== The media sidebar on Dick Enberg and the U.S. Open....

==The Kings will announce today a new expanded content initiative for their official LAKings.com website, part of which includes hiring Tom Murray, the former KCAL Channel 9 reporter and one-time editor of the Hockey News, as a correspondent to blog and also do video reporting. Murray, who did fill-in work for FSN last year on Kings and Ducks as a reporter, says as fans turn more and more to the Internet for their immediate news, the site will include many day-of-game features from the morning skate and "from there, it could grow into a real pre- and post-game show format down the road."
Heidi Androl, one of the last contestants left on the most recent season of NBC's "The Apprentice L.A.," has also been hired as special events host to become the primary on-air personality for the website. Androl was dubbed "The Hottie" by show marketers.
Considering the belt tightening that's going on at FSN West, which is the TV home for the Kings, the team's proactive approach at how things are presented in the visual media is even more important. Word is that FSN is eliminating the Kings' pregame show, cutting back on expensive tools such as the Telestrator between periods and basically invested much less into the telecast beyond what's necessary (including a decision to not do more than 10 HD broadcasts, the same as last season). FSN insiders say it has as much to do with the sport's lack of ratings appeal (meaning, less advertiser income) as it does with upper management's desire to invest its money and talent in other events.

==Considering all the tradition of the FedEx Cup and what the trophy and delayed cash payments have meant over the years to the health of the PGA Tour, NBC has eight-plus hours of the PGA Tour Championships this weekend from East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta (Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) so we can finally see who the hell has the most ... points? whatever it is to crown a champion. And anytime a Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson matchup can decide a lot of money, it's worth keeping tabs on, so the PGA has achieved what it sought -- some publicity a week or two into the football season without getting buried too far back on the sports viewers radar.
"More and more people are getting into this," said NBC's Johnny Miller. "I for one think it's long overdue having a meaningful crescendo effect at the end of the season."
Dan Hicks is with Miller in the 18th-hole tower, while Gary Koch, Bob Murphy, Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper are scattered about the fairways looking for loose anuities.
Maybe "interviewer/essayist" Jimmy Roberts can string together a yarn that sums up what many have felt about this FedEx Cup ... that's yarn, almost rhymes with yawn.
Perhaps the best piece of golf programming NBC will have on this weekend is a one-hour special: "The Life and Times of Bobby Jones" (9:30 to 10:30 a.m.), narriated by actor Sean Connery. Sounds like a nice diversion from the NFL yackfests.
The Golf Channel continues its coverage today (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), plus Saturday (9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.) and Sunday (8:30 to 10:30 a.m.). PGATour.com has video streaming of the event today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the weekend.

==Announcers for those who need to know 'em:
NFL Sunday:
CBS' doubleheader has for the L.A. market:
10 a.m.: Indianapolis at Tennessee, with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf;
1:15 p.m.: Oakland at Denver, with Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon (while most of the country gets Kansas City at Chicago with Jim Nantz and Phil SImms).
Fox's single game:
1:05 p.m.: Dallas at Miami, with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa (not Green Bay at N.Y. Giants at 10 a.m. with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman).

On local college ball Saturday:
2 p.m.: UCLA at Utah, Joe Beninati and Glenn Parker, on Versus
5 p.m. USC at Nebraska, Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, on Channel 7 (and ESPN GameDay also emminates from Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday morning so Herby won't need the wild airplane ride to get to the booth in time)

And the rest:
9 a.m.: Pitt at Michigan State, Dave Pasch and Andre Ware, on ESPN
12:30 p.m.: Notre Dame at Michigan, Brad Nessler, Bob Griese and Paul Maguire, on Channel 7
12:30 p.m. Tennessee at Florida, with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, on Channel 2
12:30 p.m.: Ohio State at Washington, Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham, on ESPN
12:30 p.m.: Texas at Central Florida, Bob Wischusen and David Norrie, on ESPN2
3:45 p.m.: Arkansas at Alabama, Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge on ESPN
4:30 p.m.: Louisville at Kentucky, Eric Collins and Bill Curry on ESPN Classic
7 p.m.: Florida State at Colorado, Dan Fouts and Tim Brant on ESPN

==Keith Olbermann decided that the New York Jets fans were the "Worst Person in the NFL" on the NBC pregame show, because of how the 77,000-plus cheered the fact that QB Chad Pennington hobbled to the sideline and was replaced during the game against the Patriots because of his painful injury.
CBS' Phil Simms, in the press notes sent out by the network this week, responded to the event, relating to his experiences as a former New York Giants quarterback: "What happened this past Sunday ... would probably happen in 30 of the 32 stadiums across the NFL. There are a lot of factors as to why it’s that way, including the way the fans have changed when they go to games, and just the position of the quarterback. If the head coach got injured and relieved during the game almost every fan base would cheer that action too. Chad Pennington probably was the best Jet player on the field this past Sunday. I was out walking around on Monday and a lot of Jets fans came up to me wanting to get my take on what’s wrong with the team. I usually end up turning it around and pose the question to them. And what do you think was the first thing out of their mouths? ‘Well, we have to do something about Chad Pennington.’ I made most of them sorry that they said it because I said, ‘What? He was the best player on the field for the Jets!’
"I’m just speaking in general here, but every fan base always wants some other team’s quarterback. And probably the most important thing is they just get tired of their own quarterback. For example, Donovan McNabb has had a stellar career, but the Eagles drafted quarterback Kevin Kolb in the second round this year. And, from what I have read and heard, the perception is that Eagles fans couldn’t wait for him to replace McNabb. That’s just the culture of being a quarterback in the NFL. I read an article that said, ‘Well hey, I should just expect that from fans.’ So that behavior is now accepted just because it’s common place? That’s a terrible thing to write and to think."

==A slice of the Monday Night Football early-game telecast (Cincinnati vs. Baltimore) during the fourth quarter, after the Bengals scored a touchdown and went for the two-point conversion, scored as fullback Jeremi Johnson provided the block to allow Rudy Johnson to score.:
Ron Jaworski: Excellent job by Jeremi Johnson leading the way … Rudy Johnson, very smart following Jeremi Johnson ...
(And back to the replay of the TD):
RJ: You see Houshmandzadeh going behind the block of Chad Johnson, well designed .. well executed..
Tony Kornheiser: Aw, Chad Johnson, Rudy Johnson, Jeremi Johnson ...
Mike Tirico: And don’t forget (linebacker) Landon Johnson scored earler…
TK: And we got another story later if we can get to it about someone almost named Johnson…
RJ: Do you know who the biggest Johnson is?
TK laughs.
RJ: Jeremi ... he came to camp over 300 pounds he had to lose 20 pounds before they allowed him to practice.
TK: I’m gonna let you have that one all by yourself.

==And a slice of Tiki Barber's commentary at the end of NBC's telecast of the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game:
Asked by John Madden and Al Michaels about the Giants' injuries in the game, Barber said:
“Unfortunately (injuries) have been a trend for our team for the last three, four years … a couple of years we’ve led the league in IRs … I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt the Giants for the rest of this season.”
On the running back situation: "Ward has been with us for a couple of years … we’ve always known what he’s capable of … to make a contribution to the Giants running game… they’re gonna need it. They do need a running game.”
What is it, us or them?

==Now that the NFL has decided how to punish the New England Patroits for spying, maybe it can figure out if two kicks by the San Diego Chargers hit the cable over the field that operates the unmanned camera used by Fox in its coverage of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding said his first kickoff Sunday hit a wire, and punter Mike Scifres claims one of his kicks did the same. A Fox spokesman said upon further review, there's no evidence that justifies their claim.

==Gotta go to the Dan Patrick website and check out a video clip of Dan, in his kitchen, trying to get through to an exec who may be able to help him with his new post-ESPN career, but there's trouble when the secretary won't put his call through... also note the clock below, counting down to something that's about to happen in 17-plus days ... Oct. 1?

==The latest critique from ESPN.com ombudsman Le Ann Schreiber on how the network handled the marathon Michael Vick coverage. Of the Aug. 20 date in which Vick made his guilty plea, Schreiber says: "One might debate the merits of devoting nearly 3 hours to that piece of breaking news, but length was not the most notable feature of this special. Quality was. ... In my opinion, they aced it." But on Aug. 24, when Vick filed his written plea agreement, ESPN was "less than its best" because the previous night, it reported that Vick would not admit to killing dogs or gambling ... "That's when the confusion began," she wrote. The scoop was "seriously misleading, if not dead wrong."

==You hear Steve Hartman on AM 570 plug anything, from hair plugs, to car insurance to lazer eye surgery to something called “Sunrise with an ‘O’” which we’re still not sure what it is because of all the shouting.
And then there’s Petros Papadakis, who does his share of reading ads at the radio station. But how about the sutble difference in the two: The later shows much more personality and has much more fun with it. Such as the tag he used the other day on a live read of a termite extermination company: “Kill those little bastards and let God sort ‘em out.”

==MLB.com is offering a five day free trial for computer video streaming of games during this month. The two package options includes every out of market game and live audio of post season games. The top package ($19.95 per month, $29.95 per year) has a higher-quality video as well a mosaic that allows the viewer to watch up to six games at once. The basic package ($14.95 per month, $19.95 a year) is without the mosaic or fantasy tracker.
The trial begins when you subscribe and ends when you email the site to close it out, otherwise you get changed. For new subscribers only. More info: Customerservice@website.mlb.com.

==The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Los Angeles announced it will honor Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday with its "Outstanding Youth Role Model Award" at its Feb., 2008 ceremony, scheduled to take place at the Jonathan Club in downtown L.A. More information: Kim Rathman at 323-276-6083 or go to www.svdpla.org

==Harold Reynolds has said in a court filing that his wrongful termination lawsuit against ESPN that network's "rush to its decision to terminate" him "was affected by racial bias," according to the New York Times. In a statement, ESPN said: “Mr. Reynolds’s new claims represent a litigation strategy designed to deflect attention from his own conduct.” Reynolds, who used to work at "Baseball Tonight," is now doing work for MLB.com.

==Sunday’s Outside the Lines (6:30 a.m. on ESPN; 9 a.m. on ESPNEWS) take a look at the career of umpire Bruce Froemming, who'll be 68 at the end of this month and announced this will be it after his 37th season is over. Froemming, who has called more than 5,000 major league games, including 107 in the posts season and five as the home-plate umpire in no-hitters, talks to reporter Mark Schwarz . "He's pretty much the Cal Ripken of umpires -- you'll never see anybody break Cal's consecutive games streak, and I don't think you're going to see any umpire want to stick around for that long," says Dodgers outfielder Luis Gonzalez of Froemming.

==Not that anyone was asking, “Whatever happened to Barry LeBrock,” but we did spot the former FSN West reporter get a commercial spot as a pretend sportscaster while helping Peyton Manning plug Sears for its high-tech TV department. In the ad, LeBrock asks the Indianapolis Colts QB for an interview, and Manning ends up running a cable all the way to a local Sears store – is there one near the Coliseum where the spot was taped?

==On a conference call with reporters, ESPN motor sports analyst Rusty Wallace repeated some statements about his personal dislike for the Nextel Cup Chase format having more than 10 participants -- he said a day earlier on Jim Rome's syndicated radio show that he just thinks "it's my personal opinion that I love the Top 10 concept, not the top 12, just because I like the ring of it." With Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the outside of the Chase again, will that affect viewership that begins with ABC's coverage of the event Sunday at the New Hampshire International Speedway? “I think we made such a story going into it that everybody’s well aware of what’s happening right now, and I think the viewership’s not going to change a whole lot," said Wallace. "He’s going to be out there racing every single week, he’s still going to be in the races and he’s still a big story. You’re not going to turn the TV off just because he’s not in the Chase. I think you’ll want to keep the TV on because he’s your favorite guy. He’s still in it, he’s just not in the Chase, but there’s still a lot of good stories going on.”

==Sirius Satellite Radio, which has all 10 races from the Chase, starting with Sunday's Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire (Channel 128), also has the in-car audio of 10 different race teams. That lineup (with current Chase point standing):
Jimmie Johnson (1st) – channel 149
Jeff Gordon (2nd) – channel 152
Tony Stewart (3rd) – channel 147
Carl Edwards (4th) – channel 153
Kurt Busch (5th) – channel 154
Denny Hamlin (6th) – channel 155
Martin Truex Jr. (7th) – channel 156
Matt Kenseth (8th) – channel 157
Kyle Busch (9th) – channel 158
Fan’s Choice – channel 140 (Driver TBD)
If I'm a fan, I take Earnhardt Jr. Who knows what the hell he's apt to do at this point.

==Tony Bruno is alive. Seriously. On Sirius. The Sporting News radio morning man, who was heard for a time back at the old 1540 The Ticket, is part of the new Sirius Channel 123, that has unveiled a new lineup of sports talk and live game broadcasts. Bruno's show airs weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on the channel, as well as other Sporting News radio shows hosted by Arnie Spanier (4 to 7 p.m.), Todd Wright (7 to 10 p.m.) and David Stein (11 p.m. to 3 a.m.)

==Much ado about something, "The Natalie Guibis Show" is back for a third season of six episodes on the Golf Channel, Wednesday at 10 p.m., a reality-type hyped show that goes behind-the-scenes during her 2007 season on the LPGA Tour, highlighted by her first tour win in July at the Evian Masters. Imagine that.

==The thing to do more than note about the ESPN coverage of the Women's World Cup in China: Since all games are played in the middle of the night, the replays are probably more reasonable for viewers who don't want to wait up as late as 2 a.m., or get up as early as 5 a.m. to see the American team. For example, the American's opening tie against South Korea aired at 1:55 a.m. Tuesday, but had three repeats. The U.S. game against Sweden that started at 1:55 a.m. today will be played today at 1 p.m. on ESPNU, at 2 p.m. on ESPN Classic, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2 and at midnight on ESPN. The third game against Nigeria, live Tuesday at 4:55 a.m. on ESPN, is replayed at 2 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN Classic, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, at 1 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wedesday on ESPNU. All are replayed on ESPN360.com website as well.
“The reality of it is it’s a challenge from a time of day perspective and a time of year perspective,” Scott Guglielmino, vice president of programming and acquisitions for ESPN, told the Associated Press, noting that the '99 event was mostly in June and July, while this one competes with the NFL and the school calendar.
The AP notes that the Americans’ first match in '99 was aired on ABC on a Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time and drew a 0.9 rating (985,245 households). The Tuesday opener had a 0.2 rating (194,619 households), although that's twice the audience than normally watches ESPN2 in the middle of the night. On the re-air at 4 p.m. Tuesday, it had a 0.4 rating.

==Ripped from the headlines? The Chicago Tribune reports that the Oct. 18 episode of NBC's "ER" will include former NFL player Sam Scarber playing a league veteran who comes in needing a hip replacement -- but he doesn't have the money to finance the procedure.

==The Ski Channel, which really isn't a TV channel but a video on demand site with more than 10,000 hours of programming that's set to launch in early 2008, based in Pacific Palisades, signed a deal with Ride Guide TV to provide ski and mountain bike programming. Ride Guide TV will produce 26 episodes per year of its show, "Ride Guide," for The Ski Channel. "This is like getting the 'Seinfeld' of our world," said The Ski Channel Chair & CEO Steve Bellamy. "It will be a giant tent pole for The Ski Channel."

==The most recent Ultimate Fighting Competition title bout, UFC 75, attracted 4.7 million viewers on Saturday for a delayed broadcast on Spike TV, the network announced. Not to bury the lead, but that makes it the most watched mixed martial arts event ever seen in North America, this tussle between the UFC light heavyweight champ Rampage Jackson and PRIDE champion Dan Henderson that took place in London. UFC bouts are usually a healthy pay-per-view ticket, but because of the time difference, the organization choose to do it on a delay basis to the states on a cable channel that already shows plenty of UFC events (including "The Ultimate Fighter" series Wednesdays at 11 p.m., which premieres this coming week). Spike TV data shows that its delayed fight did better with men 18-49 (2.5 million) than anything else on TV, broadcast or cable, on that date, including the Oregon-Michigan college football game on ABC (2.3 million), NASCAR on ABC (2.1 million), Virginia Tech-LSU and Notre Dame-Penn State football on ESPN (1.3 million each) and the U.S. Open women's final on CBS (546,000).
Overall, the Spike TV telecast drew a 3.1 rating (3.0 million homes), 5.7 with men 18-34 (1.6 million), 4.5 in men 18-49 (2.5 million), and 6.2 rating in men 25-34 (1 million).
UFC 75 reairs on Spike TV tonight at 9 p.m.
The next UFC bout, "UFC 76: Knockout," eminates from the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., with Chuck Lidell as the headliner on an eight-bout card on pay-per-view ($39.95) or videostreaming at the UFC.com site.

==DirecTV has partnered up with ESPN Star Sports to broadcast the inaugural ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Championship, with 27 matches in Africa that started Tuesday and runs through Sept. 24. It costs viewers $99 to buy the package, but with it comes a month of DIRECTV's HindiDirect II Service programming package, which includes Star Plus, Star One, Star News, NDTV, MTV India, Cricket Plus, DD India and Filmy, at no cost.

==FSN Prime Ticket has the Crespi-Centennial contest tonight at 7 p.m.; SCVTV has the Birmingham-Valencia high school football game on tonight at 11 p.m.

==Something that sounds eerily like a scene from the movie "Rocky Balboa," the last of the Rocky flicks that came out last year, is this PR blurb from ESPN:
"Experience the most monumental heavyweight boxing action in the history of the sport as ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, brings all the hard-hitting and informative insight on the 10 greatest heavyweights to DVD. "ESPN Classic Ringside: Top Ten Heavyweights," hosted by ESPN’s SportsCenter anchor Brian Kenny and International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee and veteran boxing historian Bert Sugar, brings a panel of boxing experts including former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, former Canadian heavyweight champion George Chuvalo, author and columnist Jerry Izenberg, and boxing analyst and former boxing trainer Teddy Atlas together to debate one of the greatest questions in sports…who is the greatest heavyweight of all-time? The group will examine the careers and impact of Muhammad Ali, Ezzard Charles, Jack Dempsey, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney. "ESPN Classic Ringside: Top Ten Heavyweights" will hit stores nationwide Tuesday, Sept. 25, for $34.95.
No Battlin' Bob Satterfield? (Who's he? Go see the movie "Resurrecting the Champ")

==Onion headline of the week (with a link):

Eagles Fans Give McNabb Three-Week Deadline To Win Super Bowl

==The docket for the next episode of "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel (Tuesday, 10 p.m., with many replays):
"McHot Seat": Despite leading the Eagles to four straight NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl over the last eight years, Donovan McNabb has been a constant lightening rod for criticism in sports-crazed Philadelphia. James Brown sits down with the QB. Maybe they can start with the Onion story above.
"Andes Mt. Miracle": On Oct. 13, 1972, a chartered flight carrying the Old Christians rugby team from Uruguay to Chile crashed in the Andes mountains, leaving the survivors trapped on an unreachable, snow-covered cliff. Stranded for 72 days, they endured freezing nights, a devastating avalanche and the threat of starvation by consuming the only food available to them: the flesh of dead teammates. Here's looking back 35 years later, with Gumbel doing the story on the 16 survivors.
"The Life": Over the last decade, several wrestlers have died before age 45, some from injuries sustained in the ring, others from drug overdoses and others from complications brought on by years of steroid and other drug use. Following the recent suicide of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, reporter Armen Keteyian looks at th eproblem and what's being done about it.

==And finally,
TBS announced Thursday that, in addition to carrying the MLB Division Series and National League Championship Series this fall, actress/stalker/baseball lovebug Alyssa Milano will assume the role of "online personalty" for the network’s new baseball broadband channel, TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com, blogging from ballparks around the country starting Sept. 17 that have playoff teams -- meaning the Dodgers season-ticket holder will likely have to leave the city for this assignment. Her "Touch ‘Em All" blog on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, supposedly got nearly 400,000 unique visitors in its first season, was cited as one of the top celebrity blogs by Entertainment Weekly. And then she released this line of "Touch" clothing, which again has nothing to do with Barry Zito, Brad Penny, half the Florida Marlins' starting staff ... who are we missing?
"This is a dream job,” said Milano in a TBS statement. “I am looking forward to bringing baseball fans a unique, insiders perspective on the game we love and I'm appreciative to TBS and MLB.com for this amazing opportunity.”
An opportunity that has caused every MLB player who has a chance to perform in the playoffs to hide in his locker.