How's this for random? Mike Golic is off this Friday so Greenberg has decided to fill his very large shoes with the NBA Finals MVP. Paul Pierce will be the in-studio fill in for the big guy and he'll be bringing along some special call-in guests....

Paul Pierce of the World Champion Boston Celtics will be a guest host on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning (6-10 a.m. ET M-F) on Friday, Aug. 15. Pierce will fill in for Mike Golic, joining regular co-host Mike Greenberg, in ESPN Radio’s Bristol, Conn. studios. While all sports topics will be covered, special call-in guests will include Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck (7:40 a.m.), head coach Doc Rivers (8:10 a.m.), and GM Danny Ainge (9:40 a.m.).

There are various co-hosts on the show all the time, but usually they're from the Radio World. It'll be refreshing to see/hear an athlete on the show that isn't trying to hock a product or some cheesy event (*ahem*DeionSanders*ahem*). I'm honestly surprised they haven't tried this more often, and if it goes well look for it more in the coming months. Presumably with members of ESPN's favorite teams the Yankees, Red Sox and Patriots, but more none-the-less.

(Via ESPN)

Another weekend with not a whole lot of variation. At least we get the Angels though, who we haven't seen much this year, and not the Red Sox. On a side note, I have yet to see a Leo Mazzone game this year. Anyone have any thoughts on him as an analyst they'd like to share?

Here's the schedule....

Saturday:

LA Angels at New York Yankees- Joe Buck, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal (Fox, 3:55pm, 73%)

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Hartford, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves- Thom Brennaman & Eric Karros (FOX, 3:55pm, 15%)

MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Greenville, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, St. Louis

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals- Kenny Albert & Leo Mazzone (FOX, 3:55pm, 11%)

MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis

Sunday:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at New York Yankees- Chip Caray & Ron Darling (TBS, 1pm)
Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals- Jon Miller and Joe Morgan (ESPN, 8pm)

Hilarious find by Sports Crack today. Jason Giambi was batting in the bottom of the sixth inning against the O's last night when Brian Roberts decided to change up the standard shift on the lefty. Instead of standing in the deep infield and moving toward first, B-Rob decided to play almost all the way in the outfield (ala a short fielder in Softball). It almost worked too, but the first baseman's shot made it just past him.

The best part though by far was Giambi's reaction after the fact. He seemed none too pleased with the inventive Roberts. Watch as he rounds the base....

Sorry for the quality there, but it was the best I could get. The photo below via SC might give you a better look....


Apparently it was all in fun, but Giambi definitely looks a bit pissed off there for a moment. You know what it is? It's the 'stache. You can never tell if someone with one is smiling or not. Either way though....hilarious.

Jason Giambi Says F U To Brian Roberts (Sports Crack)

This was just about the only exciting moment from last night's All Star Game. Yogi Berra was a guest in the booth in the 3rd inning and Joe Buck decided to chat him up about Sex and The City's Carrie for some reason....

Too funny. Enh....she ain't bad. On another note, good lord that game was long wasn't it? It was borderline torture and for once it wasn't because of the announcers. While they had a few hiccups here and there, and seemed ready to fall asleep at any moment, they weren't all that bad. Fifteen innings is enough to make anyone go insane and they should be happy they just made it through.

The two ESPN Radio personalities are in the midst of some Pentathalon thing where they are trying to find out who is the most athletic or something. After this clip it's apparently neither of them...

I've never seen two guys trying so hard to sprint but not really going anywhere. Greenie's arms make it look like he's flying, but he's really going nowhere. In the end though the times aren't all that bad and for Golic to almost beat the about 200 less pound Greenberg is rather impressive.

It was just last May when I was requesting a slow clap for Bobby Murcer's return to the Yankees booth. Unfortunately today Murcer has passed away at the age of 62 after his Cancer went back into remission at the end of June....

NEW YORK (AP) — Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Murcer died Saturday due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said. "I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

All in all, Bobby beat the odds to survive surgery and recovery after a malignant tumor was found in his brain back in 2006. It's always tough to lose anyone and even though Murcer's life wasn't as long as others, he lived a good one.

Former Yanks great Murcer dies at 62 (MLB)

If you ask any Baseball fan how many times the Red Sox or Yankees games they have seen on weekends during this season on various networks, I guarantee that number is at least in double digits. Well according to FOX and Sports Business Journal that number isn't enough as ratings are down on every channel, especially TBS. Via Biz of Baseball....

So far this season, Fox’s ratings are down 16 percent, from a 2.5 to a 2.1, and ESPN’s ratings are down 13 percent, from a coverage area rating of 1.6 to a 1.4. And Turner, which is in the first year of its national Sunday afternoon package, has seen anemic numbers, with a coverage area rating of 0.5 that’s 30 percent off of last year’s slate of Braves games, which posted a 0.7 year to date.

Network executives say the lack of Yankees-Red Sox games so far this year have depressed the numbers.

“It comes down to scheduling quirks,” said Bill Wanger, Fox Sports’ senior vice president of research and programming.

That's actually pretty depressing to read only because it will mean more Yanks and Sawx games next year. You can't argue with ratings though and if people aren't watching then there's obviously not much a network can do. Also, TBS' numbers have to be extremely disappointing to a network who's worked pretty hard to get the word out about Baseball coverage. Hopefully they turn it around in time for the Playoffs.

MLB TV Ratings Down. Networks Look Past All-Star Game

I don't know how hygiene issues affect the lot of you here, so hopefully this one isn't too gross for the morning. I did put up a broken testicle last week though, so this shouldn't be nearly as bad. Apparently Yanks Broadcaster John Sterling was spotted in press dining room at Yankee Stadium doing a little taste testing....

YANKEES radio announcer John Sterling is being called out for foul behavior in the stadium's press dining room. "Sterling has made a habit of walking over to the dessert table and dipping his finger into the ice cream barrel," one stadium worker told us, adding that the play-by-play vet has also used the same tablespoon to repeatedly take samples. During the Boston series, "He wandered over to the cake and pie section, broke off a piece of a cake slice, ate it and wiped his grimy hands on the linen tablecloth, leaving the remainder of the slice for someone else to eat - which indeed happened," our spy continued. A rep for WCBS Radio declined to comment, and a team spokesman said the Yankees "know nothing about it."

I can't imagine what the CBS Rep thought when he got that call (if he actually did). He probably thought it was just a prank call and moved on. Anyway, that's downright nasty if true and having visited a few press boxes in my day...not all that surprising.

Finger Dipping Play By Play (Page Six)

With all of the cameras and different angles that TV provide you during a game these days you usually only take notice of a channel not giving you a replay rather than when they actually do give you a good view of a play. Well this past Friday's shot of Kevin Youklis' ball spinning on top of the fence after Johnny Damon crashed into the wall was one of those rare occasions where you marvel at outstanding replay work. Here is the play and an interview with the producer in the NY Post....

"Frank Lombardo, left field camera; the ball was hit right at him. He was upset because he thought he lost the ball on us. But we had it. There it was, just sitting on top of the fence.

"Keith Desantis gave us that super slo-mo of it. He shoots up the third base line from behind home plate. Vinnie Scaffidi on the high, first base camera; he had Damon and the ball in the shot the whole time, and then he had that fan pointing to it as it fell off the wall."

And with all that, YES was able to show that Damon was hurt and then provide a close-up of Youkilis standing on third, looking out toward left, appearing mystified as to what had just gone on out there.

From YES's booth, Al Leiter, as he watched what Moore's guys had captured, simply said, "Never seen anything like that." Michael Kay added all that was left to say: "That's unbelievable." Both spoke softly, as if they were still more amazed than excited.

It's become so commonplace for a great replay that sometime we take cameramen's hard work for granted. It was awesome to see something like which had never been seen last Friday, but even more awesome that same play from so many different angles. Great job YES.

Out Of Left Field (NY Post)

With the frequency these have been happening lately I was going to pass on this video, but you emailed and emailed. And what baby wants....baby gets. Here's Jose Molina stopping a fastball with his...um, junk....

That's just not even right. Cup or not that's going to hurt like hell. Actually I take that back....without a cup he might have died. And getting up to retrieve the ball? Insane.

Everyone knows about my love for WCBS Announcers John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Well John Sterling is at it again my friends and this one will crack you up. Via the XMFan.com forum....

Can you tell Robinson Cano and Jose Molina apart? Apparently John "I Am Legend" Sterling cannot. In the midst of the eighth inning rally today, he started with his "Robbie Cano, don't you know" and "a ribbie from Robbie" bullshit when the Yanks scored the go ahead run. The only trouble was that Jose Molina was the hero with his two out double.

Too bad we have an announcer more concerned with his self-made legacy than with calling a good game. What a dick.

Oh you don't believe the submitter? How about some audio and video???

The best part of the whole thing is not only that he mentioned Molina two seconds before the pitch, but that he freaked out the at-bat before when Cano hit the sacrifice fly to tie the game. I can understand getting lost during a game but to add a homertastic freak out on top of it is just unbelievable. Too funny.

(Many thanks to J from Vegas Watch for the tip.)

When I went to the mailbox today I certainly wasn't expecting to find this....


Not only is it a cartoon, but it's of the Tampa Bay Rays. SI just blew my mind. I also think Carl Crawford is punching through Derek Jeter. It's not everday that you see America's most popular and most respected Sports Magazine in comic book form.

Okay so we've finally got some clarification on the whole Terry Crowley thing from last night. Via Watchdog comes YES' apology...

Spokesman Eric Handler said an audio guy in the production truck pulled up a file on Staten Island's own Terry Crowley, whom the analysts had been discussing on the air, to play it for his producer to see whether it might be relevant, having no idea what was on it.

Two problems:

1. It was Earl Weaver talking about Crowley during a profane diatribe taped in the 1970s and originally meant as an internal joke not intended for wide distribution.

2. The tape of Weaver was heard not only by the producer, but by everyone viewing the game.

"Obviously, we apologize," said Handler, who added the matter would be addressed internally to avoid future incidents. "As soon as the offensive language was revealed, we cut it off . . . It was an honest mistake, and we apologize."

That makes sense, but I'm still curious as to why you'd have a clip like that in a file to ever play. Oh well, fun times and more networks should drop in Earl Weaver clips from time to time. The guy was awesome.



Willie apologizes Wednesday, YES does so Thursday (Watchdog)
Someone At The YES Network Has A Lot Of Explaining To Do (Awful Announcing)

About 20 different people emailed me during the third inning of the Yankees-O's game and told me that I had to get video or audio from the YES feed during an Adam Jones at-bat. Well I've found the video and it's safe to say that someone that works for YES doesn't like O's Batting Coach Terry Crowley (to say the least).

The broadcast is going along swimmingly and the announcers were talking about Crowley and his success with the O's hitters early this season when it happens. Listen very closely at the :18 mark as someone hops on the feed and just lays into him out of nowhere (NSFW words are dropped as well)....

"Terry Crowley is lucky he's in fucking Baseball for christsakes. He was released by the Cincinnati Reds, he was release by the fucking.....(voice fades out)"

Are you kidding me?! I know all sorts of crazy stuff happens in the truck, but good lord. That guy DOES NOT like Crowley at all for some reason. If anyone has more information please email me and let me know who or what that was.

I'm thinking someone might not be asking to game three of the series.

Update: So apparently that voice you hear is of Earl Weaver from an old Manager's Corner. That explains the who, but I'd love to hear why it was played on-air.

(Thanks to everyone who wrote in regarding this, especially Lozo)

One of the biggest traffic days AA has ever had was the day I posted the audio of Suzyn Waldman crying on-air after the Yankees lost in the Playoffs last year (the audio is still there if you missed it). Well Waldman you may remember was the same person who went all JR on us with a WWE style announcement that Roger Clemens was coming back to the Yankees last year, and today she's still singing his praises after all that's happened.....

Twelve months later, is Waldman shocked by what has unfolded in the life of Roger Clemens?

"Nothing shocks me anymore," she said on a rare day off yesterday. "The only thing that has surprised me and disappointed me is the glee with which people are going after Roger.

"I think the more people accomplish, the bigger people are, the more excited people are to bring them down, and there's a real feeding frenzy on this man."

Waldman said she does not know whether Clemens took steroids or committed the personal indiscretions of which he has been accused.

"I can only judge people on what I observe and how they treat me," she said, "and since the mid-'80s, I've known him and all of his family and watched the kids being born and knew his mother and know his sisters ... I never saw this stuff. I don't know if it's true. Does it change what I think of Roger Clemens? I don't think so."

By all accounts Roger Clemens is a completely awful human being, but I can understand Suzyn's devotion to someone who's been in her life for 20 years. Even with evidence stacked up (most of Roger's is circumstantial) some people will just never turn on someone in their lives and you can't really blame them. Ms. Waldman even decided to compare Roger's situation to her own....

"The only thing that surprises me about anything that happens is the glee with which people are dealing with this venom," she said. "It surprised me last year when it happened to me."

Riiiiiight crying on-air is exactly the same as cheating on your wife and cheating the Sport of Baseball. She almost had me there, but I knew something asinine was coming. Good try Suzyn.

Waldman: Nothing shocks me anymore (Newsday)

I can barely function when I'm hungover lord knows how I'd be if I ever went through a brain biopsy like Bobby Murcer did last September. Well the longtime YES announcer will back in the booth tonight since undergoing the procedure and while there's a little weakness in the announcer he's raring to go.....

"Any time I can walk these halls and be in this place here and talk about baseball, it's right up my alley," Murcer said outside of the Yankees' clubhouse.

The popular former Yankees outfielder, who will turn 62 on May 20, underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in December 2006. There was a concern that he had a recurrence of the cancer. But the latest biopsy came back cancer free. It showed necrosis - dead tissue. Still, these haven't been an easy few months for him.

"This year has been a little different year," Murcer said. "I haven't been as strong this year. That's why I didn't make it to Opening Day. I had a biopsy about a month before that. It took me a lot longer to recover from that. But there's still no cancer.

Well thank god for that, and hopefully getting back into the booth well help him heal that much faster. Glad to have you back Bobby.

Murcer going back in booth (LoHud)

He's a very athletic individual, and judging how he swung the badminton racket in that Vitamin Water commercial he might be able to make the transition, but I think this was a slight mistake by ESPN's Graphics Team at the start of NFL Live today......


That's one way to deal with a star wanting a new contract (even though Urlacher deserves it). Just send him to another league.

(Thanks to SP for the heads up.)

This is probably a non-item, but it made me chuckle a bit so I thought I'd pass it along. ESPN aired the Yankees-Rays game last night at 7:05 pm and the first thing the media saw was a note from a Yankee player on a dry erase board....

A witticism, an axiom, an irreverent little quip, Mike Mussina's dry-erase board has hosted them all — and, in the process, become the day's first must-see. Only Monday, Mussina was begging off credit for the day's line: "Thanks ESPN," his board read, "for the 4 a.m. arrival with a day game the next day."

Turns out, reliever Brian Bruney was the scribe ("Moose limits my pen time," he said) and as disagreeable as Monday's 7:05 p.m. start in New York, before today's 4 o'clock in Kansas City, was, manager Joe Girardi was all for Mussina's disavowal.

"It's just part of the baseball life and every team's going to go through it," Girardi said. "It's no excuse. You've got the game [tonight}, you've got to play the game [today]. Players find their ways to get rest and we find a way to keep them fresh."

Seems like the network's favorite subject is a little ticked off with the it's PR machine doesn't it? Although complaining about a 4pm game the next day is a little weak if you ask me.

Notes: TV no excuse (NorthJersey.com)

You can say a lot of things about Derek Jeter (he's a partier, he's a bad defensive player), but this is pretty classy. The shortstop had NY Yankees public address announcer record his intro so he can have the "Voice of God" always introducing him...

It won’t be Bob Sheppard at the microphone today when the lineups are introduced here at windy, drizzly Yankee Stadium for the final opening day. Sheppard is recovering from an illness and hopes to be back by midseason.

But Sheppard’s voice will still be heard. Last season, Derek Jeter took a step to make sure of that.

“One of the things I had him do was record him introducing me,” Jeter said a few minutes ago, “so I’ll always come to the plate with Bob Sheppard.”

I've tried in the past but I just can't hate Derek Jeter. A-Rod? Sure. But there's something about Jeter that makes him always seem humble and respectful to the game and it's history. No matter which Hollywood starlet he's banging at the time.

Yanks Record 97-Year-Old PA Guy’s Intro Of Jeter (Sports by Brooks)
Sheppard’s Voice Will Be Here (NY Times)

So reader RB sent me an email telling me that I just HAD to find Gary Thorne and Steve Phillip's conversation about the Canseco book this morning. I searched Red Lasso and finally found it in the Top of the Third Inning and I don't think I've ever been this blown away by an Announcer's idiocy before (maybe Suzyn Waldman).

The talk starts with Gary Thorne mentioning "Jason Giambi's second book", and Steve Phillips corrects him right away. But does that stop Thorne? Of course not....

Okay, let's recap. First, Gay Thorne thinks Giambi wrote the book. Second (after being corrected), jokes about the throw from first to third. And finally, right when you think it's over he says that the two need to have a clubhouse meeting??? Canseco does not play baseball anymore and if memory serves I don't think he ever played First Base.

How clueless can you be? I mean jetlag is a bitch, but that was ridiculous.