Fang's Bites

I’ll Have Another Goes For Horse Racing’s Triple Crown on NBC Sports Group

This Saturday, I’ll Have Another will attempt to become the first horse to win The Triple Crown since Seattle Slew achieved the feat in 1978. He’ll run in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. NBC Sports Group will be all over the race with coverage beginning on Thursday with re-airs on NBC Sports Network of the first two Jewels of the Triple Crown, this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

Then on Friday, NBC Sports Network will show some classic Belmont races and a Live from Belmont program late in the afternoon.

On Saturday, NBC Sports Network and NBC will combine for 4½ hours of coverage. Here’s the NBC Sports Group press release.

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER SEEKS FIRST TRIPLE CROWN IN 34 YEARS AS NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS THE 144th BELMONT STAKES

11 Hours of Belmont-Week Coverage Begins Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET with I’ll Have Another – Charging Toward History on NBC Sports Network Coverage Culminates with 144^th Belmont Stakes on NBC, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET
NBC Sports Group’s Increased Coverage Includes 30 Extra Minutes on NBC, the I’ll Have Another Special, and Re-broadcasts of I’ll Have Another’s Thrilling Kentucky Derby and Preakness Victories

NEW YORK – June 4, 2012 – The NBC Sports Group will surround I’ll Have Another’s quest to become the first horse in 34 years to capture horse racing’s elusive Triple Crown with 11 hours of coverage across both NBC and the NBC Sports Network. Coverage includes: a 30-minute documentary I’ll Have Another – Charging Toward History on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET; re-broadcasts of I’ll Have Another’s victories in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes Thursday night on NBC Sports Network; Belmont classics on Friday on NBC Sports Network; a one-hour Live from Belmont on Friday on NBC Sports Network; and 4.5 hours of coverage from Belmont on both NBC and NBC Sports Network on Saturday. The coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on NBC, and is preceded by 1.5 hours of coverage on NBC Sports Network, and followed by a 30-minute post-race show on the channel.

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 144^th Belmont Stakes will feature co-hosts Bob Costas, a 23-time Emmy Award-winner, and NBC’s lead horse racing voice Tom Hammond; Hall-of-Fame jockey and three-time Belmont Stakes winner Gary Stevens; analyst Randy Moss; contributing analysts/handicappers Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier; host Laffit Pincay, III; Hall-of Fame jockey and two-time Belmont Stakes-winner Jerry Bailey; reporters Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers and Jay Privman; and race caller Larry Collmus.

PRODUCTION TEAM: NBC’s coverage will be produced by Rob Hyland, the producer of this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and a veteran of the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001, and directed by Sunday Night Football and NBC Sports’ horse racing director, Drew Esocoff.

The coverage on NBC Sports Network is produced by Pierre Moossa and directed by Doug Grabert. Fred Gaudelli is the coordinating producer of NBC Sports Group’s Triple Crown coverage. The executive producer of NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network is Sam Flood, who has produced 11 Triple Crown races for the network.

ABC

14.8 MILLION WATCH KENTUCKY DERBY: NBC’s coverage of the 2012 Kentucky Derby drew 14.8 million viewers, the third most-watched Kentucky Derby in 23 years, and up two percent from last year’s Derby. Since implementing NBC Sports Group’s ‘Big Event Strategy,’ the last four Kentucky Derby races have all recorded at least 14.5 million viewers.

NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby over the last 12 years averages more than 2 million more viewers than the previous 12 Kentucky Derby broadcasts on ABC (14.1 million vs.12.0 million, up 17 percent).

8.1 MILLION WATCH PREAKNESS STAKES: NBC Sports coverage of the Preakness Stakes drew 8.1 million viewers, the fourth consecutive year that the Preakness drew more than eight million viewers. Since NBC began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001, every Preakness telecast on NBC over that period attracted more viewers than any Preakness telecast on ABC in the previous seven years. Viewership for the Preakness is up an average of 60% in the 12 years on NBC compared to the previous eight years on ABC.

That’s all.

Working On Your Tuesday Links

It’s been a busy day for me as I’ve been working on the story on NBC approving plans for a Stanley Cup Final Viewing Party at TD Garden in Boston. Amazing how things fall into place on a story like that. But still working to confirm on the Bruins and Garden end of the story. Once that happens, the story will be complete.

Let’s do links while I can.

Sports Business Daily notes that the NBA Finals finished as the 2nd most watched NBA Finals since 2004, but still finished below last year’s Celtics-Lakers series.

The Sporting News picks up a story from the Sports Business Journal’s Tripp Mickle about Fox’s increased ratings for NASCAR this season.

Sarah Kuta of the Associated Press Sports Editors page notes that economic realities have hit newspaper sports coverage quite hard.

Ken Campbell of the Hockey News gives us this item that hockey charlatan Pierre McGuire is being offered a full-time position at NBC/Versus (scroll down).

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy has the overnight ratings from Monday night’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry shares his thoughts on the launch of Grantland.

Fox Sports’ Brian Lowry says the Miami Heat’s crash and burn in the NBA Finals is not what the script doctor ordered.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter writes that ESPN Classic will become home to ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 documentaries and all future projects.

Anthony Crupi from Adweek says ABC scored with the NBA Finals.

And Toni Fitzgerald at Media Life also writes about the NBA Finals’ ratings.

Matt Hegerty of the Daily Racing Form says this year’s Belmont Stakes received higher ratings on NBC than last year’s race on ABC.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser notes that ESPN NFL analyst Tedi Bruschi unveiled Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s media rules.

Ben Axelrod of SportsGrid notes that today is the “24th Anniversary” of the Keith Hernandez spitting incident made famous on Seinfeld.

David Goetzl of MediaPost says the NFL Network is tapping the podcast for actual programming.

ESPN.com’s David Ubben talks with Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe about the new revenue distribution and the TV appearance formula for member schools.

Richard Lawler from Engadget HD looks at the expansion in programming at ESPN 3D.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says tickets for Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final are a hot commodity due to the lack of a secondary ticket market in Vancouver.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times notes that NBA Finals Game 6 brought in the viewers as compared with last year.

Richard says a LeBron James critic writing a book on the Miami Heat star got the happy ending he was hoping for.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has the Wimbledon TV schedule.

Pete says Fox NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip will be inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame later this year.

Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom says LeBron James’ attack of his critics shows us what’s wrong with sports.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says a recent reairing of Super Bowl XIV gave him an appreciation of Pat Summerall as a play-by-play man.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that DC United’s TV ratings are way, way up this season.

Del Milligan of the Lakeland (FL) Ledger says get ready for plenty of TV coverage from the U.S. Open.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says Game 6 of the NBA Finals brought in record ratings locally.

Fox Sports Southwest will air the Dallas Mavericks victory parade this week.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman writes that the local ABC affiliate saw a ratings record for the NBA Finals.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the local minor league hockey team returns to radio next season.

Mark Snyder at the Detroit Free Press says former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez heads to the broadcast booth for the upcoming season.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the NBA Finals did not do as well locally as compared to last year.

Bob says Packers coach Mike McCarthy revealed in a radio interview that he had his players sized for Super Bowl rings the night before the game!

Robert Feder from Time Out Chicago says the Tribune is losing its media critic (and a good resource for Fang’s Bites as well).

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business continues his talk with White Sox analyst Steve Stone.

Mark Faller of the Arizona Republic isn’t a fan of the Longhorn Network ads.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that one website recognizes Pac-12 Commish Larry Scott as a pretty powerful guy.

The Toronto Sports Media Blog notes that CBC Hockey Night in Canada Radio host Jeff Marek is quite in demand now that his contract is up.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog reviews the first two weeks of Canadian sports television.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that an estimated 12 million people watched Stanley Cup Final Game 6 across the US and Canada.

Sports Media Watch says Gold Cup Soccer is gathering a strong audience for Univision’s networks.

TV Technology notes that NBC/Versus tapped a Swiss company for its telestrator graphics on the Stanley Cup Final.

Ryan Ballengee of Pro Golf Talk has the video of a new Golf boy band that debuted on Golf Channel.

Emma Carmichael of Deadspin talks about her time working for the NBC Olympics unit.

Ty Duffy of The Big Lead reviews “Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside the World of ESPN”

And that will end the links.

Bringing In The Monday Links

I thought this weekend would be quiet and I would be able to do some good blogging like Saturday and Sunday linkage, some Sunday thoughts and a few press releases thrown in, but it turned out to be very busy. Don’t understand it, but it happened. Can’t go back now. Just moving forward so it’s time to provide the linkage for today.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that this week will be chock full of US Open coverage on three networks.

Ryan Nakashima of the Associated Press says Comcast’s $4.4 billion expensive pricetag for four Olympics may end up paying dividends in the long run.

Tripp Mickle of the Sports Business Journal takes us inside the meetings that left NBC firmly entrenched as America’s Olympic Network.

John Ourand of SBJ looks at ESPN’s and Fox’s perspective on the Olympic bidding.

Lindsay Powers at the Hollywood Reporter notes that Miami Heat star LeBron James was mocked on Twitter after his team lost in the NBA Finals on Sunday.

John Eggerton of Multichannel News says a US Court of Appeals ruling closes the FCC terrestrial loophole exemption, but still allows Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia to keep its programming off DirecTV and Dish.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that Versus saw double digit percentage ratings declines for the NHL Stanley Cup Final.

Mike says Golf Channel’s new show with David Feherty will line up a mix of interesting guests.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine tells us about NBC’s ratings bump for the Belmont Stakes.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable writes that NASCAR.com is launching its first social media-based game.

Andrew Gauthier at TV Spy notes that the now-infamous tape of the Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade and LeBron James mocking the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki’s fever shot by a Dallas CBS affiliate proved to be a turning point in the NBA Finals.

Cam Newton of SportsNewser says reserve members of the German Women’s World Cup soccer team appeared in the German version of Playboy.

Cam says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spewed an “S” bomb live on ESPN’s SportsCenter last night.

Dashiell Bennett at the Business Insider Sports Page has media reaction to the Miami Heat’s loss in the NBA Finals.

Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reports that the Vancouver Canucks’ attempts to sell the broadcast rights to a potential Stanley Cup victory parade were shot down.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the potential conflicts of interest when TV analysts are hired as coaches, but still work for their networks.

Karen Crouse of the Times talks with CBS golf analyst David Feherty about his new Golf Channel show and his role at the network.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has your U.S. Open broadcast schedule.

Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer chronicles how Comcast bigwigs helped NBC to land four Olympic Games.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic anchor Julie Donaldson who has bounced back after a domestic assault incident in Boston in 2008.

Bill Starr of The State (SC) remembers former sportswriter and television editor Doug Nye who passed away recently.

Tom Jones at the St. Petersburg Times gives his thoughts on the weekend in sports television.

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that the Miami Herald has some egg on its face after running an ad for a Macy’s Heat “Championship” shirts. It would be understandable if this came after Game 7, but Game 6?

The Madison (IN) Courier says former TNT NASCAR voice Bill Weber will be calling hydroplane racing on Versus.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business talks with White Sox TV analyst Steve Stone about his new book.

The Denver Post’s Dusty Saunders wishes Charles Barkley had a bigger role at the NBA Finals.

Over to Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News who has the Southern California sports calendar for this week.

Irwin Block of the Montreal Gazette reports that local media are shocked over the death of a locally-based Reuters photographer who suddenly died over the weekend covering the Canadian Grand Prix.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail wants the media to focus on NHL referees who have vendettas against players. Why don’t you do that on your own, Bruce?

My podcast partner Keith Thibault has unveiled a new look at Sports Media Journal. Tell Keith you like it.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says the overnight ratings for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final were an improvement from 2009, but a decrease from 2010.

Joe Favorito says in minor league hockey, timing is everything.

And that is where I’ll leave the linkage for today.

Belmont Stakes Overnights Up 55% From Last Year

The race may not have had a Triple Crown candidate, but it did feature the champions from this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Winning the race was a 24-1 longshot, Ruler on Ice.

The race was quite exciting to watch and even with no Triple Crown possibility, the ratings for the Belmont were up 55% from 2010 which was the last year on ABC. We have the ratings press release from NBC Sports.

BELMONT OVERNIGHT RATINGS UP 55%

NBC’s First Belmont Stakes Broadcast Since 2005 Earns 4.8 Overnight Rating and 11 Share
Pre-Race Following VERSUS 2-Hour Belmont Access up 86%

NEW YORK – June 12, 2011 – NBC Sports first broadcast of the Belmont Stakes since 2005, which was won by 24-1 long shot Ruler on Ice, registered a 4.8 overnight rating and an 11 share for the race portion, up 55 percent from last year’s race on ABC, according to overnight ratings data provided today by The Nielsen Company.

The NBC Sports Group presented 6 ½ hours of Belmont Stakes coverage (four-and-a half hours on VERSUS and two hours on NBC), the first time the entire Triple Crown was broadcast on one network since 2005.

• The race portion of the Belmont (6:15-7 p.m. ET) registered a 4.8/11 overnight rating, 55 percent higher than last year’s race portion on ABC (3.1/7 from 5:30-7 p.m. ET).
• The rating is down just four percent from the Belmont in 2009 when jockey Calvin Borel attempted to make history by becoming the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on two different horses (Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness).
• The pre-race (5-6:15), bolstered by a two-hour Belmont Access show on VERSUS that preceded the NBC broadcast was up 86 percent over last year’s pre-race on ABC (2.6/6 vs. 1.4/3).
• The 2.6 overnight rating for the pre-show was the best for that segment in a non-Triple Crown year since 2006.

BELMONT STAKES OVERNIGHT RATINGS SINCE 2006 (Race Portion):

2011, 4.8/11, NBC
2010, 3.1/7, ABC
2009, 5.0/12, ABC (Borel going for unprecedented jockey Triple Crown)
2008, 9.5/21, ABC (Triple Crown at stake – Big Brown)
2007, 3.5/8, ABC
2006, 3.8/9, ABC

TOP 10 OVERNIGHT RATINGS FOR BELMONT STAKES:

1. Ft. Myers, 8.7/17
T2. Louisville, 8.6/18
T2. Baltimore, 8.6/18
4. Hartford, 8.1/15
T5. New York, 7.4/16
T5. Buffalo, 7.4/17
7. West Palm Beach, 7.2/13
8. Nashville, 7.1/13
T9. Tampa, 6.8/15
T9. Providence, 6.8/13

The Belmont ratings success follows strong ratings for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in the first year since 2005 that NBC broadcast all three Triple Crown races.

That is all.

NBC Sports Group Airs The Belmont Stakes

With no Triple Crown winner assured for this year, NBC is trying to make the Belmont a showdown between Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford. Just watch another horse take the race giving us three different winners. Anyway, Versus and NBC will combine for the coverage which starts Friday and culminates with the race on Saturday.

NBC’s horse racing crew of Bob Costas, Tom Hammond, Gary Stevens, Larry Collmus, Mike Battaglia, Bob Neumeier, Kenny Rice and Donna Brothers will all be on hand at Belmont Park for the running of the Belmont Stakes which returns to the network for the first time since 2005. ESPN on ABC had aired the race from 2006 – 2010 and the production had been rather pedestrian. Here’s the NBC press release.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 6½ HOURS OF BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE

Coverage of NBC Sports Group’s First Belmont Stakes Since 2005 Begins Friday at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS and Culminates with 143^rd Belmont Stakes on NBC, Saturday at 5 p.m. ET
Kentucky Derby Winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness Stakes Winner Shackleford Headline Field
I think it’s pretty cool they have a rematch at Belmont because both of these horses were deserving winners of their races.” – NBC’s Mike Battaglia on Animal Kingdom and Shackleford

NEW YORK – June 8, 2011 – Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford headline the field as the NBC Sports Group presents 6½ hours of coverage of the 143^rd running of the Belmont Stakes, the final stage of horse racing’s Triple Crown, from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., beginning Friday at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS and culminating with the Belmont Stakes Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBC.

This marks only the 22^nd time that both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners face off at the Belmont, and the first since Giacomo and Afleet Alex battled at Belmont in 2005.

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports coverage of the 143^rd Belmont Stakes is co-hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Hammond alongside two-time Preakness winner Gary Stevens. NBC Sports’ broadcast team also includes race-caller Larry Collmus; contributing analysts/handicappers Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier; reporter Kenny Rice and on-track reporter Donna Brothers.

Added for this year’s expanded coverage are Laffit Pincay, III, son of Hall-of-Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., to host the coverage on VERSUS; veteran horse racing analyst Randy Moss; and the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman.

FEATURES AND STORYLINES: The features that the NBC Sports Group are preparing for its Belmont coverage include:

• A “Tale of the Tape” – Animal Kingdom vs. Shackleford.
• Animal Kingdom jockey John Velazquez and his relationship with legendary jockey Angel Cordaro.
• Shackleford trainer Dale Romans “Family Affair” with horse racing.
• Donna Brothers demonstrating the effect of “kickback” on the horses and jockeys.

PRODUCTION TEAM: The coverage of the Belmont Stakes will be produced by Fred Gaudelli and directed by Drew Esocoff, NBC Sports’ Emmy Award-winning “Sunday Night Football” production team. The VERSUS coverage will be produced by Rob Hyland, who has worked on the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001 and also produces NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football, and directed by Doug Grabert. The executive producer of NBC Sports and VERSUS is Sam Flood who has produced 11 Triple Crown races for the network.

BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS GROUP

Friday, Belmont Classics, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Friday, Live from Belmont, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

• Includes Poker Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap

Saturday, Live from Belmont, 3-5 p.m., VERSUS

• Includes Just a Game, True North Handicap and Woody Stephens

Saturday, Belmont Stakes, 5-7 p.m., NBC

• Includes Manhattan Handicap

Saturday, Belmont Wrap-up, 7-7:30 p.m., VERSUS

STREAM THE BELMONT LIVE ON NBCSPORTS.COM: As it has for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, NBCSports.com will provide live streaming of the Belmont Stakes. In addition to hearing Larry Collmus’ race call live, users can choose to watch Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom on an isolated camera.

NBC SPORTS HANDICAPPER MIKE BATTAGLIA ON ANIMAL KINGDOM VS. SHACKLEFORD: “I think it’s pretty cool they have a rematch at Belmont because both of these horses were deserving winners of their races. Animal Kingdom ran great in the Derby and he just couldn’t beat Shackleford in the Preakness. I think these are two good horses. The mile-and-a-half would probably be to Animal Kingdom’s benefit over Shackelford’s and the pace for Shackleford over Animal Kingdom because there’s really not a lot of speed in here so Shackleford might have things his own way on the front end. I think it’s going to be interesting. I give Animal Kingdom the slight edge over Shackleford just because of the distance.”

BATTAGLIA ON WHO COULD CHALLENGE THESE HORSES: “Santiva showed some speed in the past and he could get out there with them and maybe even Stay Thirsty. Another interesting horse is Master of Hounds, the horse of Aidan O’Brien’s that went right back to Ireland after the Derby. I’ve watched his Derby race a couple of times and I thought he ran a pretty good race. This horse is definitely bred for the distance. They’re sending him back over here for the Belmont and they must have a reason to think that he can get this mile-and-a-half. He’s very dangerous, probably the most dangerous of the horses other than the Derby and the Preakness winners. The there is Mucho Macho Man, but he kind of fell off in the Preakness so he’d really have to make a comeback and there’s Nehro. I’m still not exactly sure about his ability to win. He’s had a lot of runner-up efforts but he doesn’t seem to want to win.”

BATTAGLIA ON WHO IS IN THE MONEY: “Animal Kingdom, Shackleford and Master of Hounds are my top contenders.”

That will do it.

NBC Sports Group All Over Kentucky Derby & The Triple Crown

Got this press release yesterday, but with everything going on, I did not have time to post it, but now I have some time. This is from The Group talking about Kentucky Derby coverage for next week. Some 14 hours will be aired on Versus and NBC starting on Thursday. NBC no longer shares Kentucky Derby Week with ESPN, it has the entire event to itself. Live coverage begins Wednesday with the Kentucky Derby draw and the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, then Versus will have preliminary coverage Saturday morning starting at 11. Then NBC takes over with three hours of coverage at 4 p.m.

As mentioned yesterday, Tom Durkin has stepped down as Voice of the Triple Crown. He’ll be replaced by Larry Collmus, the track announcer at Gulfstream and Monmouth Parks. And NBC will have mainstays Bob Costas, Tom Hammond, Gary Stevens, Bob Neumeier, Kenny Rice and Donna Brothers on hand.

Versus will have Laffit Pincay III, the son of legendary jockey, Laffit Pincay, Jr., host its coverage along with the multi-faceted Randy Moss. Unfortunately, one of the worst hosts in the history of television, Jenna Wolfe will be on hand. The always lovely Maria Menounos of Access Hollywood will conduct celebrity interviews as the beautiful people love to go to Churchill Downs. Look for features on mint juleps and the hats worn by the women.

We have your press release from the NBC Sports Group.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 14 HOURS OF KENTUCKY DERBY COVERAGE

Coverage From Churchill Downs Begins Wednesday, May 4 and Continues All Week on NBC and VERSUS
In All, NBC Sports Group Presents 27 Hours of Horse Racing’s Triple Crown
“Sunday Night Football” Producer Fred Gaudelli and Director Drew Esocoff Lead NBC Sports Group Production
Larry Collmus, Laffit Pincay III, Randy Moss, Jay Privman, Maria Menounos, Jenna Wolfe Added to Coverage

NEW YORK – April 27, 2011 – The NBC Sports Group will present 14 hours of Kentucky Derby coverage beginning on Wednesday, May 4 at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS and culminating with the 137^th running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday, May 7 beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

The expanded Kentucky Derby coverage, which includes eight hours on Derby Day on NBC and VERSUS, will include many new elements:

• Live coverage of the Kentucky Derby Draw, which will determine the post positions
• Additional commentators including a new race caller, Larry Collmus
• New production team
• 11 total hours on VERSUS, now part of the NBC Sports Group, including live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby Day races
• Three hours of “Derby Classics” (Smarty Jones, Barbaro, Mine That Bird) to air on VERSUS

27 HOURS OF TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE: The NBC Sports Group will present 27 hours of Triple Crown coverage this season from Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont, including additional “classics” from the Preakness and Belmont, live racing from all three tracks prior to the three Triple Crown races and post-race coverage of the Preakness and Belmont on VERSUS. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005.

COMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group coverage of the Kentucky Derby will once again feature co-hosts Bob Costas, a 21-time Emmy Award-winner, and veteran NBC Sports commentator Tom Hammond; three-time Kentucky Derby winner Gary Stevens; contributing analysts/handicappers Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier; reporter Kenny Rice and on-track reporter Donna Brothers.

Added for this year’s expanded coverage are race caller Larry Collmus, the track announcer at Gulfstream Park and Monmouth Park who replaces Tom Durkin; Laffit Pincay, III, son of Hall-of-Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., will host the coverage on VERSUS; veteran horse racing analyst Randy Moss; the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman; TODAY Show’s Jenna Wolfe will contribute features; and Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos will handle celebrity interviews.

PRODUCTION TEAM: The coverage on NBC will be produced by Fred Gaudelli and directed by Drew Esocoff, NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Sunday Night Football” production team. The VERSUS coverage will be produced by Rob Hyland, who has worked on the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001 and also produces NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football, and directed by “NHL on NBC” director Jeff Simon. The executive producer of NBC Sports and VERSUS is Sam Flood who has produced 11 Triple Crown races for the network.

FLOOD ON NBC SPORTS GROUP COMMENTATORS: “We have had the premier broadcast team for NBC Sports’ Triple Crown races in place for years with Bob, Tom, Gary, Mike, Neumy, Kenny and Donna. Now, as we significantly expand our coverage on VERSUS, we are fortunate to add Laffit, Randy, Jay, Jenna and Maria to the team, along with Larry, who is a tremendous race caller.”

FLOOD ON PRODUCTION TEAM: “Fred Gaudelli is one of the most talented and dedicated producers in television sports. He and director Drew Esocoff set the gold standard for NFL coverage and will bring that same passion to covering the Triple Crown. We are lucky to have them for the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.”

NBC SPORTS GROUP TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE (All Times ET):

KENTUCKY DERBY
Wed. May 4, Derby Classics – Smarty Jones, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Wed. May 4, Kentucky Derby Draw, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Thurs. May 5, Derby Classics – Barbaro, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Thurs. May 5, Live from Churchill Downs, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 6, Derby Classics – Mine That Bird, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 6, Kentucky Oaks, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 7, Live from Churchill Downs, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 7, Kentucky Derby, 4-7 p.m., NBC

PREAKNESS STAKES
Fri. May 20, Preakness Classics, 3-4 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. May 20, Black Eyed Susan Stakes, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 21, Live from Pimlico, 2:30-4:30 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. May 21, Preakness Stakes, 4:30-6:30 p.m., NBC
Sat. May 21, Preakness Wrap-up, 6:30-7 p.m., VERSUS

BELMONT STAKES
Fri. June 10, Belmont Classics, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS
Fri. June 10, Live from Belmont, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. June 11, Live from Belmont, 3-5 p.m., VERSUS
Sat. June 11, Belmont Stakes, 5-7 p.m., NBC
Sat. June 11, Belmont Wrap-up, 7-7:30 p.m., VERSUS

NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is now the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.

KENTUCKY DERBY: In the 10 years that Churchill Downs and NBC Sports have been together the event has experienced remarkable growth. The Kentucky Derby is now seen by 7.4 million more viewers than the last Kentucky Derby broadcast by ABC in 2000 (16.5 million vs. 9.1 million, up 51 percent).

The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ to assemble the broadest possible audience led to the 2010 Kentucky Derby being the most-watched Kentucky Derby in 21 years, in addition to the year prior which was the most-watched Derby in 20 years. Last year’s Kentucky Derby averaged 16.5 million viewers, the most watched Kentucky Derby since 1989 when Sunday Silence won the Derby (18.5 million).

PREAKNESS STAKES: Since NBC Sports began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001, every Preakness telecast on NBC over that period attracted more viewers than any Preakness telecast on ABC in the previous seven years. Viewership for the Preakness is up an average of 69% in the 10 years on NBC compared to the previous seven years on ABC.

BELMONT STAKES: NBC Sports broadcast the Belmont from 2001-05, including three straight years in which the Belmont had a Triple Crown at stake. The 2004 Belmont featuring Smarty Jones racing for the Triple Crown was seen by 21.9 million viewers, the most for a Belmont broadcast since Seattle Slew captured the elusive Triple Crown in 1977.

Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 11 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage, Preakness (2002-03-05-06-08), Kentucky Derby (2007), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001). Additionally, NBC Sports has won three Eclipse Awards in the features category: 2002 on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), 2005 Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and 2009 Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast), and the 2005 and 2006 Preakness broadcasts were nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.
And that will do it.

Tom Durkin Steps Down As Voice of the Triple Crown

This comes as surprising news as legendary horse racing announcer Tom Durkin has left NBC as the Voice of the Triple Crown. When NBC took over the Triple Crown from ABC in 2001, Durkin did the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. He continued to call all three races even when ESPN/ABC took the rights to the Belmont in 2006 so he’s had a streak of the last 30 Triple Crown races.

As NBC signed the rights to all three races again this year, Durkin citing stress told NBC he was resigning. Then he quickly had a change of heart, but just recently told NBC he was opting out of the races.

David Grening of the Daily Racing Form says Durkin had to seek treatment for stress before last year’s Triple Crown.

Before NBC acquired the Triple Crown, he was the original voice of the Breeder’s Cup calling the first 22 runnings before ESPN took over the rights.

Durkin will continue to call the Belmont as he works for the New York Racing Association, although only the in-house audience will be able to hear it. Durkin is one of the best at calling horse racing. He will be missed.

NBC says it will have a new caller of the Triple Crown. I’d love to hear Dave Johnson and his famous call of “And down the stretch they come!” but it appears the network is leaning towards Larry Collmus of Gulfstream and Monmouth Parks whose 2010 call of the “My Wife Knows Everything” and “The Wife Doesn’t Know” became viral.

Thanks to Marcus Vanderberg of Sports Newser for the link.

Sirius XM To Air All of Horse Racing’s Triple Crown

Starting on the first Saturday in May, which falls on May 7 this year, and running through June 11, Sirius XM will carry all three races of this year’s Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby on the aforementioned May 7, the Preakness Stakes on May 21 and then the Belmont Stakes on June 11. NBC will carry all three races on TV, but through the Horse Racing Radio Network, Sirius XM will also air the races live for satellite radio subscribers.

In addition to being carried on satellite radio receivers, those who listen to Sirius XM on mobile devices can hear the races through their iPads, iPhones, iPods and some Android and Blackberry platforms.

The press release:

SiriusXM to Broadcast 2011 Triple Crown Nationwide

Live broadcasts of Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes will be available to satellite radio subscribers from coast to coast

NEW YORK – April 11, 2011 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) and Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) announced today an agreement to broadcast all three races of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown nationwide.

Both Sirius and XM radio listeners will hear HRRN’s broadcast of the 137^th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7, the 136^th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 21, and the 143^rd Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11. All three race broadcasts will air live starting at 5:00 pm ET.

The broadcasts of all three Triple Crown races will also be available to listeners on SiriusXM Internet Radio and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for the Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and several BlackBerry and Android-powered smartphones.

“The Triple Crown represents three of the most anticipated events on the sports calendar and we’re very pleased to deliver every second from all three races to our subscribers,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Sports Programming. “On race day, we’ll bring SiriusXM listeners so close to the action they’ll feel like they are standing at the rail.”

“We are thrilled that our award-winning race coverage will be available to the millions of subscribers on SiriusXM,” said Mike Penna, President of HRRN. “Our goal is to make listeners feel as if they are sitting next to us at the races and SiriusXM provides a tremendous platform for HRRN to share the unique experience of horse racing’s premier events.”

The Horse Racing Radio Network is the Eclipse Award-winning broadcast organization, providing live radio coverage of many of the sport’s biggest races. In addition to the Triple Crown events, SiriusXM will carry HRRN’s coverage of a select number of stakes races throughout the year, including the 137^th Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 6, starting at 3:00 pm ET.

Since 2005, SiriusXM has provided horse racing fans coverage of the Sport of Kings, offering live broadcasts of thoroughbred and harness races from around the country plus racing talk shows that offer a steady stream of news and analysis. Throughout the year, listeners can tune in to hear Down The Stretch, hosted by acclaimed track announcer Dave Johnson and journalist Bill Finley (Saturdays, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET) and At The Races with Steve Byk (weekdays, 4:00 – 7:00 pm ET). Both programs air nationwide on Sirius channel 126 and XM channel 243.

And we’re done here.

Let’s Do Some Tuesday Links

Time for linkage now.

Jun Yang at Bloomberg Businessweek reports that YouTube is in talks with the NBA and NHL to stream live games. Now that would be cool if it happens, but I’m skeptical that it will.

At MediaPost, Barry Janoff looks at some of the particulars of CBS/Turner’s NCAA Tournament programming and marketing opportunities.

Fox Sports’ Brian Lowry says the NBA and Hollywood have a genuine ongoing love affair.

John Eggerton at Broadcasting & Cable says the first melding of Golf Channel and NBC Sports will occur tomorrow at the World Golf Championship-Match Play Championships.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that AT&T U-Verse has added Fox Soccer Channel HD to its lineup.

Bill Cromwell with Media Life Magazine takes a look at the ratings from some of the weekend’s biggest sporting events.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry marvels at the power of the web.

Trefis Team at Forbes says it’s ESPN that helps drives the Disney revenue engine.

Brad Cohen of SportsGrid noticed that ESPN’s Stuart Scott returned to SportsCenter sooner than expected following his cancer diagnosis.

Dylan Stableford at The Wrap says Stuart Scott’s return to ESPN was supposed to last an hour and instead ended up being a three hour marathon.

Ed DeRosa of the Thoroughbred Times writes about the Triple Crown returning to one network.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if MSG will become a hot stock now that Carmelo Anthony has (finally) been traded to the New York Knicks.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald says a former WEEI personality made some waves with a Facebook rant.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes about the NHL’s landmark deal naming Molson Canadian as its official beer.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman looks at the Carmelo Anthony media circus.

Newsday’s Neil Best also writes how the Carmelo Anthony saga was good for the NBA and the Knicks beat writers.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union writes about NBC re-obtaining all of the legs of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette examines how Versus will be involved in Triple Crown programming.

Ryan Sharro in the Baltimore Business Journal takes a look at NBC reupping the Preakness Stakes for five years.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes Versus’ role in NBC’s plans for the Triple Crown.

The Tampa Tribune says Sun Sports will once again be the exclusive carrier of Tampa Bay Rays games.

To the Dallas Morning News and Barry Horn who has a short post on the Daytona 500 and NBA All-Star Game ratings.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle reviews three sports documentaries.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman says the NBA All-Star Game on TNT got a big ratings boost from last year.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has Fox Sports Wisconsin’s coverage plans for the Brewers.

Warren Gerds of the Green Bay Press Gazette writes about CBS/Turner’s plans for the NCAA Tournament.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business talks with former sports columnist Dave Kindred who’s now teaching journalism in his native Illinois.

Pete Toms at the Biz of Baseball looks at what the Time Warner Cable deal with the Los Angeles Lakers means for the Dodgers.

Emma Carmichael at Deadspin writes about ESPN’s history of its personalities schilling for products.

Sports Business Watch explores Golf Channel’s rebranding when it’s on NBC.

Steve Lepore of Puck The Media has some suggestions on how to improve Hockey Day in America for next season.

And I’ll end it there.

Horse Racing’s Triple Crown Back on the Networks of NBC

CNBC’s Darren Rovell had this earlier today, that the NBC Sports Group was re-obtaining the rights to the entire Triple Crown after airing 2/3 of the pie for the past five years. Now, the puzzle is complete once again. The NBC Sports Group has re-acquired the rights to the Belmont Stakes, piecing it together with the Kentucky Derby which was kept by NBC last October and the Preakness Stakes which was also kept in-house.

And Versus will be brought into the equation and through the new agreements with all three races, a total of 25 hours of coverage will be aired between the cable network and NBC Sports. As with the Kentucky Derby, the new agreements with the Preakness and the Belmont run through 2015. Here’s the announcement from The Group.

NBC SPORTS GROUP REASSEMBLES TRIPLE CROWN

Multi-Year Agreements to Renew Preakness Stakes and Reacquire Belmont Stakes
Previously Announced Kentucky Derby Extension Now Includes Increased Programming
More Than 25 Hours of Triple Crown Coverage on NBC and VERSUS

NEW YORK – February 22, 2011 – The NBC Sports Group will broadcast all three legs of horse racing’s prestigious Triple Crown, renewing the rights to the Preakness Stakes and reacquiring rights to the Belmont Stakes. As previously announced, NBC and Churchill Downs, Inc. renewed rights to the Kentucky Derby. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC aired them in 2005. The agreements were announced today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Sports Group, Tom Chuckas, President and Chief Operating Officer, Maryland Jockey Club, and C. Steven Duncker, NYRA Chairman. Like NBC Sports’ agreement with Churchill Downs, each agreement announced today gives NBC exclusive rights to the Preakness and Belmont through 2015.

The agreements include coverage of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes and other Preakness-day and Belmont-day programming on VERSUS. Additionally, expanded Derby week programming including the Kentucky Oaks and Derby day programming will air on VERSUS. In all, the NBC Sports Group will broadcast more than 25 hours of Triple Crown coverage (detailed schedule to be released at a later date). Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Everyone at NBC Sports Group is delighted that the Triple Crown has been reassembled. We are now uniquely positioned to significantly expand the reach of these iconic events with extensive coverage on VERSUS,” said Ebersol. “As we previously announced, we are continuing our long-standing partnership with the Kentucky Derby. To add this extension with the Preakness while reacquiring the Belmont gives our new NBC Sports Group the three most important events in thoroughbred racing. And we want to thank Churchill Downs Incorporated and CEO Bob Evans for his leadership in paving the way for the Triple Crown to return to NBC.”

“We are pleased to renew our broadcast partnership with NBC Sports,” said Chuckas. “Our relationship with NBC allows us the opportunity to reach more than just sports fans. The partnership not only affords us the stature and exposure of a continued presence on network television but provides the added benefit of NBC’s consistent promotion through the Kentucky Derby leading into the Preakness.”

“We are thrilled to return our premier race to NBC Sports,” said Duncker. “They have done a terrific job covering horse racing, including their Kentucky Derby and the Preakness broadcasts over the prior decade. With an excellent production team that has pioneered innovative camera angles, and a tremendous group of on-air talent that offers unique insights into the races, NBC Sports will be a great partner for the Belmont Stakes.”

NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is now the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.

KENTUCKY DERBY: In the 10 years that Churchill Downs and NBC Sports have been together the event has experienced remarkable growth. The Kentucky Derby is now seen by 7.4 million more viewers than the last Kentucky Derby broadcast by ABC in 2000 (16.5 million vs. 9.1 million, up 51 percent).

The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ to assemble the broadest possible audience led to the 2010 Kentucky Derby being the most-watched Kentucky Derby in 21 years, in addition to the year prior which was the most-watched Derby in 20 years. Last year’s Kentucky Derby averaged 16.5 million viewers, the most watched Kentucky Derby since 1989 when Sunday Silence won the Derby (18.5 million).

PREAKNESS STAKES: Since NBC Sports began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001, every Preakness telecast on NBC over that period attracted more viewers than any Preakness telecast on ABC in the previous seven years. Viewership for the Preakness is up an average of 69% in the 10 years on NBC compared to the previous seven years on ABC.

BELMONT STAKES: NBC Sports broadcast the Belmont from 2001-05, including three straight years in which the Belmont had a Triple Crown at stake. The 2004 Belmont featuring Smarty Jones racing for the Triple Crown was seen by 21.9 million viewers, the most for a Belmont broadcast since Seattle Slew captured the elusive Triple Crown in 1977.

Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 11 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage, Preakness (2002-03-05-06-08), Kentucky Derby (2007), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001). Additionally, NBC Sports has won three Eclipse Awards in the features category: 2002 on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), 2005 Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and 2009 Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast), and the 2005 and 2006 Preakness broadcasts were nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.

And that will do it.

DEVELOPING: The Group Secures The Rights to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown

This comes from CNBC’s Darren Rovell, the NBC Sports Group will announce today that it has secured the rights to all three races of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

In October of last year, NBC announced that it had reupped with the Kentucky Derby for five more years. Then last week, ESPN announced it was dropping out of the bidding for the Belmont after holding the rights since 2005.

Darren reports that Versus will be involved in the package airing the preliminary races and combined with NBC, will air an estimated 25 hours of Triple Crown coverage.

I’ll provide more details as they become available.

Some Mid-Week Linkage

Ok, time for some links on this Wednesday. Let’s provide some for you while I can.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that former CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer is not enthused about the new TV arrangement for the NCAA Tournament.

I’ve written a story for Dan Levy’s Press Coverage site on what the Los Angeles Lakers’ new regional sports networks will mean for viewers.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports is not a fan of excess sports coverage like the NBA All-Star Weekend.

Milton Kent at Fanhouse recaps the strange, but very interesting appearances by embattled actor Charlie Sheen on the Dan Patrick Show.

Mark Cina of the Hollywood Reporter also recaps Sheen’s call to DP on Wednesday.

Etan Vlessing of the Reporter notes that ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball voice Dan Shulman will return to Canada to provide some baseball commentary for his original network, TSN.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News reports that Cartoon Network is tapping stars from the sports world to take part in its inaugural awards show.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel takes a look at the new Time Warner Cable/Lakers regional sports networks.

Marcus Vanderberg at SportsNewser recaps Jay Mariotti’s first public appearance since his arrest on domestic assault charges and the subsequent loss of his jobs from ESPN and Fanhouse.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell takes a closer look at St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and his contract demands.

Darren says Sports Illustrated did a great job marketing this year’s Swimsuit Issue.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has the comments from outgoing WEEI midday host Dale Arnold who is the odd man out in a lineup shuffle.

Chad also writes about the WEEI lineup changes that smack of desperation.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that ESPN has apparently dropped out of the bidding for the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner wonders if NBC will pick up the Belmont to reunite the race with the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

Press Box says WBAL-AM will pick up a slew of Baltimore Orioles spring training games.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle takes a look at two of the bigger sports media stories from the week.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer has Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Cheryl Burke admitting she had a fling with Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. I know, it’s not a sports media story, but it fascinates me and I like Cheryl Burke, ok?

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discovers that the Brewers are not on the MLB on Fox schedule.

Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune says the Cubs have found a replacement for the late Ron Santo on their radio broadcasts.

Steve Rosenbloom of the Tribune wants to know if Cubs fans are ready to hear a traditional radio broadcast from now on.

Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times talks with new Cubs radio analyst Keith Moreland.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Blackhawks have extended their deal with WGN-TV.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says the new Time Warner Cable deal with the Lakers may end up hurting the team in the long run.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail says one local sports radio station might be left behind in a battle of media titans.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog speculates what the 2012 Olympics will look like on the Canadian Olympic Broadcast Consortium.

Dashiell Bennett from the Business Insider sports page notes that ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons has hired Deadspin contributer Katie Baker (and a Friend of Fang’s Bites) for some unknown project at the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing notes that many people were none too happy over ESPN’s experimentation during the Mississippi State-Kentucky game.

Deadspin has obtained a copy of the Colin Cowherd sitcom script. It’s not pretty, let me tell you.

Brad Cohen at SportsGrid tells us how the extremely overrated Oprah Winfrey got the Michael Vick interview.

Dave Kohl of Major League Programs talks about the new Time Warner Cable/Lakers deal.

I’ll leave it there for now.

Let’s Do Some Linkage

Yesterday, I just wasn’t in the mood to blog after putting up a few press releases. It’s time to do some blogging now because it’s important that you get linkage and fresh material as much as possible. Don’t want to be dormant for too long. By the way, whatever happened to Awful Announcing? It’s like Brian Powell suddenly disappeared.

Anyway, some big things tonight for your sports viewing including the Major League debut of Stephen Strasburg for the Washington Nationals. It’s so big that MLB Network will air what would have been a meaningless game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And MLB Network is sending the big guns, Bob Costas, John Smoltz and Jim Kaat to call the game. While Strasburg has had plenty of hype going into this game, he’s been living up to it thus far. Locally, Pittsburgh will have the game on FSN Pittsburgh and DC will see it on MASN2. Game time is 7 p.m. East/4 p.m. West.

And there’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Change of venue as the series shifts East to the TD Garden in Boston as the Lakers and Celtics square off. The series is tied at 1 apiece. ABC has the game starting at 9 p.m. East and 6 p.m. West. There is a pregame show starting at 8:30 p.m., but Stuart Scott is hosting so watch at your own risk.

Let’s do your links.

Sports Business Daily says ABC received a final rating of 9.2 for NBA Finals Game 2 and over 15 and a half million viewers.

The SBD says Yahoo! has signed soccer star David Beckham as an international spokesman.

Michael Smith of Sports Business Journal says NASCAR has given up on creating a “NASCAR Wives” reality show. 

Michael Hiestand from USA Today has the ratings from various weekend events.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says the TV math doesn’t add up for expansion by either the Big 10 or Pac 10.

Darren says tonight’s debut for Stephen Strasburg is worth a lot of money for the Washington Nationals.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch has his Sports Media Power Rankings for May.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times notices there’s media apathy towards women’s sports.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports has a great column on how the Big 12 by teaming up with the Big 10 and Pac 10 to reject a college football playoff in 2008, is now on the verge of being cannibalized by both conferences. 

Rick Kissel of Variety notes that sports performed well in the TV ratings on Sunday.

Jon Lafayette from Broadcasting & Cable says the NHL is getting hot on TV at the right time.

Jon talks with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about his TV partners, NHL Network and his league’s TV ratings.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that Univision has scored various platform deals just as the World Cup is set to get underway.

Lucia Moses of Mediaweek says Sports Illustrated has lured away a once-rising star at Conde Nast publications to become the first woman to head sales at the magazine.

Katy Bachman also of Mediaweek writes that Nielsen is planning to launch a new service during the World Cup using BlackBerry devices as mobile diaries.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine says the NHL’s ratings surge continues into the Stanley Cup Final.

The New York Post’s Michael Starr breaks news that SNY is in talks with 2 TV stations to take over their nightly sports reports.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that ESPN and Univision are hoping to tap into increased interest in the World Cup.

Richard adds last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes garnered some its lowest ratings ever.

Over to Bob Raissman at the New York Daily News who enjoys former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy’s commentary on ESPN/ABC.

Ken McMillan of the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record reports that a New York-Penn League minor league baseball team will get a new radio announcer when its season begins later this month.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says MASN2 will expand its Nationals pregame show to an hour tonight for the Stephen Strasburg debut.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business writes that Chicago is helping to drive the NHL’s increased ratings.

Ed adds the White Sox will honor Hawk Harrelson for his 25 years of service as a broadcaster.

The Chicago Tribune notes that after a window was damaged at its facilities, WGN Radio decided to re-do it with a Blackhawks logo.

Phil Rosenthal of the Tribune writes that Stanley Cup Final Game 5 was not only a win for the Blackhawks, but also for the local ratings.

Chris Jenkins from the San Diego Union-Tribune talks with former UCLA voice Dick Enberg about his friend, John Wooden.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Wooden’s final book is being moved to a July publication date.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times notes that ratings for live sports events continue to rise.

William Houston at Truth & Rumours says a Toronto sports radio reporter was suspended for doing his job.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail also writes about the reporter’s suspension. 

The Sports Media Watch notes that despite not having big names in the French Open women’s final, NBC still garnered decent ratings.

SMW says the ratings for the final round of the Memorial Tournament on CBS were down from last year, but still decent.

SMW has various ratings news and notes.

And SMW says Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Versus actually fell from last year.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says NBC and CBC’s ratings are up for the Stanley Cup Final from last year.

Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy has found the Stanley Cup Champions winning gear.

And we’re done. Back later.

For Those Who Still Care, The Belmont Stakes Is On ABC This Saturday

We won’t have a Triple Crown winner in horse racing this year. It’s been something we’ve been saying since 1978, but with different winners in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, there’s not much interest in the Belmont which is always run on the first Saturday in June. ESPN wants you to know that the Belmont is on ABC.

Belmont Stakes on ABC Saturday

ESPN and ABC will offer seven hours of coverage of the Belmont Stakes Saturday, June 5 starting at noon ET — including ABC’s two-hour race broadcast at 5 p.m. All Belmont programming on ABC and ESPN will be aired in high definition on ABC HD and ESPN HD, respectively.

Overall, ESPN will provide Belmont Stakes coverage on: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, ESPN International, ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile TV.

Joe Tessitore will host the programming with analysts Jerry Bailey  and Randy Moss, reporters Jeannine Edwards,  Jay Privman, Steve Cyphers, Tom Rinaldi and Caton Bredar and handicappers Kenny Mayne and Hank Goldberg. ABC will use 38 cameras to cover the race, including a super slo-mo camera and a helicopter camera

Features to be aired during The Belmont telecast on ABC and ESPN will include: 

• Alan Seewald, who died unexpectedly on April 12 at the age of 62, was the previous trainer of Uptowncharlybrown
• Alexis Barba, the trainer of Make Music for Me, attempting to be the first woman trainer to win a Triple Crown race.
• Is the length of time between the Triple Crown races too short? 
• Trainer Nick Zito analyzes the state of horse racing in New York State.

          The  multimedia coverage will include:

• ESPN.com: Stories, updates and video clips all week leading up to the Belmont.
• ESPN3.com: Will simulcast both Today at Belmont Stakes and the Belmont Stakes Special on Saturday. ESPN3.com will also feature the entire Belmont race available on demand late Saturday night after 2:30 a.m. ET.
• ESPN Mobile TV: Will air Today at Belmont Stakes and the Belmont Stakes Special live on ESPN Mobile TV.  Belmont customized content will also be featured on the ESPN Mobile Web in a dedicated section in the Hot Corner, a Breaking News Alert on the winner and video analysis.  ESPN Mobile TV is ESPN’s 24/7 wireless video network available on Sprint TV, FLO TV and MobiTV platforms.
• International:  Sub-Saharan Africa, Israel, North Africa and the Middle east, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean. Also, the Belmont States will be televised in HD in Brazil and Australia.

Noon – 2:30 p.m.   Today at the Belmont Stakes  – ESPN

2:30 – 5 p.m.           The Belmont Stakes Special – ESPN

5 – 5:30 p.m.           Belmont Pre-Race – ABC

5:30-7 p.m.             The 142nd Belmont Stakes – ABC

And we’re done with this post.

The Recovering From Blogs With Balls Links

I’m back from New York after attending the Blogs With Balls conference. Actually, I got back around midnight, but I was so tired, I hit the bed and didn’t get up until after 9:30 this morning. I updated Twitter from the conference between 10 and 4, but after that, I couldn’t do anything as my iPhone battery ran out. I should have brought my iPod Touch with me as a backup. Next time.

It was a good time and I’ll give you an entire recap coming up. I’ll do the links first.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who just finished doing a fellowship at the University of Michigan says the Red Wings loss in the Stanley Cup Finals adds to Motor City’s malaise.

Newsday’s Neil Best links to a great MLB.com video showing all four calls of the now-infamous Luis Castillo dropped pop-up leading to a dramatic Yankees win over the Mets on Friday.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says in the Yankees universe, silence is deafening.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman speculates on the next TV move for Boomer Esiason.

I ask the New York Post, what have you done with the real Phil Mushnick because he actually writes a very good preview piece on the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black today. There’s no hate, venom or vitriol. Is this the real Phil Mushnick?

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette looks forward to watching MLB Network’s “The Pen” tonight.

Laura Nachman says a former Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reporter is now part of MLB Network.

Jim Williams of the DC Examiner profiles Fang’s Bites fav from the 2008 Olympics Lindsay Czarniak who’s working the pits today for TNT’s coverage of the Lifelock 400.

The Sports Media Journal’s Ray Frager recaps a discussion on Twitter during CNN’s Reliable Sources segment today. Ray also wonders why NBC did not follow up with a replay of the mad scramble in front of the Pittsburgh net in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Crain’s Chicago Business’ Ed Sherman reports that the FBI is investigating the owner of the Windy City’s web radio station for questionable business practices.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News talks with Joe Buck about the new HBO show.

Artie Gigantino from the San Francisco Examiner enjoyed Comcast SportsNet California’s story on former Kings guard now Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Let’s catch up on some posts from the Sports Media Watch. SMW says 16 million people watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Belmont Stakes performed relatively well despite having no shot of a Triple Crown winner this year. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals cleaned up in the ratings on Friday. And here’s Paulsen’s Weekend Ratings Predictions.

Steve Lepore’s Puck The Media also talks about the Game 7 ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals.

Joe Favorito talks about the responsibility athletes and the media have.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball says the 100th Millionth fan attending an MLB game was found on Saturday.

Hmmm. That’s all I can find for now. I’ll be back later with the Blogs With Balls recap and hopefully some more stuff today. See you later.

Some Tuesday Links

Let’s do links for you now. I may have to leave early so I’ll do what I can for now.

Starting with Michael Smith of the Sports Business Journal, he writes that TNT made a little “dig” in its NASCAR coverage by e-mailing a video to viewers signifying the beginning of its six race season.

John Ourand in the Sports Business Daily writes that the annual Army-Navy game is going to be on a three city rotation starting next year.

Ray Frager of the Sports Media Journal says ESPN/ABC’s Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy appear to be not convinced of the Magic’s ability to win the NBA Finals.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Roger Federer may be a winner on the court, but not necessarily in the endorsement court. Darren says projected 1st pick in the MLB Draft Stephen Strasburg is already a winner in memorabilia. Darren writes that Starter is pinning its hopes on resurrection on Tony Romo.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Tiger Woods set New York abuzz with his practice round at the Bethpage Black course on Monday.

Neil adds that there are still plenty of seats available for the Mets-Yankees series this weekend.

In his blog, Neil laments about the possible demise of the Boston Globe. Neil asks readers to pick the ratings winner of what will be a busy Tuesday night in sports. Neil reports that Verizon is in line to be a sponsor of the new Giants-Jets stadium. Sometimes, Neil attends events so you don’t have to. And Neil says NESN’s ratings for the Red Sox are slowly getting back to normal after the Celtics and Bruins playoff runs.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman rips SNY’s Keith Hernandez for not ripping Carlos Beltran.

Pete Dougherty from the Albany Times Union writes that the Belmont’s ratings weren’t great, but not bad either. Pete says golf showed the biggest ratings gain over the weekend.

Keith Groller from the Allentown (PA) Morning Call writes that a local cable TV company is gearing up for the state high school baseball championships.

Laura Nachman says two Philly sports personalities will be signing their books this weekend.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner has the first part of an enterprise story on how the Lakers went Hollywood.

Shelly Darby of the Detroit Free Press says the NHL is not allowing Joe Louis Arena to show Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on the big screen.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business says golf and basketball were ratings winners this past weekend. Ed says former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas will be an analyst for the Cubs-White Sox series.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the NBA Finals finished a close second to the Brewers in the local ratings (scroll down).

I don’t know who wrote this article for the Bradenton Herald, perhaps the writer is hiding under his or her desk, but whomever wrote it feels the MLB Draft should not be in primetime. Whatever, dude.

This is interesting. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News is also asking readers to pick ratings winners tonight.

Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times says ESPN/ABC’s Jeff Van Gundy is admitting he’s pulling punches on his brother.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News wonders if anyone will watch the MLB Draft on MLB Network tonight.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says the NHL Stanley Cup Finals are a ratings dud for CBC.

Steve Clarke of Variety writes that ESPN may be a bidder for the cash-strapped Setanta Sports channel which is in dire financial straits.

BBC News says Setanta is on the verge of collapsing.

Bill Wilson of the Beeb explains why Setanta is in so much trouble.

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media wonders about IBM sponsoring the Colin Cowherd show. Chris says there’s something big brewing among the SEC schools.

Joe Favorito says USA Wrestling is making a big move to solidify the sport for the Olympics.

The Sports Media Watch says the WNBA and LPGA did not do well in the ratings over the weekend.

Maury Brown in the Biz of Sports says he’s all aTwitter.

NESN’s Naoko Funayama went along for a taping of the network’s new show, “Pocket Money” based on SNY’s “Beer Money” show.

The Towleroad blog says on Sunday, ESPN’s Outside the Lines will cover the University of Nebraska wrestling gay porn controversy.

The MLS Talk blog says the English Premier League and Women’s Professional Soccer are ratings winners for Fox Soccer Channel.

That’s going to do it for now.

Quick Saturday Linkage

I’ve finished some unpacking, sent some reports and invoices out. Now I can do some links before I leave and enjoy the rest of the day.

Breaking news from the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand and Eric Fisher… They report that the Yankees will become the first team to stream its games into its home market thanks to a deal with Cablevision, MLB and MLB Advanced Media. Other teams will be watching to see how successful this test will be. Expect many fans to sign up. And thanks to the SBJ for opening this page for public consumption today. Much appreciated. It pays to be on Twitter at 4:15 p.m. If you follow John on Twitter, you were tipped off to this big story.

For some reason, Neil Best was up early on a Saturday and caught the Jonas Brothers doing something on the late West Coast SportsCenter. You’re a better man than me to get up early, Neil.

On this Belmont Stakes day, Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the interesting strategy of The Daily Racing Form which still survives as a newspaper and an online publication.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette feels there’s no way the NBA and NHL Finals should be on head-to-head against each other.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News enjoyed Jeff Van Gundy’s commentary in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Jack Ireland of the Delaware News-Journal talks with ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards about her covering the Belmont Stakes today.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes that Calvin Borel will be the story of this year’s Belmont Stakes.

Jim wonders if Pittsburgh is the new Hockeytown.

And Jim says while NBC is poised to broadcast tennis history on Sunday, the French Open truly belonged to the Tennis Channel and ESPN2 for the last two weeks.

The Sports Media Journal’s Ray Frager doesn’t think it’s a bad thing for the media to be involved in college football polls.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News chronicles Texas Rangers radio voice Eric Nadel’s quick diagnosis of floaters in his eye. In his blog, Barry is attempting to blackmail Rangers president Nolan Ryan for a Texas-sized suite at the Ballpark at Arlington.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says the NBA Playoffs were ratings magic for the league’s cable partners.

Greg Wyshynski of the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Sports wonders if the NHL can do better than its no-rights deal with NBC.

That will do it for now. I’ll see you Sunday morning.

Your Friday Megalinks

It’s Friday and we have plenty of media links to give you. But before we get to the links, let’s go over the sporting weekend.

Weekend Viewing Picks

The weekend will be dominated by the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Game 5 of the NBA Finals and Interleague play in Major League Baseball.

NBC will have full 18 hole coverage of the 3rd and 4th rounds on Saturday and Father’s Day Sunday. Coverage will last until 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday. It marks the first time that the U.S. Open has been scheduled to go into primetime. It marks the first tournament for Tiger Woods since The Masters and Phil Mickelson who grew up near Torrey Pines will also be a factor. Last year’s champion, Angel Cabrera will be back as well.

The Celtics can close out their 17th championship on Sunday when Game 5 of the NBA Finals takes place. After Thursday’s night impressive comeback, the C’s lead the series, 3-1 and can take home the Lawrence O’Brien trophy with a win on Sunday. Game 5 tips off after 9 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

Baseball goes into its second phase of Interleague play this weekend, whether you like it or not. Fox and ESPN are all over it this weekend. Fox has the Red Sox at Cincinnati in a re-match of the 1975 World Series, the Dodgers will travel to Detroit and the lone National League series will pit Philadelphia against St. Louis. All games start at 3:55 p.m. WGN has Colorado facing the White Sox, Saturday at 7 p.m. and the Cubs traveling to Toronto, Sunday at 1 p.m. TBS will carry the Red Sox at Cincinnati, Sunday at 1 p.m. and the ESPN Sunday night game will have the Braves taking on the Anaheim Angels.

Euro 2008 continues this weekend as round robin play wraps up before the knockout round begins. ESPN2 will have two games Saturday, Sweden vs. Spain at 11:50 a.m. and defending champion Greece taking on Russia at 2:50 p.m. On Sunday, ESPN2 has co-host Switzerland taking on Portugal and the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo at 2:50 and at the same time, ESPN Classic carries Turkey vs. Czech Republic.

The College World Series begins in its traditional home of Omaha, NE this weekend. The ESPN family of networks will be all over the tournament. There will be a day-night doubleheader on both Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

NASCAR heads to Michigan for the Lifelock 400 this Sunday. TNT has the race Sunday at 2 p.m.

Without golf, CBS will have the NCAA Division I outdoor track & field championships live from Des Moines, IA, Saturday at 4 p.m.

And Mixed Martial Arts fans can watch Elite XC on Showtime, Saturday night at 10.

The full schedule can be seen at USA Today.

Now, let’s get to your links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about Bill Walton of ESPN/ABC returning to work last night after suffering a back injury in February.

Also from USA Today, Christine Brennan writes that the Olympics that Jim McKay covered in the 1960′s and 1970′s are much different than the Olympics of today.

Now, let’s do your regional links.

East and Mid-Atlantic

David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch has a look at the newly revamped digital Sporting News.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe says the U.S. Open will be in prime position to be viewed this Father’s Day weekend.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post writes that Jim McKay was too classy for today’s sports media.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman says ESPN/ABC’s Jeff Van Gundy has blinders on when it comes to the Tim Donaghy betting scandal.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reviewed Game 6 of the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals and concludes that the game was poorly officiated.

Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY covers the Mets fairly and quietly. And in his blog, Neil expands on the column. Neil hopes that Texas Rangers outfielder Milton Bradley doesn’t go up to the SNY booth and confront Mets announcer Gary Cohen. On Wednesday, Bradley tried to confront Kansas City Royals announcer Ryan Lefebvre for comments he made about the outfielder.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says Jeff Van Gundy is trying to distance himself from Tim Donaghy’s comments.

Midwest

From the Akron Beacon Journal, George M. Thomas is happy to have Bill Walton back on TV.

David Mayo of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press doesn’t like the in-game coaches interviews during the NBA Finals. And Michael Zuidema of the Press writes that a local minor league baseball announcer gets an All Star Game assignment.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN will put out all of the stops for Brett Favre’s retirement ceremony at Lambeau Field on September 8.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune writes that the Blackhawks are about to bring back long-time announcer Pat Foley to their airwaves.

Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune talks about the U.S. Open going primetime.

Paul Christian from the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says the U.S. Open will make for some interesting primetime drama.

Canada

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail suggests that two proposed all-sports cable channels should be approved despite their similar mission statements.

Crash Cameron of the Edmonton Sun feels CBC is out of tune for not renewing the rights to the 40 year old Hockey Night in Canada theme and allowing CTV to buy it for TSN’s hockey telecasts.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) Morning News writes that Brigham Young football will get at least one national appearance this season.

John Maffei of the North County Times says participants in the U.S. Open will become primetime players this weekend.

Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Times says the U.S. Open could pull some big ratings this weekend.

Larry Stewart of the Los Angeles Times writes that Jeff Van Gundy has become a star doing TV work for ESPN/ABC. In the Sound and Vision column, Stewart writes that Father’s Day viewing will consist of the U.S. Open followed by the NBA Finals.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says Lakers radio voice Spero Dedes has a fan in fellow Fordham University alumnus Mike Breen of ESPN/ABC. And Hoffarth has his extensive media notes in his Farther Off the Wall blog.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News says the U.S. Open is making for must-see TV.

South

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wonders why FSN Florida isn’t picking up two Marlins road games over the next five days.

On this Father’s Day weekend, Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel looks at some father-son broadcasting combos. Although fails to mention one famous combination in the northeast, Marv Albert and Kenny Albert.

The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron tells us that Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton was pursued three times by the Yankees until John Sterling took the job.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the U.S. Open in primetime would be made perfect if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were dueling down the back nine.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says the U.S. Open will a great event for primetime. In his weekly notebook, Mel tells us that a local sports radio station will be getting a stronger signal. And the U.S. Open is among Mel’s weekend viewing picks.

Blogs

CNBC’s Darren Rovell has the best way to view the U.S. Open if you’re at Torrey Pines this weekend.

Joe Favorito talks about beach tennis gaining popularity.

Awful Announcing has the video where Mike Breen wasn’t ready for Stuart Scott’s toss during the Game 4 postgame at the NBA Finals last night.

Apparently, Jeff Van Gundy declared the NBA Finals at 2-2 in the 1st quarter! The Big Lead has the video.

Michael David Smith of the AOL Fanhouse blog has Triumph the Insult Comic Dog going over the line at the Belmont Stakes.

The Crowe’s Nest has the video of Jonathan Papelbon vowing to Comcast SportsNet New England that the feud between the Red Sox and Rays will continue this season.

That will do it for now.

Some Wednesday Night Linkage

Nice to have a computer to blog at home so I can provide with some more links. News about the sports media never seems to rest in this 24/7 information age so I’ll give you a quick update before I do some paperwork.

Starting with Joe Favorito’s sports marketing and public relations blog, he writes that Tennis magazine and the Sporting News are changing with the times.

Neil Best of Newsday tells us that CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV) is about to sign a carriage deal with Cablevision. Neil writes that the Nets are hoping to sell luxury suite space at the Barclay’s Center that the team hopes to move into sometime in the next decade.

Broadcasting & Cable’s Marisa Guthrie talked with CBS News & Sports President Sean McManus about Inside the NFL coming to Showtime and a reorganization within the sports division (scroll down).

In his Farther Off the Wall blog, Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the complete viewing guide for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Tom writes that ESPN/ABC’s Bill Walton hopes to return to his job in time for Game 4 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night. Tom also has the overnight ratings from Game 3. And Tom has the transcript from a rather contentious interview between Chris Myers and Sean Farnham of Fox Sports Radio and NBA “Presidente del Mundo” David Stern.

Jordan Schultz of the LA Times says the national media isn’t giving the Lakers much of a chance to win the NBA Finals.

The Sports Media Watch says Game 3 of the NBA Finals drew big ratings for ABC on Tuesday night. And the blog says the Belmont Stakes did not draw blockbuster ratings as hoped.

Apparently, Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin has made another insensitive remark. You may recall last year, Conlin got into a battle with a blogger suggesting that Hitler would have wiped out all bloggers.

Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times puts together his list of the best sports broadcasters of all time.

The soon-to-be-departed Will Leitch of Deadspin has his list of the ten worst sports broadcasters for Maxim magazine.

Larry Barrett of Multichannel sports that ESPN plans to air the entire College World Series in HD.

Speaking of the College World Series, Awful Announcing has the ESPN announcing schedule.

NBC Sports says it will launch its most ambitious affiliate marketing campaign for the Summer Olympics in Communist China.

Fox Sports Net says it will have a 31 game college football schedule consisting of the Big 12 and Pac 10 starting August 28.

Bruce Ciskie of the AOL Fanhouse blog reports that ESPN college football analyst Bill Curry is leaving to go back to coaching.

From the “You Won’t Believe What I’m Telling You” Department, Deadspin links to a blog in which it describes an after party following Game 3 of the NBA Finals where three ESPN personalities were spotted hanging with some porn stars (thanks to Awful Announcing).

Ok, the HBO Sports documentary on the 1960 U.S. Open is starting. I’ll talk to you on Thursday.

Late Monday Night Links

I’ll give you a few more links tonight before calling it a night.

First, Ken McMillan of the Times Herald-Record (NY) gives a remembrance of Jim McKay in his blog.

Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun writes that McKay’s former TV station, WMAR, will air a special on McKay starting tomorrow.

The Sports Media Watch says the blowout of Roger Federer by Rafael Nadal in the French Open on Sunday led to lower ratings for NBC. SMW also notes that while the ratings for Game 2 of the NBA Finals did better for ABC than last year, they still lag behind from the last time the Lakers participated.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that ratings for Game 2 even fell off from Game 1. That might have been partly due to the fact that the Celtics were leading by more than 20 points during the game.

However, Friend of Fang’s Bites, Bruce Allen from the Boston Media Watch has the ratings demographic breakdown of Sunday’s Game 2 as viewership increased 58% from the year before.

The lovely Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the NBA Finals gave ABC a big primetime ratings win on Sunday.

Newsday’s Neil Best praises ESPN for cutting in the Cleveland-Detroit game to show Ken Griffey, Jr’s 600th career home run. Neil says the NFL Network will have blanket coverage of Michael Strahan’s retirement announcement on Tuesday.

Neil is also responsible for the following link. Douglas Quenqua of the New York Times writes that the Sporting News is trying to redefine itself in this day and age.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell chronicles what Big Brown’s owners lost financially when their horse failed to complete the Triple Crown last Saturday.

P.J. Bednarski of Broadcasting & Cable writes that despite the Yankees poor performance on the field, their games are still scoring for the YES Network.

John Consoli of Mediaweek reports that ESPN will show the U.S. Open golf tournament on 15 different platforms. Is that necessary?

Chris Pursell of TV Week wraps up last week’s sports ratings in his Pressbox blog.

The news regarding CTV purchasing what was the Hockey Night in Canada theme remains big news in Canada. Kas Roussy of CBC News tells us what the move means for hockey fans.

Due to my computer problems last week, I could not link to this feature, but I can today. After Ellen announced its Hot 100 list for 2008.

That will do it for now.

It’s a Monday Link Thing

On this back to work Monday, we have a few more tributes for Jim McKay who died Saturday in Maryland.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand writes that McKay spanned several eras in his career.

Newsday’s Neil Best is amazed that in this day and age, no one has said a bad word about McKay.

Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post says we have lost a true professional in McKay.

Jim Williams who worked with McKay as an ABC production assistant writes in the DC/Baltimore Examiner that Jim was probably the classiest person he’s ever worked with.

Dan Fleschner of NBC’s Today show writes in the allDay blog at MSNBC.com an appreciation of McKay.

I don’t know who wrote this story in the Joplin (MO) Globe, but this is a first person account of a reporter who interviewed McKay shortly after the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.

Andrew Wagner writes in the OnMilwaukee.com site that McKay was an inspiration to many.

Troy Johnson writes in the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer says Jim McKay was one-of-a-kind.

Over to the Olympics, Chris Pursell of TV Week, back from a trip Down Under, writes that ESPN and Fox are expected to be in the bidding for the 2014 Winter and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, joining incumbent NBC.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, writing for Pro Football Weekly says despite paying over half a million dollars less than ESPN for the NFL, NBC has the better primetime schedule.

The lovely Toni Fitzgerald of the Carlisle (PA) Sentinel wonders if the NHL is making a TV comeback.

And Toni writes in Media Life Magazine that ABC has a big ratings winner in the NBA Finals.

Ed DeRosa of the Thoroughbred Times says while Saturday’s Belmont Stakes was a ratings winner for ABC, the overnights do not compare to 2004 when Smarty Jones unsuccessfully went for the Triple Crown.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says ESPN is trying to skew the Belmont ratings in its favor.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says ESPN/ABC avoided the steroids issue at the Belmont.

Mike Mulhern of the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal says network executives could not be happier over the ratings for NASCAR.

That’s going to do it for now.

Sunday Links

Now that I have my new computer, I can provide you with some weekend stuff that I had been providing before my old battlestation spit the bit. Let me give you some links now. Also, I’ll do the Week Ahead, something that I had been writing occasionally.

First, some links. From Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, he writes that ESPN/ABC took too much of the Big Brown bait and got burned during coverage of the Belmont Stakes. Richard joins Frank Litsky in remembering Jim McKay.

New York Daily News media columnist Bob Raissman tells Showtime to hire Cris Collinsworth for the new version of Inside the NFL.

A few of things from Neil Best of Newsday. First, he reviews ESPN/ABC’s coverage of the Belmont. Next, he gives a list of books and DVD’s that make perfect Father’s Day gifts. And Neil writes an obit for Jim McKay as well.

Now to some more tributes to Jim McKay.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News says McKay was the best in the business.

From the Baltimore Sun where McKay once worked, David Zurawik, Tom Keyser and Justin Fenton combine on an obituary. Dan Rodricks of the Sun says McKay’s integrity was a hallmark throughout his career. And in his Medium Well blog, Ray Frager remembers McKay’s no-nonsense broadcasting style.

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap gives his thoughts on McKay.

CBS News’ Armen Keteyian also writes his thoughts on McKay’s passing.

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News says goodbye to Jim.

Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that TV truly lost an icon.

Matt Schudel of the Washington Post also writes a remembrance of McKay.

In his Farther Off the Wall blog, Tom Hoffarth provides two stories he wrote on McKay over the years. The first is on the 25th Anniversary of the Munich Olympics tragedy and McKay’s thoughts on his anchoring of the coverage. And the next entry is on the release of McKay’s second autobiography in 1998.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says McKay was a giant in the broadcasting industry. And David writes that McKay’s legacy is felt locally.

Steve Springer of the Los Angeles Times talks with former colleague Al Michaels and local sportscaster Jim Hill about their thoughts on McKay.

Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune says McKay exuded class, no matter which sport he was calling.

Ron Martin of the Burlington (PA) County Times says McKay was truly an original.

From Jim McKay to the Olympics which Jim loved, we get this story from Steven Wade of the Associated Press who breaks news that the broadcast networks that will air the games to their respective countries including NBC are in a dispute with Olympic organizers over delays over bringing equipment into Communist China and limits on live coverage from Tiananmen Square. We have not heard the end of this story.

That’s it for now. I’ll have the Week Ahead in Sports coming up later tonight.

It’s Another Megalink Friday

Well, after seeing my sister graduate yesterday, I’m back blogging today. Yes, I bought a new computer and I’ll be back on a regular blogging schedule very soon. I don’t want to make guarantees, but constant visitors can rest assured that I’ll be back here providing your links every day. There are several things that when you lose them, you feel totally lost. When you lose your wallet and/or your car keys, your cell phone, your driver’s license or anything else that defines you, you have that dreadful feeling and when I lost my computer, I felt helpless. But now that I’m back, I feel complete. Strange, I know, but I’m glad it’s over.

Ok, let’s go over your weekend viewing and then do your links.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Big Brown goes for the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. With all of the drama over his cracked hoof, ESPN has been milking the story as much as possible to try to get viewers to the race, which does not need much hype as Big Brown tries to become the first horse since Seattle Slew in 1978 to complete the Triple Crown. ESPN will produce ABC’s coverage which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Chris Fowler and Kenny Mayne will be among the cast of thousands at Belmont Raceway in Elmont, NY for the coverage.

Over to Paris where the French Open will be coming to a close this weekend. Saturday will be the Women’s Final where Ana Ivanovic will attempt to win her first Grand Slam title against Daniela Safina, the sister of Russian Marat Safin. And on Sunday, the men’s title will be contested between rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. While no Americans are involved in either final, the tennis should be quite stellar and if Ivanovic wins the title, expect to see her face plastered in many ads here in the States. She’s already quite popular in Europe. Anyway, NBC has both finals starting at 9 a.m.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be held on Sunday as ABC will carry the Lakers and Celtics live from the TD Banknorth Garden starting at 9 p.m.

Baseball heads into the warmer weather across the country with several interesting matchups. On Fox on Saturday, the Red Sox host the Seattle Mariners, the Cubs visit Chavez Ravine and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland takes on Detroit. The games on Fox start at 3:55 p.m. WGN will carry Cubs and Dodgers tonight at 10 p.m. and the White Sox hosting Minnesota, Saturday at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, TBS has the Phillies at Atlanta at 1 p.m. and ESPN’s Sunday night game will be the Cubs at the Dodgers at 8.

NASCAR heads to the Poconos for the Pocono 500 and it marks the first race for TNT this season. The race begins at 2 p.m.

Formula 1 is in Canada and Fox will have that race Sunday at 1 p.m.

The IndyCar series is in Fort Worth on ESPN2 Saturday at 10 p.m.

Soccer fans have the second most important tournament to watch this weekend as the UEFA Euro 2008 begins this weekend. ESPN Classic will have live coverage with 5 games this weekend.

And golf will be in full swing. The PGA Tour’s last tournament before next weekend’s US Open is the Stanford FedEx Championship and CBS has coverage at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Golf Channel has the McDonald’s Championship which is the LPGA’s second major.

Now to your links.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks about how Big Brown’s attempt for the Triple Crown could boost ratings.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch says ESPN/ABC execs were not only rooting for a Celtics-Lakers NBA Final, but were also rooting for a seven game series.

Let’s head from East to West today.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Friend of Fang’s Bites David Scott is back from his trip to China and immediately jumps into the Bob Ryan-Bill Simmons fire, has a reply from Simmons about his comments about colleague Rick Reilly and looks at the NESN decision to drop Hazel Mae.

The Boston Globe’s Nancy Marrapese-Burrell talks with the lovely Rachel Nichols of ESPN as she’s embedded with the Celtics for the Worldwide Leader’s coverage of the NBA Finals.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that there will be blanket coverage of Big Brown in the Belmont on Saturday.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks with ESPN/ABC’s Jerry Bailey about Big Brown’s chances in the Belmont. In his blog, Neil discusses more about the Belmont with ESPN executive Len DeLuca. Neil also writes that the ratings for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals were twice as nice as last year’s.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman writes that the News’ headlines gave YES Yankees “apologists” a headache.

From the Schenectady Gazette, Ken Schott writes that Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals got another good rating for NBC.

Laura Nachman says the Phillies topped the ratings on Wednesday night (you may have to scroll down depending on the news that Laura adds to her site).

From the DC/Baltimore Examiner, Jim Williams talks with Red Zebra Broadcasting’s CEO about its purchase of DC Sports Talker WTEM.

South

Doug Nye of The State says the renewal of the University of South Carolina’s radio rights with Citadel Communications has left Clear Channel seeing red.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that local ratings for the Marlins do not jive with attendance for the team.

Dave Darling from the Orlando Sentinel says despite not having a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup Finals, there’s plenty of great sports action to watch this weekend.

The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron talks about FSN’s Amazing Sports Stories which will focus on a story about a former Astro who hit three home runs for a blind boy back in the 1960′s.

Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says Texas Rangers TV voice Josh Lewin is getting plenty of suggestions for a nickname for Josh Hamilton.

Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman wonders if Big Brown’s attempt for the Triple Crown will be enough to garner TV ratings. Mel has his weekly notebook including Oklahoma University negotiating a new satellite radio rights deal. Mel has his viewing picks for the weekend.

Midwest

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that Big Brown in the Belmont will be something watch.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says NASCAR saw a bump in the ratings for Fox in the early part of the season.

Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press writes that the NHL has to capitilize on its good ratings.

Teddy Greenstein from the Chicago Tribune writes that Mike North could be leaving his morning sports radio talk show.

Judd Zulgad from the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that KSTP has hired a new sports anchor from Denver.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin talks with ESPN/ABC horse racing analyst Randy Moss about the Belmont Stakes.

West

Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) Morning News writes that DirecTV will not charge extra for the mtn.

Jay Posner from the San Diego Union-Tribune says US Open viewers can put up with Chris Berman for two days. No we can’t. Jay adds that TSN/NBC NHL analyst Mike Milbury didn’t find Tiger Woods comments about hockey funny. And Jay has last weekend’s ratings from San Diego.

John Maffei of the North County Times says ESPN’s MLB analyst Rick Sutcliffe is a Profile in Courage as he battles colon cancer.

The Ventura County Star’s Jim Carlisle says this has been a special season for the NBA.

John Scheibe of the Los Angeles Times reviews HBO’s new documentary on the 1960 US Open as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus all battled for the lead.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News says the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers transcends generations. In his blog, Hoffarth has a bunch of media notes and numbers crunching over the Finals. And Hoffarth says don’t get carried away about the high ratings and website traffic numbers over Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the NHL Stanley Cup Finals average ratings were the best in six years.

Canada

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBC should reflect on its NHL coverage.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says Wednesday could have been the last time viewers heard the familiar Hockey Night in Canada theme on CBC.

Blogs

Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch has his take on the media’s performance from Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The Sports Media Watch says Game 1 of the NBA Finals got a good overnight rating, but it could have been better.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell reveals a company that changes the netting at many arenas before each and every NBA game.

Joe Favorito says Barack Obama has done a good job in courting the sports vote.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Hockey blog writes that NBC is reporting a 111% increase in the ratings for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals from 2006.

David Scott mentioned this in his entry today, and you can read it for yourself. Will Leitch is leaving as editor of Deadspin for a job in *gasp* mainstream media.

That will do it for this week.