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MLB Network Has The World Series Umpires Mic’d Up

I wish this documentary had come out sooner. Tonight, MLB Network premieres a new behind-the-scenes film produced by MLB Productions. This has all six World Series umpires miked and the film shows what each man is saying either behind the plate, on the field or inside their clubhouse.

This film is called “The Third Team: All-Access 2012 World Series” and culls hours of footage into a one-hour documentary.

I did not receive an advance copy so I don’t have a review of the film, but this certainly looks interesting. And if you need a baseball fix in this early winter, you can see some original programming from MLB Network tonight.

Here’s the preview from MLB Network.

MLB NETWORK GOES BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH WORLD SERIES UMPIRES IN THE THIRD TEAM: ALL-ACCESS 2012 WORLD SERIES

Documentary Premieres Thursday, December 27 Featuring Never-Before-Heard Audio of Umpires’ Interactions with Players and Coaches

Secaucus, N.J., December 20, 2012 – From calling the balls and strikes to making a crucial call at home plate, MLB Network will bring viewers into the lives of the 2012 World Series umpires in The Third Team: All-Access 2012 World Series, a one hour special premiering Thursday, December 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The documentary features exclusive behind-the-scenes access and never-before-heard audio of Fieldin Culbreth, Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman, Dan Iassogna, Brian O’Nora and Joe West, as they worked this past year’s Fall Classic between the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers.

All six umpires wore microphones before, during and after each World Series game, as The Third Team captures the sights and sounds of the umpires’ pre- and postgame rituals, their interactions with players and coaches on the field, and their calls on the some of the series’ closest plays, including Iassogna’s crucial out call of Detroit’s Prince Fielder at home plate in Game Two and his subsequent conversation with Tigers Manager Jim Leyland about the play.

An exclusive interview with MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Joe Torre is featured, plus all six umpires discuss the bond they share as the “third team” on the field, the pressure of being an MLB umpire, the sacrifices they have made for their careers, and the feeling of having reached the pinnacle of their profession, which Fieldin Culbreth says, “You start off with 68 of us, and to be one of the six that’s chosen to work the World Series is an honor.”

The Third Team also features Iassogna and O’Nora discussing the emotion of working their first World Series, Gorman talking about following in his father Tom’s footsteps as an umpire, and Davis’ thoughts about setting the record for the most Postseason games worked by an umpire in Game One.

Highlightsfrom The Third Team: All-Access 2012 World Series include:

Brian O’Nora on the umpire profession:
This is the only job that you have to be perfect from the first day and get better at it.

Joe West on missing a call:
I can honestly say, that whenever any umpire makes a mistake, a little bit of him dies inside.

Brian Gorman on the World Series being the pinnacle of the profession:
When the players play in Little League, they think about playing in the World Series. As an umpire…you just can’t do any better.

West on being an umpire:
The average person doesn’t look at us as real human beings. They think we’re just robots that go out there and do what we do. They don’t look at you as having families, and that’s not true. They all have their own lives, their own mortgages, their own car payments. They have a real life, like everybody else.

Fieldin Culbreth on Pablo Sandoval’s three-home run game:
Even as an umpire whose kind of lost that fan look at the game and [is] just looking at it professionally, every now and then you see something [and] you just go, ‘Man, that is unbelievable. There’s not many people that can do what just took place right there.’

Culbreth on how much umpires care about their craft:
I can assure you that players don’t talk any more about hitting and fielding than we do about balls [and] strikes, safes and outs. We love our craft. We work hard at it.

West on the most important call for an umpire:
It doesn’t matter how many ones you had before that you got right. It’s the next one that’s the most important call of your life.

Iassogna on what it was like working home plate for Game Two:
If I tell you, I’ll start crying…I’ll just say I had a lot of people out there with me… [My wife] Denise and the girls, my parents, everybody I ever worked with, they were all with me.

O’Nora on his perspective towards the job:
The way I look at this job is I leave my wife and my kids for seven months. I would be cheating them, I would be cheating the ballplayers and cheating myself if I don’t give them everything I have. So every night, I leave everything on the table. [It] doesn’t matter if it’s a playoff game or a regular season game.

Gorman on following in his father’s footsteps as an umpire:
My dad was already in the big leagues when I was born, so I kind of knew growing up what the lifestyle’s like [and] what the baseball family’s all about. Now that I’m going through it, I have much more admiration for what he went through because he wasn’t really making that much money and things like that. The travel was tough on him. My mom died when I was real little, so he was doing it by himself.

Culbreth on the crew’s performance in the World Series:
As far as I’m concerned, it looks like we came out unscathed. Everything was correct. When this thing’s all said and done, you just want to blend in and let these two teams battle it out. As far as I’m concerned, that’s what happened.

Davis on the “third team”:
One of the things that we, as umpires, think about is there’s really a third team on the field. A lot of people don’t pay attention to that; those that know us do. But from an umpire perspective, everything was great. We had two new guys on the crew. They both did great jobs and that’s fun to see.

The documentary airs at 9 p.m. ET.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area Gives San Francisco Giants Fans A Chance To Re-Live 2012 Championship

Starting tonight and lasting through New Year’s Eve, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will give San Francisco Giants fans a chance to re-live a magical 2012 postseason with the re-airing of seven games including the entire World Series that led to the team’s second championship in three years.

The games start tonight with the original CSN Bay Area broadcast of the Giants clinching the National League West Division over the San Diego Padres. And the next six games will be postseason broadcasts including the clinchers of the National League Division and Championship Series as well as the aforementioned World Series.

All of the postseason games will mix in the calls from KNBR Radio featuring Giants voices Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.

We have the press release from CSN Bay Area. All times listed below are Pacific.

COMCAST SPORTSNET BAY AREA TO AIR “GIANTS CLASSIC GAMES,” FEATURING SEVEN GAMES FROM 2012 CHAMPIONSHIP RUN

Beginning Tuesday, December 11, Network to Present “Giants Classic Games – Championship Edition” Leading Off with Giants Winning NL West Schedule Includes Giants/Reds NLDS Game 5, Giants/Cardinals NLCS Game 7 and All Giants/Tigers World Series Games Postseason Telecasts to Feature Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Jon Miller and Dave Flemming’s KNBR Radio Calls

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 6, 2012) – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the home of “Authentic Bay Area Sports,” relives and celebrates the San Francisco Giants’ 2012 championship season this month with “Giants Classic Games – Championship Edition” – an encore presentation of seven historic games from the team’s storybook season. As an added bonus, each postseason telecast will include the KNBR radio call from the best broadcasting team in baseball – Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Jon Miller and Dave Flemming.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will televise the first of seven “Giants Classic Games – Championship Edition” on Tuesday, December 11 at 7 p.m. with the Giants clinching the NL West against San Diego. “Giants Classic Games – Championship Edition” also includes the Giants beating Cincinnati in the NLDS; capturing the NL pennant against St. Louis; and sweeping Detroit in four games to win the team’s second World Series in three years.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s “Giants Classic Games – Championship Edition” schedule is below:

Tuesday, December 11 (Giants win NL West)
7 p.m. — September 22, 2012: Giants vs. San Diego Padres (Giants 8, Padres 4)
Madison Bumgarner pitched the Giants to their second NL West title in two years, and Marco Scutaro had three hits and three RBIs in San Francisco’s 8-4 win over the Padres.

Monday, December 24 (Giants win NL Division Series)
7 p.m. — October 11, 2012: Giants at Cincinnati Reds, Game 5 (Giants 6, Reds 4)
The Giants rally to win the NLDS by defeating Cincinnati in five games after losing the first two games at home. San Francisco’s dramatic comeback was capped off by Buster Posey’s second career grand slam off Mat Latos.

Tuesday, December 25 (Giants win NL Championship Series)
10 a.m. — October 22, 2012: Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Game 7 (Giants 9, Cardinals 0)
The Giants come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NLCS to beat the reigning 2011 World Champion Cardinals in seven games.  Marco Scutaro capped his series MVP performance with three hits; adding to his NLCS record 28 hits in the series.

Tuesday, December 25 (Giants win World Series Game 1)
7:30 p.m. — October 24, 2012: Giants vs. Detroit Tigers, Game 1 (Giants 8, Tigers 3)
Pablo Sandoval hits three home runs and drives in four runs in an 8-3 victory over the Tigers in Game 1.  Barry Zito outduels reigning AL Cy Young winner and MVP Justin Verlander to get the win.

Thursday, December 27 (Giants win World Series Game 2)
8 p.m. — October 25, 2012: Giants vs. Detroit Tigers, Game 2 (Giants 2, Tigers 0)
Madison Bumgarner tosses seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Tigers, and San Francisco takes a 2-0 edge in the World Series.

Sunday, December 30 (Giants win World Series Game 3)
7:30 p.m. — October 27, 2012: Giants at Detroit Tigers, Game 3 (Giants 2, Tigers 0)
Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum and Sergio Romo combine for a five-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Tigers.  The Giants take a commanding 3-0 lead as they become the first team in World Series history to record back-to-back shutouts since 1966.

Monday, December 31 (Giants win World Series)
8 p.m. — October 28, 2012: Giants at Detroit Tigers, Game 4 (Giants 4, Tigers 3; 10 innings)
The Giants top the Tigers in the tenth inning for the World Series sweep and their second championship in three years.  Marco Scutaro’s RBI single in the top of the tenth, driving in Ryan Theriot, was the difference in the Giants’ 4–3 victory.  Pablo Sandoval was named series MVP, hitting .500 with three home runs, a double and four RBIs in 16 at-bats.

That is all.

Various Monday Links

Let’s do some linkage on this Monday.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with TNT’s Charles Barkley about the next phase of his career.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Saturday nights are becoming a sports TV bastion.

Chris Chase at USA Today’s Game On blog has video of an NFL referee cursing which surprised CBS’ Kevin Harlan.

Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine of Reuters says US cable sports networks are in a scrum for ad dollars.

Kimberly Nordyke of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Time Warner SportsNet has signed Cox, but Comcast, DirecTV and Dish still remain holdouts.

Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable says Travel Channel has signed a deal with the NFL to produce a show on the Cleveland Browns traveling to road games.

E.J. Schultz of Advertising Age says despite the NHL lockout, hockey marketers are finding ways to find their target audience.

Media Life Magazine says CBS scored with Alabama-LSU in primetime on Saturday.

Chuck Ross at TV Week explains why baseball remains the greatest game despite its ratings.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with CBS/TNT’s Marv Albert about calling games at the age of 71.

Ed wonders where Michelle Beadle will fit in NBC Sports Network’s plans.

CBS Sports reports that Dallas Mavericks announcer Mark Followill got into a bike accident over the weekend.

Radio Ink notes that former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy has joined NBC Sports Radio as an analyst.

Digital TV Europe reports that Al Jazeera’s beIN Sport in France has obtained the rights to air NBA games along with the NFL it previously signed.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe writes that NBC is going all in with soccer.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post says Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Road Runners should have admitted fault in attempting to run the NYC Marathon this past weekend.

Sarah Kogod of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that a Wizards beer ad featured an underaged 19 year old Bradley Beal.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at the NBC deal to air English Premier League games starting in 2013.

Jodie Wagner of the Palm Beach Post talks with a local sports radio personality about working in the local market.

Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas says the Texas Rangers have announced their broadcast teams for next season.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports on the local sports radio ratings.

Jeff Balke of the Houston Press provides fans with ways to watch the Rockets for those who don’t have access to Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Neal Rubin at the Detroit News says a group hopes to land ESPN’s X Games for Motown.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Fox’s crew found a lot to praise about the Green Bay Packers.

Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Big Ten Network continues to air the so-called non-revenue sports.

Paul M. Banks at the Chicago Sports Media Watch wonders why the Illinois Sports Facility Authority would hire a former TV reporter to run the agency.

John Vomhof, Jr. of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal provides a look at Fox Sports North’s new studios.

The Denver Post’s Dusty Saunders feels some sports broadcasters make predictions that can’t possibly come true.

Dusty says MLB is trying to spin the World Series ratings.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News writes about the last two holdouts for Time Warner SportsNet.

Tom has the SoCal sports calendar for this week.

Tom has the five things he learned over the weekend.

Sports Media Watch notes that while Alabama-LSU’s overnights were way down from last year, it still had impressive numbers for CBS.

That’s going to do it for now. Squeezed as many links as I could today.

Some Quick Thursday Links

I’ll do a few links on this Thursday. Can you believe it’s November already?

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NBA’s television partners are still setting their lineups as the season begins.

Hiestand reports that the Mitt Romney campaign is throwing a monkey wrench at ESPN in its attempts to get the GOP Presidential candidate to appear on the Mike & Mike radio show.

Sports Business Daily looks at some of the sports facilities in the Northeast that sustained damage due to Hurricane Sandy.

Patrick Rishe of Forbes says NBC is betting that soccer will produce eyeballs for NBC Sports Network.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter says Lakers fans are still shut out from seeing their team’s games on several cable and satellite providers.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says TNT had to revise its NBA plans tonight after the Knicks-Nets game was canceled.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek talks with the polarizing Frank Caliendo about his move from Fox to ESPN.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the World Series on Fox may have finished with its lowest ratings ever, but it was still able to gain a victory over NBC in the important 18-49 demographic.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with NBC/NFL Network’s Alex Flanagan about her crazy schedule during football season.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell goes over the New York City Marathon’s first live national TV coverage since the 1990′s.

Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times talks with Captain Blowhard about his new role on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY notes that WFAN will begin its FM simulcast on Friday.

Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Goalkeeper blog talks with an NBC Sports exec about the acquisition of the English Premier League.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV writes in Press Box about Baltimore’s sports radio ratings.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Comcast SportsNet has hired a replacement for the opening left behind by Kelli Johnson who left for CSN Houston last month.

LSUSports notes that Tiger alum Lolo Jones will be the celebrity prognosticator on College GameDay this Saturday.

Mike Graham at the Dallas Morning News discusses Texas Tech’s new media rights deal with Fox Sports.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that the big cable and satellite providers have not made a deal with Comcast SportsNet for the Rockets games.

David said the Rockets’ season opener scored lower ratings as compared to last year.

The Oklahoman’s Mel Bracht talks with women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman about her new role as studio analyst for Thunder games.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes a former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader becoming a popular Windy City TV personality.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says a Real Salt Lake MLS playoff game next week may not be on live TV.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says the Lakers updated their fans on the carriage dispute between several providers and Time Warner SportsNet.

Joe Flint of the Times says uncertainty about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV rights is influencing the reluctance of cable and satellite providers in regards to picking up the Time Warner regional sports network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned over the last week.

Sports Media Watch says Hurricane Sandy may have affected the ratings for the Celtics-Heat NBA season opener on TNT.

Steve Lepore at SB Nation’s Puck The Media says English Premier League games on NBC Sports Group should compliment the NHL, not compete with it, whenever it returns from its dreaded lockout.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth looks at some various sports radio news from across the country.

The Big Lead notes that ABC is considering to option a sitcom based on ESPN’s Sage Steele.

And that will do it.

Some Tuesday Links

I hope those of you in the Mid-Atlantic states are ok after Hurricane Sandy. I’m lucky to still have power after yesterday’s gusts in Southern New England. I know many are not. Hopefully you’re ok after Sandy and you can start getting back to normal. Let’s do some linkage for you.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about the World Series’ ratings.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report wonders why the World Series ratings continue to decline.

Ed goes behind the scenes with ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Ed has an interview with Jay “The Rat” Mariotti.

Michael O’Connell from the Hollywood Reporter says the World Series ratings fell from last year, but still won their respective nights.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes the 2012 World Series fell way below its previous record low.

Tim looks at NBC’s deal with the English Premier League.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News talks with MLB Network head honcho Tony Petitti about obtaining the rights to the next two World Baseball Classics.

Mike says Univision has signed the rights to the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament.

Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age talks about the World Series’ low ratings.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life says Fox won Sunday night with an NFL overrun and the World Series.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that WFAN begins its FM simulcast on Friday.

NBA on TNT voice Marv Albert writes in the New York Times about welcoming the Nets to Brooklyn.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says Fox has changed the NFL game being sent to the Capital Region for the second consecutive week.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the college football TV schedule for Week 10.

Pete has the NFL TV schedule for Weeks 9 and 10.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record notes the MLS Playoffs start this Wednesday.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with NBA TV’s Chris Webber about the Wizards.

Tom Jones in the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the weekend ratings.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says a former Sooner basketball player will be the analyst for several Oklahoma games this season.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post is a fan of NBC’s Tony Dungy.

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the West Coast Conference gets a TV deal.

EPL Talk looks at the new NBC Sports-English Premier League deal.

Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing analyzes what airing English Premier League games means for NBC and NBC Sports Network.

The EPL also made a new rights deal in Canada.

Sports Rantz looks at some radio and sports broadcasts affected by Hurricane Sandy.

And that will be it for now.

2012 World Series on Fox Averages 7.6 Rating For Four Games; Lowest in US TV History

We have the final ratings for the 2012 World Series on Fox. First, the ratings for Game 4 which ended as the highest rated of all the broadcasts this year. It resulted in an 8.9 rating and 14 share, down from last year’s Game 4 which had a 9.2/14. The viewership, however, was higher than last year’s Game 4 which averaged 15.2 million viewers. This year’s Game 4 garnered 15.5 million.

Game 3 was hit hard by college football and ended with a 6.1/11. Fox did win the night on Saturday and Sunday.

Now for the four game average which resulted in the lowest ratings ever for a World Series on American television. It averaged a 7.6 rating with a 12 share.

Here’s the Fox Sports press release.

15.5 MILLION VIEWERS TUNE IN TO WITNESS GIANTS WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON FOX

Fall Classic Remains Top Ten Show; No. 2 in Men 18-49

New York, NY – The San Francisco Giants captured their secondWorld Series title in three years last night and 15.5 million viewers tuned in to see the extra innings drama unfold on FOX Sports.

Sunday night’s decisive Game 4, which completed the Giants’ sweep of the Detroit Tigers, posted 8.9/14 fast-national rating/share, according to Nielsen Media Research. The average audience of 15.5 million viewers is up +2% from last year’s Game 4 average (15.2 million viewers, 9.2/14 rating/share).

The Giants aren’t the only ones to sweep during this series. FOX is projected to win both Saturday (Game 3) and Sunday nights in the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic, giving the network a win each World Series night this year. Saturday and Sunday’s broadcasts also won the night in household ratings, bringing the network to a total of three primetime wins during the Fall Classic. Game 3 on Saturday night posted a 6.1/11 fast-national rating/share.

When compared against other primetime programming, the World Series remains a top-ten force. The 2012 World Series averaged a 7.6/12 rating/share and 12.7 million viewers, ranking No. 9 in viewership among all primetime programming this season. This year’s four-game series still placed No. 2 among Men 18-49 (4.7); No. 3 in Men 25-54 (5.6); No. 4 with Men 18-34 (4.0); tied for No. 6 in Adults 18 – 49 (3.7); tied for No. 8 in Adults 18 – 34 (3.2) and No. 9 among Adults 25-54 (4.3).

“The World Series has been a top ten primetime hit for over 40 years and even with a four-game sweep this series was no exception,” said Michael Mulvihill, Senior Vice President of Programming and Research, FOX Sports Media Group. “This World Series gave us exactly what we expected: a top ten show among all viewers and a top five show among hard-to-reach younger men. It’s important for us to remain focused on the Series relative to today’s competitive environment rather than bygone years. The World Series remains a powerful force in primetime and we’re fortunate to have the Fall Classic for at least nine more years to look forward to.”

World Series Game 4 is the highest-rated, most-watched primetime program in households on FOX since the AMERICAN IDOLFinale this past May and provided the network its best Sunday night primetime performance since the NFC Championship Game on January 22, 2012. Last night’s game peaked with an 11.3 at 11:45 PM as the decisive 10^th inningunfolded.

San Francisco led all markets with a 38.7/64 for Game 4, scoring the best rating of any MLB game in that market since Game 7 of the 2002 World Series between the Angels and the Giants. Detroit scored a 37.9/53 for Game 4, notching Motown’s highest rating for an MLB game since Game 2 of the 2006 World Series between the Tigers and the Cardinals.

That is all.

2012 World Series Game 2 on Fox Up Slightly From Game 1; Still Down From 2011

This in from Fox Sports. It mentions that Game 2 saw a slight ratings increase from Game 1. With a much closer 2-0 game in Game 2 that saw the San Francisco Giants take a 2-0 series lead over the Detroit Tigers, Fox received a 7.8 fast national rating with a 12 share. An average of 12.3 million viewers watched on Thursday night.

This is down from Game 2 of last year’s World Series which had an 8.9/14 and an average of 14.3 million people watching. Again, this year’s Game 2 would be the lowest-rated World Series Game 2 in history.

However, the game did win primetime for Fox over all network competition.

We have the press release from Fox Sports. Take a gander below.

WORLD SERIES ON FOX GAINS MOMENTUM WITH CLOSE GAME 2

Network Expected to Win Adults 18-49 Demo; HH Rating Up +3% Vs. Game 1

New York, NY – FOX Sports is in position to score its second consecutive win in the key Adult 18-49 demographic with last night’s World Series Game 2 and saw growth from Game 1 as the series shifts to Detroit.

Thursday night’s game was watched by 12.3 million viewers and posted a 7.8/12 household fast-national rating/share, according to Nielsen Media Research. That marks a +3% jump in household rating from Game 1 (7.6/12), and FOX is projected to win the night in the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic (3.4 from 8 – 11 PM). World Series Game 2 is the highest-rated, most-watched primetime program in households on FOX since the AMERICAN IDOL Finale this past May and provided the network its best Thursday night primetime performance since the March 22, 2012 broadcasts of IDOL and TOUCH. Last night’s game peaked with a 9.3/15 at 10:45 PM ET.

Last year’s World Series Game 2 between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals earned a 8.9/14 and averaged 14.3 million viewers. Through two games, the 2012 World Series is averaging a 7.7/12 rating/share and 12.3 million viewers.

Detroit led all markets for Game 2 viewing with a 36.7/51, notching Motown’s highest rating of the postseason. San Francisco followed with a 28.8/56 rating/share. Sacramento (24.5/40), St. Louis (11.1/17), Las Vegas (10.3/17), San Diego (10.2/19), Kansas City (9.9/16), Ft. Myers (9.1/15), Cleveland (9.4/16) and Portland, OR (9.1/18) round out the top ten markets for last night’s game.

World Series Game 3 between the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers airs Saturday night on FOX with coverage beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

That is all.

World Series Game 1 Wins Primetime, Ends Up Down From Last Year

We have the ratings from World Series Game 1 on Fox from Wednesday night. First, Fox won the night over all competition and also scored an 18-49 demographic win. The network says it received a 7.6 fast national rating and a 12 share with 12.2 million viewers for the 1st contest between the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers. This is down significantly from last year Game 1 which garnered an 8.7 final rating and a 14 share plus 14.2 million viewers.

Fox says the Giants’ fast 6-0 start before 9 p.m. kept the ratings down.

Locally, Detroit led all markets with a 33.2/46. San Francisco was next with a 32.3/58.

We have Fox’s press release for Game 1 of the World Series.

PANDA’S HISTORIC PERFORMACE POWERS FOX TO WORLD SERIES PRIMETIME WIN

Game 1 Earns FOX Highest-Rated and Most-Watched Primetime Program Since American Idol Finale

New York, NY – Last night, San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval made history when he joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game, catapulting the Giants to an 8-3 victory in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series. FOX Sports also notched a victory with World Series Game 1 winning the night in Households and the key Adult 18-49 (projected 3.7) demographic.

The game posted a 7.6/12 (12.2 million viewers) household fast-national rating/share, according to Nielsen Media Research, easily powering FOX to a first place finish in primetime and it gave the network its highest-rated, most-watched primetime program since the American Idol Finale this past May.

Last year’s World Series Game 1 between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, a 3-2 Cardinals victory, posted an 8.7/14 and averaged 14.2 million viewers. Initial tune-in to World Series Game 1 was virtually the same as last year’s but viewership was clearly impacted by the Giants mounting a 6-0 lead by the fifth inning. At 9:00 PM ET, 2012 Game 1 was out-rating Game 1 a year ago 8.8 vs. 8.7, but last year’s game remained close throughout, averaging a 9.3 the rest of the way and peaking at a 9.9 at 11:00 PM. Last night’s uncompetitive game averaged a 7.7 to its conclusion, peaking at an 8.8 at 9:00 PM ET and again at 9:30 PM ET.

Detroit led all markets for Game 1 viewing with a 33.2/46 followed by San Francisco, which delivered a 32.3/58 rating/share. Sacramento (25.4/40), San Diego (11.0/21), Las Vegas (10.3/18), Greensboro (10.2/15), Fort Myers (9.3/15), Phoenix (9.1/16), Richmond (9.1/14) and Cleveland (8.8/15) round out the top ten markets for last night’s game.

World Series Game 2 between the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants airs tonight on FOX with coverage beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

From MLB, it says the World Series dominated social media comments.

WORLD SERIES GAME ONE WINS NIGHT ON TV AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Giants Win, Sandoval’s Historic Night Generate Second-Most Social Media Comments in Postseason History

Kung Fu Panda had fans buzzing during Game One of the World Series. Last night’s lopsided win by the Giants in Game One — which featured an historic three home run performance by Pablo Sandoval — generated 813,000 social media comments, making it the second-most talked-about game on social media in Postseason history, trailing only the classic Game Six of the 2011 World Series.

The World Series game dominated the social media conversation last night, as the game generated more than five times as many public Facebook and Twitter comments as the next highest-ranking show on television (+412%), and +79% more comments than the next nine most talked about shows on television Wednesday, according to data from Bluefin Labs. On television, the World Series led FOX to an easy win in prime time over all other competition and was the highest-rated Wednesday night on FOX since the American Idol finale in May.

Sandoval’s three home runs sparked social media’s biggest buzz, as 163,881 comments featured the words Pablo, Sandoval or Panda, representing 20.2% of all conversations around the game. #WorldSeries was by far the most widely-used hashtag of the night, featured in 15% of all comments.

The World Series also elicited tweets yesterday from celebrity baseball fans including Jeff Daniels, Kid Rock, Colin Hanks, Eminem, Larry King, Kevin Pollack, MC Hammer, Kerri Walsh and Rob Schneider, as well as current MLB players Matt Kemp, Jeremy Guthrie, Josh Reddick, Jimmy Rollins, Joba Chamberlain, Elvis Andrus and Ian Desmond, among many others.

Coverage of Game Two of the World Series begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

That’s all.

WORLD SERIES GAME ONE WINS NIGHT ON TV AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Giants Win, Sandoval’s Historic Night Generate Second-Most

Social Media Comments in Postseason History

Kung Fu Panda had fans buzzing during Game One of the World Series. Last night’s lopsided win by the Giants in Game One — which featured an historic three home run performance by Pablo Sandoval — generated 813,000 social media comments, making it the second-most talked-about game on social media in Postseason history, trailing only the classic Game Six of the 2011 World Series.

The World Series game dominated the social media conversation last night, as the game generated more than five times as many public Facebook and Twitter comments as the next highest-ranking show on television (+412%), and +79% more comments than the next nine most talked about shows on television Wednesday, according to data from Bluefin Labs. On television, the World Series led FOX to an easy win in prime time over all other competition and was the highest-rated Wednesday night on FOX since the American Idol finale in May.

Sandoval’s three home runs sparked social media’s biggest buzz, as 163,881 comments featured the words Pablo, Sandoval or Panda, representing 20.2% of all conversations around the game. #WorldSeries was by far the most widely-used hashtag of the night, featured in 15% of all comments.

The World Series also elicited tweets yesterday from celebrity baseball fans including Jeff Daniels, Kid Rock, Colin Hanks, Eminem, Larry King, Kevin Pollack, MC Hammer, Kerri Walsh and Rob Schneider, as well as current MLB players Matt Kemp, Jeremy Guthrie, Josh Reddick, Jimmy Rollins, Joba Chamberlain, Elvis Andrus and Ian Desmond, among many others.  

Coverage of Game Two of the World Series begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

MLB Network To Air MLB Tonight & Intentional Talk On Location

Throughout the World Series, MLB Network will produce two of its studio shows, MLB Tonight and The Abortion Known as Intentional Talk on location from San Francisco and Detroit.

MLB Tonight: World Series Edition will have two pregame shows on gamedays, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET, then immediately following each contest.

Intentional Talk co-hosted by Chris Rose and the constantly yelling Kevin Millar will be aired from the field at 5 p.m. ET.

Some of the analysts to be seen on MLB Tonight include Harold Reynolds, Sean Casey, Peter Gammons, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams.

Here’s MLB Network’s press release on the World Series.

MLB TONIGHT: WORLD SERIES EDITION TO AIR LIVE ON-FIELD BEFORE & AFTER EVERY WORLD SERIES GAME

Sean Casey, Peter Gammons, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds & Mitch Williams Among Talent On-Site
Intentional Talk: World Series Edition with Kevin Millar & Chris Rose To Air Live On-Field Throughout World Series
Phillies Senior Vice President and General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. to Serve as Guest Analyst October 29 and 30

Secaucus, N.J., October 24, 2012 – MLB Network’s extensive coverage of the 2012 Postseason hits the road for the World Series as MLB Tonight will air live before and after every World Series game with previews, analysis and highlights of the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants matchup, plus interviews from Comerica Park in Detroit and AT&T Park in San Francisco. MLB Network’s Intentional Talk, co-hosted by Kevin Millar and Chris Rose, will also air live on-site throughout the World Series.

• Beginning today, two-hour editions of MLB Tonight will air live at 3:00 p.m. ET and 6:00 p.m. ET on the day of each game, and Intentional Talk will air live at 5:00 p.m. ET every day during the World Series. MLB Tonight will air live on the field following every game. On off-days, MLB Tonight will air live at 6:00 p.m. ET while MLB Network’s Path to the Championship will recap the latest World Series results.
• On-site coverage from San Francisco will be anchored by Brian Kenny and Chris Rose, with Dan Plesac, 1993 and 1997 World Series champion Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds while on-site coverage from Detroit will be anchored by Greg Amsinger and Rose, with Sean Casey, who batted .529 for Detroit in the 2006 World Series against St. Louis, Mitch Williams and Reynolds. Hall of Fame award-winning baseball writer Peter Gammons, Sam Ryan and Matt Yallof will also be reporting on-site throughout the World Series. On-site coverage will be complimented with studio coverage during every MLB Tonight anchored by Ahmed Fareed and Paul Severino and featuring analysis from Eric Byrnes, 1980 World Series World Champion Larry Bowa, John Hart, and 2003 and 2007 World Series Champion Mike Lowell.
• Phillies Senior Vice President and General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. will serve as a guest studio analyst during the World Series when he joins MLB Tonight on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30.
• Leading up to Game One today, MLB Network will air a feature commemorating the 40^th anniversary of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson’s death, including a rare interview between Bob Costas and David Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s son. David Robinson will reflect on his late father, including the impact Jackie Robinson had on baseball and society, plus his memories of his father’s speech before Game Two of the 1972 World Series, which was nine days before Robinson passed away.
• Prior to Game Two this Thursday, MLB Network will mark the 10^th anniversary of the 2002 World Series with a feature on the seven-game series between the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants. Hosted by Costas, the feature includes interviews with Dusty Baker, his son Darren Baker, Tim Salmon and J.T. Snow, looking back on the most memorable moments of this seven game classic, including Snow pulling Darren Baker out of harm’s way in Game Five and the Angels’ comeback to win Game Six and Game Seven.
• Leading up to Game Three on Saturday, MLB Network will reflect on the 35^th anniversary of Reggie Jackson’s historic three-home run performance in Game Six of the 1977 World Series with a feature including interviews from Jackson, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph and the original calls from the television broadcast team of Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson and Tom Seaver.
• MLB Network will keep its social media followers updated during the World Series with the latest news, quotes, interview clips, photos and breakdowns using #MLBTonight and #WorldSeries through its presence on Facebook and Twitter. MLB Network analysts, including Eric Byrnes (#MLBNByrnes), Sean Casey (#MLBNCasey) and Mike Lowell (#MLBNLowell) will live tweet from the MLB Network twitter feed during every World Series game. Fans can also stay up to date by following MLB Network’s on-air personalities on Twitter.
• MLB Network local channel listings are available at www.FindMLBNetwork.com.

That’s all.

Fox Prepares to Air Every Pitch of the 2012 World Series

Fox Sports is back to air the entire World Series, no matter how far it goes. Fox’s history with the World Series dates back to 1996 and since 2000, the network has aired the Fall Classic consecutively and will continue to do when the new MLB TV contract takes effect in 2014.

As usual, Joe Buck & Tim McCarver will be high above the fields in San Francisco and Detroit calling their 15th World Series together, a record for a network TV announcing team. And for McCarver, it will be his 23rd overall as an analyst dating back to 1985.

Erin Andrews and Ken Rosenthal will be the on-field reporters. Andrews makes her World Series debut for Fox.

And MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds will co-host the World Series pregame and will be joined by Fox’s Eric Karros and Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

In addition, Fox will unveil another camera called “Phantom Cam” which can record action at 20,000 frames a second further slowing down slow motion replay.

Here’s the Fox Sports press release.

FOX SPORTS’ 15^th FALL CLASSIC FEATURES GIANTS & TIGERS IN FIRST WORLD SERIES MEETING

Game 1 Coverage Begins Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 PM ET from AT&T Park
Buck & McCarver Call Record 15^th World Series Together
“FOX PHANTOM CAM” Added to Production Arsenal of 40 Cameras, 42 Mics
American Idol Winner Phillip Phillips Performs National Anthem at Game 1

New York, NY – FOX Sports’ exclusive coverage of 108^th Major League Baseball’s World Series begins Wednesday, Oct. 24 (7:30 PM ET), with Game 1 between the American League Champion Detroit Tigers and the National League Champion San Francisco Giants live from AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Tigers have been waiting to find out who they will face in the World Series since sweeping the New York Yankees last Thursday in Detroit. Justin Verlander, the Tigers’ well-rested ace takes the mound tomorrow night for Detroit while the Giants, just two days after winning NLCS Game 7 against the Cardinals, call on Barry Zito, to duplicate his commanding NLCS Game 5 performance. This marks the first time these two storied baseball franchises have met in a World Series.

Last season’s American Idol winner and singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips performs the National Anthem at Game 1 and the ceremonial first-pitch is delivered by Mario Barajas of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Following the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 1, the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) initiative invites all fans at AT&T Park to stand united and hold placards with the names of loved ones affected by cancer as part of a special in-game tribute to promote the importance of advancing the fight against cancer.

Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Tim McCarver, MLB on FOX’s Emmy Award-winning broadcast team, call their record 15^th World Series together. Each also sets individual benchmarks in World Series broadcasting with Buck calling the most Fall Classics by a play-by-play announcer with 15 and McCarver adding to his record-setting achievement of 23World Series behind the microphone. Making her World Series debut, Erin Andrews serves as a field reporter for each game alongside MLB on FOX and FOXSports.com senior MLB writer Ken Rosenthal, who works his seventh World Series for FOX. This year marks the network’s 17th straight as the television home for postseason baseball and the 2012 Fall Classic will be FOX’s 13^th consecutive and 15^th  overall.

FOX Sports and MLB Network continue their pregame collaboration into the Fall Classic to bring fans the most complete postseason coverage. Outspoken catcher A.J. Pierzynski joins longtime FOX Sports and MLB Network broadcaster Matt Vasgersian alongside the insightful analysis of FOX Sports’ Eric Karros and MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds. Pregame and postgame coverage for the 2012 World Series on FOX originates on-site from AT&T Park in San Francisco and Comerica Park in Detroit.

During FOX Sports’ coverage of the NLCS, one of the most-talked about elements of the broadcast was FOX’s “X-MO” Camera, capturing up to 3,000 frames per second. For the World Series, the network raises the bar again with the unveiling of “FOX PHANTOM CAM”, capable of capturing up to 20,000 frames per second.

WORLD SERIES PRODUCTION FACTS:

• 40 total cameras set up at AT&T Park and Comerica Park in Detroit
• Three “X-MO” cameras, capturing up to 3,000 frames per second. These “X-MO” cameras are positioned in the middle of both the first and third baselines with the third camera shooting from tight centerfield
• Two “FOX PHANTOM CAM” cameras capable of shooting up to 20,000 frames per second. The “FOX PHANTOM CAM” is the most “hyper” motion cameras ever used to capture a baseball game. These cameras are positioned at low first and third base angles showing the bend of the bat and the compression of the ball as it makes contact.
• Eight Robotic cameras
• 42 microphones spread in the infield
• Several different manned and unmanned FOX parabolic microphones for bat cracks and outfield sound.
• For the first time ever in baseball, FOX Player Pointer, which identifies the base runners in real time with a graphic over their heads on the bases and tracks their movements
• Approximate crew of 150-200 production, technical and support personnel

108TH WORLD SERIES ON FOX BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Schedule Subject to Change/All Times Eastern

Wednesday, Oct. 24 — GAME 1, AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 PM
Thursday, Oct. 25 — GAME 2, AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 27 — GAME 3, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 7:30 PM
Sunday, Oct. 28 — GAME 4, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 8:00 PM
*Monday, Oct. 29 — GAME 5, Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 7:30 PM
*Wednesday, Oct. 31 — GAME 6, AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 PM
*Thursday, Nov. 1 — GAME 7, AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 PM

* If necessary

That will do it.

2012 World Series Schedule

Now with the World Series decided, we know that the San Francisco Giants will take on the Detroit Tigers, a first-time matchup between two heritage MLB franchises. Fox Sports will have all of the games live on TV. ESPN Radio has the game on radio, of course.

Here’s the schedule from Major League Baseball.

2012 WORLD SERIES
(ALL TIMES EASTERN)

DETROIT TIGERS VS. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Game 1 — Wednesday, October 24, Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
Game 2 — Thursday, October 25, Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
Game 3 — Saturday, October 27, San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
Game 4 — Sunday, October 28, San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers, 8:15 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
*Game 5 — Monday, October 29, San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
*Game 6 — Wednesday, October 31, Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
*Game 7 — Thursday, November 1, Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants, 8:07 p.m.: Fox/ESPN Radio
* If necessary

Fox Sports – Play-by-play, Joe Buck; Analyst, Tim McCarver; Reporters, Erin Andrews & Ken Rosenthal
ESPN Radio – Play-by-play, Dan Shulman; Analyst, Orel Hershiser

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area All Over World Series Coverage

What a magical time in the Bay Area. The Giants have caught the imagination of fans in Northern California (except the A’s fans) with their run in the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series going 6-0 in elimination games, four of those on the road.

Well, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the home of the Giants, will be all over the World Series as Games 1 & 2 will be played at AT&T Park on Wednesday and Thursday.

Throughout the duration of the Fall Classic, CSN Bay Area will have live pre and postgame shows with Greg Papa and Scott Reiss with analysts Vida Blue, Bill Laskey and Bip Roberts. CSNBA will assign reporter Amy Gutierrez and insiders Andrew Baggarly and Ray Ratto. In addition, Giants TV voices Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow will be part of the coverage.

Here’s the Comcast SportsNet Bay Area press release.

COMCAST SPORTSNET BAY AREA, CSNBAYAREA.COM ANNOUNCE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS WORLD SERIES MULTI-PLATFORM COVERAGE

Network to Provide Region’s Most Comprehensive Giants/Tigers World Series Coverage with SportsNet Central, SportsNet Central: October Quest Pregame and Postgame Shows & Chronicle Live
SportsNet Central: October Quest Featuring Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper,Presenting Insightful Analysis and Commentary
Live Giants/Tigers Press Conferences, Exclusive Online Videos, Player and Coach Interviews,In-Depth Analysis and More at CSNBayArea.com SportsNet Central and Chronicle Live to Broadcast from Willie Mays Plaza atAT&T Park During Home Games

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 22, 2012) – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the on-air and online home of “Authentic Bay Area Sports,” continues its “October Quest” coverage into the World Series with Northern California’s most complete and up-to-the-minute reporting of the 2012 National League Champion San Francisco Giants as they prepare to take on the American League Champion Detroit Tigers. Throughout the Giants’ quest for a second World Series championship in three years, the region’s most dedicated news team will present in-depth preview and analysis programming, extensive pregame and postgame shows and widespread online coverage from CSNBayArea.com.

SportsNet Central: October Quest

• Live Pregame Coverage: One hour before each national broadcast, Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) will lead viewers right up to first pitch with a comprehensive preview of the upcoming game, pregame interviews, expert analysis and insight, and the latest team news and headlines on SportsNet Central: October Quest (@CSNAuthentic).
• Live Postgame Coverage: Immediately following each game, SportsNet Central: October Quest will feature an hour-long in-depth game analysis and breakdown, game highlights, extensive clubhouse interviews and player reactions, plus a preview of the next match-up.
• Comcast SportsNet’s Giants World Series coverage is anchored by the region’s deepest sports news roster, featuring Greg Papa, Scott Reiss (@ScottReissCSN), CSNBayArea.com’s Giants Insider Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) and Senior Insider Ray Ratto (@RattoCSN), and Giants in-game reporter Amy Gutierrez (@AmyGGiants). Giants analysts Bill Laskey (@Laskey19), Vida Blue and Bip Roberts (@Bipster10) will offer in-depth game analysis, and commentator and Giants reporter Jaymee Sire (@JaymeeSireCSN) will conduct clubhouse interviews. Former Giants pitcher Shawn Estes (@Sestes55) will provide additional breakdown for all away games.
• Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper will also join Comcast SportsNet’s World Series coverage with exclusive and insightful game analysis and commentary on SportsNet Central: October Quest.

Additional Coverage

• Live Giants/Tigers Series Preview Specials: At 6:30 p.m. on non-game nights, SportsNet Central: October Quest will continue its special half-hour Giants/Tigers preview and analysis, along with the latest team reports and news from around MLB.
• Live Giants/Tigers News Conferences: Comcast SportsNet will present live Giants/Tigers news conferences on-air and online – at CSNBayArea.com – throughout the series.

SportsNet Central (6 p.m.) &(10:30 p.m.)

• During the World Series, tune into SportsNet Central for in-depth, comprehensive news coverage on the Giants/Tigers, interviews with players and coaches, expert analysis, breaking local and national news, up-to-the-minute scores, the best local video highlights and daily insider reports. SportsNet Central is the place for local fans to turn seven nights a week with half-hour newscasts at 6 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and midnight.

Chronicle Live

• Chronicle Live, hosted by Jim Kozimor (@CSNKoz), airs live Monday-Friday at 5 p.m. and features high energy, interactive roundtable discussions and debates covering the hottest sports stories and topics on the minds of sports fans throughout Northern California. Throughout the World Series, Chronicle Live will bring in a number of special guests from the Giants, as well as MLB experts, including regular appearances from Andrew Baggarly, Ray Ratto and others who will provide analysis and preview the match-ups for the Giants.

That will do it.

ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Heads To The World Series

As a rightsholder to Major League Baseball, ESPN gets access to the field before and after the World Series and can have Baseball Tonight live at the stadiums before Fox goes on the air.

For this year’s Fall Classic, Baseball Tonight will be positioned outside the stadiums with hosts Karl Ravech and Steve Berthiaume with analysts John Kruk, Barry Larkin, Curt “38 Studios Fail” Schilling, Aaron Boone, Rick Sutcliffe as well as Terry Francona in his last assignment for ESPN before taking on his duties with the Cleveland MLB team full-time. Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian will serve as MLB insiders.

In addition, ESPN Radio will serve as the flagship radio network for the World Series with Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser calling the action.

Here’s the ESPN press release.

ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Hits the Road for World Series

ESPN Radio to Exclusively Broadcast Every Game; SportsCenter on Location

ESPN is taking Baseball Tonight on the road for the 108thMLB World Series with pre-game and post-game telecasts every game day (generally 7 p.m. ET and 1 a.m.), beginning with Game 1 on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The Baseball Tonight set will be positioned outside of the venue to capture the atmosphere and fan reactions in both World Series locations. Karl Ravech and Steve Berthiaume will host coverage with a myriad of ESPN MLB commentators, including John Kruk, Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, Curt Schilling, Aaron Boone, Rick Sutcliffe, Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian. Additionally, recently named Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona will serve as a guest analyst in his final assignment with ESPN.

ESPN Radio – covering its 15^th consecutive MLB postseason – will serve as the exclusive radio broadcast home of the Fall Classic. NSSA Sportscaster of the Year Dan Shulman and analyst Orel Hershiser will describe the action with Jon Sciambi, analyst Chris Singleton and reporter Peter Pascarelli providing pre-game and post-game coverage. ESPN Radio’s coverage will also be available on ESPNRadio.com via the ESPN Radio app.

ESPN Radio schedule (coverage generally begins one hour before the first pitch)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Matchup
Wed, Oct. 24	TBD	Game 1	AL Champion at NL Champion
Thu, Oct. 25	TBD	Game 2	AL Champion at NL Champion
Sat, Oct. 27	TBD	Game 3	NL Champion at AL Champion
Sun, Oct. 28	TBD	Game 4	NL Champion at AL Champion
Mon, Oct. 29*	TBD	Game 5	NL Champion at AL Champion
Wed, Oct. 31*	TBD	Game 6	AL Champion at NL Champion
Thu, Nov. 1*	TBD	Game 7	AL Champion at NL Champion

*if necessary

SportsCenter – Chris Berman, Ravech and Berthiaume will anchor daily, on-site SportsCenter coverage from the Baseball Tonight set. Regular updates will begin during the 9 a.m. SportsCenter and continue throughout the day.

Baseball Tonight World Series Special will air Monday, Oct. 22, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.

*the special will not air in the event of an NLCS Game 7.

ESPN.com’s World Series coverage will include breaking news and analysis, World Series predictions, World Series Timeline (covering every Fall Classic ever played), daily Baseball Tonight video segments featuring ESPN’s MLB studio analysts, live in-game chats, and player rankings for every 2012 World Series participant. ESPN.com reporters on site will include Jayson Stark, Jim Bowden, Jerry Crasnick, Howard Bryant, Jim Caple and David Schoenfield.

ESPN Deportes will cover the World Series across its studio programming, including SportsCenter, Los Capitanes, Jorge Ramos y Su Banda, Cronometro, Nacion and Raza Deportiva.

ESPN Deportes Radio – in its eighth consecutive season broadcasting the World Series – will air every game with Eduardo Ortega, the Spanish voice of the San Diego Padres, anchoring the coverage. Ortega will be joined by Renato Bermudez, Jose Francisco Rivera, Marly Rivera and reporter Enrique Rojas.

ESPN International has television and digital coverage of the World Series throughout Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, New Zealand and the Middle East and on ESPN America in Europe.

There you have it.

ESPN Radio Assigns Its Crews For The MLB Postseason

ESPN Radio which has the rights to the entire MLB Postseason has provided its announcing crews for the Wild Card games all the way to the World Series.

The main crew will be Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser. They’ll begin with the AL Wild Card Game, call the American League Division Series involving the New York Yankees, then the American League Championship Series and through to the Fall Classic.

The ESPN Radio Sunday Night Baseball crew of Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will be the other team and they’ll be on the National League side starting with the Wild Card and NLDS. Terry Francona will join Boog Sciambi on the NLCS.

Wednesday Night Baseball announcer and Boston Red Sox radio voice Dave O’Brien will be teamed with Aaron Boone on one American League Division Series.

And the combination of SNY’s Gary Cohen and Chris Berman will call one National League Division Series with Rick Sutcliffe.

Here’s the ESPN Radio press release.

ESPN Radio to Nationally Broadcast Every 2012 MLB Postseason Game

Around-The-Clock Postseason Coverage across Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter & ESPN.com

ESPN Radio – in its 15^th consecutive season as the exclusive national home of the Major League Baseball postseason – will broadcast every 2012 MLB postseason game. Coverage will begin with the two inaugural Wild Card games Friday, Oct. 5, and continue with all four League Division Series, both League Championship Series and exclusive coverage of the 108^th World Series – starting Oct. 24. Here is the full 2012 MLB postseason schedule.

ESPN Radio round-by-round commentators – coverage start times will be available on ESPNRadio.com

Series	Teams	Commentators
AL Wild Card (Oct. 5)	Baltimore Orioles – Texas Rangers	Dan Shulman/Orel Hershiser
NL Wild Card (Oct. 5)	St. Louis Cardinals – Atlanta Braves	Jon Sciambi/Chris Singleton
ALDS	Detroit Tigers – Oakland Athletics	Dave O’Brien/Aaron Boone
ALDS	New York – Baltimore/Texas	Dan Shulman/Orel Hershiser
NLDS	San Francisco Giants – Cincinnati Reds	Gm.’s 1-2: Gary Cohen/Rick Sutcliffe Gm.’s 3-5: Chris Berman/Rick Sutcliffe
NLDS	Washington Nationals – San Francisco/Cincinnati	Jon Sciambi/Chris Singleton
ALCS	TBD – TBD	Dan Shulman/Orel Hershiser
NLCS	TBD – TBD	Jon Sciambi/Terry Francona
World Series	NLCS Winner – ALCS Winner	Dan Shulman/Orel Hershiser

ESPN Deportes Radio will broadcast both League Championship Series and the World Series. ESPN Deportes Radio commentators Eduardo Ortega, Renato Bermudez, Jose Francisco Rivera, Enrique Rojas, Pedro Garcia and Cristian Fermin Moreno will combine to describe the LCS action, while Ortega, Bermudez, Rivera and Rojas will call the World Series.

Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter & ESPN.com
ESPN will provide around-the-clock coverage of the 2012 MLB postseason across additional platforms, including Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter, ESPN.com and WatchESPN. MLB commentators appearing across platforms include Francona, Hershiser, Barry Larkin, John Kruk, Curt Schilling, Nomar Garciaparra, Karl Ravech, Boone, Sutcliffe, Mark Mulder, Jose Cruz, Jr., Buster Olney, Tim Kurkjian, Pedro Gomez, Jayson Stark, Jerry Crasnick, Jim Caple, Jim Bowden and more.

• Baseball Tonight: featuring breaking news, extensive highlights, exclusive interviews and analysis from ESPN’s deep roster of MLB commentators during the postseason.
• SportsCenter: in-depth coverage of the 2012 MLB postseason, including game highlights, on-location reports from game sites, manager and player interviews, and appearances by ESPN MLB commentators throughout the day.
• ESPN.com: new-look MLB postseason page with scoreboard design, special series pages, onsite reporters, live chats, Baseball Tonight video analysis, expert predictions, scouting reports, stats and info reports, Twitter feeds, and photo galleries. In addition, special features will include The Josh Hamilton Paradox, Moment in Time (Sid Bream’s slide in 1992), Second Guessing and more.

MLB postseason coverage on Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter is also available on WatchESPN.

There you have it.

The Best in Sports Broadcasting in 2011

I’m not going to go too wild on this. Other sites are doing similar posts as well.

I’ll provide what I feel are the best calls in Sports Broadcasting this year. The only way to do this is to post videos and that’s what I’ll do. I know I said Best and Worst earlier, but the search is taking too long. We’ll provide the best calls in 2011.

We’ll go sport-by-sport and you can either agree or disagree.

Baseball

Dan Shulman, ESPN Radio — Game 6, World Series, David Freese Walk-off home run

Gary Thorne, MLB International — Same as above. Two great calls of the same moment.

Boxing

Larry Merchant vs. Floyd Mayweather, HBO Pay Per View — Floyd cursed out Larry and then Larry had the comeback of the year.

College Basketball

Gus Johnson, CBS Sports — Pac-10 Championship, Isiah Thomas hits the game-winning shot. “COLD BLOODED!”

College Football

Joe Tessitore, ESPN — “TOUCHDOWN! THEY DID IT!!” Iowa State upsets Oklahoma State knocking the Cowboys out of the BCS.

Joe Tessitore, ESPN on ABC — “Iowa State, USC and Baylor just made a mess of the BCS.” Baylor upsets Oklahoma less than 24 hours later and Joe Tessitore was there.

Golf

Dan Hicks, Johnny Miller and the Golf Channel on NBC crew — The 72nd hole for Rory McIlroy as he wins the US Open at Congressional. Great job by Dan and Johnny as they describe Rory McIlroy winning his first major championship.

Horse Racing

Larry Collmus, NBC — The 137th Kentucky Derby. It marked Larry’s first race for NBC as he replaced Tom Durkin who left in 2010. And he got a huge upset as Animal Kingdom won the race.

Jack Edwards Calls of the Year

Living in New England and having access to NESN and Jack Edwards is the gift that keeps on giving. He was in rare form in 2011. We begin with Jack mocking Chad LaRose of the Carolina Hurricanes with a “Yapping, yapping, yapping all the way to the box.” Classic Jack.

“GET UP!” In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Roman Hamrlik of the Montreal Canadiens went down and Jack decided to yell at him.

In Game 7, Hamrlik went down again, but the Bruins went on to score and Jack decided to rub it in.

And after the B’s closed out the Habs, Jack decided to make some puzzling final comments about royalty and having fun. Eight months later, I’m still trying to figure them out.

NFL

none

NHL

Mike Emrick, Versus — Tim Thomas makes a tremendous save in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Women’s World Cup

Ian Darke, ESPN — “ABBY WAMBACH HAS SAVED THE USA’S LIFE IN THIS WOMEN’S WORLD CUP!” Ian Darke had a tremendous call of the goal that tied Brazil in extra time in the quarterfinals.

And that will do it for us.

A Few Sunday Links

Let’s provide some linkage on this NFL Sunday.

Dennis Dodd at CBSSports.com writes that the SEC plans to reopen its humungous media rights contract with ESPN soon after its admission of Missouri into the conference is made official.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid has video of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit losing his concentration as an earthquake hit Oklahoma last night.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports that the Sportsman Channel will provide an outdoor programming block for ESPN International in Africa, the ANZAC region and the Middle East.

Chris Greenburg of the Huffington Post has videos of some of the sports topics that the late Andy Rooney discussed on “60 Minutes”.

Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald says UFC’s Dana White couldn’t be happier to bring MMA to Fox.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick can’t stand football being played outside of Saturday or Sunday.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about hosting Sunday Night Football at the game sites.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Fox Soccer’s General Manager about bringing the World Cup into the Fox Sports Media Group.

Coley Harvey of the Orlando Sentinel tells us that this Saturday’s Miami-Florida State game will be an ESPN on ABC affair.

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News says the Spurs will be showing some classic games to fill time during the NBA Lockout.

Mike Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press writes about Red Wings analyst Mickey Redmond being honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame next week.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks with outgoing Brewers announcer Corey Provus about his new gig in Minnesota.

Bob also talks with new Thursday Night Football analyst Mike Mayock about the Green Bay Packers.

Harry Plumer of the Columbia Missourian talks with Fox Sports Net’s Jim Knox about the art of sideline reporting.

Jeff Call of the Deseret (UT) News writes about BYU using its resources and media relationships to ensure that its game against Oregon State would be televised.

Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that ESPN is changing the way the World Series of Poker is seen and produced.

Bob Young of the Arizona Republic recounts some of the sports topics the late Andy Rooney explored on 60 Minutes and in other arenas.

Lindsay Schnell of The Oregonian writes that the Oregon Ducks will be part of an ESPN College GameDay telecast once again this season.

Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette wonders if CBC will get shutout from the NHL in the next round of Canadian media bidding.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star talks with former NESN and MLB Network host Hazel Mae about her return to Canada and her old Rogers Sportsnet stomping grounds.

Sports Media Watch says CBS hit a season ratings high for its NFL national window in Week 8.

SMW says Fox continues to see a rise in ratings for the NFL.

SMW says college football on ABC did very well last week.

SMW notes that the SEC on CBS did not do well last week.

SMW says Notre Dame football hit a ratings low last Saturday.

SMW has some various college and pro football ratings news and notes.

And SMW has World Series ratings dating back to 1972.

We are now complete with the links for today.

Unleashing Some Friday Megalinks

Ok, let’s get this done. Lots of linkage from yesterday and today. I need to catch up. Let’s go.

Check out your Weekend Viewing Picks for the sports and entertainment programming for Saturday and Sunday.

National

Mike McCarthy of USA Today wonders if there’s a glass ceiling for women in sports television.

Former Comcast SportsNet New England anchor Jackie Pepper has her take about being a woman in sports television.

Back to USA Today, Michael Hiestand looks at the casting call for the new Broadway play focusing on the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry and friendship, produced by the same people who did Lombardi on Broadway.

Hiestand writes that Fox Sports will be using some of its own talent for its UFC debut next week.

Paul Thomasch of Reuters talks with CBS head honcho Les Moonves about the network’s SEC deal.

Emma Bazilian at Adweek notes that DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket promotion over the summer paid off in droves in the third quarter of this year.

Phil Swann of TV Predictions has his take on DirecTV’s subscriber spike.

The talk of the sports blogosphere the last couple of days has been the Deadspin story by A.J. Daulerio on a former ESPN executive who’s filed a lawsuit against an employee denying several displays of odd behavior including masturbating in Erin Andrews’ presence.

Congratulations to former ESPN reporter Amy K. Nelson who leaves the Alleged Worldwide Leader for SBNation. Deadspin has that story as well.

Aaron Kuniloff and David Mildenberg from Bloomberg Businessweek co-author a story on ESPN’s Longhorn Network and its ramifications on college sports.

Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek of Businessweek talk about the alternatives to the NBA and how the league’s TV partners have lost money airing the games.

Rick Chandler of NBC’s Off the Bench explains how an ESPN.com story mushroomed into the Occupy Tebow movement.

At ESPN Front Row, network spokesman Mike Soltys notes that the Alleged Worldwide Leader has new policy on employees writing books, something that got Bruce Feldman into trouble earlier this year.

Jason Dachman from Sports Video Group looks at a new MSG Network mobile app that brings live high school sports to your cell phone.

Ariel Sandler at the Business Insider Sports Page has video of two Canadian news anchors going crazy when their sports anchor is named the winner of a $2.5 million lottery on live TV.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell reviews the results of having two In-N-Out Burgers shipped frozen across country.

Sports Media Watch says TNT’s replacement programming for the NBA’s canceled games on what would have been Opening Night of the season failed miserably in the ratings.

Joe Favorito wonders if the Bellator Fighting Championships can co-exist with UFC in Mixed Martial Arts.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing says Brent Musburger got the job done in his cameo on an ABC sitcom.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth says it’s the subject matter, not the personalities that drive ratings for sports radio stations.

SportsbyBrooks notes that ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd sat with the beautiful people at last week’s Stanford-USC game.

Marisa Ingemi of In Lax We Trust reports that the National Lacrosse League has a deal in place with CBS Sports Network to air games in 2012-13.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe speaks with former ESPN MMA Live host Jon Anik who will work straight for UFC now.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Bill Doyle talks with Comcast SportsNet New England Celtics analyst Tommy Heinsohn who’s cooling his heels during the NBA lockout.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that WFAN’s Boomer & Carton show has really taken off in the ratings.

Neil has more with Boomer and Carton that he could not provide in his feature story.

Scott Shifrel and Bill Hutchinson of the New York Daily News write that former ESPN executive Keith Clinkscales is claiming that he is the victim of a smear campaign.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post wonders where’s the outrage on the Detroit Lions for what he feels was mocking Tim Tebow’s religion.

Justin Terranova of the Post has five questions for Cleveland Browns franchise assassin and ESPN analyst Eric Mangini. No, I’m not bitter about his tenure as Browns coach.

Justin previews MLB Network’s special on the 1986 Postseason.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union hears from SEC on CBS analyst Gary Danielson on LSU-Alabama.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call also has quotes from Danielson regarding this year’s Game of the Century.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest in Baltimore-DC sports media news.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg looks at a failed lobbyist’s efforts to get DC NFL team owner Dan Snyder to change the brand name.

And Dan has Joe Theismann’s thoughts on the whole John Beck/Rex Grossman QB controversy in Washington.

Monica Hesse of the Post says some of the items from the now-defunct ESPN Zone in DC are being sold at auction.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner finds out ESPN’s plans for this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup.

South

Sean Cartell of SEC.com has Verne Lundquist’s thoughts on LSU-Alabama.

Brian Reynolds in the Tuscaloosa News says ESPN is giving LSU-Alabama the Super Bowl treatment.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle says both CBS and ESPN are pulling out all of the stops for LSU-Alabama.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter in the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that former Bengals QB Carson Palmer will be profiled on Sunday’s edition of The NFL Today.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says ratings for the World Series were good, but the games showed that instant replay was greatly needed.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that former Brewers radio voice Corey Provus now has a new gig with the Twins.

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

Ted Gruber in Chicago Now feels ESPN gets a big fail in covering Mixed Martial Arts.

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says Corey Provus takes over for former Minnesota Twins voice John Gordon who retired this year.

Paul Christian in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin talks about Provus’ hiring by the Twins.

Dan Caesar from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch feels the national media undersold Albert Pujols’ achievement in Game 3 of the World Series.

West

Jeff Call of the Deseret (UT) News says ESPN’s partnership with BYU has been beneficial for both parties.

John Maffei in the North County Times notes how CBS obtained LSU-Alabama for primetime.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says it’s rare to get a #1 vs. #2 matchup in the regular season.

Jim says Brad Nessler is ready for primetime when Thursday Night Football begins next week.

Jim has his weekend viewing picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says we’re in a Golden Age of sports documentaries.

Tom has more in his blog.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says Hazel Mae is officially back with Rogers Sportsnet.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog which broke the news of Hazel’s return discusses what her duties will be.

That’s going to do it for the megalinks today.

Shoveling Through The Monday Links

Let’s do some links on this Monday. Some good stuff to get to.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today writes that CBS’ Bill Cowher may make broadcasting a true second career after shooting down another coaching rumor.

At Fox Sports, Brian Lowry feels for the most part, Fox got the job done during the World Series.

Sports Business Journal has a very good roundtable featuring sports public relations pros discussing the in’s and out’s of their jobs and the increasing importance of social media.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek writes that NFL Network is close to selling out its ads for Thursday Night Football which begins in a couple of weeks.

Interesting story from the hotel industry. Orly Ripmaster of Hotel News Now says room occupancy has jumped over 35% for Sunday Night Football games at the expense of Monday Night Football.

Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life Magazine says the World Series started out with a whimper, but ended with a ratings bang.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid has video of Fox NFL Sunday’s Jimmy Johnson preferring death over taking Tiki Barber or Terrell Owens.

David Waldstein of the New York Times reports that the Yankees have opted to stay with WCBS-AM for one more season and thus John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman will return as well.

Someone check Phil Mushnick’s temperature. The New York Post media writer actually gives praise to an ESPN analyst today.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union notes that Time Warner Cable will air three local high school football championship games.

Pete has the TWC local college basketball schedule.

And Pete has the TWC local college hockey schedule.

Bob Frye of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says TV and technology are cutting into the younger generation’s time in the great outdoors.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun feels former Ravens coach Brian Billick got the job done in the Fox booth for yesterday’s Arizona-Baltimore game.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes the media reaction to the DC NFL Team’s bad performance against Buffalo.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times looks at the weekend in sports television.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes Bill Cowher’s comments that he’s staying in TV for now.

David says Jags-Texans rated well locally.

This next set of links is on the passing of former Oklahoma and Oklahoma State radio voice Bob Barry, Sr. who passed away at the age of 80 on Sunday. Barry was not only the broadcaster for both the Sooners and Cowboys in a career than spanned 50 years, but also the sports director of KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City for 42 where he worked with his son, Barry, Jr. Barry retired just after last season and his death was shock to those who knew him.

Andy Rieger of the Norman (OK) Transcript has Barry’s obituary.

Clay Horning of the Transcript says you can’t measure Barry’s success.

John Klein of the Tulsa World says Barry was one of the good guys.

Berry Tramel of the Daily Oklahoman says Barry was part of the Sooner tradition.

Berry has highlights of Bob Barry, Sr.’s legendary 50 year career.

Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman was truly a nice man.

John Rohe of the Oklahoman says Barry was one of the rare people who got to work both sides of the Bedlam rivalry game.

And at KFOR-TV, the station has this tribute.

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Kiesewetter wonders why he can’t hear Ohio State football games in the local area.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business talks with Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has Bob Costas’ salute to the Gateway City.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post talks about Joe Buck’s plagiarized call in Game 6 of the World Series.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes that Fox has more than a vested interest in the Dodgers bankruptcy case.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

Jimmy Bramlett of LAist tries to understand the phenomenon that is ESPN’s College GameDay.

David Shoalts in the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that a classic hockey movie gets a DVD release this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Globe and Mail wonders if the NHL can pick up the NBA’s slack.

Raju Mudhar in the Toronto Star notes that the Bills are finding ways to make their games in the Great White North profitable.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has the regional schedule for Hockey Night in Canada in November.

Steve Lepore from Puck The Media says Versus did well with last week’s Buffalo-Tampa Bay game.

Steve has the national NHL TV schedules for this week.

Jon Bois of SB Nation feels NBC is doing Sunday Night Football the right way.

That’s going to do it for this set of links.

Doing A Few Sunday Links

Let’s some linkage on this Sunday.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that the NBA lockout has forced the cancellation of the rest of its November games forcing ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and regional sports networks to fill huge programming holes.

Michael Malone at Multichannel notes that some Hawaiian viewers lost part of Thursday’s Game 6 of the World Series due to a transmission error with Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Zak Keefer at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center recaps a lecture given to students by ESPN Sr. VP for Print and Digital Media Rob King.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid notes that the ESPN Sign Police failed to do their job during yesterday’s College GameDay.

The Dan Patrick Show has some more signs that slipped through the Sign Police that referred to the show’s #occupygameday effort.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has video of some possibly drunk Steelers fans bombing Albert Breer’s live shot on NFL Network today.

Phil Swann at TV Predictions looks at DirecTV’s FCC complaint over Fox’s ads regarding their carriage dispute which is fast approaching Tuesday’s drop dead date.

And Phil says now DirecTV has been caught lying.

SportsFans.org have a column in the Business Insider Sports Page criticizing the DirecTV/Fox dispute.

Dave Wedge of the Boston Herald interviews former NBA star Chris Herren, the subject of ESPN Films’ latest documentary.

Alexander Soule at the Fairfield County (CT) Business Journal writes about NBC Sports’ move to Stamford, CT.

Martin B. Cassidy of the Stamford (CT) Advocate says NBC Sports coming to town will be beneficial for neighboring businesses.

Stuart Elliot of the New York Times notes that a new scripted series on ESPN Deportes will have many  products woven into the storyline making for a lot of product placement.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer taking on his second career as a broadcaster.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post gets on Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reports that the Yankees have signed a new deal to remain on WCBS for another season.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union has late, breaking news from CBS’ Bill Cowher.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner feels the Big East has some options even as other conferences are picking on its bones.

Gary Smits of the Florida Times-Union says golf’s ratings are up across the board this fall.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times speaks with former Florida State QB and current ESPNU analyst Danny Kanell.

David Knox from the Birmingham (AL) News talks with CBS Sports Network analyst Rich Rodriguez.

The Daily Oklahoman reports that the long-time voice of the Oklahoma Sooners, Bob Barry has passed away.

Jim Benson at the Bloomington (IN) Pantagraph feels Lee Corso adds laughs to ESPN’s College GameDay.

Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago says popular local sportscaster Paula Faris is leaving at the end of the year to become an anchor with ABC News.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Game 7 of the World Series drew big ratings for Fox both nationally and locally.

Dan also has a ratings chart for the entire World Series for this year.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that Lee Corso did a tree dance on College GameDay.

Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times looks at a new genre of sports movies which includes ESPN’s “Unguarded” that premieres on Tuesday.

Sports Media Watch notes that the ratings for the World Series ended being up from last year.

SMW looks at the World Series Game 7′s ratings from Friday.

Joe Favorito says two events, Pro Bull Riding and the New York City Marathon need to tap into their fanbases who can’t attend live in person.

And we’ll end the linkage there.

Over 25 Million Watch World Series Game 7

The most watched World Series game since Game 4 in 2004 saw a total audience of 25.4 million people. That is upper echelon NFL-like numbers. Fox saw a rating of 14.7 and a 25 share for Game 7 of the 2011 World Series between Texas and St. Louis which is again NFL-like. In 2004, Game 4 which saw the Boston Red Sox break an 86 year drought over the Cardinals drew an 18.2/28 and 28.8 million viewers.

Needless to say, the game won the primetime ratings for Fox rather handily over weak competition on the other networks.

The seven game series averaged 10.0/16 with 16.6 million viewers, up 19% from 2010.

Locally, St. Louis had an absolutely staggering 52.7/80 for Game 7, meaning 80% of all homes in the market were watching baseball. Dallas saw 40.3/61.

We have Fox’s press release and right after that, I’ll post MLB’s official release on the numbers.

A FALL CLASSIC

25.4 Million Viewers Watch Amazing Comeback Cardinals Capture 11th World Series Crown
Game 7 Is Highest-Rated, Most-Watched World Series Game Since 2004
2011 World Series Ratings Up +19%

Throughout history, there have been many reasons why the World Series has become known as “The Fall Classic.” Today, you can add 25.4 million more.

Game 7 of the 2011 World Series posted a 14.7/25 household rating/share with 25.4 million viewers and is the highest-rated, most-watched game since 2004 when the Boston Red Sox ended their historic World Series drought with a massive 18.2/28 and 28.8 million viewers.

Just as impressive, Game 7 is the single highest-rated Friday night program in FOX history and stands as the highest-rated and most-watched Friday night program of any kind on any network since the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on NBC.

FOX averaged a 14.5 household rating and 25 million viewers between 8 and 11 PM ET to earn the network its highest-rated and most-watched Friday night ever. In addition, Game 7 also produced the highest-rated, most-watched night on any network this broadcast season and FOX’s best prime time night since the American Idol finale in May.

The World Series remains an annual force in prime time. Game 7′s dominating performance (14.5) also powered FOX to first place finishes in prime time six out of 7 nights the 2011 “Fall Classic” was broadcast. Since 1996 when FOX began airing World Series games, the network has won 64 out of 75 prime time nights, an incredible 85% performance.

The complete 2011 World Series on FOX averaged a 10.0/16 national household rating/share and 16.6 million viewers, up an impressive +19% over last year’s 8.4/14 (14.3 million viewers).

The demographic story is just as impressive as the 2011 World Series posted year-to-year double-digit increases across all key male and adult categories: Men 12-17 (3.0 vs. 2.3, +30%); Men 18-34 (5.2 vs. 4.2, +24%), Men 18-49 (6.1 vs. 5.2, +17%); Men 25-54 (7.3 vs. 6.3, +16%); Adults 18-34 (4.2 vs. 3.3, +27%); Adults 18-49 (4.9 vs. 4.0, +23%); and Adults 25-54 (5.8 vs. 4.8, +21%).

Last night’s Game 7 broadcast opened with a 10.5 (17.9 million viewers) at 8:00 PM ET and grew steadily throughout the broadcast growing to a 14.2 (24.7 million viewers) at 9:00 PM ET, 16.1 (27.9 million viewers) at 10:00 PM ET, peaking at a 17.1 (29.7 million viewers) at 11:00 PM ET.

St. Louis led all markets with a sensational 52.7/80, peaking at a staggering 62.4/89 in the final quarter hour as David Murphy’s fly ball to left landed in Allen Craig’s glove sealing the Cardinals 11th World Series Championship. Dallas averaged a 40.3/61 for the night.

For the complete seven-game series, St. Louis averaged an amazing 47.2/67 while Dallas averaged a 38.0/57, up +22% over the 31.1/49 for last year’s five-game average.

Here’s MLB’s press release which is a bit shorter but touts the numbers and Fox’s ratings. One thing to add, the game gave Fox its best Friday night ratings in the history of the network and is the highest network Friday night ratings since the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics on NBC.

GAME 7 OF 2011 WORLD SERIES ATTRACTS MORE THAN 25 MILLION VIEWERS
GAME 7 IS MOST WATCHED BASEBALL GAME SINCE RED SOX ERASED 86 YEAR DROUGHT IN 2004

World Series Delivers Best Friday Night in FOX History
Ratings for 2011 World Series Increase +19% Over Last Year

Game 7 of the 2011 World Series, which saw the St. Louis Cardinals win their 11th World Series title, averaged 25.4 million viewers on FOX. That figure makes it the most watched baseball game since 2004 when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series erasing a drought of 86 years. Except for the historic 2004 World Series, Game 7 drew the most viewers of any baseball game since Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.

The World Series was a huge success for FOX delivering the best Friday night in the history of the network. Game 7 was the highest rated and most watched Friday night telecast on any network since the 2010 Winter Olympics and easily gave FOX its sixth primetime win in seven nights. It was also the highest rated night of primetime on any network since the start of the 2011-12 broadcast season.

The 14.7 U.S. household rating for Game 7 brings the 2011 World Series average rating to 10.0, which is +19% higher than last year’s World Series, featuring the same American League team and a National League team (San Francisco Giants) with twice the number of TV households as compared to St. Louis.

The 2011 Cardinals, who were 10.5 games out of first place in late August and were twice down to their last strike in Game 6, captured the imagination of St. Louis resulting in a 52.7 rating in the market, which was higher than any of their previous marks in the 2004 or 2006 World Series. When the Cardinals won the World Series, 89% of households in St. Louis that had their televisions on were tuned in to see the game.

Back-to-back runs to the World Series by the Rangers have resulted in more local interest in the team. The 2011 World Series averaged a 38.0 rating in Dallas/Ft. Worth which is +22% from last year’s average of 31.1.

That puts a wrap on the World Series.

Game 7 Garners Its Highest Viewership For 2011 World Series

We have the overnight numbers for World Series Game 7 from Friday night. Thanks to a compelling Game 6 Thursday night that hooked viewers, plus some weak competition on ABC, CBS, NBC and The CW, Fox was able to blow away the other networks with an NFL-like rating, 16.2 with a 28 share, the highest-rated World Series clinching game since 2004′s Game 4 when the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s 12% higher than last year’s clincher between San Francisco and Texas.

This year, the Cards beat Texas 6-2 in Game 7. Dan Bell of Fox Sports Public Relations tweeted the news.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/danpbell/status/130334518749052928"]

And John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has the staggering local numbers from Dallas and St. Louis.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/status/130334317279842304"]

When I get a press release with final numbers, I’ll be sure to post it.

Gary Thorne’s & Dan Shulman’s Calls of David Freese’s Walk-off Home Run in World Series Game 6

We interrupt the NFL Week 8 previews for a baseball respite.

While many sports media observers have praised Joe Buck’s call of David Freese’s walk-off home run to force a Game 7 in the World Series (not me, however), you may have wondered how other broadcasters called the moment. And I believe both of these clips were much better than Joe Buck’s plagiarism of his dad, Jack’s great call of Kirby Puckett’s walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series in Minnesota.

Let’s provide you with Gary Thorne who called the game with Rick Sutcliffe on MLB International for the audience in Canada and overseas. I’m not a fan of Thorne’s by any means, but this call was very good. While the MLB Gestapo has been pulling clips off YouTube from last night, this comes from ESPN which produces the MLB International broadcasts so I think we’re safe.

And here’s Dan Shulman’s call of the home run which comes to us courtesy of ESPN Radio. Thanks to David Scott of ESPN public relations for sending this file over.

That will do it.

Fox Crows About World Series Game 6 Viewership

We have the final numbers from Fox Sports in what was a big night for the World Series and the network setting up a penultimate Game 7 tonight at 8:05 p.m. ET. Fox received a 12.7 rating with a 21 share, the highest ratings for a World Series game since Game 6 of the 2009 World Series that had big market teams Philadelphia and the New York Yankees. With the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals slugging out a 10-9 game in favor of the Redbirds, Fox saw a viewership of 21.1 million viewers, NFL numbers.

This marks the most watched World Series game not involving the New York Yankees dating back to 2005. Fox won the night overall, in key demographics in both the 18-34 and 18-49 categories. In Dallas, Game 6 received a 47.1/67 making it the most watched baseball game in the market’s history. For St. Louis, the numbers were a staggering 49.4/70.

This was Fox’s best ratings since the American Idol season finale in May.

The press release:

WORLD SERIES GAME 6 BANGS IT OUT-OF-THE-PARK FOR FOX

Highest-Rated & Most Watched WS Game Since ‘09
FOX Posts Best Night for Network since May; Best Thursday Night since March

Epic. Unforgettable. Dramatic. Pick an adjective; they all apply to Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, as would many, many more.

Last night, Game 6 of the 2011 Fall Classic was just that – a classic, and tens of millions of Americans watched the fireworks unfold on FOX as clutch hits and late-game home runs filled Missouri’s chilly autumn sky. The St. Louis Cardinals, on the brink and down to their final strike not once, but twice, came back and beat the Texas Rangers 10-9 in 11 innings to force a decisive Game 7 tonight. It is the first Game 7 in the World Series since 2002, a nine-year span unprecedented in baseball since adopting the best-of-seven format in 1922.

Game 6 posted a 12.7/21 fast national household rating/share with an average viewership of 21.1 million viewers, and is the highest-rated and most-watched World Series game since Game 6 of the 2009 World Series (13.4/22, 22.3 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. Ten World Series games have been played since then. It is also the highest-rated World Series game not involving the New York Yankees since Game 4 in 2005 (13.0/21), and is the most-watched World Series game sans the nationally popular Yankees and Boston Red Sox since Game 7 in 2002 (30.8 million).

Through six games, the 2011 World Series on FOX is averaging a 9.3/15 in household rating/share, with 15.3 million viewers, +11% in rating over last year (8.4/14, 14.3 million) and 2008 (8.4/14, 13.6 million).  Both were five game series. The current 9.3/15 average for the 2011 World Series would rank as the sixth highest-rated show (live+same day) in primetime, a ranking that is likely to improve with the inclusion of tonight’s rare Game 7.

The World Series on FOX Game 6 powered the network to a first place finish in Households and all key Adult, Male and Female demographics while setting numerous impressive benchmarks:

• Among Households, FOX averaged an 11.8 rating from 8:00-11:00 PM, easily eclipsing CBS (7.5), ABC (5.0), and NBC (2.7).
• Last night’s 11.8, with 19.4 million viewers in primetime gave FOX the highest-rated and most-watched night in Households on any network this broadcast season.
• The 11.8 rating and 19.4 million viewers in Primetime made last night FOX’s highest-rated and most-watched night since the American Idol Finale in May.
• Among Adults 18-49, FOX was just as dominant averaging a 5.6, beating CBS (3.0), ABC (2.8), and NBC (1.7).

Last night’s game opened with an 8.5 at 8:00 PM ET and grew steadily throughout the night averaging 11.7 from 9:00-9:30 PM ET; 12.9 from 10:00-10:30 PM ET; and 13.2 from 11:00-11-30 PM ET. The broadcast peaked with a 15.0 HH rating and 25.2 million viewers from midnight-12:30 AM ET.

As mentioned, from 8:00 to 11:00 PM ET, Game 6 averaged an 11.8 HH rating, with 19.4 million viewers. From 11:00 PM ET to its conclusion, the game averaged a 14.3 HH rating, with 23.9 million viewers, +21% in rating and +23% in viewership compared to Primetime. Post mid-night, the game averaged a 14.8 rating and 24.9 million viewers, +25% in rating and +28% in average audience.

St. Louis led all local markets for Game 6 with a 49.4/70, peaking at a 57.0/75 from 10:30-11:00 PM ET, with the final quarter hour averaging a 53.1/82. Dallas averaged a World Series-high 47.1/67, while peaking at 55.7/81 from 11:15-11:30 PM ET.

Great numbers for Fox and it hopes that Game 7 will be just as epic as last night. Here’s MLB’s official press release.

CLASSIC WORLD SERIES GAME 6 AVERAGES 21.1 MILLION VIEWERS

2011 World Series is +11% vs. 2010 Fall Classic

Game 6 of the 2011 World Series attracted an average of 21.1 million viewers making it the most-viewed World Series game not featuring the Yankees or Red Sox since Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.  Viewership peaked for Game 6 during extra innings with 25.2 million viewers.

The 9.3 U.S. household rating average for the first six games of the 2011 World Series is +11% higher than the 2010 World Series, despite a dramatic difference in the market size of the National League market (San Francisco has twice the number of homes than St. Louis).

Game 6 of the 2011 World Series was the highest rated program on television last night giving FOX its fifth primetime win in six nights and winning in all key male, female and adult demos. During its peak, nearly one-third of the televisions on in the U.S. were tuned in to the World Series.

Game 6 of the World Series delivered the highest rating ever for an MLB game in Dallas/Ft. Worth recording a 47.1 household rating. During the final hour of Game 6, 81% of TVs on in St. Louis and 80% of the TVs on in Dallas were tuned in to the game.

That’s it.

Back With The Friday Megalinks

Due to a crazy schedule for most of this week and then having a medical procedure done yesterday, I have not been able to blog like I’ve wanted to. Links have been scarce, but I’m available to do them now and hopefully, won’t be interrupted.

Your Weekend Viewing Picks have your sports and entertainment programming for Halloween weekend. Let’s get to the links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Tim McCarver has been broadcasting for a very long time and reports that Ron Franklin makes a return to the broadcast booth next week.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter writes that if the NBA loses an entire season, corporate partners Time Warner and Disney would take some hits in the short term, but see moderate profits in the long term.

Philiana Ng of the Reporter says Game 6 of the World Series dominated the primetime ratings on Thursday.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says DirecTV is crying foul to the FCC about Fox’s ad in their carriage dispute over several networks including FX, 19 Fox Sports Net affiliates, Fox Soccer and Speed.

George Winslow of B&C notes that NASCAR.com has developed the first app for Google TV.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Varsity will stream high school games for co-owned Cablevision subscribers.

Mike says last week’s bidding for US World Cup media rights doesn’t help FIFA’s corrupt reputation.

ESPN Ombudsman Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute delves into ESPN’s role in the college sports realignment game.

Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that baseball’s problems are magnified when a historic moment as in last night’s World Series Game 6 comes so late for East Coast viewers.

Ben Koo from Awful Announcing criticizes MLB.com for its silly policy of not allowing websites like mine to embed certain videos.

Awful Announcing gives praise to Joe Buck for his plagiarized call of David Freese’s walk off home run in last night’s Game 6 World Series.

Deadspin’s AJ Daulerio exchanged e-mails with Buck on his call.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid notes that a Dallas TV station jumped the gun in saying the Texas Rangers won the World Series last night.

Sports Video Group reports that CTV/TSN has won the Canadian rights to the FIFA World Cups from 2015 through 2022.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell explains why we’re suddenly closer to an NBA deal and a complete 82 game season.

Sports Media Watch writes about the World Series Game 6 ratings.

Dave Kohl in the Broadcast Booth looks at the reporting on Dan Wheldon’s death.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe looks at the World Series ratings vs.the NFL this season.

Bill Doyle from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with Fox 25′s Kristine Leahy.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at MLB Network’s latest Bob Costas special with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

Neil says ESPN2′s SportsNation will do an ode to LIVE with Regis and Kelly on Monday.

Over to the New York Post where Phil Mushnick is again filled with hatred.

Justin Terranova of the Post has 5 questions for Sirius XM MLB Network Radio co-host Jim Duquette.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Fox finally got a ratings payoff for the World Series.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com has the latest on the Baltimore-Washington, DC sports media.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews the host of Bloomberg’s weekly “Sportfolio” program.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder gets the opportunity to talk about his former team twice a week on local sports radio.

Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News writes that Game 6 of the World Series is now the most watched baseball game in the history of the Metroplex.

David Barron in the Houston Chronicle says the Texans continue to top the local TV ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes ESPNU will air a basketball fundraiser for the Joplin, MO tornado victims.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter from the Cincinnati Enquirer talks with local website owners who want businesses to help ensure the Bengals won’t be blocked out in the local market.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that viewers are the losers in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tells us that Week 7′s Vikings-Packers game was the most watched TV program of last week, topping all network programming.

Bob notes that Milwaukee and surrounding towns are part of a rare TV marketplace where a significant amount of viewers still don’t have cable or satellite.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business notes that classic Bulls games will be aired on Comcast SportsNet during the winter.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dan Caesar writes that Fox has hit the megaload with a long World Series.

West

John Maffei of the North County Times writes that last week’s brawl with Arizona gave UCLA some TV time, but for the wrong reasons.

Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star says Christmas doesn’t need NBA games.

Jim notes that ESPN took a big hit when it lost the World Cup bidding to Fox.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News talks with ESPN’s College GameDay’s Lee Corso.

Tom talks with SoCal broadcaster Steve Physioc.

Tom says people are confused over the battlelines in the DirecTV/Fox carriage dispute.

Tom talks with Dan Patrick about the #occupygameday movement.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CTV/TSN has wrested the World Cup rights away from CBC.

Performers & Honorees For World Series Game 7

We have the former St. Louis Cardinals and the performers who will take part in the pregame and in-game festivities for Game 7 of the World Series. Former American Idol participant Chris Daughtry sings the National Anthem. And former Redbirds pitchers Bob Forsch and Joe Magrane will come out and get standing ovations from the sure-to-be raucous Busch Stadium crowd tonight. Here is the listing from Major League Baseball.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY TO PERFORM NATIONAL ANTHEM; DAVID NAIL TO PERFORM GOD BLESS AMERICA AT GAME SEVEN OF WORLD SERIES ON FOX

CARDINALS BOB FORSCH TO THROW OUT FIRST PITCH WITH JOE MAGRANE TO DELIVER GAME BALL

Chris Daughtry, lead singer from the multi-platinum rock band “Daughtry,” will perform the National Anthem prior to Game Seven of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals with coverage beginning at 7:30pm Eastern on FOX. Grammy nominated country music artist David Nail will perform God Bless America.

Bob Forsch, 1982 World Series pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, will throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch. Joe Magrane, 1987 World Series pitcher with the Cardinals and current MLB Network analyst, will deliver the official game ball.

American rock band Daughtry has scored four No.1 hits, garnered four Grammy nominations, sold over seven million albums and played sold out concerts around the world. Daughtry’s self titled debut was the fastest selling rock debut in Soundscan history and its follow up Leave This Town was the quintet’s second consecutive No. 1 album. The band’s highly anticipated new album Break The Spell comes out November 21, 2011 – five years to the day that Daughtry released its self-titled 5x-platinum debut album.

Missouri native David Nail is a Grammy nominated artist on MCA Records Nashville and is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. On November 15th Nail will release his second album titled The Sound Of A Million Dreams. The Sound Of A Million Dreams is the follow-up to Nail’s acclaimed first album, I’m About To Come Alive, which garnered him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Vocal Country Performance for his hit “Turning Home” and an Academy of Country Music Award nomination for Single of the Year for his “Red Light.”

That’s going to do it.

World Series Game 6 Gets Highest Ratings of The Series and Outrates Every Game From 2010

Overnight ratings for the thrilling, compelling and exciting Game 6 of the World Series. With St. Louis twice being down to its last strike of the season, the Cardinals scored in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th innings to overtake Texas, 10-9 and force a Game 7.

Fox notes that the game received a 13.8 which is the highest of the series and outrates every game from the 2010 World Series. Fox Sports PR maven Lou D’Ermilio had the news.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/FOXSportsLouD/statuses/129919245730586624"]

But as CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes, it’s the lowest rated Game 6 of all-time.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/darrenrovell/statuses/129919749504241665"]

Let me say this about everyone pointing out this game is the lowest rated of all-time or that one is. The World Series still wins most primetime nights and gets a good percentage of the TV audience. Will it get a 20 rating again? Probably not, but it still has a core audience. Granted, baseball needs to do a better job reaching younger viewers, but to be honest, the World Series still attracts people to the TV and when you get a compelling game like last night, people will watch.

Ok, enough said. I’m working on Weekend Viewing Picks. Back later.

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has the astounding local overnights in Dallas and St. Louis.

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/Ourand_SBJ/statuses/129927484174114816"]

World Series Game 6 Performers & Honorees

Former St. Louis Cardinals David Eckstein and Vince Coleman will be involved in tonight’s World Series Game 6 pregame ceremonies. And we also have those who will sing the National Anthem and God Bless America. Take a look.

CARDINALS GREATS DAVID ECKSTEIN TO THROW OUT FIRST PITCH WITH VINCE COLEMAN DELIVERING GAME BALL PRIOR TO GAME SIX OF WORLD SERIES ON FOX

RHYTHM AND BLUES ARTIST JOE THOMAS TO PERFORM NATIONAL ANTHEM

Cardinals Most Valuable Player in the 2006 World Series David Eckstein will throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch at Game Six of the 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers with coverage beginning at 7:30pm Eastern on FOX.   Cardinals great Vince Coleman will deliver the game ball with a member of the Boys and Girls Club of America.  Seven-time Grammy nominated Rhythm & Blues singer Joe Thomas will perform the National Anthem and Generald Wilson, Navy Petty Officer First Class Retired, will perform God Bless America.

Seven-time Grammy nominated Rhythm & Blues singer Joe Thomas just debuted his ninth album.  Thomas made his initial debut in 1993 with the album Everything.

And if the Series goes 7, we’ll have the pregame and in-game performers tomorrow.

Over 14 Million Watch Game 5 of World Series on Fox

This in from Fox regarding Monday’s ratings for Game 5 of the World Series. Final ratings show that Game 5 received an 8.8 rating with a 14 share. About 14.3 million people watched. Fox won the night in key demographics in the 18-34 category, but was behind in the 18-49 category to CBS’ lineup of comedies and Hawaii Five-O.

While Fox beat ESPN’s Monday Night Football rather handily, the World Series lost the network primetime to ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and CBS’s Two and a Half Men. It marks the first time in the series that Fox did not win the night with the World Series.

The Fox announcement.

NEARLY 20 MILLION VIEWERS WITNESS2011 WORLD SERIES GAME 5 THRILLER

“Na-Po-Li” Produces Increases for FOX in Key Male Demos

Nearly 20 million people (average persons 2+ watching all or part of the game) watched the Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in dramatic fashion highlighted by an outstanding performance by Rangers catcher Mike Napoli in Game 5 of the 2011 World Series. Napoli ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to put his team ahead 4-2 then threw out Cardinals base runner Allen Craig attempting to steal second base in the top of the ninth. Monday night’s victory put the Rangers one win away from their first World Series title in franchise history.

Game 5 produced an 8.8/14 household rating/share (14.3 million viewers), flat with last year’s World Series Game 5 clinching victory according to fast national ratings released by Nielsen Media Research. Monday night’s 8.8/14 national rating propelled FOX to gains in key demographics: Men 18-34 (+9%, 4.7 vs. 4.3), Men 18-49 (+2%, 5.4 vs. 5.3), and Adults 18-34 (+9%, 3.7 vs. 3.4). Additionally the network’s World Series coverage projects to handily out-rate the NFL for the second straight night in primetime.

Among younger viewers, FOX won the night in Adults 18-34 averaging a 3.4 between 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET which bested CBS (3.1), ABC (1.8), and NBC (1.1). Monday night marks the fifth night in five games that the World Series on FOX has powered the network to a primetime victory on at least one of the key prime benchmarks of Households, Adults 18-49, and Adults 18-34.

Through five games, the 2011 World Series on FOX is averaging an 8.3/14 (13.7 million viewers), down -1% from last year’s 8.4/14 (14.3 million viewers) among Households. The competitive nature of Monday night’s game proved beneficial for ratings as Game 5 opened with a 6.4/10 (10.1 million) at 8:02 PM ET and grew throughout the telecast. The game grew to a 7.8/12 (12.7 million) at 9:00 PM ET, 9.7 (15.4 million) at 10:00 PM ET, a 10.2 (16.8 million) at 11:00 PM ET, and peaked at a 12.0 (19.7 million) for the final 10 minutes.

St. Louis led all markets with a 46.9/64 followed by Dallas which recorded a 40.0/58. Monday night’s Dallas rating for Game 5 ranks as the best local rating ever for a Rangers game and eclipses every local rating of the NBA Finals from June including the Mavericks Championship-clincher. Outstanding local ratings for Austin (23.1/35) and San Antonio (17.9/26) followed with Kansas City (12.6/19), Memphis (12.5/17), Tulsa (11.9/17), Houston (11.6/17), Las Vegas (11.3/17) and Albuquerque (11.2/17) rounding out the top ten metered markets.

The action shifts to Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO on Wednesday with exclusive coverage of Game 6 on FOX beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

That’s all for this post

World Series Game 5 Beats Monday Night Football

Just saw this tweet from the great John Ourand of Sports Business Journal:

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/status/128846523806130176"]

We’ll get final numbers later, but both MNF and the World Series got their lowest overnight ratings respectively. Fox will take the win, however. I’ll check later to see if the World Series beat ABC’s Monday juggernaut, Dancing with the Stars and the CBS sitcom lineup.

I’m at a conference. Back later.

Fox Claims Victory For Saturday and Sunday For The World Series

We have a press release from Fox based on the overnight numbers for Saturday and Sunday. We should have final numbers tomorrow and because of sports overruns on Saturday, Nielsen’s final numbers for the night are delayed. But Fox is claiming victory for Saturday night for Game 3 which was a 16-7 blowout for St. Louis and especially for Game 4 where the World Series beat Sunday Night Football on NBC.

The rating for Game 3 on Saturday drew a 6.6 rating with a 12 share. Fox says 11.2 million viewers watched Saturday night. Sports Media Watch notes that’s the second lowest rated World Series game ever. A lot of that had to do with college football on against the World Series on ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports Net and other networks.

For Game 4, Fox says the contest drew a 9.2/14 with 15.2 million viewers over Sunday Night Football’s 8.2/13.

This is what Fox is saying about the weekend World Series ratings.

WORLD SERIES GAMES 3 & 4 TURN DOUBLE PLAY FOR FOX

Network Projected to Win Saturday & Sunday Nights

The 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, tied at two games apiece after a split in Games 3 and 4, is delivering nightly for FOX.

Last night, 2011 World Series Game 4 on FOX posted a 9.2/14 fast national household rating/share with 15.2 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research, as Texas evened the Series and set up a definite return to St. Louis for Game 6 and a possible Game 7.  WS Game 4 out-performed Game 4 a year ago by +2% (9.0/15, 15.5 million), and ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched World Series broadcast this year. Though fast nationals for other live sports events broadcast last night are unavailable, World Series Game 4 is projected to out-rate all competitive programming for the night.

The 2011 World Series, despite a smaller National League market compared to a year ago, is averaging an 8.2/13 (13.5 million viewers), virtually flat with last year (-1%) through four games (8.3/14, 14.1 million) and ahead of 2008 (8.1/14, 13.0 million, +1%).

Complete time zone adjusted fast nationals are not available, so exact competitive figures cannot be released. FOX, however, projects that last night ranks as FOX’s best Sunday night on Households since Super Bowl XLV in February. FOX Research further projects a FOX win for the night among Homes, Average Audience and Adults 18-49. Given these projections, the World Series powered FOX to primetime victories among Adults 18-49 on each of its four broadcast nights and is driving FOX to the biggest week of the season thus far for any network among Adults 18-49.

St. Louis led all markets last night with a 45.4/61, followed by Dallas with a 39.1/56. FOX’s NFL followed by the World Series Sunday delivered massive day-long ratings in World Series markets Dallas and St. Louis. From noon to 11:15 PM ET, KDFW in Dallas averaged a remarkable 25.7/47, while KTVI in St. Louis averaged a 22.4/40. Prior to World Series Game 4, FOX also broadcast the St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys contest at 4:15 PM ET.

Game 3 of the 2011 World Series on Saturday night was a high-scoring affair as the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 16-7, and predictably the rout, along with increased competition, affected viewership. WS Game 3 drew a 6.6/12 fast national household rating/share, with 11.2 million viewers on Saturday night, -1% from Game 3 a year ago 6.7/13 (11.5 million) for what was a close, two-run game between the San Francisco Giants and Rangers. FOX posted a 6.9 fast national rating, with 11.9 million viewers, between 8:00-11:00 PM ET which ranks as the network’s highest-rated and most-watched Saturday night since 1/15/11.

Game 3 opened up with a 5.2/10, 8.7 million at 8:01 PM ET, grew steadily and peaked at 7.9/14, 13.8 million viewers from 10:00-10:30 PM ET. As Albert Pujols and the Cardinals pounded out 15 hits and built their lead, viewership predictably tailed off, finishing with a 5.3/11, 8.7 million viewers at midnight ET. Locally, St. Louis paced all local markets with a 39.3/63, followed by Dallas’ 29.4/52.

Since national ratings are unavailable for all the networks airing live sports on Saturday night, the primetime race must for now be judged based on overnight numbers. Using that measurement, FOX easily won the day in sports and the night in primetime. ABC averaged a 2.1/4 for regionalized NCAA football from 8:00-11:30 PM ET.  CBS delivered a 3.5/8 for Auburn and LSU from 3:30-6:45 PM ET and NBC posted a 2.6/5 for USC vs. Notre Dame from 7:45-11:00 PM ET. On the cable side, ESPN averaged a 1.9/3 for Wisconsin-Michigan State from 8:00-10:45 PM ET, while ESPN 2 delivered a 2.4/5 for Tennessee-Alabama from 7:00-10:00 PM ET. Total primetime college football programming was more competitive Saturday night than it was on the night of Game 3 a year ago. Last night’s four competing primetime college football games earned a total of a 9.0/17 in the metered markets compared to 7.8/15 for three games a year ago. Driven by the World Series, FOX’s 7.6/14 metered market average for the night of Game 3 nearly matched the 7.7/14 earned by ABC, CBS and NBC combined.

Another press release post is on the way.