I apologize for the delays in posting this week, but with all of the snow and power outages....I sort of gave up on trying to get any new information out. Anyway the Winter Olympics kicked off last night, and just like the rest of the world I'm trying to get past that horrible Luge accident during the day. Here is your schedule for the next two days....

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (DAY 2)

NBC:

2:00pm - 6:00pm
Men's Speed Skating - 5000m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Ski Jumping - Individual K95 Gold Medal Final
Women's Biathlon - 7.5km Sprint Gold Medal Final

8:00pm - 11:30pm
Men's Short Track -1500m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Women's Freestyle Skiing -Moguls Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Moguls Competition (LIVE)
Men's Alpine Skiing - Downhill Gold Medal Final

Midnight - 1:00am
Women's Short Track - 3000m Relay Semifinals
500m Competition
Medals Plaza - Award Ceremonies

1:00am - 4:30am
Primetime Replay

CNBC:

3:00pm - 5:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Sweden vs. Switzerland (LIVE)

8:00pm - 10:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Canada vs. Slovakia (LIVE)

MSNBC:

3:00am - 5:30am
Women's Ice Hockey - Canada vs. Slovakia (replay)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14th (DAY 3)

NBC:

1:00pm - 6:00pm
Women's Speed Skating - 3000m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Nordic Combined - Individual Gold Medal Final: K95 Jumping (LIVE)
10km Cross Country (LIVE)
Men's Luge - Singles Competition (LIVE)
Men's Biathlon - 10km Sprint Gold Medal Final (LIVE)

7:00pm - 11:00pm
Figure Skating - Pairs Short Program (LIVE)
Men's Freestyle Skiing - Moguls Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Women's Alpine Skiing - Super Combined Gold Medal Final
Men's Luge - Singles, Gold Medal Final

11:35pm - 12:05am
Figure Skating - Pairs Post Game
Medals Plaza - Award Ceremonies

12:05 a.m. - 4:05 a.m.
Primetime Replay

USA:

3:00pm - 5:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - USA vs. China (LIVE)

CNBC:

7:30pm - 10:00pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Finland vs. Russia (LIVE)

MSNBC:

3:00am - 5:30am
Women's Ice Hockey - USA vs. China (replay)

(P.S.- If anyone can find me an HD screenshot of Al Michaels from last night I'd appreciate it. The guy looks like he went through twenty rounds of botox!)

Here is your 2010 Winter Olympics announcer schedule by Sport. I'll be sure to give you more information on actual schedules and pairings once they become available.

ALPINE SKIING

Tim Ryan
Todd Brooker
Christin Cooper
Steve Porino

BOBSLED/LUGE/SKELETON

Bob Papa
Duncan Kennedy (Luge)
John Morgan (Bobsled)
Lea Ann Parsley (Skeleton)
Lewis Johnson

CROSS COUNTRY & BIATHLON

Al Trautwig
Chad Salmela

CURLING

Andrew Catalon
Don Duguid
Colleen Jones
Elfi Schlegel

FIGURE SKATING

Tom Hammond
Sandra Bezic
Scott Hamilton
Tracy Wilson
Andrea Joyce

FREESTYLE SKIING

Todd Harris
Jonny Moseley
Tina Dixon

HOCKEY

Mike Emrick
Kenny Albert
Eddie Olczyk
AJ Mleczko
Pierre McGuire
Joe Micheletti
Mike Milbury
Cammi Granato
Jeremy Roenick

SHORT TRACK

Ted Robinson
Andy Gabel
Andrea Joyce

SNOWBOARDING

Pat Parnell
Todd Richards
Tina Dixon

SPEED SKATING

Dan Hicks
Dan Jansen
Andrea Kremer

SKI JUMPING

Matt Vasgersian
Jeff Hastings

It's hard to believe, but Vancouver is just one month away from lighting the torch for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and thus NBC is releasing a ton of their coverage details. Here is the breakdown of hours, some statistics, and the channels the Games will be appearing on. I'll be sure to provide you with the list of announcers, and weekly schedules, when they are released.

NBC Universal will present more than 835 hours of Vancouver Olympic Winter Games coverage - representing the most total hours ever for a Winter Olympics, more than the last two Winter Olympics combined, and the most live hours ever for a Winter Games. The Vancouver Games, which will be the first Winter Olympics to be presented entirely in high definition, commence with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 12. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and executive producer of NBC Universal's Olympic coverage.

The more than 835 total hours of coverage on six NBC Universal platforms - NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com - nearly doubles the coverage from Torino (419) and is more than Torino and Salt Lake City (375.5) combined (794.5).

Following is a breakdown of the Vancouver Olympics coverage on the NBC Universal networks:

- The six NBC Universal platforms - NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com - will offer the most in-depth coverage in history for a Winter Olympics. The more than 835 hours is nearly double Torino (419) and is more than Torino and Salt Lake City (375.5) combined (794.5).

- Over the 17 days of the Vancouver Games (Feb.12-28), NBCU's coverage will average nearly 50 hours per day - that's more coverage in one day than all of the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics (43.5) on ABC.

- The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of every one of the 15 Winter Olympic sports.

- Vancouver will be the first Winter Olympics broadcast 100-percent in high definition, including the first-ever online HD.

Universal HD: 9am -Noon
USA: Noon - 5:30pm
NBC: 3pm - 5pm
CNBC: 5p - 5am
MSNBC: 5:30pm - 8pm
NBC: 8pm - 11:30pm
NBC: 12:35am - 2am
NBC: 2am - 5 am
MSNBC: 3am - 5:30am

Awhile back, I mentioned that ESPN wasn't ruling out making a run at the Olympics in the near future, and today there comes more word about their intentions. According to USA Today, a run at the contract could come as early as 2014, and the Olympic committee has promised ESPN a seat at the discussion table....

After scoring big with its coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, you'd think NBC would have the inside track on TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 games. But ESPN/ABC will likely be a strong competitor. Without blinking an eye, ESPN outbid Fox by more than $100 million for the rights to college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) from January 2011 to January 2014.

As it celebrates its 30th anniversary, the once rinky-dink and now incredibly deep-pocketed cable network seems hungrier for the validation an Olympics would bring. "There's no question the Olympics would continue the process of establishing ESPN as the home of championship sports and great sports," Skipper said.

The International Olympics Committee has assured ESPN, said Skipper, that it will have a seat at the table when bidding begins in earnest for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in a still-to-be-determined host city.

To show it has the chops to handle a global event, ESPN will give its 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage the Olympic treatment. ESPN is already planning to send anchors Chris Fowler, Mike Tirico and Bob Ley to South Africa for the entire event, said Norby Williamson, executive vice president of remote/studio production.

"What we're hoping to bring to (the World Cup) is Olympic-quality production," said Skipper. "Not just the cameras but the feel of it. That it feels big. That it feels international. That it feels about more than just competition. It's competition. But it's also culture. And human drama."

Jim Lampley has been in and out of the news over the past few years, and whether or not you respect him as person based on some of his past transgressions, you can't deny that he's good on camera. Lampley has always had a spot in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, but following NBC's placement of Al Michaels as the Winter studio host, Lampley might end up skipping this year's Olympics in a bit of a protest.

It has been rumored that Lampley was offered a Hockey role for the Games, but according to the NY Daily News, the HBO Sports' play-by-play man has reportedly turned the offer down....

His EbNess decided to boot Lampley from the role of daytime Olympic studio host in favor of Al Michaels (he last hosted the earthquake at the '89 World Series), who will don the turtleneck and smoking jacket for NBC's 2010 Winter Games coverage from Vancouver. Lampley had a string of working 14 straight Olympics. Ebersol said he "could not imagine" Lampley not having a role in Vancouver.

Start imagining. Spies say Lampley was offered the hockey-host gig and turned it down.

In one of the more interesting moves as of late, NBC announced today that Al Michaels would be involved in Olympic coverage for the first time since 1988. Michaels will be the host of the network's daytime and weekend Winter Olympic coverage, and will be putting in over 50 hours of work over the seventeen day event. Via NBC PR....

Emmy Award winner Al Michaels, one of the most renowned broadcasters of all-time and whose legendary "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call at the Lake Placid Olympics 30 years ago stands as the most famous call in sports television history, will serve as host of NBC's live weekend and weekday daytime coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics.

This will be Michaels' first Olympic broadcast assignment in 22 years when he called hockey games at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Michaels will host more than 50 hours of live weekend and weekday daytime coverage from Vancouver, a significant increase in hours from NBC's daytime shows from Torino in 2006.

"I've loved the Olympics since childhood and to have a chance to be a part of the coverage again, especially on the 30th anniversary of the Lake Placid Games, will be a thrill," said Michaels. "I am very excited about the opportunity to work another Olympic Games."