Time to rotate NFL draft to different cities; 2014 draft will be in May

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As expected, the NFL officially announced today that the 2014 draft will be May 8-10 at Radio City Music Hall. The late date is due to a scheduling conflict at the Hall.

However, the release included this interesting statement from the NFL:

“No decision has been made regarding the dates of the NFL Draft in 2015 and beyond. A variety of alternatives are being explored, teams were told, including holding the draft at Radio City or at other locations, either in the New York area or in other cities.”

Yes, it’s time to move the draft to other cities. It is getting old listening to Jets fans whine about their picks. Let other fans have a chance to complain.

Besides, the draft is becoming more and more of spectacle. Moving it around would give the draft a different feel, which would add unique qualities to the telecasts.

It won’t be long before the draft is in arenas and even stadiums. Imagine the scene when Mel Kiper Jr. gets introduced on draft night to 70,000 people. I want to be there for that one.

 

 

Posted in NFL

New ombudsman on how much he consumes ESPN: ‘I go more to opera’

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Robert Lipsyte goes on the clock as ESPN’s new ombudsman on Saturday. In an interview with Richard Deitsch at SI.com, he said he intends to post his first column in mid-June.

As always, the former New York Times sports columnist was candid. It sounds as if prior to getting this assignment, he didn’t exactly park himself in front of his TV watching ESPN.

SI.com: How would you characterize your consumption of ESPN platforms?

Lipsyte: I go to more opera.

SI.com: So does that mean you have to get more up to speed on their various platforms?

Lipsyte: Well, some things more than others. Ever since I wrote a blog for what does not seem to exist at ESPN anymore — Page 2 — I’ve had a regular history at that place. I’ll check SportsCenter and if I remember what time it is on, I might even look at First Take. I get the magazine. Certainly, I am a big fan of 30 of 30. I like the show OTL [Outside The Lines] and E:60. I think I am a casual consumer of ESPN. What has been interesting to me is since the announcement, all kind of friends and acquaintances have said to me they watch ESPN all the time and have interesting ideas.

There is little doubt that Lipsyte will be provocative in his new role. However, the big question is that at age 75, will he be tuned in to programming that is skewed to a much younger demographic? At the very least, he says he won’t be going in with “an agenda.”

I thought this was an important exchange.

SI.com: You have been a critic of jock culture throughout your professional career. Do you consider ESPN to be emblematic of a jock culture on air?

Lipsyte: You bet.

SI.com: How so?

Lipsyte: I think that very often — and particularly in SportsCenter — there is that kind of sense of being of the sport and of the sports world. I am also aware what the E in ESPN stands for. I am really more concerned, if I am being critical, of what would be seen as journalistic lapses than entertainment bad taste. I think one of the things here is to tease out the difference between what would be seen as entertainment and what would be seen as journalism. I suspect that’s not so easy and not so easy for ESPN. I think that is something they are very much aware of and why they put ombudsman in place.

 

Indeed, it is. Looking forward to Lipsyte’s first report.

 

 

 

Ratings report: Blackhawks double Sox-Cubs game in Chicago

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This would have been unthinkable back in 2007, 2008 when the Cubs and White Sox were surging, and the Blackhawks barely registered on the radar in Chicago.

However, times and the teams’ fortunes have changed considerably. So it hardly is a big surprise that in a head-to-head match-up last night, the Blackhawks doubled the rating for a Sox-Cubs game.

Game 6 of the Hawks-Detroit series did a 13.45 local rating on NBC Sports Network; 1 local rating point is the equivalent of approximately 35,000 homes. Meanwhile, the Sox-Cubs did a combined 6.53 rating on WGN-Ch.9 and Comcast Sports Net.

The Hawks rating was the highest ever in Chicago for a conference semifinal game and behind only their two Stanley Cup finals games on NBC Sports Network in 2010.

And that mark won’t last long. The Hawks figure to do a huge number for Game 7 against Detroit Wednesday. There won’t be any competition from baseball on that day. The Sox-Cubs play an afternoon game.

 

 

Sports Illustrated set to debut daily talk show on SI.com

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the evolution at Sports Illustrated, and how it is placing an emphasis on growing SI.com. Here’s a major step.

Next Monday, SI.com will debut a new daily 30-minute sports talk show, airing at 1 p.m. ET. Hosted by Maggie Gray, it will feature interviews and reports from Sports Illustrated reporters and with top sports personalities. In mid-June, the show will originate live from the U.S. Open at Merion outside of Philadelphia.

It makes sense for SI. It already has several writers with strong TV ties (Peter King, Tom Verducci). Why not feature them on its own platform?

Here’s the official release from SI:

On Monday, June 3, Sports Illustrated will debut SI Now Powered by Ford, a new live, 30-minute daily talk show broadcast on SI.com, weekdays at 1:00 p.m. ET. SI is the first Time Inc. title to produce a regular, live video series, placing it among only a handful of media brands offering original daily streaming content.

“Our writers and anchors are the brightest in the sports world, and this live show gives them an important new way to interact with sports fans in real time,” said Matt Bean, managing editor of SI.com. “SI Now is a revolution in how we create and deliver video to our audience. It is the next phase in SI.com’s content evolution.”

Hosted by SI’s Maggie Gray, SI Now Powered by Ford will deliver commentary, analysis and social interaction with SI writers/editors, newsmakers and special guests. The show will also travel to the biggest events in sports. For example, during the week of June 10 SI Now will be on location at the U.S. Open in Ardmore, PA. During those shows SI, and its Time Inc. Sports Group partner Golf Magazine, will deliver feature interviews and analysis from a team of award winning writers covering the tournament.

“Our goal is for SI Now to deliver what SI does best — thoughtful conversation and commentary around the biggest stories in sports,” said Ian Orefice, Time Inc. news and sports executive producer. “Since launching SI Video in 2010, we’ve built tremendous momentum with increased viewership and critical acclaim for our original productions. Now with the addition of the production facility, we can deliver exponentially more video across the site and throughout the spectrum of digital, mobile and broadcast distribution channels.”

Since launching in 2010, the SI Digital Video unit has increased the volume of SI.com video offerings to a current pace of about 50 original videos each week. One of the most successful has been the 2012 original web series Underdogs, which captured an EPPY Award for Best Sports Video from Editor & Publisher,  a Cynopsis Sports Media Award for Best Webisode Series and recognition from the Webby Awards Best Editing (video) category.

Recently, the video unit produced a slew of live broadcast specials for SI.com including SI Swimsuit Live 2013 a one-hour red carpet special hosted by Bean and Swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen, which was simulcast across People.com, EW.com, YouTube and Daily Motion. Also airing live were 30-minute previews of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the 2013 NFL draft.

Gray became SI’s first digital sports anchor in 2010 and has since conducted interviews with the most influential names in sports about the top stories in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college football, college basketball, NASCAR, horse racing and Olympic sports. Her recent interview with a panel of WNBA draft picks drew worldwide attention as eventual No. 1 draft pick Brittney Griner candidly discussed being a gay female athlete.

A recent IAB study demonstrates that the demand for online video content is growing among SI’s core audience, with more than 45 million U.S. viewers a month consuming original professional online video and almost a quarter of men in the U.S. (24%) watching.  Additionally, a fifth of men 18 to 34 watch original professional online video at work. *

 

Feherty’s Memorial Day message: Never take America granted; Interview with Tom Lehman tonight

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David Feherty rarely breaks from wise-cracking character, but when it comes to supporting U.S. troops, he is all business. The native of Northern Ireland, now an American citizen has gone above and beyond the call of duty with his tireless work with this country’s wounded warriors.

The latest edition of Feherty (Golf Channel, Monday, 10 p.m. ET) features Tom Lehman.

Ratings report: Chicago, Detroit continue to make NBC very happy; Big number for Game 5

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You can be sure NBC Sports Network is rooting for the Blackhawks to beat the Red Wings tonight to force a Game 7 Wednesday.

As I wrote previously, the intense local following in Chicago and Detroit is having a profound impact on NBC and NBC Sports Network’s overall national numbers. It definitely was the case again Saturday for Game 5 in Chicago.

From NBC:

NBC’s prime NHL Semifinal game (8-11P; Det-Chi) earned a 2.0 overnight (in metered markets), the best delivery for a conference semifinal game on NBC in 7 years (since 2006). While there is no year ago primetime comparison, the game was up 25% from the comparable afternoon conference semifinal game last year on Saturday, 05/05/12 (12:30-3:15P; NYR-Wash; 1.6). 

Detroit delivered a 14.7, the highest local rating ever in the market for an NHL Semifinal game on NBC.  Chicago also drew its best Semi-Final on NBC rating with an 11.4.

Posted in NHL

Greatest rounds: Trevino-Nicklaus playoff in 1971 U.S. Open revisited on Golf Channel

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This is a treat. Even though Jack Nicklaus was the top player of his era, or any era, he had plenty of great Hall of Famers challenging him, including Lee Trevino.

Here’s the rundown from the Golf Channel:

The 1971 U.S. Open at famed Merion Golf Club featured one of the more dramatic battles in U.S. Open history when Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus went toe-to-toe in an intense 18-hole Monday playoff to crown that year’s national champion.  For the first time since the tournament’s original airing in 1971, viewers will have the opportunity watch the drama and excitement unfold on television on GOLF’S GREATEST ROUNDS, Tuesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

Golf Channel on NBC’s Dan Hicks will take viewers through the dramatic showdown between Trevino and Nicklaus at Merion Golf Club, featuring action from Sunday’s final round and Monday’s 18-hole playoff.  Missing a six-footer on the 72nd hole to win in regulation, Trevino fell into a tie with Nicklaus and forced a Monday playoff.  The tension on the first tee was thick but soon lifted as the ever-playful Trevino pulled a rubber snake from his golf bag, held it up for the gathered crowd to see and tossed it at Nicklaus, who broke out laughing.

GOLF’S GREATEST ROUNDS will return to Golf Channel after the U.S. Open on Tuesday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET with Open Championship specials, beginning with Seve Ballesteros’ second Open Championship victory in 1984.

 

Sunday books: Striking portraits of old Comiskey Park; must buy for White Sox fans

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I truly can say I grew up at old Comiskey Park.

My father gave me my introduction to baseball there in the late 60s. A North Side Sox fan, my friends and I took the train to the South Side to watch games in the 70s, a time when that really wasn’t done.

Then as a vendor during my college years, I logged countless miles walking up and down the stairs trying to sell my stuff.

My professional career was kicked started as the Sox beat writer for the Chicago Tribune from 1986-88. Finally, it came full circle when my father and I attended Comiskey Park’s finale in 1990.

So naturally a new book, Portraits From The Park, really hits home for me. It also will for fellow Sox fans who still have fond memories of the old place.

Published by Columbia College Press, the book features vintage photos by Thomas W. Harney. Beginning in 1973, Harney, whose family had deep roots as long-time Sox fans, began to take pictures at old Comiskey. He continued to the day it closed on Sept. 30, 1990.

However, you won’t see baseball action photos or player portraits in the book. This is about the people who gave Comiskey its soul: The fans. They rocked the place on hot summer nights. As Harry Caray would say in ’70s, “Listen to the crowd.”

The shots are phenomenal. They underscore the passion and grit that defined Sox fans compared to the wine and cheese Cubs fans. At least back then.

The photos also provide wonderful perspectives that will remind veteran Sox fans of the views from the old park: The picnic area in left field; the faraway centerfield bleachers; the old upperdeck that hung over the field; walking in from 35th and Shields. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Harney’s work is presented in black-and-white. That’s as it should be. It allows the shadows to be highlighted in a way that would be ruined by color.

The photos also show the rough edges of old Comiskey Park. Paint was peeling and the seats looked old and worn out. Alas, it wasn’t a museum piece like Wrigley Field, and it was time to say farewell in 1990.

Yet Harney’s photos will remind Sox fans of what they once were like and what they once had at old Comiskey Park. It was a special place. It was our place.