Media Watch:ESPN Premiers 'E:60'; It Needs Work: Each segment opens with a meeting of the E:60 reporters, debating the merits of the stories they're working on. Dramatic music plays while they discuss the stories, the reporters are shot in black and white, and the whole thing seems phony and forced. But the reporting itself was solid.
Jimmy Kimmel's Second Visit to the MNF Booth Will Be His Last, Apparently: Jay Rothman, ESPN's "Monday Night" producer, called Kimmel's comments "classless and disappointing. It was cheap. The more he went on, the worse he got." Kimmel will not be invited back, Rothman said.
It's Somewhat Official: NLCS Least Watched Primetime LCS Ever: Yes it was on cable and yes, it was still the highest-rated thing on cable TV that night. But even still, the first three games were the least watched primetime LCS games in history.
David Ortiz: ESPN Has It Wrong, Knee Is Fine: According to ESPN, David Oritz's right knee hurt so bad this weekend that he thought he might have to pull out of the ALCS. Of course, you can't believe everything you hear: Ortiz told the Boston Globe that ESPN is full of it.
NFL Draft Cuts First Round to 10 Minutes Between Picks, Move to Friday Night Next: A likely scenario is to start the draft Friday night, have the first 16 picks (which will last less than three hours) on prime time, and then resume the draft with the 17th pick Saturday. The rest of the draft would proceed as normal, with the third round concluding Saturday evening and the rest of the draft taking place Sunday.
Versus Leaves Door Open to NHL on ESPN: Neil Best, sports media columnist for Newsday, had an interesting little item tucked inside a notebook column this morning that will only continue to fuel speculation about the NHL's eventual return to the WWL.
Big Ten Network Will Probably Win in the End: Fox has been extending carrots to cable operators that add the Big Ten Network; the looming threat of a big stick when renewal deals for key cable networks come due will probably force someone's hand.
NFL:Missing: Houston Texans Running Game: Since Kubiak has been coaching the Texans, there has never been a game where the running game worked well at the same time that the passing game was working well. More often than not, the passing game has worked in spite of the running game.
The Debriefing: I Propose a Coalition to Do Terrible Things to Trent Green's Fragile Noggin: I don't want them to actually hurt the guy ... I just want them to threaten it. That's the best way I can think of to keep Trent Green from attempting to return to the football field.
Garrett Reid, Son of Andy, Going Back to Jail: According to Channel 6, Garrett was a no-show for a scheduled drug test that was required by a judge, so he was arrested. The mandatory drug tests are a result of his guilty plea over the summer to drug charges following a car crash early this year.
NASCAR:
WARNING! NASCAR Races Could Be Hazardous To Your
NCAA Basketball:
O.J. Mayo Breaks Teammate's Jaw, Coach Tim Floyd Says It Was an Accident: But Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that at least one player claims the broken jaw came when Mayo punched Hackett, while publicly Mayo, Hackett and coach Tim Floyd are all saying it was an accidental elbow.
NCAA Football:Kentucky Fans Should Probably Throw Bottles: Just this week your school was fined $50,000 by the SEC for a violation of the league's "sportsmanship policy," specifically not keeping fans off the field after the game. The alternative to rushing the field is simple, and it's something that the SEC is totally cool with: throw empty liquor bottles on the field. Ole Miss did it after their game with Alabama, just like Alabama did after their game with Georgia.
When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go:
Eric Schnupp, Baylor's offensive line/tight ends coach, was was issued a citation at 2:20 a.m. Sunday for disorderly conduct-reckless exposure at Scruffy Murphy's. Bartender Danny Severe said an employee witnessed Schnupp urinating on the bar, and a manager told police officers who were there for an unrelated matter.
NBA:
Brad Miller Is Clueless and Josh Howard May Be Suspended For It: When you watch the video (upper right-hand corner), you'll see that Miller was actually upset with Mavs rookie Nick Fazekas, who tangled with Miller under the basket during the preceding play. But by the time Miller turned around, Fazekas had already made his way down court, and it was a sheer coincidence that Harris happened to be standing in Miller's path.
Is Larry Miller the Next John Hollinger? Forget PER and the plus/minus stat and rebounding rates and all of that other new age gobbly-gook. Jazz owner Larry Miller has his own statistic that he uses to gauge a player's effectiveness: the player's batting average. "It's pretty simple: Add up points, rebounds, steals, blocks and assists. Subtract fouls, turnovers and shots taken. Then divide by minutes played."
