I have some releases to give you that I should have posted last night. So let’s do them now. Then I hope to do some linkage.
Here’s CBS Sports touting that Lesley Visser has been named as the best female broadcaster of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.
CBS SPORTS’ LESLEY VISSER VOTED NO. 1 FEMALE SPORTSCASTER BY AMERICAN SPORTSCASTERS ASSOCIATIONCBS Sports’ Lesley Visser was voted the No. 1 female sportscaster by the American Sportscasters Association.
Visser, who returned to CBS Sports in 2000, was chosen from 36 finalists, which included Andrea Kremer, Robin Roberts, Michele Tafoya and Hannah Storm.
“I am so thrilled and appreciative of this honor,” said Visser. “I am equally proud of the other women.”
“Lesley is a pioneer among women in sports broadcasting,” said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. “Her career and accomplishments as an insightful journalist and intrepid reporter are a testament to not only being recognized as the No. 1 female sportscaster, but one of the best in the industry.”
Visser’s long and trailblazing career includes many firsts as the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2006; the first woman assigned to “Monday Night Football” and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl.
Visser first joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, Major League Baseball, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on THE NFL TODAY. In 1992 she became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.
Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football. In 2009, Sports Illustrated named the Boston Globe Sports staff (1975-80) the best sports section of all time.
The ASA Board of Directors is made up of Chairman Dick Enberg, Lou Schwartz, Jon Miller, Jim Nantz and Bill Walton.
Terrell Owens was a guest on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday. This is what he had to say.
MLB Network has a special on Rickey Henderson that will air on Sunday.
MLB NETWORK TO PREMIERE MLB PRODUCTIONS’ RICKEY HENDERSON: LEADOFF LEGEND ON SUNDAY, JULY 19 AT 9:00 P.M. ETJuly 17, 2009 – MLB Network will televise the premiere of Rickey Henderson: Leadoff Legend, a documentary from MLB Productions, on Sunday, July 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET, one week prior to Henderson’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. MLB Network will also televise the 2009 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony live from Cooperstown, New York on Sunday, July 26.
Narrated by Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who is from the Oakland area and idolized Henderson growing up, the documentary focuses on how Henderson’s record-breaking career redefined the leadoff position. The film contains footage from Henderson’s exclusive two-hour interview for the project and showcases why he is considered one of baseball’s most entertaining characters and most dominant players. Several former MLB players, teammates and journalists are also featured, including MLB Network’s Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter and Barry Larkin, John Franco, Tony Gwynn, Torii Hunter, Dave Parker, Wally Joyner, Carlton Fisk, Tim Raines, Bert Blyleven, Vida Blue, Doug Glanville, Vince Coleman, Steve Stone, Dwayne Murphy, Rick Rizzs and Ed Randall.
Michael Phelps will be seen on NBC Sports and Universal Sports for the World Aquatics Championships.
PHELPS HEADLINES AS NBC SPORTS AND UNIVERSAL SPORTS PRESENT MORE THAN 50 HOURS OF FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Unprecedented Coverage of Championships Includes Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water and Synchronized Swimming Events
LOS ANGELES – July 17, 2009 – NBC Sports and Universal Sports, in cooperation with the International Swimming Federation (FINA), present more than 50 hours of coverage of the 2009 FINA World Aquatics Championships taking place July 17 – August 2 in Rome. The U.S. team is led by Michael Phelps, who won seven gold medals at the 2007 Championships in Melbourne along with teammates Ryan Lochte, Dara Torres and Aaron Peirsol. Coverage of the 13th FINA World Championships covers all disciplines governed by FINA, including swimming, diving, water polo, open water and synchronized swimming events. The planned coverage on Universal Sports and NBC more than triples the amount of broadcast hours for any international aquatics event outside of the Olympic Games.
COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: NBC Sports will air six hours of competition over two weekends beginning July 26 from 12-2 p.m. ET and continuing August 1 and 2 from 12–2 p.m. ET. Highlighted races include the men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relays, pitting the U.S. against top rivals from France and Australia on July 26; the men's 100m buttery on August 1, featuring Olympic champion and recent world-record setter Michael Phelps; and the women's 50m freestyle on August 2, with 42-year-old Dara Torres continuing to defy her age.
COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports will feature a two-hour primetime show at 7 p.m. ET every night of the Championships, beginning tomorrow. The network will also run a daily, two-hour live program during the swimming finals, beginning noon ET from Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31. The men's and women's water polo teams hope to climb one step higher on the podium after earning silver medals at the Beijing Games, while the U.S. diving team challenges China's dominance of the sport. Notable swimming races on Universal Sports include the women's 200m individual medley on July 2 featuring Beijing silver medalist Christine Magnuson; the men's 100m freestyle on July 30; and the 200m backstroke showdown between Lochte and Peirsol on July 31.
COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will provide live streaming coverage of the entire swimming competition, from heats through finals. Live webcasts begin today at 11:30 a.m. ET with the men's 1m diving final.
NBC Sports' Olympic swimming broadcast team, featuring three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, Emmy Award-winning host Dan Hicks, and reporter Andrea Kremer, will provide commentary for the swimming event, while Emmy Award-winning host Ted Robinson and former Olympic diver Cynthia Potter will cover the diving competition. Coverage on both networks is hosted and produced by the NBC Olympics production team, led by NBC Sports and Olympics Executive Producer David Neal.
"This is unprecedented coverage of the 2009 FINA World Championships, the most any network has ever dedicated to aquatics across all the disciplines, providing viewers with more than 50 hours of television coverage, as well as robust online offerings," said Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports. "Collectively, NBC Sports, Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com, will deliver world-class, wall-to-wall coverage of these exciting World Championships to millions of fans."
A full TV schedule is available at UniversalSports.com/tvschedule, and a detailed competition schedule, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos, breaking news and more will be available at Universal Sports' swimming channel at UniversalSports.com/swimming.
TEAM USA: Top contenders include 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps competing in the 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly; Dara Torres competing in the 50m freestyle; Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke; and Ryan Lochte competing in the 200m and 400m IM and 200m backstroke. Aaron Peirsol set two world records at the USA Swimming National Championships (100m fly and 200m backstroke), while Phelps set the world record in the 100m fly.
And ESPN gets ready to begin its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage next weekend.
ESPN BEGINS NASCAR SPRINT CUP COVERAGE AT INDIANAPOLISSportsCenter, NASCAR Now Among Multimedia Platforms Surrounding Brickyard
ESPN begins its coverage of the final 17 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the 400-mile race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET. ESPN’s multimedia platforms will surround the race telecast on television, radio and online.
The telecast from Indianapolis begins with an expanded, 1 hour, 45 minute NASCAR Countdown pre-race show that will include multiple features and interviews highlighting the significance, history and pageantry of the race and venue. The green flag flies at 2:19 p.m.
“Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most famous and storied racing venues in the world and is certainly a fitting place for us to launch our NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “As the speedway celebrates its centennial, we want to convey to our viewers how special the track and the race are with a spectacular and interesting telecast that focuses on the race itself and its importance to competitors and fans.”
Five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions will
be an integral part of ESPN’s coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Dr. Jerry Punch in the booth. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, with host Allen Bestwick and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
ESPN will use 76 high definition cameras in the telecast, including the first usage in NASCAR of BatCam. The camera on a cable, which was used by ESPN in telecasts of the last two Indianapolis 500 races, will fly over the speedway’s frontstretch and pit road at more than 80 miles per hour to give viewers a dramatic look at the setting and action.
NASCAR Countdown will include a segment with actress/television host Kelly Ripa, who interviews her occasional Live with Regis and Kelly co-host Jeff Gordon. The interview in a New York City park focuses not only on Gordon’s racing career, but also on how he was the first NASCAR driver to move into the entertainment spotlight. Ripa also will delve into how becoming a father has changed Gordon’s outlook on his racing career.
Other features for NASCAR Countdown include Tony Stewart and A.J. Foyt, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup point leader and his idol discuss their passions for racing, their love for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and their similar, volatile personalities. Also, a dramatic recap of the 2008 Indianapolis race and the tire debacle is told through the voices of various people involved; ESPN captures the essence of why racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so special to stock car drivers; and ESPN racing champions and personalities Jarrett, Petree, Wallace, Evernham, Brewer and Daugherty enter a boxing ring to “duke it out” in a wild and dramatic debate about what will happen at the Brickyard and why.
The telecast’s opening segment is a cinematic look at four gladiators ready to do battle at the Brickyard once again: Jimmie Johnson, who has dominated this track in recent years; Stewart, the hometowner who returns as owner/driver in the legendary No. 14; Kyle Busch, who wins almost everywhere but has yet to win on the sport’s biggest stages; and Gordon, who has the chance to make history by being the only 5-time winner at the 100-year-old track.
ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis also includes a live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 25, at 10 a.m., and telecasts of two practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars on the famed 2.5-mile track, all on ESPN2. The first practice session airs Friday, July 24, at 2 p.m., while final practice airs Saturday at 3:30 p.m. All programming airs in high definition.
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will originate from Indianapolis for four episodes with Bestwick as host. A one-hour episode airs Thursday, July 23, at 5 p.m., with a half-hour show on Friday, July 24, at 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Now airs Sunday at 10 a.m. with a preview of the race, while a weekend wrap-up edition airs at midnight Monday, July 27 (late Sunday night). NASCAR Now co-host Nicole Manske and lead reporter Marty Smith will contribute to the on-site Indianapolis coverage.
Other ESPN Platforms
In addition to the live telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2, the Indianapolis event will receive multiplatform coverage on other ESPN outlets:
ESPN International’s networks and syndication of the NASCAR event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will reach more than 83 countries and territories and more than 94 million households worldwide. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy vessels at sea can watch via the American Forces Network.
ESPN.com will provide surround coverage from the Brickyard with veteran motorsports writers Terry Blount, Ed Hinton, David Newton, Marty Smith, Ryan McGee, Angelique Chengelis and editor K. Lee Davis leading coverage. The crew will chat live Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the first NASCAR race of the track’s Centennial Era as well as maintain a live blog on race day. Jayski.com’s Mark Garrow will keep fans up to date with his regular podcasts as well as informative fantasy chat and a team-by-team breakdown from the garage the morning of the race. In addition, ESPN’s team of on-air announcers will contribute from the weekend’s festivities.
SportsCenter at the Brickyard – ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Indianapolis on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Bestwick will host the program, with Jarrett, Wallace, Evernham and Daugherty as analysts.
Among features in the program will be Jarrett and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson playing a round of golf and discussing racing and life, and ESPN analysts who have tasted victory at the Brickyard (Jarrett, Evernham and Andy Petree) discussing their favorite memories.
In addition to the special, extensive reports, interviews and highlights will air on regular editions of SportsCenter and on ESPNEWS. Post-race driver news conferences will air on ESPNEWS.
Feel Your Heart Race – ESPN2 will air Feel Your Heart Race, a half-hour look into why and how NASCAR attracts the most devoted fans in the country. The program airs Thursday, July 23, at 6 p.m. Produced and directed by noted documentary filmmaker Doug Pray and Oil Factory, the program allows viewers to take a look inside the hearts and minds of drivers and fans to reveal NASCAR as a sport that is honest, real, complex, beautiful and fueled by passion. The story is told directly and entirely by top NASCAR drivers and their fans without narration or commentary and contains scenes of life at the track, colorful fan interviews and surprisingly honest testimony from drivers themselves about what it really feels like to be behind the wheel.
ESPN Classic will re-live four classic Brickyard 400 races during the four days leading up to the first day of track activity on July 24. The inaugural NASCAR event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 is widely credited with helping elevate the popularity and status of NASCAR racing. Highlights of that event, won by Jeff Gordon, air Monday, July 20, at 6 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, put his stamp on the Brickyard 400 the next year, and ESPN Classic airs highlights of the 1995 race on Tuesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. The 2000 edition of the race airs Wednesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. The four-race run on ESPN concludes Thursday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. with the 2007 race.
ESPN Radio’s Saturday RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, with an hour of news, previews and analysis. ESPN Radio also provides auto racing fans the comprehensive Sunday RaceDay (6-7 a.m. Sundays), which covers the auto racing world.
ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S., will televise the Indianapolis race on a delayed basis, airing the event at 4 a.m. on Monday, July 27. ESPN Deportes auto racing commentators Andres Aguilla and Alex Pombo will provide lap-by-lap commentary and analysis in Spanish.
Schedule for Indianapolis Week on ESPN Networks (all times Eastern)
Mon., July 20
5 p.m.
NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable
ESPN2
Mon., July 20
6 p.m.
1994 Brickyard 400
ESPN Classic
Tue., July 21
5 p.m.
NASCAR Now
ESPN2
Tue., July 21
6 p.m.
1995 Brickyard 400
ESPN Classic
Wed., July 22
5 p.m.
NASCAR Now
ESPN2
Wed., July 22
6 p.m.
2000 Brickyard 400
ESPN Classic
Thu., July 23
5 p.m.
NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)
ESPN2
Thu., July 23
6 p.m.
Feel Your Heart Race
ESPN2
Thu., July 23
6:30 p.m.
2007 Brickyard 400
ESPN Classic
Fri., July 24
2 p.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup practice
ESPN2
Fri., July 24
6:30 p.m.
NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)
ESPN2
Sat., July 25
6 a.m.
Saturday RaceDay
ESPN Radio
Sat., July 25
10 a.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying
ESPN2
Sat., July 25
12:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series final prac.
ESPN2
Sat., July 25
3:30 p.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice
ESPN2
Sat., July 25
4:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying
ESPN2
Sat., July 25
7 p.m.
SportsCenter at the Brickyard
ESPN
Sat., July 25
7:30 p.m.
NASCAR Countdown
ESPN
Sat., July 25
8 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series at ORP
ESPN
Sun., July 26
6 a.m.
Sunday RaceDay
ESPN Radio
Sun., July 26
10 a.m.
NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)
ESPN2
Sun., July 26
12:30 p.m.
NASCAR Countdown
ESPN
Sun., July 26
2 p.m.
Brickyard 400
ESPN
Mon., July 27
Midnight
NASCAR Now (at Indianapolis)
ESPN2
Mon., July 27
4 a.m.
Brickyard 400
ESPN Deportes
Mon., July 27
5 p.m.
NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable
ESPN2
Finally, ESPN Radio’s auction for The V Foundation raised $1 million for cancer research.
ESPN Radio’s “ Don’t Give Up “ V Foundation Auction Raises More Than $1 Million
Nearly $2 Million Raised During ESPY Week
The fifth annual ESPN Radio “Don’t Give Up“ V Foundation Auction raised $1,035,512 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a 415 percent increase from the inaugural event’s total of $201,000 in 2005. More than 275 items and experiences were auctioned off either online or as part of an on-air radiothon Wednesday, July 15.
The auction, combined with the Celebrity Golf Classic, raised nearly $2 million.
Two featured auction offerings were a new 2010 Range Rover luxury vehicle, and ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning broadcasting from a listener’s home. The Range Rover attracted a winning bid of $102,100, while Mike & Mike’s broadcast and ESPN2 simulcast raised $51,100.
The radio auction was one of Team ESPN’s corporate outreach initiatives, which coincided with the ninth annual Celebrity Golf Classic. Held at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms in Industry Hills, Calif. on Tuesday, July 14, the 2009 Celebrity Golf Classic raised $950,000 in net proceeds for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
I do have one more
press release, but that will stands alone.
