Fang's Bites

Diddy’s New Single to Tip Off NCAA Championship Game

CBS has tapped Sean “Don’t Call Him Puffy, but do call him Diddy” Combs for the NCAA Tournament. Here’s the release.

CBS SPORTS’ NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME COVERAGE  TO TIP-OFF WITH NEW SINGLE FROM SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS  “HELLO GOOD MORNING”

            The opening tease of CBS Sports’ 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game on Monday, April 5 (9:00 PM, ET) will feature the infectious new song “Hello Good Morning” from the highly-anticipated album Last Train to Paris, created by multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning artist/producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, and his new group featuring Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper.

            The fast-cutting music video montage previewing the contestants in the 2010 NCAA title game was shot in New York City with Diddy alongside Dawn and Kalenna. Pete Radovich produces.

Duke, West Virginia, Butler and Michigan State are on the road to Indianapolis as CBS Sports culminates its 29^th consecutive year as the exclusive network broadcaster of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four with live coverage of the national semi-final games on Saturday, April 3 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and the National Championship game from Lucas Oil Stadium. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, CBS Sports’ lead college basketball announce team, call the games.

            Combs, who has sold 75 million albums worldwide, has teamed up with singer/songwriters Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper to create a new group.  Together this music trio, infused with formidable singing, songwriting and production talent, create a new sound: train music, an electro-hip hop soul funk experience. Their debut CD, Last Train to Paris, set for release on June 22^nd, is the embodiment of this new sound, reveals an intense love story that defies today’s musical status quo. “Hello Good Morning” is available for download on iTunes on March 31^st.

That will conclude the press releases tonight.

MLB Network Gets a Best Damn Sports Show Host

The MLB Network has hired a replacement for Victor Rojas who has gone to the Anaheim Angels as play-by-play man, and it’s Chris Rose, the MLB on Fox host and former co-host of the Best Damn Sports Show Period on Fox Sports Net. Here’s the official announcement of Chris Rose joining MLB Network and he will keep his job at Fox as well.

MLB NETWORK ADDS CHRIS ROSE TO ON-AIR TALENT LINEUP

Veteran FOX Broadcaster to Serve as Studio Host Starting Friday, April 2

Secaucus, N.J., March 30, 2010 – MLB Network today announced that Chris Rose has joined its roster of on-air talent as a studio host. Rose, who will continue his work for FOX Sports, will make his MLB Network debut on MLB Tonight Friday, April 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET and also be part of MLB Network’s 14 hours of live coverage starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Opening Day, Monday, April 5. Rose joins hosts Bob Costas, Greg Amsinger, Matt Vasgersian and Matt Yallof at MLB Network.

“Chris’s knowledge of baseball from his recent work with FOX during the regular season and World Series will enhance our coverage of the game,” said Tony Petitti, President and CEO of MLB Network. “Chris has a variety of on-air hosting and reporting experience and we’re excited to welcome him to MLB Network as we begin our second season on the air.”

Rose joined FOX in 2000 and serves as the on-site pregame show host and calls play-by-play for select games for MLB on FOX. He also hosted FOX’s pregame and post-game coverage for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game and 2009 World Series. In addition to his baseball work, Rose calls play-by-play for FOX NFL Sunday and hosted FOX Sports’ Bowl Championship Series coverage for the last four years. Rose served as a studio host for FOX’s Best Damn Sports Show Period from 2001-2009.

MLB Tonight, the signature program of MLB Network during the regular season, airs live beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET until the final MLB game of the night ends each Monday through Friday, featuring live look-ins of games in progress, updates, highlights, reporting and analysis.

I’ll give you one more release tonight. I wasn’t expecting to post all of these today, but it’s a bonus to you.

Some NBA Releases For You

I have three NBA-related releases for you. Plenty of good stuff and all from the Turner Sports family of networks. Let’s start with TNT’s NBA Thursday night doubleheader.

TNT NBA Thursday Continues with a Doubleheader Featuring Four Teams Vying for Playoff Position

Magic @ Mavericks followed by Trail Blazers @ Nuggets

TNT NBA Thursday continues on April 1 with a doubleheader beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) featuring four teams maneuvering for playoff position. The first game will feature Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic visiting Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.  Play-by-play announcer Marv Albert will call the game alongside analyst Reggie Miller with Craig Sager reporting. The second game of the night will feature a Western Conference match-up when Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets host Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m. (ET).  Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Doug Collins (analyst) will be courtside with Cheryl Miller reporting. The Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst) will recap the games.

Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on TNT OverTime on NBA.com.  The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players, coaches and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week.   Check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook  (http://www.facebook.com) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.

TNT NBA THURSDAY SCHEDULE:

Thursday, April 1

8 p.m.                 NBA Tip-Off

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

8:15 p.m.             Orlando Magic @ Dallas Mavericks

Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

10:30 p.m.           Portland Trail Blazers @ Denver Nuggets

Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst) and Cheryl Miller (reporter)

Post-game           Inside the NBA

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Thursday, April 8

8 p.m.                 NBA Tip-Off

Matt Winer (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

8:15 p.m.             Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls

Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

10:30 p.m.           Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets

Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst), Reggie Miller (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

Post-game             Inside the NBA

Matt Winer (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

The two additional press releases are coming up after the jump.

Now some more releases. This is quotage from NBA TV and its Fan Night coverage.

Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night – Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Phoenix Suns (111) @ Chicago Bulls (105)

Fan Night voting will continue on NBA.com from Tuesday, March 30 (8 a.m. ET) – Thursday, April 1 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for the season’s final Fan Night on Tues., April 6. Games include:

Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia 76ers

Golden State Warriors @ Washington Wizards

Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks

Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls

San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings

CLIP OF THE DAY

           

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on his picks for MVP

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is my responsibility to make sure that we improve and continue to move in the right direction. The playoffs are right here so it is important that I put my foot on the gas and make sure that we have in our mind’s eye the kind of urgency that we need to play with and defend.”

– Kobe Bryant on the vision he has for his team going into the Playoffs:

****    ****    ****    ****

Pre-Game Show

Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber

LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant joins the NBA TV crew during pre-game

Bryant on the vision he has for his team going into the Playoffs: “It is my responsibility to make sure that we improve and continue to move in the right direction. The playoffs are right here so it is important that I put my foot on the gas and make sure that we have in our mind’s eye the kind of urgency that we need to play with and defend.”

Bryant on his attitude during last night’s loss against the Hornets: “The trap that you run into is that you play with that sense of urgency when you are down 10, 12, 13 points. That is the kind of mentality that I do not want us to have going into the post season. You kind of lollygag going into a series and then you are down 3-1. You kind of fall into that false sense of security and all of a sudden it is time to go and it’s too late.”

Bryant on the motivation the Lakers need to have going into the Playoffs: “This is the first time that we have ever had to repeat. We don’t want to be that type of team that has to lose a championship in order to appreciate a championship. The experience we had in Boston (two years ago) should be enough to sustain that hunger for a period of time.”

Bryant on the difference between the Lakers this year and the Lakers last year: “We are a different team; it is tough to say if t is better. Ultimately if we win another championship, we can’t go any higher than that. We won last year and if we are fortunate enough to win one this year you can call the teams on par. We have a different identity. Last year Trevor (Ariza) had his hand on balls, he was active, he was a lengthy long defender. This year our team is more physical, we’ve slowed things down quite a bit, used more of the shot clock quite a bit, it is just different.”

Bryant on his role as a scorer going into the playoffs with this team: “It entirely depends on the defense and how they play me. I will let them pick and choose how I’m going to play. If they double and come quickly then I’m going to kick it and facilitate my other guys.  If they want to play me straight up certain stretches of the game, then I’m going to work and do what I do.  I let them pick their poison.”

Bryant on the changes he has made during his career: “I think it is a growth period; once you come into the NBA you have to find out what your game is going to be. How are you going to develop, what is going to be your identity and how is the team going to be able to adjust to it on a nightly basis. It took me a little while to figure out what my game was going to be. I went through periods where I changed throughout the years but the important thing is to be as consistent as you can.”

Bryant on Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash: “He controls the pace, he controls the tempo. He sees everything on the floor and puts guys in position to make them successful. He makes adjustments on the fly. When you are defending him, you really have to react on the fly. The team is playing to his strengths. They got away from it for a minute and now they got back to it.”  

Bryant on Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Rose: “He is at the top of the list but he’s still young so he has a lot to improve on mainly his shooting. He can handle the ball. He can change his pace very well for a young player, finish at the rim. The biggest key for him is getting that long ball.   He has got a pretty good mid-range game as it is. What I like about him is that he is not all speed.”

Bryant on what type of player the Bulls need to help guard Derrick Rose: “They need a shooter. Because he is not a great shooter himself so you need someone to offset that. I like having basketball players that can create as well so he is not the only one that has to facilitate plays for others.  That is what I would look for.”

Bryant on Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson fitting in with the Chicago Bulls: “He is an underrated player. I love playing against Joe because he competes.  I play against some of these two guards that just roll over. He is not going to do that. He plays both ends of the floor. He is one of those free agents coming into next summer that is flying below the radar but can really change the dynamics of the team.”  

Bryant on which game winning shot stands out the most for him this season: “I think the first one against Miami. That was the only shot out of all the shots that I ever made that I didn’t practice. It was purely a lucky HORSE shot.”

Bryant on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant being included as an MVP pick: “It is a shame because in the position that he is in he won’t get a lot of votes because he is not winning all these games but the success and the turnaround that they have had in Oklahoma and the way that he has performed, it is only fair to put him in that category.” 

Bryant on Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard being included as an MVP: “Dwight should be in that category every year; he doesn’t get enough credit either. I think defensively what he does makes him an MVP candidate in itself.”

Bryant on the team in the NBA that isn’t getting enough credit: “In the East, I’m going to say Charlotte. I think Charlotte is extremely dangerous. In the West for some reason people continue to sleep on San Antonio, which I don’t get.”

*****  *****  *****

Halftime Report

Johnson, McHale and Webber

Webber on Coach Vinny Del Negro adjusting the Bulls starting line-up: “I think that Vinny Del Negro is going to have to adjust the starting line up these last 8 to 10 games. The other night Chicago lost a big game because I thought they put (Joakim) Noah in to late. Noah is the one that got this run started. You can not underestimate energy guys; they make it better for your skill guys. I think he is going to have to tinker with the line up and maybe let Brad (Miller) and them come off the bench and let Joakim and these other guys get the game going.”

*****  *****  *****

NBA GameTime

Johnson, McHale and Webber

Suns guard Steve Nash joined NBA TV via ArenaLink after the Suns defeated the Bulls.

Nash on the importance of heading into the playoffs with momentum: “We know that if you lose a game, you’re in a free-fall in the Western Conference and you could go down three spots (in the playoff seeding).  Every game is important.  For us, we’d love to have home court (advantage) and finish as high as we can but the truth of the matter is we want to continue to play well and continue to build and get better.  I think we’re going to be in the playoffs now so if we continue to improve, no matter who we play, I think we have a chance to win.”

Webber on Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich leaving the game with an ankle injury: “Not having Kirk Hinrich in there can take its toll. He’s a leader, a second point guard, he can shoot on that floor. He’s definitely going to be missed.”

Webber on the Oklahoma City Thunder winning their 45^th game of the season: “If they win 50 games no one in this country, in the world, not even in their organization thought they could do that. Great job to those young boys.”

Webber on the Phoenix Suns being a dangerous playoffs opponent with home court advantage: “You do not want to play Phoenix with them having the home court advantage. That four-five spot is so important because that can change their life. You just want to make sure you have home court advantage versus a team like Phoenix.”

McHale: “All those teams are looking at the four spot saying we want to get there. There are going to be three or four teams fighting for that spot right down to the finish.”

Webber on a potential playoffs match-up between Dallas and Portland: “I am probably one of the biggest Dirk Nowitzki fans in all of the NBA, but I’m going with Portland. Portland is so resilient, they’ve gone through everything, injuries in the shower, the coach tearing his Achilles, there’s not much this team hasn’t seen. When you go into the playoffs you want to play team that aren’t steady, teams that don’t know their identity. These guys know who they are because they don’t have some of their best players right now.”

And that leads us to Turner Sports’ plans to promote the NBA Playoffs. It will be a multiplatform effort across its various networks.

TNT Tips Off 2010 NBA Playoffs with Robust Marketing Campaign as Teams Prepare to ‘Win or Go Home’

Network to Utilize Online, Print, Radio and Out-of-Home Assets as well as a Regal Cinemas Spot Featuring Superstars Jamie Foxx and Justin Timberlake

Turner Network Television (TNT) announced today its 2010 NBA Playoffs marketing campaign to promote the network’s ‘Win or Go Home’ NBA playoff action that begins Sunday, April 18 and includes exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals. The campaign will utilize extensive placements across online, out-of-home, print and radio, as well as a promotional spot appearing in Regal Cinemas featuring Grammy award-winning musician and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and two-time Emmy award winner and six-time Grammy award-winning artist Justin Timberlake. The Regal Cinemas campaign will begin on Friday, April 2 with the 2:30 spot appearing in more than 1,200 theaters on nearly 16,000 screens across the country.

From the big screen to the computer screen, TNT will have a major presence on the social media site Facebook through ads, the NBA on TNT Facebook page, complete with polls and the opportunity to win prizes, and a new branded game called Playoff Picks: Win or Go Home. The game, the first of its kind for Turner Sports, allows fans to compete against their friends to predict the outcomes of various stat categories and will earn points based on their accuracy after the playoff games conclude. Additional online marketing components will include daily videos on the NBA YouTube channel, a take-over on Yahoo! Sports’ home page on Wednesday, May 19 and ads posted on sites including NBA.com, SI.com and Yahoo! Sports.

“The NBA Playoffs is the most critical and exciting time of the NBA season and we believe that our creative spots across multiple platforms will undoubtedly resonate with fans and remind them where they can watch their favorite teams ‘win or go home,’” said Christina Miller, senior vice president of Turner Sports strategy/marketing/promotions and Cartoon Network Enterprises. 

Rounding out the network’s multiplatform marketing campaign are print advertisements in Playboy, with a back-page spread, USA Today and Hoop, and digital billboards with topical tune-in messages in Western Conference cities Dallas and Los Angeles and in the East in Cleveland and Orlando.  In addition, sports talk radio DJ endorsements will air in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Antonio in the West and Atlanta, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee and Orlando in the East.  Finally, spot broadcast ads will run in Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Orlando as well as across the Turner-owned networks including TNT, TBS, CNN and truTV.

That does it.

ESPN2 Gets Manchester United vs. Chelsea This Saturday

The big rivalry game in the English Premier League, the Red Sox vs. Yankees, Duke vs. North Carolina, Steelers vs. Browns, Dodgers vs. Giants, Michigan vs. Ohio State all rolled into one as 1st place Manchester United takes on second place Chelsea. It’s on Saturday and ESPN2 gets the match live. Here are the coverage plans.

Battle for First in Barclays Premier League – Manchester United vs. Chelsea Live on ESPN2

ESPN2 will televise live Manchester United vs. Chelsea FC, the most-anticipated matchup in the 2009-10 Barclays Premier League season to-date, from Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, April 3, at 7:30 a.m. ET. With six match days remaining in the season, Manchester United is atop the Premiership standings with 72 points from 32 matches. Chelsea is a close second at 71 points, and Saturday’s match will likely decide the winner of one of the most-coveted trophies in professional league soccer. Highlights: 

• The teams have scored the most goals in the league – Chelsea – 82, and Manchester United – 76
• They have also conceded the fewest goals: Manchester United with 25 and Chelsea, 29
• For seven straight seasons (2003-04 to-date), both teams have finished among the top three teams in the league and Manchester United, the reigning champions, have won three straight titles in that period. Chelsea preceded Manchester United’s current championship run with back-to-back titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

ESPN’s TV coverage:

• Derek Rae, ESPN’s 2010 FIFA World Cup play-by-play commentator and host of ESPN Soccernet Press Pass, will provide on-site prematch, halftime and post-match reporting from Old Trafford beginning Friday, joined by Efan Ekoku, ESPN’s 2010 FIFA World Cup match analyst, for SportsCenter previews of the matchup
• Peter Drury will call the match with analyst Ekoku
• Adrian Healey, Robbie Mustoe and Alexi Lalas will host the pre-match, halftime and post-match segments with live on-site reporting.

Ok, I have one or two more press releases coming up.

ESPN’s Coverage Plans For The Final Four

We have your coverage plans from ESPN for the Final Four. Of course, the coverage spans across networks and platforms.

Extensive 2010 Men’s Final Four Coverage across ESPN Entities Includes Live Reports from Indianapolis

 

ESPN will offer extensive multimedia coverage of the NCAA Men’s Final Four, including in-depth analysis, news, interviews and highlights across many ESPN platforms. Highlights include:

 

• ESPN: Daily SportsCenter reports Friday, April 2, to Monday, April 5, and two episodes of College GameDay, including a 90-minute pre-Championship show at 7:30 p.m. ET. Select SportsCenter, College GameDay and ESPNEWS segments will originate from inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the Final Four.
• ESPNU: Extensive analysis and on-site reports during SportsCenterU and replays of memorable regular-season games involving teams in the Final Four and Championship game.
• ESPNEWS: Daily segments from on-site reporters and coverage of news conferences.
• ESPN.com: Commentary and analysis including those from on-site reporters, live chats and ESPN.com’s SportsNation polls, plus content via ESPN Mobile Properties.
• ESPN Radio: Extensive daylong analysis, previews and interviews Saturday and Monday.
• ESPN Classic: Two days of memorable NCAA Tournament games Saturday and Monday.

 

SportsCenter

ESPN’s season-long men’s college basketball studio host Rece Davis and analysts Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis will provide primary studio analysis from ESPN’s headquarters. ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, along with fellow analyst Jay Bilas, who works with Rece Davis, Phelps and Hubert Davis on College GameDay, will provide on-site analysis from Indianapolis. ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight will provide analysis for College GameDay and SportsCenter via satellite. ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and reporter Bob Holtzman will cover breaking news and updates from Indianapolis. 

 

Bilas and Vitale will provide segments from the ESPN location inside Lucas Oil Stadium overlooking the court, including reports during team practice sessions Friday, April 2, postgame analysis Saturday, April 3, and pre- and postgame analysis Monday, April 5. Katz and Holtzman will provide reports from Indianapolis.

 

In addition, ESPN will provide analysis between semifinal games Saturday, April 3, and at halftime of the Championship game Monday, April 5.

 

Two 90-minute College GameDay Programs

ESPN will televise two 90-minute editions of College GameDay: Saturday, April 3 at noon previewing the National Semifinal matchups and a Championship preview Monday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. which will be simulcast on ESPNU. Rece Davis will host both programs with analysis from Vitale, Knight, Bilas, Phelps and Hubert Davis.

 

ESPNU

ESPNU will provide extensive analysis and on-site reports on SportsCenterU, and two Cram Sessions.

 

• SportsCenterU will feature interviews, updates, pre- and postgame analysis and live reports, including those from Indianapolis on Saturday, April 3, (7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to midnight) and Monday, April 5, (6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).
• ESPNU’s two Cram Sessions will feature encore presentations of regular-season games involving the Final Four teams (Butler, Duke, Michigan State and West Virginia) Saturday, April 3, from midnight to noon, and the Championship game Monday, April 5, from midnight-7:30 p.m.

 

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS will offer in-depth analysis and previews of the teams and matchups beginning Thursday, April 1, including the latest news, reports and analysis from Katz and Holtzman in Indianapolis and Doug Gottlieb and Jay Williams in studio. In addition, ESPNEWS will present live Final Four team news conferences and practice sessions, and postgame news conferences Saturday and Monday.

 

ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile Properties

ESPN.com will offer on-site reports, features and video analysis from writers Katz, Pat Forde, Dana O’Neil, Mark Schlabach and Eamonn Brennan. Other highlights:

 

• Vitale and Bilas providing analysis of all Final Four matchups;
• ESPN.com video clips featuring highlights, commentary and more;
• Expert picks on the National Semifinal and Championship games;
• ESPN’s Greg Garber taking an extensive look back at the 20th Anniversary of UNLV’s championship team;
• Team breakdowns;
• SportsNation polls and live chats with ESPN experts and sports personalities.
• ESPN Mobile Properties will cover the Final Four with special editorial sections on the industry-leading mobile Web sports site, on-demand video highlights and analysis via ESPN MVP and AT&T CV, ESPN Alerts to deliver up-to-the-minute Final Four scores and news including Close Game / Upset Alerts, live GameCast and more.

 

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will present in-depth previews and postgame analysis throughout Saturday, April 3, on SportsCenter (10 a.m.-8 p.m.) and GameNight (8 p.m.-1 a.m.), and on Monday, April 5, on the Brian Kenny Show (8-10 p.m.) and SportsCenter Tonight (10 p.m.-midnight). Other regularly scheduled ESPN Radio programming and SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes will present interviews with newsmakers and ESPN college basketball analysts, as well as any breaking news from Indianapolis.

 

ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic will provide two encore presentations of memorable NCAA Tournament games Saturday, April 3, and four classic games Monday, April 5.

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Sat, Apr 3	10 a.m.	1995 National Championship: UCLA vs. Arkansas
	Noon	1992 NCAA East Regional Final: Duke vs. Kentucky
Mon, Apr 5	10 a.m.	1987 National Championship: Syracuse vs. Indiana
	Noon	1999 National Championship: Connecticut vs. Duke
	2 p.m.	1982 National Championship: Georgetown vs. North Carolina
	4 p.m.	2008 National Championship: Kansas vs. Memphis

I may have more releases later on.

CBS College Sports’ Final Four Coverage

CBS College Sports outlines its plans for the Final Four beginning Thursday.

CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK-THE OFFICIAL CABLE HOME OF THE NCAA^® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP-COVERS ALL THE ACTION IN INDIANAPOLIS SURROUNDING THE 2010 MEN’S FINAL FOUR^®

Network’s Programming to Include Live Coverage of Final Four Friday™ Team Practices, All Press Conferences, Official Highlight Show and National Championship Pre-game Show

Network to Broadcast 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four Salute Presentation on Thursday, April 1

Greg Anthony, Seth Davis, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Lappas, Adam Zucker and Tracy Wolfson Anchor Coverage

            CBS College Sports Network, the official cable network of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, provides the most comprehensive coverage of the Men’s Final Four semi-final and championship games in complement to CBS Sports’ exclusive live game broadcasts, as it extends coverage to Indianapolis bringing fans all the action, excitement and sights from around the city.

            CBS College Sports Network tips-off coverage in Indianapolis with the 2010 NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR SALUTE PRESENTATION, live from The Hilbert Circle Theatre. CBS Sports’ lead play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz hosts, as the NCAA honors the coaches and players participating in the Final Four and looks back at their road to Indianapolis.

CBS College Sports Network broadcasts FINAL FOUR PRACTICE on Friday, April 2 (12:00 NOON-4:30 PM, ET) live from Lucas Oil Stadium during Final Four Friday team practices. The program brings viewers the latest news and press conferences for all four teams. Adam Zucker anchors the coverage along with CBS Sports analysts Greg Anthony, Seth Davis, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Lappas and guest coaches and analysts.  Tracy Wolfson serves as reporter.

In addition, CBS College Sports Network broadcasts the official highlight show of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NCAA MARCH MADNESS HIGHLIGHTS, airing immediately following the conclusion of Final Four semi-final games and the National Championship on CBS Sports. The program features a recap of the action with scores, news, highlights and analysis. Zucker hosts along with Anthony, Davis, Szczerbiak and Lappas.

Also on Friday (4:30-7:00 PM, ET) CBS College Sports Network broadcasts the 2010 COLLEGE ALL-STAR GAME, live from Lucas Oil Stadium. Dave Ryan and Pete Gillen handle the call with Wolfson reporting.

The countdown to tip-off officially begins with the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRE-GAME SHOW live from Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday, April 5 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET). CBS Sports’ Greg Gumbel hosts, along with Anthony and Davis breaking down the game.

The complete CBS College Sports Network 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four and Championship programming schedule follows.

CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK 2010 NCAA TOURNAMENT PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

Thur., April 1 – 6:30 – 7:30 PM, 2010 FINAL FOUR SALUTE PRESENTATION

Fri., April 2 – 12:00-4:30 PM, FINAL FOUR PRACTICE

Fri., April 2 – 4:30-7:00 PM, 2010 COLLEGE ALL-STAR GAME

Sat., April 3 – 8:30-9:00 PM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

Sat., April 3 - 11:00-11:30 PM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

Sat., April 3 – 11:30 PM-12:00 AM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS HIGHLIGHTS

Sat., April 3 – 12:00-12:30 AM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL 

Sun., April 4 – 12:00-2:00 PM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

 

Mon., April 5 – 6:00-7:00 PM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

Mon., April 5 - 8:00-9:00 PM, NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRE-GAME SHOW  

Mon., April 5 – 11:00-11:30 PM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

Mon., April 5 – 11:30 PM-12:00 AM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS HIGHLIGHTS 

Mon., April 5 – 12:00-12:30 AM, NCAA MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL

That’s it.

NFL Network’s Schedule for Next Week

More press releases for you tonight. Here’s what NFL Network is airing over the next seven days.

NFL NETWORK PROGRAMMING NOTES (3/31-4/6)

‘ARENA FOOTBALL FRIDAY’ DEBUTS WITH

CHICAGO RUSH VS. IOWA BARNSTORMERS

FRIDAY AT 8:00 PM ET

Chargers LB Shawne Merriman In-Studio on NFL Total Access Thursday at 7:00 PM ET

Path to the Draft Expands to One Hour Beginning at

6:00 PM ET Monday, April 5

22 DAYS UNTIL THE 2010 NFL DRAFT IN PRIMETIME The 75th NFL Draft will kick off in primetime for the first time on NFL Network.  The first round will start on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 PM ET with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23 at 6:00 PM ET followed by rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 24 at 10:00 AM ET.

‘ARENA FOOTBALL FRIDAY’ MAKES ITS DEBUT ON FRIDAY, APRIL 2 AT 8:00 PM ET

NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister and Solomon Wilcots will be in the booth for the debut of “Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network Friday, April 2 at 8:00 PM ET. Friday’s matchup features the Chicago Rush vs. the Iowa Barnstormers live from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA.

Burmeister splits play-by-play duty with Fran Charles on the network’s 18-game schedule while Wilcots, Charles Davis, Tom Waddle and others who will be announced during the season will serve as analysts.

NFL Network’s “Arena Football Friday” telecasts are slated for Friday nights in primetime at 8:00 PM ET with Burmeister and Wilcots calling the inaugural April 2 game featuring the Chicago Rush vs. Iowa Barnstormers. Burmeister and Waddle pair up Week 2 with the Rush hosting the Cleveland Gladiators April 9, while Week 3 features Charles and Davis in Jacksonville with the Orlando Predators visiting the Sharks on April 16.

All AFL games on NFL Network will be telecast in High Definition and feature special in-game audio techniques that capture the high-scoring action and fast paced intensity that is the hallmark of the AFL.

Path to the Draft Expands to One Hour Monday, April 5

With three weeks until the 75^th NFL Draft, Path to the Draft expands to one hour, starting at 6:00 PM ET Monday, April 5 to bring viewers the most comprehensive information surrounding draft prospects and NFL team needs.

Path to the Draft features contributions from a variety of NFL Network analysts and other experts including Mike Mayock, Charles Davis, Bucky Brooks, Michael Lombardi and Charley Casserly, as well as team beat writers who have the pulse of NFL franchises around the league.

THIS WEEK ON NFL TOTAL ACCESS

Wednesday, March 31

• Lindsay Soto reports from USC’s Pro Day
• Jason La Canfora goes ‘Around the League’
• ‘State of the Franchise’ continues with a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers

Thursday, April 1

• Chargers LB Shawne Merriman in-studio
• Jason La Canfora goes ‘Around the League’
• ‘State of the Franchise’ continues with a look at the Atlanta Falcons

Friday, April 2

• Steve Wyche goes ‘Around the League’
• ‘State of the Franchise’ continues with a look at the Houston Texans

Monday, April 5

• Steve Wyche goes ‘Around the League’
• ‘State of the Franchise’ continues with a look at the Cincinnati Bengals

Tuesday, April 6

• Jason La Canfora goes ‘Around the League’

• State of the Franchise’ continues with a look at the New England Patriots

THIS WEEK ON NFL.COM

Wednesday, March 31

• Bucky Brooks releases his latest mock draft

Thursday, April 1

• Pat Kirwan takes a look at teams that could be potential landing spots for Tim Tebow

·         Vic Carucci examines the connection between Tebow and the Buffalo Bills organization

·         Chats: Steve Wyche (NOON ET), Bucky Brooks (1:00 PM ET), Chargers LB Shawne Merriman (6:00 PM ET)

Friday, April 2

• Bucky Brooks looks at which draft prospects are rising and which are falling in the eyes of NFL teams.

·         Vic Carucci addresses the questions at the quarterback position within the NFC West

·         Chats: Vic Carucci (NOON ET), Jamie Dukes (4:30 PM ET)

DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (all times listed are ET)

Wednesday, March 31

6:30 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – America’s Game – The Missing Rings: 1988 Cincinnati Bengals (HD)

9:00 PM – America’s Game: 1988 San Francisco 49ers (HD)

10:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

10:30 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Thursday, April 1

1:00 PM – Film Session: Best Ever Coaches

2:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

2:30 PM – Film Session: Super Bowl XI – Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings

3:00 PM – America’s Game – The Missing Rings: 1988 Cincinnati Bengals (HD)

4:00 PM – America’s Game: 1988 San Francisco 49ers (HD)

5:00 PM – NFL’s Greatest Games: 2001 AFC Divisional – Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots

6:30 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Foul-Ups

9:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Records

10:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

10:30 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Friday, April 2

1:00 PM – Film Session: Best Ever Teams

2:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

2:30 PM – Film Session: Super Bowl XII – Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos

3:00 PM – Lost Treasures: The End of an Era

4:00 PM – Lost Treasures: Sundays with Soul

5:00 PM – NFL’s Greatest Games: Super Bowl XXXII – Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers

6:30 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – Arena Football Friday: Chicago Rush vs. Iowa Barnstormers (HD) – LIVE

11:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

11:30 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

Saturday, April 3

Path to the Draft Weekly Marathon

12:30 PM – Path to the Draft: Monday edition (HD)

1:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Tuesday edition (HD)

1:30 PM – Path to the Draft: Wednesday edition (HD)

2:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Thursday edition (HD)

2:30 PM – Path to the Draft: Friday edition (HD)

3:00 PM – America’s Game – The Missing Rings: 1988 Cincinnati Bengals (HD)

4:00 PM – America’s Game: 1988 San Francisco 49ers (HD)

5:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Foul-Ups

6:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Records

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Week in Review (HD)

8:00 PM – Super Bowl Classics: Super Bowl XXXI – Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots

11:00 PM – NFL Total Access: Week in Review (HD)

Sunday, April 4

9:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Upsets

10:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Power Backs

11:00 AM – NFL’s Top 10: Single-Season Performances

12:00 PM – NFL’s Top 10: Super Bowl Performances

1:00 PM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots (HD)

2:30 PM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos (HD)

4:00 PM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (HD)

5:30 PM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Weekly Countdown: Week 4 (HD)

7:30 PM – SoundFX: Week 4 (HD)

8:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Monday edition (HD)

8:30 PM – Path to the Draft: Tuesday edition (HD)

9:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Wednesday edition (HD)

9:30 PM – Path to the Draft: Thursday edition (HD)

10:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Friday edition (HD)

Monday, April 5

6:00 AM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots (HD)

7:30 AM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos (HD)

9:00 AM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (HD)

10:30 AM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (HD)

12:00 NOON – America’s Game – The Missing Rings: 1990 Buffalo Bills (HD)

1:00 PM – America’s Game: 1990 New York Giants (HD)

2:00 PM – America’s Game – The Missing Rings: 1998 Minnesota Vikings (HD)

3:00 PM – America’s Game: 1998 Denver Broncos (HD)

4:00 PM – Around the League (HD)

4:30 PM – NFL Replay: 2009—Week 4, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (HD)

6:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL Classic Games: 2007 AFC Divisional Playoff – San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

11:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

Tuesday, April 6

1:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

2:00 PM – NFL Follies: Phenomenal Football Follies

3:00 PM – NFL Follies: Follies on Parade

4:00 PM – Around the League (HD)

4:30 PM – NFL’s Greatest Games: Super Bowl XIII – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys

6:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

8:00 PM – NFL Game of the Week: 2005 AFC Wild Card – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots (HD)

9:00 PM – NFL Game of the Week: 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff – New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos (HD)

10:00 PM – Path to the Draft (HD)

11:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD)

More releases coming up.

Westwood One Radio’s Final Four Announcing Team

Westwood One Radio has announced its announcers for the NCAA Final Four and it’s nice to see Bill Walton returning to college basketball. Here’s the roster.

WESTWOOD ONE ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR BROADCAST TEAM FOR THE 2010 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL FINAL FOUR

-- Kevin Kugler– Play-by-Play, John Thompson – Color Analyst, Bill Raftery – Color Analyst, Jim Gray – Courtside Reporter, John Tautges – Pregame and Halftime Host – Bill Walton---Pregame/Halftime Analyst

-- Broadcast will Air on More Than 500 Stations Nationwide --

New York, NY – March 31, 2010 – Westwood One/NCAA Radio Network is proud to announce the all-star broadcast team for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four: Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Bill Raftery, Jim Gray, Bill Walton and John Tautges.  The 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four airs live from Indianapolis, IN, on Saturday, April 3, 2010 and Monday, April 5, 2010 and will be heard on over 500 radio stations across America.

NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS

Saturday, April 3, 2010 @ 5:00 p.m. ET

(5) Butler vs. (5) Michigan State (tip-off 6:07 p.m. ET)

(1) Duke vs. (2) West Virginia (tip-off 8:47 p.m. ET*)

*tip-off time is only approximate and depends upon the length of the first game

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Monday, April 5, 2010 @ 8:00 p.m. ET (tip-off 9:21 p.m. ET)

Butler / Michigan State winner vs. Duke / West Virginia winner

For information on stations carrying these games in your area, please visit www.westwoodone.com/ncaa

Kevin Kugler will once again provide play-by-play for the national semi-final doubleheader and championship game with former Georgetown and Hall of Fame coach John Thompson and former Seton Hall coach Bill Raftery adding color commentary.  Emmy-winning sportscaster Jim Gray returns as courtside reporter and John Tautges serves as pregame and halftime host for Westwood One’s Final Four^™ coverage. Three-time NCAA Player of the Year and Hall of Famer Bill Walton joins the crew this year, offering analysis during the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. Westwood One will also present The Final Four Show and Championship Monday, hosted by John Tautges.  The Final Four Show will air two-and-a-half hours prior to the National Semifinal game, while Championship Monday will air two hours before the National Championship game. In addition, Westwood One presents the NCAA Final Four Radio Row, a special all-star broadcast event live from Indianapolis. Westwood One’s NCAA Final Four Radio Row will feature sports radio stations broadcasting daily to top markets across America.

Westwood One’s NCAA Radio Network is the exclusive provider of complete NCAA basketball coverage including major conference championships, March Madness^®, the NCAA Men’s Final Four^™ and Championship Game, as well as the NCAA Women’s Final Four^® and Championship Game.

Westwood One is the leader in play-by-play sports broadcasts on radio. In addition to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four, upcoming events on Westwood One include the Masters, the Frozen Four, and the College World Series.

 

Westwood One NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Broadcast Team

Kevin Kugler returns as the radio play-by-play announcer for the NCAA Men’s Final Four broadcast.  Kugler is also familiar to listeners as the lead announcer for Westwood One’s regular season college basketball package, where he pairs with Pete Gillen. Kugler also currently serves as a play-by-play announcer for Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL, after spending three seasons as their voice of College Football. He has also called the past six Men’s College World Series for the NCAA Radio Network and most recently co-anchored Westwood One’s nightly coverage of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver. Additionally, Kugler co-hosts a daily sports talk show host in Omaha, and has won the Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year Award six times in the last seven years.

John Thompson returns for the 8th straight season as color analyst for Westwood One’s NCAA Radio Network coverage of the Final Four.  Thompson, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, is best known as the former head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas.  Thompson was named NCAA Coach of the Year seven times and led his team to 24 straight post-season appearances, three NCAA Final Fours, and the National Championship in 1984.

Bill Raftery also returns as an analyst for Westwood One in his 18th consecutive year sitting courtside for Westwood One’s Final Four coverage.  From 1970-1981, Raftery served as head basketball coach at Seton Hall University, where he led the Pirates to seven straight winning seasons and a record of 154-141. Raftery led the team to four ECAC post-season tournaments and two National Invitational Tournament appearances. Raftery also serves as a television analyst for the New Jersey Nets and college basketball on CBS.

Jim Gray returns as courtside reporter for the NCAA Men’s Final Four broadcast. Gray also serves as host of Westwood One’s Monday Night Football pregame and halftime shows. Gray covers boxing for Showtime, is a contributor to NBC’s Today Show, and also served as a courtside reporter for the NBA on NBC and ESPN for many years.  Gray’s numerous credits include: seven Olympic Games, 23 Masters, 14 Super Bowls, seven World Series and 15 NBA Finals. Gray has won eight Emmy Awards and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bill Walton will be making his first trip to the Final Four with Westwood One, but is a veteran to college basketball’s greatest stage. Walton led UCLA to three straight Final Four appearances as a player from 1972-1974, and captured two NCAA titles as a member of the Bruins. His 44-point performance in the 1973 Championship Game vs. Memphis is still an NCAA record, and garnered him the Most Outstanding Player Award. He was named the NCAA Player of the Year three times, and was an Academic All-American three times as well. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Walton also worked as an analyst for CBS Sports in the early 90′s during the NCAA Final Four and then for the NBA on NBC for many years. Since then, he has also worked for ABC, ESPN, Turner, and NBA TV as a game analyst.

John Tautges returns to the Westwood One/NCAA Radio Network as the host for the Final Four, a role he served from 2003-2006. In addition to anchoring the network’s tournament coverage throughout the month, John has hosted all four major golf championships for Westwood One, and is a play-by-play announcer for both College Basketball and College Football. Just prior to March Madness, John was in Vancouver, where he co-anchored Westwood One’s nightly coverage of the Winter Olympics, his 6th Olympiad with the network.

Do I have more press releases? Yes I do and they’re coming up.

NFL Network Ramps Up Its Coverage of the 75th Annual Draft

Lost in the euphoria of the NFL Exhibition Game schedule is the NFL Draft coverage. NFL Network has unveiled its plans for this year’s draft which will expand over three days and be in primetime on the first day.

Check this out.

READY FOR PRIMETIME –

NFL NETWORK CELEBRATES THE 75^TH NFL DRAFT WITH MOST COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE EVER

RECORD 38 HOURS OF LIVE DRAFT COVERAGE FEATURING MORE THAN 18 PERSONALITIES

NFL Draft Round One Thursday at 7:30 PM ET, Rounds Two and Three Friday at 6:00 PM ET with Four Through Seven Unveiled Saturday at 10:00 AM ET

The bright lights of New York City once again are the backdrop for the introduction of the NFL’s next generation of talent and, for the first time ever, the NFL Draft goes primetime and expands to a three-day all-star showcase celebrating the 75^th NFL Draft beginning Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 PM ET from Radio City Music Hall.

NFL Network is in the center of NFL Draft with a record 38 hours of live, high-definition coverage over four days with more than 18 on-air personalities offering fans exclusive interviews and analysis of their favorite teams and players. Called “the E.F. Hutton of draft experts” by the Buffalo News, Mike Mayock headlines NFL Network’s team from New York that also includes: Brian Billick, Charles Davis, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, Jason La Canfora, Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders.

Eight and a half hours of day one pre-draft coverage begins Thursday, April 22 with Paul Burmeister, Steve Wyche, Charley Casserly and The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes on a two-hour Path to the Draft at 11:00 AM ET followed by Casserly, Fran Charles, Jamie Dukes, Michael Lombardi, Jim Mora and Tom Waddle joining NFL Network’s team in New York for a split edition of Total Access Pre-Draft at 1:00 PM ET.

Both Path to the Draft and Total Access Pre-Draft gives viewers all the latest information before the Rams hit the clock for the 2010 NFL Draft at 7:30 PM ET. The pre-draft show also features Sanders conducting interviews with draft prospects and special guests from the brand new red carpet outside Radio City Music Hall. Casserly, Charles, Dukes, Lombardi, Mora and Waddle wrap up all the first round selections at 11:00 PM ET with the NFL Total Access Post-Draft.

NFL Network’s coverage of rounds two and three begin at 11:00 AM ET Friday, April 23 with Path to the Draft. A five-hour Total Access Pre-Draft begins at 1:00 PM ET, leading into day two of the 2010 NFL Draft at 6:00 PM ET and the NFL Total Access Post-Draft following at 10:30 PM ET. Total Access Pre-Draft kicks off day three at 9:00 AM ET, followed immediately by the rounds 4-7 of the 2010 NFL Draft at 10:00 AM ET. NFL Network puts the bow on the entire 2010 NFL Draft with a 90-minute NFL Total Access Draft Recap Saturday at the conclusion of round seven, as well as back-to-back Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access recap shows Sunday at 6:00 PM ET.

NFL Network reporters will also be stationed at various team headquarters across the country, providing live reports and inside access viewers have come to expect from NFL Network (see talent coverage line-up below). A staple of the network’s live draft coverage since its inception in 2006, exclusive access into team war rooms returns for 2010. The teams, who will be announced prior to the Draft, allow NFL Network cameras inside for live shots as presidents, general managers and coaches convene, making the selections to build their franchises, right before the viewers eyes.

New this year, NFL Network enlists the support of team beat media from around the league who will offer live reports and analysis from their respective club facilities throughout the weekend.

Breakdown of NFL Network’s Coverage of the 75th NFL Draft in Primetime

THE SCHEDULE

 

Thursday, April 22 – 13 Live Hours

11:00 AM             Path to the Draft

1:00 PM                Total Access Pre-Draft

7:30 PM                2010 NFL Draft

11:00 PM             NFL Total Access Post-Draft

Friday, April 23 – 12 ½ Live Hours

11:00 AM             Path to the Draft

1:00 PM                Total Access Pre-Draft

6:00 PM                2010 NFL Draft

10:30 PM             NFL Total Access Post-Draft

Saturday, April 24 – 10 ½ Live Hours

9:00 AM               Total Access Pre-Draft

10:00 AM             2010 NFL Draft

6:00 PM                NFL Total Access Post-Draft

Sunday, April 25 – 2 Live Hours

6:00 PM                Path to the Draft

7:00 PM                NFL Total Access Draft Recap

8:00 PM                2010 NFL Draft – ENCORE of Day 1

That’s it.

ESPN’s 2010 NFL Monday Night Football Exhibition Game Schedule

ESPN will air four NFL exhibition games this year, two of which will be on Monday nights, the other two on Thursday nights. ESPN also gets the first national NFL broadcast from the new Giants-Jets Stadium in New Jersey. Here are the games you’ll see on the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

2010 Monday Night Football Preseason Schedule

Giants-Jets in New Meadowlands Stadium NFL Opener on Aug. 16 Highlights ESPN Four-Game Slate

 

ESPN will televise four NFL games as part of its 2010 Monday Night Football preseason schedule, including the first football game at the New Meadowlands Stadium when the New York Giants play the cross-town rival Jets August 16 at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN’s MNF commentator team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call all four MNF preseason games in anticipation of their regular-season opener – also at the New Meadowlands Stadium – on Monday, Sept. 13. All MNF preseason games will begin at 8 p.m.

MNF kicks off its preseason schedule when Joe Flacco and the Ravens host the Carolina Panthers Thursday, August 12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Four days later, Eli Manning and the Giants face Mark Sanchez and the Jets (Aug. 16) in the annual preseason matchup of New York teams as the NFL’s newest stadium makes its national television debut in primetime.

On Monday, Aug. 23, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals travel east to face 2009 NFL leading rusher Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans.

ESPN will conclude its preseason schedule when NFL MVP Peyton Manning and the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts play Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday, August 26.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language domestic sports network, will once again offer a Spanish-language production of MNF preseason and regular season games in 2010.

In 2009, ESPN had its most-viewed NFL preseason ever and its highest-rated since 2006, averaging a 4.3 rating, 4,233,000 households, and 5,516,000 viewers (P2+) over four games, representing increases of 41%, 45%, and 44%, respectively over the previous year.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football 2010 NFL Preseason Schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 12 – 8 p.m., Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens

Monday, Aug. 16 – 8 p.m., New York Giants at New York Jets

Monday, Aug. 23 – 8 p.m., Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans    

Thursday, Aug. 26 – 8 p.m., Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers

More coming up.

2010 Fox NFL Exhibition Game Schedule

Here is the Fox Sports exhibition game schedule.

FOX SPORTS ANNOUNCES 2010 NFL PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Countdown to Super Bowl XLV on FOX Begins with Three Prime-Time Games

New York – FOX Sports kicks off its Super Bowl season this August with back-to-back nights of NFL preseason action under the lights.

On Thursday, August 19 (8:00 PM ET) Tom Brady and the AFC East-winning New England Patriots visit the Georgia Dome to take on Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and the exciting Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots/Falcons match up is the first of three preseason contests all in prime time to launch the NFL on FOX’s championship season.

FOX Sports keeps the action rolling the next night when on Friday, August 20, (8:00 PM ET) Andy Reid and his Philadelphia Eagles travel to Cincinnati to take on Chad Ochocinco and the Bengals, who last season dominated the AFC North. FOX Sports’ last preseason broadcast comes Sunday, August 29 (8:00 PM ET) at INVESCO Field in Denver when the most decorated franchise in the NFL, the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers square-off against the Denver Broncos, who could find themselves in the midst of a quarterback controversy between last season’s starter Kyle Orton and off-season acquisition Brady Quinn.

Following its coverage of the NFL’s prestigious NFC regular season schedule, FOX Sports presents exclusive live postseason coverage including an NFC Wild Card Game, the NFC Divisional Playoffs, the NFC Championship Game and culminates with SUPER BOWL XLV from state-of-the-art Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

FOX SPORTS 2010 NFL PRESEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Thursday, August 19 – New England Patriots at Atlanta Falcons, 8:00 PM ET

Friday, August 20 – Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:00 PM ET

Sunday, August 29 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos, 8:00 PM ET    

ESPN’s schedule is next.

The Entire 2010 NFL Exhibition Game Schedule

Here is the 2010 NFL Exhibition Game schedule in its entirety. Take a look.

65-GAME EXHIBITION SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED; NATIONAL TV GAMES FEATURE EVERY 2009 PLAYOFF TEAM

The NFL’s slate of 11 nationally televised exhibition games will feature the entire 2009 playoff field, one of the highlights of the 65-game 2010 NFL exhibition schedule announced today. 

Two of those clubs – the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys – will kick off the preseason in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 8 (NBC, 8:00 PM ET) in Canton, Ohio. 

The New Meadowlands Stadium will open in primetime on Monday, August 16 (ESPN, 8:00 PM ET), when the New York Jets host the New York Giants in the first game at the teams’ new stadium. 

The Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints will be showcased on national TV when the club faces the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers at the Louisiana Superdome on Friday, August 27 (CBS, 8:00 PM ET).

2010 EXHIBITION GAME WEEK-BY-WEEK SCHEDULE

HALL OF FAME GAME – AUGUST 8

Cincinnati vs. Dallas (NBC)

WEEK 1 – AUGUST 12-16

Carolina at Baltimore (ESPN, 8/12)

NY Giants at NY Jets (ESPN, 8/16)

Buffalo at Washington

Chicago at San Diegog

Cleveland at Green Bay

Denver at Cincinnati

Detroit at Pittsburgh

Houston at Arizona

Jacksonville at Philadelphia

Kansas City at Atlanta

Minnesota at St. Louis

New Orleans at New England

Oakland at Dallas

San Francisco at Indianapolis

Tennessee at Seattle

Tampa Bay at Miami

WEEK 2 – AUGUST 19-23

New England at Atlanta (FOX, 8/19)

Philadelphia at Cincinnati (FOX, 8/20)

Minnesota at San Francisco (NBC, 8/22)

Arizona at Tennessee (ESPN, 8/23)

Baltimore at Washington

Dallas at San Diego

Detroit at Denver

Green Bay at Seattle

Houston at New Orleans

Indianapolis at Buffalo (Toronto)

Kansas City at Tampa Bay

Miami at Jacksonville

NY Jets at Carolina

Oakland at Chicago

Pittsburgh at NY Giants

St. Louis at Cleveland

WEEK 3 – AUGUST 26-29

Indianapolis at Green Bay (ESPN, 8/26)

San Diego at New Orleans (CBS, 8/27)

Dallas at Houston (CBS, 8/28)

Pittsburgh at Denver (FOX, 8/29)

Arizona at Chicago

Atlanta at Miami

Cincinnati at Buffalo

Cleveland at Detroit

Jacksonville at Tampa Bay

NY Giants at Baltimore

Philadelphia at Kansas City

St. Louis at New England

San Francisco at Oakland

Seattle at Minnesota

Tennessee at Carolina

Washington at NY Jets

WEEK 4 – SEPTEMBER 2-3

Atlanta at Jacksonville

Baltimore at St. Louis

Buffalo at Detroit

Carolina at Pittsburgh

Chicago at Cleveland

Cincinnati at Indianapolis

Denver at Minnesota

Green Bay at Kansas City

Miami at Dallas

New England at NY Giants

New Orleans at Tennessee

NY Jets at Philadelphia

San Diego at San Francisco

Seattle at Oakland

Tampa Bay at Houston

Washington at Arizona

There you have it.

2010 NFL National TV Exhibition Game Schedule

The NFL has announced the exhibition game schedule for 2010. I’ll list the entire 65 game sked in
the next post, but here’s the schedule for the network TV partners. Take a look.

2010 NFL PRESEASON NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Everyone has a primetime game. I’m sure NFL Network will have its exhibition TV game schedule down the road.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

MLB
Red Sox vs. Baltimore – MASN, 1 p.m.
Houston vs. Atlanta – CSS, 1 p.m./MLB Network, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)
Minnesota vs. New York Yankees – ESPN/YES, 1 p.m.
Toronto vs. Philadelphia – The Comcast Network, 1 p.m.
Florida vs. New York Mets – SNY, 1 p.m.
Arizona vs. Colorado – MLB Network/Fox Sports Arizona/FSN Rocky Mountain, 4 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles – Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

NBA
Oklahoma City at Boston – Comcast SportsNet New England, 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Utah – ESPN, 10 p.m.

NHL
Carolina at Montreal – TSN/RDS/Fox Sports Carolinas, 7 p.m.
Florida at Buffalo – MSG Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh – Versus/Sun Sports/FSN Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at Minnesota – Versus (only in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh)/Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.
San Jose at Dallas – Comcast SportsNet California/KDFI, 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Colorado – Fox Sports West/Altitude, 9 p.m.
Phoenix at Calgary – Fox Sports Arizona/Rogers Sportsnet West, 9:30 p.m.

NHL On The Fly – NHL Network, 8 p.m.

Tennis
Sony Ericsson Open, men’s, women’s & doubles quarterfinals – Fox Sports Net, 1 p.m./Tennis Channel, 7 p.m./Fox Sports Net, 9 p.m.

UEFA Champions League
Arsenal vs. Barcelona – Fox Soccer Channel, 2:30 p.m.
Inter Milan vs. CSKA Moscow – Fox Soccer Plus, 2:30 p.m.

Entertainment
It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown – ABC, 8 p.m.
Tavis Smiley Reports: MLK: Call to Conscience – PBS, 8 p.m.
MythBusters: Dive To Survive – Discovery, 9 p.m.
The Inbetweeners: Exam Time – BBC America, 9:30 p.m.
Inside NASCAR – Showtime, 10 p.m.
The Ultimate Fighter – Spike, 10 p.m.
In Plain Sight (season premiere) – USA Network, 10 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Joe Buck and Chris Berman To Stay With Their Respective Employers

Got word of these media moves on Tuesday. Both broken by the writers of the stories and giving credit where credit is due.

First, Mike McCarthy over at USA Today breaks news that Joe Buck has signed a four year contract with Fox to remain the lead voice of MLB and the NFL. And it leads to speculation that Joe Buck Live which was officially canceled by HBO earlier this week will head over to either Fox Sports or FX.

The second big news of the night is that it appears that Chris Berman will be staying at ESPN after concerted efforts by NFL Network and DirecTV to lure him away from the Mothership. The Big Lead reports that based on a source, Berman will stay at the only national network he’s ever worked dating back to 1979.

The Big Lead notes that this is one big hurdle for the Alleged Worldwide Leader as ESPN has other talent to sign as Erin Andrews, Captain Blowhard and Bob Ley all come up for renewal this year.

Ok, back to bailing out my basement. Talk to you later.

In The Middle of The Flood Zone

As I’m dealing with a flood in Rhode Island and while my native North Kingstown got hit with the most rain in the State, it’s not as bad as you can see in the picture below:

That’s in Warwick near the Pawtuxet River and it comes courtesy of the Fox Providence site. Luckily, my town is not in that stage, but my basement is flooded and I’m dealing with getting the water out. So that’s why I haven’t added anything to the blog on Tuesday and most likely on Wednesday.

Just know that when things get better, I’ll be back.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
National Invitational Tournament – Ron Franklin/Bill Raftery/Fran Fraschilla
Semifinals
Dayton vs. Mississippi – ESPN2, 7 p.m.
URI vs. North Carolina – ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.

Women’s
NCAA Tournament – All Games on ESPN

Dayton Regional Final – Bob Wischusen/Stephanie White/Rebecca Lobo
UConn vs. Florida State – 7:04 p.m.

Kansas City Regional Final – Pam Ward/Deb Antonelli/Beth Mowins
Kentucky vs. Oklahoma – 9:07 p.m.

MLB
Red Sox vs. Tampa – ESPN, 1 p.m.
New York Yankees (SS) vs. Atlanta – SportSouth, 1 p.m.
St. Louis vs. New York Mets – SNY, 1 p.m./MLB Network, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)
Milwaukee vs. Anaheim – Fox Sports West, 4 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado – MLB Network/FSN Rocky Mountain, 4 p.m.
Toronto vs. New York Yankees (SS) – YES, 7 p.m.

NBA
Phoenix at Chicago, 8 p.m.

NHL
Atlanta at Toronto – SportSouth/Rogers Sportsnet Ontario, 7 p.m.
Boston at New Jersey – NESN/MSG Plus 2, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at New York Islanders – MSG Network/MSG Plus, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Washington – RDS/Rogers Sportsnet East/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Detroit – Rogers Sportsnet East/Fox Sports Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis – Versus/TSN, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Nashville – Fox Sports West/Fox Sports Tennessee, 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Vancouver – Fox Sports Arizona/Rogers Sportsnet Pacific, 10 p.m.

NHL On The Fly – NHL Network, 8 p.m.

Tennis
Sony Ericsson Open/men’s round of 16/women’s quarterfinals – Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.

UEFA Champions League
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Girondins de Bourdeaux – Fox Soccer Channel, 2:30 p.m.
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United – Fox Sports Net, 2:30 p.m.

Entertainment
Doctor Who – BBC America, 8 p.m.
Lost – ABC, 9 p.m.
Survivors – BBC America, 9 p.m.
The Real Face of Jesus? – History Channel, 9 p.m.
Southland – TNT, 10 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Promo for 24, Season 8, Hour 15 "Tick Tock, Mr. Bauer"

Now that we have the Dana mess taken care of and we know she’s the mole, the show has ramped up, although I want someone to kick the living tar out of Rob Weiss for killing Ethan Kanin. Well, he’s not dead, but the man is suffering a heart attack and General Brucker (the great Michael Gaston who also played Gray Anderson in Jericho) tried to thwart President Taylor who refused to hand over President Hassan to the IRK. Very good episode. Here’s the promo for next week. Looks damn good too. “Tick tock, Mr. Bauer.”

I think that “Tick tock, Mr. Bauer. You’re running out of time,” was a joke put in by the writers. Had to have been. And President Logan is back? Hmmm. Is Martha far behind? Looking forward to it.

Fang’s Bites Grade for 24, Season 8, Hour 14, 5 a.m. – 6 a.m.

Sequence: Helicopters comb the river and Jack and Renee get ready to go into Manhattan – A.

Ortiz tells Hastings that a cab with Samir’s men left a location heading into Manhattan – B.

Chloe finds the cab – A.

Cole hears Arlo tell of the location – A.

Dana tells Samir what’s going on and instructs him where to go – F.

Dana disables the satellite tracking Samir – A.

Samir is able to get away and Dana tells her to blend in with cab traffic on 9th Avenue – A.

CTU has lost Samir’s taxi – C.

Hastings tells President Taylor the nuclear rods are in Manhattan – A.

Ethan Kanin (where has he been?) can’t believe it – C.

Hastings says he can’t guarantee the safety of New York – C.

Rob Weiss yells (I don’t trust him) – D.

President Taylor wants to talk to Jack – A.

Jack talks with Cole and they discuss Chloe – B.

President Taylor wants Jack to help evacuate President Hassan and his family – A.

Jack tries to refuse but President Taylor insists – A.

Jack wants Renee to stay put at the pier, but she insists on coming along. I love Renee. I want to marry Renee Walker – A. Just kidding about the marrying part, but her character is tremendous.

Samir gets out of the cab and finds out the rods have to be installed into the device and the bomb will be set to go- A.

Tarin will drive the weapon into Manhattan – A.

Jack and Renee arrive at the UN to evacuate President Hassan and his family – A.

Jack goes to see President Hassan – A.

President Hassan meets Jack – A.

President Hassan hoped to march down 5th Avenue for a parade – A.

Jack says President Taylor hopes so – A.

At a briefing, General Brucker tells President Taylor he’s ready for a response – B.

Kanin says no – A.

Samir calls into President Taylor – C.

Samir says he’s ready to launch a dirty bomb over Manhattan – B.

Samir says he wants President Taylor to turn over Hassan to him to prevent a dirty bomb – A. Ho! That’s an interesting demand.

President Taylor refuses – A.

Weiss says President Taylor should consider to turn over Hassan. What? – C.

Kanin says no – A.

Weiss says it should be considered – C.

General Brucker says the President has a viable option in the room – C.

President Taylor scolds everyone for even considering to cave into the terrorists’ demand – A.

President Taylor yells at the room telling them if the bomb goes off, America will rise and pick itself up because that’s what Americans do – A.

Dana approaches Chloe to have her forward some of the police road block information – F.

Samir talks to Dana and says he’s certain President Taylor will give up Hassan – F.

General Brucker tells Weiss he wants to “accidentally” give up Hassan covertly – F.

Brucker tells Weiss he wants his cooperation for the good of the country – D.

Brucker wants to use the 4th Nuremburg Principle, it’s the moral obligation to disobey a Presidential order in case of certain situations – D.

Weiss says it’s Sedition, but he considers it – C.

At CTU, Chloe sends the NYPD road block info to Dana – F.

Hastings informs CTU about the dirty bomb – B.

Hastings says CTU is the last line of defense for their loved ones and wants the staff to find the bomb – A.

Dana sends the road block info to Samir and he relays it to Tarin – A.

Tarin is driving the dirty bomb to the middle of a neighborhood – B.

Weiss and General Brucker head into Kanin’s office to look up the evacuation route info and finds that Jack Bauer is involved in the evacuation – C.

Brucker will call an elite team and says Jack Bauer won’t stand a chance – B.

Kanin walks in to find Weiss and Brucker checking the computer – B.

Brucker sets up a lie, but Kanin does not believe it – A.

Kanin wants to leave, but Brucker won’t let it happen – A.

Kanin realizes what’s going on and tries to call Jack, but Brucker intercepts and takes the phone – B.

Kanin gets a heart attack – B.

Brucker won’t let Weiss call for an ambulance – C.

Jack and Renee start to escort President Hassan and his family out of the UN – A.

Jack tries to call back Kanin, but can’t reach him – A.

General Brucker calls the elite team to ambush Hassan – B.

Jack knows something’s up and tells Renee – A.

Jack sees the vehicle ahead, but the elite team is ready to ambush them – B.

Kanin is dying, but a secretary knocks at his door. Weiss answers and the secretary tells him that Jack is waiting for him – A.

Weiss answers the phone and tries to delay then hangs up – D.

Jack sensing something’s up turns around – A.

The elite team starts shooting – A.

Jack shoots back – A.

FIREFIGHT – A+++++++

Jack has Renee take them back to the UN – A.

Secret Service Agents are being taken out by the elite team – B.

Secret Service Agent tells Jack to go back with President Hassan – A.

Jack catches up with Hassan who wants to help the agents, but Jack tells him they’re buying time for him – A. 

Weiss sees Kanin dying on the couch and does nothing to help him – F.

Hassan wants a gun, but Jack says no – B.

Kayla falls down, slowing everyone down – A.

Jack gives President Hassan a gun – A.

Jack and Renee head back and sets off tear gas – A.

The team walks into the cloud and Jack picks two off – A.

Renee Picks off one – A.

Jack picks off another – A.

Jack throws more tear gas – A.

Jack has Renee cover him as he goes to higher ground to pick them off from behind – A.

Jack gets hit from behind, but Hassan shoots a guy dead. Cool!!! – A.

Jack finds out the team is American and finds that General Brucker sent them – A.

Kanin is dying – F.

Tarin is waiting for instructions – C.

A phone call comes into Dana – F.

It’s Samir and finds that Hassan has not been given over – B.

Samir calls Tarin and tells him to start the countdown and stay with the bomb – A.

Tarin is not happy – B.

Samir really looks like Jim Rome – C.

Tarin starts the clock starting at 15 minutes – A.

Overall grade – B, 85. Good episode, but Rob Weiss is the new Dana.

UEFA Champions League Heads To The Quarterfinals on Fox Sports Family of Networks

As the UEFA Champions League heads towards the Quarterfinals and eventually, the final in May, Fox Sports’ networks will bring you the next stage of the knockouts come in. Some good games too. Some will be on Fox Sports Net, others will air on Fox Soccer Channel with a few going to Fox Soccer Plus. You have the schedule below.

STAGE IS SET FOR UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

Final eight battle for European glory beginning March 30 on Fox Family of Networks

 

Los Angeles, CA (March 29, 2010) – Fox Soccer Channel, FOX Sports Net (FSN) and Fox Soccer Plus will feature blanket coverage of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal round, with eight live and exclusive English-language match telecasts in high-definition from March 30 through April 7.

The world’s most prestigious club soccer competition resumes Tuesday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET with UEFA Champions League Pregame on Fox Soccer Channel. Featuring a breakdown of the day’s up-coming action from expert analysts Warren Barton and Bobby McMahon, the 30-minute pregame show will be simulcast on FSN each Tuesday matchday and on Fox Soccer Plus each Wednesday matchday for the remainder of the tournament. Guest host Matthew Lorenzo will anchor the studio coverage on March 30 and 31.

First leg matches on March 30 include Manchester United visiting Bayern München live on FSN at 2:30 p.m. ET in a rematch of their epic battle during the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final. Simultaneously, Fox Soccer Channel will feature the all-French clash between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

Live coverage continues on Wednesday, March 31 as Arsenal takes on defending champion FC Barcelona at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel. Meanwhile, Fox Soccer Plus brings viewers the four-time defending Italian Serie A champion Inter Milan facing upstart Russian club CSKA Moscow. 

The second leg begins Tuesday, April 6 as CSKA Moscow hosts Inter Milan at a special time of 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel, while FC Barcelona gets reacquainted with Arsenal at 2:30 p.m. on FSN. (Note: UEFA Champions League Pregame will only air on FSN this day).

The remaining two semifinal spots will be decided on Wednesday, April 7 as Manchester United and Bayern München square-off on Fox Soccer Channel while FC Girondins de Bordeaux faces Olympique Lyonnais on Fox Soccer Plus, both at 2:30 p.m. ET.

For a complete telecast schedule visit championsonfox.com, where links to live online video streaming of all UEFA Champions League contests are also accessible.  Available on a subscription basis for $14.95 per month or $49.95 for a Knockout Stage pass, matches can also be purchased individually for $9.95 each. 

WHAT:          Live Coverage of UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals in high-definition

WHEN:          Tuesday, March 30 – 2:30 p.m. ET

                                          Bayern München (GER) vs. Manchester United (ENG)

                                          Live on FSN

                                                                                      

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) vs. FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA)  

Live on Fox Soccer Channel

                     (Coverage begins with UEFA Champions League Pregame at 2 p.m. ET)

Wednesday, March 31 – 2:30 p.m. ET

Arsenal (ENG) vs. FC Barcelona (SPA)

Live on Fox Soccer Channel

Inter Milan (ITA) vs. CSKA Moscow (RUS)

Live on Fox Soccer Plus

(Coverage begins with UEFA Champions League Pregame at 2 p.m. ET)

Tuesday, April 6 ­– 12:30 p.m. ET ***Note special time

CSKA Moscow (RUS) vs. Inter Milan (ITA)

Live on Fox Soccer Channel

2:30 p.m. ET

FC Barcelona (SPA) vs. Arsenal (ENG)

Live on FSN

(FSN coverage begins with UEFA Champions League Pregame at 2 p.m. ET)

Wednesday, April 7 – 2:30 p.m. ET

Manchester United (ENG) vs. Bayern München (GER)

Live on Fox Soccer Channel

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA) vs. Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)

                     Live on Fox Soccer Plus

                     (Coverage begins with UEFA Champions League Pregame at 2 p.m. ET)

WHERE:        Fox Family of Networks, including Fox Soccer Channel, FOX Sports Net (FSN) and Fox Soccer PlusI’ll also list the games for you in the Primetime and Late Night Viewing Picks.

ESPN Debuts New Graphics For MLB Games

I have to give thanks for the heads up to the Radio Insight Twitter page.

Today during the Minnesota-St. Louis spring training contest, ESPN unveiled its new graphics package for MLB games. The graphics are the same as Monday Night Football, but as you can see below, the scorebox is now located in the lower right of the screen as opposed to a full bar on top.

Personally, I would rather have the scorebox in the upper left corner where it would not be as intrusive. I have never liked the box on the lower right or on the bottom. Radio Insight sent me a link to the picture which came from the Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Community message board and from member “scarsofthumper“. I wanted to make sure that I give credit.

I guess you can say this was a soft launch for the new scorebox and graphics. The full launch will occur this Sunday during the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

UPDATE, 3/30/10, 9:10 p.m.: I heard from an ESPN spokesman after I asked him about the scorebox and he told me the following,”We went lower right with the idea of giving more of the screen back to the viewer. Similar to what we’ve done (with the) NFL, NBA and other sports, it’s a migration to the new cleaner look across the ESPN networks. Our studio coverage is also using it.”

Again, I prefer upper left, but we’ll see how this goes.

ESPN To Debut New Studio Shows This Saturday

In an attempt to stem ABC affiliate complaints about reduced sports programming on the weekend, ESPN will begin airing a two hour block of programming each Saturday from 4-6 p.m. ET before and after the college football season. Hannah Storm will anchor the block and introduce two programs, one will be a rotation of ESPN programs such as 30 for 30, and the other will be a constant program, produced exclusively for ABC. Take a look at what you’ll see starting this Saturday.

Winners Bracket, the new, 60-minute highlight-driven series, hosted by ESPN SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle and ESPN contributor and former NFL All Pro Marcellus Wiley will debut Saturday, April 3 at 5 p.m. ET as part of ESPN Sports Saturday, a new two-hour block of sports programming on ABC (4-6 p.m.). The program will be available in high definition.

SportsCenter’s Hannah Storm will anchor ESPN Sports Saturday, guiding viewers throughout the two hours. The block will generally begin with a 60-minute episode of one of three signature ESPN series – ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary series, E:60 news magazine or the athlete interview series Homecoming with Rick Reilly – followed by the hour long Winners Bracket.

From thrilling performances to record-setting moments to unforgettable quotes, Winners Bracket will debate and recap the week in sports in a fast tempo, quick-witted bracket-style format with the 16 biggest newsmakers of the week pitted against each other in seeded brackets. The hosts will banter and offer their unique perspectives – one as a life-long sports fan and the other as a former pro athlete – during each round of debate which will also be framed through highlights and comments from ESPN analysts. The show will culminate with the determination of the definitive play of the week as the bracket champion.

ESPN experts will regularly offer their perspective, including in the debut show, ESPN Radio host Mike Greenberg, college basketball analyst Digger Phelps and NBA analyst Jalen Rose. ESPN Radio and SportsNation host Colin Cowherd will also be a frequent contributor.

Other elements planned for Winners Bracket include: a collection of sound bytes from athletes and coaches, a taste of that week in sports history, a countdown of the 20 “lowlights” from the week, sports-themed web videos, and a look at athletes whom fans might have expected to see in the bracket but missed.

“Winners Bracket will have the most indelible sports moments of the week – the plays fans will be talking about even if they haven’t seen the games,” said Winners Bracket coordinating producer Jamie Horowitz, who also is the coordinating producer of ESPN2’s SportsNation. “It will be a one-hour sprint through seven days of highlights and lowlights – all discussed and debated the way fans talk about sports.”

The fast-paced, quick-hitting Winners Bracket will resemble SportsNation, the popular weekday fan-interactive studio show (4 p.m. on ESPN2) hosted by Beadle and Cowherd that debuted in July 2009 and was nominated for three Sports Emmy awards this month – Production Design/Art Direction, Tech Team Studio and Graphic Design. The SportsNation production team will also oversee Winners Bracket. In addition, fans will be able to interact with the show and its hosts across social media platforms, including Facebook (Winners Bracket), Twitter (@Winners_Bracket, @ESPN_Michelle, @marcelluswiley) and YouTube (ABCWinnersBracket).

Said Beadle: “I love what I am doing on SportsNation and to now have the opportunity to do even more on Winners Bracket as part of ESPN Sports Saturday on ABC is the perfect situation. I am super-stoked to be working with Marcellus, and hopefully we can also help bring about world peace.”

Added Wiley: “Hosting Winners Bracket on ABC with Michelle makes me feel like I got drafted again. The format of the show is fun and will give us the chance to bring our personalities and humor into it while bringing fans the best plays of the week.”

April 3 and 10

The first episode of Winners Bracket on April 3 will be preceded by the television debut of the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary Guru of Go, which chronicles the incredible run of Loyola Marymount University’s men’s basketball team and the tragic death of its star Hank Gathers. On April 10, ESPN Sports Saturday will coincide with the first full weekend of the Major League Baseball season with a new episode of Homecoming with Rick Reilly featuring Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer followed by Winners Bracket.

ESPN Sports Saturday

ESPN Sports Saturday will generally be featured Saturdays from 4-6 p.m. ET (3-5 p.m. CT/2-4 p.m. MT and PT), from April through mid-August, and will return for another round of shows December through August 2011. For certain weeks, as the schedule dictates, ESPN Sports Saturday may be less than two hours. During the last portion of the block each week, local ABC affiliates will have the opportunity to insert a short, local update to promote upcoming programming.

ESPN on ABC Programming

In addition to the new ESPN Sports Saturday, ESPN on ABC offers a variety of top quality live event programming. Among the offerings are NBA regular-season games, playoffs, and The Finals; FIFA World Cup soccer; NASCAR Sprint Cup; the Indianapolis 500; the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and championship; Belmont Stakes; Little League World Series; and Saturday Night Football, the only weekly prime-time college football series on broadcast television.

Let me know what you think of this either on the Fans of Fang’s Bites Facebook page or here on the main page.

ESPN UK To Air Monday Night Football

Thanks to its modified agreement with the NFL that gives it streaming rights in the US, ESPN can now air Monday Night Football in the UK on its owned and operated channel, appropriately named, ESPN UK. Actually it’s named ESPN in the UK, but for our purposes, it’ll be ESPN UK. It’ll air live in the UK which means it will actually be early Tuesday morning, meaning 2:30 a.m. GMT and 1:30 a.m. in London. The American ex-pats will probably watch. The contract with the NFL also allows for re-airs later on Tuesday. Here’s the press release complete with UK English.

ESPN TO TELEVISE NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IN UK

ESPN UK will be the only place in the UK to watch the NFL game of the week live

London, 29 March 2010 – ESPN will add exclusive coverage of American Football’s Monday Night Football to its programme schedule for next season.  The iconic US sports franchise features 17 games per season and is the only NFL game each week televised on Monday nights, and regularly features many of the league’s top matchups.

The longest-running and most successful primetime sports show in US television history, Monday Night Football will debut on ESPN UK on September 14 at 1am GMT.  Each week, the game of the week will be televised live, and will also be re-aired the following day.  Scheduling details for the repeat will be released closer to the beginning of the NFL season.  

Each week ESPN will also televise the company’s 90-minute pre-game programme, Monday Night Countdown. Hosted by ESPN’s Chris Berman and originating from both Bristol and on-site at the game, Monday Night Countdown previews the night’s Monday Night Football matchup.

Jeroen Oerlemans, Vice President, ESPN, TV Channels Europe, Middle East and Africa said, “Monday Night Football is an enormous global sports franchise with an incredibly strong heritage, and it regularly features the very best NFL matchup of the week.  With the NFL’s continued growth in the UK, this is another example of how we are building quality global programming around our core UK sports schedule.”

Added Hans Schroeder, NFL vice president, media strategy and development, “We are pleased to expand our partnership with ESPN in serving our fans in the U.K. who are passionate about the NFL. ESPN will continue to do an outstanding job of bringing our fans closer to our sport in new ways.”

Monday Night Football joins a broad portfolio of top sport on ESPN next season, headlined by the Barclay’s Premiere League, the FA Cup, Guinness Premiership rugby, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Europa League, the German Bundesliga, UFC, French Top 14 rugby, NBA basketball, DTM, Australian Rules Football and much more.

Celebrating its 40th year this autumn, Monday Night Football has aired exclusively on ESPN in the US since 2006. Since then, it has registered eight of the top 10 all-time biggest household audiences on pay television, including the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings broadcast on October 5, 2009, which attracted the biggest US cable audience ever (21.8 million viewers). Monday Night Football has also earned critical acclaim, earning 25 Emmy Awards throughout its history.

Created by sports broadcasting pioneer and former ABC Sports president Roone Arledge, Monday Night Football premiered on September 21, 1970. As one of US televisions premiere properties, it has attracted celebrity guests ranging from John Lennon to former US President Bill Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama.

I just wonder how the British will react to Chris Berman and Stuart Scott on Monday Night Countdown.

Always glad to post press releases from the UK.

Big Ten Network Brings You Spring Football!

One of the advantages of having your own network is being able to show what you want. MLB Network does this and so does the Big Ten Network. If you want to add basketball games, you can. If you want to show hockey games, you can. If you want to show spring football to fill spring programming, you can. So Big Ten Network is going to show six spring football games from its member schools plus add some studio shows to the equation.

Network to Produce 15+ Hours of Spring Football Coverage

Five studio shows, six games to be televised in April

CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network will be the home for the best Big Ten spring football coverage anywhere, with studio shows twice each week beginning April 14 and telecasts of six Big Ten spring games. In all, the network will dedicate more than 15 hours to Big Ten spring football coverage.

The network will produce five episodes of Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report on Wednesday and Saturday nights from April 14 through April 28. Dave Revsine will host the shows alongside analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith.

“The Big Ten is coming off a strong bowl season and excitement is already building for 2010,” Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. “The Big Ten Network will offer fans the first and most in-depth look at their favorite teams.”

DiNardo and Griffith, who have been visiting Big Ten campuses throughout the spring drills, will review spring practices during the first episode of Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report.

Five Big Ten spring games will take place Saturday, April 17. The Michigan and Wisconsin games will be streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com in the afternoon and will air on the linear network at 8 PM ET and 11 PM ET, respectively. In addition, post-game interviews and highlights from the Iowa, Indiana and Purdue intra-squad scrimmages will air at 10 PM ET that night on the Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report.

On Wednesday, April 21, the Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report will preview the upcoming NFL Draft, and will include interviews with many of the Big Ten’s projected draft picks. 

The remaining six Big Ten spring games will kick off on Saturday, April 24.  The Big Ten Network will carry Ohio State’s men’s lacrosse game at 11 AM ET and its spring football game live at 1 PM ET.  The network will air the telecast of Penn State’s spring game at 5 PM ET.  Complete highlights, analysis and post-game reaction from those games as well as from the Minnesota and Northwestern games will be part of the Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report at 10 PM ET.

The Illinois and Michigan State spring games will be streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com and will air on delay at 11 PM ET on Saturday and at 5 PM ET on Sunday, April 25, respectively. 

The Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Report on Wednesday, April 28, wraps up the spring sessions on every campus and looks ahead to the 2010 season.

Not bad.

Versus Adds Four Games To Its NHL Schedule

Versus is tacking four games to its NHL schedule including two this week as the regular season is coming to an end and the playoff chase is heating up. I like seeing four games a week. I wish Versus did this throughout the regular season instead of just during special times.

VERSUS ADDS FOUR BONUS NHL GAMES TO REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 29, 2010)-VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country, will add four bonus NHL games to its schedule as the race to the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs intensifies. The network's first additional game will feature the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Local blackouts apply so the home team markets will see the Chicago Blackhawks/Minnesota Wild game at 8:00 p.m. ET.  

On Thursday, April 1, at 7:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS will televise the Atlanta Thrashers/Washington Capitals match-up. On Tuesday, April 6, following the network's regularly scheduled Capitals/Penguins game, VERSUS will air the Colorado Avalanche/Vancouver Canucks game at 10:00 p.m. ET. Due to local blackout restrictions the bonus games will not air in the team markets.

VERSUS' COMPLETE UPCOMING NHL SCHEDULE FOLLOWS: 

March 29 - Buffalo at Boston, 7:00 pm

March 30 - Chicago at St. Louis, 8:00 pm

March 31 - Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 7:30 pm

March 31 - Chicago at Minnesota, 8:00 pm (airs only in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh) 

April 1 - Atlanta at Washington, 7:00 pm  

April 5 - Boston at Washington, 7:00 pm 

April 6 - Washington at Pittsburgh, 7:30 pm 

April 6 - Colorado at Vancouver, 10:00 pm

That will conclude this post.

NFL Network Sets Announcing Crew for Arena Football League Games

After obtaining the rights to the Arena Football League earlier this year, NFL Network has now set its announcing lineup for AFL games this spring. The games actually start this week. Take a look at the press release and the schedule of games.

NFL NETWORK NAMES ANNOUNCERS FOR ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE DEBUT

Paul Burmeister & Former Cincinnati Bengal Solomon Wilcots Kick Off 18-Game Slate Beginning April 2

Fran Charles, Charles Davis, Tom Waddle & Others Call ‘Game of the Week’ Telecasts

NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister, a former University of Iowa quarterback, and Solomon Wilcots, a former Cincinnati Bengal, will be in the booth for the debut of the Arena Football League (AFL) “Game of the Week” on NFL Network Friday, April 2 at 8:00 PM ET. Burmeister splits play-by-play duty with Fran Charles on the network’s 18-game schedule while Wilcots, Charles Davis, Tom Waddle and others who will be announced during the season will serve as analysts.

NFL Network’s AFL “Game of the Week” telecasts are slated for Friday nights in primetime at 8:00 PM ET with Burmeister and Wilcots calling the inaugural April 2 game featuring the Chicago Rush vs. Iowa Barnstormers. Burmeister and Waddle pair up Week 2 with the Rush hosting the Cleveland Gladiators April 9, while Week 3 features Charles and Davis in Jacksonville with the Orlando Predators visiting the Sharks on April 16.

All AFL games on NFL Network will be telecast in High Definition and feature special in-game audio techniques that capture the high-scoring action and fast paced intensity that is the hallmark of the AFL.

Burmeister and Charles have previous football play-by-play experience on a variety of levels. Burmeister called the 2008 and 2009 Insight Bowl and has been the voice of Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football broadcasts for the past three years. In 2008, Charles served as the play-by-play voice for NFL Network’s telecast of the Texas Bowl and a preseason matchup featuring Patriots vs. Buccaneers.

There will be a rotation of NFL Network analysts for the AFL games throughout the season.  Wilcots recently completed his ninth season as a game analyst for the NFL on CBS. During the NFL season, Wilcots also contributes to Playbook on NFL Network and co-hosts a radio show on Sirius NFL Radio. Last season, Davis teamed with Dick Stockton calling matchups for the NFL on FOX and was the lead analyst for the FOX Sports’ BCS national championship game and Big Ten Network for the past three years.

Waddle makes his first appearance in the broadcast booth as a game analyst on NFL Network’s AFL telecasts. Following a six-year playing career with the Chicago Bears, Waddle became a regular within the Chicago sports media contingent, co-hosting a radio show on WMVP radio. For the past three seasons he has been an in-studio analyst each Sunday alongside Charles on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Scoreboard.

The analysts on the “Game of the Week” will be announced throughout the season.

AFL “Game of the Week” Schedule on NFL Network

(games to start at 8:00 PM ET)

Week 1 – April 2, Chicago Rush vs. Iowa Barnstormers

Week 2 – April 9, Cleveland Gladiators vs. Chicago Rush

Week 3 – April 16, Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks

Week 4** – April 24 (Saturday), Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs vs. Iowa Barnstormers

Week 5 – April 30, Iowa Barnstormers vs. Orlando Predators

Week 6 – May 7, Jacksonville Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Storm

Week 7 – May 14, Utah Blaze vs. Milwaukee Iron

Week 8 – May 21, Arizona Rattlers vs. Iowa Barnstormers

Week 9 – May 28, Tampa Bay Storm vs. Orlando Predators

Week 10 – June 4, Jacksonville Sharks vs. Chicago Rush

Week 11 – June 11, Tulsa Talons vs. Dallas Vigilantes

Week 12 – June 18, Jacksonville Sharks vs. Orlando Predators

Week 13 – June 25, Bossier City/Shreveport Battlewings vs. Tampa Bay Storm

Week 14 – July 2, Chicago Rush vs. Tampa Bay Storm

Week 15 – July 9, Tampa Bay Storm vs. Dallas Vigilantes

Week 16 – July 16, Spokane Shock vs. Iowa Barnstormers

Week 17 – July 23, Chicago Rush vs. Spokane Shock

Week 18 – July 30, Tulsa Talons vs. Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs

**game to start at 9:00 PM ET

That’s it.

Monday’s Quick Links

Let’s do some linkage on this wet Monday in the Northeast. I’m building an ark and gathering animals 2×2. If you want to help, let me know.

First, we have this story from the Sports Business Journal. A rare triple byline. John Ourand, Terry Lefton and Daniel Kaplan combine for a story in which ESPN and the NFL have agreed to expand the network’s rights beyond TV. The Alleged Worldwide Leader gets streaming, cell phone and UK TV rights for Monday Night Football, plus it gives the NFL protection in case of a lockout.

Also from SBJ, Terry Lefton goes solo on this story regarding MLB and Disney hooking up for a cross-licensing deal.

Over to USA Today and Friend of Fang’s Bites Michael McCarthy who writes about Erin Andrews whose contract at ESPN is expiring.

Michael David Smith from Pro Football Talk says the ESPN/NFL deal will help to expand the league’s fanbase in the UK.

In the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Jason Fry gives the recipe for small weekly newspapers on how to survive in this digital age.

Todd Spangler of Multichannel News looks at DirecTV committing to ESPN3D.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel looks at Cox Communications offering 3-D coverage of The Masters to its customers.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks back at impending New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s appearance on 60 Minutes on Sunday.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick spews hate at tattooed basketball players. I guess Phil is running out of ideas.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner introduces an addition to Baltimore sports talk radio.

Jim looks at the voting for the best sports radio talk show in DC.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says despite its recent Twitter troubles, the White Sox are speeding ahead with plans for an MLB Network reality show.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post feels some of Jay Bilas comments on the year in college basketball should be challenged.

Christopher Goddard of the Los Angeles Times looks at the very sad demise of sportswriter Mike Penner who went through a transition to Christine Daniels, and then back to Mike.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar in SoCal for this week.

Ray MacGregor in the Toronto Globe and Mail suggests the networks use Europeans in the broadcast booth for hockey games. Ok.

Bruce Dowbiggin in the Globe and Mail would like CBC, TSN and Rogers Sportsnet to shake up their hockey formats.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star feels some analysts need translation.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media takes the NHL Network to task for ignoring the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament after airing college hockey during the regular season.

Steve also appeals to hockey purists not to ruin a potential Washington-Pittsburgh Winter Classic.

That’s it for now.

DirecTV Will Launch ESPN3D In Time For The World Cup

DirecTV is jumping into 3-D headfirst in July with the MLB All-Star Game, but first, it will help to launch ESPN3D in June with a slew of World Cup games. Of course, only those who own a 3-D TV set costing somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 million dollars will be able to watch it. I was excited about HDTV, but I just don’t care about 3-D right now. We all just bought an HD set over the last five years. Let’s all get caught up before throwing more technology at us. And I’m a gadgetophile. Anyway, here’s the release from ESPN and DirecTV.

DIRECTV to Launch ESPN 3D to Millions of Customers Nationwide

Beginning in June, DIRECTV Will Debut ESPN 3D with 2010 FIFA World Cup Matches

        EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and BRISTOL, Conn., March 29, 2010 – Continuing to lead the 3D revolution by offering customers new dimensions in sports programming, DIRECTV will add ESPN 3D, the industry’s first 3D sports television network, to its upcoming 3D lineup that will offer three dedicated 3D channels, including DIRECTV’s newly named linear 3D channel, N3D™. Launching in June, millions of DIRECTV HD customers will have access to ESPN’s entire 3D programming lineup, including up to 25 2010 FIFA World Cup matches.

ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning June 11 with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match, featuring South Africa versus Mexico. Other events to be produced in 3D include X Games 16, 2010 college football ACC Championship, 2011 BCS National Championship game, college basketball and NBA games in 2011. DIRECTV HD customers who subscribe to ESPN will receive ESPN 3D at no additional cost.

“Watching ESPN’s comprehensive lineup of sports programming in 3D will be like having your own virtual seat at all of your favorite sporting events around the world. We are excited to be the first and only distributor to announce the launch of ESPN 3D and we look forward to announcing additional 3D partners throughout the year,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president, DIRECTV Entertainment.

“ESPN and DIRECTV recognize the groundswell effect 3D has already had on the television industry in the last few months. This agreement is the first step in providing sports fans access to exciting, dynamic content, as well as providing our affiliates new opportunities to provide cutting-edge product offerings to their subscribers,” said David C. Preschlack, executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Networks Group. 

In addition to N3D™, which will deliver the best 3D programming from programmers such as AEG/AEG Digital Media, CBS, Fox Sports/FSN, Golden Boy Promotions, HDNet, MTV, NBC Universal and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., DIRECTV will also offer a 24/7 3D pay per view channel and a 24/7 3D DIRECTV on Demand channel, beginning this June.

This June, DIRECTV HD customers will receive a free software upgrade enabling them to have access to the 3D channels on DIRECTV. DIRECTV HD customers will need a 3D television set and 3D glasses to view 3D programming on DIRECTV.

More later.

MLB Network Goes 30 Games and 30 Clubs in 30 Days in April

MLB Network has announced an ambitious Opening Month schedule carrying all 30 MLB clubs throughout the month of April. This is why you like MLB Network, it can pick up any game it wants as long as it doesn’t interfere with MLB’s other TV partners, ESPN, Fox and TBS. Perhaps down the road, MLB Network could be the official cable partner of MLB because of its ability to run games in this manner. I love it.

Here’s the release with the schedule.

MLB NETWORK ANNOUNCES FIRST LIVE GAME SCHEDULE FOR 2010 MLB REGULAR SEASON

30 Games, 30 Clubs, 30 Days Schedule in April to Celebrate the Opening of the Season

First Game to Feature New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox on April 6 with MLB Network’s Bob Costas and John Smoltz

Secaucus, N.J. – MLB Network today announced its live game schedule for the first month of the 2010 MLB regular season. To celebrate the opening of the season, MLB Network will air 30 Games, 30 Clubs, 30 Days, a package of 30 games featuring all 30 Clubs in the month of April, continuing on the theme of MLB Network’s Spring Training series 30 Clubs in 30 Days. The schedule begins with the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees against AL East rival Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, April 6 with MLB Network’s Bob Costas and John Smoltz calling the game at 7:00 p.m. ET. This will mark the first time Smoltz, MLB Network’s newest analyst, calls a game for MLB Network. Immediately after, MLB Network will carry the Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET, rounding out a doubleheader that includes all four 2009 American League Division Series teams.

The April schedule includes the 2010 premiere of Thursday Night Baseball and Saturday Night Baseball as well as the debut of MLB Matinee, a new series of weekday afternoon games, that will continue to air on MLB Network throughout the regular season. MLB Matinee starts with the Colorado Rockies at the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 7. Thursday Night Baseball, MLB Network’s signature primetime game package, returns on April 8 with the Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves at 7:00 p.m. ET and Saturday Night Baseball begins with the Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET. A preview of the season can be viewed here.  MLB Tonight, MLB Network’s live studio show during the regular season, will air every weeknight with live look-ins of games in progress, updates, highlights, reporting and analysis.

“This game schedule is one step toward our goal of adding more coverage of every MLB club in our second year on the air,” said Tony Petitti, president and CEO of MLB Network. “The number of games in April is a great opportunity to bring fans more games to celebrate the start of the season.”

Highlights from the April game schedule include a 2009 ALCS rematch between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (April 13 & 15), the second game at the new Target Field as the Minnesota Twins host the Boston Red Sox (April 14) and the Tampa Bay Rays at division rivals Boston Red Sox (April 19) in Boston’s traditional Patriot’s Day game.

The Yankees at Red Sox game on April 6 and Thursday Night Baseball games will be produced by MLB Network and feature MLB Network on-air talent calling the games. All other games, including Saturday Night Baseball, will be carriage of local telecasts, including local announcers.

MLB Network will announce future MLB Matinee, Thursday Night Baseball and Saturday Night Baseball games coinciding with its selection windows.  Games will be blacked out in each team’s home television territory.  Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming. MLB Network’s 30 Games, 30 Clubs, 30 Days schedule appears below.

MLB NETWORK’S 30 GAMES, 30 CLUBS, 30 DAYS – APRIL 2010

* Indicates games produced by MLB Network

All times ET and subject to change, check MLBNetwork.com for updates

Unless otherwise announced, games will be blacked out in each club’s home television territory

April 6, 7:00 p.m.*, Yankees @ Red Sox

April 6, 10:00 p.m., Twins @ Angels

April 7, 1:00 p.m., Rockies @ Brewers

April 8, 12:30 p.m., Dodgers @ Pirates

April 8, 3:30 p.m., Mariners @ Athletics

April 8, 7:00 p.m.*, Thursday Night Baseball: Cubs @ Braves

April 9, 4:30 p.m., Braves at Giants

April 10, 9:00 p.m., Saturday Night Baseball: Athletics @ Angels

April 12, 7:00 p.m., Reds @ Marlins

April 13, 1:00 p.m., Angels @ Yankees

April 13, 4:00 p.m., Diamondbacks @ Dodgers

April 14, 1:00 p.m., Red Sox @ Twins

April 15, 3:00 p.m., Nationals @ Phillies

April 15, 7:00 p.m.*, Thursday Night Baseball: Angels @ Yankees

April 16, 2:15 p.m., Astros @ Cubs

April 17, 9:00 p.m., Saturday Night Baseball: Tigers @ Mariners

April 19, 11:00 a.m., Rays @ Red Sox

April 20, 7:00 p.m., Phillies @ Braves

April 21, 12:30 p.m., Royals @ Blue Jays

April 22, 1:00 p.m., Indians @ Twins

April 22, 7:00 p.m.*, Thursday Night Baseball: Dodgers @ Reds      

April 23, 8:00 p.m., Tigers @ Rangers

April 24, 9:00 p.m., Saturday Night Baseball: Cardinals @ Giants

April 27, 7:00 p.m.*, Dodgers @ Mets

April 28, 12:00 p.m., Padres @ Marlins

April 28, 3:30 p.m., Phillies @ Giants

April 29, 2:00 p.m., White Sox @ Rangers

April 29, 7:00 p.m.*, Thursday Night Baseball: Yankees @ Orioles

April 30, 2:15 p.m.Diamondbacks @ Cubs

           April 30, 7:00 p.m., Twins @ Indians

I hope MLB Network can also do this in September during the Pennant Races.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
women’s
NCAA Tournament – All Games on ESPN

Memphis Regional Final – Dave O’Brien/Doris Burke/Holly Rowe
Baylor vs. Duke – 7:04 p.m.

Sacramento Regional Final – Dave Pasch/Mary Murphy/Cara Capuano
Xavier vs. Stanford – 9:07 p.m.

English Premier League
Manchester City vs. Wigan – ESPN2, 2:55 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour/Arnold Palmer Invitational, final round conclusion – Golf Channel, noon

Indy Car
IndyCar Series/Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – ESPN2, 10 a.m.

MLB
Minnesota vs. St. Louis – ESPN, 1 p.m.
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore – MASN, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay vs. Red Sox – MLB Network/NESN, 7 p.m.
Anaheim Angels vs. Chicago White Sox – Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 10 p.m.
Arizona vs. San Diego – Cox 4, 10 p.m./MLB Network, 11 p.m. (same night coverage)

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series/Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 – Fox, noon

NBA
Denver at Dallas – NBA TV, 8:30 p.m.

NHL
Buffalo at Boston – Versus/TSN2, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles at Minnesota – Fox Sports West/Fox Sports North, 9 p.m.
Dallas at Anaheim – NHL Network (Canada)/Fox Sports Southwest/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

NHL On The Fly – NHL Network, 8 p.m.

Tennis
Sony Ericsson Open/Men’s 3rd round/women’s Round of 16 – Fox Sports Net, 1 p.m./Fox SportsNet/Tennis Channel, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
Top Gear – BBC America, 8 p.m.
The International Sexy Ladies Show – G4, 8 p.m.
24 – Fox, 9 p.m.
Damages – FX, 10 p.m.
Nurse Jackie – Showtime, 10 p.m.
United States of Tara – Showtime, 10:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.