Monthly Archives: May 2013

Broadway Joe wins again: Namath elated for Sports Emmy for HBO documentary

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NEW YORK–There were numerous winners at the Sports Emmy Awards Tuesday night in New York, but it is hard to imagine anyone being happier than Joe Namath.

Broadway Joe was positively beaming after the HBO film on his life, Namath, won for outstanding sports documentary. He crowded into the team picture with producers Keith Cossrow and Joseph M. Lavine and the others, looking as proud as you’ll ever see him.

“It’s not about me,” Namath said several times during our interview. “It’s about them. They spent the hours to do this.”

Namath, though, was wrong. It’s always about him.

The Sports Emmy served as a validation for electing to finally agree to participate in a project he didn’t want to do. Even after he signed on with HBO, he still wasn’t fully on board at first.

“I was so negative,” Namath said. “I didn’t want to do this. I’m not the kind of guy I am to sit down and do these kind of things.”

Namath said he previously had rejected numerous offers to do a documentary on his life. Finally, his family insisted that he do this one with HBO and NFL Films.

“They said you’ve got to do this,” Namath said. “They said, ‘How great would it be to have (documentary on his life)?’ I said, ‘OK, I’m going to trust these people. It’s their business, their art.'”

The interview sessions weren’t always easy. Namath has gone through many turbulent times and definitely has made more than his share of mistakes.

“I was wrong about some things in life,” Namath said. “Ignorant. Naïve. I wrestled with myself how to tell things. ‘You’ve got to be honest.’ I’m a Gemini. My friends tell me I have to quit using that as an excuse. It was a wrestling match. (The producers) were sensitive, but persistent.”

The end result was a fascinating portrait of a complicated man who has led one of the most interesting lives of his or any generation. Namath said he didn’t even see the film until the screening.

“Not one second,” Namath said. “I saw my mother up there. I mean, I didn’t know what was coming next.”

Namath loved the finished product and was thrilled for everyone associated with the film Tuesday.

“It’s a special night,” said Broadway Joe, who has had more than a few of them.

Susannah Collins statement: Apologizes if people found Sports Nutz videos offensive

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Susannah Collins decided to take the high road in issuing her first remarks since being “parting ways” with Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

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As most of you know by now, I had a slip-up last week on the air while covering the Blackhawks playoff series.  As a result of the attention it received, an old web-based sports comedy series I participated in several years ago came to light. The intention of that show was to present a satirical, tongue-in-cheek approach to sports but, unfortunately, some of the material it contained was off-color and offensive. I understand why some may have been offended by it and for this I am truly sorry.  To be clear, that show in no way reflects my personal opinions.

It has always been my dream to cover my hometown teams on the network I loved watching.  I have worked tirelessly to develop my skills as a sports reporter, anchor and host, and I want to thank the city of Chicago for allowing me that opportunity. The outpouring of support I have received is overwhelming and it will remain in my heart, as will Chicago. Always.

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The whole situation was very unfortunate and very unnecessary. Hopefully, it won’t derail Collins’ career and that she will get another job soon.

 

Turner to air Final Four semifinal games in 2014, 2015

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News always breaks when you’re on a plane. Here’s the official release for what is a big day for Turner Sports.

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CBS Sports and Turner Sports have announced the programming schedule for their exclusive joint television coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2014 and 2015. In each of the two years, TBS will televise the NCAA Final Four national semi-finals and CBS will broadcast the NCAA National Championship game.

Additionally, beginning in 2014 through 2024, coverage of the Regional Semi-finals and Regional Finals games will be split by TBS and CBS.  Earlier round coverage of the tournament will continue to be televised across four national television networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV with the First Four® airing exclusively on truTV.

In 2010, Turner Sports and CBS Sports entered into a 14-year exclusive media rights partnership with the NCAA to present the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from 2011-2024. As part of that agreement, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will alternate coverage of the Final Four national semi-final games and National Championship game between TBS and CBS. The rotation begins on TBS with the network televising the Final Four and National Championship in 2016 with CBS broadcasting the games in 2017.

“Since the inception of our partnership, I don’t think we could have envisioned such a seamless collaboration between our two companies both in front of and behind the cameras,” said David Levy, president of Sales, Distribution and Sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.  “Coming off another incredible year of strong ratings and exciting games, the popularity of the NCAA Tournament and Final Four continues to resonate with fans across the country.  We are thrilled to have the opportunity to televise the Final Four national semi-final games and two of the Elite Eight games on TBS beginning next year, and for the network to televise its first National Championship game in 2016.”

“From the beginning, our partnership with Turner Sports has exceeded every one of our expectations,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports.  “Today’s news represents another win-win arrangement that continues to help us extend the reach of this marquee property by combining the resources of our two organizations. As we have done since 1982, CBS is pleased to showcase the National Championship game in 2014 and 2015.”

Turner Sports and CBS Sports recently concluded their third year of exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 2013 tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV was the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, averaging 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

 

Q/A with Brian Kenny: New face of sabermetrics; Says culture divide soon will not exist

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Brian Kenny should send a note of thanks to Ken Harrelson.

Harrelson’s ripping sabermetrics and then their subsequent debate on MLB Network was a PR jackpot. It generated a ton of publicity, getting the word out about Kenny’s new show, MLB Now (4 p.m. ET).

Also, most people agreed with Kenny. If anything, Kenny has evolved as the new face of sabermetrics.

In a Q/A, Kenny, 49, talks about leaving ESPN for MLB Network, his morning show on NBC Sports Network and how he continues to be baffled about people who don’t share his point of view on sabermetrics, and that includes his MLB Now co-host Harold Reynolds.

You left ESPN in Sept., 2011. How has the move to MLB Network worked out for you?

Life is great. For me, if all I do baseball all day, I’m a happy man. Doing a radio show was something I also missed.

It was very difficult to leave ESPN. It wasn’t an easy choice. It had to be near perfect for me to go, and it really was. The chance to do baseball really appealed to me. It was great the way they really came after me. I felt wanted and appreciated.

I had a sense that they really got me. I was given a show (Clubhouse Confidential) that I was passionate about. Being tossed the keys to a sports car is a good thing. You don’t take these opportunities for granted.

What do you like so much about sabermetrics?

I find baseball fascinating. Sabermetrics helps put things into context. It allows you to try to figure out who is valuable and who is not. What to do in certain situations. We’re looking at baseball with an intellectual rigor.

My research staff and I find ourselves learning a lot about the game. For instance, are $100 million contracts a good idea? You think you know the answer, but you wind up finding things that are fascinating.

So are $100 million contracts a good idea?

We found out the red flags. Wrong side of 30. Wrong side of the defensive spectrum. Misreading the metrics of pitcher who was a 20-game winner. Branding over baseball. Are you doing it for PR reasons?

We found that half of the $100 million contracts you wouldn’t do again. It’s interesting when you figure it out and actually do the math.

What is a stat that stands out since you started to do the show?

Oh, there are so many.

Our first year we looked at the blockbuster contracts. Albert Pujols had been terrific; best first-baseman since Lou Gehrig. But his offensive metrics were telling us he was in a decline. You always can choose to ignore that and say this guy is different. Most of the worst contracts occur when you say this guy is different. You ignore the evidence at your own peril.

People are saying it now about Pujols, but we were saying it before he signed. This thing had a lot of red flags.

You bang heads every day with Harold Reynolds. What’s your relationship like with him?

Harold and I like to carve each other up. He was one of the reasons why I came to MLB Network. He was telling me how great it was here. We always boggle each other’s mind. We just see the game differently.

How did you view Harrelson’s feelings on sabermetrics?

I like Hawk. I enjoy watching him call a game. You know he is a homer and that he is pulling for the White Sox. It’s high comedy at times.

I just don’t agree with what he said. I’m puzzled why he would say those things and why so many others in his baseball say those things. Hawk said sabermetrics is “overrated.” There’s nothing to overrate. It’s just wanting to know more and try to put things in their proper context.

You do seem puzzled and irritated when people like Reynolds or Harrelson question the value of sabermetrics. Why?

I am puzzled. I grew up thinking batting average was the batting champ and the best pitcher was the wins leader. I’ve since learned better. I understand that’s not the case. They have a correlation to runs or preventing runs, but they don’t have the best correlation. You have to look for more context.

I’m always puzzled when people say they love baseball and statistics and yet they haven’t evolved to this position. It’s a culture divide that soon will not exist.

You recently launched a new morning radio show on NBC Sports Network. How is it working out?

It’s a little baseball-centric, but we attempt to bring the same intellectual rigor to all sports. I have a research staff. I want smart people around me.

I’ve been around now for more than 25 years. I have some perspective now. I couldn’t have done a decent show in my 20s. I didn’t have the perspective back then.

 

 

 

 

 

DVR alert: Blackhawks focus of new NHL 36; debuts after Tuesday’s game

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The Blackhawks get the all-access treatment.

Here are the details from NBC Sports Network:

NBC Sports Group and the National Hockey League announced the return of the acclaimed all-access series NHL 36, with a special two-part edition focused on Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Chicago Blackhawks. The new episode, which for the first time trained its cameras upon an entire team, airs tomorrow night on NBC Sports Network, immediately following post-game coverage of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks (9:30 p.m. ET).

Part of the 36 Series on NBC Sports Network, NHL 36: Chicago Blackhawks will provide an all-access pass to the club that began the 2012-13 regular season with a historic 24-game point streak, and went on to capture the Central Division title and the Presidents’ Trophy. The Blackhawks now are setting their sights on the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, as they take on the Minnesota Wild in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Providing the ultimate behind-the-scenes view into the League, NHL Original Productions began following the Blackhawks on April 19 and stayed with the team through 36 hours as some of the NHL’s biggest stars – including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Patrick Sharp – played back-to-back home games against the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes.

From the coaching staff to the Chairman of the Board, players and team personnel, all members of the Chicago Blackhawks’ family were in front of the NHL 36 cameras. Cameras captured Head Coach Joel Quenneville at home with his family discussing the possibility of missing his daughter’s graduation due to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the grueling schedule of an equipment manager, the player’s lighter side and Chairman of the Board Rocky Wirtz’s unique relationship with the fans.

“Compelling, story-driven programming is a staple of our network and the 36 Series,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “The Blackhawks incredible season and the players on this year’s team, make for a very exciting NHL 36 episode.”

“NHL 36 is about storytelling. It is about taking fans behind the scenes, bringing them closer to the game and allowing them to witness parts of it they wouldn’t have seen otherwise,” said Bob Chesterman, NHL Vice President of Programming. “The stories that unfold in front of our cameras have universal appeal.”

Posted in NHL

Can a couple of Canadian guys enable Fox Sports 1 to take on SportsCenter? ‘We will bring maple syrup’

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Meet the guys who will be taking on SportsCenter for the new Fox Sport 1: Jay Onrait (right) and Dan O’Toole. They will anchor Fox Sports Live at 11 p.m.

They are supposedly huge in Canada. In fact, Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada bemoaned their departure in a tweet. (Show of hands for those who knew the name of the Canadian PM).

However, will their act, reportedly a modern version of Patrick-Olbermann, go over in the U.S.? One thing is for sure: The guys probably won’t short-change hockey.

Here’s the official release from Fox Sports 1:

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Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, who since 2005 have formed a popular, smart and irreverent anchor team for TSN’s SportsCentre, Canada’s most-watched sports news program, join FOX Sports as the primary highlight team for FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports 1’s flagship news, opinion and highlights program airing nightly at 11:00 PM ET.  The announcement was made today by FOX Sports’ Co-President and COO Eric Shanks and Executive Vice President, Studio Production, Scott Ackerson.  Onrait and O’Toole, along with Producer Tim, are the first FOX SPORTS LIVE personalities to be announced. The show premieres in conjunction with the network’s launch on Saturday, Aug.17.

“Nowhere in America today are there sports anchors with the style and rapport that Jay and Dan have,” said Shanks. “We respect their work and the tremendous relationship they’ve established over the years with Canadian sports fans. We’re excited to have had a chance to get to know them, and that they’ll have a major role in the launch of FOX Sports 1.”

“It’s obvious that Jay and Dan are a great tandem and really enjoy themselves when they’re on-air,” added Ackerson.  “FOX SPORTS LIVE is going to deviate from existing sports news formulas, and we expect Jay, Dan and Tim to use their unique brand of humor to make the show fun for fans to watch.”

Onrait and O’Toole have been co-hosts of the 1:00 AM ET weekday edition of SportsCentre, which repeats hourly until 1:00 PM ET, entertaining viewers with a brand of humor all their own while delivering a summary of the day’s sports news and events.

“We are thrilled to join FOX Sports 1 and can’t wait to start working with the rest of the team on FOX SPORTS LIVE,” said Onrait. “We like sports and we like to laugh, so that’s pretty much the show.  Dan and I are also looking forward to getting free tickets to a taping of American Idol.  That sealed it for us.”

“We are extremely excited to be joining FOX Sports 1,” added O’Toole.  “This is an enormous opportunity for us and we are so honored to have been asked to take part in this bold new venture by FOX.  Jay and I can’t wait to introduce ourselves to Americans across the country and look forward to being invited into their homes.  We will bring the maple syrup.”

Onrait, (pronounced: ON-right) a native of Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, Onrait first joined TSN in 1996 as an editorial assistant while attending Ryerson University.  Upon his graduation in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Arts, he went on to become sports director at a Saskatoon television station, before spending two years as the host of the Big Breakfast on A-Channel.  Onrait joined NHL Network in 2001, serving as host of the network’s flagship show NHL on the Fly as well as Molson That’s Hockey 2. A year later, he re-joined TSN in his current role on SportsCentre.

Onrait’s work assignments over the years have included hosting SportsCentre with O’Toole live from Trafalgar Square during the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, co-hosting Olympic Morning on CTV with Beverly Thomson for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and coverage of the NHL Trade Deadline, NBA Finals, Vanier Cup and in-studio host of Toronto Raptors broadcasts on TSN.  In 2011, he was honored for his outstanding contributions to the world of sports with a Gemini Award for Best Sportscaster/Anchor.

In addition to hosting SportsCentre with Onrait from the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, O’Toole co-hosted the show with Cory Woron from the International Broadcast Centre for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Prior to joining TSN in 2002, O’Toole was part of Citytv’s launch in Vancouver, where he worked as an anchor and reporter.  In 1998, O’Toole moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he worked as sports director for CJOK-FM and CKYX-FM radio stations for three years. While at the radio stations, O’Toole called play-by-play for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL.  In 2000, O’Toole worked at CTV Edmonton as the Fort McMurray news reporter in the evenings while continuing to work mornings as the radio sports director.

Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, O’Toole graduated from Algonquin College in 1996 with a diploma in broadcasting. While in college, O’Toole did play-by-play for the Ottawa 67s. O’Toole moved to Vancouver in 1997 to work as a traffic reporter for CJJR-FM and CFUN-AM radio stations, reporting from a four-seater plane.

 

 

Sports Emmys handicap: Surprise nominees: Harold Reynolds, Billy Ripken; Costas should add another

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Flying out tomorrow for the biggest night of the year in the sports media industry: The 34th Sports Emmy Awards in New York.

The highlight of the evening isn’t necessarily the awards show. Rather, it is the parties afterwards thrown by the individual networks.

It will be a big night for award winners. I figure Bob Costas has a warehouse somewhere to store all of his Sports Emmys.

Here’s the rundown of nominations by network groups:

NBC Sports Group: 58

ESPN (which includes ABC): 43

Turner Sports: 27

Fox Sports Media Group: 17

HBO: 17

NFL Network: 16

CBS (includes Showtime): 15

MLB Network: 9

Not surprisingly, NBC’s coverage of the London Olympics received the most nominations with 14. The NBA on TNT and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel were next with six.

And the biggies:

Outstanding Sports Personality: Play-by-Play

Mike Breen ABC
Mike Emrick NBC / NBC Sports Network
Al Michaels NBC
Jim Nantz CBS

Note: Where’s Joe Buck? Dan Shulman should have gotten a nod. I like Breen a lot, and other people are starting to pick up on it. If Nantz wins, he is going to dedicate the award to Pat Summerall.

Outstanding Sports Personality: Sports Event Analyst

Ato Boldon, NBC
Cris Collinsworth, NBC
Jon Gruden, ESPN
Jim Kaat, MLB Network
Mike Mayock, NFL Network / NBC

Note: Jeff Van Gundy is a big omission. So is Ed Olczyk. Will be interesting if Gruden gets the nod after working in a two-man booth for first time?

Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Host

James Brown, CBS / Showtime
Bob Costas, NBC / NBC Sports Network
Rich Eisen, NFL Network
Ernie Johnson, TNT / NBA TV
Dan Patrick, NBC / NBC Sports Network /DirecTV

Note: Chris Fowler needs to be on this list. Coming off the Olympics, looks like another Emmy for Bob Costas.

Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Analyst

Charles Barkley TNT / NBA TV
Tony Dungy, NBC
Boomer Esiason, CBS
Harold Reynolds, MLB Network
Bill Ripken, MLB Network
Kurt Warner, NFL Network

Note: Wow, quite a step in class for Cal’s little brother. And Reynolds makes it two nominees from MLB Network. That means a lot of big names missing here.

Outstanding Sports Personality: Sports Reporter

Andrea Joyce, NBC / NBC Sports Network
Pierre McGuire, NBC / NBC Sports Network
Lisa Salters, ESPN
Michele Tafoya, NBC
Tom Verducci, MLB Network / TBS

Note: Doris Burke is stellar on NBA. Should be included. I know McGuire has his critics, but I enjoy what he has to offer.

Outstanding Studio Show (Weekly)

College Gameday, ESPN
Football Night in America, NBC
Inside the NBA, TNT
Inside the NFL, Showtime

Note: All three NFL Sunday daytime pregame shows (CBS, Fox, ESPN) fail to get a nomination.

Outstanding Live Sports Series

ESPN Monday Night Football, ESPN
NASCAR on FOX, FOX / SPEED
NBA on TNT, TNT
NFL on FOX, FOX
Sunday Night Football, NBC

Note: CBS’ football coverage gets shut out. Sunday Night Football always strong in this category.

Outstanding Live Sports Special

The 96th Indianapolis 500, ABC
The 108th World Series, FOX
The Army-Navy Game, CBS
The Masters, CBS
Super Bowl XLVI, NBC

Note: Interesting that the Army-Navy game made it into this category.

Outstanding PLAYOFF COVERAGE

National League Championship Series: Cardinals vs. Giants — FOX
NBA Playoffs — TNT
NFC Divisional Playoff: 49ers vs. Saints — FOX
NFL Wild Card Saturday: Bengals vs. Texans; Lions vs. Saints — NBC
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament — CBS/tbs/TNT/truTV

Note: It is hard to beat the quantity offered by the NCAA tournament. Missing: NBC Sports Network’s superserving of the NHL playoffs was terrific.

Outstanding Sports Documentary

26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story, ESPN2
Dream Team, NBA TV
Klitschko, HBO
Namath, HBO
The Announcement, ESPN

Note: All good, and plenty of others deserving.

Outstanding EDITED SPORTS SERIES/Anthology

30 for 30 — ESPN
A Football Life — NFL Network/[NFL Films]
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins — HBO/[NFL Films]
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel — HBO
The Franchise: A Season with the Miami Marlins — Showtime/[MLB Productions]

Note: It’s hard to top 30 for 30, but the Football Life series was exceptional. Powerful documentaries.

 

The Beat: Kurtz apologizes for being wrong; Tebow as analyst?; Bardo to BTN

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Scanning the globe for sports media headlines:

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Media critic Howard Kurtz turned the tables on himself for making an incredible blunder on the Jason Collins story.

From the AP story:

Media critic Howard Kurtz used his CNN show on Sunday to point a finger at himself, apologizing for a story on gay basketball player Jason Collins that he said was riddled with errors and shouldn’t have been written in the first place.

The extraordinary edition of CNN’s ”Reliable Sources” contained not only his apology but also a session with two other media critics who sharply questioned Kurtz’s credibility.

Kurtz wrote in The Daily Beast that Collins, the NBA center who made headlines last week by being the first active player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues to come out as gay, had hidden a previous engagement to a woman in his announcement. In fact, Collins revealed the engagement in his first-person Sports Illustrated story and in a subsequent interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Kurtz said Sunday that he had read the Sports Illustrated story too quickly and missed the reference to a fiancee there and elsewhere. He said he was wrong to rush the story without seeking comment from Collins, was too slow to correct himself when it became clear he was wrong and made an inappropriate comment (about playing ”both sides of the court”) in a video report.

Besides his ”sloppy and inexcusable” errors, Kurtz said, the story itself was insensitive and shouldn’t have been written.

”I apologize to readers, to viewers and, most importantly, to Jason Collins and his fiancee,” said Kurtz, who spent many years as a media writer for The Washington Post. ”I hope this very candid response can help me earn back your trust over time. It is something I am very committed to doing.’

 

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If Tim Tebow is done with football, what about a next career in TV? The New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman says he would be ideal as an analyst for college football.

And didn’t the SEC just launch a new network?

Raissman writes:

What about Tebow as interviewer? For starters, Tebow could go one-on-one with Johnny Manziel.

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In his weekly sports media column, SI’s Richard Deitsch says former Illinois star Stephen Bardo is going to the Big Ten Network.

“Most people at ESPN or CBS –they want to be at the top level,” Bardo said. “I think I did a pretty good job of establishing myself there and I think I am good at what I do. So now I thought: What did I want? Did I want to be at ESPN and hope to get an upper-echelon assignment, or go to a place where I could be more appreciated? The Big Ten is part of the footprint where I played, and I think I have a brand there.”

 

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Hey, I agree with Will Leitch. At Sports on Earth, he writes about how much he likes Mike Breen.

From Leitch:

The key to Breen is he is always forceful without forcing it. He hits all the big moments in a broadcast without owning them. He is, in the purest sense, a describer. He doesn’t try to paint some poetic picture or conjure up anything. He just tells you what’s going on in the plainest possible sense. He has an even tone that has a touch of humor to it that’s more cornpoke than ironic-wry; if you’ll forgive me, he sounds more like a Midwesterner than a New York City native to me.

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Nice Kentucky Derby rating for NBC. Sports Media Watch.

Allen Kenny at Awful Announcing says viewers about going to have to pay for the new SEC Network.

Al Bernstein talks about his new book with Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Mary Byrne of USA Today elected second VP of APSE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double duty: Jim Nantz to present Couples and Venturi into Golf Hall of Fame tonight

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At Golfdigest.com, I wrote about how Monday will be a big, and unfortunately, bittersweet night for Jim Nantz.

The voice of golf for CBS is set present both Fred Couples and Ken Venturi during induction ceremonies for the World Golf Hall of Fame tonight (Golf Channel, 9 p.m. ET). Unfortunately, the 82-year-old Venturi is ailing and won’t be able to attend.

Nantz said he is “crushed” about Venturi’s situation.

“He’s going to be terribly missed,” Nantz said.

From my post:

Yet Nantz vows the evening will be special for Venturi’s sons, Matt and Tim, who will accept on his behalf, and his extended golf and CBS family. Nantz knows what the induction means to Venturi, who waited a long time to receive the honor. He even was more thrilled when Venturi asked Nantz to be his presenter.

Couples followed suit, requesting that his old University of Houston classmate also present him during Monday’s ceremonies.

It will be the second time Nantz performs the prestigious daily double on induction night. In 2011, he presented the 41st president, George H. W. Bush, and legendary CBS golf producer Frank Chirkinian. Lanny Wadkins also asked Nantz to do the honors when he was inducted in 2009.

That he has ushered five people into the World Golf Hall of Fame is a number that humbles Nantz.

“When people ask me, ‘What are you most proud of,’ I say it’s that I’ve had five people close enough to ask me to present them at the World Golf Hall of Fame,” Nantz said. “There were any number of people they could have used, but they asked me. It really means a lot to me.”

Nantz and Venturi formed a close bond through the years:

He calls the former CBS golf analyst “one of my father figures.” He taught Nantz about the game of golf and broadcasting golf during their 17 years together.

“Ken, and the players of his generation, are an embodiment of what the game is all about,” Nantz said. “When we were on the air, we found ourselves completing each other’s sentences. You almost forgot you were wearing headsets. It felt like talking at home, watching the tournament on TV with a friend.”

Off the air, Nantz cherishes all the dinners they had together. Venturi’s stories ranged from Ben Hogan to Frank Sinatra.

Venturi would have told plenty of them if he was in St. Augustine Monday night. Nantz says the World Golf Hall of Fame has extended an invitation to Venturi to make his induction speech during the 2014 ceremonies.

“God willing, Kenny will be there,” Nantz said.

The date already is circled on Nantz’s calendar.

 

Posted in CBS