February 2008 Archives

Christian Hanson says he wasn't a big fan of the movie "Slap Shot." Even though his dad, Dave, was on of the famed Hanson Brothers.

"I probably didn't see it until I was about 13 years old, and I'm just sitting there watching and I'm actually befuddled," Christian, above, says in an ESPN "SportsCenter" piece that'll air throughout the day Sunday. "My dad is up there hackin' and whackin' and beatin' guys up, and swearing. I never saw any of this at home."

Probably a good thing.

Christian Hanson is a junior center on Notre Dame's hockey team, perhaps with a future in the league -- but not so much as one of them goons his dad helped create on the movie screen in 1977.

Dave Hanson played in 33 NHL games in the late '70s, and actually played for the Johnstown Jets ('74 to '77), registering 66 points in 144 games -- with 587 penalty minutes.

In the "SportsCenter" piece, Chris Connelly tracks down Dave, now a manager of the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, at the Cambria County War Memorial Auditorium in Johnstown, Pa., where "Slap Shot" was filmed.

"We weren't acting," Dave says. "I think it was more difficult for the actors to play hockey players than it was on us trying to play hockey players ‘cause we weren't acting. We more or less improvised almost everything and kinda did what we wanted to do ourselves.
"I left nothing in the locker room. I left everything on the ice, and that often meant dropping the gloves and knocking the snot out of the other guy."

Not to get everything confusing, but Dave played Jack Hanson (No. 16) in the movie. Steve Carlson, who also played in Johnstown ('74 to '76) and had an NHL career that included a stop with the Kings ('79-'80, 52 games, 9 goals, 12 assists, 23 penalty minutes), played Steve Hanson (No. 17). Steve's brother, Jeff, another Johnstown player ('74 to '76), played Jeff Hanson (No. 18). Jack Carlson, a third Carlson brother, was supposed to play Jack Hanson, but he was called up by the WHA's Edmonton Oilers and missed out.

Christian Hanson, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound center, says about his on-screen and real-life dad: "You ask any of my friends, anybody I'm around, and they say, 'It's amazing with Mr. Hanson, he's just so laid back and so quiet and such a nice person,' and then you see the movie, and you watch footage of what he did, and he was a warrior."

ESPN "SportsCenter" is scheduled to air at 7:30 a.m., 3 p.m. 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday.

The end is here. The final chapter of the Best and Worst of the L.A. Sports Media comes to its annual climatic end in Feburary -- thank goodness there was an extra day this year to accomodate all the nonsense -- with the stunning announcement that Vin Scully continues to be the cream of the play-by-play men.
With Bob Miller about as close a second as we could do in our own poll, which came with the added bonus feature on Rory Markas in today's Daily News.
For those who don't care to look any farther than this page for the winners, whiners and losers (and yes, here, Scully can win every year without some aribrary rule about not repeating after X number of years):

THE TOP 10:
1a: Vin Scully, Dodgers TV (FSN, Channel 9) and radio (790-AM)
1a-b: Bob Miller, Kings TV (FSN)
3. Rory Markas, Angels radio (710-AM) and TV (FSN; Channel 13) and USC basketball radio (710-AM)
4: Spero Dedes, Lakers radio (570-AM)
5. Jim Watson, USC and Galaxy TV (FSN)
6. Nick Nickson, Kings radio (1150-AM)
7. Bill Macdonald, college basketball and football TV (FSN)
8. Brian Siemen, Clippers radio (710-AM)
9. Paul Sunderland, college basketball (FSN)
10. (tie) Tom Kelly, David Caldwell, Randy Rosenbloom and Chris McGee: High school football and basketball
Honorable mention: Charley Steiner, Dodgers radio and TV; Isaac Lowenkron and Andrew Siciliano, Avengers radio; Chris Roberts, UCLA football and basketball radio; John Ahlers, Ducks TV.

THE BOTTOM FIVE:
1. Sir Pete Arbogast, USC football radio (710-AM)
2. Joel Meyers, Lakers TV (FSN, Channel 9)
3. Ralph Lawler, Clippers TV (FSN, Channel 5) and radio (710-AM).
4. Terry Smith, Angels radio (710-AM).
5. Rick Monday, Dodgers radio (790-AM)

==And since there's a demand for it somewhere, we have more media notes:

Is Ducks TV analyst Brian Hayward disliked more than Kings TV analyst Jim Fox is liked?
That's the skewed results of the latest poll, in coordination with the release of the Top 10/Bottom 5 list of the best and worst game analysts in L.A., which is attached to last Friday's media column on Mychael Thompson.
We're gonna assume a Zamboni-load of Kings fans jumped onto the poll, to support Fox (who had 214 of the 420 votes cast for "best" analyst, 51 percent) as much as to bash rival-team analyst Hayward (183 of 323 votes in the worst poll, leading by far with 57 percent). Shame on y'all. Hayward annually makes our Top 10 list, as high as No. 4 in recent years. Fox will tell you as well that the former Cornell netminder knows his stuff.
Multiple voting isn't allowed, so the Kings fans who did flood the ballot box did so on an individual (yet collective) basis. Your vote has been heard.
Lakers colorman Stu Lantz (85 votes, 20 percent) is a distant second to Fox, who won our annual poll for the fifth consecutive year.
On the bad guy list, Pac-10 analyst Petros Papadakis (38 votes, 12 percent) continues to polarize the audience, no matter if its this list, or the sports-talk list, or the TV anchor/reporter/analyst list.

They plan to announce sometime during today's Steve Mason show on KSPN-AM (710) that Fred Roggin will become a co-host three times a week on the 1-to-4 p.m. weekday program, starting Monday.
"It's an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Roggin, the longtime KNBC-Channel 4 sports anchor who last did regular radio on the "Roggin and Simers Squared" morning show on KLAC-AM (570) and held his own back in the days of KMPC-AM (1540).
"They made it easy for me for make the decision. Working at ESPN Radio is terrific and frankly, Bob Knootz (the station GM) wasn't going to let me say no."

Question: Isn't the average age of a CBS viewer still in the 60-plus range?

Answer: Then let's bring mixed martial arts to the table and let 'em party hearty at the retirement home. Just tell 'em it's John L. Sullivan coming out of retirement.

In a choke-hold kinda move that has us scratching our lower regions, CBS announced today that it has alligned itself with ProElite, Inc., a Wilshire Blvd.-based entertainment and media company that produces world-class mixed martial arts events, on one of them open-ended "multi-year agreements" that will bring the submission by attrition sport to the Tiffany Network for the first time.

In fact, it's the first time a major broadcast TV network will accept this "sport" once considered human cockfighting, but now apparently embraced in most of the 50 United States as a legit (money making) event that threatens to completely snuff out pay-per-view boxing ratings. So why not do what boxing isn't doing -- develop a core audience of young people who get into this, then pay for it later.

CBS is targeting a two-hour live primetime special for Saturday nights -- can you say XFL? -- four times a year. The EliteXC shows are an offshoot of the events that appear these days on Showtime cable network, which CBS owns.

Here's the press-release manditory explanatory quote:

"Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and a wildly popular entertainment vehicle for upscale, young adult audiences," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. "It's original programming for Saturday night; it's live, creating an event atmosphere and it's something that hasn't been seen on network television, until now."

With another spin from the co-partner:

"This is a pivotal moment for the sport of mixed martial arts now that a major television network plans to broadcast live MMA events during primetime hours," said Douglas DeLuca, Chief Executive Officer of ProElite. "We are delighted to enhance our partnership with CBS to bring American audiences the very best in MMA competition through our EliteXC brand. The network television agreement with CBS is an important milestone for ProElite as we continue to implement our growth strategy and develop existing relationships with our international partners."

One more glowing recommendation:

"Our world-class fighters and the high production value of our events continue to drive ProElite as a global MMA organization that is fortified by the bedrock foundation of a partnership with CBS," said Gary Shaw, President of EliteXC. "Broadcasting our events on CBS will instantly engage a new fan base, as well as provide an opportunity for EliteXC to further establish itself as the world's premier MMA organization."

Over the last several years, the genre has seen tremendous growth in popularity, especially among the coveted 18-to-34 age demographic, the press release continues. So who's gonna find it on CBS?

The release goes on to explain what mixed martial arts is all about... If you need that information, go somewhere else.

Just more questions:

=Why doesn't CBS try this out first on the so-called CW -- that joint channel between CBS and Warner Brothers that probably airs somewhere on our remote control?

=What happens when someone accidentally kills someone for the first time in the ring? Or is this just creating a storyline that Horatio Caine is going to investigate on the next "CSI: Miami"?

=Will there be cross promotion -- does Jake Harper suddenly start asking his dad and Uncle Charlie to take him to the MMA event down at the Santa Monica Civic, and it becomes a big family day event?

=Who'll do the play-by-play? Certainly, CBS has to give it a stamp of network approval by using, say, Vern Lundquist and Bill Raftery, to appeal to CBS' natural viewing audience. A Dick Enberg essay would be appropriate. David Feherty would probably be the most local ringside reporter. Bonnie Bernstein would seem a natural addition, as a ring card girl, perhaps. And now that Sean Salisbury's looking for work ... the options are endless.

Grapple with those issues and then see how much you like MMA interrupting your reruns of "48 Hours Mystery" on a Saturday night.

We fashioned a media column last November about Curt Smith's newest book project -- the professional life and times of Dodgers' Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully. Smith, a well-known sports broadcasting biographer, told us the target date for the 320-page book, "Pull up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story" was April, '08, to coincide with the Dodgers' 50th anniversary in L.A. celebration.

There was no surprise that Scully wasn't thrilled to hear about it.

"It's a very helpless feeling on my part," Scully said at the time. "Now all my pals I turned down (in previous biography attempts) will think less of me ... It's a terrible feeling when your life doesn't belong to you. Very, very sad."

Latest word is that whatever Smith was trying to pull together won't be coming out anytime soon. After we'd been told that preorders for the book had stopped on Amazon.com, we tracked Smith down for an explanation.

"I wrote Vin in December that I'm delaying publication because of my friendship for him -- and also because I didn't want to distract from the 2008 panoply of Dodgers events scheduled to honor the 50th anniversary trek west -- to this Red Sox fan, the best being next month's exhibition at the Coliseum," wrote Smith in an email.

"There are still a couple parts of the book I'm not 100 percent satistifed with. I just need some time away from radio and GateHouse Media columns on the Presidential campaign to finish them. To me, this is the most electric election since 1960s Nixon-Kennedy classic, when I was a kid."

Smith, whohas a background in politics, having been a speechwriter for the first President Bush, teaches in the English department at the University of Rochester.

In the next few months, Smith said he'll have a better idea of when he'll be able to finish the book.
Scully, meanwhile, finds the decision just a temporary hurdle in his wishes still not to have the book done, even though Smith contends that it will only document his professional life and not get into any personal.

"I feel strongly that any public figure such as Scully deserves a biography, but I don't wish to be presumptive," said Smith last November. "It's something I've had in mind for at least the last 10 years."

So what's another year putting it off?

As if TNT wasn't going to rehire Charles Barkley. Because ... he was going to run for guvnor of Auburn in 2014?

Good luck, Chuck. You're now stuck.

The cable network announced that Barkley signed one of them "multi-year contract extensions" today to work exclusively for its Thursday night studio, playoffs, All-Star weekend .... even stuff now on NBA TV, since TNT snatched production of it from the league.

Dave Levy, the president of Turner Sports, decided he needed to put his stamp of verification on the announcement: “Charles is one of the most engaging personalities in sports and entertainment today, and we are proud to that he will continue to call TNT his television home for a number of years to come. As we embark on exciting new challenges next season with NBA TV, we look forward to relaunching the network next season featuring numerous appearances by one of our signature announcers.”

This is (only) his eighth season with TNT following an NBA career that finally came to a halt in 2000. So, yeah, do the math.

Usually, when these kind of contract things are announced, there's an added bonus to the person's job description. Like, having him host the "Law & Order" marathons, analyze NASCAR or be the new exec producer for HBO's "Inside the NBA."

Thankfully, there's no mention of that here.

Man, if only he'd let us ride in the limo with him the next time he's in town to do the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno... Or even with Frank Caliendo dressed up as Barkley.

Without a real press-release kinda statement from ESPN, an email sent out by the WWLeader today indicates that former NFL and USC quarterback Sean Salisbury , a studio analyst on the NFL for the last dozen years, has been sent on his way.

The strangly worded terse statement released by ESPN (without attribution to anyone in particular):

"Sean Salisbury has made many contributions to our efforts for the past 12 years. We thank him and wish him all the best."

And a statement ESPN has released on Salisbury's behalf:

"I want to thank ESPN for 12 great years of talking football on TV and the radio. I have grown as much as I can at ESPN and decided to expand my horizons. I have created a brand and it’s time to expand into other opportunities in TV, radio, Internet, publishing, movies and public speaking, among others. My resume speaks for itself as a football analyst, and I believe I can talk all sports with the best of them.”

We went to the site that seemed to be Salisbury's official Internet home -- SeanBigMouthSalisbury.com -- but the site doesn't seem to be working.... Gone, too?

This sorta link is still hanging around on a MySpace.com profile. He's also got a foundation website, but that tells nothing further.

From the way ESPN released this information -- about 3 hours after it also announced that former NFL receiver and HBO "Inside the NFL" analyst Cris Carter was joining the network -- it leads us to believe that a reporter following up on the later discovered the former, and asked an ESPN official about it. That led to a scramble of sorts to explain why Salisbury was a) fired, b) not rehired or c) mutually agreed to split.

Still, if you're looking for a deeper understanding of this, perhaps a recent exchange between Salisbury and fellow NFL reporter/sparring partner John Clayton was a contributing factor? AOL Fan House can document that one for you.

There's also the wildy reported suspension Salisbury reportedly received from ESPN for ... well, Deadspin.com can fill you in. Salisbury told us after that report that, without denying it, he didn't read Internet stuff and don't believe everything you read.

Carter will be used, meanwhile, as another time filler on "NFL Live," as well as other proported news shows.

“Cris is a Hall of Fame caliber player and a tremendous analyst, and we are thrilled to welcome him to ESPN where he will give fans a true insider’s perspective on the NFL year-round across our various platforms,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president of production.

Attempts to reach Salisbury so far have not been successful.

When ESPN announced Carter's hiring today, it concluded the press release with this paragraph:
"Carter is the latest addition to ESPN’s impressive roster of NFL studio analysts, which includes Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Schlereth, Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and others."

Others, apparently not including Salisbury, who, according to one ESPN radio website, is the love child of Gary Busey and pro golfer Scott Hoch. We don't make this stuff up, we just report it.

Today's the day to harken back to a date far, far back in baseball history -- 1988, and the Dodgers' last World Series victory.

Break out those "Sgt. Pepper" lyrics again.

Today's the day, because Major League Baseball says so. Because today's the date you can pre-order the first-of-its kind Dodgers' 1988 World Series Collectors Edition seven DVD boxed set.

It will be shipped starting March 25 for $79.95 (suggested retail price).

If you've seen these with other World Series boxed sets, it's pretty darn cool. There's al five complete, uncut games from the NBC telecast, plus the NLCS Games 4 and 7 against the Mets.

In all, 1,070 minutes, plus bonus footage.

The highlights:
==There's three calls of Kirk Gibson's Game 1 home run -- from Vin Scully's network TV description, Jack Buck's call on the national radio, and Don Drysdale's version on the Dodger radio network.
==And a look back at Orel Hershiser's 59 consecutive scoreless innings streak.
==The 1988 World Series Trophy and MVP Award presentation, and '88 ring ceremony.
==Interviews with Tommy Lasorda, Kirk Gibson, Dennis Eckersley, Tony LaRussa and Sparky Anderson

It's bound to happen sometime during tonight's Academy Awards ceremony: Will Ferrell bounding on stage in his Flint Tropics ABA uniform, spinning a red, white and blue ball on his finger, in some self-promoting skit that leads to a laugh or two but, more importantly, reminds everyone that his movie "Semi-Pro" hits theatres on Friday.
As if we didn't already know.
From the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover promo to a spread of him in Jackie Moon character with Heidi Klum, to the ads he's been doing for Old Spice and Budweiser, to the signage at Lakers and Clippers games at Staples Center ... to the banner adds on ESPN.com ... the cover of Entertainment Weekly ...

Someone suggested there should be a way to put out a restraining order to keep Ferrell away from the 1970s....

We cringe and laugh at the same time to see this story pop up on The Onion Sports:

NHL Offers Will Ferrell $350 To Do Movie About Hockey

Why not? Look at what he's done for figure skating ("Blades of Glory") and NASCAR ("Tallageda Nights").
"Blades" did make our annual list of the best/worst sports movies. For 2007, let's review what came out and what isn't Oscar worthy. Again:

(AP photo/Marco Garcia)
Seattle Seahawk linebacker and former USC standout Lofa Tatupu, left, and American Samoa Federation of American Football President Meki Solomona, share a moment before a news conference at the 2008 Pro Bowl football team practice in Kapolei, Hawaii.

By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer

They practice on dirt fields, sharing shoulder pads, helmets — even mouthpieces. There’s no video of their next opponent. Sometimes, the youngsters show up unannounced at a high school tryout, with little or no background in the sport.

Yet American Samoa, the group of five volcanic islands about 2,600 miles south of Hawaii, has developed a highly disproportionate number of college football players, doing so without a grass-roots program. Soon, however, the U.S. territory of 58,000 will have the kind of building block that exists in even the smallest of American mainland communities.

Pop Warner is coming.

“It’s amazing so many of the boys come through playing American football, and yet when you go back there, there’s no Pop Warner league or any curriculum that exposes them to the game,” says Joe Salave’a, who has played eight NFL seasons as a defensive lineman.

“Because of the kids’ love for the game, that is why you see them try so hard to make it,” Salave’a adds. “For all they know, that’s football, with no proper equipment — they have never been in a program where everything is according to a safety code. You are shocked to see these kids sliding around playing the way they are.”

Yet play they do, at least once they reach one of the six high schools (four public, two private) that have teams. While rugby, soccer and volleyball also are popular, football dominates the sporting landscape, even with only one quality field where the high schools stage their games.

“Over the years, American football has become a landmark sport in American Samoa,” says Meki Solomona, president of the newly established American Samoa Federation of American Football and a former college player at UC Riverside. “I look at the great impact this sport has made in American Samoa.”

So much of an impact that in the last five years, nearly 15 percent of the young Samoans playing at home have earned football scholarships to U.S. colleges. Three of the linemen on Hawaii’s Sugar Bowl team were
from American Samoa.

Just as impressive, four natives of the island were on opening day NFL rosters last season: Domata Peko and Jonathan Fanene of Cincinnati, Paul Soliai of Miami and Isaac Sopoaga of San Francisco, all defensive linemen.

Plus, players of American Samoan descent in the league include such stars as Seattle All-Pro linebacker Lofa Tatupu, Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu and New England linebacker Junior Seau -- all whom came out of USC.

By JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press Writer

PLEASANT HILL, Ore. -- Before Ken Kesey wrote “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” or stocked a psychedelic school bus with LSD and the Merry Pranksters to look for America (see photo above), he was a wrestler.

He might never have written “Cuckoo’s Nest,” the 1962 novel that launched him to stardom, if he hadn’t
dislocated his shoulder wrestling for the University of Oregon.

The injury kept him out of the draft, allowing him to go to Wallace Stegner’s writing seminar at Stanford University, where his job at the local veterans hospital gave him the setting for “Cuckoo’s Nest” and the prototype for mean Nurse Ratched.

So when his alma mater decided to eliminate wrestling at the end of this season, it went down hard on the Kesey family farm. That’s where Kesey is buried alongside his son Jed, the victim of a 1984 van crash during a University of Oregon wrestling team road trip. It’s also where Furthur, the bus made famous by Kesey’s 1964 odyssey and Tom Wolfe’s book “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” awaits restoration.

“I know what Dad would do,” said 46-year-old Zane Kesey, who also wrestled for Oregon. “It’s just the kind of thing he would step up and attack when he sees something that’s wrong, when it’s something he’s already shed so much soul for.”

You know the drill by now: Vote for your favorite, and unfavorite, game analyst from the list we've provided of L.A. media dudes.
Either do it here or at the poll that's included in today's Daily News media column feature on the Lakers' Mychal Thompson -- the votes count all the same:

Here's how Week 3 of the 16th annual list of the best and worst of L.A. sportscasters shook out when we put the game analysts under the microscope:

THE TOP 10:

1. Jim Fox, Kings TV (FSN)
2. Mike Montgomery, USC basketball TV (FSN)
3. Don McLean, UCLA basketball TV / radio (FSN, 570-AM)
4. Mychal Thompson, Lakers radio (570-AM)
5. Petros Papadakis, USC and UCLA football TV (FSN)
6. Stu Lantz, Lakers TV (FSN/KCAL)
7. Brian Hayward, Ducks TV (FSN)
8. Rex Hudler, Angels TV (FSN/KCOP)
9. Matt Stevens, UCLA football radio (710-AM)
10. Jerry Reuss, Dodgers radio (790-AM)

Honorable mention: Mark Gubicza, Angels TV; Jim Hefner, USC basketball radio; John Jackson, college football and USC football radio; Rick Monday, Dodgers radio; Tony Moskaw, high school football; Darryl Evans, Kings radio.

THE BOTTOM 5:
1. Steve Lyons, Dodgers TV (FSN)
2. Michael Smith, Clippers TV (FSN/KTLA)
3. Michael Cage, college basketball TV (FSN)
4. Paul McDonald, USC radio (710-AM)
5. Where’d Jack Haley disappear?

There's an online poll for you to register your vote for the best and worst attached to today's Daily News column that features Mychal Thompson.

With that, read on for more bits of colorful media nuggets (or don't and say you did):

Thanks to AwfulAnnouncing.com, via a bored reporter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, we've stumbled upon the latest project in the life of one-time "Monday Night Football" and Playboy poser Lisa Guerrero and her husband, retired softball pitcher and former Dodger hanger-on Scott Erickson.

They're movie folk. At least Scottie's bankrolling Lisa's flick Jones. And movie posterization.

According to the Star Tribune "Whatever happened to ..." blog:

"Now that he’s retired and she’s no longer providing unintentional hilarity on Monday Night Football, Scott and Lisa have found time to co-produce 'A Plumm Summer,' a film about a kidnapped puppet named Froggy Doo. Process that for awhile, then note that the film also stars Jeff Daniels, William Baldwin, the Fonz, the dead lady from Desperate Housewives, and … Lisa Guerrero. Process that for awhile, then note that it’s also based on a true story."

The blurb fails to mention that Clint Howard appears in the role of "Blinky the Clown." Seriously.

Guerrero (or Coles or Guerrero-Coles or Guerrero-Coles-Erickson) plays the role of Roxie Plumm, and is listed as exec producer with Erickson. According to her IMDB.com resume, this is her first role since playing "Reporter" in "Today You Die." Or maybe that's a reference to her playing an actual reporter on a "MNF" game before she was canned. IMBD also notes that a movie called "Fire Down Below," where she played the role of "Blonde Beauty," airs this weekend on TNT.

If it's raining, and you're bored, play a drinking game -- take a swill everytime you see her deliver a line without cracking up.

"A Plumm Summer" has not been rated and it's scheduled for release in March. Check back on RottenTomatoes.com in the coming weeks.

OK, one last cheeze shot before we go (the "before" in the before-after juxtoposition of where she was way back when, and where she is now in the photo above from the flick, with one of the Baldwins and some soon-to-be messed up kid):

Based on the 254 of you out there who felt compelled to vote in our Daily News online poll of the best and worst TV sports anchors/reporters/personalities/talkers, a spin-off of Friday's column, FSN's Patrick O'Neal garnered the most attention -- 92 votes, 36 percent -- to win the "best" category by a landslide over FSN's Petros Papadakis (41 votes, 16 percent) and our favorite, FSN's Bill Macdonald (30 votes, 12 percent).

In the least-favorite polling, Papadakis surprisingly gathered 24 percent of the 168 votes to lead the way over KCBS' Steve Hartman and Eric Dickerson (both with 21 votes, 13 percent). O'Neal even came in fourth place with 16 votes (10 percent).

The polling will go on. How long? Who knows. We've simply declared a winner based on projections that even Wolf Blitzer could decipher.

Now, what do we infer from the data?

Papadakis, who won the online vote last week for best sports-talk show host, draws attention, positive and negative. Which is about as good as it gets -- he's on the majority of everyone's radar. It's far better than not being mentioned at all. You don't even have to get his name spelled right in print.

O'Neal supporters, and detractors (which doesn't make much sense) also got the vote out. Maybe it's based O'Neal's his sceen-stealing performance in "Wild Hogs" or his book that recently went into paperback, "The Worst Call Ever!" By the way, that's the son of Ryan O'Neal (or "Rye Bread" as Artie used to call him on the "Larry Sanders Show") with his former spouse, Rebecca DeMornay, at a 2001 movie premiere. Not for "Wild Hogs." And definitely not for "Risky Business."

As for Petros, just order a rack of lamb down at his father's Papadakis Taverna in the next few months because, as we read, the place is about to go out of business and be replaced by a Marie Callendars. Pretty random.

Today, we salute you Nick Crème.

The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame -- temporarily housed in Hot Springs, Ark., until they get the new facility up and running -- inducts Mr. Crème into its eternal shrine this afternoon nearly 50 years after he created what could be the most ingenious piece of equipment in angling history.

The rubber worm.

In 1949, Mr. Crème grilled up a rubber worm on his kitchen stove. It revolutionzed bass fishing almost as much as when Bill Bowerman cooked up the first Nike shoe on his wife's waffle iron.
The first marketed worm was the Crème Wiggle Worm. It was sold by mail in 1951 under the name "Whacky Worm" at a cost of $1.00 for a pack of 5.

The rest is rubber worm history. Today, they go in a 12-pack for $3.36 online. You'll probably get charged more for shipping and handling of the worms.

The Crème Scoundrels and Shimmy Gals were in high demand by pro anglers on the BASS circuit. Mr. Crème started his own company, Crème Lures, which is still flourishing, even though Mr. Crème passed into the great reservoir beyond in 1984 and turned the company over to his three kids.

They, in turn, have kept the business going with innovations such as the Crème Scoundrel worm, as well as Lit'l Fishie, Mad Dad, Shrimp Tease and Devil's Tongue.

Kinda makes your longjohns sweaty just thinkin' about 'em.

Along with Crème, the Hall will acknowledge the accomplishments today of Charlie Campbell, who invented spinner bait (that crazy metal blade the spun around to attract the fish); Buck Perry, who pioneered "structure fishing" (doing it where trees fell in the water); and Virgil Ward, who had one of the most popular syndicated TV shows on bass fishing techniques.

All great men. But, truth be told, we're a Crème worm guy. In fact, if people ask me if I take my coffee black, I say, no, sugar and a Crème rubber worm. Along with a Krispy Kreme glazed, please.

The ceremonies will be held tonight in Greenville, N.C., the night before the $1.2 million Bassmaster Classic begins on Lake Hartwell. Wish we could be there. Instead, we'll raise a rubber worm to the heavens in his honor.

Why, oh why, did it take nearly 50 years to finally acknowledge the Crème of the crop?

There was a point in last week's Congressional hearings where Roger Clemens said he allowed trainer Brian McNamee to give him B12 suppliment shots -- five of 'em -- but he wasn't sure what that really did for him. He only remembers that he took them on the advice of his mother.
"I don't know the technical explanations for it," Clemens said, to paraphrase.
Maybe he should ask Roger Clemens for an answer.
That's Dr. Roger Clemens, an adjunct professor in the Department of Pharmacy at USC, specializing in pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences.
Isn't that convenient?
Here's what Dr. Clemens said in an email sent today before we misremember anything:

I do not have Mr. Clemens’ medical history, so I cannot comment on his particular case.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that contains cobalt, hence the name alternate name of cobalamin. This vitamin, primarily found in dairy and meat products, is required for normal red cell production (like iron and folic acid), maintaining the nervous system, for normal growth / development (children and infants), and is critical in fat metabolism. Vitamin B12 is a unique nutrient in that it requires some assistance for absorption. That assistance is provided via intrinsic factor which is provided by the stomach. Vitamin B12 coupled with intrinsic factor is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, then is carried to various tissues (liver, bone) where blood is made and other tissues involved in many normal metabolic processes.
"Historically, vitamin B12 injections were common among 'tired' physicians who were subjected to prolonged periods of patient care. In addition, these injections are often administered to patients presenting pernicious anemia (particularly pure vegans), and, more recently, administered to patients pursuing a variety of weight loss regimens, and to those with chronic fatigue syndrome.
I trust this information is useful for your reading audience.
-- Roger Clemens, DrPH, CNS. FACN, FIFT
USC School of Pharmacy

It's OK. You're not under oath.
As for McNamee's response, when he responded to Clemens' account that McNamee gave him the B12 shots: "The first time I heard of Roger Clemens taking B-12 was on 60 Minutes."

CNBC has sent out some transcripts of an interview Dodgers manager Joe Torre did with former Disney boss Michael Eisner, who apparently has a show on the network called "Conversations with Michael Eisner."

This one, airing Monday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., is still very New York centric, because why would Eisner even know that Torre left to take the Dodgers' job?

We're just kind of stunned that the CNBC media relations people didn't clean up either Eisner or Torre's responses in this Q-and-A. As a result, we're not sure who has the bigger speech problems.

Try reading this and imaginging how it'll look on TV:

Torre, on leaving the Yankees:
"And -- and I -- you know, when I left the Yankees, it -- it- - it was strictly for that reason that I -- I-- I didn't think they necessarily, you know, wanted me back. And I knew, under the circumstances, that it's probably best that I move on. And -- and I really didn't know what I was gonna do. I sat with my representative, you know, we talked about broadcasting and, you know, making appearances and stuff. And then, the -- the Dodgers called."

Question from Eisner: "In your day, there were no enhancement drugs, there was none of that. But would have you been tempted if you're getting down to .247 batting average, and you used to bat at .350, saying, "Maybe I should try this?" Would that -- do you understand how the players today are so scared about losing their edge, that they may try these things?"

Torre: "I -- I don't think there's any question. I mean, I watched different players of my era, you know, being interviewed about stuff. And when you get in that competition, Michael, you -- you want an edge. You want to do what you can do. And -- and-- there's no question you would consider it, if you thought it would help your team win ball games."

Eisner: "Pretend that you're insecure. You -- and you -- and you -- and at 36, you could be unemployed, and you may not be a manager--"

Torre: "And you thought it would -- it would help your career extend, I think- - you know, you certainly would -- would think about it."

How'd you like to be the face -- and body -- of a pro basketball team?

Can you speak clearly?

Do you live in L.A.?

Ever heard of the Lightning? That's not a pre-requisite.

The Los Angeles Lightning of the International Basketball League, which starts its first season in April in Thousand Oaks, has decided it needs a spokesmodel.

Carmen Electra ... doesn't the name alone make her the the perfect match?

The 2008 Miss Lightning will do PR stuff, mingle at charity events, cut ribbons and pretty do whatever's necessary to draw attention to the team.

Open tryouts will be held Thursday at Culver Studios in Culver City (DeMille Theater, 9336 West Washington Blvd.) from 2-6 p.m.

The requirements:

=Aged 21-to-27
=Bring a photo or head shot and complete an application.
=Good communication skills
=Basketball knowledge (that KOs a couple right there)
="Be driven towards success, be poised and confident, outgoing and have a fresh wholesome look."

Pam Anderson, step to the end of the line.

Three finalists will be selected and the winner will be introduced at the opening game, Friday April 18 at the Cal Lutheran gym.

The judges for the contest include Lightning owner/GM Mark Harwell, actor Jason Gedrick ("Desperate Housewives") and Internet vixen Cindy Margolis.

More info:
It Girl Public Relations: 310.577.1122

So Jerry West insists that, in his place of retirement and not working in the Memphis Grizzles front office any longer, he had nothing to do with signing off/suggesting/rubber stamping/nudging them to trade Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a bunch of spare parts and draft picks, which puts the L.A. franchise on track to meet -- who else? -- the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Wink, wink. We're all good with that.

(If Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge can orchestrate a deal that sends Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for absolutely nothing, then why can't the NBA logo help out his old franchise?)

Mr. Clutch has more to say about the world at large during a 45-minute uncut interview with Bill Macdonald that airs tonight after the Lakers-Hawks game on FSN West (about 10 p.m.)
Some excerpts from the Q-and-A that took place at the Palm Restaurant in downtown L.A. on Feb. 5:

Q: Why did losing consume him so much?

A: “Everyone wants to be recognized as a champion. Losing in the NBA finals was the ultimate scar ...something I’ll never forget. But there is an incredible joy in winning, it brings people together and unites cities. I expected this incredible feeling to change all those [losing] years, but I’ll never be able to forget them. They’ve left indelible scars.”

Q: On Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak:

A: “I have very little contact with people in the Laker organization. I feel like an outsider and I should be an outsider. I happen to know Mitch has gotten a lot of criticism he doesn’t deserve and he’s one of the greatest guys ever.”

Q: On his impression of Gasol:
A: “I think playing with this team…will help this guy a lot. He doesn’t have to be the number one guy here; he’s got the number one assassin in the league here in Kobe Bryant.”

Q: On growing up in West Virginia:
A: “If I wasn’t raised the way I was raised, saw the hardships…I’m not sure I would have risen above being someone who ended up in the same situation except for one thing: I had a round ball that somehow loved me and I loved that.”

Q: On being an Olympian:
A: “I don’t have many things in my house that would remind you or me that I was a professional athlete, that’s all hidden. But I do have my Olympic uniform…framed in my house and I’m very proud of that.”

By DON BABWIN
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO -- It looked like a desperation shot, the kind that rarely falls.

But long before the ball left his hands 30 feet from the basket with the game on the line, Ermer Robinson had spent hours alone on a San Diego playground taking this same shot by the dozens for days on end.

As the horn sounded, the more than 18,000 fans packed into the Chicago Stadium and the players on the court watched the ball arcing through the air.

Robinson stood still as a statue, his right arm in the air, a signal the ball was about to find the bottom of the net. It did, and on Feb. 19, 1948, the Harlem Globetrotters had put their gags away and beat the best white team in the nation, 61-59.

It has been 60 years since the Globetrotters topped the Minneapolis Lakers and their legendary big man, George Mikan. With only a few of the players still alive and just a handful of photographs remaining, the game has been largely lost to history.

But for those who remember the win and what the country was like, this game — played seven years before a black seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus — stands as a moment of hope.

“It just revitalized so many of us, from the fact that (it showed) what we can be, could be, but we needed a chance,” said John Chaney, the former Temple coach who was then a black teenager in deeply segregated Jacksonville, Fla.

It'll look at first like the fake ads on the backstops at Major League Baseball ballparks -- it's there on the TV, but not at the event.
SportVision, which created the first-and-10 yellow line for football games, has created a "backboard slideout" graphic that will be used by TNT on tonight's telecast of the NBA All-Star game (5 p.m.).

It's supposed to give viewers a graphic bio of the guy when he's shooting a free throw -- or anything else TNT wants to put in the box, like close-up of the shooter's eye, footage from another camera... It's a virtual screen to do whatever the heck they want with it.
It all sounds kinda weird and we won't know what to make of it until we see it.

"My work is all about healing and giving people a sense of hope and nobility," Kadir Nelson says about himself. "I want to show the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit.”

In "We Are The Ship," a children's book at the history of the Negro League, Nelson has done exactly what he set out.

"It was really rewarding," Nelson said about doing both the illustrating and writing. "I had never written anything outside of my assignments for college, so it was great for me to be able to use a different part of my brain — the part that I don’t necessarily use while I’m painting. I spoke to Nikki Giovanni, whose work I really admire. We were doing an event together, and someone asked her if she ever had writer’s block. She said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; there’s only a lack of information. And if you ever come up against a wall, it’s because you don’t have enough information. So I kept that in mind while I was working. I read a ton of books on the leagues, which really helped when it came to composing my own manuscript."

Trying to be true to the Negro League facts, Nelson uses a first-person voice in describing the events -- a voice that talks directly to the reader. Nelson is meticulous about referencing material and including a bibliography, filmography, author's note and index.

He's also amused if anyone notices the one thing he took some artisic license with -- a portrait of Cool Papa Bell playing right field in front of a wall plastered with advertisements. "I am fully aware that Cool Papa played center field, but the right-field wall is so visually interesting that I used a bit of license and place him in front of it," he writes in the author's note. " Perhaps he was playing right field that day, or he'd just chased a fly ball to right and stopped for a photo. This may be why he appears exhaused and is bent over, resting his hands on his knees."

Major League Baseball has commissioned his work in the past, and his paintings have been displayed at galleries around the world, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Museum of Tolerance, and the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, all in L.A.

Cool thing about his website is that he offers limited edition signed prints from the book -- particularily this piece called "Low And Away" of pitcher Stuart "Slim" Jones.
Spinning off from today's Daily News column about Nelson's newest book, we are reminded that there are plenty of Black History sports programming of note to view before February ends:

== “’51 Dons: Pride, Honor and Friendship” : A 30-minute documentary on the 1951 University of San Francisco football team that finished 9-0 and produced nine players who’d go on to the NFL, including Gio Marchetti, Ollie Matson and Bob St. Clair, all future Hall of Famers. The team didn’t go to a bowl game, however. The Orange Bowl showed interest, but made it clear that USF would only get an invitation if they left their two African-American players behind. The team refused the bid.
Fox Sports West debuted the show last week, but there are several repeats planned: Tonight at 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m., Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 29 at 3:30 p.m.

== “Uninvited”: Another documentary about the 1951 USF Football Team.
CSTV: Tonight, 5:30 p.m.

== “Americans In Focus” : A series of 30-minute specials, hosted by Michael Eaves, that highlight achievement in African American athletics. The series includes a profile of Tom Bradley, Los Angeles’ first black mayor (1974-’94), a former UCLA standout who helped bring the 1984 Olympics to L.A.; Tommy Hawkins, the former Lakers standout who became a Dodgers executive; Tommie Smith, the 1968 Olympic gold medallists; Loretta Thompson Glickman, the first black female mayor of Pasadena.
Fox Sports West: Monday at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m., Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m., Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 29 at 3 p.m.

== “Joe Louis: America’s Hero … Betrayed”: The hour-long documentary explains how the grandson of slaves became a true sports icon, one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and carried himself with dignity and class despite many setbacks in the 1930s, long before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. The Brown Bomber was America’s first true crossover athlete and was referred to by sportswriter Jimmy Cannon as “a credit to his race – the human race.” Those interviewed include his son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., former president Jimmy Carter and poet Maya Angelou.
HBO: Saturday, Feb. 23 at 9 p.m.; Feb. 24 at 9 p.m.; Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.

== “Say It Loud”: A two-hour documentary narrated by actor Delroy Lino that feature short stories on African-Americans in sports, including pieces of Sylverster Croom, the first black head coach in the SEC; William Powell, the first black to design and construct a professional golf course; Paul Brown, the founder and head coach of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals who broke the NFL color barrier by having black players on his team; and the legacy of Jackie Robinson in baseball management.
ESPN: Sunday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m.; Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.

== “SportsCentury: Jackie Robinson” and “Disciples of Jackie Robinson”
ESPN Classic, Sunday, Feb. 24 at 9:30 a.m.

== “Winning Lives: The Story of Ted Ginn Sr.” A documentary about the legendary Ohio state high school football coach (and father of current Miami Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn Jr.) and his efforts to make a positive impact on the inner-city youth in Cleveland beyond.
CSTV: Sunday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.

== “Tackling Segregation: The 1970 USC-Alabama Game”
CSTV: Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

==A variety of features on Willie O’Rea, Joe Gans, Pee Wee Kirkland, Bill Spiller and Irwin Holmes, at this link on ESPN.com

==Also:
"Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925" by George and Darril Fosty, which covers the time when the sons and grandsons of runaway American slaves formed a league in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, led by a Baptist minister and church laymen. This was 25 years before the Negro Leagues in baseball.

By ANDREW BAGNATO
AP Sports Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- At one point during his two-year absence from the NHL, Rick Tocchet lost track of the Phoenix Coyotes.

He stopped watching their games, stopped checking their scores in the newspaper. It was a strange time for a man who had spent much of his life on the ice, either as a player or a coach.

“I’d be remiss and lying if I said I watched every game for two years,” Tocchet said at the team’s practice facility. “I didn’t. I went through some stretches where I just kind of lost touch with the game, I’ll be honest with you.”

After dealing with legal issues arising from his involvement in illegal gambling, Tocchet is back on the Coyotes’ staff, assisting longtime friend and head coach Wayne Gretzky.

Tonight, the Coyotes play host to the Kings, whom Tocchet and Gretzky once played for. The teams are back at Staples Center on Monday night for the second of a home-and-home series.

(AP/Bill Haber)
LeBron James scrapes paint from a window in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans on Friday during an All Star service project.

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS -- As the charter bus turned right on to Lizardi Street and descended into this city’s crippled Lower Ninth Ward, the lighthearted mood on board turned serious and sobering.

Through the windows on both sides, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and other NBA All-Stars viewed unimaginable devastation. Suddenly, those horrific TV images and photographs burst to life.

Quaint, two-story homes once submerged in 25 feet of water still sit abandoned or boarded shut. Other houses bear the spray-painted Xs and numbers signifying rescues that were sometimes too late.

This is where Hurricane Katrina first left her mark in 2005, and where she endures 2½ years later.

This is the same poll that's attached to today's Daily News media column on the best and worst TV personalities.
Here, for your convience, is another way to cast a vote.
We'll tally it up sometime next week when y'all become too bored of it:

The Dodgers, FSN Prime Ticket and KCAL Channel 9 have pooled together their resources to bring as many at 150 games to the L.A. TV market this season, all in high definition.
Some are subject to ESPN taking a game for a Sunday night national telecast, or Fox grabbing a Saturday game for a regional telecast, as happens every year.
ESPN has targeted six possible Sunday games; Fox has nine on its radar, with more to come possibly.

From our quick scan, it does appears every game will be televised on one network or another.

The key dates to know:
KCAL has six exhibition games, including March 29 from the Coliseum when the Dodgers face the Boston Red Sox at 7:10 p.m. It also has the Friday exhibition against the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium before that. Two more telecasts are from Florida and two more are in Arizona. The first is Saturday, March 8 from Florida against St. Louis (10 a.m.). The last look at Vero Beach will be Sunday, March 9 in a game against Boston (10 a.m.)
Of course, Vin Scully comes back for his 59th season doing all home games and only road games against the NL West foes. The rest of the road games go to Charley Steiner and Steve Lyons, both in their fourth season.

Also, the Dodgers say ESPN plans to show their exhibition game against Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 29 (10:05 a.m.). No word if the Dodgers' two games from China on March 15-16 will have TV coverage.

Here's the list of FSN Prime/Channel 9 games:

The followup to today's Daily News media column on week two of the four-part series on the best and worst of the L.A. sports media. FSN's Bill Macdonald kept the No. 1 ranking spot from a year ago. There was not a lot of changes in the Top 10 or Bottom 5, except that Steve Lyons replaced the departed Jack Haley as the worst of the TV talkers.
Here's the list for those who haven't locked and loaded the newspaper or website link (which go into greater depth):

THE TOP 10:
1. Bill Macdonald, FSN (No. 1 last year)
2. Fred Roggin, KNBC Channel 4
3. Lindsay Soto, FSN
4. Jim Hill, KCBS Channel 2
5. Curt Sandoval, KABC Channel 7
6. Patrick O’Neal, FSN
7. Petros Papadakis, FSN
8. Tom Murray, FSN
9. Gary Miller, KCAL Channel 9
10. Jim Watson, FSN
Honorable mention: John Ireland, KCAL Channel 9; Heidi Androl, Kings Vision; James Worthy, KCAL 9 studio analyst; Eric Karros, KCAL Channel 9 studio analyst; Mario Solis and Bill Seward, KNBC Channel 4; Damon Andrews, KTLA Channel 5; John Hartung, KABC Channel 7; Christine Nubla, FSN; Rick Garcia and Rory Markus, KTTV Channel; Rob Fukuzaki, KABC Channel 7, Don MacLean, FSN Clippers pregame.

THE BOTTOM 5:
1. Steve Lyons, FSN Dodgers studio
2. Michael Eaves, FSN
3. Steve Hartman, KCBS Channel 2/KCAL Channel 9
4. Norm Nixon, FSN Lakers studio
5. Eric Dickerson, KCBS Channel 2

And there's more junk to cover:

Your Valentine's Day media note of the week:

David and Victoria Beckham have finally made it to the top of the entertainment mountain, the featured subject on “The E! True Hollywood Story” that debuts on the E! Channel on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl is included in the piece, saying: “When people say David Beckham in the United States 20 years from now, I think he might be viewed as the guy who made soccer matter here. He might also be viewed as the guy who tried and failed to make soccer matter here. But at least he's trying.”
So what is it you're saying -- you can't predict the future of soccer in America? Get in line.

For those jonesin' for a big adventure:
Versus’ coverage of the third annual Amgen Tour of California 650-mile, eight cycling race starts Sunday with the prologue at Stanford University at 2 p.m. Stage 1 (Sausalito to Santa Rosa) is, as are all the first five legs, at 8 p.m. Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll provide the Tour de France-quality commentary. Versus.com will also have video highlights, photos and analysis. Locally, the stages of note are Stage 5 on Feb. 22 (Solvang time trial), at 8 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday legs next weekend, from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita, and then Santa Clarita to Pasadena, are each at 2 p.m., with portions of it live.

If there's any question about the volume of press releases that ESPN and company put out into the media world on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis, the Worldwide Leader in Sports may have topped itself today in trying to make a numerical presentation to emphasize the volume of work involved in the "SportsCenter" franchise.
To highlight a by-the-numbers release that was just sent out to be used by ... we're not sure ... ESPN would like it known that since the first SportsCenter on Sept. 7, 1979, these things have happened (and will highlight those numbers that are most bizarre):

8 – Languages in which SportsCenter is telecast (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese)
They forgot Bermanese, a dying dialect in regions of the great Northeast..

15 - Original versions of SportsCenter produced around the world including the U.S. version

15 –Sports Emmys earned for SportsCenter

25 – Shades of concealers and foundations used by the makeup team in the U.S.
A news organization uses concealers? That's an odd thing to build a foundation on.

50 – Average number of production and news personnel working on each SportsCenter telecast

50 – Average seconds of a SportsCenter highlight

81 – Number of SportsCenter anchors worldwide
Not counting Craig Kilborn

136 – Countries and territories where SportsCenter is watched

220 –SportsCenter meetings held per month globally
And you think your boss micromanages.

1,500 – Average number of SportsCenter highlights produced per month (450 in the U.S., and more than 1,120 globally and on ESPN Deportes)
Enough to make a fake bracket contest of 'em so they get repurposed.

2,700 – Makeup removal wipes used per month in the U.S.
Imagine the number of landfills needed to accomodate a Chris Berman shift.

3,867 – Original SportsCenter telecasts produced worldwide each year

26,280 – Number of SportsCenter updates aired per year on ESPN Radio

36,000 – Ringtone downloads of the familiar “Da Da Da…Da Da Da” SportsCenter theme in the third quarter of 2007
We just changed our ringtone to a clip of Berman on YouTube (which today were taken down from the site due to a copyright claim by ESPN, but is still available on Deadspin.com)

41,234 – Original editions of SportsCenter produced to date (includes U.S., overseas and ESPN Deportes, the Spanish language U.S.-based sports network)

100,000 – Views per month of SportsCenter "Right Now" updates on ESPN’s mobile content

1,450,000 – SportsCenter "Right Now" views daily on ESPN.com and related sites
As if you get a choice everytime you go to the site.

Up to 105,600,000 – Number of people who watch SportsCenter each month in the U.S. alone

1 billion -- Reasons why you need to re-read this list to make sure you can recite it upon inquisition.
This list will soon reappear in ESPN The Magazine as a snappy graphic.

Results from the recent Daily News online poll, a spin-off of Friday's Daily News media column on the Top 10/Bottom 5 L.A. sports-talk hosts, indicate that Petros Papadakis procured a slim margin over 570-AM stablemate Joe McDonnell and a much greater margin over his co-host partner Matt "Money" Smith in response to the question: Who's the best local sports radio host?
From 395 total votes:

1. Petros Papadakis (16.96 percent --67 votes)
2. Joe McDonnell (15.18 percent --60 votes)
3. Lee ``Hacksaw'' Hamilton (14.43 percent)
4. Steve Hartman (13.41 percent)
5. Matt ``Money'' Smith (10.88 percent)
6. Steve Mason (8.607 percent)
7. Joe Grande (6.329 percent)
8. Vic ``The Brick'' Jacobs (5.822 percent)
9. Mychal Thompson (5.063 percent)
10. Dave Dameshek (2.278 percent)
11. Dave Denholm (0.759 percent)
12. Pete Fox (0.253 percent)
13. Brian Long (0 percent)
Each vote is equal to .253 percent.

We plan to put up similar polls in the coming weeks for the best TV anchor/reporter, game analyst and game play-by-play man...

You think we actually watched it? Or cared to read about it the next day?
The NFC scored a come-from-behind win against the ... AFC? Arena League All-Stars? Snoop Dogg's family?
Apparently 10 million viewers witnessed it, says Fox, based on Nielsen measurements. The 6.3 rating/12 share make it the highest-rated and most viewed Super Bowl Pro Bowl since 2000.
That's the real news here.
The game did a 43 percent rating increase over a year ago, when CBS attracted 6.9 million to its coverage of the annual exhibition in Hawaii that is important for virtually no one, especially the competitors.
For some reason, ABC had 13.2 million viewers for its coverage of the game back in 2000 (an 8.6 rating).
And as long as you're comparing shoulder pads to golf balls, last Sunday's Pro Bowl outrated the recent NBA Finals (6.2), NCAA Tournament (6.1) and final round of the PGA Championship (6.2).
That's just wrong.

The new phone book Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is here, with "19 of the most glamorous supermodles pictured in visually dymanic photo spreads, all set in unique and exotic locations from around the world ... a rare and powerful combination of beauty and imagination" -- that's straight from the SI press release. Who are we do improve on that prose?

(And as you can see at the bottom of the page, Will Ferrell has wormed his way in to promote his new movie.)

That's Danica Patrick in a swimsuit inside (wait until you see it) talking to Dan Patrick (didn't we see that in come ESPN "SportsCenter" promo? Too bad Dan's real last name is Pugh).
A bunch of NFL cheerleaders. Athletes wives (like La La Vazquez, technically, only the fiancee of Carmelo Anthony, but she gets a pass). More body painting. And no Rick Reilly to muck it up with commentary. Win-win for the readers.

The gal on the cover ... it's Marisa Miller. Luckily, David Letterman pronounced her name quite correctly when he was given the honor of revealing the issue on Monday's "Late Night" show.
But one of the interesting things SI has done this year is provide a pronunciation guide for both its models and photographers. In case we're calling their names out in a fit of passion and want to make sure it's the right call.

For those who can't figure it out, these ladies are included in the issue:
Yasmin Brunet - (Yas - mean)
Jeisa Chiminazzo - (Ji – e- sa) (and we don't need help with that last name?)
Jessica Gomes - (Go – mms)
Quiana Grant - (Key – on – a) (we always thought it was "Grrr-ANT, " like Grant Hill)
Jarah Mariano - (Jar – a) (thanks for ending that confusion)
Oluchi Onweagba – (oh-LOO-chee on-way-OG-buh) (Sure that's not the New York Giants defensive end?)
Tori Praver - (Pray – ver)
Daniella Sarahyba - (dan-YELL-uh sara-YEE-buh)
Irina - (eh-REE-nuh) (you've got one name, and it needs help?)
Brooklyn Decker (OK, we got that one ... and she still hasn't told us if we've won that contest to meet her.)

As for the photographers:
Walter Iooss (Yo – sss)
Thomas Sewell (Sue – el)
Marlena Bielinska (Bell – Lin – Ska)
Brian Lovely (what a lovely name)

What more can SI do to promote this thing? A scratch-n-sniff edition?

The final thoughts that Bryant Gumbel will deliver on the air tonight at the closing of the latest episode of "Real Sports" on HBO, in regards to Roger Clemens and his upcoming appearance before Congress:

“Finally tonight, a few words about flattery. Henry Kissinger, the former secretary of state and notorious self-promoter, once observed that: 'Those who say flattery doesn’t work have never had it practiced on them’.”
“That quote would seem to have registered with Roger Clemens, who, facing congressional hearings this week into his alleged steroid use, suddenly became civic minded last week, and made a number of personal house calls on Capitol Hill. Given Clemens’ well-earned reputation for surliness, his transparent charm offensive was to many ... exactly that. Aside from the obvious question about why elected officials would consent to meet with a freshly deposed witness in advance of his testimony, you’ve also got to wonder just how much Roger’s shameless slurping may have compromised the objectivity of those slated to question him.
“Following some face time with the accused, one California Republican came away gushing about how much Clemens was the kind of guy you’d want as a neighbor. Since neither party has a monopoly on bad judgment, a Democratic congressman from Brooklyn named Edolphus Towns, all but fell at Clemens’ feet. Parroting the pitcher’s defense after their meeting, Towns claimed his half hour personal visit had made him a believer in Clemens’ character.
“Now I obviously have no idea if Roger Clemens is guilty of that which he is accused. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. But you do have to wonder why someone who’ll be under oath and claims he’s innocent would engage in what looks like the political equivalent of jury tampering to try to influence his reception before a House committee. You could argue it’s good insurance. Or you could conclude that on the heels of an interview, a press conference, a taped phone call and a deposition…he doth protest too much.”

This just in from the Sports Business Daily, via the Toronto Star:

NBC confirmed that it has an exclusive option to air a 10-episode sports reality show called "Rockstar Curling" that will give the winners a shot at competing in the U.S. championships and even going to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
OK, that's the first part. Who'll compete?
The newspaper says the show is trying to round up "closet curlers Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi" as participants in a competition that would be a lot like Fox's "American Idol" to air on weekend afternoons.
Who knew curling was such the Jersey recreational activity?
So, with this celebrity team, the goal is to have it train eight hours a day with professional coaches and then go to regional qualifying tournaments that, if things fall into place, lands them in the U.S. trials and perhaps one of the spots at the Vancouver Winter Games representing those born in the USA.
The paper says, according to sources, Springsteen and Bon Jovi are among a group of entertainment types who rent arena time on occasion to pick up brooms instead of guitars.
We'll admit to being huge fans of the sport, based on what NBC has done with the last two Winter Games. It aired 24 matches live from Turin in 2004 with KNBC-Channel 4's Fred Roggin as the host. The Toronto paper points out that although curling seldom got more than 800,000 viewers on NBC, it once drew higher ratings than an NHL playoff game that aired at the same time the next day.
A curling team with Springsteen as the boss would definitely have to be tougher than the rest to get into the Olympics. Stranger things have happened.

By ALAN ROBINSON
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- To Ray Goss, the job of describing 30 college basketball games every winter truly has become a lost art.
No college sports announcer knows more about losing than the 71-year-old, Duquesne University’s basketball play-by-play voice for 40 years. Only seven announcers in history have worked longer for a school than Goss, who has described only 10 winning teams since moving behind the Dukes’ microphone in 1968.
Exactly half of those 10 winners came in his first five seasons, meaning Goss has had only five winners in 35 years.

Of course, if the Phoenix Suns gig doesn't work, he can race dogs over there in the desert.
That's a big deal out there, right?
A flash back to Shaq and his appearance at Santa Anita -- back when the track was usable -- from the commercial that debuted during last Sunday's Super Bowl:

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Spinning off today's Daily News column on how Jason Smith pulls off the nightly 11 p.m.-to-3 a.m. sports show gig for ESPN Radio, Dave Smith knows all too well about having his life turned upside down for the sake of the business -- and staying employed.

Dave Smith, ranked No. 1 in the annual Daily News sports-talk poll in 2001, ‘03 and ’04 when he was apart of late, great KMPC-AM (1540) and XTRA-AM (1150) lineups, recently had the 3-to-6 a.m. shift for the Sporting News Radio Network. Since the network no longer has an L.A. affiliate, the only way to hear Smith was via audio stream on the website (www.radio.sportingnews.com), or the Mighty 1090-AM signal out of San Diego.

“I had to re-arrange my whole day,” said Smith, who has a wife and 8-year-old daughter at their home in Chatsworth. “I made the decision to stay up all night and sleep when I got home. If I went to bed at 7 p.m. and woke up at 1 a.m., I’d never see my family.

“Changing the sleeping habits were tough. I’d get home from the studio in Santa Monica at about 7 a.m., which wasn’t a tough drive at the time because traffic was going in the opposite direction, just as my daughter was going to school. The first few months I was lucky to get two or three hours a day sleep and was really run down. I finally adjusted. The only challenge was staying awake going home.

“Following sports was easy because I stayed up all night before the shift, so I watched the games, surfed the Internet and spoke with my producer. I didn’t miss anything, but I would have had I gone to sleep early.”
Smith was moved to the overnight from the midday shift last summer as the station looked for a stronger lead-in to their morning drive host, Tony Bruno.

“I felt like a vampire doing that shift, because no one was on the road and no one was in the studio except me and my producer," said Smith. "We had the run of the place and could have done just about anything in there without getting caught.

“The interesting part was that almost all the calls came from the South and the East – where it was morning drive. That was a real adjustment, having a conversation with people who couldn’t care less about L.A. sports. It was all SEC football, the NFL, non-sports stuff. I found that people all over the country have a sense of humor and thought my bits and political rants were just as funny as my L.A. audience.”

Smith maintains a connection to listeners during “normal” hours on his website (www.thesportsgod.com).

The launch of the 16th annual Daily News Best and Worst of the L.A. Sports Media begins, as usual, with those who'll talk about it for the rest of the month -- the sports-talk show hosts. It's a calculated risk. They'll complain if they're ranked in the Bottom 5 -- many times on the air -- and pat themselves on the back if they've made the Top 10, trying to parlay it into something more than it really is.
It's one writer's opinion. It's meant to generate response from readers.

For those who haven't seen the list from today's Daily News media column (after feature on ESPN Radio's Jason Smith, who isn't a local L.A. radio guy but does his show from L.A. and is on the list of our 'Great Eight Syndicated Shows), here's the quick rundown:

THE TOP 10:
1: Steve Mason, 710-AM weekday afternoons
Last year: 2
2 (tie): Petros Papadakis and Matt “Money” Smith, 570-AM weekday drive time:
Last year: Papadakis 1; Smith 3
4: Joe McDonnell, 570-AM weekday nights
Last year: 4
5: Joe Grande, 570-AM weekday nights
Last year: 3, bottom five.
6: We interrupt this list for a news update: John Ireland, Mason’s former partner at 710-AM, was voted best sports-talk show host by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters annual ceremony and head count. That and a birth certificate before 1930 will get you a lifetime membership to the organization.
7: Vic “The Brick” Jacobs, 570-AM weekday afternoons
Last year: 10.
8: Steve Hartman, 570-AM weekdays
Last year: 6.
9: Mychal Thompson, 570-AM weekday afternoons
Last year: Honorable mention.
10: (tie) Brian Long and Pete Fox, 710-AM weeknights
Last year: Not ranked.
Honorable mention: Tim Cates, 570-AM weeknights; Nick Nickson, 1150-AM “Kings talk;” A Martinez, 710-AM weekdays; Rich Marotta, 570-AM weekend boxing show; Andrew and Brian Kamenetzky, 710-AM weekday afternoon co-hosts; Sara Eckert, 710-AM weekdays; Lee Klein, 570-AM fillin; George Quarterman, 710-AM (whenever they can get him out from behind the security desk).

THE BOTTOM FIVE:
1: Dave Dameshek, 710-AM weekday drive time
Last year: Unranked.
2: Dave Denholm, 710-AM weeknights
Last year: Unranked.
3: This space held vacant just in case D’Marco Farr returns from trying to rejoin the NFL (or so we were told) and Kevin Kiley has his contract renewed.
4: C’mon, what’s your best memory of “Roggin and Simers Squared”?
5: Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton, 570-AM weekdays
Last year: 5, bottom 5.
Horrible mention: Michael Eaves, 570-AM fill-in; Terry Smith, 710-AM Angels post-game talk; Bill Simmons, 710-AM weekday co-host fill-in.

THE GREAT EIGHT OF SYNDICATED RADIO HOSTS:
1. Jim Rome, 570-AM weekday mornings
2. Dan Patrick, 570-AM weekday morning drive
3. Jason Smith, 710-AM weekday overnight
4. Colin Cowherd, 710-AM weekday morning drive
5. Stephen A. Smith, 710-AM weekday afternoon
6. Mike Tirico, 710-AM weekday early afternoon
7. Dave Smith, Sporting News Radio Network overnight
8. Bob Valvano, 710-AM weekend overnight

THE GREAT EIGHT OF L.A. NEWS UPDATE REPORTERS:
1. Bill Seward, 980-AM
2. A. Martinez, 710-AM
3. Ted Sobel, 980-AM
4. Vic “The Brick” Jacobs, 570-AM
5. Tim Cates, 570-AM
6. Randy Kerdoon, 1070-AM
7. Paul Olden, 1070-AM
8. Jeff Biggs, 710-AM

For full commentary on those lists, go to the newspaper version of the story...

As for other news and notes of some small consequence:

Last week, ESPN announced that Eric Wynalda was being replaced by John Harkes on its U.S. men's soccer coverage, beginning with Wednesday night's U.S.-Mexico telecast. The network said Wynalda would be reassigned to do studio work -- most likely doing UEFA Championships League games, which are announced from a studio feed at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn.
This week, Wynalda lost that gig as well apparently.
We emailed the Westlake High grad and former U.S. national team star this week to see if he could respond to what was going on at ESPN.
"Nope" he wrote back on his BlackBerry.
Wednesday, Wynalda told the San Diego Union Tribune that he negotiated a buyout for the remaining half of his five-year deal with the network and "I can't comment further at this time, but I'm definitely contemplating my options about what I'll do next.”

The final episode of HBO's "Inside the NFL" airs tonight at 10 p.m., recapping the Giants' Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
Then the show goes away. Apparently for good.
After 31 seasons, the network decided to pull the plug on it, announcing it only in a short press release sent out this morning. The show has been touted as cable TV's longest-running series, one of the first that HBO even aired to get its foot in the door as a network that was interested in sports.
HBO Sports boss Ross Greenburg said: “Inside the NFL has been a hallmark program for three decades on HBO. It has been a terrific franchise. But the television landscape has changed quite a bit over the last 30 years and we have to recognize the realities of the business. I’m not sure we had more than one competitor when the show launched in 1977. We wish NFL Films, our partner for the past 31 years, all the best with continuing the great tradition of 'Inside the NFL.'"
Meaning it leave the door for someone else to take the NFL Films handoff. Maybe.
It also means Bob Costas (who picked the Giants' upset, only to be contradictory), joins Cris Collinsworth, Dan Marino and Cris Carter in the unemployment line. Maybe only Carter.
Did "Inside the NFL" become irrelevant with ESPN and Fox cranking out cable versions of it during the week? HBO's edition was really top shelf and considered more the gold standard of the week in review than the others that cranked out opinions and interviews like rotting candy bars. HBO's show was destination information and opinion. Maybe Marino was just repeating himself there and on the CBS' pregame, but at least he said it on HBO first.
Plus, you don't get comedy gold like this:

For a history of the program, which started with Al Meltzer and Chuck Bednari as the original hosts, had a run of about 10 years with Len Dawson and Buoniconti as the hosts, but in 2002 switched over in a mysterious move to Costas and company, the current Wikipedia entry is fairly accurate.
An HBO spokesman said Dawson and Buoniconti flew in to be part of tonight's final episode.
Maybe Nick will write "goodbye" with some rocks as the camera pans out? Suicide is painless.

First, the SI cover that'll be out in the upcoming issue:

And a bit of clarification on the numbers thrown around like a Mrs. Frisbee pie tin about the audience for Sunday's Super Bowl:
-- The 97.5 million figure is the record-number attached to viewership of Fox's coverage -- that's the average number of households it reached, not total people. The previous record was 94.1 million in the '96 Super Bowl XXX (Dallas-Pittsburgh).
The more interesting number is that Nielsen estimates the game had a total audience of 148.3 million viewers watching all or part of the game -- which is a Super Bowl record, passing the '04 Super Bowl XXXVIII game (New England-Carolina). Remember, ratings don't measure who's watching in a bar, restaurant or dorm room. And the fact people gather at other people's houses to watch also skews the number -- a Nielsen family could leave their house to watch it at someone else's home but not be registered by the tabulation.

While it's true the Feb. 28, '83 episode of "M*A*S*H" is the only show in TV history with more home viewership -- 106 million -- it did so with a 60.2 rating and 77 share. No other show in history has even got as high as a 53.3 rating.

Sunday's Super Bowl XLII had a rating of 43.2, but it's only a slight jump from last year's Indianapolis-Chicago telecast (42.6). The reason it has more viewers is simple math: More people in the U.S. represent a rating point today than at any other time in history.

The peak of Sunday's audience was from 9:30 to 10 p.m. ET/6:30 to 7 p.m. PT -- 105.7 million. That's the most-watched portion of a Super Bowl ever. And that alone almost matched the "M*A*S*H" final audience. At the start of the game, Super Bowl XLII had a 39.4 rating (6:31-7 p.m. ET/3:31-4 p.m.)

As for that pregame show, Fox did a 10.8 rating and had 20.1 million viewers, better than a year ago on CBS (10.2) and better than what Fox did for its last Super Bowl pregame (10.1 in '05).
Fox got an 11 percent increase in pregame show audience from men 18-49 (9.3 vs. 8.4 a year ago) and a 16 percent increase in women viewers 18-49 (6.4 vs. 5.5).

Boston (55.6 and a phenominal 81 share) was the best city rating. New York did a 44.9/67. Phoenix had a 47.0/72.

==The NFL Network will replay the game in a 90-minute format beginning Wednesday (5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.), and including Thursday (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.), Saturday (1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and Sunday (8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.)

By Pat Graham
Associated Press
DENVER -- L.J. Jenkins settled onto Big Bucks, wiggled his hand under the rope to get a firm grip, took a deep breath and motioned he was ready to ride the 1,350-pound bull.
He wasn’t.
Jenkins was soon brushing dirt from his chaps after the brute of a bull sent him sailing off last June. No one’s really ready for Big Bucks — only two riders since 2004 have stayed on his back for an entire eight seconds.
Big Bucks is one of the baddest bucking bulls around — making him the prime bovine athlete to undergo the Professional Bull Riders’ inaugural test for anabolic steroids. The PBR recently started screening its bulls to ensure their meanness comes through good genetics, not by beefing up with performance enhancers.
Jerry Nelson, co-owner of Big Bucks, gladly allowed blood to be taken from his prized bull’s tail and analyzed for steroids after an event at Madison Square Garden in January. Nelson wants to make sure all the bulls are competing on a level field.
“If Big Bucks shows up with anything in his blood stream that ain’t supposed to be there, I’m suing my vet,” said Nelson, the CEO of Frontier Rodeo in Winnie, Texas. “My bulls buck because the good lord gave them the ability to buck.”

The PBR comes to Anaheim for its annual tour stop this coming weekend at the Honda Center ... Read on ...

You had to drag your sorry, hung-over rear end back to the workplace today, right? Bummer.
If only the Monday after the Super Bowl was a national holiday.
If only there was a way to speak up, and make someone take notice that America deserves its day of hangover from the biggest sporting clustermess of the year (because it hasn't been long enough since the last national holiday, MLK Day, and we can't wait until President's Day).
Over the weekend, I became petition signer No. 16,526 in trying to push the process along in trying to make Super Bowl Monday a national day of sloth. I will soon write my Congressmen about this pressing issue.
You'd think someone like John Kerry, who twisted the NFL's arm to get the final Patriots' game on over-the-air TV, would be the first to get behind this, right?
The guys who run the website SuperBowlMonday.com have been trying their darndest to get this thing rolling.
You can vote yes or no as for whether to make Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday that would be celebrated on the following Monday.
You make the call. Be an athletic holiday supporter. Then go buy a T-shirt. Then take two more asprin and call in sick.

"Still stuck on 7-3 in Super Bowl 42," says Buck to start things back up after a Patriots' punt.
More celeb sightings -- LL Cool J, Kate Hudson and Kurt Russell, back to Jordin and Gisele, and Frank Freakin' Caliendo, who lives in the area, with his wife and kids (or some woman with a kid on her lap that he's got his arm around).
"Frank Caliendo, who has the ability to freak out his kids every morning," says Buck.
How? By taking them to school naked?
"By waking them up to a different voice," he finishes the thought.
And after a pass from Manning to Boss for 45 yards, a shot of Jeremy Shockey drinking up in a suite. Leading to Aikman saying he doesn't believe the Giants are better without the star tight end, despite "what some have suggested."
Some also suggested we need another shot of where ever Ryan Seacrest disappeared to. Not us.

==It's officially the second-lowest scoring game through three quarters (9 points were tallied after three in SB9).

==6:11 p.m.: Giants go up 10-3 on TD pass to David Tyree and about 11 minutes to play. Tyree didn't have a TD catch all season long, it's finally pointed out.

==6:20 p.m.: Brady incomplete on third down pass after another hurried throw.
Aikman: "You'd like to keep a back in there and help out (Brady) but because the blitzes are coming inside you can't give help to (lineman) Matt Light."

==6:31 p.m.: "Now you're finally seeing New England get into some kind of a rhythm," says Aikman after Brady completes a pass to Faulk, the third completing on a drive that started again deep in New England territory and moved the ball inside the Giants 40 with 5:20 left. "This is not unchartered territory for them. Think about the Super Bowl games, even games this year, where the pressure mounted each and every week. ... They have been battle tested in these situations."

==6:38 p.m.: Patriots' drive continues. Buck reminds audience that Brady has led his team to 28 career game-winning performances. Third and goal from the 7 with 2:45 left in the game: "Brady throws ... Moss ... Touchdown!" Crowd noise as Moss preens on the sideline. "A methodical drive put together by the game's best," Buck says after about a 30-second pause of crowd reaction. "Tom Brady .. Patriots lead by 4."
On the overhead replay, Aikman notes that the Giants cornerback "Corey Webster was in troble as soon as he started backpeddling off the line of scrimmage. They doubled Wes Welker on the inside. They left Corey Webster one-on-one with Randy Moss and it just wasn't a match. ... Webster has been terrific throughout the postseason ... just not able to match one-one-one with Randy Moss on the goalline."

==6:41 p.m.: Graphic: Giants have five wins after trailing in the fourth quarter this season (most in the NFL). Aikman mentions that Manning has been best lately in the no-huddle offense and the team has all three time outs plus the two-minute warning.

==6:42 p.m.: With 2:39 to play, first and 10 from their own 17 is where the Giants' last drive starts. 11 yards to Toomer. Manning incomplete to Burress. Manning incomplete to Burress. Down to 1:59 "to completing the perfect season are the Patriots," says Buck.

==6:44 p.m.: What we really need now is a Victoria's Secret ad to distract everyone. Oh, here's one. To the tune of "I'm In The Mood For Love." Followed right afterward by a towtruck driver hooking up the jumper cables of his truck to his nipples and turning on a stereo system in the back of his truck after drinking Amp energy. Then Ben Roethlesburger doing a promo for "American Idol." Way to kill the buzz.

==6:45 p.m.: Giants have it third down. Manning to Toomer short of the first-down line. "Toomer was inches short," says Buck. Even it was about a foot.
Fourth and 1 with the game on the line: Jacobs gets the first on a close run. 1:22 left.
==6:48 p.m.: Giants 1st and 10 at their own 38: Manning scrambles, fumbles, 5 yard gain.
==6:50 p.m.: Giants 2nd and 5 at their own 44: Manning nearly intercepted by Samuel.
==6:51 p.m.: Giants 3rd and 5 at their own 44: Manning nearly sacked, scrambles out of it, Tyree goes up and catches it inside the 25. Time out.
"Oh, my God," says Buck with an astonished laugh.
"Tyree somehow was able to make the catch," says Aikman. "And that was somehow after Eli Manning was able to avoid the sack."
==6:52 p.m.: Giants 1st and 10 inside the 24: Manning flushed out, no gain to the line. Giants timeout with 50 seconds left.
==6:54 p.m.: Giants 2nd and 11 inside the 25: Manning throws to Tyree, nearly intercepted.
==6:55 p.m.: Giants 3rd and 11: Manning complete to the sideline to Steve Smith for a first down.
==6:55 p.m.: Giants 1st and 10 inside the 14 with 39 seconds left: Manning TD to Burress.
"Manning lobs it .. BURRESS ALONE ... TOUCHDOWN NEW YORK," says Buck. More crowd.
Shot of Peyton Manning clapping.
"17-14 Giants," says Buck after about a 45-second crowd noise.
Aikman: "Look at this route by Plexico Burress, starts to the inside just enough to sell the slant, and then he goes to the corner. They call it the slant-and-go route -- the Sluggo route -- and it worked beautifully."
Burress didn't have a catch the whole second half, Buck notes.
Graphic on Manning's stats for the fourth quarter: 9 of 14, 152 yards and 2 TDs.

==6:58 p.m.: "These will be the longest 29 seconds of Eli Manning's life," says Aikman as Brady and the Patroits start the final drive with three timeouts left on their own 26. "And 29 seconds and three time outs left is an eternity for Tom Brady."
Brady long, incomplete.
"At stake is the perfect season 18-0, at stake for New York Giants is their Super Bowl win," says Buck.
Three lead changes in the final quarter is a Super Bowl record says the graphic.
Brady sacked by Alford with 19 seconds left. Patriots take time out.
From his own 15, Brady downfield to Moss, broken up by Webster near the Giants 20 some 55 yards on the fly. Time out with 10 seconds left.
==7:03 p.m.: Brady bomb down field, incomplete.
"Two seconds left as the Giants take over," says Buck. "They run out the clock. They put one second back on the scoreboard. The celebration started and now will stop. There is one second left on the scoreboard. There are fans out there, there are photographers and this officiating crew is trying to restore order. Bill Belichick is leaving the field and nobody from New England is out on the field. The official word from the NFL is a play has to be run.
"And the New York Giants, one second away from pulling off this upset. ...."
"The Giants have won the Super Bowl," says Buck, without a shout or a burst of energy, but with a simple proclamation that had some disbelief that everyone else has.

Burress is in tears on the sideline talking to Pam Oliver.
"What do we do now?" Jeff Feagles' wife screams.
"Just take it all in," Feagles responds.

"We had seen too much with the wins in Tampa, at Dallas and then at Green Bay to write them off," Buck said to Aikman in the postgame. "They played a brilliant ballgame here tonight."

Bradshaw to Coughlin: "Coach, you are a world champion. You deserve it."
Kind of a change in tune to how much Bradshaw was critical of Couglin during the regular season, especially early on.

Curt Menafee says coming out of the commercial leading into halftime: "I don't know what people expected, but we got us a football game, guys."
I think people were, in general, expecing a football game. Did Curt think they'd be disappointed that there wasn't a golf tournament instead?
"We kicked off at 4:31 local time, Tom Brady took his first snap at 4:52," Howie Long chimes in.
And Gisele Bundchen was shown on TV at 5:07. What's the point? There's always someone who's clockwatching, isn't there. Don't worry, you'll get the first plane out of Phoenix and back to Virginia ASAP.
"I look for them to be more defending in the second half," says Jimmy Johnson, trying to make sense.
Bradshaw reads the first-half highlights as if he's just come back from hurling in the bathroom. Stumbling. Scratch voice. Read it like a third-grade book report. Did he just take the shotsheet off the AP wire service?

==So as your enjoying the Bridgestone Halftime Show, here's something to know about the labor practices of the Bridgestone/Firestone company, thanks to David Zirin, at his EdgeofSports.com link.

==Halftime playlist from T.Petty: "American Girl" (remember it being on the "Silence of the Lambs" soundtrack); "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin'" (with references to Jesus and Elvis; not as updated as Petros Papadakis singing "Free Ballin'") and "Runnin' Down A Dream." That's it? Where are the rest of the Traveling Wilburys? That was over faster than the first half.

==Third quarter:
==5:33 p.m.: Shaq, as a horse jockey, in a VitaminWater ad. Should be in the top 3 of any list after this game (without even seeing what else is there). Could be the closest thing to cruelty to an equine since "Blazing Saddles."

==5:35 p.m.: New England puts up a challenge to too many men on the field just before the snap on a Patriots' punt. Fox's camera, one from what apepars to be the roof, shows that he has an argument. Now maybe we need a shot of Chase Blackburn (a backup linebacker) with a closer look. After a review, the penalty is called, first down Pats at Giants 39 yard line. With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, the Pats get new life, by penalty. "So mark this time down in your diary," says Buck.
Who carries around diaries?
"Belichick doesn't miss a trick," says Troy Aikman.
As we soon find out, the penalty didn't hurt the Giants. So it must be OK to erase it from your diary.

Right after the Pats go up 7-3, there's the GoDaddy.com ad with Danica Patrick talking about wanting to keep her "beaver safe." At least, it's a reference to to online and watch it because "viewer discretion is advised."
Why, because Danica says "beaver"? Get over it, kids.

==4:07 p.m.: Speaking off... Fox finds Gisele Bundchen in the suite swigging from a wine glass.
"She's here with the quarterback," says Buck.
Next, Jim Carey (on the right) and Jenny McCarthy.
Then, a stressed-out looking Pamela Anderson.
We give up, where's Jessica Simpson?

==4:08 p.m.: Another Pro Bowl reminder. Thanks. Completely slipped our minds for some reason.

== 4:15 p.m.: Another blimp shot from outside.
"It's a shame the roof is closed," now Buck says, "on what is a cool, pretty night in the Phoenix area."
Or a pretty cool night.

==4:40 p.m.: As long as Justin Timberlake is getting knocked around by some girl sucking on a soft drink, we're good. One more bang against the mailbox post for good measure.

==4:54 p.m.: New England 7, New York 3 at the half. Can Steve Smith catch anything thrown near him?

Jordin Sparks, whose deal with the devil runs out farily soon unless Ryan Seacrest does something about it, did a wonderful lipsynch. Can we just start this thing now? Or do we have to sit through an other ad for the Pro Bowl, 'cause everyone knows that's the game we're all looking more forward to at this point:

==3:24 p.m.: Joe Buck makes it clear: "The roof is closed and will stay closed."
Sorry, just wondering if the game was going to be played under the horrible conditions that usually hit Arizona this time of year.

==Nice to see Joe Montana, er, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice represent the late Bill Walsh in the Super Bowl coin toss.

==GIANTS WIN ... the toss. They throw out all the record books when that happens against an undefeated team in a Super Bowl.

==3:37 p.m.: Aerial coverage of outside the stadium provided by Budweiser. We can't get enough shots overhead of the city "that's been buzzing all week," said Buck. Is the PGA event still going on that we can see?

==3:45 p.m. Giants 3, Patriots 0 after a 16-play drive that eats up almost 10 minutes:
And now, Buck falls asleep at the mike, all in the name of promoting a soft drink (because he needs more ginseng and more caffeine and no calories):

==3:52 p.m.: Buck makes sure that if you've missed any Super Bowl ads, go to myspace.com/superbowads. But only do it after the game, idiot.

Fox's pregame show kicks it up a notch ... or maybe it seems that way because the game's now only two hours away instead of four:

==1 p.m.: Seacrest with John Krasinski (Jim Halpert from “The Office”), wearing a Patriots cap, reminiscing about a red carpet experience at the Emmys a while back.
Seacrest: “Who do you like, the Giants or the Patriots?”
Krasinski (answering the question before Seacrest can finish): “It would be awkward being a Giants fan wearing a Patriots hat.”
Seacrest: “Just saw that.”

==1:09 p.m.: The 30-second audio-challenged commercial by Pepsi: Two hearing-impared guys looking for a Super Bowl party at their friends house, and honking the horn to see everyone on the block flick their lights on except for their friend, who’s also hearing impared.

==1:12 p.m.: Next Caliendo spot as Jay Leno rattling off a litany of pedestrian jokes:
“Fox decided they finally wanted some testosterone in the pregame show, so they added Ryan Seacrest. Boy nothing says ‘NFL tough’ like Ryan Seacrest. I guess Richard Simmons was booked, huh? I’m kidding. I like Ryan. He’s what they call a ‘metrosexual.’ Which Terry Bradshaw believes is a word for guys who like to make out in a compact cars.”
Who says there's a writer's strike? That's comedy gold.

==1:15 p.m.: Myspace.com cult hero Paul Brogan from Tacoma, Washington, has a geeky rap about “the Super Bowl of football games, the Super Bowl,
This must be cutting edge stuff that’s just gone past us.
“Not as good as Eminem, but a heckva lot better than Vanilla Ice,” says rapper expert Menafee.
“He’s a cult hero?” asks Johnson. “Who’s the cult?”

==1:20 p.m.: Cal Ripken Jr. makes in into the house. Does does super model Marissa Miller.
“Time to make television history,” Seacrest says.
It's Paula Abdul, yesterday's news, doing her exclusive music video “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.”
Very Janet Jackson-esque without the exposed breast (barely). Something about a 45-year-old trying to sex it up. Don’t stop dreamin’. It’ll be a hit in all the discotechs.
Seacrest: “That’s your first single in over a decade!”
Randy Jackson, a flag football player in L.A., according to Seacrest: “Paula Abdul is hot. The single is hot. She’s hot baby.”

Three minutes, 16 seconds of your life you can't get back.
(Sniff).
I hope my mom's that hot when she gets that old.

==1:43 p.m.: Seacrest announces that he’s been joined by “superstar Nick Lachey.” Which may be worthy of a Fox news bulletin across the scroll somewhere along the lines of “aliens attack Phoenix.” Oh, and NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson is also here.

==1:53 p.m.: Seacrest with Samuel L. Jackson, who updates the crowd on Tiger Woods’ victory in Dubai earlier this morning.
Wait, is that a reference to the PGA event on NBC right now?

==2:06 p.m.: Seacrest with John Travolta, who "just told me he flew his own plane" into the game.
No kidding?
Bubbleboy picks the Giants, "the hottest team" against the best team.
"OK, see you guys! We're out!" as Seacrest and Travolta head down the carpet together to the soundtrack of "Stayin' Alive."
A reference to ... something...
Mark it down: 2:07 p.m. No more Seacrest.

==2:13 p.m.: Menafee: "From this point on we will focus solely on tonight's Super Bowl matchup."
Howie immediately references a Alicia Keys lyric. And Jimmy refers to a Russell Crowe-narrated piece just "gave me chills."
Yup, all about the pigskin.

==2:38 p.m.: Tom Brady, interviewed by "my man" (Menafee said it, twice) Terry Bradshaw.
Bradshaw, finally getting around to ask a question: "You wanna get married?"
Sounds like an indecent proposal.
Brady: "Yeah."
Bradshaw: "I just threw that out there, you don't have to answer that."
Why not, it's about the only question you've asked to that point.
If only Bradshaw was wearing a wedding dress when he proposed.
"From that piece of tape you can see just exactly how butt-ugly I am," Bradshaw tells his posse back on the set. "I'm a little upset right now."

==2:46 p.m.: Caliendo III, as John Madden, lamenting the absense of Brett Favre.
"Today, the Patriots will try to join the '72 Dolphins, the Mona Lisa and the Canadian-bacon Hot Pocket as things that are perfect," Caliendo/Madden says.
So he picks the Giants.
"Let's throw it back to the three guys who thinks the game is named after Curt Menafee's waist size: XL-2."

The guys pick (because we need to know):
Bradshaw: Patriots
Long (wearing a Red Sox cap): Patriots
Johnson: 34-23 Patriots
Now we can all sleep. Or start reading the Declaration of Independence. Whatever floats your flotilla.
Kickoff is minutes away. We're told.
Did the Lakers end up winning?

==The tease at the top of the Fox official pregame show for Seacrest’s segments promise appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Laurence Fishburne and Hugh Laurie – the later, star of the Fox series “House,” which happens to have an episode after the game ends.
Very convenient.

==A scroll at the bottom of the screen informs us: “54 degrees, light showers."
Refer to Jillian Reynolds' reminder that game is in a "frickin' dome, dude."

==Curt Menafee mentioned that Pam Oliver just talked about “the music of Green Days.” Would that be “Days” as in “Daze” or “Day” as in the real of the group?

==Ryan Seacrest’s first appearance coming out of a commercial break at 11:15 a.m.: “It takes two of you guys to wand me?”
Yes, one to make sure he’s not packing heat, and another to recheck he's not packing a cucumber wraped in aluminum foil.
Seacrest informs us that they’re at “the entry point” of the red carpet, about a half mile from the stadium.

==11:34 a.m.: A tape that Roger Goodell should have ordered destroyed months ago: Seacrest, wearing jersey No. 21, a safety at Dunwoody High in Atlanta.
Bradshaw: “Hey Seacrest, the only time I thought I’d see you at a Super Bowl, man, was going to be as a cheerleader.”
Is that supposed to imply ... not that there's anything wrong with that.

==After a story about the ’72 Miami Dolphins, Bradshaw: “I've had enough of it. I want to give these New England Patriots that trophy tonight to shut that bunch up down in Miami up.”

==Menafee brings up the Boston Herald story about Patriots taping the Rams before the 2002 Super Bowl:
Jimmy Johnson: “It’s a walk-through? You don’t ever show anything in a walk-through …I coached for 40 years they could have videotaped every walk through I ever had.”
Howie Long: “You think the Patriots beat the Rams because they taped a walk-through? This thing has taken on a life of its own. By the time we walk out of here today Oliver Stone will be signed on to shoot the movie.”

==First Frank Caliendo appearance at 11:57 a.m., as Dr. Phil.
Then the real Dr. Phil appears, a head taller than Calendo:
”What are you, mini me? You look like Dennis Franz. What’s the deal?”
The real Dr. Phil does an apparent intervention: “Professionally speaking, it’s been my experience that people who pretend to be other people, sorry that’s a little wacko.”

==Seacrest meets up with Goodell “and his entourage.”
Yea, we want to know who the commish rolls with.
“Is this your first red carpet walk?” Seacrest asks.
“Yes it is,” Goodell admits.
Short talk. Seacrest says: “Thanks man, have a good one.”

==A story on the four Giants defensive lineman. We find out that Michael Strahan’s nickname is “Lick Him Na Hearts”
says Strahan: “That’s Michael Strahan backwards and trust me, I don’t understand it either.

==12:13 p.m.: Fox “reporter” Chris Myers in a commercial for Amp energy drink with a bunch of guys on life cycles “powering” this segment of the pregame show.
Handed a can, Myers takes a sip: “It’s good, it’s really good.”
Get outta my way, I’m headed to the store right now to get me some.

==Menafee reminds us that closed captioning is by Pepisco “enAble,” where he has to read it from the script that the group is all about "Employees Dedicated to Creating a Much More Inclusive Environment for People with Different Abilities.” Or, the anacroynm: EDCMIEPDA.
What the hell does that mean?

==Best piece of info from the pregame show: A promo for “The Simpsons” announcing they have 10 weeks of new episodes that start in 2 weeks.

==12:19 p.m.: Seacrest with Roger Federer entering the game, followed by someone named William Moseley ( “The Chronicles of Narnia”) and then Fishburne, who admits he’s only there because the NFL asked him to narrate some video.
Giants chairman Steve Tisch gets good camera time promoting his team.

==12:39 p.m.: Willie Nelson and some other chick sing, “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.” Why wasn’t Jessica Simpson invited to this duet?

==Seacrest on the halftime show: “And word is: Tom Petty’s wardrobe is functioning, thank goodness.”

==12:52: Menafee: “Every time I see Willie Nelson, I remember I spent a day in Luckenbach, Texas, drinking beers and throwing washers and every time I see Willie Nelson that’s all I think about.”
Seacrest: “That’s TMI, too much information.”

==Seacrest with Jillian Reynolds to talk about how the parties have “blown up” and people scalp party tickets for $4,000.
See Reynolds tramp it up at the Maxim party “with a lot booze” going on.
Then at Victoria’s Secret party some Mensa conversation.
There were 28 parties and now “I’m going to tailgate with the real fans, the tailgate parties," she says.
Get the keggers ready.

==Seacrest with Hugh Laurie, who admits "It’s my first game of American football."
Reason enough to be on the red carpet going into the game.
Seacrest makes sure to ask Laurie about the fact his father competed 1948 won a gold in London in the coxless pairs.
"Yes, every conceivable joke about it has been done," says Laurie. "It's two guys in a boat.”
Seacrest: “Who’s going to win? What’s your prediction?”
Laurie: “Great, the guy who’s never been to a football game … I’m going to go Giants.”
Why not? Everyone else seems to have a clueless pick. Yours can't be any dumber.
Although we did hear, on a sports-talk show during the week, Rob Schneider hoping the game would end in a 9-9 tie. For humor purposes, of course. But imagine hearing Bradshaw try to explain what happened. It would be Bud Selig-esque.

Aw, why not. I'm up at 8 a.m. anyway, searching the fridge for what's stockpiled for today's stay-indoor adventure of TV fare.

It's the Fox Super Sunday political show, and immediately, there's two women from Hooters -- Danielle and Kristin (boy, I hope I got their names spelled right), in full Hooter-dom costume -- playing a Wii game on a big screen, where one is the Giants and the other is the Patriots.
"Just keep pressing 'A'," instructs Fox co-host Megyn (boy, I hope I got her name spelled right) Kelly to Kristin, the two of them blondes, "and we have more fun," Kelly adds.
Just before that, a giant countdown clock to kickoff: 7 hours, 20 minutes, 36 seconds.
I can't happen soon enough.

In perfect segue fashion, the show goes from the Hooters girls -- who are, by the way, fine representatives of the company -- to Shepard Smith interviewing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Smith starts to hammer him about "Spygate," and the revelation in Saturday's Boston Herald about a story that's come out about how the Patriots videotaped the St. Louis Rams' final walk-through before the 2002 Super Bowl -- where the Patriots pulled off the 20-17 upset.

Goodell: “Shep, there are no new facts on this. This is Super Bowl week. This is what usually happens, people take the stage and opportunity to spread more rumors. But there are really no facts here. This is very consistent with what we found five months ago. There was no taping of walkthrough between the Rams by the Patriots. .."
Smith: "There was no taping?"
Goodell: "No, and the teams denied that five months ago, so this is not new information. It’s Super Bowl week (and he then gives that that look like, 'OK, move on')

Soon, there's another great segue, Smith teasing a story about “the craziest parties in town.” Can't see the reaction from Goodell.

Back from a commercial to interview Alice Cooper about the politcal race (taped at some party):
“I haven’t found anyone I really like yet. Right now everyone’s so extreme. I’m kind of looking for a guy in the middle. Pee-wee Herman would be good.”

An interview with President Bush, about how he's "fired up" for the game ... The story tags back to when he was watching a playoff game in 2002 and he choked on a pretzel, passed out while coughing and hit his head.
“Watchign football and eating pretezles can be dangerous," Bush said with his usual smirk.
"No pretzels this year but we’re told the President has not ruled out nachos," says the non-descript reporter, trying to top Bush's comment.

Another Fox reporter, Yetta Gibson, reports on the parties where she spots "Gillian Barbarie" -- or Reynolds, as the Fox studio guys have been calling her all year. Reynolds is asked about the rain in the forecast for the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.: "It doesn’t matter, it’s a frickin’ dome, dude."

Fox News stat of the day: In the 10 presidential elections since birth of the Super Bowl, seven have been won by Republicans.
With the Super Bowl teams score more than 50 combined points in an election year, “it bodes well for the Repubs," says the reporter, noting the party has won 75 percent of the time.
A stretch? Of course. But it's Fox News.
Twice, the state hosting the game has been home to the party nominee: In 1980, when it was a the Rose Bowl (and the L.A. Rams played in it), Ronald Reagan won the nominee. In 2004, when it was in Houston, George W. Bush was re-elected as the nominee.
"That can be a very good omen for a guy named McCain in Arizona," the reporter deduces.
OK, we'll give 'em that one.

Finally, a quick interview with Nick Lachey about the presidental race:
"It’s so wide open, which is, I think, a good thing for our country. You know. To have as much, uh, as much opportunity for different people and all the debate and dialogue that’s been going on, I think that’s a really healthy thing, well, you know, we’ll just have to see. I don’t know who’s gonna win."
Nor should he.

Fast forward to 9:45 a.m.:
Lakers-Washington Wizards telecast on KCAL-Channel 9.
Reporter John Ireland is in the stands sitting between James Carvell and Tim Russert.
Russert, the NBC politcal show host, admits he roots for the Wizards. Just then, Caron Butler scores for Washington.
"That's the greatest trade in NBA history," Russert tells Ireland. "Caron Butler for Kwame Brown. Thank you Lakers. Thank you Lakers. Thank you Lakers."
Mitch Kupchak taketh. Mitch Kupchak giveth away as well.

According to "Madden NFL '08," the guys who made the videogame at EA Sports have reporter that, "based on simulations," the Patriots beat the Giants 38-30.
Read more about it here at this ESPN Video Games site link if you must.
Of the past five years, mind you, EA has predicted the winner of the Super Bowl using its game (maybe not the exact score, but...)
In the EA version, the Patriots had a 17-13 halftime lead, and 24-23 lead late in the third quarter until Tom Brady hooked up with Randy Moss on a 31-yard touchdown pass. Eli Manning then had a pass tipped and intercepted by Asante Samuel in the fourth quarter while the Giants were trying to tie the game. The Patriots ended up scoring on that turnover for a 38-23 lead.
The game stats:
Brady was 29 of 40 for 277 yards, 3 TDs and one interception, while Manning was 27 of 38 for 226 yards, 1 TD and one pick.
Brandon Jacobs ran for 68 yards on 23 carries and one TD for the Giants (Ahmad Bradshaw also scored a TD). Maroney ran for 86 yards on 28 carries and two TDs.
Moss, Welker and Stallworth all had one TD catch, for the Patriots with Moss collecting a team-best 75 yards receiving. Steve Smith had the one Giants TD catch.
The Giants' Lawrence Tynes had three field goals (in four tries).

As a Fox media release tries to point out, the network has done some "somewhat untraditional" Super Bowl pregame shows in the last. It had a "salute to voodoo" in New Orleans in '97, a re-creation of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (again in New Orleans, in '02) and held a golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass (’05, Jacksonville). So why not throw Ryan Seacrest out as a red-carpet host and promote "American Idol" as much as possible?
Reigning "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks will sing the national anthem. "Idol" judge Paula Abdul will perform (on tape) her new song, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," with Randy Jackson also dancing on it. (Simon Cowell is apparently the only one associated with "Idol" who isn't showing up).
Seacrest's appearance, to us, doesn't add celebrity appeal, but more of a manufactured pop culture element that even he helping to generate.
Thursday, something called the Victoria's Secret "What Is Sexy?" list came out for 2008, and the lingerie company's "executive and designers" voted Seacrest the winner of the "sexiest smile." The company, which has bought an ad for Sunday's Super Bowl XLII on Fox, will also have a party in Scottsdale on Saturday to celebrate their specialness.
The tag to this: E! Entertainment TV will have a one-hour special: "Victoria's Secret: What is Sexy? 2008" on Feb. 9. It will be produced by E! and Ryan Seacrest Productions.
So of course he's smiling.

Following up today's media column in the Daily News with more SBXLII drivel, and beyond: