97 posts categorized "TV Sports"
Feb 23, 2009
Feb 06, 2009
Joe Buck Replaces Bob Costas at HBO
With Bob Costas leaving HBO for MLB Network, another great voice of sports broadcasting will take his place, according to the Sports Media God:
With Costas' exit, HBO turns to Buck
Now batting for Bob Costas on HBO: Joe Buck.
Costas this week left HBO for the MLB Network. He was interested in appearing on both, but HBO insisted on continuing to be his sole employer on cable TV. Enter Buck, the Fox NFL and MLB play-by-play announcer, for a yet-to-be-named 90-minute show starting in May.
HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg says Buck is "downright funny, although I don't know if the American public is aware of that."
Buck shot a Saturday late-night comedy show pilot for Fox that wasn't picked up — "it was a little different and not what a broadcast network was looking for," he says — and had been talking to HBO for months before Costas' exit. Greenburg, saying Buck shows "incredible brilliance" in his play-by-play calls, says HBO gives him "an opportunity to get done what he can't do in the world of network TV. Cable and network are two different worlds."
Plus, says Buck, he might get to do cameos on other HBO shows, "starting with Pornucopia."
Buck says Fox Sports head David Hill was fine with an idea — "without missing a beat, he said, 'What a godsend' " — that will presumably raise Buck's visibility. Says Greenburg: "We want to hand Joe back to Fox as a bigger star."
Assuming he turns out to be funny. He's working on it: "The biggest criticism of me is that I try to be funny on sports events. Maybe I'll just start injecting play-by-play into this talk show."
Feb 04, 2009
NASCAR 2009 Season A Wait and See Attitude Prevails
Great article from USA Today, the best sports page around, on how things will be different this year. Check it out and keep in touch with ZuD's VoiD as we no doubt will post a few NASCAR pieces this season:
If you're a NASCAR fan worried that a host of recent seismic changes will wrap the sport in an exhaust cloud of extreme uncertainty throughout 2009, here's horsepower-tinged hope. Each Saturday or Sunday should bring solace for at least three hours or so.
Despite all of the sponsorship and budgetary upheaval that has engulfed stock car racing in conjunction with the financial crisis rippling through corporate America, the on-track product will seem very familiar this season. There have been no major rule changes and no tweaks to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format. For the first time in three years, the same rear-winged car will be raced at every track as in the previous season.
"As far as race cars, the bodies, the chassis, the engines … the nucleus of our sport, the racing on the track, hasn't been affected," says Larry McReynolds, a TV analyst for Fox and Speed. "But there's a lot of things affecting everything else behind the scenes."
Feb 03, 2009
What Super Bowl Delicacies Did You Have?
Here is what we had, yes indeed, piggies in a blanket:
UniBody Aluminum MacBook Blogging Son of a Gun
Hello to all I am keyboarding this post from a 2.4Ghz
MacBook with a lit keyboard and a 250-gig drive they don’t come anymore beefy
than that but that really isn’t of interest to you what you want to hear about
is what I did for the big game, isn’t it. Well I just wanted to cover where we
at with the computer dilemma cause it took up all our time the last 5 days for
certain and we have decided to be a 3 computer office for the time being until
someone takes the tablet off my hands anyway we had a delightful weekend with
it being capped off by a cliffhanger end to the super bowl that had me wishing
for the Cardinals but feeling reluctantly pleased with myself when the Steelers
pulled it out at the end. You’ll recall I had projected the playoffs to be a
Pittsburgh victory so I not only was champion of the fantasy football league I
had the picks go my way as well. I am not bragging really I am not it is that I
so rarely am right about these things.
Man that was a long paragraph, is this is what we have to expect now that I am blogging again with a MacBook? That’s why I bought it you know, to have the ability to be long on text just like the big boy bloggers I want to be like. So whoopee do! It’s working like a charm.
What I found delightful this weekend was the movie I waited on coming to home video which is Guy Richie latest rock’nrolla which had a fantastic cast of British actors, did you know Stringer Bell from the Wire is British? I didn’t either and he co-starred with a stunning group of actors that spoke in tongues that require close captioning but that didn’t slow down the pleasure one bit! I recommend that film with guaranteed delight for anyone who has a sense of humor and an appetite for British gangster movies.
So just a week or so and Pro Football will be over til summer and I will have my life back for what six months that will be kind of coll. I am thinking of NASCAR but not really, I may miss a few races just focus on the short tracks that’s all I really like. The Bristol’s and Martinsville’s are what I dig. The big 2-mile ovals are just round and round but on the short tracks they bump and bang each other and wrecks are so cool. Not when they die but the characters are the main thing. With the economy what it is I am not sure how it will all play out. A lot of teams closed down this off-season so it will be interesting just to see what or who is left and where.
Jan 31, 2009
Passion, Addiction and Super Bowl 2009
So here in the Void we are free to speak on any topic, passion or addiction ZuD may be experiencing at any moment. Let’s bring you up the speed, since we abandoned Nicotine Gum Addict.com we have been unable to keep you up to speed on ZuD’s gum addiction. As it stands at this point in January 09 we were able to quit the gum for 2 weeks and all nicotine for a week. We have since gone back to the gum and with my gums (in my mouth) screaming in pain we have gone back on the patch and will forsake gum hopefully forever and nicotine shortly after that.
Regarding technical addiction we have decided to sell this HP tablet for a ridiculously cheap price on craigslist and get us one of them there luscious aluminum Unibody MacBooks! Yeah buddy! Then that will be the blogging computer that will bring you all of these fabulous posts. Screw trying to do handwriting to text computing! You’ll recall that was my approach in November and that fell flat with a boom.
I think that’s it for now. Oh wait there is a game tomorrow of some interest, the Super Bowl, not a real game, more of a dog and pony show for the non football fans. I speak with disdain because I am a football addict and will be forced into withdrawal in a week. Something I have faced for some thirty years. It’s not so bad as it allows me to get caught up with life until NASCAR rears its head in a couple weeks. I am going with Pittsburgh in case you want to place a late bet.
Jan 13, 2009
2008 NFL Divisional Playoffs TV Ratings From The Sports Media God
Can we be honest here? Of Course.
The play offs smelled this past weekend, except for the fourth game until the third quarter when Phillip Rivers stood on the sideline watching his world crumble as Motorcycle Boy kept the ball except for 45 seconds. Here are the numbers from the Sports Media God and his expert analysis:
No Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Ditto Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and Brett Favre and the New York Jets. Result? TV ratings fell for three of the four NFL divisional playoff games last weekend. CBS and Fox probably would not have chosen Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals as their ideal ratings draws for Sunday's AFC and NFC Championship Games. Super Bowl ratings are virtually bulletproof. Will viewership fall for Sunday's games? Maybe, especially without Eli Manning and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, but Donovan McNabb of the Eagles and Kurt Warner of the Cardinals are great comeback stories.
| Event |
Day, time (p.m., ET)
|
Rating (households)
|
Outlet
|
 |
|||
| NFL: Pittsburgh- San Diego |
Sunday, 4:45
|
21.4 (16.5 million)
|
CBS
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| NFL: New York- Philadelphia |
Sunday, 1
|
20.9 (16.1 million)
|
Fox
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| Event |
Day, time (p.m., ET)
|
Rating (households)
|
Outlet
|
|
|||
| NFL: Baltimore- Tennessee |
Saturday, 4:30
|
17.0 (13.1 million)
|
CBS
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| NFL: Arizona- Carolina |
Saturday, 8:15
|
15.8 (12.2 million)
|
Fox
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: | |||
Dec 31, 2008
Sir Charles Barkley Busted For Suspicion of Drunk Driving, Oh No!
Sir Charles got busted, say it ain't so Chuck!
Barkley is so cool and such a good member of the best Sports Studio Show the NBA on TNT I hope this doesn't mean he will be removed or punished. Here's the story from USA Today:
Tough week behind the wheel in Arizona for sports celebrities.
Charles Barkley apparently has some explaining to do after getting arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving early this morning. The AP reports Barkley was pulled over around 1:30 a.m. in Scottsdale's Old Town area by an officer who saw him run a stop sign.
Police Lt. Eric Shuhandler told the AP Barkley declined a breath test but was given a blood test; results weren't immediately available. After the former NBA star and TNT commentator was processed, he was cited, released and left in a cab, police said.
"There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," Shuhandler said. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."
Yesterday, we told you about Danica Patrick getting a speeding ticket in the Phoenix area. It was the second this year for the Indy circuit driver.
SourceDec 19, 2008
Nov 29, 2008
Plaxico Burress Accidentally Shoots Himself
I know he's from Michigan State and all, but Damn! How far can this man's life get from becoming some cheap-ass reality show on Fox? Speaking of Fox, Jay gets another scoop:
Source
Plaxico Burress' controversial year has just taken a turn for the worse.
Source
Plaxico Burress' controversial year has just taken a turn for the worse.
The New York Giants wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg on Friday night, FOXSports.com has learned, not long after being ruled out of Sunday's game against the Redskins with a hamstring injury.
He spent the night in the hospital and the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The team is still trying to gather further information on the incident.
This has been a troubled year for Burress, who opened the season with a lengthy contract dispute. He was also suspended one game in October for violating team rules, benched during another game and hit with a series of fines.
The Giants are atop the NFC standings with a 10-1 record and are vying for their seventh straight win Sunday when they face Washington.
Burress initially pulled his injured hamstring in the Giants' win over Baltimore on Nov. 16. He then aggravated the injury in the opening series last Sunday against Arizona, and then sat out the rest of that game.
Domenik Hixon, who is dealing with an ankle injury, will start in Burress' place.
2008 College Football Season Almost Over
Don't know if you folks realize it or not but the show is almost over. This grand 2008 season is almost at an end and if you haven't been paying attention, shame on you! It's been one hell of a season! Ok maybe not as good as '07 but its had its moments. Take today for example:
College football: Georgia Tech at Georgia, CBS, noon. Virginia at Virginia Tech, ESPN, noon. South Carolina at Clemson, ESPN2, noon. Kansas vs. Missouri, in Kansas City, Mo., FSN, 12:30 p.m. State Farm Bayou Classic, Grambling State vs. Southern, at New Orleans, NBC, 2 p.m. Baylor at Texas Tech, Versus, 3:30 p.m. Regional coverage, Florida at Florida State or Maryland at Boston College, ABC, 3:30 p.m. Kentucky at Tennessee, ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. Oregon at Oregon State, Versus, 7 p.m. Notre Dame at Southern California, ESPN, 8 p.m. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, ABC, 8 p.m.
The ones that are grabbing my eye are So Carolina-then Fla-then ND vs USC. I am hoping for an upset in some of these games cause I just don't want these big teams just walking all over everyone. So join me as we root for the dogs and get some Blood on the Plasma as the day roars on.
Week 13 NFL Announcing and Coverage Maps
Shamelessly Stolen from this dude NBC Sunday Night Football: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (Al Michaels, John Madden)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser)
CBS 1pm:
RED: Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns - Dick Enberg, Randy Cross
BLUE: Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Rams - Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
GREEN: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati - Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
CBS 4pm:
RED: Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots - Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Denver Broncos at NY Jets - Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
GREEN: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders - Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein
FOX:
RED: N.Y. Giants at Washington Redskins (1pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
BLUE: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1pm)- Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger, Brian Billick
GREEN: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan
YELLOW: San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills - Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli
ORANGE: Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers (4pm) - Matt Vasgersian, JC Pearson
Nov 21, 2008
NFL Week 12 Announcing and Coverage Maps
I keep ripping this dude off because his Commentary and Maps are fascinating:
Man,
I still can't believe how fast this season is flying by. We've only got
a month and a half left and the games are obviously going to mean more
and more each week. CBS once again has a slew of great games
highlighted by Nantz and Simms heading to Tennessee for the Jets-Titans
game. The B-Team even gets a good AFC East matchup in Miami as the
Patriots try to solve the Wildcat Offense a second time.
FOX once again decided to send Buck and Aikman to a crappy Dallas game, while the "B" and "C" Teams get great games. Kenny, Moose and Goose head to AZ for the Giants-Cards game and Brennaman and Billick get the NFC South battle between the Panthers and Falcons. I have no idea why they continue to do that, but I'm sure the other crews aren't complaining.
FYI- The FOX maps will be coming later on in the day via The 506. Here's what we've got so far....
NFL-N Thursday Night Football: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (Bob Papa, Cris Collinsworth
NBC Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (Al Michaels, John Madden)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser)
CBS:
RED: NY Jets at Tennessee (1pm) - Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: New England at Miami (1pm) - Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
ORANGE: Houston at Cleveland (1pm) - Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
YELLOW: Buffalo at Kansas City (1pm) - Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
GREEN: Oakland at Denver (4pm) - Dick Enberg, Randy Cross
FOX 1pm:
RED: San Francisco at Dallas (1pm)- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
BLUE: Chicago at St. Louis (1pm)- Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger and Laura Okmin
GREEN: Philadelphia at Baltimore (1pm)- Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan and Chris Meyers
ORANGE: Tampa Bay at Detroit (1pm)- Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli and Charissa Thompson
YELLOW: Minnesota at Jacksonville (1pm)- Chris Rose, John Lynch and Krista Voda
(BROWN: TBD)
FOX 4pm:
RED: N.Y. Giants at Arizona (4pm)- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
BLUE: Carolina at Atlanta (4pm)- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
GREEN: Washington at Seattle (4pm)- Matt Vasgersian, JC Pearson and Nischelle Turner
Nov 19, 2008
Deadspin Takes a Shot at ESPN's Tolerance Level
At least on first read I think that's what this is about. ZuD has the luxury of knowing he will never work for anyone but himself and having a catbird seat viewing the media the way I do I can say anything I want. SO I love citing these kind of shots across the bow. As I posted earlier I am greatly concerned about the direction ESPN is taking us Sports addicts and being at their mercy doesn't feel good, so anything I can do to bash them, I will capitalize on.
I will however say that the clowns at FoX did an awful job covering College football and I am overjoyed they will loose the BCS, but you already know that, don't cha sports fans, so suffice to say, lets not let ESPN get to full of themselves and have a nice day!
I cite:
Rick Telander Does Not Fear ESPN's Wrath -- But He Does Respect It
In a tough economic market, you'll find many sports writers scaling back on their criticism for the sake of job security. Trying to garner attention through traditional shit-stirring isn't the best way to keep your self afloat right now — piss off the wrong source or anger enough readers and you may find yourself expendable. Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Mariotti-foil Rick Telander penned a column today about the WWL's acquisition of the BCS bowl games, but then veered into a somewhat dangerous territory of half-heartedly criticizing ESPN's steamrolling empire. He suggests the corporation has its tentacles around so many sportswriters necks that there isn't anyone left to bitch about them besides the person they pay to do it, staff ombudsman Leanne Schreiber. Oh, and, so he says, "renegade bloggers", of course. Telander also mentions that he's worked for ESPN in the past and still pops up on "Rome Is Burning" every once in a while. So he doesn't exactly go after the network with knives out. No, instead he goes to the best source for truth (and bowel movement Facebook updates), Jason Whitlock:
''It's like if every political writer in the country was working for just the Obama campaign,'' former ESPN writer and commentator Jason Whitlock, now with Foxsports.com and the Kansas City Star, said when I asked him about the conundrum. Whitlock was basically fired from ESPN awhile back for being too critical of certain company aspects and individuals. ''I think ESPN is now more of an organization that needs to be covered, rather than one that covers organizations,'' Whitlock said.
Whether this little essay will have any long-term impact on Telander's ability to work for ESPN in the future has yet to be seen. ESPN is "looking into the essay" to see for sure, but I'd say for now that he will be allowed to sit on Jim Rome's couch in the near future. I will update when they make their final decision...
The ESPN Empire is Always Right [Chicago Sun-Times]
FlashForward: Soup Kitchen Viewing of BCS Once ESPN Takes Over
In a land not so far away, as we blog about here. Pay TV is out of control
Nov 18, 2008
Weekend TV Ratings for Sports ZuD Watches
The USA Today's Sports Media God analyzes this past weekend's top events:
Given the clamor for years about college football's Bowl Championship Series — and the various groups involved with competing interests — it seems astonishing that President-elect Barack Obama would want to wade anywhere near the quagmire. In election-eve comments on ESPN, he said he'd like to see a college football playoff. On CBS' 60 Minutes, he went into more detail, suggesting "you could trim back on the regular season" to accommodate an eight-team playoff.
It might be interesting to see how the White House could influence college football, but it's hard to imagine how even the proverbial Leader of the Free World could somehow straighten out how the sport crowns its champion. But then again, nobody has tried airstrikes.
| Event |
Day, time (p.m., ET)
|
Rating (households)
|
Outlet
|
|
|||
| NFL: main gameSan Diego- Pittsburgh |
Sunday, 4:15
|
14.3 (11 million)
|
CBS
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| NFL: Dallas-Washington |
Sunday, 8:30
|
13.5 (10.4 million)
|
NBC
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| College football: South Carolina-Florida |
Saturday, 3:30
|
3.7 (2.8 million)
|
CBS
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: |
|||
|
|||
| NASCAR: Ford 400 |
Sunday, 3:45
|
3.6 (2.7 million)
|
ABC
|
|
|||
| The comparison: |
|||
|
|||
| The spin on the spin: | |||
Nov 14, 2008
Fantasy Football Corrupts Enjoyment of America's Game
I think people bet football to make it more intriguing
Trying to make money
But they never do
The bit is rigged
That is why they do it, for the thrill
Now a cheaper way to get thrills is fantasy
I know I know
I thought it was kids stuff
And it does cheapen the experience somewhat,
Instead of just down and out
Cheering on a game your all caught up in stats & players
Particularly at 4 pm games
You're trying to make up for all the Dolts who didn't come through in the One o'clock games
Your nearing a major depression and
Hoping all your four o'clock players can
Amass HUGE numbers.
Now that I think of it
FANTASY FOOTBALL SUCKS
Yeah I said it
The only reason it is free is because it amasses huge hits on sponsored sites and though no one pays attention to the ads anyway the site sponsor, thinks they do. It is just another rigged gambit!
Like all the other on line garbage spewing sites you know and love, Damn sick of all of em, wait a minute, got to go, Kick-off is coming up and I promised to do the chips and dip this time.
Michael Hiestand, USATodays Sports Media God Cites Awfulannouncing Blog
Never thought I would see the day when a Mainstream Media Champ cite a blog, but that day has occurred. I am bummed cause I saw the story Hiestand refers to and thought nothing of it, found it boring. Oh well that is why he is the sports media god and I am the lowly blogger.
The campaign was killed as soon as the memo leaked. "Our marketing department just learned of this casting call today," said ESPN's Mike Soltys. "The language and approach reflected in that document were not approved by us and in no way represent ESPN or the respect we have for the college community."
In the memo, which first appeared on awfulannouncing.com, the "defining characteristic" of the Marquette student is that "you don't really remember her." The Kansas student "takes great pains to point out that Kansas is very cosmopolitan." Syracuse would need a "Jewish kid" who loves college — "all you can eat buffets in the cafeteria, who knew?"
Nov 13, 2008
NFL Week Eleven Announcing Schedule and Coverage Maps
Ok so l am shamelessly stealing this from Awful Announcing it is so cool I Cant help it
NFL-N Thursday Night Football: New York Jets at New England Patriots (Bob Papa, Cris Collinsworth
NBC Sunday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (Al Michaels, John Madden)
ESPN Monday Night Football: Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills (Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser)
CBS 1pm:
RED: Baltimore at New York Giants - Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
BLUE: Denver at Atlanta - Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
GREEN: Houston at Indianapolis - Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
ORANGE: Oakland at Miami - Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
CBS 4pm:
RED: San Diego at Pittsburgh - Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
BLUE: Tennessee at Jacksonville - Dick Enberg, Randy Cross
FOX:
RED: Chicago at Green Bay (1pm) - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver
BLUE: Philadelphia at Cincinnati (1pm) - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
ORANGE: Minnesota at Tampa Bay (1pm) - Sam Rosen, Tim Ryan, Chris Meyers
YELLOW: New Orleans at Kansas City (1pm) - Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
TURQUOISE: Detroit at Carolina (1pm) - Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli, Charissa Thompson
GREEN: Arizona at Seattle (4pm) - Dick Stockton, Brian Baldinger, Laura Okmin
PURPLE: St. Louis at San Franciso (4pm) - Matt Vasgersian, JC Pearson, Nischelle Turner
