SEC Gridiron Live Premieres Wednesday & SEC on Fox Sports South Returns Saturday

The SEC football season opens in a big way this weekend and Fox Sports South and other affiliates in the conference footprint will be all over live football. And also premiering this week is SEC Gridiron Live that was popular in the South last year.

SEC FOOTBALL ON FOX SPORTS SOUTH KICKS OFF

SEC Gridrion LIVE Returns Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET

Nick Saban Interview; Randall Cobb, Shaun Chapas and Aairon Savage Features Included

Auburn Hosts Arkansas State, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET

Southeastern Conference football on FOX Sports South kicks off this week with the return of SEC Gridiron LIVE on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. This week’s episode of the Emmy Award-winning show includes the debut of analyst Tim Couch, former University of Kentucky standout and the top pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, and new social media host Kristina Akra. Couch and Akra join host Charles Davis and analyst Randy Cross on the weekly show. Highlights of Wednesday’s show include:

•  SEC Gridiron LIVE’s resident QB Couch weighs in on the quarterback situation in the SEC, where half the teams are breaking in new signal callers

• Nick Saban goes one-on-one with producer Ray Goodrich to talk about last year’s title and this year’s squad

• Cross breaks down Alabama’s defense and explains which positions are critical for the Crimson Tide to fill

• In a unique FlipCam feature, Kentucky’s Randall Cobb, Georgia’s Shaun Chapas and Auburn’s Aairon Savage take us behind the scenes at SEC Football Media Days

• The SEC Gridiron LIVE team offers the keys to victory for LSU when they face North Carolina on Saturday

 Throughout the show, fans will have the opportunity to interact and debate with each other and the team of in-studio experts through our new live chat feature. Visit SECGridironLIVE.com  to participate. 

On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, the Auburn Tigers host the Arkansas State Indians at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn on FOX Sports South in high definition. Play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun will be joined by analyst Couch and sideline reporter Jenn Hildreth in the FOX Sports South booth. 

SEC Gridiron LIVE and live SEC football will be distributed to more than 22 million cable and satellite households on FSN throughout the SEC territory – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports Tennessee, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Houston.

And there you have it.

Tuesday Evening Linkage

We have plenty of stuff to warrant another set of links this evening. Lots of good stuff.

Let’s begin with the main topic of the sports media day and that is the Mike Wise suspension by the Washington Post. WaPo Ombudsman Andrew Alexander weighed in on why Wise was given a month off by the paper. On Monday, Wise decided he would conduct a social media experiment by making stuff up on Twitter.

The Post’s media critic Howard Kurtz has a recap of events that led to the Wise suspension.

Sports Business Daily has a round-up of reaction to Wise.

Joseph Flambeck of the New York Times reports on Wise’s actions.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio was a guest on the same DC radio station where Wise hosts a show, but didn’t appear on that show. Yet.

Aaron Morrissey at the DCist wonders what Wise was thinking.

Back to Sports Business Daily which recaps the Jay Mariotti discussion on Monday’s Around the Horn.

Zennie Abraham of the San Francisco Chronicle feels the Mariotti discussion on Around the Horn was classless. Seriously?

Sports Media Watch notes that ESPN has no future plans to use Jay Mariotti.

SBD takes a look at the new chocolate TV ad that stars tennis champion Roger Federer.

Take a look at said ad.

Davud Beasley of Bloomberg reports that Turner Broadcasting has settled a lawsuit from a Texas businessman over the sale of the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wonders if cornerback is about to get its financial due in the NFL.

USA Today has Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio rate the top NFL TV analysts.

Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo’s Puck Daddy says there will be major programming and format changes at the NHL Network. And Greg gives me a nice shoutout. Much appreciated, Greg.

Staci D. Kramer at paidContent says NHL Network has tapped an NFL Network programming exec to help spruce up the channel.

All Access says Miami sports talker WQAM has re-signed morning host Joe Rose for another two years.

Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe looks at NESN trying to diversify its programming from sports.

Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says former Voice of the Pirates Lenny Frattare will be calling high school football games this fall.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that a Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic reporter is emotional about leaving the Nation’s Capital.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the personnel changes at CSN Mid-Atlantic.

Dave McKenna at the Washington City Paper is hoping to see Rob Dibble remain at MASN. 

Shawn Cetrone from the Rock Hill (SC) Herald says an expected economic windfall from an ESPN-televised high school football doubleheader may not be realized.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says WQAM has hired former Miami Hurricanes QB Gino Toretta to host a daily two hour show.

Mike Herndon in the Mobile (AL) Press-Register has ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit talking about the SEC.

Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World says the long-time voice of the Oklahoma Sooners will be retiring after this football season.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Fox Sports North will be streaming as many as four high school football games a week on its website.

Natalie Meisler of the Denver Post says Comcast is making this Saturday’s Colorado-Colorado State game available to all of its subscribers in the Centennial State.

Tom Hoffarth in the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the evolution of football instructional guides. 

Allen Panzieri of the Ottawa Citizen notes that the Senators will have all of their games televised for the first time in franchise history.

Sports Media Watch notes that the WNBA playoffs ratings were flat with last year.

Awful Announcing has the video of ESPN’s Chris Fowler ruining a Jenga game.

Dan Fogarty at Sports Grid says former New York Giant and NBC analyst Tiki Barber is now trying to repair his damaged reputation.

And that will conclude our links for tonight. Lots of good stuff.

Fox Sports and St. Jude Children’s Hospital Team Up

Every Fox Sports property is teamed with a major charity and cause. The 2010 NFL on Fox season is no exception and this year, Fox Sports is teaming up with a very worthwhile cause, St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. Made famous by actor Danny Thomas, St. Jude is one of the leading research children’s hospitals in the nation. Nice to see Fox and St. Jude teamed for this season. We have more information in this press release.

FOX Sports & St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Team Up

For 2010 NFL Season

America’s #1 Sports Network and Country’s Top Children’s Cancer Hospital Tackle Childhood Cancer Together this Fall

Memphis, Tenn. – (August 31, 2010) – America’s #1 sports network and top children’s cancer hospital are tackling childhood cancer together this NFL season. This Fall, FOX Sports has teamed with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help kids who are sidelined by cancer and other deadly diseases. FOX Sports Supports, the network’s charitable initiative now in its third year, is a unique program that raises awareness, provides financial assistance and spurs volunteerism for health charities selected by FOX Sports employees.

“We are honored to partner with a tremendous organization like St. Jude for the 2010 NFL on FOX season,” said Bill Wanger, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports.  “Using our unmatched on-air talent, brand and reach, our goal is to raise awareness for St. Jude so they can continue to fight for all the courageous children and families affected by this terrible disease.”

Earlier this month, NFL on FOX on-air personalities Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Buck, Jay Glazer, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long Curt Menefee, Pam Oliver and Michael Strahan visited St. Jude. The group learned first-hand about the hospital’s ground-breaking research, innovative treatments and first-class patient care, and filmed a series of public service announcements that will air throughout the entire football season including Super Bowl Sunday. In addition, FOX Sports will support St. Jude through numerous on-air mentions all season long and will also be involved in St. Jude events and activities.

“I played a long time in the NFL and have played with and seen a lot of tough and courageous individuals, but nobody can match the courage and determination of these wonderful children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Terry Bradshaw.

 “I was awed by their spirit, attitude and determination and everyone at FOX Sports will do whatever it takes this season and beyond to help them conquer their battle against cancer.”

While at St. Jude the FOX team also met with patients in the fight of their lives against cancer and other deadly diseases. One patient they all could easily relate to was Shon, a 17-year-old high school football player from Mississippi.  One of the state’s top high school players in 2009, Shon was recruited to play offensive tackle for Auburn University.  Shon is currently being treated for ALL, the most common form of childhood cancer, and he’s unfortunately had to put his college football dreams on hold while he battles his disease.

“Cancer is like my opponent,” said Shon, who started playing football at age 5. “Right now, the doctors are like my coaches.  They give me a game plan so that when my treatment is over, I’ll have beaten cancer. The most important thing in my life right now is to get cancer out of the way so I can play football again.”

St. Jude treats patients, like Shon, from around the world, and no child is ever turned away because of a family’s inability to pay for treatment. The hospital largely relies on public donations to help keep that promise.

“We are so honored to have been selected by FOX Sports employees as their partner during this NFL season,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “We’ve been finding cures and saving kids for nearly 50 years and this opportunity helps us recruit millions of football fans to join our team in the fight against deadly diseases like cancer.”

Football fans also can help settle the score against childhood cancer this season by visiting www.stjude.org/foxsports. It features exclusive behind the scenes footage from the talent’s visit to St. Jude, patient stories, photos and ways for the public to support the Hospital’s mission.

About FOX Sports

FOX Sports is the flagship network of the FOX Sports Media Group. As America’s top-rated network for sports for 13 straight years (1997-2009), FOX Sports boasts rights agreements with each of the nation’s highest-rated sports. FOX Sports is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder for Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series (2007-2013); the National Football League’s NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls XLV and XLVIII (2006-2013); NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500 (2007-2014); the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and the UEFA Champions League Final. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports has earned 82 Emmy Awards for production excellence. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. For the latest sports news, opinion and video, log on to www.FOXSports.com. Fans can gain more access to exclusive content by following FOX Sports on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX, http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX and http://twitter.com/NASCARONFOX and by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.myspace.com/foxsports.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. St. Jude was also named the nation’s top children’s cancer hospital in the 2010-11 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.

That’s it for this release.

Smithsonian Channel To Air Documentary on High School Football Rivalry

Coming up in September, the Smithsonian Channel will air a documentary on a Maine high school football rivalry. Cameras followed two communities for an entire season as they go for the state championship. The premise is quite interesting.

AN AMERICAN SPORTS STORY…

THE RIVALS

PREMIERES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 AT 9 PM ET/PT ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

Two High Schools. Two Football Teams, Battling For Glory. Except The Champs Are The Have-Nots, And The Underdogs Are The Ones On Easy Street

New York, August 16, 2010 – Football is far and away America’s sport. On the opening weekend of the NFL’s regular season, Smithsonian Channel strips away the glitz and glamour of a sport that at its core is about competition with a story that can be heard in cities and towns across the country.  It’s a tale of champion versus challenger, the haves against the have-nots. On Saturday, September 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Smithsonian Channel presents the world television premiere of THE RIVALS, which follows one incredible season in the lives of two high school football teams in Maine who share the same goal: to win the state championship. It’s a story about football, but also a story about America and the universal quest for respect.

Rumford is a blue-collar town in the rugged mountains of Western Maine, supported by a dying paper mill that sheds workers on a seemingly daily basis. While the town is suffering economically, its football team is a perennial powerhouse. Rumford’s Mountain Valley High School has been a contender in high school football for the better part of 20 years. They have six conference titles and two state championships under longtime coach Jim Aylward. Having played high school football in Rumford, Aylward left for college, hoping that he would never have to work in the same paper mill where his father toiled for years. His goal, besides winning, is to prepare his players to be successful in life by excelling on the field. The town of Rumford supports the team wholeheartedly, giving everything they can, even if they don’t have much, to ensure the continued success of the team. The football team is the heart and soul of the town and a source of pride for all of its residents.

Cape Elizabeth is a wealthy suburban town right outside Maine’s largest city, Portland. It’s two hours south of Rumford, and home to Cape Elizabeth High School, which is known as a “soccer school,” since its football program didn’t exist until 2004. The “Cape Kids,” as the students are known, seem to have it all. Although their football program is in its infancy, they have better equipment and facilities than Mountain Valley could ever afford. Knowing that these advantages will only take the team so far, their fiery young coach, Aaron Filieo, tries to instill in his players the same work ethic that his coach taught him during his playing days. 

“The Rivals” documents these two teams, their coaches, players and towns during their tumultuous 2007 season, which had enough twists and turns for a Hollywood movie.  Each team shares the same simple goal – to be the best. This isn’t just a film about high school football and competition on the field – it’s a story of class, pride and perseverance. These are lessons that the athletes from Mountain Valley and Cape Elizabeth will carry with them wherever they go, for the rest of their lives.

THE RIVALS is produced by Lone Wolf Films. Kirk Wolfinger is the director. The film has been well received on the independent film festival circuit, having won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Woods Hole Festival, Best Picture at the 2010 Phoenix Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2009 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS

Smithsonian Networks (SNI/SI Networks L.L.C.) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, formed to create channels featuring programs largely inspired by the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features award-winning original documentaries, series, and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Smithsonian Channel brings the American experience home in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 and is currently available to customers of DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Verizon, AT&T, and more.  Learn more at www.smithsonianchannel.com.

“The Rivals” airs September 11 at 9 p.m. ET on Smithsonian Channel. Check your cable or satellite provider for channel number.

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and Philadelphia Announce On-Air Talent Changes

We have a combined press release from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and Philadelphia. It involves the shuffling of talent from Mid-Atlantic to Philadelphia and also some in-house shuffling among the two CSN affiliates. It’s also good to see former SNY and WHDH-TV reporter Julie Donaldson getting a full-time gig after she was the victim of an assault in Boston. She eventually left WHDH in Boston and just recently got a freelance gig with CSN Mid-Atlantic. Julie now becomes full-time as an anchor and reporter with the network’s SportsNite program.

Here’s the press release.

COMCAST SPORTSNET ANNOUNCES ON-AIR TALENT CHANGES

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Names Julie Donaldson Anchor/Reporter and Jill Sorenson as Capitals Reporter

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia Appoints Lisa Hillary as Flyers Reporter and John Boruk Becomes Anchor/Reporter

Bethesda, Md. and Philadelphia (Aug. 31, 2010) – Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia have announced changes to their line-up of television sports anchors and reporters, including an addition to the on-air team and new roles for three current anchors and reporters.

Julie Donaldson joins Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic as a full-time anchor and reporter for the network’s daily news program, SportsNite. The network also named veteran Comcast SportsNet anchor and reporter Jill Sorenson as Capitals television beat reporter.

Former Comcast SportsNet Capitals reporter Lisa Hillary relocates to Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia to serve as the network’s Flyers television reporter. Hillary assumes the role previously held by John Boruk, who becomes a full-time anchor and reporter.

Donaldson joins Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic as a full-time anchor after serving on a free-lance basis since June. Previously, she was a sports anchor and reporter for WHDH-TV (NBC) in Boston and SportsNet New York (SNY). Donaldson began her career in Miami where she held a variety positions for FOX Sports, including FS Florida and FS South, and as a sideline reporter for ACC Sunday Night Hoops. She served as a host and reporter for the Miami Heat’s Heat TV, providing pregame and in-game coverage of the team.

Sorenson, a longtime Washington-area sports journalist, returns to the role of Capitals television beat reporter after serving as an anchor and reporter for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic for five years. Sorenson, who led the network’s coverage of the Capitals from 2005 to 2007, spent four years as the Capitals beat reporter for WRC-TV (NBC) from 2000 to 2004, where she served as a sports anchor and reporter. A graduate of Brown University, Sorenson also spent time as a news reporter for WTTG-TV (FOX) in Washington, D.C. and as a as a sports anchor and reporter for WDIO-TV (ABC) in Duluth, Minn.

After serving as the Capitals television beat reporter for Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic for three seasons, Hillary joins Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia to lead their television news coverage of the Flyers. A veteran hockey reporter, she joined the network in July 2007 following a lengthy career as a reporter and anchor with several major television outlets in Canada, where she spent time covering the NHL for two national sports networks, The Sports Network (TSN) and The Score. A graduate of Algonquin College, she also spent time as a news anchor for Ottawa’s A-Channel.

Boruk, who has served as Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s Flyers television reporter for four seasons, becomes a full-time anchor and reporter for the network’s daily news shows and Comcast SportsNet signature programs.

Now if Comcast will allow its Philadelphia channel to be made available to DirecTV, that would be very nice.

ESPN’s College Football Analysts Predict Conference & BCS Winners

Our latest ESPN press release deals with college football and the network’s analysts discussing the winners for the BCS conferences as well as for the BCS itself. Take a look.

ESPN College Football Analysts Ruminate on Conference Winners, BCS Champion

In preparation for the 2010-11 college football season, ESPN’s College GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard discussed Heisman hopefuls, conference predictions, surprises and standouts during Saturday’s College GameDay Season Preview on ESPN.

Here, ESPN college football analysts Ed Cunningham, Bob Davie, Lou Holtz, Craig James and Jesse Palmer joined the GameDay crew in the discussion, with each analyst providing his prediction for winners in each of the six automatic qualifying  BCS conferences as well as the winner of the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).

ESPN will kick off the 2010 college football season with 31 games in five days across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio beginning Thursday, Sept. 2, with six games, including Southern Miss at South Carolina on ESPN College Football Primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. For complete details, see Monday’s news release.

And after the jump, we have what ESPN’s analysts are saying about the upcoming season.

That’s all for now.

Giving You Some Tuesday Linkage

After being away from the office for most of the morning, it’s time to give you linkage while I can.

We start off with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk who notes that Washington Post writer Mike Wise has been suspended by the paper for one month following his fake tweeting on Tuesday.

Dan Levy at Press Coverage talks with Mike Florio about the Mike Wise situation.

Sean Leahy of USA Today has a good feature story on how some ex-NFL players have made the transition to become effective TV analysts.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks about ESPN’s Around the Horn panelists not shying away from the Jay Mariotti topic.

Hiestand also looks at the ratings of some sports on TV this past weekend.

Milton Kent from Fanhouse has NBC’s Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison talking how a looming lockout in 2011 could affect play late in this season.

Jon Lafayette of Broadcating & Cable writes that ESPN is teaming up with YouTube allowing viewers to upload their own videos which could end up airing on SportsCenter.

Georg Szalai from the Hollywood Reporter says with a deadline looming, it appears ESPN will remain on Time Warner Cable systems in time for college football season.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says ESPN’s family of networks will be all over the opening weekend of the college football season.

Alex Weprin at SportsNewser says MLB will be streaming games on YouTube. In Japan. 

CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at the new $1,000,000 insurance policy on Troy Polamalu’s hair. No kidding. 

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times notes the 2nd year of the Tennis Channel vs. Cablevision battle for carriage.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman is high on SNY’s Keith Hernandez.

Ken McMillan at the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record writes that there will be plenty of high school football on the local radio airwaves.

Laura Nachman laments the loss of an ESPN Radio weekend show in Philadelphia.

Eric Wemple at TBD, a DC arts blog, looks at the Mike Wise situation. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says it’s still unclear why MASN analyst Rob Dibble did not accompany the team on its current road trip.

The Post’s Leonard Shapiro hopes the Dibble flap over Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg doesn’t end up causing the analyst to lose his job. 

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner talks with NBC’s Al Michaels who enters his 25th season of broadcasting NFL games.

Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times says a local sports radio host is out of a job.

Sarah Talalay at the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes that the Florida Marlins are providing 3-D views of their new stadium on their website.

Jack McElroy of the Knoxville (TN) News is disturbed over the way Tennessee coach Derek Dooley gave favorable treatment to certain reporters allowing them to attend a mock game. Thanks to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch for the link.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has the local ratings for Saturday’s Cowboys-Texans game.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Fox Sports Ohio has added a Reds game to its schedule after losing one to Fox Sports.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business says NBC’s Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison have differing opinions on the Bears’ preseason.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune recaps the Around the Horn discussion on Jay Mariotti.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has NBC’s NFL analysts talking about the Green Bay Packers.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News reviews ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary, on the Washington Little League team that upset Taiwan in 1982.

Tom says NBC Sports Director Bucky Gunts became a running joke during Sunday’s Emmy Awards.

Sports Media Watch looks at how major sporting events fared with various key demographics.

SMW says NFL on Sunday night, even on Fox, is king.

SMW says the Little League World Series Championship Game rated lower than last year.

SMW has some various news and notes.

Christopher Byrne at the Eye on Sports Media noticed that Fox Sports is changing its production to a 16:9 screen ratio.

Deadspin notes that a Miami Herald reporter who quit the paper over the lack of Florida International University coverage, has now joined the school.

Amanda Bruno at Batter-up with Bruno notes that Overstock.com is running an “Ultimate Red Sox Experience” contest.

I think we’ll end it there.

Big Ten Network Announces New Set of "Big Ten’s Greatest Games"

The Big Ten Network which has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years gives us some more programming this fall and we have 13 new episodes of “Big Ten’s Greatest Games”. Here’s the press release.

Big Ten Network Announces 13 New Episodes of ‘Big Ten’s Greatest Games’

Fan input part of fourth season kicking off September 3

CHICAGO – Featuring bitter rivalries, bowl victories, down-to-the-wire finishes and star-making performances, the fourth season of The Big Ten’s Greatest Games premieres Friday. New episodes will air at 6 PM ET for 13 straight Fridays this fall.

This list of classics features Big Ten fans’ most commonly requested games over the past year. The 2005 Ohio State-Penn State thriller was the fan favorite.

“These are some of the games that connect fans and alumni to their favorite Big Ten schools,” Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. “This list was selected to provide fans of the Big Ten the opportunity to once again enjoy some of their favorite program’s best moments.”

The network is in the planning stages for a fourth basketball season of The Big Ten’s Greatest Games. Fans are encouraged to nominate their favorite historical contests by visiting www.bigtennetwork.com/greatest.

The fourth football season of The Big Ten’s Greatest Games will feature accomplished and celebrated Big Ten heroes such as Illinois’ Kurt Kittner, Indiana’s Vaughn Dunbar, Iowa’s Bob Sanders, Michigan’s Anthony Thomas, Michigan State’s Tony Banks, Minnesota’s Laurence Maroney, Northwestern’s Tyrell Sutton, Ohio State’s Troy Smith, Penn State’s Paul Posluszny, Purdue’s Kyle Orton, Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne, and more.

The schedule for The Big Ten’s Greatest Games is as follows:

September 3, 6 PM ET

• Jan. 1, 2001 – Citrus Bowl – #17 Michigan 31, #20 Auburn 28

Anthony Thomas rushed for 182 yards to become Michigan’s all-time leading rusher, while quarterback Drew Henson and wide receiver David Terrell provided additional firepower. But it was the Wolverines’ defense that forced an Auburn turnover on the game’s final possession to lock up this closely contested bowl game for Michigan and head coach Lloyd Carr.

September 10, 6 PM ET

• Sept. 4, 1989 – #22 Illinois 14, #5 USC 13

Quarterback Jeff George led the Fighting Illini to an upset of fifth-ranked USC in the season opener. The victory put John Mackovic’s Illinois team on track for a 10-2 record, a 7-1 finish in Big Ten play and a win in the Citrus Bowl.

September 17, 6 PM ET

• Sept. 21, 1991 – Indiana 13, Kentucky 10

Indiana running back Vaughn Dunbar rushed 39 times for 147 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to beat border rival Kentucky. Dunbar would later be named a first team All-American and finish sixth in the 1991 Heisman voting. As a team, the Hoosiers finished fourth in the Big Ten and topped Baylor in the Copper Bowl.

September 24, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 18, 2003 – #13 Purdue 26, #14 Wisconsin 23

Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton was on fire, passing for 411 yards and completing 15 straight passes during one stretch. Wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield had 16 receptions for 130 yards. Scoring became difficult as this game wore on, and it took a field goal from the Boilermakers’ Ben Jones to win the game with three seconds remaining.

October 1, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 8, 2005 – Northwestern 51, #14 Wisconsin 48

Northwestern set a school record with 674 yards of total offense en route to a 51-48 upset victory over previously undefeated Wisconsin. Freshman running back Tyrell Sutton enjoyed a breakout performance with 244 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Brett Basanez passed for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns.

October 8, 6 PM ET

• Nov. 4, 1995 – Michigan State 28, #7 Michigan 25

One play changed the outcome of this contest between in-state rivals. Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Michigan State faced a fourth-and-11 scenario on its own 30-yard line. Quarterback Tony Banks converted the first down, however, and the Spartans continued their drive until Banks connected with wide receiver Nigea Carter on a 25-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left to play to upset in-state rival and seventh-ranked Michigan.

October 15, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 4, 2003 – #23 Iowa 30, #9 Michigan 27

Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards each scored touchdowns to stake Michigan to an early 14-point lead, but Iowa rallied to knock off ninth-ranked Michigan, 30-27. Iowa got back in the game with outstanding special teams play, getting a 43-yard punt return from Ramon Ochoa and a blocked Michigan punt in the second half.

October 22, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 8, 2005 – Minnesota 23, #21 Michigan 20

Minnesota snatched away the Little Brown Jug in this rivalry game over Michigan, the first time the Golden Gophers had done so since 1986. Minnesota’s two-headed monster at the running back position dominated the pace of this game, as Laurence Maroney ran for 129 yards and Gary Russell tallied 128 rushing yards. The Wolverines, meanwhile, could only muster 110 yards of offense in the second half.

October 29, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 12, 2002 – #13 Michigan 27, #15 Penn State 24, OT

Michigan quarterback John Navarre connected with Braylon Edwards for a second touchdown with just 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime. In the first overtime, Penn State recaptured the lead on a Robbie Gould field goal, but the Wolverines countered with a game-winning three-yard touchdown run by Chris Perry.

November 5, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 10, 1998 – #12 Wisconsin 31, Purdue 24

A record-setting performance by Purdue quarterback Drew Brees was not enough to get his Boilermakers passed Ron Dayne and Wisconsin. Brees set an NCAA record with 83 passing attempts, and he tied the record for completions with 55. He threw for 494 yards, but Wisconsin intercepted four of Brees’ passes. Dayne carried 33 times for 127 yards to pace the Badgers.

November 12, 6 PM ET

• Oct. 8, 2005 – #16 Penn State 17, #6 Ohio State 10

The second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history, nearly 110,000 fans, saw a defensive battle on a rainy, windy night in Happy Valley. Penn State cornerback Calvin Lowry intercepted Troy Smith and returned it to the Buckeyes’ two-yard line, setting up a touchdown by Michael Robinson. Paul Posluszny led the Penn State defense with 14 tackles, and the win put the Nittany Lions atop the Big Ten standings.

November 19, 6 PM ET

• Nov. 10, 2001 – #15 Illinois 33, Penn State 28

Trailing Penn State with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Illinois mounted one last drive offensively that was punctuated by a 13-yard touchdown run by Rocky Harvey. Quarterback Kurt Kittner steered the team’s drive up until Harvey’s run, and the Fighting Illini earned their eighth win of the season in Champaign. It was the school’s first victory over the Nittany Lions since their entry into the Big Ten in 1993.

November 26, 6 PM ET

• Nov. 19, 2005 – #9 Ohio State 25, #17 Michigan 21

To earn a Fiesta Bowl bid, Ohio State had to rally from a 21-12 deficit with just eight minutes to play in Ann Arbor. Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith piloted consecutive touchdown drives of 67 and 88 yards, while the Ohio State defense limited Michigan to only 19 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.

Some interesting games here.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

FIBA World Championship
Canada vs. France – NBA TV, 11:30 a.m.

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

National League
Milwaukee at Cincinnati – Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
New York Mes at Atlanta – MLB Network/SNY/Peachtree, 7 p.m.
Washington at Florida – MASN2/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs – FSN Pittsburgh/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Houston – Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Diego at Arizona – Cox 4/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
Colorado at San Francisco – FSN Rocky Mountain/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers – Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/KCAL, 10 p.m.

Greatest MLB Rivalries: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees – Versus, 8 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 11 p.m.

Tennis
Breakfast at the Open – Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.
U.S. Open/1st round – Tennis Channel, 11 a.m./ESPN2, 1 p.m.
U.S. Open/1st round/Primetime at the Open – ESPN2, 7 p.m.
U.S. Open Tonight – Tennis Channel, 11 p.m.

UEFA Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Young Boys – Fox Sports Net, 2:30 p.m.

News
Presidential Address – ABC/CBS/CNBC/CNN/C-SPAN/Fox/Fox News/MSNBC/NBC/Univision, 8 p.m.

Entertainment
30 for 30: Little Big Men – ESPN, 8 p.m.
Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends: Puerto Rico – Travel Channel, 8 p.m.
Wipeout: Ladies Night – ABC, 8:15 p.m.
It’s Effin’ Science – G4, 9 p.m.
Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends: Jamaica – Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends: Ireland – Travel Channel, 10 p.m.
The Daily Line – Versus, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:50 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark – Sho2, midnight

NBC’s Football Night in America & Sunday Night Football Crews Preview 2010 NFL Season

NBC’s NFL announcing crews were part of a media conference call on Monday to preview the upcoming season. As usual, Al Michaels tries too hard to get that witty one-liner in.

Highlights are below.

MICHAELS, COLLINSWORTH, DUNGY, HARRISON, GAUDELLI PREVIEW 2010 NFL SEASON

“As compelling a story as any in the NFL this season.” – SNF’s Michaels on Favre

“I can’t wait for somebody to get smacked in the mouth.” – Football Night’s Harrison

“I don’t want to come back in a next life because I’ll be in Mongolia in a sulfur mine working the night shift.” – SNF’s Michaels on how lucky he feels about working his 25^th NFL season

NEW YORK – Aug. 30, 2010 – Marquee teams and storied rivalries highlight NBC’s 2010 NFL schedule, which begins next Thursday night in primetime with the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints hosting Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game. Coverage on NBC begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. The first “Sunday Night Football” contest of the season is a classic NFC East rivalry as the Washington Redskins with their new QB Donovan McNabb and head coach Mike Shanahan host Tony Romo and the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys.  Coverage starts with “Football Night in America” at 7 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports previewed the season on a conference call with “Sunday Night Football” duo Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth along with “Football Night in America” studio analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, and SNF producer Fred Gaudelli. 

Highlights of the call follow:

MICHAELS ON THE POWER OF THE NFL ON TV: “Everybody is stoked about the beginning of football. It’s a spectacle on television. The NFL is the king of television these days. Look at the ratings, we’ve done two preseason games and they’ve both won the week.”

COLLINSWORTH ON NFL KICKOFF GAME: “Probably the top four players in the league are (Drew) Brees, (Peyton) Manning, Chris Johnson and Brett Favre. We get two of the four in the opening night game.”

HARRISON ON GETTING THE SEASON STARTED: “There has been a lot of speculation, a lot of trash talking this off-season. I’m tired of the talking; it’s time to hit. I can’t wait for somebody to get smacked in the mouth.”

ON BRETT FAVRE, THE YEAR HE HAD LAST YEAR AND COMING BACK FROM AN ANKLE INJURY:

MICHAELS: “One of the things he said that struck me was the fact that he’s given people a lot of ammunition to shoot arrows at him, because of all the procrastination. I think he’s concerned about some things, but, to me, if he felt the ankle was going to be such an issue that he couldn’t do or didn’t have the potential to do what he’s capable of, I think he would have walked away. I got the feeling that the ankle is good enough.  It’s not great. He’s 40-years-old, he’ll be 41 in October, but again that’s one of the key questions this year. What happens when he does take a hit? What happens if he twists the ankle? Brett Favre, here we go again, is going to be at least as compelling a story as any in the NFL this season.”

COLLINSWORTH: “What surprised me most watching him on tape getting ready for this game and watching all of the playoff stuff from last year, is that I was just amazed at age 40 how quick his feet were…he looked like he was 25 years old. That was my concern (with the ankle injury). When I was watching the (preseason) game, and, of course, he only played four plays in the game that we saw, so we didn’t get to see a lot of it, but will his feet be what they were a season ago which were pretty impressive?”

HARRISON: “The one thing that impressed me was not only his feet, but his ability to keep his eyes down the field and keep plays alive. I looked at film on the guy and he looked like he was a 26-27-28-year-old quarterback and it was amazing to me, because I know towards the end of my career how sore it would feel to get out of bed and to recover from games. That’s the thing that really concerns me with Brett Favre because before it could be the ribs, it could be the shoulder, the neck, the lower back, now all of a sudden he has something wrong with his ankle which really causes a whole host of other problems and concerns.”

DUNGY: “I think Brett is going to be fine physically, but 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions, he probably hasn’t had a year like that since ’96 or ’97. To think that he’s going to duplicate that, I just don’t think that is going to happen. I think he’ll come out and play well for them, but I would not expect to see that type of year. Last year was just a magical year.”

COLLINSWORTH ON DUNGY’S COMMENTS: “Tony, I thought that was almost the reason that he didn’t come back this year, more so than the ankle or the age or anything else, it was his own expectations and his own sort of fear. This guy has paranoia almost of letting somebody down and having a down year after his best year, as he called it. It was almost enough to make him stay home. It was a pretty remarkable conversation, almost like listening to Jerry Rice at the Hall of Fame Game talking about what a motivator fear was in his career and fear of failure and fear of letting somebody down. Brett was almost regurgitating the same kind of speech.”

GAUDELLI ON PACKERS: “The Green Bay Packers are a magical sounding team…when you look at them, there aren’t many more entertaining teams on television. That’s an offensive juggernaut up there. Especially when you do the games from Lambeau, the greatest setting in the National Football League. They’re a real attraction.”

DUNGY ON BROADCASTING: “I’m looking forward to this year as much as I’ve ever looked forward to coaching, because it’s a team effort putting these games together and trying to come up with a great broadcast. I feel like I’m with a great team with the whole Sunday Night crew.”

GAUDELLI ON NBC SPORTS FOOTBALL COVERAGE: “My philosophy is pretty simple. It’s to do what the moment calls for. If you’re sitting at home and something happens, you pretty much have in mind what you think should come next. Or, if you’re confused, you’re hoping someone’s going to come on and either explain it to you verbally, like Al or Cris would, or show you a picture that immediately clears it up. And just remember that it’s a broad audience out there. There are a lot of people really into the X’s and O’s of football and we want to service them and then there are others who are into the personalities and the stories and we want to service them. But really just to do what the moment calls for and to do the right thing as much as you possibly can…our goal is to do it better than we did it the year before.”

MICHAELS ON GAUDELLI AND DIRECTOR DREW ESOCOFF: “The essence of this business is working with a group of people like Fred Gaudelli and (director) Drew Esocoff. When we did the Arizona-Pittsburgh Super Bowl a couple of years ago, and Pittsburgh wins the game on an amazing catch by Santonio Holmes, who is the No. 4 receiver in Roethlisberger’s tree at that point, and our guys have every angle, whether he’s in bounds, whether he’s out of bounds, whether he’s caught the ball. Everything. All of the drama, the excitement of it, and I think the fact that we are able to do that, and we have people who can do that is what makes this so exciting. 

HARRISON ON TOM BRADY AND THE JETS-PATS RIVALRY: “Tom Brady is an honest guy, but Tom really never comes out and blatantly says how much he hates a particular team, so obviously they are very tired and fed up with all the trash talking. You better believe the Patriots have that game circled. They’ve always hated the Jets, but they hate them even more now.”

DUNGY ON BEING OPINIONATED: “A lot of people have opinions. I don’t think I’m an overly opinionated person. I guess some of the things I do have opinions about touched a nerve with people. That particular thing wasn’t directed at Rex Ryan, it was directed at language that goes across television. I’ve had those kinds of opinions in the past. I wouldn’t call myself controversial in the least, but apparently some people think so.”

MICHAELS ON 25th YEAR OF PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE OF NFL’S PREMIER PRIMETIME PACKAGE: “I’m lucky, I love what I do. I have a job that people would die for and I understand that. I work with some phenomenal people. It’s a wonderful thing to go to work every week and be in an environment where the stadium is always full, the lights are on, and you know that a lot of people are watching. I’m like a fan. I’m excited for the season to start. I love sports, I love football, I love the strategy, I love when we get down to the final two minutes of a half or the end of the game when you’re trying to think along with the coach and all of that. That to me is what drives me and I’m still a kid at heart in that regard.  I don’t want to come back in a next life because I’ll be in Mongolia in a sulfur mine working the night shift.”

GAUDELLI ON MICHAELS: “To do it and get better every year, that’s quite an achievement. There have been some great broadcasters, but to do all the different sports that Al has done, obviously the NFL, Major League Baseball, the Olympics, the NBA Finals, the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Final. When you listen to Al Michaels, you know you’re listening to a big event and that is what makes it great to have him on our team.”

COLLINSWORTH ON MICHAELS: “It’s pretty remarkable that sometimes when the game does come down to the last two minutes or there is a controversial call by the referees, I’m even looking at Al. I’ll ask ‘Al what do you think the coach should do here or what do you think this referees call should be?’ He’s been on top of the details of the game in such a way that I think he’s unmatched…there is nobody better in the moment than what Al Michaels does. That’s probably why he’s been the lead announcer in all these sports for so long.”

MICHAELS ON CHANGES IN THE BUSINESS: “Technologically, it’s been phenomenal through the years. When I started Monday Night Football in 1986, there was no such thing as Cable Cam or SkyCam. There was no HD. I think those are two of the contributing factors right now. Football is such a visual treat. The images are so sharp. The camera above the huddle is incredible and the way we have the ability to isolate almost everything and anything.”

And that concludes are work for today.

Two Sports Media Issues, Mike Wise And Jay Mariotti

We have a couple of issues today and we go over them in this post.

Earlier today, Mike Wise of the Washington Post thought it would be a good idea to put some fake news on Twitter just to see the reaction. The idea according to Wise would be that other reporters would fail to vet his Tweet and he would be able to say, “I told you so.” The only problem that while other reporters did quote his Tweet, Wise eventually revealed on Twitter and his DC radio show that he made the whole thing up. While he thought he was being funny, people were quickly piling on. And Wise’s bosses at the WaPo quickly fired off a memo to its staff about its social networking policy.

At Fanhouse, Michael David Smith recaps the events that led to a huge downward spiral at the Post.

Dan Steinberg at the Post’s DC Sports Bog has various reaction from the media including the Post.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk really went off on Wise. 

To cap it off, Mike Wise talked with On The DL’s Dan Levy at Press Coverage and subsequently apologized.

So what are the lessons learned here? It’s really not a good idea to use your position as a reporter to post false news on Twitter. While the other reporters did attribute the tweets to Wise, he ended up with egg on his face. The whole thing turned out to be one giant hoax and the whole thing boomeranged on him.

Our other issue is the discussion of the Jay Mariotti issue on ESPN’s Around the Horn. This is the program where Mariotti was a regular contributor. The story of Mariotti arrested two weekends ago in an alleged domestic dispute involving his girlfriend has been well documented. So too has the reaction to Mariotti in the media and blogs.

Sports Newser has the transcripts of the reaction of the writers on today’s Around the Horn.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch felt it was a good idea for the show to tackle the subject head on.

I do give Around the Horn credit for discussing the Mariotti incident and while it didn’t break ground, it’s more coverage than other ESPN entities have done.

So there you have the two big sports media stories that have been circulating the sports blogosphere today.

CBS Sports Presents US Open For 43rd Consecutive Year

CBS Sports will air coverage of the US Open from Flushing Meadow in New York over the next two weekends. It marks 43 consecutive tournaments for the Tiffany Network and it according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, CBS will be back for another round of coverage starting next year. I hope to be able to link to that story sometime this week.

Dick Enberg returns to call the tennis for CBS and he’ll be joined by John McEnroe and Mary Carillo in the booth. Ian Eagle, Bill Macatee, Jim Courier and Mary Jo Fernandez will also be involved in CBS’ coverage. Take a look.

CBS SPORTS SERVES UP 2010 U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR 43^rd CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Men’s and Women’s Finals Highlight CBS Sports’ Coverage

CBS Sports presents the U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS, tennis’ final grand slam of the year and the only one played in the United States, for the 43^rd consecutive year. Coverage begins on Saturday, Sept. 4 (11:00 AM–6:00 PM, ET) with men’s and women’s third-round action and concludes with the men’s singles final on Sunday, Sept. 12 (4:00 PM, ET). CBS Sports will broadcast over 37 hours of the 2010 U.S. Open from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Lead play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg will be joined by expert analysts Mary Carillo and John McEnroe in the booth for the 11th consecutive year. Jim Courier returns for his second year as analyst and will call the action alongside Bill Macatee. Mary Joe Fernandez serves as reporter. Ian Eagle serves as contributor.

CBS Sports will provide live comprehensive coverage during both weekends of the event and on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6 (11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET) and on Friday, Sept. 10 (12:30-6:00 PM, ET). The 2010 women’s final live in prime time highlights the Network’s “Super Saturday” coverage on Saturday, Sept. 11 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET). All the action during CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open will be broadcast in HDTV.  

CBS Sports’ schedule of live U.S. Open Tennis action as follows:

Saturday, Sept. 4 – 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET (men’s and women’s third round singles)

Sunday, Sept. 5 – 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET (men’s third round/women’s fourth round)

Monday, Sept. 6 – 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET (men’s/women’s fourth round singles)

Friday, Sept. 10 – 12:30-6:00 PM, ET (men’s doubles final/women’s semi-finals)

Saturday, Sept. 11 – 12:00 NOON-6:00 PM ET (men’s semi-finals)

                                8:00-10:00 PM, ET (women’s singles final)      

Sunday, Sept. 12 – 4:00-7:00 PM, ET (men’s singles final)

Working his 30^th U.S. Open, Bob Mansbach will serve as coordinating producer of CBS Sports’ live coverage of tennis’ final major of the year.  Mansbach and David Winner will produce, and lead director Bob Fishman and Jim Cornell will direct. Mansbach and Ken Mack will produce ARTHUR ASHE KIDS’ DAY, and Suzanne Smith will direct. Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

And we’re done here.

Comcast SportsNet New England’s and Philadelphia’s College Football Schedules

As we’re getting ready for college football, let’s post what Comcast SportsNet affiliates in New England and Philadelphia will air this season. For New England, CSN New England will re-air most Boston College games in addition to Colonial Athletic Association games involving the University of Rhode Island and University of Massachusetts. New England will also carry some Big 12 and Pac 10 Fox Sports Net games. Let’s give you the CSN NE press release first, then Philadelphia after the break.

UMASS-UNH MATCHUP AND SUNDAY REPLAYS OF 2010 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

42 Game Slate Mixes ACC, Colonial Athletic, Pac-10 and Big 12 Action

BURLINGTON, MA –  Comcast SportsNet announced today its full college football schedule, highlighted by live coverage of the anticipated Colonial Athletic Association matchup between UMass and New Hampshire from Gillette Stadium on October 23, and replays of 11 Boston College contests.

Comcast SportsNet’s full schedule features 13 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), 8 Big-12 and 10 Pac-10 games. New England colleges New Hampshire, UMass, Maine and Rhode Island are prominently featured. The UMass-UNH game at Gillette Stadium will run October 23 at 3:30 p.m.

Comcast SportsNet’s Boston College replays will run every Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and Monday at 4 p.m. The schedule includes major matchups with Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Florida State.

“Comcast SportsNet’s college football schedule offers tons of exposure for the top New England schools in the championship subdivision and gives BC fans a second chance to watch the region’s most prominent college football program,” said Bill Bridgen. “The UMass-UNH game in Foxboro will draw significant attention for New England football fans. Both schools are strong contenders for the postseason.”

2010 CSN COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

UPDATE – 8/13/10

Saturday, September 4    3:30pm            CAA #1:  William & Mary at Massachusetts

Sunday, September 5      8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Weber St (D-9/4/10)

                                      

Saturday, September 11  12:00pm          Big 12 #4: Georgia Tech at Kansas

                                       3:30pm            Pac-10 #1: Colorado at Cal

                                       7:00pm            Big 12 #5: Wyoming at Texas

                                       10:30pm          Pac-10 #2: Virginia at USC

Sunday, September 12    8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Kent St. (D-9/11/10)

Saturday, September 18  12:00pm          CAA #2:  New Hampshire at Rhode Island

                                       3:30pm            Big 12 #7: Air Force at Oklahoma

                                       11:00pm          Pac-10 #3: Houston at UCLA (JIP)

Saturday, September 25  3:30pm            CAA #5: Delaware at Richmond

                                       10:30pm          Pac-10 #4: Oregon at Arizona St. (JIP)

Sunday, September 26    8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech (D-9/25/10)

Saturday, October 2        12:00pm          CAA #6:  Delaware at James Madison

                                       3:30pm            CAA #7:  Villanova at William & Mary

Sunday, October 3          8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Notre Dame (D-10/2/10)

Saturday, October 9        12:00pm          CAA #8:  Richmond at New Hampshire

                                       3:30pm            Pac-10 #5: Teams TBA

                                      

Monday, October 11       8:00pm            BC Replay:  North Carolina St. vs. Boston College (D-10/9/10)

                                      

Thursday, October 14     7:30pm            Big 12 #12: Kansas St. at Kansas

                 

Saturday, October 16      12:00pm          CAA #9:  Villanova at Maine

                                       3:30pm            CAA #10:  New Hampshire at James Madison

                                      

Sunday, October 17        8:30pm            BC Replay: Florida St. vs. Boston College (D-10/16/10)

                                                                          

Saturday, October 23      12:00pm          CAA #11:  Delaware at William & Mary

                                       3:30pm            CAA #12:  Massachusetts at New Hampshire

Sunday, October 24        8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Maryland (D-10/23/10)

                                      

Saturday, October 30      12:00pm          Big 12 #17: Teams TBA

                                       3:30pm            CAA #14:  Massachusetts at James Madison

                                       7:30pm            Pac-10 #7: Teams TBA (D-10/30/10)

Sunday, October 31        8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Clemson (D-10/30/10)

Saturday, November 6    3:30pm            CAA #16:  Maine at Massachusetts

                                       7:30pm            Big 12 #19: Teams TBA (D-11/6/10)

                                       10:30pm          Pac-10 #8: Arizona St. at USC

Monday, November 8     8:00pm            BC Replay:  Wake Forest vs. Boston College (D-11/6/10)

                                      

Saturday, November 13 12:00pm          CAA #17 New Hampshire at Villanova

                                      

Sunday, November 14    8:30pm            BC Replay: Duke vs. Boston College (D-11/13/10)

Saturday, November 20 12:00pm          Big 12 #23: Teams TBA

                                       3:30pm            Pac-10 #9: Stanford at Cal

Sunday, November 21    8:30pm            BC Replay: Boston College vs. Virginia (D-11/20/10)

                                                              

Friday, November 26      3:30pm            Pac-10 #10: UCLA at Arizona St.       

Saturday, November 27  12:30pm          Big 12 #25: Missouri vs. Kansas (Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, MO)

                                      

Saturday, December 4    10:30pm          Pac-10 #11: Teams TBA

And after the break, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s games.
As promised, here’s the schedule for Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and the Comcast Network.

Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network Deliver the Most Comprehensive College Football Schedule in the Region with over 70 Local and National Games

Villanova, Penn and Delaware Hit the Airwaves for 12 Televised Games

PHILADELPHIA- (August 25, 2010) – Comcast SportsNet, together with The Comcast Network, provides college football fans with the most comprehensive local and national football coverage by airing over 70 games. The extensive schedule features the defending NCAA Division-I Football Championship Subdivision National Champions Villanova, plus Delaware Blue Hens and University of Pennsylvania Quakers games, and national games from powerhouse conferences PAC-10, SEC and Big 12. 

The 2010 schedule includes six appearances by Villanova, four by Delaware and two by Penn including these highlighted games:  Villanova vs. Penn on Saturday, September 25 at 7 p.m. (TCN); Delaware at James Madison on Saturday, October 2 at 12 p.m. (TCN) and Villanova at Delaware on Saturday, November 20 at 12 p.m. (TCN).

In addition to comprehensive coverage including scores, highlights and special features during Comcast SportsNet’s news and talk programs, Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network will also have a full slate of college football shows including programs from Temple, Penn State and Rutgers.  The schedule is below:

On Comcast SportsNet

Inside Temple Football with Al Golden airs Thursdays at 11 p.m. and replaying Friday at 4 p.m. 

Penn State Football Story airing every Sunday at 11:30 p.m., replaying Monday at 11:30 a.m.

On The Comcast Network:

“R Football” Rutgers Football show airing every Friday at 10 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 2
8 p.m., Big 12: Northern Illinois at Iowa St., TCN

Saturday, Sept. 4
12 p.m., SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
12:30 p.m., Big 12: Illinois vs. Missouri, CSN
3:30 p.m., CAA: William & Mary at Massachusetts, TCN
7:30 p.m., SEC: Northwestern at Vanderbilt, TCN
*10:30 p.m., Big 12: Washington St. at Oklahoma St., CSN, *Tape-delay (7 p.m.)

Saturday, Sept. 11
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
12pm Big 12: Georgia Tech at Kansas, CSN
3:30pm, Pac-10: Colorado at Cal, CSN
7pm, Big 12; Wyoming at Texas, CSN
7:30pm, SEC: Western Kentucky at Kentucky, TCN
10:30pm, Pac-10: Virginia at USC, CSN

Saturday, Sept. 18
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
12pm, CAA: New Hampshire at Rhode Island, CSN
3:30pm, CAA: Towson at Villanova, TCN
*7pm, Big 12: Air Force at Oklahoma, TCN, *Tape-delay (3:30pm)
10:30pm, Pac-10: Houston at UCLA, TCN
*2am (Sun), Big 12: Iowa St. vs. Kansas St., CSN, *Tape-delay (12pm)

Saturday, Sept. 25
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
3:30pm, CSS: Delaware at Richmond, TCN
7pm, Ivy League: PENN at VILLANOVA, TCN
7:30pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
**11pm, Pac-10: Oregon at Arizona St., CSN, **Join-in-progress/10:30p start

Saturday, Oct. 2
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
12pm, CAA: DELAWARE at James Madison, TCN
3:30pm, CAA: VILLANOVA at William & Mary, CSN
3:30pm, Ivy League: Dartmouth at PENN, TCN
7pm, Big 12: Georgia at Colorado, CSN
*10:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (12:30pm)

Saturday, Oct. 9
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
12 pm, CAA: Richmond at New Hampshire, TCN
3:30pm, Pac-10: teams to be announced, CSN
*3:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN, *Tape-delay (12pm)
7pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN

Thursday, Oct. 14
7:30pm, Big 12: Kansas St. at Kansas, TCN

Saturday, Oct. 16
12pm, Ivy League: Columbia at PENN, TCN
12pm, CAA: VILLANOVA at Maine, CSN
3:30pm, CSS: New Hampshire at James Madison, TCN
7pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN
*10:30 pm, Pac-10: Cal at USC, TCN, *Tape-delay (3:30pm)
*1:30am(Sun), Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (12pm)

Saturday, Oct. 23
12pm, CAA: DELAWARE at William & Mary, TCN
12:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN
3:30pm, CAA: Massachusetts at New Hampshire, CSN
7:30pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
*10:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN, *Tape-delay (7pm)

Saturday, Oct. 30
12pm, CAA: Richmond at VILLANOVA, TCN
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
3:30pm, Pac-10: teams to be announced, TCN
3:30pm, CAA: Massachusetts at James Madison, CSN
*10:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (12pm)
*2am(Sun), Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (7pm)

Saturday, Nov.6
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
12:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN
3:30pm, CAA: James Madison at Richmond, CSN
7pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN
10:30pm, Pac-10: teams to be announced, TCN
*10:30pm, CAA: Maine at Massachusetts, CSN

Saturday, Nov. 13
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
12pm, CAA: New Hampshire at VILLANOVA, TCN
*3:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, TCN, *Tape-delay (12:30pm)
*10:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (7pm)

Saturday, Nov. 20
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, CSN
12pm, CAA: VILLANOVA at DELAWARE, TCN
3:30pm, CAA: Richmond at William & Mary, TCN
3:30pm, Pac-10: teams to be announced, CSN
7:30pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
*10:30pm, Big 12: teams to be announced, CSN, *Tape-delay (7pm)

Friday, Nov. 26
3:30pm, Pac-10: UCLA at Arizona St., TCN

Saturday, Nov. 27
12pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN
12:30pm, Big 12: Missouri vs. Kansas, CSN
7:30pm, SEC: teams to be announced, TCN

Saturday, Dec. 4
10:30pm, Pac-10: teams to be announced, TCN

*All games are subject to change

That’s it.

College Football Begins Thursday on ESPN

College football begins on Thursday with two games on ESPN and three games on ESPN3.com, then a whole bunch of games during the weekend. Let’s take a gander at the the press release.

2010 College Football Season Kicks off Thursday

First Week of Season Includes 31 Games in Five Days, College GameDay from Atlanta

ESPN will kick off the 2010 college football season with 31 games in five days across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio beginning Thursday, Sept. 2. ESPN’s opening weekend of action will conclude with a Labor Day doubleheader Monday, Sept. 6, highlighted by No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech from FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Radio and ESPN 3D, ESPN’s newest outlet and the first 3D network to launch in the industry.

ESPN and ABC will each televise a matchup between ranked teams in prime time Saturday, Sept. 4: No. 24 Oregon State vs. No. 6 TCU in the Cowboys Classic from Arlington, Texas, at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN, and No. 21 LSU vs. No. 18 in the Kickoff Game from Atlanta at 8 p.m. on Saturday Night Football on ABC.

Other ranked teams in action include:

• No. 4 Florida against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Sept. 4, at noon on ESPN and ESPN3.com;
• No. 5 Texas at Rice on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.com
• No. 13 Miami against Florida A&M on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3.com;
• No. 14 USC at Hawaii on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 11 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.com;
• No. 16 Georgia Tech against South Carolina State on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.com;
• No. 20 Florida State against Samford on Saturday, Sept. 4, at noon on ESPNU.

College GameDay – expanded to three hours and now beginning on ESPNU at 9 a.m. and continuing on ESPN at 10 a.m. every Saturday – will open the season Sept. 4 live from Atlanta. Erin Andrews will anchor several segments of the first hour on ESPNU and contribute reports, interviews and features during the ESPN portion of the two-time Emmy Award-winning program. Chris Fowler will return as show host with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. College GameDay is entering its 24th season and 18th consecutive year of originating from the site of one of the day’s best games or a game with the most compelling storyline.

The full schedule of games comes after the break.

And we’re done with this release.

NFL Network’s America’s Game Documentary on New Orleans Saints Premieres 9/8

NFL season is coming fast upon us and next week, the latest installment from the America’s Game documentary series on Super Bowl winners will premiere. It’ll focus on the New Orleans Saints and it will be narrated by actor Brad Pitt.

NFL NETWORK’S AMERICA’S GAME: 2009 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS NARRATED BY BRAD PITT DEBUTS WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8 AT 9:00 PM ET

Head Coach Sean Payton, Jonathan Vilma and Drew Brees Tell the Story of the Road to Super Bowl XLIV and What it Meant to New Orleans

BREES CHOOSES NEW ORLEANS AND LEADS SAINTS TO FIRST SUPER BOWL WIN

PAYTON TALKS ABOUT HIS GUTSY ON-SIDE KICK CALL IN THE SUPER BOWL

VILMA AND UNSUNG DEFENSE STOP THREE OF THE BEST QBs IN PLAYOFF VICTORIES

Why did Drew Brees choose to go to New Orleans? When did Sean Payton make the call for an on-side kick during the Super Bowl? The answers to these questions and much more will be unveiled when the inside story of the Saints remarkable Super Bowl-winning season is told by Drew Brees, Sean Payton and Jonathan Vilma on NFL Network’s newest episode of the NFL Films-produced Emmy award-winning series, America’s Game: 2009 New Orleans Saints.

Narrated by two-time Academy Award nominee Brad Pitt, America’s Game: 2009 New Orleans Saints debuts Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 9:00 PM ET, the night before the Saints kick off the 2010 NFL season against the Minnesota Vikings.

Super Bowl MVP Brees, linebacker Vilma and head coach Sean Payton recount their memories and inside stories about the Saints 2009 season that was capped off with the first Super Bowl win in franchise history. The one-hour America’s Game features exclusive video and sound of the Saints during team meetings, practices, games and inside the locker room leading up to and following Super Bowl XLIV.

Find out what Sean Payton did to make him think Brees would sign with Miami instead of New Orleans as a free agent, see previously unseen video from practice of the on-side kick that was successful in the Super Bowl, learn what pass in a commercial impressed Vilma about his quarterback and about the must-have item Payton never commands a sideline without.

Pitt, who has done extensive community work in New Orleans, lends his voice as narrator to America’s Game:  2009 New Orleans Saints to help tell the story of the season. Frustrated with the lack of progress in rebuilding the Lower 9^th Ward, where thousands of homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, Pitt established the Make It Right Foundation to build 150 green, affordable, high-quality design homes in the New Orleans neighborhood.

Below is a sampling of quotes from America’s Game: 2009 New Orleans Saints:

“I felt like this is where I belong, to be a part of not only the rebuilding of an organization, but also a city and a region.” – QB Drew Brees on his decision to sign with New Orleans in 2006

“I’ve never to this day heard the Superdome louder than that moment.  That’s when you knew that no matter who we were playing that day, they didn’t stand a chance.” – Brees on the 2006 win against Atlanta in the first home game following Hurricane Katrina

“It was magical. You could feel what that game meant and what it symbolized. New Orleans was coming back.” – Brees following the Atlanta win

“Somewhere between ‘Teenage Wasteland’ and ‘Pinball Wizard’, we decided that this was going to be the time to run this.” – Head Coach Sean Payton on halftime decision during Super Bowl XLIV to call the onside kick, “Ambush”

“You knew it was more than just us winning a game. All of New Orleans won this.” – LB Jonathan Vilma on winning the Super Bowl

“If we—as a team and as a city—can be world champions when nobody ever thought we could, then man, we can accomplish anything.” – Brees on winning the Super Bowl

America’s Game, which won an Emmy Award for best sports series, delves deep into the story behind the making of Super Bowl champions. Each episode is a 60-minute documentary (available in high definition) featuring key members of the winning team telling behind-the-scenes accounts from their championship season. With classic NFL Films action combined with news clips and photos, highlights from team radio broadcasts, footage from inside team meeting rooms, sideline audio and other exclusive features, America’s Game provides an epic and intimate portrait of championship teams, in one groundbreaking series.

This should be a very good documentary to watch. Looking forward to it. While I love HBO’s documentaries, I feel America’s Game is the best sports documentary series on American television.

Let’s Do A Monday Linkfest

It’s Monday and already some breaking news occurred. We learned that Awful Announcing is back up and running which is a good thing. I hope it’ll remain.

So with that in our back pocket, let’s do some linkage.

Starting with the Morning Buzz at Sports Business Daily which looks at the carriage negotiations between Time Warner Cable and Disney.

At the Sports Business Journal, John Ourand writes about the progress of ad sales for the NFL’s TV partners. 

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand looks at some of the new bells and whistles you’ll see at the US Open which begins today on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.

Sean Leahy at USA Today’s The Huddle blog notes that Brad Pitt will narrate NFL Network’s America’s Game documentary on the New Orleans Saints. I’m sure you get the connection.

Jason Fry at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center wonders where’s the outrage for a Toronto Star reporter for speculating about Jose Bautista’s sudden power surge where blogger Jerod Morris of Midwest Sports Fans caught grief last year for wondering about Raul Ibanez.

Over to The Sports COMMENTary site where former CNN correspondent Marc Watts lists the five best football TV analysts today.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says Westin Hotels is showing how to do an endorsement deal.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick doesn’t think humor is the way to treat the Jets’ Antonio Cromartie who has fathered 8 children.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog noticed that DC NFL team cornerback made Comcast SportsNet’s Kelli Johnson take off her heels.

To Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times who looks at the weekend in TV sports.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says the Florida Panthers are selling sponsorships to for the seat coverings on the upper level of its arena.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that peace is almost at hand between Time Warner Cable and ESPN. 

Michael Rosenberg at the Detroit Free Press writes about the sad death of former Detroit Pistons Vice President of Public Relations Matt Dobek. Thanks to Press Coverage for the link.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business talks with former local talk show host Mike North who’s about to join Fox Sports Radio.

Phil Rosenthal at the Chicago Tribune looks at the final installment of the local morning sports and business show on the local CBS affiliate.

Dusty Saunders at the Denver Post says it’ll be harder to find this weekend’s Colorado-Colorado State game on TV.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail feels the NHL should get a slice of the Olympic revenue pie for having its players participate in the Winter Games.

Chris Zelkovich in the Toronto Star criticizes CBC for failing to get the job done in covering the Canadian Women’s Open.

Joe Favorito says the New Jersey Devils are doing the right thing in bring their brand to fans.

I’ve written a post at Press Coverage on the aging of our play-by-play announcers and the lack of young talent on the horizon.

And that’s it for now.

Awful Announcing Is Back

After being gone for quite some time, the sports media blog, Awful Announcing, has relaunched. Brian Powell who created the site in 2006, had stopped blogging in April and took his account off Twitter around that time.

Many of us in the blogging community wondered what had happened to him. In fact I tried contacting him last month, but I did not receive a reply.

I learned today that Bloguin has relaunched the site. Brian is not part of it, but there are new posts as of yesterday and there is a new staff that is part of the new Awful Announcing site. It’s hoped that Powell will write a post here and there.

I’m glad the site is back. I hope it can regain the snark and edge it had under Powell. Awful Announcing was one of the first sports media blogs and it was the one of the inspirations for Fang’s Bites and other sites so you can imagine how many of us felt when we saw AA lay dormant for so long.

I wish nothing but the best to the new site and my best to Brian Powell, wherever he may be.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

FIBA World Championships
Australia vs. Germany – NBA TV, noon
Brazil vs. USA – ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

MLB
American League
Chicago White Sox at Cleveland – WGN America/STO, 7 p.m.
Oakland at New York Yankees – Comcast SportsNet California/YES, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Tampa Bay – Rogers Sportsnet/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Texas at Kansas City – Fox Sports Southwest/Fox Sports Kansas City, 8 p.m.
Anaheim Angels at Seattle – Fox Sports West/FSN Northwest, 10 p.m.

National League
Milwaukee at Cincinnati – Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
New York Mets at Atlanta – ESPN/SNY/Peachtree TV, 7 p.m.
Washington at Florida – MASN/Fox Sports Florida, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs – FSN Pittsburgh/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Houston – Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports Houston, 8 p.m.
San Diego at Arizona – Cox 4/Fox Sports Arizona, 9:30 p.m.
Colorado at San Francisco – FSN Rocky Mountain/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers – Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/Fox Sports Prime Ticket, 10 p.m.

MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 7 p.m.
Baseball Tonight – ESPN, 10 p.m.

Tennis
U.S. Open/first round – Tennis Channel, 11 a.m./ESPN2, 1 p.m.
U.S. Open/first round – ESPN2, 7 p.m.
U.S. Open Tonight – Tennis Channel, 11 p.m.

Entertainment
60 Minutes on ID: The Murder of Emmett Till – Discovery ID, 8 p.m.
Chasing Justice with Dan Abrams – Discovery ID, 8:30 p.m.
Lie to Me – Fox, 9 p.m.
Top Gear – BBC America, 9 p.m.
The Closer – TNT, 9 p.m.
Rizzoli & Isles – TNT, 10 p.m.
Weeds – Showtime, 10 p.m.
The Big C – Showtime, 10:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – CBS, 11:35 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark – Sho2, midnight

Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 7 Sneak Peek and A Look Inside Episode 6

On this night where Mad Men deservedly won the Emmy once again for Outstanding Drama Series, we have one of the best episodes of the season, and perhaps of the entire run. The episode titled “Waldorf Stories” has Don spiraling down his personal abyss while supposedly being on top of his professional career. Great stuff.

As always, we first take a sneak peek at next week’s episode, “The Suitcase” where the men at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce take bets on a big heavyweight boxing fight.

Now let’s go inside tonight’s episode with Matt Weiner, Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss.

And here’s a recap of the episode in case you missed it.

And next week’s episode certainly looks interesting based on the previews.

Still Need A Few More Mailbag Questions

Ok, I’ve received some very good questions from you. I do need a few more. About three to four more so if you have sports media questions, preferably regarding the NFL, send them along to kzf1@fangsbites.com.

I hope to get a mailbag post up by Monday or Tuesday. Thanks.

ESPN’s 30 for 30 Doc, "The Two Escobars" Comes Out On DVD in November

This in from ESPN. The critically acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary, “The Two Escobars” will come out on DVD and Blu-Ray in November. It will have some added features. Here’s the announcement.

Following an Unprecedented Film Festival Run, ESPN Films’ Critically Acclaimed Documentary ‘The Two Escobars’ Comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray November 9

Ever since its critically acclaimed world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and subsequent European premiere at The Cannes Film Festival, ESPN Films’ documentary The Two Escobars has thrilled film lovers and sports fans worldwide with the parallel stories of Colombian soccer player Andres Escobar and the unrelated, yet notorious Medellín drug cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar. ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Team Marketing, will release The Two Escobars – which chronicles the intersection of crime, sports and nationalism in 1990s Columbia, from award-winning director Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising) and Michael Zimbalist – on DVD and Blu-Ray, November 9, 2010.  

Complete with never-before-seen video from the personal archives of Pablo’s relatives and new interviews with Andres’ teammates and family, The Two Escobars offers a complex and expertly crafted film earning the respect of many in the film and sports worlds.

The Two Escobars offers an unvarnished look at the circumstances where drug money fueled the incredibly popular national pastime in Columbia earning the phenomenon the underground nomenclature “narco-soccer.” The film also explores the permanent link between the fates of Andres Escobar, the inspirational captain of the beloved Columbian soccer team Nacional, and Pablo Escobar, whose Medellín Drug Cartel was considered by many the ‘ruling party’ of Colombia at the time. When Andres was murdered 10 days after scoring an own goal against the U.S. in the first round of the 1994 World Cup, it cost the country much more than a shot at the title. 

Honored as the Best New Documentary Filmmaker at the Tribeca Film Festival for his Favela Rising, co-director Jeff Zimbalist commented, “This is a universal story of passions and dreams, and how national pride can be intrinsically tied to the rise and fall of a sports team, in this case, a soccer team.” Co-filmmaker Michael Zimbalist continued, “Stories such as this revive our childhood fascination with sports and confirm the fundamental role they play in shaping our world.”

The DVD will offer a number of bonus features including an introduction by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist along, with additional scenes titled “Maturana’s Soldiers” and “Cartel Games” and a historical featurette titled “The Other Side,” which captures the ruminations of the US soccer team on the infamous 1994 World Cup match.

The Two Escobars has a suggested retail price of $19.95 (DVD); $29.95 (Blu-Ray).

Bonus Features

• Directors’ Statements
• Additional Scenes

Maturana’s Soldiers (4:47) & Cartel Games (2:53)

• Historical Featurette – “The Other Side” (17:07)

Street Date:                                             November 9, 2010

Direct prebook:                                        9/14/10

Distributor prebook:                                 09/28/10

Street Date:                                             11/09/10

Pricing:                                                    $19.95 (DVD); $29.95 (Blu-Ray)

Run Time                                                 104 Minutes                 

Rating                                                      TV 14 V (Bonus Materials Not Rated)

Aspect Ratio                                            1.78:1 (16×9 Widescreen)

Audio                                                      Stereo

Languages                                               Spanish Language with English Subtitles

Close Captions                                        Yes

Film Festival Selections

Official Selection – 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

Official Selection – 2010 Festival De Cannes (Cinema de la Plage)

Official Selection – 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival

Synopsis

From award-winning Director Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising)¹ & Michael Zimbalist comes a “gripping human drama” (Huffington Post) about the intersection of crime, sports and nationalism in 1990’s Columbia.

At a time when drug money fueled the sport known in the underworld as “narco-soccer”, the fates of Andres Escobar, the inspirational captain of Nacional, and Pablo Escober, the notorious leader of the Medellín cartel, were permanently linked. When Andres was murdered 10 days after scoring an own goal against the US in the first round of the 1994 World Cup, it cost the country more than a shot at the title. Complete with never-before-seen video from the personal archives of Pablo’s relatives and new interviews with Andres’ teammates and family, The Two Escobars is a “complex and ambitious” (NY Times) thriller SI.com calls the “best soccer documentary ever.”

¹ Best New Documentary Filmmaker, Tribeca Film Festival, 2005

This is best documentary I’ve seen from the 30 for 30 series and I’ve just about seen all of them.

Doing A Lazy Sunday Blog

Looks like I don’t have to be anywhere today so it means I can blog at my leisure. Let’s do some linkage for you.

Sam Schechner of the Wall Street Journal says Time Warner Cable and Disney have made “significant progress” in their talks meaning ESPN might be safe after all. 

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News writes that the US Open’s three TV partners will be ready to provide plenty of coverage of the World’s Toughest Tennis.

Mike writes that Tennis Channel will expand its subscriber base during the US Open.

Dave Ruden from the Greenwich (CT) Time has CBS’ NFL analysts talking New York Jets. 

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman suggests that the NFL Network should go dark. What?

In SB Nation NY, Puck The Media’s Steve Lepore says the New Jersey Devils do right by their fans. 

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says MSG + failed to get the job done during yesterday’s Travers Stakes.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner has quotes from Tennis Channel analyst Jimmy Connors on the US Open.

Jim says Connors is a perfect match on the US Open.

Lou Bezjak of the Florence (SC) Morning News profiles native Wendi Nix of ESPN. 

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times talks with ESPN MLB analyst Joe Morgan about the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sarah Talalay at the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that the Miami Dolphins are the biggest losers in the NFL.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN the Magazine has made its NFL picks for the upcoming season.

Don Walker also from the Journal Sentinel notes that ESPN backtracked after originally allowing sideline reporter Jenn Brown to endorse Icehouse beer. 

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with Fox Sports’ Joe Buck about having a rules analyst on board this season.

Dan also has the national NFL games that will be aired in St. Louis.

In the Daily Oklahoman, Mel Bracht writes that with plenty of players with local connections in the NFL, the local Fox affiliates will have plenty of games to choose from.

Mel says Fox will offer NFL games in HD whether you have it or not.

Ed Graney at the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Notre Dame still has influence as evidenced by NBC reducing commercial breaks on its football games. 

Artie Gigantino has some thoughts on various Bay Area sports media issues in the San Francisco Examiner.

Daniel Lyght of the Fresno Bee says the Western Athletic Conference is forming its own TV network. 

Rachel Bachman of The Oregonian interviews Oregon State University’s President on the talks to bring in a cable partner to air the NCAA Tournament with CBS.

Sports Media Watch has its weekend ratings predictions.

SMW has some various news and notes.

Joe Favorito compares two of the biggest global sports entities, the NFL and English Premier League.

Jacqueline Hadley Conrad thanks her grandmother for handing down love of baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals in particular.

We’ll end it there.

Phil Simms Quotage From Dallas-Houston NFL Preseason Game

We have some preseason quotage from CBS Sports from tonight’s Dallas-Houston game. Nice to have. Let’s get to it.

THE NFL ON CBS lead analyst Phil Simms made his predictions for the upcoming NFL season during CBS Sports’ pre-season game, Dallas vs. Houston, on Saturday night.

AFC

East – New York Jets

North – Cincinnati

South – Indianapolis*

West – San Diego

Wild Cards – New England, Baltimore

 

NFC

East – Dallas*

North – Minnesota

South – New Orleans

West – San Francisco

Wild Cards – Green Bay, New York Giants

* Super Bowl – Dallas vs. Indianapolis

?THE NFL ON CBS lead analyst Phil Simms on the possibility of expanding the schedule to 18 games during CBS Sports’ pre-season game, Dallas vs. Houston, on Saturday night.

SIMMS: I think it’s a game where you slowly indoctrinate yourself in to the hitting and all the punishment that comes with it. So it’s a little bit the first game; a little more and a little more. You don’t go into boxing, hey my first professional fight I’m taking on Mike Tyson. I’m ready for the real thing. You don’t do that. You slowly work your way into it. I think it’s going to hurt the players if they change it drastically.

?On whether Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan handled Albert Haynesworth the right way or the wrong way

SIMMS: Looking at it right now, it worked out perfect. He played the other night. It looked like he played hard. He started.

GUS JOHNSON: He said he didn’t want to play in a 3-4 (defense). Now he’s playing in a 3-4.

SIMMS: Well, they’re paying him a lot of money. It came down to, okay, do you want the money or not? He’s coming to play. He’s got pride. You can’t be that good of a player if you don’t have pride. So when he gets in there, he’s going to get it done. Mike Shanahan sent a message to his football team that he was in charge. He controlled it the right way as a head coach. And I think the team is all sitting around saying, ‘Way to go Coach.’ Players want everyone to play under the same rules.

There you go. I love NFL quotage.

Very Quick Saturday Links

Just found out my day has been planned for me again so I’m going to post as many Saturday links here before heading out.

Milton Kent at Fanhouse says a revamped ESPNews will debut on Monday.

SportsNewser gives you a sports media blog you should read. Unfortunately, it’s not Fang’s Bites. 

Comcast SportsNet New England gives us the “best” of the week.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the MLB Network live game schedule for next week.

In the Washington Post, Dan Steinberg’s DC Sports Bog recaps Rob Dibble’s comments on Sirius XM concerning Stephen Strasburg’s injury. As you’re probably aware, before news surfaced about Strasburg requiring Tommy John surgery, Dibble said he should play hurt.

Vin Mannix at the Bradenton (FL) Herald says ESPN got its money worth when it aired a high school football game from town last night. 

Jeff Klinkenberg of the St. Petersburg Times says ESPN will profile a local amputee athlete on Sunday. 

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham (AL) News talks with an ESPN official on the BCS and other college sports issues.

Barry Horn at the Dallas Morning News looks at a busy opening week for college football on ESPN.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News read Steve Lyons blog on Fox Sports West’s website so you won’t have to.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times has Time Warner Cable putting the blame squarely on Disney in its carriage negotiations.

Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee says local media and school officials were not happy with ESPN when it aired a high school football game last night. 

Sports Media Watch says Nielsen will be counting an additional one million new TV households in the new season.

The Nielsen Wire blog explains.

Back to SMW where you have some news and notes.

And SMW has a few more ratings notes.

Dave Kohl reviews the week in sports media news at the Major League Programs blog.

In the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown says the Baseball Winter Meetings will return to Nashville.

And we will end it there. I found more links than I thought I would and that’s good for you.

Curt Schilling Said Stephen Strasburg Would Have Tommy John Surgery

On ESPN’s Baseball Tonight earlier this week, Curt Schilling said Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg would require arm tendon surgery, better known as Tommy John Surgery, if not now, certainly down the road. This was before the announcement was made today. Here’s the video from ESPN.

I do thank ESPN for making this video available.

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo To Air "Mad Dog Unleashed" from US Open

On Monday, tennis fan Chris Russo will be live from the National Tennis Center in New York, the site of the US Open. He’ll do the entire “Mad Dog Unleashed” program for Sirius XM Radio. Here’s the release.

*** ALERT ***

WHO:              SIRIUS XM Radio Personality Chris “MAD DOG” Russo

WHAT:           Russo will host his daily SIRIUS XM Radio sports talk show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from the U.S. Open on Monday, August 30 (2:00 – 7:00 pm ET) the first day of tournament play.  Mad Dog Unleashed is the anchor program for SIRIUS XM’s Mad Dog Radio channel, SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144.

                        Russo will interview some of the tennis personalities at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the event, recap that day’s matches, and preview the night session starting immediately after his broadcast.

WHEN:           Monday, August 30 (2:00 – 7:00 pm ET)

Broadcast will air live exclusively on SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144

WHERE:         USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

                        Arthur Ashe Stadium

                        Flushing, NY

That’s it for this release.

MLB Network’s Live Game Schedule For August 31-September 4

Let’s give you the games you’ll see on MLB Network next week.

NL East First-Place Atlanta Braves Host New York Mets on Thursday Night Baseball ON September 2, CALLED BY MLB NETWORK’S bob costas and john smoltz

Three First-Place Teams in Action During MLB Network’s Live Game Schedule for August 31-September 4

Game Schedule Also Includes Cincinnati Reds Visiting NL Central Rival St. Louis Cardinals on September 3

Secaucus, N.J., August 26, 2010 – The NL East first-place Atlanta Braves host the New York Mets on Thursday Night Baseball on September 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET, part of MLB Network’s live game schedule for August 31 – September 4. MLB Network’s Bob Costas and former Braves Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star John Smoltz will call the game live from Turner Field. The Braves currently lead the NL East by 2 ½ games over the Philadelphia Phillies. Viewers in the Mets and Braves markets will see the AL Central first-place Minnesota Twins match up against the Detroit Tigers at 8:00 p.m. ET live from Target Field.

          On Tuesday, August 31, the Twins, who have a 3 ½ game lead in the AL Central, host the Tigers at 8:00 p.m. ET. Viewers in select markets will again see the Mets at Braves at 7:00 p.m. ET. Later in the week the Reds travel to Busch Stadium to take on division rivals St. Louis Cardinals for the first of a three-game series on Friday, September 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Reds are 3½ games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Viewers in select markets will see an NL East matchup between the Braves and Florida Marlins at 7:00 p.m. ET live from Sun Life Stadium. Saturday Night Baseball features the Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox at 7:00 p.m. ET. Viewers in select markets will again see the Braves against the Marlins at 7:00 p.m. ET.

MLB Tonight, MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning signature nightly studio show, airs seven days a week, featuring updates, highlights, bonus coverage and look-ins at live games in progress. Quick Pitch, MLB Network’s highlights show of record, airs nightly with recaps of all the great fielding and scoring plays from the day’s games.

MLB Network’s August 31 – September 4 live game schedule:

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

Date               Time               Game

August 31      8:00 p.m.      Detroit at Minnesota

                     7:00 p.m.      New York Mets at Atlanta [In select markets]

September 2  7:00 p.m.      Thursday Night Baseball: New York Mets at Atlanta – Bob Costas & John Smoltz

          8:00 p.m.      Detroit at Minnesota [In Mets and Braves markets]

September 3  8:00 p.m.      Cincinnati at St. Louis

                     7:00 p.m.      Atlanta at Florida [In select markets]

September 4  7:00 p.m.      Chicago White Sox at Boston

                     7:00 p.m.      Atlanta at Florida

I will post one more press release coming up.

Your Baseball Games on TV for This Weekend and Beyond

Let’s review the games you’ll be seeing on national TV this weekend. Fox is covering two games and with Joe Buck on NFL duty on Sunday, it means you don’t have him nor Tim McCarver on MLB this Saturday. He didn’t work last weekend either which means he’s done 13 out of a possible 21 regular season games for Fox. Here are the games from Fox.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

MLB Action This Weekend on FOX

MLB ON FOX HEADS TO THE WILD, WILD WEST – Week 21 of the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK schedule commences on Saturday, August 28 (4:00 PM ET) with two highly-competitive matchups. The Phillies, still in hot-pursuit of the Braves, face a tough test when they travel west to take on the NL West-leading Padres. San Diego possesses both the NL’s best record and baseballs most dominant best pitching staff. In Seattle, Joe Mauer, teams with RBI leader Delmon Young and the Twins to take on the Mariners. This week, the pregame show originates live from Safeco Field in Seattle with host Chris Rose. Once game action begins, Rose joins analyst Mark Grace in the booth. 

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

Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, Josh Lewin, Eric Karros & Ken Rosenthal, going to 76% of USA

PETCO Park – San Diego, CA 

MARKETS INCLUDE:  Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Probable Pitchers: Joe Blanton, RHP (5-6, 5.32 ERA) vs. Jon Garland, RHP (13-8, 3.25 ERA)

Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, Chris Rose & Mark Grace, going to 24% of USA

Safeco Field – Seattle, WA

MARKETS INCLUDE:  Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle

Probable Pitchers: Nick Blackburn, RHP (7-8, 6.49 ERA) vs. Doug Fister, RHP (4-9, 3.87 ERA)

MLB Network has covers the American League East race on Saturday.

August 28 – 7:00 p.m., Boston at Tampa Bay  

August 28 – 7:00 p.m., New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox [In select markets]

And we’ll check what’s on tap for Sunday after the break.
On Sunday, TBS also focuses on the American League East.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” to Feature an American League Match-up Between the New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox

“Sunday MLB on TBS” continues on August 29 with two American League contenders facing off as Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees visit Paul Konerko and the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field at 2 p.m. (ET).  Ivan Nova is scheduled to start for the Yankees against the White Sox probable starter Gavin Floyd.  Ernie Johnson will call play-by-play alongside analyst Ron Darling.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” includes match-ups on TBS every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season.  The network will also begin providing exclusive coverage of the Division Series and the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in October 2010.

TBS has broadcast MLB coverage for more than 30 years serving as the exclusive home of the MLB Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007 and home of Atlanta Braves coverage from 1977 to 2007. 

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE:

Sunday, Aug. 29

2 p.m.                          New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox

Announcers: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst)

 

SUNDAY MLB ON TBS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Sunday, Sept. 5

1:30 p.m.                     Chicago White Sox @ Boston Red Sox

Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and John Smoltz (analyst)

ESPN also focuses on the AL East on Sunday night.

Tampa Bay Hosts Boston on Sunday Night Baseball

The Tampa Bay Rays, currently tied for first with the N.Y. Yankees (78-48) in the A.L. East, will host the Boston Red Sox on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan will call the game, which will also be available via ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Monday Night Baseball will be a full national telecast when the Atlanta Braves, currently leading the N.L. East, host the N.Y. Mets Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.

ESPN will also carry Mets at Braves on Wednesday as well. Those are the games for this weekend.

The Late Summer Megalinks

We have less than a month to go in summer and with our Labor Day weekend coming next week, we all know that September means school, end of vacations and the like. It also means football in earnest. Where I’m going with this thought I don’t know, but I’m feeling melancholy that the summer is almost done.

Let’s do the megalinks and there are plenty of stories for you to read. Of course, the Weekend Viewing Picks give you what’s happening in sports and entertainment, but please do not point out to me that I’ve omitted the Emmys. It’s on NBC and I do not recommend NBC primetime or late night programming. Ever since the whole Jay/Conan thing, I’ve been boycotting NBC’s entertainment programming. Being a sports media blogger, I can’t boycott NBC Sports.

Now to the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand points out that a possible victim of an 18 week NFL regular season might be the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

At Sports Business Daily, John Ourand writes that CBS has almost sold out of its NFL regular season ad inventory. 

Milton Kent of Fanhouse says another possible victim to the expanded NFL regular season might be The Oscars.

Milton enjoyed listening to CBS US Open analysts John McEnroe and Mary Carillo square off over the ATP and WTA Tour schedules.

Kelly Riddell and Andy Fixmer of Bloomberg write that a hangup in the Disney/Time Warner dispute is the fees over the ESPN3.com broadband service.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says Gol TV in HD gets picked up by Time Warner Cable in New York.

Lucia Moses at Mediaweek writes that Golf Magazine is feeling bullish about the sport despite its problems this year.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Dave Kindred says journalists who try to build a personal brand do so at their own risks.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell feels a webcast on Ralph Lauren’s website might be the future of sports marketing. 

Darren notes that there’s a prime parking spot available at The Barclays this week.

Emmett Jones at Sports Business Digest notes that Reebok is using an au naturel Kelly Brook to sell shoes.

Emmett says the NHL might create an all-women’s league to help the competitive balance in Olympic hockey.

Sports Media Watch has a few news and notes.

From Yahoo!, Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy looks at the five things learned from this week’s World Hockey Summit.

Brett Barrouquere of the Associated Press reports on a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader who won a huge libel and slander award against a gossip website. 

Bob Stockton of World Tennis Magazine says this year’s US Open Tennis Series garnered good ratings for ESPN2.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe says Hard Knocks with the New York Jets has become Must See TV.

Brian Ballou of the Globe reports that the son of NESN Red Sox analyst Jerry Remy was arrested this week for allegedly groping a woman.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that Jay Mariotti is now wearing the shoe on the other foot after being bombastic throughout his career.

Bob Raissman at the New York Daily News feels Hard Knocks is riding the Darrelle Revis train despite his training camp holdout. Is Raissman actually watching the show?

Phil Mushnick in the New York Post says YES failed to cover all bases during an incident in a Yankees-Blue Jays game on Monday.

Claire Atkinson of the Post looks at how NFL fans can now watch games on their cell phones. 

Brett Cyrgalis of the Post writes that a lack of American players will hurt U.S. Open ratings for CBS, ESPN and Tennis Channel. 

Brett has five questions for SEC on CBS analyst Gary Danielson.

In NY Sports Journalism, Barry Janoff has the results of a readers poll of the greatest sports broadcast calls of all-time.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says the new local AHL team is planning to be proactive on local TV and radio.

Pete has more on the Albany Devils broadcast hopes.

Pete says Saturday’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga goes to regional television after being on national TV for a quarter century.

Ken McMillan of the Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record has a partial college football schedule for the MSG Networks.

Ken says get ready for preseason hockey.

Steve Sampsell of the Centre (PA) Daily Times talks with ESPN NASCAR analyst Tim Brewer.

The Delaware County Times says College Gameday will be visiting the Villanova campus in February.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV writes in Press Box that the Baltimore Ravens have signed with Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic for most of its TV programming.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN/ABC college football analyst Jesse Palmer on Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen.

South

The Virginia Gazette picks up a story from William & Mary’s newspaper written by Virginia Nadler regarding ESPNU using school students to produce programming.

Tim Clodfelter of the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal says it’s getting down to the wire between Time Warner Cable and Disney. 

The State in Charleston, South Carolina says it’s moving its Go Gamecocks website to a pay model.

Josh Hoke of The State writes that big name high school recruits bring the big lights to town. 

Dave Scheiber of Fox Sports Florida has Rays analyst Kevin Kennedy recalling the moment when he got the networks’ attention.

John Lembo of the Bradenton (FL) Herald notes that ESPN is in town for a high school football game tonight.

John looks at the reasons why ESPN chose Bradenton as a broadcast location.

In the Orlando Sentinel, Shannon Owens has ESPN’s Lee Corso being bullish on the Florida Gators.

Stan Diel of the Birmingham (AL) News says the clock is ticking down in the talks between Bright House cable and ESPN.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Texas Rangers continue to rack up the ratings.

Matt Heika of the Morning News says the Dallas Stars will have a new radio studio host this season. 

Ray Buck at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram looks at former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach going to TV this season.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that the local Little League baseball team is pulling in the ratings.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says ESPN’s Lee Corso hopes to fulfill his new contract with the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Midwest

Michael Zuidema from the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says high school football will be covered heavily by local TV throughout the season.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at NFL Films’ new documentary series that will air on NFL Network throughout the fall.

Ed Sherman in Crain’s Chicago Business has this week’s winners and losers.

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune looks at the Fanhouse suspension of former Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti.

Interestingly enough, Mariotti’s former paper, the Sun-Times, uses wire reports to report on his suspension.

Paul Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the Wild will have all of its games on TV for the first time since entering the NHL.

Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin says a minor league baseball broadcaster still can’t over the death of a player last weekend.

West

Jay Drew of the St. Lake City Tribune looks at the factors, including ESPN, that led BYU to remain with the Mountain West Conference after briefly flirting with the WAC. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) News says BYU has long been owed a bigger slice of the TV pie due to the audience it brings to the table.

Jay Posner at the San Diego Union-Tribune says long-time Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner will return for another season.

To the North County Times where John Maffei talks with Texas Rangers/San Diego Chargers voice Josh Lewin who will also be doing duties for Fox this weekend.

At the Ventura County Star, Jim Carlisle writes about Notre Dame requesting NBC to reduce its commercial breaks for football games this season.

In the Los Angeles Times, Diane Pucin has CBS/NBC/ESPN2/BBC/7 Network analyst John McEnroe’s controversial comments about women’s tennis schedule being too demanding for its stars.

Joe Flint of the Times says an 18 game NFL schedule could bring a new TV partner and a permanent date for the Super Bowl. 

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at the Sport Science franchise which ESPN picked up from Fox Sports Net.

Tom has more with Sport Science host John Brenkus who has been the human guinea pig for the show.

Tom also reviews the week in blogging and more.

Mark Glover of the Sacramento Bee says high school football is growing in the national spotlight.

Matt Phelps and Megan Managan of the Kirkland (WA) Reporter preview an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on a monumental Little League World Series upset from the early 1980′s.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders when a local sports radio station will name a morning show host.

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star says the war of words over the new Rogers Sportsnet one is really heating up.

And we’re done. Thanks for reading.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, August 28

English Premier League
Blackburn vs. Arsenal – ESPN2, 7:30 a.m.
Chelsea vs. Stoke City – Fox Soccer Plus, 9:55 a.m.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wigan – Fox Soccer Channel, 10 a.m.
Manchester United vs. West Ham – Fox Soccer Channel, 12:30 p.m.
Wolverhampton vs. Newcastle – Fox Soccer Plus, 6 p.m. (same day coverage)

FIBA World Championships
Greece vs. China – NBA TV, 9 a.m.
Croatia vs. USA – ESPN Classic, noon
France vs. Spain – NBA TV, 2 p.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Canadian Women’s Open, 3rd round – Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
PGA Tour/The Barclay’s, 3rd round – Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.
USGA/U.S. Amateur, 4th day – NBC, 4 p.m.

IndyCar
Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 – Versus, 7 p.m.

Little League World Series
International Championship/Taiwan vs. Japan – ABC, 1 p.m.
United States Championship/Texas vs. Hawaii/Georgia – ABC, 4 p.m.

MLB
American League
Detroit at Toronto – Fox Sports Detroit/Rogers Sportsnet, 1 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle – Fox, 4 p.m.
Red Sox at Tampa Bay – MLB Network/NESN/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland – Fox Sports Kansas City/STO, 7 p.m.
New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox – MLB Network/YES/WGN America, 7 p.m.
Oakland at Texas – Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports Southwest, 8 p.m.
Baltimore at Anaheim – MASN2/Fox Sports West, 9 p.m.

National League
Philadelphia at San Diego – Fox, 4 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati – Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Florida at Atlanta – Fox Sports Florida/SportSouth, 7 p.m.
Houston at New York Mets – KTXH/WPIX, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee – FSN Pittsburgh/WMLW, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington – Fox Sports Midwest/MASN, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado – KCAL/FSN Rocky Mountain, 8 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco – Fox Sports Arizona/KNTV, 9 p.m.

Baseball Tonight – ESPN, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 10 p.m.

MLS
Philadelphia at New England – Comcast SportsNet New England, 7:30 p.m.
Colorado at Houston – Fox Soccer Channel, 9:30 p.m.

Mixed Martial Arts
UFC 118/Edgar vs. Penn 2 – Undercard, Spike, 9 p.m./Main event, Pay per view, 10 p.m.

NFL
Cleveland at Detroit – NFL Network/WKYC, 5 p.m./WWJ, 9 p.m.
Cincinnati at Buffalo – WKRC, 6:30 p.m./WKBW, Sunday, 8 p.m.
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay – WTEV, 7:30 p.m./WFLA, Sunday, 11 a.m.
New York Giants at Baltimore – WNBC/WBAL, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Houston -  CBS/KTVT/KTRK, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Minnesota – KING/KARE, 8 p.m.
Tennessee at Carolina – WKRN/WCCB, 8 p.m.
Arizona at Chicago – KNXV/WFLD, 8:30 p.m.
San Francisco at Oakland – KBCW/KICU, 9 p.m. (same night coverage)

Tennis
US Open Series
WTA Tour/Pilot Pen Tennis, finals – CBS, noon
ATP Tour/Pilot Pen Tennis, finals – ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Entertainment
5 Ingredient Fix: It’s Easy Being Green – Food Network, 12:30 p.m.
Katrina: Riding It Out – Weather Channel, 8 p.m.
Bad Dog! (series premiere) – Animal Planet, 8 p.m.
America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back – Fox, 9 p.m.
Being Human – BBC America, 9 p.m.
Trouble The Water – National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
Remember The Titans – ABC Family, 10 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark – Sho2, midnight

Sunday, August 29

English Premier League
Bolton vs. Birmingham City – Fox Soccer Plus, 8:25 a.m.
Aston Villa vs. Everton – Fox Soccer Channel, 11 a.m.

FIBA World Championships
USA vs. Slovenia – ESPN2, 9:30 a.m.
Puerto Rico vs. Greece – NBA TV, 11:30 a.m.
Spain vs. New Zealand – NBA TV, 2 p.m.

Golf
LPGA Tour/Canadian Women’s Open, final round – Golf Channel, 2 p.m.
PGA Tour/The Barclay’s, final round – Golf Channel, noon/CBS, 2 p.m.
USGA/U.S. Amateur, final day – NBC, 4 p.m.

Little League World Series
Consolation Game – ESPN, 11 a.m.
Championship Game – ABC, 3 p.m.

MLB
American League
Detroit at Toronto – Fox Sports Detroit/Rogers Sportsnet, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland – Fox Sports Kansas City/WKYC, 1 p.m.
New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox – TBS/YES/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 2 p.m.
Oakland at Texas – Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports Southwest, 3 p.m.
Baltimore at Anaheim – MASN2/KCOP, 3:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle – WFTC/FSN Northwest, 4 p.m.
Red Sox at Tampa Bay – ESPN, 8 p.m.

National League
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati – WGN America/Fox Sports Ohio, 1 p.m.
Houston at New York Mets – Fox Sports Houston/SNY, 1 p.m.
Florida at Atlanta – Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South, 1:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington – KSDK/MASN, 1:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee – FSN Pittsburgh/Fox Sports Wisconsin, 2 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado – KCAL/FSN Rocky Mountain, 3 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco – Fox Sports Arizona/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 4 p.m.
Philadelphia at San Diego – WPHL/Cox 4, 4 p.m.

MLB Tonight Live – MLB Network, 5 p.m.
Baseball Tonight – ESPN, 7 p.m.
Plays of the Week – MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Quick Pitch Live – MLB Network, 11 p.m.

NASCAR
Nationwide Series/NAPA Auto Parts 200 – ESPN2, 2 p.m. 

NFL
Pittsburgh at Denver – Fox, 8 p.m.

Track & Field
IAAF Diamond League, Brussels, Belgium – NBC, 3 p.m. (same day coverage)

Entertainment
10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa: Spicy Spendthrift – Food Network, 12:30 p.m.
60 Minutes – CBS, 7 p.m.
Big Brother 12 – CBS, 8 p.m.
Rubicon – AMC, 9 p.m.
True Blood – HBO, 9 p.m.
Ice Road Truckers – History Channel, 9 p.m.
Mad Men: Waldorf Stories – AMC, 10 p.m.
Entourage – HBO, 10:30 p.m.
Big Brother After Dark – Sho2, midnight