Fang's Bites

Bringing The Thursday Linkage

Ok, we have the LeBronathon coming up tonight. Lots of stories ragging on “The Decision” so let’s get to them. Why wait?

USA Today’s Mike Lopresti is sick of LeBron and ESPN.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who appeared on the Dan Patrick Show this morning has his take on the whole LeBronathon.

Sports business writer Evan Weiner says the marriage of LeBron and ESPN sets a bad precedent.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age writes that ESPN sold its soul to the Devil in order to get the LeBronathon on the air.

Milton Kent from Fanhouse says ESPN lost some integrity by giving LeBron James an hour of airtime. I think ESPN lost its integrity a long time ago.

Milton has an ESPN executive defending its decision to air “The Decision.”

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the stock market is betting that LeBron James becomes a New York Knick.

Darren says James can make more money in Miami than Cleveland due to Florida not having an income tax. 

Paul J. Gough of the Hollywood Reporter has media analysts scratching their heads over the demands made by LeBron James’ management team to get an hour of airtime on ESPN.

Stuart Levine from Variety says the LeBronathon is a study in excess.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News looks at the unique time buy that led to “The Decision” on ESPN.

Ryan Berenz from Channel Guide Magazine isn’t happy about hyping “The Decision.”

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at ESPN’s granting LeBron James one hour of airtime tonight.

Harvey Araton of the Times asks if James deserves the ESPN airtime. 

Also from the Times, Lynn Zinser mocks the reporters using anonymous sources trying to be first in the LeBron story.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post hates the idea of ESPN giving a program to James. Of course he does, but he’s right.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says ESPN has sold its soul to accommodate LeBron James.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner has details of “The Decision.”

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times has his take on ESPN providing LeBron James airtime.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald provides the nuts and bolts on the LeBronathon.

Josh Robbins in the Orlando Sentinel has Magic coach Stan Van Gundy’s opinion on the whole LeBron malarkey.

Mark Bradley from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says we can’t hide from the LeBronathon. 

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle there’s some genius behind the LeBron decision.

Also from the Chronicle, David Barron writes that the one hour special is feeding James’ ego. 

To the Detroit News and Vincent Goodwill who doesn’t like LeBron/ESPN marriage. 

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business feels the LeBronathon is feeding James’ ego.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune says the one hour special actually fails to maximize James’ brand.

In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bob Wolfley says “The Decision” is ego-driven.

Bob Mayhall of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat notes that “The Decision” is the ultimate reality show for Cleveland, Chicago, New York and Miami.

Mark Heisler in the Los Angeles Times feels LeBron James is making a spectacle of himself.

Scott Collins and Joe Flint of the Times says “The Decision” is big for ESPN as well.

Drew Magery of Deadspin calls out LeBron James.

The great SportsbyBrooks looks at how freelancer Jim Gray helped to plant the seed with James’ camp to bring “The Decision” to fruition.

Dave Kohl of the Major League Programs blog feels the LeBronathon is not really news. 

Now to non-LeBronathon stories.

ESPN Ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer talks about the network dealing with the vuvuzelas for the World Cup.

Sean Leahy in USA Today’s The Huddle blog says free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens is putting the blame squarely on ESPN as to why he hasn’t been signed as of yet.

Glen Dickson in Broadcasting & Cable talks about the cable providers picking up YES’ 3-D telecasts of Mariners-Yankees this weekend.

Anthony Crupi of Mediaweek notes that despite the USA losing early in the World Cup knockout round, ratings on ESPN and ABC for the quarterfinals were strong.

Mediaweek’s Mike Shields says the World Cup has led many fans to head to their cell phones to watch.

Yinda Adegoke of Reuters says the World Cup has exceeded all expectations for ESPN. 

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine writes that Univision isn’t just about the World Cup.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce has joined ESPN’s army of NFL analysts.

Jessica Heslam from the Boston Herald says former SNY and WHDH-TV reporter Julie Donaldson is back on the air freelancing for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Donaldson resigned from WHDH in 2008 after some personal matters were revealed during a domestic abuse case.

Jackie Majerus in the Bristol (CT) Press says ESPN is going to get a tax break for a new child day care facility

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says MSG Network will carry five New York Knicks NBA Summer League games next week.

Gary Dulac and Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has NBC’s Dottie Pepper raving about the Oakmont course that’s the home of this year’s US Women’s Open. 

Back to Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner who has details of the ESPN/ACC 12 year rights deal.

Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution also has a look at the ESPN/ACC contract.

Eric Snyder of the Nashville Business Journal says the NHL’s Predators have signed a new deal to put more games on Fox Sports Tennessee and SportSouth.

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that a local sports radio producer will become the voice of a local minor league hockey team.

The Sports Media Watch says the AT&T National with Tiger Woods out of contention did not do well for CBS Sports.

Emmett Jones in Sports Business Digest says Facebook might be sponsoring the English national soccer team.

And we’ll end it there.

U.S. Open Overnight Ratings Up 35% From Last Year

The U.S. Open in primetime is definitely a success. With the 3rd and 4th rounds going well into the evening hours on the East Coast and in the Midwest, there were plenty of people watching as the final round went down to the last hole. Certainly a good thing for NBC and with Tiger Woods out of contention early on Sunday, people still watched. You can rest assured that NBC and the USGA will attempt to add more West Coast U.S. Open sites in the future.

Here’s NBC’s giddy announcement on the ratings.

U.S. OPEN UP 35% FROM LAST YEAR

6.9 Overnight Rating is Best in 9 Years For Open That Tiger Woods Did Not Win

U.S. Open No. 1 Program on Sunday Night

New York. – June 21, 2010 – NBC Sports’ final-round coverage of the U.S. Open from Pebble Beach was up 35 percent in the overnight ratings from last year, according to data provided by The Nielsen Company.  Sunday’s coverage (3-9:15 p.m. ET), which saw Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell win his first major championship, drew an overnight rating of 6.9/15 up 35 percent from last year’s 5.1/12 (1:30-8:15 p.m.ET) and the best for a Sunday round of a U.S. Open in which Tiger Woods did not win since 2001 when Retief Goosen won the Open from Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla (7.0/17).

The rating peaked at a 9.6/17 from 9-9:15 as McDowell defeated France’s Gregory Havret by one stroke.

U.S. OPEN NO. 1 PROGRAM ON SUNDAY NIGHT: The U.S. Open was the No. 1 program of the night, registering an overnight rating of 8.4/16 (7-9:15 p.m. ET), boosting NBC to the No. 1 network on Sunday night. The Open on NBC dominated the competition, nearly doubling its closest competitor (CBS, 7-9 p.m. ET, 4.6).

SUNDAY’S TOP 10 MARKETS:

1. West Palm Beach     12.0/20

2. Ft. Myers                 10.7/20

3. Columbus                 9.1/21

T4. Pittsburgh               9.0/19

T4. Norfolk                  9.0/15

T6. Buffalo                   8.9/19

T6. Cincinnati               8.9/18

T8. Greensboro            8.6/15

T8. Tulsa                      8.6/15

10. Phoenix                  8.4/18

That’s it.

Thursday Quickie Links

I’ll do as much linkage as I can. I was at a jobsite already and I have to go out later so while I can, I’ll provide some links.

First, technology writer Edward C. Baig of USA Today writes that he enjoyed watching the World Cup in 3-D, but it will take more than that to make him a total convert.

Also from USA Today, Friend of Fang’s Bites Mike McCarthy breaks news that it appears that ESPN’s Erin Andrews will test the free agent market as her contract expires on July 1. Her last event for ESPN could be the College World Series which begins on Saturday. I’m thinking she’s already gone from ESPN. Just my prediction and I have nothing to base it on.

The Big Lead says MLB Network is one entity possibly pursuing Erin, but I do believe she’ll be going to either Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra or even Inside Edition. Maybe NBC can offer a package similar to Maria Menounos, report for Access for entertainment stories, then do serious stories for NBC News and celebrity interviews for Dateline. When the Olympics comes along, Erin will be back doing sports for NBC, but only for the Olympics.

John Eggerton at Broadcasting & Cable has NBC Sports’ plans to cover the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that the World Fishing Network will devote an entire day of programming to raise money for those affected by the BP Oil Disaster.

Mike adds that NBC and Universal Sports have obtained the rights to the next two Rugby World Cups. No coincidence as rugby will be in the 2016 Olympics.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has ESPN’s feelings on the infamous vuvuzelas.

Pete also has the ESPN2/ESPNU schedule for Wimbledon which starts next week.

Comcast SportsNet continues to buy blogs, this time, Beerleaguer, a Phillies-centric blog. Congratulations to Jason Weitzel who will continue to run the blog. 

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks about US Open TV coverage this week.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times also speculates on Erin Andrews’ next career move.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer says tickets are now on sale for the new Pete Rose movie.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business writes that Comcast SportsNet Chicago will get a dose of Strasburgmania on Friday.

Ed also noticed some new ads around Wrigley Field, signs of new things to come from the new ownership.

At the Chicago Tribune, Phil Rosenthal looks at the Sun-Times trimming staff including former sports media writer Jim O’Connell.

To the Los Angeles Times where Scott Collins writes that ESPN is having a ratings boon thanks to the World Cup.

The Toronto Star’s Chris Zelkovich reports that Rogers Sportsnet will be back airing the Raptors next season at the expense of CBC and The Score which both will be dropped by the team.

James Christie of the Toronto Globe and Mail reviews the new CTV DVD box set on the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Sports Media Watch notes that the NBA Finals Game 6 on Tuesday was the most watched Game 6 in 10 years, but there is a caveat.

And SMW says NASCAR on TNT dipped to an extremely low rating.

The Big Lead has video of former ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley pounding ESPN during CBS’ Early Show.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball has two rare MLB documents that until now, were mostly kept private.

I’ll have to end it there for now. I hope to do an update tonight.

A Bunch of U.S. Open Releases

We have a whole host of U.S. Open-related press releases and they’re from NBC, ESPN Radio, and Sirius XM. We’ll need to do a jump break, but first, we’ll give you what NBC Sports is saying about the Open which is going to be in primetime all four days.

TIGER WOODS, PHIL MICKELSON & GOLF’S BEST COMPETE FOR 2010 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT PEBBLE BEACH THURSDAY-SUNDAY ON NBC SPORTS

“This is the top of the top.” – NBC Sports’ Johnny Miller

“It is singularly the most important golf course in America.” – NBC Sports’ Roger Maltbie on Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach, Calif. – June 16, 2010 – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, defending champion Lucas Glover and the best players in the world will compete for the 2010 U.S. Open Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California this Thursday-Sunday on NBC.

NBC Sports will provide more than 16 hours of high definition U.S. Open coverage – the most extensive coverage provided for any golf event and the only tournament with network coverage of first- and second-round play. The third and fourth rounds will be broadcast in primetime. On Saturday, NBC Sports’ third-round coverage will air from 4:30-11 p.m. ET, while final-round coverage will air on Father’s Day Sunday from 3-9 p.m. ET.

Thursday, June 17        3-5 p.m. ET

Friday, June 18            3-5 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 19        4:30-11 p.m. ET

Sunday, June 20        3-9 p.m. ET

Bob Costas will serve as event host for the third and final rounds. Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, together for their 11^th season, anchor coverage from the 18th-hole tower. Hicks and Miller are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch, Brad Faxon, and Peter Jacobsen; on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper; interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts and Golf World’s Tim Rosaforte.

“CUE BALL” CAMERAS: Similar to the ‘periscope’ cameras used at THE PLAYERS Championship, NBC Sports will employ two ‘cue ball’ cameras at Pebble Beach at the seventh and 18^th holes. The 18^th hole camera will provide a unique view of the players approaching the green from the ocean side and will have a point-blank view of a ball that lands in the bunker. In addition, there will be a new crane camera on the 18^th hole (see Tommy Roy’s comments below).

NBC SPORTS BY THE NUMBERS:

1                      Blimp

10                    Production Trucks

51                    Cameras

274                  On-site staff                 

2,430,000        Feet of fiber cable

“IT’S NOT A FAIR FIGHT”: Roger Maltbie recounts Tiger Woods’ famous shot at the Par 5 sixth hole during the 2000 U.S. Open Championship from Pebble Beach:

“Tiger drove the ball in the right rough. I was on the Tower at 18. My thought was that most of the guys in the field would have to hack a wedge out underneath a gigantic hillside cliff. It was a very elevated, blind shot up over this hill. He put himself in a really horrible position. The next thing you know, he pulls out what I think was a seven iron and he hacks this ball up and over the cliff, and runs it onto the front of the green. All kind of grass flew everywhere.

“I was so flabbergasted that the only thought that came to my mind was ‘It’s just not a fair fight.’ No one else can do this. Sometimes the fun and the marvel of watching Tiger play is that he’ll hit shots that very few people in the world can even contemplate hitting. And when he does it, you’re just floored.”

CONFERENCE CALL: Hicks, Miller, Maltbie and NBC Sports’ golf producer Tommy Roy all took part in a conference call today to preview NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open from Pebble Beach. Following are highlights.

HICKS ON US OPEN: “It’s the greatest championship we do. When you combine that at Pebble Beach, it makes it incredibly special.”

MILLER ON A US OPEN AT PEBBLE BEACH: “This is the top of the top for me. It goes back to when I was eight years old, coming to Pebble Beach and watching the Bing Crosby…For me, it’s just the best. The Tiger Woods performance in 2000, I thought, was the best I had ever seen. It was the best in history.”

MALTBIE ON PEBBLE BEACH: “It is singularly the most important golf course in America. If you ask an international person what golf course they recognize in America, their first words will be Pebble Beach. It is a grand golf course and a huge part of the story…It is brilliant in how its laid out. It has the smallest greens in all of championship golf, and most of these players have only seen this golf course in the throws of winter when its soft and entirely different. This is a different animal this week. I’ve never seen the golf course better…Play lines from the tee have been shifted to bring the coast more into play. Of course, that’s the golf course’s singular most important feature.”

ROY: “It’s the world’s greatest golfers playing on America’s best venue. There’s no need for gimmicks or television gadgetry here. It’s all about the pictures and the storytelling… I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow, the opening round, since we went off the air from here 10 years ago. Away we go.”

HICKS ON 2000 US OPEN: “It’s hard to believe that it’s been all these years since I did my first US Open with Johnny in 2000, and we all know what happened there. Little did I know that as we reflect back some 10 years ago that we would be where we are with Tiger right now, but at the time it was the greatest performance we’ve ever seen. I think, taking with Johnny and others about it through the years and even at the time, I didn’t think we’d see anything that would come close. Honestly, in my lifetime, I don’t know if we’ll every see anything like what we saw that week at Pebble Beach.”

MILLER ON TIGER’S SWING COMPARED TO 2000: “His middle and short iron swing has been pretty good. He has nice tempo. He pauses at the top like in 2000…His driver swing is like another person swinging. It doesn’t really resemble the iron swing.”

HICKS ON STORYLINES: “The storylines coming in here on this incredible golf course — a golf course that I think is going to be different than any other Pebble Beach championship of tournament that’s been staged here. With everything that’s been done with the golf course, it’s going to be absolutely off the charts and in incredible shape. It’s a beautiful day here today. The weather’s going to dictate a lot of things…The fact that we go into primetime on Saturday and Sunday…If we get the kind of story lines that we think we can get, it will be a tremendous success not only for NBC Sports but for everybody watching at home. To have this incredible golf course on display in that time frame is special.”

MILLER ON STORYLINES: “A lot of guys just cannot handle the US Open pressure. Everything plays out after the first round. I’m excited to see what does happen, to see if Tiger woods can actually come out of the box and put all his stuff behind him and actually turn back the clock to 2000 and do his thing, and whether Ernie Ells can get back on track, and Phil, the birthday boy today. There are a million stories.”

MALTBIE ON THE WEATHER: “You never know about the fog here on the coast. It will be the players’ friend, if we do get that.  If we have sunny conditions with a bit of breeze, this golf course will provide a great championship. I’d be very surprised if any body broke par. I would be very shocked at that.”

MILLER ON HIS FAMILIARITY WITH THE COURSE: I could be in Italy right now and cover the US Open and you wouldn’t know it. I know every blade of grass out here. I know every break on the green. I’ve gone out and seen every pin placement, hole location. For me it’s like going home.”

MALTBIE ON THE WEATHER II: “You want it to be foggy. Fog is your friend. There is a little moisture in the grass. It slows the course just ever so slightly and usually the wind doesn’t blow when it’s foggy. If that fog goes away, it’s because the wind pushed it away…The wind will suck whatever moisture remaining in these greens out and they become extremely hard at that point in time…It changes it’s complexion completely.”

MILLER ON PRESSURE: “The pressure at the Open and the British Open and the Masters is just amazing. It’s such a great feeling when you really look at it…All Nicklaus wanted to do is give himself a chance on the back nine…Not everyone can handle it — the pressure of winning an Open…Usually you still have to hit some pressure shots and usually have to go through the gauntlet like no other. The US Open is the heaviest pressure in the world. To win the trophy that says ‘United States Open.’ I don’t think we as Americans quite appreciate what the rest of the world feels when they hold up that trophy…It’s just huge. A European hasn’t won since 1970. I think it’s just the pressure of the US Open, not so much the courses or the set up. We’re an amazing country and everyone would like to have their name on that trophy.”

MILLER ON TOM WATSON: “He’ll just play it with a lot of wisdom and cunning, and also past knowledge…Forget the age. You think, ‘well, he’s not a favorite’ but he could contend. I don’t know if he can do it for four rounds, but he’s a great part of the story if he can have a good first round.”

ROY ON 18th HOLE CRANE CAMERA: “The camera is actually on a big crane parked in a family’s backyard here. They were kind enough to let us park the crane in their backyard. They actually tore out their shrubbery in the back so we could get it in there. The tee shots at 18 will be struck right at this camera, and then the second shots will be what we call a “speed shot.” So the ball will actually come flying by our camera and then land in the vicinity of the green. It’s an angle that no one’s ever seen before here at Pebble. No one’s ever been able to put a camera in a position like that. I can tell you, it’s going to be a dramatic shot. Should be fun.”

More stuff coming up after the break
Next, ESPN Radio announces that it will carry complete play-by-play coverage of the U.S. Open for the first time this year. It’s part of a two year agreement. Sean McDonough handles play-by-play at first then gives way to Bob Wischusen. If you’re wondering if Sean has called golf before, he has for CBS at The Masters.

ESPN Radio Debuts Golf Play-by-Play with Prime-Time U.S. Open Coverage

ESPN Radio tees off a two-year agreement with the United States Golf Association June 17 with exclusive play-by-play coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open Championships across its various media platforms from Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

Sean McDonough and Judy Rankin (1-3 p.m.), and Bob Wischusen and Dennis Paulson (3-7 p.m.) will call Thursday and Friday play, with on-course reporters Bill Rosinski and Doug Bell. Weekend action will feature McDonough and Curtis Strange in the booth, with Rankin, Rosinski and Wendy Nix reporting from the course.

ESPN Radio’s 2010 U.S. Open Championships Coverage (Times ET)

ESPN Radio will broadcast complete 18-hole coverage of each weekend day’s final group. If a playoff is needed, ESPN Radio will also broadcast the entire 18 holes starting at noon Monday.

Thu. June 17             1-7 p.m.

Fri. June 18                1-7 p.m.

Sat. June 19               5-11 p.m./conclusion

Sun. June 20             3-9 p.m. /conclusion

Mon, June 21             noon-conclusion

The agreement with the USGA, marking ESPN Radio’s initial foray into golf play-by-play, includes the 2011 U.S. Open Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

ESPN Radio has live hole-by-hole coverage rights for the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada, as well as the right to distribute content via any and all means of audio distribution, including terrestrial radio, satellite radio (SIRIUS channel 120, XM channel 140), HD radio, broadband and wireless audio platforms. Play-by-play and studio content will also be simulcast on ESPNRadio.com and other digital audio platforms, with some content available in podcast form.

As mentioned in the ESPN Radio press release, Sirius XM will carry ESPN Radio’s coverage and we have that announcement here.

SIRIUS XM RADIO TO CARRY LIVE BROADCAST COVERAGE OF U.S. OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

ESPN’s hole-by-hole coverage airs June 17-20 from Pebble Beach

Listeners nationwide will have access to live on-course play-by-play on ESPN Radio, SIRIUS channel 120 and XM channel 140

NEW YORK – June 16, 2010 – SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will offer ESPN Radio’s live play-by-play coverage of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, running Thursday, June 17, through Sunday, June 20, at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, on SIRIUS channel 120 and XM channel 140.

The U.S. Open Championship is considered by many to be the most difficult and complete test in golf with its length and high rough putting a premium on both distance and accuracy. Pebble Beach has hosted the U.S. Open four previous times, most recently in 2000, when it was won in remarkable fashion by Tiger Woods who finished at 12 under par and an incredible 15 shots better than the runners up.

Live play-by-play will air Thursday and Friday (1:00-7:00 pm ET), Saturday (5:00-11:00 pm/conclusion ET), and Sunday (3:00-9:00 pm/conclusion ET) on ESPN Radio, SIRIUS channel 120 and XM channel 140.

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

There you have it.

ESPN Presents the U.S. Open From Pebble Beach in Primetime

ESPN will present live 1st and 2nd round coverage golf’s second major tournament of the year, the U.S. Open from Pebble Beach. Thanks to the West Coast and extended daylight hours, coverage extends into primetime to 10 p.m. this Thursday and Friday. And NBC’s coverage should go until 9 on both Saturday and Sunday. Hardcore golf fans won’t like the fact that Chris Berman is back for another year. Scott Van Pelt will host with Mike Tirico in South Africa for the World Cup.

Here are the details of ESPN’s coverage.

ESPN’s Coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open Championship Returns to Prime Time

First and Second Rounds Live on TV, Over 65 Unique Hours Across Multimedia Platforms

In its 29^th consecutive year, ESPN will present comprehensive multiplatform coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., including live telecasts of the first two rounds on ESPN on Thursday and Friday, June 17-18. Additionally, there will be coverage of the National Championship across 14 platforms: ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPNEWS, ESPNEWS HD, ESPN Classic, ESPN International, ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, ESPN Audio, ESPN On Demand, Interactive Television and ESPN Mobile TV.

ESPN will deliver 14 hours of live first- and second-round action (1 – 3 p.m. ET and 5 – 10 p.m. ET both days). In addition, ESPN and ESPN2 will air SportsCenter at the U.S. Open preview and highlight shows, plus The Best of the U.S. Open Friday and Saturday in the overnight hours and re-airs of the third and final rounds over the weekend. All telecasts will be in high definition.

Chris Berman, who has covered the U.S. Open on ESPN since 1986, and Scott Van Pelt will host ESPN’s live telecasts Thursday and Friday. ESPN’s golf team also includes two-time U.S. Open Champions Curtis Strange (analyst) and Andy North (on-course reporter) as well as Roger Maltbie, Terry Gannon, Gary Koch and Sean McDonough (hole announcers) and on-course reporters Bill Kratzert and Judy Rankin. Van Pelt and John Anderson will anchor SportsCenter reports from Pebble Beach. Tom Rinaldi will contribute interviews and reports and ESPN The Magazine columnist Rick Reilly will provide essays and commentary.

Among the features planned for ESPN’s television coverage:

• Was Tiger Woods’ performance at Pebble Beach in 2000 the most dominant ever?
• Pebble Beach’s 7th hole, one of the shortest and toughest holes in golf
• 50 years ago, Arnold Palmer’s big moment at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills
• A look at what players are really thinking about in their backswing
• What does a “Swing Doctor” really do?
• An essay on Tiger Woods by Rick Reilly

2010 U.S. Open & ESPN

ESPN3.com

ESPN3.com will offer four unique channels of U.S. Open early round coverage Thursday and Friday, including:

• ESPN’s live TV coverage (1-3 p.m. & 5-10 p.m.)
• Holes 7 & 17 (live 1-10 p.m.)
• 18^th Hole (live 1-10 p.m.)
• Historical U.S. Open Championships at Pebble Beach (1972 – Jack Nicklaus, 1982 – Tom Watson, 1992 – Tom Kite and 2000 – Tiger Woods)

ESPN Audio

The 2010 U.S. Open marks ESPN Audio’s initial foray into golf play-by-play. ESPN Radio will present live play-by-play coverage of all four rounds of the U.S. Open (1-7 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday, 5-11 p.m. on Saturday and 3-9 p.m. Sunday).  Additionally, ESPN Radio will produce preview specials on Tuesday and Wednesday (7-8 p.m.), post-championship shows and live updates within SportsCenter reports airing three times per hour. ESPNRadio.com, ESPN Deportes Radio and ESPNDeportes.com will include the U.S. Open leaderboard, Championship updates and player interviews. Sean McDonough and Bob Wischusen will host live broadcasts with other ESPN analysts contributing. Chuck Wilson and Freddie Coleman will host preview shows with Doug Brown, Marc Kestecher and Dan Davis providing post-round coverage.  ESPN Radio’s coverage of the U.S. Open will also be available on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio (Sirius channel 120 and XM channel 140).

Interactive Television

ESPN will produce the U.S. Open Mix interactive TV offering, available through DirecTV (channels 701-705), which will include four channels of live TV coverage, Marquee Group, Holes 7 & 17 and the 18^th hole.  U.S. Open Mix will be available all four days of the Championship.

ESPN.com

Covering the 2010 U.S. Open from all angles, ESPN.com will provide:

• Jason Sobel’s popular daily Cover It Live analysis throughout the Championship;
• Expert opinions from featured writers that include Gene Wojciechowski, Bob Harig and Sobel;
• Interactive leaderboard and live scores;
• A golf-themed fantasy game, Best Ball Majors, U.S. Edition, the second installment of the ESPN Best Ball Challenge;
• Extensive video content, including highlights, analysis, clips from SportsCenter and press conferences;
• Also, photo galleries, podcasts, live chats, SportsNation polling and more.

ESPN Mobile

• Live mobile video simulcasts of ESPN’s first- and second-round telecasts and SportsCenter presented by IBM at the U.S. Open preview shows of the third and final rounds;
• News and highlights on the ESPN mobile Web site with a U.S. Open leaderboard;
• U.S. Open Insider content, news, and columns;
• Scoring alerts for top players;
• Video shot packs of select golfers.

ESPN On Demand

Available to approximately 27 million households nationwide, ESPN On Demand will offer unique U.S. Open programming to fans, including Tiger Woods’ victories in 2000, 2002 and 2008; Jack Nicklaus’ last U.S. Open win in 1980; and a Sport Science piece focused on the spin produced by golf wedges.

ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic will pay tribute to the U.S. Open beginning Tuesday, June 15, with 35 hours of official U.S. Open highlight videos leading up to the first round Thursday, June 17.

ESPN International

ESPN International will televise over 26 hours of live U.S. Open action to more than 218 million homes and 133 countries outside the U.S., including viewers in Asia (ESPN Star Sports), Canada (TSN), the Caribbean, Israel, Latin America, the Middle East and Northern Africa. ESPN’s telecast in Latin America will feature the commentator team of Silvia Bertolaccini and Francisco Aleman, and in Brazil, Marco Rodrigues and Ricardo Melo. Fans in Latin America will also be able to follow ESPN’s live simulcast television coverage and a continuous feed of Pebble Beach’s signature holes, including the 7^th, 17^th and 18^th via ESPN Play – ESPN’s signature broadband platform in the region–along with full editorial coverage on ESPNDeportes.com.

When NBC’s press release comes in, I’ll be sure to post it.

Get Ready For U.S. Open Golf In Primetime

With the U.S. Open being played at the lovely Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, NBC and ESPN will take advantage of the time difference between the East and West coasts and extend play into the evening hours for all four rounds. This is something I like and wish the West Coast tournaments would do when the golf season begins. It’s done in Hawaii, but why not for the West Coast Swing?

Here is the release issued by both NBC Sports and the US Golf Association.

2010 U.S. OPEN LIVE TELEVISION COVERAGE INCLUDES PRIME TIME

Far Hills, N.J. (April 19) – The 2010 U.S. Open Championship June 17-20 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links will be broadcast in prime time on NBC and ESPN to the Eastern and Central time zones as part of more than 30 hours of live television coverage between June 17-20.

ESPN will begin coverage on the first two days of championship play (June 17-18) with air times of 1-3 p.m. EDT each day. NBC Sports’ coverage of the first two rounds will air from 3-5 p.m. EDT, followed by coverage from 5-10 p.m. EDT on ESPN. NBC Sports will broadcast the third round (June 19) from 4:30-11 p.m. EDT and the fourth round (June 20) from 3-9 p.m. EDT. 

“Providing primetime coverage of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach on NBC and ESPN gives the entire nation immediate access to the drama of our national golf championship,” said USGA president Jim Hyler. “This up-to-the-minute window elevates the experience of the U.S. Open at one of golf’s most beautiful and challenging venues.”

NBC Sports will provide more than 16 hours of high-definition U.S. Open coverage – the most extensive HD coverage ever provided for a golf event. ESPN’s coverage will span 14 hours over the first two days of competition.

If necessary, a playoff will be contested starting at noon EDT on Monday, June 21. ESPN will cover the first two hours and NBC will then provide coverage until completion.

Links coming up soon. Keep it here.

Two ESPN Press Releases

I have a couple of releases for you from the ESPN World Headquarters in Bristol, CT. Both are quite interesting.

First, ESPN has signed a rights deal with the US Golf Association for ESPN Radio to provide play-by-play coverage of the US Open as well as provide audio coverage for fans attending the tournament.

ESPN AUDIO, USGA AGREE ON BROADCAST RIGHTS FOR 2010, 2011 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Far Hills, N.J., & Bristol, Conn. (March 11) – ESPN Audio and the United States Golf Association have announced an agreement granting ESPN Audio exclusive rights to present play-by-play coverage of the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Open Championships on its various media platforms.

The deal provides ESPN Audio live hole-by-hole coverage rights for the United States, its territories and possessions, and Canada, as well as the right to distribute content via any and all means of audio distribution, including terrestrial radio, satellite radio, HD radio, broadband and wireless audio platforms.

The 2010 U.S. Open Championship will be played June 17-20 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links and marks ESPN Audio’s initial foray into golf play-by-play. The 2011 U.S. Open Championship will be played June 16-19 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

“We are so pleased to partner with ESPN Radio in connection with our efforts to bring the U.S. Open to as many fans of the game as possible and in as many ways as possible,” said Peter Bevacqua, chief business officer of the USGA. “We are also looking forward to working with ESPN to provide on-site radio coverage that will benefit and improve the overall experience of our championship spectators.”

“We look forward to presenting the U.S. Open to our fans, affiliates and advertisers, and to adding one of golf’s majors to our other top-shelf event programming, including the NBA and The Finals, MLB and the World Series, and the BCS and its championship,” said Mo Davenport, senior vice president of ESPN Audio. “ESPN Audio will utilize its expertise across all of our platforms, from the standard terrestrial broadcast to podcast offerings, allowing fans to enjoy the U.S. Open wherever and whenever they want.”

ESPN Radio will broadcast six hours each of Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds, and a minimum of four-and-a-half hours each of Saturday’s and Sunday’s rounds, including complete 18-hole coverage of each weekend day’s final group. If a playoff is needed, ESPN Radio will also broadcast the entire 18 holes on Monday.

Additionally, ESPN Radio will produce a preview special and post-championship studio programs, and present live updates on its SportsCenter reports, which air three times per hour. ESPNRadio.com will feature the U.S. Open Championship leader board.

Championship updates, player interviews and the leader board will be featured on ESPN Deportes Radio and ESPNDeportes.com.

U.S. Open Championship play-by-play and studio content will also be simulcast on ESPNRadio.com and other digital audio platforms, with some content available in podcast form.

Spectators attending the U.S. Open will be able to hear ESPN Audio’s coverage via devices distributed by the USGA.

And the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series goes on sale on DVD soon.

Critically Acclaimed ‘30 for 30’ Series Premieres

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks on Sunday, March 14

Film Available March 15 on DVD and Movie Download

ESPN’s “30 for 30” series premieres Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks Sunday, March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Directed by Peabody Award-winning director Dan Klores, the documentary explores how Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times and proudly built his legend as the Big Apple’s Public Enemy #1 to become the king of the New York streets.  On Monday, March 15, the film will debut on DVD (SRP $14.99) on Amazon.com, and as a digital download on iTunes.  Sixteen of the films in ESPN’s “30 for 30” series are available on DVD for purchase or pre-order at www.amazon.com/30for30. 

Televised in the fall of 2009, these films were produced and directed by some of Hollywood’s titans, including:

• Kings Ransom (Peter Berg)

•        The Band That Wouldn’t Die (Barry Levinson)

• Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (Mike Tollin)
• Muhammad and Larry (Albert Maysles)
• Without Bias (Kirk Fraser)
• The Legend of Jimmy The Greek (Fritz Mitchell)

To date, ESPN Films’ “30 for 30” has focused on some of the most compelling stories of the past 30 years in sports: the demise of the USFL; the epic title fight between Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes; and the saga of the Baltimore Colts Marching Band that continued to march even after the Colts had moved to Indianapolis.

“30 for 30”

Other previously announced “30 for 30” projects are: Reggie Rock Bythewood (One Night in Vegas), Academy Award winner Bill Couturié (Guru of Go), Academy Award winner Alex Gibney (Steve Bartman: Catching Hell), Jonathan Hock (The Best That Never Was), Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (Birth of Big Air), two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (The House That George Built), Academy Award nominee Frank Marshall (Right to Play), Steve Michaels, Joel Surnow and Jonathan Koch (Charismatic), two-time NBA MVP and first-time filmmaker Steve Nash (Into the Wind), Academy Award nominee Ron Shelton (Jordan Rides the Bus) and two-time Academy Award nominee John Singleton (Marion Jones: Press Pause).

CreateSpace

Films in ESPN’s“30 for 30” series are available through CreateSpace DVD on Demand, part of the Amazon.com group of companies and a cutting-edge platform providing a highly cost-efficient and fast-to-market way for networks to release their content solely in response to customer demand. 

For information about the “30 for 30” project and ESPN Films, visit: ESPN Films.

That’s it. Links coming up. I’m going to eat lunch first.

Doing the Monday Linkage

Let’s give you some links right now.

Starting with the Sports Business Journal, we have a few links today.

John Ourand writes that sports TV industry insiders wonder if there will ever be a challenger to sports behemoth ESPN.

Jon Show reports that in 2010, the U.S. Open will return to a primetime finish as it did in 2008 when it garnered monster ratings.

Eric Fisher and John Ourand combine for a story on the in-market online streaming buys for New York Yankees games this past season.

The great Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has his Media Power Rankings for October.

Moving now to USA Today, Michael Hiestand says this weekend, both ESPN and Fox took their pregame shows to military settings.

In the Sporting News, Dan Levy of On The DL reviews the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show from Afghanistan and asks when a blogger is not a blogger?

Jason Fry writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center wonders who should actually cover the World Series?

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post tries to compare the unfortunate comments by the late Jimmy the Greek to Jay-Z. Phil’s stretching here.

From the Albany Times-Union, Pete Dougherty has the NFL TV schedule for Week 10 including the season debut of Thursday Night Football.

Laura Nachman writes that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia has apologized for a “F” bomb that leaked out at the end of the Delaware-Villanova game on Saturday.

Laura reports that Sunday night’s Cowboys-Eagles game received the second highest overnight ratings of the season for NBC.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that viewers were touched by Fox NFL Sunday traveling to Afghanistan.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times reviews Fox’s broadcast of the Green Bay-Tampa Bay game from Sunday.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Cowboys alone on Sunday night outrated the combined ratings of three other NFL games and the NASCAR race.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle shares some thoughts on the SEC and radio play-by-play homers.

Up to Cincinnati and John Kiesewetter of the Enquirer who writes that the Bengals gave the local CBS affiliate excellent ratings on Sunday.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says two Sun-Times veterans are making their mark on local sports radio.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the so-called NFL TV experts felt Green Bay had a walk in the park against Tampa Bay yesterday.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post talks with Monday Night Football Director of Information and noted Elias Sports Bureau executive Steve Hirdt.

Tom Hoffarth in the Los Angeles Daily News provides the sports calendar for SoCal this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail feels CBC’s Mike Milbury was being hard headed about head shots in the NHL.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says Don Cherry was actually the most level headed in the weekend debate on head shots.

In Truth & Rumours, William Houston isn’t a fan of Don Cherry’s anti-European players rant.

The Sports Media Watch notes today being a big day in NBC Sports’ history.

Chris Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media has some advice for ESPN in promoting live events on ESPN360.

Joe Favorito says the Andre Agassi brand should not be hurt, but enhanced by his reinventing of himself after his drug use.

In Puck the Media, Steve Lepore has the official press release from the NHL Network on its plans to simulcast another NHL Radio talk show.

Steve feels tonight’s Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony should be on Versus and not on NHL Network.

Maury Brown writes in his SportsBash site that Liberty Media, owner of the Atlanta Braves, three FSN regional networks and DirecTV (among other holdings), might be looking to back out of an agreement to purchase a website that’s been linked to steroids.

And we end with The Five as presented by Kristine Leahy at WEEI.com.

Those are the links. See you later on.

An All-Star Break Linkfest

Let’s give you some linkage today.

Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix tells us that CBS Radio is moving Mix 98.5 to heritage rock station WBCN’s 104.1 FM frequency and that a new FM sports radio station will be on the 98.5 frequency. Thanks to Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch for the link.

I’ve also written a story on this late breaking news at the Fang’s Bites page at Boston Sports Media Watch.

Lance Venta from Radio Insight also has a look at the Boston sports radio flip.

The lovely Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says the Boston Bruins will be joining the new CBS Radio sports station.

Major props to Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated for breaking the story on Twitter that ESPN has hired former NBC Sports Executive Producer and Monday Night Football producer Don Ohlmeyer to be its new Ombudsman. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link. I don’t like this selection seeing that Ohlmeyer really doesn’t have a journalism background, he comes from TV production. I liked Le Anne Schreiber who was not afraid to be critical and question ESPN’s policies. We’ll see how this works out.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today has the ratings of various events from the weekend.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell tells the LPGA players who ousted commissioner Carolyn Bivens that the right players need to win for the tour to get sponsors.

Darren looks at General Motors cutting its sports spending in order to get out of bankruptcy.

Darren writes that you can bet on whether President Obama’s first pitch at the All-Star Game will bounce before it crosses home plate.

Darren also looks at MLB attendance.

Wayne Friedman of Mediapost’s TV Watch blog looks into NBC’s problem with the US Olympic Network.

Boston Globe Olympics reporter John Powers feels the announcement of the USON was bad timing for the Chicago 2016 Olympics bid.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says TV is what helped to make the MLB All-Star Game special.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette tells us that HBO will honor the late boxer Arturo Gatti by replaying his trilogy with Irish Mickey Ward starting this Friday.

Keith Groller in the Allentown Morning Call says NBC and ESPN focused more on Saucon instead of the Saucon Valley during the U.S. Women’s Open.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with St. Louis native Joe Buck of Fox Sports on why the Gateway City is such a great baseball town. Jim gives us his All-Star Game viewing and listening planner.

From the Washington Times, Tim Lemke has official word on WJFK-FM’s flipping to all-sports.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News looks at the final four of 4th and Long.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says being at the Home Run Derby was better in person than watching on TV. Ed says he wasn’t surprised at the firing of Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon last night.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviews the HBO documentary on Ted Williams.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times talks about ESPN and YouTube forging an alliance.

The Sports Media Watch says the ratings for the U.S. Women’s Open were down from last year.

The University of Arkansas’ Steve Dittmore looks at a study that concludes bloggers are not sports journalists.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball says the MLB All-Star Game is suffering from an identity crisis.

The Right Field Bleachers blog has evidence of Erin Andrews’ bruise from getting hit with a line drive on the chin last week.

That will do it for now. Back later with press release stuff. Because of the CBS Radio Boston and DC announcements and ESPN Ombudsman release, this post was delayed several hours. I’m happy to have it up now.

A Slew of Wednesday Press Releases

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

The NFL Network has its programming set through next week.

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

LIONS QB MATTHEW STAFFORD IN-STUDIO

ON NFL TOTAL ACCESS TUESDAY

“Best in the Biz” Series Continues on

NFL Total Access with Top 5 Wide Receivers,

Offensive Linemen, Quarterbacks

Debut of NFL’s Top 10 Gunslingers

Friday at 8:00 PM ET

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, July 8

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

Thursday, July 9

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

Friday, July 10

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

Monday, July 13

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

Tuesday, July 14

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

NFL.COM CHAT SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 9

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

Friday, July 10

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

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

Wednesday, July 8

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Thursday, July 9

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

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 1997

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 1998

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

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

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

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

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Friday, July 10

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

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 1999

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 2000

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

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

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

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

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Saturday, July 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, July 12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2:30 AM – Starting 11: Week 17 (HD)

Monday, July 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

Tuesday, July 14

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

2:00 PM – Year in Review: 2001

2:30 PM – Year in Review: 2002

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

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

5:00 PM – Year in Review: 2001

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

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

10:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

1:00 AM – NFL Total Access (HD)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009 British Open Championship on TNT Programming Schedule

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

Sat., July 18

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

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

Sun., July 19

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

Channel #3: On-Demand – Inside the Ropes

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

KENNY PERRY DEFENDS TITLE AS CBS SPORTS TEES UP

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC ON JULY 11 &12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some Tuesday Linkage

Let’s give you links for today.

Starting with USA Today’s Michael Hiestand who looks at the ratings of Wimbledon, MLB and the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Here’s a story that bears watching. Beth Ann Baldry of Golfweek reports that a group of top LPGA players are calling for commissioner Carolyn Bivens to resign.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Staples will see a lot of exposure during the Michael Jackson funeral today.

I wrote a story for the Fang’s Bites at Boston Sports Media Watch page about Boston Globe Celtics beat writer Marc Spears leaving for Yahoo! Sports.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that NBC is setting up at the nearby Saucon Valley Country Club for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.

A couple of stories from Tim Lemke of the Washington Times. He writes that Tiger Woods was a big draw to the AT&T National both in person and on TV. Tim also looks at the temporary stadium built for the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis.

Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post is amazed at the subject matter on commercials that run on sports television.

Dan Steinberg of the WaPo’s DC Sports Bog talks about Wizards TV voice Steve Buckhantz’s signature call.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business tells us what the Cubs sale means for the team’s fans.

George Castle of the Northwest Indiana Times profiles MLB Network analyst Dan Plesac.

Tim Ellerbee of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the SEC’s new contract with ESPN will put many of the conference’s football games into primetime.

Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman says CBS is going into the vaults to replay a 1963 golf duel between Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News writes about a local sports radio station juggling its lineup. Barry also looks at the latest person ousted from 4th and Long.

Penny Parker of the Denver Post talks with outgoing Fox Sports Net President Bob Thompson.

The Toronto Star’s Chris Zelkovich says a regular season CFL game beat out the Wimbledon men’s final in the ratings.

Kate Holton of Reuters says ESPN is going to launch a new channel in the UK to carry English Premier League games as well as some of its US programming.

A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin gets on the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock for the character assassination of Serena Williams.

A bunch of links to the Sports Media Watch now. The ratings for the Wimbledon men’s final were down from last year, but still strong. The AT&T National beat Wimbledon in the ratings. A boring Wimbledon’s ladies final trailed last year’s all-Williams affairs. Manny Ramirez’s return to the Dodgers failed to bring any juice to Fox’s MLB ratings. SMW has some more ratings news and notes.

Joe Favorito talks about the mixing of summer sports to help build a brand.

That’s going to do it for now.

A Saturday Link Day

As I’m in the home office today and also keeping track of Wimbledon thanks to the BBC, I’ll do some links for you.

Newsday’s Neil Best says his newspaper’s website was all over the U.S. Open as well as the NBA and NHL Drafts this week.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette feels the NBA Draft dragged on too long on Thursday.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News laments the disappearing local TV sports report.

Daniel Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about a 94 year old Phillies fan who can’t watch her team because her senior citizens residence has DirecTV which is not allowed to pick up Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says FSN Pittsburgh has set its high school football schedule.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writing in the Baltimore-centric Press Box website says Comcast is going to strengthen its web presence for its Mid-Atlantic channel.

Les Carpenter of the Washington Post looks at this year’s crop of players in the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe says New England Patriot Matt Light was one of those involved in the Boot Camps.

The Gamecocks on TV blog has done a great job keeping up with the changing affiliates for SEC football and basketball due to the change in TV contracts to ESPN. It has news on another station change in the SEC footprint.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News talks with ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla about the Mavericks’ top draft pick.

Ameet Sachdev of the Chicago Tribune says the negotiations between the Tribune Company and the Ricketts family for the sale of the Cubs is now gaining momentum.

The INDenver Times spoke with Colorado Rockies TV voice Drew Goodman.

The Los Angeles Times has removed a blog post on The Superstars due to a similarity with a post on the same subject at ESPN.com.

The Sporting News picks up an article from Tripp Mickle of sister publication Sports Business Journal stating that the NHL made huge strides in the national TV ratings this past season.

The London Daily Mail reports John McEnroe, doing commentary at Wimbledon for NBC and the BBC, is perturbed at not being allowed access to the men’s locker room.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says Fox Sports Ohio and STO will be locked in a fantasy baseball battle during tonight’s Reds-Indians game.

Mike also speaks with a departing FSN executive about his long career running a regional sports network.

Two Tweets from sports figures making news.

Red Sox owner John W. Henry said, “Beautiful day for a wedding!” Today is his wedding to Ms. Linda Puzzuti. Congratulations, Mr. Henry and Ms. Puzzuti.

Jerry Remy said about his potential return to NESN, “I appreciate all your support-doing well-going to gym-gained weight back-no issues-have not set return date yet-anxious to get back-Jerry“. Apparently, no rush to bring Jerry back at this time.

Those are the links for today. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Another Friday Night Megalinks Post

In the euphoria of my joining Boston Sports Media Watch, I got stuck doing a few things and did not do the megalinks. Time to do them now.

As usual, it’s time for the Weekend Viewing Picks.

Interleague baseball’s last games of the season takes center stage this weekend. Games such as Yankees-Mets, Red Sox-Braves, Cubs-White Sox get national attention. MLB Network and ESPN will take Yankees-Mets on Saturday and Sunday nights respectively. Fox and TBS will air Red Sox-Braves on consecutive afternoons. Fox also has Cubs-White Sox Saturday, then WGN has the matchup on Sunday. The national MLB schedule with announcing assignments and regional splits in the case of Fox can be seen at the MLB This Weekend section of Fang’s Bites.

Wimbledon resumes Saturday and then takes the middle Sunday off as is tradition with the tournament. ESPN2 has live coverage Saturday morning at 8, then moves over for NBC at 3 p.m. Then on the rest day, NBC has taped coverage of the best matches of the week at 1 p.m.

NASCAR heads to Loudon, NH for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. TNT has that race Sunday at 2 p.m.

The IndyCar circuit is in Richmond for the SunTrust Indy Challenge that Versus will bury Saturday night at 8.

In soccer, the US is in the finals of the Confederations Cup against Brazil and after its upset of Spain on Wednesday, interest will be a bit higher for the match played on Sunday. ESPN has the game starting at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The PGA Tour is in Cromwell, CT for the Travelers Championship and CBS has weekend coverage at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

And boxing fans have their choice of bouts to watch Saturday on Showtime at 9 p.m. and HBO at 10 p.m.

The full Weekend Viewing Picks are over here.

Now to your links.

National

USA Today’s Michael McCarthy says TBS feels Ron Darling is in the upper echelon of MLB TV analysts.

Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal writes that MLB remains in a ratings malaise.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says his readers have spoken and chosen a new nickname for Shaquille O’Neal. Darren reports that Vijay Singh was willing to post bail for embattled Stanford Financial CEO Allen Stanford. Darren also projects the contracts for the first round picks of the NBA Draft.

Joe Favorito wonders if soccer can take advantage of the US’ performance at the Confed Cup.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says MASN is mixing and matching its announcing teams for the Orioles-Nationals series. Mike writes that ESPN and ESPN2 saw record viewership for the College World Series.

The Sports Media Journal’s Ray Frager says he prefers watching the NBA Draft over the NFL Draft.

Deadspin says HBO plans to ditch the comedy for the next edition of Joe Buck Live.

The Sports Media Watch says ESPN has chosen its hosts for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Andrew Laughlin of Digital Spy says ESPN may use one its existing UK channels to show recently acquired English Premier League gamese.

Len Berman gives us his top 5 sports stories of the day at the Huffington Post.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe says Dennis Eckersley is gaining his own legion of fans while sitting in for Jerry Remy on NESN.

Good friend LC at the 38Cliches blog is impressed with Dave O’Brien’s work ethic on Red Sox radio broadcasts.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times chronicles how NBC’s Breakfast at Wimbledon began.

Here’s a Phil Mushnick column I can actually agree with. The New York Post columnist rips WFAN’s Craig Carton for sexually harassing tennis star Jennifer Capriati earlier this week.

The Big Lead also weighed in on Mushnick’s column.

Justin Terranova of the Post talks with YES’ Al Leiter about the Subway Series which has lost some luster this year. And Justin has five questions for MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams about his former Phillies team.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with WFAN’s Mike Francesa one year after his split with former partner Chris Russo. Neil has more with Mike Francesa in his blog. Neil says Mike is in no rush to find a new partner for his show. Mike has some choice words for former CBS Radio and now Sirius XM chairman Mel Karmazin. And Neil has some more from Mike regarding Russo and ESPN. Neil writes about former WFAN midday co-host Sid Rosenberg whether his future is in the Big Apple or South Florida. Neil wonders why the TSN-produced NHL Draft show carried on Versus did not have a continuous scroll.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman goes after ESPN and MLB for “celebrating” the return of Manny Ramirez.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union writes about the Yankees’ deal to stream games online and in-market for a hefty price. Pete adds that ESPN was really happy about its College World Series ratings.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner gives us his weekend viewing picks. And Jim says the USA-Brazil final in the Confederations Cup is a highlight of the weekend.

South

The Munroe (LA) News Star says CBS’ Tim Brando was honored by the nation’s Sports Information Directors.

Barry Horn from the Dallas Morning News says Terrell Owens and supermodel Joanna Krupa get to return to The Superstars on Monday.

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle writes that Sporting News Radio gets a new affiliate in town.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman writes about a local sports radio host who’s happy he can see again. In his media notebook, Mel talks about ESPN NFL analyst Keyshawn Johnson branching out from his football roots.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids Press is another who prefers the NBA Draft over the NFL’s.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has quotes from ESPN’s basketball analysts about the NBA Draft.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business has his winners and losers of the week.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin is already looking forward to college football season on ESPN and the Big Ten Network.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with former Blues voice Ken Wilson about Brett Hull who will be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame this year.

West

A local sports talk show host switches places with the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jay Posner and writes this week’s media column in the newspaper.

John Maffei from the North County Times says rain put a damper on the U.S. Open and its ratings.

Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times says the NBA Draft lent itself to a lot of trade talk on ESPN.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Manny Mania swept Albuquerque and the media in both New Mexico and SoCal.

Tom has other sports media news in his blog. Tom goes over the week in blogging.

Canada

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star bids farewell to a different type of sports radio show.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says TSN NHL analyst Ray Ferrarro will have to wait and see where his son will be picked in the Entry Draft.

And that’s it. I’ll be back with more links Saturday.

Thursday’s Linkage

Time to do a Thursday link thing for you. There will be a major announcement about Fang’s Bites and its future coming in the next day or two. I’ll give you that when the time is right. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Starting off with the Nielsen ratings Wire blog, it says EA Sports will have a major impact on the NBA Draft tonight.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the new in-market online streaming deal between the Yankees, YES, MLB.com and Cablevision. Neil feels other teams will most likely follow suit. Neil previews a new SNY documentary on the 1969 Miracle Mets.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times also looks at the Yankees-Cablevision deal.

David Kohl of the Major League Programs Blog tells us what’s wrong with the deal.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says you can buy actual U.S. Open scorecards at auction. Darren wants to come up with a new nickname for Shaquille O’Neal now that he’s a Cleveland Cav. Darren notes that golfer Vijay Singh still stands by Stanford Financial despite the company’s CEO being in tremendous legal trouble.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says TNT will continue airing the PGA Championship through most of the next decade.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News says Terrell Owens and supermodel Joanna Krupa will see another day at The Superstars. Apparently T.O. has shot a mock apology for his performance.

Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Steel City watched Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in record numbers resulting in a 42.2 rating! Thanks to Steve Lepore at Puck The Media for the link.

From Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman talks with former Bear Steve McMichael about being a part-owner and coach of a local indoor football team.

Bob Wolfley in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes about Packer Al Harris’ interview on Sirius NFL Radio.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News advises us that ESPN and TNT will air the Cleveland Cavaliers as much as possible next season.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has ESPN.com’s mock top five NBA Draft choices.

Adam Rose of the Los Angeles Times looks at the first episode of The Superstars.

Chris Zelkovich from the Toronto Star says Setanta Canada is safe for now, but what about in years to come?

Steve Clarke of Variety says ESPN is considering launching a new UK channel in the wake of obtaining the rights to the English Premier League this week.

Kevin Downey from Media Life Magazine writes that the NCAA baseball postseason drew well for the ESPN networks.

The Sports Media Watch says the U.S. Open’s ratings were washed away this past weekend. Paulsen has some various ratings news and notes. SMW says Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will host a baseball movie marathon on FX on the Sunday before the MLB All-Star Game. SMW also has the NBA Draft ratings since 1999.

Chris Byrne’s Eye on Sports Media has the Mid-America Conference’s football TV schedule for this season. Chris also has the early TV schedule for the Big East Football Conference.

The Gamecocks on TV blog has found another affiliate for ESPN Regional TV’s syndicated SEC football and basketball package.

My phone is ringing off the hook for some reason. It’s driving me crazy so I’m leaving the office and shutting off my iPhone. See you later.

Our Tuesday Linkage

Let’s do some linkage for you on this Tuesday.

One sad piece of news for me at least, is the departure of David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch. Lately, he’s been working on a book with Kentucky coach John Calipari so his blogging has been sparse in recent weeks, but when he was at his peak, David was constantly a fun read. He always had something to say about Boston sports media and I looked forward to his Friday posts. Now, David has bigger fish to fry and he’s taking the opportunity to leave while the iron is hot. I’ll definitely miss David and I hope to have him here when the book with Calipari is published. So David writes his farewell to his loyal readers and tells us what he was hoping to accomplish with his blog.

I hope to have an announcement on whom will take David’s place at BSMW down the road.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if steroids user Sammy Sosa altered his Cubs jersey to make his arms look bigger.

Joe Favorito likes one particular Minor League Baseball promotion that’s geared just for the ladies.

The great Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says viewers could tell what golfers NBC was rooting for during its U.S. Open coverage.

Newsday’s Neil Best also takes a look at NBC’s coverage of the Open.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News feels Michael Kay took long enough to get a point right on YES.

From the Albany Times Union, Pete Dougherty writes that the ratings for the final round of the U.S. Open on Monday were off by 50% from last year’s Monday playoff.

Keith Groller looks forward to tonight’s HBO Real Sports interview with Jim Brown and Bill Russell. Keith talks with a TV anchor competitor of Gary Papa about their friendly rivalry.

John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer is amazed that Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban is actually beating up on bloggers.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times talks to the great Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball. You can also check out their conversation at the Biz of Baseball.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says there are plenty of ways to catch Wimbledon online if you’re stuck at work while the matches are on.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has Tony Kornheiser talking about his former employer, the Post, Monday Night Football, his radio future and anything else TK could think of during a 17 minute radio interview today.

Justin Anderson of the West Virginia Record, a legal journal, writes about lawyer Mike Florio making the big time with his Pro Football Talk and its partnership with NBC Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has information from ESPN analysts Fran Fraschilla and Jay Bilas about whom the Bucks may or may not pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday.

Lorene Yue of Crain’s Chicago Business says the co-founder of the now-defunct Windy City internet sports station has been arrested.

Ameet Sachdev, Becky Yerak and Gary Marx of the Chicago Tribune have more details about the arrest. The three also write a story about the rise and fall of David Hernandez.

Phil Rosenthal of the Tribune has an interview transcript involving Mike North and the co-founder of the internet station.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s has Mike North’s statements on the co-founder’s arrest. Ed writes about one local sports anchor losing his job. Ed says one long-time sports radio personality returns to his former shift.

Mark Warner of the Duluth (MN) News Tribune writes that Fox Sports North has chosen next year’s site for Hockey Day in Minnesota.

The Chattanoogan reports that Comcast is making MLB Network available in that part of the Volunteer State.

Dave Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune looks at a new Golf Channel show that makes its formal premiere tonight.

Barry Horn from the Dallas Morning News says one local sports radio station is making a lineup change. Barry reviews last night’s “4th and Long” episode.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News previews tonight’s HBO Real Sports episode.

I have a feeling Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star hates American networks because he goes after Al Roker on NBC and Chris Berman on ESPN. Chris also looks at the Canadian TV ratings for the sporting weekend. Chris writes about an NHL broadcasting executive who’s leaving his post.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail feels NBC had a subpar U.S. Open telecast.

Mimi Turner of the Hollywood Reporter writes about ESPN gaining rights to the English Premier League.

Kate Holton of Reuters says ESPN is not just stopping at the EPL for programming in the UK.

Aaron O. Patrick of the Wall Street Journal writes that the EPL is going to give ESPN a big foothold in the UK.

One other ESPN soccer move. Ronald Blum of the AP writes that ESPN has signed an agreement with Gol TV to share rights of Spain’s La Liga. Those games will be seen the U.S.

BBC News says Setanta Sports has ceased operation in the UK.

In a related note, BBC reports that the FA Cup now has to find a new rightsholder in the wake of Setanta’s collapse.

EPL Talk wonders what will happen to Setanta Sports’ profitable US operation.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the Big Ten Network will gain some viewers in New York thanks to a carriage deal with Cablevision.

Scott Greczkowski of Multichannel says DirecTV customers will get the full Wimbledon experience thanks to several channels dedicated to the outer courts as well as Centre Court.

The Sports Media Watch discusses the overnight ratings for the final round of the U.S. Open.

The Gamecocks on TV blog tells us about some more stations that have picked up ESPN Regional TV’s syndicated SEC package.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media has some very valid suggestions for Versus in covering the NHL Draft.

Joe Haggerty of WEEI.com reports that the Flyers may take on the Bruins at Fenway for the next version of the outdoor Winter Classic.

And that, my friends will conclude the links for today. Press releases will be posted later tonight.

A Huge Pile of Press Releases to Review

This is going to be a long post. Get ready to scroll for a while. Let’s do this without further delay.

“LIVE AT WIMBLEDON” STREAMING COVERAGE ANNOUNCED BY NBC SPORTS & ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS CLUB

First-Ever Widely Available Free Wimbledon Streaming in U.S. Features Live Matches From Multiple Courts, Alternate Camera Angles, On-demand Replays & More “Live at Wimbledon” is Accessible at NBCSports.com & Wimbledon.org

NEW YORK – June 22, 2009 – NBC Sports and the AELTC combine to present Live at Wimbledon, providing live streaming and on-demand access to The Championships, Wimbledon it was announced today. The Live at Wimbledon video experience, which will be powered by Microsoft Silverlight, marks the first time that coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon will be widely available in the U.S. via free, live online streaming.

The All England Club's U.S. network partner, NBC Sports, is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Breakfast at Wimbledon and is in its 41st consecutive year as the broadcast home of Wimbledon. NBC Sports will present more than 38 broadcast hours of coverage over nine days from Wimbledon beginning this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, and includes live coverage of the Gentleman's and Ladies' Finals. All matches televised by NBC Sports are available online at Live at Wimbledon via NBCSports.com and Wimbledon.org. 

In addition to NBC Sports broadcast coverage, Live at Wimbledon will offer live streaming of up to four concurrent courts, on-demand replays of the best matches from every day of The Championships, alternate camera angles for NBC Sports semifinal and final match coverage, daily video highlights, and Golden Moments from the Wimbledon archive, including an on-demand replay of the classic 2008 Gentlemen's Finals between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, that NBC Sports' John McEnroe said was the "greatest match we've ever seen."  

Live at Wimbledon will be available starting today, the first day of The Championships, Wimbledon with on-demand coverage. Live streaming of NBC Sports coverage and additional matches will begin on Saturday, June 27, concluding with the Ladies' Final on Saturday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen's Final on Sunday, July 5 at 9 a.m. ET.  

The Live at Wimbledon video experience will be powered by Microsoft Silverlight and offers the first implementation of Live Smooth Streaming for U.S.-based audiences. Silverlight and Live Smooth Streaming enable NBC Sports and Live at Wimbledon to deliver true high definition (HD)-quality streaming video for both live NBC Sports broadcast and on-demand coverage. Live at Wimbledon users will also be able to experience digital video recorder (DVR)-like controls, such as the ability to pause live action, skip back to drive their own instant replays, and join live broadcasts mid-event. Microsoft partnered with application service provider iStreamPlanet to build the Live at Wimbledon video player and handle content acquisition, encoding, and origin hosting with Akamai providing the delivery of the content.  

"NBC Sports has a proud tradition of Wimbledon coverage, and we are even prouder to extend our coverage online with the all-new Live at Wimbledon," said Perkins Miller, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports & Olympics, Digital Media.
"Tennis fans in the U.S. can now widely follow Wimbledon online both live and on-demand, and the quality of the Live at Wimbledon video player will only enhance their viewing experience."  

"Building on the success of the NBCOlympics.com broadcast of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, we're excited to partner with NBC Sports once again to provide Silverlight and the unique capabilities of Live Smooth Streaming to power Live at Wimbledon," said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Platform at Microsoft Corp. "Silverlight enables NBC Sports to provide Wimbledon fans true HD-quality video content and DVR-like features, dramatically improving the quality of the online viewing experience over previous years."

During the Wimbledon fortnight, ESPNews will add a live morning show to its schedule featuring updates from SW19 in London.

ESPNEWS Adds Live Morning Show During Wimbledon

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 23, ESPNEWS will televise a live half-hour program weekdays at 10 a.m. ET to focus on Wimbledon, with highlights, live look-ins to matches and post-match press conferences, along with other sports news. The program will complement ESPN2’s extensive day-long coverage which starts at 7 a.m., and will continue until Friday, July 3. The extended coverage from Wimbledon will continue throughout the day on ESPNEWS.

CBS says U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover will appear on the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday.

NEW YORK, June 22 – 2009 U.S. Open golf champion Lucas Glover will present the Top Ten List on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Tuesday, June 23 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. In only the second victory of his PGA Tour career, Glover shot a final round 3-over par 73 to take the rain-delayed tournament Monday, finishing with a two-shot victory over runners up Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ricky Barnes.

Also on the LATE SHOW Tuesday will be author and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and musical guests MSTRKRFT with John Legend. The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Barbara Gaines, Maria Pope, Jude Brennan and Rob Burnett are the executive producers.

NBC has rescheduled the U.S. Open Challenge, originally supposed to air this past weekend, for the July 4th holiday.

GOLF DIGEST U.S OPEN CHALLENGE RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JULY 4 ON NBC SPORTS  Event Featured Jordan, Timberlake, Roethlisberger Playing Bethpage Black 

NEW YORK -- June 22, 2009 - NBC Sports' broadcast of the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 4 at 2 p.m. following NBC Sports' coverage of the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Final. The event had been originally scheduled for broadcast yesterday leading into NBC Sports' final round U.S. Open coverage but weather delays forced programming changes.

Michael Jordan, Ben Roethlisberger, Justin Timberlake and amateur winner Larry Giebelhausen all set out with the goal of breaking 100 at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, the site of the 2009 U.S. Open Championship.

The group played all 18 holes of the Black Course from the back tees under strict USGA rules.

In the December 2008 issue, Golf Digest asked readers to send in a six-word essay on why they thought they could break 100 at Bethpage Black. The four finalists were narrowed down from 73,581 essays that were submitted. Larry Giebelhausen a police lieutenant of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the online vote with "I'm a cop, I'll shoot low."

Golf Channel tells us that a new original series hosted by actor Anthony Anderson premieres on Tuesday.

GOLF CHANNEL CHRONICLES THE GAME OF LIFE THROUGH THE GAME OF GOLF WITH NEW ORIGINAL TELEVISION SERIES GOLF IN AMERICA

Golf in America Sneak Preview

10-Part Series, Hosted by Anthony Anderson, Premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 22, 2009) – GOLF CHANNEL’s newest original series, Golf in America, will travel coast-to-coast to discover never-before-told stories, larger-than-life characters and inspirational people to capture the spirit of the game of golf. Hosted by film and television actor Anthony Anderson (Law & Order, Transformers), the 10-episode series premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Whether it is a one-of-a-kind golf course situated within the walls of a Louisiana prison, or how golf is being used as both physical and psychological therapy for wounded soldiers returning from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan – Golf in America will chronicle stories in stunning HD from celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Donald Trump to everyday people across the country who are all unified by the sport. GOLF CHANNEL’s Rich Lerner, Kelly Tilghman, Jim Gray, Brandel Chamblee and John Feinstein are among the contributors that will help bring Golf in America stories to life as series correspondents.

Tuesday’s premiere episode features the triumphant tale of a group of friends who attempted their annual winter golf pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina via Flight 1549 which landed in the Hudson River; Bethpage Black, the first public course to host the U.S. Open; and a massive underground bunker constructed for Congress during the height of the Cold War hidden beneath the stately resort of The Greenbrier in the hills of West Virginia.

Golf in America airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on GOLF CHANNEL.

NBA.com and NBA TV outline their NBA Draft coverage.

NBA TV and NBA.com Suit Up for 2009 NBA Draft with Extensive Multiplatform Coverage

NBA TV and NBA.com will provide fans with all-access coverage leading up to, and continuing throughout, the 2009 NBA Draft, which will be held at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday, June 25th.

For the first time, Tennessee Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl will join NBA TV’s draft night coverage to provide a unique perspective on the NBA Draft Preview Show at 6 p.m. ET and the 2009 NBA Draft Recap at Midnight ET. In addition, Pearl will provide blogs on NBA.com titled “Pearl’s Gems” with his insight on the NBA Draft and prospects.

The NBA Draft coverage will be fully integrated with multiplatform content on NBA TV and NBA.com, with unprecedented opportunities for fans to interact with the NBA TV analysts, voice their opinions and access detailed information about each draft selection.

In addition to pre and post-draft analysis, an expert panel of announcers including host Rick Kamla, analysts Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Pearl will provide Instant Analysis of key draft selections that will be available exclusively on NBA.com. NBA Insider David Aldridge will be on-hand for NBA TV and NBA.com with breaking news updates about trades. Also, reporter Craig Sager will be on hand at Madison Square Garden in New York City to interview players moments after they are selected in the draft via the Virtual Green Room, streamed on NBA.com. NBA Assistant Director of Scouting Ryan Blake will be in New York to provide scouting reports and draft analysis of international players throughout the night.

“The level of interactivity and depth of our 2009 Draft coverage is unprecedented as we deliver broad professional analysis and exclusive content generated by players and fans across our TV, Internet and Wireless platforms” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM of NBA Digital. “We are thrilled to add Bruce Pearl to our industry leading analyst team as he brings great energy and insight having coached against many of the draft prospects on a collegiate level.”

NBA TV will offer original studio programming leading up to the NBA Draft including:

• NBA GameTime: Coming Attractions (Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla, analyst Steve Smith, NBA Insider David Aldridge and Ryan Blake review the NBA.com mock drafts to anticipate possible selections for the 2009 NBA Draft.

• NBA GameTime: Interactive Draft Room (Wednesday, June 24, 7 p.m. ET): Host Andre Aldridge and NBA Insider David Aldridge will interact with fans during a live webcast on NBA.com from 4-5 p.m. ET. The show will use interactive platforms including NBA.com Fan Forums and NBA TV’s Twitter account to generate fan content, questions and comments related to the draft. The Interactive Draft Room will air on television at 7 p.m. ET.

• Division Review Shows (Friday, June 26, 7 — 10 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla and NBA Insider David Aldridge break down each division, team-by-team, to assess the impact of the draft on the team. Each team segment will also be available on NBA.com.

• NBA.com will also offer additional exclusive content including: player blogs from draft prospects Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough and Stephen Curry; an exclusive interview with DKV Joventut player Ricky Rubio from Spain; a live press conferences of the top draft selections; a live draft trade chart to track team trades; prospect profiles and highlights; photo galleries, polls and fan reaction via NBA.com’s Fan Voice forums.

This leads into ESPN’s plans to air the NBA Draft this Thursday.

ESPN, Inc. to Present 63^rd Annual NBA Draft

Draft Televised in HD For First Time

For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN will provide exclusive live coverage of the NBA Draft Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. ESPN’s NBA Draft telecast will be available in high definition – for the first time – on ESPN HD. Stuart Scott will host ESPN’s coverage with college basketball analyst and Draft expert Jay Bilas and NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Additional contributors will include international basketball expert Fran Fraschilla; college basketball analyst Dick Vitale (via satellite); on-site reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz; on-site interviews by Mark Jones; green room interviews by Lisa Salters; and field reporter Rachel Nichols from Tarrytown, N.Y., site of the New York Knicks’ training facility.

ESPN’s comprehensive multimedia presentation of the NBA Draft will also include a live broadcast on ESPN Radio; a live simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV; SportsCenter Specials on ESPN June 22-24; expanded ESPNEWS coverage; ESPNU and ESPN International programming; ESPN Mobile Properties content; comprehensive reporting and analysis on ESPN.com; and an ESPN The Magazine Draft preview (on newsstands now).

ESPN’s Draft telecast will display a constant crawl on-screen graphic at all times – including during commercial breaks – continuously providing up-to-the-minute Draft updates including picks, trades, team-by-team summaries, player stats, the results of ESPN.com’s interactive polling in real time, Bilas’ “Best Available” prospects and Fraschilla’s top international prospects. The crawl will also feature team needs, which will include perspectives from Jackson and Van Gundy. Additionally, those viewing the NBA Draft via ESPN HD will have access to this information and more throughout the entire telecast (with information included within the side columns of the screen).

NBA Draft production elements:

• Jay Bilas’ in-depth analysis of the top prospects;

• video conferencing with 15 team headquarters (Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix, Portland and Washington) providing immediate access to the key team personnel in this year’s Draft;

• “Draft Cam” from the Draft rooms of the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 1 pick in the Draft), Memphis Grizzlies (No. 2 Draft pick) and Minnesota Timberwolves (three first-round selections), providing a unique window to the decision makers as they make their selection;

• more than 130 player highlight packages featuring top prospects;

• behind-the-scenes video of prospects as they endure testing and measurements at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp;

• a special production shoot involving several of the top players in the Draft including Stephen Curry (Davidson), DeMar DeRozan (USC), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Ty Lawson (North Carolina) and Hasheem Thabeet (UConn), providing content for a wide range of purposes – promotions, bumps, features, etc.

Draft commentator highlights:

• Dick Vitale, ESPN NCAA basketball analyst since 1979 and a former NBA coach, will appear via satellite;

• Fran Fraschilla, who has done extensive overseas scouting, will report on and evaluate the international field of players;

• Mark Jones will conduct interviews with the NBA draftees on site once they are selected;

• Lisa Salters will interview key figures (players, their families, college coaches, etc.) in the league’s Green Room;

• ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will cover breaking news, including trade talks;

• ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz will report on breaking NBA Draft news, along with information pertaining to college players;

• Rachel Nichols will report from Tarrytown, N.Y., the site of the Knicks’ training facility. The Knicks hold the No. 8 pick in the Draft.

2009 NBA Draft Preview – June 24 at 10 p.m.
Stuart Scott, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will preview the NBA Draft in a live program on ESPN Wednesday, June 24, at 10 p.m. from Madison Square Garden. Analyst Fran Fraschilla and reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz will also contribute to the telecast. The one-hour preview will include live interviews with prospects, features, athlete profiles and in-depth analysis of team needs.

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio’s exclusive, live national coverage of the NBA Draft will tip off Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. with Marc Kestecher hosting and Will Perdue, Steve Lavin and Doug Gottlieb providing analysis and player profiles. ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will serve as on-site reporter providing behind-the-scenes information.

SportsCenter Specials June 22-23

ESPN2 will televise 60-minute SportsCenter Specials Monday, June 22, at 10 p.m. and Tuesday, June 24, at 9:30 p.m. Matt Winer will host the shows with analysts Jalen Rose (Monday and Tuesday), Len Elmore (Monday), Doug Gottlieb (Monday) and Steve Lavin (Tuesday), and reporters J.A. Adande and Andy Katz.

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS will offer extensive Draft coverage with daily content including analysis from Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla and reporters Andy Katz and Ric Bucher, along with interviews with Draft candidates; NBA Draft preview segments; interviews with team executives; and live coverage of post-selection player news conferences.

ESPNU

ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise games featuring NBA Draft prospects Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26. Draft prospects to be featured include DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Jrue Holiday (UCLA) and Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut).

ESPN International

ESPN International will offer a live telecast of the NBA Draft in the Atlantic (sub-Saharan Africa) and Pac-Rim regions.

ESPN.com

Content leading up to the Draft:

• ESPN’s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, with his popular NBA Draft Diary;

• Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein reporting on the latest Draft news, trade talk and relative storylines;

• Ford’s Mock Draft 6.0 (June 23) and 7.0 (June 25, with updates throughout the day), predicting all first- and second-round picks;

• Ford’s podcast with NBA Draft insiders;

• John Hollinger’s Draft Rater – Hollinger’s new formula which projects NBA performance for college prospects and international players;

• Mock Draft Machine, allowing users to be the general manager for each franchise;

• Video breakdown of all the top NBA Draft prospects;

• ESPN.com’s Original Digital video feature “The Rookie: Blake Griffin,” plus a behind-the-scenes feature on this year’s hot prospect;

• TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott interviewing Draft prospects leading up to the draft;

• Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss the Draft;

• Ford’s 2009 NBA Draft Workout Tour (including special Insider content from the Reebok Camp in Treviso, Italy);

• Ford’s Insider content from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

Content on Draft night:

• ESPN.com NBA Draftcast, a real-time application displaying picks, stats, analysis, chats and videos;

• Breaking news on NBA Draft night trades from Ric Bucher, Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein.

• Chats with players after they are selected in the Draft;

• Ford’s pick-by-pick instant analysis;

• Ford’s team-by-team draft grades;

• Live chats between Draft picks;

• Live SportsNation polling;

• Katz’s Draft recap;

• ESPN Radio live streaming Draft coverage;

• ESPN television interviews with top picks;

• Conversation pages for each team fans to discuss team prospects and position;

• TrueHoop Live Blog of NBA Draft from Madison Square Garden; content also distributed thru Abbott’s Twitter feed;

• TrueHoop Network pick-by-pick reaction from team bloggers;

• Player reaction to the draft on ESPN.com video.

Post-Draft day:

• 2010 NBA Draft Index;

• 2010 NBA Draft Top 100;

• Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss team prospects and position;

• Jay Williams; team-by-team analysis on ESPN.com video;

• Analysis from ESPN TV commentators at the NBA Draft on ESPN.com video

ESPN Mobile TV

ESPN Mobile TV will provide full simulcast coverage of the NBA Draft and ESPN’s industry-leading mobile Web site will have a special Draft section allowing fans to follow all the selections in real time. Fans will also be able to sign up for mobile alerts, providing instant selection updates and breaking news. ESPN MVP on Verizon wireless will feature news, updates, alerts management and video clips from the NBA Draft.

ESPN The Magazine

ESPN The Magazine’s current issue (on newsstands now) offers a preview of the NBA Draft including a Mock Draft featuring current players making the picks for their respective teams. Top five picks:

1) L.A. Clippers (selected by Ricky Davis) – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

2) Memphis Grizzlies (selected by Rudy Gay) – Hasheem Thabeet, UConn

3) Oklahoma City Thunder (selected by Russell Westbrook) – James Harden, Arizona State

4) Sacramento Kings (selected by Spencer Hawes) – Ricky Rubio, Spain

5) Washington Wizards (selected by Antawn Jamison) – DeMar DeRozan

We get a preview of the next webisode of Mayne Street.

New Mayne Street Tuesday: Kenny & Colin in a War of Words

The latest episode of ESPN.com’s original scripted series Mayne Street (debuts Tuesdays at 9 a.m.) is loaded with familiar personalities including Colin Cowherd and Barry Melrose. In this installment, Cowherd insults Kenny and chaos ensues. ESPN star Kenny Mayne continues to play himself in a fictionalized version of life at a sports television network. Mayne’s reoccurring foils consist largely of his fictional production crew, as well as other ESPN personalities.

Mayne Street joins a lineup of video that is among the most popular online. ESPN.com captures nearly 50 percent of the total minutes spent by users viewing online sports video. In April, ESPN.com came in #1 in the Sports category with 72.3 million total streams, 59 percent more than the closest competitor for the month.

This has been broached by other blogs and I’ve been trying to ignore it, but here’s a release on Chris Berman getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Great.

Berman to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame committee announced that ESPN’s long-time host Chris Berman has been selected to receive a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame as a tribute for his body of work in sport television. Berman, along with 28 others from the worlds of motion pictures, television, live theater, and recording, will be honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the coming year. Other honorees include Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Kimmel, Russell Crowe, Roy Orbison, John Cusack, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, Sam Waterston and Ringo Star. The recipients were chosen among more than 200 nominees. Berman joined ESPN shortly after the network launched. The company will celebrate its 30th anniversary September 7.

One more release from ESPN. The new ESPN Chicago site is going to team up with the new Huffington Post Chicago website as part of a new sharing agreement.

ESPNCHICAGO.COM AND THE HUFFINGTON POST CHICAGO

ENTER INTO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT SYNDICATION AGREEMENT

ESPNChicago.com and The Huffington Post Chicago (huffingtonpost.com/Chicago) today announced an exclusive content syndication agreement in which HuffPost Chicago will provide ESPNChicago.com with news headlines and blog posts, and ESPNChicago.com will be the exclusive provider of sports content to HuffPost Chicago, including breaking news, opinion and sports calendars.

“Politics, news and sports play a unique role in the identity of Chicago,” said Marc Horine, vice president of digital partnerships and sales development for ESPN. “The combination of ESPNChicago.com and the Huffington Post Chicago brings to Chicago the best news sources and most varied and passionate voices.”

“It’s a natural fit for HuffPost Chicago to team up with ESPNChicago.com as they both offer the constant news updates, smart opinion and information that Chicagoans want online,” said Ben Goldberger, Editor of the Huffington Post Chicago. “We’re excited to bring ESPN’s mix of the best sports news, analysis and information to our sports-hungry readers.”

ESPNChicago.com sports content complements HuffPost Chicago’s unique blend of news and opinion, which ranges from politics and local news to food and style. The Huffington Post Chicago will supplement ESPNChicago.com’s local content which includes ESPN Radio 1000, and Chicago news, traffic and weather from ABC-owned TV station WLS.

I guess I had another ESPN press release in my inbox. Here’s what the network has planned for various motorsports events this week.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series on ABC from New Hampshire

The Magic Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., hosts the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend, and the race will air on ABC with a live, high definition telecast on Saturday, June 27, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Sunday, June 28, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

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

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

In other NASCAR-related programming this week, ESPN Classic airs the 1998 Daytona 500 NASCAR race from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, June 27, at 5 p.m.

Park Joins Daugherty, Brewer on NASCAR Now Roundtable

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Steve Park will join ESPN NASCAR analysts Brad Daugherty and Tim Brewer as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on ESPN2. The program airs Tuesday, June 30, at midnight ET (late Monday night). Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro slides into the host role for half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. Massaro also hosts the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, June 28, at the special time of 8 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Daugherty and Brewer will join Massaro on the set, while Shannon Spake and Angelique Chengelis will report from the track.

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

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing from Ohio on ESPN2

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series travels to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, this weekend, and ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action on a same-day basis. Qualifying from the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals airs Saturday, June 27, at 8 p.m., with eliminations airing Sunday at 7 p.m. Finals coverage re-airs Monday, June 29, at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

The series will make its third appearance at Summit Motorsports Park, which three years ago underwent a $4 million improvement project. The event closes the first half of the season and is the final one on the tour before teams head west for the grueling Western Swing, The event also is the site of the eight-car Pro Stock bonus event, the K&N Horsepower Challenge, the winner of which receives $50,000.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at noon to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.

Traxxas TORC Series Action on ESPN2 Sunday

Action from the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL returns to ESPN2 on Sunday, June 27, at 12:30 p.m. ET with highlights from the series event held in Crandon, Wis. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action will appear on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.

The 2009 season features eight total rounds of racing. ESPN2 will air five rounds with three to appear on ABC, including a live telecast on ABC of the Crandon 40^th Anniversary of Off-Road Racing. Marty Reid, lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and selected NASCAR races, will call all of the Traxxas TORC Truck Series events on ESPN2 and ABC. Joining Reid will be long-time extreme sports announcer Tes Sewell and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler as pit reporter.

HBO previews Bryant Gumbel’s interview with Jim Brown and Bill Russell on Real Sports tomorrow.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

CONDUCTS A JOINT INTERVIEW WITH ICONS JIM BROWN AND BILL RUSSELL, WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS TUESDAY, JUNE 23

Janet Van Ham/HBO

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 147th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, JUNE 23 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

Segments include:

*Legends. In an exclusive joint interview, REAL SPORTS host Bryant Gumbel sits down with two icons of the 1960s: gridiron great Jim Brown and basketball immortal Bill Russell. Beyond their hall of fame achievements, both were also outspoken figures in a turbulent period of racism, social activism and profound change. For this expanded segment, Brown and Russell reflect together on the extraordinary events of the era they helped shape, provide candid insights into present-day athletes and reveal the depth and importance of a previously untold friendship they’ve shared for nearly 50 years.

Producer: David Scott.

CNBC will air a documentary on Ultimate Fighting in July.

CNBC’S “ULTIMATE FIGHTING: FISTFUL OF DOLLARS” will premiere on Wednesday, July 29th at 10PM and 1AM ET. The documentary will re-air on Friday, July 31st at 1AM and Sunday, August 2nd at 10PM ET.

It's a hit business like no other. And CNBC is ready for a rematch.

Ultimate Fighting Championship – the premiere name in the sport of mixed martial arts.

CNBC takes a new look inside the biggest brand in brawling with "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars," a fresh take on CNBC's original Emmy-nominated documentary from 2007.

Correspondent Scott Wapner travels to Germany for the UFC's first-ever event in mainland Europe, and goes inside the Octagon with Dana White, the controversial front man, as well as billionaire backers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. Wapner also profiles a stable of skilled fighters who have helped the league grow from a dying franchise to a global sensation in less than a decade.

It's a mix of muscle and mayhem that is making money hand over fist.

CNBC's "Ultimate Fighting: Fistful of Dollars" premieres Wednesday, July 29.

Finally, National Geographic Channel will start a new series next Monday on bringing us closer to rare species of fish.

HOOKED: VAMPIRE FISH

Monday, June 29, 2009, at 10 PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hooked/4255/Overview

Trek to remote regions of the world for up-close encounters with monster fish armed with mouthfuls of razor-sharp teeth. In the Amazon, scientist Dr. Justin Grubich embarks on a risky expedition to record the dental imprints of two natural-born killers — the pacu, a cousin of the piranha with teeth and jaws that look human, and the “vampire fish.” Nicknamed for its 2-inch fangs, this megafish can literally “suck your blood.” By studying their bite impressions, Grubich hopes to learn how these river monsters are adapting to a food chain affected by pollution. Then, in the Congo, join the hunt for an elusive river assassin that bears teeth like a dragon and fights with the fury of a pit bull — the Goliath tiger fish. Down under in Australia, see a group of fishing daredevils reel in a great white as we’ve never seen before — using just a rod and reel, they swim bait out into shark-filled waters and pull in their catch … from shore, using a vehicle! In order to tag and track the migration and growth patterns of great whites, the ingenious team fashioned a special chair that hooks to a truck, allowing them to reel in their catch safely. Then, we come face-to-face with the long, broad snout and daggerlike teeth of the alligator gar in the southeastern United States.

BRAZIL: Ichthyologist, fish tooth, and jaw specialist, Justin Grubich, Ph.D., investigates tooth diversity in Characiform fishes of the Amazon. Here he holds open the mouth of a Payara, also known as the “Vampire Fish.” The Payara earns its “vampire” nickname with a set of two-inch daggers thrusting up from its bottom jaw. (photo credit © Julia Dorn)

In the new series of Hooked, we also feature fish biologist, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan on a five-year mission to help preserve the world’s biggest freshwater fish.

Here’s a video preview for the series.

Video “Hooked on Hooked!” – If you’ve every reveled in the thrill of the catch, you are going to love this show hook, line and sinker:

As usual, great stuff from NatGeo. Thanks to the channel’s fine publicist, Minjae Ormes for sending these releases to me.

And that finally finishes this press release post.

A Monday Linkage Thing

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

Let’s do your links for today.

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

Four stories from Sports Business Journal today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ESPN’s, NBC’s & Golf Channel’s Plans for U.S. Open Monday

With the final round of the U.S. Open scheduled for Monday, both ESPN and NBC have announced their schedule.

Here’s what’s in store for ESPN.

Monday U.S. Open Championship Coverage on ESPN

ESPN will provide coverage of the of 4^th Round of 2009 U.S. Open Championship from Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., Monday, from 9-11:30 a.m., ET. If necessary, ESPN will also provide coverage of a playoff, tentatively from 1:30- 3:30 p.m., ET.

ESPN360.com will provide live streaming, from 9 a.m.-until conclusion of the 4th round as well as any playoff coverage in its entirety.

ESPNMobileTV will also provide coverage Monday from 9-11:30 a.m., and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

In addition, SportsCenter will be live on ESPN at 8 a.m. with updates from Bethpage Black.

And here’s what you can expect from NBC on Monday.

NBC SPORTS’ FINAL ROUND U.S. OPEN COVERAGE TOMORROW TO BEGIN AT 11:30 AM ET

NBCSports.com to Live Stream Entire Final Round Starting at 9 a.m. ET

NEW YORK – June 21, 2009 – NBC Sports will come on the air at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT/9:30 a.m. MT/10:30 a.m. CT) tomorrow with the live conclusion of the final round of the 109th U.S. Open. ESPN's coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET.

For those fans in their offices, NBCSports.com will live stream the entire final round starting at 9 a.m. ET. 

Nice that both ESPN and NBC will stream their coverage online.

This is what Golf Channel will do before and after U.S. Open network coverage.

Monday’s Live From the U.S. Open pre game show will air live on GOLF CHANNEL from 8 – 9 a.m. ET. Previewing the final round at Bethpage Black, the show will be hosted by Iain Page and Scott Walker from the network’s Orlando studios, joined by Rich Lerner, Jim Gray, Steve Sands, Rex Hoggard, Frank Nobilo and Brandel Chamblee on-site from Bethpage.

Monday two-hour Live From the U.S. Open post game show will air immediately following network coverage. Vince Cellini, Chamblee and Nobilo will recap all of the action with interviews, highlights and analysis.

You’re now up to date on U.S. Open coverage.

Two Sunday U.S. Open-Related Press Releases

Nice to have a couple of press releases for you, both U.S. Open-related.

First, Sirius XM Radio will carry Monday’s final round in its entirety.

SIRIUS XM RADIO WILL HAVE LIVE MONDAY COVERAGE OF U.S. OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday coverage starts at 8am ET from Bethpage Black; includes live play-by-play throughout the day

SIRIUS XM’s coverage is available to listeners at home, in the office or on the go

Subscribers can listen through their radio, through the computer with XM Radio Online or SIRIUS Internet Radio or with iPhone or iPod Touch

NEW YORK – June 21, 2009 – SIRIUS XM Radio will offer continued live coverage of the U.S. Open Golf Championship on Monday, June 22, on XM channel 146 and on SIRIUS channel 209 with the “Best of XM” programming package.

Should play extend beyond Monday, SIRIUS XM will offer continued coverage until the conclusion of the championship.

SIRIUS XM will go on air at 8:00 am ET on Monday live from Bethpage and present live play-by-play from around the course throughout the day until the conclusion of play. In addition to play-by-play, listeners will also get comprehensive analysis by SIRIUS XM’s on-site hosts and reporters.

Brian Katrek hosts SIRIUS XM’s live championship coverage alongside lead analyst John Maginnes. From inside the ropes, listeners will hear hole-by-hole updates from on-course reporters Mark Carnevale, Dennis Paulson, Fred Albers, T.J. Rives and John Tautges.

SIRIUS XM’s coverage of the U.S. Open is available to subscribers nationwide whether they are at home, in the office or on the go.

Listeners can follow the championship through their XM or SIRIUS radios or through the computer with XM Radio Online and SIRIUS Internet Radio, the online versions of the XM and SIRIUS services. SIRIUS subscribers must have the “Best of XM” programming package to listen to the coverage.

The coverage will also be available to users of iPhone and iPod touch who have downloaded the SIRIUS XM App and who have a SIRIUS XM Premium Online subscription. The SIRIUS XM app is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch.

There is no additional charge for listening to SIRIUS XM’s programming on the iPhone or iPod touch once a user becomes a SIRIUS XM Internet subscriber or subscribes to the Company’s Premium Online service in conjunction with their satellite radio subscription.

And Golf Channel will have a Father’s Day feature during tonight’s Live From the U.S. Open.

Billy Casper Father’s Day Feature on Tonight’s Live From the U.S. Open

Tonight’s two-hour Live From the U.S. Open show on GOLF CHANNEL, airing immediately following network coverage, will feature an Father’s Day story about Hall-of-Fame legend Billy Casper, who 50 years ago won the U.S. Open title here in the metropolitan New York region. GOLF CHANNEL’s Rich Lerner will trace Casper’s rise from a broken home in San Diego to the pinnacle of golf; his unusual standing in the Muslin world and his own bittersweet experiences as a father of 11. In the feature Casper will open up in a way few golf fans have seen.

Below is a preview clip of tonight’s Billy Casper feature:

Billy Casper Feature

Vince Cellini, Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo will host tonight’s Live From the U.S. Open on-site at Bethpage, joined by reporters Rich Lerner, Jim Gray, Steve Sands and Rex Hoggard with highlights, interviews and analysis from Sunday’s action.

Always nice to have press releases to post on a Sunday.

Some Father’s Day Links

On this Father’s Day, it’s another wet, rainy, gloomy day, but we get to spend time with dad and that’s what I’m going to do today.

Let’s do some links while I can.

One story I noticed late last night was this one from Newsday’s Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Patrick Whittle on some drunks at Bethpage Black taunting golfers, Tiger Woods among them during the U.S. Open. Yeah, it was a long day, but there’s no need to get drunk.

Neil Best noticed that some fans started booing the hecklers as they became rowdy. Neil says drunks are only doing what they normally do, start being obnoxious.

Neil has a story of what it’s like in the NBC Sports production truck at Bethpage Black.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News feels HBO should put Joe Buck Live out of its misery. After one show, Bob?

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says announcers embellish too much.

Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the late Gary Papa handled his sports anchoring with dignity and class.

Gary D’Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the local NBC affiliate will air the U.S. Open in its entirety today after joining coverage late on Saturday due to a programming conflict.

Bob Wolfley gets the station’s explanation (scroll down).

The Sports Media Watch has its weekend ratings predictions.

Sox & Dawgs has video of NESN using Boston band Letters to Cleo’s Demon Rock in its video montage last night. The always lovely Kay Hanley who was the lead singer was very happy to be mentioned on NESN.

That’s it for now. I have to head up to Boston. I should be back later with some more stuff.

Golf Channel Says Watch Us After The U.S. Open is Finished

Just got an advisory from the people at the Golf Channel about its programming plans for Sunday before and after the U.S. Open on NBC. I’ll share it with you.

Sunday’s Live From the U.S. Open pre game show on GOLF CHANNEL will air live from 9 – 10 a.m. ET. The show will be hosted by Scott Walker and Todd Lewis from the network’s Orlando studios, joined by Rich Lerner, Jim Gray, Rex Hoggard, Frank Nobilo and Brandel Chamblee live and on-site from Bethpage, reporting from the practice putting green and driving range. At the top and bottom of every hour beginning at 7 a.m. ET, GOLF CHANNEL also will air scoring updates leading up to the network’s early Live From coverage.

Sunday’s prime-time Live From the U.S. Open will air immediately following network coverage. Vince Cellini, Chamblee and Nobilo will recap all of the action with interviews, highlights and analysis in the two-hour special.

If Tennis Channel served me as well as Golf Channel did, I would promote it more. Golf Channel has done a great job sending its press releases every week.

Boom Goes the Dynamite Hits the U.S. Open

Of all people, Al Roker did a “Boom Goes The Dynamite!” reference while talking about thunderstorms coming to the U.S. Open. And Bob Costas got it!

Someone has to have this video. Classic.

It’s a great excuse to post this video. Poor Brian Collins. This phrase is just not going away.

So funny. And Brian’s Wikipedia page has been updated to include Al’s reference. Man, that was quick.

U.S. Open to Start Early on Sunday on NBC

Just as I suspected, NBC is going to begin early on Sunday, signing on at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT for the 3rd and perhaps the final round of the U.S. Open.

Starting at 10 a.m. today was a good move by NBC and beginning at 11 on Sunday is just as good.

NBC SPORTS’ U.S. OPEN COVERAGE TOMORROW TO BEGIN AT SPECIAL EARLY START TIME OF 11AM ET

NEW YORK – June 20, 2009 – NBC Sports' U.S. Open coverage tomorrow will begin at the special early start time of 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT/9 a.m. MT/10 a.m. CT). Any further changes to the broadcast schedule will be announced as conditions warrant. Tomorrow's broadcast will include the conclusion of the third round and final round coverage.

REMAINING NBC SPORTS U.S. OPEN SCHEDULE:
Sunday 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET

NBC SPORTS GOLF TEAM: Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 10th season together as NBC Sports' lead golf commentators, anchor NBC's Emmy Award-winning coverage from the 18th-hole tower. Hicks and Miller are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch, Peter Jacobsen and Bob Murphy; on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper; interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts; with reports from Golf World's Tim Rosaforte. NBC Sports' Bob Costas will contribute opening commentary and interview segments, in addition to periodically resetting the scene from Bethpage. NBC's coverage is produced by Tommy Roy, one of the most nominated persons in the history of the Sports Emmys.

That’s it.

Links for Your Saturday

Doing the links for you today. Just relaxing after having a late lunch.

Starting with Newsday’s Neil Best who talks with a Golf Channel official about the Bethpage Black course. Neil writes that with Golf Channel unable to show go live during the U.S. Open, it does what it can before and after NBC’s coverage.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times goes inside NBC’s main production truck at Bethpage Black.

Jack Bell of the Times wonders what happens to some of Setanta Sports’ programming with the demise of its English Premier League package.

ESPN has reportedly put in a substantial bid for English Premier League games.

David Goetzl of Mediapost reports that ESPN Radio will pick up some of next year’s World Cup tournament and may do them from the network’s headquarters in Bristol, CT.

Jon McGrath of the Westborough (MA) News does not miss having Jerry Remy on NESN’s Red Sox broadcasts. Wow.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette writes about the local New York-Penn League team having its games streamed online on the net.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News says this year, viewers are guaranteed to get a live match from Wimbledon every day of the Fortnight.

Ellen Gray and Christine Olley of the Philadelphia Daily News say Gary Papa fought very hard against the prostate cancer that eventually took his life.

Ray Parillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer talks to a Phillies PR official about the death of his friend, the late sports anchor Gary Papa.

The Philadelphia Daily News’ Eagletarian blog picks up Iggles’ QB Donovan McNabb’s thoughts on Papa’s untimely passing.

Gary’s station, WPVI-TV, has a special section on his life, career and an area to leave your thoughts.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that Interleague baseball has some intriguing matchups this weekend. Jim says ESPN Classic will have live coverage of a heavyweight championship boxing match tonight.

Tim Lemke from the Washington Times says Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic plans to expand its web presence.

Mike Casazza of the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail says Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is ready for his closeup with NBC.

If you want to see how the opening of Monday Night Football is shot, head to Nashville on Monday and Tuesday to see Hank Williams, Jr. do his famous “All My Rowdy Friends” video.

The Sun-Sentinel out of South Florida catches up with Fox Sports’ Chris Rose who will host a Hooters swimsuit competition tonight. Interesting.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says rain will be the star during the U.S. Open this weekend.

Lewis Lazare of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Cubs are not helping WGN-AM’s ratings.

The Vancouver Sun picks up a Reuters story from Paul Thomasch that NBC plans to crack down on piracy for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Pac10 conference has announced its TV schedule for the football season.

Joe Favorito writes that MLB has two important messages this weekend.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media has a good essay on whether the aging hockey writing corps is getting too old for the game.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV writes in Press Box that there will be plenty of NFL games to listen to on Baltimore radio this fall.

The 38Cliches blog which was originally founded to blast all things Glenn Geffner when he was a Red Sox announcing hack, tries to ignore the fact that Goofner returned to Fenway this week with the Florida Marlins.

California Golden Blogs had someone attend Blogs With Balls last week.

Famed HBO boxing judge Harold Lederman (“Heh, heh! O.K., Jim!”) celebrates 23 years with the network.

That does it for today. If there’s anything new on NBC’s start time for the U.S. Open on Sunday and further scheduling changes, I’ll have it here. So far, it appears NBC will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday as scheduled.

A Couple of Releases On This Saturday

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

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

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

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

WHEN: FRIDAY, JUNE 19th AT 8PM ET

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

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

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

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

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

Darren: How many endorsement pitches are you getting weekly?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Darren: You might not know exactly where we are?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

L.A. Lakers Part 2

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

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

Do they get to keep the coveted trophy?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That will do it for the releases on this Saturday.

An Extremely Late Night Megalinks

Well, here we are doing the Friday megalinks well into the late night.

As usual, we have the Weekend Viewing Picks for you.

The U.S. Open has been pushed back a day and possibly more with some rainy weather expected in New York this weekend. NBC has announced it will start its Saturday coverage of the second and possibly third round at 10 a.m., four hours before it was originally scheduled to come on the air. Should the weather cooperate and the final round is played as scheduled on Sunday, NBC will begin its coverage at 1:30 p.m.

Interleague baseball continues this weekend. Fox’s Saturday matchups include Tampa Bay at the Mets. MLB Network has the Civil Rights Game in Cincinnati. TBS has Atlanta at Boston. Check out what your national baseball games are in the “Baseball This Weekend” post.

NASCAR heads to Sonoma, CA this Sunday and TNT has the race at 5 p.m.

The IndyCar series is on ABC, Sunday at 1 and the Formula 1 circuit, most likely on its last legs, is in the UK for the British Grand Prix. Fox has same day coverage starting at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Soccer fans have the Confederations Cup with the US taking on Egypt on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

And for fans of Ninja Warrior, there’s the weekend marathon taking place all weekend on G4 leading up to the new Sasuke 22 competition that airs Sunday night starting at 6:30 preceeded by the American Ninja Challenge at 5:30.

The Weekend Viewing Picks have everything in sports and primetime you need to see.

National

Starting with USA Today’s Michael Hiestand, he looks at a new ESPN2 show to be co-hosted by ESPN Radio no-talent hack Colin Cowherd.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell is surprised that golfer Vijay Singh is still wearing the logo of embattled Stanford Financial Group despite its CEO being indicted on Federal fraud charges.

Darren has an interview with Tiger Woods’ agent.

Joe Favorito likes the move to set up a new office for Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport.

Leo Baraclough of Variety says the English Premier League has terminated its relationship with Setanta Sports after it failed to meet a deadline to pay part of its rights fee. ESPN is now the frontrunner to pick up Setanta’s 23 game package that begins next season.

Marc Graser of Variety says the WWE punked the media with a fake press release saying Donald Trump purchased “Monday Night Raw”.

Claire Atkinson of Broadcasting & Cable writes that Tennis Channel is gearing up to air Wimbledon starting on Monday.

The Sports Media Watch looks at the ratings for the PGA Tour this year to date. The SMW says the ACC Football Championship Game heads to primetime, but will be on ESPN after spending its first four years on ABC. The SMW has some various news and notes. SMW also has news on various sports personalities.

The Big Lead interviewed ESPN SportsCenter anchor Josh Elliott.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media has some suggestions on how to improve the NHL Awards Show.

Chris Byrne of Eye on Sports Media wonders why NBC Sports used baseball lingo to promote the U.S. Open. Chris notes that there’s the same small group of volunteers who help the media at the U.S. Open every year.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe looks at Matt Millen’s two NFL broadcasting gigs this upcoming season.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette hears from the NBC golf crew about the U.S. Open.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says there was little for ESPN and NBC to do when the rains started falling at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Newsday’s Neil Best says NBC is set to start its U.S. Open coverage early on Saturday morning. Neil namedrops from his day at Bethpage Black. Neil says a scheduled Friday appearance by Sid Rosenberg on WFAN was nixed at the last moment.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News is amazed at how Mets manager Jerry Manuel manipulates the media.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post weighs in on the Joe Buck Live/Artie Lange controversy.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the U.S. Open provides plenty of intrigue for the viewer.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette writes that a local New York-Penn League team will have its games webcast on the internet this season.

Laura Nachman says a popular Philly sports anchor, Gary Papa, passed away on Friday. Laura has a statement from the Papa’s former TV station. And Laura links to some clips that paid tribute to Papa.

Michael Klein of the Philadelphia Inquirer also writes about Papa’s death.

The 700 Level blog also pays tribute to Papa.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about NBC starting its U.S. Open coverage some four hours earlier than planned on Saturday.

South

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle talks with ESPN/ABC’s Jeff Van Gundy about his experience calling the NBA Finals with his brother on the sidelines.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram doesn’t feel this year’s U.S. Open and Wimbledon tournaments will be as dramatic as last year’s.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News unveils the identity of the mysterious quarterback in 4th and Long.

James Corley of The Oklahoman writes that ESPN will showcase former OU Sooner standout Blake Griffin during the NBA Draft.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Fox Sports Ohio plans limited commercial interruptions for the Civil Rights Game on Saturday.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids Press says HBO generated the wrong type of buzz for Joe Buck Live.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley talks with author Curt Smith about his new biography about Dodgers voice Vin Scully.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business lists his winners and losers of the week. Ed also sets the record straight about who broke the story about the now-defunct Windy City internet sports radio station.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Judd Zulgad says TV is the most likely step for former Timberwolves General Manger Kevin McHale.

Paul Christian in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes that rain will make for interesting viewing at the U.S. Open this weekend.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dan Caesar says Joe Buck might have taken hits for a bad show and the Artie Lange controversy, but his show did pull viewers for HBO.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret Morning News says the only ways to catch the Salt Lake Bees are on the radio or the internet.

Jay Posner from the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that long-time local personality Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton returns to the area airwaves for a week.

John Maffei of the North County Times says rain or shine, the U.S. Open will go on.

Diane Pucin from the Los Angeles Times also writes about the waterlogged U.S. Open that’s wreaking havoc with ESPN and NBC.

Austin Knoblauch of the Times feels the NHL shot and missed by holding its Awards show in Las Vegas.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says rain makes for a difficult telecast at the U.S. Open. Tom has his usual news and notes. Tom looks at the week in sports blogging.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail says NBC’s Johnny Miller is honest to a fault.

And we’re done.

Saturday’s U.S. Open To Begin Early

This was announced by Dan Hicks just as NBC was signing on for its U.S. Open coverage today. When you get up tomorrow, you’ll be able to watch golf!

NBC SPORTS’ U.S. OPEN COVERAGE TOMORROW TO BEGIN AT SPECIAL EARLY START TIME OF 10AM ET

NEW YORK – June 19, 2009 – NBC Sports' U.S. Open coverage tomorrow will begin at the special early start time of 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT/8 a.m. MT/9 a.m. CT) in response to yesterday's weather conditions, which caused first-round play to be suspended, leaving the field to finish the first round today. Any further changes to the broadcast schedule will be announced as conditions warrant. 

REMAINING NBC SPORTS U.S. OPEN SCHEDULE:
Saturday - 10 a.m.-8 p.m. ET
Sunday  - 1:30-7:30 p.m. ET, preceded by Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge at Noon ET

NBC SPORTS GOLF TEAM: Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 10th season together as NBC Sports' lead golf commentators, anchor NBC's Emmy Award-winning coverage from the 18th-hole tower. Hicks and Miller are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch, Peter Jacobsen and Bob Murphy; on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper; interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts; with reports from Golf World's Tim Rosaforte. NBC Sports' Bob Costas will contribute opening commentary and interview segments, in addition to periodically resetting the scene from Bethpage. NBC's coverage is produced by Tommy Roy, one of the most nominated persons in the history of the Sports Emmys.

It appears that NBC will sign on at its normal time on Sunday, but if the rains come tomorrow as forecasted, that could change. Keep your RSS or Twitter feeds updated

Some Thursday Press Releases To Read Before You Go To Bed

Let’s give you a few press releases to mull over on this late night Thursday.

First, NBA TV has brought in Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl to be part of its NBA Draft coverage next week.

NBA TV and NBA.com to Deliver Extensive Multiplatform Coverage of the 2009 NBA Draft

Tennessee Volunteers Head Coach Bruce Pearl will join NBA TV for network’s Draft night coverage

NBA TV and NBA.com will provide fans with all-access coverage leading up to, and continuing throughout, the 2009 NBA Draft, which will be held at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday, June 25^th. For the first time Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl will join NBA TV’s draft night coverage to provide a unique perspective on the NBA Draft Preview Show at 6 p.m. ET and the 2009 NBA Draft Recap at Midnight ET. In addition, Pearl will provide blogs on NBA.com entitled “Pearl’s Gems” with his insight on the NBA Draft and prospects.

The NBA Draft coverage will be fully integrated with multiplatform content on NBA TV and NBA.com, with unprecedented opportunities for fans to interact with the NBA TV analysts, voice their opinions and access detailed information about each draft selection.

In addition to pre and post-draft analysis, an expert panel of announcers including host Rick Kamla, analysts Kenny Smith, Steve Smith and Pearl will provide Instant Analysis of key draft selections that will be available exclusively on NBA.com. NBA Insider David Aldridge will be on-hand for NBA TV and NBA.com with breaking news updates about trades. In addition, reporter Craig Sager will be on hand at Madison Square Garden in New York City to interview players moments after they are selected in the draft via the Virtual Green Room, streamed on NBA.com. NBA Assistant Director of Scouting Ryan Blake will be in New York to provide scouting reports and draft analysis of international players throughout the night.

“The level of interactivity and depth of our 2009 Draft coverage is unprecedented as we deliver broad professional analysis and exclusive content generated by players and fans across our TV, Internet and Wireless platforms” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM of NBA Digital. “We are thrilled to add Bruce Pearl to our industry leading analyst team as he brings great energy and insight having coached against many of the draft prospects on a collegiate level.”

NBA TV will offer original studio programming leading up to the NBA Draft including:

· Division Preview Shows (Thursday, June 18, 8 – 11 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla and analysts Mike Fratello and Ryan Blake will break down each division, team by team, to analyze each team’s biggest needs and possible draft strategies. Each team segment will be available on NBA.com.

· NBA GameTime: Prospect Park (Monday, June 22, 7 p.m. ET): Host Andre Aldridge and analyst and Ryan Blake will take a detailed look at the NBA Draft prospects from across the country and around the world.

· NBA GameTime: Coming Attractions (Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla, analyst Steve Smith, NBA Insider David Aldridge and Ryan Blake review the NBA.com mock drafts to anticipate possible selections for the 2009 NBA Draft.

· NBA GameTime: Interactive Draft Room (Wednesday, June 24, 7 p.m. ET): Host Andre Aldridge and NBA Insider David Aldridge will interact with fans during a live webcast on NBA.com from 4 – 5 p.m. ET. The show will use interactive platforms including NBA.com Fan Forums and NBA TV’s Twitter account to generate fan content, questions and comments related to the draft. The Interactive Draft Room will air on television at 7 p.m. ET.

· Division Review Shows Friday, June 26, 7 – 10 p.m. ET): Host Rick Kamla and NBA Insider David Aldridge break down each division, team by team, to assess the impact of the draft on the team. Each team segment will also be available on NBA.com.

NBA.com will also offer additional exclusive content including: player blogs from draft prospects Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansborough and Stephen Curry; an exclusive interview with DKV Joventut player Ricky Rubio from Spain; live press conferences of the top draft selections; live draft trade chart to track team trades; prospect profiles and highlights; photo galleries, polls and fan reaction via NBA.com’s Fan Voice forums.

ESPN says ratings for the College World Series are up from last year. Is this something to crow about? I guess.

ESPN NCAA Men’s College World Series Telecasts Posting Significant Audience Increases; Coverage Continues

ESPN’s 30th consecutive season of NCAA Men’s College World Series coverage is posting significant audience increases over last year. Through the first eight games, ESPN is averaging 1,278,000 total viewers, 976,000 households and a 1.0 rating, marking increases of 34% (vs. 955,000), 30% (vs. 750,000) and 25% (vs. 0.8), respectively, over 2008.

ESPN2 is averaging 897,000 total viewers and 689,000 households for increases of 5% (vs. 853,000) and 4% (vs. 664,000), respectively, over last year. The network is averaging a 0.7 rating, the same as last season through this point.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com’s complete coverage of the Men’s College World Series from Omaha, Neb. will continue tonight and conclude with the best-of-three Championship Series Monday, June 22 to Wednesday, June 24. Every game will be offered in high definition on ESPN HD or ESPN2 HD.

Commentator teams include Mike Patrick or Sean McDonough with analyst Orel Hershiser and reporter Erin Andrews; Karl Ravech or McDonough with analyst Robin Ventura and reporter Kyle Peterson.

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Game	Matchup	Commentators
Thu., 6/18	7 p.m.	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com	10	North Carolina vs. Arizona State	McDonough, Ventura and Peterson
Fri., 6/19	2 p.m.	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com	11	LSU vs. Arkansas	Patrick, Hershiser and Peterson
Fri., 6/19	7 p.m.	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com	12	Texas vs. Winner Game 10	McDonough, Ventura and Peterson
Sat., 6/20	2 p.m.	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com	13	If necessary	Patrick, Hershiser and Andrews
Sat., 6/20	7 p.m.	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com	14	If necessary	McDonough, Ventura and Peterson
Mon., 6/22	7 p.m.	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com	1	Series Final	Patrick, Hershiser, Ventura, Andrews and Peterson
Tue., 6/23	7 p.m.	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com	2	Series Final	Patrick, Hershiser, Ventura, Andrews and Peterson
Wed., 6/24	7 p.m.	ESPN HD / ESPN360.com	3 *	Series Final	Patrick, Hershiser, Ventura, Andrews and Peterson

* If necessary

CNBC’s Darren Rovell hosts a special on the golf industry live from the U.S. Open Friday night.

CNBC TO BROADCAST LIVE SPECIAL "CNBC REPORTS: LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN" ON FRIDAY, JUNE 19th AT 8PM ET

Live Special Hosted by CNBC's Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 18, 2009-Live from Bethpage State Park, the home of this year's U.S. Open, CNBC's Sports Business Reporter, Darren Rovell, will speak with the biggest power players in the game to discuss the state of the golf industry from sponsoring tournaments to the golf retail business.

On Friday, June 19th at 8PM ET, CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, will broadcast a live special, "CNBC Reports: Live From the U.S. Open," hosted by CNBC's Darren Rovell and focusing on the business of golf during one of the most challenging times the industry has ever faced.

The one-hour program will feature interviews with PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem, Veteran American golfer Kenny Perry as well as a rare interview with Mark Steinberg, IMG's Senior Corporate Vice President and Global Managing Director of Golf and agent to Tiger Woods. 

Tennis.com has an interview with NBC/BBC Sport Wimbledon analyst John McEnroe about Roger Federer’s chances to win at the All-England Tennis and Croquet Club.

JOHN McENROE BREAKS DOWN ROGER FEDERER’S CHANCES TO WIN WIMBLEDON

Exclusive Interview by Peter Bodo at www.TENNIS.com

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 17, 2009 – “It’s amazing to look at Wimbledon and see it’s all brown at the baseline, and there’s nothing but green up around the net. I never thought I would see the day, after playing against Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker, the three biggest servers I ever saw, when two guys would be playing the Wimbledon final from the baseline.”

So says the always outspoken John McEnroe in an exclusive interview with TENNIS Magazine senior editor Peter Bodo who caught up with McEnroe, a spokesman for prostate cancer awareness, while he was filming a public service announcement on behalf of pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline.

The interview is at: (http://tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=177914).

McEnroe, also challenges the rest of the field to change their game this year and not play Federer’s game.

“Roger hasn’t had to change anything at Wimbledon,” explained McEnroe. “Over the past five, six years he only been serving and volleying 10-15 percent of the time. Winning five straight Wimbledons and getting to the final in the sixth is level of success that’s hard to argue with, but that’s all the more reason for some of the other guys to maybe make some attempt to be more or at least reasonably aggressive on grass. Let’s face it, they have no business trying to stay back with the guy – they may hit a few good shots but they’re certainly not going to beat Roger.”

And National Geographic Channel has a documentary on Hitler’s attempts to develop a stealth fighter during World War II.

HITLER’S STEALTH FIGHTER

Sunday, June 28 at 9PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/hitler-s-stealth-fighter-3942/Overview

UNITED KINGDOM: A blueprint of the Horten Ho 229 flying wing fighter/bomber. (Photo credit © Arthur Bentely / Flying Wing Films)

For more than half a century, little was known about this mysterious aircraft, called the Horten 229. Now, with an elite team of Northrop Grumman aeronautical engineers, National Geographic Channel (NGC) works from the original plans and prototype to reconstruct a full-scale replica of the jet to determine if it had stealth capabilities. If proven, it would confirm that Hitler was on the verge of introducing a stealth jet fighter into the battle with Allies, long before the United States began developing stealth technology in the 1970s. The implications could have been monumental, especially in light of the Nazis’ parallel progress in developing atomic capabilities.

RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA: A full scale replica of the Ho 229 bomber made with materials available in the 1940s at prefilght. (Photo credit © Linda Reynolds / Flying Wing Films)

VIDEO EXCERPTS

Video “Nazi Stealth Aircraft” – An elite team of stealth aircraft modelers are taking on a mysterious project: Hitler’s secret stealth fighter:

Video “Advanced Design” – Engineered long before its time, the Horten 2-29 was the product of two brothers’ desire for vengeance:

EXTRA VIDEOS

Video: Archival scenes of Adolf Hitler and stealth fighter airplanes from World War II:

Video: See rare archival footage of Northrop Grumman’s test flights of their early flying wing prototype:

At the program website for Hitler’s Stealth Fighter, the following is available:

• A complete Photo Gallery with downloadable wallpapers
• A timeline with History of Stealth Planes
• A Fact Sheet about the Horten 229

As usual, fascinating stuff from National Geographic.

One more press release post coming up.

Thursday’s Quickie Links

Maybe it’s the rain, maybe it’s was going to the dentist, maybe it’s male menopause, whatever it is, I just don’t feel like doing the links today. But I’ll do as many as I can.

Starting with Newsday’s Neil Best who talks with NBC’s Johnny Miller about his candor during golf telecasts. Neil has more with Johnny in his blog. Neil is amazed at famed golf journalist Dan Jenkins who is attending his 40th U.S. Open. That’s a lot. Neil also hitched a ride with NBC’s Bob Costas today. Neil has learned that former WFANer Sid Rosenberg returns to the FAN for a special guest spot on Friday.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir looks at Johnny Miller’s preparation for his U.S. Open broadcasts.

Ken McMillan of the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record has the NBC golf crew talking about the U.S. Open.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell who’s covering the U.S. Open, says the best value for a ticket to the event is the Monday playoff. Darren says Tiger Woods has done wonders for golf betting. Darren has video of an interview CNBC did regarding the New York Football Giants/Timex naming rights deal.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says DirecTV viewers get the full U.S. Open experience.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News has a look at the May Metroplex sports radio ratings. Barry crunches the ratings even further.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says Mike North is lashing out at his critics who say he did not properly vette the co-founder of the local internet sports station which shut down for good on Wednesday. Ed says a former Chicago city official had dealings with the co-founder.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says HBO Sports has banned Artie Lange from future appearances on its programming.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times writes about Twitter’s increasing influence on sports.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star writes that Rogers is fast becoming a sports media titan in Canada.

David Tanklefsky of Broadcasting & Cable looks at the Red Sox Video on Demand deal with Comcast.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News has one last look back at the NBA and NHL postseasons.

Mike also writes about ESPN’s involvement at the U.S. Open when rain doesn’t delay its coverage.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball reviews the new MLB.com At Bat app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I basically agree with everything Maury wrote.

Deadspin has an interview with of all people, Buzz Bissinger.

Shortly after that interview was posted, Dan Levy of On the DL noticed Bissinger was blaming the whole Raul Ibanez controversy on “Harold Reynolds”, thinking that the actual Harold Reynolds was the one that linked to Jerod Morris’ post at Midwest Sports Fans. As you can imagine, the great blog, Hugging Harold Reynolds was quite amused.

Speaking of Jerod, he provides his thoughts in the wake of the Phillies’ Raul Ibanez going on the Disabled List today.

The Sports Media Watch has the ratings for the entire 2009 NBA postseason.

Congratulations to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog for winning Hockey Writer of the Year from HockeyBarn.com. Greg also has his take on my NHL TV Awards. The comments on my awards at Puck Daddy are rather vicious to me, but I take it in stride. Thanks to Greg for the link here.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media likes how the NHL is trying to liven up its annual awards show.

Chris Byrne of Eye on Sports Media delves into one particular blog post from Friend of Fang’s Bites Joe Favorito.

Here’s the post Chris is referring to.

Joe says the Artie Lange controversy may have slowed Joe Buck’s chances to expand his brand.

Sox & Dawgs has the videos of the Red Sox congratulating their fans for 500 consecutive sellouts at Fenway Park.

I think that’s going to do it. Back later.

NBC Sports Talks U.S. Open

I really should post this release before the U.S. Open starts on Thursday. This is a post which has highlights of an NBC Sports media conference call on the Open which kicks off at 8 a.m. on the networks of NBC.

WOODS & MICKELSON LEAD FIELD AS NBC SPORTS BROADCASTS LIVE COVERAGE OF U.S. OPEN

“It almost reminds of the year 2000.” NBC’s Miller on Tiger

“Nowhere else have I ever been where I have seen such a sense of ownership and affection than displayed by the golf fans of this area for Bethpage Black.” – NBC’s Maltbie on NY fans

Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge Sunday at Noon Features Timberlake, Jordan, Roethlisberger
  
NEW YORK – June 17, 2009 – Defending champion Tiger Woods, looking for his fourth U.S. Open title and second victory at Bethpage, and Phil Mickelson, runner-up at Bethpage in 2002, headline the field as NBC Sports present live high definition coverage of the 2009 U.S. Open Championship, Thursday and Friday, 3-5 p.m. ET, Saturday 2-8 p.m. ET and Sunday 1:30-7:30 p.m. ET from the public links at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. This is NBC's 15th consecutive year broadcasting the Open. NBC Sports' Father's Day Sunday coverage is preceded by the second annual Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge from Noon-1:30 p.m. ET, in which Michael Jordan, Justin Timberlake, Ben Roethlisberger and contest-winner Larry Giegelhausen competed at Bethpage under U.S. Open conditions in a quest to break 100.

16 HOURS OF LIVE COVERAGE: NBC Sports will provide more than 16 hours of high definition U.S. Open coverage – the most extensive coverage provided for any golf event and the only one with network coverage of first- and second-round play: 

Thursday - 3-5 p.m. ET
Friday - 3-5 p.m. ET
Saturday - 2-8 p.m. ET
Sunday - 1:30-7:30 p.m. ET

NBC SPORTS GOLF TEAM: Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 10th season together as NBC Sports' lead golf commentators, anchor NBC's Emmy Award-winning coverage from the 18th-hole tower. Hicks and Miller are joined by tower reporters Gary Koch, Peter Jacobsen and Bob Murphy; on-course reporters Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper; interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts; with reports from Golf World's Tim Rosaforte. NBC Sports' Bob Costas will contribute opening commentary and interview segments, in addition to periodically resetting the scene from Bethpage. NBC's coverage is produced by Tommy Roy, one of the most nominated persons in the history of the Sports Emmys.

U.S. OPEN ROADBLOCK: A total of 13 NBC Universal platforms, 12 networks (NBC, USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Oxygen, The Weather Channel, SciFi, Sleuth, Chiller, Mun2 and Universal HD) as well as NBCSports.com and USOpen.com will join the "TODAY" show in progress on Thursday and simulcast the 2009 U.S. Open opening round tee shot for the traditional "champions pairing," which this year consists of Tiger Woods (2008 U.S. Open champion), Padraig Harrington (2008 British Open champion) and Angel Cabrera (2009 Masters champion). Live coverage of the "NBC U.S. Open Roadblock" begins at 8 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT/MT/PT for TODAY) and will be hosted by TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira with on site coverage from NBC golf host Dan Hicks and lead analyst Johnny Miller from Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. A feature on Tiger Woods will precede the tee shots.

NBC Sports conducted a conference call with Miller, Hicks, Maltbie, Koch and Roy. Highlights follow:

DAN HICKS ON THE STORYLINES: "I can't remember going into an Open where we had the top two players, in popularity at least in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, having great storylines around them. Everyone knows what Tiger did a couple of weeks ago at Memorial, kind of giving everybody a glimpse of him being 'Tiger' again, playing incredible. The fact that what he did last year at Torrey Pines and the fact that he is defending here at Bethpage Black sets up a great storyline for him and then everybody knows what is surrounding Phil Mickelson. I just anticipate really one of the most special days in golf."

JOHNNY MILLER ON IMPORTANCE OF GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: "Sunday is probably the most interesting day but Thursday is definitely the second most interesting day. Thursday is probably the most nervous round. You really study what happens in the first round and it's one of the key rounds. Guys just don't shoot 74 or higher and win. Who can handle the U.S. Open jitters Thursday, which are amazing, is who can get off to a good start."
 
JOHNNY MILLER ON MICKELSON: "If he can get off to a good start tomorrow, that's got to be the key round, once he gets in contention I think he will stay in contention."

JOHNNY MILLER ON TIGER: "It almost reminds me of the year 2000. I've just got a feeling that all the work that he's done, all of a sudden to go from where he was at The Players to hitting all fourteen fairways the last round of Memorial. I think he's in that nice little spot; you've got to watch out. I think he's in that good spot in his life, he's got a good marriage, good kids."
 
JOHNNY MILLER ON BETHPAGE: "This course is set up where the best player is going to win like last time the three best players in the world were right at the end: Mickelson, Tiger, and Sergio. It's not tricked out. You are finding a setup that rewards the best players and not blowing them out of the championship because they're are not having a hot week off the tee."
 
ROGER MALTBIE ON BETHPAGE: "This is a big ballpark."

TOMMY ROY ON CHALLENGES OF BETHPAGE: "The one unique challenge logistically as Roger was talking about is how big a ballpark this is. From where our trucks are parked, which are to the right of the tenth fairway to get up to the clubhouse and all the way to the other side it's at least a couple of miles. So we have 175,000 feet of cable out there. If you add up all the strands of fiber-optic cable that we have it equates to 397 miles of cable"

ROGER MALTBIE ON THE NEW YORK FANS: "Nowhere else have I ever been where I have seen such a sense of ownership and affection than displayed by the golf fans of this area for Bethpage Black. It is remarkable. I get questioned all the time on the golf course. What is he going to shoot on our course? You get the sense nobody wants them too shoot good. They want to see them take it on the chin a little bit. They certainly revere this golf course."
 
GARY KOCH ON THE CROWDS: "I think certainly along with who's going to win the championship, probably the thing I look forward to the most is how the crowds are going to react to these players. I remember so vividly back in 2002, these New York fans don't know the definition of a polite golf clap. If they get behind a player they can provide some monumental momentum and energy and if a player happens to get on the wrong side of a crowd, as Sergio Garcia certainly experienced in 2002, they can be a potential detriment. It's been interesting listening to players early in the week talk about the importance embracing the crowd and getting them behind them. In fact, I've witnessed Sergio this week with a very, very different outlook than he had in 2002. He's signing autographs, he's smiling, he's posing for pictures. I think he learned a valuable lesson: the importance of getting the crowd behind you."

JOHNNY MILLER ON THE RAIN AFFECTING PLAY: "I do think it will change the storyline- guys have to deal with the weather. I know that when Tiger Woods was going to school in Stanford, he used to on purpose, go out and practice in the rain because he knew if he was going to be a champion, he'd have to play in situations like what we are about to experience tomorrow. So that's one thing to keep in mind.
 
"I think people like to see pros struggle, I hate to say it. They want them to do real well and they want them to struggle. They don't like the boring pars."

DAN HICKS ON THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN: "I think it adds to the intrigue. People will want to see how the pros do in the bad weather, kind of like an NFL game when it's snowing."

JOHNNY MILLER ON THIS YEAR'S ROCCO MEDIATE: "Jeev Milkha Singh. Nick Watney might be a good pick. I don't know, I don't need reasons, you guys make reasons. I just pick them."
 
ROGER MALTBIE ON A DARK HORSE: "I don't know if he is so much of a dark horse but a guy that has been down on his luck a little while here, I think this is a really good golf course for a Retief Goosen. I just have a feeling that this could be a good week for him."
 
GARY KOCH ON A DARK HORSE: "I like Luke Donald to come through. You know it was last year at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines where he was playing reasonably well and he was forced to withdraw with the wrist injury which later led to surgery. He has come back this year and performed quite nicely. Luke hits the ball very straight and he has had some decent finishes in U.S. Opens before."
 
DAN HICKS ON THIS YEAR'S ROCCO MEDIATE: "I'm going with Matt Kuchar."
 
GARY KOCH ON THE WEATHER CONDITIONS: "From a players standpoint one of the things that you have to keep in mind that could make the golf course more difficult is if the fairways do become even softer and you start picking up mud on the ball, adhering to the ball after a tee shot, it will make some of these approach shots into these uphill greens even more difficult. Certainly a situation I don't think any of the players are looking forward to if they do get the bad weather. But these guys are the best and they'll deal with it." 

DAN HICKS ON THE U.S. OPEN CHALLENGE AT BETHPAGE: "I think it is more entertaining and the golf is certainly a lot better than it was a year ago at Torrey Pines. Ben Roethlisberger was pretty incredible -- he birdied two of the hardest holes on the course. It's got a lot of people talking about how Bethpage Black might be vulnerable. It remains to be seen, what the best players in the world are going to turn in, but it certainly got some people thinking, is the Black really as tough as we all think it is? I think it is, and I cannot wait to get it going for the real thing on Thursday."

NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com will simulcast NBC Sports' Thursday and Friday broadcasts (3-5 p.m. ET), live stream on the weekend the 17th hole and offer live post-game coverage all four days, the U.S. Open Wrap-up Show presented by Lexus, hosted by Bill Patrick, Brian Crowell and Jennifer Mills. The site also will offer highlights, interviews and analysis, as well as live blogging.

NBC SPORTS MOBILE:  Fans can get U.S. Open news and scores wherever they are with NBC Sports Mobile. The NBC Sports Mobile site will offer the latest news from NBCSports.com, along with complete leaderboards throughout the weekend by visiting http://m.nbcsports.com on their mobile device. Users on the go can also get news and scoring alerts sent right to their phone. To sign up for alerts, users can text "GOLF" to 51515.  
 
iPhone: NBC Sports, in conjunction with the USGA, is offering  live weekend coverage on the official U.S. Open iPhone application. Fans can watch live streaming video of the Par-3 17th Hole on both Saturday and Sunday.
 
MOBILE TV:  NBC Sports' complete coverage of the U.S. Open will be available on both NBC 2Go and NBC Sports Mobile.

CNBC REPORTS LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN: CNBC will broadcast a special edition of its show "CNBC Reports," live from Bethpage on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The show, hosted by CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell, will feature interviews with power brokers in the business of golf, including PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg.

Now that does it. Back later on Thursday.