Been battling the stomach flu over the last 24 hours which is why you haven’t seen new posts since the Weekend Viewing Picks. My apologies for that. Still feeling a bit blue over the flu and running to the bathroom every 15 minutes, but I’m getting better now. Been a tough winter for me getting sick, but hopefully, the spring will bring better health.
Let’s bring you some overdue linkage.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today says lucrative TV deals have emboldened the Anaheim Angels and Texas Rangers in the free agent market.
Brian Lowry at FoxSports.com rates the Super Bowl ads.
The Nielsen Wire blog says one particular Doritos Super Bowl ad is the Most-Liked.
Fred Frommer of the Associated Press has a feature story on how President Richard Nixon offered to keep the old NFL blackout rule in place if it lifted the local blackout on a home DC NFL team.
Alec Banks of Complex has the “20 Hottest Women in the History of ESPN” and I totally disagree with the list. If you’re going history, no Karie Ross? No Melissa Stark? This list is faulty.
The new radio voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Aaron Goldsmith goes behind-the-scenes of taping a new radio spot.
Multichannel News says NBC Sports Network has hired an ESPN executive to head up its original programming department.
At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley feels the media coverage of Gisele Bündchen’s comments after the Super Bowl were much ado about nothing, but he feels it could be the future of sports media.
Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has video of Jeremy Lin’s insane spin move on Derek Fisher during last night’s Lakers-Knicks game.
Dan notes that Fox Sports Jason Whitlock made a racist penis joke about Jeremy Lin and Twitter responded.
Boston Sports Media Watch’s Bruce Allen writes in SB Nation Boston that sports can be fun, except with the Boston Sports Media.
The Connecticut Post reports that YES Network Nets and Yankees studio host Bob Lorenz was arrested this week on DUI charges.
The New York Times’ Melissa Hoppert spends 30 seconds with NHL Network host Kathryn Tappen.
Richard Sandomir of the Times says not even Linsanity can get the Knicks back on Time Warner Cable.
Richard says the Mets have hired a replacement for radio announcer Wayne Hagin.
Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union talks with CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg.
Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Nanci Donnellan, a.k.a. The Fabulous Sports Babe, is in very bad health.
Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune talks with a former local sports talk show host who was fired from his job for making several derogatory remarks about a women’s college basketball analyst.
NBC San Diego also has an interview with the host who originally did not apologize for his remarks.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News laments the shrinking number of sports media reporters in Southern California.
Tom has a couple of notes that didn’t make his column.
Ben Koo at Awful Announcing is fascinated by ESPN’s extensive film library.
Sports Media Watch says the audience for Fox’s second live English Premier League broadcast grew slightly, but had the same rating.
SMW says this week’s Duke-North Carolina game had higher ratings from last year.
Lorenzo Arguello has video of ESPN’s Erin Andrews getting chatty with Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Brooklyn Decker at last week’s GQ Super Bowl party.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says NBCSports.com will stream all of the out-of-market early games from next weekend’s Hockey Day in America.
Dave Kohl of The Broadcast Booth says sports radio hosts getting personal is when they cross over the line.
We’ll end the linkage there.
