Fang's Bites

Doing Some Friday Megalinks Now

Let’s do some megalinks on this Friday. My apologies for the lack of posts yesterday. The site was swamped with people linking to my post on How to Avoid Paying the $3.99 Fee For March Madness Live and it was down for most of the day. We seem to be ok today, although the site was down for a short stretch in the morning. But we’re back up now and time for some megalinks on this Friday.

The Weekend Viewing Picks are up and running. Lots of sports as the winter NCAA Championships including the basketball tournaments are underway.

Let’s get to your links.

National

Michael Hiestand from USA Today praises CBS/Turner for bringing the NCAA head of men’s basketball officiating back to explain controversial calls.

Reid Cherner of USA Today’s Game On blog remembers a great NCAA Tournmament buzzer beater from 1981 as called by NBC’s Marv Albert.

Sports Business Daily notes the overnight ratings for Thursday’s games from the NCAA Tournament were down, but still considered a win for CBS/Turner.

Matt Carmichael from Advertising Age tells us which two schools were Googled the most during yesterday’s NCAA Tournament action.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid has the absolutely hilarious video of a WGN morning news anchor trying to amp up the volume at ESPN’s Dick Vitale while technical difficulties arise.

Karen Hogan from Sports Video Group writes that the National Invitation Tournament may be the NCAA Tournament’s ugly sister, but it still gets major treatment from ESPN.

To Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing who notes another Twitter feud involving CNBC’s Darren Rovell, this one with Bomani Jones.

Sports Media Watch says Thursday’s 2nd round NCAA Tournament games received slightly lower overnight ratings from the year before.

Dave Kohl of The Broadcast Booth wants to know why name calling in sports radio is a more punishable offense than inaccurate reporting.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy asks if the NHL’s new Stanley Cup ad campaign to replace the great “History Will Be Made” promos can be as successful.

Laura Northrup of the Consumerist wonders why NBA League Pass hasn’t adjusted to Daylight Savings Time?

All Access says ESPN Deportes Radio in Chicago has picked up the Spanish rights to the White Sox.

La Liga Talk has learned that Al Jazeera has obtained the US TV rights to Spain’s La Liga from Gol TV.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn talks with ESPN’s Dick Vitale.

At SB Nation Boston, Boston Sports Media Watch’s Bruce Allen says social networking may have created spoiled fans.

Tazina Vega from the New York Times says the NHL is hoping to lure viewers by airing all of its Stanley Cup Playoff games on various NBC Sports platforms.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post feels the CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament collaboration has become the Home Shopping Network. Whatever.

The Post’s Justin Terranova talks with CBS/Turner analyst Clark Kellogg.

Justin has 5 questions for MSG Network NBA analyst Kelly Tripucka.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that the Onion has skewered the DC NFL Team.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with a Turner Sports Interactive executive on how Twitter is incorporated into this year’s NCAA Tournament coverage.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says NBC will air this fall’s Miami-Notre Dame football game in primetime.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle notes that CBS/Turner’s Charles Barkley criticized Baylor’s ugly neon yellow uniforms.

David has the CBS/Turner announcing assignments for Saturday’s NCAA Tournament action.

Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman notes that Cox Cable subscribers can access the NCAA March Madness Live app for free provided they authenticate.

John E. Hoover from the Tulsa World says the Big 12′s new TV deals will ensure the survival of the conference.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Reds voice Marty Brennaman can be heard in a new UPS March Madness ad.

While Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel enjoys the NCAA Tounament, there are some things he can do without.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business announces he’ll no longer be writing his sports business and media blog for the publication.

Ed says he will be launching a new site on the sports media and I look forward to seeing it when it finally comes to fruition.

Brigid Sweeney of Crain’s Chicago Business notes that Bulls TV analyst Stacey King now has a new fashion line.

Paul Christian at the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says the national Junior College championships can be seen online.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the local CBS affiliate didn’t help matters by taking up a large portion of the screen during NCAA Tournament action for weather updates.

West

Bill Center at the San Diego Union-Tribune says maybe, maybe Fox Sports San Diego will launch on Saturday provided MLB approval comes that quickly.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star looks at the Erin Andrews network sweepstakes.

Jim says the NCAA Tournament has become predictable.

Jim has his weekend viewing picks.

Richard Horgan of Fishbowl LA says ESPN will not discipline its SoCal reporters for getting a big story wrong on the Dodgers ownership bid process.

We are going to end the links there. Not as many as in past weeks, but still a hefty amount. Enjoy your weekend.

Let’s Do Some Linkage, Shall We?

I was in between offices yesterday and could not do the links as I had wanted. Let’s provide some now while I can.

Nate Davis at USA Today writes about ESPN extending the rights to air Monday Night Football and keep the series on cable through 2021.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that tonight’s Presidential jobs speech has forced the networks to change their schedules including NBC regarding tonight’s NFL season opener.

Marisa Guthrie of the Reporter talks about ESPN’s new MNF deal.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says ESPN is in position to air an NFL Wild Card Playoff game sometime in the future.

Adweek’s Anthony Crupi notes ESPN’s eight year NFL extension includes a whole host of digital rights.

Lucia Moses of Adweek says Sports Illustrated is tapping into younger readers’ appetites by going high-tech.

All Access notes that Boston’s sports radio WEEI announced an FM simulcast today.

Also from All Access, Fox Sports Radio nighttime host Tony Bruno is leaving to take a midday hosting job in Philadelphia.

It’s rare that I get a sports media story from Women’s Wear Daily, but I have one today. John Koblin of WWD talks with ESPN tennis courtside reporter Pam Shriver.

Hey, we link to Grantland! Jonah Keri writes that the Texas Rangers are positioning themselves to be an MLB power for the long-term thanks to its mega rights deal with Fox Sports Southwest.

Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid says The Onion’s online parody of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption is everything its TV sports shows were not.

Timothy Burke at SportsGrid examines the new ESPN/Monday Night Football deal and what it really means.

Congrats to former Yardbarker Managing Editor Alana G. who has left the company and becomes Executive Producer for the San Francisco Chronicle’s website.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group writes that ESPN’s “SpiderCam”, the overhead camera providing spectacular shots at the U.S. Open has been added to the tournament’s world TV feed.

Karen Hogan of SVG notes that NBC is pulling out all of the technical stops for Sunday Night Football this season.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that an injured Peyton Manning could cost fantasy players some money.

Darren says the University of Michigan has inserted an audio chip for this week’s game program for the Notre Dame contest.

Jorge Rivas at Colorlines says FoxSports.com has pulled the web series that made fun of Asian USC students not knowing football and also mocking their accents.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reviews the NFL Films documentary focusing on Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says WEEI is ramping up for the next phase of its sports radio war with 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Ian Rapoport of the Herald has some interesting tidbits from the NFL Films Bill Belichick doc.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks inside the ESPN MNF deal.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the particulars of the ESPN Monday Night Football contract extension.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union reports on the Fox Sports Radio show that will replace Tony Bruno.

Pete notes that MSG Network will be New York Giants-heavy this fall.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner interviews Russ Thaler who goes from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic to Versus as the host of NBC SportsTalk.

David Barron at the Houston Chronicle writes about the local college football ratings.

Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (OH) talks with Cleveland Browns radio voice and sports anchor Jim Donovan about returning to work after taking the summer off for a bone marrow transplant.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has CBS’ Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf extolling the virtues of having a running game in the NFL.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business writes about Bears games being broadcast on FM for the first time this season.

Ed says the Chicago Tribune is bolstering the Bears beat.

Scott Dochterman at the Cedar Rapids (IA) Gazette says those who want to watch this Saturday’s Iowa-Iowa State game will have to do a little searching.

Robin Carlin at Mile High Sports says yesterday’s plane crash in Russia that killed all but two on board was truly a dark day for hockey.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily Herald likes the 9/11 commemorative football jerseys.

The Canadian Sports Media blog notes that Rogers is pulling out of the Canadian Olympics Broadcasting Consortium for the 2014/16 Games.

Joe Favorito says the BCS conferences might want to consider picking up one of the Service Academies.

And that’s going to do it for today’s linkage.

Bringing The Sunday Linkage

Even with a visit from my sister, her husband and their dog, I still have some time to provide the Sunday linkage. I think this is the first time in quite some time that I’ve been able to provide linkage on both weekend days. Once again, I’m still in a holding pattern not knowing if I’m being booted from this server or if I have to go to another site. There are several places I’m considering for the next home of Fang’s Bites if things don’t work out here. I’ll keep you posted.

To the linkage.

Milton Kent of Fanhouse talks with ESPN’s Chris McKendry who is hosting at the Australian Open.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News looks at Versus picking up rights to the National Lacrosse League.

The great college basketball writer Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal looks at the effect of ESPN’s deal with the University of Texas.

Brittany Lyte of the Connecticut Post writes that ESPN filmed the opening of its Super Bowl coverage at a local blacksmith shop. Seriously.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman correctly gets on ESPN’s Tom Jackson for his silly explanation of his Patriots prediction last week.

Newsday’s Neil Best provides some of the best from his blog in the previous week.

Dr. Gloom and Doom at the New York Post decides that hating the entire world works for him.

From the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner feels ESPN will finally get some real competition from Comcast/NBC.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with Hall of Fame hockey announcer Mike “Doc” Emrick about the NHL All-Star Game.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the Capitals might have received a ratings bounce thanks to HBO’s 24/7 series.

David O’Brien from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Peachtree TV is outsourcing production of its 45 Braves games to Fox Sports South effectively ending Turner Sports’ long relationship with the team.

In a related story, Kristi E. Swartz of the AJC notes that Turner is turning over management of Peachtree TV to the local CBS affiliate.

The Dallas Morning News picks up a story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Ray Buck on the new University of Texas/ESPN network.

Mike Baldwin of the Daily Oklahoman notes that ESPN’s Dick Vitale will be honored as part of an award handed to the nation’s top freshman college basketball player.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press says the ESPN deal to form a TV network based on the University of Texas sets a bad precedent in college sports.

Eric Weddle from the Lafayette (IN) Journal Courier looks at ESPN’s visit to the Purdue campus for College GameDay.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN has had plenty of coverage on the NFC Championship Game this morning.

Bob has Joe Buck’s storylines heading into today’s NFC Championship Game.

Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune provides this tribute to the late Olympic documentarian Bud Greenspan.

Also from the Tribune, Phil Rosenthal notes that unlike the 1985 Chicago Bears, not too many present day Bears have endorsement deals.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the video of a local TV reporter getting hurt at a motorcross live shot, and his fellow reporters laughing away.

The Sports Media Watch says Onion SportsDome’s second outing did progressively worse in the ratings.

SMW has its Weekend Ratings Predictions.

The Big Lead has the video of the announcer on the USA-Chile soccer friendly making a Black Eyed Peas reference.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid has audio of WFAN’s Mike Francesa being totally clueless on UFC. I just shake my head.

And I think I’ll end it there. Enjoy your Championship Sunday.

Some Snowy Wednesday Links

On this day of massive snow here in the Northeast, I’ll provide you with some linkage. Crazy day as local meteorologists first predicted 4-8 inches, then as the storm organized, the totals were revised upward and upward. Now, it appears we have more on the ground here. Not quite the perfect storm, but damn close. And who would have thought 49 states of the Union have snow on the ground? Including Hawaii? Insane.

Let’s do some linkage today to get our minds off the snow.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today gives us a reality check on ESPN’s ratings for the BCS.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today talks with the head of powerful sports agency IMG about a whole slew of topics including gambling.

Sean Leahy at USA Today’s The Huddle notes Jon Gruden’s announcement that he’ll return to ESPN next season.

Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal looks at Brent Musburger giving Tostitos free advertising this week.

Ben Klayman from Reuters writes about General Motors signing a huge advertising deal with NBC for the 2012 London Olympics.

Milton Kent at Fanhouse doesn’t like how golf allows viewers to call in to report violations on PGA Tour players.

Fanhouse’s Viv Bernstein finds that former college basketball analyst Billy Packer is not being docile in his retirement from broadcasting. 

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that GolTV will air a Central America soccer tournament.

Anthony Crupi of Mediaweek looks at ESPN’s record ratings for the BCS National Championship Game.

Anthony writes in Adweek that ESPN will be a big sponsor target this year. 

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine also writes about ESPN’s ratings for Auburn-Oregon.

The great Darren Rovell of CNBC has his Golden Rules of Twitter.

Noah Davis of SportsNewser looks at LeBron James’ tweeting at the expense of his old Cleveland Cavs team.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid reviews the premiere episode of Onion SportsDome.

Across the pond, David Evans of Autosport notes that ESPN UK has obtained the rights to the popular World Rally Championship, keeping the sport away from free TV in England. 

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe notes a Boston connection to Onion SportsDome. 

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times wasn’t too thrilled with Brent Musburger’s call of the BCS National Championship Game.

Richard talks about Yahoo! Sports launching an all-new online magazine.

Speaking of the new Yahoo! Sports online magazine, called The PostGame, it has a feature on Fang’s Bites fave, Charissa Thompson. 

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the love-hate, mostly hate relationship between the New York Jets and WFAN’s Mike Francesa.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that Time Warner Cable will produce several AHL games.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says ESPN’s Dick Vitale will remain in the fold for a while.

Jason Reid of the Washington Post recaps the DC Sports Owner summit.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says the BCS’ ratings on cable are down considerably from when the games were on broadcast TV.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Dish and DirecTV subscribers will be able to see tonight’s Cincinnati Bearcats game.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that Packers-Eagles is the most watched TV show of the season.

Bob says CBS’ Bill Cowher gives praise to the Packers’ defensive plan to contain the Eagles’ Michael Vick.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune talks about Brent Musburger’s Tostitos plug late in the BCS National Championship Game.

The Chicago Sun-Times picks up a story that local NBC affiliate sports anchor Mike Adamle has been arrested on DUI charges.

Scott D. Pierce at the Salt Lake Tribune wonders if ESPN can objectively report on college football and the BCS.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail handicaps the upcoming changes in Canadian sports radio.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media breaks news that NBC will have six hours of coverage for Hockey Day in America next month.

Steve also compares Tuesday’s editions of NHL Overtime and NHL on the Fly.

Paulsen at Sports Media Watch notes that the BCS National Championship on ESPN finished lower in the ratings than the game on ABC last year.

Joe Favorito says the Indianapolis Colts may have lost Saturday, but won with its social networking approach to its FanCam.

Awful Announcing has Twitter reaction to Onion SportsDome.

And that will do it for today. I’ll be digging out the rest of the day.

Some Monday Night Linkage

I’ll add some links to the ones I provided earlier today. Let’s do this while the BCS National Championship Game is on.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says ESPN will commemorate Martin Luther King’s Birthday with a live, Town Hall Meeting.

Anthony Crupi of Mediaweek notes that Fox and NBC scored in the ratings for the NFL Wild Card playoffs.

Michael Dunaway of Paste magazine talks with the Executive Producer of ESPN Films and the 30 for 30 series.

Radio Ink magazine reports that the Dan Patrick Show has renewed its syndication agreement with Premiere Radio Networks at the same time the show has re-upped with DirecTV. 

Noah Davis at SportsNewser says NHL Network US has hired an ESPN veteran to be its Executive Producer.

At the Albany Times Union, Pete Dougherty notes Fox’s ratings for the the NFC Wild Card playoff game.

David Zurawik at the Baltimore Sun says CBS did not get the job done during the Ravens-Chiefs Wild Card playoff game.

The Baltimore Sports Report speaks with the lovely Jen Royle of MASN. 

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with the new MASN Nationals analyst.

Aaron Knox of the Tampa Bay Tribune says ESPN is not apologizing for putting the BCS on cable.

To the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Ray Buck who writes that Fox had a unique opportunity for a dress rehearsal for Super Bowl XLV with last Friday’s Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium. 

W. Scott Bailey of the San Antonio Business Journal tells us that the Spurs top the local NBA ratings across the country. 

David Burger in the Salt Lake Tribune writes that country star Kenny Chesney is producing his second football-centric documentary for ESPN.

In the Los Angeles Times, David Kronke says The Onion is skewering both ESPN and CNN in two new shows.

Sports Media Watch says CBS got a huge rating for Baltimore-Kansas City on Sunday. 

SMW notes that the Packers-Eagles game was the most viewed Wild Card playoff contest ever.

Chris Byrne at the Eye on Sports Media has the national and local honorees for the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.

And that’s going to finish us for the night.

Onion SportsDome Premieres On Comedy Central, Tuesday Night

The Onion’s spoof of ESPN’s SportsCenter is set to premiere on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central. We have a quick video preview of what you’ll see tomorrow night.

This could work. I hope it does.

Some Quick Monday Links

I owe you linkage since last Thursday so let’s do some.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today has ESPN’s Brent Musburger saying he’ll talk less than normal during tonight’s BCS National Championship Game.

Rupal Parekh of Advertising Age notes that social media giant Groupon has bought ads in Fox’s Super Bowl XLV pregame show.

To Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy who lists the best things about HBO’s 24/7 Penguins/Capitals.

Ryan Ballengee of Pro Golf Talk suggests HBO do a 24/7 documentary surrounding a big golf event.

Dave Shedloski of Golf Digest reports that popular CBS golf analyst David Feherty will be doing some work at Golf Channel.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says tonight’s BCS National Championship Game isn’t just a battle between two schools, but between two shoe companies as well. 

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times previews Comedy Central and The Onion’s parody of ESPN’s SportsCenter which kicks off tomorrow night.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick for the most part praises NBC’s efforts during Wild Card Saturday.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union did not like the way one local radio station cut away from Ravens-Chiefs for a college basketball game.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times provides his thoughts on the weekend in TV sports.

Jon Solomon at the Birmingham (AL) News writes that ESPN is ready to keep up with Auburn’s and Oregon’s high powered offenses during tonight’s BCS National Championship Game.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says Fox is going to keep the Cotton Bowl in primetime for the next three years.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Packers-Eagles drew big ratings locally.

Jim Armstrong at the Denver Post says the way fans are watching the NFL is evolving over time.

John Henderson of the Post writes that fans who don’t have cable will have to find ways to watch the BCS National Championship not only tonight, but for years to come.

The Post’s Dusty Saunders says ESPN has come a long way in its 30 plus years in business.

Chris Dufrense of the Los Angeles Times writes that both ESPN and the BCS are happy with the status quo.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail says TSN is denying claims that it helps to put undue pressure on the Canadian Jr. Hockey team that lost the gold medal to Russia in the IIHF World Under 20 Championships.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is disappointed in CTV’s airing of the NFL playoffs.

I’ll end it there for now.

Comedy Central & The Onion Form Multiplatform Partnership

Announced earlier this month, Comedy Central and comedy website, The Onion are forging a new partnership to launch what will be known as “The Onion Sports Network”. This will be an extension of the new show from The Onion that will launch on Comedy Central in January. We have the details of this partnership in the press release that you’ll see below.

COMEDY CENTRAL AND THE ONION ANNOUNCE MULTI-PLATFORM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LAUNCH OF ONIONSPORTSNETWORK.COM

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Site To Be Home To All New And Existing Onion Sports Content And Will Be The Digital Extension To The Onion And To COMEDY CENTRAL’s New Series “Onion SportsDome”

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OnionSportsNetwork.com Is The Online Destination For Sports News, Analysis, Arbitrary Rankings And Colorful Charts.

            NEW YORK – The Internet has given sports fans more options than ever to choose where they get their sports news.  Now, The Onion is making them all irrelevant.  “America’s Finest News Source,” The Onion, is teaming up with Comedy Central to launch OnionSportsNetwork.com, the number one online destination for sports news, analysis, arbitrary rankings, and colorful charts.  OnionSportsNetwork.com is the latest creative collaboration between the two premiere comedy brands and will be the digital extension for its new series “Onion SportsDome,” which debuts on COMEDY CENTRAL on January 11 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.  

            The ad-supported vertical expands on the popular Onion Sports franchise and the satirical network that surrounds it – the Onion Sports Network (OSN) – offering fans the opportunity to immerse themselves daily, and interact with, “Onion SportsDome” and the entire OSN world.  In addition to hosting all “SportsDome” clips, the site will feature regular topical sports editorials and columns, Web-only video exclusives, interactive features including user polls, quizzes and blogs, and direct integration with social networks, encouraging fan connectivity and community building around the “Onion SportsDome” on Facebook and Twitter. OnionSportsNetwork.com will also host Onion Sports archival content, meaning every single sports story, video and photo The Onion has ever produced, from “NFL Star Thanks Jesus After Successful Double Homicide” to “New York Marathon Winner Tests Positive For Performance-Enhancing Horse,” will be available in one place.

            OnionSportsNetwork.com adds another key vertical property to the COMEDY CENTRAL Digital portfolio which includes SouthParkStudios.com, TheDailyShow.com, ColbertNation.com, Jokes.com and Atom.com in additional to ComedyCentral.com.  This is The Onion’s first major digital extension to TheOnion.com, outside of its entertainment-focused sister Web site, The A.V. Club.  All traffic related to Onion Sports will be directed to the new site.

“With this site, we are taking the ‘SportsDome’ world and extending it beyond its Tuesday night time slot,” said Michael Greer, chief product officer at The Onion. “Building off The Onion’s unrivaled sports content and loyal fan base, we’re excited to offer daily interaction with the Onion Sports Network world.”

            “OnionSportsNetwork.com fits perfectly into the Comedy Central Digital portfolio,” said Steve Grimes, SVP, digital media, COMEDY CENTRAL.  “This is an ideal partnership – our fans are young men who are passionate about comedy and sports.  The new series, the Web site and all the social media extensions will give fans an immersive experience that only the Onion and Comedy Central could deliver.”

Users to the site will be treated to daily columns including “Fan On The Street,” which gives regular fans a chance to be as inflammatory as professional sports journalists, and “What To Watch For,” which sifts through the sports broadcasting sludge to tell you what games are worth your time.  Rotating features include “Fantasy Watch,” “Who’s Hot/Who’s Not,” “Prep Sports Watch,” “Team Of The Moment” and “Sports Superstitions,” among others.  In addition to refreshed daily content, the site will also include weekly and monthly topical news features from “Power Rankings,” a weekly look at the sports networks compulsive nature of ranking anything and everything; to “Photo Finish,” a photo illustration of current events; to the Onion Sports unique coverage of major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the Masters or World Series.

And we’ll wrap it up with that.

The Onion’s Sports Series Premieres on Comedy Central in January

Just received this press release from Comedy Central about The Onion’s new series which will parody SportsCenter. The Onion has been great at poking fun at news headlines for years and got into the sports genre about three years ago. Now, it’s satirical headlines will be coming to television through Comedy Central with a new series called “Onion SportsDome”. It premieres January 11 and I look forward to this as The Onion usually does things right.

“ONION SPORTSDOME” COMES TO COMEDY CENTRAL^® PREMIERING TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 10:30 P.M. ET/PT

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“Onion SportsDome” Is The Undisputed Universal Leader In Sports Coverage,

Reporting News, Analysis, Scores, Highlights, Rumor-Mongering And Petty Personal Attacks

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New Series From The Onion And COMEDY CENTRAL Follows The Third Season Premiere Of “Tosh.0“

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NEW YORK, December 1, 2010 — Sports are finally about to get the attention they deserve, courtesy of The Onion. America’s most trusted news source is teaming up with COMEDY CENTRAL to bring viewers the most intense televised sports news program in recorded human history. “Onion SportsDome,” a 30-minute rundown of the finest in sports news, analysis, scores, highlights, rumor-mongering and petty personal attacks, premieres Tuesday, January 11 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on COMEDY CENTRAL, following the third season premiere of “Tosh.0.”

“SportsDome” is the signature show of the Onion Sports Network, which has grown from a humble UHF channel purchased as a tax dodge and a way to profit from The Onion’s vast footage library of women’s beach volleyball, into the undisputed global sports leader it is today. “SportsDome” is now the number one destination for fans seeking game reports, insight from former players and theme music heavy on bell tones and bendy guitar riffs. With its total access to the inside of sports and pulse-pounding coverage, it has become impossible to be a sports fan without being a fan of the “Dome.”

The show is co-anchored by Mark Shepard and Alex Reiser. Reiser earned a seat at the “SportsDome” desk in 1995 after working his way up from the mailroom, showing the persistence needed to repeatedly knock on the office door of the VP of OSN programming and shout highlights from the night before at the top of his lungs. Mark Shepard has been with “SportsDome” since 2005, when he parlayed the suicide of a World Backgammon Championships commentator into his first on-air appearance, impressing producers enough to install him behind the storied “SportsDome” anchor desk.

Shepard and Reiser are joined by the venerable “Dome” crew, including Senior sports insider Reggie Greengrass, who needs nine Blackberries to hold the phone numbers of all the athletes he knows; update anchor Melissa Wells, who holds more journalism degrees than the rest of her colleagues put together; “Wish Zone” host Jay Woodworth, who makes terminally-ill children’s dreams come true as long as they are sports-related; analyst Doc Webb, who holds the SportsDome record for the number of athletes he’s referred to as “overpaid garbage;” and investigative reporter Marc Howell, who, mines sports’ most tragic elements for  awards and ratings gold.

Julie Smith, Will Graham and Michele Armour are the executive producers of “Onion SportsDome.” Will Graham also serves as the show’s director. Jack Kukoda is the head writer. Lisa Leingang and Sam Grossman are the executives in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

And that’s going to do it.