Jim Williams Examiner Columns - PLUS +

Is Michael Vick in trouble? ESPN show could prove a problem.

2007-05-27T09:23:00.001-07:00

Bob Ley and the Outside the Lines crew have linked Michael Vick to dog
fighting.

Here is an excerpt from today's show:
Focus on Dog Fighting;

Informant Claims Michael Vick is Involved

ESPN's Outside the Lines examined illegal dog fighting on today's
9:30 a.m. ET program. In the piece, reporter Kelly Naqi spoke to a
confidential police informant who has helped investigators make dozens
of arrests. He told Naqi that the year before Atlanta Falcons
quarterback Michael Vick entered the NFL (2001), one of his dogs fought
one of Vick's dogs, and that Vick is involved in dog fighting.

David Hunt, a dog fighting investigator whose congressional testimony
last May helped make dog fighting a federal felony, said of the
informant: "He's extremely reliable. Information that he's provided me
has resulted in the arrest of several individuals over the past few
years, numerous search warrants, as well as convictions."

From today's Outside the Lines in ESPN:

KELLY NAQI: "How many professional athletes are involved in dog
fighting?"

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT: "All around the country, just to give a rough
estimate, 20 or 30… Football players are basically, you know, in it."

KN: "Who?"

CI: "Michael, I've seen Vick in there."

KN: "You've seen Michael Vick at dog fights?"

CI: "We have beat him back in 2000, yes."

KN: "What was Michael's involvement at this dogfight?"
CI: "Michael was not in the pit, okay? Michael's thing was he came
with all of the money… He was betting with everybody. I would say at
the fight, there was maybe 20 people there. He was betting on his
animal."

KN: "So then what happened after that?"

CI: "Then you turn the dogs loose and the dogs lock up. I think the
fight went 40-something minutes and then it was over with."

KN: "Who won?"

CI: "I won."

KN: "How deep into dog fighting is Michael Vick?"

CI: "He's a pit bull fighter, it's not about how deep you are, if
you're this deep or you're that deep. He's a pit bull fighter."

KN: "What does that mean?"

CI: "He likes to fight dogs."

KN: "What's his reputation?"

CI: "He brings a good dog and he's going to bet and he's going to
bring a nice sum of cash."

CI: "He's one of the ones that they call the big boys. That's who
bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As
I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's
one of the heavyweights."

KN: "Michael Vick is?"

CI: "He's one of the heavyweights, yes."

KN: "How do you know that?"

CI: "Because I've seen it. "

From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

2007-04-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

Former Hoya Williams at home on NBA TV
By – Jim Williams
The Examiner

PREVIEW OF SATURDAY'S COLUMN

Former Georgetown great Jerome Williams has found a home on NBA TV as color analyst for the NBA Playoffs.

Williams is a natural and a great addition to an already strong cast of analysts.

He loves his role and gets to join another former Georgetown great Patrick Ewing on the NBA TV playoffs coverage. I spoke to him this week about the playoffs and also the success of his Alma matter.

Williams on how the inside game has changed. ‘The battle of the big men in the NBA is gone at least for the moment. We have a far more wide open game where we see power forwards playing in the center role. The Mavs Dirk Nowitzki is a prime example of that change in roles. The other big thing we are seeing in the playoffs is the stars coming to play, look at what the Baltimore-Washington duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson did to steal game one for the Nuggets over the Spurs, having the stars show brightly in the playoffs is what makes the NBA so great at this time of year.’

Williams on his participation in ‘Basketball without boarders:’ ‘I have been all over the world and it is amazing where you find kids playing. I saw young kids in Africa playing on the hard ground and playing with the same love and knowledge of the game as you would see on any play ground here in the US. It was very exciting.’

Williams on the return of Georgetown to a national power: ‘the most fun I had watching the Hoyas this year was sitting next to Patrick Ewing, I can tell you it was a real joy seeing those kids playing so well and bringing Georgetown back to a national power. It was almost as much fun listening to Patrick the parent cheering on his son that was special.’

Williams is a great addition to an already star studded cast making NBA TV must see TV for pro hoop fans from now till a champion is crowned. The channel can be seen on Comcast and Cox digital cable.

NBA TV will present NBA Vault: The Playoffs, an hour-long special that will look at many of the greatest postseason plays and moments in NBA history on Monday, April 30 at 7 p.m.

Hosted by Rick Kamla, this ultimate highlight show will introduce Top 10 lists in categories such as Playoff Upsets, Dunks, Buzzer Beaters and Blocks as well as the Top 10 playoff moments by players such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

Here is a preview of the Buzzer Beaters segment:

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbae_rough/buzzer_beaters_rough.asx

2007-04-27T04:13:00.000-07:00

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Sports
The NFL draft: One big non-event

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Apr 27, 2007 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: #5 of 5,961
BALTIMORE - For 28 years, ESPN has made the NFL draft an event. It’s hard to believe that a glorified roll call has morphed into the unofficial start to the NFL season.

The ratings for the show have never been better. It is ESPN’s highest-rated non-play-by-play sport. Yes, there are trades and interesting roster moves, but a show that lasts 18 hours over the course of two days still boils down to a team handing a card to a league official who then makes an announcement.

Somehow, this has become must-see TV. This weekend, ESPN will have their A-team on hand once again with the two most recognizable draft fixtures: host Chris Berman and Mel Kiper Jr. The network will also debut the new Monday Night Football booth trio of Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and newcomer Ron Jaworski, who will be on hand to add their takes on the draft.

While ESPN put the NFL draft on the map, it is the NFL Network that is gaining fans each year by offering a very compelling alternative for viewers. On Saturday, the network will air “Setting Sail with Joe Thomas.” While most elite prospects will be in New York awaiting their name to be called, Thomas, the heralded offensive lineman from Wisconsin, will spend Saturday fishing on a lake in that state. NFL Network will have the only camera on the boat to document Thomas’ reaction when he is selected.

The NFL Network will also air various features this weekend:

• Will Ferrell and Ryan Kalil — A comedic feature with actor Ferrell and Southern Cal prospect Kalil. Ferrell plays “Chuck Berry,” a USC “auxiliary strength and conditioning coach,” who helps Kalil prepare for the 2007 draft using his own unique and unconventional methods. Also contributing in the feature are USC coach Pete Carroll and former USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

• “FanCam” — NFL Network will have a confessional booth for fans in attendance to analyze the picks made by their favorite team. The most compelling “confessions” may be used during the telecast.

ESPN and the NFL Network will have all the angles covered. And locally on the radio, SIRIUS NFL Radio, ESPN and Fox Sports Radio will offer wall-to-wall coverage of the biggest non-event in sports.

Contact Jim Williams at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

2007-04-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

We are all part of Hokie Nation
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Apr 19, 2007 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 10 of 5,749

WASHINGTON - I have done nearly 20 events at Virginia Tech over the years. The campus, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has always been one of my favorite places to do a telecast. What happened this week at Virginia Tech was such a mind-numbing tragedy that it made news worldwide and the entire college world became part of Hokie Nation.

The maroon and orange colors of Virginia Tech have been seen in newspapers from Washington, D.C. to Sydney and the pain was honest and palpable. But at the same time, so was the sense of community.

The enthusiasm, passion and tradition of college athletics make covering college sports far more appealing to many broadcasters than doing the pros. I have covered Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Playoffs and the Stanley Cup — but there is nothing like college sports.

Walking a college campus is something sports broadcasters all love to do when on site for a game. I know that CBS’ Verne Lundquist likes to jog around campus early in the morning and talk to students.

You can find ESPN’s Bonnie Bernstein at the campus book store looking for something special to add to her vast collection of college items.

Students love to talk sports and are passionate about their schools. Being on campus at places like Virginia Tech has made ESPN College GameDay’s remote broadcasts popular not only to the fans, but even to the broadcasters, like Lee Corso, who enjoy feeding off the crowd.

I spoke to a number of college sports broadcasters this week and they all felt the pain of Hokie Nation.

They know that as horrific a story this is, that Virginia Tech — with its wonderful sense of community — will survive this terrible tragedy.

It will take time and they will need our help, but in time Hokie Nation will fill up Lane Stadium this fall and cheer on coach Frank Beamer and the football team.

Until then, let’s take a moment to think about Hokie Nation.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

2007-04-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

NBA commissioner David Stern had plenty to talk about with the playoffs beginning tomorrow.

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Apr 18, 2007 3:00 AM (7 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 16 of 5,608
BALTIMORE - On the eve of the NBA playoffs, commissioner David Stern was excited about such an open field with so many teams claiming a real chance to win the title. But with a global product that is exceeded only by soccer and a television concept that has been adopted by the NHL, Major League Baseball and, yes, even the NFL have learned something from Stern.

So while playoffs are on his mind, I could not help but explore a few other topics when I spoke to Stern on a conference call from his New York office last week.

Stern on other leagues using his concept for their new TV deals: “We felt that moving the majority of our games to cable made the most sense for us in the long run and would give our fans options they would not have anywhere else. Our partners, Turner Sports and ESPN/ABC/Disney, along with NBATV — the first league-owned, 24/7/365 channel dedicated to NBA programming — has given our fans a chance to see every player and every team in our league over the course of a season.

“The result has been an educated group of fans who not only know our star players, but they know our teams. I think that the NHL and more recently MLB understand that our template works well, and we are flattered that they followed our plan. We also think that the NFL saw how NBATV became a destination not only for our fans, but for many of our players.

“We televised more than 80 regular-season games this year and games from the European leagues, giving our fans a peek at some future stars. It is exactly what the NFL Network is doing successfully with their channel.”

Stern on the NBA going global: “When we took the original Dream Team to the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, our true goal was to expand the NBA brand. We now have more than 20 percent of our players coming from other countries. NBATV is seen in nearly 100 counties worldwide, and the game on a world scale has never been healthier. Our stars are the world's stars, and you can see NBA gear on kids from China to Africa. I think we are on the right global path.”

There’s plenty of playoff action this weekend, starting this weekend with Comcast SportsNet following the Wizards. ESPN and TNT also will have a full slate of games also. And all playoff games can be head on SIRIUS.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

2007-04-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

What would Jackie do?
By – Jim Williams
The Examiner

This week as ESPN gets ready to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier as part of the Sunday Night Baseball at 8pm when San Diego travels up the freeway to face the Dodgers.

ESPN baseball analyst Dusty Baker who is building a new home in the Bay Area took time to talk to me about the three people who taught him the most about Jackie Robinson.

His father who taught him the importance Robinson's dedication to education, Jim Gilliam gave him the Dodgers view of Robinson and how he gained the respect of his teammates and lastly the doctorate he got from his time as a teammate of Hank Aaron in Atlanta.

The phrase that Baker said was the most often used by all who taught him about Robinson was, ‘What would Jackie do?’

Baker on his learning about Jackie Robinson: ‘It began with my father and growing up in Southern California my dad was my baseball coach and he taught me not only what a great athlete Jackie was but more importantly his dedication to doing the right thing, education and always being the better person. When I got to the Dodgers Jim Gilliam took my education of Jackie to another level talking about how Jackie gained the respect of his teammates. After a while many players would not stay in hotels that would not give Jackie equal treatment.’

Dusty on being a teammate of Hank Aaron during the race to break Babe Ruth’s record of 714 homerun’s: ‘Hank took abuse that ranged from taunting to death threats and he always talked about how Jackie handled things. Hank showed me the activist side of Jackie, the man who fought for civil rights and we often met with and talked to Andrew Young, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Jesse Jackson. Hank gave me a master level course in Jackie Robinson and a first hand view into black history.’

Dusty on what the players of today need to know: ‘The biggest thing is history. Know about those who came before you. Not just Jackie but Roberto Clemente and now the great Asian players the more we know about all of them the better we will understand the true history of baseball.’

2007-04-12T05:11:00.001-07:00

The Stanley Cup Playoffs Cherry Style
By – Jim Williams
The Examiner
Friday April 13,2007

The Caps are not in the playoffs but Washington is still a great hockey town and NHL fans will have plenty to watch starting tonight.

This week the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins and Washington hockey fans are in for a real treat. NBC has decided to add legendary CBC hockey broadcaster Don Cherry to their roster of broadcasters and that is great news.

I spoke to the legend via conference call from Toronto on a number of subjects.
Cherry on who he likes in this years playoffs :

"I think the semifinals, it will be San Jose and Anaheim. I really think that could happen. I like Anaheim for a lot of reasons. I like Selanne. But the reason I like Anaheim is that Giguere has been there before; he's the MVP. In the east, I like Ottawa. If Ottawa doesn't do something this year, there's going to be a lot of guys paying the price, I tell you that. They just cannot choke again. Anaheim and Ottawa."

Cherry on what it will take for NHL ratings in the US to get a boost:

‘You need consistent playoff appearances from Chicago, Boston, LA, Philadelphia, Detroit and the New York area teams. This season you will have all three New York area teams in the playoffs as well as Detroit and that should help but until we see Chicago, LA, and Boston back in that mix you can forget big ratings in the states.’

VERSUS will offer hockey fans first round double headers starting every night this week beginning with the pre game show at 6:30pm with all the games being done in HD and NBC will start their coverage this weekend NBC's playoff coverage begins Saturday at 3 p.m. With Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Ottawa Senators. Sunday at 1 p.m Detroit the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, host the Calgary Flames. Also, both NBC and VERSUS will offer puck heads plenty of pre game and post game extra’s on their websites.

2007-04-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Stanley Cup Playoffs Cherry Style
By – Jim Williams
The Examiner

The Caps are not in the playoffs but Washington is still a great hockey town fans will have plenty to watch starting tonight.

This week the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins and Washington hockey fans are in for a real treat. NBC has decided to add legendary CBC hockey broadcaster Don Cherry to their roster of broadcasters and that is great news.

I spoke to the legend via conference call from Toronto on a number of subjects.
Cherry on who he likes in this years playoffs :

"I think the semifinals, it will be San Jose and Anaheim. I really think that could happen. I like Anaheim for a lot of reasons. I like Selanne. But the reason I like Anaheim is that Giguere has been there before; he's the MVP. In the east, I like Ottawa. If Ottawa doesn't do something this year, there's going to be a lot of guys paying the price, I tell you that. They just cannot choke again. Anaheim and Ottawa."

Cherry on what it will take for NHL ratings in the US to get a boost:

‘You need consistent playoff appearances from Chicago, Boston, LA, Philadelphia, Detroit and the New York area teams. This season you will have all three New York area teams in the playoffs as well as Detroit and that should help but until we see Chicago, LA, and Boston back in that mix you can forget big ratings in the states.’

VERSUS will offer hockey fans first round double headers starting every night this week beginning with the pre game show at 6:30pm with all the games being done in HD and NBC will start their coverage this weekend NBC's playoff coverage begins Saturday at 3 p.m. With Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Ottawa Senators, and the Atlanta Thrashers. Sunday at 1 p.m Detroit the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, host the Calgary Flames. Also, both NBC and VERSUS will offer puck heads plenty of pre game and post game extra’s on their websites.

The Sunday Night Baseball Game of The Week on ESPN 8pm this week will feature a tribute to the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. There will plenty of good features and special guests so it is well worth the look.

2007-04-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

MLS-Beckham-ESPN the Perfect Storm
By – Jim Williams
The Examiner
April 6, 2007

This weekend the MLS will open the season when DC United takes on Colorado at 3:30pm this Saturday on ABC but that is just the start what might be the leagues biggest season.

This is the first year that ESPN sports has total control of all MLS telecasts and on July 24th David Beckham will be playing his first game as a member of the LA Galaxy.

According ESPN Scott Guglielmino, Vice President, Programming the network is sold out in advertising for the entire 2007 season. That is something the network can say for only a handful of its properties.

Beckham will bring a large number of casual fans a very large female audience ages between 12 to 30 that will likely be watching their soccer game ever and certainly their first MLS telecast.

So can the network hold this audience and expand on it.

Well Dave O’Brian the lead play by play man feels that things look good for the league and soccer in general.

‘My daughters like tens of thousands of young women play soccer and they have posters all over their rooms of David Beckham. He is a world wide star and we are about to experience what people all over world know and that is David Beckham transcends sports and goes right to rock star status,’ said O’Brian.

‘Our plan is to make sure we give fans a very up close look at all the players in the league thus using the Beckham effect to develop other MLS players into household names and marketable stars,’ stated Tim Scanlan,Senior Coordinating Producer, Remote Production for the network.’

Beginning this season, ESPN will debut MLS Primetime Thursday on ESPN2 – an exclusive weekly primetime window for Major League Soccer telecasts. The new series, presented in high definition, will further show the network’s commitment to soccer that will include more SportsCenter.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage which was just nominated for a 2007 Emmy Award in the ‘Live Special’ category and I asked O’Brian who took a great deal of flack from the hard core soccer fans about his play by play style if the nomination was vindication for him.

‘I think it shows that our goal of brining soccer to all fans was accomplished. I really feel that if this sport is to grow to the status that I believe it can fans want to hear familiar voices doing the games. The same voices they hear on baseball, football and other big events,’ said O’Brian.

2007-04-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Ripken finally comes to TV on TBS
By: Jim Williams
The Examiner
April 5, 2007

As I reported prior to the first of the year Orioles great and Hall of Fame, class of 2007 member Cal Ripken, Jr will be joining the new Turner Sports baseball broadcast team signing a long term deal with the network today.

For five years ESPN, FOX, COMCAST and MASN have all been courting Ripken but the right fit did not come about until Turner Sports made him what he called the ‘The perfect fit.’

Ripken will be joined at Turner by fellow new Hall of Fame member Tony Gwynn.

The duo will be part of the brand new Turner Sports Major League Baseball coverage team for the National and American League Divisional Series as well as the National League Championship Series. They will also work together on the networks Hall of Fame Selection Show July 1st.

I asked Cal if the real reason he took the Turner job was to improve the quality of his legendary pick up basketball games. “Well I have spoken to Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Kenny Smith and they are in so yes it is a perk of the job.’

‘All kidding aside Turner Sports gave me a wonderful chance to be an in studio analyst with a pro like Erie Johnson, Jr, talking baseball and the schedule allows me to continue to be with my family and to oversea my business interests. But I am really looking forward to this new challenge, being a part of Turner Sports during baseball’s jewel events is very exciting and a real thrill, something I can’t wait to be a part for many years to come.”

Ripken will join Ernie Johnson, J.r. as part of a brand new studio pre game show that will patterned after the very successful and popular NBA show. There is a chance that he may do some selected telecast as a game analyst but his main role will be in the studio.

Gwynn becomes the lead analyst with Chip Carey on the TBS game telecasts. The network will be adding other broadcasters to their roster later in the season.

In 2008 TBS will be home to The Sunday Afternoon Game of Week that will see the Super Station drop the Braves to do a complete 26 week package of national telecasts featuring a mixture of the all teams in Major League Baseball.

The team of Ripken and Jonson will handle the pre game studio show but Gwynn who is the head baseball coach at San Diego State is un sure about doing a full season of games and has adopted a wait and see attitude. He did do a full slate of games for ESPN before taking the college coaching job.

KASTEN HAS BIG BROADCASTING PLANS STARTING TODAY

2007-04-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Apr 2, 2007 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 20,153
WASHINGTON - It is always a treat talking to Stan Kasten — always up beat, positive and willing to talk about anything Nationals related.

I spoke to him about the state of the team’s broadcasting efforts for the 2007 season and beyond.

» Kasten on his first full year in charge of all things Nationals: “The Lerner family and I wanted our fans to be able to enjoy every Nationals game on TV, radio and at the ball park and we were able to do that this season. We will broadcast all 162 games in Washington on MASN with exception of one FOX telecast. We have a good signal on WTWP 1500 AM and 107.7 FM so our fans can catch the games on radio as well throughout the mid Atlantic region.”

» Kasten on the upgrades for 2007: “Our partners at MASN have provided us with one of the best broadcasting teams in the business with the talented Bob Carpenter handling the play by play, Debbi Taylor, who served as field producer to the great baseball insider Peter Gammons, has established herself as an accomplished in-game reporter and will add so much to our telecasts. Then there is my good friend Don Sutton, I am telling you that fans will find what a great teacher he is. I mean there is not a game that goes by that I don’t learn something that I did not know about pitching from watching Don do a telecast. I am also excited to have Johnny Holiday and Ray Knight doing our pre and post game shows. MASN has made the shows both comprehensive and interactive so our fans will have unprecedented coverage in 2007.”

» Kasten on the radio side: “First of all we had hoped to have the games in Spanish this year and we were close to pulling it off — but we just came up a bit short. I know that next year we will make that happen. We have a large Hispanic following in the Washington area and we will make broadcasting the games in Spanish a priority for next season. We are back on WTWP with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler who do such a great job and they have built a wonderful fan base. We have added a new post game call-in show after most games if you a have question you can ask the guys. It is just another small step in giving our fans the best access to us as possible.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

Bonnie Bernstein's new quest

2007-03-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Bernstein’s new quest
By: Jim Williams
The Examiner
Friday March 30,2007

Anyone who knows or for that matter has ever seen ESPN reporter extraordinaire Bonnie Bernstein knows that she is the picture of health.

A proud University of Maryland grad and former college gymnast Bernstein is about as active as person can be with her regular workout regimen and her obsession with a healthy life style.

So you could say that the most surprised person on the planet to find out that she had a life threatening medical problem was indeed Bonnie Bernstein.

Bernstein on how she found out: “I was working the Texas-Oklahoma football game and the broadcast crew had planned our exit from the Cotton Bowl to catch our flight at the airport in Dallas. I was running across the Texas State Fair midway and my legs hurt and I was short of breath. Once we made it to the plane the entire flight back to New York my legs hurt and the next day I saw my doctor. After having an Ultrasound done I found out that I had blood clots in my leg and a CT scan revealed the clots had also entered my lungs. I checked into the hospital immediately. I was lucky I could have died but fortunately the doctors caught my Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) before the blood clots got to my heart.”

Many people know DVT as the condition that caused the death of NBC newsman David Bloom.

Now Bonnie Bernstein and Melanie Bloom are working hard so that people know that this condition claims the lives of more people each year in the US than either AIDS or Breast Cancer.

Who is at Risk?

The fact is that DVT can occur in almost anyone. Some risk factors or triggering events to discuss with your doctor include, Cancer, Certain heart or respiratory diseases, Prior DVT, Advanced age, Use of birth control pills, and Obesity to name a few.

Bernstein on what she has learned: “I know that you can help yourself by exercising, walking, climbing stairs, simple things like stretching if set in your office chair all day. People need to talk to their doctors about this condition and to take the time learn if you are a candidate. Finding out ahead of time could as it did in my case save your life.”

For more information on DVT check out the web site at www.preventdvt.org

Meanwhile we look forward to seeing Bernstein on ESPN both on the set and on sidelines for a very long time.

A guide to Madness

2007-03-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Mar 15, 2007 3:00 AM (12 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 19,230
WASHINGTON - How big is March Madness? The FBI estimates office pools in the United States this year will produce over $2.5 billion — more than will be legally wagered in Las Vegas.

Most of those pools will range from the $5-20 bracket buy-in and rest assured Washington-area workers will be doing their best to win their office pools.
If you are lucky enough to be … sick … today and have time in front of the tube, CBS 9 will have coverage locally beginning with Maryland-Davidson from Buffalo called by Kevin Harlan and Bob Wenzel.

Stuck and need some last-second help with that bracket? There are plenty of places to find help but checkout the usual Web sites: ESPN, CSTV, CBS.Sportsline. And there is always the local picks offered at www.thiswebsitestinks.com where brackets of The Tony Kornheiser Show’s guests are posted.

How to maximize the Madness: You can follow all of the games outside this market (no local teams) via the Internet at www.cbs.sportsline.com or www.ncaasports.com. Both sites will offer free live video of the games as well as pre- and post-game information.

SIRIUS satellite radio will have will have all 64 games covered so you won’t miss a moment of the action. All Maryland games, starting with Thursday’s 12:20 p.m. tip against Davidson, will be on WMAL-AM 630. Georgetown will be on WTEM-AM 980 and Virginia and Virginia Tech will be on WTNT-AM 570 and WTEM, respectively. George Washington’s games can be heard on WTWP-AM 1500.

As usual, WTEM will have wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament so check its Web site for the complete list of coverage.

If you are lucky enough to be … sick … today and have time in front of the tube, CBS 9 will have coverage locally beginning with Maryland-Davidson from Buffalo called by Kevin Harlan and Bob Wenzel.

Georgetown-Belmont will get underway from Winston-Salem, N.C. at 2:45 p.m. with Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas calling the action.

George Washington-Vanderbilt will get underway from Sacramento at 4:55 p.m. (EST) with James Brown and Len Elmore doing the honors.

On Friday, Virginia and Albany will meet in Columbus at 12:15 p.m. with Tim Brando and Mike Gminski on the call. That duo will also work Virginia Tech and Illinois from Columbus beginning at 7:10 p.m.

And that’s not all … Let’s not forget defending NCAA Women’s National Champion Maryland as it attempts look to defend the crown. The Terps will face Harvard in Hartford, Conn., on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. The George Washington women get started on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Dallas against Boise State, also on ESPN.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

MLS and Bundesliga partner up

2007-03-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Part one of a three part series with
Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Mar 14, 2007 3:00 AM (12 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 21,099
WASHINGTON - Major League Soccer and the Bundesliga — Germany’s top soccer league — have entered into a historic partnership that could have a major impact on soccer’s growth in the United States and Germany.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert unveiled an agreement between the leagues to share experience, expertise, and best practices. MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis and Bundesliga Executive Board Member Tom Bender also participated in Tuesday’s announcement in Miami at the SPORTELAmerica 2007 convention, which features the growing technology surrounding the coverage of sports.

Gazidis and Bender laid the groundwork for the new relationship two weeks ago in New York.

“This relationship marks an important step forward for Major League Soccer,” Garber said. “We are all aware that this age of globalization means new challenges for soccer, the most global sport. We are proud to enter this mutually beneficial relationship with the Bundesliga, one of the world’s most well-run and most successful soccer leagues.”

In an exclusive phone conversation from Miami, the head of Germany’s top soccer league spoke to me about why he wanted to work with the MLS.

“We initiated discussions with Major League Soccer because of the impressive progress it has made since its inception in 1996,” Seifert said. “We look forward to learning from MLS, an exemplary organization and a modern league with an eye on the future. Likewise, we are proud to contribute to the continued rise of soccer in the United States.”

Seifert on new media: “Establishing the Bundesliga brand in the U.S. is very important to us and we feel that broadcasting our games on GolTV is a great start. The network airs the games both in English and Spanish accomplishing our goal to market our product to a new fan base as well as the rapidly growing and very loyal Hispanic fans of soccer in the U.S.”

Seifert on the relationship with MLS: “We believe that the MLS is following a great plan for soccer-only stadiums; it is a plan that has served us well and we have an average of 39,000 fans per game, the largest average attendance in Europe. We both agree on a salary cap and that you can have a world-class league without having owners that overpay for players.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

Big Names Making Local Calls

2007-03-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

Big names making local calls

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Mar 8, 2007 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 21,204 articles
WASHINGTON - In Major League Baseball and other professional sports, economics have changed. Broadcasters used to scratch and claw to get to the network level, but the trend has reversed. Many quality personalities now feel it’s better to be a local broadcaster who mixes in a few network games. Full time network jobs have been cut and are no longer as attractive as they once were.

FOX’s lead announcer, Joe Buck, still calls Cardinals home games. ESPN’s Jon Miller handles the Giants radio and TV broadcasts and Dave O’Brien is now doing Red Sox radio along with ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball.

Locally, MASN and CSN are perfect examples of regional cable networks that want top talent. Meanwhile, top name announcers are seeking a combination of stability and a steady paycheck over the glitz of being a network broadcaster.

The MASN crew of Gary Thorne, Bob Carpenter, Jim Palmer, Don Sutton and Buck Martinez all has big-time network experience. But each saw broadcasting for a quality regional sports outfit as more attractive than battling the network wars.

MASN and CSN are in the minority when it comes to seeking out network-quality broadcasters. The vast majority is willing to hire younger, cheaper talent and pair it with a popular former player. For them it is a matter of economics over quality.

» Carpenter on his second year with the Nationals: “This is a first class organization with great fans and a wonderful future. I love working in the most powerful city in the world and as far as I am concerned I want to keep doing baseball in D.C. with Don Sutton for the rest of my career.”

» Thorne on his new home: “The funny thing was that while I wanted to be the voice of a local team I wasn’t actually looking. Then MASN called and the more I thought about it the more it made sense to me. I love Baltimore; I have worked with Jim Palmer, Buck Martinez and Rick Dempsey before and we are all friends so that makes things easy. As for my ESPN work, well, I will do 20 events this season for them and they are great but I am now the TV voice of the Orioles and I want to be a part of this Hall of Fame broadcast team for a very long time.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

March Madness, Part I, ready for prime time

2007-03-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Mar 6, 2007 3:00 AM (12 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 16,854 articles
BALTIMORE - Conference play is just a tune-up for the real March Madness that starts next week, but league tournaments are still crucial to Big Dance seeding and to the bubble teams that need help to reach the NCAAs.

In total this week, college basketball fans can see 50-plus games, and starting Wednesday through the weekend, ESPN will feature college hoops 12 hours a day.

The Big East Conference starts its all-day basketball smorgasbord from Madison Square Garden Wednesday at noon, with all games being aired on ESPN and capped off by the prime-time Saturday night conference title game.

Thursday, the ACC takes center stage, tipping off at noon, with CW54 (WNUV) being the home for all the action. The championship game is on Sunday.

In an interseting plot twist Sinclair Broadcasting(parent copmany of FOX 45 & CW54) is in a battle with Comcast over fees they feel the cable company should be paying the Hunt Valley based broadcaster. A March 9th deadline could cause problems for Maryland hoop fans if Friday both FOX 45 and CW54 are pulled off cable. We will keep you posted.

The other major conferences, the PAC 10 starts on Comcast SportsNet on Wednesday, and the Big Ten begins on Thursday on ESPN. Fans of the SEC and Big 12 will be unable to see any early-round games. But fans can see their games online by checking your favorite team's Web site or with SIRIUS satellite radio.

Local lacrosse fans will have a chance to catch today’s Johns Hopkins-UMBC game live at 7 p.m. if you need a break from the hoops-fest on MASN.

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s spring training baseball package this week features the Nationals vs. Astros Thursday at 1 p.m., with Bob Carpenter, Don Sutton and in-game reporter Debbi Taylor. On Friday at 1, we get our first look at the Orioles’ broadcast team. Gary Thorne, Jim Palmer and Amber Theoharis make their debut when MASN carries the Orioles vs. Nationals from Fort Lauderdale.

“I can't wait to get going and the chance to be part of the new Orioles broadcast team,” Thorne told me. “Jim Palmer, Buck Martinez, Jim Hunter and Amber Theoharis are all great people, and I think fans will see that we enjoy doing O's baseball. We have some of the best broadcasters in the business working for MASN, so let’s get started already.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

George Michael Was One of a Kind

2007-03-02T04:48:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner
Saturday March 3, 2007

Let me say this as strongly as possible, there is nobody better than George Michael. He is the best and by miles.

Last night was Michael's last newscast as we have reported earlier he was leaving NBC4 passing up a five year $5 million dollar deal because it would mean more layoffs for not only his staff but others in the news department. So rather than take the cash, Michael passed on the money so that at least 20 people at NBC4 could keep their jobs.

In a day when local sports anchors are interchangeable and act like ESPN SportsCenter knockoff’s George Michael was the gold standard.

In an age where scores and headlines are known well before the 6pm and 11pm newscasts Michael offered sports in an entertaining style that is neither as easy as it looks nor something that is seen on a local basis anywhere these days.

People no longer watch the local news for sports and the new stars are the weathermen, sports anchors get three minutes and have to rush their sportscasts so that there can be one last sign off weather report. But for 27 years George Michael demanded and got four minutes of air time and some times more.

He will no longer be part of NBC4’s newscasts, he will be still doing his weekly Redskins Shows but the nightly interactions between anchor Jim Vance and Michael are classic, funny but most of all are real.

George Michael was sportscaster who was an entertainer and who understood the medium of television better than almost any sports anchor in the country. Michael’s old competition Warner Wolf and Len Berman were pretty good as well but he was always just a bit better.

He presented highlights in a way that commands that you watch them, complete with music and sound effects they were compelling viewing and something you could only see on a George Michael sportscast.

We have heard the stories of countless members of the ESPN staff saying that Michael did SportsCenter before they did SportsCenter. That George Michael’s Sports Machine which will go dark on March 25th was the gold standard for interview and highlights shows.

As someone who has been part of the business I stole ideas from George Michael because if you’re going to steal – steal from the best.

So like Johnny Carson the King of local TV sports is leaving the air on NBC4 but he will be back.

The good news is that Michael is staying in the Washington area he will land somewhere.

There are discussions going on now between MASN and Michael which makes perfect sense for both parties. He knows this area so well and is just as comfortable talking to Cal Ripken as he is Joe Gibbs. It would be a chance for the young network to have credibility while allowing Michael to continue to do the interview shows that were so successful that they created spin offs like PTI.

We have learned that Michael will also be joining DirecTV along with FOX Sports NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip. They will work together on a series of races doing the brand new “Hot Pass,” where they will cover drivers during the races and I am sure that they will do more NASCAR features as well down the line.

The nightly sports newscast will never be the same but we have not seen the last of George Michael, he shall return and my guess is it will be soon.

One last thing and that is NBC4 should do the right thing and make Lindsay Czarniak, the Sports Director. The market can stand the bold move of having a woman as the lead sportscaster.

Orioles and Nationals to telecast all 162 games

2007-03-02T04:18:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner
Friday March 2, 2007

The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals will telecast all 162 games for the first time in history this season as they make their debut on MASN.

As for over the air coverage the Orioles will have a package of 25 games "MASN on WJZ" that will include opening day April 9th against the Tigers and all games on WJZ will also be seen on either MASN or MASN2.

In Washington the Nationals will have 30 games as part of “MASN on MY 20.”

Those games will be weekend games and the telecast will be Saturday April 7th from RFK at 7pm against the D'Backs.(Those games will also be seen throughout the mid Atlantic on either MASN or MASN2).

There will be a FOX game against the Rockies on July 21st at RFK a 4pm start.

Both teams will have total equality for the first time throughout the entire mid Atlantic region as both the Orioles and Nationals will be seen from Pennsylvania to North Carolina as part of the over 300 games offered by MASN and MASN2.

The Orioles and Nationals will each have 99 games on MASN and if you are in Baltimore it is Comcast channel 62 and Baltimore County channel 64. MASN2 will show 63 Orioles telecasts while the Nationals will be on 62 times. MASN2 will be seen in both Baltimore City and County on Comcast channel 17 and on DirecTV channel 671. MASN2 on Comcast channel 17 will only be on for the pre game, game and post game and then it will return C-SPAN2 programming. You can always check the web site at www.masn.tv for channel listings on all cable companies.

In the DC area MASN is on Channel 42 and MASN2 will be seen on channel 79 where they will air the pre game, game and post game and then return to there normal C-SPAN2 schedule. Since C-SPAN is an important channel in Washington Comcast has opened digital channel 104 as a full time second C-SPAN2 outlet so Senators won’t miss their votes.

I know you have your calculators out and say it still does not add up. Well there will be some nights when the Orioles will play a home game and the Nationals will be on the west coast or vice versa so on those nights MASN will have a double header.

Baseball gets started this weekend on Saturday at 1pm with the Nationals and the Orioles playing in Viera and the game will be on MASN with the Nationals announce team of Bob Carpenter, Don Sutton and in game reporter Debbi Taylor handling the honors.

The first Orioles Spring Training game with Gary Thorne, Jim Palmer and Amber Theoharis will be seen next Friday at 1pm when the same two teams face off from Ft. Lauderdale.

Gary Thorne will be a busy man this spring as he will do 7 Orioles games and five ESPN Spring Training games.

Before all 162 regular season games...

As we have reported last week there will be O’s Xtra before and after every game with Jim Hunter, Tom Davis and Rick Dempsey. The Nationals will have Johnny Holiday and Ray Knight handling their pre and post game as part of Nats Xtra.

Dickie V talks Terps, Hoyas

2007-02-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 27, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 16,095 articles
WASHINGTON - This time of year, you rarely find ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale at his home in Sarasota, Fla. Normally he is on the road, but I got lucky when I called the Vitale estate Monday and he was in the mood to talk about his favorite subject: college basketball.

He will help call the Duke-Maryland game on ESPN Wednesday night and had just gotten off the phone with Terps head coach Gary Williams.

“You know, I told Gary that according to the Vitale Bald Dome Index, Maryland is a NCAA Tournament team,” Vitale said. “The win over North Carolina was huge and Gary has his team playing well and Maryland is peaking at just the right time.”

» Vitale on the best team in the area: “It is Georgetown. They are back, baby. John Thompson III has that team playing as well as anyone in the country now. They play tough Big East defense and they have one of the best frontcourts in college basketball. Hey, they were the only team in the NCAA Tournament last year that gave Florida any trouble. The Hoyas are a legit title contender.”

» Vitale on expanding the NCAA Tournament beyond 65 teams: “I am against it. This is the perfect number, and after what George Mason did last year you can bet there will be more mid-majors in the field this year and that is a great thing for college basketball. There will be plenty of big conference coaches complaining on the Monday after Selection Sunday that they were wrongly left out. But the conference tournaments are their play-in games. If you are a bubble team you know you have to impress the NCAA. Do it in your conference tournament.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

MASN’s new lineup has name value

2007-02-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 24, 2007 3:00 AM (9 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 20,550 articles
WASHINGTON - The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network has crafted a roster of recognizable talent to cover Nationals and Orioles baseball starting March 3.

As we told you well in advance of the formal announcement, Bob Carpenter is back for a second season and will be joined by a new analyst: Hall of Fame pitcher and former TBS analyst Don Sutton. In game reporter Debbi Taylor will join the crew.

Johnny Holiday, longtime voice of the Maryland Terrapins, will host “Nats Xtra” along with ex-major leaguer Oriole Ray Knight, the 1986 World Series MVP for the Mets.

The Orioles TV crew has added play-by-play man Garry Thorne, ESPN’s voice on NHL hockey, MLB Baseball and college football. He will join Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, Buck Martinez and field reporter Amber Theoharis on all Baltimore telecasts. Jim Hunter fill in when Thorne has an ESPN conflict.

Hunter will join former Oriole Rick Dempsey on “O’s Xtra.” Thankfully, Tom Davis returns to local air to serve in a co-host capacity. Many O’s fans will recall Davis was a part of the Home Team Sports network’s coverage of Orioles baseball.

There is a drawback: MASN will not offer HD telecasts this season due in large part to channel capacity of the cable systems. The goal is for HD to come in 2008 for all Orioles and Nationals home telecasts. Let’s hope so.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

COACH POTATO'S BEST BETS…

» Georgetown hosts Pitt on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS. Sunday’s big game is Maryland hosting North Carolina at 5:30 p.m. on CSN.

» Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson on Golf Channel Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. NBC picks up the action at 2 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday.

» NASCAR has the Truck Series on SPEED Friday at 9 p.m. On Saturday ESPN2 has the Busch Series race at 7 p.m. On Sunday at 3 p.m. FOX features the Auto Club 500 from Fontana.

» NFL Network has the scouting combine daily in primetime through Wednesday.
Examiner

MASN Offers an All Star Talent list O's and Nat's Baseball

2007-02-23T03:42:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

The Mid Atlantic Sports Network has put together an impressive roster of talent that will be covering Nationals and Orioles baseball starting March 3rd at 1pm.

The Orioles TV crew will be Garry Thorne long time ESPN voice on NHL hockey, MLB Baseball and college football. He will join Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, Buck Martinez and field reporter Amber Theoharis on all Baltimore telecasts. Jim Hunter will be part of the TV and radio team, Thorne is the lead play by play man with Hunter taking the lead when Thorne has a conflict with an ESPN event.

Hunter will join former Oriole Rick Dempsey for O’s Xtra. Tom Davis will serve in a co host capacity and many O’s fans will recall that Davis was a part of the HTS coverage of Orioles baseball.

On the Nationals side we will see Bob Carpenter returning for his second season with the team and he will be joined in the booth by another Hall of Fame pitcher, former TBS broadcaster Don Sutton. They will welcome field reporter Debbi Taylor who joins the crew from Sun Sports in Florida.

Nationals pre and post game Xtra will be hosted by long time University of Maryland football and basketball voice and beloved broadcaster Johnny Holliday. Holliday will be joined in studio by former major league player and manager Ray Knight the 1986 World Series MVP. He also is a former ESPN broadcaster now part of the MASN team.

This is an impressive roster of broadcast talent that MASN has put together and using both local and nationally known talent. Also the addition of in game reporters will add to the storylines that can be developed and is a very ambitious move by the young network.

Baseball fans throughout the mid Atlantic should be very pleased with the talent choices and it is clearly a major league staff at both ends of I-95.

One interesting sidebar to this is that Johnny Holliday was the Washington Senators pre and post game radio host back in the last two years of their existence. So it is nice to have him back in the rotation.

Finally MASN will not be doing any of the over 300 games in HD. This is due in large part to the lack of cable channel HD capacity at this point and there is hope that they can do all Orioles and Nationals games in HD for the 2008 season.

--

Radio world ready to first pitch

2007-02-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 21, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 15,066 articles
BALTIMORE - WHFS-FM, the new flagship radio station of the Orioles, has announced its spring training schedule, with a total of 12 games to air starting on March 1 when Baltimore faces the Florida Marlins at 1 p.m.

The Orioles broadcast crew of Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel will handle all 12 spring training games, plus the entire 162 regular season games. All games will be in FM stereo, and there will be plenty of new, interactive communications between the dugout and the booth.

How many MASNs?

Recently, I have received a lot of questions about the number of Mid-Atlantic Sports Networks — MASN and MASN2.

There is only one MASN. Each cable company that carries the new home of the Orioles and the Nationals will offer an overflow channel when both teams play at the same time.

That channel could be a shopping channel all day long, and when the Orioles are on channel 62 and 64 in the city or the county, then channel 75, for instance, would carry the Nationals. Once the game is over, regular programming resumes.

MASN2 is simply an overflow channel so that both games can be seen in all markets in the mid-Atlantic region. That’s more than 300 games for fans to follow on the network.

Let the kvetching begin …

At 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Tony Kornheiser returned to radio on WTWP 1500-AM and 107.7 FM, which was great news to his many fans in the Washington/Baltimore area. The show airs from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and repeats from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. to cover the entire morning shift.

Tony, funny as always, thanked many of his former WTEM gang. He and his new gang hit the ground running.

He is joined by Nigel, Jean McManus, Joe Barber, David Aldridge, Brennan Haselton and an ensemble company of stars, sidekicks and provocateurs still being assembled. The show is produced by Marc Sterne, a former WTEM staffer and a talented broadcaster in his own right.

With TK back, all seems right with the world.

WHFS-FM’s Orioles spring training lineup

March 1 1:05 p.m. vs. Florida Marlins

March 4 1:05 p.m. vs. New York Mets

March 10 1:05 p.m. vs. St. Louis Cardinals

March 11 1:05 p.m. vs. Boston Red Sox

March 17 1:05 p.m. vs. New York Mets

March 18 1:05 p.m. vs. Boston Red Sox

March 20 7:10 p.m. vs. New York Mets

March 24 1:05 p.m. vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

March 25 1:05 p.m. vs. St. Louis Cardinals

March 29 4:05 p.m. vs. Washington Nationals (in Columbus, Ohio)

March 30 2:05 p.m. vs. Washington Nationals (in Norfolk, Va.)

March 31 1:05 p.m. vs. Washington Nationals (at RFK Stadium)

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

Two Big Events, One Big Weekend

2007-02-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

The Daytona 500 and the NBA All Star Game dominate a big sports weekend with plenty of action.

SPEED, ESPN and FOX5/FOX 45 are your locations for all things Daytona. The twin 125 races that will make up the rest of the field behind pole sitters and Yates Ford teammates David Gilliland and Ricky Rudd will be run Thursday at 2pm on SPEED. Also on SPEED Friday at 8pm live NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from Daytona.

Saturday ESPN returns to NASCAR after a seven year absence as “The Duce,” becomes the official home of the Busch Series at 1pm the ORBITZ 300 can be seen on ESPN2.

Sunday afternoon at 1pm on FOX it will be “The Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 live. All the NASCAR and Busch races will be presented in HD.

Special additions to NASCAR will see DirecTV offering “Hot Pass,” a chance to watch every NASCAR Race from the view of five different drivers. They will have their own announce crews and total coverage including the ability to listen live the driver-crew chief channel. Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart will be this week’s group of drivers to choose from and Eric Shanks the EVP of Entertainment for DirecTV told me that “This is the most ambitious project that we have ever undertaken. We have some of the top announcers and producers working as part of our production team covering the five drivers that we will choose each race.”

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will offer up to ten driver’s audio channels each NASCAR race for fans. Check the site to find out each weeks list and vote for a fan favorite to be added each week.

NBA All Star Weekend in Vegas Baby…

ESPN will televise the 2007 McDonald’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Presented by 2K Sports Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas featuring Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Nelly, Desperate Housewives star James Denton, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, actor and executive producer David Arquette. Then at 9pm on TNT is the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam.

Saturday Night on TNT at 8:30pm is one of the best nights of basketball fun with the Three Point Shootout featuring the Wiz All Star Gilbert Arenas taking on defending champ Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki.

Also airing on TNT as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night will be the Sprite Slam Dunk, Skills Challenge and Haier Shooting Stars. Then on Sunday Wizards All Stars Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Coach Eddie Jordan will be part of the 56th NBA All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. on TNT.

MASN ready to play ball with Nats, Orioles

2007-02-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 10, 2007 3:00 AM (7 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 17,559 articles
WASHINGTON - We have about a week until pitchers and catchers report to camp and MASN has released its schedule for both the Orioles and Nationals Spring Training telecasts.

Since both Orioles and Nationals are partners in the network, viewers can expect a great deal of access not available before.

The Nats-Orioles tilt on March 3 marks the first of over 300 baseball telecasts MASN will have in 2007. The Nationals broadcast crew of Bob Carpenter and newly-signed Don Sutton will call the game.

“I can’t wait to get to Spring Training,” Carpenter said. “As for being the broadcast team that does the first telecast of the network in Baltimore it will be an honor and I know that while O’s fans will cheer for their team I hope that since we are all part of the family that they will also tune in to watch Don and me from time to time.”

MASN will debut its new pre-game and post-game shows — “O’s Xtra” and “Nats Xtra” — for three of the last games in March. These 30-minute programs will showcase Nationals and Orioles news, analysis, highlights, and interviews.

We do know Jim Palmer will return to the Orioles broadcast team, giving MASN the distinction of being the only regional cable network to have two Hall-of-Fame pitchers in their broadcast stable. The rest of Baltimore’s broadcast team is not set. Expect an announcement on that soon, perhaps next week. It seems the network is deciding whether it wants separate TV and radio teams like a few years ago.

Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel will continue to call the O’s games WTEM in Washington.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

TELEVISION RIGHTS

Here are the list of Nationals preseason games on MASN:

» Saturday, March 3, 1:05 p.m. —

Orioles @ Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» Thursday, March 8, 1:05 p.m. —

Astros @ Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» Friday, March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals @ Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

» Monday, March 12, 1:05 p.m. — Mets @ Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» Wednesday, March 21, 7:05 p.m. — Braves @ Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» Tuesday, March 27, 7:05 p.m. — Mets @ Nationals, Viera, Fla. **

» Friday, March 30, 2:05 p.m. —

Nationals @ Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» Saturday, March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles @ Nationals, RFK Stadium **

Orioles preseason games on MASN:

» Saturday, March 3, 1:05 p.m. —

Orioles @ Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» Friday, March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals @ Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

» Sunday, March 18, 1:05 p.m. — Red Sox @ Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

» Saturday, March 24, 1:05 p.m. — Dodgers @ Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

» Wednesady, March 28, 1:05 p.m. — Cardinals @ Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. **

» Friday, March 30, 2:05 p.m. — Nationals @ Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» Saturday, March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles @ Nationals, RFK Stadium **

**Denotes games featuring the new MASN pre- and post-game shows, O’s Xtra and Nats Xtra
Examiner

MASN announces plans for spring training telecasts

2007-02-09T04:44:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 9, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 14,205 articles
BALTIMORE - With just about a week until pitchers and catchers report to camp, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network has released its schedule for both the Orioles and Nationals’ spring training telecasts.

“MASN is offering unmatched access to the Nationals and Orioles this year, starting with an unprecedented 11 spring training games on television,” MASN spokesman Todd Webster said. “MASN is bringing fans inside the game with complete baseball coverage all season long.”

Since both Orioles and Nationals are partners in the network, viewers can expect a great deal of access they have not seen before, with field reporters and in-game comments from managers.

The first game on the schedule will be the O’s and the Nationals from Viera, Fla., on March 3 at 1 p.m. It will mark the first of more than 300 MASN baseball telecasts for 2007. The game will feature the Nationals broadcast crew of Bob Carpenter and the newly signed Don Sutton, the Hall of Fame pitcher and former TBS broadcaster.

“I can’t wait to get to spring training,” Carpenter said. “Working with Don is going to be a real honor and a treat. As for being the broadcast team that does the first telecast of the network in Baltimore, it will be an honor.”

The new home of the Orioles and Nationals will have solid cable coverage throughout the entire mid-Atlantic area and, of course, DirecTV fans will have access to the games.

MASN will debut its new pre-game and post-game shows, “O’s Xtra” and “Nats Xtra” for three of the last games in March. These 30-minute programs will showcase Nationals and Orioles news, analysis, highlights and interviews. The details of these shows will be released in the next few weeks as contracts are signed.

While the Baltimore broadcast team is not yet set (expect an announcement on that as soon as next week), this much is certain: Jim Palmer will return, giving MASN the distinction of being the only regional cable network to have two Hall of Fame pitchers in their broadcast stable. Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel will continue to call O’s games on their new flagship station, WHFS-FM 105.7.

Television rights

MASN’s spring training telecast schedule:

Nationals preseason games on MASN

» March 3, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» March 8, 1:05 p.m. — Astros at Nationals, Viera

» March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

» March 12, 1:05 p.m. — Mets at Nationals, Viera

» March 21, 7:05 p.m. — Braves at Nationals, Viera

» March 27, 7:05 p.m. — Mets at Nationals, Viera

» March 30, 2:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Washington, D.C.*

Orioles preseason games on MASN

» March 3, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Viera, Fla.

» March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 18, 1:05 p.m. — Red Sox at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 24, 1:05 p.m. — Dodgers at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale

» March 28, 1:05 p.m. — Cardinals at Orioles, Fort Lauderdale*

» March 30, 2:05 p.m. — Nationals at Orioles, Norfolk, Va.

» March 31, 1:05 p.m. — Orioles at Nationals, Washington, D.C.

*Denotes games featuring new MASN pre- and post-game shows.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

Signing day goes big time for college football

2007-02-07T04:38:00.001-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 7, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 14,636 articles

BALTIMORE - CSTV and ESPNU are poised to cover college football’s national signing day with all the fanfare of the NFL Draft, featuring wall-to-wall coverage and plenty of local high school players and college coaches on the edge of their seats.

Today is the big day, and ESPNU will start its coverage at noon with both ESPNEWS and ESPN dropping by from 3 to 5 p.m. CSTV will air its signing day special live from 2 to 5 p.m. with Matt Simms, John L. Smith, John Bunting and recruiting expert Tom Lemming, the dean of college recruiting.

Lemming spoke to me about the nation’s growing interest with national signing day.

Lemming on scouting players: “I have been tracking high schools for over 27 years, and I logged over a million miles scouting players for my publications, and over the past five years things just exploded. Everyone wants to know if their school got the big catch — impact players to make them a BCS Championship contender.”

Lemming on Maryland: “I really think that Maryland fans will be very happy with their success. The Terps have been able to keep most of the top players in the state while sneaking up to New Jersey and grabbing four players from Rutgers’ backyard. Head coach Ralph Friedgen and his staff really have worked very hard to not lose the very talented kids in Maryland, and it has paid off. I really think they could have a Top 25 class.”

On the ACC: “Virginia Tech gets high marks, and once again, coach Frank Beamer should have a great class coming to Blacksburg. I think Beamer is an underrated recruiter. He always does a great job. As for Miami and FSU dropping off, don't count on it. They will still be perennial top-10 recruiting teams every year, with South Florida quickly becoming the state’s next powerhouse.”

On who did the best recruiting nationally: “USC and Florida both have done a great job of becoming dynasties and will be top-five recruiters for many years to come. Texas, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State will all be near the top this year.”

THEOHARIS STAYING PUT: Early last week, Amber Theoharis was looking to leave her Baltimore home and head north to take a bite out of the Big Apple. But as of last Thursday, she will be staying in Charm City for a long time.

On the day she was named the 2006 Maryland sportscaster of the year, Theoharis signed a deal with WHFS-FM to do a new show, which debuted last week, called “The A List,” airing Monday-Friday, 7-9 p.m. You can also expect Theoharis to be on TV sometime this spring.

With Theoharis’ new gig and Anita Marks doing drive-time on sister station ESPN 1300-AM, Baltimore has the distinction of five consecutive hours of daily sports talk anchored by women.

Both Theoharis and Marks are likely to be part of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s baseball plans, but look for that news in a couple of weeks. The network is still working out the details for its elaborate baseball coverage.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

Signing day goes big time for college football

2007-02-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

Dotted line is serious business

2007-02-07T04:37:00.001-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Feb 7, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 14,636 articles
WASHINGTON - CSTV and ESPNU are poised to cover college football’s National Signing Day like it is the NFL Draft. The cable networks will feature wall-to-wall coverage today with plenty of local high school players and college coaches on the edge of their seats.

ESPNU will start its coverage at noon with both ESPNEWS and ESPN dropping by for two hours (3-5 p.m.).

CSTV will air live coverage from 2-5 p.m. with Matt Simms, John L. Smith, John Bunting and CSTV recruiting expert Tom Lemming.”

I spoke to Lemming about the day and how some local schools may fare.

Lemming on scouting players: “I have been tracking high schools for over 27 years and I logged over a million miles scouting players for my publications. Over the past five years, things just exploded. Everyone wants to know if their school got the big catch impact players to make them a BCS Championship contender.”

Lemming on Maryland: “I really think that Maryland fans will be very happy with their success. The Terps have been able to keep most of the top players in the state while sneaking up to New Jersey and grabbing four players from Rutgers’ backyard. Head coach Ralph Friedgen and his staff really has worked very hard to not lose the very talented kids in Maryland and it has paid off. I really think they could have a Top 25 class.”

On Virginia Tech and the ACC: “Virginia Tech gets high marks and once again Coach Frank Beamer should have a great class coming to Blacksburg. I think Beamer is an underrated recruiter, he does a great job. As for Miami and Florida State dropping off, don’t count on it. They will still be perennial Top 10 recruiting teams every year with South Florida quickly becoming the state’s next powerhouse.”

On which school will win the day on a national level: “USC and Florida both have done a great job of becoming dynasties and will be top five recruiters for years to come. Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State all cashed in this year.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

The Complete SB XLI TV Day Planner

2007-02-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Here is your Super Bowl Day Planner. I have all the features from ESPN, NFL Network and CBS so that you the fan will be able to know when to make that beer/soda run, get the extra ice, do all the important things and not miss anything that might interest you. This public service has been done for you the last three years and I hope you enjoy the game.

Cheers.....Jim Williams

The Features on ESPN where their pre game starts at 11am:
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, the Super Bowl XXXV MVP and former University of Miami All-American, will join ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown as a guest analyst during the program’s three-hour Super Bowl XLI preview edition Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, from Miami. The telecast will feature host Chris Berman and analysts Tom Jackson, Michael Irvin, Mike Ditka and Ron Jaworski from ESPN’s South Beach set (12th and Ocean Drive), as well as Stuart Scott, Super Bowl XXIX MVP Steve Young, guest analyst Lewis and NFL Insider Chris Mortensen appearing from Dolphin Stadium. ESPN reporters Ed Werder (covering the Bears) and Sal Paolantonio (Colts) will provide live updates from the team hotels.

Program highlights with planned telecast times:

Making History (12:00 p.m.)
For the first time, the Lombardi Trophy will be hoisted by an African-American head coach with Lovie Smith or Tony Dungy set to make NFL history on Sunday. Greg Garber examines how both coaches got to the Super Bowl and what it means for the NFL, the African-American community and the country.

The Mayne Event: Big Bobbles (12:20 p.m.)
What does Kurt Warner have to do with the Bears’ secret defensive strategy to win the game? Kenny Mayne finds out in The Mayne Event.

Soundtracks: AFC Championship (12:30 p.m.)
Sunday’s “Soundtracks” will feature the best audio from the New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts AFC Championship match-up.

Bears Linebackers (12:40 p.m.)
Brian Urlacher is carrying on the tradition of outstanding Chicago Bears linebackers. In a unique feature by Nichols on the lineage of Bears linebackers, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Urlacher talk about what it means to play the position for the Bears franchise.

Reggie Wayne (12:55 p.m.)
On September 24, Indianapolis receiver Reggie Wayne had four catches for 82 yards in the Colts win over the Jaguars. Just hours later, Wayne learned that his brother Rashad had been killed in a car accident. Wayne talks to Countdown’s Tom Jackson about that day, how his brother's death affected him and how his teammates have helped him get through this family tragedy.

Rex Grossman (1:10 p.m.)
The "other" quarterback in the big game comes from a football family, too. Grossman's father was a quarterback at Indiana University and his grandfather played for the Baltimore Colts. Rachel Nichols profiles the Bears quarterback's journey from grade school to the NFL.

Peyton Manning (1:35 p.m.)
The Mannings are football's first family. While Archie and sons Peyton and Eli have made names for themselves in the NFL, it is the other Manning brother who inspires Peyton. Tom Rinaldi tells the story of Cooper Manning and the close relationship he has with his brother Peyton.

Countdown will also feature a series of vignettes highlighting: Colts placekicker Adam Vinatieri in the clutch, Lovie Smith’s demeanor, Peyton Manning’s audible and the Bears’ defense.

The NFL Network also starts their pre game show at 11am and as we have seen all week they have been right there with ESPN earning top coverage honors,

11 a.m. -- NFL Total Access at the Super Bowl
NFL Total Access - NFL Total Access is the NFL's show of record, providing daily news, interviews and analysis from around the league. This special Super Bowl edition of Total Access looks ahead to Super Bowl XLI between the Bears and the Colts.

2:30 p.m. -- Championship Chase: Chicago Bears
Championship Chase 2006: Chicago Bears - Follow the Chicago Bears throughout the 2006 season. This championship chase provides the NFL Films signature highlights and sideline sound each week. Watch the Bears battle through adversity and triumph on their way to Miami and Super Bowl XLI.

3 p.m. -- NFL Replay
NFL Replay - 2006 NFC Championship - NFL Replay features the 2006 NFC championship game between NO and CHI. NFL Replay games air in a 90-minute fast-paced format, without halftime and other elements not critical to the outcome.

4:30 p.m. -- Championship Chase: Indianapolis Colts
Championship Chase 2006: Indianapolis Colts - Follow the Indianapolis Colts throughout the 2006 season. This championship chase provides the NFL Films signature highlights and sideline sound each week. Watch the Colts battle through adversity and triumph on their way to Miami and Super Bowl XLI.

5 p.m. -- NFL Replay
NFL Replay - 2006 AFC Championship - NFL Replay features the 2006 AFC championship game between NE and IND. NFL Replay games air in a 90-minute fast-paced format, without halftime and other elements not critical to the outcome.

CBS SPORTS' "SUPER BOWL TODAY" FEATURES SET FOR SUPER BOWL XLI ON
THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK ON FEB. 4

CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI continues with THE SUPER BOWL
TODAY, the Network's pre-game studio show (2:00-6:00 PM, ET) with host
James Brown along with analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, and Shannon
Sharpe, as well as NFL Insider General Manager Charley Casserly,
reporters Lesley Visser, Sam Ryan and contributor Dick Enberg.
¨James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe welcome
viewers with some pre-game analysis and highlights from the NFL Tailgate
party set, while Lesley Visser and Sam Ryan report on each team.
Following are the approximate air times for features on THE SUPER BOWL
TODAY (subject to change):

2:15 PM, ET
¨Shannon Sharpe tackles the Colts' defense talking with Dwight
Freeney and Bob Sanders. Jeff St. Arromand produces.

2:30 PM, ET
¨THE SUPER BOWL TODAY features Chicago Bears running back Thomas
Jones.

2:45 PM, ET
¨Dick Enberg visits with legendary coaching genius of the San Francisco
49ers Bill Walsh. Deb Boulac produces.

3:00 PM, ET
¨Sam Ryan covers Indianapolis Colts record-breaking wide receiver
Marvin Harrison. Jeff St. Arromand produces.

3:10 PM, ET
¨Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason go mach speed as they take a ride
with the famous Thunderbirds fighter jets.

3:30 PM, ET
¨THE SUPER BOWL TODAY features Chicago Bears defensive lineman Tank
Johnson.

3:40 PM, ET
¨CBS EVENING NEWS Chief Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian sits down
with Joy Piccolo and Connie Payton, wives of former Chicago Bears
running backs Brian Piccolo and Walter Payton. Sarah Rinaldi
produces.

4:00 PM, ET
¨James Brown visits with the head coaches of the Chicago Bears Lovie
Smith and the Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy to talk about the meaning of
their historic meeting as the first African-American head coaches in the
NFL to lead their teams to the Super Bowl. Charlie Bloom produces.

4:10 PM, ET
¨Randy Cross reports from Baghdad with the troops as they watch Super
Bowl XLI and participate in the first-ever Baghdad Bowl (flag football
game). Suzanne Smith produces.

4:30 PM, ET
¨Lesley Visser visits with Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Deb
Gelman produces.

4:45 PM, ET
¨CBS EVENING NEWS Anchor Katie Couric reports the story of Pittsburgh
Steelers wide receiver and last year's Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward about
his Korean heritage, what it was like growing up and the impact his
success has had on children and others in Korea. Pete Radovich
produces.

5:00
¨Boomer Esiason looks at the tradition of great Chicago middle
linebackers from Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary to Brian Urlacher. Deb
Boulac produces.

5:30 PM, ET
¨Dan Marino sits down for a quarterback-to-quarterback talk with the
Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning. Charlie Bloom produces.
Performances by Stevie Nicks (3:55 PM, ET), Cirque du Soleil (5:45 PM,
ET), and Billy Joel singing the national anthem (6:15 PM, ET) also will
be a part of the pre-game show.

CBS Plans Plenty of good SB Pre Game Features

2007-02-03T08:30:00.001-08:00

Here is what CBS plans for Pre game on Super Bowl Sunday. You can plan
your day around what feature you want to see!!

Enjoy.....Jim Williams

CBS SPORTS' "SUPER BOWL TODAY" FEATURES SET FOR SUPER BOWL XLI ON
THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK ON FEB. 4

CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI continues with THE SUPER BOWL
TODAY, the Network's pre-game studio show (2:00-6:00 PM, ET) with host
James Brown along with analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, and Shannon
Sharpe, as well as NFL Insider General Manager Charley Casserly,
reporters Lesley Visser, Sam Ryan and contributor Dick Enberg.

¨James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe welcome
viewers with some pre-game analysis and highlights from the NFL Tailgate
party set, while Lesley Visser and Sam Ryan report on each team.

Following are the approximate air times for features on THE SUPER BOWL
TODAY (subject to change):

2:15 PM, ET

¨Shannon Sharpe tackles the Colts' defense talking with Dwight
Freeney and Bob Sanders. Jeff St. Arromand produces.

2:30 PM, ET

¨THE SUPER BOWL TODAY features Chicago Bears running back Thomas
Jones.

2:45 PM, ET

¨Dick Enberg visits with legendary coaching genius of the San Francisco
49ers Bill Walsh. Deb Boulac produces.

3:00 PM, ET

¨Sam Ryan covers Indianapolis Colts record-breaking wide receiver
Marvin Harrison. Jeff St. Arromand produces.

3:10 PM, ET

¨Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason go mach speed as they take a ride
with the famous Thunderbirds fighter jets.

3:30 PM, ET

¨THE SUPER BOWL TODAY features Chicago Bears defensive lineman Tank
Johnson.

3:40 PM, ET

¨CBS EVENING NEWS Chief Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian sits down
with Joy Piccolo and Connie Payton, wives of former Chicago Bears
running backs Brian Piccolo and Walter Payton. Sarah Rinaldi
produces.

4:00 PM, ET

¨James Brown visits with the head coaches of the Chicago Bears Lovie
Smith and the Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy to talk about the meaning of
their historic meeting as the first African-American head coaches in the
NFL to lead their teams to the Super Bowl. Charlie Bloom produces.

4:10 PM, ET

¨Randy Cross reports from Baghdad with the troops as they watch Super
Bowl XLI and participate in the first-ever Baghdad Bowl (flag football
game). Suzanne Smith produces.

4:30 PM, ET

¨Lesley Visser visits with Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Deb
Gelman produces.

4:45 PM, ET

¨CBS EVENING NEWS Anchor Katie Couric reports the story of Pittsburgh
Steelers wide receiver and last year's Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward about
his Korean heritage, what it was like growing up and the impact his
success has had on children and others in Korea. Pete Radovich
produces.

5:00

¨Boomer Esiason looks at the tradition of great Chicago middle
linebackers from Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary to Brian Urlacher. Deb
Boulac produces.

5:30 PM, ET

¨Dan Marino sits down for a quarterback-to-quarterback talk with the
Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning. Charlie Bloom produces.

Performances by Stevie Nicks (3:55 PM, ET), Cirque du Soleil (5:45 PM,
ET), and Billy Joel singing the national anthem (6:15 PM, ET) also will
be a part of the pre-game show.
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

A Super Bowl Viewers Guide

2007-02-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Read more by Jim Williams
Feb 1, 2007 3:00 AM (7 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 11,679 articles

BALTIMORE - This week, we’re on Super Bowl information overload.

TV, radio, the Internet and satellite communications are bringing fans so much information about the Colts and the Bears, it’s almost impossible to keep up with it. Here’s a look at the top media sources to help you get the best, most entertaining information in the least amount of time.

For TV, WJZ-13 will broadcast the game, but there is a real battle going on between ESPN and the NFL Network. The two cable networks will combine for more than 190 hours of Super Bowl coverage, with much of ESPN’s 90 hours originating from a set in Miami’s South Beach. Also camped out in Miami, the NFL Network’s 100-plus hours of coverage include an unprecedented 55 hours of live programming.

Both will offer extensive pre-game shows that will start in prime-time on Saturday night and run right up to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The very entertaining NFL Films presentation of “America’s Game” named the final four teams in its countdown of the best Super Bowl teams — the 1989 San Francisco 49ers, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers and 1972 Miami Dolphins. The countdown continues this weekend, with teams No. 3 and 4 featured on NFL Network on Friday at 8 p.m. On Saturday on WJZ, we’ll see the top two teams starting at 2 p.m.

On radio, ESPN and Fox Sports Radio will be live all weekend with comprehensive coverage. The radio winner is SIRIUS NFL channel 124, which will feature inside interviews, press conferences and the most extensive lead-up coverage. On Sunday, they will air the Super Bowl in seven languages. Locally, the game airs on WBAL 1090 AM.

Internet fans will be best served at CBS.Sportsline.com, ESPN.com, and NFL.com. All have plenty of video clips on demand, so you will be able to do your homework on the game.

WJZ starts Sunday’s all-day coverage in the morning with a special football edition of “Face the Nation.” At 2 p.m., the official pre-game show will begin, including a special feature from Katie Couric, as well as live reports throughout the show and game by CBS Sports’ Randy Cross with American soldiers in Iraq.

Kick-off is at 6:25 p.m., and it will mark the first-ever Super Bowl play-by-play assignment for Jim Nantz. Post-game shows will air on CBS, NFL Network and ESPN.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

According to Frank..

2007-01-31T04:17:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Read more by Jim Williams
Jan 31, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 8 of 16,073 articles

WASHINGTON - When I spoke to Frank Robinson earlier this week he was very excited about his part-time role as “special analyst” for ESPN to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

Robinson will provide insight for a variety of studio programs including “SportsCenter,” “Baseball Tonight,” “Cold Pizza” and ESPNEWS. He will also work as an analyst in the booth during select Spring Training telecasts, appear on ESPN Radio shows and chat on ESPN.com. Robinson’s stint with ESPN ends April 15th.

As always, talking to Frank was a learning experience. Here are some highlights:

» Robinson on his new role with ESPN: “My goal is to inform people of the significance of Jackie’s accomplishment. Had he not broken the color barrier in 1947, we have no idea how long it would have taken for a black man to play in the major leagues. His role in baseball history has impacted every person of color — black, Hispanic or Asian — that has played this game since Jackie came on the scene in 1947.

Some players today do understand how important Jackie was to baseball, but there are a large number that don’t have a clue about his significance and we hope that through our efforts we can educate them along with the fans.”

» Robinson on the problems he faced early in his career and his time in Baltimore: “It was pretty rough as a kid in the minors in some towns and, of course, in the South. Later in my career, when I was traded to Baltimore, things were much different.

I did have trouble buying my first house but that was an isolated incident. By far the people of Baltimore were great to me and my family and we have many fond memories of our days there.”

» On managing in Washington: “I had two great years in Washington, they were fun years. The fans were wonderful to me and my family and there would be times when the team had lost a few games and I would be out having dinner and fans would come up to me and say how happy they were to have the team in town. I would say, ‘Hey, we just lost three games’ and they would say ‘Hey Frank, don’t worry. We love you and the team and we are just happy that you are here.’ My time in D.C. was just great and I am sorry that my stay ended so soon.”

» On returning to Washington for the planned ‘Frank Robinson Day’ this summer: “Right now, I really don’t know. I have been thinking very hard and long about it. I am really thinking about if it is the right thing for me to do. My wife is in real estate out here in Los Angeles and I need to see how her schedule works out, along with the rest of my family. I will give it some more thought and hopefully I will come to a decision soon and give Jim Bowden a call this week.”

» On his future in baseball: “First of all, I am very happy to be part of ESPN and all that they are doing to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. That will end in mid April, and then I would love to stay in baseball in some capacity either as a broadcaster or as a member of a front office. I still feel that I have plenty to offer an organization and I just love baseball.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO MIAMI!

2007-01-30T06:47:00.000-08:00

Miami bound!
By: Jim Williams
The Examiner/Blog

The Super Bowl countdown has started and football fans will be happy to know that nationally and locally every possible outlet has the big game covered.

On the Washington TV side you will see reports from NBC4, FOX5, ABC7 and CBS9 all week long on the 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11pm newscasts.

Radio wise we have Sports Talk 980AM with The First Team on Fox featuring Steve Czaban, Scott Linn and the rest of the gang are at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas as part of FSR’s fan fest weekend. Meanwhile in Miami The Sports Reporters with Andy Pollin, The Brian Mitchell Show and the John Thompson Show are all on site on radio row.

WTEM and WBAL will air the game on Sunday.

Triple X ESPN will be doing the John Riggins Show Monday-Friday 4-7pm from Miami with all the regular ESPN radio programming live from the sunshine state.

MASN and ESPN 1300AM will be live all week from Miami as The Anita Marks Show 4 to7pm is on the road and it is one of only two local radio shows in the country that will be simulcast. The show can be seen not only in Baltimore but throughout the entire mid Atlantic region. It is a very ambitious and bold move for MASN showing area fans that they are indeed a big time regional sports network.

Also the ESPN 1300AM Mark and the Bulldog Show will have live reports from Miami.

WNST will be live from Miami all week starting with The Morning Show with Drew Forrester and Casey Willett 6am to 10am and there will be plenty of reports and live interviews on all the other programs throughout the day on 1570AM. The rest of the week 4pm till 6pm there is a special from Miami with Forester and Nasty live from Miami.

WBAL is Charm City’s radio home of Super Bowl 41 and sports director Steve Davis and Gerry Sandusky will have plenty on information on the big game.

CSN has a full compliment of reporters in Miami covering the happenings for their Road to Miami features as part of the all the SportsNite Shows.

CN8 will have the Out of Bounds gang reporting from Miami on both the 7pm and 11pm shows. The Out of Bounds team offered up some possible stupid questions:

Andy Pollin, Sportstalk 980:
For Lovie Smith...Have you ever mistakenly been listed in Who's Who among American Women?

Kevin Dupont, Boston Globe: ``So, Rex, with your name, clearly your parents must have been archaeologists or paleontologists....Can you tell us your favorite three scenes from the Original Jurassic Park?''

SIRIUS will have a huge contingent in Miami with total coverage 24/7 on NFL channel 124 and on Super Bowl Sunday they will offer the game in over five languages.

Of course ESPNEWS, ESPN and the NFL Network will have ever possible aspect of the pre game build up covered. They will cover all the official and UN official press conferences, parties and happening from the team camps and the South Beach hot spots. The two networks will offer over 150 hours of coverage from Miami.

CBS is headed for cross promotion as they will have...

Bob Schieffer will host FACE THE NATION from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Fla., on Super Bowl Sunday. Schieffer will be joined for the broadcast by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as Phil Simms, Jim Nantz and Dan Marino, who will cover Super Bowl XLI for CBS Sports.

Other cross promotions will be Special reports on THE SUPER BOWL TODAY will also include a feature from CBS News’ anchor of THE CBS EVENING NEWS Katie Couric, as well as live reports throughout the pre-game show and game by CBS Sports’ Randy Cross with American soldiers in Iraq. In addition, THE EARLY SHOW’s Hannah Storm will contribute to PHIL SIMMS ALL-IRON TEAM: DIFFERENCE MAKERS.

Following Super Bowl XLI, CBS Sports’ Nantz and Simms make a special appearance on CRIMINAL MINDS.

BOB SCHIEFFER WILL HOST “FACE THE NATION” FROM MIAMI ALONG WITH OTHER CROSS PROMOTION

2007-01-29T14:43:00.000-08:00

CBS is headed for cross promotion as they will have...

Bob Schieffer will host FACE THE NATION from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Fla., on Super Bowl Sunday. Schieffer will be joined for the broadcast by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as Phil Simms, Jim Nantz and Dan Marino, who will cover Super Bowl XLI for CBS Sports.

Other cross promotions will be Special reports on THE SUPER BOWL TODAY will also include a feature from CBS News’ anchor of THE CBS EVENING NEWS Katie Couric, as well as live reports throughout the pre-game show and game by CBS Sports’ Randy Cross with American soldiers in Iraq. In addition, THE EARLY SHOW’s Hannah Storm will contribute to PHIL SIMMS ALL-IRON TEAM: DIFFERENCE MAKERS.

Following Super Bowl XLI, CBS Sports’ Nantz and Simms make a special appearance on CRIMINAL MINDS.

Following is a preliminary schedule of pre-game programming on CBS 9...

12:00 Noon, ET: ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL – Edited from over 1000 miles of 16mm film, ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL highlights NFL head coaches and countless players outfitted with NFL Films microphones. The one-hour special features all of the fingertip catches, the diving goal-line plunges and lineman clashes from the 2006 season in NFL Films singular slow-motion cinematography.

1:00 PM, ET: PHIL SIMMS ALL-IRON TEAM: THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS—Throughout the 86 years of the NFL, thousands of players have represented the league, their teams and respective home cities. They have scored touchdowns, kicked field goals, made tackles, blocks and interceptions – but how many of those players made a difference? CBS Sports’ lead NFL analyst and former N.Y. Giants Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms, and his broadcast partner, Jim Nantz, host the selection of 12 players and one coach who best represent the qualities of Iron Men and Difference Makers. Also contributing to the show is THE EARLY SHOW’s Hannah Storm with a special interview of Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams. The All-Iron Team will consist of 12 players who made a difference in their team’s winning or losing a championship, as well as how the game is played today by redefining their position, turning around a franchise and raising a city’s hopes, and making a difference in their community by helping the less fortunate. [The All-Iron Trophy is an old fashioned iron emblematic of Simms’ obsession with ironing. According to his mother, as a child Phil pressed his football and baseball uniforms, and to this day remains committed to creases.]

2:00 PM, ET: THE SUPER BOWL TODAY—James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe anchor the Network’s pre-game show live from Dolphin Stadium in Miami previewing all the football and excitement leading up to Super Bowl XLI. Special features on the show include Pittsburgh’s Hines Ward, former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, special live reports from Randy Cross with American soldiers in Iraq, and more. Reporters Lesley Visser, Sam Ryan, along with Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots, as well as contributor Dick Enberg, will cover the pre-game activities. Other special contributors include CBS News’ anchor of THE CBS EVENING NEWS Katie Couric and THE EARLY SHOW’s Hannah Storm.

Immediately following Super Bowl XLI:

CRIMINAL MINDS—"The Big Game" – The BAU team is called in to investigate when a wealthy couple is murdered in their home following a Super Bowl party, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Sunday, Feb. 4 immediately following CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XLI. James van der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek”) guest stars with cameo appearances by CBS Sports Announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.

LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON—THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON will broadcast its show live from Miami following Super Bowl XLI, Sunday, February 4 on the CBS Television Network immediately after the 11PM ET/PT local news. This will mark the first time that THE LATE LATE SHOW will go live outside its studio, on the road. The broadcast will emanate from The Colony Theater in Miami and will feature interviews with the players from the game and celebrities in town for the event.

Revealing your non-pigskin diet

2007-01-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Revealing your non-pigskin diet

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 27, 2007 3:00 AM (8 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 4 of 19,685 articles

WASHINGTON - Calm down, you knew this weekend was coming. It is the pro football-less window before the Super Bowl and you simply have to adjust your viewing habits and seek out alternative programming.

No problem. As a public service I have taken the time to do the research for you.

Let’s start with the Australian Open, first grand slam tennis event of the year, which can be found on ESPN2. Set your TiVo for the 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning start then watch it at your leisure. If you have yet to acquire a TiVo or DVR — and that’s another issue, entirely — you can see a replay of the men’s final at noon on Sunday.

» Tiger Woods and golf take center stage this weekend with the Buick Invitational from beautiful Torrey Pines Country Club in La Jolla, Calif. Early rounds are on the Golf Channel and CBS 9 has Saturday and Sunday action starting at 3 p.m.

» FOX 5 and SPEED have The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sportscar race. The start of the race is 1 p.m. Saturday on FOX 5. At 2:30 p.m. the action moves over to SPEED where they carry the race until 6 p.m. Primetime coverage runs from 8-11 p.m. Sunday morning they start bright and early at 6 and carry the rest of the race all the way to the finish at 2 p.m.

» For the litany of college hoops lovers in the area, Georgetown hosts Cincinnati on Saturday at noon on MASN. Later in the day, George Mason is James Madison at 2 on MASN. The Maryland women take on ACC rival North Carolina Sunday night at 7 on ESPN2.

» Alright, if the withdrawl is that painful, there is football on this weekend. The NFL Network will broadcast the Senior Bowl from Mobile, Ala. on Saturday at 4 p.m.

And yes, there will be plenty of Super Bowl stuff on the NFL Network all weekend. So take a deep breath and enjoy.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

TK is loyal, Thorne- MASN talking and Fernandez talks tennis

2007-01-26T04:42:00.000-08:00

Few people can pull of the kind of show that Tony Kornheiser does. His mix of sports, pop culture, politics and humor has made him not just a local but a national star and it is on the radio that he excels as a communicator.

"Mr. Tony," is on WTWP because he in the end he is a very loyal guy. He could have gone back to WTEM where he has done all three of his other radio shows and has a huge suport staff that knows him. Or he could have taken a boat load of Dan Snyder's money and been on Triple X ESPN but WTWP a Post station needed him and so being a good company man he will be back February 20th.

His show will air Monday's - Friday's from 8:30am till 12:30pm.

“I’m thrilled to be back on the radio at WTWP AM and FM. I look forward to doing the show I have always done. It will be entertainment and sports based and be about the events of my life that day.” says Kornheiser.

Mr. Tony will have at least one co host and maybe more. According to Bonneville executives they just got the deal done and they will reach out to people that Tony is comfortable with to work with him on his show.

TK said it best himself “I’ve worked at The Washington Post for 30 years and the opportunity to join them in their new radio venture with Bonneville is a natural fit,” stated Kornheiser.

Welcome back TK you have been missed.

Thorne to MASN?

Garry Thorne wants to be the play by play voice of the MASN Baltimore Orioles. He is still under contract to ESPN but he wants the same kind of deal that network allowed Dave O'Brien to have with the Red Sox.

He would be joining an already full TV booth that features Buck Martinez, Jim Palmer,Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra. Both Hunter and Manfra already do radio so the move to add Thorne would not be too off the wall.

MASN and Thorne are still talking and both sides hope they can craft a deal but it will take some work. MASN would like to add Thorne to their O's telecasts to compliment the networks quality crew in Washington where Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton will be doing Nats games this year for the MASN.

Both sides are working to get a deal done soon but nothing is yet signed. MASN is also looking to hire a pre and post game staff complete with anchor and reporters. It will be a busy month for the network as they ramp up to do over 300 games as the rights holder to both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles

ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez talked to me about the Aussie Open Semi Final...

Maria Sharapova and the surprisingly resurgent Serena Williams will meet tonight for the Aussie Open title and here is what Fernandez thinks will happen.

“When these two play, it is all about the heart and the desire. They both go after every shot. You have to think Maria has the edge (because of Serena’s inactivity). On paper, it’s Maria Sharapova, but you can throw out the piece of paper when it comes down to Serena Williams. She’s proven she’s unpredictable. She wants it. She is getting in better shape. She’s playing better. Her serve has been phenomenal. Forget what’s supposed to happen.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Suppose they gave an All Star Game and no one cared?

2007-01-25T04:33:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Well last night in Dallas the NHL had their annual All Star extravaganza. Perhaps you were one of the hundreds who tuned in? I did and it was a very entertaining game that saw the West defeat the East 12-9.

Local hero Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and it was fun to watch the wide open game.

Versus was home to the telecast and produced a top quality telecast. Something they have been doing week in and week out ever since they took over the contract from ESPN.

The question remains: Why have the game on Wednesday night? What about a more traditional slot like say Sunday on NBC?

This is the first non NFL weekend in almost 6 months with very little competition on the tube. The NHL and their partner NBC really missed a chance to shine on an almost empty stage.

I know having the game on Sunday would have put NBC up against Tiger Woods return to golf for the 2007 on CBS. But my goodness was return of Tiger such a daunting concept? You have to wonder just what the NHL was thinking having an All Star game on a Wednesday night during a ratings sweep.

On the sports side ESPN had college basketball and the Aussie Open up against the game.

Over on the networks they faced three of the top 20 shows on broadcast TV with CBS - Criminal Minds, FOX – American Idol and the NBC cash cow Deal or No Deal on up against the game.

Look for the NHL All Star numbers will be an all time low.

Keep that forward thinking up and next year the games will be on the Home Shopping Network.

Tony Kornheiser to return to radio on WTWP

2007-01-24T05:11:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Yesterday in this column I told you that Tony Kornheiser would return to radio on either WTEM or WTWP and that he would do so in February.

Well yesterday the winner of the “Mr. Tony Sweepstakes,” was WTWP-AM and FM and starting February 20th he will be back on the air on a station that will give him an audience that reaches from Pennsylvania to Virginia.

His return to radio was met with joy from Washington all the way up to Baltimore where fans called and emailed about Kornheiser’s return and how excited they were that he could be heard up the road in Charm City.

“The Tony Kornheiser Show” will air on 1500AM – 107.7FM live weekday mornings from 8:30 – 10:30, and will be rebroadcast daily from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (with the exception of the Politics Program airing Fridays at noon).

Few people can pull of the kind of show that Kornheiser does. His mix of sports, pop culture, politics and humor has made him not just a local but a national star and it is on the radio that he excels as a communicator.

If there is breaking news I can even see Kornheiser working along with other anchors and reporters to get to the bottom of the story. He proved on Monday Night Football that he still has his reporting skills.

On WTWP he will no doubt have access to an “A guest list.” He will draw from sports, politics and the news of the day. In short Tony will do the kind of show that he has always done.

Jim Farley, WTOP's vice president of news and programming told me “It’s a great fit. He'll be on two big signals, on a radio station with both news and sports resources have a much shorter commute and we'll buy bagels everyday. What's not to like?”

Kornheiser is one of ESPN’s most popular on-air personalities as co-host of Pardon the Interruption (PTI). He just finished his first season as an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Tony Kornheiser joined ESPN Radio in November 1997 as host of The Tony Kornheiser Show, which premiered in January of 1998. Previously, stated earlier his show aired on WTEM-AM here in D.C. He has also appeared frequently on ESPN’s Sunday-morning roundtable program, The Sports Reporters.

“I’m thrilled to be back on the radio at WTWP AM and FM. I look forward to doing the show I have always done. It will be entertainment and sports based and be about the events of my life that day.” says Kornheiser.

Mr. Tony will have at least one co host and maybe more. According to Bonneville executives they just got the deal done and they will reach out to people that Tony is comfortable with to work with him on his show.

One person that won’t be the co-host will be his long time radio partner WTEM Sports Director Andy Pollin. But I am sure that WTWP will find an ensemble cast that will fit both Tony’s personality as well as his comfort level.

The biggest reason that Kornheiser is at WTWP is his loyalty to his long time employer the Washington Post and yesterday he said it best himself “I’ve worked at The Washington Post for 30 years and the opportunity to join them in their new radio venture with Bonneville is a natural fit,” stated Kornheiser.

So as a long time fan of Kornheiser I wish him well at WTWP and I am sure his audience throughout the mid Atlantic is marking their calendars for February 20th.

Here is the new line up coming on WTWP - David Burd and Jessica Doyle mornings from 5:30 – 8:30, The Tony Kornheiser Show from 8:30am -12:30pm, Sam Litzinger from 12:30 – 3 pm, and Bob Kur and Hillary Howard from 3 – 7 pm.

Catching the area buzz

2007-01-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Read more by Jim Williams
Jan 23, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 14,470 articles

WASHINGTON - What are people in our local sports media scene talking about these days? I’m glad you asked. After working the phones and chatting with sources, here are a few things to keep your eye on:

» Triple X ESPN has reeled in Tony Kornheiser.

Now that I have your attention, Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will be heard every night at 7 p.m. and every morning at 5 a.m. as Triple X ESPN airs “Pardon the Interruption.”

Look for Kornheiser to be back on WTEM’s air by the first or second week of February. He will rejoin sidekick Andy Pollin in the morning block. How about 8-10 a.m. shift with “The Sports Reporters” following from 10-noon? That schedule is not locked down but makes the most sense.

» Word out of New York is that MASN’s Amber Theoharis is being courted by a major New York City TV station to be a weekend sports anchor and reporter. At this point, MASN wants her to be the in-game reporter on Orioles telecasts. The question is: Will MASN make Theoharis an offer she can’t refuse or will the lure of the Big Apple be too much?

» Speaking of MASN, the network will officially announce this week what we told you over three weeks ago: Former catcher Rick Dempsey will be a part of their pre- and postgame team for O’s games this season. MASN still needs an anchor and several field reporters to staff the shows. Look for the network to have a very busy January.

» Don’t look for CSN to hide during the summer. They will continue to give plenty of Nationals and Orioles coverage on all three of their newscasts at 6:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. The SportsNite gang is banking on the fact they have viewers accustomed to watching their high-quality news product and they can provide solid baseball coverage even if they don’t broadcast the games.

» Lastly, we wish a fond farewell to Sage Steele who has been a mainstay behind CSN’s desk. She is headed to ESPN as an anchor on ESPNEWS as well as SportsCenter. It is a well-deserved step up for Steele, who has proven to be a talented reporter and anchor.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Things you need to know about local media ...

2007-01-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Read more by Jim Williams
Jan 23, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 14,470 articles

BALTIMORE - Word out of New York City has Amber Theoharis in talks with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network about being an in-game reporter on Baltimore Orioles telecasts. But she also has a lucrative offer from a New York television station. So, will MASN make her an offer she can't refuse, or is she headed to the Big Apple?

Speaking of MASN, look for it to officially name Rick Dempsey as part of its pre- and post-game show sometime this week. The host and reporter spots still remain open. The host of the shows will be the face of MASN, so the network needs to choose wisely and pick someone who is known in the mid-Atlantic market. January should be a busy month for the MASN gang at both the Camden Yards warehouse and their Hunt Valley studios.

MASN has plenty of in-game enhancements planed for both O's and Nationals telecasts. Stay tuned as the network fills out a talent roster that already includes two Hall of Fame pitchers — Jim Palmer (Orioles games) and Don Sutton (Nationals).

Those who feel that not having baseball will hurt Comcast SportsNet are wrong. Look for the network to use its early- and late-evening “SportsNite” programs, complete with interviews and highlights, to compete with the MASN pre- and post-game shows. Baltimore native Brent Harris is likely to keep a very high profile at Oriole Park.

WBAL/98 Rock’s Ravens coverage was a success in many ways this season. The broadcast team of Gerry Sandusky, Rob Burnett and Stan White deserve a solid C+ in their first year together in the booth. The ratings were huge compared to the 2005 season, but then again, the team went 13-3.

Burnett came out of the group as a rising star, speaking with refreshing candor. Sandusky was even-keeled and kept the listeners well aware of the key points of the game while making sure he included his partners. White was at his best using his folksy style to bring out a point.

Just one suggestion: No more guest sideline reporters. That was the biggest downer to an otherwise strong broadcast. Put Keith Mills or a former player on the sidelines next year, and maybe you will get an A.

Let's hope next season will feature a full season of “Ravens Xtra” on MASN. It was a quality show that gave fans plenty of good, instantaneous, post-game information. But there has to be a commitment to do the show both at home and on the road in 2007.

Lastly, it’s time to say so long to a real pro. Sage Steele, a star for the deeply talented CSN team, is heading to ESPN next month. We wish her well.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Gary Thorne To MASN ?

2007-01-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

Some highly placed sources tell me that veteran ESPN baseball commentator Gary Thorne is in talks with MASN. He could be part of the Baltimore Orioles broadcast team along with, Buck Martinez, Jim Palmer, and Jim Hunter.

Thorne has been looking for a full time baseball gig since ESPN cut back on baseball and he lost the NHL gig to Versus.

MASN and Thorne are looking long term as the network builds it bench. That includes the Nationals broadcast team of Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton and the crowded O's booth.

Both sides are working to get a deal done soon but nothing is yet signed. MASN is also looking to hire a pre and post game staff complete with anchor and reporters. It will be a busy month for the network as they ramp up to do over 300 games as the rights holder to both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles.

A Classic and I was wrong

2007-01-21T19:18:00.001-08:00

What a AFC Championship Game!! Lance Barrow my old friend directed a
masterpiece. He had all the shots, all the replays and Jim and Phil were
flawless. Colts come from behind win was handled like a Hollywood
ending. What a classic game and what a total production job done by CBS.
It was one for ages!!!!
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

VT win over MD Lost

2007-01-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

A great game between VT and MD seen nationally on FSN with a great job
of CSN doing local cut ins was lost due to the great AFC Chapionship
game. The VT win in OT was covered in a great post game done by Keli
Johnson and Russ T. Nice stuf too bad no one saw it.
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

Ugly 1st half...

2007-01-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Pats have proved that they are in Payton Manning's head. They have
out played the Colts from the get go. The CBS crew of Jim N. and Phil S.
Have done a good job of keeping the storyine on point. Big non call that
Sims was all over. Let's hope the 2nd half is better.
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

Doc Gets It Right Again

2007-01-21T16:06:00.001-08:00

John Dockery the dean of sideline reporters came thru again. He reported
that the Colts front office talked to the NFL about how the bumping of
WR was not being called as close as in the reg season.

It looks like is is paying off. Good job Doc!
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

FOX Scores Big In Bears Win

2007-01-21T15:01:00.001-08:00

When it really counted Troy Aikman and Joe Buck brought their A game to
Chicago. The duo did not miss a beat and the production crew did a great
job in rough weather. Give the FOX crew a B + for their efforts.

On radio Dave Sims and Bob Truphy also put in a super performance. The
Westwood One team also earned B on the game.

Let's see how CBS does with Pats-Colts game.
From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

"BP” was a one of a kind

2007-01-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 19, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hours ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 12,452 articles

Baltimore: Broadcasting and racing lost a great man Tuesday when Benny Parsons died at the age of 65 from complications due to a long battle with lung cancer.

The last time I spoke to the TNT racing analyst was right before the final NEXTEL Cup race in Homestead. As always a conversation with Benny began with food and in particular he wanted to know how the Chesapeake Bay crabs were doing. Benny loved the crabs from this area and he made it a point to do his share for the local economy when coming to the races at Dover, Benny would eat as many crabs as he could and then take some home.

I don’t I ever recall interviewing Benny I simply said hi and after about a 45 minute conversation I had a story. It might not have been the one I set out to write but it was always a good one.

Benny was a real person, he was the regular guy you saw on TV always having time to talk to people, sign autographs and be friends to so many fans, drivers, and crew members. He was a great ambassador for his sport just like Dick Vitale is to college basketball and John Madden is for NFL Football.

Named one of the 50 greatest drivers by NASCAR, Benny’s biggest thrill was winning the 1975 Daytona 500.

For the past few days race fans have been keeping the phone lines jammed at SIRIUS NASCAR Ch. 128 where they have been paying homage to Benny. I spoke to Marty Snider the host of The Morning Drive on SIRIUS about Benny, the two worked together for 15 years. I asked him about the outpouring of love coming from the racing community.

Snyder on the reaction to Benny’s death: “We have had hundreds of calls from all over the country call and each person had a story about Benny. Some talked about meeting him at a race track or others at restaurant they all wanted to say what a nice guy he was. Still others just watched him on TV and never met him but felt they knew him from his work and wanted us to know how he will be missed. We got many calls from some of the top drivers who wanted to share Benny stories with us. He is a man who touched so many lives. ”

Snyder on the racing community’s loss: “Benny was a natural for TV; we called him the “professor,” because he could explain racing in a way that everyone could understand. That is a talent that can’t be replaced.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Sutton officially joins Nationals broadcast booth - MASN looks to nab King George and will ink Dempsey this week

2007-01-16T04:42:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 16, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 8 of 13,037 articles

WASHINGTON - As we first reported in this space over two weeks ago, the Washington Nationals and MASN will add Hall-of-Fame pitcher and veteran color analyst Don Sutton to their TV booth. Sutton will join the play-by-play voice Bob Carpenter to give the Nats one of baseball’s best broadcast duos.

“Don’s Hall-of-Fame credentials coupled with a special ability to communicate the inner workings of the game in an easy-going manner will greatly enhance the viewing experience for our MASN audience,” said Nationals President Stan Kasten. “His presence will also benefit our players, coaching staff and front office as we build and develop our future around young pitching.”

Sutton retired from baseball in 1988 before making a successful transition to the booth. He provided color commentary for Atlanta Braves games on TBS until last season.

“Coming to Washington was an easy choice for me,” said Sutton. “This is the beginning of what is going to be an exciting era in Washington baseball history and MASN puts on a first-class broadcast. The only catch was the list of conditions from my 10-year old daughter, who wants to meet Gilbert Arenas, play catch with Nick Johnson and wear her hat like Chad Cordero.

“In all seriousness, I am looking forward to being in Washington, to working with the Nationals and to being part of MASN.”

Also, MASN has made a run at NBC-4’s George Michael. The goal is land King George for a weekly show of his own.

They want Michael for a weekly interview show and also to do a possible Redskins show in the fall. He might do a "Best of the Sports Machine Show," that would have his best interviews.

The two sides are in talks as Michael gets ready to end his long time run at NBC.

Look for MASN to ink Rick Depmpsey this week as their in studio baseball expert. I reported that he was their number one chioice and the should be able to sign him later this wee. A studio host has yet to be chosen and talks with Amber Theoharis who would serve as a reporter and partt time anchor continue.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

MNF crew likely to return intact

2007-01-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 15, 2007 3:00 AM (6 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 11,812 articles

WASHINGTON - Monday Night Football was a success in season one for ESPN. Not surprisingly, it was the most-watched series in cable television history.

Does that mean the first-year booth trio of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser will return intact.

It appears that way.

Kornheiser said in an interview with the Miami Herald last week he wants to return. It sounds like the feeling is mutual.

“Tony’s one-of-a-kind perspective was an integral part of our record-setting inaugural ‘Monday Night Football’ season,” said ESPN executive V.P. Norby Williamson. “We are absolutely looking forward to his return.”

Jed Drake, senior vice president for remote production for ESPN and ABC, echoed those sentiments.

“We were very pleased with all of our talent,” Drake said, “and of course Tony was a big part of the success of our first year.”

So does that mean the booth and sideline talent — Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya — and the producer-director duo of Jay Rothman and Chip Dean will be back?

“That would be a fair assumption,” Drake said. “We have a great deal on our plate at the moment ... I think we just need a little time to relax and a MNF announcement will be coming in due time.”

Translation: It will be made official sometime around the Super Bowl when the talent will be together and the stage is biggest.

Air Kornheiser in demand

On the local side, Kornheiser is eyeing a return to Washington radio. So where will he end up?

Bonneville-owned WTWP-AM and FM would love to have him as a morning host from 8-10 a.m. Word from station execs is they are “moving heaven and earth” to get Kornheiser on their air.

The problem is WTWP does not employ the key people that have been part of Kornheiser’s shows in the past. His ensemble cast was a large part of his radio success.

SportsTalk 980-AM, with the presence of usual Kornheiser sidekick Andy Pollin and former producer Marc Sterne, is the frontrunner. But WTEM is now part of FOX Sports Radio and at the very least, that may present difficulties when trying to book Kornheiser’s ESPN brethren as guests. ESPN prohibits its talent from appearing on competitor’s air.

Throw in Triple X ESPN and D.C.-based XM as suitors and Kornheiser is in the middle of his own radio soap opera.

But there’s no cliffhanger. Kornheiser will be back on the air soon — somewhere — which makes for a happy ending.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Dierdorf Talks Colts-Ravens playoff game and more

2007-01-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

The Ravens are ready for the spotlight
By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

For the entire 2006 season the Baltimore Ravens have quietly became one of the best teams in the NFL and they have done so without much national attention. Well that all ends this weekend.

The Ravens entertain the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday’s AFC Playoff’s there are crews from ESPN, FOX, HBO,NFL Network and of course CBS already in town. The fact that the Ravens defense is the best in the NFL, that Steve McNair has revived his career as the teams QB and oh yes the small matter of the Colts formally being part of the Baltimore community are only a few of the dozens of storylines that will be explored on the network pre game shows.

Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf will be calling Saturday’s game for CBS, the first of the weekend’s four playoff games. I had a chance to talk to Dierdorf about his take on the Ravens this season and the game against the Colts.

Dierdorf on the Ravens defense against the Colts offense: “It’s never pretty playing Baltimore. A lot of times it’s downright ugly because you’re getting your nose rubbed in it. This is a team that prides itself on pressure that they can get to the quarterback, that they can rattle the quarterback. When they operate out of that 3-4 front of theirs and they’re able to put such pressure on the edges, that kind of pressure has bothered Peyton Manning before”

Dierdorf on the On Colts returning to play in Baltimore in playoffs for first time in 30 years: “ Tony Dungy said this week, he wonders how many players on his team even know who Johnny Unitas is, or was. He ventured that the vast majority of his team, if they had to take a quiz, think that the Colts have always been in Indianapolis. This is going to be a big deal to Baltimore fans above a certain age who really were strong Colts fans before they left (Baltimore) in 1984. To the players on the field, going back to Baltimore – they may as well be going to New York, Washington or Croatia. I don’t think it makes much difference.”

Locally the Ravens coverage will start on Friday night on WMAR-TV2 will have a special from 8pm till 9pm called Festivus Maximus. WJZ, WBAL and WBFF all plan on will have plenty Saturday coverage on their newscasts.

CSN will have plenty of pre and post-game coverage on SportsNite.

Live post game will be on MASN right after the game Ravens Xtra will be live followed by a special edition of Playmakers Live giving fans live coverage from around 8pm till 10pm.

Radio as always there will be all day coverage on WBAL/98 Rock and extensive pre game show starting at 1pm and lots of post game coverage anchored by Steve Davis.

ESPN 1300AM offers their entertaining pre and post game show as alternative. It all starts at 1pm.

So, no longer will the Ravens be flying under the radar, now its lights, camera and lots of action.

’91 Skins earn spot in all-time Super Bowl lineup

2007-01-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 12, 2007 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 8 of 11,694 articles

WASHINGTON - This just in: The Redskins are not going to the Super Bowl this season.

But trust me, there was time when the postseason was colored burgundy and gold. And now we can relive the glory of Joe Gibbs’ 1991 team that won it all, dispatching the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI, 37-24, in Minneapolis.

Tonight at 8, that Redskins team will be honored as part of the NFL Network’s series, “America’s Game: The Super Bowl Champions.” It counts down the top 20 Super Bowl-winning teams of all time.

It was a Redskins team rife with talent and personality and the show answers some intriguing questions about the cast: Why did Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke tell Gibbs his roster had too many “old guys” on it? What happened during Gibbs’ first run-in with a fan after winning Super Bowl XXVI? You will have to wait until tonight for the answers.

The story of the ’91 Redskins — ranked 14th among all Super Bowl winners by a 53-member blue ribbon panel of NFL experts — is told through the eyes of Gibbs, defensive end Charles Mann and quarterback Mark Rypien.

“The star of this show is Joe Gibbs,” said NFL Films President Steve Sabol. “He is very animated and candid in this show. He tells some wonderful Jack Kent Cooke stories and does a pretty good impression of the former Washington owner. The ’91 Redskins might have been his best job as a coach because there were no real stars on the team. It was in many ways like the Patriots of this era.”

Like every Super Bowl winner in the network’s countdown, there is some post-panel debate over the ’91 Redskins ranking.

“I really thought that this team deserved to be ranked in the top 10, perhaps in the top five,” Sabol said. “They were as dominant a team as there ever was in football. Some people forget that they went 11-0 and looked like they might go undefeated. I really think that the lack of a marquee player hurt the all-time rankings of what was a truly great team.”

This is an awesome show for any Redskins fan. Especially the ones who are beginning to forget just how good things were the first time around with Coach Joe.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

O's Move to WHFS- A GOOD MOVE!

2007-01-10T04:31:00.000-08:00

O’s moving to WHFS FM benefits everyone
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 10, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 12,438 articles

BALTIMORE - As discussed in this space before Christmas, the Baltimore Orioles have left their partner of 19 years, WBAL-AM, for WHFS-FM, a move that was announced Monday.

Turn the dial to 105.7 FM for all things Orioles for many years to come. In less than two months, all 162 regular season games and more than a dozen spring training broadcasts will air live on the FM powerhouse. Also, the broadcast team of Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel will be back in 2007.

Radio has become one of the best and most important ways for baseball teams to promote their product. The team made a very smart business move by switching to WHFS for games and making ESPN 1300 AM part of the package. The duo offers the team great promotional options that it hasn’t had in years past.

WBAL is Maryland’s most successful station due, in large part, because of its popular and very tight talk/news format, which generates millions of dollars a year for the station. Airing the O’s games would not be a problem, but adding O’s-related programming would not only be difficult, it would not be profitable.

Meanwhile, WHFS offers a clear signal and a more flexible format, and ESPN 1300 offers hours of sports talk that will allow the O’s players, coaches and management to be on the air promoting the team all year round.

Let’s not forget the relationship that the O’s new TV home, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, has with ESPN 1300. The synergy between the team’s two broadcast partners is a stroke of broadcasting genius. With the radio and the TV sides working together, they have the best of both worlds, giving fans a lot of easy access to the team.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Coverage ready and waiting

2007-01-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 9, 2007 3:00 AM (6 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 8 of 12,512 articles

WASHINGTON - These things are inevitable: death, taxes and Cal Ripken, Jr.’s invitation to Cooperstown.

Around 2 this afternoon, Ripken will be named to the 2007 Hall of Fame class. You can rest assured local media will be all over it.

Although Ripken played his entire career in Baltimore, he has many Washington fans that called the Orioles their own during his tenure.

CSN and MASN — along with NBC-4, FOX-5, ABC-7, CBS-9 and Newschannel 8 — have extensive coverage planned for the big day.

SportsTalk 980-AM and Triple X ESPN radio will also devote considerable air time to the announcement, with Ripken’s press conference scheduled for around 4:30 p.m.

CSN and MASN will carry the press conference live and all local news outlets plan coverage and interviews with Ripken on their nightly newscasts.

Today at noon, MASN will air Cal’s final game (Orioles vs. Boston from Oct. 6, 2001) before carrying his press conference.

At 7 p.m., MASN shows the rerun of all reruns: Cal’s record-breaking 2,131st game played on Sept. 6, 1995 against the Angels.

Ripken will also join CN8’s Gregg Murphy as part of a special live “Out of Bounds” broadcast from the Sports Legends Museum in Baltimore. In addition, the early edition of “Out of Bounds” will feature a number of special guests, including Mike Flanagan, Orioles general manager and former Ripken teammate.

Nationally, ESPN plans coverage starting at 6 a.m. with the “Mike and Mike in the Morning” radio show. Special editions of the Hot List on ESPNews along with “PTI” and “SportsCenter” will have features on all the class of 2007 inductees.

Leave it to the Iron Man to steal the spotlight from the NFL playoffs for at least one day.

Then again, how often does a true local hero earn a well-deserved spot in Cooperstown?

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Big East Voice Dave Sims Headed West

2007-01-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Saturday January 6, 2007

Washington – Dave Sims who for over a decade has been the immensely popular voice of Big East sports is headed west to join the Seattle Mariners broadcast team.

A number of sources out of Seattle confirmed that Sims has been chosen to fill the void left by the retirement of former M’s broadcaster Ron Fairly. Although how he will be used is not yet clear.

The team is expected to make the announcement sometime this week and at that point we should know more about Sims role.

Sims has made it very clear that he wanted a full time job in Major League Baseball and came very close to getting it last season here in Washington losing out to his long time friend and former ESPN colleague Bob Carpenter.

They were both ESPN baseball announcers most of the ‘90’s before the big staff cutback came before the 2002 season.

He will also continue to be a featured voice on the CBS Radio/Westwood One NCAA National College Basketball Tournament team. His calls of the George Mason victories leading up the Final Four have been worn out in the Washington, DC area.

So what kind of broadcaster can M’s fans expect?

Sims is an “old school guy,” he is a wordsmith who can make a 25 point blow out as interesting as down to the wire nail bitter.

In short the reason he is so well liked is because of his passion for broadcasting and his ability to really tell a story.

The Mariners fans will learn to love him as much I am sure as those of here in the Big East.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Madden and Collinsworth Talk Playoffs

2007-01-05T05:12:00.000-08:00

I caught up with the NBC duo of John Madden and Cris Collinsorth for some playoff talk.

They were both very chatty.

Tom Hammond and Cris will do the Chiefs-Colts game and John Madden and Al Michaels will handle the Cowboys-Seahawks.

The Saturday double header starts at 4:30pm on NBC.

MADDEN ON WILD CARD TEAMS:
"This is always a great time of year, the end of the season, seeing who is going to get into the playoffs and then the start of the playoffs. At one time they used to say, 'well, wild card weekend, that's not the best teams, the best teams are not playing, they have a bye' and record-wise that has been true. When you look at history and you just look at last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers came from the wild card and went on to win the Super Bowl. I think everyone that is in the wild card kind of has that as their cry: 'Pittsburgh did it a year ago, if they can do it a year ago, we can do it now.'"

COLLINSWORTH ON PREDICTING THE NFL THIS YEAR:
"It has just been impossible this year. The streaks that these teams have gone on have just been dumbfounding. It just absolute craziness this season with the ups and downs and I think its going to continue. Because when you look at the playoff scenario now, you have the two unquestioned top seeds in San Diego and Chicago, but you have very young, very inexperienced quarterbacks leading those teams. You know that if Bill Belichick gets a shot at Philip Rivers that is going to be one of those crazy kind of scenarios. The Chicago Bears quarterback situation could change by the end of the first quarter of the first game depending on what happens there. Whatever craziness you thought you saw in the regular season, I think it's going to be even crazier in the playoffs."

NO. 6 CHIEFS (9-7) AT NO. 3 COLTS (12-4), SATURDAY, 4:30 PM ET ON NBC :

COLLINSWORTH ON THE MATCHUP:
"We're excited about this one. I don't think you can get a more pure matchup than what we have with this game. There is no mystery, everybody knows exactly what's going to happen here. You've got a pretty porous run defense for the Indianapolis Colts and one of the really incredible running backs in the NFL in Larry Johnson."

COLLINSWORTH ON MANNING AND THE COLTS:
"You have probably the most exciting offensive football team going in the game right now led by Peyton Manning. It's one of the few times that you sit out there with your eyes wide open and your ears open and enjoy listening to the show of Peyton Manning and what he is trying to do with this offense and manipulating the defense."

COLLINSWORTH ON THE CHIEFS DEFENSE:
"Maybe the untold story of this game is just how much improved the Kansas City defense has been under Herm Edwards. It's been something that he has intentionally tried to do, which is pare back this offense a little bit and make them a little more conservative, maybe take some numbers away from Trent Green and these receivers and not allow the defense to be on the field as much as they have been in prior regimes. This a defense that for the first time in quite a number of years has been giving up less than 20 points a game and they are going to be competitive in this one, even with this great offense of the Indianapolis Colts."

COLLINSWORTH ON STOPPING PEYTON MANNING:
"The teams that we've seen have success doing that are built exactly like the Kansas City Chiefs, teams that can run the football, play keep-away from this offense and I can tell you, the most frustrating thing in the world for a good offense is to sit over on the bench and watch that clock tick down and all of a sudden you realize you're going to be in one of those 17-14 kind of games and you're uncomfortable. It's like they do in basketball sometimes, where if they play it at this tempo, it favors the Lakers and if it's play at this tempo it favors the Bulls or whatever the case may be. I think that's true in this game too. If it's played at Peyton's pace, up-tempo, fast, a lot of points, there's no question it favors the Colts. If the Chiefs can slow it down with Larry Johnson and kill that clock, the way that some teams have been able to against the Colts this year, then they have a real shot at this one."

MADDEN ON THE COWBOYS-SEAHAWKS MATCHUP:
"Both teams have to show a little life. You don't want to be going into the playoffs not playing your best, although, Seattle played pretty well in their second to last game against the San Diego Chargers. The Cowboys have been struggling. The Cowboys have been struggling with their defense, they had a big loss to New Orleans followed by one by Philly and then, of course, they probably hit rock bottom when they lost to the Detroit Lions. They knew that they were in the playoffs and now they have to play like a playoff team."

MADDEN ON TONY ROMO:
"You look at Seattle and they have lost their corners. They have a rookie, Kelly Jennings, playing one corner and Jordan Babineaux, who was the safety, playing the other corner. You have to throw against that, you can't let that off the hook. Tony Romo has to take care of the ball. I kind of agree with Bill Parcells, he was talking a week ago that it's not that Tony Romo doesn't have confidence, it's maybe he's overconfident and he thinks that he can do things that he can't do. The longer he has played, his mechanics have really gotten sloppy. Seattle still has Matt Hasselbeck and he is healthy now and we know that he led them to the Super Bowl last year."

MADDEN ON PLAYING AT SEATTLE:
"Playing here in Seattle at Qwest Field, they call that the 12th man. It's going to be a great scene and a pretty tough place for the Cowboys to play."

MADDEN ON PARCELLS:
"I never enjoyed the hunt and the kill of a coach. You look and you say, 'if not him, then who?' It's not like there are a lot of Knute Rocknes out there hanging around."

MORE MADDEN ON PARCELLS:
"Knowing Bill Parcells, he's used to it. There's always been stuff flying around him, whether he's at the Giants or at the Patriots or at the Jets or with the Cowboys. And if it's not T.O. and that situation, it's changing the quarterback from Bledsoe to Romo, it's a situation with Jerry Jones, although that's been very calm and worked very well. It's just Bill Parcells being Bill Parcells and that's who he is. He's going to do what he wants to do and maybe more importantly what he feels he can do. This is just normal for Bill Parcells. He's got a lot of fires around him but a win puts those fires out. He'll go from a guy that you don't know what he's going to do, is he tired, is he finished, if he beats Seattle and goes on to the next round and maybe wins in the next round, they'll be giving him a parade."

NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:

MADDEN ON ELI MANNING:
"Just give him some balance and get ahead and give him confidence. I've always said that the best friend of a quarterback is a good running game until he really gets developed and feels real comfortable. I like Eli Manning, I think he's the real deal and he is going to be a top quarterback. He's not going to be Peyton Manning but I think he is going to be a top quarterback. Right now it looks like his confidence level isn't up, he is not reading and getting the ball out of there quickly and his decisions aren't real sharp. Right now he needs Tiki Barber."

COLLINSWORTH COMPARING ELI AND PEYTON:
"I'll quote the great philosopher Terry Bradshaw when he used to tell me these guys are just babies and they're just trying to figure the whole thing out. It's so easy to watch Peyton and to understand how much time and effort that he has put into mastering this craft. But you also have to understand that Peyton Manning is a completely different personality than Eli. You can barely believe they are brothers, other than they look alike and they throw through a brick wall. Peyton, if there are two clocks in the locker room and one of them is a minute off, Peyton can't handle that. You've got to adjust one of the clocks so they say the same thing. He is that kind of 'type A' personality. And Eli is more of a laidback type of personality and it's not that one is right and one is wrong. They're just completely different personalities and I think he'll grow into it. But one of the really unfortunate things for Eli is that his brother is Peyton, and I think so many times he is held to that standard. Let's face it, there are not many people in the history of the game that we can hold to that standard and say they are comparable."

NEW YORK JETS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:

COLLINSWORTH ON THE JETS:
"I think the Jets are one of those teams that nobody wants to play against because they can dictate to an opposing defense. With the style of play the Jets have, with the quick throws, the quick sets, the not holding the ball, you're basically telling the defense you can't blitz, and if you are going to blitz you better be solid in man coverage all the way across the board."

CHICAGO BEARS:

MADDEN ON REX GROSSMAN'S HEIGHT BEING A PROBLEM:
"The guy has been short all of his life, so he has dealt with it. He was the number one draft choice and he has dealt with it. It is a vision problem, he's not only short but he plays short. Jeff Garcia is shorter but he plays up on his toes a lot. Rex Grossman tends to widen his base and even drop a little and that's his problem. He has to find lanes and he has to be able to see and move around to be able to find that lane to see through. He's not going to see over anyone and he's obviously not going to throw over anyone. To me, it just looks like he's not playing with a heck of a lot of confidence and he either has to get it or you're going to have to make a change. I think it's hard to say, 'well, he plays like that but we'll be okay.' Most importantly, I don't know if he believes it and at some point you have to have that confidence and it has to be real and I don't know if he has it now."

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS:

MADDEN ON CHARGERS BEING THE FAVORITE:
"I think they have everything. The thing that would scare me about the Chargers is a young quarterback. When you play with a young quarterback, you know somewhere along the way, maybe the wheels aren't going to fall off but they're going to get loose and you just hope that it doesn't happen in the biggest part of one of these playoff games. They have all the parts and now to get to the Super Bowl they just have to put two games together but wild stuff happens during the playoffs."

Vote Modell or bust (in Canton)

2007-01-04T04:20:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 4, 2007 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 17,180 articles

BALTIMORE - The NFL Hall of Fame should have inducted Art Modell years ago.

Next month, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s selection committee will meet to elect this year’s inductees. Per the Hall of Fame bylaws, three to six new members are selected each year, and Baltimore Ravens fans are hopeful that Modell will be one of the inductees in 2007.

This Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the “Mark Viviano Show” with “The Bulldog” Damon Yaffe will pay tribute to Modell. The program will include surprise guest appearances by many familiar sports personalities and football legends — current and past. Ravens head coach Brian Billick, team owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome (himself a Hall of Famer).

Why does Modell belong in the Hall of Fame? Today’s billion-dollar TV contracts — the life blood of the NFL — all can be traced back to the hard work of Modell.

It started in the 1960s, when Modell, then the brash young owner of the Cleveland Browns, and his good friend, late NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, worked tirelessly together to keep the league’s TV revenues growing.

Many NFL historians and TV broadcast executives would tell you that without Modell, there might never have been a Monday Night Football. He used his clout as the head of the TV committee to convince the other owners to play games in Monday prime-time in hopes of expanding the league’s popularity among casual fans.

“The people and the media of Cleveland look at Art as the people and media of Baltimore look at Robert Irsay,” said Tom Wilson, the president of Cleveland-based Sports Marketing, Inc., who worked closely with Modell for more than a decade. “He is the man that took the most prized sports possession from this city, and for that, he is a villain. But those of us who know Art know his move was all about business. The Indians and the Cavs got new homes, but the Browns could not get a favorable new stadium deal. The Baltimore offer was one of the greatest deals in the history of sports, and Art would have been a fool not to have taken it.”

NFL Films boss Steve Sabol said, “You really can’t deny the contributions that Art has made to the NFL. He should be in the Hall of Fame.”

The media in Cleveland needs to leave the past behind. Modell deserves a place in Canton while he’s still alive. It’s just the right thing to do.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Sims to the M’s?

2007-01-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Many fans in Big East country are hearing that long time and popular broadcaster Dave Sims could be headed west.

As soon as this week Sims could be announced as a member of the Seattle M’s broadcast crew.

If Sims does indeed get the job he will become the only black play by play man in Major League Baseball but most of all he will be most qualified.

Sims has done a great job on Westwood One/CBS Radio for years as one of their premier NFL and college basketball broadcasters.

He is no stranger to baseball after working games for most of the 90’s as part of the ESPN broadcast crew.

Recently I ask Sims about working for the M’s “I would love the chance to work with Dave Niehaus he is a living legend, a great broadcaster, and a true Seattle treasure. Rick Rizzs, like Dave is so much a part of the M’s family that working with him would be a real treat. The M’s are a true first class organization. The city of Seattle is one of the counties most beautiful so what’s not to like? Right now I am just happy to be in the mix. If it does happen it would be an honor and I look forward to moving to Seattle and becoming a part of the community.”

So it seems like a deal is close but certainly not yet done so we will keep you posted.

Your 2007 sports TV guide

2007-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 2, 2007 3:00 AM (11 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 12,940 articles

BALTIMORE - With big changes coming to TV in 2007, here’s a handy guide to keep track of where to watch your favorite sports.

We begin with the PGA Tour. All early rounds and some big early tournaments are now on The Golf Channel. TGC is now the cable home to almost every PGA/LPGA/Nationwide and European tournament. The only two early PGA Tour events that TGC won’t air are the British and U.S. opens, which both have a couple of years left on their ESPN/ABC contracts.

The PGA network partners will be NBC and CBS, which will split up the season. ESPN/ABC will have only The Open, along with a few LPGA events in 2007.

Local Major League Baseball will now be seen on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which will air Nationals and Orioles games. National MLB telecasts will be well-covered, too, with ESPN covering 26 weeks of Sunday games. TBS will join in on Sundays starting in 2008 with a national afternoon game of the week. The Monday and Wednesday night games of the week also return to ESPN. The folks at FOX have expanded their roll to have a complete season of Saturday game of the week telecasts.

The MLB postseason will be shown on TBS and FOX. TBS will have the early-round games and the NLCS, while FOX will have the ALCS and the World Series.

In NASCAR, the Craftsman Truck Series will air on Speed, the Busch Series now belongs to ESPN and the NEXTEL big boys will air on FOX for the first part of the year. TNT takes over with a summer package, and ESPN/ABC will bring The Chase for the Cup home in the late summer and fall.

Tennis remains on ESPN2 for most of the year, with NBC keeping the French Open and Wimbledon, while CBS will air the U.S. Open.

The NBA will stay put on ESPN/ABC, TNT and NBA-TV, while the NHL will continue on VERSUS and NBC. Locally, the Caps and the Wiz are on Comcast SportsNet.

Major League Soccer is now on ESPN2/ABC and FOX Soccer Channel exclusively. D.C. United will be on Comcast.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Change on the air and local media wishes

2007-01-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Jan 1, 2007 3:00 AM (1 day ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 12,940 articles

WASHINGTON - Some big changes are headed our way now that 2007 is upon us. You may catch yourself shooting an incredulous glance at the trusty remote control when the channel you land on does not feature what you’re accustomed to.

But never fear. Here is a guide to the changes with time to spare.

» When it comes to the PGA Tour, all early rounds and some major early tournaments are on The Golf Channel, now the cable home to almost every PGA/LPGA/Nationwide and European tour event.

The Golf Channel is the cable home to all early round PGA events except for two: the British and U.S. opens. Both of those biggies have a couple of years left on their ESPN/ABC contracts.

The PGA’s network partners will be NBC and CBS, who will split the season. Gone is ESPN/ABC, which only has the British Open left along with a few LPGA events.

» Can’t wait for another discussion of where the Nationals games will be shown? Thankfully, what was an endless rigmarole is over. Both the Nats and Orioles are now on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

On the national side, there will be 26 weeks of Sunday doubleheaders: the Sunday Afternoon Game of the Week on TBS followed by Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. The Monday and Wednesday night games of the week also return to ESPN.

And the folks at FOX have a complete season of Game of the Week telecasts on Saturdays.

The postseason will be seen on TBS and FOX. Early-round games and the NLCS are bound for TBS while FOX will have the ALCS and World Series.

» NASCAR is also signaling for a lane change. The Craftsman Truck Series will be on SPEED, the Busch Series now belongs to ESPN and the Nextel big boys will air on FOX for the first part of the year. TNT then takes over with a summer package and ESPN/ABC will bring The Chase for the Cup home in the late summer and fall.

» Tennis remains on ESPN2 for most of the year while NBC keeps the French Open and Wimbledon. CBS will air the U.S. Open with USA keeping the early rounds.

» The NBA stays put on ESPN/ABC, TNT and NBA-TV, while the NHL will continue on VERSUS and NBC. Locally, the Caps and Wiz are on CSN.

» MLS is now on ESPN2/ABC and FOX Soccer Channel exclusively. D.C. United will be on CSN.

New Year’s wishes for local sports media

» NBC 4 should make a bold move. When King George Michael steps aside in March, the station should name Lindsay Czarniak as his replacement. Making her the first-ever woman sports director in the Washington market is the smart thing to do.

» ABC 7’s Tim Brant and FOX 5’s Dave Feldman are primed to succeed Michael as the No. 1 sportscaster in town. Both have the talent. They simply need more air time. CBS 9’s Brett Haber is a gifted writer but ratings keep him out of the picture for now.

» MASN should hire Phil Wood to be part of their pre- and post-game shows. No one has a better knowledge of baseball than Wood. If you put Wood on the air with Rick Dempsey and Amber Theoharis or whomever is the anchor, MASN would have a solid baseball show.

» CSN should have playoffs for both the Caps and Wiz in 2007. We are lucky to have to have such talented production and broadcast teams. Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier with the Wiz and the Caps trio of Joe Beninati, Craig Laughlin and Al Koken are two quality teams.

» On radio, Sports Talk 980-AM has proven you can be all local and successful. It was a great risk but there was a wonderful reward with fans getting in more calls to The First Team, The Sports Reporters, Brian Mitchell and John Thompson shows.

Triple X ESPN showed it could provide quality Redskins coverage without forgetting how to be objective ... usually. Larry Michael and Bram Weinstein did a fine lunchtime show and John Riggins proved to be a force in afternoon drive.

Now, about the station’s paltry signal. The issue will be addressed by either buying WGMS or if that fails, some Clear Channel FMs are for sale and maybe WAVA-FM could enter the mix.

So a better signal will come in 2007, making for happy Redskins fans. Then again, about that defense …

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Change on the air and local media wishes - Examiner.com

2007-01-01T05:42:00.001-08:00

Washington

http://www.examiner.com/a-484502~Change_on_the_air_and_local_media_wishes.html

From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

Ward calling college football is old hat

2006-12-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

When Navy takes on Boston College Saturday, Dec 30, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, 1:00pm a woman who grew up a short drive from the academies Annapolis campus will call the game for ESPN.

Pam Ward who is from Bowie and was on local radio in the early ‘90’s on WTEM in Washington and later on WBAL in Baltimore. The Maryland grad is now in her 10th year with ESPN and her 7th season as the only woman to do college football play-by-play for a national network.

She calls Big Ten, ACC and Big East football as the lead voice on the ESPN2 noon College Football Game of the Week and also handles about 28 women’s college basketball games for the network.

Ward on how she is accepted as a woman broadcaster “The coaches, players and administrators could not be better. It is old hat to most of them now. I mean I have done games at Michigan, Ohio States, all the Big Ten schools, I have done a games at many of the ACC and Big East venues and of course at my school Maryland, it really could not be better for me and I am given the same respect as any my other play by play person at ESPN.”

On doing a Navy game: “I have never done a Navy game. I have been to games in Annapolis and it is such a great tradition. To be honest I really was hoping that I could have gotten a Maryland – Navy match-up but I have done Boston College games and their fans are great so this should be a wonderful game for everyone involved,” said Ward.

She is already on her third woman’s college game of the season and looks forward to seeing Maryland down the line again. Her dream was once to do NFL play-by-play but that has now changed to being able to call the Women’s Final Four. As of now that job belongs to another local favorite Mike Patrick but someday perhaps Mike could hand the head sets over to Pam. It would be a nice transition a plan for ESPN as Ward is a role model for young female broadcasters.

Big Changes for TV in 2007

2006-12-29T02:45:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Some big changes are coming in 2007 and you will need this handy guide to keep track of where you can watch your favorite sports.

Let’s begin with the PGA Tour all early rounds and some major early tournament events are now on The Golf Channel. TGC is now the cable home to almost every PGA/LPGA/Nationwide and European Tournament. They will be the cable home to ALL early round PGA events except for two – the British Open and the US Open, both have a couple of years left on their ESPN/ABC contract.

The PGA network partners will be NBC and CBS who will split up the season, gone is ESPN/ABC who will have only the British open left along with a few LPGA events in 2007.

Baseball on the local level see’s both the Nationals and Orioles now on the Mid Atlantic Sports Network, on the national side of things Sunday’s will offer 26 weeks of double headers. The Sunday Afternoon Game of the Week will on TBS with Sunday Night Baseball at its normal home on ESPN. The Monday and Wednesday Night Games of the Week also will return to ESPN. The folks at FOX have expanded their roll to have a complete season of Saturday Game of the Week telecasts.

The post season will see on TBS and FOX with early round games and the NLCS on Turner while FOX will have the ALCS and the World Series.

NASCAR has the Craftsman Truck Series on Speed, The Busch Series now belongs to ESPN and the NEXTEL big boys will air on FOX for the first part of the year, TNT takes over with a summer package and ESPN/ABC will bring The Chase for the Cup home in the late summer and the fall.

Tennis remains on ESPN2 as the home for most of the year with NBC keeping the French and Wimbledon and CBS will airs the US Open with USA keeping the early rounds.

The NBA will stay put on ESPN/ABC, TNT and the NBA -TV, while the NHL will continue on VERSUS and NBC. Locally the Caps and the Wiz are on CSN.

MLS is now on ESPN2/ABC and FOX Soccer Channel exclusively. DC United will be on CSN.

Ravens game moved to 4:15pm on CBS

2006-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Ravens game against the Bills will be moved to 4:15pm to be part of the NFL double header.

Here is the rest of the schedule just published by the NFL

The Week 17 Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears game on Sunday, December 31 will be played at 8:15 PM ET on NBC, the Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts games will move to 4:15 PM ET on CBS and the Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles game will move to 4:15 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today. Following is the final Week 17 NFL schedule (asterisk and bold/italics represents changed game time):

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 (SEVENTEENTH WEEKEND)

N.Y. GIANTS AT WASHINGTON
8:00 PM (ET)
NFLN

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31

PITTSBURGH AT CINCINNATI
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS

DETROIT AT DALLAS
12:00 PM (CT)
FOX

CLEVELAND AT HOUSTON
12:00 PM (CT)
CBS

JACKSONVILLE AT KANSAS CITY
12:00 PM (CT)
CBS

ST. LOUIS AT MINNESOTA
12:00 PM (CT)
FOX

CAROLINA AT NEW ORLEANS
12:00 PM (CT)
FOX

OAKLAND AT N.Y. JETS
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS

SEATTLE AT TAMPA BAY
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX

NEW ENGLAND AT TENNESSEE
12:00 PM (CT)
CBS

BUFFALO AT BALTIMORE*
4:15 PM (ET)
CBS

SAN FRANCISCO AT DENVER
2:15 PM (MT)
FOX

MIAMI AT INDIANAPOLIS*
4:15 PM (ET)
CBS

ATLANTA AT PHILADELPHIA*
4:15 PM (ET)
FOX

ARIZONA AT SAN DIEGO
1:15 PM (PT)
FOX

GREEN BAY AT CHICAGO*
7:15 PM (CT)
NBC

The NFL implemented for the first time this year a “flexible scheduling” element on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and in Week 17. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives teams a chance to play their way onto primetime and into the late-afternoon 4:15 PM ET time slot on CBS and FOX.

The NBA Christmas tradition continues

2006-12-25T09:16:00.001-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 25, 2006 3:00 AM (9 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 10,197 articles

BALTIMORE - While the NFL has Thanksgiving, Christmas Day belongs to the NBA.

This year, it will be the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers taking on the defending NBA champion Miami Heat and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade when ESPN on ABC 2 launches its NBA season on Christmas Day at 2 p.m.

The ESPN on ABC’s game broadcast will mark the debut of a new commentary team — returning play-by-play commentator Mike Breen, analyst Mark Jackson and reporter Michele Tafoya (who will also handle reporting duties during ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast, New York Jets at Miami Dolphins, later that evening). Dan Patrick will return as the host of “NBA Countdown,” which will originate from the game site throughout the season, with analysts Jackson and Michael Wilbon.

I spoke to both Breen and Jackson about the NBA’s Christmas tradition, as well as the matchup between Kobe and D-Wade.

Jackson: “It’s certainly something that’s special. ... [Players] realize it is Christmas, people open up gifts, and families are around the television set watching. ... [Those] that are selected to play in the games are fully aware of the impact that it could have and how important it is and what type of stage they are on. I think the best thing about it is having two of the league’s brightest stars in Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade participating in this game. It’s going to be a special, special game, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out. Speaking as a former player, guys are fully aware and want to take part in this kind of environment.”

Breen: “I’m going to be curious with Kobe Bryant. He’s one of those guys that I think loves to play on a day like this when everybody is watching, and the Lakers have been one of the real surprises in terms of how well they’ve played. Now, they are on the road without one of their key guys, Lamar Odom, and he’s going to have to shoulder perhaps a little more of the load.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Notes from the Gators win over OSU

2006-12-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

Greg Gumbel: It's not lost on everyone around here that same two
schools, Florida and Ohio State are going to meet in a few short weeks
for the national championship in football, which brings me to my
partner, Billy packer.

Billy Packer: You talk about the long snapper, the holder and so forth.
Here's my suggestion to football coaches. The most important play of the
season, the only reason they're (Florida) in the national championship
is this blocked kick by Jarvis Moss. You know how high he (Moss) gets
up? 9' 6". Do you realized where Joakim Noah can go? He can go to 13
feet. You start a position called the "Eliminator," they eliminate all
field goals and extra points. Naismith invented the football helmet. If
not for the helmet, there would be no football.

Gumbel: You're deadly serious?

Packer: He (Noah) can touch the top of the backboard. Can you imagine
what it would do to the heads of the kickers? I am serious.

From Jim Williams sent via T-Mobile Blackberry

Nats make pitch for Sutton

2006-12-22T05:13:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 22, 2006 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 15,510 articles

WASHINGTON - Several high-placed Atlanta sources tell me former Braves announcer and Hall-of-Fame pitcher Don Sutton will join Bob Carpenter in the Nationals TV booth this season on MASN.

While the deal has not been finalized, it is “very close to being closed and the only thing that needs to be done is the length of the agreement,” according to a source.

The pairing of Sutton, who will be the Nats’ third color analyst in as many seasons, and play-by-play man Carpenter will give Washington one of the best broadcast duos in baseball. Sutton replaces Tom Paciorek, who was not retained after one season.

In his 23 years as a pitcher, Sutton played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels. He won a total of 324 games and is eighth on baseball’s all-time strikeout list with 3,574.

Sutton began as a broadcaster with the Braves in 1989 and over the years has become a well-respected announcer.

He was let go by the Braves after last season as the team is headed in a new direction; TBS is doing a nationally televised “Game of the Week” every Sunday afternoon starting in April.

It ultimately came down to Sutton and former Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone for the Nats. The winner is reunited with his old Braves boss Stan Kasten, now the Nats’ President.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

MASN, Red Zebra should make great partners

2006-12-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 22, 2006 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 15,510 articles

BALTIMORE - Red Zebra and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network have joined forces on a long-term deal that will have “The John Riggins Show” simulcast on Triple X ESPN Radio and MASN starting in February.

MASN was looking to expand its Washington, D.C., programming, which includes the Nationals and Georgetown University sports. The Baltimore-based regional sports network is attempting to strike a balance and cover the entire mid-Atlantic region. “The John Riggins Show,” which airs from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays, will be the centerpiece of the new deal between the two locally owned media giants.

Riggins, the Redskins Hall of Famer, has a show that should appeal to people throughout the region. His guests are national in scope from both the sports and entertainment arenas. The show is much more than just Redskins.

As for “The Anita Marks Show” on Baltimore’s ESPN 1300-AM, which currently holds that spot on MASN, she’ll be part of the mix but there are some programming decisions to be made. Marks could go in the 3-to-5 p.m. shift and Riggins could do 5 to 7, but nothing is confirmed yet. Fans of both personalities, though, can rest assured that there will be plenty of each on MASN.

Red Zebra and MASN bring together two of the region’s most powerful sports owners, the Redskins’ Dan Snyder and the Orioles’ Peter Angelos. There will no doubt be a number of promotional opportunities to advance both locally owned companies. Fans should be the winner in this deal.

MASN’s radio relationships with ESPN 1300 in Baltimore and Triple X ESPN in Washington are bright moves and should give them access to fresh local programming for years to come.

Barring any last-minute snags, look for the Orioles to move to ESPN 1300-AM/WHFS-FM soon. That will give the O’s tons of cross-promotion with the two Charm City talkers booking plenty of time for players and front office staff.

Is it baseball season yet?

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

CBS BROADCAST CREWS FOR THIS WEEKEND

2006-12-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

WEEK 16 – Dec. 24 – DOUBLEHEADER

GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

1:00 PM, ET starts:

·Tennessee @ Buffalo Gus Johnson/Steve Tasker Victor Frank/Mark Grant

·Indianapolis @ Houston Ian Eagle/Solomon Wilcots Ken Mack/Cathy Barreto

·N. England @ Jacksonville* Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman

·Baltimore @ Pittsburgh Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon Jim Rikhoff/Bryan Lilley

4:15 PM, ET starts

·Cincinnati @ Denver* Jim Nantz/Phil Simms Lance Barrow/Mike Arnold

·San Diego @ Seattle* Dick Enberg/Randy Cross Bob Mansbach/Suzanne Smith

Red Zebra and MASN strike a deal

2006-12-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

Send to Printer << Back to Article

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 21, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 15,326 articles

WASHINGTON - Red Zebra and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network have agreed on a long-term deal to simulcast Triple X ESPN Radio’s “The John Riggins Show” on MASN beginning in February.

MASN was looking to expand its Washington, D.C.-area programming that already includes the Nationals and Georgetown University sports. The Baltimore-based network is attempting to strike a balance and cover the entire Mid-Atlantic region.

Riggins’ radio show, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m., is the centerpiece of the deal. The Hall-of-Famer has a diverse and entertaining show, helped along by cohorts Gary Braun and Kevin Sheehan.

So what about “The Anita Marks Show” from Baltimore’s ESPN 1300-AM currently simulcast in that spot on MASN? That show could hold down the 3-5 p.m. slot and Riggins could take over from 5-7 p.m. Nothing is set in stone as of yet.

Red Zebra and MASN’s union brings together two of the region’s most powerful sports owners in the Redskins’ Dan Snyder and the Orioles’ Peter Angelos. There will no doubt be a number of promotional opportunities that will advance both locally-owned broadcast companies. Best of all, fans should be the winner in this deal.

For late night football chatter, it’s FOX

If you have yet to hear John Fricke and Chris Landry’s weekend show on Fox Sports Radio, you have been missing the best football show on radio.

Saturday nights from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. on SportsTalk 980 WTEM-AM and XM channel 142, the duo hosts “College Game Time Rewind” and cover every possible angle of that day’s action. On Sunday nights at the same time, they shift to the pro game for “NFL Game Time Rewind.”

While Fricke is in FOX’s Los Angeles studio, Landry is across the country in his home studio in Baton Rouge, La. Despite a geographic gap, their chemistry is apparent and the show is both entertaining and informative.

Callers light the lines and the show moves quickly as the guys do a great job of fielding questions from all areas of the football world.

Fricke is the polished broadcaster who knows football and keeps things moving. Landry is a former college and pro assistant football coach that currently runs a football scouting service. We talked about all things football both college and pro:

» Landry on the NFL: “This year has been the toughest year to see a clear cut favorite in either conference. San Diego has been playing well and Baltimore has been a dark horse all season. The Colts, Pats and the Bengals have all been inconsistent. In the NFC, Chicago just keeps winning. But after that, is it the Cowboys or the Saints that is the best? It should be some ride to the Super Bowl this year.”

» Fricke on the difference between attending a college and pro games: “The NFL has done a wonderful job of making it comfortable for the fans. But I like the old stadiums like RFK where you could not hear and the stands bounced. The college game gives you tradition, walking though campus and then heading to the stadium for a tailgate party. Both have their strong points but if I had a chance to go to a big time college football game or an NFL game, it would be college for me.”

NASCAR will have a truly New Year

In 2007, NASCAR will have a new look and sound.

FOX is now the official home of the Daytona 500 and will broadcast the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races following Daytona.

TNT is entering its 22nd year with NASCAR, adding to the longest continuous relationship of any media company with the sport. TNT will broadcast six consecutive races in the middle of the season, including the July 4th weekend extravaganza highlighted by the Pepsi 400 from Daytona (which will actually run on July 7).

The final 17 NEXTEL Cup races will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN.

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup — the 10 races that finish the season — will be seen on ESPN on ABC.

The NASCAR Busch Series will move to the ESPN family of networks.

Recently, I spoke to ESPN race expert Dr. Jerry Punch and he could not be more excited about NASCAR returning to the network that launched it in the first place.

» Punch on ESPN getting NASCAR back: “It has been six long years since we have done a NASCAR race and I have to tell you that the entire race team here can’t wait. Getting the Busch Series and the final leg of NASCAR season, including the ‘Chase,’ is a dream come true for us.”

» Punch on Toyota getting into NASCAR: “I think it is going to be wonderful for our sport. Toyota has been huge in the truck series and they will no doubt be a major competitor in the ‘Chase for the Cup’ They will take their place with Chevy, Ford and Dodge and man that will be something to see.”

Also new in 2007, DirecTV will have a coverage package that lets you follow the race as well as up to five drivers at a time with a split screen feature.

The sound of NASCAR will also come from a different outlet. SIRIUS will replace XM as the satellite radio home for all things NASCAR. SIRIUS NASCAR Radio will debut in January on channel 128. The channel will air 24 hours a day, seven days a week of NASCAR talk. More to come on SIRIUS offerings as the season approaches.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Red Zebra and MASN sign long term deal Riggins Show to be the centerpiece.

2006-12-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Red Zebra and the Mid Atlantic Sports Network have come together on a long term deal that will have The John Riggins Show simulcast on Triple X ESPN radio and MASN starting in February.

MASN was looking to expand its Washington, DC programming which of course includes the Nationals and Georgetown University sports. The Baltimore based regional sports network is attempting to strike a balance and cover the entire mid Atlantic region.

The John Riggins Show which airs from 4pm till 7pm will be the centerpiece of the new deal between the two locally owned media giants.

Riggins the Hall of Fame for Redskins star has a show that should appeal to people throughout the region. His guests are national in scope from both the sports and entertainment arena’s and anyone thinking that all the shows focus is on the Redskins would be wrong. It is a very diverse and entraining show with Riggins being helped by his partners Gary Braun and Kevin Sheehan who keep the program moving.

So what about The Anita Mark Show on Baltimore’s ESPN 1300AM that now holds down that spot on MASN? Well the good news is that she is not going to be part of the mix but there some programming decisions to be made. Marks could hold down the 3pm till 5pm shift and Riggins could do the 5pm till 7pm slot, nothing is set in stone as of yet but fans of both personalities can rest assured that there will be plenty of the two radio/TV personalities on MASN.

Red Zebra and the Mid Atlantic Sports Network brings together two of the regions most powerful sports owners in the Redskins Dan Snyder and the Orioles Peter Angelos. There will no doubt have a number of promotional opportunities that will advance both locally owned broadcaster companies and fans should be the winner in this deal.

MASN’s radio relationships with ESPN 1300 in Baltimore and Triple X ESPN in Washington are bright moves and will give them access to fresh local programming for years to come.

Barring any last minute snags look for the Orioles to move to ESPN 1300AM/WHFS-FM soon. That will give the O’s plenty of cross promotion with the two Charm City talkers plenty of time to talk to players and front office people.

Meanwhile, the new Triple X deal to buy 104.1/103.9FM WGMS should make them the leaders to land the Nationals in 2008. That would give MASN access to both the TV and radio sides of both area professional teams, not a bad thing.

NASCAR, DirecTV take race-viewing to another level

2006-12-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 20, 2006 3:00 AM (8 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 12,733 articles

BALTIMORE - NASCAR and DirecTV are about to blow your mind with a very cool new offering that launches in 2007.

While the NFL remains DirecTV’s biggest investment, this new NASCAR deal is the satellite provider’s biggest production commitment ever. They are building a state-of-the-art HD production truck and putting together announcing, production and engineering teams to cover every aspect of races from the race team’s perspective.

The new package, which is called “Hot Pass,” is the brainchild of FOX Sports president David Hill, in cooperation with DirecTV.

I spoke to Eric Shanks, the VP of advanced products and new media for DirecTV, and he explained how “Hot Pass” works, starting with the Daytona 500.

“We have been working with NASCAR for a couple of years now,” he said, “and we have noticed that while there is a race going on, there are fans who really follow a driver, or a car or maybe a team and they do it all race long. So, there are as many as 40 races within the race that fans are following.”

Shanks’ goal is “to offer the race fan the chance to watch the race in one screen and follow up to five drivers.” To do this, they will use five dedicated driver channels — each having their own broadcast team dedicated to one NASCAR driver throughout the race and multiple screens on each driver channel. The screens will be devoted to the following:

» Live national broadcast of the race.

» Driver point-of-view camera looking out the front windshield, with select telemetry readings.

» Additional camera angles, including an overhead cam, pit box cam and corner cams.

» Live audio of the two-way communications between the driver, crew chief and spotter.

» Dedicated announcers for each driver channel and real-time stats.

More NASCAR advances in 2007...

SIRIUS will replace XM as the new radio home of NASCAR in 2007. Race fans will have the opportunity not only to hear all the races, but SIRIUS also will take fans into the cars and pits by devoting up to 10 additional “Team Talk” channels that will carry the driver-to-crew communications of up to 10 different race teams during NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.

SIRIUS NASCAR Radio will debut on channel 128 in January. The channel will air 24 hours a day, seven days a week of NASCAR talk. The entire NASCAR, Busch and Truck series will air on SIRIUS.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal 50 Most Influential People 2006

2006-12-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

NAME/TITLE (2005 rank)

1. George Bodenheimer; President, ESPN/ABC Sports (1)

2. David Stern; Commissioner, NBA (3)

3. Bud Selig; Commissioner, MLB (5)

4. Dick Ebersol; Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics (4)

5. Roger Goodell; Commissioner, NFL (28)

6. David Hill; President, DirecTV Entertainment Group / Chairman, Fox Sports (4)

7. Tony Ponturo; VP of Global Media & Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch (6)

8. Brian France; President, NASCAR (7)

9. Phil Knight; Chairman, Nike (11)

10. Sean McManus; President, CBS Sports & CBS News (9)

11. Gary Bettman; Commissioner, NHL (10)

12. Tim Finchem; Commissioner, PGA Tour (13)

13. Gene Upshaw; Executive director, NFL Players Association (17)

14. Robert Kraft; Chairman and owner, New England Patriots (12)

15. Steve Bornstein; Exec VP of media, NFL / President and CEO, NFL Network (15)

16. David Levy; President, Turner Sports*

17. Herbert Hainer; CEO, Adidas*

18. George Pyne; President, IMG (47)

19. Bob DuPuy; President & COO, MLB (20)

20. Richard Lovett; President, CAA*

21. George Steinbrenner; Owner, New York Yankees (18)

22. Myles Brand; President, NCAA (23)

23. Don Fehr; Executive Director, MLBPA (21)

24. Casey Wasserman; Chairman & CEO, Wasserman Media Group*

25. Larry Probst; Chairman & CEO, Electronic Arts (14)

26. Jerry Jones; Owner, Dallas Cowboys (24)

27. Jeff Shell; President of programming, Comcast (19)

28. Ed Goren; President, Fox Sports (26)

29. Pat Bowlen; Owner, Denver Broncos (22)

30. Scott Boras; CEO, The Scott Boras Corp. (27)

31. Tim Leiweke; President & CEO, Anschutz Entertainment Group (30)

32. Billy Hunter; Executive Director, NBPA (29)

33. Arn Tellem; President, Wasserman Media Group Management (40)

34. Bob Bowman; President & CEO, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (31)

35. Mark Cuban; Owner, Dallas Mavericks (34)

36. Don Garber; Commissioner, MLS (45)

37. John Skipper; Executive VP of Content, ESPN*

38. Micky Arison; Owner, Miami Heat*

39. Adam Silver; Deputy Commissioner, NBA (42)

40. Mike Helton; President; NASCAR*

41. Dawn Hudson; President & CEO, Pepsi-Cola North America (36)

42. Arlen Kantarian; CEO of Professional Tennis, USTA (37)

43. Jeremy Jacobs Sr.; Owner, Boston Bruins / Chairman & CEO, Delaware North Cos. (38)

44. Rick Dudley; President & CEO, Octagon (NR)

45. Jerry Reinsdorf; Chairman, Chicago White Sox & Chicago Bulls (44)

46. Peter Ueberroth; Chairman, USOC (46)

47. Jerry Richardson; Owner, Carolina Panthers*

48. Sean Bratches; Executive VP of Sales & Marketing, ESPN*

49. Terry McDonell; Editor, Sports Illustrated Group*

50. Tom Condon; Agent; CAA*

Triple X has classical signal solution

2006-12-19T03:43:00.000-08:00

Send to Printer << Back to Article

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 19, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 10,543 articles

WASHINGTON - Tired of the signal problems Triple X ESPN/Redskins radio has had since launching? Soon they will be a thing of the past.

The station’s parent company, Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting, has a deal in place to buy classical music giant WGMS 104.1 and 103.9 FM with the intent of moving Triple X ESPN to that frequency as early as January.

With 104.1/103.9 FM and the possible expansion of 730 AM’s signal (an FCC request to boost the power is pending), Triple X ESPN would have little problem blanketing the area with Washington’s first full-time FM sports talk station. The AM signal will cover any of the dead spots.

It means more listeners will be able to hear the local shows weekdays like “Redskins Lunch with Larry Michael and Bram Weinstein” and the drivetime offering of “The John Riggins Show.”

Riggins’ show is being targeted by MASN for a TV simulcast. But several issues could kill the deal. A source told me it was a long shot but “worth a try.”

Diamond media notes

Word is Baltimore sports radio personalities Amber Theoharis and Anita Marks could be involved in MASN’s baseball pre- and post-game shows. It is possible the network will do one show that covers both the Orioles and Nationals. Like ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight,” the show’s host would interact with announcing teams from game sites and conduct interviews. It would make sense and is a good way to connect the network with both the Orioles and Nationals. Plus, the sports desk concept could provide score updates and highlights during both game telecasts.

Former Orioles player and coach Rick Dempsey has been tapped by MASN to be part of the pre- and postgame shows. It is also possible Dempsey could fill in for Jim Palmer in the booth with Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra on selected O’s telecasts.

That would make sense if Buck Martinez moves over to join former ESPN partner Bob Carpenter in Washington to call the Nats games. Word out of the winter meetings have both Don Sutton and Steve Stone still angling for the Nationals color job vacated when Tom Paciorek was not retained after one season.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Landry likes Ravens in title game

2006-12-19T03:37:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 19, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 10,543 articles

BALTIMORE - If you have not heard John Fricke and Chris Landry do their weekend show on Fox Sports Radio (WNST-AM 1570 or XM channel 142) every Saturday and Sunday night from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., you have been missing radio’s best football show.

Saturday nights, the duo hosts “Fox College GameTime Rewind,” covering every possible angle of the day’s action. On Sundays, they switch to the pros on “Fox NFL GameTime Rewind.”

Fricke is at the Fox Sports Radio studio in Los Angeles, while Landry is half a country away at his home studio in Baton Rouge, La. Still, they have an on-air chemistry that is both entertaining and informative.

Callers fill up the lines and their show moves along quickly. Fricke, the polished broadcaster, knows football and keeps things rolling, while Landry is a former college and pro assistant coach who now runs a major football scouting service.

Recently, we talked about all things football.

Landry: “I know that Baltimore fans don’t seem to feel the love on a national basis. They feel that the Ravens just don’t seem to get enough respect. If I had to pick an AFC championship game today, it would be San Diego and Baltimore. They are the class of the conference and among the best three or four teams in football. I do think that [San Diego quarterback] Philip Rivers has grown a great deal from the first time the two teams played [Baltimore, 16-13, on Oct. 1], but they are so even that it comes down to who has the home field. That would be worth about three points. But both teams have shown an ability to win on the road. Barring an injury or a misstep along the way, one of those teams will be in the Super Bowl.”

Fricke, on the difference between attending a college vs. pro game: “The NFL has done a wonderful job of making it comfortable for the fans. But I like the old stadiums like RFK, where you could not hear and the stands bounced. The college game gives you tradition, walking though campus and then heading to the stadium for a tailgate party. Both have their strong points, but if I had a chance to go to a big-time college football game or an NFL game, it would be college for me.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Sunday'Best lines from the Pre Game Shows!!!

2006-12-18T04:10:00.000-08:00

On Terrell Owens admitting he spit on DB DeAngelo Hall in Saturday’s Cowboys-Falcons game ...
Analyst Tom Jackson: "I personally would rather have someone sucker-punch me in the face than spit on me. I can get over that bruise. I can fight you if you want to fight me man-up. But, the fact that you spit on me is an insult that lasts a lifetime."

"It’s time for someone to do something about it. … TO needs to learn a lesson."
Analyst Ron Jaworski: "Everyday, every single day, it’s something with Terrell Owens. He just sucks the wind, the air, out of your football team."
Analyst Michael Irvin: "There is no time that is right to spit on anybody."
Analyst Mike Ditka: "What he did is disgusting, period."

Howie Long on the struggling Indianapolis Colts: “In order to put a positive spin on things, Tony Dungy is drawing comparisons to his 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad. The only problem with that analogy is the front seven of this Colts team is no where near the team that he had in 1999 in Tampa Bay. They need to get this thing fixed and fixed in a hurry because that window of opportunity is closing quickly.”

Terry Bradshaw adds: “This is not going to be fixed this year. This is going to have to be fixed in the off season, with the draft or some trades. You just can’t fix things like this. Eventually people catch up with you.”

Casserly: I talked to the Steelers this week. First of all, the Steelers would like Bill Cowher to come back next year as the Head Coach. I think there is a misconception of why a deal hasn't been done. People have talked about it being about dollars. They haven't even talked about dollars yet. They had some discussions about structure, length, but nothing about hard dollars yet. What's going to happen from here is this - both sides are going to sit down right after the season. This thing will not drag on. A decision will be made quickly. If Bill Cowher decides not to coach for the Steelers next year, by league rule, he can't coach for anybody in the NFL next year. The successor as I’ve said here before, in my opinion, the next Head Coach, if Bill resigns, will be Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

BETTIS ON LARRY JOHNSON VS. LADANIAN TOMLINSON: "I like Larry Johnson, he's similar to me in terms of his size, although I am a little bit bigger than him..."
COLLINSWORTH: "You're bigger than everybody."
BETTIS: "LT does so many things well, he catches the ball, he throws the ball, he runs the ball, he's just fully developed as a running back, and he's done it for six years."

COLLINSWORTH: "LT is a better all-around player, but Larry Johnson, I think, is the better pure runner."

COSTAS ON LAMAR HUNT: "Over the past few days, it's been hard to determine what's been cited more frequently: that Hunt always flew coach, or that he always treated everyone first-class."

LADANIAN TOMLINSON TO NBC'S ANDREA KREMER ON WHAT HE SAID TO HIS TEAMMATES BEFORE BREAKING THE NFL SINGLE-SEASON TD RECORD: "I said, 'guys, if this is it, if this is going to be the record, I want every single guy in this huddle to come be a part of it and touch this football, history, I want every single guy to come to the end zone and be a part of it.'"

NFL LEGEND JIM BROWN ON LT: "He is a bright light in today's game because so many other individuals are so interested in their individual achievement, and don't come close to having the charisma and the respect that this young man has."

PETER KING ON DREW BREES'S CONTRACT: "Everybody thought last year that Drew Brees signed a six-year, $16 million deal with the Saints and really, what it comes down to, is he signed a one-year contract with an option clause in it to be exercised on March 1, 2007 where the Saints will have to pay him $12 million to activate the final five years of it. The Saints are not a wealthy organization right now, I asked general manager Mickey Loomis what they were going to do and he said 'Peter, I would be a moron if we didn't activate that clause.' Drew Brees is going to get a big check on March 1."

Saturday Night Left Overs

2006-12-17T05:22:00.001-08:00

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“Flozell Adams for years played alongside Larry Allen.” – Gumbel

“The field would tilt to that side.”- Vermeil

“What a collision. The (Falcons) linebacker Michael Boley came through and nailed fullback Lousaka Polite. He (Boley) wasn’t so ‘polite.’”

-Vermeil

Key Stat: Terrell Owens first, first half touchdown this year.

Cowboys 7, Falcons 0

SECOND QUARTER

**Marshall Faulk joined Gumbel and Vermeil in the booth at 8:37 PM ET

BOOTH EXCHANGE

"Marshall, I assume you’re not too fond of how the voting went in “America’s Game?” –Gumbel

“Not at all. I think coach Vermeil and myself feel that team should have been higher on the charts (’99 Rams ranked 19th).” – Faulk

“Anytime you score as many points as that team did and still rank sixth in defense, you’re still a pretty good football team.” – Vermeil

“I have to confess, I did have a vote in that… but I was only a part.” – Gumbel

“Obviously you voted us higher.” – Vermeil

“Of course I did.” - Gumbel

“The fans of Atlanta, no matter the sport, are not known for their enthusiasm. But they are in it tonight.”

-Gumbel

“When he was with the Raiders, he used to give me fits.”

-Vermeil on Falcons defensive tackle Rod Coleman. Vermeil coached the Kansas City Chiefs for three seasons

Key Stat: Morten Andersen became leading scorer in NFL history with second extra point in the game.

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“As good as (Roy) Williams is, he’s not the best safety in the NFL when he’s in space.”

-Gumbel

“He’s as good as the best though when he’s close to the line of scrimmage.”

-Vermeil

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“From a coaching standpoint, we always say that pass interference is the worst call in football. The ball moves so far on plays like that.”

-Vermeil on pass interference call Aaron Glenn

“Cris Collinsworth believes when there is a pass interference penalty of a certain length, there should be an official review. What do you think about that?”

-Gumbel

“Well Cris was a wide receiver.” - Faulk

“Breaks another record… his own.”

Vermeil on Morten Andersen’s third extra point of the night

Halftime Score: Cowboys 21, Falcons 21

THIRD QUARTER

**Deion Sanders joined Faulk and Gumbel at the beginning of the third quarter. Vermeil left with sore throat.

“This is the same receiving corps we’ve been so critical of. I guess they heard all the commentary that we’ve been offering Marshall. They look like the Indianapolis Colts receivers today.”

-Sanders after an Ashley Lelie reception early in the third quarter

“This is the most aggressive I’ve seen the Falcons defense this year.”

-Sanders

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“Should we really be surprised Michael Vick is putting up these kind of numbers? Some people think he’s an athlete playing quarterback; I think he’s a quarterback that happens to be a great athlete.” – Sanders

“What Vick has been doing tonight that he sometimes has a problem with is remain a quarterback. Sometimes he’ll watch the rush and the ball will get tucked away like a running back. Tonight, that ball has been in his hand, prepared to throw it. -Faulk

“You can say what you want about the off-the-field mess that “T.O” brings, but on the field, this guy is the best receiver in football.”

-Sanders

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“Marshall correct me if I’m wrong, but Marion Barber gives the Cowboys offense so much more of a punch than Julius Jones. Jones looks like he’s trying to find a place to fall down and is not hitting the hole with the same intensity as Barber.”

-Sanders on Cowboys running backs

“Barber is a better downhill runner.” -Faulk

**BARBER RUNS FOR A TOUCHDOWN

“Barber runs with a sense of urgency when he has the ball” - Sanders

“DeAngelo Hall is allowing his emotions to get the best of him on the field.”

-Sanders after Hall angrily went to the sideline after a Dallas touchdown

Cowboys 31, Falcons 28

FOURTH QUARTER

Key Stat: Michael Vick breaks NFL record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback previously held by Bobby Douglass.

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“Were they similar?” –Sanders

“Douglass was built like a linebacker. When Vick runs, he takes punishment. When Douglass ran, he delivered the punishment.” -Gumbel

“You can’t come out of the game. The fans are seeing their star, their 100 million dollar man come out of the game. They don’t want to see him come out of the game unless he’s carried off the field.”

-Sanders as Vick left the game with a groin strain with 1:24 left

BOOTH EXCHANGE

“Is Marshall Faulk coming off the field at this point in the game?” –Sanders

“No.” –Faulk

“Is Deion Sanders coming off the field at this point?” –Gumbel

“Never.” –Sanders

FINAL SCORE
Cowboys 38, Falcons 28

POST GAME

“I can honestly say, that was one of my dreams to call a game.” –Sanders

“Remember, we’re always auditioning.” –Mariucci

ESPN BOWL ANNOUNCER RUNDOWN

2006-12-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 AND ESPN RADIO COLLEGE BOWL SCHEDULE

Date/Site Time (ET) Network Game/Commentators
Tue., 12/19 8 p.m. ESPN2 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl–
San Diego Northern Illinois vs. TCU
Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May and Rob Stone
Thu., 12/21 8 p.m. ESPN Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl – #20 BYU vs. Oregon
Las Vegas Brent Musburger, Bob Davie, Craig James and Lisa Salters
Fri., 12/22 8 p.m. ESPN2 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Rice vs. Troy
New Orleans Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone
ESPN Radio Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Todd McShay
Sat., 12/23 1 p.m. ESPN2 Papajohns.com Bowl – South Florida vs. East Carolina
Birmingham, Ala. Gary Thorne, Andre Ware and Todd Harris
ESPN Radio Pam Ward and Mike Gottfried
4:30 p.m. ESPN New Mexico Bowl – New Mexico vs. San Jose State
Albuquerque, N.M. Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore, Trevor Matich and Stacey Dales
ESPN Radio Dave Ryan, Kelly Stouffer and Quint Kessenich
8 p.m. ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl –Tulsa vs. Utah
Fort Worth, Texas Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
ESPN Radio Dave Barnett, Jim Donnan and Rob Simmelkjaer
Sun., 12/24 8 p.m. ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii vs. Arizona State
Honolulu Mark Jones, David Norrie and Heather Cox
ESPN Radio Mark Jones, David Norrie and Heather Cox (simulcast)
CAPITAL ONE BOWL WEEK
Tue., 12/26 7:30 p.m. ESPN Motor City Bowl – Middle Tennessee vs. Central Michigan
Detroit Dave Lamont, Ray Bentley and Vince Welch
Wed., 12/27 8 p.m. ESPN Emerald Bowl – Florida State vs. #25 UCLA
San Francisco Dan Fouts, Tim Brant and Jack Arute
ESPN Radio Dave Barnett, Bill Curry and Dave Ryan
Thu., 12/28 4:30 p.m. ESPN PetroSun Independence Bowl – Oklahoma State vs. Alabama
Shreveport, La. Gary Thorne, Andre Ware and Todd Harris
8 p.m. ESPN Pacific Life Holiday Bowl – #21 Texas A&M vs. #18 Cal
San Diego Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Erin Andrews
ESPN Radio Dan Fouts, Tim Brant and Jack Arute
Fri., 12/29 1 p.m. ESPN Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl – Clemson vs. Kentucky
Nashville, Tenn. Dave Pasch, Rod Gilmore, Trevor Matich and Stacey Dales
4:30 p.m. ESPN AutoZone Liberty Bowl – South Carolina vs. Houston
Memphis, Tenn. John Saunders, Craig James, Doug Flutie and Todd Harris
8 p.m. ESPN Champs Sports Bowl – Purdue vs. Maryland
Orlando, Fla. Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Bonnie Bernstein
ESPN Radio Dave Lamont, Jim Donnan and Duke Castiglione
Sat., 12/30 1 p.m. ESPN Meineke Car Care Bowl – Navy vs. #24 Boston College
Charlotte, N.C. Pam Ward, Mike Gottfried and Jimmy Dykes
4:30 p.m. ESPN Alamo Bowl – #19 Texas vs. Iowa
San Antonio, Texas Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone
ESPN Radio Dave Barnett, Bill Curry and Dave Ryan
8 p.m. ESPN Chick-fil-A Bowl – Georgia vs. #15 Virginia Tech
Atlanta Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Dr. Jerry Punch
ESPN Radio Dave Pasch, Rod Gilmore and Trevor Matich
Sun., 12/31 7:30 p.m. ESPN MPC Computers Bowl – Miami vs. Nevada
Boise, Idaho Mark Jones, David Norrie and Heather Cox
Mon., 1/1 11 a.m. ESPN Outback Bowl – #17 Tennessee vs. Penn State
Tampa, Fla. Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
ESPN Radio Gary Thorne, Andre Ware and Rob Stone
1 p.m. ABC Capital One Bowl – #12 Arkansas vs. #7 Wisconsin
Orlando, Fla. Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Erin Andrews
5 p.m. ABC Rose Bowl Presented by Citi – #5 USC vs. #3 Michigan
Pasadena, Calif. Brent Musburger, Bob Davie, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters and Bonnie
Bernstein
ESPN Radio Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Todd Harris
8 p.m. ESPN Radio Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – #8 Boise State vs. #10 Oklahoma
Glendale, Ariz. Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Dr. Jerry Punch
Tue., 1/2 8 p.m. ESPN Radio FedEx Orange Bowl – #6 Louisville vs. #14 Wake Forest
Miami Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
Wed., 1/3 8 p.m. ESPN Radio Allstate Sugar Bowl – #11 Notre Dave vs. #4 LSU
Atlanta Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Heather Cox
Sat., 1/6 noon ESPN2 International Bowl – Western Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Toronto John Saunders, Craig James, Doug Flutie and Todd Harris
Sun., 1/7 8 p.m. ESPN GMAC Bowl – Ohio vs. Southern Miss
Mobile, Ala. Gary Thorne, Andre Ware and Rob Stone
Mon. 1/8 8 p.m. ESPN Radio BCS Championship Game – #2 Florida vs. #1 Ohio State
Glendale, Ariz. Brent Musburger, Bob Davie, Todd Blackledge and Lisa Salters

The yearly college football playoff debate

2006-12-14T03:51:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 14, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 9 of 12,347 articles

WASHINGTON - For as long as I can remember, the most common end-of-the-year sports question has remained the same: Why can’t there be a Division I college football championship?

It is a fair question given that every other NCAA sport has a champion decided by a playoff.

So each year I ask some learned people if we will indeed ever see a true college football champion. I chatted with ESPN college football analysts Lou Holtz and Barry Switzer, legendary coaches and two of the sports best talkers around. Both were more than happy to share their opinion.

» “If you’re talking about the system that is used by the NCAA for the Division I-AA college football championship, then the answer is no way,” Holtz said. “The reason here has to do with the college presidents and alumni loving the bowl system. There is nothing better than taking a team to a bowl game as a reward for a good or in some cases a disappointing season. A playoff system, even if you used the bowls, would just not happen. I still like the plus-one concept where you could use the BCS Bowls with No. 1 playing No. 4 and No. 2 plays No. 3 with the winners facing off a week later in the National Championship. That is something I think can be done.”

» Said Switzer: “I agree with coach Holtz on the plus one, it could work. But I do not think a team that does not win their conference championship should play for the national title. Also, I would like to see the conference champions play in their traditional bowls. The Big Ten and Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl, Big 12 and Big East in the Orange Bowl, the SEC and ACC in the Sugar Bowl and use the Fiesta Bowl for Notre Dame and the other top teams. Then have your championship based on the bowl outcomes.”

OK, no true national champion based on a playoff. But I could live with the plus-one system, couldn’t you?

Magic, Bird ... Sidney and Alex?

Make no mistake about it, the National Hockey League feels its future lies in the budding rivalry between the planet’s two best young players. NHL brass hopes the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby can do for it what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did for the NBA in the 1980s.

Ovechkin and Crosby have already generated some of the NHL’s best TV ratings this year in Canada, where the duo is treated like rock stars and can’t walk the streets without being mobbed.

The United States is another matter. Both can and do walk around Washington and Pittsburgh with little fanfare.

VERSUS hockey analyst Ed Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach, knows both players well and discussed their roles in the NHL’s future.

Olczyk on what each player does best: “Crosby is a creator. He likes to set other guys up to move the puck along and he can score with the best of them but that is not his first thought when he is on the ice.

“Ovechkin is a scoring machine. If he is inside the blue line there is not a goalkeeper or a defenseman that can shut him down. You may stop him once or twice but you can’t keep him from scoring and he does it with such flair.”

Olczyk on casting them as Magic and Bird: “I would say that Crosby is the Magic Johnson here. He can fill a number of roles and fits in on a multitude of packages. Ovechkin is clearly the Larry Bird of the NHL. He can shoot from anywhere and his passing is off the charts.”

Both young stars figure to be around for a long time. But it won’t get truly dramatic until the Caps and the Pens get better and the talk shifts to whether Ovechkin or Crosby will hoist the Stanley Cup first.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Things to watch this weekend that you may not know about

2006-12-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

Here are some good shows that might slip through the video cracks so keep a look out for them:

1. Friday 7pm on CN8 Brady Quinn the Notre Dame QB and the 2006 winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will appear on “Out of Bounds,” mixing it up with host Gregg Murphy and Friday contributors Mike Missanelli, Scott Zolak , Kevin Blackistone and Lenn Robins, a day before he heads to New York as finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
2. Saturday 4pm on NBC the Ironman World championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii will feature a local competitor David Rozelle, living in Washington D.C., is an Iraqi war veteran who lost his foot in Iraq. He is a U.S. Army Captain and the first officer ever to return to command as an amputee. He is currently part of a team designing the new military amputee center in Washington D.C.

In racist-remark debate, coming to the defense of Anita Marks

2006-12-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 8, 2006 3:00 AM (8 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 13,397 articles

BALTIMORE - The politically correct police are out in force again.

Anita Marks is being accused of making a racist remark for calling San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman a “juice monkey.”

I know Marks, an ESPN 1300 AM and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network talk show host very well, and she is not in any way, shape or form a racist. To paint her as one is silly.

WNST talk show host Rob Long called for Marks to apologize for the remark. Long is a thoughtful, intelligent broadcaster.

He knows sports, and he also is aware when people say racially insensitive things, as opposed to just plain stupid things.

He has the right to say or do as he wishes, but he should also know that Marks is not a racist.

Before I go any further, let me say this: I do appear on Marks’ show every Friday night, and we talk about TV sports. Some might say I’m sticking up for a friend. They’re right.

I truly believe Marks did not intend her remark in an insensitive or hurtful way. To attack her for being racially insensitive in this matter is not only wrong, but totally unfair.

If we were to hang on every word that a radio or TV talk show host said without thinking through the entire situation, we’d spend our entire lives parsing words and phrases. That’s a waste of time.

Ask the many black athletes and broadcasters whom Marks has worked with if she’s a racist. The answer will be “No.”

I have seen it brought up that in 1983, ABC announcer Howard Cosell was widely criticized for calling former Washington Redskins receiver Alvin Garrett, an African-American, a “monkey.” What hasn’t been reported is that Cosell was defended by a number of top-name black sports stars, including Muhammad Ali, as someone who was a leader of the civil rights movement and not at all a racist.

In this politically correct world, we all must be careful what we say, but the audience also must also look at the body of a person’s work — and not just one item — before rushing to judgment.

The New York Post’s front page Thursday super-imposed the faces of politicians James Baker and Lee Hamilton onto the body of primates. The headline read: “Surrendering Monkeys.”

Anyone want to call Rupert Murdoch?

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

France 24 to channel overseas sports interests

2006-12-07T03:33:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 7, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 12,965 articles

WASHINGTON - Every week I receive at least a dozen e-mails from sports fans living in Washington who want a cricket, rugby or soccer score from overseas. Often I point them to Web sites.

I also used to send them to Northern Virginia-based cable channels 53 and 56 of the local MHz Networks. The channels had everything from soccer to Aussie Rules Football. They are free, over-the-air channels seen on cable all over the area.

Well I am happy to reveal that starting Friday, MHz is launching France 24, a new — and free — 24-hour European version of CNN.

I know we often get lost in the local sports news. But Washington is an international city with residents from all over the globe. France 24 will broadcast in English and offer plenty of programming to sports fans with overseas interests.

France 24’s U.S. debut will coincide with today’s worldwide channel launch. At 2:30 p.m., MHz Networks, France 24’s U.S. partner, will begin transmission of the channel in D.C. on MHz3 (Comcast Channel 186 as well as free digital broadcast 30-3). For those who want to see the network for free, you can pick up a digital antenna at any Radio Shack or your favorite electronics store.

France 24 promises to provide a fresh perspective on world events, driven by debate and respect for the diversity of cultures.

“Providing a different angle and contrasting viewpoints on world news, France 24 adds another strong voice to the world stage and is a natural fit to MHz’s portfolio,” said Frederick Thomas, General Manager and Executive Vice President of MHz Networks. “MHz has been committed to bringing the broadest range of world opinion to American audiences for over a decade. Positioning itself between CNN and the Arab media, France 24 delivers an interesting spectrum of opinions throughout the program.”

This is going to be an interesting venture and we are lucky the locally-based MHz Networks are once again ahead of the curve.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Nats not bystanders after all

2006-12-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 6, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 11,789 articles

WASHINGTON - Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are underway in Orlando, Fla., and the Nationals have stated publicly they plan to sit on the sidelines while general managers, agents and the like discuss deals and shake up rosters.

But when I spoke to ESPN baseball insider Steve Phillips on Tuesday morning, he laughed and said, “Do you really think that Jim Bowden is not going to pull off something?”

Phillips confirmed a trade that would send Boston’s Manny Ramirez to the Giants for Barry Bonds is indeed a real possibility. Oh, by the way, the Nationals would play a key role in the complex three-way deal.

Phillips on the possible deal: “Neither side has all the parts to pull this deal off at the moment so Jim [Bowden] has some players he is willing to part with that could make the deal happen while giving Washington a number of prime prospects from both the Giants and the Red Sox.Look three team deals are very tough to pull off but the fact that Bowden is in the middle of this one shows just how creative a GM he really is. Even if the deal does not work you can bet that Jim will be looking for clever ways to help the Nationals that is why he is so good at his job."

“The key piece of the deal for the Nationals could be 26-year-old Giants pitcher Noah Lowery while either Felipe Lopez or Cristian Guzman and other players (closer Chad Cordero’s name came up but that was denied by Bowden) could be headed to either San Francisco or Boston. This deal is moving along and has a real chance of getting done. So much for Jim sitting things out.”Phillips told me.

Phillips is high on all the moves the Nationals have made thus far. “The hiring of Manny Acta was a great move,” Phillips said. “He is a wonderful baseball mind and the stockpiling of over 40 minor leaguers was a no-lose deal. The team of Bowden and Stan Kasten is going to make Washington a premier franchise.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

BCS pairings to become theater

2006-12-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Dec 2, 2006 3:00 AM (6 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 8,948 articles

BALTIMORE - So who will face Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game?

On Saturday, as Florida battles Arkansas for the SEC championship and Southern Cal plays UCLA, Michigan will be sitting in Ann Arbor cheering for both the Gators and Trojans to lose. Those games will help clear up the BCS picture.

And on Sunday night at 8 p.m., FOX will telecast the announcement of the BCS pairings, a first for prime-time broadcast TV.

“Since this is the moment college football fans wait for all season long, these matchups deserve to be unveiled on the biggest stage possible, with as much production value as we can bring to it,” FOX Sports President Ed Goren said. “There’s no better platform on television than Sunday night in prime-time on FOX, following NFL doubleheader coverage featuring a national Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game.”

Chris Rose, the “BCS on FOX” host, will be joined in the studio by the network’s top analyst team of Barry Alvarez and Charles Davis.

Around the country, BCS lead play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman will be live in Columbus, Ohio with coach Jim Tressel and the Big Ten champion Buckeyes. Allstate Sugar Bowl reporter Jeanne Zelasko will be on the USC campus with coach Pete Carroll and the Pac-10 champion Trojans. Lead “BCS on FOX” reporter Chris Myers will be in Gainesville with coach Urban Meyer and the fourth-ranked Gators, and reporter Patrick O’Neal will be stationed in Boise, Idaho with the undefeated Boise State Broncos and coach Chris Petersen.

If Florida beats Arkansas in the SEC title game and gets left out of the national championship, Meyer’s reaction should be great theater. He has been very outspoken about the flaws in the system, and if his team in not picked to play Ohio State, Sunday’s telecast could quickly become a FOX reality show ... or at least a spin-off of ““Survivor.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

NFL Network draws intense fan reactions

2006-11-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 30, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 6 of 8,694 articles

WASHINGTON - The NFL Network’s Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth have become the most talked about duo in sports broadcasting. And they’ve only done one game.

I have never seen a reaction quite this interesting. Fans either like or hate them. I know it was Thanksgiving and your relatives were driving you nuts, but talk about snap judgments.

As many of you may recall last summer I interviewed both NFL Network president Steve Bornstein and Bryant Gumbel about their plans. Bornstein said the game broadcasts would be “conversational and not your traditional play-by-play and color team.”

Said Gumbel: “I have never done play-by-play and I don’t intend on doing it. I was hired to observe and to react to what is going on and Cris is there as the football analyst. Those are the roles we have been asked to do and we hope to do them well.”

It is different, edgy and won’t suit everyone’s taste. We need to give them some time, much like fans did for the Monday Night Football crew.

This week I spoke to Rich Eisen who with Deion Sanders, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, and Adam Schefter handles all the pre game, halftime and post game duties from the game sites.

Eisen spoke to the charges that some have made that the NFL Network never takes on the tough issues that face the league:

“That is something that drives me crazy,” Eisen said. “Clearly the people who say or write those things have never watched the network. We started our show off the other night with Michael Vick making an obscene gesture to the crowd, followed that up by talking about Eli Manning’s sudden fall from grace and we also did a story on the inconsistency of the officiating in the league. That is hardly taking the easy way out.”

Eisen on the Network’s growth: “We are the fastest growing cable network in history and that just goes to show you that fans want football information 24/7/365.”

The network takes its second shot at game production tonight as the Ravens take on the Bengals in Cincinnati.

The NFL Network can be seen on both Comcast and Cox digital services as well as via DirecTV and Dish Network. For those in the northern suburbs or in the Baltimore metro area you can also see the game on WMAR TV 2.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Hoop lovers have their fill

2006-11-28T04:30:00.001-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 28, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 9,317 articles

WASHINGTON - If there were any doubt Baltimore-based Mid-Atlantic Sports Network would be an entertaining year-round channel, let’s just put that rest once and for all.

MASN has begun to air what will be one of the most ambitious college basketball schedules ever offered to local fans.

How about 150 college games that will feature plenty of local schools like Georgetown, George Mason, Loyola, UMBC and Towson, with a nice compliment of women’s games in the mix?

The top conferences in the country will be featured in this package, including the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Colonial Athletic Association, and MAC.

The package’s showcase is the Big East, home to many a local players and one of the country’s premier conferences.

“We are delighted that MASN will be covering so many Big East contests,” said Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese. “MASN is opening up a whole new channel of opportunity for sports fans who can now follow Big East basketball from wire to wire.”

Dave Sims, the voice of Big East hoops told me, “I know that the Baltimore-Washington area is one of the best in the country. Year in and year out that region produces some of the best college basketball players in the country and many of them play for schools in the Big East. But the best part is that the Georgetown-Maryland rivalry is back big time. They don’t face each other during the season but you can bet they track one another all season long with the hopes of meeting in the NCAA tournament.”

Terps fans will not be slighted. They will be on TV every week once the ACC schedule begins. Maryland fans can follow all the Terps games on CSN, Raycom and the ESPN family of networks.

There will be over 1,000 college games on TV between ESPN, CSTV, CN8, CBS, Raycom and Verses, plus more on broadband and that does not count radio, XM and SIRIUS.

Your best bet is to check your favorite team’s Web site. They will give you all the info needed to follow the bouncing ball.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Buckhantz: Still a fan

2006-11-28T04:24:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 28, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 9,279 articles

BALTIMORE - Steve Buckhantz is one announcer who is not afraid to say he loves the Wizards. He is a fan and very proud of that fact that he followed the Bullets/Wizards ever since he was a little boy growing in Washington.

Buckhantz teams with color analyst Phil Chenier, a former Bullets star, on the Wizards’ Comcast SportsNet broadcasts. It’s a far cry from the days when he watched Chenier on TV and cheered for the Bullets at the old Capital Center.

I spoke to “Buck” about being the TV voice for the team he loves.

Buck on being passionate about the team: “There is nothing wrong wanting to see the Wizards win every game they play. As a broadcaster, I want to see them win, but just like every other fan, if they make mistakes or bonehead plays, you can bet both Phil and I will call them on it. You can be a fan and broadcaster without losing either your objectivity or most of all your credibility.”

Buck on his partner, Chenier: “Phil is a wonderful guy to work with, and he is such a great teacher of the game. I know that he has been able to teach me more about the game, and I know he has done the same for the fans. He has become one of my best friends, and we eat dinner together on the road, we play golf and, of course, we talk basketball. Phil has been with this organization for over 30 years, and he is a great resource, not only about the Bullets/Wizards, but about basketball in general. I can’t imagine a better partner or anyone that the fans would enjoy more.”

Anyone who watches Wizards telecasts knows that these guys like each other and form one of the best broadcast teams in the NBA. Buck has a natural sense of how build the drama of the game, and when he uses his signature call of the “dagger,” we just hope that it is being used by a Washington player.

Let’s not forget Wizards radio voice Dave Johnson, either. He, like Buck, knows how to use drama in his broadcasts.

Wizards fans are blessed to have these two voices.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

MASN, CSN offer a hoops smorgasbord

2006-11-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 27, 2006 3:00 AM (6 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 7,893 articles

BALTIMORE - If there was any doubt that the Baltimore-based Mid-Atlantic Sports Network would not be an entertaining, year-round channel, let’s put that question to rest once and for all.

MASN has started to air what will be one of the most ambitious college basketball schedules ever offered to local fans. How about 150 college games featuring plenty of local schools like Georgetown, George Mason, Loyola, UMBC and Towson, with a nice complement of women’s games in the mix. The top conferences in the country like the Big East, Big Ten and the Big 12 will be featured in this package, as well as the Colonial Athletic Association and the Mid-American Conference. The package’s showcase is the Big East, which is home to many local players.

“We are delighted that MASN will be covering so many Big East contests,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “MASN is opening up a whole new channel of opportunity for sports fans who can now follow Big East basketball from wire to wire.”

Dave Sims, the voice of Big East hoops, told me: “I know that the Baltimore-Washington area is one of the best in the country. Year in and year out, that region produces some of the best college basketball players in the country, and many of them play for schools in the Big East. But the best part is that the Georgetown-Maryland rivalry is back big-time. They don’t face each other during the season, but you can bet they track one another all season long with the hopes of meeting in the NCAA tournament.”

Maryland fans will not be slighted. The Terps will be on TV every week once the ACC schedule begins. Fans can follow all the Terps’ ACC games on Comcast SportsNet, Raycom and the ESPN family of networks.

There will be more than 1,000 college games on TV between ESPN, CSTV, CN8, CBS, Raycom and Versus, plus even more on broadband. And that doesn’t count radio, XM and SIRIUS.

With all these games, your best bet is to check your favorite team’s Web site to find info on how to follow the bouncing ball.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

Three helpings of NFL … for some

2006-11-23T05:17:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 23, 2006 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 6,976 articles

WASHINGTON - Today is Thanksgiving and that means turkey and football. For some, there will more of both.

An extra helping of turkey is up to you. What NFL games you’ll have access to is not as simple. Everybody will be able to see the traditional games with Miami at Detroit starting at 12:30 p.m. on CBS, followed by Tampa Bay at Dallas at 4:15 p.m. on FOX.

But the much-anticipated debut of the NFL Network’s prime-time game coverage kicks off later in the evening with the Denver traveling to Kansas City. The pregame begins with “Total Access Live” at 7 p.m. Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will call the game beginning at 8.

However, even if you have cable in the Washington/Baltimore area you may not be able to see the game. You will need to check your channel guide or cable company’s Web site to find out.

The NFL Network is on Comcast as well as Cox, this region’s two major cable systems. But it is on the digital tier and in some cases is part of the “sports pack.” Dish Network and DirecTV subscribers will be able to watch the game.

This area is lucky. Interested viewers at least have a chance to watch the games. Fans in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Houston, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Charlotte and Indianapolis will not even have a choice. The NFL Network is not carried on Time Warner, Cablevision or some of the smaller cable systems around the country, causing anger among NFL fans.

Cable companies and the NFL Network have been locked in a heated battle over the price-per-subscriber as well as the network’s channel placement on the popular extended basic platform most of the 90 million people in the country get in their homes.

The NFL Network reaches approximately 40 million of the country’s 112 million cable subscribers and the Washington-Baltimore market is in much better shape than the rest of the country. More people get the NFL Network in this area than almost anywhere else. By the way, the same holds true for other niche sports networks like CSTV, NBA-TV, FOX Soccer Channel and Gol TV.

Much like it works with ESPN’s NFL contract, the Kansas City and Denver markets will see the game on local TV.

If you don’t get the NFL Network, you always have radio. WTEM and SIRIUS will air the games.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Thursday Night Football a show not all can see

2006-11-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

It is Thanksgiving and you will be able to see the traditional games with Miami - Detroit starting at 12:30pm on CBS (9 in Washington and 13 in Baltimore), followed by Tampa Bay - Dallas at 4:15pm on FOX ( 5 in Washington and 45 in Baltimore.)

At 7pm the much anticipated debut of the NFL Network’s prime time coverage of the Chiefs and the Broncos kicks off with Total Access Live from Kansas City then at 8pm Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collingsworth will call the game.

However even if you do have cable in the Washington/Baltimore area you may not be able to see the game between the Chiefs and the Broncos you will need to check your channel guide or the cable companies website to find out if you will get the game.

The NFL Network is on Comcast as well as Cox the two major cable systems in the region however it is on the digital tier and in some cases part of the “sports pack.” Subscribers to both the Dish Network and DirecTV will be able to watch the game. As a matter of fact the Baltimore/Washington area boasts one of the largest subscriber bases for the NFL Network anywhere in the country.

So we are very lucky that we at least have a chance to watch the games, fans in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Houston, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Kansas City and Indianapolis will not even have a choice. The NFL Network is not carried on Time Warner, Cablevision or some of the smaller cable systems around the country causing football fans to be very angry.

Cable companies and the NFL Network have been locked in a heated battle over the price per subscriber as well as the placement of the channel on the popular extended basic platform that most of the 90 million people in the country get in their homes.

The NFL Network like the ESPN contract demands that the two teams involved in the telecast will see the game on local TV. Next weeks Ravens-Cincinnati game will be seen on WMAR TV 2 and the Redskins-New York telecast that will be the final game of the season will be on local TV in Washington.

You always have radio WBAL, WTEM and SIRIUS all plan on airing the games.

Fast facts:

1. The NFL Network has 40 million subscribers and is the fastest growing cable network.
2. ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS have in excess of 90 million subscribers nationwide.
3. There are 115 million television homes in the United States.

Hanging with Ahmad on Tuesday nights

2006-11-21T04:29:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 21, 2006 3:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 8,855 articles

WASHINGTON - For over 30 years, Ahmad Rashad has been an Emmy Award-winning reporter and program host for NBC, ABC and now NBA-TV.

His show on NBA-TV — “Tuesdays with Ahmad” — is the network’s pregame show that airs just before the Tuesday Night Game of the Week.

It is a hit not only here in the United States but in over 60 countries worldwide.

Local favorites Gilbert Arenas and Carmelo Anthony have been on the show both as in-studio and on-location guests.

I spoke to Rashad about the show and about the NBA’s growth over the past decade.

» Rashad on his show: “I am the executive producer of the show and along with a very talented staff we try do a show that both the casual fan and the hardcore fan would enjoy. We talk to players and celebrities and try give the audience a different perspective about who these guys are as people. If you know more about them as people you are more inclined to like them and cheer for them. As for the guests from the entertainment field they are fans just like us and they enjoy talking sports. All in all, I am proud of what we have done thus far and think the fans enjoy the program.”

» Rashad on the NBA’s worldwide appeal: “The NBA and pro basketball is the second biggest sport in the world behind soccer. I tell my friends in the NFL that everywhere I go in the world people stop me and want to talk about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, LeBron James and a number of others. They are wearing NBA gear in Europe, China and everywhere in between. I have seen basketball hoops in Russia and in Africa. To be able to use my show as a way to advance the game is a big plus both for me and the NBA.”

“Tuesdays with Ahmad” can be seen at either 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on the Game of the Week but it is worth finding. It is clearly one of the most entertaining sports shows on TV.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

NFL Network has a Super new show

2006-11-17T03:43:00.000-08:00

NFL Network has a Super new show
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 17, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 10,006 articles

BALTIMORE - Get out you calendar and make time Friday night for “America’s Game: A Countdown to History,” which debuts at 8:30 p.m. on the NFL Network. It’s one of the best sports documentary series ever done.

The series will run over the next 20 weeks, counting down to the best Super Bowl team of all time.

The show, which is hosted by Rich Eisen and Steve Sabol, unveils the top 20 Super Bowl champions of all time, as voted on by a blue-ribbon panel of NFL experts. Panelists include general managers Ernie Accorsi (Giants) and Bill Polian (Colts); Hall of Fame players Dan Marino and Dan Fouts; current head coaches Bill Cowher (Steelers) and Marty Schottenheimer (Chargers); sportswriters Peter King (Sports Illustrated), Rick Telander (Chicago Sun-Times) and Dave Anderson (New York Times); and former players and current TV analysts Cris Collinsworth (HBO, NBC, NFL Network) and Boomer Esiason (CBS Sports).

Having seen some of the shows, this much is clear: NFL Films has outdone itself on this project. “America’s Game” is the best work they have ever done. It’s worthy of making the jump from TV to theaters.

Sabol told me about the massive project: “We have a saying here at NFL Films: ‘Never throw anything away.’ It is a good thing that we didn’t because we were able to use never-before-seen footage in this series. I am proud that we found the right people who were part of the team to tell the story. For instance, on the 1970 Colts we used Bill Curry, Mike Curtis, Ernie Accorsi and Bubba Smith. You could not pick four more different personalities. That was our goal in each film — to get people who could tell us stories that we have never heard before. We also have a wonderful cast of narrators, including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Gene Hackman and Martin Sheen to name a few.”

Sabol on the production: “We filmed this show like would a feature film. The people who told the stories — like Curry, Curtis, Accorsi and Smith — all were given massive binders full of background material in the hopes that it would fill in any blanks they might have had recalling the season. It paid off because we have more stories than we ever expected, and I can tell that I am proud of this project. But most of all, my 90-year-old father liked it, and he has always been our toughest critic.”

The 20 teams that did not make the cut will be shown this spring after the Super Bowl.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Examiner

The King leaves his throne

2006-11-17T03:38:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 17, 2006 3:00 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 10,006 articles

WASHINGTON - He is going out on top.

George Michael has turned down a lucrative offer from NBC and will end his career as WRC TV channel 4’s sports director after 26 years.

It is official. The King is ending his run.

“Bob Wright, the president of NBC, has been good to me and to my staff over the years,” Michael said. “He offered me a deal that was very, very generous. But I just could not see working without my team, the writers and producers that have won awards and have made me look good for 26 years. This network-wide budget cut is tough on everyone and Mr. Wright has been good about taking care of all my staff, the ones that will stay and the others that will have to leave.

“So I have no issues with NBC or channel 4. This is a family now and will always be a family to me — and a part of my life.”

That begs the question: What’s next for Michael?

“For now and into 2007, I will continue to do “The Redskins Report”, “The Joe Gibbs Show”, and “Full Court Press”. Also, I will do the Monday live interviews with Sonny Jurgensen so we can give Coach Gibbs and Joe Bugel plenty of grief.

“As for going to another TV station, I have had plenty of offers — one even wanted to build me my own studio — but it is time to end this. Everything has to come to an end some time and I think that this is my time.”

The future of the “The Sports Machine”, Michael’s nationally syndicated sports highlight show that premiered in 1984, is still uncertain. Michael said he is leaning toward shutting that down in March as well, although he did leave the door slightly open.

Like Johnny Carson, Michael is going out on top. His ratings have never been better. Michael will still be on the air doing the Redskins with Sonny and his fans will be able to watch he and Jim Vance have fun.

So it’s not all bad.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.

Examiner

Praise for Acta already started

2006-11-14T04:13:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 14, 2006 5:00 AM (2 hrs 13 mins ago)
Current rank: # 3 of 5,840 articles

WASHINGTON - Mets third base coach Manny Acta is expected to be introduced today as new manager of the Nationals.

At 37, Acta will be the youngest manager in Major League Baseball. He knows many of the current Nationals players because he served as a coach under outgoing manager Frank Robinson in Montreal from 2002-04.

The move is drawing praise from those in the baseball media.

While Acta has no major league managerial experience, every person I spoke to from ESPN’s Steve Phillips to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal had nothing but high praise for Acta and how he handles players.

Phillips pointed out how well he handled egos while managing the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic. Also, Acta’s attention to fundamentals and teaching young players is his strong suit. Phillips also pointed out Acta showed a great deal of managing savvy in winter ball in his native Dominican Republic where he won a championship with the Licey Tigers in 2003-2004.

“A guy like Manny Acta is the perfect fit for the Nationals,” said ESPN baseball analyst John Kruk. “He will be a great manager and will be around this game for a very long time.”

It has been a busy month for the Nats. They found a manager, added more than 20 new players to their minor league system, and bolstered their scouting department to rival that of any organization in baseball.

The Hot Stove League is just getting started and in their own slow but meticulous way, Nats president Stan Kasten and general manager Jim Bowden are following their rebuilding script to the letter.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

Sports fans paying it forward on legal Web site

2006-11-14T04:11:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 14, 2006 5:00 AM (2 hrs 10 mins ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 5,782 articles

BALTIMORE - So you are now convinced that Maryland is going to a BCS bowl and the Ravens will be in the Super Bowl, and you want tickets. But how do you get them without selling the farm?

TicketReserve.com is a fascinating new concept that allow sports fans to buy tickets at face value for investing some cash in their favorite team’s chances of making it to a big-time bowl game or the Super Bowl. The concept is based on the stock market, with each team assigned a value that either goes up or down depending on its success.

TicketReserve.com is legal, well-controlled, supervised and has impressed so many top bowls and other key sporting event managers that it has won the support of the BCS bowls, as well as a number of other bowls. They also have the support of the NFL and NBA, among others.

For $10 per ticket, a Maryland fan can buy a FanForward pass, assuring them the chance to purchase up to eight tickets at face value should Maryland make the BCS or any of the top-tier bowl games. If they don’t, you are out your $10-per-ticket investment. Right now, the Ravens are at $100 per ticket and growing fast for Super Bowl seats.

Just like the stock market, the “buy-in” goes up the better the team plays. For example, a fan of Ohio State bought the FanForward at the opening price of $156. The Buckeyes’ victory over Texas on Sept. 9 pushed prices over $600. The most recent check saw the buy-in at $595.

For the fan who bought the right to purchase the tickets at $156 over face value, he can either choose to do that or make a profit like the stock market and sell his FanForward to someone else on the Web site. Again, all perfectly legal and very much fan-controlled.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

2006-11-11T05:19:00.001-08:00

So you want those BCS and Super Bowl tickets?
Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 11, 2006 5:00 AM (3 hours ago)
Current rank: # 9 of 5,154 articles

OK you are now convinced that Maryland is going to make it to a BCS bowl or that the Ravens will be in the Super Bowl and you want tickets. But how do you get them without selling the farm?

Well the Ticket Reserve is a fascinating new concept that assures that the fans can buy tickets at face value for investing some cash in their favorite team’s chances of making it to a big time bowl game.

It works like the stock exchange in many ways the better the team the higher the buy in for instance right a Maryland fan could buy for $10 per ticket a FanForward pass assuring you the chance to purchase up to eight tickets at face value should Maryland make a BCS Bowl game, if they don’t you are out your $10 per ticket investment. Right now the Ravens are at $100 per ticket and growing fast.

Here is the key; Let's say that Maryland wins out and the Ravens are a shoe-in for the playoffs. Well, just like the stock market the buy in goes up the better the team plays.

For example a fan of Ohio State bought the FanForward at the opening price of $156. The team's victory over Texas pushed prices over $600 and the most recent check of the site saw the buy in at $595.

For the fan who bought the right to purchase the tickets at $156 over face value he can either choose to do that or make a profit like the stock market and sale his FanFoward to someone else on the web site. It is all perfectly legal and is very much fan controlled.

“The goal is to allow Joe Fan better access to prominent sporting events, said Andy Leach who is the company's executive vice president.”The average fan gets locked out of these games," Leach said. "Ticket prices just keep going higher and higher as ticket brokers buy up the seats."

TicketReseve.com has agreements with all the BCS Bowls and a number of other major non BCS Bowls to serve as the official online sales arm of the games.

“The online market's users qualify as your typical fan looking for a seat at the big game, Leach said. “A very small percentage seems to participate more for investment purposes.”

Well worth watching…

CSTV will air the Notre Dame at Air Force game Saturday at 4pm and Comcast in the entire area will have the game on digital cable for free on channel 274.

CSTV also will debut "From Ballfields to Battlefields: Stories From Iraq," a compelling one-hour show hosted by acclaimed actor Matthew Modine. It's about college athletes whose lives and athletic careers will forever be affected because of combat injuries. The show premieres Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Much of the interviews were shot at Walter Reed Hospital and Bethesda Naval Hospital and it worth watching.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.

Changes coming on MASN baseball broadcasts

2006-11-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 10, 2006 5:00 AM (1 hr 45 mins ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 6,178 articles

BALTIMORE - With the recent news that former Washington Nationals color analyst Tom Paciorek was let go, the big question is: Will the new Nationals’ opening have an effect on Orioles broadcasts, now that both are on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network?

Bob Carpenter will return as the Nationals’ play-by-play man, but his partner is yet to be determined. Scuttlebutt from Chicago and Phoenix says former Chicago Cubs broadcaster and Orioles pitcher Steve Stone has been in contact with the Nationals about the opening and that he wants the job.

Stone worked at ESPN last season, but he’d like to do home games for a local team. His wife is from the Washington area, so when the opening came he apparently jumped at the opportunity.

But MASN could hire Stone, partner him with Jim Palmer for Orioles broadcasts and send Buck Martinez to Washington. Martinez, who is a MASN employee, has worked with Carpenter at ESPN in the past. They have a good broadcast history together.

But there is another big name in the mix. Don Sutton, the former major league pitcher and long-time Braves broadcaster on TBS, got caught in the numbers game in Atlanta and is available. Like Stone, he has shown interest in the Nationals’ opening. He certainly knows team president Stan Kasten well, and one would think his résumé would lead to strong consideration.

MASN and the Nationals are likely to get a number of prospective tapes, because this is one of the premier jobs in baseball. It will certainly attract some other big-name candidates.

Joe Angel, Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra are all expected to be back calling O’s games, along with Jim Palmer and Martinez ... for now.

Meanwhile, both the O’s and Nationals are looking at new radio deals. Each team’s one-year deals expired, prompting hopes of a long-term contract and possibly a change of stations.

Stay tuned.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

MASN, Nats resume color analyst search

2006-11-10T03:42:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 10, 2006 5:00 AM (1 hr 41 mins ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 6,178 articles

WASHINGTON - Tom Paciorek, we hardly knew ya.

MASN announced early this week that Paciorek, after one season, won’t be back as color analyst of the Nationals’ broadcast team.

His partner in the booth, play-by-play man Bob Carpenter, will return.

It’s second year in a row MASN has dropped the Nats’ color analyst, as Ron Darling went the way of Paciorek after the inaugural season. But Paciorek’s departure comes as a mild surprise because he and Carpenter worked well together and fans seemed to enjoy their broadcasts.

So where do MASN and the Nats go from here?

There are several candidates that make sense:

» Word out of Chicago and Phoenix has former Chicago Cubs broadcaster and Orioles pitcher Steve Stone as a candidate. Stone confirmed he has been in contact with the Nats and he “really wants the job.”

Stone worked at ESPN last season but is eyeing a return to covering one team. Stone’s wife is from the Washington area so he has jumped at the opportunity.

» Buck Martinez is a MASN employee currently doing O’s telecasts. He worked with Carpenter before at ESPN and I am sure MASN could find a suitable former Oriole player (possibly Stone) to take Martinez’s spot on O’s games when Jim Palmer is not on the Baltimore telecasts.

» Former major league pitcher and Braves broadcaster Don Sutton got caught up in a numbers game in at Atlanta and is available. Like Stone, he has shown interest in the Nats’ opening. He certainly knows team president Stan Kasten well from their days in Atlanta and one would think he’ll be given strong consideration.

The Nats’ popular radio team of Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler will return, which is good news. They did a great job last season when most of the games could not be seen on TV.

We still don’t know if the team will be back on WTWP AM-1500 and FM-107.7 or not. The Nats provided WTWP with some of its best ratings and are a hot radio property. Other stations in town — WTEM, Triple X ESPN Radio and WJFK-FM — are still in the hunt for the rights.

Stay tuned.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer
Examiner

See the Turtle: Terps on TV

2006-11-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 8, 2006 5:00 AM (4 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 5,092 articles

BALTIMORE - Several weeks ago, the Maryland football team’s chances of earning bowl eligibility and spending some time in the sun in December looked dicey. Now, the Terps are very much in the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a possible BCS bowl.

As such, the ESPN family of networks will focus its cameras on Maryland for the stretch run starting Saturday, when Miami comes to College Park for an ESPN on ABC game, seen locally on ABC-2. The Terps’ upcoming games against Boston College and Wake Forest will be seen on an ESPN network at a time to be determined. That’s a far cry from mid-October, when Maryland’s game at Virginia was carried only on ESPN360 Broadband.

Speaking of ESPN, happy 10th birthday to ESPNEWS. They have come a long way since the early days of just reading the news and showing highlights. As a matter of fact, “College Game Day Overdrive” was awesome on Saturday, switching between ACC games to keep you up to the minute on everything going on in college football.

“Sunday Blitz” is also a great show, where you can flip from the Ravens game and catch up all the NFL scores and some great analysis.

The NFL Network is also celebrating a birthday — it turns three this week. No other network has grown as fast, and continues to expand in large numbers every day.

The network made a wise choice to turn down Comcast’s $500 million offer and keep the NFL Thursday/Saturday package in hopes of growing. Turning down the big dollars has allowed the network to gain ground on ESPN and other sports networks. Plus, their NFL Films shows and access to coaches and players have made studio shows must-see TV.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner

Triple X gaining ground on WTEM’s dominance

2006-11-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 7, 2006 5:00 AM (2 hrs 3 mins ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 7,540 articles

WASHINGTON - For years, WTEM’s “Tailgate Show” leading up to Redskins games has been the standard by which other local pregame shows were measured. Scott Lynn has continued the tradition and with many fine contributors like Doc Walker, Brian Mitchell, Steve Czaban, Andy Pollin and Redskins beat reporter Jerry Coleman, they continue to do the best pregame show in the market.

But Triple X ESPN Radio is quickly closing the gap.

“Redskins Game Day” with Kevin Sheehan and co-host Bram Weinstein has exclusive access with player and coach interviews you won’t find anywhere else. They also have an impressive stable of analysts led by John Riggins, Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff and Larry Michael. Each adds to a show that in less than one season has almost matched the quality of WTEM.

Basically, it’s two good sports talk radio stations dueling to produce the best content. That is good news for D.C. sports fans.

Picture worthy Terps, Hokies

Several weeks ago, Maryland and Virginia Tech’s football teams would have been happy to secure the all-important sixth win, become bowl eligible and spend some time in the sun come December.

But now the Terps and Hokies are in the hunt for a spot in the ACC Championship game and BCS bowl bid awarded the winner.

That means for the rest of the season, the ESPN family of networks will focus their cameras on Maryland and Virginia Tech’s stretch run.

You can bet that starting Saturday, when Miami comes to College Park, followed by a trip Boston College and home final against Wake Forest, all Terps action is ticketed for TV. The Terps and Miami will be a 3:30 p.m. start this Saturday on ESPN on ABC (Channel 7).

Meanwhile in Blacksburg, Hokies fans will be watching their team face off against Kent State on ESPNU before a trip to Wake Forest and home finale against Virginia. All three games will find their way onto either the ESPN family of networks or Raycom/MY20.

So in this wide-open ACC of 2006, Maryland and Virginia Tech fans will be able to see how it all unfolds without having to leave the comfort of their home.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
Examiner

Arena returns for the United-Revolution title game

2006-11-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 4, 2006 5:00 AM (5 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 7,803 articles

The Cowboys and the Redskins will be playing in front of 90,000 fans at Fed Ex Field on Sunday but the best game of the day will be at RFK. At 4pm about four miles away at Redskins old home, the fans will be dressed in all black and the joint will be packed and jumping.

With the Eastern Title on the line it will be like old times as United will face the Revolution in what has all the elements of a wide open last man standing kind of game.

Sunday's game is a rematch of one of the best games in MLS history when D.C. beat New England at RFK in the 2004 Eastern Conference Final.

After the two teams played to a 3-3 draw in regulation, United topped the Revolution on penalty kicks and went on to capture its fourth MLS Cup championship.

ESPN2 jumped on the Washington – New England, Eastern Conference Championship game the moment it came up on the board. There is a wild history between these two teams and ESPN did not want to miss the fun.

They will have a three man booth that will feature Bruce Arena’s return to D.C. and he will join Dave O’Brien, Eric Wynalda, and sideline reporter extraordinaire Brandi Chastain on the telecast.

I spoke to Wynalda about the game: “I see this as a really wide open game. Most of the same players are on United and New England that played in that classic 2004 game. This match up should provide almost the same result. I see lots of goals being scored in this one.”

Wynalda on the United fans: “This is a great soccer city, and the Washington fans are passionate about their team. I am sure that Sunday’s game will be loud and electric just what both sides deserve knowledgeable true soccer fans, it will be great stuff.”

Wynalda on the MLS: “The league is doing many positive things with all the new soccer only stadiums opening. But I would like to see us go to more of a world schedule so we finish the season in March or April and not up against football or the World Series.”

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
Examiner