Media
Notes II By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--This week on foxsports.com MLB on FOX studio analyst Steve Lyons supports the recent inductions into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Tony Perez and Carlton Fisk. "I have heard people complain that Fisk and Perez are good ballplayers but not Hall of Fame worthy. Their argument is, can you mention Fisk¢s name in the same breath as Johnny Bench and Roy Campenalla? Trying to make those comparisons is about as intelligent as not letting baseball's all-time hit leader Pete Rose into the Hall "It used to be pretty clear cut. You get 3,000 hits or 500 homeruns and you're in," Lyons said. "But nowadays, those seem like some impossible numbers to attain. "So as careers get shorter and the chances of hitting those benchmarks get slimmer than Ally McBeal, maybe it is time we rethink just what it should take to get enshrined in Cooperstown's hallowed halls." Fox Sports News anchor Keith Olbermann offerred his top ten votes for this year's Major League Baseball Hall of Fame induction. They are: 1) Tony Perez; 2) Jim Rice; 3) Tommy John; 4) Jim Kaat; 5) Bert Blyleven; 6) Gary Carter; 7) Luis Tiant; 8) Keith Hernandez; 9) Dale Murphy; 10) Bruce Sutter.
Now that ESPN has studied the athletes of the 20th century, the network looks ahead to the athletes of the next 100 years in its one-hour special Bigger, Stronger, Faster: The Athlete of the 21st Century at 7 p.m. ET Bob Ley hosts the show, which is part of ESPN's expanded Outside The Lines series. The program explores how the future will impact the world of athletics and how technology will change the face of sports as we know it. Among the items the show plans to address are:
The program will re-air at 3:30 a.m. Sunday and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Click here to read more about this program. As reported in December, ESPN is expanding its prime-time Outside The Lines series to 12 one-hour monthly editions each year, up from eight. Also, beginning April 2, Outside the Lines will add a 30-minute weekly Sunday morning edition. The 52 Sunday morning single-topic shows will often focus on the week's major news in sports.
ESPN's live, prime-time coverage Sunday of Tiger Woods' fifth straight PGA win at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii was the most-watched and highest-rated golf event in the network's history. Woods' sudden-death win over Ernie Els attracted 2,666,000 households, which translates to a 3.5 rating. Woods' five-straight PGA wins are the most consecutive wins since Ben Hogan's five in 1948. The Mercedes final round surpassed the 3.41 rating that The Tradition received in 1990. It also beat the second round of the 1998 U.S. Open, which was seen in 2,051,229 homes. It will be interesting to see ESPN's numbers for the Sony Open this weekend without Tiger Woods. Network research has shown that ratings increase 35 percent to 50 percent when Woods wins or finishes among the leaders. Along with Woods, other players not playing in Hawaii this week include David Duval, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Justin Leonard and Mark O'Meara. That leaves Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk as the top players in the field. However, Gary Nicklaus (son of you-know-who) makes his debut as an official PGA Tour member. Sony Open showtimes are 7-9 p.m. Thursday; 8-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8-10 p.m. Sunday.
Clark Kellogg, who will call the Illinois-Michigan contest with play-by-play man Craig Bolerjack, thinks the Illini have a fighting chance to win on the road. "Michigan is a young and talented team, although Brian Ellerbe doesn't like to talk about that. Clearly it's a group that's not as deep as Illinois, and yet they're a very dangerous ballclub. They have a lot of confidence after beating Purdue in double overtime on the road and typically young teams play better at home. The home court, especially in conference play, can be worth anywhere from five to eight additional points. "On the other hand, Illinois has more experience and depth and that could be enough to negate Michigan's home court advantage. They also shoot the three-point a lot, about 20 attempts per game, which is a weapon they'll utilize against the Wolverines. I also love the scoring ability of Cory Bradford." The Illinois-Michigan telecast is part of CBS' regional coverage, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. The eastern part of the country will get the St. John's-Connecticut contest from Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery describe the action there. About the Connecticut game, Kellogg said in a statement this week, "Connecticut could repeat as national champions, although they're not playing at that level right now. They have all the pieces, including experience, the frontcourt leadership of Khalid El-Amin and good size in Edmund Saunders and Jake Voskuhl. Albert Mouring is also a key player. "The question is can St. John's take advantage of their quickness at all positions to counter Connecticut's size upfront? I usually prefer quickness to size." At 4 p.m. Saturday, CBS will present national coverage of UCLA-North Carolina from the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tim Brando and analyst Billy Packer are the announcers. Kellogg said about North Carolina, "North Carolina has the potential of being a very good team even after a very tough schedule and an overrated preseason ranking. "North Carolina, despite falling from lofty rankings early in the season, is still a formidable team. When they play at their best, they are a legitimate Top 10-12 team and any team ranked that high not only has a chance to win their conference, but to compete for a national championship." Finally, about No. 1 Cincinnati, Kellogg said, "Of the teams ranked in the Top 10, Cincinnati has been playing better than anyone to this point and they're very deserving of their No. 1 ranking. Kenyon Martin has been tremendous and is shooting the ball very aggressively. Their freshmen have also played well. "Bob Huggins might have his most potent offensive team in recent years. He has more guys who consistently make the perimeter shot, which has always been an Achilles heel for them."
Our only problem was that when we watched it during SportsCenter, all the oval ESPN logos that were on the screen made it look like Rocker was on Pop-Up Video. ESPN had one logo in the upper right corner to brand the tape rom ESPN. The network had a second one in the lower righthand corner, as part of its Bottom Line section, and a third one that served as ad for ESPN.com. Hey, ESPN, cool it on the logos! ESPN continues its Rocker coverage by making him the subject of SportsCenter's Cover Story at 6 p.m. Friday.
"I really enjoying working for Fox Sports Net on NFL This Morning and Fox Sports News. I want to continue working for them for the next 20 years. Then maybe I'll coach again," the 72-year-old said. That's good news for NFL This Morning viewers, who will continue to hear Levy's clever sayings such as this one last Sunday about Jeff George trying to win a playoff game for the first time and get to the Super Bowl. "The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why they call it 'the present.'"
"I've heard that Rodman doesn't want to sign until February, so he can go to Super Bowl parties in Atlanta and Pro Bowl parties in Hawaii; that's what will scare off people. The few teams that might be interested will find out he's not all that serious playing, and that will scare them off."
"Since we returned from Russia with our new son, it became crystal clear that the day-to-day demands of my job did not allow the commitment and attention necessary to assure Ian's smooth transition and assimilation into both our family and American culture," Wladika said. "It is more important for me to put my career on hold until such time as my wife Linda and I feel comfortable that he has adjusted successfully to life in the United States. We missed the first eight years of his life, I need to make up for lost time." Wladika intends to work as a consultant, including assignments for Fox Sports, until such time as he and Linda decide their son's assimilation is complete. "All of us at Fox and Fox Sports fully support Vince's decision," said David Hill, chairman of Fox Sports Television Group. "What he and Linda went through to get their son to the States is nothing short of amazing and we recognize he needs to devote his energy more to his family than to his career right now." ArmchairQB.com would like to thank Vince for all his help and support. He was one of this site's earliest and biggest supporters, and we certainly appreciate it. We were with Vince last year at the Sports Emmy's, days before he left to pick up his son, and it was clear then that he had more important things than sports on his mind. Lou D'Ermilio, currently vice president of media relations at Fox Sports Net, will assume Wladika's duties. D'Ermilio worked closely with Wladika in establishing Fox Sports' Media Relations Department from its inception.
Frazier said about the three candidates, "Glen Mason had the tougher schedule, June Jones had the tougher job and Frank Beamer did the best job, but all three of these coaches are worthy of this award."
Turner Sports presents an NBA doubleheader on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. TBS will show the Pistons-Knicks at 4 p.m. Monday, followed by the Pacers-Timberwolves at 8 p.m. Kevin Calabo, Fratello and Miller handle the Pistons-Knicks game, while Harlan, John Thompson and Theus call Pacers-Wolves. After the Pacers-Wolves game Monday, on Inside The NBA, Thompson joins Bill Russell, Wayne Embry and Oscar Robertson to discuss the impact of Martin Luther King Jr. in a 45 minute special. Finally, Dick Stockton, Brown and Theus present the Trail Blazers-Rockets at 8 p.m. on TNT.
Also on the show, senior correspondent Diana Nyad takes an inside look at the world of the corner man and talks with, among others, Angelo Dundee, Sugar Ray Leonard, trainer Billy Moore and Oscar De La Hoya's cut man Chuck Bodak. Finally, correspondent George Ciccarone investigates high school football in Texas.
Each night during the X Games, ESPN will present an hour-long highlight program at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT. The actual games take place Feb. 3-6. Athletes will compete in 16 events from six sports categories. Snowboarding, the cornerstone of the Winter X Games with eight events, will be joined by Snow Mountain Biking (two events), Snowmobile Snocross (one event), Skiing (three events), Skiboarding (one event) and the new UltraCross (one event).
Cliff Drysdale will host and call play-by-play for most matches, while Pam Shriver will handle play-by-play on select matches. Shriver also will serve as an analyst on other telecasts, along with Patrick McEnroe, Mal Washington and Mary Joe Fernandez. The following weekend, on Feb. 4-6, ESPN2 will televise the opening round of the 2000 Davis Cup featuring the United States at Zimbabwe. John McEnroe will make his debut as U.S. team captain with a star-studded American team that includes Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Todd Martin. This event marks the first time the United States has played a Davis Cup match on the African continent and ESPN/ESPN2's first tennis telecast there. ESPN2 will provide same-day coverage from Harare, Zimbabwe at noon Feb. 4, 10 a.m. Feb. 5 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 6. Drysdale will serve as host, and Patrick McEnroe will provide analysis. The winning nation will play either the Czech Republic or Great Britain on April 7-9. The United States would host either team.
Media notes from around the country.
Martzke writes, "Fox's John Madden says rough weather might be the answer for the sizable 15% drop in last weekend's NFL wild-card playoff ratings. "'All the playoff ratings need is a good blizzard,' says Madden, with Pat Summerall on Sunday's 12:35 p.m. ET Minnesota Vikings-St. Louis Rams game. 'That'll keep people indoors watching football.'" Click here to read more of Martzke's column.
"When you look at it realistically, it was the kickoff coverage (or lack thereof) that cost the Bills,'' Maguire said. "They were winning when Rob Johnson (who made Doug Flutie a spectator) left the field. I played on special teams and you must stay in your lane and make sure everyone goes inside you. Several Bills went to the middle of the field (and Kevin Dyson dashed 75 yards with a convoy down the sideline for the winning TD).'' Click here to read more of Baker's column.
"They're funny without forcing horse laughs. They're sarcastic without trying to be wise guys. They're alert without being self-congratulatory and they try to keep our heads in the game regardless of the producer's marching orders to turn the telecast into an infomercial for CBS programs and websites.'" Click here to read more of Mushnick's column.
"The freewheeling, often humorous exchange between moderator John Thompson, who formerly coached here and is now an NBA analyst for Turner, and former NBA greats Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Wayne Embry, yielded thoughtful recollections about the civil rights movement and its impact on the athletes who played in the context of the massive upheaval of the times." Click here to read more of Kent's column.
For more details and a complete list of televised sporting events this weekend, check out ArmchairQB.com's Today's Lineup. The Associated Press contributed information to this report. |
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Kudos
to ESPN and Peter Gammons for scoring the first interview with controversial
Atlanta pitcher John Rocker. The fact that Rocker's camp felt comfortable
conducting the interview with Gammons, when they could have gone
anywhere, says a lot for Gammons.
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