You all know the "filler programming" I'm talking about. You know, the Mount Rushmores and Who's Now of summers past? Well this year's edition is pretty much along the same lines, but might actually have some promise. From June 20th to July 10th, Sports Center will be airing athlete vignettes about their favorite event to attend and/or play in, and are calling the extravaganza, "Fan Feast".

Kenny Mayne and Mike Greenberg will be your judges, and as far as athletes appearing, you'll have Kobe Bryant, Lisa Leslie and Jeff Gordon, to name a few. Here is the schedule....

Mon., June 29: Kobe Bryant – play cricket
Tue., June 30: Joe Mauer – be a quarterback at the Super Bowl
Wed., July 1: Candace Parker – attend the FIFA World Cup
Thur., July 2: Jeff Gordon – face Tony Hawk one-on-one in an X Games contest
Thur., July 2: Carl Crawford on 1:00 a.m. (10 p.m. PT) – to be a quarterback in the NFL
Fri., July 3: Blake Griffin – play football at the University of Oklahoma
Mon., July 6: Colt McCoy – attend the Masters
Tue., July 7: Trevor Hoffman – race in the Indy 500
Wed., July 8: Lisa Leslie – attend the US Open and watch a Williams sisters final
Thur., July 9: Dale Earnhardt Jr. – play in the NFL
Thur., July 9: Dick Vermeil – a front row seat at the Indy 500
Fri., July 10: Justin Morneau – play and win the Stanley Cup

Monday, July 13 – Friday, July 17

SportsCenter: Mike Greenberg’s essays on the top five to-do sports events (one each day) will be aired.

Monday, July 20 – Friday, July 24

SportsCenter: Kenny Mayne’s essays on the top five events sports fans "should see" will be aired.

I have to admit, that I got into Mayne Street a little too much last year, so hopefully this year I can curtail my addiction a bit. The second season launched this morning and in the first episode, Kenny tries to communicate only by "tweets". Look for cameos by Linda Cohn and THE Trey Wingo....

Pretty funny, but Linda....babe....that has to be the worst Pacino I've ever heard.

There's nothing more odd, and less funny, than a segment which features Kenny Mayne, Jerry Rice and Dancing With The Stars' judge Len Goodman. But when you add the fact that Rice is shirtless, well....

She's got the "gear in the rear"? I'm going to have to remember that one. Oh and let's save the talk about Jerry Rice's anatomy, especially when he's wearing a vest and no shirt. Thank goodness I don't watch that show on a regular basis.

I feel bad because the producers of the show were so cool with me, and as it turns out, the whole first episode was the preview clip I posted over a month ago. Which is why I'm going to give them a little extra press right now. The first episode aired this past Tuesday with a few extras, but was just hilarious as it was six weeks ago.

If you haven't seen it, it's new to you. If you have, then like corn....enjoy it a second time!

Bravo you webisoders! Good times and as a bonus, here's a look at Kenny interrupting Baseball Tonight that doesn't ruin a whole episode....Huzzah!



Your Exclusive First Look At ESPN's "Mayne Street" (Awful Announcing)

So ex-contestant, Kenny Mayne spent a good bit of time on Dancing With The Stars last night promoting his new show. While he has to be happy with the millions viewing that hear his plug, the segment was just about the oddest thing I've ever seen. Kenny, the evil British Judge and a drag queenish Jerry Rice, were in a segment called "Dance Center". Here it is if you missed it....

Seriously though....what the hell was Jerry Rice wearing? Not only did he have a fake afro on, but bedazzled eyelashes??? Okaaaay.

The producers of ESPN's "Mayne Street" were nice enough to send me another early look at the show. The ultimate theme of this promo vid is to introduce all of the characters, but they do so through some fake human resources interviews. Enjoy!

Good stuff and I'm pretty sure that I would pay upwards of $50 for that t-shirt that "Video Cowboy" was wearing. The show debuts online November 11th and you should definitely check it out.

Your Exclusive First Look At ESPN's "Mayne Street" (Awful Announcing)

When ESPN first released word that they were going to be using Kenny Mayne for an online sitcom, I scoffed at the idea. But after watching the clips that they released today, I think it actually might be worth a viewing. Here's a little background info from ESPN and I spliced together the first set of videos for you to take a gander at....

The ESPN veteran known for his dry wit and offbeat sensibilities, maneuvers through each of the 15 three- to five-minute webisodes in the kind of clever and entertaining style that has made him one of ESPN’s most popular personalities. Mayne’s re-occurring foils consist largely of his fictional production crew which includes his producer, Sarah (Alison Becker); cameraman, Video Cowboy (Jon Glaser) [Ed Note: Awesome writer for Wonder Showzen and Human Giant]; production assistant, Jordan (Jordan Carlos); network executive, Mintz (Ben Schwartz); Mintz’s right hand, Robin (Aubrey Plaza); as well as other ESPN personalities including Scott Van Pelt, Neil Everett and others.

"The ESPN Original Digital brand adds tent pole programming to ESPN.com's already incredible and award-winning lineup of high quality, episodic content," said Ron Wechsler, ESPN vice president, series content and development. "We can think of no better way to get into the scripted web serial space than with the unique and hilarious voice of Kenny Mayne."

As part of ESPN’s Original Digital initiative to create original programs exclusively for ESPN’s array of digital platforms, Mayne Street joins a growing lineup of originally produced studio and news programs including SportsCenter Right Now, Fantasy Focus, Daily Dime, Guerilla Cam, MMA Live, and ESPN.com’s live Sunday fantasy football show Fantasy Football Now.

Pretty darn funny if you ask me. It's almost like it's a parody of Sports Night, which was actually a parody of ESPN. How crazy is that? The first episode debuts online, November 11th and again....might actually be worth checking out.

Kenny Mayne To Appear In A Series Of Online Webisodes For ESPN (Awful Announcing)

I still haven't really delved into the whole webisode game, so this idea seems a bit hinky to me, but ESPN is coming out with a series of online videos featuring Kenny Mayne doing the goofy things that Kenny Mayne does. According to TV Week, Mayne will even be acting out more scenes with the likes of Soprano's stars Tony “Paulie Walnuts” Sirico, Steven “Bobby Bacala” Schirripa and Dominic “Junior Soprano”....

Fans of ESPN’s Kenny Mayne know he’s got a dry wit and a deadpan delivery that trusts them to get the joke, whether it’s on him, his confreres at the sports network or the audience.

He stoically exercises his familiar funny bone in “Mayne Street,” which is opening new online territory on Oct. 2 as ESPN.com’s first scripted series.

Mr. Mayne plays his lanky, laid-back, authority-baiting self in the 15-Webisode series—produced on a budget that might cover the average prime-time pilot at a broadcast network—that aspires to hit a comedy sweet (and sour) spot somewhere between “Arrested Development” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

In one installment, he’ll fail to get to Beijing to do an Olympics feature and try to fake his report in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Also in the cast: Alison Becker as the producer constantly trying to save Mr. Mayne from himself; Jordan Carlos as a young p.a.; Ben Schwartz as the wunderkind new executive nobody at ESPN would admit to recognizing; and Aubrey Plaza as the executive’s assistant. And carrying the flag for ESPN are personalities ranging from Scott Van Pelt to Neil Everett.

It's witty/snarky Kenny Mayne, acting as witty/snarky Kenny Mayne, but in longer versions of pieces which he's already done before! I don't even know what to say. The stories and videos he does for Sports Center are cute and occasionally funny, but to expand on those in this format has failure written all over it.

ESPN’s ‘Mayne’ Thing (TV Week)

I really have no idea why I watch the nonsense that is the Homerun Derby every single year, but it's almost become a rite of passage for me. Every year Chris Berman gets more and more ridiculous and the recent of Joe Morgan has made the broadcast borderline unbearable, but for some reason I watch every minute.

Well there's good news for those of you who like train wrecks! The duo of Berman and Morgan are back, but they've brought along a few friends. Everyone welcome to the broadcast, Steve Phillips and Rick Reilly!!!

Chris Berman will host the Derby (also available in high definition on ESPN HD), joined on the field by Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and analyst Steve Phillips. Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech will also provide commentary with analysts Peter Gammons and John Kruk and ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly. Erin Andrews will report and provide interviews on the field. ESPN will utilize 20 cameras to capture the excitement of the Derby, including the use of “Ultra Mo,” a replay device recapping action at 1,000 frames per second.

Hopefully they can keep the broadcast under 8 hours this year and just for the fun of it let's relive some of the Best of the 2007 Derby....
_______________________

“It could be a national “Holiday” by the time we’re done here”- Chris Berman on Matt Holliday

“I walked up to him in the batting cage today and I was speaking to most of the players and I said….Who is that?”- Joe Morgan on Alex Rios

“Albert Winnie the Pujols”- Chris Berman

“We have many dollars invested in this project….I just hope someone hits one over the wall”- Kenny Mayne on his kayak project (no balls were hit in the Cove)

“I think that one landed on Treasure Island”- Chris Berman

“I saw you jamming out there with the Crows”- Dusty Baker
“It was the Counting Crows!”- Chris Berman
“You were counting em’ too!”- Dusty Baker

“It’s off the platform in right centerfield….how interesting is that”- Chris Berman
“There’s a rainbow!”- Dusty Baker

Shaq always makes me laugh for some reason. The guy just doesn't care and his appearance on ESPN today at the Belmont Stakes was no different. I believe he was doing a promotion for vitamin water, but Shaq decided to give some of the jockeys some tips....

That Diplomatic Immunity line is too funny, and I also love how Hank Goldberg just doesn't care that Kenny Mayne is trying to get a joke in and steps all over him to get that coach question in. Good times.

ESPN's Kenny Mayne has a new book out with a very long title and he's going through all avenues to make sure you hear about it. The book is exactly what you think it would be. Kind of loopy, funny in parts, and whips through just about every single Sport you can think of (Wiffle Ball anyone?). And while I'd recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Mayne's work and the lighter side of Sports, I'd rather take a look at one key medium that Kenny and his publishers are targeting. Blogs.

Mayne has already had interviews posted on Deadspin, Fanhouse, and With Leather (who I'd link but the site is mysteriously down) and it wasn't that long ago that I got the following email via his publisher....

Dear Blogger Person:

I have written a book. It has a hard cover and can be used as a coaster.

It also has words and pictures and illustrations and everything you'd ever want in a book, including page numbers.

The title leads some to believe it is about sports but you're smarter than that. The key chapter is about how Starbucks keeps charging me too much for my Americanos.

Please read for yourself and blog and blog and blog some more.
If you’d like a free copy, just reply to this email with your mailing address.

Regards,

Kenny

Free stuff is definitely a perk of this "job", so I of course took him/them up on the offer. The book came a day later and even included a Kenny Mayne autographed Baseball Card!

The only reason I bring this up (it's not to review the book because the above sites did that better than I could), but to note how genius of an idea this was. Do you know how much free press he got from sending a free book to and interviewing with those sites above alone? Millions and millions of views. Here's the real point I'm trying to make. Blogs are so easy to impress these days that it's just stupid to try and fight them.

Take Rick Reilly and Mark Cuban. Reilly is preparing for TV work on ESPN and he's most certainly going to be hammered by this site and others as soon as he's on-air. Cuban lost a ton of respect with the younger generation for not understanding a growing medium in the Sports world. Both of those individuals and Kenny Mayne have shticks that they portray in public (hell everyone does), but only Mayne's is one that I can enjoy. Reilly and Cuban's acts just seem old at this point.

This might partly be because he sent me a free book, but it's more so because he doesn't take himself nearly as seriously as the other two. Hell even if I hated the book it's still free press.

An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport: . . . and Other Random Thoughts from Childhood to Fatherhood (Amazon.com)

Here's your look into what ESPN is putting on the Countdowns this Sunday and Monday. There's always a special segment or two.

Sunday NFL Countdown:

- Rachel Nichols reporting from London!
- How the Patriots Defense Has Linebackers over 30 years old!
- Soundtracks with Mike Tomlin!
- The Mayne Event is in London too!
- "Ten-year-old Jason Krause knows he has the perfect costume for Halloween, but who in the NFL is giving him “tricks” and who is giving him “treats?”" (Via ESPN PR)

Monday Night Countdown:

- Soundtracks with Brett Farve (who else?)
- A piece on Donald Driver done by Donald Driver
- Boiling Points with Parcells and Ditka
- Read and React with Parcells and Keyshawn

___________________________________________

Sounds fun right? I can't wait for Kenny Mayne in London! Did you know in London that Football is actually Futbol?!?!?! Crazy right?

It's called “An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport”, and is guaranteed by Kenny's YouTube account to be amazing!

Ha...the best part is the end when he tells his kids to "keep it down".

I mean seriously....a dog almost died last night. Do you want that on your shoulders FOX Baseball? A dead Bulldog??? I didn't think so.

But seriously, networks....less is always more. Forget the Who's Now type gimmicks for a moment (those actually might make some revenue), and let's talk about the Kayaks, The Camermen with ADD, and the Desperate Housewives' Stars in the booth.

When is enough, enough? Do you understand how much you are detracting from the game??? From USA Today....

“Why do directors cut away from stuff viewers want to see? Fox's quick trigger ruined an intriguing moment during the All-Star Game ceremony honoring Willie Mays. As the "Say Hey Kid" walked toward center field, viewers saw Barry Bonds reach from behind to hold his hand. Mays, 76, looked startled. What happened next? Who knows? Fox cut to a woman clapping in the upper deck. The camera returned a few seconds later. But the moment was gone, and the two weren't holding hands.”

Mike McCarthy is dead on with this assessment, and it happens all the time. The most recent trend is for cameramen to get a shot of the coaches shaking hands as a team wins a Championship.

I DON'T F'ING CARE ABOUT THE COACH!!!!!!!!! No one does. I want to see the players dogpiling and celebrating on the field. And without Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore ruinating it!

I understand that you have to do things for sponsors like the "Taco Bell Hit This Ball Off A Tee For A Homerun And Win A Million Dollars" thing. That's fine. But when you blur out your Homerun Derby contest for 10 seconds because someone holds up a sign that reads, "Joe Buck Sucks" (true story....reader RigginsO was watching the game on MLB.com at the time).....then I have a problem.

Just let what happens at the game and in the crowd speak for itself. I don't care about Kenny Mayne or Eric Byrnes in a kayak. I don't care about Erin Andrews sliding down Bernie's slide in Milwaukee (okay maybe a little bit). And I definitely don't care who the hell the producers and grips are when the National League is finally starting to make the game interesting!!!

What I do care about is the little girl picking her nose when going to commercial, the interview of Willie Mays by Jeter and Griffey, the Ichiro inside the park homer that you almost missed as Byrnes' dog swam to Alcatraz, and the Say Hey Kid moment in the outfield that you cut away from.

I think Sarah from Strike Zones and Endzones sums it up best.....

"I understand that there are a lot of sensitivities to this situation. I also know that networks have corporate suits and advertisers to answer to but it’s the media’s job to show real life reactions. It’s what makes live television so appealing. It’s also what makes media outside mainstream media (like blogs) so valuable and why there is a constant MSM/Blogger battle*. When you’re done watching what the MSM wants you to see, head to the internet to see what they wouldn’t show you."

Which is why I now bring you Eric Byrnes almost killing his dog in McCovey Cove while Ichiro makes history!!!!


What They Wouldn't Show You (Strikezones and Endzones)
TV REVIEW: Excitement of game overshadowed Fox's effort (SF Gate)
Networks take bold steps to offer all-access viewing (USA Today)

This has to be the dumbest idea for a show just about ever, but ABC has a new reality show (I can't remember if I mentioned this before, and I'm too lazy to check). 12 "Celebrities" will be competing in some kind of time trial....

The show will explore the interaction of top young stock car drivers with stars from the world of sports, music and entertainment, featuring drama and competition on and off the race track. In each episode, viewers will watch celebrities train with a Gillette Young Guns driver. The show will culminate in an exciting finale where the celebrities will be coached from the pits by their Gillette Young Guns instructors and compete against each other during a time-trial race.

So who are the celebrities you ask? (And I'm glad you did).....

Jewel
William Shatner
Tony Hawk
Krista Allen
Ty Murray (Rodeo dude)
John Salley
John Elway
John Cena
Serena Williams
Gabby Reece
Laird Hamilton
Bill Cowher

The six drivers that are helping the stars are: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray.

And the best part of the whooooooole thing....your announcers are.....

KENNY MAYNE AND BRAD DAUGHERTY!!!!!!!!!!

That right there is a recipe for success my friends.

Fast Cars & Superstars (ABC.com)

Found this tidbit over at SbB....

Apparently a columnist from the Morning Call (Pennsylvania) is upset with a recent comment Mayne made on SportsCenter Sunday night. Here's the quote....

"If Cletus, Jebadiah, Clanson [and] Susan -- NASCAR has gone mainstream, after all -- are not at work on Monday, here's why: the Nextel Cup race at Dover will be run Monday at high noon due to the heavy rains that came on the intended race day, Sunday."

This brings up and interesting debate that we've had before on the site. Is calling someone a redneck and offensive term? Here's Morning Call reporter Jay King's respones....

Media elites will undoubtedly find humor in what Mayne said, mostly because there's a double standard when it comes to NASCAR, where it's OK (and in Mayne's case, funny) to take potshots at this uneducated, backwoods, single-toothed culture because, well, it's true, isn't it? But what if Mayne had said, ''If your local gun shop is running low on bullets this weekend, here's why: the NBA All-Star game is in town,'' what would be the reaction?

It's a good point to bring up. I've said previously that Southerners and the like embrace the term "Redneck", but you could also argue that some African-Americans have embraced the "N-word". Is it okay for us to use that term....of course not. I don't really have a say either way, but if we're jumping all over the Billy Packers (F**) and Imuseseses of the world, it might be worth a discussion.

Apparently, race fans are fair game for parody (Morning Call)