Oh man, does this ever have the potential to be the biggest trainwreck in the history of television. The always emotional Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be switching jobs with her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, for a day. Seriously.

Elisabeth will be appearing on NFL live at 4pm on Tuesday, January 19th, while Tim will be co-hosting "The View" on Thursday, January 28th at 11am. Via ESPN PR....

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s “The View,” and her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, are changing jobs – for one day.

Elisabeth will spend the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 19 on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., where she will appear in Tim’s place on ESPN programs, including NFL Live (4 p.m. ET), to discuss the NFL playoffs and other sports topics.

Tim will complete the job swap Thursday, Jan. 28, at the ABC studios in New York, where he will occupy Elisabeth’s seat on “The View” (11 a.m., ABC) alongside co-hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters. The former NFL quarterback will share his perspective and match wits with the all-female panel as they discuss the latest news, celebrity gossip and events of the day.

“We think fun and sports should go together, and the job swap will be fun for our viewers and for fans of ‘The View’ who will get the chance to see and hear from Elisabeth and Tim in completely different settings,” said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, who oversees NFL Live.

“So many times we ask, ‘How did work go today?’ ” said Elisabeth. “Undoubtedly we will be finding out the hard way as we switch jobs. The question then will be, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ "

Added Tim: “Hopefully I can pull this off because I see her preparation on a regular basis each week – reading, and watching cable news shows, other television programs and upcoming movies. I will enjoy this because I know they will have fun with me at ‘The View’ and, of course, when I get back to work at ESPN. I’m sure I’ll have a greater appreciation for what she does on a day-in and day-out basis.”

I'd love to get Trey Wingo's reaction on this idea. Obviously it's a little kitschy, but it could turn out to be fun. Tim will be trying to fend off the cackles of Whoopi and Barbara Walters, while Elisabeth cries on NFL Live over the Cowboys Tony Romo choking away a Playoff win for the Cowboys.

I still have yet to watch an entire episode of "Dancing With The Stars", but with the news of the latest group of wannabe dancers, I might have to check it out. Not only is the arch-enemy of Terrell Owens, Joanna Krupa, involved, but so are Natalie Coughlin, Chuck Liddell and THE Michael Irvin. And those are just the Sports stars (minus Krupa)! Here is the full list....

Kathy Ireland, 46
Joanna Krupa, 30
Mya, 30
Natalie Coughlin, 26
Chuck Liddell, 30
Tom DeLay, 62
Donnie Osmond, 51
Michael Irvin, 42
Louie Vito, 21 (Pro Snowboarder)
Mark DaCascos, 45 (Host of Iron Chef America)
Aaron Carter, 21
Macy Gray
Ashley Hamilton, 34 (Son of former DWTS competitor George Hamilton)
Melissa Joan Hart
Debi Mazar, 45 (Actress from Entourage)
Kelly Osbourne, 24

Now I don't know much about previous season, but this group of dancers seems like it has the potential to be the best. Best on an unintentional comedy level, I mean. Watching Chuck Liddel alone, hammered out of his mind, would be enough on its own.

The fact that Shaquille O'Neal hasn't starred in his own reality show at this point, is a complete travesty. ABC is planning on changing all that when it will air "Shaq Vs." this August. O'Neal has already lined up competitions against athletes in their own Sport with the likes of Michael Phelps, Ben Roethlisberger and Albert Pujols, and is looking to add Lance Armstrong to the list. Via USA Today....

Filming begins Wednesday in Pittsburgh, where Shaq takes on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in football. Future hour-long episodes will pit him against Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, tennis pro Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

O'Neal, 37, says he also hopes to book pal Lance Armstrong for a cycling competition once the Tour de France ends. The series is set to premiere Aug. 18 and will air Tuesdays at 9 ET/PT.

O'Neal says he came up with the idea as a fun way to help train for the NBA season and figured sports fans "would really want to see an athlete play another sport." He knew most of the athletes and recruited some of them on Twitter.

ABC was immediately interested. "He's very playful, almost everyone can relate to him. He has a fun sort of childish persona, and at the same time he's a superstar," says John Saade, co-chief of ABC's reality programming, says of the 7-foot-1 O'Neal. "Our real hope is you come for the absurdity but you stay for the sport."

Up until now, I've thought every reality show possibility had been explored, but apparently I was wrong. This seems like a light-hearted and definitely fun idea, and I can't imagine anyone who would choose to skip Shaq acting like a fool with other famous athletes. Great work, ABC!

O'Neal courts competition on new reality show 'Shaq Vs.' (USA Today)
Shaq Steps Into the Reality TV Realm (WFNY)

So ABC was doing a wonderful job covering the Scripps National Spelling Bee, up until they tried to put up a graphic illustrating what the winner receives. How a network could misspell a word at Spelling Bee is hilarious, but especially so when said word is "Educational". Via Bklyn Josh....


Too funny. Other than that it was a great broadcast, and very entertaining. If I learned anything, it's that contestant Kennyi needs his own show and/or Youtube channel, and the winner Kavya Shivashankar knows every word known to man....including Laodicean. Congrats!

I don't know how many of you folks out there are old enough to remember ABC's "Superstars", but the network is planning on dusting off the old "Wide World of Sports" program for a six-episode run in 2009. Via Variety....

ABC has given a six-episode order to a new celeb take on the sports-themed franchise "Superstars."

"ABC was the most aggressive, and they were big on getting the authenticity of the original 'Superstars' format," said Juma prexy Bob Horowitz. "And the fact that they have the NBA Finals in June makes it a phenomenal springboard for promoting the series."

In bringing out the franchise last summer, Horowitz had cited the success of ABC's "Wipeout," as well as the popularity of celebrity reality competitions like the Alphabet's "Dancing With the Stars."

In "Superstars," eight celebs will be paired with eight male and female pro athletes to compete in various events, including swimming, biking, running and kayaking. Teams will be eliminated each week, until one athlete/celebrity pair is crowned the champs.

While there is no word on who is involved this go around, back in the day the show was called by both Jim McKay and Keith Jackson, and featured such athletes as: Herschel Walker, Willie Gault, Dave Johnson (decathlete), Jason Sehorn and Joe Frazier. Frazier even almost drowned during an episode, so anything is possible this year!



ABC fields 'Superstars' (Variety)
The Mid-Week Links (Fang's Bites)

I didn't know that ABC was so high on Wipeout, but apparently they think so much of the show that they are running it opposite of the Boss. Bruce Springsteen is performing during halftime of the Super Bowl this year (or next rather), but ABC will be giving you the opportunity to watch "Big Balls" instead.

But that's not the best part. No the highlight of ABC's two-part show will be the addition of a "sideline reporter". Who is that reporter you ask? Well it's none other than Michael Irvin! Via the Live Feed....

The Disney-owned network will air a brief football-themed “Wipeout” special against NBC’s official halftime show headlined by Bruce Springsteen. Then, during NBC’s post-Bowl presentation of “The Office,” ABC will air an hourlong “Wipeout” in which cheerleaders compete against male “couch potato” sports fans.

The strategy will mark the first time in five years a major broadcast network has gone after a rival’s Super Bowl momentum with original entertainment programming.

The two-part ABC special — dubbed “Wipeout Superball Sunday” — pulls out all the stops to cater to NFL fans: Hall of Famer Michael Irvin will lend sideline commentary, the Navy’s Blue Angels will perform a flyover, the USC marching band will storm the course, contestants will run a gantlet with quarterbacks pelting them with footballs, NFL luminaries will stop by the commentary booth, and the show’s signature Big Balls obstacle has been converted into jumbo-sized footballs.

I poked a good deal of fun at the show before, but in all honesty, this isn't that bad of an idea. Most everyone will still be watching Springsteen, however a few might change the channel just to check out cheerleaders on the "Big Balls".

ABC to 'Wipeout' the Super Bowl (The Live Feed)

Disney's Wide World of Sports has been named as such since March of 1997, but soon it will be going through a name change. Wanting to capitalize on the "world's most powerful Sports brand", the park is going to be renamed ESPN's Wide World of Sports within the next few months. Via the Orlando Sentinel....

Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports complex will be renamed the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, signaling the Walt Disney Co.'s desire to capitalize on both brands at its giant Central Florida resort.

Ken Potrock, Disney World senior vice president for the sports complex, announced the name change this morning as he outlined the complex's current and expanding role as a generator of tourism and convention business in Central Florida.

With plans for a new bowling center, the new Jostens Center that just opened, and the ESPN rebranding, Potrock said he expects far more visitors. He also said the company would take more advantage of the worldwide popularity of ESPN among sports enthusiasts.

"If you're in the sports business and you happen to own the most powerful sports brand, why wouldn't you leverage that?" he said. "The answer is, of course we will leverage that."

Ever since taking over ESPN in 1996, Disney has been slowly shifting all of their Sports' products to the ESPN brand (i.e.- ESPN on ABC). And while the move makes sense (ESPN really is the most popular Sports brand in the world), it still seems odd to me that ESPN will now be associated with the moniker that ABC Sports made famous. Especially if you think back to what Sports Television was, and what it's become.

Disney's name coming off its Wide World of Sports complex (Orlando Sentinel)

I hadn't heard anything on this until now, but apparently magician David Blaine is letting Kimbo Slice punch him in the gut tonight as a part of his "Dive of Death" special on ABC tonight. From Fight Linker via Cage Potato....

Last week, David Blaine stopped by Bas Rutten’s gym here in Southern California, to shoot a piece for his Dive of Death special, airing Wednesday night on ABC. The “trick” is going to be Kimbo Slice punching David Blaine in the stomach and is an homage to Houdini, whom David says is his hero (duh). I say “trick” because I don’t know what kind of trick there is to getting punched in the abdomen besides flexing and hoping for the best. Blaine explains before taping that Houdini died from injuries sustained taking punches to the stomach. [Ed. note: Bullshit.]

The rather physically fit Blaine claims he chose Kimbo because the fighter is one of the few people he fears. From my observation, it does not seem as if the magician is intimidated in conversation. But faced with Kimbo’s clenched fist before him, Blaine does look visibly nervous. He asks his audience of gym employees and Kimbo’s entourage, “Is this stupid?” Everyone grinned widely back.

I won’t spoil the fun but there’s no illusion involved to this bit. David Blaine simply stands in the middle of the cage, lifts up his shirt to prove he’s not hiding any protective material, and asks Kimbo to punch him. And after? Kimbo is wowed by David Blaine’s resistance to his gut shot.

I personally would love to see Blaine get punched in the dome (somewhat kidding), because I can't stand his ass, but I'll take a gut shot. Seriously though, I don't think you could pay me to take a punch from an MMAer. I mean, I'm up for offers, but it would take a heck of a lot of green. The special airs tonight at 9pm and I'll try to get video of the "stunt" up either later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Kimbo Slice to Gutpunch David Blaine on TV Tonight (Cage Potato)
Magician David Blaine Attempts Suicide (Fight Linker)

Here's your Week Three College Football Announcing Schedule and were finally starting get some better matchups. The weekend is obviously highlighted by OSU-USC, but we also get Kansas-S.Florida, Wisconsin-Fresno State, Nevada-Missouri and the return of Lundquist and last year's Pammy Champ, Gary Danielson! Thanks to the collective efforts of The 506 and SS, here's your schedule for the week....

Thursday, September 11th

North Carolina @ Rutgers (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Friday, September 12th

11 Kansas @ 18 South Florida (ESPN2, 8pm)- Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone

Saturday, September 13th

25 California @ Maryland (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware
Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State (ESPN2, Noon)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley
Navy @ Duke (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker
Louisiana-Lafayette @ Illinois (BTN, Noon)- Matt Devlin, Ian Allen
Iowa State @ Iowa (BTN, Noon)- Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Charissa Thompson
Montana State @ Minnesota (BTN, Noon)- Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin
Southern Illinois @ Northwestern (BTN, Noon)- Mark Neely, Glen Mason
Temple @ Buffalo (ESPN Plus, Noon)- Michael Reghi, Jim Donnan
North Carolina State @ 23 Clemson (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood
Washington State @ Baylor (FSN, 12:30pm)- Bill Land, Dave Lapham, Jim Knox
Alabama-Birmingham @ Tennessee (Raycom, 12:30pm)- Dave Neal, David Archer, Dave Baker
Nevada @ 6 Missouri (FSN PPV, 12:30pm)- Dan McLaughlin, D'Marco Farr, Jason Ray, Mark Claiborne
20 East Carolina @ Tulane (WITN, 3pm)- Drew Smith, Billy Weaver
Michigan @ Notre Dame (NBC, 3:30pm)- Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan
2 Georgia @ South Carolina (CBS, 3:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie
14 Oregon @ Purdue (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales
Arkansas @ 8 Texas (ABC, 3:30pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute
17 Penn State @ Syracuse (ABC, 3:30pm)- Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard
UCLA @ 15 Brigham Young (Versus, 3:30pm)- Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Tim Neverett
Air Force @ Houston (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor
Chattanooga @ Florida State (ESPNU, 3:45pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle
Hawaii @ Oregon State (FSN Regional, 4pm)- Todd Mansfield, Steve Preece, Cathy Marshall
9 Auburn @ Mississippi State (ESPN2, 7pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie
Southern Methodist @ 12 Texas Tech (FSN Regional , 7pm)- Joel Meyers, Gary Reasons, Emily Jones
Memphis @ Marshall (CSS, 7pm)- Bob Neal, Chuck Oliver, Allison Williams
Missouri State @ Oklahoma State (FCS Central, 7pm)- Kevin Eschenfelder, Richard Baldinger
Western Kentucky @ 16 Alabama (CTSN, 7pm)- Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts
Middle Tennessee @ Kentucky (Big Blue Sports PPV, 7pm)- Rob Bromley, Tim Couch, Drew Deener
New Mexico State @ Nebraska (FSN PPV, 7pm)- Ron Thulin, Matt Davison
Virginia @ Connecticut (ESPNU, 7:30pm)- Clay Matvick, David Diaz-Infante
3 Oklahoma @ Washington (ESPNU, 7:45pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
5 Ohio State @ 1 USC (ABC, 8pm)- Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters, Erin Andrews
Arizona @ New Mexico (CBS College Sports, 8pm)- Tom Hart, Trev Alberts
Stanford @ Texas Christian (MTN, 8pm)- James Bates, Todd Christensen
Bowling Green @ Boise State (KTVB, 8pm)- Mark Johnson, Tom Scott, David Augusto
22 Utah @ Utah State (KJZZ, 8pm)- Steve Brown, Mike Norseth
North Texas @ 7 Louisiana State (ESPN+ PPV, 8pm)- Doug Greengard, Rene Nadeau
Nevada-Las Vegas @ 13 Arizona State (FSN Regional, 10pm)- Trey Bender, Juan Roque, Jody Jackson
10 Wisconsin @ 21 Fresno State (ESPN2, 10:30pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

(Photo via SI's Cheerleader Of The Week Index)

That's an attention grabbing headline isn't it? And I wish it was a joke but alas, it's very very real. From Philly.com via AZ Sports Hub comes the terrifying news that Charles Barkley is preparing for a colonoscopy this Friday that will actually air as part of the multi-network show "Stand Up to Cancer" on September 5th.

GET READY to look deep inside Charles Barkley. The former Sixers superstar has been asked to undergo a televised colonoscopy as part of the "Stand Up to Cancer" special being aired Sept. 5 by NBC, CBS and ABC.

Barkley said yesterday he's flying to Alabama today to prepare for the procedure on Friday.

Sir Charles, 45, says he was surprised that the show approached him, but was happy to participate in promoting awareness for colonoscopies, which screen for prostate and other cancers.

Barkley said that when he told his friend Fred Lavner, of NB2 Apparel, about being asked to undergo the procedure on television, Lavner replied they were "probably just looking for the celebrity with the biggest ass."

The show is actually a historic and combined effort by NBC, CBS and ABC aimed at raising funds for Cancer research and Sir Charles will be one of many stars making an appearance. It's a great cause, and while I'm less than excited to view Barkley's colon, it's an admirable gesture by him and many others to help out. Here's a brief list of folks scheduled to appear on the September 5th program....

Casey Affleck, Dana Delany, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Fran Drescher, Sally Field, Christina Ricci, Goran Visnjic, Christina Applegate, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Charles Gibson, Robin Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Lance Armstrong, Kirsten Dunst, Neil Patrick Harris, Homer Simpson, Brian Williams, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Edwards, Salma Hayek, Marge Simpson, David Cook, Elle Fanning, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, Jon Favreau, Masi Oka, Hilary Swank

Stand Up 2 Cancer Website (S↑2C)
Inside scoop on Charles Barkley (Philly.com)
Charles Barkley sure to be butt of many jokes (AZ Sports Hub)

I was looking for clips from this special that aired in 2003 over the weekend but couldn't find any on the tubes. Lucky for you and I, HBO is going to re-air the Emmy award winning special "Jim McKay: My World In My Words" this Thursday, June 12th at 7pm.

As I remember it was just McKay talking about his personal life and his experiences in and around Sports. The one thing that stuck out to me was his bout with anxiety and his recovery from it in the early 70s. It also highlights his name change (once Jim McManus), his wife's negotiations of his contracts and dealing with his son as his boss.

It's a great look into a great man written and directed by himself. Be sure to check it out if you've got an hour. It's also airing Sunday, June 15 at 11:30 a.m. (Father’s Day) on HBO; and Monday, June 16 at 11:55 p.m. on HBO2.

Well that was a letdown, but Kent Desormeuax did the right thing in slowing the horse down. Here it is in case you missed it....

Belmont is such a huge track and you have to wonder if that injury to his hoof just made it so he couldn't go the distance. Everything seems okay with Big Brown after the race, and now everyone can not pay attention to an amazing race from Da'Tara to win it.

Longtime broadcaster Jim McKay passed away today at the old age of 86, and while you never want to have to write posts like this the Broadcasting Hall of Famer did live a long and productive life. McKay spent most of his years as host of ABC's Wide World of Sports, but is mainly remembered for his gripping coverage of the kidnapping and deaths of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Games. The coverage of that event was exhaustive and if you've ever seen any of the documentaries his quote of, "They're all gone" probably still rings in your ears.

Not only did McKay do a lot of great things around the World covering the Olympics and various Sports for ABC, he also was a huge help to the State of Maryland. He helped the Horse Racing community of the State and because my dad worked at many of the courses I had the chance to meet Jim on a couple of different occasions. He was always pleasant and even though it's a sad day for everyone in Sports his quiet death at least came from natural causes and took place at his home in Monkton, MD.

Here are some quotes from people in the industry about the man and his life....

"He had a remarkable career and a remarkable life, hardly a day goes by when someone doesn't come up to me and say how much they admired my father."- Sean McManus, McKay's son and the president of CBS News and Sports.

"There are no superlatives that can adequately honor Jim McKay. He meant so much to so many people. He was a founding father of sports television, one of the most respected commentators in the history of broadcasting and journalism."- George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports.

"He was truly the most respected and admired sportscaster of his generation and defined how the stories of sports can and should be covered. While we all know what an absolute titan he was in his chosen field, I will always remember him as an extraordinary human being guided by a strong moral compass."- Dick Ebersol

"He brought a reporter's eye, a literate touch, and above all a personal humanity to every assignment. He had a combination of qualities seldom seen in the history of the medium, not just sports."- Bob Costas

"His enthusiasm permeated every event he covered and thus always made it far more interesting. I always thought of him as a favorite teacher."- Al Michaels

Here are a couple other well stated pieces....

Sports Broadcast Titan Jim McKay Passes (Sox and Dawgs)
Legendary Sportscaster Jim McKay Dies at 86 (Fanhouse)