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Bobby Valentine joins ESPN's Baseball Tonight

bobby_valentine_metsHappy Valentine's Day, ESPN! Did you hear the news about one of the smartest guys in Major League Baseball ever? Bobby Valentine is joining ESPN's Baseball Tonight as an analyst. How do I know that Bobby's so smart? He told me so. Me and every other sports fan in the New York metropolitan area when he was there as the New York Mets manager.

Seriously, though, Bobby V. is a very, very savvy baseball man. He was a player, a coach and a manager. He was the Mets manager during their last foray into the World Series. Remember the Subway Series, Yankees vs. Mets?

Continue reading Bobby Valentine joins ESPN's Baseball Tonight

Idol's Ellen DeGeneres decision sounds eerily similar to MNF's Dennis Miller manuever

Ellen DegeneresNow regular Squad hoppers know I'm no drooling American Idol watcher, so maybe you think my opinions on this show are worth less than the U.S. dollar injected with swine flu.

But this move to bring in Ellen DeGeneres, a talk show host, actress and comedian, screams of another move in the world of TV commentating. A move that seemed well reasoned enough but went down in a glorious ball of blue and orange flames on live television.

Comedian and long time TV fixture Dennis Miller's very short stint as the color commentator for ABC's Monday Night Football screams of similarities louder than that guy in the Edvard Munch painting watching the Orson Welles sex tape. Great, Miller's voice is back in my head again. Thanks cha cha, I mean, Ellen.

Continue reading Idol's Ellen DeGeneres decision sounds eerily similar to MNF's Dennis Miller manuever

What You Missed Last Night: Bob Barker fights a wrestler

This is all kinds of crazy. Last night, Bob Barker appeared on Monday Night RAW. Thankfully, he didn't jump from the ropes and land on top of one of the wrestlers, but he did get physical with one of them (thanks to Chuck Norris).

Interesting that they used the real Price is Right logo (not sure if it's the actual set or not). Here's more.

Happy 30th birthday, ESPN!

ESPN_logoToday marks 30 years since the premiere of ESPN. Happy birthday, ESPN! Hard to believe there was actually a time when there wasn't a cable channel devoted completely to sports. In fact, the idea of a cable network that just covered sports was considered as ridiculous as one that only reported the news. Don't even get me started on the radical notion of an all-food channel or one that specialized in weather!

Yes, once upon a time, all those concepts were deemed losers. Back in 1979, if you wanted to know the score of a game in progress, you had to hope it was playing on the radio or TV to tune in. Or, more often than not, wait till the local news broadcast at six o'clock for the score. How did we ever get by?

Continue reading Happy 30th birthday, ESPN!

What do you think of ESPN's U.S. Open coverage?

ESPN2I was really disappointed when it was announced last year that USA Network would no longer be the network for The U.S. Open. ESPN (actually, ESPN2, to be specific) has the rights to the U.S. Open and the other three Grand Slam tournaments. It scared me a little though. Would their coverage be as well done and entertaining as USA's?

I really shouldn't have worried.

Continue reading What do you think of ESPN's U.S. Open coverage?

Vince McMahon wants to muscle in his own cable network

Vince McMahon wants the world to do exactly this as he plans his own TV network.Before it became all cooking, gossip, fashion and interior decorating, Bravo used to be a fine arts network that aired classic drama, music, opera, etc.

TV viewers everywhere are hoping such sophistication returns to television with the news that World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon wants to create his own cable network.

McMahon wants to launch the WWE-dedicated channel for basic tier rates within the next two years. While a return to fine arts TV is unlikely, McMahon's wrestling product has been greatly softened in tone over recent months -- looking to attract a more family-based audience.

Continue reading Vince McMahon wants to muscle in his own cable network

Fox preseason football flops big-time

buck_aikman_foxYou wouldn't know that Fox football was ready for prime time based on the lame broadcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer-Miami Dolphin game the other night. The number one team in the booth -- Joe Buck and Troy Aikman -- seemed ill-prepared for the game. It was embarrassing to watch them call the game.

Listen, I know it's only pre-season and everyone -- including the networks -- are working out the kinks, but I expect Buck and Aikman to be on top of their game. They usually are, so I guess I was surprised by the sloppy effort.

Continue reading Fox preseason football flops big-time

Fremantle Media thinks parkour is the next big thing for television

ParkourAt first, I want to sit here and laugh at the idea that Fremantle Media thinks they can develop a TV series with parkour. It's just people running and jumping across the landscape. How's that a sport? And most of the coolest videos feature the idiots who think they can do it and fail beautifully.

But I also laughed at the idea of bringing poker to television; it's just people sitting around playing cards. The lesson I've learned is that people will watch anything. And parkour is something. And it can look cool when done right, and even cooler when done wrong.

But Fremantle Media (American Idol) is hooking up with Motion, Inc. thinking they can develop league competitions and turn it into a global entertainment brand. Which makes me think of wrestling or The X-Games. Hell, parkour would fit in very well there. I don't deny that it takes an incredible athleticism to perform parkour, but I can't see myself sitting down and enjoying a competition for an hour or more. But then again, I can't watch poker either, so it'll probably be as huge as they think.

WWE unveils unlikely list of guest hosts for RAW

A weird list of guest hosts in headed to Monday Night Raw.Back in the halcyon days of NBC's Bob Hope TV specials, the comedy legend would march out a list of the most bizarrely unrelated pseudo celebrities you could imagine.

You'd hear something like, "Join me this Sunday on NBC for 'Bob Hope's All-Star Salute to Existence' with great stars like Loni Anderson, Pink Lady and Jeff, the UPI All-American Football Team, Billy Carter, Steve Reeves and Brooke Shields!"

It looks like World Wrestling Entertainment is shooting for something equally bizarre with its list of upcoming Monday Night Raw guest hosts. Vince McMahon and company plan to continue the guest general manager routine through the end of 2009 and possibly all the way to Wrestlemania 26 next March.

Continue reading WWE unveils unlikely list of guest hosts for RAW

Why is ESPN's US Open coverage starting later than USA's?

US OpenAs I wrote last year, I'm really disappointed to see that USA Network won't be covering the US Open anymore (I guess tennis players are some of the characters that aren't welcome there).

Last year was their last year and ESPN takes over next Monday (they now have the rights to all four of the Grand Slam tournaments). While ESPN does a fine job with most of the sports they cover, the USA coverage was one of my favorite two weeks of the year, something I really looked forward to every August. I liked the announcers, I liked the direction and the production, and I liked their all-day and all-night schedule.

I have no reason to think that ESPN will ruin the Open, but there is one thing that worries me a little bit.

Continue reading Why is ESPN's US Open coverage starting later than USA's?

NBC renews deal with the NFL

NFL_Sunday_Night_Football_NBCIf there's one night of television that NBC has a handle on, it's Sunday. At least during football season. Football Night In America works, and you know the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That said, NBC has renewed its NFL deal for two more years. The new deal – the extension – secures that NBC will be broadcasting NFL games through 2013, so there will be plenty of games for all those analysts to yap about.

NBC has nearly enough guys to field a team on the pre-game show: Bob Costas, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Tony Dungy, Tiki Barber, Rodney Harrison ... with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth calling the games. Will we notice that John Madden is gone? Probably not, especially if the games are good.

Continue reading NBC renews deal with the NFL

WWE says Linda McMahon considering Senate run

Linda McMahon may be jumping from the wrestling ring to Washington, DC.The problem with reporting real news originating in the professional wrestling world is that you never know if you're being played as part of a story angle designed to drive up ratings or pay-per-view buys.

However, since the following hasn't been mentioned on any of World Wrestling Entertainment's television shows, it might be legit.

According to the WWE: "Linda McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, is considering a run for the United States Senate representing the state of Connecticut. Should she decide to run, Linda would step down as CEO, and Vince McMahon would assume the duties of CEO in addition to his current position as WWE Chairman."

Continue reading WWE says Linda McMahon considering Senate run

Will Michael Vick get the real 60 Minutes treatment?

CBS_60_minutes_watchOn Sunday, Michael Vick will be interviewed on 60 Minutes in hopes of showing contrition, making a case for his NFL comeback and generally doing as much PR as possible to rehabilitate his image. The former Atlanta Falcon quarterback and NFL poster boy is pretty desperate to get back into the league -- and the money that comes with it.

Michael Vick, as you probably know, was once the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He was on the cover of magazines and was considered an unstoppable force on the field. Off the field, however, he was running an illegal dog-fighting business. He spent most of the last two years either in court or in prison for his involvement in a syndicate that promoted gambling and killed dogs.

Continue reading Will Michael Vick get the real 60 Minutes treatment?

TV celebs bouncing off the ropes to host WWE Raw

These days, any celebrity can host WWE Raw.To drive ratings up -- and to drive devoted pro wrestling fans up a wall -- Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment recently began welcoming guest hosts to take over Monday Night Raw -- the WWE's flagship show -- every week.

So far, everyone from the NBA's Shaq to Entourage's Jeremy Piven to ZZ Top has taken over the live two-hour wrestling show.

It seems that when the show producers can't find a celeb to fit the bill, they bring in a wrestling star from the past -- like The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase or Sergeant Slaughter.

Continue reading TV celebs bouncing off the ropes to host WWE Raw

Dan Patrick brings radio to TV

dan_patrick_show

If you like sports talk in the afternoon and get bored with the countless reruns of breaking news on ESPN's myriad channels, here's some good news. Dan Patrick is back on the air. In daytime, that is, and not on the worldwide leader in sports. Dan Patrick's radio show began simulcasting on DirecTV this week, bringing the entire DP team and their studio into view.

Broadcasting a radio show on TV is not new, of course. Don Imus did it for years on MSNBC until he put his foot so far in his mouth that he was kicked off the network. And Mike Francesca has a daily radio talk show airing on the Yes network. The idea of watching someone with a microphone in his face and earphones on is not radical.

Continue reading Dan Patrick brings radio to TV

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