Some Upcoming Programming Releases

This next batch of releases deals with upcoming programming on the various networks. Let's begin with MLB Network which kicks off its Hot Stove season premiere on Wednesday.

MLB Network BEGINS OFFSEASON COVERAGE WITH Hot Stove on wednesday, november 11

Secaucus, NJ, November 10, 2009 – A new season of Hot Stove premieres on MLB Network with Greg Amsinger, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac and Billy Ripken on Wednesday, November 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET and Thursday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET. As MLB Network’s live offseason studio show, Hot Stove features updates and analysis of the moves all 30 clubs are making and planning in preparation for the upcoming season. The show will also include the latest news on baseball’s end-of-year awards, including the Silver Slugger, MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. A preview of the new season can be viewed here.

Hot Stove will air on select weeknights throughout November and December live at 6:00 p.m. ET and re-air at 7:00 p.m. ET and 10:00 p.m. ET. During the MLB Winter Meetings from December 7-10, Hot Stove will telecast live from Indianapolis with analysis on offseason trades, free agent signings and player movement rumors.

The Southern affiliates of Fox Sports Net will air SEC Gridiron Live on Wednesday and will discuss some topics of note in college football.

SEC Gridiron LIVE Tackles the BCS Standings

Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports South

Top 5 Florida / Alabama Championships; Mark Ingram vs. Anthony Dixon; Orgeron’s Return to Ole Miss

On Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports South, SEC Gridiron LIVE presented by O’Charley’s takes an in-depth look at the BCS Standings and counts down the Top 5 Florida / Alabama SEC Football Championships. Host Charles Davis and analyst David Pollack tackle hot topics from around the conference including whether Florida is using Tim Tebow too much on the ground; how Alabama’s Mark Ingram matches up against Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon; and how Tennessee assistant head coach Ed Orgeron will fare in his return to Ole Miss. The crew picks this weekend’s games, and Pollack outlines how South Carolina could upset Florida. And in honor of Veteran’s Day, social media reporter Cassidy Hubbarth will feature an all-military lineup of fan photos.

Join SEC Gridiron LIVE’s Hubbarth at O’Charley’s in Lawrenceville, Ga. (830 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043) on Friday, November 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. ET.

SEC Gridiron LIVE will be distributed to more than 24 million cable and satellite households on the FSN regional networks throughout the SEC territory – FOX Sports South, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports Southwest.

The NBA on TNT resumes on Thursday with another doubleheader.

The NBA on TNT Continues Thursday with Doubleheader Action

Cavaliers @ Heat followed by Suns @ Lakers

TNT NBA Thursday continues on November 12 with a doubleheader beginning at 8 p.m. (ET). The first game will feature LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers traveling to South Florida to face Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. Play-by-play announcer Marv Albert will call the game alongside analysts Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller with Craig Sager reporting. In the second game of the night, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will host Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Doug Collins (analyst) will be courtside with Cheryl Miller reporting. The Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst) will recap the games.

Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on TNT OverTime on NBA.com. The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players, coaches and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.

TNT NBA THURSDAY SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Nov. 12

8 p.m. NBA Tip-Off

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

8:15 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Miami Heat

Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers

Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst) and Cheryl Miller (reporter)

Post-game Inside the NBA

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Nov. 19

8 p.m. NBA Tip-Off

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

8:15 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ New Orleans Hornets

Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

10:30 p.m. Chicago Bulls @ Los Angeles Lakers

Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Post-game Inside the NBA

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

This Saturday, Fox Soccer Channel airs several international "friendlies" involving the United States, Brazil and England.

UNITED STATES, BRAZIL AND ENGLAND

IN ACTION SATURDAY ON FOX SOCCER CHANNEL

Los Angeles, CA (November 10, 2009) – Four nations that have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ – as well as two others vying for a coveted ticket to South Africa – will be featured on Fox Soccer Channel this Saturday, Nov. 14.

A trio of live and exclusive English-language international match telecasts begins at 2 a.m. ET when New Zealand hosts Bahrain in the decisive second leg of their 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Asia/Oceania play-off. Following a goalless draw in Bahrain last month, the winner of Saturday’s contest will book its place in the world’s most prestigious tournament.

Later in the day, Fox Soccer Channel will showcase a pair of enticing international “friendly” matches between teams that have already secured spots in South Africa. At 10 a.m., the United States Men’s National Team begins a two-game European tour by visiting Slovakia, which next year will make its first World Cup appearance as an independent nation.

At noon ET, two world powers collide when Brazil faces England in Doha, Qatar. Five-time World Cup champion Brazil, led by Kaka, Robinho and Dani Alves, will face an English squad that charged through European qualifying with superstars including Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and John Terry. The two nations last met in 2007, when they inaugurated the new Wembley Stadium with a 1-1 draw seen live on Fox Soccer Channel.

WHAT: A trio of live international soccer matches on Fox Soccer Channel

WHEN: Saturday, November 14

New Zealand vs. Bahrain – 2 a.m. ET

Slovakia vs. United States – 10 a.m. ET

Brazil vs. England – 12 p.m. ET

WHERE: Fox Soccer Channel, America’s Soccer Network

HOW: Fox Soccer Channel is available through affiliated cable systems, and through DirecTV and Dish Network satellite providers. For more information, visit Fox Soccer Channel online at foxsoccer.com.

On Sunday, CBS Sports airs the prestigious Arete Awards honoring the most courageous athletes in sports.

CBS SPORTS PRESENTS 20^th ANNUAL ARETE HONORS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15

From Lance Armstrong to Muhammad Ali to Arthur Ashe to Tiger Woods, the ARETE Honors have paid tribute to some of the world’s greatest and most inspiring athletes over its 20 years. CBS Sports will once again broadcast the one-hour special, ARETE HONORS FOR COURAGE IN SPORTS on Sunday, Nov. 15 (5:00-6:00 PM, ET; 3:00-4:00 PM in late NFL markets; taped). Produced by Intersport and hosted by CBS Sports’ James Brown, the yearly event honors athletes—both the known and unknown—that have aspired to excellence and, in the process, overcome unbelievable obstacles.

Bringing together some of sports’ most uplifting stories, this year’s honorees include Zac Sunderland, Iran Soccer and Matt Long.

At the young age of 16, Zac Sunderland embarked on a lonely quest to sail around the world. This California kid launched his boat, Intrepid, into the Pacific Ocean last June and encountered every obstacle imaginable along the way. He was trailed by pirates, hit heavy storms, created parts for his deteriorating boat, and lost all communication with his family. Through this adventure, Zac demonstrated the ultimate courage and persevered through the toughest moments of his young life.

After four Iranian soccer players silently wore green to show solidarity in support of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi after he lost to hard-lined president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, soccer became a sport that reached well beyond the playing field. The players wrapped green tape around their wrists during a match in South Korea to show their support of the election protests; green was the color used by Moussavi during his campaign. As a result, all four players have “retired” from playing soccer and have been banned from ever playing again by the government they protested.

Three years ago, firefighter Matt Long was expected to die after he was run down by a bus as he biked to work. After more than 40 surgeries and hundreds of hours of therapy, Long learned to walk again. Though the injuries he sustained have left a metal rod in his left leg, he now lives his life through an unstoppable training method, determined to become the athlete he once was. After participating in last year’s New York City marathon, he competed in the Lake Placid Ironman competition.

Intersport is the Chicago-based television and marketing company that is considered one of the industry’s leaders. CBS Sports’ Ryan Galvin serves as coordinating producer for the show.

Also on Sunday, Tennis Channel Academy returns with Tracy Austin as the host.

HALL OF FAMER TRACY AUSTIN RETURNS AS HOST

FOR SECOND SEASON OF TENNIS CHANNEL ACADEMY

Tennis Channel’s Eight-Part Coaches Series Begins Sunday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2009 – One of America’s all-time most popular tennis stars, Tracy Austin, will return as host of Tennis Channel Academy, which begins its second season on Tennis Channel this month. Austin, who took viewers to six top-level tennis academies during the series’ initial run last autumn, will highlight seven new coaches this year before concluding with a Best of Tennis Channel Academy: Backhands edition. The first episode of Tennis Channel Academy will premiere Sunday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. ET, and will be replayed on the network during subsequent weeks. A complete schedule can be found at www.tennischannel.com/schedule.

“Tennis Channel Academy gives recreational players access to the best coaches in a way that just wasn’t available before,” said Austin. “In our first season we were able to showcase not just several of the best tennis pros in the sport but also dozens of techniques and drills that can instantly improve anyone’s game. We have another great lineup in place with this year’s coaches and I’m excited to share their lessons with our viewers.”

Tennis Channel Academy introduces viewers to the top coaches in the game, men and women who teach some of the sport’s most accomplished players. Austin unveils technique, conditioning, psychology and overall strategy through a different coach each episode, and brings Tennis Channel viewers the same lessons that regularly guide Grand Slam tournament champions and on-court Olympians. In the first edition of the new season, she introduces audiences to Harold Solomon, former U.S. Davis Cup winner and coach of such stars as Jim Courier, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and current No. 5 singles player Elena Dementieva. Other Tennis Channel Academy coaches this season include Rennae Stubbs, Johan Kriek, Craig Kardon, Wayne Bryan (with twin sons Bob and Mike, one of the most accomplished doubles teams in tennis history), Emilio Sanchez and Brett Hobden.

During the inaugural season of Tennis Channel Academy, viewers visited Nick Bollettieri, Chris Evert and her brother John, Pat Etcheberry, Robert Lansdorp, Rodney Harmon, and Carlos Rodriquez (with former No. 1 Justine Henin).

Austin is perhaps best known for storming onto the tennis scene and dethroning four-time US Open champion Chris Evert in 1979, winning the tournament as a 16-year-old prodigy, the youngest US Open champion in history. She held the No. 1 singles ranking in 1980 before a variety of injuries cut short her career, but nonetheless managed to win 30 career titles, including two US Open singles championships and a Wimbledon mixed doubles title. The International Tennis Hall of Fame inducted Austin into its wings in 1992.

2009 Tennis Channel Academy Schedule (episodes premiere Sundays at 6:30 p.m. ET unless otherwise noted)

Episode Location Date

Harold Solomon, Harold Solomon Institute, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 15

Rennae Stubbs, Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa, Fla., Nov. 22

Craig Kardon, Retired player Jeff Tarango’s home, Hermosa Beach, Calif., Nov. 29

Johan Kriek, Johan Kriek Academy, Springbrook Tennis Academy, Fla., Dec. 6

Wayne Bryan, Spanish Hills Country Club, Camarillo, Calif., Dec. 13, 6 p.m.

Emilio Sanchez, Sanchez/Casal Tennis Academy, Naples, Fla., Dec. 13

Brett Hobden, Malibu Racquet Club, Malibu, Calif., Dec. 20, 6 p.m.

Best of Tennis Channel Academy: Backhands, Dec. 20

That will do it for tonight and I'll be back later in the morning.