Fang's Bites

Some Tuesday Morning Sports Media Thoughts

I’m on the train heading from Kingston, RI to New York City. I’ll be at a sports media event at the world-famous CBS Broadcast Center. If you follow me on Twitter or on my Facebook page, I’ll be live tweeting if possible from the event.

In the meantime, Amtrak’s wifi service is as fast as dial-up so if I try to do linkage, it’ll take me longer than the entire trip from Kingston to NYC to complete, so in lieu of links, I’ll provide a long overdue thoughts post. If you’ve been a regular visitor to the site, then you’ll know they come in bullet form. Let’s get cracking.

• The game was a blowout and was virtually over by the coin toss, but that didn’t stop ESPN from giving it all during Monday night’s BCS National Championship Game. While Alabama thoroughly dominated Notre Dame in all facets, Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit were honest and forthright throughout. They didn’t try to use hyperbole to keep viewers by hoping for a comeback. When the Crimson Tide scored its fourth touchdown in the first half to go up, 28-0, Musburger declared the game over. And in a halftime interview with Heather Cox, Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly answered honestly, “Maybe Alabama doesn’t come back in the second half. It’s all Alabama.”

  ESPN’s pictures were stellar. Replays were clear and when a potential challenge wasn’t made, the network quickly brought in a rules analyst who explained why a review wasn’t necessary.

  Yes, Brent Musburger creeped people out with his gushing over Miss Alabama Katherine Webb who’s also Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron’s girlfriend was over the top. And the four cutaways (by my count) helped to increase her Twitter following to over 100 thousand. That’s the power of being seen on a high profile game. But as people were raking Musburger as a creepy old man, former ABC, CBS and CNN anchor Kathleen Sullivan quickly came to his defense.

  I’ve known Brent Musburger since working with him in ’76. He hasn’t oogled a woman since Jayne Kennedy.

  — kathleen sullivan (@kathleennewsie) January 8, 2013

  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Brent drool over a woman in the crowd. Lest we forget Brent going gaga over Jenn Sterger at a Florida State game in 2009.

  Well, as we move from Brent’s oogling to the ESPN production, overall it went as well as it could considering the circumstances. Before the game, there were predictions that the game could set a cable viewership record had the game been close, but with Alabama establishing its authority early and often, that seems to be out the window. Although ESPN is saying the overnight numbers are way up over year.

  I’ll give ESPN a B for its efforts. The game was a D, but that’s not ESPN’s fault.

• A story surfaced (subscription required) in yesterday’s Sports Business Journal that Fox Sports 1 (when it finally begins operation) can tap the Fox local regional sports networks to fill its MLB schedule. Fox Sports 1 will air 40 MLB games beginning in 2014 with the Fox mothership airing just 12 games. John Ourand of SBJ reports that 26 of those games will be from the local Fox Sports Net affiliates which have rights to MLB teams. Like the old days when FX had the rights to Saturday night games in the aughts, Fox Sports 1 will pick up games from one of the Fox Sports Net affilates. The key is rather than be blacked out in the local markets as was the case with FX, the local RSN will be blacked out and fans will have to watch the locally RSN-produced game on Fox Sports 1. So if Fox Sports 1 airs a Yankees-Angels game, YES and Fox Sports West in the home markets would be blacked out and fans would have to find FS1 to see it. How the financials will be worked out to compensate the RSN’s for loss of local revenue has yet to be worked out. And with the late-2012 purchases of YES and Sports Time Ohio, this new provision would affect them as well.In addition, Fox/FS1 will be able to air as many as 18 New York Yankees games a season thanks to its purchase of 49% of the YES Network. This will be the case for all of the teams to which Fox has the rights. However, for a non-Fox team like the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, Fox will only have rights to 8 games. Of those 26 locally FSN games, a team can be seen as many as 10 times. For the nationally produced Fox/Fox Sports 1 games, a team can appear no more than 8 times so you get the picture of the 18 Yankees games.

  It’s an amazing story and one that is going to confuse fans at the beginning when the new MLB contracts begin in 2014.

• Last week, this site began hearing word that the usual NFL on Fox “B” team of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa would not be working one of the NFL Divisional Playoff games this weekend and would be replaced by Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin. Fox confirmed the move to Newsday’s Neil Best last week. Why did Fox make the move? A Fox spokesman told Neil that the network wanted to give a new team an opportunity to call the playoff game. But was there another reason? Is there smoke here?We eventually learned that Brennman, Billick and Okmin would work the Seattle-Atlanta game on Sunday.
  Sports Rantz speculates there could be a reason behind the move, but there could be another as well as in an issue of Sports Illustrated, Richard Deitsch listed Albert, Moose and Goose among his three worst NFL announcing teams this season.

  Whatever the reason for the move, all we know is that we won’t have that trio this weekend on any of Fox’s games.

  While I like Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, I can do without Tony Siragusa, although Goose is good on DIY Network’s Man Caves.

That’s going to finish things for us for now. I’ll see if I can post some press releases on my way back from New York.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 17, 12/30/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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.
Sunday NFL Countdown — ESPN, 10 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, 1 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Baltimore at Cincinnati — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Cleveland at Pittsburgh — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
Houston at Indianapolis — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Jacksonville at Tennessee — Don Criqui/Randy Cross
New York Jets at Buffalo — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

FOX
Carolina at New Orleans — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Krista Voda
Chicago at Detroit — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Philadelphia at New York Giants — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Tampa Bay at Atlanta — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Kansas City at Denver — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Miami at New England — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Oakland at San Diego — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker

FOX
Arizona at San Francisco — Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Kristina Pink
Green Bay at Minnesota — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at Seattle — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Dallas at Washington — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 16, 12/22 & 12/23/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

Saturday, December 22

Studio & Pregame Shows
Monday Night Countdown — ESPN, 7 p.m.
NFL Total Access — NFL Network, 7 p.m.
NFL Total Access: Postgame — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

ESPN
Atlanta at Detroit — Mike Tirico/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters

Sunday, December 23

Studio & Pregame Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN, 8:30 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Sunday NFL Countdown — ESPN, 10 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, 1 p.m.
NFL Today Postgame Show — CBS, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at Miami — Don Criqui/Randy Cross
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Indianapolis at Kansas City — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
New England at Jacksonville — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Oakland at Carolina — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
San Diego at New York Jets — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Tennessee at Green Bay — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

FOX
Minnesota at Houston — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
New Orleans at Dallas — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
St. Louis at Tampa Bay — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink
Washington at Philadelphia — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin

4:05 p.m.

CBS
Cleveland at Denver — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

4:25 p.m.

FOX
Chicago at Arizona — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
New York Giants at Baltimore — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

8:30 p.m.

NBC
San Francisco at Seattle — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 15, 12/16/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the 506.com)

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.
Sunday NFL Countdown — ESPN, 10 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, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox, 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 Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Denver at Baltimore — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Indianapolis at Houston — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Jacksonville at Miami — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

FOX
Green Bay at Chicago — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Minnesota at St. Louis — Gus Johnston/Charles Davis/Kristina Pink
New York Giants at Atlanta — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Tampa Bay at New Orleans — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Washington at Cleveland — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Krista Voda

4:05 p.m.

FOX
Carolina at San Diego — Sam Rosen/Heath Evans/Jill Savage
Detroit at Arizona — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jamie Maggio!!!
Seattle vs. Buffalo at Toronto, Ontario, Canada — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Kansas City at Oakland — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Pittsburgh at Dallas — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

8:30 p.m.

NBC
San Francisco at New England — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 14, 12/09/12

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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.
Sunday NFL Countdown — ESPN, 10 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, 1 p.m.
NFL Today Postgame Show — CBS, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Baltimore at Washington — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Kansas City at Cleveland — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
New York Jets at Jacksonville — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
San Diego at Pittsburgh — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Tennessee at Indianapolis — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

FOX
Atlanta at Carolina — Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Kristina Pink
Chicago at Minnesota — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Dallas at Cincinnati — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
St. Louis at Buffalo — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Krista Voda

4:05 p.m.

CBS
Miami at San Francisco — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

4:25 p.m.

FOX
Arizona at Seattle — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
New Orleans at New York Giants — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Detroit at Green Bay — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 13, 12/02/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox, 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 Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, noon

1 p.m.

CBS
Houston at Tennessee — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Indianapolis at Detroit — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Jacksonville at Buffalo — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
New England at Miami — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

FOX
Arizona at New York Jets — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Carolina at Kansas City — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink
Minnesota at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
San Francisco at St. Louis — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Chicago — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:05 p.m.

FOX
Tampa Bay at Denver — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Cincinnati at San Diego — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Cleveland at Oakland — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Pittsburgh at Baltimore — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Philadelphia at Dallas — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 12, 11/25/2012

All Times Eastern

Viewing Maps (the506.com)

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 7:30 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, 1 p.m.
NFL Today Postgame — CBS, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at Indianapolis — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Denver at Kansas City — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Oakland at Cincinnati — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Pittsburgh at Cleveland — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Tennessee at Jacksonville — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein

FOX
Atlanta at Tampa Bay — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick Charles Davis/Laura Okmin
Minnesota at Chicago — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Miami — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:05 p.m.

CBS
Baltimore at San Diego — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

4:25 p.m.

FOX
San Francisco at New Orleans — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at Arizona — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

8:30 p.m.

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

DirecTV Sunday NFL Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks for Week 11, 11/18/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox, 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 Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Cincinnati at Kansas City — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Cleveland at Dallas — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Jacksonville at Houston — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
New York Jets at St. Louis — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

FOX
Arizona at Atlanta — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Green Bay at Detroit — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Philadelphia at Washington — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Tampa Bay at Carolina — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:05 p.m.

FOX
New Orleans at Oakland — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Indianapolis at New England — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
San Diego at Denver — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Baltimore at Pittsburgh — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 10, 11/11/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 7:30 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
Red Zone Channel — DirecTV Channel 703, 12:55 p.m.
NFL RedZone — Check your local listings, 1 p.m.
NFL Today Postgame Show — CBS, 4 p.m.
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
The O.T. — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at New England — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Denver at Carolina — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Oakland at Baltimore — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
San Diego at Tampa Bay — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Tennessee at Miami — Spero Dedes/Steve Tasker

FOX
Atlanta at New Orleans — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Detroit at Minnesota — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
New York Giants at Cincinnati — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin

4:05 p.m.

CBS
New York Jets at Seattle — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

4:25 p.m.

FOX
Dallas at Philadelphia — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
St. Louis at San Francisco — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Houston at Chicago — Al Michael/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks for Week 9, 11/04/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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 — ESPNews, 11 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon
Red Zone Channel — DirecTV Channel 703, 12:55 p.m.
NFL Red Zone — Check your local listings, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Sunday Postgame — Fox, 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 Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Baltimore at Cleveland — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Buffalo at Houston — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Denver at Cincinnati — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Miami at Indianapolis — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

FOX
Arizona at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Carolina at Washington — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Chicago at Tennessee — Thom Brennman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Detroit at Jacksonville — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink

4:05 p.m.

FOX
Minnesota at Seattle — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
Tampa Bay at Oakland — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Pittsburgh at New York Giants — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Dallas at Atlanta — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

Your NFL Week 8 Viewing Guide

This is up late once again and I’m getting ready for Hurricane Sandy as it speeds up the East Coast into the Northeast.

Well, let’s provide the Week 8 Viewing Guide in The League Where They Play for Pay.

So why is this a Sunday unlike any other?
Well, Hurricane Sandy is going to have an impact on a couple of games, Miami at the New York Jets (CBS, Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts) in northern New Jersey and the Atlanta at Philadelphia (Fox, Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale) game at the Linc in the Delaware Valley. While it won’t be extremely windy, there will be rain bands in both cities as the storm comes up the coast. Luckily, the Carolina Panthers are on the road in Chicago (Fox, Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa) as Sandy has been hitting the North Carolina coast.

What about non-weather issues?
Let’s see, there are just two late games again, just like in Week 7, one each for CBS (Oakland at Kansas City at 4 p.m ET) and Fox (New York Giants at Dallas, 4:25 p.m.). And NBC’s Sunday Night Football will have the World Series as competition. However, based on the ratings for the World Series and the rest of the MLB Postseason, the Saints-Broncos game should come out on top when all is said and done.

Byes? Who has the dreaded bye this week?
Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Houston are off this week.

So are there any blackouts anywhere?
No and through Week 8, the NFL is happy to point out that just four games did not make the deadline to sell out 72 hours in advance. So all 14 games scheduled for this week from last Thursday through Monday Night will be seen in the local markets.

Why are there just two late games?
Fox wanted just one game as it airs the NFC East Division blood rivalry game between the Giants and Cowboys (Thom Brennaman/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver) . And with just four games early, CBS will have one late game at 4 p.m., Oakland at Kansas City (Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots) going to a large portion of the country. Blame the byes for this. But also Fox didn’t want the country to miss out on G-men/Cowpokes.

So there’s a game in London?
Yes, the New England Patriots are taking on the St. Louis Rams (Jim Nantz/Phil Simms) at the venerable Wembley Stadium on CBS. Since this is a designated home game for the Rams, the Pats are designated the road team, thus CBS gets the game as the “visiting” network. This will be the last time for just a single game in London. Next year, there will be two.

What are your Games of the Week?
For CBS, I’ll go with Pats-Rams just to see how the players handle being six hours ahead of their normal body clocks. And Miami-Jets because the game always lends for crazy things.

On Fox, I’ll choose Atlanta at Philadelphia to see if the Eagles can play a complete game for once and if they can end the Falcons’ perfect season. And the Giants-Cowboys late will give us something interesting to watch.

What about Sunday Night?
Yes, the interconference matchup between New Orleans and Denver (Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya) is quite intriguing. Can’t forget about it.

Any other games to keep our eyes on?
Yes, Washington at Pittsburgh on Fox (Sam Rosen/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin) just to see Robert Griffin III and San Diego at Cleveland on CBS (Spero Dedes/Rich Gannon) as it marks the first game for the Chargers since its massive implosion against the Broncos in Week 7 on Monday Night.

Anything else?
Let’s be careful out there. Be safe if you’re on the East Coast and have fun watching the games.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 8, 10/28/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 8 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fantasy Football Today — CBS Sports Network, 11 a.m.
Fantasy Football Now — ESPN2, 11:30 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, 1 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.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Overtime — NFL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1 p.m.

CBS
Indianapolis at Tennessee — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Jacksonville at Green Bay — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Miami at New York Jets — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
New England vs. St. Louis at London, England — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
San Diego at Cleveland — Spero Dedes/Rich Gannon

FOX
Atlanta at Philadelphia — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Carolina at Chicago — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Detroit — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
Washington at Pittsburgh — Sam Rosen/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin

4 p.m.

CBS
Oakland at Kansas City — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

4:25 p.m.

FOX
New York Giants at Dallas — Thom Brennaman/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

8:30 p.m.

NBC
New Orleans at Denver — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 6, 10/14/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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, 1 p.m.
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.
The OT — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network, midnight

1:00 p.m.

CBS
Cincinnati at Cleveland — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Indianapolis at New York Jets — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Kansas City at Tampa Bay — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Oakland at Atlanta — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf

FOX
Dallas at Baltimore — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Detroit at Philadelphia — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
St. Louis at Miami — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:05 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at Arizona — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
New England at Seattle — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

4:25 p.m.

FOX
Minnesota at Washington — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
New York Giants at San Francisco — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Green Bay at Houston — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 5, 10/07/2012

All Times Eastern

NFL Viewing Maps (the506.com)

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, 1 p.m.
Fox NFL Postgame — Fox, 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
Baltimore at Kansas City — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
Cleveland at New York Giants — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Miami at Cincinnati — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon

FOX
Atlanta at Washington — Sam Rosen/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Green Bay at Indianapolis — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

4:05 p.m.

FOX
Chicago at Jacksonville — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Seattle at Carolina — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Kristina Pink

4:25 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at San Francisco — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Denver at New England — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Tennessee at Minnesota — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker

8:30 p.m.

NBC
San Diego at New Orleans — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

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

Your Week 3 NFL Viewing Guide

Let’s give you a few things to watch for in Week 3 in The League Where They Play for Play.

Why are Time Warner Cable and Bright House subscribers a happy lot today? – That’s a silly question, chickie. If you really need to know, just ask one. Seriously, NFL Network and Time Warner came to a surprise agreement on Friday in time for Sunday’s games. So NFL Network and RedZone get access to 12 million customers across the country and in 11 team markets: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New York, San Diego and Tampa-St. Petersburg. This also affects Los Angeles, a secondary market to San Diego, the Capital Region of New York, Milwaukee and several other areas. Time Warner had been the last holdout of the major cable and satellite providers and it appeared that an agreement was nowhere in sight, but instead of going another year without NFL Network, the two sides finally came together. So Time Warner and Bright House customers will be able to see NFL Network on digital basic and NFL RedZone on a sports tier.

Who has the doubleheader this week? – CBS once again. The main game at 4:25 p.m. ET will be Denver at Houston (Jim Nantz/Phil Simms).

What’s Fox showing on Sunday afternoon when it’s not airing the NFL? – Depending on the game in your area, it will show Liverpool vs. Manchester United on tape delay either at 2:30 p.m. ET or 4:30 p.m. The game will be shown live on Fox Soccer at 8:25 if you wish to get up that early.

Any blackouts? – I’m glad you asked. Just one, in San Diego where local fans will not see the Falcons and Chargers on Fox. Miami avoided a blackout after getting an extension to sell tickets for the Jets-Dolphins game. Raider Nation is happy after the blackout was lifted so fans can see Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.

What are your games of the day? – For CBS, I’ll go with the two late games, Denver at Houston (Jim Nantz/Phil Simms) and Pittsburgh at Oakland (Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts).

On Fox, I’ll choose San Francisco at Minnesota (Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa) as the 49ers go for 3-0 and the 4:05 game between two 2-0 teams, Philadelphia at Arizona (Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin).

And yes, there’s the primetime matchup on Sunday night, New England at Baltimore on NBC (Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya). That should be quite interesting.

Any trends I should know about after the first two weeks of action? – There are three of interesting notes from the first two weeks. One, the 4:25 national window has garnered lower ratings than Sunday Night Football. Usually, Fox’s late game outrates NBC, but that hasn’t been the case so far this season. And CBS’ ratings for the New York Jets-Pittsburgh Steelers game received the lowest ratings for the late game on any network since 2009.

CBS’ ratings are down from last year in both Week 1 and Week 2.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football is also down after two weeks.

Anything else? – No. Just watch the games and enjoy your Sunday.

Your Week 2 NFL Viewing Picks

Let’s go over what’s coming up on the next NFL Sunday.

Our NFL Week actually began on Thursday? – Yup. First of 13 Thursday Night Football games on NFL Network this season.

So I won’t hear a disclaimer for “60 Minutes” on CBS at 7 p.m.? – Not when the Tiffany Network has the NFL doubleheader. With the late games now starting at 4:25 p.m. ET, both CBS and Fox have to make adjustments. When CBS has the doubleheader, primetime will start at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT. In the Mountain and Pacific time zones, the Sunday primetime lineup won’t change. The entire CBS lineup will be pushed back a half-hour and there won’t be any shows that will be preempted.

What’s with Fox showing this soccer documentary? – On five Sundays, Fox will run programming either before or after its single NFL game depending on when your contest will air in your region. This week, Fox airs the premiere of its Fox Soccer documentary series called “Being: Liverpool”. On three other Sundays, Fox will air tape delayed coverage of English Premier League action. And on the other Sunday being programmed by Fox, it will have a UFC special previewing that weekend’s MMA card on the network.

Blackouts? Tell me about the blackouts? – None this week. The San Diego Chargers narrowly avoided embarrassment by having its home opener and tribute to the late Junior Seau blacked out. An extension to sell the last remaining tickets worked. The Dolphins did not sell out their home opener, but the team bought all of the remaining tickets and the game against the Raiders on Sunday will be seen in South Florida. Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals sold out their home opener after problems selling out last season.

What are your Games of the Week, compadre? – On CBS, I’ll choose Baltimore at Philadelphia (Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf). Ravens look really good. Philadelphia has to show something after barely defeating my Browns last week. The other for CBS is Tennessee at San Diego (Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts). It should be a rather emotional scene as the Chargers pay tribute to the late Junior Seau before the game.

For Fox, I choose New Orleans at Carolina (Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink) as both teams have to show something after lackluster performances last week. And Dallas at Seattle (Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa) as we need to know if both teams were really what we saw in Week 1. Was Dallas really as good as it showed in the NFL Kickoff Game against the New York Giants? And what about Seattle? Questions abound after its loss to Arizona.

Anything else? – Sunday Night Football with a decent game as the Detroit Lions take on the San Francisco 49ers (Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya). I wonder what “Get Off My Lawn” commentary Bob Costas will make on Sunday.

That concludes the Viewing Guide for Week 2 in the League Where They Play for Pay.

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 2, 09/17/2012

All Times Eastern

Week 2 NFL Coverage Maps (The506.com)

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN, 7:30 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fantasy Football Today — CBS Sports Network, 11 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon
Fantasy Football Now — ESPN2, noon
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon
NFL Red Zone Channel — DirecTV Channel 703, 12:55 p.m.
NFL RedZone – Check Your Local Listings, 1 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
Baltimore at Philadelphia — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Cleveland at Cincinnati — Bill Macatee/Steve Tasker
Houston at Jacksonville — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Kansas City at Buffalo — Spero Dedes/Steve Beuerlein
Oakland at Miami — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots

FOX
Arizona at New England — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
Minnesota at Indianapolis — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
New Orleans at Carolina — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink
Tampa Bay at New York Giants — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver

4:05 p.m.

FOX
Dallas at Seattle — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa
Washington at St. Louis — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!

4:25 p.m.

New York Jets at Pittsburgh — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms
Tennessee at San Diego — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Detroit at San Francisco — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel Assignments
Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel Assignments

NFL Viewing Picks For Week 1, 09/09/12

All Times Eastern

Week 1 Coverage Maps Courtesy of the506.com

Pregame & Studio Shows
First on the Field (series premiere) — NFL Network, 7 a.m.
NFL Matchup — ESPN2, 8:30 a.m.
NFL GameDay Morning — NFL Network, 9 a.m.
Fantasy Football Now — ESPN2, 11 a.m.
The NFL Today — CBS, noon
Fox NFL Sunday — Fox, noon
NFL GameDay Scoreboard — NFL Network, 4 pm.
Football Night in America — NBC, 7 p.m.
NFL GameDay Highlights — NFL Network, 7:30 p.m.
NFL GameDay Final — NFL Network,  11:30 p.m.

1 p.m.

CBS
Buffalo at New York Jets — Marv Albert/Rich Gannon
Indianapolis at Chicago — Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf
Jacksonville at Minnesota — Kevin Harlan/Solomon Wilcots
Miami at Houston — Ian Eagle/Dan Fouts
New England at Tennessee — Jim Nantz/Phil Simms

FOX
Atlanta at Kansas City — Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Laura Okmin
Philadelphia at Cleveland — Dick Stockton/John Lynch/Jennifer Hale
St. Louis at Detroit — Chris Myers/Tim Ryan/Jaime Maggio!!!
Washington at New Orleans — Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa

4:25 p.m.

FOX
Carolina at Tampa Bay — Ron Pitts/Mike Martz/Kristina Pink
San Francisco at Green Bay — Joe Buck/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver
Seattle at Arizona — Sam Rosen/Heath Evans/Heidi Androl

8:30 p.m.

NBC
Pittsburgh at Denver — Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth/Michele Tafoya

NFL Sunday Ticket DirecTV Channel Assignments
SiriusXM Channel Assignments
NFL RedZone

A Few Sunday Sports Media Thoughts

Let’s provide a few sports media thoughts on this Sunday. They’ll be in bullet form.

• Last Thursday’s release of Louis Freeh’s report on Penn State University’s conduct in the Jerry Sandusky scandal was the sports media’s version of the Obamacare Supreme Court decision. Unlike the Obamacare decision, no media outlet made errors in reporting. But there were a couple of errors in judgment in the aftermath.

  First was allowing Matt Millen to go solo on SportsCenter to spout freely to defend Joe Paterno and his legacy. ESPN should have had one of its legal experts like Roger Cossack to discuss the contents of the reports. To let Millen go on to defend Paterno right after the report’s release was irresponsible. If ESPN was going to have Millen on, it needed to have an opposing viewpoint accompany him. Bad decision by ESPN.

  Second was crackpot Bill James originally stating on his own site and then again on ESPN Radio’s Doug Gottlieb Show on Saturday that the Freeh Report had somehow exonerated Paterno. James currently works for the Boston Red Sox in an advisory role and while he did not make those statements representing the team, they have a conundrum knowing that the calls for James’ firing have already begun. Someone should have corralled James before he went on ESPN Radio and embarrassed himself. How James could believe the report that report exonerated Paterno is beyond belief. The Red Sox will have to take action on James. And no, this is not a First Amendment issue. Under an organization’s employe, that organization can fire someone for actions or statements it deems offensive or contrary to its values.

  The Paterno story and its effects on Penn State will be going for a while, I’m afraid.

• I’m a fan of HBO’s boxing coverage from Jim Lampley to Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward and Harold Lederman, but when it comes to Max Kellerman, the man is abrasive, obnoxious and a charlatan. Often, he repeats what Jim Lampley has already said. Larry Merchant is much better in the third analyst role. How Kellerman has worked for ESPN, Fox Sports Net and HBO is beyond me.
• After watching a few MLS and US Soccer games on NBC Sports Network, I’ve become a fan of how Arlo White and Kyle Martino call contests. With White in the traditional commentary box and Martino down on the field, the two have very good chemistry. I look forward to having them call Olympic Soccer in the UK at the end of this month.
• If I’m on a baseball team playing on a Fox Saturday Baseball game that’s being called by Kenny Albert, I’m calling in sick. In 2010, Kenny called two marathon games, a 20 inning affair between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals and a 13 inning contest between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Then on Saturday, Kenny had another 13 inning game, this time between Detroit and Baltimore. Kenny is truly a baseball Marathon Man.

That will conclude the thoughts for today.

Some Long Overdue Linkage

Due to crazy personal schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, I wasn’t able to update the site as much as I would like. I apologize to you as I’ve been trying to keep you apprised of the latest sports media news. A few housekeeping notes, first I did some Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and you read them here.

Matt Yoder at Awful Announcing was kind to ask me on his podcast and we recorded it on Wednesday while I was on the road so the phone quality isn’t great (damn you, AT&T 3G). You can listen to what Matt and I discussed at the Awful Announcing site.

And lastly, Keith Thibault and I recorded our latest Sports Media Weekly podcast this week and our guest is Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette and the subject is college hockey coverage.

Now to our links.

Michael Smith & John Ourand from Sports Business Journal look at the possibility of ESPN and Fox Sports teaming up once again, this time to control the media rights to the Big 12 Conference. The two companies combined for the Pac-12 last year in an attempt to keep NBC Sports out of college sports and it appears the two are back at work again on the Big 12 rights.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim makes a very good point on the perceived conflict of interests of ESPN’s tennis announcers and the players to which they’re connected, case in point, Mary Jo Fernandez seen sitting with Roger Federer’s wife during the BNP Paribas Open last week on ABC.

Andrew McCalvy at MLB.com writes that Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame voice Bob Uecker will be honored with a statue outside Miller Park. Congrats to Uke on a well deserved honor. We all remember his character, Harry Doyle from the “Major League” movies and his great quote, “Juuuuust a bit outside.” Classic.

Interesting study from the Media Behavior Institute which shows a great majority still watch the NCAA Tournament on TV, but online numbers comprise a large chunk.

Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable reports that Major League Baseball is looking at placing postseason games on MLB Network to boost its subscriber numbers.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that MLB Network will produce a pregame show for Fox Saturday Baseball.

Tom Comi of Channel Guide Magazine would like a halt to the Tim Tebow media circus.

Mike Miller at NBC’s College Basketball Talk notes that the NCAA Tournament ratings on CBS/Turner are just about even with last year.

Eric Goldschein of SportsGrid has video of ESPN’s Mike Tirico losing it during last night’s Lakers-Mavericks game.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Wheaties may be dying a very slow and painful death.

Ronnie Ramos in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says coaches and players are learning the proper use of Twitter.

Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy notes that Rogers Sportsnet picked up on a popular internet meme and used it in an on-screen graphic.

To Fishbowl NY where Jerry Barmash talks with Kenny Albert.

Newsday’s Neil Best writes that NBC Sports Network set a ratings record for hockey in NYC.

Neil notes that ESPN has a new head man-in-charge.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that CBS/Turner will bring in two coaches as guest analysts for the NCAA Tournament.

Pete says ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew will be busy in the first week of the MLB season.

Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says Lehigh left an impression on CBS during the NCAA Tournament.

Matt Brooks of the Washington Post’s Early Lead has your viewing guide for tonight’s Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has links to some of the best columns from the late Furman Bisher.

Some of Bisher’s friends pay tribute to the man.

The AJC has a gallery of pictures showing Bisher throughout his career.

Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman looks at HBO Real Sports’ update on the 2001 plane crash that hit the Oklahoma State basketball program extremely hard.

Mel says local viewers chose Fox Sports Oklahoma over ESPN for two Oklahoma City Thunder games last week.

David Jablonski of the Dayton (OH) Daily News says a local man leads the millions of entries in ESPN’s Bracketology contest.

John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer is not a fan of NCAA Tournament scheduling.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the radio analyst for Bucks games has been off the air since last month.

Bob says former Brewers voice Matt Vasgersian will host the MLB Network-produced MLB on Fox pregame show.

Tom Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times remembers pioneering sportswriter Lacy J. Banks who died Wednesday.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has video of Bob Costas pontificating on the Saints suspensions.

The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Bruce Dowbiggin writes about the media fighting over staged NHL fights.

The Toronto Sports Media blog explores the local newspapers imploring the Maple Leafs to apologize to their fans for missing the playoffs.

Sports Media Watching notes that ratings on NBA TV are up.

Media Rantz says ESPN got fooled by a fake Adam Schefter Twitter account during Tim Tebow coverage last night.

We have a picture of that fake Adam Schefter tweet. “Adarn Schefter”?

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing explores the Gus Johnson departure from CBS and how it may leave him without his signature event for a long time to come.

The Convoluted Mind of a Single Man site looks at the innovations John Madden brought to NFL broadcasting.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth says league-owned networks are making big strides in production and programming.

And that will finish our links for today.

Some Late Saturday Night Sports Media Thoughts

As we are in the middle of an NFL Divisional Playoff weekend, time for a few sports media thoughts. As usual, they come in bullet form.

• I listened to and also watched Bonnie Bernstein subbing for Dan Patrick on Thursday and Friday. If it was an audition for her to host her own radio show, she passed with flying colors. She was very good as host, interacted well with the Dannettes and was very engaging with the callers and guests. Plus, she managed to get some news out of CBS NFL analyst Bill Cowher with him revealing that he had three recent coaching offers which were refused, and got former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice to break down Andrew Luck and the NFL playoff games like an expert. Very impressive guest spot by Ms. Bernstein. Bonnie has hosted her own radio show for ESPN Radio New York and here’s hoping she’ll be heard from again soon.
• Watching the nutty ending of the New Orleans-San Francisco NFL Divisional Playoff Game was quite fun. Kenny Albert did a very good job in calling the four lead changes in the last four minutes. However, Fox Sports had a couple of glitches having the transmission from San Francisco cut out twice. Also, camera work was off on a few plays. Fox can be inconsistent with its announcing and production teams and for Saints-49ers, the production did not step up to the quality of game. I wish it had.
• Good post from Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch and James Andrew Miller, co-author of the ESPN tome, “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN” on the most indispensable NFL talents. I agree with most of their picks, however, I disagree with Miller’s contention about Chris Berman. I also would not have selected Pam Oliver for sideline reporter, but it’s Miller who was asked to make the list. I will do my own list so you can compare and either agree or disagree. Overall, good picks by Deitsch and Miller.
• On Twitter on Friday, I gave my viewership predictions for this weekend’s NFL playoff games. Here’s what I tweeted:

  [blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/fangsbites/statuses/157944620607746048"]

  I’m going to revise them to reflect today’s games: New Orleans-San Francisco: 31 million and Denver-New England, 25.3 million. Sunday’s predictions remain the same.

• Now with Tim Tebow out of the NFL playoffs, ESPN needs someone else to put on its icon pedestal. Will it be LeBron James? Kobe Bryant? And on whom will Skip Bayless of ESPN First Take hang his contrived hero worship now?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Fox Sports Wraps Up The NFL Preseason Tonight & Tomorrow

Fox Sports will be finished after Friday. It airs a double dose of games tonight and tomorrow with the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the defending AFC Champ Steelers. Tonight’s game will be called by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Terry Bradshaw will join Buck and Aikman in the booth for some added analysis. Fox NFL Sunday’s Curt Menefee will also be on hand to host the pregame, halftime and postgame festivities.

And on Friday, Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa will be live from Jacksonville as the Jaguars host the Atlanta Falcons. Curt will head South and be joined by fellow NFL on Fox co-horts Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. And both Strahan and Johnson will join Kenny and “Moose” in the booth while “Goose” will be on the field.

We have the particulars from Fox Sports as well as some added comments.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

NFL Preseason Action on FOX
Pereira on FOXSports.com’s ‘BarFly’: 8^th Official Would Be a Waste

NFL ON FOX CONCLUDES PRESEASON: EAGLES @ STEELERS & FALCONS @ JAGUARS – FOX Sports finishes its preparations for the 2011 season with two preseason clashes. On Thursday, August 18 (8:00 PM ET) the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. The broadcast team of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and reporter Pam Oliver will be joined in the booth by FOX NFL SUNDAY co-host Terry Bradshaw. FOX NFL SUNDAY co-host Curt Menefee welcomes fans live from Heinz Field. Bradshaw & Menefee handle pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.

FOX Sports’ final preseason matchup takes place from EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Friday, August 19 (8:00 PM ET) as the Jaguars faceoff against the Atlanta Falcons. Play-by-play broadcaster Kenny Albert, analyst Daryl Johnston and on-field analyst Tony Siragusa will be joined in the booth by FOX NFL SUNDAY analysts Michael Strahan & Jimmy Johnson. FOX NFL SUNDAY host Curt Menefee welcomes fans live from Jacksonville. Menefee handles pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.

For instant updates during the week from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX.

PEREIRA: 8^TH OFFICIAL WOULD BE A WASTE – During the 2011 preseason, the NFL has been experimenting with an 8th official on the field during game action. NFL on FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira doesn’t feel adding another official is necessary. “I don’t think it changes the game for the good,” said Pereira appearing on FOXSports.com’s ‘BarFly’ hosted by Mark Kriegel.  Pereira estimates that it would cost the league $1.7 million and thinks they could spend the money more wisely. “They changed to a 7th official in 1978 so we’re talking 33 years ago.  A 7th official was a great change because you had five perimeter officials to cover the five eligible receivers.” Pereira feels that this added official will add to more penalties called and make the games last longer.

For Pereira’s complete interview on FOXSports.com’s ‘BarFly’ click here:  http://tinyurl.com/67fgpyw

FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM TOURS COUNTRY – FOX College Football play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, analyst Charles Davis and sideline analyst Tim Brewster are touring a dozen campuses nationwide, bringing fans a unique 24/7, behind-the-scenes look at schools they will be covering this season.  The tour kicked off at Nevada and continues at Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Arizona State, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma and Tulsa. For updates from the road, follow FOX College Football on Twitter @CFBONFOX as well as Charles Davis @CFD22.

For the full FOX College Tour schedule and to view player and coach interviews as well as video highlights from each school, visit http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/FOX-College-Football-Tour-2011-081511

That concludes this post.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 67 – Kenny Albert, Fox Sports & MSG Network

The latest edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast is now here. Sports Media Journal’s Keith Thibault and I discussed the news of the week and it was more like the news of the day as plenty of news broke today.

We first talked about the sudden development of the NBC Sports Group luring Major League Soccer away from Fox Soccer and spreading a total of 49 MLS and US Men’s Soccer games across NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network on cable.

And it led to a mention of NBC putting one or two Notre Dame home games on NBC Sports Network starting next year.

Then, we moved to ESPN announcing the hiring of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice and former coach Bill Parcells as NFL studio analysts.

Continuing with ESPN, we also talked about its ratings for Yankees-Red Sox and how the teams also gave Fox and MLB Network good numbers last weekend.

From there, we talked about NESN losing two of its stars, Kathryn Tappen to NHL Network and Jade McCarthy to a baby and a husband’s new job.

And we ended by mentioning the changes in the NFL on Fox crews.

That transitioned nicely to our guest Kenny Albert of Fox Sports, announcer for MLB and NFL games on the network as well as radio voice of the New York Rangers on MSG Network.

Keith and I asked Kenny about the recently completed NFL on Fox seminars in Los Angeles and how the get together brought back memories of when he joined the network from the ground floor in 1994.

We also discussed the dynamic of his NFL on Fox announcing partners, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa and how he approaches working with different partners for Fox Saturday Baseball.

In addition, we discovered that Kenny keeps a computer database of every announcing partner he’s ever worked with. I asked him to clarify a story told by his father Marv in his book that Kenny once chased a dinner guest into the bathroom for an interview on his own radio station.

And we then went over him calling all four sports and how it can lead to a very busy schedule.

One correction, I said Kenny’s Twitter account was @Kenny_Albert. That is actually somebody else. His account is @KennyAlbert so if you want to follow him on Twitter, make sure you type it as one word. My mistake.

You can find the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to “Sports Media Journal” or you listen right here.