I absolutely love when evening dramas decide to feature Sports stars for certain episodes. Announcers have appeared on various soap operas over the past few years, last year Jordan Farmar and Pau Gasol starred on NUMB3RS, and Gasol even got a non-Baskeball related role in CSI: Miami a few months back (he was in a car accident and died from head trauma....YEAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOW!).

Well the latest Sport (I'm skipping the CSI: NY episode about the Lingere Football League) to get the CSI treatment is Golf, as Rocco Mediate, Duffy Waldorf and Natalie Gulbis will all appear on the show tonight....

A "Body On The Back Nine"? A "Case That's Way Out Of Bounds"?!?!?! I'm sold. I mean Natalie Gulbis on the show alone had me sold, but murder mixed with Golf is an added bonus!

Pro Golfers Tee It Up in Vegas on CSI Tonight (The Sporting Blog)

This wasn't nearly as entertaining as his performance of "I'm So Lonely I Could Cry", but Terry Bradshaw decided to lead the troops in Afghanistan in a rousing rendition of "God Bless America". It looked like it was going to be a tad awkward, but it actually turned out rather well....

Well said by all of them.

During FOX's OT yesterday evening, Curt Menefee and the gang announced that they are talking the show on the road. Well overseas to be exact. FOX's NFL Sunday will be broadcasting a show for the troops in Afghanistan next weekend.

FOX Sports, in conjunction with Armed Forces Entertainment, proudly announced that it would broadcast an unprecedented two-hour special FOX NFL SUNDAY on November 8 (11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT) from an undisclosed military installation in Afghanistan.

The Emmy Award-winning team of Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson and Jay Glazer make this exciting trans-global journey just three days before Veteran’s Day as a tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of our country’s servicemen and women.

“Our men and women in the military put themselves in harm’s way to protect everything we hold dear, and none more so than those who are stationed in the Middle East,” said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. “It is our privilege and honor to take FOX NFL SUNDAY to them in November, right before Veteran’s Day. Amidst the fun and football, it’s our hope to showcase the dedication of these men and women who have to defend against a lot more than the Wild Cat.”

Well this should certainly be a blast. Veteran's Day occasionally becomes a forgotten holiday, and needs to be recognized especially during times when America is at war. Great idea by FOX if you ask me.

It's been since 2003 since the Yankees made an appearance in the World Series, so it comes as no surprise that they're breaking out all the stops for this year's Fall Classic. Before game one there will actually be a concert, and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are scheduled to appear. Via NY Daily News....

The Yankees will get Empire State-size support from two of the music world's biggest stars.

Hip-hop mogul and Bombers booster Jay-Z will perform his hit "Empire State of Mind" just before the Yanks take on the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.

The Brooklyn native will join fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys in singing the rap anthem blasted at Yankee Stadium during the Bombers' postseason run.

"Thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee," Jay-Z said Monday, invoking the famous quote by Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio.

I'm a bit sick of that song, but it's about NYC and has been Jeter's entrance theme for awhile now, so it makes sense. Maybe the Phillies can get Pearl Jam to walk over to Citizen's Bank before the start of game three.

Jay-Z, Alicia Keys to perform 'Empire State of Mind' before Game 1 of World Series (NY Daily News)

Martin Tyler has been a fixture in the booth for the World Cup since 1978, so it comes as no surprise that ESPN had been targeting for the 2010 Cup in South Africa. Via ESPN PR....

Martin Tyler, one of the most accomplished and respected television play-by-play commentators in the United Kingdom for over 35 years, will join ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa. Tyler, who has called matches in every FIFA World Cup since 1978, will be the lead play-by-play voice for ESPN’s exclusive English-language coverage in the United States, which will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN360.com and ABC. He will make his ESPN telecast debut Friday, June 11, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. ET, the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Voted the “FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade” in 2003 by fans and a panel of football experts, Tyler has been with the London-based Sky Sports network since its launch in 1991. His arrival at Sky Sports coincided with the formation of Premiership football and Sky’s acquisition of the league’s broadcast rights. Tyler has led Sky’s critically-acclaimed soccer commentary team, calling some of the Premier League’s best matches.

“Martin Tyler is one of the top English-language soccer commentators in the world; his experience, authentic style and in-depth knowledge of the game will help elevate ESPN’s presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, informing and entertaining our viewers in the United States,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, event production.

It's great that ESPN is finally understanding that they can't just throw their current announcers into something as big as overseas Soccer. Now with Tyler, American JP Dellacamera, Tommy Smyth and Andy Gray on board, ESPN has two great pairs they can put out for the World Cup. As long as they don't decided to bring the dreadful Dave O'Brien back. Here's a somewhat annoying remix of some famous Tyler calls, in case you want to get a taste of what he's like....



Martin Tyler to Call World Cup Games for ESPN! (SS Reporters)

Hilarious. SI has decided to put out an issue that is completely void of Brett Favre and they want you to know about it....


(HT: The Sports Hernia)

In a press conference today, NBC said that they will be sending Bob Costas to the game site each Sunday, and he will do the pregame show with Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels. Following the trio discussing the bigger stories of the day, along with Tiki Barber on the sidelines and locker rooms, they will then throw it to Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann (along with Dungy, Harrison and Peter King). Via NBC PR....

Costas, the most honored studio host of all time with 19 Emmy Awards, will host the show from a set at the "Sunday Night Football" game site. He will be joined by the new SNF broadcast team of Al Michaels, a six-time Emmy Award-winner whom the Associated Press has called "TV's best play-by-play announcer," and Cris Collinsworth, the most honored studio analyst in sports television history, winning the award in nine of the 12 years of its existence and winning two additional Emmys for game analyst. Collinsworth moves from the studio to the broadcast booth alongside Michaels to replace the recently-retired John Madden.

"At our best we aspire to give the viewer the best seat in the house -- not the hype around the event, but the story of the event itself," said Ebersol. "Bob has proven time and again that he is unmatched in his ability to appropriately set the scene and tell the story of an event. Having the two premier broadcasters of their generation in Bob and Al on site and appearing together alongside Cris, the best analyst in the business, adds an immediacy that makes 'Sunday Night Football' an even bigger event."

Costas said: "Hosting from the site of the game, being in the stadium surrounded by the fans and the energy and atmosphere of the event, creates an urgency and a sense of place that can't be duplicated in the studio. And of course, this allows me to keep working with Cris, while at the same time building on the special chemistry I developed with Al Michaels in BASEketball."

I've always been critical of NBC's decisions when it comes to "Football Night in America", but this year they seem to be close to getting it right. In fact, you could argue that they only really need Costas, Collinsworth and Michaels, manning the highlights.

(Also to note: As I mentioned before, Andrea Kremer is no longer on the sidelines)

While some teams like the Redskins and Dolphins have banned their players from using Twitter, teams like the Jets have embraced its networking potential. At the current time, New York currently has eleven players using Twitter, and has even hired someone to help the team's players with their posts and accounts. Via the Associated Press....

The Jets have even hired someone responsible for assisting players with social networking.

"We now have more than 80,000 people following our various players and our organization," Higgins [Executive VP of Business Operations] said. "That means that at any given moment, we can reach 80,000 fans directly, rather than having to get a newspaper story to get a message out. I just don't see how you don't embrace such a powerful tool."

Sanchez was leading the Jets with 40,244 followers, followed by Rhodes, center Nick Mangold (6,548), tight end Dustin Keller (5,292) and Feely (5,127).

"It's a good way of not being mean to a fan where you're not able to stop and give them an autograph," Rhodes said, "but you can go online and see what's going on."

Higgins said the timing simply worked out for the Jets, whose new coach, Rex Ryan, is all for his players speaking their minds.

"He's the type of guy who says, 'Say what you're feeling, but make sure you back it up on the field,'" Keller said. "That kind of goes hand-in-hand with the Twitter thing. You have to be smart and it gives us an even better opportunity to get closer to fans."

Obviously using Twitter needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but for teams to completely ban their players from using it, is a terrible idea. As Higgins illustrated above, the Jets alone have 80K followers, and fans appreciate the direct communication. The NFL has already gotten behind Twitter, but it'll be interesting to see the success and trust of the teams that embrace the phenomenon.

Tweet this: Jets encourage players to use Twitter (AP)

It was announced earlier in the summer that the Cincinnati Bengals would be the subject of this "Hard Knocks" on HBO, and the time for its debut is upon us. The series will kick of next Wednesday, August 12th at 10pm, and should provide for some interesting television. Via HBO PR....

HBO Sports, NFL Films and the Cincinnati Bengals team up for an all-access look at what it takes to make it in the National Football League when HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE CINCINNATI BENGALS debuts next month. The first sports-based reality series – and one of the fastest-turnaround reality series – kicks off its fifth season WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO and presented in HD. New hour-long episodes air subsequent Wednesdays at the same time, culminating in the Sept. 9 season finale, with regular encore plays on Thursdays.

“We are delighted that HARD KNOCKS will be returning this summer and placing the spotlight on head coach Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals,” says Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports. “There will be plenty on the line during training camp for veterans, free agents and rookies alike, and we are eager to chronicle all the passion, heartache and achievement.”

“This is a fascinating team,” says NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “They’ve got a lot to prove to themselves and to the fans. As Coach Lewis has said, ‘This is a team with a chip on their shoulder.’ Training camp is a laboratory of human emotions and the Bengals have a compelling mix of personalities that should make for
dramatic television.”

Well I should say so, Marvin. The fact that you should have been fired two years ago, half your team has been arrested AND you brought Chris Henry back for a seventh time, should make for "dramatic television". I can't wait!

I'm not saying that Bill Simmons didn't have a lot to do at the "Leader", but....well yeah....he didn't really have a lot to do. He was in charge of a column, and a weekly podcast, but never really had any other responsibilities besides that and a cameo or two on E:60. Well that's all changing as Simmons is now embarking on a producer role for ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series. Via The Hartford Courant....

"It really bothered me that HBO had cornered the sports documentary in the minds of the average sports fan," said Bill Simmons, ESPN's Page 2 columnist and executive producer for the "30 for 30" project.

"Why is it so special when HBO releases one, but yet we're putting out documentaries all the time? Some of them were really good, I thought, and they just kind of fell through the cracks and just didn't make sense to me," Simons said.

In "trying to come up with different ways that maybe we could beat the system" he concentrated on the title, "30 for 30."

"I knew we loved celebrating anniversaries, and I knew we had a lot of money," Simmons said. "And it's like, yeah, we could go get filmmakers."

And so they did, amassing a roster that includes Barbara Kopple, Barry Levinson, Morgan Freeman, Albet Maysles and John Singleton.

The 30 films won't be structured to represent each of the 30 years ESPN has been around, nor will it be all encompassing to cover every event.

"This is meant to be a filmmaker-driven series. It's meant to let creative people be really creative," said Connor Schell, executive producer of the event. "We've picked topics that will collectively create a mosaic of the period. So if you were to watch all 30, you'd get a really good variety of the different types of things that have happened over the last three decades in sports, but by no means is it a countdown."

Well that's certainly a good start to a very large undertaking. Having someone that's passionate in charge of the documentaries, is also a very good idea as well. I think Simmons knows what fans want, and you can expect for the majority of the docus to be very entertaining. Overtaking HBO will be hard, but not impossible.

Here are the dates where you can start checking out the first seven films, this Fall....

* Tuesday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m.
* Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8 p.m.
* Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 p.m.

Making ESPN a Documentary Force (Hartford Courant)

You knew it was just a matter of time, but starting next April, the NFL Draft will be moving to a three-day format. Both ESPN and the NFL-N will still be covering those days, but they now have an extra day to work with, and will also be given a Thursday primetime starting point. Via John Clayton at ESPN....

The audience for the NFL draft has been growing, and the league has responded by expanding the event from two to three days.

Commissioner Roger Goodell notified teams Thursday that the draft will be spread over three days in 2010, running Thursday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24.

In addition, the first round will start in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans," Goodell said in a statement. "Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television."

ESPN and the NFL Network will televise the entire show.

The second and third rounds will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on April 23.

Rounds 4 through 7 will be on April 24, starting at 10 a.m. ET.

So there you have it. Obviously it's the right decision on multiple fronts, with the two biggest being ad revenue and ratings. It's the right decision, and should cause more media outlets to cover it, with the start time being on a Thursday evening.

Draft to expand to three days (ESPN)

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)

Last year the NFL Network aired 53 preseason games throughout the Summer, but this year they're amping it up a bit. In fact, the league's channel will be airing every single game at some point during the month of August, and will include all 11 nationally televised games. Via NFL-N PR....

NFL Network is home to all the NFL preseason games for the first time with 65 games airing on the only network dedicated entirely to football. In addition for the first time, the entire NFL preseason schedule will be seen in high definition nationally including 12 live preseason games, the most in the network’s history.

Week 1 of the 2009 NFL preseason on NFL Network features five live games highlighted by the debuts of first-round quarterback draft picks MATTHEW STAFFORD and MARK SANCHEZ. The live coverage kicks off with a doubleheader on Friday, August 14 at 8:00 PM ET with the St. Louis Rams vs. New York Jets, followed by Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers. Saturday, August 15 features the first-ever live tripleheader with the Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions beginning at 4:00 PM ET, followed immediately by Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers.

There’s no better place for Fantasy Football fans to prepare their picks and depth charts for the 2009 regular season than with NFL Network and NFL.com’s all-encompassing coverage of the 2009 preseason. All 12 live preseason games will include halftime shows featuring NFL Network’s team of analysts from its Los Angeles studios and five-minute NFL Network Now updates between game broadcasts reporting the most up-to-date news and information. NFL Network’s schedule includes a total of 162 telecasts as it includes every game, live games and game replays of all the preseason action.

I'm so stoked that Comcast and the NFL Network worked out that deal to keep the channel on their programming. Get your calendars out folks, because here is the entire list of games, and times that they're being aired (*- indicated live telecast on NFL-N)! Many thanks to Ken at Fang's Bites for the release....

Monday, August 10

Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans (9am)

Thursday, August 13

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles (11pm)

Friday, August 14

Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders (2am)
Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens (3pm)
St. Louis Rams at New York Jets (7pm)*
Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers (10pm) *

Saturday, August 15

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts (1am)
Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints (7am)
Arizona Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers (1pm)
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions (4pm)*
Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills (7pm)*
Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers (10pm)*

Sunday, August 16

Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers (1am)
Houston Texans at Kansas City (10am)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans (1pm)

Monday, August 17

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins (11pm)

Wednesday, August 19

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (1pm)

Thursday, August 20

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots (11pm)

Friday, August 21

Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts (1pm)
Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings (1pm)

Saturday, August 22

Atlanta Falcons at St. Louis Rams (2am)
Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys (1pm)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins (7:30pm)*
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks (10:30pm)*

Sunday, August 23

San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals (1:30am)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars (7am)
Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns (10am)
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins (1pm)
Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers (4pm)
New York Giants at Chicago Bears (7pm)
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers (10pm)

Monday, August 24

New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans (1am)

Wednesday, August 26

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (1pm)

Thursday, August 27

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (11pm)

Friday, August 28

St. Louis Rams at Cincinnati Bengals (2am)
Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1pm)

Saturday, August 29

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (1am)
New England Patriots at Washington Redskins (7am)
Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions (1pm)*
New Orleans at Oakland Raiders (4pm)*
Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs (11pm)

Sunday, August 30

Baltimore Ravens at Carolina Panthers (7am)
New York Jets at New York Giants (10am)
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers (1pm)
San Francisco 49s at Dallas Cowboys (4pm)

Monday, August 31

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns (12am)
San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons (7am)
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos (4pm)

Tuesday, September 1

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans (10am)

Thursday, September 3

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets (7pm)*
Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks (10pm)*

Friday, September 4

Kansas City Chiefs at St. Louis Rams (7am)
Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons (10am)
Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints (1pm)
New York Giants at New England Patriots (4pm)
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (8pm)
Green Bay Packers at Tennessee Titans (11:30pm)

Saturday, September 5

Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos (1am)
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10am)
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears (4pm)
Washington Redskins at Jacksonville Jaguars (8:30pm)
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (11:30pm)

Sunday, September 6

Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills (7am)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers (4pm)
San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers (2:30am)

(*- Live NFL-N Telecasts)

There are very few annual events that approach the level of coolness that is the NHL's Winter Classic, and the NHL announced all the details of next year's matchup on New Year's Day. Everyone knew it would be at Fenway, and feature the Bruins and Flyers, but it became official today. Here's the release....

The National Hockey League's annual outdoor game will return on New Year’s Day with the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park -- home of the Boston Red Sox -- in the 2010 Bridgestone/NHL Winter ClassicTM. The Eastern Conference rivals will face-off at 1 p.m., ET in the classic, which received the SportsBusiness Journal “Sports Event of the Year” award for its inaugural edition in 2008.

“A unique event deserves a unique venue, and we are delighted the Bruins and Flyers will renew their rivalry with the ‘Green Monster’ providing the backdrop,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We welcome our fans, our teams, our sponsors and the great city of Boston to this annual celebration of our sport.”

Bridgestone brand will return as the title sponsor, showcasing its status as the Official Tire of the NHL® and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) to a broadening viewing audience. Last season’s 2009 Bridgestone/NHL Winter Classic attracted 5.6 million North American TV viewers and gathered more than 750,000 visitors on NHL.com. The 2009 event at Chicago’s Wrigley Field drew 41,818 to the historic ballpark, with demand for tickets exceeding 240,000.

The 2010 Bridgestone/NHL Winter Classic will be the third regular-season outdoor NHL game played in the United States (the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day 2008, and the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Day last season), and the fourth regular-season outdoor game in League history (the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003).

NBC will provide live broadcast coverage of the game in the U.S. In Canada, CBC and RDS will televise the event live. NHL Radio and SIRIUS XM Radio will provide radio coverage and NHL.com will provide extensive digital video coverage.

I can't reiterate this enough, but the Winter Classic is the perfect pregame to all of the New Year's Day College Football games later that afternoon. The fact that they made it two Eastern rivals, and put it at one of the most famous stadiums in America, is just icing (pun intended) on the cake. I'm still hoping for a Pens-Caps matchup on the National Mall in the future, but next year's contest should be just as fun.

It's amazing to me that this is the case, but for some reason none of the homerun distances in past HR Derbys were reported as they happened. There was always a delay, and the Bermans of the world were left trying to juggle the footage of various bombs. Well ESPN will be adding new technology this year that utilizes Doppler Radar, and will have the distance as the shots land in outfield stands at Busch Stadium. Via USA Today....

ESPN, which will formally introduce its Ball Track coverage Wednesday, will use Doppler radar that's been used to track missile systems. Now, it will allow for superimposed ESPN onscreen comet tails behind balls that will turn green to projects flying balls as homers. Anthony Bailey, ESPN vice president for emerging technology, says Ball Track will also show live a running total of how many feet the still-flying balls have traveled. While ESPN used to take a tedious 30 seconds to figure out final home-run distances, viewers now will get them instantly — and calculations of how far homers would have gone if not inconveniently impeded by a stadium.

Bailey says the radar isn't complicated — setting up the necessary box behind home plate at press-box level takes 10 minutes — and ESPN is looking at using it in games. Tracking base-runners wouldn't work — players don't run fast enough for radar.

Bailey says ESPN will open an "Innovation Lab" at Disney World in September partly to let parkgoers become "instant focus groups" for its experiments. One idea in the works, he says, is having live postgame interviews with players who appear virtually in studios so they'd have "more intimate conversations" with anchors.

I still can't believe that ESPN hasn't utilized this technology before, but I guess its better late than never. Hopefully the graphic won't be too over-bearing, and that it will help the announcers stay on track during the broadcast.


ESPN adds new graphics for Home Run Derby coverage (USA Today)

At the start of last year's NFL season, ESPN moved just about their entire operation to Green Bay for the first Monday nighter of the year. Well the "Leader" is planning to do the same thing for the World Cup next June, but with a small catch. It won't be one day....it will be for an entire month! Yes, all World Cup programming will be coming to you live from South Africa from June 11th to July 11th. Via ESPN PR....

ESPN will present all of its 2010 FIFA World Cup television studio programming from site in South Africa, offering U.S. sports fans the most comprehensive news and information coverage throughout the month-long soccer showcase (June 11 – July 11, 2010). Coverage of the quadrennial global event will include SportsCenter segments, nightly World Cup Live, and pre-, halftime and post-match shows, with additional studio programming and World Cup-branded segments, totaling more than 65 hours of coverage, originating from two sets in and around Johannesburg.

A trio of top-tier ESPN hosts, Chris Fowler (college football, Grand Slam tennis), Bob Ley (SportsCenter, Outside the Lines), and Mike Tirico (Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Final Four, major golf championships), will serve as on-site FIFA World Cup studio hosts. ESPN’s “game around the game” approach to South Africa 2010 will include live and taped segments that will air on ESPN International’s 13 localized versions of SportsCenter in eight different languages across the world.

South Africa 2010 will mark the first time in ESPN’s 30-year history that the entirety of its FIFA World Cup studio programming will originate on location from the site of the host country. Highlights of planned programs and 2010 FIFA World Cup-branded segments:

- SportsCenter at the FIFA World Cup;
- World Cup Live – the daily, 30-minute news, highlights and analysis program (30 episodes) aired each night of the tournament on ESPN or ESPN2;
- Live 30-minute pre-match, halftime (15 min.) and post-match shows on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2;
- World Cup segments on ESPNEWS, First Take on ESPN2, and Outside the Lines.

It's always a good idea to be live at the event you're covering, but that certainly can't be cheap, especially when you're traveling halfway around the World. Also, if you're looking for three hosts for the coverage, you can't ever go wrong with Fowler, Tirico and the great Bob Ley. Great move by ESPN, if you ask me.

Every year the NFL holds a training camp for players that want a crash course in broadcasting, and this year is no different. Names like Renaldo Wynn, Kyle Brady and JJ Stokes, are all going through the course, and the Washington Post got an unprecedented look inside the camp recently. Here is video of the players getting tips from the likes of Curt Menefee, Solomon Wilcots, Brian Baldinger and Ron Jaworski....

Great clip there. The biggest issue the attendees seem to have, is how they can bash former teammates and coaches, while still being able to be seen at future NFL functions. Obviously this is the most difficult part of the broadcasting game, but players just need to look at it the same way they look at trades, while still in the league. The quote, "it's just business," should be recited a hell of a lot more than it currently is.

Tackling TV After Football (Washington Post)

I always find the transition to broadcasting for ex-players and coaches to be a fascinating, yet usually a dreadful, endeavor. Most think they can step right in and contribute right away, but much like a rookie year in the league, they learn they are sadly mistaken. Those who can contribute right away, are the players that don't hold out and get to camp as soon as possible (see: Sanchez, Mark).

This seems to be the case for Jon Gruden, who is not only getting to know his boothmates already, but even got a crash course in production at the NBA Finals of all places. Via the Orlando Sentinel....

"We wanted him to see the nerve center and get a really good idea of how a producer and director and crew really work," ESPN Producer Jay Rothman said of Gruden, who will replace Tony Kornheiser in the MNF lineup. "Basketball, obviously, is a different animal because of the continuous action, but seeing the inner-workings of the production — with the communication back-and-forth between the truck — is part of the crash course we're trying to give him heading to the fall."

Tirico put it this way: "I can say, without equivocation, that Jon's approach to learning how we do things is the most intense I've ever seen from a newbie in broadcasting."

Rothman seconded that notion. In one of their initial meetings, Gruden pulled his producer aside.

"He told me, if he was going to do this, he wanted to be great and told me not to hesitate to hold back — 'Rip me to shreds,' he said — if I needed to," Rothman recalled. "Who wouldn't want to work with someone like that?"

Next week, "Jaws" will be in Tampa to hole up with Gruden at his St. Pete Times Forum office and watch tape — "Cut-Up Heaven" for both men, no doubt — in preparation for a series of mock broadcasts at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., in July.

Now that's what I'm talking about. Everyone is fully aware of Gruden's tendency to stay up all night as a Coach, and it's refreshing to see him taking the same approach to broadcasting. Maybe the guy won't just be hanging around for a year or two, after all.

Chucky training for new job (Orlando Sentinel)

"The Pen", a reality show which follows the goings on of the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen, is set to debut this Sunday on the MLB Network. The show gives unprecedented access to a Major League club, and will be narrated by none other than Mitch Williams....

The Pen takes a look at the players’ lives following the team’s 2008 World Series win and the pressures of keeping their roster spot for the 2009 team. The series features relief pitchers Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre, Clay Condrey, Chad Durbin, Gary Majewski, Jack Taschner, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer, and follows them to everything from fishing trips and youth baseball games to the White House for a post-World Series visit. The program also speaks with players following the sudden death of longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas on April 13.

“As a reality-based series The Pen is the ultimate look into the lives of these players, both on and off the field,” said Tony Petitti, President and CEO of MLB Network. “So much of what we know about relief pitchers is based on statistics and saves, and a series like The Pen gives a level of familiarity to each player.”

The program, a co-production between MLB Network and MLB Productions, marks the first program ever produced using a camera and microphones installed in a Major League bullpen to film in-game and practice footage. Two other cameras were installed in Citizens Bank Park - one behind home plate and one at low first base - and were controlled by MLB Network’s headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey. Producer Danny Field suited up as a catcher with a camera attached to his mask to capture footage during Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida.

The details of the press release alone should be enough to make you want to watch, but after watching the preview, I'm officially in. The schedule is below if you want to mark your calendars....

June 14th – 8:00 p.m. Debut, Episode One
June 21th – 9:00 p.m. Episode Two
June 28th – 8:30 p.m. Episode Three
July 12th – 8:30 p.m. Episode Four
July 19th – 8:30 p.m. Episode Five
July 26th – 8:30 p.m. Finale, Episode Six

Given that DWTS is an ABC show, and that EA is a huge draw in the 18-45 male demo, this actually seems like it could happen. Dan Steinberg interviewed her at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and this is what the sideline reporter had to say....

"I want to do it, because I think I'd be good at it," Andrews said yesterday, over a lunch of a hamburger and chicken noodle soup in downtown D.C. (I had iced tea. Too many freebie cookies from the Scripps National Spelling Bee.)

"I want to do it very badly," she continued. "That's the big push."

She joked with DWTS host Tom Bergeron about earning a spot last year during the Spelling Bee telecast, which Bergeron hosts. She said she would ask again this year; ABC is broadcasting the Bee finals tonight, with sideline reporting from Andrews.

"I love the show, and I've grown up around dancing," said Andrews, who, of course, was on the Dazzlers dance team when at Florida. "People say, 'Oh, you're a dancer, how could you do it?' But I've never taken ballroom, I've never partnered dance with anyone. I think I'd be in the top, unless I fall. I'm a big faller. If you fall, that's a hard fall, which I'm sure would make the Internet very happy."

Well then. I might not be speaking for everyone, but on the behalf of bloggers I say....pleeeeease make this happen ABC!

Erin Andrews Returns to Spelling Bee, Says She Wants to be on 'Dancing With the Stars' (The Sporting Blog)