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ESPN Announces 2012 NASCAR Coverage

The ESPN family of networks will once again be all over NASCAR with coverage of the entire Nationwide Series and the last 17 races of the Sprint Cup schedule including the 10 race Chase series.

Calling the races will be Allen Bestwick for the first part of the Nationwide Series and ESPN/ABC’s Sprint Cup schedule. Marty Reid will jump in to take over the second half of the Nationwide Series.

They’ll be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth. The pit reporting crew will consist of Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.

Nicole Briscoe is back as host of the NASCAR Countdown prerace show with Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty with Ray Everham returning to the ESPN crew this season.

Here’s the press release.

ESPN’S NASCAR Coverage Set to Take Green Flag at Daytona

ESPN’s coverage of the 2012 NASCAR season launches with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 25, on ESPN. The telecast begins at noon ET with NASCAR Countdown. The 300-mile race’s green flag flies at 1:34 p.m.

All 33 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fourteen of the 17 races will air on ESPN, with three Saturday night races appearing on ABC. ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the Chase begins Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.

In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, season preview and review programs and a special Chase preview. Races include NASCAR Countdown, a dedicated pre-race program, and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now.

All of ESPN’s NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

ESPN’s team of announcers has five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions in analyst roles in 2012, including 1999 champion driver Dale Jarrett and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace. Two-time champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree also will offer expert analysis during the season while three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham returns to ESPN this season after taking the 2011 season off.

Lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick will join Jarrett and Petree in the booth for race telecasts, with pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. From the ESPN Pit Studio, Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown with analysts Wallace and Brad Daugherty, joined by Evernham for selected races, mostly in the second half of the season. Brewer will report from the Emmy-winning ESPN Tech Garage during race telecasts to help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing.

Marty Reid will step into the lap-by-lap announcer position for NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts once ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins, with Bestwick calling the Cup races. Reid also will call selected Nationwide Series races in the first half of the season while continuing his role as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s telecasts of the IndyCar Series.

Wallace, Evernham and NASCAR Now analyst Ricky Craven also will help call some races from the booth as fill-ins for Jarrett and Petree. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will work as pit reporters for selected races as will Rick DeBruhl, a pit reporter on ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series, and Jim Noble.

ESPN’s NASCAR race telecasts will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg and coordinating producer Kate Jackson. NASCAR Sprint Cup races and selected Nationwide Series races will be produced by Jamie Shiftan while Jim Gaiero will produce other Nationwide Series races. Richie Basile will be director.

ESPN’s multimedia approach to coverage of NASCAR touches multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ABC, ABC HD, WatchESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile, espnW and Jayski.com.

NASCAR race schedules for the ESPN Networks in 2012 are as follows:

2012 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE ON ESPN NETWORKS

July 29	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 5	Pocono Raceway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 12	Watkins Glen International	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 19	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 25	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 2	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 8	Richmond International Raceway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 16	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Sep. 23	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Sep. 30	Dover International Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 7	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 13	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21	Kansas Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 28	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Nov. 4	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.
Nov. 11	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN	3 p.m.
Nov. 18	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.

2012 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE

Feb. 25	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN	1:15 p.m.
March 3	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN2	4:30 p.m.
March 10	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	ESPN2	5 p.m.
March 17	Bristol Motor Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
March 24	Auto Club Speedway	ESPN	5:30 p.m.
Apr. 13	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN2	8:30 p.m.
Apr. 27	Richmond International Raceway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
May 5	Talladega Superspeedway	ABC	3:15 p.m.
May 11	Darlington Raceway	ESPN2	7 p.m.
May 20	Iowa Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
May 26	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC	2:45 p.m.
June 2	Dover International Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
June 16	Michigan International Speedway	ABC	3:45 p.m.
June 23	Road America	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
June 29	Kentucky Speedway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
July 6	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
July 14	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
July 22	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.
July 28	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN	4:30 p.m.
Aug. 4	Iowa Speedway	ESPN2	8 p.m.
Aug. 11	Watkins Glen International	ABC	2:15 p.m.
Aug. 18	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	ESPN	2:30 p.m.
Aug. 24	Bristol Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN2	7 p.m.
Sept. 7	Richmond International Raceway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 15	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN2	3:30 p.m.
Sept. 22	Kentucky Speedway	ESPN	4 p.m.
Sept. 29	Dover International Speedway	ESPN2	3:30 p.m.
Oct. 12	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20	Kansas Speedway	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
Nov. 3	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 10	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN	4 p.m.
Nov. 17	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN2	4:30 p.m.

That is all.

Fox Sports Net Airs “Connected with Jason Whitlock” Special on Muhammed Ali

The latest episode of Fox Sports Net’s “Connected with Jason Whitlock” will focus on Muhammed Ali and the impact he had on sports, politics and the black community. Whitlock’s guests will include embattled baseball star Barry Bonds, NFL legend Jim Brown, former NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp, former NBA player John Salley, noted University of Cal-Berekley professor Dr. Harry Edwards and celebrated boxing writer Jerry Izenberg.

The show airs on your local Fox Sports Net affiliate this week and doesn’t have a set national time, but you can check the times and your local FSN channel below.

And here’s what the special will entail.

JASON WHITLOCK TALKS TO BARRY BONDS, JIM BROWN, AND WARREN SAPP FOR MUHAMMAD ALI SPECIAL

New Episode of Connected with Jason Whitlock: The Greatest on the Greatest
Recorded at Caesars Palace Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Program Airs on FOXSports.com and FSN in Honor of Black History Month

From boxing to politics, Muhammad Ali was never bashful and always spoke his mind. His impact on society and many of the athletes who followed him is immeasurable.

In a new episode of Connected with Jason Whitlock, “The Greatest on the Greatest”, the FOXSports.com national columnist is joined by two of the most prominent African-Americans in sports history—MLB home run king Barry Bonds and NFL legend Jim Brown—to celebrate Black History Month and take a look back at Ali’s life and career. Also joining Whitlock to discuss Ali are former Buccaneers defensive lineman Warren Sapp, former NBA player John Salley, UC Berkeley professor Dr. Harry Edwards and hall-of-fame sportswriter Jerry Izenberg.

The hour-long special debuts this week on FOX Sports regional networks around the country. The show is also available on FOXSports.com: (seg 1) http://ow.ly/9cuHa (seg 2) http://ow.ly/9cx0r and (seg 3) http://ow.ly/9cwSM.

Shot at Caesars Palace Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Whitlock moderates the discussion with his guests inside the original boxing ring where Ali lost to Larry Holmes in their 1980 heavyweight bout, the penultimate fight of Ali’s career.

Guests discuss memories of Ali, his burden on younger athletes, his polarizing ways, the hard work he combined with his natural ability and how Ali would be regarded if he were fighting today.

“You always have to have someone or something to look up to, and Muhammad Ali is one of those athletes we look up to,” said former Major League Baseball player Barry Bonds. “Muhammad Ali was the best promoter I’ve ever seen.”

FOX Sports thanks the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau for their support with this program. Below is a list of scheduled airtimes on FOX Sports regional networks. Check your local listings for additional airings.

FOX SPORTS ARIZONA – Friday, February 24, 3:30 PM PT
FOX SPORTS DETROIT – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS FLORIDA – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS MIDWEST – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM CT
MSG PLUS – Thursday, February 23, 3:30 PM ET
FOX SPORTS NORTH – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM CT
FOX SPORTS WISCONSIN – Thursday, February 23, 3:00 PM CT
ROOT SPORTS NORTHWEST – Wednesday, February 22, 3:00 PM PT
FOX SPORTS OHIO – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM ET
ROOT SPORTS PITTSBURGH – Thursday, February 23, 3:00 PM ET
ROOT SPORTS ROCKY MOUNTAIN –  Wednesday, February 22, 3:00 PM MT
FOX SPORTS SOUTH – Friday, February 24, 4:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST – Monday, February 27, 7:00 PM CT
FOX SPORTS HOUSTON – Monday, February 27, 7:00 PM CT
FOX SPORTS WEST – Saturday, February 25, 12:00 PM PT
COMCAST SPORTSNET PHILADELPHIA – Friday, February 24, 3:00 PM ET
COMCAST SPORTSNET CHICAGO – Sunday, February 26, 11:00 PM CT

That will do it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
Nebraska at Purdue — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
Dayton at Duquense — A-10 Network: The Comcast Network, 7 p.m.
South Florida at Syracuse — Big East Network: Bright House/MASN/SNY, 7 p.m.
Mississippi at Tennessee — CSS/Cox Sports Television/Comcast SportsNet California Plus, 7 p.m.
West Virginia at Notre Dame — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
James Madison at Drexel — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Rutgers at Marquette — Big East Network: MASN/MSG Plus, 8 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma — Big 12 Network, 8 p.m.
East Carolina at Memphis — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
Georgia at LSU — SEC Network, 8 p.m.
South Carolina at Vanderbilt — SEC Network, 8 p.m.
TCU at Air Force — the mtn., 8 p.m.
Michigan State at Minnesota — Big Ten Network, 8:30 p.m.
Kansas at Texas A&M — ESPN2, 9 p.m.
Texas Tech a Iowa State — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Boise State at UNLV — CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m.
Wyoming at San Diego State — the mtn., 10:30 p.m.
UC-Santa Barbara at Long Beach State — ESPN2, 11 p.m.

Women’s
Oklahoma State at Kansas State — Fox Sports Kansas City/Fox Sports South, 8 p.m.

Golf
PGA Tour: WGC-Match Play Championships, Day One — Golf Channel, noon

MLB
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Quarterfinals, Mets vs. Cubs — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Quarterfinals, Red Sox vs. White Sox — MLB Network, 9:30 p.m.

NBA
Boston at Oklahoma City — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas — ESPN, 9:30 p.m.

NHL
Washington at Ottawa — TSN/RDS/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus, 7 p.m.
Boston at St. Louis — NESN/Fox Sports Midwest, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado — NBC Sports Network/TSN2, 9 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL 36: Mike Richards — NBC Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 8:30 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 11:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 1 a.m. (Thursday)

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
NBC SportsTalk — NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.

UEFA Champions League
Olympique vs. Milan — Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.
Basel vs. Bayern Munich — Fox Soccer Plus/Fox Sports Net, 2:30 p.m.

UEFA Champions League Pregame — Fox Soccer/Fox Sports Net, 2 p.m.
UEFA Champions League Highlights — Fox Soccer, 11 p.m.

Entertainment
The Middle — ABC, 8 p.m.
Survivor: One World — CBS, 8 p.m.
Suburgatory — ABC, 8:30 p.m.
Sportfolio — Bloomberg, 9 p.m.
Rock Center with Brian Williams — NBC, 9 p.m.
Sex for Sale: American Escort — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — CBS, 10 p.m.
American Weed: Marijuana Drama (series premiere) — National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: A Dream Home on Roatan — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

What is This Local News Anchor Wearing?

This afternoon after running errands, I turned on the TV for the local news and I noticed that anchor Alison Bologna of WJAR-TV in Providence, RI was wearing one of the most hideous things I have ever seen. It was so distracting, that I had no idea what she was reading off the teleprompter. Luckily, my trusty iPhone was nearby and I took this picture from Wednesday’s 7 p.m. newscast.

See if you can figure out if those are feathers or something else on her top. It certainly wasn’t the way I was expecting to see my news delivered tonight.

I’ve been told by someone who knows fashion that it could be a Pucci dress or a similar knockoff. I have no idea what that means. Suffice to say that this is a fashion faux pas.

Bryant Gumbel’s Closing Comment on Real Sports Focuses on Jeremy Lin

We have the transcript from tonight’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. As expected, Bryant speaks about the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, but he also thinks the coverage is more of a media creation and come Spring Training, no one will care about him. Agree?

BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL

EPISODE #179

AIRS TONIGHT (2/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT

“Finally tonight, I’m hoping you didn’t think we’d make it through the whole program this evening without mentioning Jeremy Lin.  If so, I’m sorry to disappoint you, because like everyone else we’ve been enthralled by Lin’s meteoric rise and unforeseen efforts.  His is the kind of story everyone can cheer.

But now that he’s met the challenges posed by such powerhouses as the Lakers and the Mavericks, I’m curious to see how Lin fares against the Yankees.  That’s right, the Yankees.  See amid the Jeremy Lin hoopla, it’s been easy to overlook the fact that Spring Training got underway this past weekend, as pitchers and catchers reported for duty, and here in New York over the next few weeks, that is going to pose a new and very different kind of challenge to the Lin Mystique.

As Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban suggested last week, Lin is getting a ton of attention not just because his is a great story, but also because he plays in the media capital of the world, and in this capital, Lin has had the town to himself since his run began.  Which is why it’s going to be interesting to see if his exploits continue to be headlined after New Yorkers start hearing news about Joba Chamberlain’s surgically repaired right arm, A-Rod’s troubled knees and Derek Jeter’s battle with age.

Baseball may be ho-hum in some places, but this is still very much a pinstriped city.  Yes, fans here love an underdog and a winner, but history suggests that nothing in sports surpasses Manhattan’s obsession with the Yankees.  The Knicks, thanks to Lin, are the hot team.  The New York Rangers are among the Stanley Cup favorites and the New York Giants just won the Super Bowl.  But make no mistake, the Yankees are the big bully here in Manhattan and opening day is just six weeks away.  The way Lin has captured the headlines; it may yet be a fair fight.”

That will do it.

TBS Announces Early 2012 Sunday MLB Schedule

TBS has unveiled the first eight games of its Sunday afternoon MLB schedule and the first things that jump out are the three appearances each by the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. In the Rays’ case, all of their games are against the Yankees and Red Sox. No other teams make multiple appearances during that stretch. You will see the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers once during that span.

This season, TBS will carry games on 26 Sundays. It will carry all of the MLB Divisional Playoffs as well as the American League Championship Series and if there’s a Wild Card round, it’s expected TBS will have that as well.

Let’s check out the MLB on TBS schedule.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Returns with Multiple Appearances by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox During April and May

Network will deliver its First Pitch on Sunday, April 8 with the Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Yankees

The ‘boys of summer’ will return to TBS as the network opens its 26-game Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season schedule on Sunday, April 8, with the Tampa Bay Rays hosting their American League East division rival the New York Yankees. The “Sunday MLB on TBS” schedule for 2012, which includes match-ups on the network every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season, includes multiple appearances by the New York Yankees (April 8,April 29 and May 6) and the Boston Red Sox (April 15, May 20 and May 27). The schedule will also feature a rematch of the 2011 ALCS when Josh Hamilton and the two-time defending AL champion Texas Rangers visit Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers on April 22 at 1 p.m. (ET). Other highlights of the early schedule include:

• April 8: The “Sunday MLB on TBS” schedule gets underway with Derek Jeter and the Yankees taking on Evan Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays (1:30 p.m. ET).
• May 13: A National League showdown featuring the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Atlanta Braves (2 p.m. ET).
• May 20: Interleague match-up between two star-studded squads when Adrian Gonzalez and the Red Sox visit Hunter Pence and the Philadelphia Phillies (1:30 p.m. ET).

The network will also exclusively televise the 2012 MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, July 1. In October, TBS will once again provide exclusive coverage of all four MLB Division Series (DS) and the American League Championship Series (ALCS). The network will announce future games on its schedule coinciding with its selection windows.

2012 SUNDAY MLB ON TBS SCHEDULE

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Sunday, April 8	1:30 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays
Sunday, April 15	1:30 p.m.	Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox
Sunday, April 22	1 p.m.	Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers
Sunday, April 29	1 p.m.	Detroit Tigers @ New York Yankees
Sunday, May 6	2 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals
Sunday, May 13	2 p.m.	Atlanta Braves @ St. Louis Cardinals
Sunday, May 20	1:30 p.m.	Boston Red Sox @ Philadelphia Phillies
Sunday, May 27	1:30 p.m.	Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox

TBS has broadcast MLB coverage for more than 30 years serving as the exclusive home of the MLB Division Series (DS) and one League Championship Series (LCS) since 2007 and home of Atlanta Braves coverage from 1977 to 2007. 

That’s going to do it for this post.

MLB Network’s Baseball IQ Down To The Quarterfinals

MLB Network’s first-ever game show, Baseball IQ, is now down to the Elite Eight. Tonight and tomorrow, the show will whittle down the teams to the Final Four and then the Championship. Representatives from all MLB teams, MLB.com and the Baseball Hall of Fame took part in a single-elimination tournament that brought us to the quarterfinal round this week.

Tonight, Baseball IQ will air the Angels vs. Hall of Fame and the Diamondback vs. the Rockies. And on Thursday, it’ll be the Mets vs. the Cubs and the Red Sox vs. the White Sox.

It all leads to the two semifinals and the championship next Thursday night. MLB Network provides the details.

MLB NETWORK’S FIRST-EVER GAME SHOW BASEBALL IQ DOWN TO TOP EIGHT PARTICIPANTS

Participants Competing in Bracket-Style Tournament to Win $45,000 For Charity
Quarter-Final Round Begins February 21; Championship Game to Air February 23

Secaucus, N.J., February 17, 2012 – MLB Network’s first-ever game show Baseball IQ is down to its top eight participants, with the quarter-final round of the bracket-style tournament beginning on Tuesday, February 21. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Assistant Equipment Manager Shane Demmitt will match up against National Baseball Hall of Fame Director of Communications Craig Muder at 9:00 p.m. ET, immediately followed by Arizona Diamondbacks dbTV Graphics Supervisor Josh DeFamio competing against Colorado Rockies Director of Retail Operations Aaron Heinrich at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The remaining quarter-final matches will pair New York Mets Statistical Analyst Ben Baumer against Chicago Cubs Account Executive, Corporate Partnerships Ryan Balogh on Wednesday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET, followed by Boston Red Sox Video Coordinator Billy Broadbent facing Chicago White Sox Director of Baseball Operations Dan Fabian at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Hosted by Matt Vasgersian, MLB Network’s Baseball IQ is a recall-based trivia show featuring two participants, 30 minutes and a chance to win up to $45,000 for charity. Questions cover all things baseball, from current players and managers to World Series champions, MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, Hall of Famers, milestones and more.

MLB Network surveyed all 30 Clubs, MLB.com and the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum for the best and brightest trivia minds in their organizations to represent them, and thirty-two participants were matched up in a bracket-style tournament across 31 episodes. New episodes will air every Tuesday through Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET through February 23, leading up to the start of Spring Training.

Baseball IQ features participants including front office personnel, equipment managers, scoreboard operators and museum curators. The winning player of each episode will win $5,000 for the organization’s charity they represent. The championship episode will award $25,000 for the winner’s organization’s charity and $15,000 to the runner-up’s organization’s charity.

MLB Network’s programming schedule for the remainder of Baseball IQ is available below. The complete bracket and information on rules, participants and charities can be found here. Additional show information and programming updates will be posted to MLB Network’s Facebook page and Twitter feed via #MLBNBaseballIQ.

MLB Network’s Baseball IQ – Episode Schedule (all times Eastern)

Tuesday, February 21:
9:00 p.m. – Angels (Shane Demmitt, Asst. Equipment Manager) vs. Hall of Fame (Craig Muder, Dir. of Communications)
9:30 p.m. – D-backs (Josh DeFamio, Supervisor, dbTV Graphics) vs. Rockies (Aaron Heinrich, Dir. of Retail Operations)

Wednesday, February 22:
9:00 p.m. – Mets (Ben Baumer, Statistical Analyst) vs. Cubs (Ryan Balogh, Account Exec., Corporate Partnerships)
9:30 p.m. – Red Sox (Billy Broadbent, Video Coordinator) vs. White Sox (Dan Fabian, Dir. of Baseball Operations)

Thursday, February 22:
9:00 p.m. – Semi-Final Round 1
9:30 p.m. – Semi-Final Round 2
10:00 p.m. – Championship Round

There you go.

Tennis Channel To Rank 100 Greatest Players of All-Time

Coming up in March, Tennis Channel will air a five part series counting down the 100 Greatest Player in the sport of all-time. The weeklong special titled “100 Greatest of all Time” will air from March 19-23 and will span from the sport’s beginnings all the way through today. You would have to think Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Steff Graf, Ken Rosewall, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would be on the list somewhere along with other greats like Bill Tilden, Althea Gibson, Venus and Serena Williams and so many others.

Tennis Channel says a panel of journalists, players, coaches, historians and “industry representatives” chose the 100 Greatest.

We have details from Tennis Channel below.

TENNIS CHANNEL TO COUNT DOWN HISTORY’S TOP 100 PLAYERS MARCH 19-23

Special Series, 100 Greatest of all Time, will Unfold Across Five Nights, Reveal Best Tennis Player Ever

That is it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
Xavier at UMass — A-10 Network: Fox Sports Ohio/The Comcast Network, 7 p.m.
Georgetown at Seton Hall — Big East Network: Altitude/Bright House/CSS/MASN/SNY, 7 p.m.
Illinois at Ohio State — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Kansas State at Missouri — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Auburn at Florida — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Clemson at Georgia Tech — Fox Sports Net: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports North/Fox Sports South/NESN, 7 p.m.
Miami at Maryland — ACC Network, 8 p.m.
North Carolina at North Carolina State — ACC Network, 8 p.m.
Michigan at Northwestern — Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Evansville at Creighton — Fox College Sports Central: Fox Sports Midwest, 8 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi State — ESPN, 9 p.m.
Virginia at Virginia Tech — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
New Mexico at Colorado State – the mtn., 10 p.m.

Women’s
West Virginia at St. John’s — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Texas at Baylor — Big 12 Network, 7:30 p.m.
San Diego State at Wyoming — the mtn., 8 p.m.
Syracuse at DePaul — CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m.

MLB
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Quarterfinals, Angels vs. Hall of Fame — MLB Network, 9 p.m.
Baseball IQ: Quarterfinals, Diamondbacks vs. Rockies — MLB Network, 9:30 p.m.

NBA
Sacramento at Miami — NBA TV, 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio at Portland — NBA TV, 10 p.m.

NHL
New Jersey at Toronto — MSG Plus 2/Rogers Sportsnet Ontario, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Buffalo — MSG Plus/MSG Buffalo, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at Pittsburgh — MSG Network/Root Sports Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Winnipeg — Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia/TSN-Jets, 7 p.m.
San Jose at Columbus — Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports Ohio, 7 p.m.
Anaheim at Tampa Bay — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/Sun Sports, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Montreal — RDS/Fox Sports Southwest/TSN-Habs, 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago — NBC Sports Network/TSN2/Fox Sports Detroit/Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Nashville — Rogers Sportsnet Pacific/Fox Sports Tennessee, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary — Rogers Sportsnet West, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Phoenix — Fox Sports West/Fox Sports Arizona, 9 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 1 a.m. (Wednesday)

Skiing
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Moscow, Russia
City Event, Men’s & Women’s Parallel — Universal Sports, 11 a.m. (same day coverage)

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
NBC SportsTalk — NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.

UEFA Champions League
CSKA Moskva vs. Real Madrid — Fox Soccer, 11:55 a.m.
Napoli vs. Chelsea — Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.

UEFA Champions League Pregame — Fox Soccer, 2 p.m.
UEFA Champions League Highlights — Fox Soccer, 11 p.m.

Entertainment
NCIS — CBS, 8 p.m.
Clinton: American Experience — PBS, 8 p.m.
The Injustice Files: At the End of A Rope — Investigation Discovery, 8 p.m.
New Girl — Fox, 9 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles — CBS, 9 p.m.
Ringer — The CW, 9 p.m.
Dirty Jobs: Dirty Conversations 2 — Discovery, 9 p.m.
Top Gear: Muscle Cars — History Channel, 9 p.m.
Doomsday Preppers: It’s All Gonna Hit The Fan — National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.
United Tastes of America: Wellfleet Oyster Festival — Cooking Channel, 10 p.m.
Body of Proof — ABC, 10 p.m.
Justified — FX, 10 p.m.
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel — HBO, 10 p.m.
Southland — TNT, 10 p.m.
Conan — TBS, 11 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

Late Monday Afternoon Links

This week is going to be busy for me. I was cleaning out an office for most of the day and it looks like that will be on the agenda for the rest of the month. I’ll do my best to post what I can here. But just know that I may be scarce. I’ll do what I can to post breaking news when I can.

Let’s do some linkage.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NBA on ESPN/ABC crew did not go overboard in covering Sunday’s Dallas-New York Knicks game.

Irving DeJohn and Helen Kennedy of the New York Daily News speak with the ESPN editor who lost his job over the Jeremy Lin headline slur that was seen on the network’s mobile site.

Ole Skaar and Helen Kennedy of the Daily News have Jeremy Lin forgiving and forgetting about the ESPN.com headline.

Ty Duffy from The Big Lead feels ESPNews anchor Max Bretos who was suspended for a month by the Alleged Worldwide Leader in reference to Jeremy Lin, got too harsh a punishment.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times also writes about ESPN’s actions in the wake of the Jeremy Lin headline.

Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo has Lin appealing to the Taiwanese media to leave his relatives alone.

Patrick Burns at Deadspin has ESPN SportsCenter going way overboard in Jeremy Lin mentions last week. That’s not good at all.

Paul Bond of the Hollywood Reporter has Glen Beck going after ESPN and ABC for the Max Bretos suspension.

Mike Silva at Sports Media Watchdog feels ESPN overreacted.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch interviews Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel and ESPN’s Michelle Beadle in the latest edition of his podcast.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand has the full joint statement from MSG Network and Time Warner Cable in regards to their agreement.

In this week’s SBJ issue, John writes that NBC Sports Network’s ratings are off to a slow start.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says MSG Network will take viewers inside the World’s Most Famous Arena’s Phase I renovation.

Tim Nudd of Adweek writes that M&M’s won the YouTube 2012  Super Bowl Ad Blitz.

Rich Thomaselli of Advertising Age writes that sponsors are knocking on Jeremy Lin’s door, hoping he will endorse their products.

Ryan Berenz from Channel Guide magazine talks with CBS/Golf Channel’s David Feherty.

It’s no secret that the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates the WWE.

The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman speculates that ESPN jettisoned Ron Jaworski from Monday Night Football in case Peyton Manning becomes available.

Jaworski speaks with Philadelphia sports radio host Mike Missanelli about being taken off Monday Night Football.

Thanks to Sports Radio Interviews for the link.

The Washington Examiner’s Jim Williams talks with TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal and ESPN’s Jon Barry about the Wizards.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times reviews the weekend in sports television.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks with Frank Deford about his new memoir.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post notes the rise of Linsanity.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports schedule for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail explores the policy of NHL teams that allow reporters to fly on their private planes with the players.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star looks at the ugly side of Linsanity.

Sports Media Watch notes the overnight ratings for the NASCAR Budweiser Shooting on Fox were up from last year.

SMW says the first half of NBC’s Hockey Day in America did well.

And that will do it.

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Basketball
Men’s
UConn at Villanova — ESPN, 7 p.m.
Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State — ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Baylor at Texas — ESPN, 9 p.m.
DePaul at St. John’s — ESPNU, 9 p.m.

Women’s
Notre Dame at Louisville — ESPN, 2 p.m.
Ohio State at Penn State — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Northwestern at Illinois — Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky — ESPN2, 9 p.m.

MLB
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live – MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Professional Scouts Foundation Awards — MLB Network, 10 p.m.

NBA
Atlanta at Chicago — ESPN, 4 p.m.
Boston at Dallas — TNT, 8 p.m.
Portland at Los Angeles Lakers — TNT, 10:30 p.m.

Inside the NBA — TNT, 1 a.m. (Tuesday)

NHL
Ottawa at New York Islanders — Rogers Sportsnet/MSG Plus, 1 p.m.
Washington at Carolina — NBC Sports Network/TSN2/RDSI/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 7:30 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN2, 5:30 p.m.
NBC SportsTalk — NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.

Entertainment
How I Met Your Mother — CBS, 8 p.m.
House — Fox, 8 p.m.
Love Lust: The History of Lingerie — Sundance, 8 p.m.
Alcatraz — Fox, 9 p.m.
Hart of Dixie — The CW, 9 p.m.
Clinton: American Experience — PBS, 9 p.m.
Hawaii Five-0 — CBS, 10 p.m.
Intervention: Skyler; Jessa — A&E, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International: Adventurous Couple in Naples — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

TNT Airs a President’s Day Holiday Doubleheader

The NBA gets three games nationally on Monday as it’s a three day weekend for many Americans. ESPN will air Atlanta at Chicago at 4 p.m. But TNT gets a primetime doubleheader with the Boston Celtics taking on the defending NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks. That will be followed by Portland at the Lakers in the nightcap.

It all starts at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and will last through Inside the NBA immediately following the action.

Here’s your schedule for Monday on TNT.

NBA on TNT Presents a Special President’s Day Doubleheader on Monday, Feb. 20

Games to Feature Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks (8 p.m ET) followed by Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET)

TNT NBA Thursday continues on February 20 with an special President’s Day doubleheader beginning at 8 p.m. (ET). The first game will feature Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics visiting Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Marv Albert (play-by-play) will be courtside along with Mike Fratello (analyst) and Steve Kerr (analyst) to call the game with Craig Sager (reporter). The second game of the night will feature a match-up of Western Conference All-Stars when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers host LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) will call the action with Cheryl Miller (reporter). Following the second game, Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst) will recap the night’s action.

Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook  (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.

NBA ON TNT NBA SCHEDULE:

DAY/DATE
TIME (ET)	EVENT
Monday, February 20
8 p.m.	TNT NBA Tip-Off
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
	Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks
	Marv Albert (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
10:30 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers
	Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Cheryl Miller (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

DAY/DATE
TIME (ET)	EVENT
Thursday, February 23
8 p.m.	TNT NBA Tip-Off live in Orlando
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
	New York Knicks @ Miami Heat
	Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
9:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
	Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Mike Fratello (analyst), Chris Webber (analyst) with Marty Snider (reporter)
Post-game	Inside the NBA live in Orlando
	Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)

That will do it.

ESPN Takes Additional Action in Jeremy Lin Headline Slur

ESPN has announced disciplinary action against the person responsible for the Asian slur on the network’s mobile site and ESPNews anchor Max Bretos who used the same phrase earlier in the week.

ESPN won’t name the headline writer, but needless to say that person has been fired. Bretos has been suspended for a month. ESPN says a person who used the same slur on its New York radio affiliate last week is not a company employee and will not be disciplined.

Here’s the official statement from ESPN.

Follow-up Statement and Action

At ESPN we are aware of three offensive and inappropriate comments made on ESPN outlets during our coverage of Jeremy Lin.

Saturday we apologized for two references. We have since learned of a similar reference Friday on ESPN Radio New York.

The incidents were separate and different. We have engaged in a thorough review of all three and have taken the following action:

• The ESPN employee responsible for our Mobile headline has been dismissed.
• The ESPNEWS anchor has been suspended for 30 days.
• The radio commentator is not an ESPN employee.

We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin. His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future.

More later if news warrants.

A Few Sunday Links

Looks like I’ll be out for most of the day today. Avoided my day being planned for me on Saturday, but not on Sunday.

Multichannel News looks at NBC Sports Group’s Hockey Day in America coverage.

Kent Gibbons of Multichannel writes that Fuse which was dropped by Time Warner Cable ahead of its dispute with MSG Network, has been restored.

Aaron Couch at the Hollywood Reporter says ESPN has had to apologize for an Asian slur on its mobile site.

The Asian American Journalists Association is glad ESPN apologized, but is disappointed the slur was put up in the first place.

Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes couldn’t believe ESPN went there with Jeremy Lin.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid says Saturday Night Live tackled the Jeremy Lin issue with some inappropriate Asian humor.

Kansas City sportscaster Herbie Teope provides his reaction to the Jeremy Lin slur on ESPN.com.

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times writes in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center that Super Bowl XLVI set a new standard in broadcasting.

Joe Favorito says Hockey Weekend in America is gathering momentum.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times writes that ESPN apologized twice in regard to Jeremy Lin.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post wants Nicki Manaj nowhere near the NBA.

That’s it for now. Time for me to head out. Day’s planned for me behind my back again.

Mad Men Season 5 Promo

Our first promo for Season 5 of Mad Men is out. It doesn’t reveal much, but I’m sure future promos will give us tastes of what we can expect. As I did for Season 4, I will post videos after each episode. Here’s an example in case you’re a new reader.

And let’s take a look at the promo that has plenty of Don Draper. Oh, just seeing this puts me in the mood for some Mad Men.

Mad Men premieres March 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

Saturday Linkage

The last thing I wanted to wake up to this morning was reaction to racist headlines regarding Jeremy Lin, but that’s what we have on this Saturday. I’ve already written a post about it and I’ve given my opinion about the incident already. I’ll give ESPN the benefit of the doubt feeling the headline was unintentional, but let this be a lesson to other news organizations who are trying to be cute with puns or creative.

Mike McCarthy says ESPN has apologized for the headline.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch reacts to ESPN’s actions following the posting of the headline.

Ben Koo at Awful Announcing says even if the incident was unintentional, it was still inexcusable to allow the headline to get through.

Media Rantz says this is not the first time that an ESPN platform has used “chink in the armor” in a Jeremy Lin story.

Patty Hsieh at Aery’s Sports’ The Pigskin March site sums up the feeling of what many Asians like myself are thinking today.

Sports Media Watch has some context to the ESPN.com Jeremy Lin headline.

The Angry Asian Man blog has its reaction.

Now to other stories.

Tragic story. The son of Fox Sports’ Chris Myers was killed this week in a car accident and it will keep Myers from his NASCAR duties.

Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel says the Pac-12 Conference is hoping its in-house network will break TV barriers.

Todd Cunningham of The Wrap notes that the NBA’s TV partners can’t go crazy and add New York Knicks games this season.

Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder looks at yesterday’s Twitter feud between CNBC’s Darren Rovell and the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir.

Speaking of Richard, he and Howard Beck team up for a story in the Times about the resolution of the dispute between MSG Network and Time Warner Cable.

Nina Mandell of the New York Daily News says there was intervention among state and NBA officials to end the MSG/Time Warner Cable dispute.

The New York Post’s Claire Atkinson and Andy Soltis write about what brought MSG and Time Warner Cable back to the table.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has MSG’s official statement on the resolution.

Pete has Time Warner’s statement as well.

Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that ESPN’s ratings for college basketball are up.

Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press chronicles College GameDay’s visit to the Michigan campus.

John Daly of the Daly Planet has a recap of some NASCAR media issues going into its first real weekend of the season.

John Singler of the Motor Racing Network talks about the first online streaming of NASCAR this season.

That’s going to be it for today.

ESPN Had To Go There With Jeremy Lin

From the “What Were They Thinking?” Department, someone at ESPN put a “Chink in the Armor” headline at its mobile and tablet site for Jeremy Lin’s first loss. While it was not visible at its desktop site, many people saw it and quickly put screengrabs on Twitter.

The headline was removed, but not after an uproar ensued. I’m sure a statement is being crafted by ESPN on this matter.

And Guyism points out that this isn’t the first time at ESPN a “Chink in the armor” reference was used regarding Jeremy Lin this week.

I’m going to give ESPN the benefit of the doubt that this was unintentional, but as someone who’s been called “chink” growing up, this is very offensive. The network has to be very careful in the future.

h/t The Big Lead, SportsGrid, Bob’s Blitz, Busted Coverage, Romenesko

UPDATE, 9:08 a.m.: ESPN has issued a statement apologizing for the headline.

Statement on New York Knicks Jeremy Lin Headline

Last night, ESPN.com’s mobile web site posted an offensive headline referencing Jeremy Lin at 2:30 am ET. The headline was removed at 3:05 am ET. We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again. We regret and apologize for this mistake.

Hopefully, this is the last we have to hear of this.

UPDATE, 1:15 p.m.: ESPN has also issued this apology in regard to Max Bretos’ using “Chink in the armor” on ESPNews Wednesday. It was read on the air by anchor Jorge Andres at 12:35 p.m. today.

ESPNEWS Apology Regarding Jeremy Lin Question

Wednesday night on ESPNEWS, an anchor used an inappropriate word in asking a question about Jeremy Lin. ESPN apologizes for the incident, and is taking steps to avoid this in the future.

That’s it.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m.: Here’s the video of the apology that aired on SportsCenter this afternoon.

HBO’s Real Sports Returns February 21

HBO’s Emmy Award-winning sports magazine, Real Sports, returns Tuesday with three new stories. It includes an investigation into the tragic plane crash that took the lives of everyone on board from Lokomotiv, one of the best teams in Russia’s KHL.

Real Sports also profiles a professional BASE jumper. And the rounds out its new features with a story on the man on whom the character Jerry McGuire is based, former super agent Leigh Steinberg.

The program premieres this Tuesday night at 10 ET/PT.

We have the full press release from HBO below.

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL EXAMINES HOCKEY’S TRAGIC YAROSLAVL LOKOMOTIV PLANE CRASH; PROFILES PROFESSIONAL WINGSUITER JEB CORLISS; AND CHRONICLES THE SHOCKING FALL OF NFL SUPER AGENT LEIGH STEINBERG WHEN THE EMMY^®-WINNING SHOW RETURNS FEB. 21, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Now in its 18th season, REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 179th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, FEB. 21 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT & 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO.

HBO On Demand availability:  Feb. 27-March 19

Segments include:

*Russian Plane Crash. On Sept. 7, 2011, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, one of Russia’s premier hockey teams, boarded a Soviet-era Yak-42 jet at a Yaroslavl airport to travel to a game in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. A few moments after lift-off, the chartered aircraft crashed about 500 yards from the runway, instantly killing 43 of the 45 passengers, including several NHL veterans. The model of the aircraft carrying the team had a long history of problems, while the airline currently has one of the worst air safety records in the world. However, Russian air safety officials confirmed that the crash was caused by basic human error during takeoff. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg travels to Yaroslavl to delve further into what happened that tragic September afternoon.
Producer:  Joe Perskie.

*Jeb Corliss. The top competitor in an activity fraught with danger, 35-year-old Jeb Corliss is a professional BASE jumper, skydiver and wingsuiter. At age 18, he found comfort in what most would deem uncomfortable – jumping out of airplanes – and has since jumped off some of the world’s highest structures, including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Seattle’s Space Needle and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2006, he was arrested for attempting to BASE jump from New York’s Empire State Building.  REAL SPORTS correspondent Jon Frankel goes behind the scenes with Corliss as he attempts a jump in Cape Town, South Africa and captures his nearly fatal crash on film.
Producer:  Tim Walker.

*Leigh Steinberg. Once the most powerful sports agent in the world, Leigh Steinberg built an empire by making NFL players and himself extremely wealthy. The 62-year-old lawyer was the agent for a host of stars, including Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Drew Bledsoe, and even branched out into boxing, representing Oscar de la Hoya and Lennox Lewis. Now Steinberg is living with a roommate in an apartment in Southern California, fighting an addiction that he says cost him everything. REAL SPORTS correspondent Armen Keteyian presents a no-holds-barred look at the former NFL super agent and his fall from glory.
Producer:  Chapman Downes.

REAL SPORTS has won the Sports Emmy^® for Outstanding Sports Journalism 14 times and has received 22 Sports Emmy^® Awards overall.  It is the only sports program ever honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, having first been recognized in 2005. On Jan. 19, REAL SPORTS received its second duPont Award, for its series of investigative reports on concussions, highlighted by the Aug. 2010 story revealing the scientific link between sports concussions and the onset of ALS.

The executive producer of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL is Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer.

That’s going to do it.

BREAKING: MSG Network/Time Warner Cable Impasse Broken

Happening now, we’re learning from the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir that the seven week stalemate between MSG Network and Time Warner Cable is finally over.

At the end of 2011, MSG Network went dark on Time Warner systems after carriage talks broke down. For the last seven weeks, fans of the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and New York Rangers have had to scramble to find alternate methods of watching their favorite teams. And as the Jeremy Lin phenomenon took shape over the last two weeks, the calls to get a deal done got even louder.

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand says while an agreement has not been formally signed, it’s expected that tonight’s Knicks game against Charlotte will be seen by Time Warner customers in New York and the same should hold true for Montreal-Buffalo in Western New York.

Richard reports this is not a stopgap measure.

At least New York subscribers won’t have to go without MSG any longer.

Wringing Out Some Friday Megalinks

Let’s do your media megalinks since last week you did not get any.

Hard to believe that college baseball, college lacrosse and NASCAR seasons are starting up, but they are and they’re included in the Weekend Viewing Picks along with the regular Golf, NBA, NHL, Skiing, Soccer, Tennis and Entertainment recommendations.

To your links now.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says Jeremy Lin will make his nationwide broadcast network debut this weekend.

Tim Baysinger from Broadcasting & Cable notes that Floyd Mayweather’s next pay per view fight has been set by HBO for the spring.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News writes that Jeremy Lin continues to drive the MSG Network ratings engine.

Mike Shields of Adweek looks at CBS/Turner Sports’ plans to charge to view the NCAA Tournament online.

Ted Johnson of Variety talks with Ken Solomon of Tennis Channel on his ongoing battle to get a better footing with Comcast.

Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says the Jeremy Lin media coverage is over the top.

Sports Media Watch notes the increased viewership for the NHL on NBC Sports Network.

SMW says Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have lent their voices to a Disney XD cartoon series.

Andy Hall at ESPN Front Row PR blog celebrates the 5th anniversary of NASCAR’s return to the network.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell speaks with Jeremy Lin’s agent.

Andrew Bucholtz writing his first article for Awful Announcing looks at the reaction to Jeremy Lin in Canada.

Mat Yoder at AA says the ratings for last weekend’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am show fans are still interested in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Joe Favorito explores the steady growth of college lacrosse.

Mark J. Miller of Brandchannel says NASCAR fans don’t like it when drivers juggle sponsor logos throughout the Sprint Cup season.

The Big Lead has ESPN’s Erin Andrews out and about during New York’s Fashion Week.

Chris Chase at Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner notes that ESPN has been coaching Jon Gruden to use his words judiciously.

Harrison Mooney of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy says Jeremy Lin’s drawing power might indirectly benefit the New York Rangers, Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils which have been missing from Time Warner Cable systems in addition to the Knicks.

David B. Wilkerson at MarketWatch wonders if the MSG/Time Warner Cable feud will eventually push sports into a premium tier.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn gets some advice for new NESN Red Sox field reporter Jenny Dell from MSG’s Tina Cervasio.

At SB Nation Boston, Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch pays tribute to Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan who announced he’s retiring after the London Olympics.

Surviving Grady has a podcast with Jen Royle.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the new charge for viewing the NCAA Tournament online.

Richard writes about the increased ratings for Knicks games since Jeremy Lin arrived on the scene.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post is in rare form today even for him.

Brett Cyrgalis of the Post has five questions for CBS college basketball analyst Bill Raftery.

The Post’s David Seifman reports that the New York City Council is pressuring MSG Network and Time Warner Cable to work out a deal.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News writes that ESPN bumped tonight’s Hornets-Knicks game not realizing it would be another opportunity to showcase Jeremy Lin.

Jerry Barmash from Fishbowl NY has reaction from various NYC sports anchors to the death of former Mets catcher Gary Carter.

Mike Silva at the Sports Media Watchdog feels hockey coverage in New York is woefully inadequate.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that a local sports TV reporter received a New York Emmy nomination.

Pete lists his top studio analysts.

DCRTV’s Dave Hughes has the latest in Baltimore-Washington DC sports media news in Press Box.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has a clip of Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon as cartoon characters.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner says talks with sports business writer Evan Weiner about the NFL’s antiquated blackout rules.

South

Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald has some thoughts on Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie season at TNT and ESPN’s decision to remove Ron Jaworski from Monday Night Football.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros plan to bring in former players to their radio booth to celebrate the team’s 50th season.

Mel Bracht at the Daily Oklahoman notes the first network appearance of Jeremy Lin is this Sunday.

Midwest

The Detroit Free Press notes that all of the Tigers games will be on TV this season.

Bob Wolfey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Dick Enberg told a captive audience at Marquette University about the art of the pause and when to use it in broadcasting.

Ed Sherman at Crain’s Chicago Business has his weekly winners and losers in sports business and media.

To the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin where Paul Christian writes that Fox Sports North will be all over the Minnesota Twins this season.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals have mostly put the kybosh on late afternoon games at Busch Stadium this season.

Dan says a local sports radio host is recovering after undergoing heart bypass surgery.

West

Jay Posner at the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the new Fox Sports San Diego is set to launch next month.

Jay writes the San Diego Padres stand to double their rights fees from Fox as compared to Cox a year ago.

John Maffei at the North County Times says the official announcement between Fox Sports San Diego carrying the Padres is due any time now.

At the Ventura County Star, Jim Carlisle says NBC and the NHL have become very good partners.

Jim feels ESPN should not have jettisoned Ron Jaworski from Monday Night Football.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times notes that ESPN college football analyst Ed Cunningham is up for a Best Documentary Oscar.

Bill Shakin of the Times says Frank McCourt’s legal problems are holding up Fox’s announcement with the Padres.

Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News recaps a lecture from three noted network broadcasters discussing TV coverage of the Olympics.

And that’s going to conclude the megalinks for today.

NASCAR on Fox Takes The Green Flag For Its 12th Season

Fox is in the pits and ready to start its engine for its 12th season of NASCAR. It all begins on Saturday with the Budweiser Shootout, part of the Daytona Speedweeks, leading up to next Sunday’s Daytona 500. The Budweiser Shootout will feature last Sprint Cup season’s top 25 racers including champion Tony Stewart.

Then on Sunday, Fox will carry the qualifying for next Sunday’s Daytona 500 pole position.

The regular NASCAR on Fox crew of Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds will be in the broadcast booth to call the race. Chris Myers and Darrell will be in a refurbished Hollywood Hotel on the track’s infield and the regular Fox crew will have both the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 Qualifying covered in the pits.

Here’s the Fox Sports press release.

FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Green Flag Drops for NASCAR on FOX’s 12th Season
Primetime Coverage of the Budweiser Shootout Saturday & Daytona 500 Qualifying Sunday
McReynolds: “Bud Shootout Sets Tone For Great Season”

NASCAR ON FOX BEGINS 12^TH SEASON SATURDAY WITH 34^TH ANNUAL BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT IN PRIMETIME – A deep and talented field hits the Daytona International Speedway as Tony Stewart’s quest for back-to-back championships gets underway Saturday, Feb. 18 (8:00 PM ET) at the Budweiser Shootout.  The network airs Daytona 500 Qualifying Sunday, Feb. 19 (1:00 PM ET).

NASCAR on FOX host Chris Myers and analyst Darrell Waltrip provide Bud Shootout prerace coverage with up-to-the-second reports and live interviews with drivers, crews and officials shaping the night’s action. FOX Sports’ Jeff Hammond serves as the network’s roving analyst taking fans from the garages to pit road and everywhere in between.  Once the green flag drops, race announcer Mike Joy is alongside analysts Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the twists and turns on the track while Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for reports on teams and pit stops.

MCREYNOLDS: ANTICIPATION BUILDING FOR BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT – “It’s going to be one of the largest fields we’ve ever had.  It’s almost like an All-Star race at Daytona because it’s the top 25 drivers from last year and any other driver who has ever won a points event at Daytona or a Budweiser Shootout, which would include Trevor Bayne and Jamie McMurray,” said McReynolds.  We’re going to see speeds well over 200 MPH and the drivers are going to be in big packs of racing 3- and 4-wide.  Even though it’s a 75 lap race, we probably won’t have a clue who is going to win until they come off the last corner of the last lap and get close to that checkered flag.”   

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

Budweiser Shootout (Daytona International Speedway), 8:00 PM ET
Prerace Host Chris Myers/Prerace Analyst Darrell Waltrip
Announcer Mike Joy/Analyst Darrell Waltrip/Analyst Larry McReynolds/Roving Analyst Jeff Hammond
Pits Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda, Dick Berggren

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

Daytona 500 Qualifying (Daytona International Speedway), 1:00 PM ET
Announcer Mike Joy/Analyst Darrell Waltrip/Analyst Larry McReynolds
Pits Jeff Hammond, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda, Dick Berggren

Below are drivers scheduled to compete in Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout:

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet)
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 – Penske Racing – Dodge)
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 – Hendrick Motorsports – Chevrolet)
Marcos Ambrose (No. 9 – Richard Petty Motorsports – Ford)
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Toyota)
Tony Stewart (No. 14 – Stewart-Haas Racing – Chevrolet)
Clint Bowyer (No. 15 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Toyota)
Greg Biffle (No. 16 – Roush Fenway Racing – Ford)
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 – Roush Fenway Racing – Ford)
Kyle Busch (No. 18 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Toyota)
Joey Logano (No. 20 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Toyota)
AJ Allmendinger (No. 22 – Penske Racing – Dodge)
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 – Hendrick Motorsports – Chevrolet)
Paul Menard (No. 27 – Richard Childress Racing – Chevrolet)
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 – Richard Childress Racing – Chevrolet)
Jeff Burton (No. 31 – Richard Childress Racing – Chevrolet)
David Ragan (No. 34 – Front Row Motorsports – Ford)
Ryan Newman (No. 39 – Stewart-Haas Racing – Chevrolet)
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet)
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 – Hendrick Motorsports – Chevrolet)
Kurt Busch (No. 51 – Phoenix Racing – Chevrolet)
Michael Waltrip (No. 55 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Toyota)
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Toyota)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 – Hendrick Motorsports – Chevrolet)
Carl Edwards (No. 99 – Roush Fenway Racing – Ford)

100 HOURS OF SPEEDWEEKS ON SPEED™ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars take to the track Friday for the first Budweiser Shootout practice session and SPEED brings viewers the Budweiser Shootout Selection Show on Friday, Feb. 17 (8:30 PM ET).

See Full Daytona Speedweeks on SPEED Schedule Here: http://bit.ly/wiRjwf

That’s it.

Weekend Viewing Picks

Saturday, February 18

Boxing
Boxing on SHO Extreme: Chris Arreola vs. Eric Molina & Malik Scott vs. Kendrick Releford — Showtime Extreme, 8 p.m.
Championship Boxing: Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida & Tavoris Cloud vs. Gabrielle Campilo — Showtime, 10 p.m.

College Baseball
UC Irvine at Southern — MLB Network, 4 p.m.

College Urban Invitational, Houston, TX
Prairie View A&M at Texas Southern — MLB Network, 8 p.m.

College Basketball Viewing Picks

College Hockey
Men’s
Northern Michigan at Michigan — Fox Sports Detroit, 5 p.m.
UMass-Lowell at Boston University — NESN, 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Tech at North Dakota — Fox College Sports Central, 8 p.m.
Alaska-Fairbanks at Michigan State — Fox Sports Detroit, 8 p.m.
Bemidji State at Minnesota — Fox Sports North, 8 p.m.

Women’s
Ohio State at Wisconsin — Big Ten Network, 1:30 p.m.

FA Cup
5th Round
Chelsea vs. Birmingham City — Fox Soccer Plus, 7:25 a.m.
Milwall vs. Bolton — Fox Soccer Plus, 9:55 a.m.
Everton vs. Blackpool — Fox Soccer, 10 a.m.
Sunderland vs. Arsenal — Fox Soccer, noon
Norwich City vs. Leicester City — Fox Soccer Plus, noon (same day coverage)

Golf
Champions Tour: ACE Group Classic, 2nd round — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
European PGA Tour: Avantha Masters, 3rd round — Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same day coverage)
LPGA Tour: LPGA Thailand 2012, 3rd round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. (same day coverage)
PGA Tour: Northern Trust Open, 3rd round — Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.

NASCAR
Budweiser Shootout — Fox, 8 p.m.

NBA
Atlanta at Portland — NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.

NHL
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia — NHL Network (US)/Root Sports Pittsburgh/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Chicago at Columbus — Comcast SportsNet Chicago/Fox Sports Ohio, 1 p.m.
Minnesota at St. Louis — Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Midwest, 2 p.m.
Toronto at Vancouver — CBC/NHL Network (US), 7 p.m.
Carolina at New York Islanders — Fox Sports Carolinas/MSG Plus, 7 p.m.
Washington at Tampa Bay — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Phoenix — KTXA/Fox Sports Arizona, 8 p.m.
Calgary at Los Angeles — CBC/Fox Sports West, 10 p.m.

Hockey Tonight — CBC/NHL Network (US), 6:30 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10 p.m.

Skiing
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Sochi, Russia
Women’s Downhill — Universal Sports, 11 a.m. (same day coverage)

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Bansko, Bulgaria
Men’s Giant Slalom — Universal Sports, 2 p.m. (same day coverage)

Tennis
ATP Tour: ABN AMRO World Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Semifinals– Tennis Channel, 8 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
ATP Tour: SAP Open, San Jose, CA, Semifinals — Tennis Channel/Comcast SportsNet California, 4 p.m. & Tennis Channel/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 10:30 p.m.
WTA Tour: Qatar Ladies Open, Doha, Qatar, Semifinals — Tennis Channel, 10:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. (same day coverage)

Entertainment
Giada in Paradise: Santorini — Cooking Channel, 9 a.m.
Giada at Home: Giada’s Book Club — Food Network, 11:30 a.m.
Kelsey’s Essentials: Seafood — Cooking Channel, 2:30 p.m.
Ultimate Factories: Ducati — National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
The Ride — Showtime, 8 p.m.
The Fades (season finale) — BBC America, 9 p.m.
Dateline: Real Life Mysteries: The Girl in the Blue Mustang, Part 1 — TLC, 9 p.m.
Animal House — VH1, 9 p.m.
48 Hours Mystery: Soccer Moms Confidential — CBS, 10 p.m.
Scorned: Love Kills — Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.
An Idiot Abroad: The Bucket List: Meet a Gorilla — Discovery Science, 10 p.m.
Dateline: Real Life Mysteries: The Girl in the Blue Mustang, Part 2 — TLC, 10 p.m.
The Graham Norton Show — BBC America, 10:15 p.m.
Would You Rather with Graham Norton — BBC America, 11 p.m.
Saturday Night Live with host Maya Rudolph with musical guest Sleigh Bells — NBC, 11:29 p.m.

Sunday, February 19

College Baseball
Washington at San Diego State — the mtn., 4 p.m.

College Basketball Viewing Picks

College Lacrosse
Denver vs. Ohio State at Jacksonville, FL — NBC Sports Network, 2 p.m.
Jacksonville vs. Navy at Jacksonville, FL — NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.

FA Cup
5th Round
Crawley Town vs. Stoke City — Fox Soccer Plus, 6:55 a.m.
Stevenage vs. Tottenham Hotspurs — Fox Soccer, 9 a.m.
Liverpool vs. Brighton — Fox Soccer, 11:30 a.m.

Golf
Champions Tour: ACE Group Classic, Final round — Golf Channel, 7 p.m. (same day coverage)
European PGA Tour: Avantha Masters, Final round — Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same day coverage)
LPGA Tour: LPGA Thailand 2012, Final round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. (same day coverage)
PGA Tour: Northern Trust Open, Final round — Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.

NASCAR
Sprint Cup: Daytona 500, Qualifying – Fox, 1 p.m.
Daytona 500 Pole Day — Speed, 8 p.m.

NBA
Dallas at New York — ABC, 1 p.m.
Orlando at Miami — ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Denver at Oklahoma City — ESPN, 8 p.m.

NHL
Hockey Day in America, St. Paul, MN – NBC, noon
NBC Coverage Map
Pittsburgh at Buffalo — NBC, 12:30 p.m.
San Jose at Detroit — NBC/TSN2, 12:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago — NBC/NHL Network (Canada), 12:30 p.m.
Boston at Minnesota — NBC/TSN2, 3 p.m.

New Jersey at Montreal — CBC/RDS/NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.
Anaheim at Florida — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/Fox Sports Florida, 6 p.m.
Nashville at Dallas  – Fox Sports Tennessee/Fox Sports Southwest, 7 p.m.
Columbus at New York Rangers — Fox Sports Ohio/MSG Network, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Winnipeg — Altitude/TSN-Jets, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton — Rogers Sportsnet Pacific/Rogers Sportsnet West, 9 p.m.

NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 8:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 9 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10 p.m.

Skiing
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Sochi, Russia
Women’s Super Combined– Universal Sports, 11 a.m. (same day coverage)

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Bansko, Bulgaria
Men’s Slalom — Universal Sports, 2 p.m. (same day coverage)

Tennis
ATP Tour: ABN AMRO World Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Final– Tennis Channel, 8 a.m.
ATP Tour: Brasil Open 2012, São Paulo, Brazil, Final — Tennis Channel, 1:30 a.m. (Monday, taped)
ATP Tour: SAP Open, San Jose, CA, Final– Tennis Channel/Comcast SportsNet California, 6 p.m.
WTA Tour: Qatar Ladies Open, Doha, Qatar, Final– Tennis Channel, 10:30 a.m. (same day coverage)

Entertainment
CBS News Sunday Morning — CBS, 9 a.m.
10 Dollar Dinners with Melissa: Greek-Onomical Dining — Food Network, 10 a.m.
Sandwich King: Double-Dose of Cozy (season premiere) — Food Network, 11 a.m.
60 Minutes — CBS, 7 p.m.
The Amazing Race 20: Tears of a Clown (season premiere) — CBS, 8 p.m.
Once Upon A Time — ABC, 8 p.m.
My Grandmother’s Ravioli — Cooking Channel, 8 p.m.
Street Heat: High Speed Justice — National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
Downton Abbey — PBS, 9 p.m.
Luck — HBO, 9 p.m.
Snapped: Nancy Seaman — Oxygen, 9 p.m.
Shameless — Showtime, 9 p.m.
House of Lies — Showtime, 10 p.m.
A Bernie Mac Tribute: “I Ain’t Scared of You” — Comedy Central, 10 p.m.
Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia — Discovery, 10 p.m.
Full Metal Jousting — History Channel, 10 p.m.
Pan Am (season finale) — ABC, 10:01 p.m.
Californication — Showtime, 10:30 p.m.

College Basketball Viewing Picks For 02/18 & 02/19/2011, All Times Eastern

Men’s Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports on TV

Saturday, February 18

College GameDay live from Ann Arbor, Michigan — ESPNU, 10 a.m./ESPN, 11 a.m./ESPN, 8 p.m.

BracketBusters
Drexel at Cleveland State — ESPNU, 11 a.m.
Wichita State at Davidson — ESPN2, noon
Buffalo at South Dakota State — ESPNU, 1 p.m.
Akron at Oral Roberts — ESPN2, 2 p.m.
Drake at New Mexico State — ESPNU, 3 p.m.
Nevada at Iona — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
Old Dominion at Missouri State — ESPNU, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s at Murray State — ESPN, 6 p.m.
UNC-Asheville at Ohio — ESPN3, 7 p.m.
Texas-Arlington at Weber State — ESPN3, 8 p.m.
Long Beach State at Creighton — ESPN2, 10 p.m.

11:30 a.m.
Bryant at St. Francis (NY) — Fox College Sports Atlantic/MSG Network

noon
Louisville at DePaul — Big East Network: Cox Sports Television/CSS/MASN/SNY
Marquette at UConn — ESPN

1 p.m.
Florida State at North Carolina State — ACC Network
Maryland at Virginia — ACC Network
UCLA at St. John’s — CBS
UNLV at New Mexico — CBS
UTEP at Memphis — Fox Sports Net (national)
Wake Forest at Miami (FL) — Fox Sports Net (regional): Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports South/NESN

Women’s: Boise State at TCU — the mtn.

1:30 p.m.
Kansas State at Baylor — Big 12 Network
Oklahoma at Iowa State — Big 12 Network
LSU at South Carolina — SEC Network
Tennessee at Alabama — SEC Network

2 p.m.
Duquense at Temple — A-10 Network: CSS/The Comcast Network
Missouri at Texas A&M — ESPN

Women’s: Marquette at Syracuse — Big East Network: MASN/SNY
Women’s: Xavier at St. Bonaventure — CBS Sports Network

2:30 p.m.
Women’s:  Bryant at St. Francis (PA) — Fox College Sports Atlantic

3 p.m.
Arizona at Washington — Fox Sports Net (national)
Georgia Tech at Virgina Tech — Fox Sports Net (regional): Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports

Women’s: South Carolina at Alabama — SEC Network

4 p.m.
Seton Hall at Cincinnati — Big East Network: Fox Sports Ohio/MASN/SNY
Texas at Oklahoma State — Big 12 Network
Lafayette at Lehigh — CBS Sports Network
St. Joseph’s at George Washington — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
Clemson at North Carolina — ESPN
San Diego State at Air Force — NBC Sports Network
Mississippi at Kentucky — SEC Network
TCU at Boise State — the mtn.

5 p.m.
Illinois at Nebraska — Big Ten Network
Colorado at Utah — Fox Sports Net (national)

6 p.m.
LaSalle at UMass — CBS Sports Network
Florida at Arkansas — ESPN2

Women’s: Western Kentucky at South Alabama — Fox College Sports Central

6:30 p.m.
Women’s: New Mexico at UNLV — the mtn.

7 p.m.
Georgetown at Providence — Big East Network: Cox Sports RI/Cox Sports Television/MASN/SNY
Northwestern at Minnesota — Big Ten Network
BYU at Santa Clara — ESPNU

Women’s: Texas at Kansas State — Fox Sports Net (national)

8 p.m.
Texas Tech at Kansas — Big 12 Network
Dayton at Xavier — CBS Sports Network
Western Kentucky at South Alabama — Fox College Sports Atlantic
Mississippi State at Auburn — Fox Sports Net (regional): Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports South/Fox Sports Southwest

9 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan — ESPN
Notre Dame at Villanova — ESPNU
Wyoming at Colorado State — the mtn.

Sunday, February 19

noon
Women’s: Michigan at Indiana — Big Ten Network
Women’s: Maryland-Baltimore County at Hartford — CBS Sports Network
Women’s: Georgia State at George Mason — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/CSS

1 p.m.
Michigan State at Purdue — CBS
Syracuse at Rutgers — ESPN
Vanderbilt at Georgia — Fox Sports Net (regional): Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South/Fox Sports Southwest/Sun Sports

Women’s: Rice at SMU — Fox Sports Net (national)

1:30 p.m.
Women’s: North Carolina State at North Carolina — ESPNU

2 p.m.
Women’s: Wisconsin at Nebraska — Big Ten Network
Women’s: Tennessee at Mississippi — SEC Network

3 p.m.
Women’s: VCU at Old Dominion — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus
Women’s: Duke at Maryland — ESPN2
Women’s: UCLA at USC — Fox Sports Net (national)
Women’s: South Carolina at Alabama — Fox Sports Net (regional): Fox Sports Florida/Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports North Plus/Fox Sports South

3:30 p.m.
Women’s: Georgia at Florida — ESPN2
Women’s: Florida State at Miami — Fox Sports Net (regional): Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports South/NESN/Sun Sports

4 p.m.
Penn State at Wisconsin — Big Ten Network

5 p.m.
Women’s: Purdue at Michigan State — ESPN2
Women’s: Washington at Arizona — Fox Sports Net (national)

6 p.m.
Indiana at Iowa — Big Ten Network
Duke at Boston College — ESPNU

7 p.m.
South Florida at Pittsburgh — ESPN2
Oregon at Stanford — Fox Sports Net (national)

Primetime & Late Night Viewing Picks

College Baseball
Washington at San Diego State — the mtn., 9 p.m.

College Basketball
Men’s
BracketBusters
Northern Iowa at VCU — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Valparaiso at Loyola Marymount — ESPNU, 9 p.m.

Columbia at Princeton — ESPNU, 7 p.m.

Women’s
Dartmouth at Yale — YES, 7 p.m.

College Hockey
Northern Michigan at Michigan — Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
Notre Dame at Miami (OH) — CBS Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
Dartmouth at Yale — NBC Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
Bemidji State at Minnesota — Fox Sports North Plus, 8 p.m.
Nebraska-Omaha at Colorado College — CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m.

College Lacrosse
Towson at Johns Hopkins — ESPNU, 5 p.m.

Golf
Champions Tour: ACE Group Classic, 1st round — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
European PGA Tour: Avantha Masters, 2nd round — Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same day coverage)
LPGA Tour: LPGA Thailand 2012, 2nd round — Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
PGA Tour: Northern Trust Open, 2nd round — Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

MLB
Baseball Tonight — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
Clubhouse Confidential — MLB Network, 5:30 p.m.
Hot Stove Live — MLB Network, 6 p.m.

NASCAR
Budweiser Shootout Practice — Speed, 5 p.m.
Budweiser Shootout Final Practice — Speed, 6:30 p.m.
Bud Shootout Selection Show — Speed, 8:30 p.m.

NBA
Dallas at Philadelphia — ESPN, 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Los Angeles Lakers — ESPN, 10:30 p.m.

NHL
Anaheim at New Jersey — Fox Sports Prime Ticket/MSG Plus, 7 p.m.
San Jose at Carolina — Comcast SportsNet California/Fox Sports Carolinas, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Detroit — NHL Network (US)/Fox Sports Tennessee/Fox Sports Detroit Plus, 7:30 p.m.
Montreal at Buffalo — RDS/TSN-Habs/MSG Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Florida — Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/Fox Sports Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Winnipeg — NESN/TSN-Jets, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Edmonton — Altitude/Rogers Sportsnet West, 9:30 p.m.

NHL Live — NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL on the Fly — NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Overtime — NBC Sports Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Tonight — NHL Network, 10:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
The Dan Patrick Show — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Fox Sports Net, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show — CBS Sports Network, 10 a.m.
The Box Score — Audience Network (DirecTV)/DanPatrick.com, noon
The Scott Van Pelt Show — ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Numbers Never Lie — ESPN2, 4 p.m.
SportsNation — ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
NBC SportsTalk — NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.
CNBC Sports Biz: Game On! — NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.

Tennis
ATP Tour: ABN AMRO World Tournament, Quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.
WTA Tour: Qatar Ladies Open, quarterfinals — Tennis Channel, 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m. & 1 a.m. (same day coverage)

Entertainment
Undercover Boss: Checkers & Rally’s — CBS, 8 p.m.
The 43rd NAACP Image Awards — NBC, 8 p.m.
Nikita — The CW, 8 p.m.
Alaska Wing Men: Deadly Descent — National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m.
20/20: One Moment in Time: The Life of Whitney Houston — ABC, 9 p.m.
America’s Most Wanted — Lifetime (The Network That Hates Men), 9 p.m.
On Freddie Roach: Trilogy — HBO, 9:30 p.m.
Portlandia — IFC, 10 p.m.
Dateline NBC — NBC, 10 p.m.
Spartacus: Vengeance — Starz, 10 p.m.
100 Greatest Women in Music: Hour 5 — VH1, 10 p.m.
House Hunters International — HGTV, 10:30 p.m.
Pop Up Video: Greatest Women — VH1, 11:30 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman — CBS, 11:35 p.m.

ESPN’s “Judgement Week” Starts Monday

As the conference races tighten up and we get ready for some exciting conference tournament action in two weeks, ESPN ramps up what it calls “Judgement Week” airing key matchups in the major conferences.

The ESPN Family will have games from the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and others in the early part of next week.

We have your games listed below.

Men’s College Basketball: Judgment Week Begins

ESPN’s Judgment Week — the pivotal week in the stretch run for conference supremacy — will tip off Monday, Feb. 20, and conclude Sunday, February 27. The early part of the schedule will be highlighted by No. 1 Kentucky at ranked SEC rival No. 23 Mississippi State on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

In addition, ESPN and ESPN2 will offer telecasts of the top three Big 12 teams: No. 3 Missouri against Kansas State (Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2), No. 5 Kansas at Texas A&M (Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 9 p.m. on ESPN2) and No. 10 Baylor at Texas (Monday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m. on ESPN).

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network
Mon, Feb 20	7 p.m.	Connecticut at Villanova Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Bill Raftery	ESPN/ESPN3
		Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State Adam Amin & Dereck Whittenburg	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	East Tennessee State at Lipscomb	ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 10 Baylor at Texas Dave Pasch, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe	ESPN/ESPN3
		DePaul at St. John’s Carter Blackburn & Tim Welsh	ESPNU
Tue, Feb 21	7 p.m.	Illinois at No. 6 Ohio State Mike Tirico & Dan Dakich	ESPN/ESPN3
		Kansas State at No. 3 Missouri John Saunders & Doug Gottlieb	ESPN2/ESPN3
		Auburn at No. 12 Florida Dari Nowkhah & Dino Gaudio	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky at No. 23 Mississippi State Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes & Shannon Spake	ESPN/ESPN3
		No. 22 Virginia at Virginia Tech Carter Blackburn & Jay Williams	ESPNU
Wed, Feb 22	7 p.m.	West Virginia at No. 25 Notre Dame Rece Davis, Bob Knight & Digger Phelps	ESPN2/ESPN3
		James Madison at Drexel Adam Amin & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPNU
		George Mason at Northeastern	ESPN3
		Hofstra at William & Mary	ESPN3
		Delaware at Towson	ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 5 Kansas at Texas A&M Jon Sciambi & Fran Fraschilla	ESPN2/ESPN3
		Texas Tech at Iowa State Mitch Holthus & Miles Simon	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State Roxy Bernstein & Sean Farnham	ESPN2/ESPN3

That will do it.

ESPN Family of Networks’ College Basketball Games For Rest of The Week

I gave you the ESPN BracketBusters schedule. Here’s the rest of the ESPN Family of Networks schedule for the rest of this week through Sunday. And it includes the BracketBusters games as well. Plenty of games.

Some of the highlights include: Wisconsin at Michigan State on ESPN tonight, Ohio State at Michigan on ESPN Saturday night and St. Mary’s at Murray State on ESPN early Saturday evening.

Here’s the schedule for you.

Ranked Teams in Big Ten Square Off; No. 3 Missouri in Rematch with Oklahoma State

ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball schedule includes ranked Big Ten teams squaring off and No. 3 Missouri against Oklahoma State, one of two teams to defeat them this year.

ESPN has two Big Ten matchups between ranked teams beginning Thursday, Feb. 16, with No. 17 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State at 7 p.m. The other conference game pits No. 6 Ohio State at No. 19 Michigan in a Saturday prime-time matchup Feb. 18 at 9 p.m.

ESPN2 and ESPN3 will showcase the Big 12 rematch pitting No. 3 Missouri against Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 9 p.m. ET. Oklahoma State defeated Missouri 79 -72 on Jan. 25.

In addition, the 10^th annual Bracketbusters – 13 games with NCAA Championship hopeful teams – Friday and Saturday – takes place Friday and Saturday.  ESPN analyst Dick Vitale will work No. 16 Saint Mary’s at one-loss No. 14 Murray State on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network
Thu, Feb 16	7 p.m.	No. 17 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State Dave O’Brien & Stephen Bardo	ESPN/ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Virginia Tech at No. 21 Florida State Mike Patrick, Len Elmore & Jeannine Edwards	ESPN2/ESPN3
	8 p.m.	Iowa at Penn State Jim Barbar & Tim McCormick	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	West Virginia at Pittsburgh Marc Kestecher & Bob Knight	ESPN/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	Vanderbilt at Mississippi Rece Davis & Hubert Davis	ESPN2/ESPN3
	10 p.m.	BYU at San Francisco Mark Neely & Miles Simon	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	No. 24 Gonzaga at Santa Clara Dave Flemmin & Bob Valvano	ESPN2/ESPN3
Fri, Feb 17	7 p.m.	Northern Iowa at Virginia Commonwealth Bob Wischusen & Dan Dakich	ESPN2/ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Columbia at Princeton Doug Sherman & Tim O’Toole	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	BracketBusters: Valparaiso at Loyola Marymount Mark Neely & Miles Simon	ESPNU
Sat, Feb 18	11 a.m.	BracketBusters: Drexel at Cleveland State Adam Amin & Brooke Weisbrod	ESPNU
	Noon	No. 13 Marquette at Connecticut Dave Pasch & Doris Burke	ESPN/ESPN3
	Noon	BracketBusters: Wichita State at Davidson Marc Kestecher & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPN2/ESPN3
	1 p.m.	BracketBusters: Buffalo at South Dakota State Mike Crispino & Bob Valvano	ESPNU
	2 p.m.	No. 3 Missouri at Texas A&M Dave Flemming & Fran Fraschilla	ESPN/ESPN3
	2 p.m.	BracketBusters: Akron at Oral Roberts Rich Hollenberg & Mark Adams	ESPN2/ESPN3
	3 p.m.	BracketBusters: Drake at New Mexico State Dan Gutowsky & Paul Biancardi	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Clemson at No. 7 North Carolina Mike Patrick & Len Elmore	ESPN/ESPN3
	4 p.m.	BracketBusters: Nevada at Iona Doug Sherman & Sean Farnham	ESPN2/ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Lamar at George Mason	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	BracketBusters: Old Dominion at Missouri State Justin Kutcher & Ron Thompson	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	BracketBusters: No. 16 Saint Mary’s at No. 14 Murray State Dave O’Brien & Dick Vitale	ESPN/ESPN3
	6 p.m.	No. 12 Florida at Arkansas Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes	ESPN2/ESPN3
	6:30 p.m.	Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee State	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	BYU at Santa Clara Mark Neely & Miles Simon	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Sears BracketBusters: UNC Asheville at Ohio Jim Barbar & Ronnie Rankin	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	USC Upstate at Lipscomb	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	BracketBusters: Texas-Arlington at Weber State Greg Heister & Bill Herenda	ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 6 Ohio State at No. 19 Michigan Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas & Erin Andrews	ESPN/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 25 Notre Dame at Villanova Beth Mowins & Tim Welsh	ESPNU
	10 p.m.	BracketBusters: Long Beach State at Creighton Roxy Bernstein & Stephen Bardo	ESPN2/ESPN3
Sun, Feb 19	1 p.m.	No. 2 Syracuse at Rutgers Bob Wischusen & Doris Burke	ESPN/ESPN3
	6 p.m.	ACC Sunday Night Basketball: No. 4 Duke at Boston College Jon Sciambi & Hubert Davis	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	South Florida at Pittsburgh TBD & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPN2/ESPN3

That will do it.

ESPN Unveils Announcer Assignments For BracketBusters

ESPN’s 10th annual college basketball BracketBusters is set for this weekend. Good matchups involving mid-major teams hoping to make an impression for the NCAA Tournament next month. ESPN’s main analyst, Dick Vitale, will be paired with Dave O’Brien for the St. Mary’s at Murray State game on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

Other analysts of note include Miles Simon working the Valparaiso at Loyola-Marymount game on Friday, Bob Valvano on the Buffalo-South Dakota State game early Saturday afternoon and Stephen Bardo on the nightcap game Saturday between Long Beach State and Creighton.

Lots of fun games as bubble teams hope to make an impression on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

BracketBusters starts Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and concludes with the last game starting at 10 p.m. Saturday. Thirteen games will be played in all.

Here’s the press release from ESPN.

ESPN’s Sears BracketBusters Commentators Pairings Announced for 10th Annual Event

The 10^th annual BracketBusters – a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls – tips off Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18 across ESPN networks with a slew of talented announcers. Hall of Fame analyst Dick Vitale, along with play-by-play veteran Dave O’Brien, will have the call of the No. 14 Murray State vs. No. 16 Saint Mary’s matchup Saturday, at 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.

Also in the BracketBusters field and receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll are Creighton, Long Beach State, Nevada, Texas-Arlington and Wichita State.

2012 BracketBusters Schedule (All times are Eastern and are subject to change)

Date	Time	Game/Commentators	Network(s)
Fri, Feb 17	7 p.m.	Northern Iowa at Virginia Commonwealth Bob Wischusen & Dan Dakich	ESPN2/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	Valparaiso at Loyola-Marymount Mark Neely & Miles Simon	ESPNU
Sat, Feb 18	11 a.m.	Drexel at Cleveland State Adam Amin & Brooke Weisbrod	ESPNU
	noon	Wichita State at Davidson Marc Kestecher & LaPhonso Ellis	ESPN2/ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Buffalo at South Dakota State Mike Crispino & Bob Valvano	ESPNU
	2 p.m.	Akron at Oral Roberts Rich Hollenberg  & Mark Adams	ESPN2/ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Drake at New Mexico State Dan Gutowsky & Paul Biancardi	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Nevada at Iona Doug Sherman & Sean Farnham	ESPN2/ ESPN3
	5 p.m.	Old Dominion at Missouri State Justin Kutcher & Ron Thompson	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	No. 16 Saint Mary’s at No. 14 Murray State Dave O’Brien & Dick Vitale	ESPN/ESPN3
	7 p.m.	UNC Asheville at Ohio Jim Barbar & Reggie Rankin	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	Texas-Arlington at Weber State Greg Heister & Bill Herenda	ESPN3
	10 p.m.	Long Beach State at Creighton Roxy Bernstein & Stephen Bardo	ESPN2/ESPN3

That’s going to do it.

Some Quick Thursday Links

Ok, going to attempt some linkage here. Quite busy, but I’ll try to sneak some stuff for you.

Eric Fisher of Sports Business Daily looks at the new $3.99 charge for the new March Madness Live app for the NCAA Tournament.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable also writes about the new March Madness Live app.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with ESPN’s Ron Jaworski about being removed from the Monday Night Football booth.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has the impression that ESPN’s Jon Gruden didn’t agree with the decision to take Jaws out of the MNF booth.

Former New York Times columnist George Vecsey is now on Twitter and he’s a bit apprehensive about it.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid is confused about yesterday’s Colin Cowherd interview with Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit cover girl Kate Upton.

Timothy Burke at Deadspin has audio of CNBC’s Darren Rovell explaining his Valentine Day’s proposal to Kate Upton.

Maury Brown at the Biz of Baseball says not every local MLB deal is equal and fair.

Anthony Crupi from Adweek notes that CBS El Capo di Tutti Capi Les Moonves predicts record ad rates for Super Bowl XLVII which will be aired on the Tiffany Network next year.

Adweek has a video with NASCAR CEO Brian France on the upcoming Sprint Cup season.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says thanks to the Super Bowl, NBC leads the February sweeps by a 2-1 margin over CBS.

Sam Eifling of The Big Lead talks with a Memphis sports radio host who kept grinding and has been rewarded with national recognition.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Ronnie Ramos talks about how to maximize your Facebook and Twitter strategies.

Also at the National Sports Journalism Center, Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times cautions traditional media about falling into prejudicial traps when writing about Jeremy Lin.

Karen Hogan of Sports Video Group explains the logistics for CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell says one sporting goods chain is going all in for Jeremy Lin.

Kevin Lincoln at the Business Insider’s Sports Page notes that Time Warner Cable is sending out small refund checks for those missing MSG Network.

WEEI’s Kirk Minihane lists the best and worst Boston TV announcers.

The Boston Herald’s Inside Track found Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez going through the ESPN “Car Wash” yesterday.

To the Worcester Telegram & Gazette where Bill Doyle gets Comcast SportsNet Celtics sideline reporter Greg Dickerson to talk about epilepsy and Tourette syndrome which have plagued him.

Over to the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir who looks into ESPN’s Monday Night Football personnel move.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the New York Mets Spring Training TV schedule.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record posts the Yankees Spring Training TV and Radio schedules.

Ed Barkowitz at the Philadelphia Daily News says Jaws being taken off Monday Night Football doesn’t mean the end for him at ESPN.

From the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg says DirecTV has added Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic’s overflow channel in HD, finally.

Jim Williams at the Washington Examiner says a two man booth will benefit Monday Night Football.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes that local sports radio talk show host is out of a job today.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says Astros voice Milo Hamilton may be retiring after this season, but the team won’t be losing him altogether.

The Houston Astros website has an entire section devoted to Hamilton’s career including some of his most famous radio calls.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Brewers will be featured at least six times on Fox’s Saturday baseball package.

Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times says the NHL finally has a TV partner which is fully promoting the league.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has reaction to Bob Ryan’s announced retirement from the Boston Globe.

Barry Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News gets some details of the new Pac-12 Network from league commissioner Larry Scott.

Blogs and reporters are constantly receiving public relations pitches. Here’s one regarding Jeremy Lin and it’s a bit over the top.

Sports Media Watch notes that the 2012 MLB on Fox schedule is reduced from last year due to the 2012 Olympics.

SMW says Golf Channel set a ratings record last Sunday.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog has the sports TV viewership numbers for last week.

Mike Silva of the Sports Media Watchdog has a review of the new CBS Radio Mike Francesa Show app.

Joe Favorito says the Phoenix Suns are using the Samsung Galaxy tablet on the sidelines.

Steve Lepore at Puck The Media has the numbers for the NHL on NBC Sports Network from early this week.

Ben Koo at Awful Announcing notes that ESPN is not tiring of the Jeremy Lin overkill.

Lou Clinton at 38 Cliches is rooting for former Red Sox announcer Jerry Trupiano.

And that’s where we’ll end it. Enjoy your Thursday.

CBS, Turner Sports & NCAA Announce The New March Madness Live & New $3.99 Charge

Ok, CBS, Turner Sports and the NCAA have just announced what is being called “NCAA March Madness Live” and it replaces the familiar March Madness on Demand that CBS had in place for the NCAA Tournament for many years. It was the way many fans could watch the Tournament at work for the first and second round games.

With Turner Sports coming on board and taking over the streaming for the NCAA Tournament, it was thought it would come up with a way to charge for the event and it has. There is confusion over the way this new system is coming about as fans have been used to watching the games online for free.

Starting this year, Turner Sports will charge $3.99 so you can watch all of the games online. Now this is where it gets confusing. You have to stay with me. To watch all of the games on NCAA March Madness Live mobile and tablet apps for Apple and Android devices, you will pay that $3.99 charge.

Here is how you can watch the games for free and not have to pay the $3.99 charge.

• If you have the TBS/TNT/truTV mobile or tablet apps and your cable company participates in the TV Everywhere initiative, you can watch games for free.
• Games on CBS.com will be free

There is confusion on this. If you have questions, I will attempt to answer them in an upcoming mailbag.

Here’s the press release.

Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA^® Unveil NCAA® MARCH MADNESS® LIVE for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

Tournament Coverage Expands to More Platforms than Ever Giving Fans More Ways – However, Wherever – to Watch All 67 Games Live

Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA today announced that NCAA® March Madness® Live, formerly March Madness on Demand, will now provide college basketball fans with more opportunities to watch every minute of every game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Produced by Turner Sports Interactive, NCAA® March Madness® Live is a suite of live products presented across multiple screens, including online and as an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch app and, for the first time, on Android phones.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will be available to users across all video screens – online, mobile and tablet– and over Wi-fi and 3G for $3.99 beginning on March 7. Fans will be able to enjoy live streaming video of every broadcast for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship as they are televised by TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, starting with the NCAA Basketball Selection Show on Sunday, March 11, and continuing through the Men’s Final Four® and National Championship Game from New Orleans on March 31 and April 2.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will continue to be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com.

NCAA® March Madness® Live will offer higher quality live video streams across platforms; video highlights for every game of the Tournament on the iPhone and Android phones; live game alerts for Android phones, as well as iPhones and iPads; an updated design; and live radio broadcast courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the suite of digital products. In addition to the new offerings, NCAA® March Madness® Live will again provide the same fan-favorite features from last year including: schedules and live game scoring, live tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, and live social companion views.

The NCAA® March Madness® Live video player is presented by NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Capital One and Coke Zero.  To generate fan excitement leading into March Madness Live coverage, Coke Zero will provide a limited number of fans the opportunity to receive free NCAA® March Madness® access. The promotion launches the week of Feb. 20.

“Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA are committed to providing the excitement of March Madness on as many screens as possible – television, online, mobile and tablets – for viewers to experience all of the exciting action of this great event wherever they are,” said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations for Turner Sports. “Combining TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV with the enhanced offerings of the new NCAA® March Madness® product provides fans with instantaneous on-the-go access ensuring they won’t miss a moment of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.”

“We continue to look at ways to bring the tournament to more of our fan base and keep them connected to the excitement that culminates with the Final Four,” said NCAA interim executive vice president of championships and alliances Greg Shaheen.  “NCAA® March Madness® Live is one of many options college basketball fans will have to watch this year’s tournament how they want, when they want.

The 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be available through the following platforms:

• For the second consecutive year, all 67 games will be televised across four television networks in their entirety — TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV.
• Turner will stream its linear television games online for free on an authenticated basis on the Turner websites (TBS.com, TNT.tv and truTV.com) for consumers who have a cable, satellite or telco subscription that includes these respective Turner networks.  Authenticating this year’s Tournament across the Turner Networks is an extension of the company’s TV Everywhere initiative, which is currently available to over 75 million households.
• All games airing on CBS will be available for free on CBSSports.com.

NCAA® March Madness® features include:

• My Channels:  Through My Channels, fans can easily find games using this personalized channel finder. By plugging in their zip code, users can select their TV provider and see their channel lineup for every game on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
• The Game Center View:  The Game Center view provides fans with a control center at their fingertips for live in-game stats such as player stats, team leaders, scoring streaks, biggest lead and foul trouble, depending on which device they use – along with a graphic lead tracker – and live social features.
• The NCAA March Madness Social Arena: Extending the conversation beyond the broadcast,  NCAA March Madness Social Arena will return as the social water cooler for March Madness conversation. New this year, features will be live across the entire NCAA March Madness suite of products and, for the first time, let fans grab key game moments and share them with friends and family. In addition, fans will be able to view social commentary from other fans and celebrities everywhere, answer live tournament trivia, and cheer for their favorite teams. The Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will extend onto Coke Zero’s Facebook page – offering a complete video gallery of all fan-grabbed moments, complete access to specially-aggregated Twitter feeds of all 68 teams, a uniquely-visualized bracket view of the loudest fans, and more.

NCAA March Madness will be played at 14 venues around the country beginning March 13.  For more information, go to NCAA.com.

Last year, more than 176 million people tuned into the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

That is it.

National Geographic Premieres New Web Series Featuring Boston Bruins’ Andrew Ference

National Geographic Channel rarely delves into sports subjects, but it will starting today with a new web series, “Beyond The Puck” that will star Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference.

Taking the Stanley Cup for a Bike Ride (Photo by National Geographic Channel)

One thing you may not know about Ference is that he’s an environmental activist and works to keep his home green and eco-friendly. Ference bikes to the TD Garden where he plays in Boston and attempts to maintain a green lifestyle in all aspects of his life.

From the National Geographic website, the description of the series also adds:

“Inspired by his friend, environmentalist David Suzuki, Andrew has embraced an eco-friendly way of life at home and on the road. He’s achieved the ultimate victory in hockey — winning the Stanley Cup — and is ready take on the challenge of inspiring others to care about the planet.”

We have a couple of videos previewing the series including this one from NatGeo:

Former New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter discusses how one favorite aspect of younger hockey players, being able to skate on frozen ponds, is changing to due to climate change.

The series will have ten episodes and premieres today. For more information on “Beyond The Puck,” you can head over to National Geographic’s website.