January 2009 Archives

Camarillo's Mike and Bob Bryan won their third Australian Open crown and seventh Grand Slam championship today with a win over third-seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles 2-6, 7-5, 6-0 on Saturday night in Melbourne.

The Tennis Channel's coverage of the match airs tonight at 7 p.m.

The 30-year-old twins are second, tied with Peter Fleming and John McEnroe, as well as John Newcombe and Tony Roche, for most Grand Slam doubles titles by one team. The record is 11 by Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

"It's fun to see all the hard work we put in at the Spanish Hills Country Club in late December and early January pay off. It's still a long year and we've got to keep it going for 52 weeks," Mike Bryan said.

The Bryans are back at No. 1 on the ATP Doubles Team rankings.

According to their father, Wayne, the Bryans get back to L.A. Monday morning at 11 a.m. and head over to the Santa Barbara Municipal Tennis Courts for a clinic.

Other events ahead on the Bryan's schedule:

== Saturday, Feb. 7: An exhibition at the Avila Bay Tennis Club near San Luis Obispo (1 to 3 p.m.) (site linked here)
== Feb. 9-15: In San Jose for the SAP Open.
== Feb. 23-March 1: Delray Beach International Championships
== March 6-8: Davis Cup: In Birmingham, Ala., with Andy Roddick, James Blake and captain Patrick McEnroe, against Switzerland (official website linked here)
== March 12-21: An exhibition at Indian Wells.
== March 23-25: In Miami for the First Serve Pro Am gala.
== March 26-April 4: Masters Series at Key Biscayne, Fla.
== April 6-12: U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston (website linked here)

By Janie McCauley
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Zito rushed from an appearance and autograph session with homeless children straight to the ballpark weight room. He was short on time and needed to fit in his second workout of the day.

The 30-year-old out of Pierce College and USC has committed himself to his fitness and offseason program like never before, eager to turn things around as he heads into his third season with the San Francisco Giants. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner, who received a $126 million, seven-year deal before the 2007 campaign, is a disappointing 21-30 in his two seasons with San Francisco.

"The workouts are awesome," said Zito, who has been training all winter with fitness guru and fellow Giants pitcher Brian Wilson. "We're working out six days a week, two-a-days."

Wilson, the team's closer who has been living with Zito in the Hollywood Hills, has witnessed his teammate take some major strides. When they started back on Nov. 1, Zito could do all of three pull-ups. Now he can do 16.

"You can see a good difference," said Wilson, who adheres to the most intense workout regimen and strictest diet of anyone on the Giants. "As far as strength goes, I don't think he's done this kind of work before. The gains are tremendous."

Zito thinks so, too. All of this from someone who once joked that you "can't pull fat" to explain why his routine didn't include weight training.

From band work to yoga, high-intensity karate and weight lifting, they have been doing it all. Their throwing program has consisted of playing catch across a canyon, a distance of more than 200 feet.

"We've had some expensive days losing balls," Wilson said.

This exclusive reported by those Woodwards and/or Levins at TMZ (linked here):

According to a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lenny Dykstra has yet to fork over the cash he promised to pay four pilots in exchange for flying his private plane. Dykstra had until January 12 to pay up, the lawsuit says, but thus far he hasn't.
What's more, the four pilots claim Dykstra promised them a four-month gig, but didn't deliver on that either.

We're guessing his Westlake Village home is still for sale, the one he bought off Wayne Gretzky at Sherwood Country Club. The car wash ... we're hoping he's got his assets in order before it really, really gets ugly.

The Wall Street Journal did the math, and finally called John Madden out.

As the $4 mil-a-year NBC analyst prepares for his next Super Bowl broadcast -- he'll be the only person to call a NFL title game for all four major networks -- the nation's most respected business publication decided to give him the business in a story today (linked here) that really plays into its wheelhouse.

"In statements made during several recent NBC broadcasts, Mr. Madden, who is 72, has misjudged the number of times NFL teams execute running plays from the shotgun formation, attributed two offensive strategies to a team whose players deny using them and misstated how often the San Diego Chargers call pass plays."

Matthew Futterman then gives the facts to back it up.

"Sandy Montag, Mr. Madden's agent, says any broadcaster in any game makes misstatements. 'It's a live three-hour broadcast,' he says. 'You can't be right 100% of the time.'"

How 'bout at least 50/50?

By Paul Newberry
The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. -- They started lining up at the "Faith Cafe" before lunchtime -- the unemployed and the homeless, the hungry and the hopeless.

They were just two miles from Raymond James Stadium, where workers were putting the finishing touches on the site of America's biggest party, the Super Bowl.

It sure seemed a lot farther away to these folks, who waited outside a drab building where workers doled out sustenance to the desperate -- a sandwich or two, some potatoes, maybe a doughnut. Come nightfall, they'll spread out in search of a park bench or a patch of grass, some place to sleep away another lost day.

This week they've tried to make their voices heard in a city throwing a big party they're not invited to, complete with stretch limousines, steak-and-lobster dinners, high-rise hotel suites and a $1,000-a ticket football game on Sunday.

"I just can't get a job," said Michael John Leinonen, pausing between each word.

Kids, don't play with your vegetables.

Or, if you do, take your clothes off.

Taking what Phoebe Cates did with a carrot in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" a few sweaty steps further, this PETA ad (above) that supposedly was banned from NBC's Super Bowl is at least getting its point across -- it generated publicity for itself. The bottom line: The message has been delivered.

We took it, hook, line and asparagus.

"Access Hollywood" ended up doing its own "investigative" piece on the PETA ad (linked here), as well as Troy Palomalu's revival of the Mean Joe Green-Coke spot that'll air in Sunday's telecast.

Think back to Super Bowl ads in the past that have been "banned." The company pretty much knew going in that it was too hot for a G-rated day of TV, but it submitted it anyway, had it nixed, then sent out the press release and digital video to all media outlets, complaining about the injustice of it all.

Like, when last year, Danica Patrick did the ads for GoDaddy.com that involved a "beaver" (which told viewers to go to the website to see the ad that was banned):

Goodness gracious, sakes alive, as John Wooden would say.

Again, the cerebral cortex is a bit on the overused side trying to crunch these facts, figures and fluffery from NBC and the NFL Network in how they're covering the "Big Game" (that's what they say on the commercials, right?) this weekend.

The smart size of our brain tells us that it's a good thing NBC has the game coverage. They have the best broadcasting duo on the call -- would be better if Cris Collinsworth was there instead of John Madden, but that's coming in the years ahead -- and aside from the gluttenous pregame show, we're OK with working around it to see what else is on between daybreak and kickoff.

The dumb side of our brain tells us that ... wait, the voices in our head are on a conference call. Maybe there's going to be some layoffs in the coming weeks. Or they'll ask us to work free for a week ...

As we try to get our thoughts around more of what's going on in the media world, before it all comes to a quiet four weeks in February, we offer up these links to those who still find the pursuit of media happiness to be just a click away:

== In addition to the NBC pregame show rundown in today's column (linked here) -- and please, at the very least Google the lyrics to "At The End Of The Day" from Les Mis before critiquing -- there's the rundown for ESPN and the NFL Network (linked here).

== A good trend: Fewer radio stations sent people to sit on "radio row" at the Super Bowl this year. A bad trend: Fewer radio stations sent people to sit on "radio row" at the Super Bowl this year. At least Jim Rome and Steve Mason were there to represent (linked here).

== Another Top 50 All-Time Sportscaster list, from Howard Cosell to .... Phyllis George? ... to who's the dude at No. 50? Doesn't that defeat the purpose if most people don't know him? (linked here).

== NBC's Dick Ebersol has to answer, to the Detroit media, as to why he thought Matt Millen -- the former president of the 0-16 Lions -- would be good to add to the network Super Bowl pregame show (linked here). Millen was a no-show on Tuesday's Media Day in Tampa.

== ESPN's Chris Mortensen told the Raiders he was sorry for reporting they were for sale, when apparently they weren't, and he just figured it out (linked here). And why wasn't Mort part of this "insider" roundtable with Adam Schefter, Jay Glazer and Michael Silver on the NFL Net? (linked here)

== Mortensen also has a Q-and-A with ESPN.com's and Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Len Pasquarelli (linked here), who had quintiple bypass surgery year ago, then contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder that affects the nervous system.

== Bob Costas has groovy sun glasses (linked here)

== And the NFL Net's Rich Eisen can never refer to Roger Goodell as "The Boss" again after this interview (linked here)

== A dude dressed in drag made Tuesday's Super Bowl media day kind of a drag (linked here) Even a bigger drag was if you were trying to interview someone and ESPN's Chris Berman decided he needed a quote more than you did (linked here).

== Why Berman won't be asked by ESPN bosses to take a furlough, but others could be (linked here)

== More speculation about the future of the NFL Network (linked here). Maybe that's why desk man Marshall Faulk has been sweating so much (linked here).

== Larry Fitzgerald Sr. seems like a good man. As a sportswriter ... (linked here)

== Magic Johnson has the magic interviewing touch when it comes to Phil Jackson (linked here)

== CBS' Jim Nantz doesn't necessarily want the lead of his obit to include "helped change the overtime rule in the NFL," but it could be on his resume (linked here)

== Remember the first and only female to broadcast an NFL game? It was Gayle Sierens, for NBC, in 1987, the last game of the season. The New York Times' Richard Sandomir looks back at why she is still the only one to do it (linked here).

== Sandomir also tries to figure out how viewers are supposed to know about the Arizona Cardinals when Fox and CBS hardly showed them to the national audience before the playoffs began (linked here). Reminds us a lot of the disservice that ESPN and Fox did with the Tampa Bay Rays before they reached the '08 World Series -- and there were plenty of opportunites they missed in a 162-game regular season schedule.

== Erin Andrews has ... jumped the blog shark? So say you, someone's tired of writing about her (linked here). Even when she's stealing other people's seats? (linked here).

== Why isn't Petros Papadakis worthy of leading "Pros vs. Joes" any more? (linked here)

== FS West has bigger plans for the Angels this season (linked here). Think the Dodgers are watching?

== Jimmy Connors and Tennis Channel ... a match made in TV land (linked here)

== The Clippers (and Charlotte Bobcats) are the worst local draws as far as local TV cable goes (linked here). At a 0.5 rating so far this season on FS West and Prime Ticket, they're miles away from the Lakers (4.2 after 20 games on FS West).

== A guy at the Hockey News says something to the effect that NBC's free lunch with the NHL is over. In fact, that's his lead, a reference to what the league will tell the network when it comes time to renewing its over-the-air network TV deal after this season (linked here).

== And someone isn't happy with the phrase "pansification" that NBC's Mike Milbury likes to use (linked here)

== J.A. Adande, meed S.E. Cupp (linked here)

== Sean Salisbury , the former USC QB who disappeared from ESPN a while back, apparently has a new employer, on a Dallas radio station, with Newy Scruggs, the former KCOP Channel 13 sportscaster (linked here)

== John Updike (1932-2009) appreciated a good baseball story (linked here)

== Another ESPN (and Fox Sports) has-been, Rob Dibble, has talked someone into hiring him -- the Washington Nationals, who had a spot open when Don Sutton wanted to be cut loose so he could return to Atlanta (linked here) and (linked here).

== The ESPN "Sunday Night" and Fox "Saturday Afternoon" MLB game of the week schedule, so far, doesn't infringe too much on our beach days (linked here) This is a story with legs.

== Kobe Bryant is asking for $49.99 to get the "special" stuff on his blog (linked here)

== Wait, did Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner really ask that HBO be blocked at the team hotel, in case any unnecessary nudity corrupt his game prep? (linked here) And more Super Bowl related stuff from Onion Sports (linked here)

== And finally:

Back to CNBC's Darren Rovell, who spotted a major U.S. newspaper forgetting the St. Louis Cardinals football team moved to Arizona about 21 years ago (linked here):

A lot of times, the network-generated press Q-and-A are fine if you need to fill space in a newspaper or TV guide. For some reason, I read most of this one and got some interesting insight -- not so much ego-gratifying blathering from over-paid sportscasters trying to sound like the commonman. But this time, they actually did.

From NBC, a look back at some Super Bowl memories from those covering Sunday's game:

== Al Michaels, on watching Super Bowl III 40 years ago on NBC: "I was in Hawaii starting my career (as a baseball broadcaster with the Islanders minor-league team) and was watching it with a friend of mine, early in the morning. I was an AFL fan and thought the AFL had been given short shrift and loved the way they played football and was very excited when the Jets won the game. I thought it was neat to have this upstart league come in and say to the NFL, 'hey, we're as good as you are.' "

== Michaels, on watching the first Super Bowl: "I was there in the Los Angeles Coliseum with my brother David. It was a beautiful day in the middle of January and we had really good seats on the northern side of the Coliseum. There were only about 60,000 people in the staduim and about 30,000 empty seats but I thought it was cool. I had always followed the AFL as a kid and I loved the AFL. You had no idea what was going to happen; would Kansas City even remotely be able to stay in the game or was the NFL so superior and dominant. Even though Green Bay won, and they won it going away, it was a close game at halftime and I remember thinking at halftime, 'hey this is pretty neat, the AFL can stay with the NFL.' It was a lot of fun but I had no idea that 43 years later it would evolve into anything like this."

Granted, the one issued a few weeks ago by the American Council of Sportscaster and Dairy Farmers (something like that) had it right with Vin Scully at No. 1, but the rest of it seemed so ... random (linked here).

It had to inspire a better list. A more thought-provoking list. A list that invoked more thought, at least.

Yahoo! posted its own Top 50 late Thursday (linked here), penned by David J. Halberstam (not the recently deceased American novelist and sportswriter, but the self-made broadcast sports historian and sales and media consultant who once did a book on New York sports radio).

Again, you need to know where this list originates, because it definitely skews things up.

Halberstam's criteria:
== Contributions, trendsetting and pioneering.
== Measure, impact and length of their visibility.
== Legacy and historical relevance.
== Distinction in their on-air role.
== National reach.

With that, he has no problem naming Howard Cosell to the No. 1 spot, followed by John Madden, Brent Musburger, Al Michaels and Dick Enberg. Scully is ... let's see ... No. 16.
And Jim Gray is No. 49.

So there. Read it and weep.

The followup is a blog by Jay Busbee that ranks the 50 worst (linked here). Histop three: Billy Packer, Chris Berman, Joe Morgan. Many, of course, make both lists.

Thanks for the imput so far on your favorite/least favorite sports-talk radio guys in town. We remind you that this list, as its always been, is to get to the heart of who's doing the best and worst L.A.-based show. The problem with this now is having KLAC-AM (570) dump its local lineup in favor of a Fox Sports Radio list that folded in much of the former guys -- meaning, Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith do a nationally syndicated show now. Although it may sound a lot the same, technically, it doesn't qualify any longer under these arbitrary rules we drew up long ago and may need to be revamped.

Steve Hartman? Not on the local list any more. And then we just have the fact that there's no more Mychal Thompson, Tim Cates, Tony Bruno ... does Vic "The Brick" still count in there somewhere? It's crazy loco at this point. We're still trying to figure out how to adjust to these new changes.

The list also includes the local sports update guys -- KFWB's Bill Seward, Ted Sobel, Bret Lewis, Bob Harvey ... KNX's Randy Kerdoon, Steve Grad, Paul Olden, Chris Madsen ... KSPN's A. Martinez and Dave Joseph ... even KFI's Rich Marotta ... who are we missing?

Again, email me your thoughts on the local radio scene, as well as the national (Rome, Patrick, Jason Smith, etc.) at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

Serena Williams found out today that she became the sportsworld's all-time $ugar mama -- amassing more prize money than any other female athlete in history by making it to the finals of the women's singles and, with sister Venus, winning the women's doubles at the Australian Open.

She's got nothing to be embarassed about. Not at all as she was that night at the ESPY Awards a few years ago when Jamie Foxx serenaded her with a soulful version of a song about how he wanted to be her tennis ball.

There was a moment during her semifinal victory on Thursday against Elena Dementieva when Serena's ear ring came loose, and she had to stop and pick it up. Why bother? Just buy another one.

Just calculating things from prize money alone, Serena has already eclipsed $23 million. That's more than Annika Sorenstam won during her LPGA career, which she just decided to end so she could go start a family.

Of course, this is a kind of record that's all relative. When Billie Jean King and Chris Evert were winning women's tennis titles on just as regular a basis, they weren't even getting paid close to what the men were making. And even that, in 1960s, '70s and '80s dollars, it's hardly comparable to today's hauls.

You wonder what kind of money a Dorothy Hamill could have made as a figure skater if she wasn't doing so much in the amateur world. Or what Michelle Kwan today has in her account -- not from prize money, per se, but just endorsements and all the other perks that have come from her ability to skate.
You put Serena's career take to what Tiger Woods made in 2008 alone. It's almost identical. That's a huge discrepancy, but it does put things into context.

Serena, who said remembered earning $240 for her first pro tennis check, from Quebec City, in 1995, admitted that lately, she's not spending as much around town on shopping sprees as she might have before.

"I really cut back," she said, while carrying a $12 American Apparel Inc. bag in Melbourne. "I don't know if it's because it's everywhere in the media, but I am."

Maybe because she knows that in these uncertain times, every penny counts. And she's got a lot of pennies in the piggy bank. Hopefully, it paves a road of opportunity for female tennis players long after she's done playing as well.

You got two cents to add to this? If you're not up for leaving a comment, email thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com with an opinion.

A recap of the week's Daily Dread spitballin':
== Monday, Jan. 26 (linked here)
== Tuesday, Jan. 27 (linked here)
== Wednesday, Jan. 28 (linked here)
== Thursday, Jan. 29 (linked here)

NBC's five-hour-plus pregame show might be a little more tolerable if not for the fact it appears as if they're trying to break the record for most kids crammed into a VW Beetle. Didn't that go out in the '70s with Keith Olbermann's black hair parted down the middle?

We've registered our official lamentation (today's media column linked here) -- fully aware that the NFL Network has a 6 1/2-hour shindig of its own starting at 8 a.m. But we go on with more notes. Those of which that follow weren't good enough for the printed word of ink and recycled newsprint:

== Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason (with John Dockery, Mark Malone, Jim Gray and Tommy Tighe) have the radio call of the Super Bowl for Westwood One radio (linked here) which is available on both KLAC-AM (570) and KTLK-AM (1150) in Southern California, as well as KAVL-AM (610) in Lanscaster.

== OK, one more thing on that NBC "Day of the Peacock" -- at the game's conclusion, and after an episode of "The Office" planned for 7:30 p.m. (with a Jack Black cameo), KNBC Channel 4's Fred Roggin challenges you to watch a half hour of his "Hall of Shame," all full of moonshine and nonsense.
Then, bedtime.
Perhaps "Dateline NBC" can investigate later why anyone would even endure himself or herself through such pain on one full calendar day.

== ESPN's Chris Berman was given the Pat Summerall Award at the annual Legends for Charity dinner benefitting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thursday in Tampa. The award goes to, according to the mission statement, "a person who has demonstrated character, integrity and leadership both on and off the job throughout their career."
ESPN will reair Berman's "Swami" segment, aka "The Two Minute Drill," during various "SportsCenters" today, which will include interviews that he personally conducted throughout the week. Even crazier is how that combover reacted in the light Tampa breeze (linked here and video below here: )

== For the record, Berman predicted a 27-17 Pittsburgh victory. But if you get a chance, look at the graphic they'll put up that reflect how his predictions in the AFC and NFC title games went two weeks ago.

There have been some neat, feel-good stories written about Larry Fitzgerald Sr., father of the Arizona Cardinals receiver with the same name, and a sports editor for the African-American weekly newspaper called the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

One by the Washington Post's Mike Wilbon (linked here). By ESPN's Rick Reilly (linked here). By USA Today's Jarrett Bell (linked here). A week before, by the Boston Globe's Dan Shaunessey (linked here).

Then came a few more from Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star (linked here), and Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Trbune.

Fitzgerald was even on Wednesday's episode of "Inside the NFL" on Showtime. And he's got his own website (linked here).

It must be cool to be him right now.

But amidst all that, there's a piece by Josh Levin for Slate.com (linked here) that kind of puts it into better perspective.

"The point isn't that Fitzgerald Sr. is a bad guy because he failed to disclose a relationship," writes Levin. "It's that he's always happily blurred the very line that Reilly et al. say he refuses to blur."

Just read some of the stories that Fitzgerald Sr. has written the last few weeks (linked here, off his own site).

Unbias? Call it what is it. It's not Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism here.

Levin concludes that maybe the best piece on the subject was done earlier this month by the New York Times' Joe LaPointe (linked here), who wrote: "No matter what happens on Sunday, Larry Sr. will evaluate his son's performance not as a journalist but as a parent."

UPDATED FRIDAY, JAN. 29:

CNBC's Darren Rovel gets a response to Levin's story from Fitzgerald Sr. (linked here). Fitzgerald basically calls Levin "a hater."

OK, sorry to bother you with ... facts.

We're going to break down NBC's full day of Super Bowl XLIII coverage this Sunday, but we also want you to know that the NFL Network and ESPN deserve as much equal time for their junk-o-dazzlement.

Fact is, as we park ourselves on the davenport Sunday, we'll probably graze more frequently to the NFL Net during its 6 1/2 hours live before and two hours live after, as well as look in on ESPN for its four-hour pregame, than we will for NBC's bus-load of baloney.

There are 17 NFL Net analysts: Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Rod Woodson, Steve Mariucci, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Sterling Sharpe, Brian Baldinger, Jamie Dukes, Solomon Wilcots, Kara Henderson, Scott Hanson, Bob Papa, Randy Moss (not the Patriots receiver) and Fran Charles.

Here's the deal:

It's the Feb. 9 cover of ESPN The Magazine, showing Kobe Bryant, The Soccer Player.

He grew up in Italy, becoming a FC Barcelona fan.

"I'd go to the park to play basketball," he tells the mag, "but there were mini goals under the baskets, so I'd end up playing soccer with the other kids first. I became a Barca fan a few years ago, when Ronaldinho was there. I watched him when I was in Rome in 2005 and he was doing stuff I'd never seen before."

Bryant admits he has a "great collection" of soccer jerseys and signed balls from Pele. Plus a picture with Diego Maradona.

"I just enjoy the game and its influence. If you look at European basketball players who great up playing soccer, they see our game differently -- the angels, the cuts. I enjoy watching that," Kobe continued.

Which explains why Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic know where he's going to pass them on a fast break. It's all about ball movement.

What a beautiful game. Basketball.

We also read (linked here) where Kobe is going to be on the cover of Feb./March Complex Magazine. Say what? It's a metropolitan men's style/lifestyle mag. Which probably means no kickball allowed.

Apparently, that wasn't enough. It's time to hand the ball off to Jay Glazer and his very close friend, Michael Strahan.

A new production company has taken over the reality series where regular guys ("Joes") compete in skills competition against recently retired athletes ("Pros"), and Strahan, coming off his first year as a studio guy on the Fox NFL set, is the new host, with Glazer, the Fox NFL insider, down on the field doing interviews.

The A. Smith & Co. folks, led by former Fox Sports Net exec Arthur Smith, will be the executive producers. The company actually put the word out last month for new contestants (linked here) with a Jan. 16 deadline already come and gone.

Season 4 is supposed to be labeled "Pros vs. Joes 4: All-Stars," where competitors from the past come back. There's a fresh angle. The other twists is there will only be one sport showcased in each episode instead of the variety as in previous seasons. Each episode has three skills competitions and a three-on-three scrimmage pitting the Pros against the Joes. The sports for this season are four episodes on football and four on basketball.

The eight episodes are supposed to start production around town next month.

A year ago, Fox Sports West did 100 Angels games, with 75 of them in high definition. The rest were scattered about on KCOP Channel 13, as well as taken away for national telecasts by ESPN and Fox network.

The '09 schedule gets better.

FS West reports today that it will ramp up to 125 games this season (plus five spring training contests). Expect an announcement sooner rather than later that a good percentage of them will be in high def. Negotiations and number crunching are continuing in the FSW offices.

The first spring game is March 28 (1 p.m., vs. Seattle). The regular season opens on Monday, April 6 from Anaheim against Oakland (6 p.m.)

The broadcast teams of Rory Markas and Mark Gubicza, plus Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler, are back as well.

Next step for the regional network is to figure out how many Dodgers games it will carry versus how many will be carried on KCAL-Channel 9, and how many of those will be in high def.

It seems weird that the NFL Network has to buy time on NBC to advertise its existence during Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII, but maybe it's a trade off -- the NFL Net will give NBC all the commercial time it wants on its network, that maybe a fraction of the world will actually see.

To make sure everyone watching the Super Bowl remembers the NFL Net spot, it revealed today that the band U2 will have the soundtrack to a spot with its new single, "Get On Your Boots." It's the first single from U2's new album No Line On The Horizon, will be released as a digital download on February 15.

(So take that Springsteen and your halftime show grab to sell your new CD).

The NFL Net ad shows Raiders running back Darren McFadden beginning a training run that continues through the NFL offseason -- the combine, the draft, training camp and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Also in the ad are Raiders teammates Justin Fargas and center Chris Morris, plus USC's Brian Cushing and Texas' Brian Orakpo participating in a combine. All were shot during a day-long filming in L.A. recently.

Give the song a listen here (warning: It kicks tail with the speakers cranked up):

With the economy the way it is, maybe it's not really news that David Beckham is hinting about defaulting on a loan.
Even with the ginormous size of his wallet.

After putting the biscuit in the basket two games in a row for AC Milan, that little club team over in Italy, Our Favorite Becks officially said in his little whiny voice that his time at the Home Depot Center might be numbered.

"To play here is the dream of any player," he told an Italian newspaper. "But deciding is not easy; it's a situation that requires time. I am under contract and I have a lot of respect for the Galaxy. But the possibility to play at Milan is something special. I knew I would have fun but I didn't expect to have so much fun."

So here's the funny thing: The Chief Bender from England who Galaxy management had shipped over special delivery to revive interest in the Major League Soccer is finally paying dividends by scoring goals thousands of miles away.

Now, he has some new street value, and media credibility. And how England may want him back on its national team before the 2010 World Cup.

The surprise, of course, is that he actually stayed around to talk to the press. That's something he hasn't really been fond of doing during his time with the Carson Kickballers.

If AC Milan is prepared to offer a reported $6-million-plus to pay off Beckman's commitment to U.S. soccer, it only proves that everyone has a price. What's Beckham worth to you, Leiweke?

If you're running the Galaxy, do you demand he fulfill his five-year contract? Or do you cut your losses - and the losses have been piling up - and start from scratch, again, to rebuild the future of American soccer?

Maybe, with an American player.

From our narrow perspective, we hope Beckham returns, for three more years.

Especially if it's three more non-playoff years for the Galaxy.

Becks has been like the George W. Bush of sports personalities -- instant comedy fodder for his lack of, uh, achievement.

Not that we want soccer to go away. It's a great sport for our kids, and a boost to the orange wedge industry.

We're just a little tired of seeing all those No. 23 jerseys selling at a brisk pace to unsuspecting loyal customers. Patrons who believe in the fact that a contract is a contract.

You have an opinion to kick around on this? If you're not up to leaving a comment, fill the inbox at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

This is Fabio Capello, coach of the English National soccer team. He's Italian. He was in Milan for a taping of an Italian TV show that involved dancers performing around him.

Maybe it's the Italian version of "Make Me Laugh," and he's determined to win the pot of lira.

Capello happened to also be in Milan to watch David Beckham play soccer on this Tuesday. He is trying to assess Beckham's performance to see if it's fit for the English team again.

The other news is that Beckham could be called up by Capello for a friendly against Spain on Feb. 11. That would equal Bobby Moore's record of 108 England appearances.

So, yes, it's a very titillating story. One with a lot of curves to get around. A story with legs.

Or is it? OK, we think he smiled in this photo below .... Loser.

John McEnroe may be the go-to tennis analyst on whatever network will hire him. Old nemesis Jimmy Connors wants a piece of the action, too.

Tennis Channel signed Connors as its lead analyst during the U.S. Open in September, its first year of covering the event. Connors, who most recently coached Andy Roddick and had some trouble with fans outside a college basketball game near his home in Santa Barbara, has experience working for the BBC during its Wimbledon coverage. But he hasn't been on a televised tennis team for a U.S. network since 1991.

Bill Macatee will call the U.S. Open matches for Tennis Channel -- 60 hours of live matches -- with Connors and Martina Navratilova, so both the all-time men's and women's singles title holders will be together in the same booth.

"I'm very happy to join Tennis Channel's on-air team during its first US Open coverage, and to work with Bill Macatee, Martina Navratilova and the rest of the team," said Connors in a statement. "The U.S. Open has a special place in my heart and in the hearts of American tennis fans, and no other tournament in the world can match its drama and the electricity. In a short amount of time Tennis Channel has shaken up the way the sport is televised, and I'm excited to be a part of the effort to take US Open coverage to the next level."

The Dodgers explicity ask that those who participate in the now regular "Under The Lights" promotion -- where you pay $500 to take BP, shag fly balls and throw in the bullpen -- to refrain from wearing metal spikes. Because, you know, clods like you will tear up the grass just by walking on it. It's OK if the players take divots out of it. You're not supposed to cut a rug with your lack of experienced moves.

But when the team had the "UTL" night nearly two weeks ago, which we participated (linked here), a team rep said they'd be installing new grass soon. The green stuff we played on the other day wasn't in bad shape. Still it was getting to be more shades of yellow.

So when this picture arrived, taken from the angle of the team offices above the third-base line, it really didn't surprise us that they've started the process of laying the new sod. Before the real heavy (.001-inch) rains.

Still, the horror of a grass-less "Lasorda Heaven On Earth."

No fake stuff here. That would be blasphemous. Enjoy (or weep over) the view of the park while it looks like a construction site. Again.

Kind of makes you wonder what a football field would look like in that area. Or a rodeo.

By David Bauder
The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- ESPN's top executive told employees that he's instituting a hiring freeze and won't give any raises to top executives as one of television's most successful enterprises feels the effect of the economy.

ESPN and ABC Sports chief George Bodenheimer said he expected 200 jobs will be cut within the next year, mostly positions currently unfilled.

The moves come despite what Bodenheimer called a record year for ESPN in 2008, although the company doesn't release financial details. Cable television's top sports franchise showed its muscle by outbidding everyone in November for the rights to televise college football's Bowl Championship Series for four years starting in 2011.

"The economy is worsening," Bodenheimer said, "and ESPN and our business partners -- especially some of our major advertisers -- are feeling the impact more acutely than at any point in our lifetime."

He spoke to ESPN employees Wednesday through a company computer connection, and his message quickly became public.

The company is not ruling out layoffs, although the vast majority of job cuts will come through not filling open jobs, a spokesman said. Bodenheimer said he's ordering a review of operations over the next few months to find ways to save money.

Although top executives won't see raises, Bodenheimer told the troops that some merit raises will still be available to lower level staff.

He also said the company will make key investments both in the U.S. and internationally. ESPN and partner ABC are expected to be bidders later this year when the rights to televise the 2014 and 2016 Olympics goes up for auction.

"Our goal remains to come out of this period stronger," Bodenheimer said.

From CNBC's Darren Rovell (linked here), via Deadspin.com (linked here), via SportsRubbish.blogspot.com (linked here), via UPI.com (linked here), a news service we weren't even aware still existed, so we're not sure if we can trust it any longer:

There's a reported shortage of a favorite Super Bowl Sunday foodstuff.

Not avocados.

Try Buffalo wings. Or don't and save 'em for the rest of us.

Some five percent of all buffalo wings are consumed on this NFL title-crowning day.
That's about 1 billion wings consumed.

"That's a lot of chickens that died for your sins," writes the author at SportsRubbish.

Yet, the reason this comes up is because a company in Buffalo that supplies many of the nation's tiny chicken arms has gone bankrupt -- we here that's a problem almost along the lines of bad peanut butter finding its way to your shelves.

But wait. According to this report (linked here), a PR guy for the National Chicken Council says the shortage is a "wild exaggeration." And a spokesman for Tyson Foods says trends may indicate there's a problem, but "our wing business typically starts increasing in December, reaches a crescendo at Super Bowl time and remains strong through the NCAA basketball tournament in March."

So who do we trust with our food information? Where the hell is Rachel Ray when we need her squealing voice of reason, and seasoning?

Rovell actually adds to this consumption scare: The California Farm Bureau Federation says there a celery shortage because of ... global warming? California celery ripened too early and Florida's celery came too late.

Now, we have a real problem. You're cutting into our Bloody Mary ingredients. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme must be next.

You got any food fears this weekend? Email me at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com or post a comment here.

John Hoyer Updike (Wikipedia bio linked here), the Massachusetts native and acclaimed, Pultizer Prize-winning novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic and literary critic, died today from lung cancer. He was 76.

Linking him to sports isn't easy, but the Boston Red Sox know him well.

It was Updike, who in a famous essay called "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu," on Ted Williams' last game played in Oct., 1960, once described Fenway Park as a "lyric little bandbox of a ballpark" and "a compromise between Man's Euclidean determinations and Nature's beguiling irregularities."

The essay's first few lines are inscribed on the walls of the reception area in the team's front office since 2002.

Enjoy the whole essay here thanks to where it originally appeared in The New Yorker (linked here) and reprinted on the Baseball Alamanac (linked here).

(AP photo/Charlie Riedel)
Reporter Sarah Spain (remember her? go to this link and then to her official site linked here) representing something called Mouthpiece Sports, bumps with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Early Doucet during the team's media day for Super Bowl XLIII on Tuesday.

How does any practicing journalist get any real work done on Tuesday's Super Bowl media day? They don't. They end up covering themselves covering the circus. Look at this clip on YouTube that the NFL Network tries to discuss (linked here) before moving forward to this story...

By Jenna Fryer
The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. -- The bride didn't bother showing up Tuesday.

It's a good thing, too. She might have been upstaged by the dude in the dress.

The oddballs once again crashed Super Bowl media day, mingling among real journalists and shocking some players with the absurdity of their questions and the audacity of their antics.

This year's crowd at the annual rite seemed a bit tamer -- did the weakened economy take a bite out of this, too? -- and the bride who so persistently pursued New England's Tom Brady and Bill Belichick last year was a no-show.

No worries, gentlemen, a "fairy godmother" picked up a lot of the slack.

There are plenty of times when we enjoy ourselves a 5 p.m. Sunday night baseball game at the yard. Like, when we don't have to work Monday, for one. And we're more inclined to hang out at the beach during the day. The smell of the Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic is just as aluring as the scent of Dodger Dogs.

ESPN's 20th season of "Sunday Night Baseball" schedule is somewhat released today, and our beach days are safe. For now. There are a lot of holes to fill. Which is probably good.

The two things that cross our radar, and causes some unintentional consternation:

== The San Diego Chargers have struck a deal with the Wasserman Media Group to market the franchise in Los Angeles and the O.C., (story linked here). Which, of course, for those who try to connect Point A to Point D, implies that the former L.A. American Football League team is angling for giant U-turn right around Camp Pendleton and headin' home. The team has a bailout plan in case there's no new stadium being built for them in the Northern Tijuana region, and Casey Wasserman, who owns the now dormant Arena Football League's Avengers, can focus on this Franchise That Could down South, able to get a large foot in the door for the time when it comes that current ownership decides to add partners who have some juice and forward thinking.

== A woman in Bellflower gave birth to octuplets on Monday, the second time in recorded history this has happened (story linked here). A boy. A boy. A girl. A boy. A girl. A boy. A girl. A boy. Delivered five minutes apart, cesarean. What a performance. Premature, but most are said to be kicking and crying. As if they just hear the news of the NFL coming back to their new neighborhood.

Since Los Angeles has been content without an NFL team since the Raiders and Rams abandoned the region after the 1994 season -- would that be 15 years now? -- the citizens brigade has learned to adjust. There's no more of a mourning period. No more grief. Or anger. Or even frustration. Mostly, a focus on moving forward, enjoying the upcoming sunset on the beach, getting on with other productive things. Like USC football. Some actual attending religious services on their free Sundays instead of sliding into the Barcalounger to see which game is on the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. slots.

The Chargers have since become our TV-mandated adopted team, and, according to local affiliates, a healthy draw, win or lose. Their charge to the playoffs after a 4-8 start, even winning a playoff game, kind of elevated the interest level a few degrees. We know LT, Rivers, Merriman ... even a couple other players whose names escape us.

You know, after further review, we'd kinda welcome the Chargers back, nearly 50 years after they literally bolted. Prodigal son kinda thing, and all. So what would be happening with that plan to build an Ed Roski stadium out in the City of Industry? Wasserman, as we know, has ties to Roski and AEG, that Tim Leiweke-led group that built Staples Center, Home Depot Center, LA Live and had plans at one time for a downtown stadium until it grew tired of the red tape involved. That Coliseum thing sits there, the giant retrofit elephant in the room, throwing its weight around when it comes to the National Football League overtures of returning to L.A. stories.

As for that new team of gaggle of kids that just arrived in Bellflower: What team jerseys are those kids going to be asking for in, say, seven years? The Chargers could sell in bulk to that family. It behooves the Wasserman Media Group to send a representative to that Kaiser Bellflower hospital this morning with a box of jerseys, helmets and those fake contracts, signing each one of them to playing contract. That's 8/11th of a starting lineup. Or ask the girls if they're more interested in becoming cheerleaders.

Even if they all grew up to be stadium vendors, that's eight jobs just filled in L.A., in this economy, thanks to the NFL. Does it smell like there's a comeback in the air?

What's your take on this? If you're not up for leaving a comment here, email us at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.

It's 60,000 people under the floodlights in Schladming, Austria, on a frozen hill. And you can share the experience.

The FIS men's alpine ski World Cup event airs today at 8:50 a.m. (first run) and 11:30 a.m. Universal Sports (linked here), the L.A.-based company that was recently purchased by NBC to help with its Olympic coverage. NBC will air it in a highlight package on Feb. 15.

Universal Sports is also available as a TV network on 30 million homes nationwide, including some cable channels in Los Angeles.

Schladming is a small mining town in the Styria area of Austria, that is now very popular with tourists. And nutty ski fans. Think PGA Tour stop in Phoenix (which will be on CBS this weekend).

"It's a cool, crazy event," said Ted Lighety, the U.S. skiier and defending Giant Slamom World Cup champ. "People are 20 deep at the start, heckling you, cheering you, asking you for autographs. Flares are going off. There is smoke on the course sometimes. It's a complete show. The crowd is more overwhelming than the skiing."

It's offered on NBA.com's team store (linked here), for $25.99, with the hopes you'll purchase it as a St. Patrick's Day novelty.

We're OK with the Dodgers wearing green hats during spring training. But a shamrock Lakers' shirt ... You may as well hire a someone dressed as the Lucky Charms guy deliver it to you via Fed Ex.

It's made by adidas, with the marketing explanation on the site: You'll love this adidas Originals Los Angeles Lakers super-soft, short-sleeve t-shirt. The high-quality cotton shirt is decorated in St. Patrick's Day colors and designed with the distressed team logo screen-printed on the chest for a vintage look.

Yeah, vintage Bob Cousy. The Lakers actually have a home game on March 17, versus Philadelphia. That's a Tuesday night. In case you're wondering what you may want to wear out to the bars that day.

(Thanks to the link from TheBigLead.com, via RedsArmy.Wordpress.com)

Where in the heck is Matt Lauer ? He of NBC News department, which is not exclusive to "Today" show duties has orchestrated a sit-down, hows-things-goin' chat with President Barack Obama that will air live during the network's Super Bowl pregame show. At what point, it's not clear. The NBC pregame starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, leading up to the 3 p.m.-ish opening kickoff from Tampa, Fla.

Meaning, the NBC pregame show grows by the hour.

Whatever doesn't get on the air with Lauer-Obama will continue on the "Today" show Monday, Feb. 2. It's being touted as President Obama's first TV interview from the White House since his inauguration. That's because ABC's Robin Roberts (the former ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor) caught him for a few minutes at one of the inaugural balls backstage for an interview the night he was sworn in.

Whatever Lauer decides to get into, it has to be more compelling than Chris Berman doing his Obama-McCain taped tapdance thing on election night last November.

Volume must be the NBC buzzword in Dick Ebersol's office.

Over the top could be another.

An NBC Super Bowl XLIII pregame show that already had Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick and Peter King, then added Matt Millen, Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy in the last couple weeks, announced today it will add ...

Al DeRogatis?

Try Rodney Harrison, three-time Pro Bowl DB, played on two Super Bowl title teams with New England ... all find credentials.

When does the John Madden-ness end?

This is the first of a weekday morning feature where we hash out a sports topic that we've heard thrown against the wall today, trying to find some logic, illogic and blogic (is that a word?) potential for further review.

Joe Torre's new book isn't out yet, but press leaks are already causing a major ripple in the Big Apple.

A stunning revelation: Alex Rodriguez was a prima donna, who had a "Single White Female"-like obsession with captain Derek Jeter.

Get outta town...

The New York tabloids -- OK, it's the Post -- are already using it to scream the perceived flash points of the book, then get reaction from "insiders" to whether it's true or not (linked here). Excerpts from the former New York Yankees manager's new book called "The Yankee Years," with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci (linked here), were rehashed over the weekend. The book comes out Feb. 3.

Post columnist Andrea Peyser (linked here): I've been saying for more than a year that Joe Torre is a Paris Hilton-style whiner. But now, the former Yankee manager has transformed into someone far less appealing.

Post columnist Mike Vaccaro (linked here): Why would you justify all the sinister things your enemies always hinted about you: that you were a champion grudge-holder, that the disparity between public pied piper and private grouch was considerable, that you were someone who'd do just about anything for a buck?

It seems just like a couple of months ago when the July 2008 Class of the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals had their ceremony honoring Bill Buckner, Buck O'Neal and Emmett Ashford (go to this link). That brings the induction list to 30 strong.

The 2009 ballot was sent out this weekend with its 50 candidates eligible for induction. This will be the 11th annual election for the organization that is "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history," according to their mission statement. The beauty of this election, versus the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., is that it's not a closed group of sportswriters or committees, but open to public membership of the Baseball Reliquary.

The three highest percentage vote-getters make the Hall each year.

Highlights of the names on this year's ballot:

Manny Ramirez's arrival in Los Angeles on July 31, and what No. 99 with the dreadlocks was able to do with his brief time -- .396 average, 17 homers 53 RBI in two months -- in pushing the Dodgers to the playoffs, was voted as the "top sports moment of 2008" in the fourth annual L.A. Sports Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Sports Council on Friday.

At an awards presentation at the Beverly Hilton, Ramirez and the team was recognized for that, as was the Lakers' Kobe Bryant -- named '08 Sportsman of the Year -- and the Sparks' Candace Parker -- named '08 Sportswoman of the Year.

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was voted Sports Executive of the Year and the Lakers' Phil Jackson was the Coach of the Year.

The highlights of Friday's banquet will air in a one-hour special on FSN Prime Ticket on Jan. 30.

The top 10 moments of the year, according to online voting:

1. Dodgers Get Manny: Manny Ramirez turns Los Angeles into "Mannywood" and leads the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series. (July 31)

2. Kobe nets MVP: Kobe Bryant wins his first NBA Most Valuable Player award. (May 6)

3. Lezak's golden touch: Irvine 's Jason Lezak swims the anchor leg of the men's 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay, leading the U.S. team to gold and thereby preserving the second of Michael Phelps' eight gold medals. (August 11)

4. Lakers return to finals: The Lakers defeat San Antonio in five games to win the Western Conference championship and advance to the NBA Finals. (May 29)

5. Dodgers advance to NLCS: The Dodgers defeat the Cubs in a three-game sweep of their Division Series to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1988. (October 4)

6. UCLA earns third consecutive Final Four trip: The Bruins' men's basketball team swept through the West Regional to earn its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Final Four. (March 29)

7. USC football wins Pac-10 again: The Trojans defeat UCLA, 28-7, to earn an unprecedented seventh straight Pac-10 championship. (December 6)

8. Walsh and May-Treanor repeat in beach volleyball: Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball at the Beijing Games. (August 21)

9. Angels reach 100 wins: On the last day of the regular season the Angels set a club record with their 100th victory in a win over Texas. (September 28)

10. Parker shines in rookie season: Candace Parker becomes the first player in WNBA history to win the league's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year. (October 5)

An interview that Magic Johnson conducted on behalf of ABC with Phil Jackson at the Lakers' team headquarters in El Segundo this afternoon produced a bit of news -- the coach says he'll be gone after his contract comes up in 2010.

Johnson, now a working member of the ABC NBA studio crew, asked the 63-year-old Jackson how long he'd be staying as coach.

Remember, Jackson is struggling with two hip replacements and was brought back by owner Jerry Buss only to help fix the team's chemistry problems after he left and was replaced by Rudy Tomjanovich and then Frank Hamblen during the 2004-05 season. Jackson told Magic he'd coach this season, and one more after that. Then, it's over.

Magic, of course, has an ownership stake in the Lakers, since 1994.

A clip of that interview aired on KSPN-AM (710). ESPN also ran it during halftime of tonight's Dallas-Detroit telecast. The interview in full airs at halftime of the Lakers-Spurs contest, which KABC Channel 7 airs at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

The plan is to launch the 17th edition of the Daily News Best and Worst of L.A. Sports Media polls from Friday, Feb. 6 on four consecutive weeks through Friday, Feb. 27, beginning with the local radio sports-talk show hosts (whomever is left), then local TV sports anchors/personalities, colormen/analysts and play-by-play guys.

By that time, the Dodgers should have picked out their new play-by-play person -- could it be Jeanne Zelasko? -- and the L.A. sports-talk market, now full of syndicated pablum, may shake itself out a bit more.

Whilst you ponder on this -- and please, start emailing your suggestions, pros and cons, to me at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com or post comments here -- we reflect, in passing and wonder, how more than 30,000 folks made their votes heard on a USA Today sports poll of favorite football-related national broadcasters.

The results (linked here) included:

== Favorite game announcers: 1. NBC's John Madden and Al Michaels (39 percent), 2. Fox's Troy Aikman and Joe Buck (27 percent); 3, CBS' Phil Simms and Jim Nantz (21 percent); 4. NFL Network's Cris Collinsworth and Bob Papa (7 percent); 5. ESPN's Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser and Mike Tirico (6 percent).

== Best analyst: 1. Troy Aikman and John Madden (23 percent); 3. Cris Collinsworth (22 percent).

== Best play-by-play: 1. Al Michaels (42 percent), 2. Joe Buck (25 percent).

== Best pre-game show: 1. Fox (45 percent), 2. ESPN (24 percent).

== Best "insider": 1. NFL Network's Adam Schefter (39 percent); 2. ESPN's Chris Mortensen (31 percent). Somehow, not Fox's Jay Glazer?

== Best sideline reporter: 1. Fox's Tony Siragusa (29 percent); 2. Fox's Pam Oliver (28 percent).

Once the Olympic gymnast works on that dismount (skip up to the 1:30 mark, or don't and just enjoy the cell-phone recorded entertainment):

null - Watch more free videos

And, of course, if the guy gets fresh with her, she's got this on her resume:

More on what actually Sacramone's dating card looks like these days (linked here)

Going through the change?

Like the feel of hope in the palm of your hand?

Open your wallet, and it's still full of expired Pizza Hut coupons?

Live and learn. We do it ever week. We live, we learn, we move forward at the Media Learning Center (sponsored this week by TNT: It Knows Drama ... and NBA hoops).

After hanging out with Marv Albert and his homeboys, we also had time to pick up these vibes from around medialand:

== We know all about the changes at KLAC-AM (570), but so far, aren't thrilled about it (linked here) and (linked here). Neither is she, and she practices law (part time) (linked here). Seriously, Chris Myers? We'd rather drink homogonized armadillo milk.

== The shrinkage problem has been addressed in SI.com by Arash Markazi, a USC journalism grad who still has a job (linked here).

== Something we need when we turn on Lakers games on KCAL Channel 9 or FSN West (linked here), but that'll just take us back to 570-AM, right? Are we even sure they still do Lakers' games?

== A local TV station in Vegas has decided to drop sports from its nightly newscast ... what are the odds of that going over well? (linked here)

== When someone did the research, they proved beyond a shadow of a woman eating a sub sandwich that if you put photos of Erin Andrews on your blog, traffic really jumps (linked here). Even Playboy knows it (linked here). Apparently, so do we.

Andy Holzman/Daily News Staff Photographer
TNT crewmembers meet outside the mobile production trucks as the sun begins to set Monday behind Staples Center before the Lakers-Cavs MLK Day game telecast.

That was Dick Stockton, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello and Cheryl Miller working the TNT coverage of the Lakers-Wizards snoozefest from Staples Center on Thursday night. Marv Albert was probably just as happy being on the road with the New Jersey Nets, his home-team employer, since he took the Thursday off from the TNT crew. He instead did Monday's Lakers-Cavs game, with Doug Collins and Craig Sager, in a "Wife Swap" sort of arrangement that we were privy to behind-the-scenes, hanging out with the TNT NBA crew at Staples Center that afternoon and evening and using it to fill almost two full pages of today's sports section (read on at this link), there are notes that didn't make it to tipoff. So they must belong here:

== Magic Johnson has a planned sit-down with Phil Jackson that'll air during halftime of the Lakers-Spurs telecast on Sunday (12:30 p.m., Channel 7) from Staples Center. Mike Breen has the call with Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Lisa Salters. The ABC doubleheader starts with Boston-Dallas at 10 a.m. with Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Heather Cox.

== Staples Center is also the site for Saturday's Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley welterweight championship bout, which HBO carries live (Saturday, 7 p.m.) with Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Stewart.

== More Staples Center: It'll be the site for the World Figure Skating Championships in March. Leading into that is NBC's coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from Cleveland this weekend -- find the pairs and women's events on Channel 4 on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. (live) and 9 to 11 p.m., then the men on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. The Olympic figure skating broadcast team of Tom Hammond , Scott Hamilton , Sandra Bezic, Tracy Wilson and Andrea Joyce.

== Major League Soccer, played locally at the Home Depot Center -- owned by the same folks who run Staples Center -- apparently doesn't have enough juice to carry its own TV night, as ESPN2 decided to cancel its regular Thursday night game this coming season. Instead, it'll spread things out, with Thursday the predominent night (10 times) but also on Saturday (eight times), Wednesday (six times) and Friday (three times).
"We didn't see the kind of ratings climb we'd like to, so we're trying something different," said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN vice president of programming, in the Sports Business Daily.
MLS games averaged 0.2 rating on ESPN2 in both '07 and '08. The only bump it received was David Beckham's second game with the Galaxy in Aug., '07 -- a 0.6 rating.
ESPN starts the third year of an eight-year rights deal that pays the league $8 million a year.
What could be more distrubing to those who run the MLS is that ESPN is more interested now in getting the U.S. TV rights to the English Premiere League, which outdraw MLS games nearly five to one in American homes, according to a report in Soccer America magazine. Fox Sports Channel and Setana have those U.S. rights currently.

==GolTV, which bills itself as "the only live bilingual channel for 24/7 soccer," announced a new deal for the U.S. and Canada broadcast rights to Brazil's most prominent soccer league, Campeonato Brasileiro, starting in April.

== The NFL Network has Bob Papa, Mike Mayock, Charles Davis, Lindsay Soto and Paul Burmeister covering Saturday's Senior Bowl from Mobile, Alabama (4 p.m.). Go here (at this link) to see Soto interview USC coach Pete Carroll, who showed up to watch practice where six of his former Trojans are competing -- but not Mark Sanchez, of course.

== Versus trots out Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Bob Harwood and Brian Enblom for the NHL All-Star game in Montreal (Sunday, 3 p.m.), followed up by a special edition of "Sports Soup" at 6 p.m. Saturday's skills competition airs at 4 p.m.
Do it all outdoors, and we'll reconsider.

== Versus hopes to hold its NHL audience with coverage of a live World Extreme Cagefighting event between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. When these two battled in June, '08, nearly four million viewers watched on Versus -- more than tuned into the MTV Movie Awards (in the men 18-34 age category at least).

==Reaction to the news that ESPN will add former Mets GM Steve Phillips to its Jon Miller-Joe Morgan "Sunday Night Baseball" crew starting this summer was more interesting than the actual announcement. Maybe it was done to give Morgan a chance to figure out what he's really saying makes no sense (go to this link for more on that). Maybe it helps pull Peter Gammons off the road and make it easier on him in the studio. Perhaps, an effort by ESPN to bulk up its baseball coverage now that it has the MLB Network to contend with? Phillips has the content to carry a baseball broadcast, which is interesting considering his background. He has a feel, particularly, for current players that Morgan, alas, seems not so interested in.

== The San Diego Padres hired Mark Neely as their new TV play-by-play man. His previous broadcast experience: In the minor leagues, at Boise, Springfield, Salem, Tulsa and Louisville. So it appears you can replace Matt Vasgersian with high-caliber substance.

== And if you needed one more thing to watch on Sunday without the NFL: The last round of the Pro Bowling Association's H&R Block Tournament of Champions from Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas airs live at 10 a.m. on ESPN, when most are in the $3.99 breakfast buffet. Rob Stone and Randy Pederson call the pin action. Or, just pop in the "Kingpin" DVD and laugh it up, Murray-style.
Why isn't Bill playing at the Bob Hope event in Palm Desert this weekend?

By Jaime Aron
The Associated Press

DALLAS -- The first time Michael Irvin watched "American Idol," he loved the concept of giving undiscovered singers the chance to become stars. Now Irvin is doing the same for NFL wannabes.

The Hall of Fame receiver is launching a reality TV show in which 12 "football neophytes" will compete for an impressive grand prize: a spot on the Dallas Cowboys' training camp roster.

"I don't know if you can walk upon any group of guys that wouldn't say they dreamed of playing in the NFL when they were playing in their front yard," Irvin told The Associated Press on Thursday. "So we're going to take a group of guys from their front yard, dwindle them to one and give that guy the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Cowboys confirmed that one of their 80 roster spots will go to the show's winner, but team owner Jerry Jones was not available for further comment. The NFL did not immediately return a call.

Read on, or go to Jim Litke's Associated Press column on the subject (linked here)

Andy Holzman/Daily News Staff Photographer

The TNT crew allowed us to tag along for Monday's telecast of the Kobe Bryant-LeBron James Lakers-Cavaliers contest from Staples Center on the MLK holiday, and we took it all in.

So did you.

TNT reports that game did a 2.3 rating, making it the most watched NBA game of the season on cable -- 3,654,000 viewers. Pat yourself on the back, and get ready for the Lakers' game at Boston on Feb. 5, when that rating mark will fall.

Monday's game was the most-watched on cable since TNT's season opener five years ago when the Lakers faced Dallas and Mavs owner Mark Cuban made a big deal that Kobe's trial in Colorado would really boost the audience. He was right. It was a 2.4 rating with 2.63 million homes.

Highlights of Monday's game prep included listening to Craig Sager explain where he got all his blue stuff to wear -- ostrich shoes, lizzard-skin belt and silk blazer (see above) -- and Doug Collins rifle through his brief case to produce the most color-coded stats sheets you'd ever want to see. And Marv Albert's make-up specialist working on his blush.

It was like watching Walt Disney produce an NBA game. More wonderful world of color than Jiminy Cricket could chirp at.

The pictures tell the story best, so pick up the paper version tomorrow. Hopefully we'll put up a slide show as well on the whole thing. If only they had a photo of me hugging Don Rickles in the underground parking lot as I was running back and forth from the locker room to the production truck. What a hockey puck I was.

The current wife doesn't know it yet, but she's been replaced during much of the day by the MLB Network.

Why I'm watching the A's face the Blue Jays in an AL playoff game with Bob Costas and Tony Kubek is beyond me. It's just happening.

So when the MLB Net just announced what it'll put on in Month 2 -- mind you, the regular season hasn't even started yet -- we actually hit the pause button on the TiVo so we could crank this out:

The complete listings are www.MLBNetwork.com:

== "30 Clubs in 30 Days" (starts Friday, Feb. 20, with the Boston Red Sox, then nightly at 5:00 p.m.): Hits every spring training site with one-hour specials.

== "All-Time Games" (on weekends, at various times):
- Feb 7 and 8: "High Strikeout Games" featuring games by David Cone, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood.
- Feb 14 and 15: "Four Home Run Games" featuring by Mark Whiten, Mike Cameron and Carlos Delgado (no Shawn Green?)
- Feb. 21 and 22: "Notable Performances" including games from the 1970's and 80's featuring Hall of Famers Steve Carlton, Roberto Clemente, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, Nolan Ryan, Gaylord Perry and Ryne Sandberg, as well as former Tigers phenom Mark Fidrych.

== Caribbean World Series (Feb. 2-7, 2 and 6 p.m. each night). Live, 12 games total.

AP Photo/Aman Sharma
Lance Armstrong signs autographs before participating in the third stage of Tour Down Under cycling race in Adelaide, Australia on Thursday.

Versus, home of the Tour de France since Lance Armstrong made it must-watch TV back in the day, announced today it will go "wall-to-wall" with the fourth Amgen Tour of California starting Feb. 14 at 2 p.m.

This is the third year Versus has covered the race, which runs through the San Fernando Valley, but this year it's got a bigger profile with Armstrong using it as a prep for his return to the Tour de France this summer. As a result, Versus will air all nine days, including live in the middle stages for the first time.

The 750-mile, nine-day race from Sacramento to San Diego is covered by Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwen.

The schedule:
Feb. 7: Preview show, 2 p.m.
Feb. 14: Prologue in Sacramento (delayed), 2 p.m.
Feb. 15: Stage 1: Davis to Santa Rosa (live and delay), 3 p.m.
Feb. 16: Stage 2: Sausalito to Santa Cruz (live), 9:30 a.m.
Feb. 17: Stage 3: San Jose to Modesto (live), 2 p.m.
Feb. 18: Stage 4: Merced to Clovis (live), 1 p.m.
Feb. 19: Stage 5: Visalia to Paso Robles (live), 1 p.m.
Feb. 20: Stage 6: Solvang time trial (live), 1 p.m.
Feb. 21: Stage 7: Santa Clarita to Pasadena (live and delay), 2 p.m.
Feb. 22: Stage 8: Rancho Bernardo to Escondido (live and delay), 2 p.m.

Versus is doing the 2009 Tour Down Under event with 30-minute highlight shows at 1 p.m. through Saturday. More live streaming on the network's website: www.versus.com. The final recap is Sunday at 2 p.m.

Upper Deck hopes so.

As newspaper sales benefitted from President Barack Obama's inauguration this week, baseball cards could be pushing foward with anything related to this piece of history.

In the upcoming Upper Deck baseball card set, it will insert "Historic Firsts" cards from events that took place in 2008 -- most notably, the Obama card that commemorates his being the first African-American elected to the U.S. presidency.

"Despite the country's economic woes, the past year included an incredible amount of unique firsts," said Kerri Stockholm, Upper Deck's director of Sports Marketing, in a press release. "So in an effort to help restore enthusiasm and hope across this great land of ours, Upper Deck decided to acknowledge many of these noteworthy achievements by way of this special card set. And with President Obama's moving inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, the timing couldn't be better."

The "Historic Firsts" cards are included at a rate of one for every six packs sold in the Series One baseball cards that hit stores on Feb. 3.

Other "firsts" cards included are:
== First Asian-American MLB manager named (Don Wakamatsu)
== First NHL Winter Classic (Buffalo-Pittsburgh)
== First Indian Players sign MLB contracts (Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, with the Pittsburgh Pirates)
== First World Series game to be continues" (Game 5, Oct. 27-29)
== First female candidate on the GOP presidental ticket (Sarah Palin)
== First female promoted to four-star general (Army general Ann E. Dunwoody)

Dan Patrick started his show this morning on KLAC-AM (570) announcing there were 60 new affiliates.The promos on during Jim Rome's show this morning tout the new Steve Hartman-Chris Myers "Loose Cannons"-kinda tag team that will come on later today (noon to 3 p.m.).

It's all the local residue of Clear Channel Communications' decision Tuesday to cut some 1,850 jobs, or 9 percent of the work force nationwide, to save the company a reported $400 million. Most jobs dropped are in ad sales, and its billboard department, but it really slices through all departments.

The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rosenthal even reported that some believe Clear Channel timed it all during President Barack Obama's inauguration "in the hope that the news would be lost in the shuffle."

Aside from all the changes coming at 570-AM -- is there a local show left for the station to air? -- San Diego's KLSD-AM, which went on the air 14 months ago, is down to one person after having five on-air hosts.

With the KLAC consolidation of all-sports with Fox Sports Radio, more of our sources say that Vic "The Brick" Jacobs will now be a news update guy for Hartman-Myers and Petros Papadakis-Matt "Money" Smith. Will Tim Cates and Tony Bruno be back? Doesn't seem so. KLAC does the Lakers-Clippers game tonight, so they wouldn't be on tonight, or Thursday (when the Lakers face Washington) anyway. Listen to see if JT The Brick replaces him, probably starting Friday or Monday.

It's stupid crazy.

Ever consider opening up a day care center?

Emailed from the Dodgers moments ago:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Public Relations
Wednesday, January 21,

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

JEFF KENT TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT FROM BASEBALL
TOMORROW AT DODGER STADIUM

WHAT: Future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, baseball's all-time leading home run hitter as a second baseman, will formally announce his retirement from baseball tomorrow at Dodger Stadium. Kent spent 17 years in the Major Leagues, tying for 20th on baseball's all-time list with 560 doubles, while ranking 47th with 1,518 RBI and 62nd with 377 home runs. His 351 career home runs as a second baseman are 74 more than Ryne Sandberg. Kent played the final four seasons of his career with the Dodgers, batting .291 with 122 doubles, 75 home runs, and 311 RBI. He ranks eighth in club history in batting average (minimum 1,800 AB), while also placing among franchise leaders with 73 home runs as a second baseman (third) and 497 games played at second base (fifth).

WHEN: Tomorrow, January 22, 2009, 11:30 a.m. PST

WHERE: Dodger Stadium Stadium Club (Club Level)

Not scheduled to appear: Current and former Dodger teammates, Barry Bonds, guys who wash his truck, porn mustache makers, and the George W. Bush family, which may have a higher approval rating based on W's graceful exit.

Landed in our inbox at 9:20 a.m.: ESPN's PR guy asks the questions. Christoper James Berman provides the answers. We cut and paste and save ourselves the pain and agony of having to even read it, let alone perform the task.

It's win-win ... and lose, such as 6 minutes of your life if you actually read it, reflect on it, and consider yourself more informed afterward.

These are the perfect kind of things you'd see in your local newspaper TV guide -- a staff-strapped part of the organization, trying to fill in a page of copy before all those listings are put in and inserted into Sunday's paper. Someone must read 'em. Just take this interview, cut it up, insert a shot of Berman looking Berman, and you can now edit the obits.

Warning: There's no prediction on this year's game. Probably because the email exchange between the PR guy and Berman was done before Sunday's AFC and NFC games. Or else, Berman is holding out for another "swami" thing in Tampa.

With that disclaimer, go to the jump. If you must:

A press note emailed on the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated, which includes a piece called "Home Grown" by Andy Staples:

== As USC has shown, signing the top local and in-state talent is the foundation for any college powerhouse. For coaches in the talent-rich states of California, Florida, and Texas, making their schools the top choice for in-state players can be worth the intense recruiting effort. Not only are there four BCS schools within each of those states fighting over the same recruits, but also numerous programs from across the country who are trying to invade those high school football hotbeds

Staples writes on the importance of in-state recruiting: "An SI study of recruiting data for the six BCS conferences and Notre Dame found that of the nine schools that won 50 or more games from 2004-08, seven signed more than half of their recruits during that span from within their state or within 200 miles of campus:

=Texas (93.2% from in-state, 71.8% from within 200 miles)
= USC (72.0, 61.0)
= Georgia (63.6, 70.1)
= Florida (62.3, 47.9)
= Ohio State (55.8, 66.3)
= Virginia Tech (54.3, 44.0)
= LSU (50.4, 56.5).

Oklahoma barely missed the cut, with 49.1% from within 200 miles. Of the 22 schools that won 40 or more games during that span, 16 attracted more than half their players from within 200 miles or from within their state. Of the 44 schools that won fewer than 40 games, only 13 met the homegrown recruiting criteria."

Data collected by Staples reinforces the findings of three economists who designed a model to predict the college choices of sought-after recruits. Mike DuMond, one of the economists, states: "If you want to be really cynical about it, [players are] not going to look at graduation rates and academics, because they may not be going [to a school] for those reasons. But if they're going there to play football, and that's really the only basis for their decision, they want to go to a place that is in a BCS conference with a big stadium that is close enough that they can be seen by family and friends."

A blurb on tonight's edition of "Inside The NFL" (Showtime, 9 p.m.):

Aside from Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt joining James Brown, Phil Simms, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp via satellite to preview the upcoming Super Bowl ...

Armen Keteyian, now listed as CBS News chief investigative correspondent, has a piece on the role of how some the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" -- specifically, Lamar Lundy, Deacon Jones and Rosey Grier -- played roles in Senator Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign.

The feature includes interviews with Joe Kennedy, eldest son of Senator Kennedy, looking back on his father's campaign and the part the NFL stars played in providing security. Also, Jones and Grier recall their memories of the campaign, their interactions with the senator and reflect on history.

Grier was on hand when Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in L.A. in June, 1968. That's Grier, top, standing behind Kennedy as he celebrates his Democratic primary victory in California. And that's Grier, Jones and Lundy, in the red convertible with Kennedy, during a tour through town.

Instead, the former UCLA standout with the Oklahoma City WhateverThey'reCalled blew someone else's, in an attempt to drum up interest in having you vote him into the NBA slam-dunk contest that'll take place Feb. 14 in Phoenix, a day before the All-Star game.

Portland's Rudy Fernandez tried to string together his own campaign:

And Milwaukee's Joe Alexander went for the Yao Ming crowd after he smacks his head on the rim:

In the end, Fernandez won. He got 251,868 of the more than 500,00 votes cast on nba.com, finishing ahead of Westbrook (147,279) and Alexander (114,963). Defending champion Dwight Howard of Orlando, 2006 winner Nate Robinson of New York and Memphis forward Rudy Gay already were chosen for the field. This is the first time a vote was used to select a competitor.

AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill

Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova celebrates her victory over French Mathilde Johansson during their singles match at the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009.

Talking to Vic "The Brick" Jacobs at last night's Lakers-Cavs game, it seemed like something was going down today in the land of KLAC-AM (570). We heard several rumors/reports/more rumors during the day ... phone calls starting as early at 7:30 a.m. ... Honestly, we were more interested in what was going on in DC to care much about any noise outside ...

But with Brooks Melchior's report on his blog (linked here) and other sources, what appears to have happened is:

== Most of the Fox Sports Radio show hosts are out: Ben Maller (overnight), Andrew Siciliano and Krystal Fernandez (afternoons), Craig Sheman and James Washington (mornings).

== Don Martin has emerged from a merger as head of both KLAC and Fox Sports Radio, and formed a new lineup of programming.

Locally on 570, it won't sound that much different. The day starts with Dan Patrick (6 to 9 a.m.) and Jim Rome (9 a.m. to noon).

"The Loose Cannons" continue on with Steve Hartman and Jacobs, but drop Mychal Thompson and add Chris Myers, who had been working on Fox Sports Radio. Thompson will be leaving with the Lakers' game package when the team goes from 570 to KSPN-AM (710) and is expected to land some sort of Laker-related gig (probably a pre-game show) in the fall.

PMS -- Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith -- go from a local L.A. show to something that's syndicated.

No solid information on whether Tony Bruno replaces JT The Brick on the syndicated side as well, but considering Bruno's recent hiring and push to get him into more markets, that makes sense for programming in the post 7 p.m. slot.

Also no news about when this all begins.

It's part of the world of consolidation and preservation, stopping the bleeding and still looking for a way to compete for Clear Channel, which also apparently blew out a bunch of employees at XTRA Sports in San Diego (making them switch to the syndicated stuff). Sales managers, ad staffs ... they're all disappearing, too.

As KSPN becomes more syndicated heavy -- Mike & Mike, Cowherd, Tirico/Van Pelt leading into local programming -- it's really no stunner. All it means is KLAC's survival instinct, in its post-Laker existence, means no local shows. They all belong to KSPN and KLAA-AM (830).

God save the world of sports media. At least another day.

We're a little behind on this, but it's still news to us:

Lenny Dykstra, who's already in trouble to some extent about the future of his high-end magazine Players' Club, has apparently been thrown a high hard one by New York literary agent David Vigliano, who says the former big-leaguer living over at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks owes him $300,000.

The New York Post (linked here) has reported that Vigliano claims he lent Dykstra $250,000 last May, with an agreement he repaid it, plus $50,000, in November.

We're not sure if that's legalized thuggery, but ...

Vigliano also claims he kept a $106,000 book advance that was supposed to go to Dykstra, so he's really owed $194,000. Dykstra was supposed to write a book about how he gives out investment information on the website TheStreet.com, but he never got around to writing it.

Dykstra is still one of the Wall Street Journal's favorite uncredited writers from 2008 (linked here).

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News Staff Photographer
Former Dodgers center fielder Ken Landreaux, a resident these days of Valenda (between West Covina and La Puente, near the Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry), talks to us during the "Under The Lights" night Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Our column from Saturday's Dodgers "Under The Lights" promotion is all laid out here(linked here), along with a slide show and some audio that'll help put it into better perspective as what the fans can expect.

One of the other interesting things we found on this night was that, despite the $500 entrance fee (which doesn't go to the Dream Foundation, but to the team), there were dozens of fans who really weren't interested in the batting practice, pitching in the bullpen or fielding balls. They were just soaking up the free food and drink, visiting with former and current Dodger players, and collecting autographs. And there were even a few kids who may not be old enough to know how cool a thing it is to play at the stadium. The biggest applause around the batting cage had to be when a boy maybe 4 or 5 years old took some cuts and connected on a few.

Again, maybe you'll find a shot of yourself in this batch of photos taken by Daily News staffer Michael Owen Baker (go to this link)

Part of the DodgerLife things we pulled from an earlier blog posting (linked here), we know there are more events coming up this year -- in addition to the Father's Day catch at the stadium, the sleepover night and the fantasy camps that will now take place at the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. -- are fishing trips, excursions with the team on the road, movie nights, kids clinics and more.

For more info: www.dodgers.com/dodgerlife

Maybe my computer was reacting to all the inauguration news, but it crashed Saturday night and I wasn't able to get it up and running again until this afternoon....
Stay tuned for more news, especially on the state of 570-AM

It's a promotion that the Dodgers found out to be so successful when they tried it back in November that they offered it again to fans on Saturday night: "Under The Lights," the opportunty to take batting practice, throw off the mound in the bullpen, shag fly balls, run the bases.

Suspend reality.

The live DJ, the free food and drink, having a picture taken with James Looney or Matt Kemp -- that was probably all secondary to the chance to dream a little bit.

A couple hundred people were there, enjoying the moment. Kids of all ages.

Josh Rawitch, the team's director of communications, explained that this is a new program called "DodgerLIFE," a way to give fans an experience that's more than just attending a game. It goes back to spending the night on the field. There'll be all-inclusive trips to spring training in Arizona, an off-season cruise, movie nights at the park, fishing trips with players ..

"As every team throughout baseball continues to try and grow the revenues that help pay for rising salaries, this is a new initiative that allows us to try and do that while providing a highly sought after service to the fans," said Rawitch, explaining how the $500-a-person fee isn't going toward the team's Dream Foundation, but directly to the franchise's budgetary needs.

"I had to pinch myself because I couldn't believe I was doing this," said Michael Swiller, who attended the first event with his daughter Marisa. "I have been a Dodger fan for over 50 years and I love this team and what they mean to the city of Los Angeles. Meeting Russell (Martin) and Andre (Either) was something out of a dream. They made you feel like you were coming to their home for the evening."

The Dodgers have plans to have their next "Under The Lights" on April 14 (linked here), with at least another during the '09 season.

By Steve McMorran
The Associated Press

ADELAIDE, Australia -- Lance Armstrong has already missed one goal in his comeback: a Web site intended to ensure the transparency of his anti-doping program is not up and running.

Armstrong reaffirmed Saturday his competitive return to cycling after three years in retirement would be governed by "the most comprehensive anti-doping program in the history of sports."

The seven-time Tour de France champion had previously promised a Web site offering open access to results of his doping tests would be operating ahead of his comeback race, the Tour Down Under. The race has a criterium Sunday ahead of its official start Tuesday.

On Saturday, Armstrong offered no assurances the Web site would be on line by Tuesday.

We seem to learn faster at the Media Learning Center Charter Facility (our new name, thanks to private funding) than the snotty kids stuck on the ESPN short bus.

Why they want to throw their ombudsman (or in this case ombudswoman) under the bus (linked here) is beyond us. But that's what comes from ignoring the signs of super-power-fatigue.

It's like the opening scene from "Napoleon Dynamite." Watch it above.

Sound familiar, ESPN? That bloated, Berman-esque, whatever I feel like doing approach, that can only be quenched by a NutriSystem menu and some free golf at Pebble Beach in February.

Other than that, we also learned this week:

== Vin Scully said 52 years ago he was ready to "go now" from broadcasting after calling the second half of Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series (linked here)

== Scully also reached the top of some group's Top 50 sportscasters of all time ... and he didn't even vote (linked here)

== We're not really sure what's going to happen next at KSPN-AM (710) now that ESPN Radio has made its new national roster (giving Collin Cowherd an extra hour of power!) (linked here) but we'll guess along with everyone else.

== Which leads to a Q-and-A with Scott Van Pelt, (aka: SVP, his self-imposed nickname) who thankfully is having his hour-long solo shot on ESPN Radio cut out, and we're still not that fond of his approach to ... anything (linked here)

== KSPN brought together Myron Rolle and Pat Haden for a brain freeze (linked here) and made us all feel smarter.

== T-Mobile has had enough of TNT's Charles Barkley, no matter who's in his five-to-20 (linked here) And for now, TNT will replace Sir Drink-A-Lot with Mike Fratello until further rotation (linked here). Do you really care what Frank Deford's opinion is on all this? (linked here)

And studio mates Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith had some things to say about Barkley's, uh, situation on Thursday night's telecast.
Johnson: "There are times that you'd like to rear back and give him a kick in the butt, which is one of those times right now, but also we support him every step of the way here."
Smith: "I don't know if the biblical term is correct but there's a chaotic moment, or a chaos moment, when either you believe or you don't believe because something happened in your life. I think Charles is at one of those moments. How is he going to be remembered? As someone for the ancillary things or the substance of who he really is? ... When you go through these cycles, you can be remembered for something else. But he's bigger than that, he's bigger than this, and it's a time now for him to get to this moment and grow and move on and be something better."

== It's Jeremy Schaap, your man on the inauguration route Tuesday, counting the porta-potties for ESPN (linked here)

== You can watch tennis on the Internet, if you're rich (linked here)

== Conan O'Brien will probably make fun of the Fox NFL robot when he moves to the Leno shift (linked here)

== The Australian Open end-o-summer tennis event starts Monday (there), Sunday (here) or Thursday, Jan. 29 (on our time) (linked here)

== The NFL Network and Dish Network both claim victory against each other -- someone tell Donovan McNabb there are ties in TV football (linked here)

==We found the person who really feels better about himself after blogging about Fox's Joe Buck (linked here)

== Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice tell David Letterman that Madonna made them Hall of Fame material... so why is everyone laughing, A-Rod? (linked here)

== Rather than just spew their own opinions year after year, USA Today wants to know which sportscasters you dig (why didn't we think of that?) (linked here)

==Admit it, you wanted to see the Chargers win last week (linked here) Even after Chris Mortensen told everyone why L.T.'s groin hurt, which really pulled the Chargers' chain. linked here)

== Fox's Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Tim McCarver once used a tax-payer funded government escort service, and say they didn't know it (linked here)

== More on the Billy Packer-Bob Knight Vegas act coming to the Wynn Hotel this March ... not opening for Ringo Star and his All-Star Band (linked here)

== A legendary thoroughbred racing writer is put out to pasture (linked here)

== AOL Sports is no more... it's all a FanHouse, all Mariotti-ed up (linked here)

== We're targeting Charles Barkley's return to TNT at the All-Star Game next month in Phoenix -- when he can drive everyone around to the local hotspots (linked here)

== L.A., New York and Chicago didn't care much for the BCS title game ... who was playing again? (linked here)

== Dick Vitale likes to scribble in books (linked here)

== More rousing information about the future of the newspaper business model (linked here)

== Someone in the media is sorry (linked here). And sorry again (linked here).
Sorry to have to bring it up.

==And finally:
Kenny Mayne's ESPN web series has reached the end of the road. Here's the last episode:

So when does it come out in a boxed DVD set with some cool freebie shrinkwrapped on the outside? Or just go (to think link) and watch 'em all over again.

And the ESPN coverage of the Australian Open tennis tournament, the first major sporting event of the year -- oh, right, next to the NFL playoffs leading into the Super Bowl -- starts on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. (which is Monday morning in Melbourne, according to our Mickey Mouse watch).

ESPN is doing all four tennis Grand Slam events this year -- a first for any U.S. network. There's about 100 hours of coverage on ESPN2 with plenty of re-airs. Add to that ESPN360.com having 430 hours. It all points to the finals on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 (Super Bowl Sunday).

Most of the live coverage starts at 12:30 a.m. each day, repeating the following afternoon. Tennis Channel is also getting some of this coverage, produced by ESPN.

Broadcasters include Dick Enberg, Cliff Drysdale and Chris Fowler on the match calls, with analysts Patrick McEnroe, Mary Carillo, Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver, Darren Cahill and Mary Joe Fernandez, with essays from Bud Collins. Someone named Tiffany Cherry, a Melbourne native who works for ESPN International, also pops in.

With all the channels involved, DirecTV subscribers also have the benefit of expanded coverage with the six-screens-in-one Mix Channel for the first eight days. It has the network that's carrying the event on one screen, then live coverage of five other courts on the rest of the screens. Former ATP players Jeff Tarango and Doug Adler provide commentary. A photo of what the DTV mix looks like is above.

Maria Sharapova has pulled out on the womens' side to take some of the luster away, but leaving the Williams sisters. Aside from the top four on the men's side -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, joined by Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray -- Thousand Oaks' Sam Querrery enters the fray with some momentum from an Auckland warmup event leading into this.

"Sam has been working with one of our U.S. coaches in Southern California," said McEnroe, captain of the U.S. Davis Cup squad. "I think this is a great year for Sam, maybe a top 20 is within his reach, or higher. He's worked hard in the offseason. He's still a young man with a lot of weapons, but alot of parts of his game can get better. He has a huge upside and (with the success he's had so far in Australia this week) I could see him having a really good tournament, getting into the second week."

McEnroe also said the Bryan brothers, who have not been ranked the No. 1 world men's doubles team for the first time in a while, are "chomping at the bit to get back" to the top, with Bob's shoulder injury recoving. "They've always played well in Australia," said McEnroe.

There's also been some talk of ESPN helping the Australian Open organizers try to push this tournament away from the end of the NFL season, but Len De Luca, the senior VP of programming and acquisitions for the network, clarified that a bit this week: "We've talked over the years with (former tournament director) Paul McNamee and (current tournament CEO) Steve Wood about all sorts of things. OUr deal runs through January 2011 and the date is always in question. Really, it's a matter of local support wherever they go. Not competing with the NFL and Super Bowl is appealing but by the same token, in March or February or some other time, there's competition, too, from basketball, college and pro.
"So we're agnostic in this debate. We love what we have, soup to nuts, and we'll work with them. There are many competing events (for them to decide to move) from Formula One to rugby locally."

McEnroe also pointed out that as summer comes to a close in Australia during this event, the kid-friendly element would likely disappear from pushing it back in the year.

"The Australian fan base makes it a tough move from where it is," said McEnroe.

By Jake Coyle
The Associated Press

"Friday Night Lights" is one of those shows, one hears, that you gotta see. Really, you just don't know what your missing.

Like "Arrested Development," "30 Rock" and "The Wire" were, "Friday Night Lights" has been thoroughly stamped with that label of "critically adored, low-rated."

When executive producer and head writer Jason Katims tells people what he does for a living, people usually say: "Oh yeah. I hear that's a great show."

"I get that response all the time," he says.

But there is hope for "Friday Night Lights" and other excellent but low-rated programs. Shows with passionate, niche audiences are proving to be more valuable than they once were.

The third season of "Friday Night Lights" premieres tonight on NBC (Channel 4, 9 p.m.) after the network struck an unusual partnership with DirecTV that has kept the show alive. The satellite service aired the full season ahead of the broadcast premiere for its 17 million subscribers.

"If this model works for our show, then it could work for other shows," said Katims. "That would be a great thing to be a part of."

On the opposite end of the spectrum from "Homecoming," the series that Rick Reilly has helped develop and host for ESPN (see today's media column), there comes something called "Mount Rushmore of Sports."

Mount the troops. This could devolve into one mountainous heap of stupidity. Real fast. Like Trey Wingo trying to stretch a single NFL clip into a double ententre, then to a triple-word score. And acting as if he actually hit a home run. Inside-the-studio style.

Shaping up as something almost as preposterous ridiculous enriching as "Who's Now" or "Titletown" ... or Tom Sizemore as Pete Rose ... this latest fan-voted feature requires Reilly to team up with Michael Wilbon and appear on SportsCenter to haggle over which four athletes, coaches ... media dudes ... mascots? ... would deserve to be the four faces of a Mount Rushmore of sports if one existed for each state in the Union. Plus, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

(OK, just for kicks, let's do it for Connecticut, since it has ESPN's headquarters. The Mount Rushmore of Sports would be simple. First, Chris Berman ... and no one else. The mountain isn't big enough to hold more.)

This crap-o-series will last five weeks, taking nominations given to ESPN.com, starting Monday, Feb. 16. Fans can start submitting "sports icon" candidates on Sunday. But the fans only get to pick three. Reilly and Wilbon will fill out the trashheap mountainside with their own pick. Then there'll be an online vote ...

Who sits around and thinks this up? And can we get that job in this kind of recession?

And has anyone watched "North By Northwest" lately? You want to see a real Mount Rushmore scene. Try Cary Grant grabbing Eva Marie Saint's arm as she's about to fall off the edge of George Washington's nostrol ... aw, we won't give away the ending.

But irony of ironies, we actually found that photo of Sir Cary from the ESPN.com website (linked here). So someone over there knows the real story.

More on Elway comebacks and the NFL's final four, from today's column (linked here) and beyond:

== The AFC's Baltimore-Pittsburgh game has the best shot of the two conference title games of drawing the most eyeballs in the Sunday late shot (3:30 p.m. kickoff, Channel 2, with Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Steve Tasker on the sidelines), but don't count on it coming close to last year's AFC title game when the New England Patriots, on their undefeated run, knocked out San Diego in front of 44.8 million. The year before that, the New England-Indianapolis AFC title game had a record 46.7 million viewers.

Fox's coverage of the Philadelphia-Arizona NFC title game (Channel 11, noon, with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Chris Myers) marks the Cardinals' first conference championship appearance. But is that compelling enough for a national audience?

"I think there's a healthy curiosity with the Arizona Cardinals," said Fox studio analyst Michael Strahan, a year removed after helping the New York Giants win the NFC championship en route to the Super Bowl title.

"This was an Arizona team on the decline at the end of the year and it's had such an insurgence. Even though no one really thinks of them as a mainstream team, there's a lot of intrigue there to see if they're for real.

"People will tune in to see that game. At least I know I will."

He then paused.

"Well, I have to, actually."

It started earlier in the when ESPN.com ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber did her latest column (linked here) calling out the network for creating more news from its news gathers (Ed Werder , Cris Carter and Chris Mortensen) rather than the news makers (the usual suspects).

Since then, other webwriters have wondered whether ESPN suits even listen to her. Because it sure don't seem like it since she came on board in April, 2007.

The Sports Business Daily's round up of opinion on this include:

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. com (linked here), who advances the idea that ESPN needs a full-time person to throw penalty flags at the on-air content. "We've begun to wonder whether ESPN heeds her words, or whether ESPN simply tolerates them in order to create some rough but thoroughly incomplete sense that the network cares about what she has to say ... (Currently, ESPN employees) guilty of committing gaffes need to suffer through only a minor cringe-inducing moment that comes well after the relevant chapter in the responsible employee's life has ended."

T.J. Donegan of SportsMediaJournal.com (linked here): "While I agree that traditional journalists should stay out of the reflected light of their own coverage, when you're as big and as pervasive as ESPN is, that your personalities are not going to develop a certain air of celebrity in their own right. Is it necessarily correct by traditional journalistic standards? Perhaps not, but that doesn't necessarily make it wrong all the time. Regardless, as Schreiber correctly points out, acknowledging and even feeding into that celebrity shouldn't overshadow the real reason those personalities are there: to cover the game."

And Kenny Fang of Fangsbites.com (linked here), on ESPN promoting its swap of NBA and college basketball announcing teams last week: "No one watches games for the announcers, but ESPN wanted people to. Very bad."

From TheBigLead.com (linked here): "How about giving Schreiber the keys to the ESPN Kingdom for a year? Just a hunch, but a lot of the folks riddled with ESPN fatigue might get over it real quick. Could she really be ESPN's penicillin?"

UCLA playing host to Arizona (FS Prime Ticket, 8 p.m.) uses the Ted Robinson-Marques Johnson broadcast team. It replays at 11 p.m. tonight and 2:30 p.m. Friday.

USC playing host to Arizona State is live on Trojan TV All-Access (linked here) as the only place to watch it, other than being at Galen Center. The feed uses the radio broadcast of Rory Markas and Jim Hefner from KSPN-AM (710).

Saturday, UCLA playing host to Arizona State finds its way to CBS (Channel 2, 12:45 p.m.) with Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg. USC hosting Arizona (5 p.m., FS Prime Ticket) goes with Jim Watson and Brandon Granville.

Part of the meetings in Bristol, Conn., this week attended by KSPN-AM (710) new VP and general manager Chris Berry and program director Larry Gifford involved adjustments to the national ESPN Radio programming, which the local stuff is built around.

They've decided that in a two-part move, ESPN Radio will change this way in the near future to add a new show, boost the hours of a couple others and switch someone else to East Coast drive ...

OK, enough of a tease. As of Feb. 2, it'll be (with West Coast times, of course):

3 to 7 a.m.: Mike & Mike in the Morning
7 to 10 a.m.: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
10 a.m. to noon: Tirico & Van Pelt
Noon to 1 p.m.: Scott Van Pelt Show
1 to 4 p.m.: The Doug Gottlieb Show -- new to the lineup.
4 to 5 p.m.: Football Tonight
5 to 7 p.m.: The Brian Kenny Show
7 to 10 p.m.: ESPN live news and info block
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.: AllNight with Jason Smith
2 to 3 a.m.: SportsCenter

Starting March 16, Cowherd adds an hour on the backend (running 7 to 11 a.m.), while the Van Pelt solo stint (thankfully) ends, keeping the Tirico and Van Pelt combo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- which Van Pelt seems to host solo too often enough.

So what does it mean for the local programming on KSPN?

Most likely, our sources tell us that with Gottlieb, a So Cal native moving from nights to days, he'll be on the air in L.A. in that 1-to-4 slot and shift the Steve Mason and John Ireland show back to its original 4 to 7 p.m. time, covering up the national show from Kenney, the ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor. Brian Long will also stay in the loop, probably during that 7 to 10 p.m. "news and info block" with Dave Denholm and do their show from the new ESPN Zone in L.A. Live across from Staples Center to add the live vibe.

Other factors that could alter this scenario:

==The Lakers start partnering with KSPN this fall with their games ... does Mychael Thompson, who will stay on a radio analyst, find a role in a sport-talk show at the station? Can you envision a situation where he does the Lakers games for one station but keeps his sports-talk co-host role at KLAC-AM (570), which is in his current contract and pays him more than if he just did the games?

==With all the dough that ESPN is spending on new studios for the local radio station (on-air talent as well as sales staff, etc.), can they afford to be so network-heavy on programming? It would make more sense that they do this to accomodate more local programming.

==Gifford gave Gottleib a tryout at the station as a consideration as a local host once Dave Dameshek was blown out. Does Jim Pastor, the overseeing boss at KSPN (as well as the ESPN Radio owned-and-operated affiliates in Chicago and Dallas) really like Gotteib enough to OK him going to the L.A. audience?

"It looks like I was drunk driving a jet ski ... I look like the surface of the earth before there were continents ... I look like Wilson floatin' away from Tom Hanks."

That's Kenan Thompson, as Charles Barkley, on "Saturday Night Live" last weekend, describing "his" police mugshot from a recent incident in Scottsdale, Ariz. One that got Barkley to take a leave of absence from TNT until further notice.

Asked if he was worried that he'd lose his job, Thompson (as Barkley replies): "C'mon man, I work for TNT. You know who else works for TNT? No one you ever heard of .. I'm all they got! I'll see you on Monday. I will be the drunk guy trying to park his car."

Seriously, TNT has decided to replace Barkley with Mike Fratello when the NBA Tip-Off show resumes Thursday night at 5 p.m. Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber return to their normal chairs. Remember, Magic Johnson works for ESPN/ABC now.

The studio show leads into the Cleveland-Chicago game at 5:15 (with Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager), followed by Phoenix at Denver at 7:30 p.m. (with Kevin Harlan, Doug Collins and Cheryl Miller).

TNT's next big day will be Monday, MLK Day, as it has an exclusive tripleheader:
2 p.m.: Studio show (with Johnson, Smith, Webber and ??)
2:30 p.m.: Detroit at Memphis (with Dick Stockton, Fratello and David Aldridge)
5 p.m.: Phoenix at Boston (with Harlan, Reggie Miller and Cheryl Miller)
7:30 p.m.: Cleveland at the Lakers (with Albert, Collins and Sager)

Barack Obama's presidental inauguration on Tuesday has the usual coverage -- CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, ESPN, Fox News ... wait, back up on that.

ESPN says it plans to dispatch Jeremy Schaap, reporting from the U.S. Capitol, during "SportsCenter" starting at 8:30 a.m. with reaction from the day's festivities, including reaction from athletes in attendance.

Maybe Schaap can also do some behind the scenes work for "E:60" to determine how 5,000 porta-potties will accomodate 5 million people watching the event in person.

There's also a 10-hour block of coverage starting at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic, somehow tying Obama's presidency to a series called "Breaking Barriers," which are profiles on ground-breaking athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Jack Johnson, Bill Russell, Texas Western's 1966 NCAA basketball title, Ernie Davis, Eddie Robinson and Willie Jeffries. More "Breaking Barriers" profiles air on MLK Day, Monday, focused on Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and others.

You don't even know what kind of stuff that ESPN.com is loading up on. But we'll let you know anyway. Stuff like stories focusing on how U.S. presidents developed sports for children (Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower). They also have Washington Post writer Len Shapiro coming up with a list of Washington D.C. golf courses that Obama may want to play.

Maybe hooking up with Michael Jordan somewhere on the back nine, obviously, for a real power twosome.

We've got no problems leading you over to the L.A. Times this morning (story linked here), for a piece on how Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully analyzed his performance as a 28-year-old calling the Don Larsen perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, which the new MLB Network has been airing off and on since its Jan. 1 launch.

Scully called the second half of that game -- fellow Hall of Famer Mel Allen did the first half -- because the Dodgers and Yankees were the two teams involved. Although, you'd have thought Red Barber might have been the Dodgers' representative on the telecast.

As Bob Costas mentions on the MLB Network show, the great part about watching this game now is there's no center field camera, no replays, no different angles, very few graphics (except to put the players names in all caps with white letters), the announcers work alone, there's maybe something missing without any close-ups of the players and no bullpen shots. For a black-and-white telecast, it's pretty stark.

"On the other hand, the telecast is not cluttered and it has the singular benefit of having two of the greatest announcers ever -- Mel Allen and a young Vin Scully."

The starkness of the broadcast, with Scully seemingly afraid to make a mistake, becomes evident through the call. But our two favorite moments, which aren't included in the story mentioned above:

== In the top of the second inning, the Dodgers' Sandy Amoros fouls one back into the press box. Scully alludes to that happening in the story mentioned, that he's so busy keeping score he doesn't even say a word when it happens. On the broadcast, Allen finally says: "Fouled back up here. ... Vin Scully played baseball at Fordham, but he flinched just a little at that one ... he forgot to bring his golve with him today."

==And as the broadcast goes off the air, Scully and Allen are trying to put the game into perspective.

Allen: "Vin I don't think you or I will ever see such a thing again."
Scully: "No, I guess we can both say, that we can go now."

For posterity's sake, let's recap some of the call from Scully, who came in at the bottom of the fifth and worked alone the rest of the game:

==As the top of the ninth began:
"Well, all right, let's all take a deep breath as we go to the most dramatic moment in the history of baseball ... The crowd here at Yankee Stadium, Sixty-four thousand, five hundred and seventeen, will be roaring on every pitch."

== After Carl Furillo flied out for the first out, a shot of the Dodgers' dugout, with Walter Alston looking on:
"The Dodger bullpen ... grumbling ... growling ... and waiting."

== After Roy Campanella grounds out for the second out:
"I think it would be safe to say no man in the history of baseball has ever come up to home plate in a more dramatic moment. That man is pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell."

== A shot of Larsen backing off the mound, taking off his hat.
"Yankee Stadium is shivering in its concrete foundation right now as Larsen pitches to Mitchell."

== After ball one to Mitchell:
"The ballgame is right there on your screen, Mr. Don Larsen."

== After strike two:
"And now there is one strike left."

== After Mitchell hits a foul ball:
"Fouled away ... just to increase the tension."

==Mitchell checks his swing, and it's called strike three:
"Got him! (Crowd noise drowns out Scully's words) ... for Don Larsen. A no hitter, a perfect game in a World Series ... Never in the history of the game has it ever happened in a World Series ...

"Mel, you can put this in your ring and wear it a long time."

And we've got the list, as the two newest voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame, Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson (don't forget, he ended his career with the Dodgers, which probably put him over the top), read it aloud on "Late Night with David Letterman" (tonight, 11:35 p.m.), while showing up in New York to do the show this afternoon.

The list of Top 10 Highlights of my Hall of Fame baseball career:

10. Winning the MVP in 1978, and a Tony in 1983 (Rice)

9. I designed the first vibrating jock strap (Henderson)

8. During the 1981 season, I lost my glove and played an entire west coast road trip using a small box (Rice)

7. All the free gum (Henderson)

6. I caught a squirrel in the outfield and the umps let me eat it (Rice)

5. Being a Met, a Blue Jay, a Padre, a Dodger...hell, even I can't remember all the teams that I played for (Henderson)

4. Before every game, I ate the same meal: pancakes smothered in pine tar (Rice)

3. Sleeping with Madonna (Henderson)

2. Sleeping with Madonna (Rice)

1. I played with Jose Canseco and never got to inject anything in his ass (Henderson)

Two college assistant football coaches who were apparently wrestling with each other fell through a Nashville, Tenn., double-paned hotel window this morning morning and fell four stories to a concrete sidewalk, leaving one in serious condition, the Associated Press reports.

As the American Football Coaches Association is holding its annual convention at the Opryland Hotel -- the site where former Cal Lutheran coach Bob Shoup was honored for induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame last weekend -- hotel security had been called around 4:10 a.m. with a noise complaint when officers found a broken window.

Scott Coy, a 6-foot-2 and 300 pound co-offensive coordinator at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., and Darren DeMeio, a 6-4, 220-pound running backs coach at the same college, were discovered outside on the ground below.

"They wrestled each other too close to the window going through it and down to the ground floor," Nashville police spokeswoman Kris Mumford said. "That's four floors."

Coy, 29, was in critical condition and having surgery Tuesday afternoon at Vanderbilt
University. DeMeio, 24, was listed in fair condition but remained in the hospital.

Myron Rolle, the All-America safety out of Florida State got a chance for the first time to talk to Pat Haden, the former star quarterback out of USC, about something they have in common -- being a Rhodes Scholar -- during a fantastic moment together today on KSPN-AM (710)'s Steve Mason and John Ireland show.

"You're doing the right thing," Haden told Rolle about announcing his decision this week to accept the Rhodes Scholarship and fly to England to further his studies rather than take a probably gig in the NFL as a first-round pick (link to this story). "You have only one shot at this. I grew up in California and I didn't travel much. I went to Oxford and made all kinds of friends from Europe ... you read things and have conversations that you'd never get to have otherwise, and you learn an awful lot. You'd be a much higher pick than I was, but football never consumed my life, or Myron's, and when you look back on this 20 years ago, you'll see you did the right thing."

Haden, an NBC analyst on Notre Dame football who went on to play for the L.A. Rams but currently does investment banking (note this link, that connects him with IndyMac bank), also told Rolle that he's "never defined making money as a living. It's how you lead and live your life. There's no reason why Myron can't do training camps and compete and come back and play. It's not necessarily an either/or situation. Everyone who watches football thinks it's about making money. That's not the point."

Rolle said that he plans to pursue his studies in medical anthropology for one year at Exeter and be available likely for the 2010 NFL draft.

"Don't let 'em talk you into rugby," Haden also warned about going to England. "You'll get knock on the door from someone from the rugby team. Shut the door and say absolutely not."

One other aspect for Rolle to consider: Since he needed only 2-plus years to get his degree, he's only a junior. He could return to football at Florida State and play one more season after his Rhodes Scholars trip to Oxford is done. Which makes no sense, but is an option.

It was probably more because of the fact it was the afternoon Sunday game, the climax to a four-game NFL playoff weekend, that the San Diego-Pittsburgh contest ended up as the most-viewed TV program -- not just sporting event -- from Jan. 5-11, 2009.

The list, as released today by the NFL (using Neilsen's statistical machines):
1. CBS: AFC Divisional Playoff (Chargers-Steelers): 34.1 million average viewers
2. Fox: NFC Divisional Playoff (Eagles-Giants): 31.4 million
3. Fox: BCS Championship Game (Florida-Oklahoma): 26.8 million
4. CBS: AFC Divisional Playoff (Ravens-Titans): 25.5 million
5. Fox: NFC Divisional Playoff (Cardinals-Panthers): 23.8 million
6. CBS: "The Mentalist": 19.6 million
7. CBS: "NCIS": 19.1 million
8. Fox: Fiesta Bowl (Texas-Ohio State): 17.1 million
9. CBS: "60 Minutes": 15.0 million
10. NBC: Golden Globe Awards: 14.9 million

The fast national rating (a gauge of the top 54 markets) has the Chargers-Steelers game drawing a 19.6 rating/34 share. In Los Angeles, KCBS-Channel did a 19.7 rating with a 42 share. That was easily the station's best-rated show for that week -- the Baltimore-Tennesse game on Saturday did a 13.0/31 in L.A. (it did 15.4/29 nationally).

The Chargers-Steelers game also succeeded while overrunning and going head-to-head against Fox's "24" and NBC's "Golden Globes" in the Eastern time zone.

==Putting another new spin on this:
Nielsen research shows that 25 million Hispanic Americans watched the NFL regular-season games in 2008. The top two shows, and seven of the top 10, among English-language TV programs viewed by Hispanic viewers were NFL games.
Regurgitating some press release information we received today: NFL games on CBS, Fox and NBC averaged 966,000 Hispanic viewers - 98 percent higher than the average primetime Hispanic viewership among the four major over-the-air networks (489,000 average on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC).
NFL Sunday national games on CBS and Fox averaged 1.256 million Hispanic viewers which exceeds playoff broadcast averages for other sports: 2008 World Series (1.189 million Hispanic viewers) on Fox; 2008 UEFA Euro Cup Final (Germany-Spain, 733,000 viewers) on ABC, and the Daytona 500 (533,000 viewers) on Fox.
And tge 2008 NFL wildcard weekend (Jan. 3-4) is the most-watched wildcard weekend among Hispanics in five years, averaging 1.4 million viewers.

What's next, exhuming Babe Ruth for a skin graft so that some kid can rip open a pack of bubble gum cards and trade with his pal for a swatch of the suit that Shoeless Joe Jackson was buried in?

Upper Deck announced today that in its 2008-09 Champ's Hockey set, it will cut up some dinosaur bones and teeth to embed into trading cards, which come out in mid-March. Bones from a Woolly Mammoth and Woolly Rhinoceros will "yield enough ... to make at least 100 cards, but cards that feature teeth will be much rarer," according to the press release. Teeth from spinosaurus, pterosaur and the tyrannosaurus rex are also included.

That's a Woolly Rhino's hummerus at the lest that will be hacked apart like the Flintstones ordering a large plate of ribs.

Bringing the Ice Age to the best game on ice is a bizarre connection. Creepy, yes, on many levels. We apparently have such a surplus of these things that we can now afford to grind 'em up into collectables?

Where's all those moon rocks that have been collecting dust over the years in NASA's warehouse?

"The 2008-09 Champ's Hockey product is a perfect vessel to deliver something truly unique like this to the hobby," said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck hockey brand manager. "When we saw these pieces coming in, everybody was in awe."

How do you decide to mess up these relics? It's gotta be like pulling teeth

"We didn't want to ruin the feeling that you were actually getting a tooth by cutting them up too much," said Matt Bromley, Upper Deck's associate hockey brand manager. "But they were too thick to just include them whole. We moved ahead with cutting them vertically in half so now there will be two copies for each of these unique cards."

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver received improper use of a U.S. Marshal escort at the 2007 World Series, but it wasn't their fault. Nor was it the fault of Buck and Troy Aikman to get the same treatment at the '08 Super Bowl.

Why complain when your stat guys says he knows some people who can get them to the airport or ballpark by flashing a few sirens at the right moment?

Truly disgusting. "Dignitary protection" needed? If so, it wasn't authorized.

"At select events, (a Fox statistician, Joseph Band, also an attorney with the U.S. Marshal office) did offer transportation to some Fox Sports personnel," Fox's Dan Bell said in a statement. "We were unaware, however, that those arrangements were in any way inappropriate, and regret to learn now that they apparently were."

The story that's gaining some interesting twists, turns and U-turns came out in the Boston Globe (linked here) and New York Times (linked here) and Washington Post (linked here). Woodward and Bernstein may as well be involved in adding their assistance in writing a screenplay.

More background at AwfulAnnouncing.com (linked here)

The big hoop-de-do announcement that Billy Packer and Bob Knight had from Wynn Las Vegas Race & Sports Book on Monday had to do with hosting a show for Fox Sports Net called "Survive and Advance," which are five one-hour shows that analyze the 2009 men's basketball tournament.

Funny, because usually FSN folks would be the ones announcing such a compelling program first. But that didn't happen.

Packer, 68, who left CBS as its main college basketball commentator after 34 Final Fours in July, and Knight, the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach who quit last February and joined up with ESPN as a game and studio analyst, are supposed to also be developing an interative web platofmr that has games, news, analysis, blogs ... a lot of original content from their blatherings.

Even though the show originates from a sports book in Vegas, Packer says it won't get into the gambling aspect of the event. Let us know how that works for 'em.

"Why Vegas is because Bob and I, and a lot of people, want to really experience what this is really like because we do think, next to being center court, this is the place to be," Packer said.

True, it's quite a buzz. Mostly because of the gambling aspect.

"I remember a few years ago I said to myself, 'Hey Billy, you know this has to stop sometime. And what are going to be the keys for you to not broadcast anymore if I have 100 percent control?" said Packer. "There's only so much time you have in life to do things you want to do, and so this Vegas idea and putting this stuff together ... that's stuff I'd like to do."

The programs are expected to begin March 15, with a noon taping for either live or same-day airing. The first show airs after the teams are seeded, then after the early rounds and then before and after the Final Four.

Knight says this won't conflict with his role with ESPN. ESPN, however, declined a request to explain his involvement in this show.

This wreaks of slime now matter how you look at it. But we won't judge a show by its promos. Not yet.

Maybe the best photo to use with this posting isn't of two kids trying to pull off a scene from "Guys and Dolls," but how we really envision it to look like:

From the Southern California Sportscasters group, regarding their nominations for the 2008 awards ceremony that takes place Jan. 26 at Lakeside Country Club in Toluca Lake (the list of candidates which we revealed recently, linked here):

Los Angeles, Jan. 12, 2009

In the category Television Play-by-Play, Vin Scully is with KCAL (not KCOP)
In the category Television Color Analyst, Rex Hudler is with KCOP (not KCAL)
In the category Radio Anchor staff, Ted Sobel was misidentified as "Rick."

We caught that on the release sent to us on Jan. 6, and posted our corrections. However, it was still sent out to other media members on Jan. 11 with the mistakes still included. We changed the original release that we had as far as changing "Rick" Sobel's name to Ted, then moved on to bigger problems...

UPDATED: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m.

Following up to our post over the weekend (linked here) about the Top 50 sportscasters, as voted by the American Sportscasters Association, we now have the complete list picked by members and a special committee.

Again, there seems to be no delineation as to whether the person was a play-by-play man, analyst or studio type, although some obviously did or do more than one role over the years. Give one a microphone, and they've qualified for voting consideration, apparently.

The Dodgers finally caught wind of this list and sent out a press release Monday afternoon. As for Vin Scully being named No. 1, he emailed to us: "The sportscasters' vote is news to me. I never voted but I am humbled to be in front of Mel Allen, Red Barber and Curt Gowdy. The longevity part must have been the decider."

Dick Enberg, who made the top 10 and is also the Chairman of the Board for ASA, also emailed back before heading out to Melbourne to cover the Australia Open tennis championships starting next week on ESPN: "Frankly, there's plenty of room for argument, which is common with any of the suspect 'Best of All-Time' lists. It never helps your chances if deceased. (Check: Husing, Brickhouse, Dunphy, Stern, and of course, Chick Hearn.) With the exception of yours truly, the top 10 is pretty solid."

Here's the rundown, with others who appeared to have received votes as well, but not enough to crack the top 50 (yes, Berman is somehow at No. 35)

1. Vin Scully
2. Mel Allen
3. Red Barber
4. Curt Gowdy
5. Howard Cosell
6. Bob Costas
7. Jim McKay
8. Keith Jackson
9. Al Michaels
10. Dick Enberg

Mark McGwire will hide out somewhere in Orange County today, maybe even smash some golf balls at a driving range working on his long game so he can enjoy the dream of perhaps joining the PGA Champions Tour when he hits 50 in a few years.

Instead, McGwire should have received a call from Jeff Idleson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, or someone from the Baseball Writers Association of America, with the news of his being voted into the Hall from the ballot of 23 eligible candidates (with up to 10 names allowed to be included).

It didn't happen. That's really no news (link here to the announcement). McGwire may celebrate a 100th birthday and never receive even a text message about it, no matter how many bars are showing on his cell phone.

Those empowered with casting the stones, uh, votes, decided the man who hit 583 home runs -- specifically 245 of 'em between 1996-99, to help ignite the game after from some of its darkest days in the post-lockout days -- was somehow not worthy. Again.

Rickey Henderson? In. Easily.

Jim Rice? In, at long last.

McGwire? He's back inside, incognito, apparently ashamed to even put his face forward and make a case for himself. Because he's guilty and it shows.

We'll make a case for him instead.

Dave Alexander of The Muskegon Chronicle has this story (linked here) about how the city in Michigan is making bowling balls again, years after Brunswick took its production to Mexico.

Of course, this new Motiv line of bowling balls by a small independent producer is being introduced in the midst of a huge economic downturn. So what.

From today's Los Angeles Times (linked here):

Baseball TV ratings: In Friday's Sports section, the sports media column said that Game 7 of the World Series between Tampa Bay and Boston came in No. 4 among the most-watched television shows last fall. It was Game 7 of the American League Championship Series between those teams that came in No. 4.

Oh, right. Tampa Bay played the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies, who got to the World Series by defeating the Dodgers. How could we forget, after what happened in a previous Phillies' locker room celebration that led to Philly TV reporter Jade McCarthy (bio linked here) somehow getting douced with bubbly. Who coulda seen that coming?

We're not sure what the criteria might be for the voting of this -- ability (hopefullly), longevity, popularity -- but apparently a group of broadcasters really like Vin Scully.

The Associated Press has moved a story that has this simple, convoluted lead:

Vin Scully leads the Top 50 Sportscasters, selected by the American Sportscasters Association (ASA). Joining Scully in the top 10 are Mel Allen, Red Barber, Curt Gowdy, Howard Cosell, Bob Costas, Jim McKay, Keith Jackson, Al Michaels and Dick Enberg.
The Top 50 were selected by members and a select board of the ASA, president Lou Schwartz said Friday. The ASA board of directors includes Schwartz, Enberg, Jon Miller, Jim Nantz and Bill Walton.

We've tried to reach Scully, as well as Enberg, the chairman of the board for the ASA, and ASA founder Schwartz for further clarification, since the group's official website (linked here) seems lacking in much detailed information.

ASA inducted the Dodgers' Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster into its Hall of Fame in 1992. Last month, Scully was voted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (linked here), which is presented by the Sports Video Group organization.

Here's a video interview clip we found of Scully on KNBC Channel 4's website from a recent Q-and-A:

We have six from '08 that have started to really get under our sun-screened skin in today's column (linked here).

Everyone has their list of things that really peeve them -- the phrase "pet peeve" is one of ours, in fact -- so we'll try to keep this compilation on topic. But we're sure it will unravel into one of those "Why do they keep saying that?" list of cliches that we're all tired of hearing and might get others to stop if we put it out there. So be it:

The National Football League: Sure, it's called the NFL plenty, but there's this Cosellian imitators (OK, maybe one of them, the 800-pound gorilla at ESPN) that has tried to perpetuate the full three-word name, as if it's The Ohio State University.

Upside: Heard most of the time during the NFL and NBA drafts. It means in Kipertown that there's a good vibe coming from this kid for some reason, but we can't specifically identify it. Maybe it's good genes. Maybe a strong work ethic (see below). Maybe we're just too lazy to get any more specific.

Control our destiny: It's one of those cliches that NBC's Bob Costas brought up recently (linked here) during a recent NFL pregame show as being inherently wrong. Maybe teams or players can control the outcome of a game, but not their destiny or fate, which, by definition, is something that can't be controlled. I know, take it up with Bob.

Intangibles: Like great chemistry. Laziness for not identifying what really makes a team or player tick. After using that, it's usually followed by the phrase: You can't say enough about him.

Electricity: Some say you can feel it. If you could, you'd probably be dead within moments.

Work ethic: Everyone has a great one, or it's not mentioned at all. But it does insult those who do real work - sanitation engineers, fruit pickers, assembly line employees, coal miners.

Play within ourselves: We get the idea that you didn't try to do more than you were capable. If you're not capable, you won't try any harder? That would be giving 110 percent, no doubt.

Take it to the next level: Meaning, you weren't trying as hard before? Why not take it down a notch and under achieve?

World champion: Unless you win your title in the Olympics or the World Cup, you can't call yourself a world champion. There's someone in Antartica probably better.

A (adjective) golf shot: Like "an (adjective) piece of hitting." One (or two) too many words, stating the obvious.

We have more, but don't feel like elaborating:
=Must-win situation
=D-line (or O-line)
=Impact player
=Power shift
=In transition
=Flush (as opposed to a dunk)
=Eva Longoria (She's at a San Antonio Spurs game? Who'd have thunk it.)
=Regroup
=In the box
=Walk-off
=Like a video game
=A false-positive test
=One-dimensional
=Heisman-esque
=One-and-done
=Oral commitment
=Hitting on all cylinders
=Sneakers
=In the doghouse

John Marshall of the Associated Press went to a Dick Vitale book signing in Kansas City only to discover that ESPN's NBA college basketball analyst isn't such a wound-up kook as you see on TV.

He has a pause button? Go figure.

The story runs after at the link below, if you're amused enough to continue along.

From Thursday's San Diego Union Tribune (story linked here):

(San Diego Chargers) General Manager A.J. Smith was clearly upset that the extent of LaDainian Tomlinson's groin injury was leaked before Saturday's game and that Tomlinson confirmed the extent of the injury Wednesday.
Teams prefer their injury information to be vague, and while no one expected Tomlinson to play against the Steelers, the Chargers preferred his status remain at least somewhat up in the air.

Asked Thursday about Tomlinson's specificity, Smith was peeved, even making a pointed reference to the relationship between Tomlinson's camp and the ESPN reporter who first reported the severity of Tomlinson's injury.

"I don't discuss (injuries)," Smith said. "Any medical information you may want on LT from our organization will come from our head coach and (public relations director) Bill Johnston.

"If you would like additional injury updates, I suggest you contact LT, his agent Tom Condon and (ESPN's) Chris Mortensen."

The team initially said Tomlinson's injury was a strain. Mortensen reported Tomlinson had a totally detached abductor tendon, a report team sources said was "exaggerated." Tomlinson said he has a partially detached tendon.

By Richard Rosenblatt
Associated Press

Joe Hirsch chronicled the world of thoroughbred racing for the Daily Racing Form for more than a half-century. He'd travel to tracks around the country, showing up in the mornings to interview trainers, jockeys, breeders, owners and anyone else willing to share their thoughts about the sport he loved so much.

There wasn't a person who wouldn't talk to the dean of American turf writers, either. But the man known for his deliberate gait, dark sunglasses and helpful hints was much more than a racing writer.

"He was a global ambassador for the sport, a mentor to two generations of journalists, and probably the most universally respected figure in the world of horse racing," Daily Racing Form publisher Steve Crist said.

Hirsch, who had Parkinson's disease for 20 years and broke his hip in a fall last spring, died Friday at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. He was 80.

"The thing about Joe was that he had an incredible memory and an incredible feel for the game," Santa Anita publicity director Mike Willman said. "He remembered little things, minutia that was relevant. And he of course remembered people. Joe knew everyone and he listened well, and maybe that was one of the biggest keys to his success."

Whatever the specifics -- and we fear some sort of gambling element is involved -- former CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer is going to appear at the Wynn Race & Sports Book in Las Vegas on Monday to announce his next project.

Packer, Bob Knight and Wynn Race & Sports book executive director Johnny Avello will be there to make the news conference, a rep for the hotel said in an email sent to media folks this afternoon.

Packer (read his current Dickipedia entry here) left CBS last July after broadcasting 34 consecutive Final Four events on TV (for that network and NBC), saying he knew a year earlier that CBS was not going to renew his contract and was set on replacing him with Clark Kellogg.

"They had to move in a direction for their future," said the 68-year-old Packer, who claimed he would devote more time to his business ventures.

USA Today's Michael Hiestand reported last month (linked here) that Packer and Knight, the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach current working at ESPN, were involved in a new website called FantasyPlayers.com, that offers a bracket game, plus analysis, during the 2009 March Madness.

Crab dribble -- what LeBron James calls his hip-hop-step that really isn't traveling but gets him to the basket quicker than if he took the time to actually dribble the ball -- could be the sports word for 2009 that you can't wait to see go away. As Bob Costas wouldn't say, we control our own destiny in whether that James phrase goes to the top of the list or becomes as trendy as a Bob Cousy setshot.

Sunday we'll winnow down the list of the sports words of phrase we'd just as soon see get some bailout relief. Bailout, by the way, was one of the early favorites for 2008 Word of the Year as voted on by the American Dialect Society (linked here), which should be announced sometime after their 5:30 p.m. final vote today.

Dialect on these while we await Sunday's final sports list:

Multiple, mutually exclusive, inherently untrustworthy and sometimes false statements: The phrase that Philadelphia district attorney Lynne Abraham used this past week to describe the fact that her office was unable to proceed with charges against Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison in an incident that involved a gun registered to him, because those who claimed to be witnesses were, well, bad apples. It's why ESPN employs people like Roger Cossack are needed to tell us what's really going on. But the more Joe the Plummers who are handed down phrases like this to banter about sports-related topics, we're fostering too many bad incidents happening in Judge Judy's courtroom during a fake trial about a stolen hair dryer at a beauty salon.

Game management: Used to be someone was just good at strategy. This must be gooder.

Winning the turnover battle: One of Phil Simms' stuck-in-the-craw phrases he brought up in his 2004 book. This here is looking at one number versus another, without taking into consideration when the turnovers happened and at what critical point in the game it changed. This past season, the Miami Dolphins, winners of the AFC East, had the same number of turnovers as it gave up. The 2-13 Kansas City Chiefs caused six more turnovers than it committed. Against the Dolphins, the Chiefs might win the turnover battle, but ... it still gets used as if it's some cutting-edge cybermetric that really tells the story of a game. Yeah, like time of possession.

After running down the list of cons and cons (linked here) about why TNT would keep Charles Barkley on the air in light of his recent, ahem, legal problems with the Scottsdale police department -- complete with a completely unflattering booking shot -- news finally trickles out that he says he's taking a "leave of absence," mostly to lay low in light of the fact his bloodtest from a recent DUI stop registered pretty high.

Like, .149 high, almost twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Barkley was pulled over on New Year's Eve on suspicion on drunken driving in Scottsdale after he ran a stop sign. He later admitted, allegedly, that he had been drinking with Michael Strahan and Urkel and was in pursuit of a lady of the night across the road. But all that stuff is Internet heresay, which we've just repeated because we have no other information about what really happened.

How long will Barkley be off the air? Some of those sketchy anonymous sources told the Associated Press it would be a couple of weeks. Maybe longer. Maybe shorter. They're just guessing. TNT's next big event is the All-Star Game in Barkley's home of Phoenix in mid February. That would be a perfect coming-back-out party time for him.

Barkley also has a golf reality show with Hank Haney that's supposed to come on the Golf Channel sometime this year.

"When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was
obvious he understood the significance of this situation," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, said in a statement. "This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him. Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization, and we are concerned for his well-being."

The top 10 TV markets for producing viewers for Thursday's Florida-Oklahoma BCS championship game on Fox, provided by Nielsen Research:

1. Oklahoma City: 52.6 rating/67 share
2. Tulsa, Okla.: 47.8/68
3. Birmingham, Ala.: 41.8/53
4. Jacksonville, Fla.: 40.5/55
5. Tampa, Fla.: 32.5/49
6. Orlando, Fla.: 30.7/45
7. Austin, Tex.: 30.3/46
8. West Palm Beach, Fla.: 29.8/42
9. Fort Myers, Fla.: 28.4/42
10. Columbus, Ohio: 26.7/40

Overall, Fox reports a fast national rating of 15.8/25, calculating to 26.8 million viewers, which is up over the 2008 title game (LSU-Ohio State, 14.4/22, 23.1 million viewers). Fox won the night of network competition, followed by ABC (7.2), CBS (6.2) and NBC (3.9).

All BCS games on Fox added up to a four-game average of 9.9, up from 9.0 a year ago.

Why does the overall BCS rating on Fox seem to, uh, lack a lot of juice? It's a regional sport, and without a team from the major three markets -- New York, L.A. or Chicago -- it suffers a body blow in this case.

Los Angeles, for example, did a 11.3/19 rating, down three percent from last year. It ranked 48 out of the 56 markets.

Chicago (ranked 43rd) did a 12.7/20 rating, actually up from last year's 11.2/16.
New York (ranked 54th) did a 8.9/14 rating, also up from last year's 7.5/12.

The second week of education at the Media Learning Center (sponsored by ... wait, they pulled out) was certain a lesson in what not to do during a major college football broadcast.

We're not the only ones who thought were convinced that Fox's Tom Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis were out of their comfort zone trying to get their voices (and down count) around the BCS title game ... again (linked here) and (linked here) and (linked here) and (a link to the New York Times review here).

Nor do we endorse a scene where Chris Myers and Urban Meyer try to look into the crystal football and predict what crazy stuff will come up next. Such as Myers asking Meyer if he has a proposal to make.

Other than that, we learned:

== Reviews were mixed on the 3D coverage of the Florida-Oklahoma game (linked here) but we coulda told you that.

== SI.com's Stewart Mandel presents evidence to prove that the extra BCS game is "a failure" (tell that to Cincinnati and Virginia Tech after their exciting Orange Bowl performance) (linked here)

== Jim Fox , Rory Markas and Bill Seward could take home more Southern California Sports Broadcasters trinkets at their annual awards lunch at the end of this month than Vincent Edward Scully.(linked here)

== NBC likes Matt Millen enough to call him "one of the very best football broadcasters of our generation" (linked here) but the former Raiders linebacker isn't sure if he's going to clear his name as a terrible president of the Detroit Lions (linked here)

== ESPN's Chris Mortensen won't run his junk past the Oakland Raiders any more; ESPN's Tony Kornheiser doesn't care anymore if Millen takes his "Monday Night Football" chair, and Bill Cowher won't be talking about leaving the CBS NFL studios any more ... oh, and Jay Mariotti won't be bashing Internet writers any more, since he's one of 'em (linked here)

== No stupid question, columnist Rob Parker quit the Detroit News (linked here), but how is he still works for ESPN (linked here)

== Who's gonna punish Charles Barkley? (linked here)

== Someone thought it was a good idea to revive the "Superstars" competition ... as long as we don't ask Joe Frazier to swim (linked here). And, no, Smokin' Joe didn't almost drown when asked to do a lap against Jean Claude-Kiley, Bob Segren and some other dude (video linked here).

== ESPN's well-publicized hoop announcer switch -- having Dickie V violate an NBA game Wednesday, instead of another Duke contest, which pushed the NBA crew of Tirico-Van Gundy-Jackson to Cameron Indoor -- was a self-promoting low, to this reviewer (and us included) but we lived through it and the sun came up the next day (linked here)

== We're not watching "The Celebrity Apprentice" this March, even if Heidi Androl somehow appears on it to give Donald Trump a haircut with a sharpened hockey skate (linked here)

== Chris "Ethel" Berman takes journalism seriously, especially when he's scaring the hell out of small children (linked here)

== Kiana Tom (no relations) is spotting for us on our squats (linked here)

== A guy who writes for Autoweek has found the right formula to collect the autographs of every living Formula One driver on one helmet, for charity (linked here)

== A lot of cool people watched NBC's Winter Classic, just not in L.A. (linked here)

== '09 looks already a lot like '0(put in a number lower than 9) for SC VOYCE/tooltime expert Pete Arbogast (linked here)

== Watch how the ESPN website has changed over the years (linked here)

== A review of a new book on the excitement of the Super Bowl, which isn't so super (linked here)

== Former Dodger communications director and local sports-talk show host (and Channel 4 fill-in anchor) Derrick Hall will be the commissioner of baseball before 2020 (linked here)

== Tim Brando has a mean streak (linked here)

== The L.A. Times' sports blog has ethical boundaries that USC's Rey Mauaaluga apparently crossed, even though he said (through the school) he was sorry for freaking on ESPN's Erin Andrews at the Rose Bowl (linked here) A more complete story about the apology from USA Today, which showed a photo grab of the YouTube video, which was within good taste (linked here)
We're all for ethics, putting trash where it belongs, etc. .. But really?
For this video? You get your funky in a bunch?
We weren't even going to put it on the site -- ignore it like the rest of the stupidity out there -- until we saw this approach.
Now, we let you judge its distastefulness (as if you hadn't seen it already):

You OK? Thought so.
Again, you sure? Just checking.

On what would have been Richard Nixon's 95th birthday, the Illinois House voted 114-1 today to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- the first chief executive in the state's 190-year history to face such an action, the Chicago Sun-Times reported (linked here).

On Thursday, the Las Vegas Wranglers of the Eastern Conference Hockey League, decided that the Blagojevich situation was ripe for marketing.

The Wranglers said that, for their Friday, Jan. 30 game against the visiting Bakersfield Condors at the Orleans Arena near the Strip, they'll wear black-and-white striped, prison-issue jerseys on what they're calling Rob Blagojevich Prison Uniform Night. The Condors have agreed to wear orange jumpsuit-color jerseys. The on-ice ref and linesman will wear jerseys that look like blue shirts with ties resembling prison guards.

And in true Blagojevich spirit, the team will hold an online auction to find the highest bidder for the seat between the benches.

"We envision goal judges in powdered wigs and black robes and bars on the penalty boxes," said Wranglers CEO and president Billy Johnson. "I'm hopeful the winner of the seat auction will be seated without incident. Some existing fans may not want to let them in."

There really seem to be going overboard on a promotion that has no connection to this particular scandal. They're not even in the same state. With all the misuse of funds and corruption that has to go on in Las Vegas day in and day out, this is the person and situation they choose to make fun of? Those trying to open the Las Vegas Mob Museum (linked here) would love such sorrid pub.

We'll give the team some credit, in the Bill and Mike Veeck spirit, of having fun with a sports promotion. It's the lifeblood of minor-league sports. Two years ago, the Wranglers had a Dick Cheney Hunting Vest night. Each year, the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames also has one game that begins at midnight, as well as one game each year restricted to fans over the age of 18.

Strippers are welcome. And the Kings and Ducks are welcome to borrow any of these ideas.

I'll take Bill Simmons to block.

Well, it's not how this show works.

The newest ESPN columnist, as part of his multi-million deal, has arranged to do a TV series called "Homecoming," which debuts today (ESPN2, 5 p.m.), where he does a kind of "This Is Your Life" episode with athletes by taking them back to their home towns for a sit-down in front of a live audience.

Episode 1, Reilly visits Josh Hamilton in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina (pictured above), at Athens Drive High School. Next Friday, it's a show with John Elway, taped last October at Granada Hills High. There are six shows in the can, all an hour long.

We'll watch 'em if you can't.

Bypass the NFL this weekend -- four games, no waiting, and still no Cowboys despite a late appeal to the league offices -- and after reading today's newsprint media offering (linked here), these electrifying notes somehow are best suited for this medium:

== Once again, your NFL broadcasters for this weekend:

Saturday:
== Channel 2, 1:30 p.m.: Baltimore at Tennessee (with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf_
== Channel 11, 4:15 p.m.: Arizona at Carolina (with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa)

Sunday:
== Channel 11, 10 a.m.: Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants (with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)
== Channel 2, 1:45 p.m.: San Diego at Pittsburgh (with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)

== ESPN's version of "Outside The Lines" on Sunday (6 a.m. on ESPN, 9 a.m. on ESPNEWS, with probable replays on "SportsCenter") is the one that recently laid off Dallas Cowboys defensive back Adam Jones insists he's going to sue the network for next week. As the video shows above, ESPN has the dirt on Jones' involvment in a 2007 shooting outside of Atlanta. ESPN ran a portion of it on Thursday, to make sure you know it was on the level.

== Turner Sports says it takes the charges filed last week against TNT NBA studioman Charles Barkley "very seriously" and it won't comment until the legal process takes its course. Even when there are Internet reports taking this course all over the place. We'll side with New York Times columnist Harvey Araton (linked here), who declares that Barkley, even while lacking credibility, won't be fired over this because he means too much to the network and "there is always a place for a genuinely funny guy to be heard -- and not taken seriously." However, it is time "for responsible news media outlets to cast Barkley once and for all as a television clown, not as the conscience of basketball or future governor" of Alabama. In today's USA Today, Michael Hiestand tries to dissect what makes Barkley different from an ex-athlete and more like a Lindsay Lohan sort of being at this point in his career (linked here).

== "NBA League Pass," the subscription on your cable or dish service that gives you a bunch of out-of-market NBA games, is available for free from Monday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 25. That's 39 games over five nights.

== The Associated Press (linked here) reports that IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe and ESPN "NASCAR Now" host Nicole Manske, the one-time Miss Illinois Teen USA title-holder to your right, are engaged. He proposed in Australia over the holidays at a place called Lizard Island (linked here) and the couple is planning a wedding next December in Hawaii.
You see any conflict of interest there?

==In the first column that Jay Mariiotti wrote for new employer AOL, the former Chicago Sun Times scribe does a nice job trashing the newsprint industry, and then boasts about how the middleman has been taken out of the equation when he comes to what's flowed from his creative mind to his computer screen:
"The difference is, the column won't go through the 20th-century, ink-and-newsprint monkey grind where you hope the truck driver doesn't stop at Dunkin' Donuts and the delivery boy doesn't hit your dog on the ass. The column simply will go from my computer to an editor to you."

Afterwhich Newsday columnist Neil Best wrote on his blog (linked here): "Yo, Jay, I just posted that not only with no help from a truck driver but also with no help from an editor. Take that!"

== The new MLB Network will do a live show Monday on the Baseball Hall of Fame selections (10:30 a.m.). In the past, baseball's only live announcement was online at its website.

AND THE CLOSING ARGUMENT:

== Headline and story from this week's Onion Sports (linked here)

January 08, 2009
LaDanian Tomlinson To Play Next Game Without A Groin

SAN DIEGO--Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson, who was forced to leave last week's game in the second quarter after aggravating a groin injury, announced Wednesday that he will play Sunday's game against Pittsburgh without the aid of his groin.

"The team will need me against the Steelers, and I can't afford to let my groin hold me back, so the groin is staying on the bench for this one," said Tomlinson, who made the decision against the recommendation of team doctors.

"I would have just bit it off on the sidelines last week, like Ronnie Lott did with his pinkie that one time, but [running back] Darren [Sproles] told me he had the situation under control, and he did. That's one I owe him."

Tomlinson's decision to play without a vital part of his anatomy is being compared to former Lions running back Barry Sanders' decision to play his entire career without his skeleton.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

For several reasons, we didn't trek to Apple Valley, the closest theatre to the L.A. market, to see tonight's BCS Florida-Oklahoma title game in 3D.

1) We're not driving in that direction off the 15 freeway unless we've decided to stop for a Slurpee and Slim Jim on the way to Vegas and need more gas.

2) We've already seen football in 3D and weren't impressed.

3) This guy saw it -- in Vegas -- and filed this report for the Associated Press, neither of which is very impressive (the review of the broadcast, or the story that quotes the same folks we quoted, with the same kind of reaction, from the Raiders-Chargers test telecast in Hollywood back in November):

NOTE: Here's another review from USA Today's Friday editions (linked here) And one from the LA Times blog (linked here) that revealed an invite-only showing back in Hollywood, but with results that we expected: People tired of the gimmick of the angles, and unable to detect down and distance, or know time or score.

A caller this afternoon on KSPN-AM's Steve Mason and John Ireland show, trying to explain a new format for college football's playoff system, pointed out that he has four-minute-plus piece on YouTube.com (that's it above) explaining how it all shakes out.

No eight-team playoff. No plus-one. It preserves the traditional bowls and the regular season.

Think 120 Division I teams (now there's 119, so someone would have to step up) and 12 teams divided into 10 leagues/conferences, split into two divisions of six. From there ...

Aw, let him explain it. It's not that crazy. Just impractical considering how things get done these days.

The Associated Press

FRESNO -- Somewhere amid her collection of worn jukeboxes and slot machines, a 72-year-old woman recently discovered an antique worth saving: a rare baseball card of the first professional team in the United States.

And if it weren't for the keen intervention of a friend, she would have sold the 1869 card of the Cincinnati Red Stockings on eBay for just $10.

"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," said Bernice Gallego, who owns an antique shop in Fresno. "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game."

She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents. She pulled it from auction after realizing it could be worth much more when someone asked her to end the auction immediately.

The front of the card features a sepia-toned, gelatin-silver photographic print of the entire team. The reverse, a red-and-white advertisement for Peck & Snyder, a New York sports equipment manufacturer.

Experts at the Los Angeles-based PSA, the leading sports card grading and authenticating company, say the card is authentic and the team photo is relatively unscathed.

Sports card collectors prize any card featuring the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who laid
the foundation for today's Major League Baseball.

"They were kind of an All-Star team before that concept really existed," said Tim Wiles, who directs research at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. "They went around and challenged all comers. They barnstormed around the country and were undefeated."

Gallego and her husband still can't say for certain how they got the card, but believe it was in the contents of a storage space they bought a few years ago.

"We really don't know where we got it," Gallego said. "It's a little card I found in a bunch of stuff."

The Associated Press

Early last October, NBC unveiled the 16-member cast of "Celebrity Apprentice" to reporters. Everyone on hand at the locked-down news conference swore to keep the participants' identities a secret until NBC said "go."

With NBC now issuing its cue Thursday to go public, the major media can take pride at having kept the lid on names like country music's Clint Black, TV personality Khloe Kardashian and former "Baywatch" babe Brande Roderick.

Also vying for the title of "Celebrity Apprentice," when the reality series returns for its eighth season March 1, is former Olympic figure skating gold medalist Scott Hamilton, singer Brian McKnight, comedian Tom Green and former football great Herschel Walker, poker champ Annie Duke, LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis (above), "Deal or No Deal" model Claudia Jordan, singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and former "Monster Garage" host Jesse James, a custom bike and car builder.

NBC's own Conan O'Brien spilled a few beans during a "Late Night" monologue. After blurting out a couple of the show's players, he cracked, "Apparently the new season of the show is called 'Celebrity Apprentice: 1988.'"

"I have a competitive nature," said Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy as a junior at the University of Georgia, "but this (show) is really different, where some people are conniving and cheating. I say, I'm gonna stay true to my morals ... I tell 'em, I'm just a little country boy from Georgia."

A review of the new book by Allen St. John, "The Billion Dollar Game" (Doubleday, 264 pages, $24.95) (amazon.com link here), written by Associated Press writer Michael Hill:

Golf Channel has the first PGA Tour event of the season -- the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii that airs Thursday to Sunday at 3 p.m., produced in high def for the first time. It repeats at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Kelly Tilghman returns as the play-by-play/host, with Nick Faldo joined by Mark Rolfing in the broadcast booth. Frank Nobiolo is on the course, with Jerry Foltz and Billy Ray Brown. Steve Sands and Rich Lerner are part of the post-round show. The opening drive ceremonies are also on Golf Channel at noon Thursday.

As for the HD coverage: Golf Channel, which Arnold Palmer helped fund and launch in 1995, has total coverage of the first three PGA events of the season and plans more than 2,100 hours of HD during tournaments, original programming (such as Hankey Haney's "Project Barkley") and news this year, it says. After the Mercedes-Benz Championship, Golf Channel moves to the Sony Open (also in Hawaii) and then the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Springs.

"Golf benefits from HD more than almost any sport," said Golf Channel president Page Thompson. "For the first time, viewers will be able to fully appreciate the stunning beauty of Hawaiian courses like at Kapalua and Turtle Bay."

At a time when no one seems to be interested in network prime-time TV -- when we're wondering if anyone will even care about Fox's Florida-Oklahoma football game on Thursday night when "The Office" is opposite it on NBC -- why not try something new.

Or really really stale retro old.

Maybe because it thinks NBC successfully revived "American Gladiators," ABC wants to bring back the "Superstars" competition, ordering six episodes for a summer series where eight male and female athletes team up with a celebrity in the usual stuff -- swimming, running, more swimming, cycling ... who knows, ring toss ...

Somehow, Cloris Leachman will get involved.

Daily Variety reports (linked here) that, like ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," it'll be an elimination show where the winner is revealed at the end. And they're going to tie it in with the network's coverage of the NBA finals.

Who are the participants? We'll find out sooner than we'd like to know.

Figure skating analyst Dick Button, believe it or not, came up with the original "Superstars" competition idea and it started in 1973, won by pole vaulter Bob Seagren, after boxer Joe Frazier nearly drowned trying to swim.

(Yes, drown goes Frazier ...)

O.J. Simpson and Kyle Rote Jr. won it when it was on ABC, then went to NBC, then CBS, then back to ABC, then ... there was a women's competition. Then a team competition (remember the '74 Dodgers trying to beat the '74 Oakland A's in a tug-o-war after their World Series battle) ... which led to "Battle of the Network Superstars" .. .which led to ...

"Alf"?

Bob Miller, the Kings' Hall of Fame play-by-play and president of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association, has issued the list of finalists for the top 2008 awards, to be announced at the group's Jan. 26 meeting.

They are:

Radio play-by-play: Pete Arbogast (USC football, KSPN-710), Rory Markas (Angels, 830-AM, and USC basketball, KSPN-710), Rick Monday (Dodgers, KABC-790). Our comment: Vin Scully, who, despite simulcasting the first three innings of the Dodgers has won this award the last three years, is ineligible here because of the organization's rules against those who've three-peated. Why? Why not. Monday only did play-by-play for 40 games and won't be doing it again starting this season.

Radio color: Paul McDonald (USC football, KSPN-710), Jerry Reuss (Dodgers, KABC-790), Matt Stevens (UCLA football, KLAC-570). Our comment: Reuss, who did 40 games last year, won't be doing it again in '09. Monday would have been a better choice here.

Radio talk-show host: Lee Hamilton (KLAC-570), John Ireland (KSPN-710), Ken Levine (DodgerTalk, KABC-790). Our comment: Hamilton no longer works at the station. Ireland returned to the station in June after his contract non-renewal in Nov., '07. Levine works with Josh Suchon, who wasn't nominated.

TV play-by-play: Vin Scully (Dodgers, KCOP/ESPN Prime Ticket), Rory Markas (Angels, FSN), Bob Miller (Kings, FSN West). Our comment: Scully does TV actually for KCAL, and none for ESPN.

TV color: Jim Fox (Kings, FSN West), Mark Gubicza (Angels, FSN West), Rex Hudler (Angels, KCAL/FSN West), Stu Lantz (Lakers, FSN West/KCAL). Our comment: Hudler does games, as does Gubicza, for FSN West and KCOP, not KCAL.

Radio anchor staff: KHJ (Rich Marotta), KFWB (Jeff Davis, Bob Harvey, Bret Lewis, Bill Seward, Ted Sobel), KNX (Joe Cala, Steve Grad, Randy Kerdoon, Chris Madsen, Paul Olden). Our comment: Marotta works for KFI, not KHJ.

TV anchor staff: KABC Channel 7 (Rob Fukuzaki, Curt Sandoval, John Hartung), KCBS Channel 2 (Jim Hill, Steve Hartman, John Ireland, Gary Miller), KNBC Channel 4 (Fred Roggn, Bill Steward, Mario Solis). Our comment: Jill, Hartman, Ireland and Miller also work for KCAL Channel 9.

TV post- and pre-game: Jim Fox (Kings, FSN), Kevin Kennedy (Dodgers, FSN), Bill MacDonald (Ducks/Angels/Lakers/Lexus Gauntlet, FSN). Our comment: All strong candidates.

Foreign language: Jaime Jarrin (Dodgers, KHJ-930), Jose Mota (Angels, KWKW-1220), Fernando Valenzuala (Dodgers, KHJ-930). Our comment: It's Spanish language. Foreign to some. Not most who live in Southern California. Unless you know of some excellent Croatian broadcaster doing Laker games.

Again, you can't vote unless you're a member of this sorry organization. Sorry. But Arbogast will like you to be there to see Markas win (latest Arboblog on WeAreSC.com linked here).

UPDATED: Wednesday, noon:

Rob Parker, the Detroit News columnist (Wikipedia bio here) who drew attention for himself by asking then-employed Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli if he regretted his daughter not marrying a better defensive coordinator, is without employment himself now.

Hardy har har.

Several Internet sites, starting with The Associated Press (linked here) and including the Maynard Institute Journalism site (linked here) have reported Parker's resignation as of Friday, also revealing further indiscretions from his past that may have also caught up with him. He had been at the paper for eight years and was reassigned as a general assigment reporter after the backlash of his Marinelli incident on Dec. 21. The column that Parker wrote as an apology/explanation was the last he did for the paper.

On an appearance Wednesday on "Mike & Mike In The Morning" for ESPN Radio/ESPN2, Parker said he asked for a buyout "and they granted me one, and it was a lot deeper than that. I know the timing and ... the situation and circumstance just makes it look like it all had to do (with the Marinelli issue). But the newspaper is changing. It's about to make some major changes in March ... and I just thought it was time for me to leave because we're not on the same page as far as reporting and trying to get at a story and how you go about it. ... (when) asking the question becomes such a story, I just think maybe it's time for me to be in another situation."

UPDATED: Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Chris Berry, the president and general manager at DC-based WMAL-AM, a station that focused on news and talk, was announced this morning at a staff meeting as the new VP and GM of all-sports KSPN-AM (710). He joins the ESPN Radio affiliate as a replacement for the retired Bob Koontz.

Berry was hired at WMAL in 2002, coming over as the vice president of ABC News Radio to help the station get back on track. He was also a director of news and programming at WBBM-AM in Chicago. He also had 14 years at CBS Radio, spending part of the time in Los Angeles.

Now, what happens? Does the Steve Mason-John Ireland team move back to its afternoon-drive slot (where they were unseeded last year by the aborted attempt to bring in Dave Dameshek)? Who would replace them in the 1-4 p.m. slot? Whatever happened to Fred Roggin, aside from those things he phones in now and then about his semi-rants?

AP photo/Jessica Hill
Chris Berman makes a playful face to Helen Baxter, daughter of NFL Research Coordinator at ESPN Russell Baxter, left, at ESPN in Bristol, Conn.

The Associated Press posted a story recently to celebrate mark the 30th year of Christopher James Berman's existence at Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. It lauched Sept. 7, 1979 and brought the then-24-year-old aboard a few months later.

The rest, as they say, is hystronics.

Some of the photos that AP sent along with the story (after the jump) are for your pleasure, an apparent attempt to show his many sides -- jovial, nutty, serious -- nothing of him yelling at stage managers or conversing at a nightclub with females wearing leather (although, after the shot above of him scaring the hell out of that little girl, note the photo of him at his computer playing solitare, with enough Diet Coke on the desk to counteract anything on the NutriSystem leftover menu, and there's the black-and-white photo on the table behind him -- it looks to be Fred "Rerun" Barry from "What's Happening!", which could be some sort of inspirational person in his life):

We made a passing reference in Saturday's column about the whereabouts of ESPN fitness maven Kiana Tom (no relations) (linked here), and were pleasantly surprised to find in our email this morning that she saw it (after it was passed along).

We've quickly become partners in strenghtening our inner core muscles. My wife has endorsed whatever it takes to get me motivated to get into shape. To an extent, probably. I won't cross any lines.

"So many people sent me your article ... I wanted to answer your question ..... Yes, 'Kiana's Flex Appeal' is still on the air, it airs on ESPN Classics every morning! I trust you are doing your squats and crunches along with me!?"

See, we've already built a trusting relationship. Yes, I have been. Both. Simultaneously. Even though the show comes on weekdays at 4 a.m. That's why Tivo was invented.

Tom also says she's working to doing a remake of the "Flex Appeal" show. Hurry. Please.

For more on what she's been up to, check into her website (linked here) and MySpace page (linked here). Otherwise, enjoy (and squat along with) clips from her former show (with the old "stylish" graphics) on ESPN2 (as I now compose another item to see what's up with AVP beach volleyball standout Logan Tom (again, no relations):

Does it matter that:

== ESPN's Chris Mortensen won't do his job any longer and run stories by Oakland Raiders' officials before he reports them, because they're just gonna deny it anyway? (linked here)

== NBC's hiring of Matt Millen as a studio analyst is fine by ESPN's Tony Kornheiser -- even if he takes his job on "MNF"? (linked here)

== CBS studio guy Bill Cowher doesn't plan on making himself available to coach in the league in '09? (linked here)

Or, that:

== Jay Mariotti , refusing a Chicago Sun-Times' editors request that he crank out a cookie-cutter column on Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games, has a new gig at AOL Sports, where he works with ESPN "Around The Horn" counterpuncher Kevin Blackistone? (linked here)

Pat Summerall? Dick Enberg?

What, did someone die? Oh, he IS one of the very best ... that could only mean that the quote that gets tossed around anytime a person of statue leaves to a better place from the TV world is being used to explain another NBC hiring.

It's actually taken verbatim from an NBC press release, issued moments ago from those who record and then transcribe the words of Esteemed Sports Chief Dick Ebersol -- in this case, he was expressing the utmost delight that Matt Millen has agreed to join the network's Super Bowl broadcast team next month.

No, not as a third man in the booth with Al Michaels and John Madden in the booth -- Millen's not that great a broadcaster in this generation -- only one of the very best. NBC's prop department will have to make another trip to the Relax The Back Store and find a chair for him to schoonce in as another widebody for the pre-game show because, of course, there isn't enough hot air already blowing through there.

Millen joined the NBC crew for its wildcard Saturday games and showed that, well, he could still talk. The recently fired Detroit Lions president used to be Dick Stockton's game booth partner at Fox. The former Pro Bowl linebacker who spent seven of his 11 NFL years as a Los Angeles Raider (career stats linked here) also worked for CBS and Westwood One.

"Many of us have been blessed with second chances and fortunate to have new opportunities," said Ebersol in the release, beating the drums to a new Millen Man March. "But the decision to have Matt join us for the Super Bowl was simple given that he is one of the very best football broadcasters of his generation."

Miller, who drove the present 0-16 Lions into the ground starting in 2001, said when asked Saturday on the air by NBC's Dan Patrick if he would have fired himself: "I would have, actually. Probably not this year until after the season."

When he could have been hired by NBC with even more fanfare.

The relaunch officially today of the ESPN.com website -- bigger video windows, bigger headspace for Reilly and Simmons -- is cause to pause and laugh at consider where it started.

Back in 1995, merging with an ahead-of-the-curve company in Seattle called Starwave, a cutting edge ESPNET SportsZone came upon us during the Final Four. If we really dug through the archives, we might even find a Daily News column that we wrote about this crazy new stuff and how it could affect your sports consumption.

ESPN has put up a retrospective (linked here) of how its websites have evolved, devoled and revolved around what's hot on the Internet machine.

Over the holiday weekend, we finally got around to absorbing these two stories on the structure of the Bowl Championship Series, and why even Barack Obama's well-inspired intentions to have a championship tournament put into place sometime soon has so many potholes to avoid, even he may not be able to leverage his new-found power to do it.

We can only hope, though.

Read Bob Keisser's piece on the eight reasons why the BCS isn't going away (linked here)

Then read Nicholas Bakalar's piece in Sunday's New York Times about how money, no matter how you crunch it, is what's at the core of the BCS, and those who have it aren't willing to share (linked here). We appreciate him resurrecting a study done two years ago by UC Irvine professor of statistics Hal S. Stern (find him at this link), who called out anyone in his field participating in the BCS computer polls and advocated a boycott of such nonsense.

The fourth of the four-part bowl-game lineup, and then we can drive away from the accident waiting for '09:

TODAY

== 5:30 p.m., Channel 11: Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.: No. 3 Texas (11-1) vs. No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) (with Matt Vasgersian, Tim Ryan, Chris Myers and Laura Okmin)
Official bowl site linked here.
Comment: The game USC fans would have enjoyed traveling to instead of Pasadena. It's Vasgersian's last assigment for the net before he dives in on the MLB Network, which launched a few days ago. Ryan, the former USC defensive end, has been doing games for Fox's NFL coverage the last few years.

TUESDAY

== 5 p.m., ESPN and ESPN360.com: GMAC Bowl from Mobile, Ala.: Tulsa vs. No. 22 Ball State (12-1) (with Dave Pasch and Andre Ware).
Official bowl site linked here.
Comment: GMAC hasn't asked for federal bailout in its sponsorship of this game?

THURSDAY

== 5 p.m., Channel 11: BCS title game from Dolphin Stadium in Miami: No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1) (with Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Chris Myers) (On ESPNRadio with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters).
Official bowl site linked here.
Comment: How many viewers in Austin, Texas, are planning to tune in?

This blustry morning, we gave your ours, the nine people, places and pomp that could make for an interesting L.A. sports 2009 (linked here).

1. Nick Montana
2. James McDonald (pictured above)
3. Drew Doughty
4. The L.A. Marathon
5. Andrew Bynum
6. The World Baseball Classic
7. Mark Sanchez
8. Auto Club Speedway
9. Someone you don't know. Yet.

We also had a second nine at the end, because sometimes, nine isn't enough.
== Kendry Morales
== Jrue Holiday
== ESPN at L.A. Live
== Tristian Bowen
== Point Encounter
== Rachel Wacholder (although, we're hearing that she may be pregnant as well and could skip the upcoming AVP summer season)
== Long Beach Grand Prix
== Ed Roski
== Anthony Kim

Care for nine more?

From submissions via our beat reporters, we have these to also consider as impact-makers, or those kind of "who's next" candidates:

== Malcolm Jones: Nick Montana's teammate at Oaks Christian, a running back who's probably in the top five at his position in the nation.
==Baillie Kirker: A junior at Crescenta Valley who hit a Southern Section record 18 home runs last year, playing both shortstop and catcher for the softball team that reached the Div. III semifinals. She's already committed to Arizona.
== Richard Brehaut: UCLA has a verbal committment from the Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga quarterback, and with a spot presumably open in Westwood, he could be in the mix right away as a freshman.
==Ryan Kasdorf: We briefly skimmed over him in the first nine list when mentioning Montana, but considering all the attention he drew as a junior at Notre Dame High, the recruiters this fall will be salivating even more over his stats.
==Don Catlin: The USOC steroid doctor based at UCLA who's closing on a reliable test to detect HGH.
== Jonathan Quick: Quickly endearing Kings fans with his goalie play.
==Gerrit Cole: The New York Yankees drafted him 28th overall out of Orange Lutheran High. The pitcher with a 95-plus mph fastball turned down millions and signed a scholarship offer at UCLA.
== Jenny Johnson Jordan: Another AVP woman moving up.
== Marc Tyler: Former Oaks Christian standout waiting his turn in the USC backfield could step up even quicker if C.J. Gable leaves.

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The peafowl network reports that overall viewership from its New Year's Day NHL contest between Detroit and Chicago from Wrigley Field registered a 2.9 overnight rating with a 6 share on the Neilsen gagetry, up 12 percent over last year's outdoor game in Buffalo (2.6/5) and the best overnight NHL regular-season game in almost 13 years (a 3.0/7 mark for a Fox six-game regional package in Feb., '96).

Now the league and NBC has to figure out who to treat next to an outdoor game. Early odds are a Boston Bruins' game from Fenway Park, but there could be one with the New York Rangers from the new Yankee Stadium.

Yup, we're lobbying hard for something at Dodger Stadium with the Kings and Ducks, but that'll come after everyone's tired of a snowday. A gimmick that probably won't wear off any time soon.

"Year one was an extraordinary experience. Year two was the establishment of what promises to be a great tradition," said NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer in a release.

The Chicago (11.8/21) and Detroit (10.5/20) markets were the two top rated, but Buffalo was a close third (10.1/20). The L.A. rating: 1.7/4. Must have still been tuned into the replay of the Rose Parade on Channel 5, watching Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks snipping at each other (Eubanks, mostly ... what a putz ... actually had a much more enjoyable time watching Hannah Storm and Josh Elliot do it on ABC).

AP Photo/M. Spencer Green
Amy Schneider of Chicago hoists a cold one from the Wrigley Field left-field line seats as she watched the NHL Winter Classic game between her Blackhawks and their Red Wings on Thursday.

Do you really want to know how USC radio play-by-play man Pete Arbogast:

A) Forgot to get a parking pass to the Rose Bowl, but his scoreboard update guy did, so Pete decided to bum a ride with him, leaving his wife and kid to fend for themselves?

B) Got stuck inside some ropes for 30 minutes?

C) Geocached?

D) Couldn't beg a meeting with Joe Paterno?

E) Used an ex-UCLA quarterback's prep notes?

F) Left his wife and kid to try to find some "very scarce" scalper tickets, but they couldn't, so they went home back to Venice and missed the first quarter? (Read the stories in the paper about some people who were able to buy 50-yard line seats for $395 a pair if you're wondering how tough they were to find -- and the SC VOYCE couldn't arrange for tickets for his family on his own?)

G) "Our post game show runs 30 minutes over, and no one seems to mind." Except, maybe his wife, who drove all the way back to pick him up and waited in the cold parking lot in the car for him to come down. "She's the one!"

It's all there on the Jan. 2, 2009 inaugural Arboblog post on WeAreSC.com (linked here). And now we throw it over to Rory Markas for the start of the USC basketball Pac-10 season ...

Looking back and who made the biggest impact in L.A. sports in 2008 ... naw, that's old news.

Looking forward to who could make the biggest spalsh in 2009 ... that's far more intriguing.

Think James McDonald and Clayton Kershaw.

Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson.

Nick Montana (pictured here) and Ryan Kasdorf.

Derek Jeter playing against Alex Rodriguez at Dodger Stadium (think hard about that one).

Maybe even Mark Sanchez and Joe McKnight back in the Coliseum backfield one more time.

Does UCLA have a quarterback picked out yet?

Or, expanding it, the Los Angeles Marathon, with a new start date, and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, hosting two NASCAR events during a season when the sport may find itself trying to turn out a spinout.

We've got our binoculars focused on a few good men, women, places and things for the coming year.

2008 was a blast. Thanks, and don't let 2009 hit you on the way out.

On Day 1, it was the same two shows rotating in and out of the MLB Network, on our DirecTV Channel 213, and on your Time Warner Cable .... whatever it is. Today, a few more programs trickle in. A rehash of Red Sox World Series highlights. More "Hot Stove" chatter. A scroll at the bottom of the screen with all baseball news. All quality stuff.

And, in a review by enterprise editor Mark Newman of the MLB Network's first day on the air, a guy at MLB.com is crazy for it -- surprised? (story linked here)

"Life as we knew it now changes for lots of baseball fans. Keep banging the pots and pans, keep shooting the fireworks and blowing the horns. A new year is being welcomed with your new network, and it is finally here at last."

Hello, Newman. Can't wait to see what he writes after the first two days are completed. Gonna have to peel him off the wall.

(Remember, that story that "was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs" but it really didn't need to be.)

There were some apparent glitches on who could or couldn't receive the channel when it launched at 3 p.m. (PDT) on Jan. 1. We're not among those who didn't find it. Others were less impressed (linked here).

He was once the director of communications for the Dodgers. Ten years ago, he did a sports-talk show in the mornings on Los Angeles radio. He filled in at Channel 4 for Fred Roggin on the sports desk.

Today, Derrick Hall was promoted to chief executive officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It comes as the news hits that Jeff Moorad, who is pretty close to buying the San Diego Padres from John Moores, resigned as the D'backs CEO, leading the team to bring Hall up from team president to new CEO.

Moorad, a UCLA grad, is a former agent who represented several players such as Eric Karros and Manny Ramirez (before Scott Boras took over). Showing how much income he'd procured over the years by representing highly paid athletes, he bought a share of the D'backs back in '04.

Hall spent 12 seasons in the Dodgers' organization, most under the Peter O'Malley ownership, leaving in 2004 after he had built a career as the team's Senior VP of Communications -- in charge of protecting the team's image and brand promoting. He taught a public relations class at USC.

In 1999, he did a three-hour morning sports talk show with John Ireland at XTRA-AM (1150), which had the Dodgers games at the time.

He joined the D'backs in May 2005 as senior vice president of communications, a couple of years after he had left as the Dodgers' main spokesman (he left when the McCourts took over). Hall added marketing to his title in December, '05, and he was promoted to president in Sept., '06. He'll keep that title as well as the new CEO badge.

The perscription drugs are still working.

We continue to expand our mind of media-relatedness in the first couple of days of this two-thousand-ott-nine year, as well as the last days of ott-eight.

First, we're blown away at how Robbie Maddison (above) is one bad shut your mouth.

Second, we're amazed at how self-editing is key to getting a point across in a clear manner.

As for what we comprehend more now than a week ago:

== Mark Cuban has a scatter-brained plan to improve your newspaper coverage, as long as you're OK with the fact it'll be funded by the teams that the reporter is covering (linked here)

== NBC happily sends Tiki Barber to the sidelines for its NFL wildcard coverage, and if he's not careful, they'll find a way to repurpose it on the "Today" show (linked here).

== Fox's NFL coverage has another reason to brag again (linked here)

==The 2010 Pro Bowl is going to ESPN, not CBS, and we're still not interested enough to care if its played before, after or during the Little League World Series (linked here)

==Charles Barkley's latest booking photo is a lot more sweaty than the one he had in '97 (linked here). And there's apparently more to the story -- a Hugh Grant-ishangle -- that keeps leaking out (no Barkley wasn't driving a Hummer) (linked here). And that's keeping some in the media from taking him seriously? Seriously? (linked here)

== ESPN's Cris Carter jokingly said he'd put a bullet into Dallas' Terrell Owens (linked here). Then he apologized (linked here). And he kept his job. And so did ESPN's Mike Patrick, after making a lame Plaxico Buress reference in the Capital One Bowl (linked here)

== There's a reason why Fox's amazing BCS coverage hasn't worked out the kinks -- it thinks Tim Tebow is an offensive linebacker for Cincinnati (linked here)

== Another exciting college bowl game on Saturday, wedged into the NFL weekend and after the prime New Year's Day stuff, but it's in Toronto (linked here) and doesn't include that Oregon male cheerleader.

==The New York Times Co. would like to sell its 17.5 percent share of the world champion Boston Red Sox; maybe Hank Steinbrenner would consider gobbling it up? (linked here)

== A disturbing story about the always funny Tom Arnold, an online webseries, and CBS' March Madness (linked here)

== And one even more shocking: Lisa Coles Guerrero is recognized in Mexicali (hasn't she heard about all the drug violence going on down there?) (linked here)

==And an even bigger stunner: Some sportswriters throw darts, and miss (linked here, via Deadspin.com)

==Plus, Brent Musburger said on the ABC telecast of the Rose Bowl that he "has never seen a livlier 82-year-old" than Cloris Leachman. "You would know first hand, big fella!" said broadcast partner Kirk Herbstreit. Eventually, they showed photos of Musburger dancing with the former "Dancing With The Stars" participant, and Rose Parade grand marshall, at a pre-Rose Bowl function. Before that, there was all kinds of speculation on the Internet as what Musburger could have been talking about. As he told us, that's just Internet gossip. (linked here) Besides, we're sure the most lively 82-year-old in Musburger's speed dial is Joe Paterno, who hasn't endeared himself to Lisa Salters (linked here)

Brent Musburger's actual birthday -- May 26, 1939 -- puts him on the cusp of septuagenarian citizenship this year. Which, by all standards in today's world, 70 is really the new ... 45?

Hard to say, even in Musburger's expansive vocabulary.

And if we're doing the math right, Musburger is starting his 20th season at ESPN/ABC, having joined them after CBS let him go following the 1990 NCAA basketball tournament.

Spinning off our interview with him this week and published today (linked here), as he did the call for the third year in a row on the Rose Bowl, watching USC pull off its third win in a row on New Year's Day, Musburger mused about a few other things we put in front of him:

== As a former Chicago sportswriter, local TV sports and newscaster, play-by-play on both radio and TV and a run as a studio host, it gives you some grounded perspective on where the direction of the media is going these days. Care to speculate?

Musburger: "I wish i had the answers to those kind of big questions. The thing that has stuck with me was from a course I had at Northwestern, taught by the great English professor Bergen Evans (a link to his Wikipedia bio here). He continued to make the point that our lives will not be changed by politics, but by technology. At the time it didn't register with me. I didn't quite understand. But how he was able to see the future and how it was going to change ... I suspect computers played a big part in how our economy has melted down recently, in the way money can move so quickly. But in our media business, there's no question that technology has redone the landscape.
"You go back to when there was three main outlets for sports when I was doing the NFL, no ESPN. No one thought about those kind of things. We had so many people available as viewers and so much or a percentage and newspapers had all the in-depth news. Now someone like myself can now prepare to do a Rose Bowl, fire up a computer, sit in Pasadena and read all the newspapers in Pennsylvania. It's absolutely altered the landscape."

== For the good, or the not so good, or does it need time to sort itself out?

Musburger: "I don't think it will ever sort out. The Internet and computers and all the chatter are here to stay. Sometimes, people pay too much attention to it. I think they watch it all the time. I guess I don't view it as a danger because it's been such a resource for me. Obviously, it's costing jobs in the newspaper industry and there's no question newspapers can't figure out how to make the traffic is has pay off.
"In my experiences, I stay more with newspaper reports, reliable newspapers, and don't venture off into other parts of the Internet, the blogs. But even newspapers have to be careful in this rush to be first and all of that. They have to accept the Internet as a resource and be careful about passing on rumors."

== So you're impression of the Internet, where some bloggers don't treat you so well, is to keep it in perspective as to how you use it?

Musburger: "It's much like talk radio where it's a lot of opinion. I do pay attention to it and can find it interesting, but I can tell the difference. Here's an example: I'm getting a flury of emails one day because people have heard that Joe Paterno may announce his retirement prior to, or at halftime, or a game against Michigan State. I didn't have to call him to know the answer to that. That's just not his style. He's not going to say, 'Win one for JoePa.' If it happens, it'll be in the middle of winter and he and his wife Sue will decide that it's it, and he'll call the university president and that's it. To me, that story was an example of how the Internet rumor gets passed along the long chain. I think reasonable people should understand that is' just what I'd call Internet gossip. There are far too many rumors out there to track down. As an individual, I don't see a danger in it. But when it comes to us, a lot of other people have an interest in it. But it's really just a lot of opinion."

We've reviewed the ABC coverage of Thursday's Rose Bowl (linked here), focused on Brent Musburger. And NBC's coverage of the NHL Winter Classic from Wrigley Field.

What else do you need to know before NFL playoff weekend?
Here's more:

== Which high school all-star football game promises the best viewing pleasure this weekend? Hard to say, but there is plenty of local interest in both the U.S. Army High School All-American Bowl (Channel 4, Saturday at 10 a.m., from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tex.) and the
Under Armour All-America High School Football Game (ESPN, Sunday at 5 p.m., from the Florida Citrus Bowl).

The U.S. Army game (official game site linked here), with Bob Papa on play-by-play, with analyst Pat Haden, sideline man Lewis Johnson and recruiting experts Marty Snider and Tom Lemming, has a West squad that includes Oaks Christian tight end Chris Coyle (pictured left, committed to Arizona State), St. Bonaventure DB Patrick Hall (committed to USC) and Oxnard's Santa Clara High running back Cierre Wood (committed to Notre Dame). USC recruits include Narbonne High DB Byron Moore, Edison Fresno DB T.J. McDonald, L.A. Cathedral High WR Randall Carroll and Corona Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

The Under Armor contest (official game site linked here), with Dave Ryan on play-by-play, Tom Luginbill as the analyst and Quint Kessenich on the sidelines, is owned by ESPN and probably ended up with the most talent. Of local interest is Matt Barkley, the Mater Dei QB (pictured right) who's headed to USC, and Kevin Graf, the offensive lineman from Agoura High also committed to USC. Another Trojan recruit is Alshon Jeffrey, a 6-3, 214-pound receiver from South Carolina. UCLA has verbal commitments from Richard Brehaut, the Los Osos QB; Stan Hasiak, a 6-6, 340-pound offensive guard from Kapolei High in Hawaii; Morrell Presley, the 6-foot-4 tight end from Carson High and Robbie Toma, a 5-10, 170-pound receiver from Punahou High in Honolulu.

==As those players contemplate where they'll play college next year, the Kevin Hart story resurfaces again.
On Sunday's ESPN "Outside the Lines" (6 a.m. on ESPN, 9 a.m. on ESPNEWS), the former Fernley High of Nevada offensive lineman who made news by lying about his recruitment by Cal -- including a huge press conference at his school gym complete with TV crews to make his "announcement" -- updates his story for reporter Tom Friend.
Back on Feb. 1, '08, five days before National Signing Day, Hart was Nevada's top-rated high school offensive lineman and decided to call a press conference. He then admitted a couple days later that it was a hoax, forced when Cal's athletic department had no information on recruiting him. Hart took unofficial visits to the Universities of Nevada, Oregon and Washington but was never offered a scholarship.
He now plays at Feather River Junior College in Northeastern California where he has a chance to be starting right guard next season.
Hart says in the piece: "I still don't know why. Maybe 'cause I knew I wasn't going to be what I wanted to be. I didn't know how to accept that. I didn't know how other people would accept it. ... I'm still not OK. It hasn't been a year yet. It might not be 10 years until I'm finally OK. But maybe knowing what I did was totally wrong and a horrible thing is a good thing to be reminded of every day. I thought I'd never play again. I thought, you know, I'd be in the gutter somewhere."

UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 2, 8 a.m.:

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

The "developing story" at the top of the ABC broadcast of Thursday's Rose Bowl, after Brent Musburger told everyone they were looking live at "the site of a holiday tradition that has brightened a new year for over a century," had to do with Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

Did he fall down and couldn't get back up?

No, ABC sideline reporter Lisa Salters was a little miffed at him.

Paterno didn't come down on the field during pre-game warmups. Nor did he do "a scheduled interview with us even though he was contractually obligated because of our Rose Bowl game deal," she reported.

Paterno instead told Penn State officials he was tired of the focus being on him all week, and rather than draw more cameras and reporters to him before the game against USC started, he'd just retreat to his press box seat.

"I can tell you Paterno has been on a slow boil about this (attention) issue all week long," said Salters, who relayed a story about asking him before the game if he'd talk to the team on the field before heading up to the press box, he snapped back: "Stop talking about me!"

Salters added that Penn State could be "fined up to $10,000" for Paterno's refusal to let her interview him before the game, "and apparently he doesn't care."

For the record, Paterno didn't seem to mind talking to ESPN's Chris Fowler in the press box after the Nittany Lions' 38-24 loss. Paterno also spoke to Musburger at halftime, and Musburger relayed some of Paterno's comments as the second half of the broadcast began.

An ESPN spokesman reitereated that the network asked Paterno for a pregame interview "as we are entitled to receive as the rightsholder and he declined. Any questions regarding a fine should be directed to Penn State, the BCS and the Rose Bowl. It's not our call."