Fang's Bites

A Quiet Wednesday Linkfest

Was out of the office again earlier today so I’m getting to these rather late. Let’s look at what we have today.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says the new CBS Sports/Showtime documentary on this year’s Army-Navy football game will have touches of reality TV.

Mike McCarthy of USA Today notes that TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal and ESPN bloviator Skippy Bayless are throwing insults at each other.

At the Hollywood Reporter, Carolyn Giardina and Adrian Pennington report that at least 10 Olympic venues in London are expected to get the 3-D TV treatment. About 16 people in the US will be able to watch that.

George Winslow of Broadcasting & Cable says ESPN will make its news feeds available to the Pulse mobile app.

Gregg Rosenthal at Pro Football Talk cites a Phil Mushnick report that the man who helped ruin the Cleveland Browns, Eric Manmoron Mangini will be an ESPN NFL analyst this season.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggan of the St. Petersburg Times previews the ESPN Films documentary on the real-life Rocky Balboa who got his shot at the championship.

Lauren Indvik of Mashable looks at how Sports Illustrated is on top of digital technology by publishing a tablet edition of its magazine.

In SportsNewser, Marcus Vanderberg talks with Bomani Jones about the end of his morning show at The Score on Sirius Satellite Radio in Canada.

Cam Martin at SportsNewser tells us to get ready for the NASCAR-themed drama “Tits in the Pits”. You can’t make this shit up.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid notes that ESPN’s Merril Hoge took to Twitter to say that Tim Tebow isn’t going to be a good NFL quarterback.

Former Boston Sports Media Watch blogger David Scott writes in ESPN’s Front Row about the Alleged Worldwide Leader breaking ground on a new building and pledging to create an additional 200-800 new jobs in Connecticut over the next five years.

Kristi Dosh, the SportsBizMiss, of the Business of College Sports tries to predict the future and creates four potential BCS “Superconferences” out of the remains of the Big 12 and the Big East.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell notes that video game manufacturer EA Sports could stand to lose one billion dollars if a lawsuit by college athletes goes against it.

Darren talks with Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott about the league’s upcoming regional sports networks.

And Darren looks at a new venture that could bring fans closer to their favorite athletes by consolidating social media and personal websites into one site.

John Talty of the International Business Times writes that the NBA lockout won’t be much of a drain on the economy, only to the league’s fans.

Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal writes about the Big East Conference looking forward to a potential huge media rights payday in two years.

Kevin says Big East Commissioner John Marinatto is denying reports that the conference may have to drop a few schools in order to get big TV money.

Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant says the next TV negotiations for the Big East will be the league’s most important in its history.

Mara Lee of the Courant talks about ESPN’s planned expansion in Connecticut.

JC Reindl of the Day of New London (CT) writes that Connecticut came up with plenty of tax breaks so ESPN could expand its Bristol headquarters.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times writes that despite conventional wisdom, the Big East is a big player in college sports.

Lenn Robbins of the New York Post says a lucrative TV contract will ensure the Big East’s success in the long term.

Sean Daly of the Post says NBC is really going after ESPN with its rebranding of Versus.

Newsday’s Neil Best notes that the winner of SNY’s Kidcaster contest got to call a Mets home run last night.

Neil says ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is now downplaying reports that overzealous Ohio State fans forced him to move from his native Columbus to Tennessee.

Neil writes that there appears to be a cease fire between WFAN’s Mike Francesa and the New York Jets.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says two local radio stations will pick up Compass Media’s NFL schedule this fall.

Ken says this month’s US Open tennis coverage will be divided among three networks again.

And Ken has the preliminary Westwood One Radio NFL schedule for the first six weeks of the season.

In the New Jersey Newsroom, Evan Weiner says the NFL and the league’s Players Association may not be done negotiating yet.

To the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog where Dan Steinberg notes previews from Sports Illustrated’s Peter King and ESPN Radio Hack Colin Cowherd on the DC NFL Team.

Bridget Cary of the Miami Herald says ESPN Deportes Radio is changing stations to get a better signal in South Florida.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman looks at the local ratings from the weekend.

Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman says the Longhorn Network has made Texas untouchable to other BCS conferences.

Jim Thomas of the Canton (OH) Repository profiles local native Dan Dierdorf on his second career as an NFL analyst.

Shane Hoover of the Repository notes that the NFL continues to find new fans via social and new media.

Steve Ballard of the Indianapolis Star notes that Sunday’s Brickyard 400 scored for ESPN.

David Brauer of MinnPost says the Twin Cities’ ESPN Radio affiliate is pulling Colin Cowherd and inserting a local talk show in his place.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says it’s not known if the NHL’s marriage to Versus will pay off in the long run.

To the Biz of Baseball and Maury Brown who reports that one section of Ohio that was hit with blackouts of the Cleveland Indians and the Pittsburgh Pirates won’t be blacked out anymore.

Larry Brown Sports has former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach sticking up for suspended ESPN.com writer Bruce Feldman on Fox Sports Radio last night.

The Days of Y’Orr Boston Bruins blog notes the creation of a new Jack Edwards soundboard. It’s tremendous.

Kissing Suzy Kolber notes that ESPN’s sponsored segments are getting a bit out of hand.

Melina Travis of Pro Sports Communications talks about the power of sports documentaries.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead wonders if the Big East has any juice with fans.

Awful Announcing kicks around some ideas for the next batch of ESPN Films documentaries.

We have a lot of links today. That’s good for you. I’ll be back later tonight.

Getting The Wednesday Linkage In

Let’s do the Wednesday links while I can. It’s going to get busy the next couple of days as I try to wrap things up for the 4th of July weekend so blogging may get sparse through the weekend. Just giving you a heads up.

Here are the links for this Wednesday.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says ESPN is going all out for the Women’s World Cup whether we like it or not.

Karolos Grohmann of Reuters reports that General Electric has pledged to sponsor the Olympic Games through 2020 as part of the deal that kept the US media rights with NBC.

Lindsay Powers of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Tiger Woods has signed his first endorsement deal since his marital troubles began in November 2009.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable says the NFL wants Congress to leave the silly TV blackout rules in place.

Tim Baysinger of B&C notes that Fox Soccer received its highest audience ever for last Saturday’s Gold Cup Final between the US and Mexico.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News notes the improved ratings for TNT halfway through its NASCAR season.

Mike also recaps the ESPN/espnW Women’s World Cup viewing party in New York’s Times Square on Tuesday.

Mike discusses NBC Sports Group providing full coverage of the Tour de France.

Adweek’s Anthony Crupi says the NBA playoffs steered TNT to a cable ratings win in the 2nd quarter of this year.

Tim Nudd of Adweek really likes DirecTV’s Football Cops ad starring Peyton and Eli Manning.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Dave Kindred provides a lesson on just who Grantland Rice was and why he’s so revered.

Robert Niles of the Online Journalism Review at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism looks at the limits of free speech citing ESPN’s Jemele Hill defending David Tyree’s anti-gay marriage stance.

SportsGrid has video of Charles Barkley visiting the Sportsnet One booth during last night’s Pittsburgh-Toronto game.

SportsGrid’s Glenn Davis wonders if ESPN’s Robert Flores was caught napping on the job today.

SportsNewser’s Cam Martin writes that video game producer EA Sports plans to build a new studio in Texas.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell speaks with Nike’s CEO and President Charlie Denson on a myriad of sports business topics.

SportsbyBrooks is reporting that former Indiana and Texas A&M coach Bob Knight is preventing ESPN from hiring former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl as an analyst. I didn’t know coach Knight wielded that much power.

Andrew Gauthier of TV Spy notes the return of Len Berman to the Today Show this morning. And no one got hurt!

The lovely Kristi Dosh of the Business of College Sports explains how she got into the sports blogging business.

Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times reviews USA Network’s new football-based series.

Newsday’s Neil Best says Derek Jeter haters will like one new internet product that allows them to ignore the Yankees shortstop.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says tonight’s Red Sox-Phillies game originally scheduled for ESPN2 will now be seen on the ESPN mothership.

Ken says New York’s Capital Region will be blacked out on July 8 when Bob Costas and Al Michaels team up to call their first baseball game ever.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that NBC golf reporter Dottie Pepper reaches out to the community when she’s back home.

Evan Weiner in the New Jersey Newsroom says handouts to sports owners are not a good thing.

John George of the Philadelphia Business Journal says MLB Network’s Mitch Williams will be seen on a DIY Network show.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog recaps a visit from consumer advocate Ralph Nader to the WaPo offices to discuss sports coverage and a new venture he’s helping to organize.

Graham Cawthorn of the Shelby (NC) Star looks at ESPN wanting to stream the American Legion World Series.

Danny Aller of the Albany (GA) Herald says Braves fans will finally be able to watch Peachtree TV games through the Fox Sports South affiliate.

Joel Hammond of Crain’s Cleveland Business says the Browns will launch a nightly radio show on the market’s dominant sports radio station.

Steve Brandt of the Minneapolis Star Tribune says local officials are denying that there’s a potential bid for the 2020 Olympics in the works.

The Syracuse (NE) Journal-Democrat reports that ESPN3 will stream all games of the American Legion World Series under a new four year contract.

Andrew Blankstein of the Los Angeles Times says former Chicago Sun-Times writer Jay Mariotti must stand trial on stalking and assault charges.

The Elk Grove (CA) Citizen notes that a local high school rejected ESPN’s request to air a football game this season.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail talks about HBO hitting the ice once again next season.

Sports Media Watch says NASCAR on TNT’s ratings were up again this past weekend.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says viewership for the NHL Draft was up from last year.

The Big Lead wonders if NASCAR fired an in-house blogger for mentioning Kyle Busch’s marital problems.

That’s all for now.

Madden ’12 Cover Athlete Peyton Hillis On Late Show with David Letterman

Coming up tonight on the CBS Television Network, Cleveland Browns running Peyton Hillis will make an appearance to present the Top Ten list on the Late Show with David Letterman. Hillis was announced yesterday as the cover athlete of the Madden ’12 NFL video game. Today, he’s in New York to shoot the cover and to make a few publicity appearances including one at the Late Show. We have details plus what else will be on tonight’s show.

THIS JUST IN…
…from CBS Entertainment

CLEVELAND BROWNS STAR PEYTON HILLIS, THE COVER ATHLETE FOR THE “MADDEN NFL 12” VIDEO GAME, TO PRESENT THE TOP TEN LIST ON CBS’S “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN,” THURSDAY, APRIL 28

NEW YORK, April 28 – Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, the cover athlete for the new “Madden NFL 12” video game, will present the Top Ten List on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, April 28 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  Selected by fans in a special online vote, Hillis was announced Wednesday as the latest NFL star to grace the cover of the new edition of the popular EA Sports video game.  The “Madden NFL 12” video game will be released August 30.

Also featured on the LATE SHOW tonight will be self-help guru Dr. Phil McGraw, actor Chris Hemsworth and a performance from the new Broadway musical “Catch Me If You Can.”

The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated.  Barbara Gaines, Matt Roberts, Jude Brennan, Maria Pope, Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel and Rob Burnett are the executive producers.

Official CBS website:  http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/

That’s it.

Cover Athlete of Madden ’12 Video Game To Be Announced on ESPN2′s SportsNation This Wednesday

For gamers, the big announcement on who will adorn the cover of the Madden ’12 NFL video game will finally come Wednesday on ESPN2′s SportsNation with ESPN Radio hack Colon Cowherd and Friend’s of Fang’s Bites Michelle Beadle. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis are the finalists for the cover.

Exclusive Announcement of EA Sports’ Madden 12 Cover Athlete on ESPN2’s SportsNation

Philadelphia Eagles All Pro quarterback Michael Vick and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis will visit ESPN on Wednesday, April 27, when one of them will be unveiled as the cover athlete for EA Sports’ Madden 12 video game. The announcement will be made exclusively on ESPN2’s SportsNation at 4 p.m. with hosts Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd. Fan voting for the Madden 12 cover began March 21 when Vick and Hillis coincidentally visited the ESPN campus together (photos) to help promote the initiative. In all, one player from 31 of the 32 NFL teams (as well as the Seahawks’ 12th Man) was represented in the bracket-style tournament.  Vick and Hillis – who upset Green Bay Packers Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers in the semifinals – advanced to the finals last week after four rounds of competition. In all, more than 12.5 million votes have been cast in the EA Sports competition on ESPN.com. Final voting continues through Wednesday afternoon. In addition to SportsNation, Vick and Hillis will appear on multiple ESPN Radio and television programs throughout the day. ESPNFrontRow.com will also provide real-time, behind-the-scenes photos throughout the day.

That’s all.

Coming Back For Sunday Links

After not being able to bring you the Friday megalinks or even Saturday linkage, I have some time to provide the Sunday linkage. Some good stuff here and don’t forget to read my Sunday thoughts.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy breaks news that former co-host of Versus’ The Daily Line, Jenn Sterger will give her first interview on the Brett Favre scandal to Good Morning America this week.

Mike notes that Jim Gray is not part of Golf Channel’s coverage of The Masters^® this year.

Rachel Cohen from the Associated Press says TV networks are trying to work out the kinks of shooting sports in 3-D.

From Yahoo’s The PostGame, Eric Adelson talks to former CBS golf announcer Ben Wright whose “Yes Sir!” call of Jack Nicklaus win in the 1986 Masters has been overshadowed and ignored by Verne Lundquist’s.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News notes that ESPN’s ratings for its opening round coverage of The Masters^® were down from the year before.

Mike says the ratings for The Masters^® did go up Friday when Tiger Woods got back into contention.

R. Thomas Umstead at Multichannel says UFC has signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with Bud Light.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek says when you take bar and hotel viewing into account, the ratings for the NCAA Tournament goes up 20%.

Dan Fogarty from SportsGrid writes that the Joe Buck hate reached a fever pitch on Twitter during yesterday’s Yankees-Red Sox game on Fox.

Mohammed Rahman of SportsGrid says ESPN’s Jon Gruden hasn’t met a player he hasn’t liked.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick goes after EA Sports for not toning down the violence in the Madden NFL 12 video game.

Annie Karni of the Post talks with Jenn Sterger’s ex-manager (not Jenn herself?) about how it’s all Brett Favre’s fault that she can’t get her career off the ground. If you read the story in full, you’ll see that apparently Sterger’s interview with Good Morning America could lead into her working for ABC. In what capacity, I have no idea.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says ESPN’s ratings for the 2nd round of The Masters^® were down from last year.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post has former Nationals President Stan Kasten denying that former MASN TV analyst Rob Dibble was let go following an e-mail from the father of pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

At the WaPo’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has Dibble responding to Kasten.

Mike Frandsen of the Washington Examiner says Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra DC radio station is defending its policy to pick up Baltimore Orioles games.

Greg Hardwig of the Naples (FL) Daily News talks with former CBS golf analyst Ken Venturi about watching The Masters without his good friend, the late golf producer Frank Chirkinian.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman says 60 Minutes will profile St. Louis Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols today.

Evan Binns from the St. Louis Business Journal says Fox Sports Midwest has added some familiar names to its Cardinals games.

The Kirksville (MO) Daily Express reports that a local cable provider won’t be airing 20 Cardinals games this season over a rights fee dispute with Fox Sports Midwest.

David Southorn of the Idaho Press-Tribune has the complete 2011 Mountain West football TV schedule.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that NHL Network will reveal all of the playoff matchups tonight.

Awful Announcing says St. John’s basketball coach and former ESPN analyst Steve Lavin has prostate cancer. Our best wishes to Steve.

That’s going to do it for today.

Tiger Woods Appears With Jimmy Fallon

Late last night or early this morning, whichever you prefer, Tiger Woods made a rare talk show appearance. It was to promote his new video game. But before talking about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, he and Jimmy Fallon discussed how Woods gave him plenty of material over the last couple of years.

In this video, Jimmy talks about beating Tiger in the 2010 version of the video game.

In this video, Tiger shows off his game to Jimmy Fallon and the always lovely Amy Poehler from Parks & Recreation.

And lastly, more of Jimmy, Tiger and Amy.

There you have it.

Saddling Up Some Tuesday Links

Let’s provide some linkage on another snowy day in the Northeast. Seriously, this isn’t funny any more. One or two snowstorms to remind us that it’s winter is fine. Not one every other day as it seems. It took me an hour to get into work when it normally takes 20-30 minutes. And sometimes on a bad day, it can go for 40. But an hour was really bad. And we’re all bracing for another big one on Wednesday which will just wreak havoc with work schedules for snow removal. It’s all fun. And again, no comments about moving to Arizona or New Mexico or “You chose to live there”. Any of those comments will be immediately deleted.

Let’s do the links now.

We start with a story that is just hitting here, but started across the Atlantic where Sky Sports soccer analyst Andy Gray has now been fired stemming from another video showing him harassing a female host. Gray was suspended over the weekend for remarks he made about a female linesperson and a female soccer executive.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid also has reaction to Gray’s sacking.

Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Armen Graham has details on the new HBO Sports documentary on the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe rivalry.

USA Today has a media gallery on the women who have starred in memorable Super Bowl ads. Danica Patrick and Betty White anyone?

Ron Callari at Inventor Spot talks about the social media aspect to this year’s Super Bowl commercials.

Sports Business Daily has the results of a new Harris Poll showing which are the U.S. favorite sports. No surprise about which one is on top.

Reid Cherner of USA Today’s Game On! blog says EA Sports is denying that there’s a glitch that allows for topless women on its Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’11 video game.

Fanhouse’s Milton Kent notes the stellar ratings for both the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

The Hollywood Reporter says Canadian network CTV has chosen the show that will follow Super Bowl XLV on February 6.

Brian Lowry of Fox Sports.com likes Troy Aikman of Fox Sports. Hmmmm.

My Twitter Trophy Wife, Amanda Rykoff of espnW, talks about how a last-minute decision to attend a breakfast turned out to be breaking news from New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.

Todd Spangler at Multichannel News writes that ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN’s Buzzer Beater will be made available online for Time Warner Cable and Bright House subscribers as of today.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel says Syfy had good numbers for its Friday showing of WWE Smackdown.

Anthony Crupi in Mediaweek discusses the high ratings for the NFL Conference Championships on Sunday.

Crupi also writes that NBC Sports has created a new agency designed to market all aspects of the newly merged Comcast/NBC sports entities.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says all signs point to a ratings record for Super Bowl XLV.

Kevin Baumer at the Business Insider Sports Page tells us there was a fake press release regarding New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and a Dr. Scholl’s Super Bowl ad.

Jay Busbee at Yahoo’s From the Marbles blog says Fox Sports El Jefe del Mundo David Hill wants shorter NASCAR races.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell finds out which NFL jerseys are among the most popular with women.

Darren notes that Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger isn’t too concerned about his marketing possibilities in the wake of recent off the field problems.

Darren reports that the secondary ticket market is making a good mint off selling space for people who want to see the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium, but off a big TV.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir writes that Fox Sports’ Troy Aikman was not as hard as others regarding Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s injury during the NFC Championship.

Bob Raissman in the New York Daily News feels CBS’ Phil Simms got the job done on Sunday.

Raissman says CBS dealt with Roethlisberger’s suspension from earlier this season head on while ESPN tiptoed around it.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union writes that CBS College Sports stumbled upon a big college basketball game this week.

Dustin Long of the Virginian-Pilot has the transcript of a press conference between NASCAR reporters and Fox Sports El Jefe del Mundo David Hill.

Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune notes that Saints coach Sean Payton will be an ESPN employee during Super Bowl Week.

Barry Horn from the Dallas Morning News has a preview of tonight’s HBO Real Sports feature on Troy Aikman.

John Henry of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says workers will try desperately to keep annoying grackles away from ESPN’s Super Bowl downtown set.

Pete Alfano from the Star-Telegram writes that organizers are expecting good weather for Super Bowl Week.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman also previews Troy Aikman’s interview on Real Sports.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that his friend Peter King of Sports Illustrated will be profiled on Real Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says this is a dark week on Chicago sports radio.

In Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman says he can no longer tolerate NFL Network’s Deion Sanders.

Ed says the Jay Cutler saga showed that it’s open hunting season on Twitter.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune notes that the NFC Championship Game did better in the local ratings than Super Bowl XLI when the Bears lost.

Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press-Telegram says a local high school basketball team will get the national spotlight from ESPN next month.

Midwest Sports Fans says Tiger Woods may have helped his image by going on Twitter today.

Sports Media Watch notes the most watched NFL Championship Sunday since 1982.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog gets on CTV and Global for some bad decisions during NFL Championship Sunday.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media notes that the NHL on NBC season premiere on Sunday saw a ratings increase from last year.

Steve tells us that Sirius XM Howard 101 host Scott Ferrall gets some duties for NHL Radio this week.

Joe Favorito says the Jay Cutler story shows the perils of social media.

And that is going to do it for us now. We’re officially finished with the linkage.

Breaking Out the Tuesday Linkage

I hope to get these links done without interruption. I hate working from the RI main office because I get bogged down, but that’s what happens when you don’t have a car like I do. I have to depend on others to get me where I’m going and I can’t get to my MA office as often as I would like. But you don’t care about that so let’s do as much linkage as I can.

USA Today’s Mike McCarthy says ESPN has had to issue apologies for recent inappropriate behavior by employees.

Also from USA Today, Reid Cherner from the Game On blog notes that Fox News analyst Tucker Carlson has retracted his earlier sentiment that Michael Vick should be executed.

Again from USA Today, Mike McCarthy looks at some of the TV ratings from the past weekend.

Finally from the Nation’s Newspaper, Mike notes that CBS’ Jim Nantz is the voice of Tiger Woods’ new EA video game.

Richard Deitsch from Sports Illustrated explores the off-air spat between announcer Ron Franklin and sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards.

Sports Business Daily says the NHL would be hard-pressed to match this year’s record ratings for the Winter Classic in 2012. 

And SBD notes the final ratings for Sunday Night Football which ended up being the best for NBC since it started airing the package in 2007.

David Goetzl from MediaPost wonders why more women aren’t in the broadcast booth.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine writes about ESPN’s record ratings for the Rose Bowl. 

Noah Davis at SportsNewser says the Rio 2016 Olympics Committee has silently unveiled its logo.

Brad Cohen from SportsGrid has the video of Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh snubbing Michele Tafoya after the Cardinal won the Orange Bowl last night.

Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid says the New York Daily News is having too much fun with the latest chapter in the sad Brett Favre saga.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest notes that after settling a dispute, Anheuser-Busch is back sponsoring MLB for 2011.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times talks about ESPN disciplining Ron Franklin.

And Richard discusses the increased ratings for the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Night.

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post discusses ESPN’s behavior towards women in the workplace.

From the Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg highlights three moments from Sunday’s radio broadcast of the Washington-New York Giants game.

Dan notes that there were plenty of Caps fans making their influence felt during the NHL Winter Classic’s singing of the national anthem.

Crain’s Chicago Business’ Ed Sherman has some various Windy City sports media notes.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the Rams-Seahawks game from Sunday night drew the biggest regular season audience locally for an NFL game in recent memory.

Scott Collins from the Los Angeles Times says under 21 million people watched the Rose Bowl on ESPN.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has ESPN’s new promo involving tennis doubles partners, Bob and Mike Bryan.

Eric Degerman from the Mid-Columbia (WA) Tri Cities Herald notes that FSN Northwest will undergo a name change in the spring. 

Carol Walker at the CawsnJaws blog found that ESPN ran the most ads during its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage than any other network.

Some college football bowl ratings news from Sports Media Watch:

Fiesta Bowl hit a 13 year ratings low.

The Outback Bowl did well on ABC.

The Sun Bowl dropped on CBS.

And we have ratings news on three more bowls.

Ben Koo at Awful Announcing lists the sports media stories he’ll be watching in 2011.

And that will finish the links for today.

NBC Airs Madden NFL ’11 Celebrity Touch Football Game This Sunday

In a prelude to Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game, NBC airs a NFL legend/celebrity touch football game as part of the launch of the new Madden ’11 video game.

Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am

Flag Football Game Featuring NFL Legends & Hollywood Stars to Air on NBC Sunday, August 8 at 7 PM ET

Madden NFL 11 on Sale Tuesday, August 10

Craig Robinson, right, of television’s “The Office”, chases Jerry Rice, newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, during the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am, in Malibu, Calif., July 22, 2010. The game will air prior to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8.  Photo/EA SPORTS, Susan Goldman, handout.

Maria Menounos, actress and television host, grabs the flag off of Kurt Warner, left, former NFL Quarterback, during the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am, in Malibu, Calif., July 22, 2010. The game will air prior to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8.  Photo/EA SPORTS, Susan Goldman, handout.

Maria Menounos, actress and television host, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) following her performance at the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am, in Malibu, Calif., July 22, 2010.  The game will air prior to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8.  Photo/EA SPORTS, Susan Goldman, handout

Before the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals meet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game to kick off the 2010 NFL preseason, NFL and NBC get fans back to football with the second annual Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am on Sunday, August 8 at 7:00 pm ET on NBC. 

NFL legends join forces with Hollywood celebrities in this exciting, action-packed, high-scoring flag football game, complete with last-second drama.  The Pigskin Pro-Am took place in Malibu, California on Thursday, July 22. 

Fans can tune in to see “Montana-To-Rice” one more time, when Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback JOE MONTANA leads The Gamers with member of the Hall of Fame class of 2010 JERRY RICE as well as “Access Hollywood’s” correspondent MARIA MENOUNOS as she takes home the game’s coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.  On the other side of the ball, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP KURT WARNER, Hall of Fame DB ROD WOODSON and host of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” CRAIG ROBINSON are a few of the stars that make up The Famers squad.  [Full team rosters below]

The Pigskin Pro-Am is part of the launch of Madden NFL 11, which goes on sale August 10. 

Some highlights from the game:

• The Famers QB Kurt Warner returns to the field just months after announcing his retirement. Can he top his performance in Super Bowl XLIII or his 2009 Playoff run in this year’s Pigskin Pro-Am?
• The Gamers’ Jerry Rice takes it to the house and returns a “kickoff” 40-yards for a touchdown.
• The Gamers’ Maria Menounos records five receptions for 55 yards, one touchdown, has one sack and two tackles.
• The Famers’ JAMES VAN DER BEEK channels Jonathon “Mox” Moxon with six receptions for 71 yards and three touchdowns, and adds six tackles.
• Down a score, The Famers’ Rod Woodson picks off Gamers QB Joe Montana allowing The Famers to drive down and score with less than 20 seconds left to take their first lead of the day. 
• In the final seconds of the game, The Gamers get inside the 10-yard line on a pass to Deion Sanders and time seemingly expires… but Coach TONY GONZALEZ calls a timeout and The Gamers get one more play.  Tune in to see if Montana has one more classic game-winning drive left in him.

Full Team Rosters:

THE GAMERS

Quinton Aaron (Actor – Michael Oher in “The Blind Side”)

Marcus Allen

Shannon Elizabeth (Actress, Model)

Joe Manganiello (Actor — Werewolf Alcide Herveaux on HBO’s “True Blood”)

Ryan McPartlin (Actor – Chuck)

Maria Menounos (Actress/Journalist – Correspondent for “Access Hollywood”)

Joe Montana

Jerry Rice

Deion Sanders, Captain

Tony Gonzalez, Coach

THE FAMERS

Ashlan Gorse (Correspondent for E!)

Michael Irvin

Stacy Keibler (Actress/Former Pro Wrestler)

Jesse Plemons (Actor – Landry Clarke on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”)

Craig Robinson (Actor/Comedian – Host of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”)

Shannon Sharpe, Captain

James Van Der Beek (Actor)

Kurt Warner

Rod Woodson

Terrell Owens, Coach

Madden NFL 11 will be available on the Xbox 360® video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Wii™, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. Madden NFL 11 will also be available for download globally on mobile platforms including iPad® and feature phones.

Madden NFL 11 is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, and EA SPORTS™ MMA.

That’s it.

Our Thursday Links

Let’s do some linkage. I can’t understand why I can’t get anything done today. Anyway, let’s get going.

USA Today’s Jorge L. Ortiz profiles ESPN/San Francisco Giants voice Jon Miller who’s going into the Broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.

Andrea Domanick from Broadcasting & Cable says a new award focusing on sports media marketing on TV and other platforms is launching this year.

Mike Reynolds in Multichannel News tells us that a couple of Disney Channel characters take over Dodger Stadium tonight.

Mike also talks about CBS College Sports renewing its rights deal with Conference USA through the 2016 season. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell talks about how SpongeTech is a warning to all sports teams which look for stadium sponsors.

Bill Wilson of the BBC reports that EA Sports has signed a unique deal with the English Premier League becoming the soccer league’s first technology partner. 

Michael Ozanian in Forbes says ESPN and the PGA Tour were big losers in last weekend’s Open Championship blowout. 

Susan Shan who is fast becoming a Friend of Fang’s Bites, feels Versus’ Jenn Sterger is a disgrace to women in sports for her comments about Danica Patrick.

Susan also talks about her feud with Sterger and her upcoming work with the St. John’s Red Storm with the One Great Season blog.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed this yesterday in our podcast. SB Nation is buying the Sporting Blog from Sporting News. Chris Littman talks about the blog’s future. 

Michael Grotticelli from Broadcast Engineering goes over the 10 things learned from ESPN’s research of World Cup viewing.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says a local DC NFL team beat reporter is changing radio stations.

Dave McKenna from the Washington City Paper says MASN’s Rob Dibble doesn’t care about the criticism that he’s too much of a homer. 

Janie Campbell from NBC Miami explores the Miami Herald deleting the bitter farewell blog post from the Florida International sports beat writer this week.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that the Miami Heat’s Three Kings uniforms  are top sellers as expected.

Pete Alfano of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram talks about how ESPN chose Sundance Square as its headquarters for Super Bowl XLV.

Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN is ready to rev up its NASCAR coverage this weekend. 

John Erardi from the Cincinnati Enquirer speaks to former Reds closer Rob Dibble about his broadcasting gig with the Washington Nationals. 

Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Fox Sports Wisconsin will be going commercial-free to benefit charity for a Brewers game next month.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says the Blackhawks remain a hot commodity and mentions that Comcast SportsNet honors Andre Dawson this weekend.

Dan Moore at SB Nation St. Louis notes that the entire Globe-Democrat sports staff has walked out.

Charles Rouse III of the Kansas City Examiner looks at ESPN’s Big Monday Big 12 schedule.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with long-time broadcaster Paul Olden who has now replaced Bob Sheppard as Yankees public address announcer.

Tom is amused by Fox Sports’ Jimmy Johnson going on Survivor.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says ESPN’s David Amber is returning home to Canada to work on the Raptors game broadcasts.

Chris writes that CBS plans to feature plenty of Canadians in the Canadian Open this week, but is dismayed at the fewer hours of coverage. 

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail suggests now is a good time for TSN to launch a radio network in Canada. 

Joe Favorito talks about the creative ways Captain Morgan Rum has become a part of sports marketing.

That’s going to do it for now.

Bringing You Tuesday Links

Here are some links for you today. Time to give you linkage. I was busy earlier compiling the list of NFL flagship TV stations for exhibition season. I’ll do a list of NFL radio networks as we get closer to the regular season. Right now, it’s the links so let’s get to them.

Bob Kimball of USA Today looks at the ratings of various events from the weekend.

ESPN.com offers a preview of tonight’s E:60 in which Cleveland Browns WR Donte Stallworth talks about his DUI arrest.

Lou Kesten of the Associated Press says EA Sports is teaming up with ESPN to promote the release of the Madden NFL 10 video game.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the Patriots’ Tom Brady acquitted himself well during an appearance on HBO’s Entourage on Sunday.

Neil reviews a new book on baseball icon “Moonlight” (Doc) Graham. If you saw Field of Dreams, then you know why Doc Graham is an icon.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at a series of Tank McNamara comic strips regarding Michael Vick and NFL Commish Roger Goodell that caused the Washington Post to drop two installments this week.

Richard writes an appreciation of Eunice Shriver who died today at the age of 88.

Bob Raissman from the New York Daily News wonders where was the overboard coverage from ESPN on David Ortiz?

CNBC’s Darren Rovell feels Michael Vick is taking the wrong approach to the media.

Darren writes that the owners of a $16 million horse are still hoping to make money from their investment.

Evan Weiner writing for MCN Sports warns that hockey could be falling in popularity in Toronto of all places.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks about Donte Stallworth and Michael Vick starting their media apology tours this week.

Pete has the TV schedule for this week’s PGA Championship.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News says the Terrell Owens VH-1 reality show is distorting present day reality.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call liked NBC’s halftime tribute to John Madden.

If you didn’t see it, this is the tribute that ran during the Hall of Fame game:

Ed McGranahan of the Greenville (SC) News looks at the new media restrictions imposed by the SEC.

Tommy Hicks of the Mississippi News writes that thanks to the new SEC media contracts, Mississippi and Mississippi State will be on TV a lot more.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News looks at a rare NFL double-dip coming up this week.

Mike Pryson of the Jackson (MI) Citizen Patriot says NASCAR nor Michigan International Speedway are worried about the TV ratings for this season’s races.

Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business pays tribute to the editor of Chicagoland Golf who passed away Monday.

Ed also looks at the commercial and media fallout from the arrest of Chicago Blackhawk star Patrick Kane.

Kevin Druley from the Dekalb (IL) Daily Chronicle profiles Golf Channel analyst Dottie Pepper.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says an ESPN publication has rated Packer Charles Woodson in the top 5 of all cornerbacks in the NFL.

Gieson Cacho of the San Jose Mercury News tells us that Monday Night Football will be all over the release of Madden NFL 10.

Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee says a former sports radio talk show host has landed on his feet with a hot girlfriend and a high profile gig on Comcast SportsNet California.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that ESPN Deportes gets its first “SportsCenter” ad campaign.

Mike writes that Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is broadening its programming with its new media rights agreement with the Washington Redskins.

Tristan O’Connor of Media Week UK talks with the woman in charge of putting ESPN on the air in time for the English Premier League season this week.

The Sports Media Watch has the weekend ratings.

The Slashgear blog notes that the Roku media player has added MLB.TV to its TV offerings.

Steve Donohue from Contentinople talks about Turner Sports’ multiplatform coverage of this week’s PGA Championship.

Kristine Leahy of WEEI.com has the latest version of The Five.

Ok, that’s it. I’m going to be watching the Red Sox and listening to WBCN’s final farewell tonight.

A Crazy Monday Linkfest

I’ve been going crazy following two different stories today, one being the Chris Russo Firing Stunt and the other the launch of a new video feature on WEEI.com. Lots of stuff going on for what is supposed to be a slow sports day.

Let’s give you links and go from there.

First, let me plug some new Friends of Fang’s Bites, the fine people at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area/California tell me that they will have the re-air of Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter from last Friday. It will air this Thursday at 7 p.m. Pacific time, 10 p.m. Eastern time. On DirecTV, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area is on channel 696. Thanks to the people at CSNBA/CSNC for giving me that info. I wanted to pass it along to my West Coast friends.

Before going into the national links, a couple of links to my own stuff. First, I wrote a piece for my site at Boston Sports Media Watch about the launch of a new video feature at WEEI.com. Take a gander at “The Five” hosted by Kristine Leahy below.

Kristine definitely looks quite lovely there.

Early this morning, I reviewed the HBO Ted Williams documentary.

And I call shenanigans on the Chris Russo/Mad Dog Channel tirade from last week.

Ok, to your links.

Good on Friend of Fang’s Bites Richard Deitsch for breaking the story on President Obama joining Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during tomorrow’s All-Star Game broadcast on Fox.

Richard also writes about the person who shot the video of LeBron James being dunked upon, but then had Nike take said video. Thanks to Richard for linking to my ESPN College Football Announcing lineup post.

A couple of sports business stories from the Sports Business Journal.

Tripp Mickle says the International Olympic Committee made plenty of money on the 2008 Summer Games in Communist China.

Tripp writes that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman got a big raise in salary during the 2007-08 season.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes that EA Sports and the NCAA are apparently ignoring a lawsuit by releasing the new version of a college football video game.

Darren says UFC and sponsor Bud Light weren’t too pleased when Brock Lesnar specifically mentioned Coors Light in a postfight interview last Saturday.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick wonders where’s the outrage on the Donte Stallworth story?

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner says ESPN will use Doppler Radar to instantly measure shots during tonight’s Home Run Derby.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times talks with new WTA President Stacey Allaster.

Ray Frager at Sports Media Journal noticed that there was one thing missing from ESPN’s feature on Disco Demolition Night.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times reviews the weekend in TV sports.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News previews tonight’s 4th and Long show. Barry decides who should be on the Metroplex’s Media Mount Rushmore.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business looks at the ticket prices for tomorrow’s All-Star Game. Ed is concerned about NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol’s comments about Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics being in jeopardy.

Olympics writer Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times has more on Ebersol’s thoughts on the US Olympic Network that’s supposed to launch in 2010.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says the morning drive wars on local sports radio is heating up.

John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News feels Brock Lesnar’s postfight interview on UFC100 was embarrassing.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail feels play-by-play man Jamie Campell could be doing better on Blue Jays broadcasts on Rogers Sportsnet.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says ESPN on ABC did its best to showcase the city during yesterday’s Indy Toronto race.

Chris Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media tells us that the Basketball Hall of Fame will honor TNT’s Doug Collins and the New York Post’s/NBA TV’s Peter Vescey.

Matt Sebek at the Joe Sports Fan blog says Chris Berman sits alone and with nobody else at the All-Star Game.

The great Steve Lepore of Puck The Media whose site is blowing up so much that he now ignores my Tweets (I’m joking, Steve), has some thoughts on the NHL upon his return after a week away from blogging. Steve talks about the real reason behind Darren Pang’s departure from Phoenix to join the St. Louis Blues’ TV team.

That’s it for now.

Thursday’s Linkage

Time to do a Thursday link thing for you. There will be a major announcement about Fang’s Bites and its future coming in the next day or two. I’ll give you that when the time is right. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Starting off with the Nielsen ratings Wire blog, it says EA Sports will have a major impact on the NBA Draft tonight.

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the new in-market online streaming deal between the Yankees, YES, MLB.com and Cablevision. Neil feels other teams will most likely follow suit. Neil previews a new SNY documentary on the 1969 Miracle Mets.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times also looks at the Yankees-Cablevision deal.

David Kohl of the Major League Programs Blog tells us what’s wrong with the deal.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says you can buy actual U.S. Open scorecards at auction. Darren wants to come up with a new nickname for Shaquille O’Neal now that he’s a Cleveland Cav. Darren notes that golfer Vijay Singh still stands by Stanford Financial despite the company’s CEO being in tremendous legal trouble.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says TNT will continue airing the PGA Championship through most of the next decade.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News says Terrell Owens and supermodel Joanna Krupa will see another day at The Superstars. Apparently T.O. has shot a mock apology for his performance.

Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Steel City watched Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in record numbers resulting in a 42.2 rating! Thanks to Steve Lepore at Puck The Media for the link.

From Crain’s Chicago Business, Ed Sherman talks with former Bear Steve McMichael about being a part-owner and coach of a local indoor football team.

Bob Wolfley in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes about Packer Al Harris’ interview on Sirius NFL Radio.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News advises us that ESPN and TNT will air the Cleveland Cavaliers as much as possible next season.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman has ESPN.com’s mock top five NBA Draft choices.

Adam Rose of the Los Angeles Times looks at the first episode of The Superstars.

Chris Zelkovich from the Toronto Star says Setanta Canada is safe for now, but what about in years to come?

Steve Clarke of Variety says ESPN is considering launching a new UK channel in the wake of obtaining the rights to the English Premier League this week.

Kevin Downey from Media Life Magazine writes that the NCAA baseball postseason drew well for the ESPN networks.

The Sports Media Watch says the U.S. Open’s ratings were washed away this past weekend. Paulsen has some various ratings news and notes. SMW says Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will host a baseball movie marathon on FX on the Sunday before the MLB All-Star Game. SMW also has the NBA Draft ratings since 1999.

Chris Byrne’s Eye on Sports Media has the Mid-America Conference’s football TV schedule for this season. Chris also has the early TV schedule for the Big East Football Conference.

The Gamecocks on TV blog has found another affiliate for ESPN Regional TV’s syndicated SEC football and basketball package.

My phone is ringing off the hook for some reason. It’s driving me crazy so I’m leaving the office and shutting off my iPhone. See you later.

Quick Wednesday Afternoon Update

We’ve got a few more links for you on this mid-day Wednesday.

The Sports Business Daily/Journal’s Olympics website reports that NBC’s ratings for the Olympics have held steady through Monday. Tripp Mickle and Jay Weiner discuss the possibilities of Olympic fatigue for Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. Great article by Tripp Mickle and John Ourand on the NBC Olympics operations in both Beijing and New York. And John Ourand of the SBD/SBJ write that ESPN is aiming to snatch the 2014 and 2016 Olympics from NBC.

James Hibberd of the Hollywood Reporter says lost in the news about NBC’s Olympics ratings is the fact that the other networks are seeing their lowest ratings ever.

Awful Announcing has a story on Usain Bolt setting a world record in today’s 200 meter dash (*ahem, there’s a reason why that’s in the links … click above and you’ll know why).

Speaking of Awful Announcing, the blog gives us a link to the You’ve Been Blinded site which has the video of a new EA Sports Tiger Woods commercial based on a YouTube video. Great stuff.

A couple of things from Newsday’s Neil Best. First, he blogs that ESPN’s Mike Tirico bid farewell to Shea Stadium this week. Neil took part in a live chat today and Fang’s Bites had several questions for Neil starting at the 11:29 mark.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell writes about Michael Phelps’ apparent wardrobe malfunction at a sponsor’s party in Communist China last night.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says Chris “Mad Dog” Russo went to Sirius XM Satellite Radio for the money.

I forgot to link to this last night, Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch says WEEI has signed a deal with a Portland, ME radio station to simulcast its signal.

Maury Brown of the Biz of Football talks about Warren Sapp joining Inside the NFL.

That’s it for now.

The Monday Linkage

Good Monday to you. If you’re back at work, I certainly hope your weekend went well. Let’s get to some links.

Continuing with one of the biggest non-stories since Katie Couric went to CBS, the Erin Andrews “controversy” that began with Mike Nadel’s column on Thursday is addressed again in Michael Hiestand’s column in USA Today.

David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch reviews the weekend in Boston sports and also has some programming news for 890 ESPN Radio.

Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the reaction of Skip Caray’s long-time broadcast partner Pete Van Wieren to his friend’s passing. Mark Bradley of the AJC says Skip did things his way. And we have reaction to Skip’s passing from former Brave Dale Murphy and other Atlanta personalities. MLB.com has a video obituary of Caray. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel says summers won’t be the same without Skip. And here’s Skip’s call when the Braves won the World Series in 1995. Finally, earlier this year, Skip, Van Wieren and their partner Ernie Johnson, Sr. were inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick says the eventual demolition of Yankee Stadium is all due to money.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says NBC is totally embracing the online experience for these Olympic Games.

Rick Kushman of the Sacramento Bee tells readers to get ready for an Olympics overload.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell is in Communist China to look at the business end of the Olympics. He first writes about some traditional medicines in China that aren’t available here in the States for a reason. And Darren has his Top 5 Olympic mascots.

Ken McMillan from the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record says NBC has extended the time for the Olympics Opening Ceremonies by a half-hour. Why not show the thing live Friday morning and then show it again at night, instead of just delaying it? CBC is doing that exact thing on Friday. I don’t know.

Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant says NBC is really hyping the Opening Ceremonies.

Matea Gold from the Los Angeles Times talks with NBC Today Show Executive Producer Jim Bell who is in China for the Olympics and has experience in producing the Olympics as well.

The Today Show’s Matt Lauer will join Bob Costas as the co-host for the Opening Ceremonies.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says ESPN’s in-game interviews during Sunday Night Baseball are a genuine waste of time and I have to agree.

The Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes. And the SMW looks at past NFL Hall of Fame Game ratings.

The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writing today for Pro Football Weekly says new studio analyst Michael Strahan won’t be treated as a fifth wheel on Fox NFL Sunday.

The San Marcos (TX) Record says the NFL Network will be added to Grande Communications’ HD tier in time for exhibition season.

Daniel Kaplan and Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal write that 612 retired NFL players are suing the NFL Players Association for having Electronic Arts alter their images on the Madden video game so not to pay licensing fees.

John Ourand from the Sports Business Journal reports that the University of Michigan has sold its media rights including radio, website and coaches’ TV and radio shows to IMG College.

Jon Show of the SBJ tells us that the LPGA is trying to sell a $4 million per year sponsorship for an eight tournament series it is trying to get on network TV.

If you’re burned out on Brett Favre overload, then Awful Announcing suggests you avoid ESPN at 12:30 this afternnoon.

ESPN is yanking an ad for AshleyMadison.com.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says Canadian sporting events should be produced by Canadian TV and not Americans.

Dusty Saunders from the Rocky Mountain News says one Denver sports radio station has to get its signal problems straightened out.

Jim Williams of the DC/Baltimore Examiner lists his best and worst baseball announcing teams.

Linda Moss and Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News talk about GolTV and four local TV channels being dropped from Dish Network.

That’s all for now.

Tuesday Linkage

Time to give you some more links today.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today looks at the ratings of selected events from the weekend.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says not everyone will be riveted to ESPN’s coverage of the Congressional Steroids Hearings on Wednesday.

Bill Ordine of the Baltimore Sun writes in his blog that plans for televising the Congressional Steroids Hearings tomorrow are shaping up.

Newsday’s Neil Best gives over his column to the original sports media writer for the paper, Stan Isaacs. Neil says Stan covered practically every sport for Newsday. And Neil has a few more anecdotes about Stan in his blog. Finally, Neil says former Giants coach Jim Fassel was passed over for a chicken magnate for the Redskins coaching job.

Dave Del Grande of the Oakland Tribune writes that the AT&T Pebble Beach golf tournament and the Daytona 500 are perfectly placed on the sports calendar.

Mark Alesia of the Indianapolis Star writes that the Big Ten Network is paying out a lot of money to member schools for little to no TV exposure.

In the meantime, FSN and the Big Ten Network are teaming up for two sports and entertainment specials on spring football.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the scientific approach to the NCAA Tournament.

The Sports Media Watch says the Anaheim-Detroit NHL Game of the Week matchup performed poorly for NBC.

George M. Thomas in the Akron Beacon Journal says NASCAR is suffering from lower ratings.

William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail writes that TSN will air a one hour documentary on the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary on Wednesday. And Houston looks forward with CTV, the host broadcaster, to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Games.

There’s yet another embarrassing video of Chris Berman doing the Monday Night Football halftime show from 8 years ago. In this one, he calls Al Michaels a nasty word. Awful Announcing has this one.

And Awful Announcing has a review of Darren Rovell’s documentary on Nike which airs on CNBC tonight.

ESPN has announced the start times and networks for BracketBusters Weekend.

Andrew Edgecliff Johnson and Ben Fenton of the Financial Times write that Setanta Sports is considering buyout offers, but is not formally starting a bidding process. And from Scotland, the Edinburgh Evening News has Setanta insisting it’s not for sale possibly dashing ESPN’s hopes of breaking into broadcasting the English Premier League.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says in his blog that a reverse dunk by a University of Albany player made ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Cedric Golden of the Austin (TX) American-Statesman says there’s a big soap opera in local sports talk radio.

Gamers will be happy to know that EA Sports has extended its exclusive video game contract with the NFL through the 2012 season.

Glen Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS Sports is beefing up its multi-platform offerings.

That will do it for now.