February 2011 Archives

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NHL: Kings vs. Detroit, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The league's trade deadline arrives, and what do the Kings have to show for it? The Red Wings, easily leading the Western Conference's Central Division and second overall in the conference standings, could line up as a possible first-round playoff opponent for the Kings -- but why should they worry? The Kings have beaten the Red Wings twice already this season, including 5-0 in Detroit in mid-December.

NBA: Clippers at Sacramento, 7 p.m., Prime:

No matter how serious the Maloofs are about moving these Kings to Anaheim (the deadline to declare is tomorrow), would they dare keep naming them the "Kings"? How would that go over in the O.C.?

TUESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Minnesota, 5 p.m., Channel 9:

These teen-wolves still aren't scaring anyone. Paging Rickey Rubio? You betcha.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Clippers vs. Houston, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

Still waiting for Yao Ming to come out from behind the Staples Center curtain for his All-Star game intro.

NHL: Ducks vs. Detroit, Honda Center, 7 p.m., FSW:

What can Dan Ellis do for these Ducks?

THURSDAY

College basketball: UCLA at Washington, 6 p.m., ESPN2; USC at Washington State, 7 p.m.:

If you're looking at tie-breaker scenarios, as both angle for the runner-up spot behind Arizona in the Pac-10 standings, the Bruins need to avoid a Huskies' sweep in the season series. Washington won at Pauley Pavilion for the first time in four years, 74-63, last month behind Matthew Bryan-Amaning's 21 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas added 17 points and nine assists.

NHL: Kings vs. Phoenix, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Another important battle for positioning in the West.

Golf: PGA's Honda Classic, first round, noon, Golf Channel:

They move everything now to presumably sunny Florida, starting in Palm Beach Gardens. NBC has the last two rounds Saturday and Sunday at noon.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Charlotte, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

And we all know how well the Lakers do against the Bobcats. Charlotte's 20-point smacker on Valentine's Day means it has beaten the Lakers in eight of their last 10 meetings -- and it's one of only two teams in the NBA with a winning record against the Lakers. Who needs Larry Brown?

NHL: Ducks vs. Dallas, Honda Center, 7 p.m., Prime:

Brad Richards, Star or not?

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA at Washington State, 2:30 p.m., FSW; USC at Washington, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Last chance to make someone proud before the Pac-10 tournament begins at Staples Center next week. Who'll avoid the play-in games?

NHL: Kings vs. Vancouver, Staples Center, 1 p.m., FSW:

Here some them Sedin twins again.

NBA: Clippers vs. Denver, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

No Carmelo, no worries.

SUNDAY

NBA: Lakers at San Antonio, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7:

What do you make of West coach Gregg Popovich giving Tim Duncan just 11 minutes of gametime in the recent NBA All-Star exhibition at Staples Center, and another 20 more to Manu Ginobili -- and then squeezing a combined 54 minutes out of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, including crunch-time grind production down the stretch of what turned out to be a close game? Even Justin Bieber could figure out that gamesmanship. These two Western Conference sparring partners could be at a crossroads, with the Spurs, leaders since last October, showing their age, and the Lakers, laying back, in prime form to make another statement. The Spurs have won the previous two meetings, including 89-88 at Staples earlier this month on that crazy Antonio McDyess tipin at the buzzer.

NHL: Ducks vs. Vancouver, Honda Center, 5 p.m., Prime:

You figure out which Sedin is which yet?

Greg Goossen, David Kopay, Tim Foli, John Vella, Larry Deisinger, Gordy Ceresino, Lee Danielsen and the late Bill Stifter are the first inductees into the Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks' Athletic Hall of Fame, in a ceremony set for Saturday night at the NDHS gymnasium.

Athletic director and head football coach Kevin Rooney is among the 13 members of the Hall of Fame committee, headed by Charlie Perkins. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will have Notre Dame alum Bill Seward, a sports anchor at KFWB-AM (980) and KNBC-Channel 4, as the master of ceremonies.

Goossen (Class of '64), a four-year varsity baseball letterman who also played two years of football, got in six years of a major-league career as a catcher, first baseman and outfielder with the N.Y. Mets, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Senators from 1965-'70 after he was drafted by the Dodgers. Goossen, who had his best season with the one-year expansion Pilots in 1969, was the subject of a feature story in the Daily News in 2009 (linked here).

Kopay (Class of '60) lettered in football, track and basketball, and accepted a football scholarship to Marquette. But when the university dropped the sport, he joined his brother Tony and went on to be an All-American running back at the University of Washington, playing offense and defense and scoring his team's only touchdown in a '64 Rose Bowl loss to Illinois. He then played in the NFL from 1964-'72 with San Francisco, Detroit, New Orleans, Oakland and Green Bay. Three years after his retirement, he made national news as the first pro team sports athlete to come out as gay. His 1977 best-selling book, "The David Kopay Story" continues to stand as ground-breaking piece of literature, leading to his becoming a leading public speaker on human rights issues.

Foli (Class of '68), a captain in football, baseball and basketball at the school and offered a football scholarship at USC, was the No. 1 overall draft choice of the New York Mets in '68 -- ahead of Thurman Munson, Bobby Valentine, Greg Luzinski and Gary Matthews -- plus Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Bill Buckner. He made his debut with the team as a shortstop two years later. The infielder had a 16-year MLB career with the Mets, Expos, Giants, Pirates, Angels and Yankees, and winning a World Series with Pittsburgh in 1979. He went on to be a coach with Texas, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Washington.

Vella (Class of '68), another three-sport standout in high school, became a star offensive tackle for USC's football team, drafted in the second round of the '72 NFL draft by Oakland, playing on the standout Raiders' offensive line in the '77 Super Bowl with Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Dave Dalby and George Buehler, and staying in the league through 1980.

Deisinger (Class of '59) was the school's first All-CIF player in football as a senior, also lettering in track, before joining the Air Force. Ceresino (Class of '75) went on to be a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame for his career as a linebacker and played a season for the 1979 San Francisco 49ers. Danielsen (Class of '62) was an All-American swimmers, breaking the four-minute barrier in the 400 yard freestyle for the first time. He swam four more years at Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-American, before joining the Air Force. Stifter (Class of '62) was an All-CIF quarterback for the Knights who went on to play halfback and defensive back for the University of Washington. A cardiologist living in Seattle, he died in a plane crash in 2008.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, Ron Renaud (Class of '64), a long-time volunteer and a member of the school's board of directors, will receive the Knight of Honor award for 2011. Previous winners of this include alums such as Admiral Mike Mullen ('64), the current chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; Paul Sunderland ('70), a star volleyball and basketball player and now a well-known sports broadcaster; Terry Donahue ('62), the former UCLA head footblal coach; and Jamie ('83) and the late Maggie Dixon ('95), who went on to be successful major college basketball coaches.

ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews recently signed a deal to be a spokesperson for Reebok. Is that a problem? How about the timing of it -- two weeks after her damaging report on Nike football shoe during the BCS national title game, featuring Oregon, and its deep Nike connection? "Journalists can review products," media ethicist Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute recently told The Oregonian (linked here). "But they can't take money from a company to endorse them. That totally ruins their credibility." ESPN responded by saying that if Andrews reports on sneakers, she'll reveal her connection to the brand. With a new ESPN/Poynter media ethics review bring this issue up? The photo above, by the way, is one of the photo poses she now uses in her Twitter profile wallpaper (linked here) Does she just not get it?

Having used an independent ombudsman individual to occasionally critique the way they do business and then post a column on their website, ESPN has recruited a panel at the Poynter Institute of media studies for an 18-month run to comment on how the network conducts its business.

== Butch Ward is both managing director and a member of the Poynter faculty who coordinates the Institute's business departments and teaches leadership, management, editing, reporting and writing. He was a journalist for 27 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore News-American.

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NHL: Washington at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m., Versus:

It's back indoors for this President's Day affair, after that New Year's Day meeting on Heinz Field where the Caps won, 3-1, and then beat the Pens, 3-0, on Super Bowl Sunday. Any more heated words between these two will ruin the holiday for all of us.

TUESDAY

NBA: Lakers vs. Atlanta, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Had a nice, relaxing All-Star break? Now shake it off. Recess is over -- one that for the Lakers started midway through a lethargic loss in Orlando two Sundays ago. This marks the start of the last 25 regular season games, with 14 of them at home. Hawks coach Larry Drew, the former Lakers guard, has a team fifth overall in the Eastern Conference and 7-3 in its last 10 road games.

NBA: Clippers at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., Prime:

The afterglow of NBA All-Star weekend hits home for Blake Griffin. He had arranged to have close friend Wilson Holloway attend this game, Griffin's first as a pro in his home town. But Holloway's death at 22 last week after a battle with cancer changed everyone's plans - he was to attend Holloway's funeral on Monday.

WEDNESDAY

NHL: Kings at Ducks, Honda Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

Round three in the season rivalry (they've split the first two) and they've each got 32 wins, 4 OT losses, and 68 points, holding down the last two spots in the Western Conference playoff race. On ESPN's NHL power rankings for Week 20, the Ducks jumped from No. 12 to No. 5, and the Kings went from No. 13 to No. 6. And there's three more meetings between March 19 and April 9. An indication of how the teams have been playing lately: The Kings have a plus-21 in goals scored versus allowed. The Ducks are minus-9.

NBA: Lakers at Portland, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Channel 9:

Channel the new IFC series "Portlandia" as you watch the Lakers make a same-day trip to the Rose City. They haven't played each other since early November (a Lakers' 25-point victory) and now see each other three times in the next six weeks.

NBA: Clippers at New Orleans, 6:30 p.m., Prime, ESPN:

Forget their previous meeting on Nov. 9 - the Clippers were mired in a nine-game losing streak and dropped a 19-point decision, improving the Hornets record to 7-0.

Golf: WCG Match Play Championship, 11 a.m., Golf Channel:

Spit-free Tiger Woods, with a No. 3 ranking now, has committed to playing in this five-day, man-to-man tournament, meaning it has the top 64 players in the world locked in. Woods, who won this thing three times, missed last year, as did Phil Mickelson, when both were Nos. 1 and 3. Ian Poulter defends his title. NBC has the final two days on Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

THURSDAY

NHL: Kings vs. Minnesota, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

For the first time since Jan. 26, the Kings get to roll out of their El Segundo morning skate and go straight to Staples Center -- the first of six in a row at home, and 14 of their last 22 to end the regular season. Yet, with all the recent success of that recent Grammy road trip, how much of a rollover effect will it have?

College basketball: USC vs. Arizona, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m.; UCLA vs. Arizona State, Pauley Pavilion, 8 p.m., Prime:

The Pac-10 leading Wildcats handed the Trojans a nine-point loss in Tuscon at the end of last month. The Bruins needed OT to fight off the Sun Devils in Tempe, with Lazeric Jones scoring 18 points.

FRIDAY

NBA: Clippers at Lakers, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

With the NBA's trading deadline having come and gone the day before, will either team have new faces to introduce to the L.A. crowd? The Clippers would love to reintroduce Eric Gordon, out since with a fractured wrist since Jan. 22. He scored 30 points in the Clippers' nine-point win over the Lakers back on that Sunday, Jan. 16 afternoon that ended with the bizarre ejections of Blake Griffin, Baron Davis, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest. These two have one more meeting in late March.

NHL: Ducks vs. Minnesota, Honda Center, 7 p.m., KDOC:

The Wild blasted the shell-shocked Ducks and goaltender Curtis McElhinney, 5-1, last Friday.

SATURDAY

MLB exhibition: Dodgers vs. Angels, Tempe, Ariz., noon:

It's a Freeway Series in Arizona to start the spring training season, with the first one at the Angels' camp and on Sunday back down the 10 Freeway in Glendale (on Prime Ticket).

NHL: Kings vs. Colorado, Staples Center, 1 p.m., FSW:

The underachieving Avs tried to fix their goaltending problems by trading Craig Anderson, who set a franchise record with 71 starts a year ago, to Washington for Brian Elliott late last week.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Arizona, Pauley Pavilion, 1 p.m., Prime; USC vs. Arizona State, Galen Center, 4:30 p.m., Prime:

Arizona led by as much as 18 points in the second half before locking down an 11-point win over the Bruins earlier this season. Reeves Nelson finished with a game-high 24 points, but the Bruins were just 2-of-15 from 3-point range trying to play catchup.

SUNDAY

Special: The Academy Awards, 5 p.m., Channel 7:

Does "The Fighter" have a fighting chance for best picture? Maybe if it boosts its social network publicity.

NBA: Lakers at Oklahoma City, 11:30 a.m., Channel 7:

If OKC and LAL end up tied in the final Western Conference standings -- they're pretty much even for the No. 3 spot behind San Antonio and Dallas at this point -- these head-to-head battles could mean something. The NBA takes the top three division winners (likely the Lakers, Spurs and Thunder) and the team with the next-best record (Mavericks) and hands them the No. 1-through-4 seeds, in order of overall record. Ties are broken by head-to-head meetings. The Lakers stopped the Thunder at Staples Center on MLK Day, despite 32 points from Russell Westbrook, and they have one more meeting next month.

Basketball: Harlem Globetrotters, Staples Center, noon:

Can they show the Lakers-Thunder game on the video screens? The Globies are also at Anaheim's Honda Center on Saturday (2 and 7 p.m.) and the Ontario arena on Thursday (7 p.m.).

NHRA: Winternationals eliminations, Pomona, 4 p.m., ESPN2:

The season kickoff event has a special tribute to Van Nuys legend Don "the Snake" Prudhomme. ESPN2 has Saturday's qualifying from 8-10 p.m.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

East's Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic shakes hands Justin Bieber, with encouragement from the Chicago Bulls mascot, during the first half of Sunday's NBA All Star Game at Staples Center.

A snapshot of Sunday night's NBA All-Star telecast by TNT, at the start of the second quarter, as the West holds a 10-point lead in the annual exhibition against the East:

TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager, dressed as Liberace, sits courtside next to pop star Justin Bieber and has a conversation so engrossing they have to show the live game on a split screen.

Dirk Nowitzki misses a shot that goes out of bounds.

Two questions in, they "flash" back to Beiber's "performance" in the celebrity All-Star game.

Sager: "Don't you gotta go to school or anything?"
Bieber: "Uh, yeah, I have school, but it's the weekend."

Sager: "You're now 16 ... you have a driver's license?"
Bieber: "Dude, I do have a driver's license ... and I have a car in Atlanta."

LeBron James misses a 3-point attempt.

Sager: "You get an allowance, gas money or anything?"
Bieber: "Not really an allowance, but a limit ..."

Blake Griffin makes a twisting hook shot to give the West a 12-point lead.

Sager: "Who's gonna win the MVP of tonight's game?"

Jalen Rose misses a shot.

Bieber: "I don't know ... they're just having fun with it. ..."

Chris Bosh misses a tip. Kevin Love rebounds.

Sager: "Kobe your favorite player?"
Bieber: "Kobe is my favorite player but tonight ..."

Nowitzki misses a jumper.

"Tonight, if the Lakers were playing, I'd be going for Kobe."

Russell Westbrook makes a tip-in as the West goes up by 14.

Interview ends. Reggie Miller wonders aloud if Sager was trying to be Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes."

Only a minute and a half of game action was gone, but it seemed like 60 minutes.

And sadly, to that point, it was highlight of the telecast.

The Associated Press
Then-Dodgers manager Joe Torre jokes with actor Billy Crystal during the first half of the Clippers-Lakers game in Oct., 2008.

Let's be Crystal clear about this: Without L.A., there are no celebrity NBA fans.

Ex-honorable mention: Eva Longoria (San Antonio).

Jim Gray, working for Golf Channel as a free-lance reporter at the PGA's Northern Trust Open this weekend at Riviera Country Club, was removed from the coverage today by the network after a confrontation Thursday involving Dustin Johnson's caddy Bobby Brown, who was held responsible for Johnson arriving late for a tee time.

The Wall Street Journal reported (linked here) that Gray was "defying protocol" when he asked Brown during live play in Thursday's first round the circumstances behind Johnson receiving a penalty for appearing late. Later, Gray and Brown apparently got into a "heated exchange."

The Associated Press reported that Brown and Steve Stricker, who was in Johnson's group, were confronted by Gray, who was waiting on Johnson during the long walk from the 13th green to the 14th tee. Gray later reported Johnson said he was misinformed on the tee time.

After the round, Brown took the blame for the mistake and then turned his frustration toward Gray while Johnson was signing his card for a 2-over 73. Gray walked up on the conversation and Brown said to him, "Dude, you can't come up like that in the middle of the round. It had taken us 13 holes to get over that, and then you bring it up again."

Johnson did not mention Gray during a brief interview with The Associated Press in the parking lot Thursday afternoon, but Stricker was visibly angry when discussing it after his round, and several other caddies were outraged when they heard about it.

Golf Channel's website (linked here) quoted a network spokesman: "Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice. In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment."

Last August at the PGA Championship, Gray was involved in a verbal confrontation with Corey Pavin, arguing that the U.S. Ryder Cup captain gave him misinformation about whether Tiger Woods would be a wild-card selection.

LABusinessJournal.com

He's glad-handling something here, picking pockets over there, photo-opping everywhere else there's a swarm of cameras and an opportunity.

We'll also give you first shot at bucking up Leiweke's very sad Wikipedia page (linked here).

A red carpeted-quick catchup for the last two weeks of media notes, following today's column (linked here), and hoping this ends without some sort of security check:

== We can appreciate the sentiments of FoxSports.com's Brian Lowry (linked here) about the extreme overkill involved in coverage, not just by TNT (and its 19 scheduled hours) but also ESPN and NBA TV on this weekend's NBA All-Star Game, which includes festivities tonight and Saturday leading to Sunday's exhibition.

He's taken the paragraphs right out of our computer, without sounding like a burned-out TV watcher.

Lowry adds about TNT's Kenny Smith "coaching" the Clippers' Blake Griffin for the dunk contest, which we featured in today's column: "The tradeoff, or price, for all this lavish coverage is that the host networks wind up insinuating themselves into the events ... Having watched Griffin play some this year, let me assure you, the one thing he doesn't need is advice on how to dunk."

Lowry concluded:

"No doubt All-Star Weekend will yield a few high-flying highlights. But in terms of TNT's cornucopia of coverage, the net effect might be simply to lose sight of the actual game amid the glare of all those lights."

== Following up to comments that ESPN's Tony Kornheiser made about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s suspect pole position in Sunday's Daytona 500, and the reaction that came from Fox's Darrell Waltrip (and mentioned in today's "What Chokes" section), we also should mention that we have these conference call comments by ESPN/NASCAR related people who'll also be covering the event this weekend:

=ESPN vice president of motorsports Rich Feinberg: "I did not see the show, but it's been relayed to me what he said. It's a show of opinion, and it's primarily based on his and Michael's (Wilbon) opinion ... I disagree with what I was told he said. And I can tell you for sure that ESPN doesn't agree with his opinion yesterday, but that's the nature of commentary."

=ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett: "It wouldn't matter who said it or what network it might have been on, but it pisses me off that somebody thinks that from being inside, and knowing how hard a lot of years that myself and a lot of others that I worked with and around, worked on our race cars to try and make them the best. .... Did NASCAR plan that? Why hell no. ... It aggravates you that that perception is out there. I can assure everyone that it can't happen. ... We have a very good sport with a lot of integrity out there and to have it questioned is unfortunate."

=ESPN analyst Andy Petree: "We're hearing opinions of people who really have no idea. ... I can tell you I've never, ever in my life seen anybody get the call to have something done to their car. The integrity of this sport, I can vouch for after 30 years of doing it."

== Fox will introduce something called a "Thermal-Cam" during its Daytona 500 coverage Sunday, a special camera designed to register the heat of objects that in the line of a driver's sight. Fox says it plans to use the camera during the race to show how extreme temperatures develop during a typical race, especially as cars running in the rear get behind air flow while drafting and must switch places with the lead car to avoid overheating. The camera comes from FLIR, a Boston-based thermal imaging and stabllized camera system.

== While CBS has the third and scheduled final rounds of the PGA's Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, Golf Channel's coverage includes coming on with live coverage Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., then replaying CBS' coverage later that night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Terry Gannon is the lead play-by-play with analysts Brandel Chamblee, Peter Oosterhuis, David Feherty, Billy Andrade and Craig Perks.

== Golf Channel says it will take its "Big Break" series to Indian Wells for its 15th season in May, with 11 men competing for a sponsor's exemption in a 2012 PGA Tour event. The 10-episode contest was filmed at Indian Wells Golf Resort in January.

== The MLB Network announced plans to televise 83 spring training games, starting Feb. 26 (linked here), and will again do its "30 Clubs in 30 Days" features, hitting the Dodgers (March 6) and Angels (March 10) in Arizona.

== Fox's 2011 MLB schedule includes three Saturday nights in a row of regionalized coverage, starting May 14 with a Red Sox-Yankees matchup and finishing on May 28 with six games, the most games that the network has ever offered in one window (one of those games is the Angels at Minnesota). Last year, Fox had two Saturday prime-time telecasts and saw a boost of more than 40 percent over similiar games held in the traditional afternoon spots.

Fox's opener is Saturday, April 2 (two days after ESPN opens on Thursday), taking the Dodgers' home game against San Francisco as one of three regional games. The Giants have nine scheduled appearances this season, along with Atlanta, the Chicago Cubs, Detroit, the New York Mets, Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Dodgers are scheduled for seven dates, the Angels six -- including a meeting with each other on June 25 from Dodger Stadium.

== ESPN has added former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, who spend the first two years of the MLB Network as a studio analyst, to its "Baseball Tonight" team.

== Any interest in what Jay Mariotti has to say about his lack of work these days (linked here)?

== NBC/Versus has nine hours of coverage during the first "Hockey Day in America" promotion Sunday, starting with a half-hour special (9 a.m., Channel 4) that is followed up by Philadelphia-N.Y. Rangers and Pittsburgh-Chicago, and is capped over on Versus with the NHL Heritage Classic at 3 p.m., an outdoor game between Montreal and Calgary from McMahon Stadium on the University of Calgary campus, called by Dave Strader, Andy Brickley and Brian Engblom.

Part of the half-hour special leading in a feature on a celebrity hockey league that takes place most Sunday nights at the Kings' El Segundo facility played by actors, music label exec and TV and movie producers (like Jerry Bruckheimer) with a passion for the game.

NBC producer Sam Flood, on the origin of Hockey Day in America: "The genesis for this comes through Hockey Day in Canada and just watching what has been done in Canada through the years and their passion they have for that sport. I was up in Canada for the Olympics last year and saw Hockey Day in Canada on CBC and had been thinking for a while about a way to celebrate hockey in a bigger and better way in the United States...It has been a thought of mine for a couple of years now doing something bigger with hockey and celebrating it.

"(Just look at how) these parents across the country who get in their car at 6 am, pull their little tikes out of bed, throw them in the back seat and drive them to the rink so they get to be part of the greatest game in the world. And that's what we're going to celebrate -- the hockey moms and the hockey dads who sacrifice so much to get their kids out to the rink. It's the ritual of hockey."

== Eight-month-old ESPN 3D, which will carry its first boxing matches tonight when it airs Friday Night Fights (6 p.m.), apparently has enough content to start streaming a 24/7 menu of events.

"As we continue to expand the number of 3D events on the channel, it made sense operationally to transition ESPN 3D to a 24-7 network," ESPN's Sean Bratches said during last month's Consumer Electronics Show.

ESPN 3D is on Comcast, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV.

== CBS will rebrand its College Sports Network cable channel into the CBS Sports Network starting April 4. It says the focus will stay on college sports, but this allows for future expansion of what it will be willing to add to it, said Sean McManus, recently named the Chairman of CBS Sports. CBS bought CSTV in Jan., 2006, and rebranded it CBS College Sports Network in Feb., 2008. It is available in about 40 million homes, but will not be included in the upcoming CBS/TNT marriage of the men's NCAA basketball tournament starting next month.

AND FINALLY:

== Does talking about sports beat watching it?

Jeff Pearlman, in the Wall Street Journal, talks about this idea (linked here):

"No event better illustrates this than the annual NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which will be held in Los Angeles on Saturday. Ever since the modern version of the competition began in 1984, it has served as one of the NBA's great conversation pieces. Dominique Wilkins vs. Michael Jordan. Tiny Spud Webb. Blindfolded Cedric Ceballos. Nate Robinson scaling Dwight Howard. The list of highlights is endless, and the slow-motion footage (especially when accompanied by music) makes for great promotional material.

"Mr. Osborne pauses, thinking about his readership. But they're compelling to talk about,' he says. 'And the talk itself is half the fun'."

Kenny Smith's designation as "coach" to the Clippers' Blake Griffin for Saturday's NBA dunk contest at Staples Center (5 p.m., TNT) comes with some trepidation.

"I just have to make sure I don't mess things up," the TNT analyst admitted from his home in Tarzana.

During his 10-year NBA career, Smith competed in three mid-season televised dunk exhibitions. The closest that the 6-foot-3 point guard out of the streetball courts of Queens, N.Y. came to winning was coming less than two points away on the judges cards from defeating perennial champ Dominique Wilkins in 1990 (see video above).

The dunk that nearly won it for Smith involved standing at the free-throw line with his back to the rim, bouncing the ball between his legs so that it hit the backboard, turning around, timing a leap to catch the ball off the glass, twisting around and pulling off a reverse slam.

Now, the master meets the rookie.

"I wanted to give him some ideas to see if he could put a new twist on them," Smith said about meeting already with Griffin. "All of the sudden, we came up with a dunk that's never been seen before. If he pulls this one off, it'll put dunking into another stratosphere."

Without giving anything away, will Griffin's dunk will be prop-heavy, or just based on his athletic abilities?

"It's a combination of everything you could imagine," Smith said. "Absolutely, it's never been done. Only an incredible athlete like him could fathom even trying it."

OK, you've got our attention.

As for those who think that the wear-and-tear of dunking may cut down on Griffin's long-term ability to play in the NBA, Smith uses one of his former teammates as example.

"Did it hurt Dominique?" Smith asked, referring to Wilkins' 26,668 career points (currently 11th in league history) over 15 seasons in the league (including a stint with the Clippers) and not returing until he was 39.

"Dunking isn't going to hurt him. What it does it force people to watch him and then assess his acutal game. Dunk contests are more about bringing people in to see your game and skill level. You can't say Blake is just a dunker. When he scored 47 points (last month in a win over Indiana), he only had six dunks. The one thing you have to understand is he's a very talented player. You don't make an All-Star game as a rookie just being a dunker. His overall skills outshine his dunks when all is said and done. He has special skills."

Smith will host two charity events related to All-Star weekend, starting with his ninth annual bash Friday (9 p.m. to 2 a.m.) at the Music Box on Hollywood Blvd. to benefit his charity, The Aim High Foundation. On Saturday (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) he has a fan fest at Paramount Studios on Melrose that includes invited 2,500 kids from various youth groups to live entertainment and clinics.

"Every year, there are so many expensive events during the weekend, and many people can't get to them all, and some are pretty exclusive, so I want to make sure my friends have a good time," Smith said.

Smith will be a studio analyst for TNT's coverage of the Rookie Challenge game (Friday, 6 p.m.) and the NBA All-Star Game (Sunday at 5:30 p.m., starting with a pregame show at 4 p.m.).

David Crane/Daily News Staff Photographer

Middle-aged white men can jump.

Bring a camera, and your own autograph book. After you're done on the dunk courts, you may be asked to start signing balls yourself.

NBA ALL-STAR JAM SESSION:

WHEN: Friday (4 to 10 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Sunday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Monday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

WHERE: L.A. Convention Center South Hall, 1201 S. Figueroa Street, L.A.

TICKETS: Admission on Friday and Monday: $20 for adults, $12 for seniors and kids 12 and under. On Saturday and Sunday: $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and kids 12 and under. Children 2 and under are free each day. Tickets at Staples Center box office, Ticketmaster.com or 800-4NBA-TIX.

KEY EVENTS:
=Opening ceremonies with NBA commissioner David Stern: Friday, 6:25 p.m.
=Sprite Street Ball Dunk contest: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
=NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: Friday, 4 p.m. (additional ticket required, sold for $40 to $50)
=NBA All-Star West and East team practice: Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon (additional ticket required, sold for $40 to $50)
=NBA D-League All Star Game: Saturday, 2 p.m.

The official coming-out party for the Jerry West statue permanently on display outside of Staples Center near the Team L.A. Store won't come until Thursday afternoon.

But when we happened to be walking past the spot this afternoon. And happened to see workers setting this new piece of artwork in place near Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson and Oscar de la Hoya. And happened to pull out our cell phone camera and snap a shot, in the presence of security guards protecting whatever they protect.

Imagine that.

Not quite the pose of the NBA logo that we imagined -- he's driving to the basket with the ball in his left hand, but not so upright. But moments after we took this, the statue was wrapped in black covering -- the rain was coming and going, and it's not likely not to be revealed officially for another 48 hours.

The public is invited to the 5 p.m. ceremony, hosted by Jim Hill, with the official unveiling at about 6 p.m. The 14 foot bronze statue of West on the granite pedestal weighs about 1,500 pounds. It was created by Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, who also did the statues of Gretzky, Magic (17 feet tall), De La Hoya (14 feet tall) and Chick Hearn (16 feet and 5,000 pounds) that are in front of Staples Center on Chick Hearn Court.

FoxSportsWest.com will do live streaming of the ceremony on its website.

Meanwhile, workers were also putting new banners outside Staples Center in preparation for Sunday's NBA All-Star game:

If the Lakers are considered the New York Yankees of the NBA, they're swinging for the fences in creating what could be the biggest change in the Southern California sports TV landscape over the last several decades.

In a sweetheart deal announced on Valentine's Day somewhat similar to what the Yankees did in starting their own YES network, the Lakers announced a 20-year agreement with Time Warner Cable to create two exclusive regional cable channels -- one in English, and a ground-breaking one in Spanish -- that will carry each game, home and away, starting with the 2012-13 season.

Terms were not disclosed but industry sources estimate that hundreds of millions that will change hands -- more likely at least a couple of billion dollars when all is said and done -- this will be one of the biggest sports regional network deals in cable TV history.

The Time Warner deal begins in 18 months, when the Lakers' current contracts with Fox Sports West and KCAL-Channel 9 expire after the 2012 season.

Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, a force behind launching the Prime Ticket regional network to spotlight his team 25 years ago, said in a statement: "The Buss family is thrilled to join forces with Time Warner Cable in building the TV home for Lakers fans. Time Warner Cable has been producing quality sports programming for over a decade and the Lakers have been producing championship seasons for even longer. I am particularly proud of being part of the first ever Spanish-language RSN in the country. Together I'm confident we will delight our fans."

Time Warner Cable, available in two million Southern California homes with an additional 500,000 in the Lakers' regional coverage of Nevada and Hawaii, will make the yet-to-be-named channels available to all cable and satellite dish companies, just as FSW and Prime Ticket are today, said Melinda Witmer, TWC's senior vice president and chief programming officer.

She said while 90 percent of the homes receive cable or dish TV reception, leaving some out who can not afford it, research bears out that "most consumers get their TV viewers through a multi-channel provider. Our experience is that Time Warner has a large footprint and the bulk of basketball fans through the country get their sports through a cable regional sports network."

The trick for Time Warner will be to generate demand for its Lakers channels to have cable systems put it on their accessible tiers over the next 18 months, which involves negotiating sub fees and resistance from competing companies.

While FSW takes the most direct hit from the deal, it maintains local TV rights to the Dodgers, Angels, Clippers, Ducks, Kings, USC and UCLA sports game packages. The Dodgers and Angels have made overtures about starting their own cable channels in the past -- but the Lakers have apparently beaten them to it.

A Fox spokesman issued a statement from the network: "Fox made an offer to the Lakers that would have paid them one of the highest local TV rights fees in professional sports. We did not believe that going higher was in the best interest of our business or pay TV customers in Los Angeles, who will bear the cost of this deal for years to come."

KCAL Channel 9 added in a statement: "We look forward to continuing to broadcast the team's games to all its fans across Southern California through the completion of the 2011-12 season. Beyond that, KCAL 9 will continue to make local sports a big part of the station's identity."

Tim Harris, the Lakers senior VP of business operations and chief marketing officer, said the team had been talking to Time Warner about this deal for more than a year, and "what kept driving us forward was synergy" with Time Warner enabling the team to more with interactive elements, pre- and post-game shows, and other programming on off days.

Last August, Buss was asked if there was a time when he thought the Lakers could on their own regional channel, like the Yankees and Mets.

"I suppose so," he said, a week after he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. "I'll tell you, I'm the wrong person to ask about that now. (Daughter) Jeanie (who runs the business side of his teams) is the one. Like with any business you look at every opportunity. Whether you're serious about it or not is another story."

Forbes magazine recently put the Yankees' value at $1.6 billion, with YES network paying the team $100 million on top of $84 million in rights fees in 2009. Forbes lists the Lakers' $643 million worth second in the NBA to the New York Knicks' $655 million.

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NBA: Lakers at Charlotte, 4 p.m., Channel 9:

The Bobcats always seem to give the Lakers fits, even as they come off a strange lackidasical effort in Orlando.

TUESDAY

Series: "Jeopardy!", 7 p.m., Channel 7:

On a day where neither the Lakers, Clippers, Kings or Ducks play a game, check out the second night of the "Jeopardy!" challenge where two former star contestants rage against the IBM machine.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Lakers at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m., Channel 9:

Can the Cavs make it two in a row over L.A. teams? Last time out, they only scored 57 points.

NHL: Kings at Columbus, 4:30 p.m., FSW:

The team has chalked up a 5-0-2 road record so far on this journey away from Staples Center.

NHL: Ducks vs. Washington, Honda Center, 7 p.m., FSW:

The Ducks get to host Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh, as well as Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, in the same season. And the Kings don't.

College basketball: Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount, 8 p.m., ESPNU:

It's the 154th meeting between the two, coming off the Waves' 78-75 win over the Lions in their last clash on Jan. 22 when junior guard Lorne Jackson (Simi Valley High) hit three free throws with 12 seconds left to put Pepperdine ahead for good. Anthony Ireland's three-point shot from the top of the key at the buzzer was off the mark for LMU.

THURSDAY

Golf: PGA's Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, first round, noon, Golf Channel:

Here, play the course yourself. In your mind (linked here). Without the rain. CBS has the final two rounds.

NHL: Kings at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m., FSW:

The Rangers' Marian Gaborik is supposedly on the trading block. Are the Kings interested in taking him home?

College basketball: UCLA at Stanford, 7:30 p.m., FSW; USC at Cal, 7:30 p.m.:

The Bruins lost to the Cardinal by 11 at Maples Pavilion last season.

FRIDAY

NHL: Ducks at Minnesota, 5 p.m., Prime:

Two more teams slug it out for the dangling Western Conference playoff berths.

SATURDAY

NBA: All Star skills competition, dunk contest, Staples Center, 5:30 p.m., TNT:

What will Blake Griffin come up with? Maybe he can ask another one-time Clipper dunk champ, Brett Barry.

NHL: Kings at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m., FSW:

The New York trip continues with a venture to Long Island. The Islanders know how to put up a fight.

NHL: Ducks at St. Louis, 5 p.m., Prime:

The Blue stunned the Ducks with two goals in six seconds in a 5-1 win back on Oct. 11.

College basketball: USC at Stanford, 7:30 p.m., FSW:

The Cardinal couldn't handle the Trojans last month -- a 65-42 USC win -- but it has beat USC eight times in a row at Maples Pavilion.

Monster Jam: Dodger Stadium, 7 p.m.:

The main event on the infield of Dodger Stadium is scheduled to include appearances by monster truck machines better known as Grave Digger, Dragon's Breath, Maximum Destruction, Monster Muttm, Nitro Circus, Iron Man, The Patroit, Tropical Thunder, Shocker, Obsession, King Krunch, The Felon and El Matador. For those scoring at home, there are points in standings to be gained from this event.

SUNDAY

NBA: All Star game, Staples Center, 5 p.m., TNT:

LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh team up with four members of the Boston Celtics to try to mess up a party for Kobe, Gasol and Blake Griffin on their home court. It means nothing in the standings or Carmello Anthony's future (what if he's traded to the Knicks or Nets before the game?) and everything else in shoe endorsements and YouTube clips. Flash back to the last time the game was here in 2004, and the highlight was Star Jones' marriage proposal from Al Reynolds during a time out: The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal was the game MVP, scoring 24 points with 11 rebounds in the West's 136-132 win. Shaq's supporting cast, aside from Kobe, included current Celtics teammates Ray Allen (Seattle) and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota), while Ron Artest (Indiana) came off the bench to score seven points for the East. Jones, by the way, has shed more than 300 pounds since that episode - the former co-host of "The View" lost about 150 of her own after bypass surgery and then dropped another 150-plus by divorcing Reynolds in 2008.

NASCAR: Daytona 500, 10 a.m., Channel 11:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the top qualifier of the event, 10 years after his dad died. Watch for the moment of silence during Lap 3.

College basketball: UCLA at Cal, 7 p.m., Prime:

The Bruins held on for a two-point win against the Bears last month at Pauley Pavilion, when Reeves Nelson (24 points) tipped in the winner at the buzzer.

Tony Malinosky, the oldest living former major league baseball player and a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936, has died at the age of 101.

Malinosky passed away Feb. 8 in Oxnard, the team said on its website (linked here).

An infielder from Illinois who attended Whittier College with future president Richard Nixon was signed originally by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In a story that the Associated Press did on Malinosky before his 100th birthday (linked here), he said he made $400 a month in his big-league career. Under manager Burleigh Grimes and playing with future Hall of Famers Waite Hoyt and Heinie Manush, Malinosky and the Dodgers went 62-91.

"I lived off Flatbush Avenue, near Ebbets Field," Malinosky recalled. "We had a lot of fun in those days. Of course, it was a lot different than today. The players nowadays have to have a truck to haul away their money. When I played, you could put it in your pocket."

Here's also a link to a feature done on him by KCLU reporter Lance Orosco (linked here), that earned him a Peabody Award.

So who now is the oldest living former major leaguer? It's 99-year-old Connie Marrero, a Cuban-born pitcher who played for the Washington Senators from 1950-54. He's en route to turning 100 on April 25.

It's a nice idea to push new merchandise at the Dodger Store, so what better way than to offer the first "Throwback" uniform promotion at six midweek home games this summer?

Of the three choices fans can start casting their votes for starting today (linked here), we'd opt for this little number:

The games they'll wear 'em are all noon starts:

Thursday, April 21 vs. Atlanta
Wednesday, May 4 vs. Chicago Cubs
Wednesday, June 15 vs. Cincinnati
Wednesday, June 22 vs. Detroit
Wednesday, August 10 vs. Philadelphia
Wednesday, August 31 vs. San Diego

The other part of the promo: Half off prices on all food and drink. Including beer.

Voting on what uni for the team to wear ends Feb. 17. Tickets go on sale for all home games online starting Feb. 26.

Highlights of the week ahead in sports, both here and afar:

MONDAY

NBA: Lakers at Memphis, 5 p.m., Channel 9:

If the Grizzlies really do want to trade O.J. Mayo, why would the Lakers want him again? And be careful picking up any energy drink at a local Memphis gas station during your stay. It could get you a 10-game NBA suspension, right? You'd think someone named O.J. would know better.

TUESDAY

NBA: Clippers at Orlando, 4 p.m., Prime:

Our records indicate these are the two worst free-throw shooting teams in all of the NBA -- the only two squads under 70 percent. You'd think with the ineptness of Dwight Howard (59 percent) and Blake Griffin (61 percent), teams would just smack them around more often.

WEDNESDAY

NBA: Clippers at New York, 4:30 p.m., Prime:

Justin Bieber showed up to a Knicks game the other night and when they put him on the Madison Square Garden video screen, there was a smattering of boos - but a few shrieks from the young female fans. If Bieber pops in on the Blake Superior Show, it won't be next to Spike Lee. It's more reasonable to think that Bieber could be seated next to Timofey Mozgov, who may beg out of playing based on being posterized by Blake during their last meeting. (By the way, that's New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist sitting next to Bieber in the video above, not Patrick Dempsey).

NHL: Ducks at Vancouver, 7 p.m., FSW:

This has been Ryan Getzlaf's target date for a return to the Ducks' lineup since he started rehab, recovering from taking in a puck in the face hit by Phoenix's Shane Doan on Dec. 28.

Series, "Mr. Sunshine," Channel 7, 9:30 p.m.:

Episode one of a new series where Matthew Perry plays the manager of a second-tier sports arena in San Diego called the Sunshine Center -- which by all accounts is filmed at the abandoned Forum in Inglewood (check the orange and yellow seats) and they're using the L.A. Sports Arena for exterior shots. Does it shut down for the Grammy's too? One of their regular events is the Lingerie Football League. See how that storyline hangs by a thread.

THURSDAY

The Associated Press

NBA: Lakers at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT:

What stands out the most about their last meeting just days ago? Kobe Bryant's game-high 41 points on 16-for-29 shooting, trying to win it all by himself in the fourth quarter? Or the Celtics being allowed to shoot better than 60 percent, hit nine of 17 three-pointers and pile up 34 assists, 16 by Rajon Rondo (while the Lakers as a team had 10 total)? The Celtics' 109-96 win was fresh 'n' easy. "It's always balance that makes us better," said Derek Fisher. "We're not going to accomplish our goals by relying on Kobe to score 30 or 40 points every game." And even if they keep holding Shaq scoreless.

College basketball: UCLA vs. Oregon, Pauley Pavlion, 7:30 p.m., Prime; USC vs. Oregon State, Galen Center, 8 p.m., FSW:

The Ducks had a 25-13 lead over UCLA in the first half of their last meeting last month in Eugene before the Bruins ran off with an eight-point win. This despite the fact Reeves Nelson fouled out in 15 minutes without scoring a point. The Trojans, meanwhile, have lost four in a row to the Beavers.

NHL: Kings at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., FSW:

The Kings actually returned home after their game Saturday in Calgary to start the second leg of their longest road trip of the season. Will Sidney Crosby see clearly enough to play through his concussion issues?

Golf: PGA's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, first round, Golf Channel, noon:

Savor again the courses used in this event, which amateur celebs trample over in the course of a weekend: The 6,816-yard Pebble Beach Golf Links, built in 1919, site of the upcoming U.S. Open, ranked the No. 1 public course in America by Golf Digest, with the 543-yard 18th hole supporting a new tee box that's actually pushed farther out to sea; the 6,858 Spyglass Hill, inspired by Robert Lewis Stephenson's Treasure Island, rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the championship tees, and the 6,838 yard, par 70 reshaped Monterey Peninsula Shore Course, replacing Poppy Hills this year with a rebirth. Tiger Woods will have none of it: He's supposed to be in the Middle East to play the Dubai Desert Classic, the European Tour event. CBS has the third- and final-rounds of this one on Saturday and Sunday.

FRIDAY

NBA: Lakers at New York, 5 p.m., Channel 9, ESPN:

The back half of the L.A. train stops through Madison Square Garden. When they last meet at Staples Center, the Lakers' 22-point win was punctuated by Andrew Bynum's strange ejection and Ron Artest taking Amar'e Stoudemire down with a clothesline tackle in the third quarter.

NBA: Clippers at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m., Prime:

The Cavs' losing streak could be up to 27 in a row by the time these two meet. And Cleveland has won only twice since Thansgiving. The two get one more meeting after this, in March, in L.A., by which point Byron Scott may have left the country seeking asylum in some country that knows nothing about basketball.

SATURDAY

College basketball: UCLA vs. Oregon State, Pauley Pavlion, 1 p.m., Prime; USC vs. Oregon, Galen Center, 7:30 p.m., Prime:

UCLA blew a 17-point second-half lead but scored the game's final seven points to defeat Oregon State by five earlier this season in Corvallis. Three of these four teams could be sucking wind near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings when this weekend is over. And one of them isn't the Bruins.

NHL: Kings at Washington, 9:30 a.m., FSW:

In back-to-back games, the Kings play their own Winter Classic. Indoors. Where they still need points.

SUNDAY

Special: The Grammy Awards, Staples Center, 8 p.m., Channel 2:

Cee-Lo Green (in the video clip at the very top of this posting, and echoed by Gweneth Paltrow above) says it rather harshly with his Grammy nominated album of the year: Forget you. (That's the clean version). Forget the Lakers, Clippers and Kings, who are all sent as far away as possible - even Canada - while the Grammys take over Staples Center (8 p.m., Channel 2). When this "Glee" club is over, it's NBA All-Star Game on the way.

NHL: Kings at Philadelphia, noon, FSW:

It was originally picked as an NBC regional game. Then, it wasn't.

NBA: Lakers at Orlando, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7:

Gilbert Arenas may not even be up to play in this one against his home-town team.

NBA: Clippers at Toronto, 3 p.m., Prime:

You want to talk contraction? Start here.

By Ryan Nakashima
Associated Press business writer

GoDaddy.com was almost unheard of six years ago. Then it ran the most talked-about ad of Super Bowl XXXIX -- a spoof of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" in which a busty woman appears before a censorship board and a strap breaks on her skimpy top.

The spot was so racy that Fox yanked a second airing scheduled for later in the game.

The other fallout? The Super Bowl ad rolled out each year by GoDaddy, which registers Internet domain names, is now almost as eagerly awaited as the halftime show.

Fox is charging about $3 million for 30 seconds of ad time this Sunday during Super Bowl XLV. So is the gamble worth it for companies?

"It's not a bet," GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons says, "if you know the outcome."

Before you ascent from the podium Mr. Commissioner of the National Football League of the United States of America and to the republic for which we stand, just a couple more questions ...

== And finally: Can we be like the Packers and Steelers and go about this without cheerleaders?

By Rachel Cohen
The Associated Press

To understand just how good the NFL's ratings have been this season -- the best in about 15 years -- it helps to take a moment and compare the league to the rest of TV.

Games on CBS, Fox and NBC averaged 20 million viewers. The average for the prime-time programming on the four major networks, the most coveted slots on the schedule?

Around 8.2 million viewers.

That means NFL ratings are 144 percent better than television's top non-football lineups, and here's the kicker. That difference was 61 percent just five years ago.

Even CBS Sports president Sean McManus, whose network has committed billions of dollars to broadcast the NFL, is wowed by the figures.

"I'm continually pleased and really amazed by the kind of ratings that are being generated by all the networks during the regular season and postseason," McManus said on a recent conference call.

"Go figure," he added. "The NFL is just on fire this year. Fan interest seems to be at an all-time high."

More media notes heading into the weekend after today's column (linked here):

== You should know the drill by now -- Fox has red carpets and TMZ and Obama sightings planned for how its Super Bowl Sunday will unravel, after the NFL Films' traditional "Road to the Super Bowl" (9 a.m.) and a Troy Aikman-hosted "Inside the Rings" sorta-infomercial for Rent-A-Center (10 a.m.) gets you to the start of the four-hour pregame show (11 a.m., Channel 11).

Fox's hour-by-hour segments planned, unless more snow gets in the way:

Between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: The red carpet show hosted by Michael Strahan and "Access Hollywood's" Maria Menounos, hoping to catch as many Fox-show-related celebs coming into the game, or stopping by to make it appear they're going to the game.

12:30 p.m.: The celebrity news website TMZ provides its unique review of the week's Super Bowl scene and night-life in Dallas.

1:30 p.m.: The awkward transition from red carpet to Fox New Channel's Bill O'Reilly's Q-and-A shoutdown with President Obama.

2:30 p.m.: Terry Bradshaw has a Q-and-A with Ben Roethlisberger.

2:53 p.m.: Excerpts from The Declaration of Independence as read by a number of current and former NFL greats with representatives of the U.S. military.

3 p.m.: Official game coverage starts, with kickoff somewhere closer to 3:30 p.m., by which time Joe Buck and Aikman will be glad to just have a contest to sit around and chat about.

The NFL Network's rundown includes a 6 a.m. start with 25 on-air people that will include the announcement of the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award at 9 a.m.

== CBS dispatches Ian Eagle and Greg Anthony to call Saturday's UCLA-St. John's game from Pauley Pavilion (Channel 2, 10 a.m.). Again the early tipoff is to facilitate the network's coverage of the third round of the PGA's event in Scottsdale, Ariz.

== If you hadn't heard: Stephen A. Smith is returning to ESPN as a local radio host and ESPN.com columnist. The deal has him doing two shows a day -- one for ESPN 1050 in New York from 7-9 p.m. ET, and the other on KSPN-AM 710 here from 6-8 p.m. Smith, most recently apart of Fox Sports Radio, hosted a show of his own on ESPN Radio from 2005-08, and had his own TV show on ESPN2 from 2005-07.

Which means, in the 2011 Daily News Best/Worst of the L.A. Media, we may not have Stephen A., Max Kellerman or Marcellus Wiley in the Bottom 5. Considering they could be in and out by next Janurary.

== After 29 years of broadcasting, including the last 24 at ESPN and ABC, Bob Griese , who turned 66 on Thursday, took the occasion to announce his retirement from the profession.

"I've had a wonderful career and now it's time to experience new things," he said in an ESPN statement. "I've had many highlights along the way, from working the NFL's Super Bowl and college football's championship games to covering many of my son Brian's games during his undefeated season in 1997 (at Michigan). I want to thank ABC, ESPN and the fans for their support and all the men and women on our TV crews for their patience and support thru the years."

Griese, a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame, joined ABC in 1987. For the past two seasons, he worked ESPN's Saturday telecasts with Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman. With Keith Jackson, Griese called his son, Brian's, final college game in the 1998 Rose Bowl Game.

Griese started his career at NBC as an NFL analyst from 1982-'86, which included a Super Bowl XX call (Chicago over New England from New Orleans in '86) with Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen.

== The NFL Network has the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee announcement -- Saturday, 4 p.m. -- hosted by Rich Eisen, Michael Irvin, Rod Woodson and Steve Young. NFL Network analysts Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders, and NFL Films founder Ed Sabol, are among the finalists.

During a debate of the candidates on Showtime's "Inside the NFL," Cris Collinsworth said: "We have sort of discussed whether or not there shouldn't be a separate category for the Ed Sabols and Paul Tagliabues and Ron Wolfs. Because this is the NFL Hall of Fame, and there should be, no player should be giving up their spot for somebody who didn't play on the field. These should be discussions about the players that played the game."

It's a Pro Football Hall of Fame, actually, and the point is well taken.

== NBC has another version of the Washington Capitals vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins -- indoors, in D.C., on Sunday (Channel 4, 9:30 a.m., NBCSports.com live streaming) with Mike "Doc" Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire. NBC had 4.5 million viewers for what turned out to be a prime-time meeting between the two on New Year's Day.

== Versus reports that last Sunday's NHL All-Star game was the most-watched in the network's history -- averaging close to 1.5 million viewers and peaking at nearly a 2.0 rating from 3:45 to 4 p.m. PDT.The game pushed Versus to the No. 1-rated cable network among men 18-34 and No. 2-rated cable network in the country among men 18-49 and men 25-54.

== ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" returns Monday in a 12:30 p.m. ESPN2 slot, with Karl Ravech and/or Steve Berthiaume joined by Aaron Boone, Nomar Garciaparra, Doug Glanville, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk, Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney, Eduardo Perez, Chris Singleton, Rick Sutcliffe, Bobby Valentine and/or Dave Winfield. Once the season starts, it moves back to Monday-Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m., and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/video?vid=e437dfef-e757-4dd9-8e6f-be3fc74ee958" target="_new" title="">Eric Wynalda's Goal Kick</a>

== Eric Wynalda, the Westlake Village-based former U.S. national team star, will be part of Fox Soccer Channel's "Super Sunday" coverage from the Fox NFL studio set in Century City, starting at 7 a.m. with the live Chelsea-Liverpool EPL match at 8 a.m. Part of the show includes Wynalda taking on USC's Joe Houston in a field-goal kicking contest.
Wynalda's Super Bowl pick?
"My parents lived a couple blocks from Lambeau Field before I was born in Fullerton) and are still fans. It's a big deal in our family that the Packers have made it to the Super Bowl. The Steelers are, as always, smash-mouth football and will be tough, but the Packers will take it, in my opinion. (Aaron) Rodgers the MVP with 350 passing yards. Green Bay, 31-14. My dad would disown me if I predicted anything different."

== HBO has new replay dates for its "Lombardi" documentary that debuted two months ago. Catch it again tonight (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m.).

== ESPN also announced it has reached 100,002,000 homes as of this month. When it launched in Sept., 1979, there were 1.4 million homes, and it wasn't in Hawaii until Dec., 1984. The net also says ESPN2 is in 99.9 mil homes to date, launching with 10 mil in Oct. 1993.

== ABC's Lakers-Celtics game last Sunday had a 5.0 overnight rating, tying a Lakers- Cavs 2009 broadcast as the highest-rated, non-Christmas Day, NBA regular-season game ever on the network. In L.A., it had a 11.1 rating; it was 10.3 in Boston. And they meet again on TNT next Thursday.

== And even tougher to believe: The NFL says last Sunday's Pro Bowl on Fox was the most watched game of its kind in 14 years -- drawing 13.4 million viewers -- and making it the most-viewed all-star game in any sport since the 2009 MLB All-Star Game (14.6 million).

AND FINALLY:

== It'll cost you either $5.99 for the January issue of Playboy (eight pages of nakedness from locker room settings), or $19.95 for the pay-per-view telecast of Los Angeles Tempation vs. the Philadelphia Passion in Lingerie Bowl VIII (linked here) from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Sunday at 5 p.m. (scheduled for about halftime of Super Bowl XLV).
Or, it's $29.95 if you want the hi-def broadcast.
No 3-D. Seems like they're missing a huge opportunity there.
Getting you up to speed: The Lingerie Football League began in 2004, and now has 10 teams in 10 cities, with games on MTV2.

Following up on today's final installment (linked here) on the 19th annual best and worst of the L.A. sports media, tying up the answers to the questions about how someone can learn from listening to today's version of Vin Scully call a Dodger game, we'll submit this final analysis from Lou Riggs (linked here), who has been teaching sportscasting play-by-play at Santa Monica College since 1985, a personal "trainer" for broadcasters such as Chris Marlowe, Heather Cox and James Worthy, and a play-by-play man himself in Southern California since 1970 on college sports, and let him tie it all together:

"I don't know Scully personally, so I'm giving you an objective viewpoint as a broadcaster, coach and teacher.

"I use Scully as examples of how to do if right all the time, even if so many of my broadcast students are so young (in their teens and 20s). Unfortunately, in a day of video games, they tend less to use of the English language and have shorter attention spans, so I'm not sure what younger generations of broadcasters bring to the table worth digesting. I grew up listening to guys like Red Barber (Scully's mentor), Mel Allen, Fred Haney (when he was broadcasting Hollywood Stars baseball games), Jack Drees, Bob Kelley, Sam Balter, Ted Husing, Bill Stern and Harry Wismer. They weren't all great, but, you could learn from them.

"Scully's talent is that he is the opposite of most younger announcers today because they're screamers, talk too fast, are 'homers,' don't know when or how to tell a story. Scully is 'old school,' like John Wooden was 'old school' and like how I am in the classroom.

"First, he is unbelievably prepared, not just with stats (he can have a stat guy help him out), but in 'life.' I keep telling my people to learn and know as much as you can about history, literature, current events, world events, because you never know when you might be able to use what's happening today in context with what happened years before, or people from different generations. If he makes a comparison of Clayton Kershaw to Sandy Koufax, that is something we know what he's talking about. But even more important is that he knows what he's talking about.

"What Scully brings is class, grace, word economy, knowledge, preparation and a smooth, calming delivery. If someone is a better story teller, in context with the timing of when to deliver it, it must be a dead comedian (maybe Jack Benny?). He never talks down to an audience. He brings us along for the ride -- 'pull up a chair'

"He's always under control -- by that, I mean he's not a local 'Harry Hysterical' type -- ever. Even on his Koufax perfect game, the Dodgers winning a pennant or World Series, or Gibson's World Series home run -- they were under control excitement.

"He understands the art of 'layout' when the crowd is going bonkers. He brings great sense of humor to the booth. If he makes a mistake (which is rare), he can kid himself about it and move on. He's not a 'homer' even though he's the Dodger broadcaster. The closest thing I ever heard him say, I believe, was when Dodgers beat Milwaukee in 1959 playoffs to go to World Series when he said 'we go to Chicago' -- that 'we' can be interpreted several ways. But he's never said 'us' or 'they' or 'them,' it's always 'Dodgers' and 'Giants.'

"He recaps better than anyone in the game, giving the score, and telling us frequently what has happened for late tune-inners. You feel like he's someone you could sit down and talk with and go away feeling good about it.

"Unfortunately, there aren't many like Scully -- well, no one actually -- but a Dick Enberg, Al Michaels and the late Bill King come to mind. They're all older and have an understanding of the basic elements of good broadcasting, aren't afraid to be quiet.

"If any young person wants to be a real professional, put the video games away and listen, digest how Scully presents a picture."

== The previous 20 respondents to the question as posted on the blog:
= Jim Nantz (linked here)
= Ross Porter (linked here)
= Ken Levine (linked here)
= Matt Vasgersian (linked here)
= Victor Rojas (linked here)
= Charley Steiner (linked here)
= Bob Miller (linked here)
= Nick Nickson (linked here)
= Chris Roberts (linked here)
= Ralph Lawler (linked here)
= Chris Fisher (linked here)
= Jeff Lasky (linked here)
= Paul Sunderland (linked here)
= Dave Caldwell (linked here)
= Larry Kahn (linked here)
= Mario Impemba (linked here)
= Josh Suchon (linked here)
= Donny Baarns (linked here)
= Larry Burnett (linked here)
= Spero Dedes (linked here)

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Spero Dedes (linked here), the Lakers' radio voice for the last six seasons, and play-by-play on the NFL and college basketball for CBS, and, like Scully, a Fordham University graduate:

"I'm not ashamed to admit that baseball has never been my most passionate sport. I grew up in a Greek-American household where soccer and basketball were king, followed by pro football. But when I'm flipping through the channels and Vin Scully is on the air, I stop and listen. His voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. His mastery of his craft is both inspiring and intimidating at the same time.

"On a personal level I'll never forget the day I met Vin in September of 2005 up in the booth before a Dodgers game. I spent 10 minutes with him. It felt like I had known him for 10 years. He makes you feel that comfortable and that special. I'm one of the millions profoundly impacted by Vin. He will forever be the king."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Larry Burnett (linked here), who has done radio and TV play-by-play for the Lakers, Sparks and college sports:

"I love baseball and I thoroughly enjoy calling baseball play-by-play, but the toughest part of the job is filling the numerous gaps in activity. Vin Scully is the best 'gap-filler' in the business. I am constantly amazed at his wealth of knowledge about the teams, the players and the history of the game. There are no lulls when Scully is in the broadcast booth and he gives us so much more than batting averages and ERAs.

"No matter the medium, when Vin Scully calls a game, it is true artistry."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Donny Baarns (linked here), who calls games for the Single-A Visalia Rawhide in the Cal League, as well as hockey for the NAHL's Fresno Monsters:

"I grew up in Sylmar and listened to Vin every night, and like so many over the last six decades, it was his voice that made me want to become a play-by-play man. I've actually had to force myself to stop listening to him over the last couple years to make sure I don't end up being a Vin clone, but his influence will always be a part of me.

"Also, who else would have either the imagination or the moxie to describe a smooth-fielding shortstop as "a bowl of silk"? That one still stuns me."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Josh Suchon (linked here and linked here), co-host of KABC's "DodgerTalk" with play-by-play experience on minor-league baseball and, lately, for UC Santa Barbara women's basketball:

"As great of a baseball announcer that Vin is, he's an even better human being. So many others have eloquently written what makes Vin so great on the air, and they're all absolutely correct. I'm always even more impressed with what he's like off the air.

"Every sportscaster strives to be as good as Vin Scully. Of course, we'll never come close. Instead, we should all focus on being as good of a human as Vin."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Mario Impemba (linked here), the former play-by-play man for the Angels (1995-2001) who has been with the Detroit Tigers since 2002:

"I have two that I think are important:

"One final thought. Vin has a deep knowledge of the history of the game that comes from his 60-plus years of broadcasting. That is an advantage for sure, but it doesn't mean that younger announcers can't study the history of the game to expand their knowledge."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Larry Kahn (linked here), a former play-by-play man on USC football, basketball and baseball, as well as Angels baseball, who started the Sports USA syndicated radio network and does primary NFL broadcasts:

"I think that biggest thing that I learned from him is the fact that you should speak to the listener as if he or she is sitting right next to you. You have to understand that these people are inviting you to be a part of their lives for that three-hour period -- or whatever amount of time it may be, longer or shorter. That means not lecturing, not acting like you know everything and they know nothing, but basically just describing and explaining what you see and trying to not only give them the mental picture, but making them feel as though they are there with you watching the game."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Dave Caldwell (linked here), the voice of Cal State Northridge basketball, who has also done high school sports in Santa Clarita since 1998:

"Preparation, preparation, preparation. There is no such thing as too much preparation. When I listen to Vin Scully, he weaves his stories about players and the game with such little effort that it is clear he simply has a vast knowledge of the subject. The only way to get that knowledge is reading, talking, asking questions and creating a trust with those who play the game.

"There is a craft to this play-by-play gig, but it is the art that matters more. And like a good pilot, if you get to the end of the journey and you are happy with the trip, you don't need to know who the pilot was but you sure are appreciative when you meet him."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

It'll be the focus of Friday's media column. To start today's link to the series we go to:

== Paul Sunderland (linked here), the former Lakers' play-by-play man (2002-05) now on college basketball and volleyball for FSW and Prime Ticket:

"I think that the lesson from Vin is an old one but rarely practiced today -- Less is more. His pace, preparation and story telling mastery are unequaled. At 43, 53 or 83, however, the most important thing we have to learn from Vin may be unattainable. That is his humility, class and grace.

"I know we're not trying not to go gushing here, but how does one not gush about Vin? He always puts the game, the players and fans first. Fans tune in, not to hear pontificating with the luxury of television pictures to cover the game. That's why I loved doing radio and the simulcast for the Lakers."

== Previous answers to the question as posted on the blog:
= Jim Nantz (linked here)
= Ross Porter (linked here)
= Ken Levine (linked here)
= Matt Vasgersian (linked here)
= Victor Rojas (linked here)
= Charley Steiner (linked here)
= Bob Miller (linked here)
= Nick Nickson (linked here)
= Chris Roberts (linked here)
= Ralph Lawler (linked here)
= Chris Fisher (linked here)
= Jeff Lasky (linked here)

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Jeff Lasky (linked here), the voice of the Single-A Lancaster Jethawks since 2006, as well as Montana State basketball and football:

"I've had some of my work critiqued by two Triple-A broadcasters in the last few weeks, and both pointed out immediately that they could hear the influence of Vin Scully in my work. It would be impossible to grow up listening to him and not be influenced. In my mind Vin is the best sports broadcaster I've ever heard and he excels in everything.

"It's an incredible compliment and an amazingly daunting challenge all at the same time."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Chris Fisher (linked here), the first-year USC basketball broadcaster:

"Growing up in the Bay Area, my affiliation lies deep with the San Francisco Giants and have spent most of my life listening to Jon Miller and Duane Kuiper call games. When given the chance to hear Vin Scully though, it is always difficult to turn the channel because there is a high level of intrigue.

"You don't have to listen to a game very long to know the game itself is most important -- not the broadcaster or his opinion. This foundation is perhaps the most important element because the information that he conveys is always relevant to what is unfolding."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Ralph Lawler (linked here), in his 31st season with the Clippers:

"I can tell you, I am in virtual awe of Vin. They simply don't make them like him anymore. He is one of the last of the great voices of the profession. Not only a great voice, but the ability to use it to help him tell and color a story.

"And he is an absolute treasure."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Chris Roberts (linked here), UCLA radio football and basketball:

"The first thing that jumps off the page at me is his first three innings are on both radio and TV so the dialog is loaded with infomation because not everyone is watching. The approach to the game is that it's the most important one ever. It doesn't matter what time of the year, standings, won-loss record or whatever. The preparation is very evident. There is a story line on every player. He makes sure that nothing takes away from the moment while weaving it into the current event.

"One other thing I take away from listening to him is be a professional. No matter how long, boring, one sided, or not much action, kick yourself in the tail and get after it. Nobody cares that you're tired or had enough or fed up with bad play. Work and finish it like it is the seventh game in the World Series, tied with two outs bottom of the ninth, no matter what the situation."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Nick Nickson (linked here), the Kings' radio play-by-play man the last 21 years:

"I've only been able to listen to Vin during the last half of his career -- since 1981, since I'm from back East. But one of the traits I've admired about his broadcasts is that his timing is impeccable. He's able to balance his incomparable storytelling with his call of the game or event and not have one interfere with the other.

"What also stands out has been his ability to portray his enthusiam and passion for what he does after all the years he's been in the booth. Perhaps his abilty to alter the way he's done the games -- maybe even increasing his storytelling -- has kept him fresh and energized."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Kings Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller (linked here), who often tutors younger broadcasters at sportscaster camps, picks up the series from here with his answer:

"I think first of all, Vin and other announcers can teach young play by play announcers the value of preparation. I think it's the most important word anyone can hear regardless of their profession. If you don't take time to prepare, that's when you start to lose your job.

"One final thought, and again Vin does this well -- Let the audience breathe. Let the sounds and atmosphere of the game come through to the listener. This sometimes is almost as important as the play by play because the sounds of the ballpark or arena make the listener feel as if he is in the crowd. After an exciting play, stop talking, and let the listener hear the roar of the crowd."

== Previous answers to the question as posted on the blog:
= Jim Nantz (linked here)
= Ross Porter (linked here)
= Ken Levine (linked here)
= Matt Vasgersian (linked here)
= Victor Rojas (linked here)
= Charley Steiner (linked here)

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Charley Steiner (linked here), the Dodgers' radio play-by-play man since 2005:

"Be exceptionally well read. He reads every section of the newspaper, especially all the little things that are often overlooked that he somehow can make a reference to at the appropriate time because he's in a conversational medium, with all these points of references you never know where they'll fit. He then has the ability to pick out items that range from today's news to ancient history.

"At the end of the day, it comes down the fact there isn't much he hasn't seen, he keeps the listener engaged, and he has impeccable timing. In the course of three-and-half hours, 98 of it is describing baseball, and the other things floating in his head, he manages to use it at the right moment. Then, you throw in the voice, and that makes him Babe Ruth."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Victor Rojas (linked here), who just finished his first year of play-by-play for the Angels on Fox Sports West:

"There are a couple of things that have always stood out to me and that I've learned to appreciate in my short time broadcasting. The first being the fact he lets the game breathe. He doesn't feel the need to fill every second of a broadcast with words. The old adage is less is more. .. and he's certainly the epitome of that and as a listener/viewer, I appreciate it immensely.

"The second is his pacing. There's something very artistic about the tempo he carries throughout a broadcast. It is a trait that you either have or spend a career trying to emulate."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Matt Vasgersian (linked here), play-by-play man for the MLB Network after a run with the San Diego Padres (2002-08) and Milwaukee Brewers (1997-01):

"That's actually a topic I've though of in the very terms you describe a number of times. Those of us in the business acknowledge Vinny to be great, but why? Which of the many things he does so well impress on me?

"And from a personal standpoint: In an industry of blowhards who are convinced that their celebrity is on par with those in uniform, Vin Scully, the biggest celebrity of all, continues to serve as the common man who is just happy to be at the ballpark that night. There is a huge lesson there for all of us."

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Ross Porter (linked here), former Dodgers play-by-play man for 28 seasons (1977-2004):

"No. 1: Be objective and not partisan. An announcer's credibility is highly important. The audience needs to believe what is being reported is accurate and not biased. The broadcaster may be paid by the team he is covering, and can want that team to win, but should not use the word "we" in his play-by-play.

"No. 7: The play-by-play announcer is on the air to describe what is happening on the field. He's not there to report second-hand information which may have been relayed to him by other sources. An example was an altercation between Don Sutton and Steve Garvey in the Dodger clubhouse at Shea Stadium in 1978. None of the announcers saw it so what were they to say?"

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

== Ken Levine (linked here), current KABC-AM "DodgerTalk" host, former play-by-play man for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, and set to call 30 games for the Mariners this season:

"What young broadcasters should take from Vin Scully is his humanity. Scully never forgets that these athletes are human beings. When a rookie shortstop makes an error, instead of just ripping him, he'll project what it must be like to be 21 years-old, playing in front of 50,000 people, and the pressure he must be under.

"Scully will dwell on what's going through a pitcher's mind standing all alone on the mound or the emotions going through a young player's head knowing his whole family is in the stands. This can translate to any sport. Approach your broadcast with humanity."

Photo: KenLevine.blogspot.com

We posed the question, and then got out of the way as quickly as possible:

As a professional play-by-play man, what can you learn about your craft simply by listening to Vin Scully today?

Over the next several days, leading into Friday's media column ranking the best L.A. sports media play-by-play men, we reveal some of the responses we've received:

== Jim Nantz (linked here), CBS lead play-by-play on the NFL, golf and college basketball:

"When I see kids today hoping to break in, or are just getting in the door, everything seems to be about 'being' on camera, being funny, having an irreverent view of the world of sports. They don't understand it runs a lot deeper. The real nuance is the ability to tell a story, have a command of the language and use of right. Mr. Scully represents to me a generation of what the art of sports broadcasting is all about.

"I do feel there's always a place for the Vin Scully approach and it will never go extinct. It's just such a higher plane to reach that standard of excellence that then separates the good from the great ones."

Photo: CBS