Just when I thought the sports media fun was over for the day . . . Gary and Ron will be taking calls in the booth on SNY in the eighth inning!
What if the Mets mount a comeback and it gets interesting? It's only 13-1.
Our Mets are not quitters!
I'm back from the Big City again. This time I was hanging out with various trade publication reporters and MLB Advanced Media types learning about MLB.tv and trying to figure out what everyone was talking about.
Naturally, there is much more about Tuesday night's "Costas Now" all over the blogosphere than when I left. The YouTube video can be found on various blogs on the blog roll to the left.
By not linking to it directly, I can have plausible deniability for the naughty words. Plus, I avoid violating any copyright laws, I guess.
Here is a rant on Newsday's own Final Score blog about Bob Costas. Please click on it so the FS boys can reach their April page views goal and leave me alone.
Baumbach wonders in the post why anyone would want to interview Costas. Actually, I did after the show last night.
I'll post the transcript Thursday, among many, many other things.
The big national story to come out of Bob Costas' sports media town meeting on HBO Tuesday was the cross-generational holy war pitting Buzz Bissinger and (to a lesser extent) Costas against Will Leitch, representing the blogosphere.
The most interesting New York-oriented development, though, was Michael Strahan talking to Chris Russo for the first time in nearly nine years.
Strahan has been incensed with Russo and partner Mike Francesa on a regular basis, starting with his controversial comments in 1999 while Jim Fassel was out of town for his mother's funeral and continuing through the criticism of Strahan's record-breaking sack in the 2001 season and his 2007 holdout and subsequent selection as a team captain.
"All of a sudden, that's why the team is 0-2,'' Strahan said of the blame he felt he took for the team's slow start.
Strahan said that sitting next to Russo was the closest he ever has been to the WFAN host, and it was clear from his tone he was tempted to reach over and slap him.
Strahan referred to Russo and by extension many other sports talk hosts when he said, "The last time you had a uniform on was when your mom took you trick or treating."
When Russo pointed out radio hosts often do say positive things about athletes and don't get credit for doing so, for example after Strahan helped the Giants win the Super Bowl, Strahan shot back, "You had no choice."
When it was over the two shook hands on stage. Unlike Bissinger and Leitch.
I have other stuff to do now. Go back to discussing Imus and Carton if you want.
Here are some remarks from Buzz Bissinger (see post below) aimed at Will Leitch that I jotted down longhand last night:
"I really think you're full of ----."
"It really ---- the ---- out of me."
"It's a complete dumbing down of our society."
"This guy, whether we like it or not, is the future."
"The quality of writing in blogs generally is despicable."
Honestly, I don't know where to begin in dissecting the events of Tuesday in Big Town, where I should have been most interested in the Michael Strahan/Chris Russo showdown on "Costas Now" but instead got sucked in by the multi-car pileup in which Buzz Bissinger rear-ended Will Leitch, with Bob Costas tossing gasoline and matches into the wreck.
As a middle-aged, mainstream media blogger, I understandably felt like a rubbernecker with sympathy for both sides but morbid fascination with the spectacle.
I can't even link to the video when (if) it turns up on YouTube, what with the naughty language and all. (From Buzz, not Will.)
My favorite line (and Will's) was curse-free. Bissinger called Leitch "Jimmy Olsen on Percocet." I'm not sure what that means, but it was hilarious.
Adding to the strangeness, all this happened hours after I sat down to chat with the elegant Vin Scully, who never has cursed out a fellow media member on national television, as far as I know.
Here is Leitch's take on it, well written as usual. I was one of the people he referenced who came up to him afterward to assess the possible psychological damage.
Bissinger and (more so) Costas made some good points, to be sure, even as things got a tad intense. That's what made it all so compelling.
(The show reruns at 6:30 Wednesday, by the way.)
I have one more day of old-school, mainstream media reporting that will limit my blogging, but I will make up for it in the coming days. Trust me.
The most disturbing news on Deadspin this morning had nothing to do with Buzz or Bob or Stray or Mad Dog.
It's that Jan Brady turned 50 yesterday.
Profound apologies for the lack of blogging Tuesday. I just got back from another long, winding day of journalism-related activities in the big city.
I was fortunate enough to see three more ESPN/Tribeca Sports Film Festival entries, grateful to talk to Vin Scully before he was honored by Fordham and WFUV, then highly amused to witness Michael Strahan and Chris Russo spar on "Costas Now" on HBO.
One topic from Tuesday, though, is sure to dominate the sports blogosphere Wednesday.
Two words: Buzz Bissinger.
More later. Much more.
Eternal thanks to Richard Deitsch for watching and analyzing the NFL Draft coverage so I didn't have to observe any more of it than was absolutely necessary to pretend to have a superficial opinion in my Tuesday newspaper column.
I hate to put something on top of all the spirited Carton bashing going on in the post below, but I had a short break and thought I'd share with you the 2008 Sports Emmy Award winners from Monday night.
In three years on the beat, I have yet to attend the gala event. Maybe next year. Or as soon as ESPN covers the Newsday Publisher's Award dinner in January.
Click below for the winners and the chart of awards by channel/network.
This is my Tuesday newspaper column. If you promise to read it I promise to stop leading my columns with informative but numbers-heavy items about radio ratings.
Feel free to use the comments function to engage in a spirited discussion about the WFAN morning show.
Also making appearances in the column today: Carlos Delgado, Mike Francesa, Tiger Woods, Roger Goodell, Brian Billick, John McEnroe, Chris Russo, Tom Hammond, Sean McManus, Michael Strahan, Will Leitch, Bob Costas and . . . Don Imus!
Among others.
I have a lot of newspaper stuff to do today. Enjoy the start of the Rangers' triumphant march to the third round.
I thought the speeded-up NFL Draft was an improvement. But let's face it, when Jets fans are happy about the team's first pick, it cannot be considered an entertaining, satisfying draft.
OK, here is my last Lee Elia link. The guy certainly is embracing The Rant on its 25th anniversary. I promise I have it out of my system now.
It's appropriate to remember Lee on this day when much of New York sports commentary has been devoted to another guy (perhaps) taking on the fans - Mr. Carlos Delgado of the Mets.
On one hand, the fans always win in the long run because they're the ones who never leave. On the other hand, the athletes and coaches they torment always leave with much of their cash.
By the way, a birdie told me WFAN hoped to have David Wright on this afternoon to discuss Curtain Call Gate, but he declined.
Wise move, sir.
As I mentioned over the weekend, I turned down an interview with Alice Braga Friday night before the premiere of "Redbelt" in order to discuss the mixed martial arts phenomenon with an old boxing guy.
Ray Mancini plays a small part in the movie.
My job is silly, but someone has to do it.
Click below for the transcript of our discussion.
Continue reading "Boom Boom Mancini is a fan of mixed martial arts" »
Here is an interview with Commack's own Bob Costas by a guy in Orlando called the "Weekend WatchDog."
Nice of him to take care of things for me when I'm off.
The interview is timed for the live "Costas Now" episode Tuesday night in which some of the biggest names in the sports media biz will serve on discussion panels in Midtown.
Not including me.
Anthony Rieber has an essay on his "Final Score" blog regarding Carlos Delgado, Curtain Call Gate and the media handling of said incident.
I found it interesting, and thought-provoking.
My first thought:
I need to find a new line of work. I feel guilty about not caring about Carlos Delgado's hat.
(Check out the video of Baumbach discussing this from the Mets' dugout. At one point he is drowned out by a plane at LaGuardia. That's old-school Mets!)
Tuesday, as you all know, is one of the most sacred dates on the sports media calendar, more so this year than most.
Yes, it's been 25 years since Cubs manager Lee Elia unleashed the greatest manager/coach rant in sports history, at least among those captured for posterity by journalists.
Here is the story from my venerable Tribune teammate (for now) Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune.
Here is Elia talking about it, 25 years later.
Here are links to some other famous rants. But not Tommy Lasorda's classic, in which he uses profanity as liberally as Elia did.
Here is how the Tribune covered the story in the next day's paper.
And here is the audio. Even with the bleeps, it's R-rated.
I was fortunate enough Sunday to view seven films in the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, and now know much more than I did 24 hours ago about homeless soccer, the Bocuse D'Or cooking contest, Ugandan boxing, the history of the New York City marathon, old Nets dancers, steroids and Bobby Valentine.
I will do my best to review all 12 films in the ESPN festival in the blog and/or newspaper before it ends Sunday.
The "Zen of Bobby V," in which three ridiculously young NYU film students spent eight months with Valentine in Japan last year, will be on ESPN May 13.
Sunday was the second-nuttiest movie-watching day of my life, behind only the triple feature of "Dr. No," "From Russia with Love" and "Goldfinger" I saw in 1971 when school was out and my mother had to work.
She left me (age 10) and my sisters (age 9) in a theater in downtown Elizabeth, N.J., with no adult supervision. Those were different times.
Here is my Sunday newspaper column, in which I give free pub to a worth cause - ESPN Films - and quote at length John Sterling lamenting the Yankees' lack of pitching.
Have a nice day.
Enjoy the seventh round of the draft.
Patrick Ewing spoke to his old coach, John Thompson, on TNT Saturday about the vacant Knicks job and the team's apparent lack of interest in him. Patrick is unamused.
Ewing on whether or not he wanted to be considered for the New York Knicks head coaching position: “Definitely. Obviously I played in New York, I know the area, I know the team, I know the fans, I know everybody. I know the media. So naturally I would have loved to interview.”
Ewing on being contacted about the Knicks coaching job: “No, no one’s contacted me…It did (bother me), but I guess that’s life. I’m in a great situation here in Orlando working with (Dwight Howard). If it doesn’t happen it doesn’t happen. But yes, it did bother me.”
(UPDATE: Here is a thorough story on this from Hahn.)
Check out this really cool, really scary live blog Glauber is doing at the draft.
Yikes.
One question: When is Glauber going to get around to writing his article(s) for the Sunday newspaper?
Assuming he is writing article(s) for the Sunday newpaper . . .
I did some journalistic snooping while visiting the Tribeca Film Festival (see post below) and discovered how and why "We Are Marshall" won the vote for favorite football flick - thus earning the right to be shown at the "drive-in" Saturday at the World Financial Center.
Turns out a site frequented by Marshall alumni caught wind of the contest and mounted a vast Internet conspiracy to vote early and often. Hence some of the nutty results, including a 93-7 blowout of "Rudy" in the final.
Too bad Notre Dame doesn't have an active alumni community.
(I'm old school, of course. I would have voted for "Brian's Song.")
I know it's a busy sports weekend, but I won't be blogging. I think the wife and kids have started to notice that I've been ignoring them.
See you Monday. Enjoy college boxing on SNY at 4:30 p.m. Wait . . . college boxing?
Friday night I attended the premiere of David Mamet's Jiu-Jitsu film, "Redbelt" and joined the entertainment media on the red carpet.
While there I turned down an interview opportunity with the woman on the left to talk to the man on the right.
Then Salman Rushdie sat next to me during the movie.
It's a strange job. But it beats my old one, in which I currently would be obsessing over the Saints' trade offers for the Giants' tight end.
Well, heck, if I'm going to make a big deal about all the national coverage of the draft, I might as well tell you what SNY has planned for Our Jets.
Click below to read the news release. (Read Newsday all weekend, too, obviously.)
Speaking of SNY, I've gotten a lot of feedback on my Tuesday column about the channel's new sports talk shows, and about sports talk in general.
Some thought I was too harsh, some not harsh enough. But one theory is that I'm just another print reporter jealous of my TV and radio counterparts. (Granted, it's a distinction that gets more blurred by the day.)
Jealousy is not the word. But there is no doubt an element of resentment on the part of unsung print reporters who man the front lines in the locker rooms and on the road, interviewing people and gathering the raw material that fuels the sports babble industry.
That's why the best local sports debate show was the late, great "Giants On-Line" on MSG and later YES.
It featured four journalists, one radio play-by-play man and one hyperactive public relations man with an important thing in common: They actually were around the team on a daily basis.
(Full disclosure: Yes, I was one of the stars of the show, which carries on - kind of - as an element of the Giants' TV and Web content. Sigh.)
Now I'm really done for the week. Enjoy the Shockey trade.
Continue reading "Sports talk is at its best when the talkers have a clue" »
Check out the results of the fan voting for the football flick that will be shown Saturday night at the Tribeca Film Festival.
There is something very, very fishy here. Someone associated with "We Are Marshall" must have voted early and often. Blowout victories over all comers, including "Remember the Titans?"
It couldn't have been Kate Mara. I'm guessing it was Matthew McConaughey.
Did I mention there was some interesting give-and-take between Harold Reynolds and ESPN in my Friday newspaper column today?
Well, there was.
Ciao. I have stuff to do.
Enjoy Manchester City vs. Portsmouth at noon on MSG Plus.
Here is a summary of Thursday night's NFL Network upfront from the venerable John Ourand of Sports Business Journal:
The message coming out of NFL Network's upfront presentation in N.Y. last night could be boiled down to this: NFL Network is not going away. From NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's comments during the event to NFL Net CEO Steve Bornstein's remarks afterwards, top execs said they would continue negotiating with four of the top five cable operators for better distribution.
Noting that the network has deals in place with more than 100 distributors, Bornstein said, "We only have four more to go," referencing Comcast (whom the network is battling in the courts), Time Warner (with whom Bornstein said he has had "no dialogue"), Charter and Cablevision.
For those of you interested in much, much more . . . feel free to check out this and this.
(UPDATE: Click below for an updated version of Ourand's story.)
Saturday night's "drive-in" movie at the World Financial Center Plaza as part of the Tribeca Film Festival is "We Are Marshall," winner of a fan poll of favorite football flicks in honor of the draft.
(Actually, it's not really a drive-in. This is Manhattan. It's a walk-in.)
It's not a great movie by any means. But it's earnest and well intentioned and I thought the recreation of the plane crash was scary and realistic.
Plus, it features SportsWatch/WatchDog pal Kate Mara.
(For the record, I'd like her father, Chris, and everyone in the Giants and Steelers organizations to know I was extremely well behaved in choosing a picture of the lovely and talented Ms. Mara to illustrate this post, out of respect to all concerned.)
I mentioned in my Friday newspaper column that Sirius Satellite Radio offers a three-day free trial via the Internet, and that this weekend would be an excellent time to check it out, given the over-the-top lunacy, er, dedication of their draft gurus.
Here is the link for that.
It turns out ESPN and the NFL Network also will cover the draft, and if you don't have the NFL Network you can watch its coverage on NFL.com.
Click below for their raw, unedited news releases on that subject (as well as Sirius') assuming there is room enough for it all in cyberspace.
(By the way . . . Newsday is covering the draft as well.)
Continue reading "Sirius is serious about NFL Draft coverage" »
I asked Marc Fein, a top Versus exec whom I quoted in my Friday newspaper column, whether he has heard anything lately regarding ESPN's potential interest in returning to the NHL.
"We haven't heard anything,'' he said. "We've stated in the past if someone wants to talk to us, [we] would have those conversations."
ESPN would have to come to Versus, because Versus owns national cable exclusivity for the league. (I guess I could have asked ESPN poobah John Skipper about this Thursday, but, um . . . )
NBC exercised its option to carry the NHL for another season, which almost certainly puts the ESPN possibilities on the shelf for now, but some in and around the league miss the exposure ESPN provided even as Versus gradually gains acceptance.
Here is what a helpful ESPN spokesman had to say on the subject: "We are fans of the NHL and look forward to discussions next time rights become available."
By the way, in case you were wondering whether NBC and Versus are happy with the mix of Original Six, big market and Sidney Crosby teams in the second round, stop wondering:
They are.
I wrote a mixed mini-review in my Friday newspaper column on a show on Sunday on NBC in which the network trots out some old footage of sports "icons."
The friendly p.r. people sent me an extremely detailed transcript of the highlights.
I assume I'm allowed to share it with you.
Click below to read it in case you'll be busy analyzing the Titans' draft picks at 5 p.m. Sunday and thus unable to watch.
Continue reading "Ali took 'cups of love, one teaspoon of patience,' etc." »
Let's face it, people, Boston cares more about sports than us. Even sports media. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think.)
David Scott is at it again, offering a blow-by-blow of Gordon Edes' attempts to accept a buyout from the Globe.
And I was happy just to sneak in a 150-word tribute to Joe Gergen when he left Newsday after 40 years, 33 as a columnist! Sigh.
My favorite comment this week was an e-mail I got Monday in response to a post in which I announced I was not in the mood to blog.
It was from a famous local radio personality who shall remain nameless, other than that his last name is Ackerman.
He quoted George Costanza, thusly: "You ask me to have lunch, tell me you slept with Elaine, and then say you're not in the mood for details. Now you listen to me. I want details and I want them right now. I don't have a job, I have no place to go. You're not in the mood? Well you get in the mood!"
Speaking of not being in the mood . . . ESPN was nice enough to invite me to a movie screening Thursday night where I would have hung out with John Skipper, one of the most powerful men in sports media, as well as Kelly Ripa.
Then the NFL Network was nice enough to invite me to an event Thursday night where I would have hung out with Steve Bornstein, one of the most powerful men in sports media, as well as Brett Favre.
I politely declined both and instead played softball and drank fermented malt beverages.
Here is my Friday newspaper column.
Check out the back-and-forth between Harold Reynolds and his old friends at ESPN. I guess their legal settlement hasn't settled everything.
Biggest question is why I didn't put that stuff higher in the story.
I'm assuming that once he takes over Mr. Murdoch will not stand for backing into the juicy stuff like that.
Michael Kay just said Vin Scully will be his guest on 1050 ESPN at 4 p.m.
That in itself is worth nothing here in case you want to listen. But it also reminded me I keep forgetting to give you the ticket info for the event Tuesday at which Fordham will honor Scully for his lifetime achievements.
Click below for the news release and ticket particulars.
Continue reading "Vin Scully to appear on 1050 soon, Sotheby's Tuesday" »
Time Magazine was impressed and inspired by the NBA's recent marketing campaign. Seriously.
First, Rieber and Baumbach started posting media news on their new blog.
Now they're looking for lame excuses to post pictures of attractive young females.
Pretty soon there will be nothing left for me but lists of words Chris Russo has mispronounced.
Sigh.
I should do a book on athletes dating females celebrities. It goes back to the dawn of time, or at least to 1887, when the Giants' John Montgomery Ward married actress/babe Helen Dauvray. But I probably won't. Don't have time due to blogging addiction.
Harold Reynolds, formerly of the Alaska Goldpanners, Seattle Mariners and ESPN, and currently of MLB.com, has joined SNY as a part-time studio analyst, the network will announce this morning.
Reynolds will make his debut Friday night on the pre- and post-game shows for Mets-Braves, the first of about 20 appearances this season.
Lee Mazzilli, the network's lead studio analyst, works about 85 games. Darryl Strawberry, who was hired earlier this month, will handle 15-20.
Reynolds, a popular studio analyst for ESPN from 1996-2006, was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Later, he sued the network. The sides reached a settlement last week.
Reynolds has worked for MLB.com since last summer.
The same friendly p.r. man who asked me the other day to tell you about the $150 Kathie Lee Gifford trading cards now has asked me to tell you about some special packages being offered for the Kentucky Derby.
The one I'm most strongly considering is the "Millionaires Row" package for $11,399 (single occupancy).
I've never been to the Derby. Hmm.
My plan is to go for it, then hope my kids don't get accepted into any colleges and thus don't notice I couldn't have paid for it anyway.
Usually I avoid posting Nike-driven viral videos, because, well, let them buy an ad! We need the money!
But I figured I might as well do so to set up this cute parody of said video on TNT last night. (The first part is cute; the part where everyone laughs for three minutes straight is less so.)
Just got back from a day of journalism adventures in Big Town and discovered this, from the venerable John Ourand of Sports Business Journal: Tony Petitti, Sean McManus' right-hand man at CBS Sports, is about to be hired to run the MLB Channel, which launches early next year.
You might not care, but it's really big news in my corner of the world. And it begs the question of whether Mr. McManus now will be tempted to leave troubled CBS News, which he also runs, and return full time to sports.
We shall see. For now, click below for Ourand's story:
Continue reading "MLB Channel plucks Tony Petitti from CBS Sports" »
I can't do any better today than to have inspired a raging Syl Apps controversy (see two posts below).
So I will quit while I'm ahead. Sorry.
What do you people want from me? I had 20 posts Tuesday!
Enjoy "Whitetail Diaries" on Versus at 2 p.m.
Tuesday's appearance by Chris Russo on "Late Show with David Letterman" was among the more entertaining (and lengthy) for Mr. Mad Dog, I thought. (His lead-in was Helen Hunt.)
There were the usual goofy, awkward moments, and at times Dave seemed genuinely afraid as Chris yelled at him and waved his arms. (Here is some video from the event.)
What I don't get is how Dave can justify extremely local sports talk on a national, non-sports talk show. Even Dog seemed confused when Dave asked about the Mets' and Yankees' radio play-by-play men.
Did anyone in Boise have any idea what they were talking about regarding Howie Rose and John Sterling? Dave even threw in a John Minko reference!
Dave has been on a sports bender of late. Danica Patrick is scheduled for Wednesday and Brett Favre for Thursday.
Please give me a call so I can ask you about all this, Mr. Letterman. I have been watching your show since the month before Danica was born.
The schedule is out for the Rangers-Pens series. No surprise: NBC is grabbing two of the games for Sunday afternoon showing. Two others are Versus exclusives. The others will be on MSG.
I will explain further how all this works in the newspaper this week.
Here is the schedule:
Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m., Versus
Game 2: Sunday, 2 p.m., NBC
Game 3: April 29, 7 p.m., MSG (Versus in the rest of the country)
Game 4: May 1, 7 p.m., Versus
Game 5: May 4, 2 p.m., NBC
Game 6: May 5, 7 p.m., MSG (Versus in the rest of the country)
Game 7: May 7, TBD
(Bonus WatchDog kudos to first reader to identify the guy in the picture.)
Here is another story that seems like it should be part of my beat. It's about high school lax Webcasting.
But as I indicated Tuesday, if I were to write every story about everything theoretically on this beat, I would not have time to blog. Or eat. Or sleep.
So I'm happy to have my Newsday colleagues cover my tush.
(Northport does not appear to be on the Web schedule, alas.)
Here is my big story about NBC and the NHL staying together through next season.
It's under the part about the Flyers winning in OT.
This is a good thing for the NHL. There are plenty of puckheads at NBC who genuinely want what is best for the league. And of course promoting NHL stars in advance of the 2010 Olympics doesn't hurt.
You can fairly assume that the people at NBC are very pleased to have the Avs facing the Red Wings and the Rangers taking on the Pens in the second round.
In honor of Shea Stadium's final season, here is one of my all-time favorite bits of random sports video.
It features some classic Stengelese, a shockingly young Phil Pepe explaining the differences between covering the Yankees and Mets and shots of the modern marvel of a baseball stadium under construction, with narration by Casey himself.
Glauber lives on this stuff, but this is the very first look-a-like post in WatchDog history.
I saw "Juno," starring Michael Cera, on Sunday.
I saw Mets-Cubs, starring John Maine, on Monday.
E-mail
Facebook
Digg
Delicious
