Fang's Bites

Bringing Out Some Saturday Links

I started to do the Megalinks last night, but I fell asleep at my computer while doing them. I was out for most of the Friday so it prevented me from sitting down and pounding out the linkage yesterday. I’ll do it now to get you going for the 4th of July weekend. There’s a lot of sports happening so the Weekend Viewing Picks provides you with the programming that you may want to watch.

Let’s do the linkage.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks with multiple network tennis analyst John McEnroe on how to spice up tennis’ ratings.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek writes that an extended NBA lockout will hurt TV partners ESPN and TNT.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk didn’t like Jon Gruden’s gushing over former Ohio State quarterback Tyrelle Pryor during ESPN’s QB Camp.

Brooks Peck of Yahoo’s Dirty Tackle blog notes that ESPN.com lifted some of his fictitious quotes over Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi.

At Baseball Digest, Jerry Milani profiles MSG Network’s and Friend of Fang’s Bites Tina Cervasio.

Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser notes that a Southern California radio host’s firing from the Anaheim Angels was racially motivated.

Dave Levy from SportsGrid looks at the future of the Pac-12 Conference.

Adam Watson of Yahoo’s The PostGame talks with Renée Herlocker who will be the sideline reporter for the Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Jason Dachman of Sports Video Group notes that TSN wants to bring CFL viewers even closer to the game.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group says distributing Wimbledon in 3-D to movie theaters shows the need for one standard for the format.

Beth Healy of the Boston Globe writes that the newspaper’s parent company, the New York Times has sold part of its 17% stake in the Red Sox for a sizable profit.

Taryn Luna of the Globe says watering holes in the vicinity of the TD Garden are worried about losing business in the wake of the NBA lockout.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that sports radio talk in New York actually turns 90 years old today.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has Lindsay Czarniak saying when she’ll be moving to ESPN and what her duties for the Alleged Worldwide Leader will be.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune notes that the Big Ten Network came to fruition thanks to an ESPN lowball bid back in 2004.

And Jessica Guyin and Dawn C. Chmielski of the Los Angeles Times look at Google’s potential bid to buy Hulu which has NFL Films videos.

Sports Media Watch has news and notes on some media personalities.

SMW notes that Nike has re-signed Michael Vick.

I’m going to end it there.

Two Announcements From The NFL and ESPN

We have two announcements for you on this Monday. One involving the nation’s most popular sports league and the other from the nation’s largest sports network. Both announcements involve online content.

The NFL says it will put exclusive content on Hulu.com which is co-owned by Fox and NBC.

HULU TO OFFER NFL CONTENT

Emmy Award Winning NFL Films Produced Shows Now Available On Hulu

The NFL and Hulu have partnered to offer football fans a new way to find and enjoy NFL action this offseason with access to award winning shows containing historical game footage online at www.hulu.com/nfl. Hulu is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites. 

The NFL Network section on Hulu launches with nine different NFL programs featuring videos from all 32 teams.

The partnership allows fans to access more than 600 videos and more than 400 hours of NFL content online, much of which previously only existed on film. 

“We’re really excited to partner with the NFL to bring their popular shows, classic games and highlights from the NFL Films vault online for the first time,” said ANDY FORSSELL, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution at Hulu. “The NFL Team has done such amazing work over the years in beautifully portraying the drama and excitement that occurs every Sunday in the NFL, and we are proud to be able to help more people find and enjoy this great content. As our relationship continues to grow, we look forward to adding more great NFL Films videos to the Hulu service.”

“We’re excited to make all of this great historical content from NFL Films and NFL Network available on Hulu,” said HANS SCHROEDER, vice president of media strategy and development for the NFL.  “This is a continuation of our efforts to give NFL fans access to more content in more places throughout the year.”

The nine programs that currently are on Hulu are:

• AMERICA’S GAME: THE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS: The Emmy award winning America’s Game series tells the stories behind the story of Super Bowl champions. Each episode is a 60-minute documentary featuring key members of the winning team telling behind-the-scenes accounts from their championship season. With classic NFL Films action combined with news clips and photos, highlights from team radio broadcasts, footage from inside team meeting rooms, sideline audio and other exclusive features, America’s Game provides an epic and intimate portrait of 42 distinct championship teams, in one groundbreaking series.

• GAME OF THE WEEK: Current and classic NFL games are featured in Game of the Week, a 60-minute condensed version of a full game. The series takes fans inside an NFL game highlighting outstanding performances and crucial plays. NFL Network Game of the Week will review the game quarter-by-quarter, showing fans how 4th-quarter plays are set up by what happened earlier in the game. Game of the Week uses NFL Films signature slow-motion cinematography and sideline sound to give fans a unique and in-depth perspective of how the game was won.

• GREATEST GAMES: NFL Films Greatest Games series explores in-depth the most memorable games in NFL history. Relive all the drama of classic NFL match ups on these 90-minute shows as NFL Films reconstructs the games using archival footage and original radio calls.

• HARD KNOCKS: Hard Knocks presents viewers with an inside look at NFL training camps. From the top coaches to the rookies trying to make the team, Hard Knocks will showcase what it takes to be in the NFL.  Currently, fans can watch the seasons featuring the 2001 Baltimore Ravens; 2002 Dallas Cowboys; 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars; 2007 Kansas City Chiefs; and the 2008 Dallas Cowboys.

• LIVE WIRE:  Live Wire showcases the best sounds from the weekend’s NFL game action. The Live Wire series delivers exclusive sound captured from microphones worn by players and coaches during the game.

• SEASON IN REVIEW: The story of each NFL season from 1993 – 2005 as told by NFL Films.

• SOUNDS OF THE GAME: This highlight show recaps the best press conference moments of the past week, along with game footage and sound to illustrate coaches’ and players’ comments.

• SUPER BOWL HIGHLIGHTS: NFL Films tells the story of the biggest sporting event of the year – the Super Bowl. A special re-telling of the story of the first 43 Super Bowls with the inside look that only NFL Films can provide. Slow motion cinematic shots, sideline sounds, and players and coaches wired-for-sound bring the excitement of the NFL’s premier game to life.

• TEAM HIGHLIGHTS: Every year, each football team has the chance to climb the NFL mountain. NFL Films looks back at the story of each team’s season – the biggest wins, hardest losses, and the players that perform every Sunday.

And ESPN is going to tap MLB Advanced Media to run its rebranded ESPN3 broadband service.

ESPN360.com Taps MLB Advanced Media for ESPN3.com

Network Name Change in April to coincide with new technology infrastructure and operations support powered by MLBAM

ESPN360.com, ESPN’s 24/7 broadband sports network, today announced that it will collaborate with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) for its technology infrastructure and operations support when the network’s name changes to ESPN3.com on April 4th.

The move will enhance the viewing experience for sports fans and provide optimal video quality. As part of the deal, the network will use Adobe’s Flash Media Server (FMS) as its core technology. New  features and enhancements include customizable widgets with scores, chats, schedules and more.  ESPN3.com will also offer more HD streaming of live events and additional viewing options via picture-in-picture and split screens.

“ESPN360.com carries a wide variety of more than 3,500 live sporting events online, and continually improving that experience is our top priority,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “This new agreement with MLBAM, which deepens our seven-year relationship, brings two leaders in sports video streaming together on the same platform.  We will continue to deliver a high quality network to fans as it transitions to ESPN3.com in April.”

“Our long-term collaboration with ESPN has been defined by a common thread to serve fans first and supporting the new ESPN3.com with our live streaming technology underscores our continued commitment to this goal,” said Bob Bowman, president and chief executive officer, MLBAM.

Programming on ESPN3.com will remain the same, with access to replay, HD-quality streaming and milestone markers for select events, geo-targeted ads and more.  The network is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider.  It is currently in 50 million households — a majority of U.S. broadband homes — and accessible via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Comcast, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.

So you have two announcements from the two of the largest sports entities in the US.

MLB Network to Join Simlucast of Hope for Haiti Now

Just received this press release from MLB Network that states the channel will be the only sports TV network that will simulcast the George Clooney-led fundraiser for Haitian Earthquake relief. Hope For Haiti will be aired across the nation and around the world on Friday starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the networks listed below.

“HOPE FOR HAITI NOW: A GLOBAL BENEFIT FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF” ADDS NEW MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AND CELEBRITY PARTICIPANTS TO SUPERSTAR LINEUP

Beyoncé to Perform in London

Madonna in New York City

Haitian Artist Emeline Michel in Los Angeles

Participants to include President Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jon Stewart, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith with Muhammad Ali, and More Than One Hundred of the Biggest Names in Film, Television, and Music

“Hope for Haiti Now” to Begin Accepting Donations via Online, Phone, Text and Mail at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT on Friday, January 22

Music Performances Available for Pre-Order Exclusively on iTunes

NEW YORK, NY; LOS ANGELES, CA; and LONDON, ENGLAND (JANUARY 21, 2010) – “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” today announced the addition of new musical artists and celebrity participants to its lineup. “Hope for Haiti Now” will air on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 7:00 p.m. CT

Newly added performers Beyoncé in London, Madonna in New York City, and Haitian artist Emeline Michel in Los Angeles will join the previously announced lineup: Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London.

In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, “Hope for Haiti Now” will feature President Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jon Stewart, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith with Muhammad Ali, and more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music.

  

“Hope for Haiti Now” will begin accepting donations at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT on Friday, January 22 via the following methods:

•         Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org

•         Phone: 877-99-HAITI

•         Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555

•         Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation,

1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Music performances from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be available for purchase and download on the iTunes® Store. Beginning on Friday, iTunes customers will be able to exclusively pre-order both the “Hope for Haiti Now” full performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99).  Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon. Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for $.99 cents each in the days following the telethon. Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities. 

“Hope for Haiti Now” performances will also be available for purchase on AmazonMP3 and Rhapsody, with distribution provided by INgrooves. Proceeds from those purchases will also benefit Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities.

“Hope for Haiti Now,” will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the newly formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation. Proceeds from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be split among each organization’s individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief. With the exception of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, each partner organization was selected for its history of operation and collaboration within the NGO community in Haiti.

“Hope for Haiti Now” will air across ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino, and Canadian networks including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, and MuchMusic. The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com, and Rhapsody and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and FloTV. “Hope for Haiti Now” will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic, and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide. “Hope for Haiti Now” will be available non-exclusively to all terrestrial radio stations around the globe and SIRIUS XM Radio as a one time only radio broadcast via the MTV Radio Network and Westwood One.

Based on production needs and venue sizes, all “Hope for Haiti Now” studio locations will be closed to the media. Photos, pool video footage and talent interviews from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be serviced to news outlets immediately following the event.

“Hope for Haiti Now” is produced by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions, in collaboration with Viacom’s MTV Networks and George Clooney.

It’s safe to say that Hope for Haiti Now will be the lone Primetime Viewing Pick from 8-10 p.m. tomorrow.

Tuesday Afternoon Update

I have enough links to warrant an update today.

Starting with two links from the Sports Business Daily and thanks to the fine people there for opening these pages to the public.

Comcast-owned Golf Channel and Versus saw the biggest year-to-year viewership gains for a sports network as Austin Karp writes.

Erik Swanson talks to several media writers (all familiar names if you read Fang’s Bites regularly) about NBC’s tape delayed Wimbledon coverage.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that Versus is all over the Tour de France. Jim adds that Versus will have Ben Stiller on its Tour de France primetime show this evening.

Thom Weidlich of Bloomberg News reports the City of New York has settled a lawsuit with a Yankees fan. Thanks to Deadspin for the link.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Gatorade is releasing limited edition Michael Jordan bottles to celebrate his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Big Ten Network has quietly started a channel on Hulu.

Bruce Allen at the Boston Sports Media Watch has a great post today on some of people who have graced The Hub as sports anchors. They are some great names who have gone national, Dick Stockton, Len Berman, Keith Olbermann, Roger Twibell, Jack Edwards, Jimmy Myers to name a few.

Ray Frager of Sports Media Journal writes that Nike is timely with its ads.

If you live near the Chicago area or have Comcast SportsNet Chicago on DirecTV, Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business will be on at 5:30 p.m CT today to talk about the Cubs sale. Ed says the Cubs are still talking to interested parties as the sale to the Ricketts family is not final.

The Biz of Baseball’s Maury Brown says all living U.S. Presidents will appear in a video before next week’s MLB All-Star Game with President Clinton throwing out the first pitch.

The Big Lead reviews ESPN2′s SportsNation.

Chris Byrne of Eye on Sports Media has some post-Wimbledon thoughts.

Mimi Turner of the Hollywood Reporter says ESPN will launch its UK channel next month as well as one in HD.

Rick Kissell of Variety writes that golf and tennis led the ratings on Sunday.

Steve Clarke of Variety reports that the Wimbledon men’s final grabbed 50% of all viewers in the UK.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that CBS College Sports and the mtn. will get a boost from Cox Communications in Arizona and Orange County, CA.

That’s it from here. Press releases coming up later.

Saturday Links, Finally

It sucks when your day is planned for you and you find that you keep getting interrupted for silly little things. I’m at work again, stuck in the home office and trying to actually get work done and hoping to get a link or two in, but I’m finding it extremely difficult today. As I mentioned in the press releases (scroll below or click here), it took me close to five hours to get that particular post up and now I’m trying to do this before another interruption comes in. I hate working on Saturdays.

Anyway, here are the links. I try to get to those that aren’t outdated, but the problem when doing Saturday links, I have to get them up before noon ET as the sporting day usually start around that time.

Starting with David Flores of the San Antonio Express-News who writes his last column for the paper, being one of the victims of a layoff due to budget cuts.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News writes the Texas Rangers radio broadcast team is a mutual admiration society. Barry tries to explain the sports radio ratings. Barry says Houston Texan running back Ryan Moats and his wife will be interviewed on Good Morning America on Monday. Moats was stopped by a policeman as he was speeding to see his dying mother-in-law. We’ve all seen the maddening video by now.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News writes that Western New York is mad about the NCAA Tournament this year.

Good friend Ken Schott (and fellow David Letterman fan) of the Schenectady Gazette has some issues with CBS’ switching during the NCAA Tournament.

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media says CBS’ switching of games during the NCAA Tournament may not be in the best interest of fans.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the Mets made sellouts and fewer seats a priority in the new Citi Field.

Newsday’s Bobby Cassidy, Jr. of the paper’s Trading Paint NASCAR blog talks with ESPN pit reporter and NASCAR Now host Shannon Spake.

Jim Williams of the DC Examiner says CBS gets into the Madness early today … well, earlier today. And Jim says the NCAA Women’s Tournament is back underway today as well. Earlier today as well as a matter of fact.

Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser says the Western Athletic Conference is waiting on ESPN so it can release its final football schedule for the fall.

Jennie Rees of the Louisville Courier-Journal reports that ESPN has dropped the Kentucky Derby post-position selection show, leaving HRTV and several local stations to pick it up.

Brandon McClure of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser says an Alabama State alum has made it big as an online host for Turner Sports, similar to what Friend of Fang’s Bites Beau Estes does during baseball and NASCAR season.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says HBO is looking at a multiplatform approach for its next 24/7 series.

Greg Sandoval of CNET says Disney’s ESPN could be part of a deal for ABC to join Hulu to share video clips and shows.

The Sports Media Watch says the NBA’s ratings fell hard again last Sunday. Paul Sen of the SMW writes that while the NHL is drawing consistent ratings every week on NBC, they’re still miniscule compared to other sports. And SMW says the NCAA Tournament slam dunked the primetime competition on Friday.

Wrap Around Curl over at Puck The Media has a SportsCenter clip of the Top Ten goaltender blowouts and that includes this week’s Tukka Rask meltdown at my hometown Providence Civic Center (I know it’s called something else, but if the donut company that bought naming rights wants to pay me to call it by its current name, I’ll be more than happy to write it next time, but it’s still the Civic Center to me).

The Sox & Dawgs blog previews another event in the Jerry Remy empire in April.

Ok, that’s going to end the links for today. I’m already seeing Sunday’s stories on various websites and I’d like to save those for Sunday, of course. See you later.

A Sunday Link Thing

After a few glitches involving my computer, I think I’m ready to bring you some links this morning.

Starting off with Neil Best of Newsday, he writes a column about father and son broadcasters, Joe Castiglione, voice of the Red Sox, and his son, Duke Castiglione who works for Fox 5 in New York. And tell Neil that you totally enjoyed this column. In his blog, Neil has reader e-mails denouncing the Personal Seat License plan in the new Giants/Jets stadium.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post says the Giants and Jets are shaking down fans with the Personal Seat Licences for the new stadium.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman has Fox Sports’ Terry Bradshaw backing down from his retirement talk from earlier this year.

Looking lovely as always, Daryn Kagan has the inspirational story of a blind mountain climber who uses adversity as a metaphor to succeed in life.

Albert Breer and Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News team up on a fascincating story on former Cowboys wide receiver and CBS NFL analsyt Frank Clarke who disappeared from the spotlight to become a nanny.

In his Olympics notebook, David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says ratings for the Diving and Gymnastics trials did well locally (scroll down).

Mulichannel News reports on two long-time ESPN employees moving up the corporate ladder.

Dick Scanlon of the Lakeland (FL) Ledger writes that the NFL is facing reality with the NFL Network.

Josh Kendall of the Macon (GA) Telegraph says the Southeastern Conference is in a position of strength as it approaches a new round of TV negotiations.

Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun talks about the second season of a University of Maryland football reality series that is believed to be the first of its kind.

Michael Learmonth of the Silicon Valley Insider site has several ways you can watch the Euro 2008 final today in case you’re not in front of a TV.

Dave Weekley of the Charlestown (WV) Gazette-Mail writes that Hulu.com offers plenty of sports gems.

Bob Buttitta of the Ventura County Star writes that the Johnny Miller apology over comments he made at the U.S. Open over Rocco Mediate shows that the nation has become oversensitive.

John Pye of the Associated Press writes that the Tennis Channel’s Justin Gimelstob has apologized for disparaging comments made about Anna Kournikova.

Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse blog watched George Carlin on the very first Saturday Night Live program and noted the first joke he made was about sports.

Mike Tankersley of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser writes about FSN’s new series on Baseball’s Golden Age.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) goes behind-the-scenes of a FSN Detroit telecast of the Tigers.

Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times says Chicago is getting attention from ESPN usually reserved for Boston or New York.

Mike DiMauro of the Bleacher Report wishes TSN would get its act in gear and syndicate its CFL games to the United States.

Dave Donofrio of the Concord (NH) Monitor says the NASCAR TV package allows the sport to market itself overseas.

Ted Cox of the Chicago Daily Herald says give credit to ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike for beating WSCR’s Mike North in the ratings fair and square.

The AfterEllen site wonders if Maria Sharapova and 10,000 B.C. star Camilla Belle are more than BFF.

That’s going to do it. I’ll have the Week Ahead posted sometime this evening.

Videos of the Week – Battlestar Galactica Season Premiere (In Its Entirety!)

If you missed the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi on Friday, I have it here thanks to Hulu.

It’s in its entirety. Enjoy.

A Brief Tuesday Update

I’ll give you a quickie update here.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle suggests that you get your passes for March Madness on Demand at NCAA.com before time runs out. Heather Havenstein of Computerworld reports that CBSSports.com is opening up the March Madness on Demand feature so it can be accessed from more than 200 websites.

Rob Demovsky from the Green Bay Press Gazette talks about the new College Basketball Invitation postseason tournament that joins the NCAA and NIT this season and will be aired on FSN.

It’s Day Two of the Minor League Baseball Logo Awards at Darren Rovell’s blog on CNBC.com.

Two weeks after the Tennessee-Memphis game became the most watched college basketball game ever for ESPN, the North Carolina-Duke game breaks that record as the Sports Media Watch tells us. Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says the game got a 4.0 rating on Saturday night.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel writes that the NHL becomes the first sports league to have a portal on Hulu.com.

Bruce Allen of the Boston Sports Media Watch says former Boston Globe writer Ron Borges came out swinging against his former paper in regards to its story yesterday on potential Spygate whistleblower Matt Walsh.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News talks about ESPN Deportes coming to the City of Angels.

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post has some reservations about Bob Knight being at ESPN and also talks with Knight foil Jeremy Schaap about the hiring.

Jody Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Cavs’ LeBron James is one of 11 athletes on the cover of ESPN the Magazine’s 10th anniversary edition. Monica Haynes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Sidney Crosby is another.

Julianne Smolinski from TV Week tells us that the NFL Network has made a new hire in its Marketing and Promotions Department.

In a story first reported by Laura Nachman, Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News writes that NFL Films laid off 21 workers as a result of HBO canceling Inside the NFL.

The Free Lance-Star (VA) says in an editorial that fans are caught in the middle in the NFL Network vs. cable dispute.

Luis Arroyave from the Chicago Tribune says WPWR-TV will air 18 Fire MLS games this season taking over for Comcast SportsNet.

If you’re looking for a new gig, Fox College Sports is looking for two new hosts, one male and one female.

As Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star predicted last Friday, the CBC has won the bidding for Jim Hughson’s services. He signs for six years and will leave his position with Rogers Sportsnet calling Vancouver Canucks games after this season. For the last three seasons, he had been working for both networks. Hughson is expected to eventually become the main announcer for Hockey Night in Canada and will call Toronto Blue Jays game on the network.

I got more links than I expected, but that’s a good thing. I’ll be back tonight with my review of Real Sports.

Monday Night Update

Let’s give you a few more links this evening. My real-time review of Real Sports will come tomorrow.

I will say the Lenny Dykstra story is just amazing. I’ll have the review on Tuesday.

My first link is from the former Executive Producer of the Score, WSKO-AM/FM in Providence, John Crowe. From his Crowe’s Nest blog, John talks about the unfortunate demise of the Score which came when parent company Citadel Broadcasting brought the hammer down on the sports radio station today. Now only WEEI-FM, a carpetbagging radio station from Boston will have the Providence market to itself. Fans of Providence College, the University of Rhode Island and Brown University will not have an outlet to talk sports as WEEI just focuses on the Patriots and Red Sox. It’s a sad day, but Citadel will tell you the station was not performing well in the ratings nor financially. But the station had a loyal listenership and may have not been performing as well as WEEI, but it had its fans. I do hope that the staff that was let go will be able to find work.

David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch has his thoughts on the Score’s demise. Art Martone, sports editor of the Providence Journal had a story as it broke this afternoon.

One of the mainstays of the aforementioned WEEI, Glenn Ordway announced today that his baby daughter who experienced physical trauma during her birth is recovering and could have a normal life. That is definitely good news.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune says a deal between the Big Ten Network and Comcast could come anytime now. Jeff Richgels from the Capital (WI) Times reports that a framework for a deal is set.

The Eye on Sports Media blog has information on the NCAA D-II and D-III men’s and women’s basketball championships, which network will air them and when.

NCAAsports.com has now relaunched as NCAA.com.

SI.com picks up an Associated Press story which says Dish Network has picked up CST, the cable home of the New Orleans Hornets, and civic leaders are now appealing to DirecTV to do the same.

TV Week’s Chris Pursell writes in his Pressbox blog that NBA TV ratings are going through the roof.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes will be added to Time Warner Cable’s lineup in Los Angeles. Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that CBS College Sports Network is expanding its reach for its video on demand March Madness highlights package. And Multichannel tells us that Versus has begun its NHL Stanley Cup ad campaign.

Alex Weprin of Broadcasting & Cable says NASCAR and Family Circle magazine are teaming up for a syndicated TV show focused on cooking.

Brad Stone of the New York Times reports that Hulu.com, the joint venture from NBC and Fox, is now out of Beta and will officially launch on Wednesday with not only programming from NBC, Fox and Warner, but also with NBA, NHL and NCAA basketball highlights.

The NFL Network has announced that former GM and current CBS NFL Insider Charley Casserly will be part of its NFL Draft coverage in April.

CHARLEY CASSERLY JOINS NFL NETWORK’S DRAFT COVERAGE

OFFERS GENERAL MANAGER’S PERSPECTIVE ON

“PATH TO THE DRAFT” & THROUGHOUT DRAFT WEEK

Charley Casserly, a 24-year executive for the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, joins NFL Network’s NFL Draft coverage, it was announced today.

Casserly will offer his analysis on Path to the Draft twice each week at 6:30 PM ET before spending all of Draft week in NFL Network’s Los Angeles studios, where he will contribute to Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access as well as NFL Network’s gavel-to-gavel NFL Draft coverage on April 26-27.

“We continue to deepen our roster with year round draft experts,” said NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger. “Charley knows talent.”

During the NFL season, Casserly serves as the “General Manager” for CBS’ The NFL Today pregame show.

Prior to joining CBS Sports in 2006, Casserly spent six years as senior vice president and general manager of the Houston Texans. In Casserly’s final draft with the team in 2006, the Texans selected defensive end Mario Williams with the first overall pick and linebacker DeMeco Ryans with the first pick in the second round. Williams tied for third in the NFL with 14 sacks last season (including 10 sacks in his last seven games), while Ryans earned a trip to the 2008 Pro Bowl.

Casserly earned three Super Bowl rings with the Washington Redskins prior to joining the Texans and twice served on the NFL Competition Committee (2003-06; 1996-1999).

That will do it.

Our Friday Night Update

Time to give you an update.

Newsday’s Neil Best has been busy at the Super Bowl. First, he recaps Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s press conference. Then Neil writes about the four men who have covered all 42 Super Bowls.

Also from Newsday, Jim Baumbach writes about his experience riding on the Goodyear Blimp.

Chris Pursell of TV Week is in Arizona covering the Super Bowl and he has been blogging all day and will continue throughout the weekend. Chris goes inside ESPN’s Situation Room, the command post for all of its TV and radio operations at the Super Bowl. He also talks with Eric Weinberger, executive producer of the NFL Network, who is hopeful Steve Mariucci stays with the channel instead of taking the Washington Redskins coaching job. And Chris writes that the NFL is now making a big push online.

Also from TV Week, Daisy Whitney writes that Hulu.com, the video sharing service started by NBC and Fox, will have the Super Bowl ads on the site after the game ends.

TV Technology.com tells us that 80% of Super Bowl ads will be aired in HD.

John Consoli of Mediaweek writes that Super Bowl ads have a shelf life after the game.

Jesse Kohl of Media in Canada looks at the Super Bowl ads airing there.

Bob Young of the Arizona Republic catches up with Olympic gold medal swimmer Amanda Beard who’s in town for FSN’s Best Damn Sports Show Period.

Gillian Wee of Bloomberg reports that Super Bowl XLII could set a viewing record.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell gives us his video log from his day at the Super Bowl.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with Ryan Seacrest about hosting the red carpet portion of the Fox Super Bowl Sunday pregame show. Ted Cox of the Chicago Daily Herald says Fox is trying to turn the Super Bowl into the Golden Globes.

Mike Nahrstedt of the Sporting News catches up with Fox Sports’ Joe Buck who will call the Big Game on Sunday. Michael E. Hill of the Washington Post talks to Buck’s partner, Troy Aikman, about how he got into the broadcast booth.

Bill Ordine of the Baltimore Sun has some choices for you in case you don’t want to watch the Super Bowl.

Here are the Super Bowl picks of 30 ESPN on-air personalities.

Clint DeBoer of Audioholics.com has a technical article outlining how Fox puts together its high definition broadcast of Super Bowl XLII. David Coburn of Popular Mechanics talks with the inventor of the telestrator, Dr. Leonard Reiffel.

Wayne Friedman of Media Daily News says the Super Bowl was time shifted by as much as an hour by most TiVo subscribers last year.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star writes about the ESPN one hour special on Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills.

Ben Wolfgang of the Pottsville (PA) Republican & Herald says a story on this week’s Inside the NFL on HBO about the NFL stripping the 1925 title from the Pottsville Maroons could not have come at a better time. And Larry O’Rourke from the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the town is still bitter over the move.

Mike Shields of Mediaweek reports that CBS Sports and CSTV have unveiled a new online community service similar to MySpace.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports that ESPN Deportes has been picked up by Bright House Cable in Tampa. John Lafayette of TV Week also has the story.

Jordan Kobritz writes in the Prescott (AZ) Daily Courier looks at the problems with the NHL which begin with the signing of Versus as its national cable TV partner.

Tucker Carlson (not the one from MSNBC) of Charter Communications writes an opinion piece in the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin saying the Big Ten Network offers a bad deal for subscribers. But BTN President Mark Silverman writes back in the same newspaper that the channel is willing to talk to Charter.

Curtis Pashelka of the Contra Costa (CA) Times says the West Coast Conference is happy with its exposure on the ESPN family of networks.

Sports Illustrated picks up an AP story about a play about the late Al McGuire, written by Dick Enberg, that’s coming to Hofstra University later this month.

Jim Balow of the Charleston (WV) Gazette says ESPN will be coming to town in early July to tape the “America’s Strongest Man’s” competition.

Jo-Ann Barnas of the Detroit Free Press finds plenty of fans who were critical of NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last week.

We certainly have more links than I expected tonight, but that’s a good thing. I’ll be back tomorrow with Saturday morning links and my Super Bowl pick.

Hill Street Blues Open

I signed up for the Private Beta launch of Hulu, the online service of Fox and NBC. You may remember that NBC and Fox pulled their programs from iTunes and YouTube. Now, this new online service is supposed to be a challenger to both services. Of course on YouTube, you could only watch clips. With iTunes, you could purchase programs for your iPod. Well, after NBC and Fox felt Apple was undercharging for programs, both Fox and NBC split off and formed Hulu. After a couple of months in development, I received an e-mail inviting me to sign up and I did.

Tonight, I watched the pilot episode of Hill Street Blues, one of the most acclaimed TV dramas of all time. I can go into how much I loved the show and used to watch it, but I won’t bore you. You can check out the open here:

The entire 1st season of Hill Street Blues is on Hulu. The first few episodes are early candidates for Videos of the Week.

SNL Parody of the MLB/Dane Cook promos

Last Saturday, SNL did a bunch of sports promo parodies including two on the really stupid Dane Cook/MLB ads. Dane Cook is a hack and somehow managed to talk his way to getting this gig.

NOTE – As of October 22, NBC has taken all of its videos off YouTube so the ALCS videos is no longer available. But I have found the NLCS promo that has been replaced and is working.

NEW NOTE – On November 9, NBC/Fox started the private Beta video sharing service called “Hulu”. Now I can present both clips without worrying if they’ll be taken off. I can present both to you without any problems.

Jason Sudeikis plays Cook and first did an ALCS promo. He really got Cook down pat.

And here’s the NLCS promo.