Players Championship
May
13
It’s Your Monday Night Update
Time to give you an update this evening.
First, thanks to Neil Best, I give you the farewell column by Dan Le Batard as he leaves the Miami Herald. In his column, Le Batard mentions that he’s also leaving ESPN, but will return from time to time.
Speaking of Neil, he mentions that Sirius Satellite Radio will have a reunion of sorts as three members of the 1972-73 New York Knicks that won the NBA Championship will be heard on channel 127 tomorrow.
Some ratings news from the Sports Media Watch. First, the Players Championship’s ratings were down on NBC, but not by as much as you would expect with Tiger Woods not in the tournament. And the SMW says the overnights for the NBA on Sunday were pretty good.
Awful Announcing has the NBA Playoff announcing schedule for this week.
Here’s a piece of news for you. Fox Sports is reportedly trying to convince Brett Favre to be part of the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show to replace Barry Switzer.
Tim Lemke of the Washington Times looks at ESPN’s side of the new US Open cable deal.
Chris Casavant of the Connecticut Post laments the end of USA Network’s airing of the US Open.
A couple of posts by Friend of Fang’s Bites, Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media blog. He says former ESPN/ABC football analyst/sideline reporter Lynn Swann looked out of place on CBS’ bowling broadcast this weekend. And Christopher laments the end of the ABC era in figure skating.
Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse blog has found video of some interesting comments former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly made about ESPN. Of course, Reilly is scheduled to start working for ESPN in June.
Mike Masuda of the Orlando Sentinel writes in his blog that ESPN needs to stop showing the Red Sox. Wait a minute!
Speaking of the Red Sox, the Providence Journal reports that NESN’s Red Sox Report will be re-edited and re-recorded in Spanish so it can appear on Telemundo stations in New England (scroll down to the bottom).
You want more Red Sox news? LC at the 38Cliches blog says Red Sox radio voice Uncle Joe Castiglione will be appearing at the Grand Opening of a new L.L. Bean store in Maine this week.
John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable writes that ESPN has tapped a new VP of ad-sales from NBC Universal.
Linda Moss of Multichannel News reports that DirecTV has moved the Outdoor Channel to its sports tier reducing its subscriber base.
That will do it tonight.
May
11
The Saturday Night Links
I’m back after being away for most of the day. But after I thought I could get away with not providing links today, I find enough news to warrant an update.
Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News talks with NFL Films President Steve Sabol about Hard Knocks which returns to filming the Cowboys training camp this season.
Jerry Garcia from the San Antonio Express-News states that TNT’s Inside the NBA is the best studio show on TV. I’ll have to say it’s hard to top and the Emmy for Best Daily Sports Show is proof. And thanks to Jerry to linking to Fang’s Bites for the Charles Barkley “I’m A Dumbass” video.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that sports radio station KFNS is changing its lineup at the expense of payroll.
Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette writes something that I’ve harped on earlier this week, that Versus should not be outsourcing its NHL coverage to Canada during the playoffs. I totally agree with Ken.
The Albany Times Union’s Pete Dougherty writing in his Best Seat in My House blog feels a locally produced Yankees pregame show just isn’t cutting it.
William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the Players Championship is definitely must see TV.
A couple of things from the Sports Media Watch. First, its weekly ratings predictions for the weekend. Second, the SMW has a story culled from Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch that Hannah Storm, who had been an anchor on CBS’ Early Show, is returning to sports with ESPN on a new morning edition of SportsCenter.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in his Farther Off the Wall blog that ESPN will explore the relationship between former USC basketball player OJ Mayo and an event promoter who has plenty of baggage.
Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times gives us his 50 best sports quotes in his Two Cents blog.
Anthony Schoettle of the Indianapolis Business Journal looks at the local radio ratings wars in town including a section on sports radio.
Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that former WNBA’er and Olympian Teresa Edwards will be providing color analysis on Atlanta Dream games on Comcast Sports Southeast.
The Sox & Dawgs blog has the video from Friday’s NESN pregame show that marked the first time that sideline reporter Heidi Watney sat down with the Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin. This was heaven for many Sox fans including myself, let me tell you.
See? I told you there were plenty of links tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with the Sunday media columns.
May
08
Some Thursday Afternoon Links
I’ll give you some additional links on this late Thursday afternoon here on the East Coast.
First, Newsday’s Neil Best says last week’s Game 4 of the Pittsburgh-New York Rangers series was the highest-rated and most watched NHL contest ever on Versus. Neil also looks at whether the sports blogosphere is a happy, chummy place.
And in that last entry, Neil links to an article in The Big Lead asking if blogs should be held accountable.
Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse blog looks into statements by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen criticizing the Boston Herald on the Spygate story.
The Sports Media Watch suggests that using TV ratings to measure the NBA’s and NHL’s popularity is not the way to go. And the SMW says the WNBA is going to debut a new ad campaign addressing the negative perception of women’s basketball.
Not taking the Sports Media Watch’s cue, Adam Thompson of the Wall Street Journal says viewers are coming back to the NHL and he adds Don Cherry’s hiring by ESPN is proof.
Bill Ordine of the Baltimore Sun looks forward to seeing Don Cherry on ESPN.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has NBC’s golf analyst Johnny Miller discussing phenom Anthony Kim.
NBC Sports says it has placed 15 “Splash Mics” around the 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass for this weekend’s Players Championship.
The Dallas Morning News says NBC Sports will televise the Arizona State-Notre Dame game at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in 2013. Nothing like planning ahead.
Sara Cunningham of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes that horse racing, its sponsors and TV partners will survive the Eight Belles tragedy.
E.S. Lamoreaux III, a former CBS News and producer, says Eight Belles’ death reminds him of the death of Ruffian, another filly who raced a colt in a match race in 1975 and broke down.
A couple of press releases from ESPN. First, ESPN’s broadband service has signed an agreement to webcast 11 women’s tennis tournaments this year. And ESPN has announced its family of networks will show all 31 games of the Euro 2008 soccer tournament next month.
I may have an update tonight. Check back later.
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