Thursday Press Release Reading

Here are some press releases for you to go over.

NBC Sports goes over its schedule for Wimbledon starting this weekend and into next week.

FEDERER SEEKS RECORD 15TH GRAND SLAM AS NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF BREAKFAST AT WIMBLEDON

“Only a few months ago people were writing him off.” - NBC’s McEnroe on Federer going for record


“There’s no question that Venus is the queen at Wimbledon.” - NBC’s Robinson

NEW YORK – June 25, 2009 – The 30th anniversary of "Breakfast at Wimbledon," one of the great traditions in sports, highlights NBC Sports extensive coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon beginning this Saturday 3-6 p.m. ET and continuing this Sunday 1-4 p.m. ET with early round action. The network will present high definition coverage of more than 38 hours over nine days concluding with live high definition coverage of "Breakfast at Wimbledon" with the Ladies' Final Saturday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen's Final, Sunday, July 5 at 9 a.m. ET.

Host Ted Robinson anchors NBC Sports coverage from Wimbledon, joined by three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe and Mary Carillo, with interviews and essays from Jimmy Roberts.

For NBC Sports, this is the 30th anniversary of "Breakfast at Wimbledon" and the 40th anniversary of NBC's Wimbledon coverage from the prestigious grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

On the men's side, Roger Federer is seeking his record 15th Grand Slam singles title and sixth Wimbledon title. With Rafael Nadal out with a knee injury, among Federer's competition could be No. 3 seed Andy Murray of Great Britain and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick.

JOHN McENROE ON ROGER FEDERER: "Obviously Roger is playing incredible tennis but it looks like his draw will be difficult. He could play either Robin Soderling or Ivo Karlevic in the Round of 16 and Fernando Verdasco or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. All four are difficult and are contenders at Wimbledon.

JOHN McENROE ON ROGER FEDERER ATTEMPTING TO BREAK GRAND SLAM RECORD: "I think it is great for tennis that it is happening here at Wimbledon. He says this is his favorite surface and he says he loves it here. It just shows you how quickly things can change because it was only a few months ago that people were writing him off, and then he wins the French for the first time and he is on his way to breaking the record."

TED ROBINSON ON EXPECTATIONS FOR ROGER FEDERER: "Having won five Wimbledons already and losing his sixth in what was the greatest match ever last year, Roger is going to enter this Wimbledon as an odds on favorite to win his record breaking 15th major. It puts a little more pressure on his shoulders."

JOHN McENROE ON OTHER CONTENDERS: "Andy Murray has potentially two difficult and tricky matches but if he gets by he has a good chance to go to the finals. With Nadal out of the tournament it leaves potentially an opportunity for Roddick, if he is healthy and plays well."

TED ROBINSON ON ANDY RODDICK: "He is playing much better this year than he has in the last few years. He is coming off his best French Open and that should help his confidence. If they ever do get to meet, he has played Roger better the last couple of times, so that at least gives Roddick some glimmer of hope."

JOHN McENROE ON ANDY MURRAY: "Murray has beaten Roger the last four times they have played and he is the most likely candidate to take him if they are to meet in the final."

TED ROBINSON ON ANDY MURRAY: "Murray has had a great year, he is up to No. 3 in the world and the obvious story of a Brit trying to win again - which hasn't happened in 70 years since Fred Perry won - will have massive repercussions. If Murray makes it into the second weekend he is going to become an incredible story there."

TED ROBINSON ON WHO ELSE TO LOOK FOR: "I don't really know how his game is going to translate to grass but Del Potro was ridiculously close to playing in the finals of the French Open. He had Federer completely backed into the corner in the semis and wasn't able to finish him but there is clearly a lot of talent there. The other guy that I would think to have a really good chance to make a mark at this Wimbledon is Fernando Verdasco, who is just an incredibly talented.  He played one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport against Nadal at the Australian Open this year."

TED ROBINSON ON RAFAEL NADAL'S ABSENCE: "It's definitely disappointing and the crucial question is, is it short term or long term? The sport and tennis fans will all be able to absorb a short-term absence from Rafa but if its long term then is obviously severely damaging to the sport, to the fans, to the incredible rivalry that he and Federer have crafted the last three years in particular. If it's a significant knee problem then we all are concerned about that because no one wants that and tennis can't afford a long-term absence of Nadal."

JOHN McENROE WEIGHS IN ON TOP WIMBLEDON MATCHES EVER: "My match vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 final is the best match I have played in."

The best matches McEnroe has seen:
1) Nadal vs. Federer in last year's final
2) Ivanisevic vs. Rafter in the 2001 final
3) Gerulaitus vs. Borg in the 1977 semifinal
4) Sampras vs. Agassi in 1999 final

On the ladies side, defending champion Venus Williams is seeking her sixth Wimbledon singles title, her third straight and her fourth in five years. Since her first title in 2000, Venus has appeared in seven of the nine Wimbledon finals. Her main competition will come from her sister Serena, a two-time champion who Venus defeated in the final last year in straight sets and the No. 1 seed Dinara Safina of Russia.

TED ROBINSON BREAKS DOWN THE LADIES: "On the ladies side it's two people, Venus and Serena in that order. There's no question that Venus is the queen at Wimbledon, having won here five times. She steps on that court as if this was where she was born to play tennis. Venus and Serena have been so dominant at Wimbledon that it's difficult to see anybody derailing that. When they are focused, fit and healthy they are the dominant players on the woman's tour at the majors. I would be shocked if they don't make it to the final."

LIVE AT WIMBLEDON: NBCSports.com is your online companion for NBC Sports coverage of Wimbledon. Live at Wimbledon a joint venture of NBC Sports and the All England Lawn Tennis Club and powered by Microsoft Silverlight will offer live streaming of up to four concurrent courts, on-demand replays of the best matches from every day of The Championships, alternate camera angles for NBC Sports semifinal and final match coverage, daily video highlights, and Golden Moments from the Wimbledon archive.

Live at Wimbledon is available throughout The Championships, Wimbledon with on-demand coverage. Live streaming of NBC Sports coverage and additional matches will begin this Saturday, concluding with the Ladies' Final on Sa
turday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen's Final on Sunday, July 5 at 9 a.m. ET.

WIMBLEDON ON NBC SPORTS MOBILE: Again this year, NBC Sports provides live mobile coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon. Starting Saturday, June 27 (3-6 p.m. ET) and extending until the end of the championships, tennis fans can watch NBC's coverage on either NBC 2Go or NBC Sports Mobile, including live coverage of every exciting point of the Gentlemen's and Ladies' Finals. Plus, tennis fans will be able to get news and scores right on their cell phones with the NBC Sports Mobile Web site or exclusive text alerts; users can just text the word TENNIS to 51515 or visit http://mobile.nbcsports.com.

NBC's Wimbledon Broadcast Schedule

Saturday, June 27 - 3-6 p.m. ET, 3rd Round, (live and same-day tape)

Sunday, June 28 - 1-4 p.m. ET, No Sunday matches, (tape)

Monday, June 29 - 10 a.m.-1 p.m., all time zones, Round of 16 (live and same-day tape)

Monday, June 29 - 11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT, Wimbledon Update

Tuesday, June 30 - 10 a.m.-1 p.m., all time zones, Ladies' Quarterfinals (live and same-day tape)

Tuesday, June 30 - 11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT, Wimbledon Update

Wednesday, July 1 - 10 a.m.-1 p.m., all time zones, Gentlemen's Quarterfinals, (live and same-day tape)

Wednesday, July 1 - 11:35-11:50pm ET/PT, Wimbledon Update

Thursday, July 2 - Noon- 5 p.m., all times zones, Ladies' Semifinals, (same day tape)

Thursday, July 2 - 11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT, Wimbledon Update

Friday, July 3 - Noon- 5 p.m., all time zones, Gentlemen's Semifinals, (same day tape)

Friday, July 3 - 11:35 p.m.-12:05 a.m. ET/PT, Wimbledon Update

Saturday, July 4 - 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET, "Breakfast at Wimbledon", Ladies Final, (live)

Sunday, July 5 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, "Breakfast at Wimbledon", Gentlemen's Final, (live)   

*All telecasts are subject to change due to rain delays.

NBC will have live Track & Field on Sunday.

“More first-time national champions will be crowned at this event than ever before.”- NBC’s Ato Bolden

NEW YORK- June 25, 2009-NBC Sports presents live coverage of the U.S. Track and Field Championships, this Sunday from 4-6 p.m. ET from Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The event will feature the best professional track and field athletes competing for spots on the Team USA roster for the 2009 IAAF World Outdoor Championships, August 15-23 on NBC from Berlin, Germany.

After a stunning sweep at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 400m men's hurdlers Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson will look to take gold, silver and bronze once again, this time in Eugene. Headlining the men's middle long distance is reigning world 1,500m & 5,000m champion Bernard Lagat (Kenya). Also, competing this weekend in the men's championship is 100m double world champion Tyson Gay; 2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor long jump champion Dwight Phillips; 2008 Olympic Trials high jump champion Jesse Williams; and reigning World Outdoor champion and the 2006 World Indoor Championships gold medalist pole vaulter Brad Walker.

Headlining the women's competition in the 100m and 200m are two-time Olympic silver medalist and World Outdoor champion Allyson Felix and two-time World Outdoor 100m medalist Lauryn Williams. Competing in the women's 100m hurdles are 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper and fellow Olympians Lolo Jones and Damu Cherry. Cherry currently has the fastest time by an American this year and Harper is coming off wins in Jamaica and at the Adidas Track Classic. Also competing this weekend in the women's championship is three-time USA Outdoor and 2008 Visa Outdoor pole vault champion Jenn Stuczynski, who is looking to win her fourth consecutive USA Outdoor title and the top three finishers from the 2008 Olympic trials in triple jump: two-time Olympic Trials runner-up Shakeema Welsch, three-time USA Outdoor champion and two-time USA Indoor champion Shani Marks and 2008 NCAA champion Erica McLain.

Commentary provided by Tom Hammond, Ato Boldon, Lewis Johnson, Dwight Stones, and Bob Neumeier.

ALLI DEW TOUR NIKE 6.0 BMX OPEN, 2 PM ET
NBC Sports presents the Alli Dew Tour Nike 6.0 BMX Open live from 2 p.m. ET from Chicago, Ill. where the world's top BMX freestylists  will compete in the BMX Dirt final .

Competitors include Australia's high-flying Cameron White who is looking to become the first athlete to defend his Dew Cup crown along with USA veteran Ryan Nyquist and teenage sensation Dennis Enerson in the rough and tumble BMX Dirt event.

Kenan Harkin, Jamie Bestwick and Tiffany Simons will provide commentary.

TNT continues its NASCAR coverage on Sunday.

TNT’s NASCAR Coverage Continues with Sprint Cup Series Racing from Loudon on Sunday, June 28

Pre-race coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET; green flag drops at 2 p.m. ET

TNT continues its exclusive coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from Loudon on Sunday, June 28^th live from New Hampshire International Speedway. The network will air the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 beginning at 2 p.m. ET with play-by-play announcer Bill Weber calling the race alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach in the booth. In addition, analyst Larry McReynolds will make frequent contributions from the in-field as he breaks down crew strategy and analyzes car adjustments.

The network will rev up its pre-race coverage beginning at
12:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR on TNT Live! with Marc Fein (host), Petty and McReynolds. No. 2 Kurt Busch will join TNT’s infield rig for an interview prior to the race.

TNT’s acclaimed Pride of NASCAR series will feature the legendary NASCAR owners Wood Brothers who hold one of the longest and richest legacies in the sport, developing great drivers such as Junior Johnson, Dan Gurney, Donnie Allison, Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, Dale Jarrett, David Pearson, Michael Waltrip, Elliott Salder and TNT’s Kyle Petty. In 1976, the Wood Brothers won the coveted ‘Triple Crown’ of NASCAR with wins at the Daytona 500, World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR on TNT Live! will be followed by Countdown to Green at 1:30 p.m. ET with Weber (host), Dallenbach (analyst) and Petty (analyst) with reports from pit reporters Marty Snider, Matt Yocum, Ralph Sheheen and Lindsay Czarniak.

During Countdown to Green, Sheheen will have an exclusive interview with No. 48 Jimmie Johnson to talk about a shared history between the two of them. Johnson began his career in off road racing and Sheheen was part of the broadcasting crew that covered the sport, including during Johnson’s teenage years. Johnson speaks about the impact of off road racing on his NASCAR career as well as his motivation to continue to succeed in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing.

Also, an interview with veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli and his rookie driver No. 20 Joey Logano will air during the pre-race show.

Countdown to Green leads into coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Loudon at 2 p.m. ET with Weber, Dallenbach and Petty calling the action with frequent interaction with McReynolds (analyst) who will man the TNT Offtrack Robotic Car.

Throughout this year’s NASCAR on TNT Summer Series, the network will join forces with NASCAR.COM, the official site of NASCAR, to provide TNT RaceBuddy a multiplatform experience for race fans which features live feeds from the racetrack including pit road and in-car cameras, as well as live chats and polls.

REMAINING 2009 NASCAR ON TNT SCHEDULE:

(All times ET)

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. NASCAR on TNT Live!

1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Countdown to Green

2:00 – 5:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Loudon (from New Hampshire Intl. Speedway)

SATURDAY, JULY 4

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. NASCAR on TNT Live!

7:30 – 8:00 p.m. Countdown to Green

8:00 – 11:15 p.m. Coke Zero 400 at Daytona from Daytona Intl. Speedway)

SATURDAY, JULY 11

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. NASCAR on TNT Live!

7:30 –
8:00 p.m. Countdown to Green

8:00 – 11:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Chicago (from Chicago Speedway)

ESPN says its ratings for the College World Series were the most viewed ever on ESPN and ESPN2.

NCAA Men’s College World Series: ESPN and ESPN2’s Most-Viewed Ever, Including Best-of-Three Championship Series

ESPN’s 30th consecutive NCAA Men’s College World Series was the most-viewed and highest-rated in ESPN and ESPN2 history — including the best-of-three Championship Series won by LSU over Texas — while posting significant audience increases over last year.

• Overall, ESPN averaged 1,450,000 households, 1,928,000 viewers and a 1.5 rating, marking increases of 33% (vs. 1,091,000), 37% (vs. 1,408,000) and 36% (vs. 1.1), respectively, over 2008.

• ESPN’s three Championship Series telecasts averaged 2,059,000 households; 2,762,000 total viewers; and a 2.1 rating, making it the most-viewed and highest-rated Series finals since the tournament expanded to the best-of-three format in 2003. This season’s games marked increases of 24% (vs. 1,664,000), 26% (vs. 2,193,000) and 24% (vs. 1.7), respectively, over last year.

• The Championship Series produced three of ESPN’s top four most-viewed NCAA College World Series telecasts ever, highlighted by the most-viewed and second highest-rated for the decisive Game 3 which averaged 2,303,000 households; 3,160,000 viewers; and a 2.3 rating.

• Game 2 stands as the third most-viewed with 1,964,000 households, 2,620,000 viewers and a 2.0 rating.

• Game 1 delivered 1,905,000 households, 2,500,000 viewers and a 1.9, making it the fourth most-viewed in ESPN history.

• ESPN2 averaged 821,000 households and 1,043,000 viewers for increases of 6% (vs. 771,000) and 6% (vs. 988,000), respectively, over last year. The network averaged a 0.8 rating, the same as last season.

• In addition, ESPN2 delivered two of its top five most-viewed and highest-rated NCAA College World Series games ever: the Game 12 telecast (June 19) ranks fourth with 1,064,000 households; 1,396,000 viewers; and a 1.1 rating, while Game 9 coverage (June 17) stands as the fifth averaging 1,049,000 households, 1,298,000 viewers and a 1.1 rating.

ESPN/ABC NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy had some interesting things to say on Mad Dog Live about college basketball.

Today (June 25, 2009) on SIRIUS XM Radio, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo hosted his daily show, “Mad Dog Unleashed,” from outside Madison Square Garden before the NBA Draft.

Former Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy joined Russo on air. When asked by Chris about his future, Van Gundy said he sees himself coaching again but only in the NBA, not the “cesspool” of major college basketball.

Chris Russo: “Where do you stand now with your career? If somebody called would you be interested? Are you ok with what you are doing right now with broadcasting? Where does Jeff Van Gundy stand right now?”

Jeff Van Gundy: “ESPN committed long term to me and I committed long term to them. Do I see myself coaching in the future? Absolutely.”

Russo: “You do. NBA, not college?”

Van Gundy: “Not college. You know what, Chris? That’s a cesspool. The agents have overtaken major college basketball. At least in the NBA we all pay our players and it’s above board. I have no interest in coaching college.”

Golf Channel will show the PGA Professional National Championship starting on Sunday.

2009 PGA Professional National Championship

Sunday – Wednesday on GOLF CHANNEL

Michael Breed Makes Analyst Debut

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 25, 2009) – Contested for the first time Sunday – Wednesday, a field of 312 PGA Professionals will compete for spots in the PGA Championship field when the 2009 PGA Professional Championship returns to New Mexico.

GOLF CHANNEL will air more than nine hours of live tournament action from Twin Warriors and Santa Ana Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. Sunday’s opening round action will air live from 4-6 p.m. ET, followed by live action Monday – Wednesday from 3:30 – 6 p.m. ET.

PGA Professional Michael Breed will make his debut as lead analyst at the PGA Professional National Championship. Breed will be joined by play-by-play host Brian Hammons, Donna Caponi-Byrnes and Mark Lye reporting
from the course and Dave Marr handling interviews.

Featuring a $550,000 purse, the low 70 scorers and ties will advance to the third and final rounds, contested at Twin Warriors Golf Club. The low 20 scorers following the tournament’s conclusion will earn a berth in the PGA Championship, Aug. 13-16, at Hazeltine National Golf Club Chaska, Minn. The tournament also will determine the 10 members of the U.S. PGA Cup Team when it battles Great Britain and Ireland in the PGA Cup., Sept. 18-20 in Scotland.

I have one more post before calling it a night.