Weekend Programming Includes Golf, Track & Field, MLS and NASCAR

Ok, I’m going to group a whole bunch of press releases together. You can look and see what captures your fancy this weekend.

First, CBS is all over the AT&T National this weekend.

TIGER WOODS AIMS TO DEFEND TITLE IN “AT&T NATIONAL” ON FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, JULY 3-4 ON CBS SPORTS 

     

The world’s No. 1-ranked player Tiger Woods looks to defend his title this week in year four of the PGA TOUR’s AT&T NATIONAL as the tournament moves to a new venue, Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia. 


CBS Sports broadcasts third- and final-round coverage of the AT&T National from Aronimink in Newton Square, Pa., on Saturday, July 3 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET) and Sunday, July 4 (2:00-6:30 PM, ET), live on the CBS Television Network.

Jim Nantz, the 2009 Emmy Award Winner for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play” and 2009 National Sportscaster of the Year, serves as anchor of CBS Sports’ golf coverage. Sir Nick Faldo, winner of six major championships and more than 40 tournaments worldwide, serves as lead analyst. Ian Baker-Finch calls the action at the 17^th hole and Gary McCord at the 16^th hole.  David Feherty and Peter Kostis serve as on-course reporters.

Woods has played in five in PGA TOUR events this season, with his two top-10 finishes coming at the Masters and the U.S. Open.  Last year, he beat Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan at Congressional Country Club, home of The AT&T National.  The tournament will only be played at Aronimink this year and in 2011 as Congressional prepares to host the 2011 U.S. Open.  

Woods takes on an impressive field of the world’s top players including Mahan, Jim Furyk, Y.E. Yang, Rickie Fowler, Sean O’Hair, Robert Allenby, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Lucas Glover, Nick Watney, Scott Verplank, Aaron Baddeley, J.B. Holmes, Justin Leonard, Steve Marino, Davis Love III, Ryan Moore, Rocco Mediate, Ricky Barnes, Vijay Singh,  Paul Goydos, Charley Hoffman, Brandt Snedeker, Boo Weekley and David Toms.

Lance Barrow is Coordinating Producer and Steve Milton is Director of CBS Sports’ golf coverage.  Harold Bryant is Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.

NASCAR is on TNT tonight and in 3-D for certain subscribers. In addition, there’s limited commercial interruption.

TNT Revs Up Its Innovative Wide Open Coverage this Saturday in Primetime for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola

Special 3D Presentation of Race Available On NASCAR.COM and Select Television Distributors 

Special Pre-Race Elements Include Dale Earnhardt Tribute and No. 14 Tony Stewart Joining the Studio Show

TNT’s groundbreaking Wide Open television format will return for the fourth consecutive year during the network’s exclusive coverage of the primetime Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on Saturday, July 3^rd. The format provides continuous race coverage free of national commercial breaks and features more unobstructed race action than that of a standard telecast by using a letterbox widescreen format. In place of the national ads, the telecast features a variety of animated sponsor messages, unique branded content and distinct on-screen graphic elements. Wide Open Coverage debuted on TNT during the 2007 Daytona 400 race and has resulted in only nine missed laps of green flag racing in three years, and zero for last year’s race.

The eight national sponsors featured in this year’s innovative telecast include Coke Zero, Burger King, Coors Light, Goodyear, Dimension Films’ Piranha 3-D, Sprint, Subway and Toyota.  

TNT, in partnership with NASCAR Media Group, will also present NASCAR’s first foray into 3D programming with a special presentation of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola being made available through TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM (NASCAR.COM/RaceBuddy3D).  In addition to the mosaic of HD-quality complementary unique camera angles available on TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM each week, two custom racing feeds, sponsored by Coca-Cola, will be produced specifically for 3D. The first will provide a unique look at the racing action from strategically placed cameras around the track designed to maximize the effect of 3D. The second stream will bring the mayhem of pit row into the third dimension creating a one-of-a-kind visual experience. In addition to NASCAR.COM, DIRECTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks will also air the 3D production.

The network will rev up its pre-race coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green with Lindsay Czarniak (host), Petty and McReynolds. TNT will air a special feature on legendary driver No. 3 Dale Earnhardt to honor the approaching anniversary of his fatal race at the 2001 Daytona 500. Offering their memories and thoughts on the Hall of Fame driver are former owner Richard Childress, crew chief Larry McReynolds and pit crew teammates Chocolate Myers and Danny Lawrence. Joining the studio show prior to the race will be No. 14 Tony Stewart, defending champion of the Coke Zero 400 and winner of the July race three times in the past five years.

TNT will air the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander 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 using the TNT Offtrack Robotic Car (TORC). Pit reporters Phil Parsons, Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum will provide reports throughout the race.  

More stuff comes up after the break.
NBC has coverage of the Prefontaine Classic track & field meet in Eugene, OR today and has some other sports as well.

OLYMPIC MEDALISTS HEADLINE LIVE COVERAGE OF THE PREFONTAINE CLASSIC THIS SATURDAY ON NBC SPORTS

Motocross (LIVE), Hy-Vee Triathlon and FIVB Grand Slam Volleyball Round Out Weekend Coverage

NEW YORK– July 1, 2010- NBC Sports presents live coverage of the Nike Prefontaine Classic from Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. this Saturday featuring many of the world’s best track and field athletes. The event will air from 4:30 – 6 p.m. ET with Universal Sports rebroadcasting the NBC Sports show at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Headlining the men’s competition in the 200m event is American 100m record holder and 2009 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist Tyson Gay. Challenging Gay will be 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford.

Olympic bronze medalist (2008) David Oliver, who just captured his second USA Outdoor Men’s title last weekend, will compete in the men’s 110m hurdles event and will be up against 2008 Olympic silver medalist David Payne, and two-time Olympic silver medalist (2000, 2004) Terrence Trammell.

Competing in the men’s Bowerman mile is USA’s two-time Olympic medalist (2000, 2004) Bernard Lagat, and 2008 Olympians Lopez Lomong and Leonel Manzano. They will be up against 2008 Olympic gold medalist Asbel Kiprop of Kenya.

Headlining the women’s javelin throw is Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder. Also competing will be USA’s Kara Patterson, who set a new national record at the USA Championships last weekend, along with Rachel Yurkovich, who ranked No. 1 in the U.S. last year ahead of Patterson.

NBC Sports’ Olympic track and field broadcast team of Tom Hammond, Ato Boldon, Lewis Johnson and Dwight Stones will provide commentary.

AMA MOTOCROSS, SATURDAY, 3:30 PM ET (LIVE) 

NBC Sports presents live coverage this weekend of the RedBud National AMA Pro Motocross from Buchanan, Mich., airing on Saturday, July 3 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET.

This event is the centerpiece of the AMA Motocross Championship and it is among the most highly regarded motocross tracks in the world. This weekend’s AMA Motocross National is one the region’s biggest events and has the largest attendance of any U.S. motocross race. NBC’s coverage will feature pro racing and the biggest jump on the circuit – LaRocco’s Leap, named after local legend Mike LaRocco.

The broadcast team of Jason Weigandt, David Bailey, Jamie Bestwick and Tiffany Simons will call the action from RedBud in Buchanan, Michigan.

HY-VEE TRIATHLON, SUNDAY, 3 PM ET
 

NBC Sports presents 90 minutes of taped coverage this weekend of the 2010 Hy-Vee Triathlon from Des Moines, Iowa, airing Sunday at 3p.m. ET.

Coverage of the race features the top triathletes in the world as they compete in hopes of earning the sport’s richest purse of $1 million and valuable Olympic qualifying points. The 2010 ITU Elite Cup is the only of this year’s eight World Cup events located in the United States and the only Olympic qualifying event being held in North America this year.

Craig Hummer and Siri Lindley provide the commentary.

FIVB GRAND SLAM VOLLEYBALL, SUNDAY, 4:30 PM ET

NBC Sports presents 90 minutes of coverage this weekend of the Grand Slam from Stavanger, Norway, airing Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

For the 12th-straight season, Stavanger, Norway will host a FIVB World Tour event as the world’s best beach volleyball players return to the Vaagen Harbour dockside courts June 28 – July 4. The Grand Slam is the third of six major events on the 2010 FIVB World Tour schedule. The winning pairs in each gender will share the $43,500 first-place prizes along with claiming the 800 team points used in determining the season-ending FIVB World Tour champions.

Paul Sunderland and Dain Blanton will provide the commentary.

And one last weekend programming note. ESPN2 is picking up a MLS game Sunday night as Landon Donovan is expected to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

ESPN2 Adds Seattle Sounders FC-LA Galaxy Independence Day Match

U.S. National Team Stars Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle Expected to Return to MLS Play Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET

With the excitement surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup, ESPN2 has added this weekend’s Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy match to its Major League Soccer schedule for Sunday, July 4, at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT. Galaxy stars Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle are expected to return to MLS for the first time since leading the U.S. Men’s National Team to a first place Group C finish and an appearance in the Round of 16 in South Africa.

Glenn Davis and Kyle Martino will call the Sounders FC-Galaxy match on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD (simulcast on ESPN3.com) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The Independence Day match will also be joined in progress on ESPN Deportes following the Sunday Night Baseball game.

Donovan and Buddle are the top offensive threats for the Galaxy (10-1-3), who occupy first place in the MLS Western Conference. Donovan, who netted three goals for the U.S. team in South Africa, is the league-leader in assists, while Buddle is MLS’s leading scorer.

ESPN’s presentation of the 15^th season of Major League Soccer continues all summer with MLS Game of the Week on most Thursday nights, and the Manchester United vs. MLS All-Stars match later this month (Wednesday, July 28 at 8:30 p.m.) from Reliant Stadium in Houston. 

That’s it.