The Thursday Press Releases

Here are some press releases that have hit the Fang’s Bites inbox today.

Starting with NBC Sports, it hypes its coverage of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

DECIDING GAME 7 OF STANLEY CUP FINAL TOMORROW, 8PM ET ON NBC SPORTS

“It is the ultimate in professional sports.” – NBC’s Olczyk on a Stanley Cup Final Game 7

“The Penguins have more mood swings than a teenage girl.” – NBC’s Milbury

"In practical terms, a Stanley Cup Final can't erase what this city is going through, but as a means to help them feel pride in their city, to help provide some relief and some excitement, it's important to Detroit." – NBC's Olczyk on Detroit

"For the NHL and NBC, it's ideal. There couldn't be a better script. A classic Game 7 will make this one of the all-time great series in Final history." – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

NEW YORK – June 11, 2009 – NBC Sports will broadcast the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup Final between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, tomorrow, 8 p.m. ET from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Penguins forced a Game 7 with a nail-biting 2-1 home-ice victory Tuesday night. 

Mike "Doc" Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass analyst) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty in the on-location studio show alongside Mike Milbury and former NHL netminder Darren Pang.

Detroit is seeking its 12th Stanley Cup championship in their long history as an NHL "Original Six" franchise, having won their 11th Cup last season against Pittsburgh; the Penguins have won two championships (1991 & 92). Twenty-one current Red Wings players (total of 40 times) have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup compared with just five for the Penguins.

ED OLCZYK ON STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 7: "Players are always thinking about it, dreaming about it, wondering what it would be like. There are a lot of 'what ifs' going on in players' minds right now. This is about opportunity, it's about history, it's about forever. It is the ultimate in professional sports." [Olczyk was a member of the 1994 New York Rangers team that won the Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7].

ED OLCZYK ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO WIN: "The greatest equalizer in professional sports is goaltending. One team can play great but if the guy in the other net says 'no,' that will be the decider."

ED OLCZYK ON WHAT A RED WINGS WIN WOULD MEAN TO DETROIT: "I think the people of Detroit are looking for something to grab on to. In practical terms, a Stanley Cup Final can't erase what this city is going through, but as a means to help them feel pride in their city, to help provide some relief and some excitement, it's important to Detroit."

MIKE MILBURY ON THE PENGUINS UNPREDICTABLE PLAY: "The Penguins have more mood swings than a teenage girl."

PIERRE MCGUIRE ON THE PENGUINS: "They are much more mature both mentally and athletically than last year. They are much better equipped to handle the theater."

PIERRE MCGUIRE ON HOW PITTSBURGH WINS: "Pittsburgh will win if they stay out of the penalty box, Fleury repeats his performance from Game 6 and their star players find a way to fight through the matchup of Zetterberg, Lidstrom and Rafalski."

PIERRE MCGUIRE ON HOW DETROIT WINS: "Detroit wins if they get an early lead to keep the crowd in it and force the pace to keep the Pittsburgh defense on their heels."

PIERRE MCGUIRE ON THE RED WINGS: "The problem for Pittsburgh is that Detroit is so poised, so professional, that Pittsburgh has to play an almost perfect game, particularly in goal, to beat them."

GAME 7 NOTES

· In the last 18 Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals and World Series combined over 30 years, the home teams have won all 18.
· The last road team to win a Game 7 came from Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the '79 World Series.
· Friday's Game 7 is the 15th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final history – the home team is 12-2.
· The last road team to win a Stanley Cup Final was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens, who defeated the Blackhawks in Chicago.
· The Pittsburgh Penguins have never lost a Game 7 on the road in four tries.

ESPN says it will send a crew to cover Game 7. About time.

SportsCenter’s Levy, Barnaby and Melrose at Game Seven of Stanley Cup

When the puck drops Friday, June 11 for the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals (Pittsburgh at Detroit), Steve Levy and ESPN NHL analysts Matthew Barnaby and Barry Melrose will be on site to preview and review all the action. Reports will run throughout the day and after the game on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. Twitter users can follow Barnaby @MattBarnaby36 all week and during the game for news and notes.

Melrose recently made a light-hearted “Man of Mystery” video surrounding SportsCenter’s NHL coverage. “Stay tuned my friends.” — Melrose

CBS Sports has some start power in this weekend’s St. Jude Classic as Phil Mickelson returns to the PGA Tour after learning his wife was diagnosed with br
east cancer.

MICKELSON, LEONARD, GARCIA, HARRINGTON AND VILLEGAS TEE OFF AT “ST. JUDE CLASSIC” ON CBS SPORTS, JUNE 13-14

Phil Mickelson returns to the PGA TOUR this week at the ST. JUDE CLASSIC. He takes on Justin LeonardSergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen and Tim Clark. John Daly makes his 2009 PGA TOUR debut. who defends his title against many of the world’s top-ranked players preparing for next week’s U.S. Open, including

CBS Sports will cover all the action from the TPC Southwind outside of Memphis, Tenn., with third and final-round coverage of the St. Jude Classic on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET, both days), live on the CBS Television Network.

Bill Macatee and Ian Baker-Finch provide commentary and analysis from the 18^th tower. Peter Oosterhuis calls the action at the 17^thPeter Kostis at the 16^th hole. David Feherty and Bobby Clampett hole and serve as on-course reporters.

Lance Barrow is Coordinating Producer, CBS Sports’ Golf. Jim Rikhoff will produce and Chris Svendsen will direct CBS Sports’ coverage of the St. Jude Classic.

The St. Jude Classic will be played at TPC Southwind in Germantown, Tenn., for the 21^st consecutive year. Last year, Leonard beat Robert Allenby and Trevor Immelman in a playoff, making it his second title here after holding off, David Toms, also a two-time winner, by a stroke to win in 2005. Leonard returns to Memphis to take on the St. Jude Classic field that includes Mickelson, Garcia, Harrington, Villegas, Goosen, Clark, Robert Allenby, Stephen Ames, Jose Maria Olazabal, Paul Goydos, Charles Howell III, Boo Weekley, Jesper Parnevik, Scott Verplank, Chris DiMarco, Henrik Stenson, Steve Elkington, Tim Herron, Tom Pernice, Jr., Daly, Toms, former Vanderbilt All-American and 2007 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Brandt Snedeker, and other past St. Jude Classic winners Woody Austin, Bob Estes and Ted Tryba.

ESPN has announced its announcing crew for the FIFA Confederations Cup which will be a test event for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

ESPN and ESPN2 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Television Commentators

Lead U.S. and MLS Booth Team Joins UEFA Champions League Commentators

Rece Davis Returns as Studio Host with Alexi Lalas as Analyst

A trio of talented commentator teams will call all 16 matches of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup from South Africa June 14-28 on ESPN and ESPN2. The quadrennial tournament will be presented in high definition when the champions of each of the six FIFA confederations – CONCACAF (USA), UEFA (Spain), CAF (Egypt), CONMEBOL (Brazil), AFC (Iraq) and OFC (New Zealand) – and the upcoming host country (South Africa) and past winner of the FIFA World Cup (Italy) compete against one another one-year leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. All the match and studio commentaries will be from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters. The commentator teams:

• ESPN’s lead U.S. Soccer National Team and Major League Soccer booth team of JP Dellacamera (play-by-play) and analyst John Harkes;
• UEFA Champions League lead booth team Derek Rae (play-by-play) and analyst Tommy Smyth; and
• Adrian Healey, the play-by-play voice of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 2008) title match, and former English Premier League player Robbie Mustoe.
• In the studio, Rece Davis, who has worked the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008, returns as host, joined by studio analyst Alexi Lalas.

ESPN Axis Returns for the Confederations Cup

ESPN Axis, the virtual replay technology developed by the Swiss company LiberoVision and ESPN’s production team, and used for the first time during studio coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2008), will be integrated into studio coverage of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The technology creates “virtual” replays, with video from the live action processed via computers to create virtual freeze frames from multiple angles. Angles of view may be tilted upwards by 90 degrees — from field level to directly overhead — creating three-dimensional, bird’s-eye views from multiple vantage points to diagram plays.

Bios:

• Davis – one of ESPN’s leading studio hosts…earned critical acclaim for his work as studio host during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008;
• Dellacamera – has worked six straight FIFA World Cups as a play-by-play commentator…serves as the lead voice for U.S. National Teams (men’s and women’s) and MLS telecasts on ESPN and ABC;
• Harkes – former U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team captain who made his ESPN debut during 2006 FIFA World Cup, is the lead game analyst for U.S. Men’s National Team and MLS matches on ESPN and ABC;
• Healey – served as play-by-play of the Euro 2008 title match between Spain and Germany…also calls UEFA Champions League matches for ESPN International;
• Lalas – former U.S. Men’s National Team defender is ESPN studio analyst for soccer…joined the network after successful career as a professional and team manager in the MLS;
• Mustoe – former player for English Premier League’s (EPL) Middlesborough FC and the current Boston College men’s soccer assistant coach… made his big event soccer debut as a member of ESPN’s commentator team for Euro 2008…an analyst for ESPN International’s game and studio coverage of the UEFA Champions League;
• Rae – has called ESPN’s English-language UEFA Champions League Final for the past eight years…lead play-by-play commentator for ESPN International;
• Smyth – one of U.S. television’s most insightful international soccer analysts…serves as game and studio analyst for ESPN’s U.S. and international coverage of the UEFA Champions League.

Please click here to access ESPN’s 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup commentators’ bios.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Commentators Schedule – ESPN, and ESPN 2

All times EASTERN

Schedule is subject to change

Date	Time (ET)	Networks	Match	Group	Site	Match
Su 6/14	9:55 a.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	South Africa vs. Iraq Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth	A	Johannesburg	1
	2:25 p.m.	E2/360	New Zealand vs. Spain JP Delacamera and John Harkes	A	Rustenburg	2
Mo 6/15	9:55 a.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	Brazil vs. Egypt Adrian Healey and Robbie Mustoe	B	Bloemfontein	3
	2:25 p.m.	E1/360/Mo. TV	USA vs. Italy Dellacamera and Harkes	B	Pretoria	4
We 6/17	9:55 a.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	Spain vs. Iraq Dellacamera and Harkes	A	Bloemfontein	5
	2:25 p.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	New Zealand vs. South Africa Rae and Smyth	A	Rustenburg	6
Th 6/18	9:55 a.m.	E2/360 ++	USA vs. Brazil Dellacamera and Harkes	B	Pretoria	7
	2:25 p.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	Egypt vs. Italy Rae and Smyth	B	Johannesburg	8
Sa 6/20	2:25 p.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	Spain vs. South Africa Dellacamera and Harkes	A	Bloemfontein	9
Su 6/21	1:00 a.m.	E2/360*	Iraq vs. New Zealand Rae and Smyth	A	Johannesburg	10
Su 6/21	2:25 p.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	Egypt vs. USA Dellacamera and Harkes	B	Rustenburg	11
	2:25 p.m.	E1/360/Mo. TV++	Italy vs. Brazil Healey and Mustoe	B	Pretoria	12
We 6/24	2:25 p.m.	E1/360/Mo. TV	1st A vs. 2nd B Rae and Smyth		Bloemfontein	13
Th 6/25	2:25 p.m.	E1/360/Mo. TV	1st B vs. 2nd A Dellacamera and Harkes		Johannesburg	14
Su 6/28	8:55 a.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV	3rd Place Match Healey and Mustoe		Rustenburg	15
	2:25 p.m.	E2/360/Mo. TV++	Final – Title Match Dellacamera and Harkes		Johannesburg	16

* – Game will air live on ESPN360 on Saturday, June 20, at 2:25 p.m.

++ – The telecast will be preceded by a 30-minute pre-match program.

E1 – ESPN; E2 – ESPN2; 360 – ESPN360.com; Mo-TV – ESPN Mobile TV

ESPN and FIFA Events

ESPN and ABC are the U.S. English-language television homes of the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup events through 2014, having acquired the rights in 2005, as well as the rights to the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and 2013. ESPN will provide unprecedented multimedia coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (June 11-July 11, 2009).

That will do it for now.