TBS might have had one of the worst set of broadcasts a network has every had, and the fact that people were singing the praises of Buck and McCarver....speaks volumes. Following the Phillies' series clinching win on Wednesday night, TBS' Ernie Johnson made his way to the podium to present the team's brass with the trophy. Ernie, being the true professional that he is, decided to announce the pleasure it was for his network to call the NLCS. Bad idea....

I don't say this very often, actually ever, but THANK YOU PHILADELPHIA! There is no better way to voice your displeasure for a network than they way you just demonstrated. I commend you, and promise to never bring up you guys booing Santa Claus....EVER AGAIN!

(P.S.- Don't get me wrong about Ernie Johnson. The reaction by him is the reason why he's one of the best in the business.)

We all know that Charles Barkley is far from sane, and he even plays by a different set of rules, but this video might finally illustrate just how crazy he really is. After the Magic knocked out the Cavs on Saturday night, Charles not only called Kenny "numbnuts", but he called his producer a "pussy"....

The reaction from EJ is priceless, and I think Reggie asked the question we all want the answer to. Seriously, what is wrong with you Charles?

Charles Barley Let's Cat Get His Tongue (You Been Blinded)

Mike Polk is a bit of an Internet star, after creating a video he calls the "Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video", and TNT actually tabbed him to make one for the Inside the NBA crew. Here is just about the funniest thing you've seen in quite some time....

Now that is entertainment! I think he could have done better on Chuck, but the Kenny part and the "Closer" ending, were both hilarious. Good stuff, but TNT....was it really necessary to bleep out "douchebag"?

'Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism' Video Creator Takes a Moment to Burn TNT (The Sporting Blog)

Ernie Johnson is one of the nicest, most genuine people you will ever meet. Not only that, but he subscribes to the tenet that this site has survived on over the past three years. If you can't make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of?

Well, Ernie did just that when looking back at old footage of himself in a makeshift dunk contest, and a clothing company has even brought back his famous shirt from that night. Here's the background....

Great story, and the shirt you see above is not only available now, but a portion of proceeds even go to The Lymphoma Research Foundation (the disease EJ began battling in 2003).

Elevator Ernie (Homage Clothing)
Phenomenal Swag: 'Elevator' Ernie Johnson t-shirt (Ball Don't Lie)

Here we go again! Another gauntlet has been laid down involving Charles Barkley and a foot race, and this time it's from a colleague. New TBS Analyst, David Wells was working with Chip Caray and Ron Darling, when he decided to announce the challenge. The TNT crew talked about it last night after the Orlando-Boston game, and here is the video....

I dunno about that one, Chuck. You've been killing those Krispy Kremes as of late, and while Wells is certainly no Adonis, I think it might be a closer than you think. Plus it'd be on Wells turf, a Baseball diamond. Let's make it happen!

Saturday Night Live had their season finale last night, and mixed in among the Will Ferrell favorites was a hilarious sketch involving TNT Basketball. The sketch show mocked the advertisements on Inside The NBA for other TNT shows, with a show called "Mark", and here's the hilarious video....

I still think "40 Days in 40 Nights" is a huge undertaking, and one of the best produced Sports programs, but those ads do get pretty annoying. Very funny. Oh and Ferrell also did another Harry Caray impression on Weekend Update that you should check out, when they put it up on Hulu.

Charles Barkley has said a lot of controversial things in his days, but on Wednesday night the Chuckster went to far in the eyes of one lady. Chuck went so far as to say that the only thing woman could beat him at was cooking and cleaning, so a brave camerawoman challenged the analyst to a pushup contest. You can guess what happened....

Hahaha. Was that the worm he was doing there? Too funny. I also have no idea if that was George Clinton or not, but he's obviously a great trainer.

Video: Charles Barkley Loses to Woman in Push-up Contest (You Been Blinded)

I'm not sure if I'm breaking any news here, because last night's Playoff games were the first I've watched, but the Wolverine promo with Chuck and Kenny is hilarious. Check it out....

Too funny. The argument plays out like something you'd hear at Comic Con, and the claws at the end caught me completely off guard. If you're going to interrupt a game with a promo, this is the way to do it.

I still cannot get into, and/or figure out Twitter, but the NBA on TNT seems to have. According to a press release by the network today, all of their personalities will not only have Twitter pages, but they will also have accounts on Youtube and Facebook. Via TNT PR....

Turner Sports is unveiling a multiplatform marketing campaign that utilizes popular social media platforms YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to promote TNT’s ‘40 Games in 40 Nights’ coverage of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. TNT will have a significant presence on YouTube with a homepage takeover on Mon., April 20, featuring player-specific videos to promote the tune-in for the night’s match-ups as well as TNT messaged overlays on sports-related featured videos. Turner Sports will also feature a full court press on Facebook on Sun., April 19 with TNT NBA Playoffs messaging on sponsored ads, along with prominently placed topical promotional spots and a special promotion prompting Facebook users to ‘Become a Fan’ of the NBA on TNT Facebook page. Turner Sports will take over Yahoo! Sports’ main page on Sun., April 19, with all ads featuring TNT NBA Playoffs creative to drive fans to the network’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs.

Turner Sports will complement its robust social media marketing plan with a strong Twitter presence, featuring updates from popular announcers including TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager and NBA TV’s Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Steve Smith, Eric Snow and Rick Kamla. The hosts and analysts will ‘tweet’ on their individual pages beginning Tues., April 14 with regular updates, comments, thoughts and analysis that will feed to a main NBA TV Twitter profile and link to the National Basketball Association’s Twitter page. The ‘tweets’ will also feed into the NBA on TNT Facebook page. The Facebook and Twitter sites will be prominently featured on NBA.com and will receive on-air promotion on TNT and NBA TV.

One of the more impressive things that TNT puts on each season is their "40 Games In 40 Nights" work, starting during the first round of the NBA Playoffs. It's an extremely immense undertaking, but each year they seem to pull it off without that many hiccups. Obviously this is a ton of more work for each personality, but more access is always a good thing. I'll be checking out the pages as we go along in the postseason, and so should you.

In case you missed it, here is the full apology on Inside the NBA last night. It went as expected, and hopefully Chuck and TNT can move forward....

I completely missed this during NBA All-Star Weekend, and many thanks for NESW for finding the club, but the rumored dance-off between the Glove and the Jet actually went down late Sunday night. Not only that, but the crew even decided to beatbox for Ernie following Kenny Smith's win. Enjoy!

Pretty impressive if you ask me, and going back to the break dance routine, nets you a win every time. Remember that for the next wedding you go to.

A week ago, I passed along the info that TNT was bringing back Barkley, following his leave of absence, after the All-Star break. Well we have an official date now, and that will be this Thursday. Barkley will be back in studio with Ernie and Kenny, before the network airs their usual pair of games that night. Via TNT....

The TNT lineup includes the Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai. Inside the NBA will feature Ernie Johnson (host), Kenny Smith (analyst) and the return of Hall of Famer Charles Barkley (analyst). Barkley has been on a leave of absence from the show to deal with legal and personal issues following an incident on Dec. 31 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“From the beginning, Charles recognized that he used poor judgment. He took full responsibility and apologized for his actions,” said David Levy, President of Turner Sports. “We look forward to having him back in the studio, where Charles will once again share his opinions, insights and humor with colleagues Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. Collectively, they entertain a huge group of loyal fans that tunes into the NBA on TNT each week.”

While there's no word on if he'll do another sitdown with Ernie Johnson like the one following his gambling issue, it's good to hear that Chuck will be heading back to work. TNT showed how great of an organization they are, in the way they handled this, and hopefully it will be the last time Barkley has to take a leave of absence.

(HT: First Cuts)

Tried to pull the video of this, but for some reason technology failed me this morning. Anywho, Ernie and Kenny discussed Charles' current events at the beginning of the first day back for Inside the NBA since Christmas. A lot of what was said was some of the same old Charles talk, but it still needed to be said.

"You all heard what went on, and Charles has got some personal issues and legal issues that he gotta take care of. He's on a leave of absence from TNT at this time, and I mean, we love Charles. He's our buddy, everybody in this crew does and there are times that you'd like to reer back and give him a kick in the butt. Which is one of those times right now, but we also support him every step of the way."- Ernie Johnson

“I don’t know if the biblical term is correct but there’s a chaotic moment, or a chaos moment, when either you believe or you don’t believe because something happened in your life. I think Charles is at one of those moments where how is he going to be remembered.....

....He's bigger than that, he's bigger than this, and it's a time to get to that moment and grow. And move on and be something better. And we look forward to seeing that.”- Kenny Smith

“At some point we will have Charles back here. Until that, we just wish him the best.”- Ernie Johnson

Obviously well said by both of Charles' friends, but unfortunately they've each said that same piece multiple times, that it's starting to become automatic for them at this point. I think the majority of people want to see Barkley do well, much like Stern fans want Artie Lange to succeed. The problem is that some people are just headed for destruction, and there isn't anything you can do about it.

Tip Off Show (NBA)

I'm not sure why TNT always has to have four bodies on their pregame show, but they've decided to fill Barkley's place for at least tomorrow's show with Mike Fratello. The Czar will join Ernie, Kenny and Chris Webber before the network's pair of games tomorrow night.

TNT NBA Thursday returns on Thurs., January 15 with an action-packed doubleheader. Tipping off the night’s action will be LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Windy City to battle Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET. Marv Albert will call the action alongside Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter). The second game of the doubleheader features Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns taking on Chauncey Billups and the Denver Nuggets. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Doug Collins (analyst) will be courtside with Cheryl Miller reporting. The night will conclude with the Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai with Ernie Johnson (host), Kenny Smith (analyst), Chris Webber (analyst) and Mike Fratello (analyst).

Fratello is probably as good a candidate as anyone, but I still don't see why there's the need to go with four. Webber is good enough, and experienced enough, to carry the load for the next few Thursdays. Or for however long Barkley will be on leave.

(Via TNT PR)

Inside the NBA has always been extremely random, but this move by C-Webb last night, might just be the most random. Webber decided to give Charles Barkley the Bush "Shoe Treatment" while yelling, "This is for Gene Chizik!".

Hilarious. That look on Barkley's face right before the first shoe is thrown, is priceless. Good times.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy the "Gone Fishin'"-like segments that TNT's graphics department puts together after every doubleheader. Sure their photoshops and videos are a bit cheesy, but that's what makes them so funny. Well they've obviously been thinking about what to do for the ALCS, and they finally came up with a great idea. To involve Charles and Kenny in the postgame by putting them randomly in the crowd.

Here is Charles as an overweight, dancing white man and Kenny looking on from his seat....

Hilarious. I think people who can photoshop and edit video like that are awesome, and should be praised as such! I also request that Charles and Kenny either swimming in, or putting their hands in, the Rays tank in centerfield for Game Six.

(Also seen at Sox and Dawgs)

There's throwing people under the bus, and then there's this. Following last night's Rays win, Ernie Johnson decided to pose a question to the rest of the crew about where Fenway got it's name. He of course went to the only former Red Sock on the set, Dennis Eckersley, and just watch the look on his face. Via Sox & Dawgs....

Now that is funny. EJ's Neato Stat of the Night also brought us the Kenny Smith car jumping moment, so it's pretty much a must watch at this point.

Ernie Johnson Throws Eck Under The Bus (Sox & Dawgs)

Thanks to Ian from Sox and Dawgs for sending these videos along, as they show the hard-hitting work that TBS is doing with the ALCS. First, a Craig Sager sideline report on what really matters in the game: how much gum Terry Francona chews.

There may actually be a reason he goes through that much, but it requires a bit more inquiry: did Tito chew tobacco back in the day?

And second, this Bon Jovi theme they're using has gone way too far now.



The Be Flats, everybody!

I don't know what it is, but I'm kind of anti website interviews. Don't get me wrong, I think other sites do it well, but there just aren't enough people that I like to do them on a regular basis. I've of course interviewed Gus Johnson, and one Shred Nugent, so I usually save questions for people I find intriguing. One of those people is Detroit Tiger, and now TBS Postseason Analyst, Curtis Granderson. With more and more athletes attempting to blog, it takes someone extra special to catch my attention on these tubes. Athlete blogs have become a bit cliche and watered down, but Curtis' site on ESPN is a must read along with Donovan McNabb's blog on Yardbarker and Chris Cooley's website.

He not only gets things outside of Baseball, but the guy is just fun to watch both on and off the field. Fanhouse has been posting interviews with the entire cast of Inside MLB on TBS, but I wanted to save a spot for the real star of the show. Here are the highlights from a brief chat with MLB's newest member of the media, Curtis Granderson....
__________________________

Awful Announcing: Before we get into the tough broadcasting questions (kidding), how did the offer from TBS actually come about?
Curtis Granderson: I'm not sure where the option came from. I was asked last year if I would want to give it a try and it was only a two-day gig, so I figured why not? After that, an offer came in from ESPN for four days, and then again the Division Series round was offered this year. So considering that it wasn't for the entire playoffs, I gave it another shot this year. I play in a long season, so it's nice to get a break. Broadcasting for an entire month still I think may be tough for me.

AA: In all honesty, I've been extremely impressed with your transition to the media side of things. How much practice did you get beforehand? Did you get to sit down with the rest of the guys, or were you just talking to yourself in front of a mirror?
CG: There really isn't much practice that goes into it before a show. It's more research. There are topics put out there and then the games themselves. The highlights speak for themselves, and then the other stuff we slightly go over before we actually see it live. So when a topic about hitting comes up, I was expecting it, and I relate it to the highlight we just saw and my previous experience in the same situation.

AA: It's extremely tough to put together a studio show, it took Inside the NBA years to get it right, what do you think Inside MLB's high points are, and what do you think the team needs to work on?
CG: I think the high points are the Hall-of-Fame cast they put out there. That experience you just can't match. The best thing for the show is time. As they get to the five-year mark of doing it, and testing what works and doesn't, it could become an even better show.

AA: I think one of the toughest things for ex and current players or coaches, when they try to work on the Sports Media side of things, is that they're too vanilla. Almost like they're holding punches back and they are rarely critical of coaches, other players, or even friends. Have you noticed yourself holding anything back, or is Ernie Johnson just asking you the right questions?
CG: I have to remember that I'm still currently playing the game, and I'm not a seasoned vet like some other guys in the game, so I have to be careful with what I say, because I have to play against these guys the next season. I am also our team's player rep and talk to a lot of other players around the league about numerous issues that aren't reported about, so I need to keep that trust with them as well.

AA: The base stealing segement last week was extremely interesting and was expressed in a way that I hadn't heard before. Did you come up with the plan, and if so, how easy/hard was it for you to get your mindset across?
CG:All the different segments actually come from the TBS production staff. Their minds are always working from a fan standpoint of trying to figure what the fan wants to see and learn about the game of baseball. They come to us with the idea and we give the baseball knowledge of it and then we put it on camera. I like that stuff because it teaches the fans a little more about the game. For example, why a base stealer may not try to steal a base.

AA: We've noticed more and more athletes putting themselves out there on the internet as of late. Is this a noticeable trend in the league and do you chat with other athletes about their ideas or plans?
CG: I think it is just what has happened over time. Everything can be found on the internet, so players feel that we can put ourselves out there too. I have talked to Nate Robertson and Todd Jones about their blogs, and other guys about how they either love or hate things like MySpace or Facebook, because of all the fake pages people make about us. Other than that, there really isn't much discussed about it.

AA: Speaking of the internet, How's the ESPN blog?
CG:The blog was fun again this season. I start to run out of ideas, so I give all a lot of credit to all those bloggers that can come up with different ideas and keep it fresh all year.

AA: Anything else exciting we can look forward to from Curtis himself? Is broadcasting something you think you could continue? Following a long career (and multiple 30-30 season) of course.
CG: I'm not sure about the broadcasting thing. I have enjoyed it but never really planned on doing it as a career. Once my baseball career ends, we'll see where everything is and it could be a possibilty. Otherwise, I am starting to plan my celebrity hoops game and charity weekend for next year. It will take place Jan. 16-17 in the Detroit area, and you can look for announcements to come soon at www.grandkidsfoundation.org.

AA: Last question.....What are your thoughts on the ALCS (airing on TBS) and NLCS, and who's your pick to win it all?
CG: The two teams I picked from the beginning are out (Cubs and Angels), so I'm not sure if people want me picking their teams now. After watching the first rounds, I want to give the edge to the Dodgers and Rays, but I think it would be very exciting to see the Dodgers and Red Sox with all the stuff surrounding Manny.
__________________

Many thanks to Curtis' management for helping get this together, and I certainly meant what I said above. The guy just gets it, and for a current player to step in with the likes of EJ, Cal and Eck....and actually outshine all of them....is very impressive.

(P.S.- I've been debating an interview segment on AA, but I really don't want to waste your time. Offers are out there, so let me know in the comments or by email if you'd like to see more of these in the future.)

The Red Sox know how to win in the clutch, but I personally think they're better at celebrating. Johnathan Papelbon is a bit of a nutcase, but I think I speak for TV viewers everywhere for destroying that orange monstrosity that Craig Sager was wearing last night....

That was a heck of a spray right there (that's what she said!), and you could tell he was waiting that whole interview to get the sideline reporter. Bravo Papelbon....for one day (and one day only), I salute you.

Jonathan Papelbon turns Craig Sager's pumpkin suit into fizzy goodness (Red Sox Monster)
Red Sox win, Sager's jacket will never be the same (Small White Ball)