Alex Rodriguez is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the seventh time this week. There might be an eighth if he is suspended for life.
ARod’s last SI cover was in 2009 when everyone first learned that his amazing career numbers weren’t exactly pure.
Below is his first cover when everything about ARod still was full of wonder and anticipation. Talk about ruining a career and a legacy.
For a play-by-play man calling games for a last-place team (another dreadful defeat last night), this has been the summer of Ken “Hawk” Harrelson.
The Chicago White Sox announcer has sparred with Brian Kenny; had a documentary on his life on MLB Network; and sites like Awful Announcing routinely replay some of his memorable calls.
Now comes a profile of Hawk in the New York Times. Written by Ben Strauss, the piece focuses on his old-school approach to baseball. As we all know, Harrelson isn’t a sabermetrics guy.
Strauss writes:
Harrelson maintains that he does, in fact, like numbers and that sabermetrics does have a valued place in baseball, but that he would prefer it be a role much more limited that it is now and that too much deference is being paid in general to numbers crunching. He called its rise over the last decade “the biggest joke I’ve ever seen.”
“Look down there at a guy like Gordon Beckham,” he said, peering down at the White Sox’ second baseman. “If you got someone who gets a chance to take him out on a double play — like me — I’m not going to take him out, I’m going to take him out into left field.
“So if the shortstop bobbles the ball, and I have a chance to get him, he knows that. Gordon will get busted and he’ll take the hit. There’s no number to define that in a player.”
Then there’s this passage that includes a quote from Bob Costas:
It should be noted that Joe Morgan, a far more prominent announcer than Harrelson when he did commentary for ESPN’s Sunday night baseball broadcasts, was also a critic of the sabermetrics movement and received flak for his stance.
Harrelson, in a local market rather than on a national stage, and with his image as a character firmly established, can probably coast along with his anti-statistics stance easier than Morgan could.
“I can get away with things most announcers can’t,” he acknowledged.
And that, said Bob Costas, a veteran sports voice who is most identified with his work in baseball, is not necessarily a bad thing.
“If I’m listening to the White Sox play the Indians, I’m listening for Hawk to tell a great story about Charlie Finley,” said Costas, who narrated an MLB Network documentary about Harrelson. “Or the time he was sitting with Mickey Mantle at an L.A. hotel and Marlon Brando walks in.
“If a guy doesn’t know what WAR is but he’s got good baseball war stories, I’ll take the trade-off.”
OK what’s next for Hawk. His own reality series?
Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, Jason Sudeikis, now formerly of Saturday Night Live, examines the best of the best from ESPN’s legendary “This is SportsCenter” campaign. Preview below.
From Tim Nudd of Ad Week:
ESPN’s “This Is SportsCenter” is among the handful of classic sports ad campaigns of all time. Launched in 1995 by Wieden + Kennedy in New York, the campaign—originally inspired by the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap—hasn’t changed much over the years. And why would it? You don’t mess with a winning formula.
The premise of the ads, as we’ve noted before, is that ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., offices are the center of the sports universe—a surreal yet mundane fantasy world where athletes and mascots live and work together with anchors and journalists. Where other marketers portray athletes as superhuman, “This Is SportsCenter” presents them as comically, relatably human. Eighteen years and more than 400 spots later, the campaign continues.
There have been so many good ones. I always loved the ad featuring the young anchor drafted out of high school who couldn’t handle it emotionally.
“Jimmy Key? What’s he like 45? I could hit him.”
Of it’s hard to top the epic John Clayton ad.
My latest Chicago Tribune column examines what the Cubs will do on the TV front. It will have major ramifications for the franchise. Non-Tribune subscribers can access via my Twitter feed.
From the column:
**********
Now that the Wrigley Field package has been approved, the Cubs can turn their attention to another deal that will have dramatic implications for the financial future of the franchise.
Negotiations are expected to heat up between the Cubs and WGN-Ch. 9. Technically, their pact runs through 2022, but the Cubs are exercising a clause to opt out after the 2014 season. At stake for the Cubs is a chance to cash in on exploding local TV rights fees. The Dodgers, Angels, Rangers and Mariners recently have signed long-term rights deals in the billions. Yes, billions.
By comparison, the current value of the Cubs package with WGN-Ch. 9, estimated at $20 million per year for 70 games, feels like utility infielder money. Some projections have the Cubs receiving as much as $80 million annually for those games. The team’s other games will be on CSN through at least 2019.
Yet before Chairman Tom Ricketts starts counting the additional TV cash, there are real questions about whether the Cubs are positioned to receive a windfall of their own; the possibility that WGN might end a relationship that dates back to 1948; and if the team will begin to lay the foundation for its own network.
Nobody from the Cubs or WGN is willing to comment, mainly because there are too many things to figure out.
“At this point, it is really complicated,” said a source close to the situation. “No option has been eliminated.”
Here are some of the issues:
•Still super? There is a provision in the contract that allows WGN to extend the Cubs rights by paying “fair market value.” However, that seems difficult to determine because there isn’t a comparable arrangement in baseball. The other recent deals were for cable, while WGN operates as a free, over-the-air signal in Chicago.
This relationship has defined both the Cubs and WGN. Everything, though, comes to an end.
There is speculation that WGN might go the route of TNT and TBS (which formerly aired Braves games) and become a complete national outlet featuring mainly entertainment programming.
“You could produce a lot of shows for $80 million (per year),” said one source familiar with the network’s stance.
Meanwhile, would the Cubs forsake the exposure of being in 75 million homes through WGN America? The superstation helped the Cubs make millions during the heyday of Harry Caray. However, a proliferation of Major League Baseball games available on various cable outlets has blunted the novelty of the Cubs going coast-to-coast.
Experts believe the Cubs would leave WGN if they could get more money elsewhere. Exposure won’t buy high-priced free agents.
•Leverage problem: The mega Dodgers deal ($7 billion over 25 years) stemmed from having multiple suitors. Time Warner eventually won a heated battle over Fox Sports’ regional station in Los Angeles.
A similar situation doesn’t appear to exist in Chicago. And don’t say: What about moving the WGN games to CSN? There’s no room at the inn at CSN, which has a full slate of White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks games. According to sources, the network isn’t interested in having more scheduling conflicts that would cause spillover games to air on CSN Plus, where they traditionally do much weaker ratings.
So where is the leverage for the Cubs here? There had been some speculation that Fox could become a player, airing games on WFLD-Ch. 32 and WPWR-Ch. 50. However, sources indicate the network hasn’t jumped into the fray yet.
Obviously, that could change, but for now, there appears to be only one network in the race. If that’s the case, what would compel WGN to give the Cubs a big rights increase?
•Cubs network: Forget about the recent sagging ratings. TV observers say the Cubs have enough of a fan base to follow the lead of the Yankees and Red Sox and start their own network.
“When they get good, their ratings are going to explode,” said a source.
The Cubs, though, can’t go on board with their own network until their CSN deal runs out in 2019. However, they could use this current negotiation to lay the foundation for a Cubs channel beginning in 2020.
ESPN could rename itself the Raiders. At least when it comes to its latest initiative.
Queue the NFL Films music and Steve Sabol’s famous lines from The Autumn Wind:
He growls as he storms the country,
A villain big and bold.
And the trees all shake and quiver and quake,
As he robs them of their gold.
OK, perhaps that’s a big dramatic. However, you can sure a few sports editors feel as if they lost some of their gold, thanks to ESPN.
ESPN.com plans to have a blogger cover every NFL team this year. And where are they getting those bloggers? In many cases, they are beat writers and columnists from the major newspapers in those towns.
Almost on the hour it seems, there’s another announcement of reporters talking of making the jump.
Yesterday, there was this tweet from Jeff Legwold, now formerly of the Denver Post:
It’s official, I’m excited to join the already deep NFL roster at ESPN. I’ll cover the
#Broncos so I don’t actually have to change seats…
Last week, Rob Demovsky, who spent 16 years at Green Bay Gazette, departed to cover the Packers for ESPN. After staying only a month, John Keim left the Washington Post to become ESPN’s Redskins insider.
Keim sent out this amusing tweet:
I’m telling people that Shirley Povich and I combined for 75 years (at the Post).
Yesterday, Rob King, ESPN’s senior vice president for content, digital & print media, told Andrew Beaujon of Poynter, of the plans for ESPN.com. All told 19 writers will be hired to go along with those ESPN already has in place.
From the post:
The idea is basically to give fans more content about the teams they obsess over, King said. ESPN.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Stiegman looked at the site’s data for how much time users spent on the top 100 teams it covered. Of the 32 teams at the top of that list, 31 were NFL teams.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the only NFL team that didn’t make that list, King said, but he said ESPN decided to cover all the teams anyway. Had ESPN made a selective foray into more intense local coverage last year — a move he said it considered — it might have skipped covering the Indianapolis Colts, he said. “We would have been absolutely wrong,” he said, citing Andrew Luck’s fantastic 2012 and coach Chuck Pagano’s battle with cancer. “Who’s to say they couldn’t have an incredible season?” King said of the Jaguars.
Here’s where it makes even more sense for ESPN.com. The individual team coverage will be available for free on the site. Meanwhile, many newspapers are behind a pay wall for their content.
From Poynter:
King said ESPN’s motivation is not eating dailies’ lunch; it’s more a matter of filling the “buckets of content” fans expect when they register with the site and say what their favorite teams are.
“We’re not doing that because we’re trying to compete or invade anybody’s market,” he said. “We just feel like the way we build stuff now drives us to getting to this level of coverage.”
Yeah but, those fans only have so much time to devote to reading about their teams. ESPN.com definitely will be looking to make inroads in those markets.
Meanwhile, if you’re a sports editor, it can’t be a good feeling to lose your beat writer or a key member of your staff for the local NFL team just before the start of the season.
And if ESPN.com hasn’t filled its spot for your local team, sports editors should be sure to keep their beat writers extra happy in the upcoming weeks.
This is going to be quite a feast. There will be 10 games on NBC, and 57 on NBC SN, plus bonus coverage elsewhere.
Enjoy.
Here’s the rundown from NBC:
*******
Following the Premier League’s announcement of the first three months of the 2013-14 schedule on July 11, NBC Sports Group today released its television schedule for that time period featuring live coverage of all 130 matches, beginning Saturday, August 17 at 7:00 AM ET on NBC Sports Network with the Liverpool-Stoke matchup.
A total of 69 Premier League matches – at least five games each week in the season’s first three months – will be presented on NBC Sports Network, NBC and CNBC with all games preceded and followed by Premier League Live pre- and post-match shows from the NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.
The 61 remaining Premier League matches will be made available on Premier League Extra Time, a bonus television package available to MVPDs at no extra cost for customers who receive NBC Sports Network.
In addition, 27 matches in the season’s first three months will be telecast in Spanish by Telemundo and mun2.
All Premier League games will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets. Games airing on NBC Sports Network will be live streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
Premier League Matches, First 3 Months, By Outlet
| NBC Sports Network | 57 |
| NBC | 10 |
| CNBC | 2 |
| Telemundo/mun2 | 27 |
| NBC Sports Live Extra | 130 |
| Premier League Extra Time | 61 |
To date, AT&T U-verse®, Cablevision’s Optimum, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, DIRECTV, DISH, and Suddenlink have opted to carry the additional Premier League matches via the Premier League Extra Time package, and AT&T U-verse, Cablevision’s Optimum, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink and Verizon FiOS will make all Premier League games available through TV Everywhere. Additionally, over 100 NCTC partners have either signed-on to the Premier League Extra Time package or have opted-in via TV Everywhere, including Blue Ridge Communications, Buckeye CableSystem, CenturyLink Prism, and RCN.
Following are schedule highlights for the first three months of the Premier League season:
Saturday, August 17, 7:45 AM ET on NBCSN
LIVERPOOL v STOKE
NBC Sports Group’s first-ever telecast of Premier League action features the Liverpool-Stoke matchup.
Saturday, August 17, 12:30 PM ET on NBC & mun 2
SWANSEA CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED
Manager David Moyes takes the reins of the Premier League’s most decorated team – returning champions Manchester United – from their legendary manager of over 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils’ first test comes against a fiery Swansea side.
Sunday, August 18, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN & mun2
CHELSEA v HULL CITY
Chelsea, last season’s third-place finishers, begin their campaign against newly promoted side, Hull City. Jose Mourinho, “the Special One,” is back as the Blues manager to the delight of the Chelsea faithful. With an all-star international line-up, Chelsea will be looking for strong showing against the Tigers, whose quest to avoid a trip back to the Championship begins against one of the Premier League’s perennial powers.
Saturday, August 24, 10:00 AM ET on TBD
STOKE CITY v CRYSTAL PALACE
Stoke, established in 1863, are the oldest club in the Premier League and in their first home match of the campaign, they host newly promoted London-side Crystal Palace. Stoke were known for playing an aggressive, physical style of soccer but new manager Mark Hughes is looking to change that, and playing against colorful manager Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace, that now boasts rising Spain star and exciting midfielder Jose Campana, will provide an early measuring stick for both the Stoke team in transition and Palace’s rising star.
Monday, August 26, 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN
MANCHESTER UNITED v CHELSEA
In just the second week of the campaign, last season’s first- and third-place finishers meet at the Premier League’s largest stadium, Manchester United’s Old Trafford. Eight of the last nine Premier League titles have been won by either United or Chelsea and both clubs will be under tremendous scrutiny this season with new managers.
Sunday, September 1, 8:30 AM ET on NBSCN, Telemundo
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER UNITED
The two most decorated teams in English soccer history simply do not like each other. At Liverpool’s historic Anfield, the Reds’ beloved captain and star Steven Gerrard, aka “Stevie G”, will look to help his side earn three points against United in the Premier League for the first time since March 2011.
Sunday, September 1, 11:00 AM ET on NBSCN & mun2
ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Arsenal host neighbors Tottenham at Emirates Stadium for the first edition of the season’s North London Derby and for a tough, early test at home for Arsenal. The rivalry between the Gunners and Spurs dates to the early 1900s, and with Arsenal having finished directly above Tottenham in the table the last four seasons, Tottenham will be looking to make an early statement that their place in the standings belongs above Arsenal.
Saturday, September 14, 10:00 AM ET on TBD
HULL CITY v CARDIFF CITY
Hull and Cardiff, both promoted at the end of last season, meet early on in their Premier League campaigns, and as familiar foes, having faced each other the last three seasons in England’s second tier Championship, the Tigers and the Bluebirds will be eager to prove they belong in the league when the world is watching.
Sunday, September 22, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN & Telemundo
MANCHESTER CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED
This season’s first installment of one of the league’s most riveting local rivalries, the Manchester Derby, kicks off at the Etihad on September 22. The Manchester teams’ stadiums are just four miles apart, but their distaste for one another is huge. City dramatically won the title on the final day of the season in 2012, leaving the Red Devils in second, while United were crowned champions in 2013 and City were runners-up. The competitiveness and physical distance between these two sides always makes for an electric game, and this time both clubs will be playing under new managers.
Sunday, October 27, 9:30 AM ET on NBCSN & mun2
CHELSEA v MANCHESTER CITY
Last season’s second- and third-place finishers are sure to provide an exciting match — Chelsea finished just one win behind City last season. By the end of October, the teams’ new managers and summer signings should be settled in to their roles, so this match should offer more of a glimpse as to these teams’ chances at the coveted trophy.
Sunday, October 27, 12 Noon ET on NBCSN & mun2
SUNDERLAND v NEWCASTLE UNITED
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light hosts the season’s first installment of the Tyne-Wear Derby, the name given to any match between Sunderland and Newcastle. Just 12 miles separate the Magpies and the Black Cats, and last season, Newcastle edged out Sunderland to finish 16th, but both teams sat dangerously close to the relegation zone. American forward Jozy Altidore, recently signed by Sunderland, will be a player to watch as he works to prove he’s a Premier League force.
Sunday November 3, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN & mun2
CARDIFF CITY v SWANSEA CITY
The South Wales Derby between Welsh sides Cardiff City and Swansea City is one of the most widely anticipated matches of the season. With Cardiff’s promotion at the end of last season, the Bluebirds will be playing top-flight soccer for the first time in 51 years, and two Welsh teams will be playing in England’s top flight for the first time ever.
Saturday, November 9, 10:00 AM ET on TBD
LIVERPOOL v FULHAM
This match features two American owners as Liverpool and owners Fenway Sports Group host Fulham and owner Shahid Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Red Sox and Jaguars will have nothing to do with this match, the American influence in the Premier League will be on display as Liverpool, who need a successful season more than ever, face the Cottagers.
Sunday, November 10, 11:10 AM ET on NBCSN & Telemundo
MANCHESTER UNITED v ARSENAL
Last season’s leading scorer Dutch star Robin van Persie, aka “RVP,” welcomes his former club to Manchester United’s Old Trafford. RVP managed a goal in both matches last season against the Gunners, and with the 2012-13 Premier League title in his back pocket as well, his news-grabbing move from the Emirates last season has paid off. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will look for some magic from his scoring threats Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, and Santi Cazorla.
Saturday, November 23, 7:45 AM ET on NBCSN & mun2
EVERTON v LIVERPOOL
The Merseyside Derby, the longest running top-flight rivalry in England (played at the highest level of English competition since 1962-63), features the Blues of Everton against the Reds of Liverpool. The two clubs know each other well; their stadiums sit less than a mile apart, and they are playing for the 221st time. Though Liverpool are the historically better side, Everton finished 6th, one spot ahead of Stevie G’s lads last season. With both clubs scratching at the door to the top-5 and European play, the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park holds much meaning for both sides.
Following is the NBCUniversal schedule for the first three months of the Premier League season:
(NOTE: TBD indicates that there will be one match in that time slot on NBCSN, in some cases one match on mun2, and remaining non-NBCSN games on Premier League Extra Time. Final channel assignments for those matches will be made in the coming weeks.)
| Date | Time (ET) | Home | Away | Network |
| Sat., Aug. 17 | 7:45 a.m. | Liverpool | Stoke | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Arsenal | Aston Villa | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Everton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Sunderland | Fulham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Brom | Southampton | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Swansea | Man United | NBC, mun2 | |
| Sun., Aug. 18 | 8:30 a.m. | Crystal Palace | Tottenham | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Chelsea | Hull | NBCSN | |
| Mon., Aug. 19 | 3 p.m. | Man City | Newcastle | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Wed., Aug. 21 | 2:30 p.m. | Chelsea | Aston Villa | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Aug. 24 | 7:45 a.m. | Fulham | Arsenal | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | West Ham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Everton | West Brom | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Southampton | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull | Norwich | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Stoke | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Aston Villa | Liverpool | NBC | |
| Sun., Aug. 25 | 11 a.m. | Tottenham | Swansea | TBD |
| 11 a.m. | Cardiff | Man City | TBD | |
| Mon., Aug 26 | 3 p.m. | Man United | Chelsea | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Aug. 31 | 7:45 a.m. | Man City | Hull | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | Fulham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Cardiff | Everton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Stoke | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Brom | Swansea | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Southampton | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | NBC | |
| Sun., Sept. 1 | 8:30 a.m. | Liverpool | Man United | NBCSN, Telemundo |
| 11 a.m. | Arsenal | Tottenham | NBCSN, mun2 | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Sept. 14 | 7:45 a.m. | Man United | Crystal Palace | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Sunderland | Arsenal | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Stoke | Man City | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Tottenham | Norwich | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Aston Villa | Newcastle | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Fulham | West Brom | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Everton | Chelsea | NBC, mun2 | |
| Sun., Sept. 15 | 11 a.m. | Southampton | West Ham | NBCSN |
| Mon., Sept. 16 | 3 p.m. | Swansea | Liverpool | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Sept. 21 | 7:45 a.m. | Norwich | Aston Villa | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Cardiff | Tottenham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Liverpool | Southampton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Everton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Brom | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | Hull | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Crystal Palace | Swansea | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Chelsea | Fulham | NBCSN, mun2 | |
| Sun., Sept. 22 | 8:30 a.m. | Arsenal | Stoke | CNBC, mun2 |
| 11 a.m. | Man City | Man United | NBCSN, Telemundo | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Sept. 28 | 7:45 a.m. | Tottenham | Chelsea | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Aston Villa | Man City | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Man United | West Brom | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Fulham | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull | West Ham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Southampton | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Swansea | Arsenal | NBC | |
| Sun., Sept. 29 | 8:30 a.m. | Stoke | Norwich | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Sunderland | Liverpool | NBCSN | |
| Mon., Sept. 30 | 3 p.m. | Everton | Newcastle | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Oct. 5 | 7:45 a.m. | Man City | Everton | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Tottenham | West Ham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Liverpool | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Cardiff | Newcastle | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Fulham | Stoke | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull | Aston Villa | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Southampton | Swansea | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Sunderland | Man United | NBCSN, mun2 | |
| Sun., Oct. 6 | 8:30 a.m. | Norwich | Chelsea | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | West Brom | Arsenal | NBCSN | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Oct. 19 | 7:45 a.m. | Newcastle | Liverpool | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Man United | Southampton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Arsenal | Norwich | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Chelsea | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Everton | Hull | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Swansea | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Stoke | West Brom | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | West Ham | Man City | NBC | |
| Sun., Oct. 20 | 11 a.m. | Aston Villa | Tottenham | NBCSN, mun2 |
| Mon., Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Crystal Palace | Fulham | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Oct. 26 | 7:45 a.m. | Crystal Palace | Arsenal | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Man United | Stoke | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Liverpool | West Brom | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Tottenham | Hull | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Aston Villa | Everton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Swansea | West Ham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Southampton | Fulham | NBCSN | |
| Sun., Oct. 27 | 9:30 a.m. | Chelsea | Man City | NBCSN, mun2 |
| Noon | Sunderland | Newcastle | NBCSN | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Nov. 2 | 8:45 | Newcastle | Chelsea | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Fulham | Man United | TBD | |
| 11 a.m. | Man City | Norwich | TBD | |
| 11 a.m. | Hull | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 11 a.m. | West Ham | Aston Villa | TBD | |
| 11 a.m. | Stoke | Southampton | TBD | |
| 11 a.m. | West Brom | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 1:30 | Arsenal | Liverpool | NBC, mun2 | |
| Sun., Nov. 3 | 8:30 a.m. | Everton | Tottenham | CNBC |
| 11 a.m. | Cardiff | Swansea | NBCSN | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Nov. 9 | 10 a.m. | Liverpool | Fulham | TBD |
| 10 a.m. | Crystal Palace | Everton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Swansea | Stoke | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Aston Villa | Cardiff | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Southampton | Hull | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Chelsea | West Brom | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Norwich | West Ham | NBC | |
| Sun., Nov. 10 | 7 a.m. | Tottenham | Newcastle | NBCSN |
| 9:05 a.m. | Sunderland | Man City | NBCSN | |
| 11:10 a.m. | Man United | Arsenal | NBCSN, Telemundo | |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Nov. 23 | 7:45 a.m. | Everton | Liverpool | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Arsenal | Southampton | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Fulham | Swansea | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Stoke | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | Norwich | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 12:30 | Man City | Tottenham | NBC, mun2 | |
| Sun., Nov. 24 | 8:30 a.m. | West Ham | Chelsea | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Cardiff | Man United | NBCSN, mun2 | |
| Mon., Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | West Brom | Aston Villa | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Nov. 30 | 7:45 a.m. | Tottenham | Man United | NBCSN, Telemundo |
| 10 a.m. | Man City | Swansea | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Cardiff | Arsenal | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Everton | Stoke | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Aston Villa | Sunderland | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Fulham | TBD | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Crystal Palace | TBD | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Newcastle | West Brom | NBC | |
| Sun., Dec. 1 | 8:30 a.m. | Hull | Liverpool | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Chelsea | Southampton | NBCSN |
It’s not often that I am right about something. So forgive me if I appear a bit stunned.
Last week, in my National Sports Journalism Center column, I wrote about how personally-branded sites featuring Bill Simmons, Peter King and Nate Silver likely were the start of the trend. Other big names in sports media would be getting their own site.
Well lo and behold, Eric Fisher of Sports Business Daily reported today that Peter Gammons will launch his own site Wednesday. It will be called the Daily Gammons.
From the post:
Gammons will maintain his other roles with NESN and the MLB Network, but GammonsDaily.com will now be the primary home for his written output and those networks won’t be involved with the site. Gammons is no longer with MLB.com, where he served as a columnist for roughly three years.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this evolves. It definitely gives me a lot of freedom in terms of doing what I want to write about,” Gammons said. “I’m hoping it will be a lot of fun. Sometimes we lose sight of the joy that’s involved with covering this game, and I’m hoping we tap into that in terms of what we do on the site.”
Who’s next?
Sheryl Swoopes is the focus on tonight’s documentary on ESPN at 8 p.m.
The rundown from ESPN:
Sheryl Swoopes has famously been labeled as the female Michael Jordan, but that’s only part of the story.
On the court, she was nearly as dominant as Jordan, winning a national championship with Texas Tech, three Olympic gold medals, three MVP awards and four consecutive championships with the Houston Comets of the WNBA, the league she helped start. She even had a Nike shoe named after her, the Air Swoopes. Off the court, she has had a life full of transitions. She gave birth to her son, Jordan, during the inaugural season of the WNBA. Later, she divorced her high school sweetheart and became the highest-profile athlete in her sport to acknowledge she was gay.
She has struggled with love, money and personal identity, but has never lost her spirit. In this portrait, you will meet someone who is not your everyday superstar, a woman who has defied a multitude of labels.
Storm on the film:
I had just had my first child when NBC gave me a daunting assignment: first ever play-by-play voice of the newly established WNBA. It required a summer of travel and untold hours of preparation, developing a new broadcast skill … a stressful task for a new mother. Little could I have imagined that the league’s biggest star was about to undergo a similar journey.
Sheryl Swoopes was counted upon to launch the fledgling WNBA. She became the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her, the “Air Swoopes” under the Jordan brand. A superstar who led Texas Tech to a national championship, Swoopes became pregnant before the start of the season. When she returned for the final one-third of the season to play for my hometown team, the Houston Comets, we had an immediate connection, as young mothers trying to find our way in uncharted waters. Swoopes delivered the first of a remarkable four WNBA championships for the Comets. As the confetti rained down at the Houston Summit in that first August, I felt an inexorable sense of pride in Sheryl, in my city and in myself. It was that connection with Sheryl that inspired me to tell her story.
I feel honored that Sheryl has entrusted her story to me, as it has been largely untold in her voice. It’s a rich story indeed, punctuated with an honesty that few public figures possess.
In 1993, I went to Israel for the first time. To decompress after the long flight, we went to a resort town outside Tel Aviv.
What was the first thing I saw in Israel? We drove by a golf course.
Holy Land, indeed.
Unfortunately, my wife quashed any notion of playing on the course, one of the two in Israel at the time. She didn’t come all the way to Israel to watch me hit wicked slices into the Mediterranean.
Turns out it was a different story for Hunter Mahan. The latest edition of In Play with Jimmy Roberts (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel) features a Tim Rosaforte report on a trip Mahan, Amy Alcott and other golfers made to Israel last fall. During the goodwill mission, the golfers found themselves close to the violence that plagues the region.
Last week, ESPN announced its lineup for a new slate of 30 for 30 movies in the fall. They included Tonya and Nancy, a look back at what happened 20 years ago. The release said:
Now two decades later, Tonya and Nancy takes a fresh look through revealing new interviews with the Harding and Kerrigan camps at a unique worldwide spectacle.
Well, one of those interviews won’t be with Nancy Kerrigan.
NBC has won the Nancy battle. Saturday, the network announced that Kerrigan will speak exclusively to Mary Carillo for an NBC documentary on the sorted affair.
Here’s a possible reason for the exclusive. Richard Deitsch at SI.com reports Kerrigan could be part of NBC’s Olympic coverage from Sochi.
Deitsch writes:
An NBC Sports spokesperson told SI.com on Saturday that Kerrigan is not being paid for her interview with Carillo. But when asked if Kerrigan was being considered for an on-air gig for the Sochi Games, the spokesperson said, “Nancy is among many former Winter Olympic athletes under consideration for an on-air role in Sochi.”
As for ESPN, the network says it is proceeding with its documentary with or without an interview from Kerrigan.