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Athens, GA (Nov 30, 2007) - A visitor to this site today was looking for a list of the radio talent Westwood One uses for its 2007 Broadcasts. For future visitors, here is the list as published by Westwood One.

Sunday Night Football

•	Announcers: Dave Sims, Bob Trumpy and Tommy Tighe
•	Air Time: 7:30pm ET

Monday Night Football

•	Announcers: Marv Albert, Boomer Esiason and Jim Gray
•	Air Time: 8:00 pm ET

Thursday Night Football

•	Announcers: Dick Enberg and Dennis Green
•	Air Time: 7:30pm ET

Saturday Night Football

•	Announcers: Don Criqui, John Dockery and Tommy Tighe
•	Air Time: 7:30pm ET

Sunday Afternoon Doubleheaders

•	Announcers: Bill Rosinski & Dan Reeves and Harry Kalas & Jim Fassel; Tommy Tighe
•	Air Times: 12:30pm and 3:45pm ET

NFL Playoffs

•	Announcers: TBA
•	Air Time: TBA
•	Show Air Dates: Jan. 5, 2008-Jan. 20, 2008

Super Bowl XLII

•	Announcers: Marv Albert, Boomer Esiason, John Dockery, Kevin Kiley and Jim Gray
•	Air Time: TBA
•	Air Date: February 3, 2008

Pro Bowl

•	Announcers: Dave Sims, Boomer Esiason and TBA
•	Air Time: TBA
•	Air Date: February 10, 2008

Athens, GA (Nov 30, 2007) - One of the complaints Comcast has been sounding off on is the fact that the National Football League (NFL) has launched a web site called iwantnflfnetwork.com and urging people to fight back and switch from cable to satellite:



If you look closely at this part of the web page where fans can click and send an email or letter to their congressional representatives, so they can complain about the cable companies "blocking" their access to the NFL network:





I am not sure how the NFL can do this with a straight face since the black-out games that are not sold out, cutting off fans who might not be able to afford to go to the game anyway. Just like the cable companies offer the NFL network for an extra price-tier, the NFL offers fans of blacked out games to see them at a higher ticket price.

Bristol, CT (Nov. 29, 2007) - ESPN, in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Dan Klores (The Boys of Second Street Park, Viva Baseball, Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story and Crazy Love), has announced that Academy Award Nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, jazz great Wynton Marsalis, and New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul will narrate the upcoming film event, “Black Magic.” The commercial free, two-part four-hour film will be televised in primetime Sunday and Monday, March 16 and 17 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Part One will air immediately following the network’s ESPNU Bracketology show (analyzing the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament selections), and Part Two will be televised after the network’s exclusive live announcement of the 64-team NCAA Women's Tournament on Selection Monday.

Directed by Klores and Co-produced by Klores and basketball legend and Winston-Salem State University graduate Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, “Black Magic” tells the story of the injustice which characterized the Civil Rights Movement in America, as told through the lives of basketball players and coaches who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The film will receive extensive support across a variety of ESPN networks and media platforms with more details to be released in the coming months.

“This is a story that must be told. There is no better time to share it with our viewers than in the thick of college basketball’s biggest month,” said Keith Clinkscales, ESPN senior vice president, content development and enterprises. “As sports fans prepare to witness the year’s best college basketball players and teams in action, ‘Black Magic’ will present them with an unforgettable journey back to the players, coaches and schools that shaped the game, and in great part, society, as they know it today.” Klores said: “’Black Magic’ is about injustice, refuge and joy. It's a story I have been yearning to tell for a long time... a story of exclusion and therefore invention. The film exposes a system characterized by quota systems, the blacklisting of players, the murder of innocent children, the pride of attending an HBCU, the psychological effects of desegregation and the long-term debates surrounding integration. I have met so many men who share a beauty, courage and dignity, that I feel very, very blessed."

About “Black Magic”

From more than 200 hours of interviews and footage, the film reveals the plight of HBCU players and coaches as a stark but proud one, filled with obstacles at every turn. From separate leagues and facilities, to championship games and titles that never qualified for the history books, all the way to secret games played between blacks and whites in defiance of the law, players and programs at HBCUs not only thrived, but laid the groundwork for the proliferation of the modern athlete. Klores interviews with Willis Reed, Avery Johnson, Ben Wallace, Charles Oakley, John Chaney, Bob Love, Al Attles, Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl Lloyd, Dick Barnett, Woody Sauldsberry, Bob Dandridge, Sonny Hill, Perry Wallace, Dave Robbins, Harold Hunter, Donnie Walsh, Cleo Hill, Ernie Brown, Bobby Cremins, Howie Evans, historians Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Dr. Cleveland Sellers, Dr. Milton Katz and the widows of Clarence “Big House” Gaines and John McLendon, amongst others.

Athens, GA (Nov 30, 2007) - If you are a person who sometimes gets fed up by what you consider to be "Awful Announcing" on television and radio sports broadcasting, then you must run, not walk, over to the "Awful Announcing" blog. Some of his posts are so funny you will want to cry or run to the bathroom.

I wish I knew more about the author so I could tell you about him. Perhaps that will come later.

Athens, GA (Nov 30, 2007) - Stephen Bardo has joined CBS Sports as a college basketball analyst. Note that where np picture is available, an icon representing the sport the profiled person works in. The following is his profile as published by CBS Sports.

This is Stephen Bardo's first year as an analyst for CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Since 2002, he has served the same role for ESPN, having first joined ESPN in 2000 doing voice-over work for NBA International broadcasts. Bardo also has been the voice of his alma mater, the University of Illinois basketball since 2000 on the Illini Sports Network. In addition, since 2003 he has served as sports reporter for WBBM-TV in Chicago, covering the Illini, Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox and Cubs. Bardo also hosts a weekly sports radio show, "Sports Unplugged," in Chicago.

A 1990 graduate of Illinois, Bardo was a four-year starter on the basketball team and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season and All-Conference twice. In 1989 he led his team to the Final Four. Bardo's professional basketball career spanned 10-years. After he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1990, his career saw him play for the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, the CBA and overseas in France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Venezuela. Bardo lives in Chicago, Ill. and has two sons.

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - I thought I heard him say it, but wanted to confirm with a friend of mine first. And yes, Chris Collinsworth (pictured left), in broadcasting tonight's Packers-Cowboys game for the NFL Network, referred to DeMarcus Ware by saying "what a tool he is."

I think he meant it as a positive thing, based on his comments immediately afterwards, but I cannot believe he does not know what referring to someone as "a tool" really means. So for his education, when you call someone "a tool", you are using a euphemism for a the crude name of a certain body part used to pee or for reproduction. Lesson over.

Related Article: NFL Network Game Production Doe Not Work (Nov 29, 2007)

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - I am trying to sit here and watch the Packers - Cowboys game on the NFL Network, and I mean really trying. As much as I would hope that a game with all this hype and controversy would be worth watching. Honestly, it is one of the worst produced NFL games I have ever seen, and I do not know how much longer I can hold on.

What is wrong with the production? Well if you have ADD you might be fine. I have it, and I am not. There are more camera cuts and horrid angles than you can shake a stick at. When a play finishes, instead of showing reactions of players on the field, they show players on the sidelines that are not involved in the play at all. They almost miss extra points because they are cutting between sideline shots. The cameramen can not keep up or frame the action consistently, and they have too many shaking cameras.

The audio has been absolutely atrocious, which is actually a blessing because Bryant Gumbel should not be let anywhere withing 1,000 feet of a game broadcast booth. It is like he is trying to craft a game long essay instead of calling a game. He lays out when he should be describing the action and talks when he should not be. His audio levels are so low he sounds like he is somewhere else. He calls them "periods" and not "quarters". He talks about a full page graphic that has been built, but then says we will show it to us later. He is no Greg Gumbel to be sure.

He and Chris Collinsworth are sounding like he is the founding member of the Tony Romo fan club. Who cares that he is rich, single and a scratch golfer? Their banter is better suited to a show like "Real Sports" or "Inside the NFL" than in a broadcast booth. And then there is Deion Sanders. His audio was so in the mud in the first quarter you had to wonder why they turned it on at all. He is strutting around in a three-piece suit with a "21" broach or button on his lapel. Where is Jim Gray when you need him?

Now there are some positives. Their graphics are the crispest I have ever seen on a football broadcast, and CBS Sports could learn how to make graphics readable from them. And to his credit, Gumbel asked Sanders to explain in more detail what he meant in a sideline report. Finally, the clarity of the still "replay" photos is stunning, even with out a High Def Television.

Memo to the NFL: The product is not worth the price you want people to pay. The free product on the broadcast networks is far superior.

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - Are you looking to find the Packers-Cowboys game on the radio tonight? It is being broadcast on Westwood One, and you find the stations in your area carrying the game on their web site. At least the radio is still free...

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - Can't get the NFL Network tonight because of the greed on both sides of the debate? Well, there are alternatives if you must have sports on the tube:

• Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Louisville Cardinals (8:00 PM ESPN)
• New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics (8:00 PM TNT)
• Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM TNT)
• Drexel Dragons @ George Mason Patriots (SNY)
• Toronto Maple Leafs @ Atlanta Thrashers (7:00 PM SportsSouth)

Well you get the picture. You can get the full schedule of televised sports over on SportsLine.

Now of course, you could give the television control to your significant other and catch Ugly Betty, Survivor: China, My Name is Earl, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, or Project Runway.

Maybe you can even leave the television off and talk;-).

Bristol, CT (Nov 29, 2007) - ESPN will present The Best of "This is SportsCenter" Presented by Kay Jewelers, a one-hour special hosted by Karl Ravech chronicling ESPN's ad campaign, on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

Created in 1995 by advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, the “This is SportsCenter” campaign features mini “mockumentaries” that capture comical moments on ESPN's Bristol campus when SportsCenter anchors interact with professional athletes, celebrities and mascots.

Host Karl Ravech. Photograph by Rich Arden / ESPN

"Sports fans tell us that they love the SportsCenter campaign, so we're serving up some of the all-time classic spots from more than 300 that have been produced," said Katie Lacey, senior vice president, marketing." It will be an entertaining look-back at the 12 years of the campaign."

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who has appeared in two spots this NFL season, said, “I was honored to be featured in the legendary 'This is SportsCenter' campaign alongside guys like Ladainian Tomlinson, 'Big Papi' David Ortiz, Lebron James and Tiger Woods. You know you've arrived when ESPN calls about shooting a SportsCenter spot."

Highlights from December 11’s The Best of "This is SportsCenter” show include:

• A look at more than 50 "This is SportsCenter" commercials including the first ever spot
• Debut of three spots
• Interviews with celebrities and athletes who have appeared in the spots including Roger Clemens, Ben Roethlisberger and Trevor Hoffman

“THIS IS SPORTSCENTER” PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

• “This is SportsCenter” promotional campaign was selected by TV Guide as one of the greatest television campaigns of all-time.
• “This is SportsCenter” on-air promo campaign was inducted into the CTAM (Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing) Hall of fame in July 2002.

Best of "This Is SportsCenter" will re-air on ESPN (Dec. 19 at 4 a.m.), ESPN2 (Dec. 12 Time TBD.; Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.) and ESPN Classic (Dec. 13 and 15 at 10 p.m.).

The CBS Television Network continues its 48^th year broadcasting the NFL with singleheader coverage of THE NFL ON CBS on Sunday, Dec. 2 (1:00-7:00 PM, ET) beginning with THE NFL TODAY, the Network's studio show (12:00 Noon-1:00 PM, ET), live from THE NFL TODAY studio in New York City.

THE NFL ON CBS lead announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms call the Jacksonville Jaguars-Indianapolis Colts game, live from the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. Lance Barrow is the coordinating producer and lead game producer and Mike Arnold is the lead game director.

The following are THE NFL ON CBS assignments for Week 13 and Week 14 (subject to change).

WEEK 13 - Dec. 2

GAME/PLAY-BY-PLAY- ANALYST/PRODUCER-DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:

·Jacksonville @ Indianapolis* Jim Nantz/Phil Simms Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

·San Diego @ Kansas City* Dick Enberg/Randy Cross Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith

·N.Y. Jets @ Miami* Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker Victor Frank/Chris Svendsen

·Houston @ Tennessee* Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley

·Buffalo @ Washington* Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots Ken Mack/Andy Goldberg

4:15 PM, ET starts

·Cleveland @ Arizona* Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

·Denver @ Oakland Bill Macatee/Steve Beuerlein Ross Schneiderman/Jim Cornell

WEEK 14 - Dec. 9 - DOUBLEHEADER

GAME/PLAY-BY-PLAY- ANALYST/PRODUCER-DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:

·Miami @ Buffalo Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots Ken Mack/Andy Goldberg

·Oakland @ Green Bay* Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley

·San Diego @ Tennessee* Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

4:15 PM, ET starts:

·Pittsburgh @ New England* Jim Nantz/Phil Simms Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

·Kansas City @ Denver* Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker Victor Frank/Mark Grant

·Cleveland @ N.Y. Jets* Dick Enberg/Randy Cross Bob Mansbach/Jim Cornell

* Games broadcast in HDTV

*No. 14-Ranked Tennessee Takes on *No. 5-Ranked LSU in SEC Title Game, and Army Battles Navy in 108^th College Football Classic from Philadelphia

CBS Sports presents an action-packed line-up of college sports on Saturday, Dec. 1 highlighted by the SEC Championship game (4:00-7:30 PM, ET), featuring Eastern Division Champion and *No. 14-ranked Tennessee versus Western Division Champion and *No. 5-ranked LSU at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

The 108^th meeting of the Army-Navy football classic, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, is broadcast live from M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Md. (12:00 NOON-3:30 PM, ET).

Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, CBS Sports' lead college football announce team (Pictured right), call the action from Atlanta with Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sidelines. Craig Silver, the Network's coordinating producer of college football, produces and Steve Milton directs. CBS Sports' national broadcast of the SEC Championship also is broadcast in HDTV.

THE NFL TODAY's studio analyst Boomer Esiason does double duty as he moves from the studio into the booth to serve as game analyst alongside Ian Eagle for the Army-Navy contest. Sam Ryan serves as reporter. Steve Scheer produces and Mark Grant directs. The Army-Navy contest also will be broadcast in HDTV.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY, CBS Sports' pre-game, halftime and post-game studio show, with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman, keep viewers updated with scores and highlights on all the games throughout the afternoon. COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY will feature the traditional parade of the Brigade of Midshipmen and the Corps of Cadets onto the field prior to the Army-Navy game. Vin DeVito will produce and Linda Malino will direct.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY PRESENTED BY CHICK-FIL-A (3:30-4:00 PM, ET) with Brando and Tillman, previews the Tennessee-LSU match-up, along with the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Tony Barnhart reporting live from Atlanta.

Tony Petitti is Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports.

Photgraphs courtesy CBS Sports

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - Driving my kids to school this morning, I was listening to the local sports talk radio station, 960 the Ref. Dave Johnston, the program director, and Mike Tingle were discussing the news that the ACLU is calling out Clemson and coach Tommy Bowden (pictured right) over an annual team trip to a local church. As reported in Sporting News yesterday:

"Clemson coach Tommy Bowden violates the constitutional rights of his players by making them have to opt out if they don't want to go to an annual team visit to a church, a leader of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said."

This seems to be one of those times that the ACLU is making waves over nothing, and the media is eating right into their hands. University of Georgia Coach Mark Richt (pictured left) has the same, or at least used to have the same, practice in place. The intention was to expose the players to different religions as part of their educational process. It came to light in 2001 when the entire team showed up at the Catholic Center at UGA for the Baptism of Coach Brian VanGorder's child, raising some eyebrows. They were never forced to go and there was never retribution if they did. In a story in the Athens Banner-Herald, reporter Josh Kendall wrote:

"The Bulldogs have gone as a group to Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Catholic Center (pictured left) on Sunday mornings this fall. Richt emphasized this week that the trips aren't mandatory and have more to do with building team camaraderie than converting souls.

''We write a letter to the families and tell them we'd like to go together as a team and if they have any problem with that to let me know,'' he said. ''If they don't mind, then we do it. If anybody had a problem with it, they had the opportunity not to go.''

Richt said he got one call from a parent and one player came to him to voice concern. That player was excused without question, Richt said.

''We didn't take roll,'' he said."

Later in the same article, Kendall wrote:

"Steve Shewmaker, the executive director of the university's Office of Legal Affairs, said he didn't see a conflict of interest or a blurring of the church-state boundary.

''As long as it's not mandatory or a requirement, it's permitted,'' Shewmaker said. ''Our position is as long as the students are here, that their voluntary participation in any extra-curricular activity is all part of the educational growth. I am sure, knowing Coach Richt, that the voluntariness of it has been made clear.

''When those questions have come to our office our advice has been so long as it is voluntary and not in any way connected to grades or class performance, then it's permissible.''"

This practice is much different than the mandatory bible study meetings and accusations of religious discrimination against a Jewish cheerleader that got UGA Cheerleading Coach Marilou Braswell fired in 2004.

"The cheerleader, Jaclyn Steele, claimed Braswell held pre-game prayers and hosted Bible studies in her Bogart home - just a few examples of what Steele's parents say made their daughter feel like an outcast on the squad."

I have a call in to the UGA Sports Communications Department to see if this practice is still done by Richt. I will update this article when they get back to me.

Back to Clemson. One of the first football games I worked at when I moved South was a game between South Carolina and Clemson, played at Clemson. Clemson is a state school. bring a sensible Yankee (well Damn Yankee now), my jaw hit the ground when they started the game with the Lord's Prayer. I never understood why this was allowed and why the ACLU never jumped all over this, instead of the posturing they are doing over the annual Bowden church trips. Walking out of the stadium that day, I was approached by a limousine driver who asked me if "I had been saved."

Yes, college football in the south can be a religious experience in more ways than one.

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - One of my favorite memories involving Verne Lundquist came during a playoff game in Philadelphia. It was so cold outside that the portable toilets were frozen. He was paired with Terry Bradshaw in the booth, which had no windows. At one point, some drunken(?) Eagles fans started throwing ice balls at Verne and Terry. As the two were exchanging dialogue on air, Bradshaw started throwing the iceballs back at the fans, and Verne did not miss a beat. Aa little tidbit I picked up last week: both Verne and Brent Musberger are 67-years old this week. I would take Verne over Musberger any day of the week. Here is his profile, which interesting makes no mention of his work for Turner Sports, as published by CBS Sports:

Verne Lundquist first joined CBS Sports in 1982, during his tenure he has broadcast over 20 different sports for the Network. Currently, Lundquist serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports' coverage of college football, alongside analyst Gary Danielson.

In addition he serves as a play-by-play announcer for the Network's coverage of NCAA Basketball, including the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. He provides commentary for the Mastersâ, the PGA Championship, among other PGA TOUR events.

He marked his 20th year covering the Mastersâ in 2004 and was a regular member of CBS's golf announce team from 1983-1995. Lundquist returned to CBS Sports in 1998 after having previously worked for CBS from 1983-1995. During his career, he worked with Terry Bradshaw and Dan Fouts, and occasionally with lead analyst John Madden, on the Network's NFL broadcasts and was lead play-by-play announcer for CBS's coverage of figure skating during the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games. He had extensive involvement in the Network's previous coverage of the NBA. His extensive credits at CBS Sports include track and field, swimming and diving, boxing, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, weightlifting, free-style skiing, archery, horse racing and horse jumping.

He spent eight years at ABC Sports and three years as a play-by-play announcer for TNT's coverage of the NFL, NBA and golf and figure skating coverage (1995-97).

Lundquist was inducted into the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in April. He is well known in Texas as the long-time radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys (1972-84). Lundquist was sports director at WFAA-TV in Dallas for 16 years and won seven consecutive Texas Sportscaster of the Year Awards (1977-83). He was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Lundquist was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. It was the first time in the 55-year history of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame that members of the media were inducted. Lundquist was part of the inaugural class along with seven other legendary sportscaster and sports writers. He was named a 2005 Legend of the Sun Bowl by the Sun Bowl Association. Lundquist presented former Pittsburgh Steeler great Terry Bradshaw at his induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He began his career at KTBC-TV in Austin at a station owned by President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson. He has played himself in three movies. Born July 17, 1940, in Duluth, Minn., he grew up in Everett, Wash. and Austin, Texas.

Lundquist earned his bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Texas Lutheran College in 1962 and received that school's Distinguished Alumnus Award. He lives in Steamboat Springs, Colo., with his wife, Nancy, and serves on the Board of Directors of the summer chamber music festival, "Strings in the Mountains."

Photograph Courtesy of CBS Sports. Photograpgh by Craig Blankenhorn/CBS ©2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2007) - Gary Danielson stepped in as the analyst for SEC Football on CBS when Todd Blackledge went back to ESPN in 2006. Here is his profile as published by CBS Sports:

Gary Danielson, a 13-year National Football League veteran and former Purdue University quarterback, joined CBS Sports as lead analyst for the CBS Television Network's coverage of college football in 2006. He is paired with Verne Lundquist, who has served as lead play-by-play announcer since 1998.

Danielson joins CBS Sports after having served as analyst for ABC Sports for the past nine years (1997-2005). Since 1991, he has served as an analyst for ESPN's college football broadcasts. Before joining ABC Sports, Danielson provided analysis for the Detroit Lions preseason football games.

After playing for three teams in the World Football League from 1974-75 (New York Stars, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Wind), Danielson signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent in 1976. He became the third all-time leading passer in Lions history. In 1985, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns where he spent four seasons before retiring in 1988. During his 13-year NFL career, Danielson passed for 13,764 yards.

Danielson was a part-time anchor/reporter at WDIV-TV (Detroit) during the off-season while a member of the Lions. And in Cleveland, he also co-hosted a sports talk show.

A 1973 graduate of Purdue University, Danielson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Management, and earned a Master's degree in Physical Education from Purdue in 1976. He is married, with four children.

Photograph Courtesy of CBS Sports.Photo Copyright 2006 byCraig Blankenhorn/CBS and CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Bert Blyleven is the FSN North Telecast Analyst for Minnesota Twins baseball. Following his stellar 23-year Major League career, Blyleven joined the Twins broadcast team and is nearing a decade of service as a game analyst for the team's telecasts. Blyleven pitched in two MLB All-Star games, three Championship Series and two World Series.

Source: Fox Sports on MSN

Dick Bremer is the FSN North Play-By-Play Announcer for Minnesota Twins Baseball. Bremer is in his third decade serving as a broadcaster for Twins baseball. A St. Cloud State graduate, Bremer has also been the voice of University of Minnesota basketball, football and hockey.

Source: Fox Sports on MSN

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2008) - Well, ESPN fixed part of the score problem. Unfortunately, the records of the teams are still posted as if the game was over:


Aren't computers wonderful?

Athens, GA (Nov 29, 2003) - Sometimes there are on-line glitches, but you would not expect ESPN to make one like this (Unless it was phoned in wrong). The score should read as a halftime score:

Athens, GA (Nov 28, 2007) - I will be very up front and tell you I do not like the NBA. I do not like it in a box or with a fox. I do not like it with a mouse or in the house. It is too much of a "produced" event. I much prefer a good game of college basketball no matter who is playing. But I need to be open minded, so here is the profile of Bob Rauscher, ESPN Vice-President of NBA Production, as published by the ESPN Networks.

Bob Rauscher, who joined ESPN during its first year, serves [as] vice-president, NBA production and oversees all of ESPN’s NBA programs. Previously, he was a senior coordinating producer in the studio production department and oversees all of ESPN's NFL studio shows – Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL PrimeTime, Monday Night Countdown, NFL Matchup and NFL Live. He is also responsible for on-site SportsCenter coverage of NFL special events, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and remote production opportunities at Monday Night Football games.

For the past 22 Super Bowls, Rauscher has annually overseen ESPN’s countless hours of remote production efforts during Super Bowl week as multiple programs have originated from the host city. In 2007, the network’s extensive coverage of Super Bowl XLI in Miami featured an outdoor beachside set in the heart of South Beach, all under Rauscher’s direction. He also helped produce ESPN’s NFL Draft telecast alongside MNF producer Jay Rothman in 2006 and 2007.

Rauscher, winner of 16 Emmy Awards and eight CableACEs, has been involved in the launch of two of the most successful and acclaimed sports shows on cable. He was the first producer of ESPN's NFL GameDay, the original name for the network's Sunday morning NFL preview show -- now Sunday NFL Countdown -- which debuted in September 1985. The program accounts for seven of Rauscher’s Emmy Awards and five of the CableACEs. ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown was awarded the Weekly Studio Show Emmy in 2007.

Rauscher also was involved in the 1990 inception of Outside the Lines, the network’s weekly in-depth series hosted by Bob Ley that focuses on issues away from the playing field.

Rauscher joined ESPN in August 1980 as a sports assistant and was promoted to associate producer one year later. He was named producer in 1984, coordinating producer in 1990 (overseeing both NFL GameDay and College GameDay) and senior coordinating producer in 1994 (overseeing NFL studio shows and Baseball Tonight). During his advancement, he has served at every level in the production of SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship program. Additionally, Rauscher has overseen the production of The NBA Today and on-site coverage of multiple NBA All-Star games and playoffs, college football bowl games and Major League Baseball’s World Series and All-Star Game.

A native of Clifton, N.J., Rauscher received a bachelor of science degree in T.V./Radio from Syracuse University in 1980, graduating summa cum laude.

Photograph Courtesy of the ESPN Networks.

Athens, GA (Nov 28, 2007) - This is the first in an occasional series of articles for people who have an interest in working in TV Sports. Today, I will talk in general terms. In later articles, I will talk about specific jobs, both permanent and temporary, that people can explore.

"You don't want to work in TV sports full time. You work every weekend and most of the week, and you have no life." Those were the words Pete Macheska, currently the lead producer for baseball on Fox Sports, gave me back in 1986. I was working as a runner for CBS Sports coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Finals in Cincinnati, and we had this conversation as we were driving to a production house for an edit session. At that time, Pete was a Broadcast Associate, the entry level production track job, for CBS. Looking back, I have to chuckle because I never did take on a full-time job in the field, but he stuck with it and still does it because he loves it.

Loving it is the key, because you really have to have a passion to do the job. Back in 1986, sports were only on TV during the weekend for the most part. Now, televised sports are a 24-7, global operation and there really is no down time for the people who do the work full time.

So here are some simple things to think about before pursuing your dream, if this IS your dream:

1. Start young before you have a spouse and children. Once you have kids, the pressure on you will be greater and greater because you will never be home.

2. Do not think you have to go to Broadcast Journalism school to get qualified for the work. What you learn in school bears little resemblance to what you will find in the work day of sports broadcasting. And it will not help you get a job. Legendary CBS Sports Golf Associate Director Chuck Will, in a 1998 Sports Illustrated interview, said, "There are so few jobs in television it's ridiculous. You can go through communications college, or you can come to me. Hang with me for a summer, you learn more than in four years of college." If you do not think this is true, just ask Lance Barrow who is now the producer for CBS Golf Coverage and started out as a runner-type worker for CBS way back when.

3. Take on any job, no matter how menial. That means if you are hired as a runner to fetch Cokes and hot dogs, that is your job. Sit back, listen, and watch. You will be surprised how much you will learn just doing this. Everything I learned about developing graphics on the Chyron graphics generator I learned from Charlie Carlucci (pictured right). I learned to much in fact, that the senior engineer at one production facility told me his full-time operators hated me because I could do things with the machine they said were impossible.

4. Be patient. As with a fine wine, everything takes time. As you spend more time working with the different crews, you will become a trusted asset. With that will come additional responsibility. You might end up doing research, statistics or more.

5. Don't be shy about approaching people for work. In 1986, I walked up to a production truck outside St. John Arena at The Ohio State University. I had worked exactly two football games in my career to that point as a runner, yet I asked for a job. Next thing you know, I was getting paid $25 to be the graphics coordinator for the game. Not a lot of money, but great experience. And you will be remembered. 10 years later I worked for that producer as the stage manager for the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships played at the University of Georgia. Last year, I worked for the director for a Fox Sports Network broadcast of a UGA football game.

6. You are being hired to work, NOT TO BE A FAN. Longtime NFL Spotter Kim Anderson (pictured left) told me a story about his very early years as a spotter. Atlanta was playing New Orleans, and Atlanta scored a miracle touchdown. Kim got so excited he jumped up and spilled hot coffee on play-by-play announcer Bob Neal, who was making the call while in pain from the coffee. When they went to break, Bob grabbed Kim and told him that he was there to work, not to be a fan. From that moment on, Kim stopped being a fan when he worked. If you do not think this is serious, I saw a runner fired on the spot because he asked Terry Bradshaw for an autograph on a football and it was caught on camera.

So that is it for now. Stay tuned for more down the road.

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - I first met Glenn Adamo, Vice-President of Media Operations for the NFL Network, back in the Mid-1980s. I worked for him at a PBA (yes, as in Professional Bowlers Association) event in Columbus, Ohio. I was paid to sit in a truck and "direct" the tape feed back to New York for a delayed broadcast (this means I counted backwards from ten a lot). Glenn was an awesome guy to work for and we recently reconnected on LinkedIn. The following is his biography as posted on the Sports Video Group web site.

A 28-year veteran of the sports television industry, Glenn Adamo is currently National Football League vice president of media operations, where he is responsible for the day-to-day functions of the League’s broadcasting and media operations departments, including NFL Films, NFL Network, and DIRECTV.

Adamo spent 15 years at NBC Sports, working as a coordinating producer for NFL Football, NCAA Basketball, NBA, College Bowl Games, MLB, Wimbledon, French Open and many other events. He also served as group vice president of broadcasting at the NHL.

Adamo has won five Emmy awards, including three for Olympic coverage, one for the 1983 World Series and one for Wimbledon.

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - OK, your fingerprints are all over my log files. Yes, you know who I am talking about. Yes, you guys (or gals as the case may be) from CBS, ESPN, and Disney are showing up quite a bit over the past week or so. So I am posting this here just for you. Go to my profile, grab my email address, and drop me a line. Let me know what you think. Of course, if you are just a BOT crawling the web looking for keywords...never mind.:-)

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - Probably one of the nicest people I have met over the years is CBS Sports Sideline Reporter Tracy Wolfson. Unlike a lot of sideline reporters, she started out in the trenches of network sports and worked her way up. I just don't know if she should get a pass for having gone to the University of Michigan (Go Bucks!). Here is her profile as posted by CBS Sports.

Tracy Wolfson has served as lead reporter for the Network's coverage of college football since 2004. She also has served as a reporter for CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship for the last four years. Throughout the year, Wolfson also covers Auto Racing, Skiing, Ice Skating, Gymnastics, Track and Field and Rodeo for the Network. In 2004, she hosted "The NCAA Tournament Show presented by Spike TV." She served as a reporter for the network's late night and weekend broadcasts of the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

Prior to CBS, Wolfson served as an anchor for the Madison Square Garden Network on Sports Desk and Talk of our Town, and was a reporter for College Hoops, Angles, Metro Soccer Report and Tee to Green. She also worked for ESPN as Host/Reporter covering U.S. Open Golf, college football and Arena Football (2002-03). Wolfson began her on-air broadcasting career in 2000 at WZBN-TV in Trenton, N.J. as a sports anchor, reporter and producer. She also has worked for Oxygen Sports, Long Island News Tonight and News-12 Long Island. Wolfson began her professional career at CBS Sports in 1997 as a Researcher, working on U.S. Open Tennis, the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1997 NCAA Final Four. Wolfson graduated with a degree in communications from the University of Michigan. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.

Photograph Copyright 2007 by "Eye on Sports Media"/The Cayuga Group, LLC. All Rights reserved.

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - I keep getting Google referrals to this site from people looking for information on Holly Rowe. Lest I disappoint them any more, here is her profile as posted by the ESPN networks.

Holly Rowe joined ESPN on a regular basis in August 1998 as a college football sideline reporter. She previously had served a sideline reporter for select ESPN telecasts in 1997 and for ABC Sports from 1995-96.

Rowe has also provided play-by-play of women’s college basketball and women’s college volleyball for ESPN since 1998 and for Fox Sports since 1993. She also called play-by-play on ESPN’s coverage of the 1998 Women’s World Cup. In addition, Rowe has hosted ESPN’s coverage of the Running of the Bulls, swimming and track and field. She also serves as the analyst for the WNBA’s Utah Starzz. Rowe continues to work for the Blue & White Sports Network in Provo, Utah, which syndicates WAC sporting events, where she has served as the play-by-play voice on BYU women sports since 1993.

As a University of Utah undergraduate – from where she earned a broadcast journalism degree in 1991 – Rowe was a sportswriter for the Daily Utah Chronicle and the Davis County Clipper, and anchored the campus TV station news. Following college, she interned at CBS Sports under then-VP of Programming Len DeLuca (now ESPN’s Senior VP, Programming Development) in 1991-92. She’s been on the CBS production team for every men’s Final Four since 1991.

Rowe was a Utah state delegate to the National Republican Convention in 1988. Currently, she’s also writing a mystery novel and screenplay.

Photograph Courtesy of the ESPN networks.

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - Who knew that an NFL Quarterback from my childhood would still be a presence in televised football? OK, there are a few of them out there. Here is Ron Jaworski's profile as published by the ESPN Networks.

Ron Jaworski is one of the most popular and knowledgeable analysts covering the NFL today. Since joining ESPN in 1990, the former standout NFL quarterback has covered the league from virtually every angle – sideline reporter, game-site reporter, host and both studio and game analyst. This fall Jaworski assumed one of the most coveted positions in sports when he joined the Monday Night Football booth as an analyst alongside Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser.

A true Xs and O’s technician, Jaworski can breakdown a game and explain the finer points like few analysts can. Never far from the film room, Jaworski has an office at NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, N.J., where he tapes weekly editions of NFL Match-Up with Sal Paolantonio and Merril Hoge. He also appears as a weekly ‘Five Good Minutes’ guest on Monday editions of Pardon the Interruption from the MNF game sites with Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon and continues to be a major contributor to ESPN’s annual NFL Draft and Super Bowl week coverage.

In 2006, Jaworski was a fixture on ESPN’s NFL studio programs, including Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL PrimeTime and NFL Match-Up. Jaworski worked as an analyst during the San Diego Chargers-Oakland Raiders game with Brad Nessler and Dick Vermeil as part of ESPN’s 2006 season-opening NFL doubleheader.

At ESPN, Jaworski has lent his expertise to a number of the network’s NFL programs. He served as an analyst for Monday Night Countdown and contributed “Playbook” segments to both Monday NFL Countdown and Sunday NFL Countdown. He regularly appeared as an on-site reporter at NFL games for both Countdown shows, and he served as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s Sunday Night Football telecasts during the 1997 season. In 2006, Jaworski handled play-by-play for a couple of Arena Football games, as ESPN made its return to the AFL.

Jaworski played 17 NFL seasons as quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams (1973-76), Philadelphia Eagles (1977-86), Miami Dolphins (1987-88) and Kansas City Chiefs (1989). His finest year came in 1980 when he led the Eagles to Super Bowl XV – the first in franchise history, and he was the NFC’s top-rated passer, selected to the Pro Bowl, and named NFL MVP and NFC Player of the Year by UPI. He also holds several career Eagles passing records, including yardage (27,000 yards) and touchdowns (175).

It was during his NFL playing days when Jaworski adopted his popular nickname “Jaws” from then next-door neighbor Doug Collins, the Philadelphia 76ers all star guard and future NBA coach and television analyst.

Following his playing career, Jaworski became a sports commentator for WIP-AM in Philadelphia where he hosted the Ron Jaworski Show in 1988, and co-hosted Celebrity Sports Talk and the Eagles wraparound shows in 1990. In 1992 he became co-host of the Eagles post-game show on WYSP-FM. In addition to his ESPN work, Jaworski called Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL preseason games for eight years (1989-2006).

A native of Lackawanna, N.Y. (outside of Buffalo), Jaworski attended Youngstown State University where he played in the Senior Bowl and the Ohio Shrine Bowl. He was the second-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in 1973. A prep baseball standout, Jaworski was also drafted out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The president and minority owner of the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul, Jaworski remains actively involved in his community through charitable activities and a variety of business ventures, which includes managing three 18-hole golf courses and overseeing the oldest football club in America – the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia, of which he is the president. Jaworski sits on the board of PNC Bank, and, through his annual golf tournament, he has raised nearly $2 million for the Jaws Youth Fund, a partnership with the United Way that raises money for at-risk youth.

Source: ESPN Networks

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - A couple of days ago, I posted a profile of ESPN Anchor Bill Pidto. In the introduction, I mentioned that I had worked with Bill at the Mizlou Sports News Network (SNN) back in the very early 1990s. Sure enough, a Google search "Mizlou Sports News Network" hit this site today.

SNN was an ambitious, and expensive, venture into 24-hour sports news. It was the predecessor to the now defunct CNN/SI, and ESPNEWS.

From this link on the search results, I came across another site of a company that had taken on the Mizlou name. On this site I found this very raw GIF file for from the SNN days:


Talk about a blast from the past!

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - This is one of those "too funny to have been made up" moments in sports television. I will let the video speak for itself, or the referee that is. I wonder if Raycom/Lincoln Financial Sports ever had this much free publicity before?

Launched: March 11, 1998.

Circulation: Guaranteed rate base is 1.95 million.

Content: ESPN The Magazine utilizes an award-winning variety of sports news resources combined with fast-paced, timely, in-depth commentary and opinion, all depicted in the rough eye-catching photography.

Hot List: ESPN The Magazine was named to Adweek’s Top 10 Hot List of magazines for five consecutive years (2001-2005), the only men's magazine to do so in the history of the list.

Awards: Surrounding its launch, ESPN The Magazine received honors from Adweek and Advertising Age as the best magazine launch of 1998 and the 1999 National Magazine Award for Design, its first year of eligibility. The Magazine was honored with the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence and was nominated for the same award in 2002 and 2004. In October 2005, the American Society of Magazine Editors unveiled the 40 greatest magazine covers of the last 40 years, and ESPN The Magazine’s cover from June 29, 1998, featuring Michael Jordan, was ranked No. 18 on the list. ESPN The Magazine was the only sports title on the list.

Source: ESPN Networks

Launched: ESPN Books was created in May 2004 to leverage the company’s expertise in sports reporting and sports entertainment to develop and promote a sweeping catalogue of sports titles. ESPN Books is releasing 14 titles in 2007 including : After Jackie: Pride, Prejudice and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes by Cal Fussman, Ruffian: A Racetrack Romance by William Nack, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium: Football and the Game of Life by John Ed Bradley and Breaker Boys: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship by David Fleming.

Source: ESPN Networks

Created: November 1992.

Mission: To develop new products and businesses using the ESPN brand and assets.

Consumer Products:

ESPN Consumer Products Licensing includes X Games Consumer Products – X Games branded apparel and accessories, Moto X and BMX bikes, skateboards, and protective gear – ESPN Consumer Products – includes ESPN branded personal expressions gifts and greeting cards @ Hallmark, indoor recreational game tables, co-branded toys and games with Fisher Price and USAopoly, ESPNU and College Game Day apparel and accessories, and sporting goods and ESPN Direct includes catalog and ESPNshop.com retail outlets and the ESPN Total AccessTM Visa® credit card;

ESPN Zones sports-themed dining and entertainment in Anaheim, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City and Washington, D.C. – also includes ESPN CLUB on Disney's Boardwalk in Orlando;

ESPN Home Entertainment featuring DVD titles Ali Rap, SportsCenter Year in Review 2006 and Through the Fire;

ESPN Golf Schools.

ESPN Interactive: Interactive gaming experiences primarily in conjunction with EA Sports, titles include Madden NFL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and NBA Live 08.

Description: Team ESPN, ESPN’s corporate outreach program, uses the power of sports to make a difference in the lives of fans and in their communities through initiatives that support ESPN’s mission and corporate philosophy. Team ESPN encompasses employee volunteerism, corporate giving, charitable and cause-related marketing programs.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research: Established: at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1993 by ESPN with the late Jim Valvano to raise funds for cancer research; over $50 million has been raised. For more info, call 1-800- 4JIMMYV or log on to www.jimmyv.org.

Play Your Way: multi-faceted physical fitness materials and initiatives developed to encourage kids to get active through “games to play, places to play and stuff to play with.” Visit www.espnplayyourway.com.

ESPN2's Cable in the Classroom SportsFigures: Presented commercial-free, the series teaches math and physics through sports, using prominent athletes. Visit www.ESPNSportsFigures.espn.com.

Source: ESPN Networks

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - Over on his blog, Four DVEs, No Waiting, the Houston Chronicle's David Barron asks the question: Is A&M's football tradition overrated? But is that his real question. Did he really mean to ask if the media outside of Texas view Texas A&M football fairly? He starts out his posting by saying

I've heard Aggies called a lot of things over the years, but I don't recall "pretentious" sneaking into the conversation. But that's what Fox Sports analysts Terry Bradshaw and Barry Switzer suggested during Fox NFL Sunday regarding Texas A&M's football program.

Well I am not from Texas, and really could not give a rats behind about any football from Texas. Am I anti-Texas? No, it is just that anybody, media and fans alike, are partial to their roots. If you are from Big 10 or Big 12 country, you are the best and the Southeastern Conference is overrated. If you are from anywhere but the West Coast, you wonder if they even play football out there. And if you ARE from Texas, there is nothing outside of your borders for you to waste your breath on. Does anyone from Texas honestly expect Barry Switzer to say anything supportive of football teams in that state?

So when Barron asks

So you tell me: Do we in Texas give the Aggies more credit than they deserve? And should Aggies be offended (or should they care) that some observers outside our state's borders don't think much of the A&M football tradition?

Leaving the Dennis Franchione debacle aside, the answer is, of course you do, just like the fans of any college team from their schools or where they live. It is part of the fun. Just enjoy it!

You can read Daniel Barron's full post over at the Houston Chronicle Web Site.

Athens, GA (Nov 27, 2007) - Not much can be said about Bill Parcells. Strong, opinionated and run out of Dallas. It is said that he, along with Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer and former University of Georgia Coach (and current ESPN Analyst) Jim Donnan, have houses down at Lake Oconee and hang out together in the off-season. I do not know if it is true or not, but what a way to spend a day fishing. Here is Parcells' profile as published by the ESPN Networks.

Bill Parcells, one of the most successful and respected coaches in National Football League history, returned to ESPN for the 2007 season as a studio analyst on Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter and other programs. He also contributes weekly columns to ESPN.com and joins Chris Mortensen for a weekly ESPN Radio show on Friday evenings during the NFL season.

Parcells, who stepped down as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in January 2007 after leading the team to two playoffs appearances (2003 and 2006) and a four-year record of 34-32, previously worked for ESPN in 2002 as a studio analyst on Sunday NFL Countdown. He also spent part of the 2001 season as an ESPN guest analyst.

In 19 NFL seasons, Parcells posted a career record of 183-138-1 with four teams –the New York Giants (1983-90), New England Patriots (1993-96), New York Jets (1997-99) and Cowboys (2003-06). A two-time Super Bowl winner with the Giants (1986 and 1990), Parcells is one of only five coaches in NFL history to lead two separate teams to the Super Bowl, having also guided the Patriots to the NFL title game in 1996. He ranks ninth on the NFL's list of all-time winningest head coaches, and his 11 playoff victories are tied for the fifth most in NFL history.

Parcells mentored a number of assistant coaches who have become highly successful NFL head coaches, including Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Sean Payton and Eric Mangini, as well as Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis.

Parcells led the N.Y. Giants to a franchise record 14-2 record, a division title and a victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI during the 1986 season. He won two more division titles and another Super Bowl in 1990 before taking a break from football in 1991-1992 to serve as a football analyst for NBC Sports. When he returned to the sidelines, Parcells led the Patriots to the playoffs for the first time in eight years in 1994, and two years later he had them in the Super Bowl. Parcells then took a Jets team that went 1-15 before his arrival and turned the franchise around, managing a 9-7 record in 1997 and a 12-4 record and an AFC Championship appearance in 1998.

Parcells began his coaching career directly out of college, taking assistant coaching positions at Hastings (1964), Wichita State (1965), Army (1966-1969), Florida State (1970-1972), Vanderbilt (1973-1974) and Texas Tech (1975-1977). He was the head coach at Air Force in 1978.

Parcells was graduated from the University of Wichita (now Wichita State) in 1963. He played linebacker for the Shockers for three years, once compiling 20 tackles and six sacks in a game against Tulsa University.