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NFL’s A Football Life Focuses On The Final Days of Cleveland Browns 1.0

The next installment of NFL Network’s and NFL Films’ critically acclaimed documentary series will focus on the demise of the Cleveland Browns when owner Art Modell announced he was moving the team to Baltimore. It’s a painful memory for Browns fans like me. And when the season began, there was hope that the team could make the playoffs, but it all quickly collapsed as the roof caved in.

NFL Films talks with former coach Bill Belichick who assembled quite the staff to surround the team including current college coaches Nick Saban of Alabama and Nick Ferentz of Iowa. Also on the staff was current Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, current NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi, current Kansas City Chiefs GM Scott Pioli who went with Belichick to New England, former Jets and Browns coach Eric Mangini and so many others.

NFL Films will feature a lot of interviews featuring that Browns staff and former players.

We have the press release and a link to a video preview of the documentary.

STORY OF 1995 CLEVELAND BROWNS DETAILED ON NFL NETWORK’S CLEVELAND ’95: A FOOTBALL LIFE

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 PM ET
Former Browns Personnel Bill Belichick, Ozzie Newsome, Michael Lombardi, Nick Saban, Scott Pioli Interviewed
“Those years in Cleveland, those teams, those people impacted the NFL. It impacted a lot of football.” – Scott Pioli

On December 17, 1995, the Cleveland Browns played their final game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium before relocating to Baltimore. The latest installment of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life chronicles the Browns’ final season in Cleveland under head coach Bill Belichick, looks at the immediate impact the relocation had on both the city and the organization, and discovers the roots of a football lineage seeded during that time which has reverberated throughout the football world in the 21st century.

Airing Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network, Cleveland ’95: A Football Life details the coaching staff and front office executives who took what they learned during their five years under Belichick and applied it throughout their football careers. From current NFL general managers Ozzie Newsome, Scott Pioli, Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Tannenbaum, to three-time national championship head coach Nick Saban, to former NFL head coach Eric Mangini and current Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, the Cleveland Browns under Belichick consisted of football’s next generation of leaders who continue to impact the game today.

In all, Belichick’s staff in Cleveland included nine future NFL head coaches and general managers, and three head coaches at major college programs.

The one-hour episode includes never-before-seen footage including Belichick meeting with his former staff in team meeting rooms and of Belichick at home. Additionally, pre and postgame footage from the Browns’ final home game is showcased.

Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.

The story of the 1995 Cleveland Browns is told through interviews with the following people:

Bill Belichick – New England Patriots head coach
Ozzie Newsome – Baltimore Ravens general manager
Nick Saban – University of Alabama head coach
Michael Lombardi – NFL Network analyst and former Cleveland Browns front office executive
Scott Pioli – Kansas City Chiefs general manager
Jim Schwartz – Detroit Lions head coach
Eric Mangini – ESPN analyst and former New York Jets/Cleveland Browns head coach
Thomas Dimitroff – Atlanta Falcons general manager
Phil Savage – Former Cleveland Browns general manager
Mike Tannenbaum – New York Jets general manager
Kirk Ferentz – University of Iowa head coach
Matt Stover – Cleveland Browns kicker, 1991-95
Steve Everitt – Cleveland Browns offensive lineman, 1993-95
Earnest Byner – Cleveland Browns running back, 1984-88; 1994-95

For the first look at Cleveland ’95: A Football Life, visit:
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/09/27/first-look-at-a-football-life-1995-cleveland-browns/

Following are select quotes from Cleveland ’95: A Football Life:

• “We wanted a tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar football team. That’s what Cleveland is and that’s what we wanted our football team to be.” – Bill Belichick
• “We had a great group of people there and we were all committed to trying to bring that franchise back [to prominence].” – Nick Saban
• “There was that sense of we had turned the corner. All of that time, all of that work, all of that effort – we were poised to make that next jump.” – Eric Mangini
  
• “I felt bad for that team, the players and the coaches that were working so hard with less than no support. The owner was nowhere to be found; he was in Baltimore. It kind of felt like you were on a deserted island fending for yourself.” – Belichick
• “When I won in 2000 [with the Baltimore Ravens], I owe a lot of that to Bill Belichick.” – Ozzie Newsome
  
• “Those years in Cleveland, those teams, those people impacted the NFL. It impacted a lot of football.” – Scott Pioli
• “We got better every year, our program improved every year. I wish that it would have turned out a bit differently, but we tried to do what we could and the best that we could for ourselves, for the team and for the city of Cleveland. I have no regrets about that.” – Belichick

Below is the remaining broadcast schedule for A Football Life, airing on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM ET:

• October 10 – Fearsome Foursome
• October 17 – Steve McNair
• October 24 – Eddie DeBartolo
• October 31 – Chris Spielman
• November 7 – Jimmy Johnson
• November 21 – John Riggins
• December 5 – Barry Sanders
• December 12 – Marcus Allen
• December 19 – The Immaculate Reception

I’ll have the Sunday NFL pregame show previews coming later.

Fox Saturday Baseball Concludes With Three American League Games

The final Saturday in Major League Baseball has Fox providing regional coverage of three games today, all in the American League. Joe Buck will not call a game today. Overall, he’s called 15 out of a possible 26 games, which is pretty good for him.

Today, Matt Vasgersian comes from MLB Network to call the Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox game with Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal. Other games will have Detroit at Minnesota and the Anaheim Angels taking on Texas. And Fox will utilize Daron Sutton from Fox Sports Arizona and Victor Rojas of Fox Sports West to call the games.

Here’s the press release from Fox Sports.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Final Regular Season Weekend of MLB on FOX Showcases Playoff Pursuit 

FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK TAKES CENTER STAGE AS PLAYOFF RACES HEAT UP – The regular season is coming down the home stretch and FOX Sports presents three MLB matchups with playoff implications on Saturday, Sept. 29 (3:30 PM ET). Out west, Albert Pujols and rookie sensation Mike Trout lead the Angels’ pursuit of a Wild Card berth as they visit the AL West-leading Rangers and MVP-candidate Josh Hamilton. Maintaining their dual pursuits of the AL East and the Wild Card, the Rays travel to Chicago to battle the AL Central-leading White Sox. Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal call the action from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Also leading the AL Central, the Tigers face the Twins in Minneapolis.

Coverage begins with the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL PREGAME SHOW, originating live from MLB Network’s state-of-the-art Studio 3 in Secaucus, NJ. The show is hosted by MLB Network studio host Greg Amsinger, who is joined by analysts Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac.

For instant updates throughout the week and during games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX.  Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins — Daron Sutton & Tom Verducci, going to 48% of USA
Target Field– Minneapolis, MN
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Knoxville, Memphis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Seattle, Washington
Probable Pitchers:  Justin Verlander, RHP (16-8, 2.72 ERA) vs. P.J. Walters, RHP (2-4, 5.88 ERA)

Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox — Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal, going to 29% of USA
U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE:  Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Fort Myers, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Tampa, West Palm Beach
Probable Pitchers:  Matt Moore, LHP (10-11, 3.92 ERA) vs. Chris Sale, LHP (17-7, 2.86 ERA)

Anaheim Angels at Texas Rangers — Victor Rojas & Eric Karros, going to 22% of USA
Comerica Park– Detroit, MI
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Tulsa
Probable Pitchers:  Ervin Santana, RHP (9-12, 4.93 ERA) vs. Derek Holland, LHP (11-6, 4.50 ERA)

That’s all.

NBC Sports Network Has A College Football Doubleheader

Today, NBC Sports Network has a college football doubleheader for Week 5. It’ll begin at noon ET with an Ivy League matchup between Penn and Dartmouth.

Then at 3:30 p.m., NBCSN has the annual Atlanta Football Classic between Florida A&M and Southern.

The details are below.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK AIRS COLLEGE FOOTBALL DOUBLEHEADER THIS SATURDAY

Atlanta Football Classic Between Florida A&M & Southern at 3:30 P.M. ET
Penn vs. Dartmouth at Noon ET
Liam McHugh Hosts College Football Studio Show, Featuring Analysts Hines Ward and Doug Flutie

NEW YORK – September 26, 2012 –NBC Sports Network continues its coverage of the 2012 college football season with a doubleheader featuring the Atlanta Football Classic between Florida A&M and Southern University at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Georgia Dome and Penn at Dartmouth at Noon ET.

In a rematch of last year’s 2011 Atlanta Football Classic, the Florida A&M Rattlers take on the Southern University Jaguars at 3:30 p.m. ET. Both teams come off of victories away from home as they look to win at the Georgia Dome.

James Verrett will manage the play-by-play duties for the game and will be joined in the booth by Anthony Herron. Rashan Ali will report from the sideline.

At Noon ET on Saturday, the Penn Quakers face the Dartmouth Big Green at Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H. Penn comes off of two consecutive losses while Dartmouth remains undefeated at 2-0. Randy Moss will handle the play-by-play for the game, alongside analyst Ross Tucker. Carolyn Manno will serve as the sideline reporter.

NBC Sports’ college football studio team of Liam McHugh, 1984 Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie, and two-time Super Bowl champion Hines Ward will provide pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage across NBC and NBC Sports Network throughout the 2012 season.

That’s all.

CBS/CBS Sports Network College Football Games For Saturday

Let’s look at the games that will be aired on the CBS family of networks.

Another week of the SEC on CBS and it will be Uncle Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy “The Wolf” Wolfson at Athens, GA calling Tennessee at Georgia in between the hedges.

For CBS Sports Network, it’s a tripleheader including Louisville at Southern Missouri in primetime.

Here’s what CBS is saying about its weekly SEC game.

“THE SEC ON CBS” FEATURES NO. 5-RANKED GEORGIA TAKING ON TENNESSEE ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 29

Audibles with CBS Sports’ Lead College Football Analyst Gary Danielson

CBS Sports’ coverage of SEC College Football continues on Saturday, Sept. 29 (3:30 PM, ET) with national coverage of *No. 5-ranked Georgia taking on Tennessee.

The CBS Television Network’s lead college football announce team of Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson call the action live from Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. Tracy Wolfson serves as lead reporter. Craig Silver, the Network’s coordinating producer of college football, produces and Steve Milton directs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, the Network’s pre-game, halftime and post-game studio show, starts the day on CBS Sports (3:00 PM, ET) with host Tim Brando along with analyst Spencer Tillman. COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY keeps viewers updated on all the games throughout the afternoon with scores and highlights. Vin DeVito produces and Linda Malino directs.

After CBS Sports’ live SEC game coverage each Saturday throughout the season, CBS SPORTS NETWORK takes over with SEC TONIGHT (7:00-8:00 PM, ET), providing a recap of all the news, scores and highlights from around the SEC.

In addition, CBS Sports will stream the Tennessee-Georgia game, as well as the entire 2012 SEC ON CBS football schedule live on CBSSports.com. The games are available exclusively on CBSSports.com, CBS Sports Mobile and also can be accessed through a link on the websites of all CBS affiliates. New this season as part of CBSSports.com’s SEC coverage are live pre-game, half-time and post-game shows.

*AP Poll as of 9/24/12

AUDIBLES with CBS Sports’ Lead College Football Analyst Gary Danielson

(On Tennessee):
Tennessee stood toe-to-toe with Florida for the good part of three quarters, and then they got punched in the mouth one time with a big play. After that they seemed to go out of their comfort zone and panicked. They need to learn from that. I believe they are going to be more comfortable on the road than at Neyland Stadium. They feel the pressure at home trying to please their big crowd. Tyler Bray is good enough with those receivers that he can make Georgia play very honest on defense. This should be Tennessee’s best effort of the year. If this one goes down or gets embarrassing, they’ve got trouble ahead.

(On Georgia’s Defense):
The way Todd Grantham has built his defense, they are very close to the two elite defenses in the league in Alabama and LSU.  The Bulldogs are one of the top five defenses anywhere in college football.  They are very gifted and have interchangeable parts at five or six different positions

(Keys to the game):
There are enough skilled athletes on Georgia’s defense that it’s going to give Tennessee pause. I’m curious to see if Tennessee will have the discipline to run the ball when it’s not working. If they can’t run the ball, Georgia’s front seven rush will give them a lot of problems. Tennessee will devote a lot of time and effort to make sure they get first downs and not get into a shootout. Look for them to try and establish tight end Mychal Rivera to move the chains. If this does become a high-scoring game, look for it to be a lot of late scoring.

And this is what CBS Sports Network has to tell us about its tripleheader today.

NO. 19-RANKED LOUISVILLE VISITS SOUTHERN MISS IN PRIMETIME TO HIGHLIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL ACTION ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK

CBS Sports Network airs a college football tripleheader on Saturday, Sept. 29, highlighted by a primetime matchup between *No. 19-ranked Louisville and Southern Miss (8:00 PM, ET).  James Bates, Aaron Taylor and reporter Lauren Gardner call the action from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Saturday’s action kicks off with a service academy doubleheader, beginning at 12:00 NOON, ET as Stony Brook visits Army at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. Ben Holden and Randy Cross announce, along with guest sideline reporter Cadet Linc Bradham.

San Jose State at Navy follows (3:30 PM, ET) from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Grant Boone, Todd Christensen and reporter Sheehan Stanwick Burch handle the call.

Saturday’s studio programming features SEC TONIGHT (7:00 PM, ET) as host Brent Stover and analysts Brian Jones and Houston Nutt provide post-game coverage of CBS Sports’ “SEC Game of the Week” and discuss the rest of the day’s SEC action. INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL, the Network’s pre-game, halftime and post-game studio show, returns at 11:30 PM, ET to wrap up the day with news and highlights from across the country.

Ross Molloy is Vice President, Remote Production, CBS Sports Network.

For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

*AP Poll as of 9/23/12

NEWS AND NOTES FROM CBS SPORTS NETWORK’S INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL

(AARON TAYLOR ON MICHIGAN STATE-OHIO STATE):
I’ve gone back and forth on this game looking for an advantage every different way. Both of these teams have issues on each side of the ball. In the end, I went with the best defense. Playing at home, Michigan State is 16-1 in their last 17 ball games. I think they get the turnovers corrected and I think the trend for Ohio State is down and their first true road test costs them.

To watch the entire segment, click here: http://cbsprt.co/PINCik.

(RANDY CROSS ON STANFORD-WASHINGTON):
I love what David Shaw is doing at Stanford, but I think Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies, when you get them in this type of situation, this is when they’re at their best. And they do have, in my mind, one of the best pure talents in the country in Keith Price playing quarterback.

To watch the entire segment, click here: http://cbsprt.co/QFLHu0.

(BRIAN JONES ON BAYLOR-WEST VIRGINIA):
Phil Bennett’s defense down at Baylor has been woeful stopping the run. Last week the (Louisiana Monroe) Warhawks had 262 yards rushing. There’s no way you’re going to win with that type of statistic. Unless you’re playing West Virginia. Because at the beginning of the season I said their biggest question was their running game. 25 carries for 25 yards all of last week. I know their starter wasn’t in there, but that’s all you can muster is 25 yards? So Baylor has a good chance of going up there and knocking off No. 9.

And one more college football press release coming up.

Thursday Night Football With An Increased Audience Tops 8 Million Viewers

Thanks to having all of the major cable and satellite providers on board for the first time, NFL Network had access to all of the subscribers for Thursday night’s game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. It paid off with an average of over eight million viewers, the fifth highest audience for a Thursday Night Football game. Not counting the over the air stations, the game saw an average of 8.1 million viewers.

Thanks to the over eight million viewers, Thursday’s game was the most watched program on cable.

NFL Network says this season is on a pace to be the most watched in Thursday Night Football history.

Here’s the statement.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL’S BROWNS-RAVENS TOPS EIGHT MILLION VIEWERS; CONTINUES PACE TO BE MOST-WATCHED SEASON EVER ON NFL NETWORK

8.1 Million Viewers Watch Baltimore Defeat Cleveland 23-16
NFL Digital Media Platforms Deliver over 1 Million Streams

NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football continues to deliver strong viewership numbers in 2012. The Browns-Ravens game was watched by an average of 8.1 million viewers (not including over-the-air stations in Baltimore and Cleveland) – ranking as the fifth most-watched game in the seven seasons of Thursday Night Football and making it the No. 1 program on cable television for Thursday, September 27.

Through three games of its expanded 13-game schedule, Thursday Night Football is averaging a 5.0 US HH rating (+39% vs. 2011 average) and 7.9 million viewers (+28% vs. 2011 average) – on pace to be the highest-rated and most-watched Thursday Night Football season ever.

On the interactive front, coverage and features around the Browns/Ravens game across NFL Digital Media platforms – NFL.com/LIVE, NFL Mobile, and the NFL 12 tablet app – delivered 520k unique viewers (+17% vs. 2011 average) and one million video streams (+15% vs. 2011 average).

Thursday Night Football continues next week with the Arizona Cardinals visiting the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 4 at 8:00 PM ET. The Thursday Night Kickoff pregame show begins at 6:00 PM ET. All Thursday Night Football games are streamed live on NFL Mobile with complementary online coverage via NFL.com/LIVE Thursday Night Football.

That’s all.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, September 29

Boxing
Boxing After Dark: Edwin Rodriguez vs. Jason Escalara and two other bouts — HBO, 9:30 p.m.

CFL
Toronto at Winnipeg — TSN/ESPN3, 7 p.m.
BC at Saskatchewan — TSN/ESPN3, 10 p.m.

College Football Viewing Picks

English Premier League
Arsenal vs. Chelsea — ESPN2, 7:30 a.m.
Norwich City vs. Liverpool — Fox Soccer Plus, 9:53 a.m.
Fulham vs. Manchester City — Fox Soccer, 10 a.m.
Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur — Fox Soccer, 12:30 p.m.
Everton vs. Southampton — Fox Soccer Plus, 2 p.m. (same day coverage)
Reading vs. Newcastle United — Fox Soccer, 3:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
Stoke City vs. Swansea City  — Fox Soccer Plus, 4 p.m.
Sunderland vs. Wigan Athletic — Fox Soccer, 5:30 p.m.

Match Day — Fox Soccer, 9:30 a.m.
Match Day 2 — Fox Soccer, noon

Golf
2012 Ryder Cup, Day Two — NBC, 9 a.m.
Web.com Tour: Chiquita Classic, 3rd Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 7 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Miocic — Fuel, 4 p.m.

UFC Prefight Show — Fuel, 3 p.m.
UFC Post Fight Show — Fuel, 7 p.m.

MLB
American League
New York Yankees at Toronto — YES/Rogers Sportsnet, 1 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Texas — Fox, 4 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota — Fox, 4 p.m.
Seattle at Oakland — Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox — Fox, 4 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore — MLB Network/NESN/MASN, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland — STO, 7 p.m.

National League
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — MLB Network/Fox Sports Ohio/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Atlanta — SNY/Peachtree TV/Fox Sports South, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Miami — Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis — MASN2/Fox Sports Midwest, 7:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona — WGN America/Fox Sports Arizona, 8 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego — KNTV/Fox Sports San Diego, 8:30 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers — Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 9 p.m.

MLB 2012: Down the Stretch — CBS, 2 p.m.
MLB Player Poll — Fox, 3 p.m.
Fox Saturday Baseball Pregame — Fox, 3:30 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, midnight

MLS
New York vs. Toronto — MSG Network/Gol TV Canada, 7 p.m.
Columbus vs. Philadelphia — Fox Sports Ohio/The Comcast Network, 7:30 p.m.
Houston vs. New England — KPRC/Comcast SportsNet New England, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle — NBC Sports Network/TSN2/RDS2, 9 p.m.
Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/KTVX, 10:30 p.m.
Portland vs. DC United — KPTV/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 10:30 p.m.
San Jose vs. Dallas — Comcast SportsNet California/KTXA, 10:30 p.m.

NASCAR
Nationwide Series: Your Name Here 200 — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

NFL
NFL Live — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.
Playbook NFC — NFL Network, 8 p.m.
Playbook AFC — NFL Network, 9 p.m.
Top 10 Trick Plays — NFL Network, 10 p.m.

Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen vs. Hibernian — Fox Soccer Plus, 6:55 a.m.
Motherwell vs. Celtic — Fox Soccer Plus, noon (same day coverage)

Sports Talk
SportsNation — ESPNU, 10 a.m.

Tennis
WTA Tour: Toray Pan Pacific Open, Final — Tennis Channel, midnight
ATP Tour: Malaysian Open, Semifinals — Tennis Channel, 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. (same day coverage)
ATP Tour: Thailand Open, Semifinals– Tennis Channel, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. (same day coverage)

WNBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 2: Connecticut Sun at New York Liberty — NBA TV, 7 p.m. (Connecticut leads series, 1-0)

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 2: Los Angeles Sparks at San Antonio Silver Stars — NBA TV, 5 p.m. (Los Angeles leads series, 1-0)

Entertainment
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Revival (season premiere) — Cartoon Network, 9:30 a.m.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series: The New Guy — Cartoon Network, 10 a.m.
Giada at Home: L.A. Hot Spots: Breakfast — Food Network, 11:30 a.m.
Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong: Chiang Khong, Thailand — Cooking Channel, 12:30 p.m.
The Perfect 3: Cupcakes — Cooking Channel, 2:30 p.m.
Doctor Who in the U.S. — BBC America, 8 p.m.
Ultimate Factories: UPS – CNBC, 8 p.m.
True Lies — Encore, 8 p.m.
Napoleon Dynamite — IFC, 8 p.m.
Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan – BBC America, 9 p.m.
Happily Never After: To Have and To Kill (season finale) — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
Human Lampshade: A Holocaust Mystery — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Dateline: Real Life Mysteries: Deadly Triangle – TLC, 9 p.m.
How the States Got Their Shapes: Red State vs. Blue State – H2, 10 p.m.
48 Hours: My Dad’s Killer (season premiere) — CBS, 10 p.m.
Chef Race: UK vs U.S.: Vegas or Bust! – BBC America, 10 p.m.
I Was Impaled: Who Said Exercise Was Good for You? – Discovery Fitness & Health, 10 p.m.
Deadly Affairs: Lust for the Job – Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Dateline: Real Life Mysteries: The Goldfinger Mystery — TLC, 10 p.m.
How the States Got Their Shapes: White Collar vs. Blue Collar – H2 10:30 p.m.
That Metal Show — VH1 Classic, 11 p.m.

Sunday, September 30

College Soccer
Men’s
Louisville at Rutgers — CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.
Northwestern at Michigan State — Big Ten Network, 3;30 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan — Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
UCLA at Cal — Pac-12 Network, 7 p.m.
Oregon State at Washington — Pac-12 Network (Oregon/Washington), 7 p.m.

Women’s
Iowa at Michigan State — Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
Duke at Virginia — ESPN2, 2 p.m.
LSU at Georgia — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
Oregon State at Cal — Pac-12 Network, 4:30 p.m.
USC vs. Arizona — Pac-12 Network (Los Angeles/Arizona), 4:30 p.m.
Washington State vs. Colorado — Pac-12 Network (Washington/Mountain), 4:30 p.m.

College Volleyball
Women’s
Cal at Arizona — Pac-12 Network, 2:30 p.m.
USC at Washington State — Pac-12 Network (Los Angeles/Washington), 2:30 p.m.
Utah at Oregon State — Pac-12 Network (Mountain/Oregon), 2:30 p.m.

English Premier League
Aston Villa vs. West Bromwich Albion — Fox Soccer, 10:30 a.m.

Goals on Sunday — Fox Soccer, 2 p.m.

Golf
2012 Ryder Cup, Final Day — NBC, noon
Web.com Tour: Chiquita Classic, Final Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 10 a.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 6 p.m.

MLB
American League
Kansas City at Cleveland — STO, 1 p.m.
New York Yankees at Toronto — YES/Sportsnet One, 1 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore — NESN/MASN, 1:30 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota — Fox Sports Detroit/Fox Sports North, 2 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox — TBS/Sun Sports/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 2 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Texas — Fox Sports West/Fox Sports Southwest, 3 p.m.
Seattle at Oakland — Root Sports Northwest/Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m.

National League
Philadelphia at Miami — WPHL/Fox Sports Florida, 1 p.m.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — Fox Sports Ohio/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m.
New York Mets at Atlanta — WPIX/Fox Sports South, 1:30 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 2 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis — MASN2/Fox Sports Midwest, 2:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona — WGN America/Fox Sports Arizona, 4 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 4 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports San Diego, 4 p.m.

MLB Tonight — MLB Network, noon
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 8 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Plays of the Week — MLB Network, 9 p.m.

MLS
Colorado vs. LA Galaxy — Galavision/Altitude/KDOC, 7 p.m.

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series: AAA 400 — ESPN, 2 p.m.

NFL Viewing Picks

Sports Talk
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 8 a.m.
Outside The Lines — ESPN2, 10 a.m.
The Sports Reporters — ESPN2, 10:30 a.m.

Tennis
ATP Tour: Malaysian Open, Final — Tennis Channel, 4 p.m. (same day coverage)
ATP Tour: Thailand Open, Final — Tennis Channel, 8 p.m. (same day coverage)

WNBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 2: Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream– ESPN2, 4 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 2: Minnesota Lynx at Seattle Storm — ESPN, 9 p.m.

Entertainment
CBS News Sunday Morning — CBS, 9 a.m.
Jesus Conspiracies: Who Was Mary Magdalene? — Discovery, 9 a.m.
Sandwich King: Healthy: Fit For a King — Food Network, 11 a.m.
Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender — Biography, 1 p.m.
Earth vs. Sun — Discovery, 3 p.m.
60 Minutes — CBS, 7 p.m.
Once Upon A Time (season premiere) — ABC, 8 p.m.
The Amazing Race 20: Double Your Money (season premiere) — CBS, 8 p.m.
Making Monsters: Horrors For Houston – Travel Channel, 8 p.m.
The Great Food Truck Race: Where In The World is Lubec? (season finale) — Food Network, 9 p.m.
Boardwalk Empire — HBO, 9 p.m.
Sins & Secrets: Catalina Island — Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.
Snapped: Stephanie Lazarus – Oxygen, 9 p.m.
Dexter (season premiere) — Showtime, 9 p.m.
Bar Rescue: Bikini Bust (season finale) — Spike, 9 p.m.
Making Monsters: Zombie, Say Cheese! — Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
Behind the Music: Carrie Underwood — VH1, 9 p.m.
Copper — BBC America, 10 p.m.
Treme — HBO, 10 p.m.
Unusual Suspects: Blood Trail – Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Homeland (season premiere) — Showtime, 10 p.m.
House Hunters Renovation — HGTV, 11 p.m.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 4, 09/30/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the 506.com)

Byes: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 8:30 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fantasy Football Today — CBS Sports Network, 11 a.m.
Fantasy Football Now — ESPN2, 11 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon
NFL Red Zone Channel — DirecTV Channel 703, 12:55 p.m.
NFL RedZone — Check your local listings, 12:55 p.m.
The NFL Today Postgame Show — CBS, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
New England at Buffalo — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
San Diego at Kansas City — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Tennessee at Houston — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

FOX
Carolina at Atlanta — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Minnesota at Detroit — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
San Francisco at New York Jets — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at St. Louis — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink

4:05 p.m.

CBS
Cincinnati at Jacksonville — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Miami at Arizona — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Oakland at Denver — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

4:25 p.m.

FOX
New Orleans at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Washington at Tampa Bay — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Krista Voda

8:30 p.m.

NBC
New York Giants at Philadelphia — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 5, 09/29/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from East Lansing, MI — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
College Football Countdown — ABC, 3 p.m.
BTN Football Gamebreak 2012 — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 6;30 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, midnight
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Saturday)

noon
Buffalo at UConn — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

Indiana at Northwestern — Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler/Chris Martin/Jon Janesen)

Stony Brook at Army — CBS Sports Network (Ben Holden/Randy Cross/Cadet Linc Bradham)

Penn State at Illinois — ESPN/ESPN3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Minnesota at Iowa — ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Lewis Johnson)
NC State at Miami (Florida) — ESPNU (Tom Hart/John Congemi)
Ball State at Kent State — ESPN Plus/CSS (Michael Reghi/Doug Graber)

Baylor at West Virginia — FX (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)
Missouri at Central Florida — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/WLVI/KICU (Ron Thulin/Shaun King/Desmond Purnell)
Middle Tennessee State at Georgia Tech — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Mike Hogewood/Riley Skinner/Elizabeth Moreau)
Central Connecticut Stat at Sacred Heart — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Paul Dottino/Steve Levy)
Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee-Martin — Fox College Sports Pacific (Kevin Ingram/Bob Belvin)

Penn at Dartmouth — NBC Sports Network (Randy Moss/Ross Tucker/Carolyn Manno)

Arkansas at Texas A&M — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. kickoff (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

12:30 p.m.
Duke at Wake Forest — ACC Network

2 p.m.
Nevada at Texas State — Longhorn Network (Dave Armstrong/Kelly Stouffer)

3:15 p.m.
Marshall at Purdue — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Derek Rackley/J Leman)

3:30 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan State — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

Tennessee at Georgia — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)
San Jose State at Navy — CBS Sports Network (Grant Boone/Todd Christensen/Sheehan Stanwick Burch)

Clemson at Boston College — ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati at Landover, MD — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)
URI at Bowling Green — ESPN3 (Greg Franke/Tom Cole)

Houston vs. Rice (at Reliant Stadium) — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Atlantic/WMCN/WDCA/KICU (Mike Morgan/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)
Idaho at North Carolina — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Paul Kennedy/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)
West Chester at California (PA) — Fox College Sports Pacific (Stan Savern/John Sanders)

Atlanta Football Classic
Florida A&M vs. Southern — NBC Sports Network (James Verrett/Anthony Herron/Rashan Ali)

Montana State at Southern Utah — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

4 p.m.
Arizona State at Cal — FX (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)

6 p.m.
Florida State at South Florida — ESPN (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich)

UCLA at Colorado — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

7 p.m.
Georgia State at William & Mary — Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Chicago/Mid-Atlantic/Northwest)/CSS

South Carolina at Kentucky — ESPN2 (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
Towson at LSU — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Allison Williams)

TCU at SMU — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Atlantic (Joel Myers/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
Texas Tech at Iowa State — Fox College Sports Central (Mike Gleason/Dave Lapham/Lesley McCaslin)

Montana at Eastern Washington — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

7:50 p.m.
Texas at Oklahoma State — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)

8 p.m.
Wisconsin at Nebraska — ABC (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)

Louisville at Southern Mississippi — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Aaron Taylor/Lauren Gardner)

9:15 p.m.
Mississippi at Alabama — ESPN (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Jessica Mendoza)

10 p.m.
Oregon State at Arizona — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

10:30 p.m.
Oregon vs. Washington State at Seattle, WA — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Shelley Smith)
Grambling State at Alabama A&M — ESPNU (Joe Davis/Jay Walker) (same night coverage)

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

Australian Rules Football
Grand Final
Hawthorn Hawks vs. Sydney Swans — Fox Soccer Plus, 11:30 p.m.

AFL Football Pregame — Fox Soccer Plus, 9 p.m.

CFL
Montreal at Hamilton — TSN/ESPN3, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary — TSN/ESPN3, 10 p.m.

College Football
Hawaii at BYU — ESPN, 8 p.m.

CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
This Week in SEC Football — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Lemming Report — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.

College Soccer
Men’s
George Mason at Old Dominion — Fox Soccer, 7 p.m.
UCLA at Stanford — Pac-12 Network, 7 p.m.

Women’s
Washington State at Utah — Pac-12 Network, 3 p.m.
Stanford at Cal — Pac-12 Network (Bay Area), 3 p.m.
Washington at Colorado — Pac-12 Network, 5 p.m.
USC at Arizona State — Pac-12 Network (Los Angeles/Arizona), 5 p.m.

College Volleyball
Women’s
Ohio State at Minnesota — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
USC at Washington — Pac-12 Network, 9 p.m.
Cal at Arizona State — Pac-12 Network (Bay Area/Arizona), 9 p.m.
Colorado at Oregon State — Pac-12 Network (Mountain/Oregon), 9 p.m.
Utah at Oregon — Pac-12 Network, 11 p.m.

Golf
2012 Ryder Cup, Day One — ESPN, 8 a.m.
Web.com Tour: Chiquita Classic, 2nd Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 7 p.m.
Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 7:30 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
Bellator Fighting Championships 74 — MTV2, 8 p.m.
The Ultimate Fighter: We Have Control — FX, 10 p.m.

MLB
American League
Boston at Baltimore — MLB Network/NESN/MASN, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland — Fox Sports Kansas City/STO, 7 p.m.
New York Yankees at Toronto — MLB Network/YES/Rogers Sportsnet, 7 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Texas — Fox Sports West/KTXA, 8 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota — Fox Sports Detroit/Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox — Sun Sports/WCIU, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Oakland — Root Sports Northwest/Comcast SportsNet California, 10 p.m.

National League
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — Fox Sports Ohio/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Miami — WPHL/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Atlanta — SNY/Peachtree TV/Fox Sports South, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee — Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis — MASN2/Fox Sports Midwest, 8:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona — Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers — Root Sports Rocky Mountain/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego — Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/Fox Sports San Diego, 10 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 2 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, midnight
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Saturday)

MLS
Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago — NBC Sports Network, 8:30 p.m.

NFL
NFL Live — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 5 p.m.
Playbook NFC — NFL Network, 8 p.m.
Playbook AFC — NFL Network, 9 p.m.
Top 10 Trick Plays — NFL Network, 10 p.m.

Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 7 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 2 p.m.
Outside The Lines First Report — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
Around the Horn — ESPNews, 6 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPNews, 6:30 p.m.
CNBC Sports Biz: Game On! — NBC Sports Network 7 p.m.
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight

Tennis
WTA Tour: Toray Pan Pacific Open, Semifinals — Tennis Channel, midnight & 2 a.m.
ATP Tour: Thailand Open, Quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 2 p.m., 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. (same day coverage)

UFL
Omaha Nighthawks at Sacramento Mountain Lions — CBS Sports Network, 11 p.m.

WNBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 1: Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever — ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 1: Seattle Storm at Minnesota Lynx — ESPN2, 9 p.m.

Entertainment
Shark Tank — ABC, 8 p.m.
CSI: NY (season premiere) — CBS, 8 p.m.
Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice: Dive to the End — Discovery, 8 p.m.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team — CMT, 9 p.m.
Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice: After the Dredge: Part 1 — Discovery, 9 p.m.
America’s Most Wanted — Lifetime (The Network That Hates Men), 9 p.m.
XIII: The Key — Reelz, 9 p.m.
Boss — Starz, 9 p.m.
20/20: Classroom Confidential — ABC, 10 p.m.
Dateline NBC — NBC, 10 p.m.
Strike Back — Cinemax, 10 p.m.
Eden Eats: Charlotte — Cooking Channel, 10 p.m.
Yukon Men: Man Up, Move Out — Discovery, 10 p.m.
Deadly Women: Love You to Pieces — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: London — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Skin to the Max: Kyoto; Berlin — Cinemax, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Jim Rome Officially Joins CBS Sports Radio

We knew this was coming, but today, we get the official announcement. Jim Rome will become part of CBS Sports Radio when it launches full-time on January 2, 2012. He’ll be in his traditional noon to 3 p.m. ET slot that he currently occupies at Premiere Radio Networks. Rome’s show will lead into the previously announced Doug Gottlieb Show that will air from 3-6 p.m. ET.

In addition to his show, Rome will offer commentaries in the CBS Sports Minute that is already being offered to CBS and Cumulus-owned radio stations.

As part his contract that he signed last year with CBS, Rome will appear on CBS Sports on its major events, Showtime, CBS Sports Network where he already has a nightly show and now CBS Sports Radio so you could say he’s all in on CBS platforms.

We have the official announcement from CBS Sports Radio.

JIM ROME JOINS CBS SPORTS RADIO

Newly Created Radio Network To Launch On Jan. 2, 2013

CBS Sports Radio today announced the newest member of its line-up for when the nation’s largest 24/7 major-market radio network launches next year. Jim Rome will serve as host of The Jim Rome Show, broadcast live weekdays from 12:00 Noon-3:00PM, ET beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.

Also at the start of the new year, Rome will provide his unique take on the day’s sports headlines via the CBS Sports Minute, 60-second commentaries that can be heard hourly on CBS Sports Radio affiliate stations. Rome recently signed a multi-year agreement with CBS contributing across a variety of platforms. In addition to his weekday ROME show on CBS Sports Network, he provides commentary for CBS Sports and CBSSports.com. Further, Rome will also be hosting a talk series for Showtime, which will air later this Fall on the premium network.

“Jim would be at the top of any list highlighting sports radio’s most authoritative and opinionated hosts which is exactly why we’re thrilled to welcome him to CBS Sports Radio,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO.  “We are building a network that showcases the incredible assets of CBS RADIO and CBS Sports, and creating a strategic opportunity for growth in this untapped marketplace. Jim’s presence in this marquee timeperiod adds strength to our lineup and exceptional value to our advertisers.”

“I am excited for the continued opportunity to extend my personal contributions to the various platforms that this incredible company has to offer,” said Rome. “I am proud to be a part of the CBS family and look forward to the successful launch of CBS Sports Radio.”

Perhaps the most respected voice in the world of sports broadcasting, Rome is one of the leading opinion-makers of his generation. Best known for his aggressive, informed, rapid-fire dialogue, Rome has established himself as the top choice of athletes and fans when it’s time to know what is going on beyond the scoreboard.

For more than 15 years, Rome has hosted a nationally syndicated radio program, “The Jim Rome Show,” a.k.a. “The Jungle,” reaching millions of listeners nationwide. His show on ESPN, “Rome Is Burning,” signed off in January 2012 after airing for six years.

Rome previously served as host of the popular program “The Last Word with Jim Rome,” broadcast nightly on Fox Sports Net, for five years. Prior to that, he spent a two-year stint hosting ESPN2’s Talk2, a nightly one-hour interview show. Rome began his radio career at KTMS, Santa Barbara as the “$5-an-hour” traffic reporter and covered UC Santa Barbara’s sports. He left KTMS for San Diego’s all-sports station, XTRA Sports 690, where he created “The Jim Rome Show.” The show was first syndicated in 1996.

In addition to his extensive sports broadcasting career, Rome has made cameo appearances alongside Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey in “Two For The Money,” with Adam Sandler in ”The Longest Yard” and opposite Michael Jordan in “Space Jam”; appeared in blink-182’s music video; appeared on HBO’s “Arliss;” and released a CD, Welcome to the Jungle, which features memorable sound bites from frequent callers and the hip music regularly used on his radio show.

CBS Sports Radio will offer around-the-clock national sports coverage and programming, harnessing the power and resources of CBS RADIO and the award-winning CBS Sports. High-profile figures from CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will play a prominent role on CBS Sports Radio which will reach more than 10 million listeners at launch. Original programs across multiple weekday and weekend time periods will feature expert sports commentary and interviews with major sports figures along with listener calls and fan interaction. It was previously announced that Doug Gottlieb will serve as host of afternoons (weekdays, 3:00-6:00 PM, ET) on CBS Sports Radio.

Cumulus Media Networks serves as the exclusive syndicator and sales partner for CBS Sports Radio.

That will do it.

TBS Unveils The Announcing Crews for the 2012 MLB Postseason

With the rights to the two Wild Card Playoff games, along with rights to the entire League Division Series (albeit for two games that go to MLB Network) and the American League Championship Series, Turner Sports has made public the announcing assignments for the 2012 MLB Postseason.

One change from the studio crew. Cal Ripken, Jr. moves from the studio to joining Ernie Johnson, Jr. and John Smoltz for one Wild Card game and one LDS. Brian Anderson will be the part of the other main team joined by Joe Simpson and Ron Darling. Other teams for the LDS will Dick Stockton and Bob Brenly. NESN’s Don Orsillo heads back to the postseason to be joined by Buck Martinez. Nice to have EJ back after he was away last year tending to family business.

On-field reporters will be Jaime Maggio, David Aldridge, Tom Verducci and Craig Sager.

The studio crew will have Matt Winer, Dennis Eckersley and David Wells.

We’ll find out which announcing teams will be assigned to which series when we discover the matchups. Here’s the Turner Sports press release.

2012 MLB Postseason Begins Exclusively on TBS with First-EverWild Card Games on Friday, October 5

TBS’ Exclusive MLB Postseason Coverage Includes up to 18 Division Series Games and the ALCS

TBS will offer extensive coverage of the 2012 MLB Postseason beginning with the exclusive presentation of the first-ever Wild Card on Friday, October 5. The network, in its sixth consecutive year televising the Division Series and one League Championship Series, will also be the exclusive home of up to 18 Division Series games and the entire American League Championship Series coverage on TBS.

TBS’ coverage of the Wild Card, LDS and ALCS will be handled by a deep roster of veteran commentators:

• Ernie Johnson will handle play-by-play alongside analysts John Smoltz and Ron Darling for the network’s exclusive coverage of the ALCS.
• For the network’s coverage of the Wild Card and Division Series, TBS will feature a pair of three-man commentator teams: play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson, who called Roy Halladay’s historic no-hitter on TBS during the 2010 NLDS, will be joined by veteran analysts Darling and Joe Simpson; and Johnson will mark his return to the TBS postseason broadcast booth, handling play-by-play alongside Hall of Famer Cal Ripken and Smoltz.
• Division Series announce teams will also include veteran play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton, joined in the booth once again by former MLB manager and long-time TV analyst Bob Brenly; and Don Orsillo (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) will return for their sixth and fifth postseasons, respectively, with TBS.
• Reporters for the LDS will include MLB insider and Sports Illustrated/SI.com senior baseball writer Tom Verducci, who will also provide reports from the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Craig Sager will return to the MLB Postseason on TBS for his sixth year as a reporter and will work the ALCS for the network. Turner Sports veteran David Aldridge, who covered the MLB Postseason on TBS from 2007-2010, will return as a reporter during the LDS. Jaime Maggio, who has served as a reporter for the 2011 MLB Postseason on TBS, NBA Playoffs on TNT and Turner Sports’ presentation of the NCAA Tournament, will contribute to the network’s LDS coverage.

The MLB On-Deck pre-game show and Inside MLB post-game show will have in-depth game reports and post-game interviews from every LDS game, as well as the ALCS and NLCS. Matt Winer will once again serve as studio host alongside returning veteran analysts: Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley and two-time World Champion David Wells during the LDS.

In the first year of the new postseason format, two Wild Card teams in each league will play a single-elimination game with each winner advancing to compete with the three division championship from its respective leagues in the Division Series.

The network’s production plans will utilize state-of-the-art technology to bring fans unique insights into each game:

• 3D Hologram Imagery: Innovative 3D imagery will illustrate detailed examples of pitch grips while demonstrating the pressure points, release points and rotation. Analysts will use the tool to explain how pitches work and how the hitter approaches each type of pitch.
• Super Slo-Mo: TBS will triple the amount of Super Slow-Motion cameras utilized throughout the network’s postseason coverage.
• Bloomberg Stats: TBS will once again utilize Bloomberg Sports’ vast resources as they integrate comprehensive statistical information into each telecast. The service allows game and studio analysts to examine every pitch of each game to find patterns and pick out tendencies.
• Pitch Trax: The in-game technology which illustrates pitch location throughout the game will return to TBS for the postseason.

Additionally, Turner Sports will encourage fans interaction across social media platforms:

• Twitter: @MLB_TBS, @PostseasonPete and @TurnerSportsPR will provide game alerts, programming information and key statistical information throughout the postseason. Also, TBS MLB broadcasters will periodically answer questions from fans via Twitter chats. Fans can use #Postseason to join the conversation throughout the Wild Card games, LDS, ALCS and NLCS.

Facebook:  Fans can also check out the MLB on TBS Facebook page to find the latest schedule information, behind-the-scenes photos and other special features

There you have it.

Fox Sports Media Group’s College Football Games For Week 5 Including Announcing Assignments

Let’s take a look at the college football game with announcing assignments on the Fox Sports Media Group. Overall, 15 games aired either on Big Ten Network, Fox, FX, Fox College Sports and Fox Sports Net.

Take a look at what the networks will have in conferences ranging from the Big Ten, Big 12, C-USA, Pac-12 and others.

Check it out.

College Football on FOX Advance Programming Schedule
September 29
All times Eastern unless otherwise indicated

<tdOUTLETPlay by PlayAnalystSideline

DATE	TIME	GAME
Saturday, Sept. 29	7:30 PM	Texas at Oklahoma St.	FOX/FOX Deportes	Gus Johnson	Charles Davis	Julie Alexandria
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	Indiana at Northwestern	BTN	Kevin Kugler	Chris Martin	Jon Jansen
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	CCSU at Sacred Heart	FCS Atlantic	Paul Dottino	Steve Levy
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	Eastern Kentucky at UT-Martin	FCS Pacific	Kevin Ingram	Bob Belvin
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	Middle Tennessee State at Georgia Tech	FS South	Mike Hogewood	Riley Skinner	Elizabeth Moreau
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	Missouri at UCF	FSN (National)	Ron Thulin	Shaun King	Desmond Purnell
Saturday, Sept. 29	12:00 PM	Baylor at West Virginia	FX	Justin Kutcher	Eric Crouch	Darius Walker
Saturday, Sept. 29	3:15 PM	Marshall at Purdue	BTN	Eric Collins	Derek Rackley	J Leman
Saturday, Sept. 29	3:30 PM	West Chester at California University (PA)	FCS Pacific	Stan Savern	John Sanders
Saturday, Sept. 29	3:30 PM	Idaho at North Carolina	FS South	Paul Kennedy	Keith Jones	Jenn Hildreth
Saturday, Sept. 29	3:30 PM	Houston vs. Rice (from Reliant Stadium)	FSN (National)	Mike Morgan	JC Pearson	Laura McKeeman
Saturday, Sept. 29	4:00 PM	Arizona St. at Cal	FX	Craig Bolerjack	Joel Klatt	Petros Papadakis
Saturday, Sept. 29	6:30 PM	Portland State at Northern Arizona	FCS Pacific	Mitch Strohman	Kevin Stephens	Reggie Eccleston
Saturday, Sept. 29	7:00 PM	Texas Tech at Iowa St.	FCS Central	Mike Gleason	Dave Lapham	Lesley McCaslin
Saturday, Sept. 29	7:00 PM	TCU at SMU	FSN (National)	Joel Meyers	Brian Baldinger	Jim Knox

That’s it.

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 5 Including Announcing Assignments

Let’s look at the college football games ESPN will air this week. It all begins tonight with two games on the ESPN family, one on ESPNU and a Pac-12 game on ESPN.

Interesting week, ABC has just two games, one at 3:30 p.m. ET with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox in East Lansing, MI for the Ohio State-Michigan State. ABC’s primetime game will have Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe calling Wisconsin at Nebraska.

The other ESPN networks have lots of action including Mississippi at Alabama called by Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen and Shelley Smith Jessica Mendoza.

Let’s take a look at the games that ESPN’s networks will air this weekend.

Seven of Top Eight Teams across ESPN Networks; Five of Top Six in Prime Time on Saturday

ESPN’s college football schedule this week will include seven of the top eight teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The lineup is highlighted by five of the top six in prime time across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU on Saturday, Sept. 29.

• An ESPN doubleheader kicks off with No. 4 Florida State at South Florida at 6 p.m. ET followed by No. 1 Alabama against SEC West rival Ole Miss at 9:15 p.m. ESPN Radio will also broadcast the Ole Miss at Alabama game.
• An ESPN2 doubleheader showcases SEC and Pac-12 conference contests beginning with No. 6 South Carolina at SEC East foe Kentucky at 7 p.m. followed by No. 2 Oregon versus Pac-12 North rival Washington State from Seattle at 10:30 p.m.
• ESPNU will televise No. 3 LSU against Towson at 7 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN Radio will combine to cover the other two of the top eight teams. The Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime matchup on September 27 will pit undefeated No. 8 Stanford at Washington at 9 p.m. ESPN Radio will broadcast No. 5 Georgia against Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 3:30 p.m.

In addition, ABC will broadcast two Big Ten contests on Saturday, Sept. 29: unbeaten No. 14 Ohio State at one-loss No. 20 Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. and Wisconsin at No. 22 Nebraska in a showdown of 3-1 teams at 8 p.m.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Network
Thu, Sep 27	7:30 p.m.	Morgan State at North Carolina A&T Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	No. 8 Stanford at Washington ESPN: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Shelley Smith	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Fri, Sep 28	8 p.m.	Hawaii at BYU Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN
Sat, Sep 29	Noon	Penn State at Illinois Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN & ESPN 3D
	Noon	Minnesota at Iowa Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson	ESPN2
	Noon	NC State at Miami Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
	Noon	Arkansas at Texas A&M Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	Buffalo at Connecticut Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
	Noon	Ball State at Kent State Michael Reghi & Doug Graber	ESPN3 *
	Noon	Middle Tennessee at Georgia Tech	ESPN3 * & RSN
	Noon	Central Connecticut at Sacred Heart	ESPN3
	12:30 p.m.	Duke at Wake Forest	ESPN3 * & ACC Network
	2 p.m.	Nevada at Texas State Dave Armstrong & Kelly Stouffer	Longhorn Network
	2 p.m.	Miami (Ohio) at Akron Dave Weekley & Rocky Boiman	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 Ohio State at No. 20 Michigan State Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ABC
	3:30 p.m.	No. 17 Clemson at Boston College Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati (from Landover, Md.) Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins	ESPNU
	3:30 p.m.	Tennessee at No. 5 Georgia Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at Virginia John Sadak, John Gregory & Angela Mallen	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Ohio at Massachusetts Bob Picozzi & Rene Ingoglia	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Central Michigan at Northern Illinois Dan Gutowsky & Cory Chavous	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Rhode Island at Bowling Green Greg Franke & Tom Cole	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Idaho at North Carolina	ESPN3 * & RSN
	3:30 p.m.	Troy at South Alabama	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Southeastern Louisiana at Lamar	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	North Texas at Florida Atlantic Shawn Kenney & John Bunting	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	No. 4 Florida State at South Florida Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich	ESPN
	6 p.m.	Samford at Georgia Southern	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	No. 6 South Carolina at Kentucky Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Towson at No. 3 LSU Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Toledo at Western Michigan Jim Barbar & Ben Leber	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Western Kentucky at Arkansas State Rich Hollenberg & Stan Lewter	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Florida International at Louisiana-Lafayette Jonathan Yardley & Forrest Conoly	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Indiana State at Southern Illinois	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Missouri State at South Dakota State	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	Wisconsin at No. 22 Nebraska Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ABC
	8 p.m.	UNLV at Utah State Trey Bender & Jay Taylor	ESPN3
	9:15 p.m.	Ole Miss at No. 1 Alabama ESPN: Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Jessica Mendoza Radio: Dave Lamont, Tom Ramsey & Brett McMurphy	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	10:30 p.m.	No. 2 Oregon at Washington State (from Seattle) Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Shelley Smith	ESPN2
	10:30 p.m.	Grambling State at Alabama A&M Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU ***

* Local blackout may apply
*** Live on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. ET & same day delay on ESPNU

That will do it.

Hannah Storm & John Anderson Lead ESPN’s New York City Marathon Team

In November, ESPN will air live coverage of the annual New York City Marathon that goes through all five boroughs of the Big Apple. It marks the first time the marathon will be aired live across the country. NBC had the rights, but chose to shovel live coverage of the race to its local WNBC-TV affiliate along with Universal Sports and then show highlights hours later.

Now, the entire country will have access to ESPN2′s live coverage on November 4 on TV’s and through WatchESPN. New Yorkers will also see live coverage on WABC-TV.

ESPN2′s on-air team will be led by Hannah Storm and John Anderson. We have the full press release below.

SportsCenter’s Storm, Anderson to Lead ESPN Team for New York City Marathon on November 4

Five-borough Race Returns to National Live TV for First Time in Almost 20 Years

SportsCenter anchors Hannah Storm and John Anderson will lead the ESPN team of commentators as host and play-by-play for ESPN’s live telecast of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4. Nationally, the telecast will be available on ESPN2 and – for fans who receive their video subscriptions from an affiliated provider – on computers at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. ABC will also present a two-hour national broadcast at 4 p.m. Locally, New Yorkers can watch the race on WABC-TV and 7online.com. This is the first year of a five-year television package and marks the return of the Marathon to live national TV for the first time in almost 20 years.

ESPN’s Storm and Anderson will be joined by analysts Carrie Tollefson and Tim Hutchings and reporter Lewis Johnson. Tollefson is an Olympian and five-time NCAA champion in track and field and cross country. Hutchings, an Olympian and former international distance runner, and Johnson, an All-American in track, both covered the 2012 Olympic Games. Juli Benson, Ed Eyestone and David Wiley and WABC-TV’s sports anchors Rob Powers and Laura Behnke will also report from the course.

Anderson said, “Short of my first SportsCenter, I have never been more excited about any assignment I’ve had here at ESPN. The New York City Marathon is a 26.2-mile finish line. From gun to tape it’s non-stop exhilaration with support from the entire city. I’ve run the marathon and nothing ever hurt better in my life. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the lead or in 47,358th place, the crowd treats every runner the same – like a champion.”

Storm added, “There is perhaps, no sporting event in America more closely attached to its neighborhoods and city – while at the same time being an instantly recognizable international event – than the New York City Marathon. It’s a part of the fabric of this great city and I’m thrilled to be involved in the broadcast of such an iconic sporting event.”

More than 47,000 runners, including USA Olympians Abdi Abdirahman, Amy Hastings and Meb Keflezighi and Olympic Marathon gold medal champion Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia, are expected to participate.

NYC Marathon Schedule: 

Date	Time (ET)	Show	Network
Sun, Nov 4	7 a.m.-2 p.m.	Pre-Race & NYC Marathon	WatchESPN
	7 a.m.-2 p.m.	Pre-Race & NYC Marathon	WABC-TV, 7online
	9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.	NYC Marathon	ESPN2
	4-6 p.m.	NYC Marathon Show	ABC

*All times ET unless otherwise noted.

There you have it.

NFL Agreement with the NFL Referees Association

After marathon bargaining sessions that started Saturday and culminated late on Wednesday night, the National Football League and its Referee Association finally came together on a new eight year agreement. After the disaster on Monday night that gave Seattle a totally undeserved win over the Green Bay Packers, calls to get a new contract for the regular officials increased as it was apparent that the replacement referee experiment was not working three weeks into the new season.

Well, with this new agreement, it means that the real officials will be on the field for Thursday night’s game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens on NFL Network. And while the contract has yet to be ratified, that is expected to be a formality when a vote is taken on Friday. Once that is settled, the referees will be back on the field en masse on Sunday.

We have the official announcement from the National Football League.

NFL, NFLRA REACH EIGHT-YEAR AGREEMENT

The NFL and the NFL Referees Association agreed tonight to the terms of a new eight-year collective bargaining agreement that will return the game officials to the field for this weekend’s games, beginning with Thursday night’s Cleveland at Baltimore game.

The agreement, the longest with the game officials in NFL history, was reached in New York between the negotiating teams for the NFL and the NFLRA with the assistance of Scot Beckenbaugh and Peter Donatello of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The agreement must be ratified by the NFLRA membership. Under the commissioner’s authority, Commissioner Goodell can enter into this agreement without a vote of the NFL clubs.

Commissioner Goodell temporarily lifted the lockout so that the officials can work Thursday night’s Cleveland at Baltimore game prior to their ratification vote. The officials will meet Friday and Saturday to vote on the agreement. If it is approved, a clinic for the officials will be held following the vote.

“The long-term future of our game requires that we seek improvement in every area, including officiating,” Commissioner Goodell said. “This agreement supports long-term reforms that will make officiating better. The teams, players and fans want and deserve both consistency and quality in officiating.”

“We look forward to having the finest officials in sports back on the field, and I want to give a special thanks to NFL fans for their passion. Now it’s time to put the focus back on the teams and players where it belongs.”

The agreement includes the following key terms:

• Eight-year term covering the 2012-2019 seasons.
• The current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season (or until the official earns 20 years of service). The defined benefit plan will then be frozen.
• Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement, which will have two elements: an annual league contribution made on behalf of each game official that will begin with an average of more than $18,000 per official and increase to more than $23,000 per official in 2019, and a partial match on any additional contribution that an official makes to his 401(k) account.
• Apart from their benefit package, the game officials’ compensation will increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.
• Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option of hiring a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year-round, including on the field.
• The NFL will have the option to retain additional officials for training and development purposes, and may assign those additional officials to work NFL games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the NFL.

Nice to have this in place. Now let’s get the NHL Lockout solved.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Football
Morgan State at North Carolina A&T — ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.
Wingate at Carson Newman — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
Stanford at Washington — ESPN, 9 p.m.

CFB Daily — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
College Football Live — ESPN, 8 p.m.

College Soccer
Women’s
Penn State at Ohio State — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Oregon State at Stanford — Pac-12 Network, 9 p.m.

Golf
Web.com Tour: Chiquita Classic, 1st Round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony — Golf Channel, 5 p.m.

Live From the Ryder Cup — Golf Channel, 6 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
MMA Uncensored — Spike, 10 p.m.

MLB
American League
Kansas City at Detroit — Fox Sports Detroit, 1 p.m.
Oakland at Texas — Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports Southwest, 2 p.m.
Seattle at Anaheim Angels — Root Sports Southwest/Fox Sports West, 3:30 p.m.
New York Yankees at Toronto — MLB Network/YES/Sportsnet One, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox — MLB Network/Sun Sports/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.

National League
Milwaukee at Cincinnati — Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at New York Mets — Root Sports Pittsburgh/SNY, 1 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Colorado — WGN America/Root Sports Rocky Mountain, 3 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco — Fox Sports Arizona/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 3:45 p.m.
Miami at Atlanta — Fox Sports Florida/SportSouth, 7 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia — MASN/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego — KCAL/Fox Sports San Diego, 10 p.m.

The Rundown — MLB Network, 1 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
MLB Tonight — MLB Network, 11 p.m.
Quick Pitch — MLB Network, midnight
Baseball Tonight — ESPN2, 1 a.m. (Friday)

NFL
Cleveland at Baltimore — NFL Network/WKYC/WBAL, 8:20 p.m.

NFL Live — ESPN, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Thursday Night Kickoff — NFL Network, 6 p.m.
Thursday Night Football Postgame — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL Total Access: Thursday Night Football Postgame — NFL Network, midnight

Sports Talk
NFL AM — NFL Network, 6 a.m.
The ‘Lights — NBC Sports Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive — Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, noon
Outside the Lines First Report — ESPN, 3 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME — CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
UNITE — ESPNU, midnight

Tennis
WTA Tour: Toray Pan Pacific Open, Quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 1 a.m., 4 a.m. & 6 a.m.
ATP Tour: Thailand Open, Early Rounds — Tennis Channel, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. (same day coverage)

WNBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Game 1: New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun — ESPN2, 8 p.m.

Western Conference Semifinals
Game 1: San Antonio Silver Stars at Los Angeles Sparks — ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Entertainment
The Big Bang Theory (season premiere) — CBS, 8 p.m.
Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday — NBC, 8 p.m.
Last Resort (series premiere) — ABC, 8 p.m.
History Exposed: Tools of Deception — Military Channel, 8 p.m.
Fast N’ Loud: Recharged — Discovery, 9 p.m.
Blog Cabin — DIY Network, 9 p.m.
History Exposed: Nazi Gold — Military Channel, 9 p.m.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes — HBO, 9 p.m.
Person of Interest (season premiere) — CBS, 9:01 p.m.
Symon’s Suppers: Better With Bacon — Cooking Channel, 9:30 p.m.
Louie (season finale) — FX, 10 p.m.
Very Bad Men: The Toy Box Torturer — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
Rock Center with Brian Williams (season premiere) — NBC, 10 p.m.
After the First 48: Devil Inside; Flight Risk — A&E, 10 p.m.
Elementary (series premiere) — CBS, 10:01 p.m.
House Hunters International: Panama — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Gigolos: Courtesan Session — Showtime, 11 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Sports Media Weekly No. 120 — Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times

Another edition of Sports Media Weekly. Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I are back talking about the news of the week and we focus on what else? The replacement refs and the impact on the NFL’s ratings which is none. However, Keith and I talk about how the story of the replacements have gone from just a sports story to one that has grown into discussion on the morning news shows, The View and other non-sports programs.

Keith and I were hopeful that an agreement with the real refs can be made in time so that the train wreck interest factor can be reduced.

And we talked about Time Warner Cable finally adding the NFL Network.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times is our guest. Joe is a TV writer and is part of the Company Town blog at LATimes.com.

Keith and I asked him about the new Time Warner Cable sports regional network that will rely heavily on Los Angeles Lakers games and content. Joe told us that the Lakers have control over who will cover the team on the network and that has already led to the dismissal of former NESN Red Sox reporter Heidi Watney.

We then went to talking about the NFL replacement referee situation and how the league’s television partners are not showing any muscle in getting the real officials back on the field.

Joe told us how the NFL ratings muscle can just about beat any programming including The Emmy Awards.

Keith and I then went off the beaten sports media path by talking about the new fall TV season as CBS and Fox have some red flags to be concerned with.

I also asked Joe about the Honey Boo Boo phenomenon and what he thought about Sunday’s Emmys.

Find the podcast on iTunes by doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or go here right now to listen at your leisure.

NFL Ratings Are Once Again Top of the Heap

The NFL could have grown naked men as replacement refs and the league would still garner the ratings it generated this past week. Once again, CBS’ 4:25 p.m. ET national window and NBC’s Sunday Night Football were 1-2 respectively in the overall finish of all TV programs last week. Last week it was NBC then CBS.

Again, NFL games finished on top of the local ratings in all of the league’s local markets. Check out the numbers as they’re listed below.

NFL GAMES TWO MOST WATCHED SHOWS OF WEEK

Head-to-Head: Patriots-Ravens on NBC Sunday Night Football Tops Primetime Emmys by 8 Million Viewers
RECORD-SETTING: NFL Games Top Local Ratings in All 30 Markets For Each of First Three Weeks

NFL telecasts ranked 1-2 in viewership among all television programs last week (Sept. 17-23) with the CBS national telecast (mostly Texans-Broncos) topping the charts with 24.0 million average  viewers followed by Patriots-Ravens on NBC’s Sunday Night Football drawing 21.3 million viewers.

In head-to-head competition, Sunday Night Football topped by eight million viewers the Emmy Awards on ABC (13.3 million viewers).

Locally, NFL games topped the ratings in all 30 NFL markets – marking the first time NFL telecasts have been the No. 1 rated show locally in all markets for each of the first three weeks of a season.

The Packers-Seahawks Week 3 ESPN Monday Night Football game averaged 16.2 million viewers to rank as the most-watched cable program since January’s BCS National Championship Game (Alabama-LSU).

Following is the list of the NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of Sept. 17-23:

Week of 9/17–9/23			HH	HH	RTG
Market	Game	Date	RTG	SHR	Rank
Pittsburgh	Steelers at Raiders	9/23/12	47.1	70	1
New Orleans	Chiefs at Saints	9/23/12	44.0	66	1
Denver	Broncos at Falcons	9/17/12	40.3	60	1
Baltimore	Patriots at Ravens	9/23/12	37.4	56	1
Boston	Patriots at Ravens	9/23/12	36.1	57	1
Buffalo	Bills at Browns	9/23/12	35.4	59	1
Indianapolis	Jaguars at Colts	9/23/12	34.8	59	1
Kansas City	Chiefs at Saints	9/23/12	33.3	59	1
Minneapolis	49ers at Vikings	9/23/12	32.6	68	1
Cincinnati	Bengals at Redskins	9/23/12	29.6	53	1
Atlanta	Broncos at Falcons	9/17/12	28.8	44	1
Dallas	Bucs at Cowboys	9/23/12	28.7	56	1
Houston	Texans at Broncos	9/23/12	28.1	48	1
Cleveland	Bills at Browns	9/23/12	27.3	52	1
Charlotte	Giants at Panthers	9/23/12	26.6	42	1
Nashville	Lions at Titans	9/23/12	26.4	45	1
Philadelphia	Eagles at Cardinals	9/23/12	25.5	42	1
Chicago	Rams at Bears	9/23/12	25.4	51	1
Washington, DC	Bengals at Redskins	9/23/12	24.6	49	1
Detroit	Lions at Titans	9/23/12	24.2	47	1
Phoenix	Eagles at Cardinals	9/23/12	22.5	43	1
Jacksonville	Jaguars at Colts	9/23/12	21.6	38	1
St. Louis	Rams at Bears	9/23/12	20.8	40	1
Miami	Jets at Dolphins	9/23/12	19.6	40	1
San Diego	Broncos at Falcons	9/17/12	17.3	29	1
Milwaukee	Texans at Broncos	9/23/12	16.8	29	1
San Fran-Oakland	49ers at Vikings	9/23/12	16.5	44	1
New York	Jets at Dolphins	9/23/12	15.4	34	1
Tampa	Bucs at Cowboys	9/23/12	15.2	31	1
Seattle	Patriots at Ravens	9/23/12	13.2	25	1

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company

That will do it.