldn’t be as good as he is.”

Ernie Johnson signed off at 7:58 a.m. ET and I get this at 8:43 a.m. Very impressive.

Next year, it’s all ESPN’s and I have not received a single bit of quotage from their coverage this year.

Golf Channel Readies Its Post-Open Championship Coverage

On Golf Channel, it will go over the 3rd round in which Tom Watson is turning back the clock and leads the Open Championship as we go to the Final Round tomorrow.

Faldo and Nobilo Tackle Turnberry today on

Live From the Open Championship

ORLANDO, Fla., July 18 – Today’s Live From the Open Championship news coverage (2:30-4 p.m. ET; 7-9 p.m. ET) will go inside the ropes to recap the third round of play at Turnberry, featuring Nick Faldo re-creating exact shots on the course and GOLF CHANEL analyst Frank Nobilo, in addition to his expert analysis, taking viewers inside the minds of players as they approach the first tee box and what he misses about playing in the Open Championship.

Faldo and Nobilo will join GOLF CHANNEL’s team of analysts and reporters – Steve Sands and Tom Abbott from Turnberry and Kelly Tilghman, Kraig Kann, Rich Lerner, Todd Lewis, Peter Oosterhuis, Brandel Chamblee and Charlie Rymer from its network studios in Orlando – to break down the third round of the Open Championship and prepare viewers for Sunday’s final round. Alex Miceli and GOLF CHANNEL insider Tim Rosaforte will join the show for additional insight, and in his essay, Lerner wonders if “Old” Tom Watson is channeling the spirit of Old Tom Morris in Watson’s bid to make history.

Live From the Open Championship also will air in prime time tonight from 7-9 p.m. ET and re-air throughout the evening.

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

Saturday, July 18: 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 18: 7-9 p.m.

Sunday, July 19: 1:30 – 4 p.m.

Sunday, July 19: 7-9 p.m.

I hope the final round is highly rated because what a great story it would be for the 59 year old Watson to win tomorrow.

TNT Quotage from the Open Championship, 3rd Round

Nice to have quotage on a Saturday. Here’s what the TNT crew said during the early 3rd round coverage of the Open Championship.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the Open Championship from the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland

Round Three – Saturday, July 18, 2009

TNT’s coverage of the Open Championship concludes Sun., July 19 from 6 am – 8 am ET/PT. Watch live video coverage on PGA.com

Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ian Baker-Finch (analyst), Bill Kratzert (analyst) and Jim Huber (reporter)

Baker-Finch on the absence of Tiger Woods’ coach Hank Haney and the poor performance of Tiger Woods which caused him to miss the cut of the Open Championship: “Tiger told me that Hank (Haney) is going to work with Tiger leading into the majors and not come to the majors so he can just go out and concentrate on this game and concentrate on golf. Hank watches from home, I’m sure Hank’s seeing exactly what’s happening on those bad shots. They’ll go back and they’ll discuss it. Tom Weiskopf had a great expression last night, he said he’s going to retool. (Tiger is) going to home and retool, work on the things that went wrong under pressure and come back stronger next time.”

Kratzert on Tiger Woods following a similar pattern this year that he did in 2007 when he won the PGA Championship: “We saw the same pattern the year he won the PGA at Southern Hills. He did not play well over here, he was frustrated, didn’t hit any balls. All of a sudden, he went to the practice range, he kind of figured it out on his own and went on and won at Firestone and then won at Southern Hills. All of a sudden that started that streak of seven victories in a row. So he’ll go home and he’ll figure it out. He’s really disappointed with his performance and it is totally unacceptable for him.”

Baker-Finch on teeing off on the 10^th hole: “You’re elevated, the water and the cliff to the left hand side, severe rough on both sides, bunkers to avoid as well as that left to right wind…if you’re going to fear a tee shot, that’s the one you’re going to fear.”

Baker-Finch on the lack of confidence Justin Rose has in his swing: “I played with Justin Rose for the first two rounds at the Colonial (Invitational) a couple of months ago and he’s just not quite there from a confidence standpoint with his swing. When the pressure’s on, it gets a little bit tighter.”

Kratzert on Steve Marino who started Round Three in second place: “(Steve Marino) is a feel player, is his golf swing technically sound? I would have to say no, but the fact that he putts the ball so well and the fact that he’s like a (Fredrick) Jacobson…there are a lot of players out on the TOUR that get the job done with quality and there are a lot of players who get the job done with quantity. I think Marino is one of these quantity players, but if he keeps the hot putter he’s going to stay in it.”

Baker-Finch on the classic 1977 Open Championship which featured a showdown between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus dubbed ‘Duel in the Sun’: “I just have seen that at least 20 times, I think it’s the best. There are a lot of great Masters moments, but I think that the ‘Duel in the Sun’ with (Tom) Watson and (Jack) Nicklaus is just the absolute classic. There was a period of time there from 1977 to 1982 when we saw Jack and Tom battling it out in a lot of major championships.”

I love the quotage. But if you visit here often, you knew that already.

Some Saturday Links

I’ll do some linkage for you on this Saturday morning.

First, The Big Lead is really pissed about the Peeping Tom videos of Erin Andrews.

Here’s a statement from Erin’s lawyers who will pursue this case.

A quick note here. Many sports bloggers myself included liked posting pictures of Erin. And it was nice that Erin played along with us. She was a bit confused about the attention at first, but then she rolled along with it. In interviews, Erin said she found the attention a bit daunting in the beginning, but then began to show a sense of humor about it. But then the person responsible for taking the videos took this a step too far. I’ll admit, I’m going to take a step back on posting pictures of Erin for a while. The person who took these videos definitely went over the line in a big way.

To the other links today.

Jack Bell of the New York Times says the USA-Mexico World Cup Qualifier game will be aired in English, but you have to search to find it.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette feels Chris Russo lost a lot of credibility with his listeners.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union assembled a panel to rate the Mets and Yankees announcing teams.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News has ESPN/ABC’s Paul Maguire confused about his role with the network.

Patrick Berkery of the Philly Burbs papers says Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s Lesley Gudel’s expertise doesn’t stop at sports.

The Orlando Business Journal reports that Fox Sports Net and ESPN Regional TV have signed a multiyear agreement to put SEC football, basketball and Olympic sports on three of FSN’s networks.

Andrea Adelson of the Orlando Sentinel has details of the ESPN/FSN SEC contract.

Also from the Sentinel, Andrew Carter says the ACC has to play catchup on its TV contract with ESPN when it expires next year.

Andrew writes that the SEC’s huge contract has rival leagues worried.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Texas Rangers are doing well in the ratings. Barry has a video of Cowboys QB Tony Romo poking fun at himself.

Todd Jorgenson of the Denton (TX) Record Chronicle speaks with Rangers voice and Denton native Dave Barnett.

James Corley of the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN returns to its roots by airing slow-pitch softball this weekend.

Scott Wright of the Oklahoman says Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy makes the rounds on ESPN this Monday.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says it’s apparent that NBC likes the NHL.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the marriage of UFC and Rogers Sportsnet has been a match made in Canadian heaven.

T.J. Donegan of the Sports Media Journal looks at a side of the Steve McNair story that hasn’t been covered.

Chris Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media has the lowlights of Tiger Woods’ disastrous 2nd round at the Open Championship yesterday.

I’ll end it there for now.

Our Friday Megalinks

Time to do our megalinks. Kind of difficult as I watch the tributes to Walter Cronkite who passed away at the age of 92 tonight. He was one of the reasons why I went into broadcast journalism.

I’ll press on with the links tonight.

As usual, I’ll begin with the Weekend Viewing Picks.

We’re officially in the dog days of summer as we don’t have too much sports viewing other than the Open Championship and baseball for the weekend.

TNT and ABC share the Open Championship this weekend without Tiger Woods. At least there’s the story of a 59 year old Tom Watson that could bring viewers, but when Greg Norman was in the hunt last year, the ratings without Tiger for the Open were down considerably from the year before. TNT and ABC start coverage on Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sunday morning at 6.

Nationally, Fox, TBS and ESPN are forcefeeding the New York teams down our throats. We get a double dose of Mets-Braves on Fox and ESPN. Then TBS has Tigers-Yankees on Sunday afternoon. The only respite we get is from MLB Network and WGN America. Your baseball viewing for the weekend is right here.

The Tour de France continues and Versus has full coverage starting at 8:30 Saturday morning and 7:30 Sunday morning.

Check out the full viewing picks here.

Let’s get to the links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that the man known as Batting Stance Guy is getting more national recognition thanks to his spot on the Late Show with David Letterman.

The Hollywood Reporter picks up a story from John Consoli of sister publication Mediaweek that ad sales for upcoming sporting events are slow including the once recession-proof NFL.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that Versus’ ratings for the Tour de France are up 77% from last year.

Chris Byrne at the Eye on Sports Media may have pieced together the SEC on CBS schedule for this fall.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell reports that the Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade has become a Nike convert. Darren adds that NFL teams are seeing their ticket waiting lists go up in smoke.

The Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

The Big Lead says a St. Louis newspaper published the home addresses of several present and past Cardinals and got its credentials yanked as a result.

Deadspin says Erin Andrews is ready to file a lawsuit and for a very good reason. I hope she gets millions of dollars for this.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says WBZ-FM/The Sports Hub is ready to take on WEEI.

Speaking of WBZ-FM vs. WEEI, I have an interview with Chuck Wilson, formerly of ESPN Radio, about the upcoming battle between the two stations.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Bill Doyle talks with WHDH sports reporter Larry Ridley.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times took a tour of the new Cowboys Stadium.

Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY will show a Mets Classic game in which the team actually loses. In his blog, Neil writes that WFAN is a ratings powerhouse on Long Island. Neil has WFAN’s Operations Manager Mark Chernoff saying Craig Carton doesn’t cross the proverbial line. Neil toured Dodger Stadium during his vacation. Neil writes that Reggie Jackson is not happy with how ESPN portrayed him in “The Bronx is Burning”.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says people are watching the Mets on TV while refusing to go the games in person. That’s a bit of a stretch.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is pleasantly surprised that Mad Dog Radio apologized for pulling shenanigans on the listeners last week.

Justin Terranova of the Post talks with Sirius XM MLB Home Plate co-host Jim Duquette about the Yankees.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says this weekend’s ESPN on ABC production of the Open Championship will not be pleasant to the viewing eye.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times writes that the Capitals remain red hot with their fans.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says a new ratings system has produced some surprising results for the city’s sports radio stations.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Batting Stance Guy makes his Fox Sports Southwest debut this weekend.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News breaks down the sports radio ratings hour by hour. Barry is amazed that a Wal-Mart is located so close to the Cowboys’ new stadium.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with the new program director of a local sports radio station.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman writes that ESPN’s Ron Franklin plans on retiring when his contract expires early next year. Ron has been a class act and will be missed.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says a second sports radio station is about to hit the local area.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel chronicles former Buck Richard Jefferson’s interview with Howard Stern regarding him calling off his wedding.

From Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman has his winners and losers in sports business and media.

Paul Christian in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says Tom Watson rather be playing on Sunday than broadcasting the Open Championship on ABC.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says there’s a feud brewing between Cardinals TV analyst Al Hrabosky and manager Tony LaRussa.

Dan adds an urban sports radio station makes its debut next week in the Gateway City.

West

Scott D. Pierce in the Deseret (UT) News tells us that the mtn. will be offering more events in HD this season.

John Maffei in the North County Times gives new Padres TV voice Mark Neely good grades.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star criticizes Fox for missing the Presidential first pitch at the All-Star Game on Tuesday. And Jim talks with the TNT/ABC broadcast crew for the Open Championship.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times is bewildered that we can’t watch the Open Championship in HD. That will change next year.

Friend of Fang’s Bites Tom Hoffarth profiles popular TVG host and trackside reporter Christina Olivares. In his blog, Tom has some more with Ms. Olivares. Tom has his usual extensive media notes. And Tom looks back at the week in blogging.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News writes about Communist China’s delegation boycotting the Opening Ceremonies of the World Games being held in the democratically-elected country of Taiwan.

That’s going to do it for the megalinks. Thanks for reading.

TNT Quotage from the Open Championship, 2nd Round

Once again, TNT churns out the quotage from its second round coverage of the Open Championship in less than an hour from its signing off. Very nice.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the Open Championship from the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland

Round Two – Friday, July 17, 2009

TNT’s Round Three coverage of the Open Championship continues Sat., July 18 from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET. Watch live video coverage on PGA.com

Quote of the Day:

“That has to be one of the best moments in Championship history. One of the greatest tournaments in history was in 1977, 32 years ago when Watson and (Jack) Nicklaus battled it out (at Turnberry)”

- Former British Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch on Tom Watson’s birdie on his final hole of the day:

Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ian Baker-Finch, Bill Kratzert, Jim Huber, Terry Gannon, Tom Weiskopf, Paul Azinger, Peter Alliss, Mike Tirico, Curtis Strange and Judy Rankin

Baker-Finch on Nick Faldo’s ball rolling into the bunker at Hole #17: “That’s how bunkers should be. I’m really disappointed with the way the trend has become in Australia and the (United) States now where most fairway bunkers are in the rough, you don’t ever see that in the States anymore; a ball actually rolling into a bunker.”

Jim Huber interviewed Retief Goosen (-3) following the second round

Goosen on his play in the Open Championship: “I feel like I’ve been playing a lot better in the past six or seven months. If I can keep the putter going this weekend, then who knows.”

Baker-Finch on the key holes at Turnberry: “Those first ten or eleven holes today will be a real test of character and ability.”

Chief Executive of the R & A Peter Dawson joined Ernie Johnson and Ian Baker-Finch

Dawson on the Open Championship returning to Turnberry: “Turnberry is such a scenic venue. It’s a favorite among the players; they love the golf course, they love the hotel. It’s just a stunning location; the most beautiful place in golf. We are delighted to be back, it’s been too long.”

Dawson on Tom Watson doing well in the first round: “Tom is an adopted Brit. He’s won five of our Championships and the British golfing public love Tom Watson. He’s one of our favorites. I hope he keeps it together today.”

Dawson on golf becoming part of the Olympics: “There are seven sports biding for two spots in the Olympic Games for 2016. We’ve presented golf as best we can. All of the tours around the world are in support. The governing bodies are in support and the top players support both the men’s and women’s game. I’m very hopeful golf will succeed, but there are no guarantees.”

Johnson on John Daly’s colorful pants: “I wonder if you get an air sickness bag with that pair of pants.”

Alliss on Japanese teen phenom Ryo Ishikawa handling the media circus surrounding his first round: “I thought he did remarkably well (dealing with the media). The younger players play so much golf when they are of a high caliber and come from a country where golf is big stuff. They get used to traveling and going to other countries, experiencing other food and going through the customs. They get mature very quickly.”

Baker-Finch on the conditions at Turnberry: “At sea level the wind plays more of a factor because it’s a heavy wind. It was only 50 degrees when we came out here this morning and they sky was dull. It has brightened up a bit and I still think 70 to 72 is a good score.”

Baker-Finch on the Japanese photographers following Ryo Ishikawa possibly following the lower scoring Kenichi Kuboya: “Maybe some of those photographers will leave (Ryo) Ishikawa and come over and watch (Kenichi) Kuboya.”

Baker-Finch on Steve Marino’s bright future: “(Steve Marino) a birdie machine; one of the good, young players. Really, really good talent. He has only been on tour for a couple of years, but I think he will be a prolific winner. “

Curtis on Ryo Ishikawa’s youth: “(Ryo Ishikawa) is very, very talented, but very, very young at only 17 (years old). He has a lot of good years ahead of him.”

Azinger on how the weather is affecting the second round of the Open: “Some of these holes are playing four club differences compared to yesterday.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed Mark Calcavecchia (-4) following the second round

Calcavecchia on his performance on Day #2: “I’m happy with my score. I’ve been playing good, so it’s fun. This occasion brings out my best.”

Azinger on the crowd helping Tiger Woods find his golf ball: “There isn’t another player in the field who is afforded the luxury of 100 people looking for his golf ball.”

Baker-Finch on Tom Watson: “He is so good in the wind. He is confident in the way he’s striking the ball.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed Kenny Perry (+3) earlier in the week

Perry on playing while his mom is suffering from cancer: “If you dwell on it, it gets tough. You’ve got to live and keep moving in this world.”

Rankin on Sergio Garcia’s second round: “(Sergio Garcia’s) humor has been good all day. He’s had a smile on his face and enjoyed the day. He’s picked himself up from a couple bad things.”

Johnson on Wood’s performance: “This is so unexpected. Based on what we heard from players and others who had seen him in the practice rounds. The zone that he was in, they said to watch out.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed tournament leader Tom Watson (-5) following his second round

Watson on leading the Open Championship after two rounds: “I made two no-brainers there, ‘field goals’ as my dad called them. Something is on my side right now and things are happening my way.”

Watson on his made long putt on the 9^th green: “That (putt) turned me around. Lady Turnberry had her gloves off and I hadn’t put in a good counter-punch until then.”

Watson on his second round: “It was a special day. I don’t have many years left to play in the Open Championship but I’ve had some wonderful memories and maybe I can make one more memory here.”

Watson on if he thinks he can win the 2009 Open Championship: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could.”

TNT’s Jim Huber interviewed co-leader Steve Marino (-5) following the second round

Marino on the change in conditions from Day One to Day Two: “Yesterday was absolutely perfect for scoring and today was a total grind out there. The wind was totally opposite from yesterday. It was cold and there were bouts of rain every now and then. It was very, very difficult.”

Marino on if he had any expectations playing in his first Open Championship: “To be honest, I didn’t have any expectations. I wanted to come over here and enjoy myself, enjoy the experience and do the best I could.”

I wonder if I’ll quotage during the weekend. We shall see.