More Wednesday Press Releases

The following are non-Super Bowl-related press releases. Lots of them. Get ready to scroll for a while.

First, ESPN is preparing for the men's semifinals at the Australian Open.

Australian Open: Roddick vs. Federer in a Very Early Breakfast in Melbourne Thursday; Reaired in Afternoon

One of tennis’ most compelling recent rivalries will renew in an Australian Open men’s semifinal early Thursday morning, Jan. 29, at 3:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com from Melbourne when No. 7 seed Andy Roddick will take on No. 2 seed Roger Federer who is seeking a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title. The match will be reaired Thursday at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, the other semifinal – No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 14 Fernando Verdasco Friday, Jan. 30, at 3:30 a.m. -- could set up yet another Federer-Nadal meeting in a final. That match will also be reaired, Friday at 3 p.m. The women’s semis will be played tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 28, on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. with Serena Williams still seeking her 10th Grand Slam title.

Tennis’ first Grand Slam event of 2009 will climax on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com with the women’s and men’s finals live Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, respectively, both at 3:30 a.m. The finals will be reaired in a five-hour block on Super Bowl Sunday from 3 – 8 p.m.

ESPN2’s tennis team is led by host Chris Fowler plus Cliff Drysdale, Dick Enberg, Bud Collins and analysts Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, and Patrick McEnroe, plus Pam Shriver, who will primarily serve as a courtside reporter. In addition, reporters Tiffany Cherry of ESPN International, a Melbourne native, and Tom Rinaldi will contribute features, news and interviews.

Date	Time (ET)	Event	Platform
Thurs., Jan. 29	3:30 – 6 a.m.	Men’s Semifinal #1 #2 R.Federer vs. #7 A.Roddick	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 6 p.m.	Men’s Semifinal #1 #2 R.Federer vs. #7 A.Roddick	ESPN2	reair
Fri., Jan. 30	3:30 – 6 a.m.	Men’s Semifinal #2 #1 R.Nadal vs. #14 F.Verdasco	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 6 p.m.	Men’s Semifinal #2 #1 R.Nadal vs. #14 F.Verdasco	ESPN2	reair
Sat., Jan. 31	3:30 – 5:30 a.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	9 – 11 a.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2	reair
	8 – 10 p.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2	reair
Sun. Feb. 1	3:30 – 6:30 a.m.	Men’s Final	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 8 p.m.	Men’s & Women’s Finals	ESPN2	reair

Next, TNT plans to use LeBron James as an analyst during the NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge and other events during All-Star weekend.

All-Star LeBron James to Serve as TNT NBA Analyst for 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam

Kevin Durant &, Derrick Rose headline selections for sophomore and rookie squads

Perennial NBA All-Star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a participant in the 2004 and 2005 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, will join TNT’s Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) as part of the network’s telecast of the 2009 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. The Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA will follow the game live from U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2009 All-Star Game from Phoenix, AZ will air on Sun., February 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The participants in the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches. For the first time in the game’s history, two current NBA players, All-Star starters Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat will serve on the coaching staffs, Howard for the Sophomores and Wade for the Rookies.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant, the 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year, will join teammate Jeff Green, on the Sophomore team, which also includes Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford, Los Angeles Clippers’ Al Thornton, Philadelphia 76ers’ Thaddeus Young, New York Knicks’ Wilson Chandler, Detroit Pistons’ Rodney Stuckey and a pair of teammates from the Houston Rockets – Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola.

Derrick Rose, the first pick in the 2008 NBA Entry Draft, will be joined on the Rookie team by two sets of teammates – O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, the Clippers’ Eric Gordon, the Miami Heat’s Michael Beasley and the New Jersey Nets’ Brook Lopez round out the Rookie team.

This came out earlier today, that ESPN and the Mid-American Conference have announced a long-term rights agreement.

ESPN and MAC Reach Agreement on Extension for Multiplatform Rights Through 2016-17

ESPN, Inc. and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) have reached an eight-year agreement to extend their current contract for rights across multiple platforms for football, and men’s and women’s basketball through the 2016-17 academic year.

As a result of the comprehensive deal, ESPN will receive national exclusive rights to distribute MAC football, and men’s and women’s basketball, including conference Championships for all three across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Classic.

“Through demonstrated audience growth and success, both on the field and on the court, the MAC has proven to be a very popular and competitive conference,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming. “The MAC and its member institutions have always had a shared vision of the benefits of creative scheduling. We are excited to continue to provide national exposure of their football and men’s and women’s basketball action across our multiple platforms including significant coverage on ESPNU.”

The pact, coming off the second highest rating for the conference football championship in ESPN’s last 12 years televising the event (a 1.7 rating), is the most extensive in the 63-year history of the conference.

“The breadth of this agreement, both in terms of the overall number of MAC events televised as well as the scope of the ESPN networks involved, truly solidifies the conference’s long-term television future,” said MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst. “It brings further structure and consistency to our regional and national football television package, while offering important growth for both our men’s and women’s basketball programs.”

As part of the agreement, the MAC will receive:

· A minimum of 11 nationally televised football games a year, with six on ESPN or ESPN2 -- including the popular MAC Football Championship -- and five on ESPNU.

· A minimum of six men’s or women’s regular-season basketball conference games a year on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, plus full participation in the ESPNU BracketBusters event, which the conference joined as a founding member in 2003.

· The men’s basketball tournament title game on ESPN or ESPN2, where it has been televised since 1987, and the potential for the women’s championship game on ESPNU based on the tournament format, which would mark the first-ever national telecast of the matchup.

· A multi-year commitment to a six-week ESPN Regional Television syndicated football package on broadcast stations across the MAC geography, continuing the success of this effort from the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

ESPN says NASCAR Now returns in February.

NASCAR Now Returns for Third Season Feb. 2 with Roundtable Discussion, New Features

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns to the air for its third season on Monday, Feb. 2, to coincide with the beginning of the 2009 NASCAR racing season. The season’s first program, a one-hour roundtable discussion, airs at 5 p.m. ET.

Mike Massaro, who has been a pit reporter on ESPN’s NASCAR coverage the past two years, moves to the studio this year as a new co-host of NASCAR Now, joining returning co-hosts Nicole Manske and Allen Bestwick. NASCAR Now includes the latest news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. The program regularly airs at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with all programs 30 minutes except for the one-hour Monday roundtable. ESPN2 also airs a one-hour edition at 10 a.m. on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and a weekend wrap-up edition will begin in July.

On Monday’s return episode, Bestwick leads the roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news with ESPN.com motorsports writer Ed Hinton and NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith, both award-winning journalists, and ESPN motorsports analyst and NASCAR driver Boris Said.

A five-part feature during the first week of the NASCAR Now season will tie in the 60^th anniversary of NASCAR with Top 10 lists by the five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion analysts on ESPN’s NASCAR coverage team. Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, will reveal his Top 10 personalities in NASCAR history, while 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace lists his Top 10 tracks. Andy Petree, two-time champion crew chief, reveals his Top 10 drivers and two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer lists his Top 10 finishes. Analyst Ray Evernham, a three-time champion crew chief, lists his Top 10 “coolest cars.”

Other features during the first week include conversations about NASCAR with actor Tom Cruise and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton; a visit by driver Ryan Newman to Fort Bragg as part of his new sponsorship from the U.S. Army; and a review of NASCAR’s “Silly Season.”

During the week leading up to the Feb. 15 running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR Now airs a three-part series on NASCAR and the economy, looking through the eyes of the NASCAR fan, a NASCAR team crew member and legendary driver/team owner Richard Petty. The five weekday episodes of the program will expand to one hour during Daytona 500 week and originate from Daytona International Speedway.

Live NASCAR racing returns to the ESPN networks for the 2009 season when ESPN2 airs flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 14, at noon.

Are you into lacrosse? ESPN hopes you are. It will have plenty of college lacrosse on ESPN2 and ESPNU.

ESPNU’s 2009 College Lacrosse Schedule

ESPN2 to Televise Two Regular-Season Games in HD; Entire NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Exclusively on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU

ESPNU will present wide-ranging coverage of the 2009 college lacrosse season, including an extensive regular-season schedule and the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The networks combined will televise 45 games, including 30 regular-season contests and 15 NCAA Tournament games across ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. Coverage will begin on ESPNU Friday, Feb. 20, when #4 Johns Hopkins will host Siena at 6 p.m. ET. Additionally, ESPN2 will feature two regular-season men’s games in high definition, including #1 Virginia vs. #3 Maryland at noon on March, 28 and #1 Virginia vs. #7 Duke at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April, 11.

ESPNU will air games with 14 of the top 20 men’s teams according to the Men’s Division I Preseason Media Poll. The network will also feature two women’s matchups, including #11 Georgetown vs. #19 John Hopkins on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. and reigning NCAA champion #1 Northwestern at #19 Johns Hopkins Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m.

Other highlights include the Face-Off Classic that will showcase #12 Princeton vs. #4 Johns Hopkins (noon) and #7 Duke vs. #3 Maryland (2:30 p.m.) on Feb. 28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., as well as the inaugural Big City Classic, set to display #5 North Carolina vs. #1 Virginia (noon) and #2 Syracuse vs. #12 Princeton (2:30 p.m.) on April 4 from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Day of Rivals will pit #9 Navy vs. Army (11:30 a.m.) and #3 Maryland vs. #4 Johns Hopkins (2 p.m.) on April 11 at M&T Bank Stadium.

In addition to the aforementioned events, every game on the ESPNU schedule will feature a ranked team, including the following top 10 matchups: #8 Georgetown vs. #3 Maryland (Feb. 21), #5 North Carolina vs. #3 Maryland (Mar. 21) and #1 Virginia vs. #4 Johns Hopkins (Mar. 21).

The 2009 ESPNU Lacrosse Season Preview Show on ESPN2 will commence the season on the ESPN networks with a one-hour preview special hosted by ESPNU anchor Lowell Galindo and lacrosse analyst Quint Kessenich on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m., while throughout the season, ESPN.com will offer extensive online coverage of lacrosse and integrated coverage of professional, collegiate and prep lacrosse content from Insidelacrosse.com and Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

For the third year in a row, the ESPN networks will televise the complete NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. ESPNU will televise all eight First Round games and Quarterfinal contests (May 10 – May 17). ESPN2 will televise the National Semifinals (May 23) and ESPN will offer the National Championship game on May 25. ESPN360.com will simulcast the National Semifinals and Championship games. Two days following the Championship, ESPNU will televise the Major League Lacrosse Draft for a third consecutive year, live, at 8:30 p.m.

The commentators slated for this season’s coverage will include play-by-play announcers Dave Ryan, Rob Simmelkjaer, Allen Hopkins and Scott Garceau and analysts Quint Kessenich (Four-Time Johns Hopkins All-American), Mark Dixon (Johns Hopkins), Jack Emmer (former Army Head Coach and the NCAA's winningest DI head coach), Matt Ward (University of Virginia and Tewaaraton winner) and newcomer Stephen McElduff (former defenseman from the University of North Carolina).

2009 ESPNU COLLEGE LACROSSE REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE

Date Time (ET) Game

Fri., Feb. 20	6 p.m.	Siena at Johns Hopkins
Sat., Feb. 21	1p.m.	Georgetown at Maryland
Sun., Feb. 22	6:30 p.m.	*^Towson at Loyola (Md.)
Wed., Feb. 25	4 p.m.	Georgetown at Johns Hopkins (women)
Sat. Feb. 28	12 p.m.	Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic: Princeton at Johns Hopkins
Sat. Feb. 28	2:30 p.m.	Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic: Duke at Maryland
Sat., Feb. 28	5 p.m.	Cornell at Army
Fri., Mar. 6	12 a.m.	*^Princeton at UMBC
Sat., Mar. 7	12 p.m.	Hofstra at Johns Hopkins
Sat. Mar. 7	2 p.m.	*Maryland at Towson
Sat. Mar. 14	12 p.m.	*UMBC at Maryland
Sat., Mar. 14	2 p.m.	Duke at North Carolina
Fri., Mar. 20	3 p.m.	Albany at Princeton
Sat., Mar. 21	2 p.m.	North Carolina at Maryland
Sat., Mar. 21	8 p.m.	*Virginia at Johns Hopkins
Tues., Mar. 24	7 p.m.	Hofstra at Army
Sat., Mar. 28	12 p.m.	Maryland at Virginia (on ESPN2/ESPN2 HD)
Sat., Mar. 28	12 p.m.	*Syracuse at Loyola (MD)
Sat., Mar. 28	2 p.m.	Johns Hopkins at North Carolina
Sat. Apr. 4	12 p.m.	Big City Classic: North Carolina at Virginia
Sat., Apr. 4	2:30 p.m.	Big City Classic: Syracuse at Princeton
Sat. Apr. 4	9 p.m.	*^Albany at Johns Hopkins
Sat., Apr. 11	11:30 a.m.	Day of Rivals: Army at Navy
Sat., Apr. 11	2 p.m.	Day of Rivals: Johns Hopkins at Maryland
Sat., Apr. 11	4 p.m.	Virginia at Duke (on ESPN2/ ESPN2 HD)
Sat. Apr. 11	10 p.m.	*^Hofstra at Towson
Fri., Apr. 17	7 p.m.	Northwestern at Johns Hopkins (women)
Sat., Apr. 18	2 p.m.	*Navy at Johns Hopkins
Sat., Apr. 25	1 p.m.	*Vermont at UMBC
Sat., May 2	1 p.m.	*Loyola (Md.) at Johns Hopkins

*Will co-exist on WMAR-TV (ABC affiliate in Baltimore)

^Tape delay

2009 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE ON ESPN, ESPN2 AND ESPNU

Date Network Time (ET) Game

Sat., May 9	ESPNU/ESPN2	12 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 1 (TBD)
	ESPNU	2:30 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 2 (TBD)
	ESPNU	5 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 3 (TBD)
	ESPNU	7:30 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 4 (TBD)
Sun., May 10	ESPNU	12 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 5 (TBD)
	ESPNU	2:30 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 6 (TBD)
	ESPNU	5 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 7 (TBD)
	ESPNU	7:30 p.m.	NCAA First Round – Game 8 (TBD)
Sat., May 16	ESPNU	12 p.m.	Quarterfinal # 1 – Annapolis, Md.
	ESPNU	2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal #2 – Annapolis, Md.
Sun., May 17	ESPNU	12 p.m.	Quarterfinal #3 – Ithaca, N.Y.
	ESPNU	2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal #4 – Ithaca, N.Y.
Sat., May 23	ESPN2	12 p.m.	Semifinal #1 – Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.)
	ESPN2	2:30 p.m.	Semifinal #2 – Gillette Stadium
Mon., May 25	ESPN	1 p.m.	NCAA National Championship – Gillette Stadium

Finally, the CBS Sports Spectacular returns on Sunday.

“CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR” MASHES INTO SAN FRANCISCO FOR “MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES” ON SUNDAY, FEB. 1

CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR broadcasts the MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES on Sunday, Feb. 1 (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; taped 1/31/09) from AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif. Defending Series champion and current points leader Chad Reed, will once again this week look to end 2007 World Champion James Stewart’s current winning streak of four straight Series wins. Ralph Sheheen, Jeff Emig and Erin Bates call the action for CBS Sports. CBS Sports’ John Pacquet serves as coordinating producer.

So that concludes the press release portion of our blog tonight.