Twitter removes draft suspense for ESPN, NFL Network

Posted on by

How far were ESPN and the NFL Network behind Twitter for the draft? Let’s put it this way: I just heard Roger “Hug-Me” Goodell announce the Bears selected Gale Sayers.

If you were on Twitter last night, you knew the upcoming team’s selection several minutes before the NFL Commissioner went up to the microphone to formally announce the pick. And is he the most affectionate commissioner in sports history? I mean, could you imagine Bowie Kuhn handing out so many hugs? Definitely not Clarence Campbell.

Twitter took all the suspense out of the draft. It felt like that cell phone commercial where the annoying users already posted the video to Facebook.

The league and the networks had hoped to preserve the suspense of the draft by not showing players on their cell phone talking to teams prior to the official announcement. Now they’ll have to figure out a way to shut down Twitter.

Various outlets on Twitter were disclosing a team’s pick. Heck, even Seattle owner Paul Allen was tipping off picks.

Among his tweets:

Dallas takes Claiborne at 6

Tampa takes S Barron #7

I’m sure the league will ask Allen to cool it. However, it will be much more difficult to stop the information flow of an upcoming pick prior to the announcement from reporters who want to get it out now.

Early on, while the TV guys were speculating on who Cleveland would take,Twitter followers already knew it was running back Trent Richardson at No. 3.

That’s when I first noticed something was amiss. Pretty soon, it felt like being at a poker table where somebody was tipping cards.

Finally it dawned on me: Is the suspense being phonied up here? For instance, Chris Berman & Co. were trying to build up the drama about whether Cleveland would take Brandon Weeden with the 22d pick.

But if you were on Twitter, you already knew the Browns took the Grandpa QB. In fact, it was out there for several minutes.

Surely, ESPN’s producers had that information. Surely, master tweeters Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter knew it was Weeden.

But over on the main stage, Berman, Gruden and Kiper were acting like anxious kids waiting to see what’s inside the box. Seriously, they didn’t know?

OK, I’ve been told the producers usually know of the pick, but don’t reveal it to the guys on stage. However, this situation is different, because now many, many more people know because of Twitter.

The whole dynamic creates a huge problem. Viewers expect authenticity. There’s nothing worse than phony drama.

The networks and NFL have embraced the new age of social media, especially Twitter. It’s been very good to all.

But not last night. Twitter beat them all to the punch. Or more specifically, to one of Goodell’s hugs.

 

 

 

 

John McEnroe, Olympics correspondent? Yep

Posted on by

NBC disclosed its lineup for hosts and correspondents for the Olympics. In the no-surprise department, Bob Costas will be the prime-time host for the millionth time (actually his ninth); Al Michaels and Dan Patrick will share weekday and weekend duties; and Mary Carillo will handle the late-night duties.

However, on the list of correspondents, one name stuck out, and it wasn’t Ryan Seacrest. Rather it was John McEnroe.

The three-time Wimbledon champion as an Olympics correspondent? Now that’s interesting.

According to NBC, McEnroe will appear during NBC’s primetime show, serving as a roving reporter/analyst. He will be doing features, maybe even off-beat stuff.

Clearly, McEnroe has media ambitions beyond talking about tennis. When it was announced last week that he will be ESPN’s lead analyst for Wimbledon, he was asked if he wanted to do something else at the network. He said:

“There’s been talk about that in the past. That’s intriguing. … I’m open to suggestions.”

Obviously, McEnroe jumped at the idea of being an Olympic correspondent. If NBC can make his segments edgy and unpredictable, in keeping with the man himself, it will be a great move.

 

 

 

 

Ohio State’s Gee: What a goof; rips SI, Sporting News

Posted on by

I first encountered E. Gordon Gee when he was university president at Colorado. He made the rounds in the press box before a game in full Colorado gear, even wearing Buffaloes suspenders if I recall. My initial reaction was, what a goof. But at the time, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for being enthusiastic.

I should have stuck with my initial reaction. Of all the goofs associated with college athletics, it’s hard to top Mr. Gee.

Now the long-time president at Ohio State, Gee embarrassed himself and his university again this week. Speaking to the editorial board of the student paper, the Lantern, he tore into Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News.

He said.

“‘Sporting News,’ ‘Sports Illustrated,’ a lot of them I don’t read. It’s bad journalism. And, so, why buy them?”

Gee was upset with a recent Sporting News story saying new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer left behind an out-of-control program at Florida.

Gee said:

You know, (OSU) is such a high-profile job, everyone’s going to nip at him. Not having fully read the story, but having read portions of it, it is what it is. I would hope that at our institution we teach a higher quality of journalism.

Hopefully, the Ohio State journalism department teaches its students to read the full story before commenting on it.

Then it was Sports Illustrated’s turn. From the Lantern:

Gee went on to scrutinize the “Sports Illustrated” investigative report of OSU, which was published as the cover story in the June 6 edition of the magazine. That report “revealed an eight-year pattern of violations under” Tressel.

“(‘Sports Illustrated’) came out with this big story about Ohio State, all of which was ultimately proven to be false,” Gee said. “I mean, the guy must have been looking at another school.”

Excuse me? If the story was false, why was your adored football coach Jim Tressel shown the door?

The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated both stand by their stories. George Dohrmann, who wrote the SI story, took a jab at Gee.

“(Gee) knows more about bow ties than he does about journalism,” Dohrmann said.

That’s giving him a lot of credit there, George.

 

 

 

More rips from Harmon and Feherty; More sales for Haney’s book

Posted on by

Perhaps Hank Haney should send thank you cards to Butch Harmon and David Feherty. They were the latest big names to question Haney’s motivation for writing a book about Tiger Woods.

All the chatter does is keep The Big Miss in the news. The end result has Haney’s book No. 3 on the current New York Times’ bestseller list. It actually had been No. 1, and with spring blooming in the Northeast and Father’s Day approaching (hey, let’s get Dad a golf book), it should rise to the top again.

It’s all happening either despite or because of constant criticism Haney did wrong by discussing the inside story of his relationship with Woods. In an interview with Golf Channel’s Morning Drive show Monday, David Feherty said:

The fact that Hank wrote the book – I wouldn’t have written the book. I just don’t think it has any class to it at all.

Last week in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Butch Harmon, Woods’ former coach, also took a shot at Haney. From the story:

“I’m very surprised that he would write it,” Harmon said. “I’d never do that to Tiger or Greg [Norman] or any of the guys I’ve been with. We get to spend a lot of time with these people, sometimes even more time than their own families. Things are said, or you see different things, and it’s just—it is what it is, you just leave it where it belongs. I was really shocked to see him talk about Elin and Tiger’s kids and stuff like that, I don’t think that had any place in it.”

He went on: “It almost seems the way he has everything documented in there—too many times and dates and places that you wouldn’t come up with from memory—it’s like he kept precise notes all along with writing a book in mind.”

Nothing helps book sales more than remaining in the public dialogue. People don’t appear to be turned off, judging by the bestseller list.

Haney wasn’t available for comment for the Wall Street Journal. If he was, I know what he would say.

Haney recently appeared as a guest on the golf show I do in Chicago, “The Scorecard” on WSCR-AM 670 on Saturday mornings. He stressed again that his time working with Woods was “my story too.”

He said:

I wanted to write a fair and honest book talking about my observations, what it was like to work with him. It was overwhelmingly positive, but it wouldn’t have been an honest book if there weren’t some negatives in there. When people read the book, they realize it is about coaching and about the greatness that is Tiger Woods.

People make the argument that Haney might have gone too far in disclosing some personal moments he witnessed with Woods. OK, but the book is so much more. From a golf–check that–sports standpoint, it is fascinating read, detailing the techniques Haney used to work with Woods. It is a behind the scenes perspective you rarely see involving a big-time athlete.

I’d recommend the book, regardless of what Harmon, Feherty and Haney’s other critics say.

 

 

 

 

NBC, NHL will be rooting hard for Rangers

Posted on by

Gary Bettman and Mark Lazarus shouldn’t even try to remain impartial. The NHL Commissioner and NBC Sports chairman should be allowed to go to Madison Square Garden tonight in full New York Rangers gear. Perhaps even get a few Rangers tattoos on the way to the arena.

Both the NHL and NBC need the Rangers to prevail in Game 7 over Ottawa. Talk about a must-win situation.

Here’s why: Game 6 attracted 315,000 viewers in New York on MSG. The ratings figure to be even higher for Thursday’s game.

If the Rangers advance, all of those New York ratings move over to NBC and the NBC Sports Network. Both outlets have exclusive coverage for the remainder of the Stanley Cup.

NBC Sports Network is averaging 699,000 viewers for the first 13 days of its playoff coverage, up 18 percent. Think about how much a New York audience could inflate that number for round 2 and beyond.

If Ottawa wins. Well, not so much. I bet a lot of people think Ottawa is a city in Iowa.

I know the New Jersey Devils also have a game 7 in Florida Thursday, but they aren’t the Rangers in New York or nationally.

NBC and NBC Sports Network already took a huge hit with Chicago losing to Phoenix in the first round. Game 6 pulled in 363,000 households on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The network would have loved an even larger slice of that for round 2.

As for Phoenix. Again, not so much.

Also, Detroit, another hockey hotbed, is out. The Red Wings lost to Nashville, not a hockey hotbed.

And also, also, Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champions with its avid following, went to sleep Wednesday night. However, the defeat wasn’t a complete washout since Washington will be a solid national draw with Alex Ovechkin. Stars move the meter.

For all the ratings momentum that has been built in the first round, it’ll evaporate quickly if the “right teams” don’t make it to the finish line. The NHL’s worst nightmare has to be a Stanley Cup between Ottawa and Phoenix. Or how about Florida-Nashville?

Sorry if I scared you, Mr. Bettman. Go Rangers, eh?

 

 

 

NFL draft: Getting ready for the big night

Posted on by

It is one of the most anticipated nights of the year, begging the question: What took the NFL so long to move it to prime time?

The NFL draft begins in all of its glory Thursday night. ESPN and the NFL Network will be on an endless clock.

Happy Mel Kiper Jr. day to all.

Here’s some coverage of the coverage to get you ready:

Richard Deitsch at SI.com has an interesting piece examining the behind the scenes at the draft. He writes:

At the NFL Network, Yook said six staffers are involved in finding footage and  double that who work to create graphics packages. “It starts with individual  footage of 150 players by the Senior Bowl and by the time we get to the combine,  I want that number to be as close to 300 as possible,” Yook said. “The goal this  year by the draft was to have footage on about 500 players and 1,800 total video  clips, and I think we will hit that.”

Deitsch also has a story saying broadcast cameras will no longer show first-round draftees on the phone with their teams before being selected. Good move. From the story:

“The league, the NFL Network and ESPN have recognized that it has probably  tilted too far in taking some of the suspense out of the draft,” said ESPN  senior NFL producer Seth Markman, who is overseeing his first draft for the  network. “Part of the problem in this world of instant news and social media is  that you can’t hold the news. But I think we do need to find a way to find a way to bring back some of the suspense of the commissioner making the announcement.”

Fang’s Bites has the details of NFL Network’s coverage with its lineup. He has the complete 2,155-word release. He writes:

NFL Network showing it can throw just about anyone and anybody on its Draft coverage this week, is doing exactly just that. Headlined by Rich Eisen, Mike Mayock, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Charles Davis, Michael Irvin, Michael Lombardi, Jason LaCanfora, Deion Sanders and Melissa Stark.

And Ken has all the info for ESPN’s coverage. The net was a bit more restrained with its release at 1,915 words.

Anthony Olivieri has had enough. He has overdosed on the draft talk. He writes in LostLetterman.com:

A source familiar with the situation told me that the NFL draft is one day away.

Thank God.

I can’t read another thing about the torque on Ryan Tannehill’s release, Robert Griffin III’s ceiling or what countless people think of Morris Claiborne’s elite ball skills. Yeah, the phrase is bad enough.

Did you know that Andrew Luck is really smart? He might even be the next Peyton Manning.

Sorry, that’s not the case for me, Andrew. I can’t wait for tomorrow night.

 

 

 

A no-no: Berman links his situation to Ted Williams

Posted on by

I winced when I saw the quote and I’m sure the ESPN PR folks did too.

In Michael Hiestand’s column about the NFL draft in USA Today, ESPN’s Chris Berman is asked about his critics. This is his response:

 “I just talk to people everyday walking down the street,” he says. “That’s what I care about. That’s good enough for me. They didn’t like Ted Williams either. Now, I’m not Ted Williams.”

Yes Chris, you’re not Ted Williams, but you just compared your situation to that of Ted Williams. Not good.

It’s totally, totally different. If Williams was a good guy and had a good relationship with the press, much like Ernie Banks in Chicago, he doesn’t hear boos in Boston. Williams, though, could be quite nasty, and it took him longer to be beloved.

Berman receives criticism because there are people out there who don’t like his work. The barbs definitely hurt, regardless of what he says.

Berman would have been fine if he ended his quote with “That’s good enough for me.” Instead, he opened the door to more ridicule by linking his name to that of a sporting icon.

That’s dangerous territory, Chris. Don’t do it again.

Different draft for Bill Polian on ESPN

Posted on by

Bill Polian never was a threat to pull a Bill Tobin during his long run as a general manager. Unlike another former Colts GM, he insists he didn’t dwell on what Mel Kiper, Tobin’s nemesis, and the other draft experts were saying.

Last week, I asked Polian a few questions in advance of his first NFL draft as an analyst for ESPN.

There’s so much out there in the way of speculation and analysis about the draft. Did it ever have any effect on you as a general manager?

Polian: When I was a general manager, I paid very little attention to it. I was paying attention to getting our board right and doing things necessary for us to have a good draft. I was concentrating solely on that. So I didn’t pay a lot of attention to it, very honestly.

What will be your approach? Will you be critiquing picks?

Polian: Tony Dungy mentioned it to me in a conversation very recently, and I think it’s right on. We, meaning he and I who have had great experience in this business, can bring to viewers a great perspective. This is the way things happen in the draft room. This is the way things happen in the lockerroom. This is how you build a team, etc. I’m less concerned about opinion than I am about explaining what I know actually goes on. I look at it from a educational standpoint rather than from an opinion standpoint.

Does it feel strange not preparing for a draft?

Polian: I must admit that it does. There are things that I’m doing now that I never would have dreamed of doing during draft preparation (laughing). It’s different, but that’s good, because I’m learning new things and learning to appreciate how people deliver information here, and how it get packaged and programmed. So it’s new and interesting and exciting. But it is very different than what I’m used to.

 

Classic: ‘Who the hell is Mel Kiper?’

Posted on by

The NFL draft is tomorrow, and much like the tradition of telling “The Christmas Carol” every year, we must recall the most memorable moment in ESPN’s draft history.

Bill Tobin’s rant of “Who the hell is Mel Kiper” is a classic from the 1994 draft. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the original video from the former Colts’ GM going off the one with big hair.

But I did find a couple of other interesting videos.

For starters, here’s the segment that started it all. At around the two-minute mark, Chris Berman throws it over to Kiper to get his assessment of the Colts selecting Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts.

Kiper comes out firing, saying “Give me a break.” Then he buries Tobin with his immortal line: “This is why the Colts are drafting second every year and not battling for the Super Bowl.”

However, what’s forgotten in this segment is that Joe Theismann completely supports Kiper.

“This is one time I have to agree with Mel,” Theismann said. “It doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t understand the pick.”

Theismann, though, was a former player. So Tobin didn’t aim his barbs at him. Instead, he went after Tobin.

Tobin, meanwhile, continued to rant about Kiper when he later met with reporters. SportsCenter ran a full two minutes of Tobin’s press conference (an eternity), which begins around the 40-second mark.

“What do you want to talk about first,” Tobin said. “Our players or that jerk in Baltimore?”

It went downhill from there.

 

 

 

Grantland’s Simmons right to complain about denied Blues credential

Posted on by

Bill Simmons is right. For a league striving to grow its profile, it doesn’t make sense for an NHL team to deny a credential to a reporter from a national site.

In this case, the site is Grantland.com, and the reporter is Katie Baker. According to a tweet posted by Simmons, Grantland’s editor, the St. Louis Blues refused to give Baker a seat in the press box last week.

He tweets:

Still laughing that the Blues denied @katiebakes for a media credential last week. The NHL is the best. DON’T COVER US!!! STAY AWAY!

Baker writes about hockey for Grantland. On Monday, she did a post about her trip to Nashville to cover the Predators and a wrap-up of the playoffs over the weekend. I dare say it was about as long a piece as you’ll find anywhere on hockey.

I’m not sure why the Blues wouldn’t credential Baker. Rule No. 1: If a national site wants to attend one of your games, especially one under the ESPN umbrella, you get that person in the arena. Even if the press box is full, you find a way. My goodness, this was St. Louis-San Jose in the first round, not the Stanley Cup finals.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing said this was another case of Simmons being “petulant.” Previously, Simmons complained about Duke not giving a credential to Grantland.

Lucia writes:

I’m just wondering which league or team Simmons is going to start whining about not credentialing next. Maybe it will be the Olympics, since Grantland has spent so much time talking about Olympic sports in recent months. Maybe the PGA won’t credential Grantland for the US Open, and Simmons will start a crusade against golf. All I really know at the end of the day is that Simmons is managing to come off really, really bad by sniping at various teams for not giving credentials to his writers that barely cover the teams on his site.

Sorry to disagree, Joe, but the NHL can’t afford to be ticking off a site like Grantland, and especially its editor, who has a fairly powerful voice in the sports media world. You want Grantland to writing more about hockey, not less.

Think of it this way: Simmons’ tweet went out to his 1.685 million followers. It’s probably the most attention the Blues have received on a national level all year.