Here are your regular Friday links. Lots of stuff. Today, I’ll start it in the Midwest, then head South, head East and back out West.
Our usual start is Michael Hiestand of USA Today and he writes about TBS setting up its MLB postseason announcing lineup.
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Bob Wolfey writes that ESPN’s Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit are road warriors for different reasons. Both will be doing the Iowa-Wisconsin game Saturday night. Herbstreit will be flying in from Tuscaloosa, AL after doing College Gameday while Musberger has to leave right after the game for NASCAR duties in Delaware the following day. ESPN should reconsider this arrangement.
Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wants Charles Barkley in the Monday Night Football booth more often.
David Barron in today’s Houston Chronicle writes that CBS’ Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcotts doing their most imporatant Texans game this Sunday.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel asks readers where they stand in the Bright House/FSN situation. Also in the Sentinel, Dave Darling previews a new show looking at the science in sports on FSN.
Doug Nye in the State says Time Warner Cable is adding TBS in HD just in time for the MLB postseason. Nye naturally picks the South Carolina-LSU game as his best bet for the TV viewing weekend.
We’re glad to see that Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun is well enough to write his weekly Friday columns. He’s back this week to report that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will have an overflow channel in case of conflicting events.
Laura Nachman of the Bucks County Courier Times has a story on Ron Jaworski and Suzy Kolber returning to the Delaware Valley for Monday Night Football earlier this week.
In the New York Daily News, Bob Raissman says the NFL is on the hunt for the person who leaked the Patriots spy tape to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.
Newsday’s Neil Best reviews WFAN’s Boomer and Carton in the Morning show. And Best says in his blog that his review is constructive criticism. Best also reports that the New Jersey Devils have rehired Sherry Ross, hockey writer for the Daily News, as their radio analyst. She did that job in the mid-1990’s, quite well I might add.
Hoo boy. The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick goes after ESPN’s Ron Jaworski for sounding like a blowhard. Harsh. I disagree. I think Jaworski is doing a good job and meshes well with Tony Kornheiser and Mike Tirico. The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for ESPN’s Steve Phillips.
Big news from the FSN New England/Celtics luncheon yesterday, long time C’s TV analyst Tommy Heinsohn will be cutting back on his schedule. He and play-by-play man Mike Gorman have worked together for 27 years, the longest of any broadcast team in the country. Former UConn standout Donny Marshall will work the games that Heinsohn will skip. The Boston Globe’s Susan Bickelhaupt has more on this story.
Boston Sports Media Watch’s David Scott reports that the Red Sox will be reducing Glenn Geffner’s role in the radio booth if not eliminate it altogether. GOOD NEWS!!!!!!
Now heading out west, Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune has CBS’ Phil Simms advising Chargers fans not to panic in the wake of the Patriots destruction last Sunday night. Simms is working the Chargers-Packers game on Sunday. Posner also gives us the ratings from the San Diego market last week.
John Maffei in the North County Times reviews the baseball TV broadcast teams across the country and says he would take the Padres broadcasters over most of them.
Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star writes about a local high school football rivalry game getting radio coverage. In his blog, Carlisle reviews the first Mike Tirico Show on ESPN Radio.
Tom Hoffarth in the LA Daily News writes about DodgerTalk host Bob Harvey getting into trouble with the team for voicing his opinions. Hoffarth’s Farther Off the Wall blog has the transcript of the show that got Harvey into trouble and more media notes.
To Canada and the Toronto Star, Chris Zelkovich writes about the changes in Hockey Night in Canada this season.
And the Toronto Globe and Mail’s William Houston also has a story on the revamped HNIC.
Those are your links for now. I’ll have more in the afternoon.
