After watching a completely boring Home Run Derby tonight in which I fell asleep in the easy chair, it’s time to post some press releases before I shut off the lights and go to bed.
I’ll begin with this release from MLB which states Walking Talking Conflict of Interest Bud Selig holds a Town Hall on Tuesday.
COMMISSIONER SELIG TO HOLD TOWN HALL CHAT ON MLB.COM
ST. LOUIS, July 13, 2009 — Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig once again will host an online Town Hall Meeting exclusively on MLB.com from Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest in St. Louis tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14 at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
A live video stream of the interactive chat session with baseball fans will be carried on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball. A transcript of the dialogue, as well as an archived replay of the chat, also will be available.
The Commissioner will make brief opening remarks and then answer e-mailed questions from fans. Fans may submit their questions for the Commissioner via e-mail to allstarchat@website.mlb.com now.
Commissioner Selig will respond to fans’ questions in front of a live audience, including members of the media in St. Louis to cover the 80th All-Star Game tomorrow at Busch Stadium.
Sirius XM will have live coverage of the Open Championship this week.
BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AIRS NATIONWIDE ON SIRIUS XM RADIO
Comprehensive coverage from The Ailsa Course in Turnberry, Scotland airs July 16-19
SIRIUS XM will provide more than 45 hours of live on-course play-by-play Thursday through Sunday
NEW YORK – July 13, 2009 – SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that it will air the 138th British Open Championship live nationwide this Thursday, July 16, through Sunday, July 19, on XM channel 146 and on SIRIUS channel 209 with the “Best of XM” programming package.
SIRIUS XM will provide listeners with live hole-by-hole coverage of the Open Championship from The Ailsa Course in Turnberry, Scotland as well as live updates and analysis from SIRIUS XM’s T.J. Rives, Brian Katrek, Bob Stevens and Earl Forcey.
Live coverage will start Thursday and Friday at 3:00 am ET and Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 am ET and will continue until the conclusion of each day’s play. On-course coverage will be immediately followed by a two-hour wrap-up of the day’s action on Open Championship Replay, hosted live by T.J. Rives and Bob Stevens, which will include highlights, analysis and interviews with players. Following Open Championship Replay, SIRIUS XM will rebroadcast the day’s play-by-play during afternoon drive time and evening hours until live coverage begins the next morning.
In all, listeners will have access to more than 45 hours of live play-by-play from Thursday through Sunday plus comprehensive replays that will cover all the day’s highlights and the performances of the tournament leaders.
The Open Championship is the oldest, and to many the most prestigious, of golf’s four major championships. This will be the third championship hosted at The Ailsa Course, the last being won by Nick Price in 1994. Defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, winner of the last two Open Championships, comes to Turnberry this week looking to take home the Claret Jug for the third straight time.
Golf fans will also hear daily talk and analysis by SIRIUS XM’s lineup of expert hosts leading up to tournament coverage.
Playing Thru hosted by T.J. Rives will air live Monday through Wednesday (8:00 – 10:00 am ET), followed by Making the Turn with Peter Kessler (10:00 – 11:00 am ET).
Tuesday morning (7:00 am ET), PGA TOUR member Chris DiMarco and broadcaster Greg Warmoth will host a new edition of their weekly talk show, oPINionated. DiMarco, who was the runner-up in 2006 British Open at Hoylake, will share his thoughts on the Open Championship and the players competing in this year’s event. oPINionated replays several times throughout the week.
On Wednesday (2:00 pm ET), Rives and Stevens will host the hour-long Open Championship Preview Show, giving listeners all the latest news and updates from Scotland plus a look at the championship field teeing off the following morning.
For more information on SIRIUS XM’s golf coverage, visit www.xmradio.com/pgatour.
While most of the world’s elite golfers are in Scotland for the Open Championship, those left behind in the States will take part in what used to be known as the Greater Milwaukee Open.
GOLF CHANNEL LIVE TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
July 13 – 19, 2009
U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee
Dates: 7/16 – 7/19
Venue: Brown Deer Park Golf Course, Milwaukee, Wis.
Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 1-4 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 4–7 p.m. (Live) / 1–4: a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 4–7 p.m. (Live) / 1-4 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 4-7 p.m. (Live) / 1-4 a.m. (Replay)
GOLF CHANNEL On-Air Talent:
Jerry Foltz (Play by Play)
Curt Byrum (Analyst)
Mark Lye (Tower)
Billy Ray Brown (Tower)
Dottie Pepper (On Course)
Scott Walker (Interviews)
Broadcast Notes: Mutual of Omaha Putting Line powered by Aimpoint, the graphics technology that predicts the break of a putt and suggests where a player must aim to hole out, will be used during the telecast on holes No. 16 and 18 at Brown Deer Park Golf Course.
Congratulations to TNT’s Doug Collins and the New York Post’s Peter Vescey for being named as the recipients of this year’s Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
DOUG COLLINS and PETER VECSEY
NAMED RECIPIENTS OF PRESTIGIOUS
CURT GOWDY MEDIA AWARDS for 2009
Basketball Hall of Fame to Honor Legendary NBA and Olympic TV Commentator and longtime Pro Basketball Reporter and Columnist at 2009 Enshrinement Ceremonies, September 10-11.
SPRINGFIELD, MA – (July 13, 2009) – Doug Collins, the highly respected player and coach who is now the lead commentator for Turner Sports (TNT) and for NBC Sports’ coverage of basketball at the Olympic Games and Peter Vecsey, the longtime pro basketball writer for the New York Post have been selected to receive the 2009 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement festivities scheduled for September 10-11, 2009 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of the legendary sports broadcaster and former Basketball Hall of Fame President, the late Curt Gowdy. This prestigious award is presented annually to members of the print and electronic media whose longtime efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
“The Gowdy Media Award is an honor that is very proudly presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in memory of the late Curt Gowdy, one of the legendary figures of sports media,” said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President & CEO. “Doug Collins and Peter Vecsey have dedicated much of their professional careers to report on the game of basketball while they entertain and educate millions of fans, readers and television viewers around the world. The Basketball Hall of Fame is very proud to recognize their extraordinary efforts.”
Former NCAA, NBA and Olympic player and NBA coach Doug Collins, the 2009 honoree for the Electronic Media, is widely recognized as the consummate NBA television color analyst. Collins brings a unique perspective and experience to the booth for Turner Sports broadcasts on TNT, providing insight from both the player’s and coach’s perspective. Following a very successful career as a player after being selected as the number one pick in the 1973 NBA Draft, Collins moved to the coaching ranks where he led the Chicago Bulls (1986-89), Detroit Pistons (1995-98) and Washington Wizards (2001-03).
In 1989, Collins first joined the Turner Sports family as its NBA color commentator.
After leaving to pursue further coaching opportunities, he returned to Turner Sports in 2003. Collins is TNT’s lead analyst for both the NBA All-Star Game and the NBA Conference Finals.
In addition, Collins was the lead analyst for NBC, for which he called four NBA Finals and three Olympic Games. Overall, for the better part of the past two decades, Collins has been a mainstay in the television coverage of the NBA, providing viewers with expert analysis and anecdotes from his experiences from the bench and on the court.
Collins, a graduate of Illinois State University, was also a member of the 1972 Olympic team, which lost the gold medal to Russia with a controversial call after Collins hit two free throws to give the US an apparent victory. He and his wife Kathy have two children, son Chris and daughter Kelly.
Peter Vecsey, The 2009 Print award winner, is a longtime resident of New York who has spent the majority of his life in that great basketball city which recognizes him as one of the most prominent sports writers to ever cover the sport of pro basketball. A native of Queens, NY, Vecsey attended academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School, and upon graduating in 1961, enrolled at Hofstra University. After graduating from Hofstra, Vecsey enlisted in the Armed Forces during the most intense period of the Viet Nam war and became a sergeant with the U.S. Army’s Green Beret Special Forces Unit from 1965 to 1967.
Vecsey currently writes his NBA column for the New York Post, providing insight to his many readers as he frequently breaks news of blockbuster trade details and the ‘behind the scenes’ information that pro basketball fans around the world crave on a daily basis. Vecsey has built a lifetime of valuable relationships and trustworthy sources who frequently provide him with access to confidential and newsworthy information. Vecsey is widely known for his open criticism of team executives, players and coaches, a sportswriting tactic that stirs up controversy. Vecsey has written his “Hoop du Jour” NBA column for the Post from 1976 through 1989, then covered the NBA for USA Today from October 1990 through September 1993 before returning to his New York roots at the Post.
While Vecsey is widely known for his news-breaking and reporting in print, he is no stranger to the television screen. During the 1987-88 season, he hosted a syndicated television show that highlighted the NBA with analyst and former New York Knicks coach and Hall of Famer Hubie Brown. In 1985 and 1986, he hosted a one-hour NBA talk show with Lee Zeidman on SportsChannel New York. Vecsey also worked as an “NBA Insider” on TNT, joining Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith in the award-winning studio show, as well as serving as one of “The Insiders” on NBC Sports’ pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the game via “NBA Showtime,” where he regularly broke news stories and provided insight with player features, pregame reports, locker room gossip and sideline reporting.
Sportswriting runs in the Vecsey family, as Peter’s brother George Vecsey writes The Sports of the Times column for the The New York Times. Peter resides on Long Island with his wife, Joan, and their two children, Taylor and Joseph.
Previous Curt Gowdy Media Award Winners
Year Print Electronic
1990 Dick Herbert Curt Gowdy
1991 Dave Dorr Marty Glickman
1992 Sam Goldaper Chick Hearn
1993 Leonard Lewin Johnny Most
1994 Leonard Koppett Cawood Ledford
1995 Bob Hammel Dick Enberg
1996 Bob Hentzen Billy Packer
1997 Bob Ryan Marv Albert
1998 Larry Donald/Dick Weiss Dick Vitale
1999 Smith Barrier Bob Costas
2000 Dave Kindred Hubie Brown
2001 Curry Kirkpatrick Dick Stockton
2002 Jim O’Connell Jim Nantz
2003 Sid Hartman Hot Rod Hundley
2004 Phil Jasner Max Falkenstien
2005 Jack McCallum Bill Campbell
2006 Mark Heisler Bill Raftery
2007
Malcolm Moran Al McCoy2008 David DuPree Bob Wolff
HBO will remember the late Arturo Gatti with a look back at the epic trilogy with Irish Mickey Ward this weekend.
HBO SPORTS TO COMMEMORATE THE CAREER OF ARTURO GATTI WITH SPECIAL REPLAY OF ONE OF BOXING’S ALL-TIME GREAT TRILOGIES
ARTURO GATTI VS. MICKY WARD I, II & III JULY 17 AND JULY 18
After televising 21 of Arturo Gatti’s riveting portfolio of professional prizefights from 1995 to 2007, HBO Sports will commemorate the career of former two-time world champion Arturo Gatti, with a special presentation of his classic trilogy when ARTURO GATTI VS. MICKY WARD I, II & III is seen FRIDAY, JULY 17 (9:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO2 and Saturday, July 18 (10:15 a.m. ET/PT) on the main HBO service. The three fights will air consecutively on both days.
Arturo Gatti, 37, was found dead Saturday in Brazil.
Regarded by boxing historians as one of the great trilogies in boxing history, the three-fight series between the two junior welterweights featured no belts or championships on the line, but included 30 total rounds of non-stop action, remarkable displays of will and fortitude and unparalleled sportsmanship. The series began on May 18, 2002 in Uncasville, Conn. as an HBO “Boxing After Dark®” presentation with Ward staging a surprising upset victory in an all-out battle. USA Today praised the fight, saying “the ninth round is one of the greatest action-filled [moments] in history.” The two met again on Nov. 23, 2002 in Atlantic City on HBO’s “World Championship Boxing” and Gatti bounced back with a unanimous decision victory. The epic series concluded with another brilliant effort by both fighters on HBO on June 7, 2003 in Atlantic City, with Gatti scoring a unanimous decision victory.
A Montreal native, Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) fought out of Jersey City, NJ and was one of boxing’s brightest stars during his exciting career. Ward, now 43, long known for his dogged determination and ring workmanship, hails from Lowell, MA and retired as an active fighter after the three showdowns with Gatti. Ward later trained his former opponent in the closing chapter of Gatti’s professional career.
Can you believe that ESPN.com’s web series Mayne Street is ending its current run with tomorrow’s webisode? Say it isn’t so?
Mayne Street Finale: Kenny Races against TimeForget about Twitter. In the finale of the current run of ESPN.com’s original scripted series Mayne Street (debuts Tuesdays at 9 a.m.), Kenny discovers breaking news the old-fashioned way – through interviews. But, how is he going to get the golden footage back to the studio?
In Mayne Street, Mayne stars as himself in a fictionalized version of life at a sports television network. His reoccurring foils revolve largely around his fictional production crew, as well as other ESPN personalities. Mayne Street joins a lineup of video that is among the most popular online. ESPN.com captures nearly 50 percent of the total minutes spent by users viewing online sports video. In April, ESPN.com was No. 1 in the sports category with 72.3 million total streams, 59 percent more than the closest competitor for the month.
Finally, here’s what ESPN is covering for motorsports this week.
Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABCNASCAR Nationwide Series in Prime Time from St. Louis
The NASCAR Nationwide Series races in prime time on Saturday night as it makes its only appearance of the season at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. ESPN2 will have a live, high definition telecast of the 250-lap race on Saturday, July 18 beginning at 9 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.
Also this weekend, live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying airs Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2, while coverage of final practice airs Friday, July 17, at 9 p.m.
Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro.
NASCAR Journalist Guests on NASCAR Now Roundtable
One of the most widely-read journalists regularly covering NASCAR racing will be a guest panelist on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, July 20, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Joining host Mike Massaro will be Associated Press motorsports writer Jenna Fryer, whose writing appears in hundreds of publications on a weekly basis, and Ryan McGee of ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com.
Nicole Manske hosts half-hour episode of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Friday of this week at 5 p.m. NASCAR Now originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.
Inaugural Brickyard 400 Kicks Off NASCAR Week on ESPN Classic
The 1994 Brickyard 400 is regarded as one of the most important events in NASCAR’s 60-year history, and NASCAR fans will have an opportunity to go back in time and watch history in the making as ESPN Classic presents highlights of the watershed event on Monday, July 20, at 6 p.m. ET.
The presentation kicks four consecutive nights of past Brickyard 400 telecasts on ESPN Classic, helping get fans ready for the 2009 edition airing Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Jeff Gordon won the inaugural race in 1994, the first stock car race ever held on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Also this week on ESPN Classic, the ESPN signature series SportsCentury featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. airs Wednesday, July 15, at 8 a.m.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing from Seattle on ESPN2
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues its western swing at Pacific Raceways near Seattle this weekend, and ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action on a same-day basis. Qualifying from the NHRA Northwest Nationals airs Saturday, July 18, at 7 p.m. ET, with eliminations airing Sunday at 9 p.m. Finals coverage re-airs Monday, July 20, at 2 p.m. on ESPN Classic.
In one of the tour’s most breathtaking environments, Pacific Raceways is surrounded by towering Douglas fir trees and parked in the shadow of majestic Mount Rainier. The trees add more than beauty at the middle stop on the Western Swing: They emit tons of power-enhancing oxygen to feed the appetites of the high-horsepower machines, resulting in prime performances.
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.
Other NHRA programming airing on ESPN Networks this week includes the 2003 Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals from Joliet, Ill., airing Monday, July 20, at 1 p.m. on ESPN Classic, following the noon presentation of an hour of NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series action from Topeka, Kansas.
Traxxas TORC Series Action on ESPN2 Sunday
Action from the Traxxas TORC Series returns to ESPN2 on Sunday, July 19, at 11:30 a.m. ET with highlights from the series event held in Bark River, Mich. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action will appear on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.
The 2009 season features eight total rounds of racing. ESPN2 will air five rounds with three to appear on ABC, including a live telecast on ABC of the Crandon 40th Anniversary of Off-Road Racing. Marty Reid, lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and selected NASCAR races, will call all of the Traxxas TORC Truck Series events on ESPN2 and ABC. Joining Reid will be long-time extreme sports announcer Tes Sewell and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler as pit reporter.
Red Bull X Fighters Return to ABC on Sunday
The Red Bull X Fighters international freestyle motocross tour returns to ABC on Sunday, July 19, at 1:30 p.m. ET. Highlights from an event at the Fort Worth (TX) Stockyards will be featured in the one-hour program.
The World Tour became the sport’s undisputed number one event last year. Taking the sport to the ultimate level and combining it with creative orchestration at iconic locations, the tour staged spectacular contests in the bull fighting arenas of Mexico City and Madrid, the stone quarry of Wuppertal in Germany, the Sambadrom parade ground in Rio de Janeiro, a rodeo arena in Texas and a gigantic historic stadium in Warsaw.
That’s it. Good night.
