50th anniversary of Instant Replay: Greatest innovation of sports TV

Posted on by

As there once was a time without electricity and cars, viewers actually watched games on TV without instant replay.

That all changed 50 years ago this week. Here’s a video with Tony Verna, the man who changed TV Sports forever.

Sam Gardner of Fox Sports did a story on that first game, Army-Navy on Dec. 7, 1963.

Verna’s initial thought was to unveil instant replay at the 1963 NFL championship game, but that option was off the table because NBC had the rights to that year’s game. Instead, he chose to try it at Army-Navy, a game that had been postponed for a week by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and featured a Heisman-winning quarterback in Roger Staubach.

By that point, Verna had developed a method of identifying points on a tape using sound, putting tones on the tape’s sound track that would tell him the approximate location of the play he wanted to re-air. The only challenge from there was getting all three tape heads in sync so he could be certain he was showing the correct replay, and that it was being clearly displayed to the viewer.

Later, Gardner writes:

However, unfamiliarity didn’t keep viewers from enjoying the new technology’s debut, and the positive response to the first instant replay was almost immediate.

“I was still on the air, and Tex Schramm, who was then the general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, called me in the truck — he was the guy that hired me as a kid at CBS — and he said, ‘Verna, you don’t know what you’ve done; this is going to be great for officiating,’ which I hadn’t thought of,” Verna said.

“When that call came in, I had to say, ‘Tex, I can’t talk to you right now, I’ve got a hell of a game going on,’ but that was the first indication that it was a success.”

Classic Sports TV and Media also did a post on the anniversary. Lindsey Nelson did not even learn about this innovation until the morning of the game.

 

 

Football card: Mike Ditka; Before he was ‘Da Coach,’ he was Hall of Fame tight end

Posted on by

In honor of the Bears retiring Mike Ditka’s 89 Monday, here’s a look at Iron Mike as a player.

The stats only tell part of the story. He was the rookie of the year in 1961 with 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He played in five Pro Bowls and scored a touchdown for Dallas in the Super Bowl.

But there was much more to Ditka the player than stats. Dan Pompei gets to the essence of Ditka in his column at Sports on Earth.

Ditka takes us back to a better time, before there were substance abuse suspensions, concussion lawsuits, free agent mercenaries, indoor games or Jaguars. With a crewcut and a single-bar facemask, he played when men were men, when Colts were from Baltimore, and when training camp practices were more taxing than Fred Astaire ballroom dancing classes.

His intensity would have stood out in any era. “He was one of the first offensive intimidators,” said Johnny Morris, Ditka’s teammate for six years. “He would go after people like Ray Nitschke. He was the aggressor. There were so many times I’d see him throw a block, then immediately roll over and go for a second block. Most players, even great ones, are satisfied after they do their job. Not him. He was never satisfied.”

You talk about love of the game? He might have invented it. “Those 60 minutes when I played, man those were special,” Ditka said, his eyes still glinting after all these years. “I enjoyed the heck out of that. Wrigley Field, I enjoyed the mud, the slop, whatever, even people throwing beer on us when we lost going into the locker room. It was all good stuff. You turn around, give them a piece of your mind.”

 

 

Weekend wrap: Networks want Tebow; future of Football; Lundquist on big call

Posted on by

Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports media…

Tim Tebow: Jason McIntyre of Big Lead says the quarterback is being pursued by the networks as an analyst for next year. That’s assuming he isn’t playing next year.

Tim Tebow, the telegenic former QB, will almost certainly be a college football TV analyst next year, either for ESPN’s SEC Network, CBS Sports, or Fox Sports, multiple sources tell The Big Lead.

College GameDay: Ty Duffy of Big Lead does a nice behind-the-scenes piece from last week’s Auburn-Alabama game.

6:15 AM…Samantha Ponder arrives quietly and ready for air. She does her own makeup. She’s wearing the jeans, motorcycle jacket, and scarf she will appear in on TV. She’s back on the show after an absence due to illness, just in time to be photographed for an August spread in Southern Living.

David Pollack, still with the restless energy of an athlete, is a work in progress. He’s soon shirtless in the middle of the conference room, struggling his way into a dress shirt. Ponder makes an inaudible comment to him. Pollack laughs about her saying the word “nipple.”

Pollack loops his belt over the visible cardboard tag on a brand new pair of pants. He forgot to pack his original pair, and intends to return this one after the show. Handlers help him knot his tie and fold his collar correctly. Finally, he’s ready to go on air.

Verne Lundquist: Neil Best of Newsday writes the veteran CBS announcer thought he had seen it all. Then came the finish of the Auburn-Alabama game.

“For 27 years, having experienced [Jack] Nicklaus winning at Augusta in ’86, I have been consistent and I’ve always said that that was the single greatest sporting event I’ve ever seen,” the CBS play-by-play man said yesterday, not quite 48 hours after conveying Auburn’s last-second upset of Alabama to a stunned nation.

“This one is right up there equal to it. And that takes into consideration a lot of different events that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. From start to finish, especially the finish, this was an extraordinary afternoon and evening.”

Auburn announcer: Richard Sandomir of the New York Times talks to Rod Bramblett about the home-team radio call.

On Nov. 16, Auburn’s Ricardo Louis scored a deflected 73-yard touchdown pass against Georgia with 25 seconds left, and the Tigers hung on for the 43-38 win. Bramblett proclaimed it “a miracle at Jordan-Hare,” the stadium where Auburn plays. Then, last Saturday, in the Iron Bowl against Alabama, Chris Davis returned a missed field goal more than 100 yards to give the Tigers a 34-28 victory. Bramblett invoked the almighty’s name to describe a moment that, for its ramifications, was more meaningful than miracle.

“These are my top two calls,” Bramblett said Monday from Ames, Iowa, where he was to call an Auburn-Iowa State basketball game that night. “I’ve had some exciting ones and dramatic finishes, but nothing like the miracle of a couple of weeks ago and the unbelievable play the other night.”

Auburn-Alabama: Richard Deitsch of SI.com writes about how CBS covered the big play.

Silver said the first rule for all end-of-the-game situations is to let game director Steve Milton show the scene, which the director did with a series of quick cuts that documented the amazing images being played out around Jordan-Hare. Viewers saw CBS’s cameras travel from Auburn’s end zone celebration to a shot of Alabama coach Nick Saban walking toward midfield, to more Auburn players celebrating, to Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron hugging friends and family, to a shot from above the field, to Saban walking off the field, to shots of stunned Alabama fans.

“Steve did a phenomenal job and then it was how long do you go before you start with the replays,” Silver said. “My inclination was to let him keep going until it felt right. What I did consciously think about was not only did I want to show all the replay angles, but I wanted to try to show the best angles in the proper order.”

Media rising stars: Joe Lucia of Awful Announcing looks at up-and-coming media personalities in 2013. Among them was Pedro Martinez.

When Martinez was announced as a Postseason analyst for TBS, many people were horrified and expecting the worst. After the Postseason was over, that opinion had done a complete 180. Martinez proved himself to be honest, intelligent, and quite humorous as part of a shockingly good TBS Postseason studio show. Once Martinez’s shakiness in front of the cameras disappeared and he got comfortable, he was fantastic. If Martinez continues along in the broadcasting world, he could be a superstar.

Future of NFL on TV: Awful Announcing does a panel discussion of how we will view the game in 2030.

Have traditional networks been replaced by Google, Netflix, or other online/mobile platforms?

Deitsch: I don’t think traditional networks will be replaced, though I do believe that a non-tradtional platform such as Google, Netflix or some yet-to-be-named online/mobile platform will have a set of games. In 2030, ESPN will still have a contract. So will CBS and NBC and Fox.

Freeman: Google, Turner (homer alert) and the Facebook Channel. Tons of people will be watching regular season games on their phones but I still think the NFL will be mostly watched, even in 2030, on traditional television sets. Football is still a big party. People get together at homes and bars. It’s a social experience. That will still be the case. People get together, hang out, eat food, watch football on big screen TV.

Gagnon: Google, Yahoo! and other major online players air live NFL games. Networks are still involved, but they’re airing games online on their websites. Verizon or one of its competitors has full mobile rights to all games. You can watch any game from anywhere, any time, on any device. NBC has been ahead of the game here, and ESPN knows the score. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if FOX and/or CBS bowed out by this point. I expect some major joint agreements between networks, online juggernauts and mobile companies.

Koo: Google became an augmenting partner for the NFL in 2021 to help distribute games ala carte via the web and on television. After a full decade of Google Plus being relegated to Friendster status, acquiring one off NFL rights to out of market games utilizing the Google Plus platform was deemed a smart investment to keep the fledgling social network relevant.

Future of college football: Crystal Ball Run does a panel discussion on what the game will look like in 2030.

Does the NCAA still exist as it does now? How/when did it change? Is it regarded any better than it is now by the public?

Feldman: I think the NCAA will exist but it’ll be more controlling of non-revenue sports and smaller schools.

Nasrallah: We’ll still be cracking jokes about how inconsistent, inept and corrupt the NCAA is in 2030, and those jokes will still be funny, maddening and true.

Duffy: The NCAA still exists but with a much smaller mandate. The end of amateurism renders its enforcement arm redundant. 

Fischer: It does in some form or fashion, especially at the lower levels. It changes structurally but not fundamentally and, once they outsource various functions like enforcement, they’ll be better received by the public.

DiNardo: It does still exist with the biggest change being the answer to number one.  It changed the most in 2014 – 15.  The public perception changed with a change in leadership that did the best job in the NCAA history of communicating.  The narrative changed with the new leadership and it was a narrative that did a better job than in the past of explaining the issues.

Rick Allen: NASCAR.com reports that Allen will be NBC’s lead announcer for race coverage, beginning in 2015.

NBC Sports announced another key component to its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage team Wednesday, signing longtime play-by-play man Rick Allen to a multiyear agreement as the lead announcer for its talent lineup in 2015.
 
The news was the latest in a series of moves announced in Las Vegas as part of Champion’s Week festivities. Tuesday, the network revealed that Sprint Cup veteran Jeff Burton would work as an analyst in the NBC Sports booth. NBC announced the first part of its team Monday, naming Jeff Behnke as the organization’s vice president of NASCAR production, overseeing day-to-day operations.

NHL book: Sports Book Review Center looks at a new book on the history of the NHL.

Here’s an interesting idea about writing a history book about professional hockey: Take out practically everything that happens on the ice.

That’s what D’Arcy Jenish essentially does with his book, “The NHL – A Centennial History.” Yes, he’s a little early, since we are about four years away from the actual 100th birthday party for the league.

But there’s no reason to complain. No matter when it comes out or when it is read, Jenish’s book is a valuable addition to the story of professional hockey in North America.

The author concentrates on the off-ice action here, and when reviewed in this context it’s easy to see that hockey has had a rough go of it at times over the years. Any business is going to have troubles at the start-up, but the NHL has faced all sorts of issues in nearly a century of duty. As the author says, the story is all about trying to survive and grow.

 

 

 

 

Charles Davis: Ohio State deserves title shot if it beats Michigan State

Posted on by

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press has Ohio State ranked eighth on his Associated Press ballot. While that’s a bit extreme, I also can’t say that I am all that impressed with the Buckeyes.

In the two games I saw Ohio State in person this year, they gave up to 72 points to Northwestern and Michigan, two teams that had offensive struggles. Florida State might hang 50 points on the Buckeyes if they advance to the BCS title game.

While Charles Davis also has some reservations about Ohio State, he has the Buckeyes at No. 2 in his poll. And sorry Auburn, if they beat Michigan State Saturday in the Big Ten title game, he thinks they deserve a shot at the championship.

Davis and Gus Johnson will be on the call for Saturday’s game in Indianapolis, which should do a terrific rating for Fox Sports.

“If Ohio State wins, I’d be shocked if they aren’t the No. 2 team in the country,” Davis said. “I don’t think you can look at schedules as being apples to apples. When Ohio State scheduled Cal, Cal was a top program under Jeff Tedford.

“It’s still the Big Ten. Anytime you go through a major conference undefeated, there’s something to that. Auburn played great in the SEC, but they lost to LSU, which had three losses.”

But can Ohio State beat Michigan State? Davis thinks a couple of factors come into play.

“The game comes down to (Michigan State quarterback) Connor Cook,” Davis said. “Does he accept the challenge to become a better runner? He’s more capable than what he’s shown. His legs could be the big pressure release for that offense.”

Also, win or lose, Michigan State is guaranteed a bid to the Rose Bowl.

“The Spartans don’t want to be the team that goes to the Rose Bowl through the back door,” Davis said. “They want to earn their way to Pasadena.”

This is the third year Fox will televise the Big Ten title game. I think it foreshadows what will happen when the Big Ten’s TV contract expires with ESPN/ABC in 2016. Fox, which already owns a share of the Big Ten Network, will make a major push to acquire conference rights for Fox and Fox Sports 1.

 

 

 

Charles Barkley rides a subway in New York

Posted on by

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch tagged along with Charles Barkley as the big man experienced New York’s subways for the first time yesterday. He was going out to Brooklyn for TNT’s coverage of the Knicks-Nets game.

Again, this is a perfect example of what you can do with an iPhone in the new age of media.

From Deitsch’s story.

4:02 p.m. Barkley has made it through the MetroCard entry with the help of one of New York City’s Finest. But the 6-foot-4 Barkley nearly his hits his head on a sign above when going through the entrance.

4:03 p.m. People in the subway start recognizing him. He poses for a couple of photos and shakes hands.

4:04 p.m. The E train comes by and passengers disembark into the station. A young guy walks off the E and his brain registers who is in front of him “Hey, you’re Charles Barkley,” says the man. This is true. Barkley responds, “How y’all doing?”

4:07 p.m. Kimberly Esteras, a 21-year-old from the Bronx, asks Barkley for a photo. I ask if she knows who Barkley is. She says her father, Miguel, is a big NBA fan. Barkley averaged 25.6 points for the Phoenix Suns the year she was born.

4:12 p.m. We hop on the C train. The camera phones come out. Someone asks Barkley if he is going to the Knicks-Nets game. Time for another crack. “I’m going to a pillow fight,” he says.

‘Hoops’ Weiss bounces back, and then some: College basketball writer busier than ever

Posted on by

I saw Dick “Hoops” Weiss in Chicago for the Champions Classic games last month. Like everyone else, I offered my condolences about his dismissal from the New York Daily News last spring. We all figured he was having a tough time.

“Hoops” quickly assured all of us that we had it wrong. “Things couldn’t be better.”

Seth Davis of SI.com did on column on how “Hoops” is busier than ever. His story is a rare happy ending in our business.

It was a sad but all-too-familiar tale: a newspaper lifer, the classic ink-stained wretch, made a casualty of the digital age. For someone like Weiss, who is 66 years old, that kind of phone call almost always amounts to an involuntary retirement. Yet there he was on Nov. 12 at the Champions Classic in Chicago, strolling through the pressroom with a credential around his neck, pecking away at his laptop after the games. And there he was again last week in the Bahamas, sitting on press row for all 12 games at the Battle 4 Atlantis. (Except for a couple hours on Saturday, when he ducked away to catch the Auburn-Alabama football game.) Weiss was covering those events for BlueStar Media, a website which tracks basketball around the world. BlueStar is one of several outlets that are employing Weiss these days — including the Daily News, which has hired him on a freelance basis to cover big-ticket events like the BCS Championship and the Final Four.

“I feel like a survivor,” Weiss says. “A lot of people who get out of newspapers disappear, but I’ve been able to reinvent myself.”

Later, Davis writes:

It is remarkable that, at this stage in his career, Weiss is not only surviving but also advancing, chronicling in digital form the cutting-edge emergence of global basketball. But that alone does not explain his upbeat attitude. “I don’t want to be the bitter old guy,” he says. “That’s not me. I never held what happened against the people at the paper, because they’ve always been nice to me. Look, for 20 years I had the best job in America. Newspapers are struggling right now. I’ve been very lucky to be able to find work elsewhere.”

Still, after suffering through the shock of that phone call, Hoops knows better than to spend too much time pondering his long-term future. He hopes to write for BlueStar at least through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He might pick up another book project, although it probably won’t be a memoir. (“I just don’t think it would sell.”) Beyond that, Weiss will keep going until someone, or some thing, tells him to stop. “You’re only as old as you feel,” he says. “I love this game. I still get goosebumps before the Final Four. When I start losing the passion for it, then it will be time to go.”

The day “Hoops” loses the passion will be the day they play basketball with a hockey puck.

 

NFL players really don’t like playing on Thursday nights; Nobody will like tonight’s game

Posted on by

Perhaps never before in NFL history will a game featuring teams like 2-10 Houston at 3-9 Jacksonville get more coverage by a network.

NFL Network will bring its entire vast traveling show to Jacksonville, blanketing the game with pregame and postgame analysis. Count on several moments of humor from Rich Eisen, who will undoubtedly poke fun at the match-up.

The rules mandate that every team plays on a Thursday. Hence, tonight’s game. Yet even with the horrible match-up, viewers still will tune in. Hey, it’s the NFL.

The prospect of even more Thursday night games in the future won’t go down well with the players who have to play in them. Robert Klemko at MMQB talked to several players who voiced their complaints about these mid-week games.

Klemko writes:

Duane Brown is not one of these players.

“It’s dangerous,” says the Texans Pro Bowl tackle. “It feels horrible.”

Brown, whose Texans visit Jacksonville on Thursday, played two overtime games back to back, on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 and Thursday, Nov. 22. Brown played 172 combined snaps that week, and describes a subsequent degree of pain and fatigue that he had not yet felt in four previous NFL seasons.

“That Friday, everything was hurting; knees, hands, shoulders,” he remembers. “I didn’t get out of bed until that night. I didn’t leave the house at all. You talk about player safety, but you want to extend the season and add Thursday games? It’s talking out of both sides of your mouth.”

And:

“It’s a problem,” said Broncos guard Louis Vasquez.

“I don’t like them,” says Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. “I guess because they don’t play in the league office, they don’t understand how your body feels.”

No, the NFL only knows how it feels to touch all that money the Thursday night games produce.

 

 

Ron Burgundy knocked off SportsCenter in wake of Winston case press conference

Posted on by

Best laid plans right….?

Will Ferrell’s appearance as Ron Burgundy on SportsCenter has been cancelled. He had been slated for the 6 p.m. show, along with Anchorman 2 co-star David Koechner as Champ Kind.

With the Florida States Attorney holding a press conference related to the Jameis Winston case today, ESPN decided this wasn’t a good night to be having fun with Burgundy on SC.

In a statement released via Twitter, ESPN’s David Scott said:

“Ron Burgundy’s scheduled Thurs. appearance on @SportsCenter has been cancelled in light of the potential implications of any news from the State Attorney’s press conference in Fla. As of this time, there is no reschedule date for Ron Burgundy.”

Ferrell, who has been everywhere with the character, will do a two-hour stint on Dan Patrick’s radio show today from 10 a.m.-noon. The show also can be seen on NBC SN.